"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

"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

"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

"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

"Love is so confusing there's no peace of mind"

It seems people really like interesting remixes of 80s songs, and as things go, I have a lot of DJ remixes from my college radio days and through various mixed I collected over the years. Tonight's remix of choice, the Razormaid Remix of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". A classic by any standards, Debbie Harry and the boys pulled out all the stops with this track. Brilliant breathless lyrics, swooning keyboards, and a killer beat. Enjoy these six minutes of bliss.

Heart of Glass (Razormaid Remix) - Blondie

"Heart like a wheel, Changing in time beating colder steel"

I've always enjoyed the Human League and their distinct brand of electro-pop. From the catchy synchopated beats of "Don't You Want Me" to the lavish synth melody of "Human". One of the best songs delivered by the League in the late 80s is "Heart Like a Wheel", a rollicking synthpop classic that features a polished, classic vocal performance from Phil. Check out the Razormaid remix of "Heart Like a Wheel" and dance around the room when you put it on.

Heart Like a Wheel (Razormaid Remix) - Human League