Stuff I'm Listening To #75 - A Week of Soundtracks End Notes - Purple Rain

Artist: Prince and the Revolution

Favourite Lyrics: 

I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend
Baby, I could never steal you from another
It's such a shame our friendship had to end

Why?: 
I think I need to point out why this soundtrack never quite made it into my list this past week. Upon reflection, it could have been a candidate, as some of the songs were actually written for the movie, but I didn't quite realise it last week. Leave it to my vinyl sensei, the lovely Threadpenny, to post something about Prince to get my mind reeling and rethinking the whole list. (By the way, I highly recommend you follow her. She's telling a story of music and of what New Zealand was like while she was growing up. Imagine my surprise to find out it's not all Crowded House, Hobbits and agent Smiths 😅 .)

Another reason this soundtrack never made it on my list? I must quietly admit... it was one of many movies that I was told I needed to see, that I never did. You know, like 'Dirty Dancing'? Yup... Never seen it. My husband rectified the problem of me having never seen 'The Outsiders' within weeks of us officially dating. I think I permanently niched myself into Science Fiction, Fantasy and Japanese Anime very early in my life. If it were not for my older brother who was far more well rounded in his taste in all things, I would never have seen three 'American Ninja's, two 'Iron Eagle's and the first 'Slap Shot' movies. 

So why bring up this beauty of a song? It actually got removed from my playlist after Prince passed away and just recently placed back in. I didn't admit it to myself at the time, but of course I had an inexplicable crush on him. He sang beautifully and had great fashion sense (for the 80s) and was a phenomenal musician. His passing just made me feel that much older. That golden time of my youth suddenly that much further away. This song captured all those feelings for me. I didn't need to listen to it when he passed.

Below is a clip, which is apparently the first live performance of this song from 1983, which has recently surfaced. Have a listen. I've always been one for early performances and demos. I've made my argument for demos before; you're hearing the song nearly at conception. What about early live performances? Well, here's the song presented to an audience and potentially still shiny and new for the artist. Sometimes they're polished, sometimes they're raw and amazing. This performance falls into the latter category. 

 

Finally, here is the his Super Bowl XLI performance from 2007. Amazing in it's own right, it started to rain at the end.

 

Stuff I'm Listening to #74 - A Week of Soundtracks - Star Wars

Artist: John Williams

Favourite Tracks: Opening Title, Cantina Band and Asteroid Field

Why?: 
In less than a month's time, I will be going to see what I believe is going to be the final chapter in the Skywalker saga for Star Wars in part 9, the Rise of Skywalker. I grew up watching Star Wars and it has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher became a presence in my life like you can not imagine. 

I have a fuzzy recollection of going to see the movie at a drive-in theatre. My brother informs me it was a double-bill, 'Star Wars' and 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' though I only remember it being the first movie. It was one of the only memories I can recall where the entire family went out together (my parents worked hard and my mother would often bow out of outings to tend to our family store). I can tell you I remember the opening title track with the scrolling backstory, and a bunch of desert scenes. Then I crawled into the back of our family station wagon, curled up with mom and fell promptly asleep with my mother who was also not used to being up too late.

There is nothing I can really say about Star Wars that you probably don't already know, especially if you're a giant fan. It's your typical good versus evil story told in a galaxy far, far away. George Lucas' vision was amazing and his desire to tell this simple story with stunning visuals contributed greatly to film technology and making as a whole. It has become so much a part of modern culture it is nearly impossible to go through life without seeing/hearing references to it. Quote Star Wars often, I do. My husband, a self-admitted non-Star Wars fan, can do a pretty kick-ass imitation of Yoda. (One day, with his permission, I'll regale you all with the tale of how we met because I know you're all sitting there wondering how our relationship is even possible).

But even that opening fanfare has become a park of our modern culture. Including it in a film like 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' when the parking garage attendants take off with that sweet Ferrari, it immediately sets the tone. It is dramatic, emotional, and promises amazing adventure (albeit with less than a positive result for Cameron Frye at first). Then there's Bill Murray's excellent lounge singer act from SNL, wherein we learn there are lyrics for the opening theme.

