1. Forever Young - Alphaville
2. Eyes Of A Stranger - Payolas
3. The Hurting - Tears For Fears
4. Vienna - Ultravox
5. Doot-Doot - Freur
6. Dogs Of Lust (Spermicide Mix) - The The
7. The City Sleeps - MC 900 Ft. Jesus
8. Skin Trade (Stretch Mix) - Duran Duran
9. Reach The Beach - The Fixx
10. Lullaby (Extended Mix) - The Cure
11. Are Friends Electric? - Gary Numan
12. Lived In Splendor: Died In Chaos - Pop Will Eat Itself [EXPLICIT]
13. What We All Want - Gang Of Four
14. Dangerous (Sensual Mix) - Depeche Mode
15. Say Hello Wave Goodbye (12" Mix) - Soft Cell

Notes: Happy New Year! Lower tempos deserve love too!

Alphaville: Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens; #65 US; #98 UK; 1984
Payolas: Paul Hyde, Bob Rock; #22 US; #4 Can; Juno Award for Single of the Year; 1982
Tears For Fears: Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith; 1983
Ultravox: Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Warren Cann, Chris Cross; #2 UK; 1981
Freur: Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, Alfie Thomas, Bryn Burrows, John Warwicker; #59 UK; 1983
The The: Matt Johnson as only constant member; #2 US; #25 UK; 1993
MC 900 Ft. Jesus: Mark Thomas Griffin; 1991
Duran Duran: Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor; #39 US; #22 UK; 1987
The Fixx: Cy Curnin, Adam Woods, Rupert Greenall, Jamie West-Oram, Dan K. Brown; 1983
The Cure: Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Roger O' Donnell, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams, Lol Tolhurst; #23 US; #5 UK; 1989
Gary Numan: Tubeway Army; #1 UK; 1979
PWEI: Clint Mansell, Graham Crabb, Richard March, Adam Mole; 1990
Gang Of Four: Jon King, Andy Gill, Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham; #30 US; 1981
Depeche Mode: Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andrew Fletcher, Alan Wilder; 1989
Soft Cell: Marc Almond, David Ball; #3 UK; 1982

1. Relax (Ollie J Remix) - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2. If You Leave (Hot Tracks Remix) - OMD
3. Wild Boys (Wilder Than Wild Boys Extended Mix) - Duran Duran
4. The Sun Rising - The Beloved
5. White Horse - Laid Back
6. Blue Monday (Razormaid! Mix) - New Order
7. Stop! (12" Remix) - Erasure
8. I Confess - Vicious Pink
9. Breakaway (Popper Mix) - Big Pig
10. Riding Into Blue (Razormaid! Mix) - Inga Humpe
11. Change - Celebrate The Nun
12. Carpe Diem (Razormaid! Mix) - Umo Detic
13. Shame (Mix Two) - Nitzer Ebb
14. World In My Eyes (Razormaid! Mix) - Depeche Mode
15. World Without Love - Anything Box

Notes and other random things:

Good day, all! I tagged this explicit due to b*tch in "White Horse" by Laid Back. Happy Listening!

1. FGTH:  Holly Johnson, Paul Rutherford, Mark O'Toole, Brian Nash, Peter Gill; Trevor Horn producer; #1 UK; #10 US; 1983

2. OMD:  Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper, Stuart Kershaw; #48 UK, #4 US; Pretty in Pink soundtrack; 1986

3. Duran Duran: Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor; #2 UK; #2 US; 1984

4. The Beloved: #26 UK; produced by Martyn Phillips; 1989

5. Laid Back: John Guldberg, Tim Stahl; #26 US; 1983

6. New Order: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert; #1 UK Indie; #5 US Dance; best selling 12-inch single of all time; 1983

7. Erasure: Andy Bell, Vince Clarke; #2 UK; #98 US; remixed by Mark Saunders; 1988

8. Vicious Pink: Josephine Warden, Brian Moss; backing vocalists for Soft Cell; produced by Tony Mansfield; 1986

9. Big Pig: Sherine Abeyratne, Tony Antoniades, Neil Baker, Nick Disbray, Tim Rosewarne, Adrian Scaglione, Oleh Witer; #89 UK; #60 US; Chuck Jackson cover; 1987

10. Inge Humpe: written & produced by Trevor Horn; Mixed by Joseph Watt; #93 UK; 1990

11. Celebrate The Nun: H.P. Baxxter, Rick J Jordan, Britt Maxime; formed Scooter in 1993; 1991

12. Umo Detic: Andreas Tomalla (Talla 2XLC), Markus Nikolai (Jallokin); 1990

13. Nitzer Ebb: Douglas McCarthy, Bon Harris, David Gooday; produced by Flood; remixed by William Orbit; 1989

14. Depeche Mode: David Gahan, Martin Gore, Andrew Fletcher, Alan wilder; #17 UK; #3 US Dance; 1990

15. Anything Box: Claude Strilio, Dania Morales; produced by Gareth Jones; 1992

1. Age Of Consent - New Order
2. (It's Not Me) Talking - A Flock Of Seagulls
3. Careless Memories - Duran Duran
4. Sleepwalk - Ultravox
5. New Life (Remix) - Depeche Mode
6. Go! (Club Mix) - Tones On Tail
7. Dancing With Myself - Generation X
8. Disorder - Joy Division
9. Bates Motel - The Hitmen
10. Chamber Of Hellos - Wire Train
11. The Noah Plan - Peter Schilling
12. Infected (12" Mix) - The The
13. Close To Me - The Cure
14. Modern Love - David Bowie
15. Late Show - Book Of Love

