CRC Retro Mix #24

1. Let Me Go - Heaven 17
2. New Song (Extended Version) - Howard Jones
3. Domino Dancing - Pet Shop Boys
4. Living in a Box (Razormaid! Mix) - Living In A Box
5. I Don't Want Your Love (Curiosity Mix) - Duran Duran
6. What is Love? (Deeeee Mix) - Deee-Lite
7. Pablo - Beloved
8. I've Been Thinking About You (Def 12" Mix) - Londonbeat
9. Ride the Bullet (The DNA Remix) - Army Of Lovers
10. I Say Yeah (Razormaid! Mix) - Secchi
11. Intoxication (Dubfield Mix) - React 2 Rhythm
12. Dirty Epic (Album Version) - Underworld
13. X-ray - Camouflage
14. Russian Radio (Razormaid! Mix) - Red Flag
15. 1963 - New Order
 
 
Notes and other random things:
Believe it or not, I get a lot of great email from listeners, so before I get to the music, let's dig into the CRC mailbag:
 
Dear DJ Tintin,
You're always busy with your pod-thingy. What, you too much of a big shot to call anymore?
Signed,
Mom.
 
Heh...sorry, mom. Just trying to give people their fill of good retro music. I'll call you next week. I promise.
Okay, that's it for the mailbag this week.
 
 
As for the music, most of this episode is rather upbeat and fun with one glaring exception: 1963 by New Order. Regular listeners will notice that New Order turns up a lot in these podcasts, yet I've never really devoted much time to writing much about them. I don't know why that is, exactly. After all, they're one of my favorite bands of all time, so you'd figure I'd give them a ton of column inches in my write-ups. But, everything about the band has always been understated, from their lyrics, to their cover art, and even to their significance in music history. In a weird way, I suppose, my omissions might be a greater sign of respect for a group that managed for so long to conceal itself. I mean, they weren't much for interviews and their liner notes rarely revealed anything about the members. Heck, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris were sort of unwilling rock stars anyway, their new band coming about after the dissolution of Joy Division and the death of former band mate and lead singer Ian Curtis. There was some serious discussion as to whether or not they wanted to continue as a band after the tragedy. Thankfully, they did continue on. They overcame early criticisms of being a Joy Division sound-alike and eventually developed their own sound, creating some of the most memorable dance music from the 80s. Blue Monday, for instance, is still the top-selling 12" dance mix of all time. (Check out CRC #19 to hear the song.)
As for 1963, there is disagreement about its meaning. A superficial listen to the lyrics reveals a grim scenario whereby a man murders his lover and takes on another. The song is a recap of the failed relationship and seems to be sung from the perspective of the deceased. When taken into account with the date, 1963, however, the song, depending on what you believe, takes on a deeper significance. While much of New Order's music is left for open interpretation, as the band has said, it has also been said that lead singer Bernard Sumner wrote the song about the death of John F. Kennedy. According to some, Sumner had a theory that surmised JFK hired a hitman to kill Jackie so that he could be with Marilyn Monroe. History turned out differently and the bullets found a different target. So distraught was Monroe, she killed herself. The song, therefore, is sung from Jackie's perspective, begging John to spare her life. It's an interesting theory, but history will also show that Monroe died a year before Kennedy. Some have suggested the song refers to a soldier taking on another wife while fighting overseas and killing his domestic lover out of necessity or perhaps guilt. Some have suggested “Johnny” is a reference to Bernard's adoptive father John Dicken. Whatever the case, it's admittedly a sort of a down way to end a podcast lyrically, though the song's producer, Stephen Hague, has po(continued)