80'S FAVE WEDNESDAY:

















Another track from a Canadian band is this week's Classic 80's track. I've chosen a lesser known song from The Spoons off their Vertigo Tango cd titled 'When Time Turns Around' that I like a lot. Formed in Burlington Ontario, The Spoons enjoyed a fair amount of success during the 80's with hits like Nova Heart, Romantic Traffic, Tell No Lies and Old Emotions.

Another reason I chose The Spoons this week is that their first record label Ready Records is celebrating the release of 2 cds of the the labels finest moments with tracks from The Spoons, The Extras and Blue Peter to name a few. This Thursday night there is a release party and these three bands are all scheduled to perform. This is a real treat for fans of these bands as in some cases they haven't performed together live in a long time. Details of the gig are at the Ready Records website.













The Spoons - When Time Turns Around MP3

CD's by The Spoons BUY

The Spoons - Live In Concert DVD BUY

WHAT ARE THE THOMPSON TWINS UP TO NOW?:

















During the 80's and early 90's I was a huge fan of the Thompson Twins. The classic 'Into The Gap' album was on constant rotation after it's release, and I travelled to Toronto to see them play at the CNE on the tour for that album. I've followed what they've been up to since their heyday, and here is a mini update:

Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie recently split up, sold their mansion and moved back to London from New Zealand where they had been raising their family since 1993. Tom was producing records for acts such as 'Stellar', and had released two cds as 'International Observer'. He has played a few gigs in London as International Observer, and Alannah and their son Jackson attended a recent one.

Alannah Currie had founded the anti-GM group Mothers Against Genetic Engineering (Madge) after her sister died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in 2000. She is now writing in London for two years and has been dating Jimmy Cauty (The Orb/The KLF). Here is a photo of Alannah with her boyfriend Jimmy Cauty and her son Jackson, and recent one of Tom Bailey.





































Joe Leeway moved to California after the 'Here's To Future Days' album and did record some solo material that never got released, and appeared in the 'Slaves Of New York' film. He is the co-founder of NLP TransWorld, a cutting edge NLP accelerated training company. Below is a recent picture from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute.





















Up for download today is 'Rollunder', a rare extended instrumental recording of the song 'Roll Over' that was shelved as a single after Tom Bailey collapsed from exhaustion in Paris. The song did appear on the U.S. versions of 'Here's To Future Days', but this remix was only ever on the recalled U.K. 12" single.


Thompson Twins - ROLLUNDER (Original Ext. Inst. Mix) - MP3

Thompson Twins cds BUY

CLASSIC 80'S WEDNESDAY:








Ottawa based Eight Seconds released the super Rupert Hine produced cd Almacantar back in 1986. It contained their hit 'Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) which is my Classic 80's track of the week.

Eight Seconds - Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) MP3

Eight Seconds - Almacantar cd BUY

NIK KERSHAW RELEASES HIS NEW CD THROUGH WEBSITE:















Nik Kershaw has just released his new album 'You've Got To Laugh' on his own label Shorthouse Records. Musically in continues in the same vein as his last two albums (15 Minutes and To Be Frank) and has some great songs on it. Imogen Heap does backing vocals on three tracks, including the tune I'm making available 'Promises, Promises'. You can sample all the songs at his website, as well as keep up to date with his latest news.

Nik Kershaw - Promises, Promises MP3

Nik Kershaw - You've Got To Laugh BUY

CLASSIC 80'S WEDNESDAY:











Industry - State Of The Nation

Another 80's favourite of mine by the band Industry, with lyrics that could apply to current U.S. war situation.

Industry - State Of The Nation MP3

Industry - State Of The Nation Video

IMOGEN HEAP - MASSEY HALL, TORONTO, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2006:






















Back for her third concert in Toronto Imogen Heap and band put on another great show. The venue was the biggest Immi has played in here and it looked fairly well attended. After two opening acts and a small intermission the house lights went down and the crowd went wild as Imogen appeared in an amazing dress with furry accessories and an fantastic hairdo (see photos). It was nice to see Imogen have a large stage to dance about on (which she did for a few of the songs). The lighting setup is also much larger and the new perspex piano looks great on stage. (the photo below is not from the Toronto show)















There were some technical glitches in the first few songs but Imogen kept the crowd amused with banter until the problems were fixed. I felt the show didn't really kick into gear until they played Closing In. The highlight of the night for me was the amazing version of Daylight Robbery they did as the second encore song.

After the show I spoke to Imogen briefly and got my Immi mouse pad signed. I mentioned that I thought Daylight Robbery was amazing and she said it is the song they really get to rock out on and have fun with. I asked if there would be another tour and she said that the record was nearing the end of its run (as far as promoting it), so it sounds like this will be the last tour for this cd. So if you haven't gone to see Immi live you better catch her this time around as it may be a while before she releases her next cd and tours with it.

Set List:

Intro Music
I Am In Love With You
Just For Now
Headlock
Loose Ends
Let Go
Clear The Area
Closing In
Come Her Boy
Goodnight & Go
Speeding Cars
The Walk
Have You Got It In You

Encores:
Hide & Seek
Daylight Robbery (best song of the night!)
The Moment I Said It

Imogen Heap - Headlock (High Contrast Remix edit) MP3

BUY Imogen Heap cds

CLASSIC 80'S WEDNESDAY:












Giant Steps - (The World Don't Need) Another Lover. Great track from the band's 'The Book Of Pride' cd from 1988 on A&M Records. They were a dance pop duo from England that consisted of vocalist Colin "Col" Campsie and bassist/keyboardist George McFarlane. The single became a hit in America, peaking at #13 in the Billboard Hot 100.

Giant Steps - Another Lover MP3

Giant Steps - The Book Of Pride CD BUY

HANGING OUT WITH SCRITTI POLITTI TONIGHT:















Alyssa, Green, Rhodri, Ralph, Dave & Dicky


Today is my Birthday and I'm celebrating it tonight by hanging out with Scritti Politti at their first ever (to my knowledge) Canadian gig. I hope the band are feeling better and wish them a super show.

Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer CD BUY

CLASSIC 80'S WEDNESDAY:


















One of my favourite albums of the 80's was 'Rites Of Passage' by U.K.. band VITAMIN Z. Their biggest hit was for the song 'Burning Flame" (video). The core members were Geoff Barradale and Nick Lockwood and they released a second album 'Sharp Stone Rain' before disbanding. Geoff currently is one of The Arctic Monkey's managers, and Nick is currently in the band 'Lazenby' with the amazing Sarah Lazenby on vocals.

Vitamin Z - Burning Flame MP3'


Burning Flame 12" mix on 80's compilation BUY