CRC Retro Mix #39

1. Souvenir (DMC Postcards From The Edge) - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2. I Touch Roses (Full Bloom Version) - Book Of Love
3. The Good Samaritan - Counterfeit
4. New Dress (Razormaid! Mix) - Depeche Mode
5. Animal Magic (Dance Vocal) - Belouis Some
6. Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep Pettibone Remix) - New Order
7. It's Alright - Pet Shop Boys
8. The Great Commandment (Acid Commandment) - Camouflage
9. Last Train To Trancentral (Razormaid! Mix) - The KLF
10. The Sun Rising (Norty's Spago Mix) - The Beloved
11. 900 Hours (Mr. E Mix) - Boxcar
12. How To Be A Zillionaire (Bond Street Mix) - ABC
13. Cccan't You See (Razormaid! Mix) - Vicious Pink
14. Get The Balance Right! (Combination Mix) - Depeche Mode
15. Goodbye Horses (Extended Version) - Q Lazzarus

***SPECIAL NOTE FROM CRC AND DJ TINTIN***: Apologies to everyone who has attempted to download and/or listen recently, but gets a pre-recorded bandwidth notification. For awhile I had a pro account with much more bandwidth, but I couldn't justify the cost with my time limitations over the past three years. That said, I also don't like fans and followers to be cock-blocked for weeks on end by bandwidth overages. Right now, I have to be satisfied with a free account, but I didn't anticipate using up my bandwidth three days after the reset date each month. It's a good problem to have, but still a problem. Anyway, I'll keep you all in the loop should things change. For now, I guess, circle the 24th of each month on your calendar to remind yourself to grab these episodes when you can before my 15 gigs of bandwidth per month evaporates! Thanks to each and every one of you for tuning in. It really makes a guy feel good.

Notes and other random things:

Alright! It's 3 hours to dawn, I've got a full bowl of cereal, half a glass of water, it's dark and I'm making a podcast. Hit it!
This sassy little number contains ABCs and OMDs, Counterfeits and Camouflages, Boxcars and Beloveds, something "vicious", something "new" and even a double DM! Happy Listening!

Okay, so like any normal testosterone-fueled male member of the species I'm a competitive guy, my own worst critic and I can't stand giving a less-than-competent effort in whatever it is I choose to undertake. That said, I do read comments and check reviews with regard to my 'casts to make sure I'm living up to some realistic level of excellence. For the most part, I've been thrilled that this insignificant little program I assemble in my basement has brought so much joy to so many of you. I try to be honest and forthright in my write-ups for my sake, for your sake, for band's sake, for God's sake. Most of what I write is knowledge I've gleaned over the years from being a fan, from reading music mags, from collecting umpteen thousands of records and reading umpteen thousands of liner notes on the bands I feature here. Often, however, I look up artists to confirm or deny stuff I thought I'd read, thought I'd heard, figured I'd seen or otherwise dreamed. Most importantly, I try to get it right.

But I don't always.

...Which brings me to the first band I'd like to mention here: Counterfeit. In episode #23, I included Lee McFadden and Co.'s song "The Good Samaritan" At the time, it was a new find for me, one I discovered on a compilation I had just purchased. Until that point I knew nothing of the band and had a difficult time finding much information on them. I jumped to the conclusion that the song I possessed was probably their only release. Thankfully, a kind listener made a comment to the contrary. He wrote:

"In fact there is a three-track EP of "The Good Samaritan" that was released a couple of years ago. Myself and the other two members are still in contact and work together occasionally on music." - Lee McFadden.

Holy S#!+, Lee McFadden just wrote to tell me I'm full of crap. That's so COOL! Anyway, thanks to Mr. McFadden for correcting my error. I thought it appropriate to let you all know there is more to the band than just one song. I also figured that by using Lee's comment as part of my write-up it would give me another chance to feature the excellent track here.

So, back to the "my own worst critic" comment a moment ago. One of the things about this podcast that is endearing/aggravating is that it's a live mix. That is, I hit record and go for an hour or more - typically 15 songs. As you can imagine, things can sometimes go wrong when performing live, especially at 3 in the morning when I recorded this one. Some errors are bad enough I scrap the whole thing and start over. Sometimes, I just accept things like variances in recording levels or slightly mismatched beats because it's too time-consuming to spend an hour or more redoing an entire 'cast for small inconsistencies, especially when you're using cheap, finicky mixing equipment as I do. In the case of this podcast it turns out two of the tracks here had questionable endings. The first, Book Of Love's "I Touch Roses" mix had a repeated phrase for the last 30 seconds that sounded as if the track were skipping. Of course, I remembered that at the last possible moment and quickly began mixing it out. So, if it sounds like an unnatural point at which to fade in/fade out, it is. And now you know why. I'd say Daniel Miller should be flogged for ending the track in that way, but how can I possibly stay angry at the fellow who founded Mute Records? I forgive you Daniel. Just don't do it again! In case you were wondering about the other track with the weird ending it was 900 Hours by Boxcar. Thankfully, the first gaffe reminded me to avoid a second.

I'd like to spend a moment to write about Belouis Some. Frankly, I could spend a day debating the correct pronunciation of Neville Keighley's alter-ego ... but I won't. Just know that all the variants I've encountered rank right up there with bands like INXS, Cetu Javu, EBN-OZN and others whose names were all butchered during their infancy. (C'mon ... admit it. You called them "Inks" the first time you saw their record in the storefront window. You know you did!) Anyway, the track "Animal Magic" was released in 1987 on Belouis Some's self-titled album, two years after the band found chart success UK and stateside with the songs "Imagination" and "Some People". Those songs led to opening gigs for Nik Kershaw and Frankie Goes To Hollywood during their heyday in 1985 and a track called "Round Round" which appeared on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack. The soundtrack is notable for two things: it's association with a John Hughes film and for being killer back when soundtracks were mostly filler. (That rhymes!) As an interesting side note: Nik Kershaw's song "Wouldn't It Be Good" also appeared on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack as a cover version by Danny Hutton Hitters. Belouis Some's "Some People" would also surface on a Swatch commercial circa 1986.

Australia had its share of good rock music in the 80s. Men At Work, INXS (however you pronounce them) and Midnight Oil represent just a few of the names. But as club culture began to consume record racks in the mid-80s, fledgling bands began to dabble in electronics, shifting their focus from guitar-infused pub rock to synth-based dance music. Brisbane's Boxcar were one of those bands that gained prominence world-wide. But old pub-rock habits die-hard and the band had a difficult time of things even in their home country where they were often met by a chorus of boo-birds during live performances. The group was also ridiculed for being too derivative of established artists like New Order (whom they toured with at the turn of the 90s.) Thanks in part to producer Robert Racic, who had worked with Severed Heads (also an Aussie electronic band) and Single Gun Theory among others, Boxcar's first full-length release "Vertigo", issued in 1990, was praised by critics for it's sophisticated electronic sound. Tracks like "Freemason", which charted at #8 on the Billboard Dance Chart and "Gas Stop" brought the group some …