Notes and other random things:

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! Thanks to all those who sacrificed so much so that we may live freely. I thought I'd play around in a higher BPM range for this episode.  I also included a bit more guitar-influenced retro than usual. It's shocking how much the beats per minute can vary in a rock song over the duration without a click track, even with a world class drummer manning the kit. Makes beat matching a challenge. Still, lots to like in this episode with some eminently familiar tracks, some deeper cuts and I'd wager an unfamiliar track or two for all but the most learned retro music experts. 

Happy Listening!

1. New Order are: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert - from the album Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)

2. AFOS are: Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley, Paul Reynolds - from the album Listen "...more moody, and dark...more electronic...more out-there" - Mike Score; #22 UK (1983)

3. Duran Duran are: Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John, Roger & Andy Taylor (no relation); Produced by Colin Thurston; #37 UK  (1981) 

4. Ultravox (in this iteration) are: Midge Ure, Warren Cann, Chris Cross (RIP), Billy Currie; from the album Vienna; #29 UK (band's first Top 40 hit); (1980)

5. DM (in this iteration) are: Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andrew Fletcher, Vince Clarke; from the album Speak & Spell; #11 UK and an appearance on Top of the Pops; (1981)

6. Tones on Tail are: Daniel Ash, Glenn Campling, Kevin Haskins; Go! originally released as a B-side of "Lions"; became a huge club hit in Germany and US; used in lots of movies and commercials since; (1984)

7. Generation X (1st Gen) are: Billy Idol, Tony James, Bob "Derwood" Andrews, Mark Laff; first band to play at The Roxy in London and one of the first punk bands to appear on Top of the Pops; #62 UK; (1980)

8. Joy Division are: Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris; Disorder produced by Martin Hannett; No singles on the album Unknown Pleasures, but now regarded as one of the best albums of all time by NME, AllMusic, Select, Rolling Stone, and Spin; (1979)

9. The Hitmen are: Ben Watkins, Pete Glenister, Stan Shaw, Neil Brockbank, Mike Gaffey; were known as the London Hitmen in Australia due to naming conflict; Shaw was replaced by one Alan Wilder, future member of Depeche Mode; (1981)

10. Wire train are: Kevin Hunter, Kurt Herr, Federico Gil-Sola, Anders Rundblad; were signed to 415 Records founded by Howie Klein of future Sire/Reprise records fame; (1983)

11. Peter Schilling is regarded as a one-hit wonder in the US with song Major Tom, but had success globally; Michael Cretu produced the title track to his last English album "The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime" (1982)

12. The The are: Matt Johnson, Zeke Manyika, Tessa Niles, Guy Barker, Dan Brown, Louis Jardine, David Palmer; Johnny Marr from The Smiths was part of the band's lineup from 1988-1994; (1986)

13. The Cure are: Robert Smith, Lol Tolhurst, Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup, Boris Williams; Horns credited to Rent Party; #24 UK; #32 US Dance; From album "Head on the Door"; (1985)

14. David Bowie "Modern Love" #2 UK; #14 Hot 100 (1983)

15. Book of Love "Late Show" written by Ted Ottaviano and Jade Lee; (1986)

 



     

1. Goodnight - Covenant
2. Amigo (Razormaid! Mix) - The Shamen
3. Love Is A Stranger - Eurythmics
4. Oh L'amour (The Funky Sisters Remix) - Erasure
5. Have In Mind (Kalimba Mix) - Cetu Javu
6. Radioactivity (Mix) - Kraftwerk
7. You're The Answer - Seven Red Seven
8. Hand In Hand (Looking For Sweet Inspiration) - Opus III
9. Penthouse And Pavement (Tommy D's Master Remix) - Heaven 17
10. World (Brothers In Rhythm Mix) - New Order
11. Faith & Healing (Club Mix) - Ian McCulloch
12. The Great Commandment (Strauss Remix) - Camouflage
13. Behind The Wheel / Route 66 (Megamix) - Depeche Mode
14. 24 Hour Party People - Happy Mondays
15. The Walk (Razormaid! Mix) - The Cure

Notes and other random things:

Let me begin by saying THANK YOU! to my faithful listeners. Hey, and thank you to my fly-by-night, just-happened-to-find-this-by-accident-because-I-was-watching-a-meme-about-a-cat-that-plays-the-synthesizer listeners too. I truly appreciate your patience awaiting this new edition of CRCRetro. It has been a long time coming ... about a year-and-a-half to be exact and that's much too long. I'd say it's good to be back, but I always say that and then I disappear for long periods of time only to resurface and say it's good to be back. So, I'm not going to say that this time (though it's good to be back).