I fully admit, when I'd gone to see Episode Seven (The Force Awakens) my eyes welled up with tears in the theatre when those opening bars pumped through the cinema sound system after 20th Century Fox's opening searchlight logo and fanfare sequence. This was a very emotional moment. I had been waiting thirty years for this. And I was not disappointed. This was Star Wars, even though I had to sit through the whole movie to see my old beloved Luke Skywalker (my very first crush at the age of four). Old, wizened, and still pretty hot. 


When a movie franchise has been with you for your entire life, it becomes like family, and this family member has an awesome soundtrack attached for it. John Williams is a phenomenal composer for movies. I cannot imagine Star Wars (or his other pieces from 'Superman' or 'Raiders of the Lost Ark') without the music and for the first time in a long time, the soundtrack pushed it's way from the background up to middle ground. It would be unfair for the music to overtake the movie, even though John Williams' compositions often comes close.

Then there is the Cantina band scene, the song "Mad About Me" performed by the most awesome fictional band, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. How can you not love a band called the Modal Nodes? And... no word of a lie... they are playing 'jizz' music. I'm just going to say it's a super catchy piece.
 
The final track I make note of is the music featured during the chase through the Asteroid Field in Empire Strikes Back. The heightened emotion on the screen where Han Solo needs to make a daring escape is perfectly punctuated by this piece of music. They did a wonderful job of synching the music with the action, and sweeping majesty and dangerous beauty of what an Asteroid Field must be like. If you must know, this piece too often gets cued up if I'm about to navigate through traffic on the motorcycle. It's fitting. I'm traveling through moving hazards. It's not twelve parsecs, but mad skills are involved. 

Should you see this movie? Wait... what? Are you saying you've never seen Star Wars? Who are you even? ;) 

Mad About Me - Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes
 



The Asteroid Field

Stuff I'm Listening To #73- A Week of Soundtracks - the NeverEnding Story

Artist: Limahl, Giorgio Moroder, Klaus Doldinger

Favourite Tracks: the NeverEnding Story, Swamps of Sadness, Happy Flight

Why?:
So, I was about nine years old when this movie came out. I can tell you, it was one of those lovely fantasy movies that I could relate to. I read a lot when I was younger. I used to immerse myself with my favourite radio station (AM680 CFTR for those wondering. Back when they used to play Top 40) and sit with whatever book I'd borrowed from the library. If I wasn't reading, I was watching whatever music TV I could get. And this movie's theme song was big at the time. 

So tell me honestly, what bookworm wouldn't want to journey to a place that's got adventure at your disposal and a super cheerful luck dragon to boot? A place where you can wish a dead horse back to life? Yes... I fully admit I was left very damaged by that scene. Artax was the source of much childhood trauma for me. 

The Swamps of Sadness will forever evoke some pretty heartbreaking memories for me.

Finally, there's Bastian's Happy Flight. Where he brings you along with his quick tour of this phenomenal fantasy world and gets those bullies back.

The soundtrack was composed by 80s Italian electronic music phoneme Giorgio Moroder. He's responsible for a lot of those New Wave tracks you liked back in the day (He paired off with Human League's lead singer Phil Oakley and that song you probably know, 'Together in Electric Dreams'). If it was a top 40 hit in the 80s, he may very well have had his hand in it. German Jazz and film composer Klaus Doldinger from the band Passport also had a hand in creating a great 80s fantasy soundtrack. 

As a result, that soundtrack couldn't have been more 80s if it tried. As for Limahl, I was never a Kajagoogoo fan. I only ever liked the theme song because it was catchy and I was nine years old. I was easy to please. 

