Pop Tapes

So, as “Now That’s What I Call Music” has got it’s own official Spotify App, and they’ve got their full archive available to Spotify users, i’ve had to go a little further afield…

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I seem to have picked another VERY 80’s playlist again. Sorry if this isn’t you thing. I’l try and bring things a bit more up to date. But you know, late 80’s was the high water mark for the compilation tape. So at lets it’s true to the genre.

This is actually a German pop tape, with a choice selection of Pop and New Wave treats from the mid 80s. In fact so good is the selection that this could virtually be a ‘greatest new wave hits’ collection, and not just a snapshot of the (largely) british music scene of the time.

Top song: Echo Beach by Martha and Muffins

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Takin’ it waaaay back this time. All the way back to ‘84, and when this baby hits ‘84 you’re going to see some serious shit*

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Spotify Playlist

This is very close to my ideal 80’s music playlist, in facts it’s heard to believe that all these amazing songs came out in just one year. Living proof that the Now! mixes of recent years had much worse music, and also much less diverse. 

Anyway, back down off the high horse. How’s this for a hit list: Giorgio Moroder, Heaven 17, Queen, OMD, Pointer Sisters, Ray Parker Jr!

Best of all there are only a couple of missing songs, the biggest loss being the ‘Special Dance Mix’ of Paul McCartney. It turns out its actually an Arthur Baker Mix, so i’ve found it on Youtube for you. Aren’t I nice? Give it a listen, it’s underneath

Top song: Someone’s Watching Me - Rockwell

Paul McCartney : “No More Lonely Nights” (Special Dance Mix)
Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey : “Together in Electric Dreams”
Bronski Beat : “Why?”
Limahl : “The Never Ending Story”
Nick Heyward : “Warning Sign”
John Waite : “Missing You”
Michael Jackson : “Farewell My Summer Love”
Lionel Richie : “Hello”
Culture Club : “The War Song”
Elton John : “Passengers”
Julian Lennon : “Too Late for Goodbyes”
The Style Council : “Shout to the Top!”
Thompson Twins : “Doctor! Doctor!”
Heaven 17 : “Sunset Now”
Kane Gang : “Respect Yourself”
Tina Turner : “Private Dancer”
Queen : “It’s a Hard Life”
Status Quo : “The Wanderer”
Big Country : “East of Eden”
U2 : “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
Feargal Sharkey : “Listen to Your Father”
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark : “Tesla Girls”
Kim Wilde : “The Second Time”
Nik Kershaw : “Human Racing”
Ray Parker Jr. : “Ghostbusters (Searchin for the Spirit)”
UB40 : “If It Happens Again”
Pointer Sisters : “Jump (For My Love)”
Level 42 : “Hot Water”
Eurythmics : “Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)”
Rockwell : “Somebody’s Watching Me”
Malcolm McLaren : “Madam Butterfly”
Eugene Wilde : “Gotta Get You Home Tonight”

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And we’re back in full effect! Sorry to keep you waiting! I literally couldn’t open my door this morning because of all the emails you sent me about the next issue of Pop Tapes! Not really, but i’m keeping going with it anyways. Sam likes it.

Click this link to open in Spotify:

Spotify Playlist

Back in the mid 90s with this one, and obviously we’ve had some of these tunes before - but what the hell, just skip ‘em if you dont like them!

A funny mix of very mainstream pop chaff (Eternal), with a slight sprinkling of indieness (The Boo Radleys) and some early trip-hop (Massive Attack featuring Tracey Thorn), but this is all about the coming Ibiza invasion that started in the mid 90s as the harder dance tunes from the hedonistic island started to show up back in rainy England (and appropriately watered down to suit).

Some ‘bangers’ in here, an honest pleasure to rediscover Alex Party, why is this a better known tune? I bet you know all the words, all five of them. And its only ruddy Strike for gawd’s sake, everyone on the dance floor. Now!

Some (mercifully) were not on Spotify, Still no Oasis eh?

