"I touched you at the soundcheck "

I saw Morrissey for the very first time in 1997 with a young band named Elcka. On this tour, Moz teased the audience with a handful of Smiths' tracks, nothing like today when he plays several classic tracks a night. Prior to the show, I was warned not to expect any Smiths songs, but in fact, got two, one of which is a personal favorite. "Paint a Vulgar Picture" off Strangeways Here We Come is one of the last great Smiths tracks recorded. Listening to it today takes me back to so many places -- junior year of high school (my first big Smiths exposure) and then again to that first Moz show in Philadelphia.

Paint a Vulgar Picture - The Smiths

"Hey Girl I thought we were the right combination"

Since I am focused on the 80s tonight, here's another classic remix from the 80s vault. This time we'll check out a Razormaid medley, specifically "The Poison Arrow Medley" by ABC. You know you remember the Gold Lame suit worn by front man Martin Fry in the video, but I'd like to think it was the song that scored with the public. After their initial success, the band scored hits with "Be Near Me", "When Smokey Sings", and "The Look of Love". This eleven minute plus medley captures the very best of ABC in a great club mix. Enjoy! By the way, Fry still wears the Gold Lame suit when touring....

The Poison Arrow Medley (Razormaid) - ABC

"In your dress, I confess, you’re the source of light."

Perhaps the best retro 80s song of the last ten years, Hugh Grant's toungue-in-cheek song, "Pop Goes My Heart" from the movie, Music & Lyrics, is a blissful listen. At this point, I am still not sure what is better -- the Wham-like video for the tune that is available on You Tube or the song itself, comprabale to anything in the Wham or Kajagoogoo catalog. Had it really been released in 1984, it would have been huge with the ladies and on the dance floor as the beat is perfect and the lyrics, witty and carefree. If you have not heard it yet, you need to listen to this briliant tune. Better yet, check out the video on You Tube, you'll thank me later.

Pop Goes My Heart - Pop featuring Hugh Grant

"Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat"

Perhaps my favorite Pet Shop Boys track, 1988s "Left to My Own Devices", off the very dance oriented Introspective is a beautiful mixing of disco, pop, and classical music. The lyrical story of one man's day, Neil Tenant shows his full range from the mid-section talking-singing routine to the vocal acrobatics of the chorus on this one. I love so many of the lines in this song, it was hard picking just one for the title of this post. Chris Lowe adeptly creates a true sonic masterpiece that fits the lyrics to a "T". The best version, in my opinion, is the 11 minute, 28 second "Disco Remix" found on the 12" and some CD singles.

Left to My Own Devices (Disco Remix) - Pet Shop Boys

"We leave it all so far away one thing is sure we shouldn't stay"

As the 80s turned to the 90s, Duran Duran watched the ranks dwindle to three - LeBon, Rhodes and John Taylor - and their popularity drop like a brick in a pond. Augmented by new "permanent" member Warren Cuccurullo, formerly of LA band Missing Persons, and drummer extraodinaire Sterling Campbell, Duran Duran released the first single off their upcoming album Liberty to a very muted reception. The track, "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)", features a brilliant piano opening that kicks into a bass-heavy club track with LeBon's familiar voice appearing older and more mature than the band's earlier work. The single and the album tanked. Perhaps the band wore out its welcome, apparent by the fact that a mere three years later they were topping the charts again, but I actually love this single, this album, and the transition. Who cares if John Taylor only remembers the drugs from this time, he still made brilliant music, didn't he?

Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) - Duran Duran

"Line of force from heaven, a tear in a stranger's eye"

There is something very unique about the last time a band plays a song live. In 1985, New Order essentially stopped playing tracks off Movement, their first album. A personal favorite, "ICB", was played for the last time on December 13, 1985 at the Salle Du Baron in Orleans, France. By 1986, New Order stopped going back to Movement and started concentrating on the singles and their more recent albums we all know and love. But Movement is a key album as it represents the transition from Joy Division to New Order.

ICB (12/13/85 Live) - New Order

"They crowded up to Lenin with their noses worn off"

R.E.M. recently completed a five night stand in Dublin, where they publicly worked on new material for their upcoming album and also shared some old classics. While the new material is very good and sounds better than anything on the last two albums, let's focus on the older tracks. One of my top five all-time R.E.M. tracks made an appearance on July 4th and it was cracking. "Harborcoat" captures the timeless appeal of old R.E.M. -- somewhat unintelligble lyrics, jangly roots rock feel, and Stipe's timeless voice.