Swamps of Sadness


 

Bastian's Happy Flight

Stuff I'm Listening To #72 - A Week of Soundtracks - Blade Runner

Artist: Vangelis

Favourite Tracks: Love Theme, End Titles and Tears In Rain

Why?:
I've mentioned several times already, by name dropping the film, that I quite enjoyed Ridley Scott's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

Ridley Scott changed the way the 80s looked. Don't believe me? Watch anything prior to 1982 and then anything after. Suddenly things were sleeker, darker, but gritty, Asian inspired and crowded. More... science-fictiony. Look at any music video made after the film. Everything looks weirdly glossy and dark and could have easily been plunked into the Blade Runner universe. And yet, no surprise, here was a movie that did not do well at the box office and opened to mixed reviews. The 80s was filled with too many visionaries and audiences that didn't know what to expect or how to react.

Let's discuss the moody soundscape that Vangelis gave us. I think what makes this soundtrack amazing to is how much of it was improvised on the spot by Vangelis. He composed the soundtrack as he was watching the film and came up with some truly amazing pieces and moods. 

The love theme from the movie wasn't this euphoric mess of fairy tale romance that the usual love themes from 80s movies were (I'm looking at you David Foster!). It was a moody piece, filled with melancholy, fear, regret. But that love scene was just that. It was also clearly a bit confusing for Rachel who had (SPOILER ALERT) newly discovered she might be a Replicant and needed something to hold onto. Deckard probably not the best option, but at that point, the only option for her. It painted a truer picture of what love and desire can be. A bit scary and desperate at times.  

Then there's the End Titles piece. A lovely bit of electronic goodness. A driving tune to sum up the movie. 

Finally, the best part of the movie (and fitting that it too was improvised), Roy Batty's final monologue. Vangelis' addition was subtle and quiet. He let Rutger Hauer's touching performance take front and center. This scene and speech, reminding us all how fleeting life can be is most touching when you remember a lifetime for a replicant is four years. How sad everything Roy has seen and experienced is now lost, like tears in rain. 

Rutger Hauer's improvised speech sticks hard to me. He laments that everything he is will be lost. I can relate. I have a confession, and I apologize for being a complete downer. I'm sure I've mentioned it before. My mother has Alzheimer's. It tends to run down the female side of the family. Everything she knew is gone except for what my brother and I and anyone who knew her can remember. I started blogging and Instagraming because one day, if ever I can't remember these things, at least they're here for prosperity. I have no children, but I have a nephew. He can see all the things his nutty auntie thought were important today. Here is some snapshots of my life for him when he's old enough to appreciate them and if he ever wants to know and I'm unable to tell him. 

Should you see this movie? Fuck yes. There's so much thought and care that went into this dystopian future. Watch the director's final cut. While Harrison Ford's narration is helpful, it's unnecessary. It's a beautiful movie.
 
Love Theme


End Titles

Stuff I'm Listening To #71 - A Week of Soundtracks - Labyrinth

Artist: David Bowie

Favourites: As the World Goes Down, Underground, Magic Dance

Why?: 
David Bowie and the Muppets. This, like TRON, was far from the box office smash that the studio probably hoped for when it was first released. But like all good cult classics, it got some seriously mixed reviews back in the day. Fast forward a couple of years and suddenly the reviews do an about face later when the true value of this movie began to be realised because it was too ahead of it's time. I always loved Jim Henson's work The man was a visionary and much ahead of his time. This film and his work in the Dark Crystal is simply amazing when you realise the stunning visuals and story telling are done with practical special effects with no computer graphics. Labyrinth features a computer generated owl, but that's it. What a labour of love these movies must have been for Henson and how terrible it must have been to see your hard work get panned by critics. Henson never made another feature film after this. I guess it's the price you pay for being a visionary. 

My favourite tune from this movie is probably one of those few moments of stereotypical femininity that you'll ever get from me. I had a music box with a little ballerina dancer growing up just like most girls. 'As the World Goes Down' was a beautiful ballad and the ballroom masquerade scene fit it perfectly. As a girl in the 80s, who didn't want that gorgeous dress? David Bowie chasing you down at a masquerade ball? Yes please! The costumes and masks in that scene have always left a lasting impression on me I still feel myself blush during that scene in the movie whenever I watch it. I've never been to a masquerade ball. And after seeing this movie, I really really wanted to go to one. FYI, I still haven't gone to one.