• Cher, Chrissie Hynde and Neneh Cherry with Eric Clapton : “Love Can Build a Bridge”
• Jimmy Nail : “Crocodile Shoes”
• Sting : “This Cowboy Song”
• Oasis : “Whatever”
• Outhere Brothers : “Don’t Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)”
• Nightcrawlers : “Push the Feeling On”
• Clock : “Axel F”
• JX : “You Belong To Me”
• Perfecto Allstars : “Reach Up (Papa’s Got A Brand New Pig Bag)”
• Deuce : “Call It Love”
• 2 Unlimited : “Here I Go”
• Nicki French : “Total Eclipse of the Heart”
• Bobby Brown : “Two Can Play That Game”
• Ultimate Kaos : “Hoochie Booty”

Top track this time has got to be Mike and The Mechanics : “Over My Shoulder” whistle solo!

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Now, this is another one from my personal selection - from the gold era of dispossible dancepop tapes. Although I have to admit that there are quite a lot of missing tunes, see the full track listing here, i’m far to busy to copy and paste it for you.

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It’s The Ultimate Dance Album (1994)

As you might imagine it’s wall to wall dance music this time, i must try and dig out some less uptempo selections I fear that you might be getting a bit out of breath dancing around your bedrooms to these playlists. But, What? Yes! The music!

I takes a while to get up to speed but man dem Aswad, Chaka Demus and Pliers and Shabba Ranks keep it real. Lots of floor fillers too, you’ll probably still try and rap along to K7 and House of Pain just like you couldn’t when you were 14.

Some things for the ladies in the middle section and then it’s all out balls-to-the-wall dance music in the third act.

Top tune, it has to be Rock My Heart - Haddaway because the lyrics are so goddamned positive.

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This time we’re gonna go back. Way back. The year is 1972, you drive a convertible and the charming young woman kneeling on your white vinyl seats seems pleased to see you.

12 Tops - Volume 6 (1972)

Probably the old one in my personal collection, but i found it the other day when getting rid of some old vinyl and thought - hey a pop tape! It was on one of them old fashion 12” cds and they don’t work on my mp3 player anymore, so here it is - reborn!

Now, i’m not sure if the original record had the original recordings it’s a bit vague on the back of the sleeve. So i’ve attempted to get the most likely versions from Spotify, and they all sound good to me.

A word of warning though, there is a Gary Glitter track on there, skip if it if you like. however on a lighter note my top track: There Are More Questions Than Answers - Johnny Nash. Wicked riddim.

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Open as a Spotify Playlist

Well, well, well. I have to be honest this is a bit of a shaky one. Ok, so Queen is always a good opener - that’s just a fact. And you might think that Babylon Zoo is a great track for the first 5 seconds, but then you remember that it’s really not that great. And that pretty much sums up this outing for the ‘Now’ series.

Although! Although! Actually! Mate! There are some brilliant pop-indie tunes that still sound good today, Supergrass, Pulp, Paul Weller, Cast, Lush, Radiohead. All great bands and arguably at their youthful best.

But then we have a couple of problems to deal with. Simply Red, Eternal, Meatloaf, Boyzone, Gabrielle and The Lighthouse Family are all likely to get skipped within about 1 seconds. Don’t worry, you can skip them - i don’t mind.

But admist these shockers are two gems: The Luniz and St Etienne, i reckon they’ve both lasted well. I got 5 on it, c-l-a-s-s-i-c.

So it’s a bit of a two-faced mixtape this one. Some great, some rotten. But then, that the whole point.

Innit?

Top Track: ‘74 - ‘75 by The Connels. I bet you’ll remember every word.

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Open as a Spotify playlist

Now, this is something a little special. In my opinion, possibly the high point in the Now! series. Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.

OK, so there’s a bit of a shaky start, and Spotify doesn’t help by forcing me to omit Sub Sub. I’m still fuming about this. And once we get Sister Sledge out of the way it really gets moving with Snow, Shaggy and Shabba. Triple threat! 

