...And Then We Take Berlin.

People love Leonard Cohen's early work, and I do too. But the one album which really grabbed me was 'I'm Your Man' (1988). I think the slick 80s production and almost sleazy, crooner thing suited him miles better than the folky singer-songwriter one. My dad is a huge Leonard Cohen fan and this the album I remember being played around the house most when growing up. This is undoubtedly my favourite from that album but it's all more or less flawless. It's a brooding, monochrome and heavily politicised song but one hell of a tune because of that. These two verses are my favourite...

'They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin......

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline
How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin'

Leonard Cohen - First we take Manhattan
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J.B.

Another Day

I would like to take you on a little journey, i have had this song stuck in my head all day and i though that i would love to make you discover all the different interpretations of it, so let's go first with the original, Roy Harper's Another Day:



Now let's go and check what kate Bush and Peter Gabriel are up to:



"Genius!" i say....Now if you still are not conquered get your tissues out, smokes or whatever it is you need, as this version is so beautiful and i absolutely Love it.This Mortal Coil Ft Liz Frazer from The Amazing Cocteau Twins.



This is where our little journey's end, hope you enjoyed it.
S.M

Fred Vom Jupiter

German pop from Die Doraus und Der Marinas. Andreas Dorau wrote and released this song in 1981 when he was just 16 and it was a bit hit in Germany. Reminds me of early 2009, of Homerton. Being surrounded by antiques in a pokey council estate flat eating pasta everyday and walking for miles to the Dalston job centre - dark days. But everytime I'd listen to this song I'd forget all that and think about an alien from Jupiter called Fred, wondering what all those other German words meant.

Head over heels

Oh, my, while i am happy to be in London, i have to admit that i needed some sunny eighties vibe to make me giggle and dance around as the cold is returning. It also brings me back to memory lane of Dear Old L.A, days spent by the swimming pool, peanut M&M's, not understanding a word of English but hey The Go-Go's are playing in the background, we are having so much fun and everything is fine.



S.M

Electric Boogaloo

There isn't much point trying to describe how good this is in words.



J.B.

Love Songs On The Radio

I could elaborate on the subject of Mojave 3 previous amazing band, but we will eventually get to that at a later time, for right now i was thinking can i find a better song to end the day with? And the answer is "NO". This is perfect, at least for myself and my creative daze, a song that sets softly just like today's morning mist. Hope you enjoy.




S.M

Collapsing New People

Fad Gadget, or Frank (Tovey) as his parents probably called him. He was signed to the pioneering Mute records label started by Daniel Miller, making industrial/electronic pop music which really no-one has come close to matching. His 'hit' songs, like 'Ricky's Hand', 'Back To Nature' and 'Lady Shave' are some of the most inspired and original of the early 80s British electronic scene. But as important to the Fad Gadget experience as the music, was the performance. Here's an example from a TV appearance, 'Collapsing New People'. Just brilliant.



J.B.

Out For Blood

The Runaways movie is about to come out, does it mean we are up for a well deserved Lita Ford revival ? I definitely hope so ! I choose this song of all Lita's songs (for right now!) as i always loved the video, why?...to put it in simple words:
One: Lita Rocks and sure knows how to play her guitar.
Two: A human giving a blood transfusion to an electric guitar, someone had to do it !
Three: I will say it again, Lita Rocks !



S.M

I'm Broke and I ain't Got a Dime

Some of you might be hanging on the though of that next pay day after all the Christmas and New Year shenanigans, or you're simply always....broke.If there's a song to sing along to while enduring the monetary blues, it would have to be Precious Bryant's "Broke and ain't got a dime". So good you still will sing it when your pockets are full of marbles and coins.
S.M

The grabbing hands, grab all they can

EVERYTHING COUNTS - DEPECHE MODE I first came across this song when a friend living in Manchester put it on what was probably the first compilation CD (as a pose to tape) I had ever recieved.I suppose this must have been around 2003 as I remember playing that CD to death at the time I had just moved to uni in London. In that first term I often felt a bit homesick and alienated, and this despondent, hopeless pop song for some reason struck a chord with me. The lyrics ('the grabbing hands, grab all they can', 'it's a com-pet-it-ive world') are clearly about Thatcher-ite, yuppie greed and the darkside of the 80s boom, which started with all that happy,loud,colourful fun - defined by Depeche Mode's own 'Just Can't Get Enough' etc. but though it was obviously about all of that, that wasn't really the point for me. I just related to the sadness and resignation of it in those confused, lonely moments. I didn't feel like that all the time, but when I did this is what i'd listen to. That CD was part of my education in synth pop too (another stand out from that disc being 'Flamboyant' by the Pet Shop Boys) and made me realise that electronic music could be emotional. By far my favourite Mode track.

J.B.