While doing some research for this article, I discovered that the only song released for the movie was 'Underground' which was a bit surprising. I thought 'As the World Goes Down' would have been a lovely single but it was nixed before release, though a video was made for it and featured up top. 

'Underground' was a great tune, though it could have easily passed as a Bowie single on it's own. It made for a catchy intro and credit song for the movie.

Finally, the song 'Magic Dance' oft quoted by people my age randomly. Don't believe me? Sit with a bunch of Gen X-ers and say "You remind me of the Babe" and see what happens. It was a fun musical romp which wasn't necessary to move the plot whatsoever, but that was the nature of musical movies isn't it? A fun musical dance routine to break up the flow of the movie in the best way possible. That scene really shows off the fabulous marriage of design concepts of the Labyrinth Goblin's by Brian Froud and what the Henson company was capable of creating. There's a book called 'the Goblins of the Labyrith' by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame filled with all the concept art by Brian Froud. I highly recommend it for the artwork and Terry's humour if you can grab a copy.

If you haven't seen the movie, I'm giving you some serious side-eye now. It's a wonderful fantasy movie. Seriously. Jump onto whatever streaming service you use. Watch it. It's a fabulous piece of art. David Bowie, totally hamming it up with all the Muppets around him and all seriously dramatic when he needs to be means this movie is a lot of fun. 

Underground 

Magic Dance

Stuff I'm Listening To #70 - A Week of Soundtracks - James Bond

Artist: John Barry, Bill Conti, Duran Duran, Rita Coolidge, a-Ha, Sheena Easton

Favourite Tracks: A View To A Kill, All Time High (from Octopussy), For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights

Why?:
In two words? Duran Duran! 

Remember? I am and forever will be a Duranie. They wrote a song for a Bond movie, so automatically, that track will be my favourite. (As an added bonus, having Grace Jones in a Bond film? Simply amazing. I fully admit, I have a crush on Grace. The 80s were a magical time and she's a phenomenal woman.)

I really like James Bond! (I really love the Aston Martin car too! Though I have a model of the Lotus Esprit from 'The Spy Who Loved Me' so I have a soft spot for that car too.) They cast a new Bond every three to five movies so he stays fresh! He's like the Doctor (Who) but for spy buffs. Everyone has a favourite Bond. I have a first Bond, and that's Roger Moore, and by default he was my favourite for a while. I've seen most of his Bond films and enjoyed them. But I was a bit too young the first time I saw Octopussy on TV with my dad and brother, but I remember the song. I liked the dreamy song. 

I was likely around five when I saw my first Bond flick with Roger, so he left quite the impression on me, and it was probably 'Moonraker' because I have a vivid recollection of the henchman named Jaws who I was able to relate to. I thought Roger was a lovely and friendly British man (I wasn't wrong - seriously, click on that link... worth it). My favourite Bond is currently Daniel Craig, I think, because they updated Bond really well with him. I really wanted Mr. Remington Steele, Pierce Brosnan, to be my favourite. But his scripts were pretty terrible. He had a good video game though with 'Golden Eye'. For the record, if ever the Ultrahouse 3000 becomes a real thing, I would totally pick the Pierce Brosnan setting and yes, yes, I'm digressing. 

I can't say much for Sean Connery. I tried watching his films a while ago, but they've become increasingly problematic in the sense that they're very dated for me. I'll give it another go, I promise. As for Timothy Dalton... Sorry! You suffered the same terrible script fate as my beloved Remington Steele. 

For this particular go, I'm sticking simply with the title track. The rest of the soundtracks are always good. John Barry (and Bill Conti for 'For Your Eyes Only') were pretty good composers (I mean Bill Conti composed music for 'Rocky'!) and their pieces fit every scene, between high action and the sexy fun times in the Bond flicks. 

I think what I love most about each Bond theme was they were as much a Duran Duran, a-Ha or Sheena Easton song as they were a Bond theme. Even Paul McCartney managed to pull of a theme that managed to strangely marry his McCartney and Wings style to it. (I didn't mention 'Live and Let Die' because this would have just started to become a crowded list of all Bond themes). 