There’s also plenty of top draw house, a solid collection of Indie and even a proper hip hop tune - which was pretty rare for the Now series. Still is rare.

Top tune: Very difficult, but i’m going with Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way, because it’s got the best ruddy riff of all ruddy time.

Only a few missing this time:

• Sub Sub - Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)
• 2 Unlimited - No Limit
• P.M. Dawn - Looking Through Patient Eyes
• Peter Gabriel - Steam
• Paul McCartney - Hope of Deliverance

Shabba!

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Open as a Spotify Playlist

30 Killer Cuts, cries the wolf. You can tell this is from the 80s because whoever took the picture didn’t have red-eye-reduction on his camera.

Anyway, the music. As is consistent with these kind of mixes the opening track  is the one that has aged worst, then they get progressively better, and then they tail off.  For me the peak is the Sandy Shaw version of The Smiths classic ‘Hand In Glove’. Then the Specials, back when they were trying to ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ who’d have thought that they’s actually succeed. The power of pop.

And speaking of power pop, you might want to skip the Weather Girls, I can’t even imagine a time when this song didn’t carry such precise connotations, not that I mind the odd connotation.

Spotify was missing a couple, i’m intrigued by ‘Hitler Rap’:

• The Gap Band - Someday
• Pat Benatar - Love Is a Battlefield
• Mel Brooks - To Be or Not to Be (the Hilter Rap)
• The S.O.S. Band – Just Be Good To Me
• Belle And The Devotions – Love Games
• Paul Hardcastle – You’re The One For Me / Daybreak / AM
• Frank Chickens – Fujiyama Mama
• Break Machine – Street Dance

Top tune ‘Stay With Me Tonight’ by ‘Jeffery Osborne’ purely on the funking basis of the bassist’s funk.

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Open as a Spotify playlist

Winding back the clock this time, way back to 1988. As ever it’s a solid selection of all time pop classic with the odd concession to cool.

The tone and tempo of the tape is set from the off with the Pet Shop boys bursting into the venue, i’m sure they’re still on your mind too. It then goes up through the gear with Belinda Carlisle, Billy Ocean and Eddy Grant. By now you should be visualising the party scene from Three Men And A Baby.

But just in case you’re getting worried, and this is just a bit *too* pop, something old (Eddie Cochran), Something new (Morrisey), something borrowed (Elton John) and something blue (T’Pau) will level things out.

A couple of tracks i couldn’t get hold of:

• Jermaine Stewart - Say It Agian
• The Mission - Tower of Strength
• Kylie Minogue - I Should Be So Lucky
• Mel and Kim - The Way It Is 
• Morris Minor and The Majors - Stutter Rap
• Krush - House Arrest
• Two Men A Drum Machine and A Trumpet - I’m Tired of Getting Pushed Around

No big losses there.

Top tune: Mandinka by Sinead O’Connor, because it’s worth remembering that she actually did some songs that weren’t ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’

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As the title implies, this is strictly for the dancefloor. And when I say dancefloor you’ll know that i’m talking about the school disco dancefloor circa 1995.

On A Dance Tip

There’s some properly shocking tracks here, Cotton Eyed Joe being the number one offender, and Whigfield just being generally annoying. But who cares? This is the greatest school disco selection this side of Coventry.

Nothing here that’s really stood the test of time, arguably Sweet Love by M-Beat has passed into the hall of fame, but i’ll leave that up to you.

A couple of tracks MIA:

• Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy
• Zig & Zag - Them Girls
• The Flavour - No Matter What You Do (I’m Gonna Get With You)
• Nicki French - Total Eclipse of the Heart
• Salt ‘n’ Peppa - None of Your Business
• Mr Roy - Saved
• Eve - Good Life

My choice cut from this prime selection is probably going to be Set You Free by N Trance. You’ll be hearing this tune at 90’s themed nights for at least the next 60 years. And that is a very good thing.

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