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and that scarcity pushes demand and all that. I don't know who "they" are but I'd wager they spend a lot of time alone. Let's just say life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it. Hey! That could be a movie quote! So, what does any of this have to do with music? Well, nothing really. I can only hope that rambling is part of the newest Google algorithm geared toward search results. 

So, music-wise we have some business to attend to. First up, is a band I know very little about. The group is Covenant, not to be confused with the Swedish electronic band of the same name. So, here's what I do know: a lifetime ago, when I worked in a record shop, I came across this compilation of songs by bands that appeared at South By Southwest (SXSW). At the time, SXSW was a cute little "fest" held in Austin, TX every year and it had just finished its 7th or 8th annual edition. On this compilation was a song called "Reflection" by this Covenant group. I loved the track. Shortly after, I stumbled across an 8-song album by the band, which was released in 1995 on the Celestial label. The album was called "Sentience". Along with the aforementioned track, "Reflection", it had some other great tracks like "Possess Me" and the lead off track here, "Goodnight". I can only assume that the group was from Austin as the album was mastered in Austin and their "Covenant Collective" P.O. Box has an Austin address and fax number. Along with other Texas electronic acts from the era and area, like Channel 69 and T-4-2, Covenant's music has received a lot of airplay in my world and I'm hoping you enjoy a little taste of their musical contributions. Would love to provide more info if anyone out there knows something more. So, if any of the band members, Robert Badger, Paul Wilson, Chris Schaucherer or John DiGrazia are out there reading this or listening, please hit me up. And, if any of you feel inclined to reach out via snail mail to the Covenant Collective to see if it's still active or to tell them how much you love their music, you can always send a note to:

Covenant Collective
P.O. Box 684884
Austin, TX 78768-4884

Not sure if you'll get a reply, but you never know!

It appears that my dissertation-length write-ups are now being limited in character length, so I'll have to rework these in a more efficient fashion for future episodes. Glad to have you all as listeners!

Merry Christmas to you all!




 

1. A Victory Of Love - Alphaville
2. Save Our Love (Razormaid! Mix) - Escape From N.Y.
3. Hang On Now (Extended Mix) - Kajagoogoo
4. Precious Little Diamond - Fox The Fox
5. It's Alright (Remix) - Pet Shot Boys
6. Snappy (The Spice Has Risen Mix) - Erasure
7. Lucky Bag - Electronic
8. Regret (Fire Island Mix) - New Order
9. Lose Him (Razormaid! Mix) - I Start Counting
10. Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (Extended Mix) - Book Of Love
11. I Don't Know Why - Red Flag
12. Flexible (Remixed Extended) - Depeche Mode
13. I Dream Myself Alive - a-ha
14. Too Pieces - Yaz
15. Space Age Love Song - A Flock Of Seagulls

Notes and Other Random Things: 

Greetings, everyone! Back with another retro episode. Lots to like in this one with a few ultra-familiar ditties like "Space Age Love Song" by AFOS and "Regret" by New Order, some lesser-known, but great tracks from some brilliant albums like "Too Pieces" by Yaz and "I Dream Myself Alive" by a-ha, and one or two that you may not be familiar with like "Save Our Love" by Escape From N.Y. 

I've been really horrible about providing notes about the songs lately, but I'm doing what I can just to get new episodes up, which is really the point when all is said and done. Hope you like it! Happy Listening!

1. Pedestrian's Adventures - Camouflage
2. Deeper And Deeper (Long Version) - The Fixx
3. A Little Respect (12" Remix UK) - Erasure
4. Relax (New York Mix) - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
5. Date Stamp - ABC
6. Pleasure Boys (Razormaid! Mix) - Visage
7. Who'll Stop The Rain? (Special Dance Mix) - Heaven 17
8. Confusion - New Order
9. American - Soviets (Cameron Paul Mix) - C.C.C.P.
10. Brave New World (Razormaid! Mix) - Moskwa TV
11. All Day - Ministry
12. Behind The Wheel (Shep Pettibone Remix) - Depeche Mode
13. Planet Earth (Night Mix) - Duran Duran
14. The Things That Dreams Are Made Of - The Human League
15. Computerlove (Remix) - Kraftwerk

Notes and Other Random Things: 

Hello, everyone! It's nice to be here. I've come so far to see you all ...

Finally, another podcast for your listening pleasure. It appears even this 'cast is not immune to supply chain snafus. Immediately after my last podcast, my 12-year old computer bit the dust. I spent a lot of time picking out parts for my new build, but could not find a suitable video card to save my life. Took many months and a bit of luck to get the last piece of my silicon puzzle and then a couple weeks to find enough time to put it all together. But, I did and it works! So, here we are. 

Lots to like in this one and hopefully I'll get to provide some tidbits about some of the songs in the near future. For now, enjoy the music. Great to be back!