Should watch any of Roger Moore's films? Sure. James Bond was always going to be a little on the ridiculous side during the 80s and those films were just that. A little more comedy than action. But it's a movie, and they're supposed to be entertaining right? Roger Moore as James Bond is absolutely entertaining and it's obvious they were having fun. If you wanted something a little more edgy, move onto Daniel Craig. Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton were victims of the script writing trying to write hammy Roger Moore stuff but trying to be too serious about it all at the same time. Plus trying to find a common enemy after the fall of the Berlin Wall made it hard for Bond to exist during those days. 

Forgive me, I have one final slight digression to make. I dunno about you guys, but have you heard Rustin Man's (Paul Webb's) album Drift Code? After hearing the track "Our Tomorrows" I think they should ask him to write a Bond theme. Just saying.

 





All Time High - Rita Coolidge - from Octopussy


For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton


The Living Daylighs - a-Ha

Stuff I'm Listening To #69 - A Week of Soundtracks - South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

WARNING: 'South Park' ahead! Avert your eyes and ears children!


Artists: Various, Matt Stone and Trey Parker

Favourite Pieces: Uncle F*cka, What Would Brian Boitano Do?, and Blame Canada

Why?: 
South Park? That crass movie? Honestly? 

Yup. 

What a lot of people seem fail to see when it comes to South Park is it's very musical. The creators clearly had a love for the old Hollywood musicals. Yes, obviously, South Park is a crass, terrible cartoon that's not meant for little children, but then, neither was Bugs Bunny, the Flintstones and the Simpsons!

But if you did sit your kids in front of these shows what would they take from them? Bugs Bunny? We've already gone through that. Classical Music appreciation and that tying a giant rocket to your back with ACME written on it, with roller skates on is NOT the ideal way to capture a road runner. 

The Flintstones? Well, it's the tamer of the ones I've put up. It was a little bit 'The Honeymooners' but with dinosaurs! At the end of the day, you see just how dedicated Fred was to Wilma, Fred to Betty. Despite all the shenanigans and shortcomings, Fred (and Barney) were always dedicated husbands and fathers. The same goes for the Simpsons, where, at the end of the day, Homer did his best to help his family. 

If you're wondering, yes, I'm digressing... Let's move along. 

What does the movie South Park teach us? There were so many life lessons plunked into this movie. It was fun. But we didn't come for the morals, we came for a South Park cartoon that was long and terribly funny. 'Blame Canada was nominated for an Academy Award! If you're going to blame someone else for your problems, it's best to have a moving call-to-action song against a common enemy of flappy-headed Canadians. 

It was clear this movie was inspired by old Hollywood musicals and in general, musicals. The plot is loosely based around Les Miserables; look at the song 'La Resistance' if you weren't sure.  The opening song, 'Mountain Town' is an amazing introduction, soft and idylic. It was what your childhood was all about. 

And in classic South Park style, they dive head first into the crude. About ten minutes into the movie, we are introduced to the best piece of the movie. 'Uncle Fucker' is a typical dance routine with fanfare. The dueling farts sequence? Awesome. 

'What Would Brian Boitano Do?'is a catchy call to action tune as well. Filled with bardic type legends of how heroic Brian Boitano was. I ask myself this question for critical life decisions all the time. Except... I'm Canadian, so I freely admit I switch the lyrics up and it's Brian Orser, because, Canada. 

This movie has everything! For those wondering why I didn't not mention "Kyle's Mom Is A Bitch", well... I love the song. I really do. I won't tell you it reminds me of an ex's mother. But it wasn't originally written for the movie.

My teenage boy mentality tells me that if you're an aficionado for fart jokes and reasonably good story telling with a healthy dose of parody and satire, this is the movie for you.  

BONUS UPDATE: Special thanks to @viewfromnowhen on insta who pointed out there exists a video of Simon leBon from Duran Duran singing 'Uncle F*cka'. Woot!