Harborcoat (7/4/07 Live) - R.E.M.

"I've been now sauntering out and down the path sometime"

Perhaps some of the best remixes from the 80s were of songs of Duran Duran's first three albums, specifically the "Night Versions" of several classic tracks. If you listen to any album from the 80s, perhaps the deepest album of them all is Rio, which has 7 songs that could have been singles, and all seven probably could have topped the charts. My favorite remix from this era, the Night Version of "New Religion", which is my favorite DD song off Rio.

New Religion (Night Version) - Duran Duran

"Hands off she's mine, until the end of time"

The English Beat, as they are known in the US, was a wonderful mix of black and white, rock and ska. Their debut album I Just Can't Stop It featured five brilliant singles, including the classic political statement "Stand Down Margaret" and the twitchy "Mirror in the Bathroom", which is brilliantly used in the 1997 film Grosse Point Blank. Check out the excellent "Hands Off She's Mine", which brilliantly captures the Beat sound in a brisk 3 minutes.

Hands Off She's Mine - The Beat

"Caught up in our own barbed wire"

While some of the members of Duran Duran were off making an album with the "Voice" a/k/a Robert Palmer, Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor spent some time recording an album under the name Arcadia. Their album So Red The Rose featured the Top 10 US and UK single "Election Day". My favorite off the album though is "Goodbye is Forever". LeBon's voice is simply fantastic and Taylor/Rhodes create some timeless music on the album.

Goodbye is Forever - Arcadia

"If you need a friend..."

Only one post tonight, as I am pretty tired. Reintroduced to a younger audience by Napolean Dynamite, When In Rome's "The Promise" is one of the most quintessential 80s songs. It was used superbly in the prom scene, and hearing it today, actually reminds me of my own Junior Prom, since the after-party was at a friend's house, and this single was on her jukebox. Check out this brilliant remix of "The Promise" and go back to 80s.

The Promise (Razormaid Remix) - When In Rome

"Nothing you can sing that can't be sung"

New Jersey's own synth-pop treasure Anything Box released its debut album Peace in 1990. It featured the classic synth track that any club kid of the early 90s should remember "Living in Oblivion". The band captured a combination of early Depeche Mode, Erasure, and Yaz in a perfectly blended conconction. Following up on the success of Peace, the band went away to record their follow up Worth in 1991. It never saw the light of day until 2001 thanks to the wonderful people at Sony Records. The album is a breathtaking piece of work from a band clicking on all cylinders. Check out "World Without Love" and their cover of the Beatles "All You Need is Love" to see what I mean.

World Without Love - Anything Box

All You Need is Love - Anything Box

"Let me see you stripped down to the bone"

Black Celebration is perhaps my favorite Depeche Mode album. It has such great songs on it, including my favorite DM song, "But Not Tonight". For some reason, DM songs make for great remixes. Just look at all of their early singles and even the more recent singles, awesome remixes. Going back to Black Celebration, check out the Razormaid Remix for "Stripped", which is probably one of my favorite Razormaid remixes as it really is a deconstruction of the song, rebuilding it around the drum beat.

Stripped (Razormaid Remix) - Depeche Mode

"She's flying in the face of fashion now"

I was working on a brief this afternoon listening to the iPod on shuffle and came across a track I had kind of forgotten I had -- it can be tough when you over 7,000 songs on your iPod. Julian Cope's 1987 classic "World Shut Your Mouth" is off his third solo album Saint Julian and features a more accessible pop sensibility then previous albums. In recent years, this song has seen continued airplay thanks to VH1 Classic, which often runs the video, and Sirius Radio channel First Wave, which plays the song at least three times a day. If you haven't heard it recently, maybe you should listen again.

World Shut Your Mouth - Julian Cope

"I couldn't ever bring myself to hate you as I'd like"

The arrival of Madchester saw the jaw-dropping rise of the unheralded Stone Roses. After toiling for years in various forms unsuccessfully, the band finally clicked with the times - ecstasy, dancing, partying - along with the Happy Mondays, they were an embodiment of the times. My personal favorite, "I am the Resurrection", is an 8 minute epic with an incredible jam closing out the song, almost Greatful Dead meets Pink Floyd.

I am the Resurrection - The Stone Roses