What Would Brian Boitano Do? 

Uncle F*cker
 

Stuff I'm Listening To - #68 - A Week of Soundtracks - Tron Legacy

This week I thought it would be fun to explore the music from some movies that have made their way onto my personal favourites playlist. 

The criteria for this is simply a piece (or pieces) that have specifically been written to accompany a motion picture.


Artist: Daft Punk 

Movie: Tron: Legacy

Favourite Tracks: 'End Titles' and 'Solar Sailer'

Why?:  
A movie with motorcycles (OMG, Peanut is finally talking about motorcycles!), deadly Frisbees, guys in glowing skin tight outfits and hockey helmets and it's all inside a computer? Say no more! 

The original 1982 'Tron' movie blew me away. The 1980s were clearly all about throwing as much fantasy and science fiction at my impressionable mind as possible. I am a child of 'Star Wars' as much as I am of 'Star Trek'. I still have anxiety about the horse named Artax from 'the Never Ending Story'. 'Blade Runner' still shapes the way the world looks where I write my own dystopian science fiction. I still have a crush on the Gobin King from 'Labyrinth'. I could run on. Stories in science fiction and fantasy had an enormous affect on me as a child. Fantasy meant unicorns and magic were real. Science fiction meant traveling beyond the stars at warp factor nine or faster than twelve parsecs.

When Disney announced way back (the movie came out in 2010), that they were going to work on a sequel to 'Tron' I was thrilled! The original movie was groundbreaking even if it failed at the box office. It was a visual treat. Remember those light-cycles? I wanted one back in the 80s. And if I couldn't have one, well, I'd settle for a regular motorcycle. A simple quest story placed in a virtual world filled with so much story telling potential. And that's where 'Tron: Legacy' went. The concept of a digital world, a micro-universe within computers. There are a couple of scenes in the movie where Jeff Bridges talks on about how this digital universe could cure all the world's problems. It was a beautiful thought all around.

A digital universe meant that an appropriate soundtrack should be overlaid right? Who better than Daft Punk? 

Many of you will be familiar with the piece 'Derezzed' which takes place in the bar fight scene, and featured as a music video with Olivia Wilde, was released as part of the film promotions. But that song is the earworm for the movie. It's the piece that sometimes leaves you confused, because the rest of the movie's soundtrack has a completely different feeling. 

If you saw the movie and barely remember the soundtrack, that's fine. The soundtrack often sits in the background and is designed to colour your mood to better fit what's happening onscreen. Not every one of them can be a John Williams overture of dramatic proportions. I think Daft Punk did a wonderful job of fitting the mood of the movie with their compositions. Remember, 'Derezzed' is part of a bar fight.

Tron's universe was a dark, oppressed digital world, that suddenly is filled with hope on the arrival of the hero after what would have been several generations in our timeline. Daft Punk did a good job of mixing an electronic sound with some impressive orchestrations. Listen to the piece 'Recognizer' or even 'Adiago for TRON' for some beautiful orchestrations. For a push into a more digital soundscape, 'Armory', could have been a backing track to a menu screen in a video game, and 'End of Line' incorporates video game sounds into the track. 

But for me, I have two favourite go-to tracks. One of my favourite pieces is the 'End Titles', which is a great piece of electronica, that sums up with entire soundtrack with a dance floor ready beat. I think it neatly wraps up the movie. It is also one of the louder pieces of the film. 

As you all should know by now, I ride and pieces with lots of volume changes don't work that well. It's also a bit of a meditative piece for me because of the repetition as a dance-able track. It helps me get myself into a mental state where I'm able to focus on whatever I need to focus on, like, riding through downtown traffic. *quietly admitting if hooligan riding is involved, this is the track I'll queue up*.

This being a blog where I've called myself Motorcycle Peanut, I suppose I owe some discussion about the Ducatis featured in the movie. Slight problem though. I'm not a fan of Ducatis. So I'll tell you Sam's bike is a Ducati Sport 1000 Biposto, which was discontinued shortly before the film's release. It's a pretty bike, as with most Ducatis. And Kevin's older bike is the Ducati 750 SS. I was never a fan of rounded fairings so it got an automatic no from me. If you're a Ducati fan, there you go. I'll stick with dreaming about a Busa, Ninja or HD. (Just don't tell my possessed motorcycle. She's already tried to kill me a couple of times now!).

The other favourite? 'Solar Sailer' is posted below. It fills in a beautiful scene in the movie, where they make their escape on what's essentially a ship with a giant sail. This is where Jeff Bridge's speeching about how the code could fix the world comes in, all the while, you start to take in the complex beauty of this digital universe, despite the darkness, it's gorgeous. It's a piece with a lot of volume changes so I don't listen to it as often, but I think it's a lovely atmospheric and dreamy piece that stands alone quite well. 

As for the movie, I would strongly recommend it. But watch the first one and keep in mind when the movie was released. (1982!)
 

Mark Hollis: A Euglogy from Derek Pike

This gentleman (Derek Pike) was kind enough to share his memories of Mark to a Facebook group (link here) after discovering he had passed. I’ve copied his words directly from the post below to try and keep this little snapshot of Mark’s life from getting lost. It’s a touching tribute and should stay with the photos. Unfortunately social media moves fast and the pictures have moved along without the backstory. I know the photos will get shared countless times. I only ask you keep the story with them.

From Derek Pike:
How incredibly sad... unfortunately news as this is slow reaching the U.S. (if ever). I met Mark in Italy on a 2008 Ducati bike tour and had no idea he was the lead singer / founder of Talk Talk until our last night of dinner. So unassuming and very funny with a dry wit most wouldn't appreciate (I certainly did!). We talked non-stop about motorcycles and his beloved Ducati Monster. My wife and I felt an instant connection to him and his sincerity was palpable... just a real down-to-earth guy. I'm still in shock... last we talked he & a friend just completed the trans-America trail... a trail ride from TN to OR. He remarked he had an amazing time and 'oh yeah, you live in a REALLY big country'! We fell out of touch, but I believe I could have picked up the phone or sent an email and he would respond ASAP. What a sad day (for me) and loss for us... I hope his family is remembering the good times and that assuages their (and our) loss. Take care, Mark... can't wait to play guitar with you when next we meet. 😢

Stuff I'm Listening to #67 - Three kinds of "Candy" - Talk Talk and The Reaction

For the past couple of days my vinyl sensei @Threadpennyvinyl's been posting about Talk Talk's song 'Candy'. Officially, the song hails from their debut album, 'The Party's Over'. She noted an interesting counter-factual that reminded me 'Candy' had been planned as their debut single. Perhaps things would have gone differently for the band. But without bending the laws of time and space, and lacking the time circuits and flux capacitors to properly construct a TARDIS or Delorean Time Machine, we'll never know.

Last night she subtly pointed out the differences between The Reaction's version (lyrically speaking) versus Talk Talk's release. My mind geared up and decided, I'm going to write a blog post! It's NaNoWriMo after all. And while I just don't do well with things like that, getting off my butt to write anything which I'm willing to post publicly is always a challenge, fun, and exciting. Any writing exercise I get done for myself is good exercise. 

The original intention of this post was to prattle on about the how valuable demos are for fans of any band. They're usually made as quickly as possible, as cheaply as possible (because what real struggling band do you know actually has money?) and meant to get them in the record company's door and signed. Years ago, I heard one of U2's demos where Bono must have been barely 15, a voice not quite cracked yet, on Alan Cross' Ongoing History of New Music (It's a wonderful show and I highly encourage anyone with an interest in learning about the backstories of new alternative music to have a listen). It was an eye (ear?) opening moment and a really good glimpse of what we all knew was to come for U2. Surprising for me because I had no idea Bono and the Edge had known each other for that long!

Personally, I adore demos. They're going to be the band at their very amateurish best, unrefined and full of energy. You're hearing conception in these demos. It's quite amazing, especially when you look at the scope of what the band will eventually become. The Reaction, Mark Hollis, Talk Talk. Their demos leave me speechless. To hear Mark Hollis so young and untouched by the music business is definitely a feast for the ears.

Speaking about demos being cheap, I need to relate the tale of my hometown band, the Barenaked Ladies. They made their demo for $1. We had a thing called Speaker's Corner, where, for $1, you could record a two minute video in a booth and once a week, they'd pick the highlights into a half hour show. It felt like Public Access Television deconstructed (think Wayne's World, Mike Myers being another Scarborough alumnus), but in Vine video length. Barenaked Ladies piled into this slightly larger than a phone booth thing and recorded their song 'You Can Be My Yoko Ono'. They waited until the weekend for the show to air. They recorded their piece and went off to the record company to show off their demo. The rest is clearly history.
  
As usual, I have digressed. 

So... Because of Threadpenny and a blog post by Dervswerve about the song (which I fully admit, I read last year back when Talk Talk was shiny and new for me, then decided maybe I should give this track a listen as I only had downloaded the singles from this album at that point), I had gone in to listen to the song again, all three versions that I have with an open ear.

Going chronologically backwards, let's start with the album version first. 

Quick note: All YouTube links are audio only. Please... please, let me know if the links go dead and I'll do my very best to find new ones. 

Talk Talk's official relase of the song from their debut album 'The Party's Over'

Here is producer Colin Thurston's cleaned and polished version of this song. At this point, the song had gone through two bands worth of tweaking and Colin made it as New Romantic ready as he could. A ballad worthy to sit with the other moody synth-pop staples of the time. Kudos to Simon Brenner for his synthesizer work here. You cannot beat Lee Harris and Paul Webb as a rhythm section. Instrumentally, this song is perfect. But to me, Mark always sounded a little flat, (not off key! but...) as if he's already sung this song too many times. It's a great piece, nonetheless and if you hadn't heard the other versions, you wouldn't hear the flatness I'm talking about. Almost as if the business had already started pissing him off and grinding him down a little. 

Talk Talk's demo - featured on their 'Asides and Besides' album

Now here is the demo, from Talk Talk. Fortunately they released this officially on their 'Asides and Besides' album so you need not worry about hissy bad quality tape recordings here. Slightly faster than the album version but mostly the same. Mark's not as flat here. All the emotion behind the song is much more pronounced here. But I think he's still holding back.

The Reaction's demo - unreleased

So when I started working on collecting the music I liked, it became pretty clear there was a specific style of music I gravitated towards. Anything ska, mod or punk was going to be my cup of tea. Here is the demo that Mark Hollis' first band, The Reaction, pumped out. Mark's younger here and channeling all the energy of the mod revival/punk. If you ever needed to hear this song at it's rawest, here is it. This is, vocally speaking, my favourite version.

This pack of candy comes with a 25% bonus - The Reaction's LIVE performance of Candy

 
It is with some surprise, when I started traveling through the Internets earlier today, that I should find this. I went out just to satisfy my own curiosity that there were no other versions of the song that I might have missed in order to write my directionless and rambling post today. I'm not sure how I missed this. The YouTuber posted it in May. I'll assume that I was being inundated by too much stuff all at once when he uploaded it for the world. There were a total of 6 views when I discovered it. Sad really. Seems a lot of people missed this.

I tend to steer away from discussing live versions of songs. They're all going to be different from one another and different from the demo/album/single. It also depends on how the musicians were feeling that night. Being a one time audience member, you're likely not going to notice if a performance was slightly off. But this being the only recording I've ever heard of The Reaction, well... Damn. It's pretty effing good! It's on par with the Reaction demo. Mark Hollis, as usual, is able to pull off a live performance that more often than not, overshadows the original album version (in this case, the demo). 

Oh, for good measure, here's a pic of the Reaction performing at the Aylesbury Friar for no more reason than I really like this picture. 

Photo by Mark Jordan. Found at the Aylesbury Friar's website.  From L to R (George Page (guitar), Bruce Douglas (bass), Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar), Gino Williams (drums)