CRC Retro Mix #41

1. Strangelove (Bomb The Bass) - Depeche Mode
2. Keep On (Razormaid! Mix) - Cabaret Voltaire
3. World In Motion (The B-Side) - England New Order
4. Suicide Blonde (Milk Mix) - INXS
5. Don't Talk To Me About Love (12" Mix) - Altered Images
6. Quiet Life (12" Mix) - Japan
7. Memorabilia (12" Mix) - Soft Cell
8. Left To My Own Devices (New Toy Mix) - Pet Shop Boys
9. Your Love Takes Me Higher (The Pod Went Pop Mix) - Beloved
10. You Spin Me Round (Murder Mix) - Dead Or Alive
11. Take Me Now (Razormaid! Mix) - Vicious Pink
12. Sex (I'm A ... ) (Extended Version) - Berlin
13. Girls On Film (Night Version) - Duran Duran
14. Dance With Me (Long Version) - Alphaville
15. It's Called A Heart (Extended) - Depeche Mode

Notes and other random things:

I hope this time around I will get to do some notes on some of the tracks in this episode. I'm guessing most would rather hear the music than read a bunch of ramblings from a guy stuck in the 80s, but I'll do my best to keep the total package intact. I do want to quickly point out to readers/listeners that this episode did manage to earn an "Explicit" tag due to some thematic issues in a couple of the songs. While the language is generally fine, there is one "slut" outburst in the Berlin tune and some sketchy noises in a couple of the songs typically associated with carnal activities. Just wanted any parents out there to be aware should you feel like playing this mix in the car or somewhere where inquisitve and/or impressionable kids might be within earshot. Berlin and Beloved are the problematic songs, so just fast-forward through those if you're concerned. On to the songs ...

Leading off things is a Bomb The Bass remix of the DM classic, "Strangelove". It's an appropriate first track, I suppose, as the song was the first single off the Music for the Masses album, which was released in 1987. While eminently successful at that point in their career, it's probably the album that nudged DM toward super-stardom, an interesting turn of events considering the band chose the album name as a lark, a snide dismissal of the suggestion that they create more commercially successful music. While the compositions on the album were more sparsely arranged than previous albums and darker in tonality, the album was a critical and commercial success, effectively making DM a musical fixture among the masses, something they jokingly embraced in selecting the title. As for the song itself, it was originally a high-energy pop song, but Mute founder and producer Daniel Miller thought the overall feel of the track wasn't a good fit for the album. Miller's remixed version is the one that shows up on Music for the Masses. Bomb The Bass, by the way, is the one-man audio production team, Tim Simenon. Simenon found early success in the mid-80s as a musician creating drum tracks and basslines, then "bombing" them with a variety of samples and noises. His first single, "Beat Dis", which contained 72 samples including bits and pieces from Public Enemy to Ennio Morricone to anything in between, was one of the first tracks to introduce sampling into the musical vernacular.

"World in Motion" was a song written by New Order in support of England's 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign. Believe it or not, the tune still stands as New Order's only #1 hit on the UK singles charts, holding the top spot for 2 consecutive weeks. The song is credited to ENGLAND New Order, most likely because members of that era's football (soccer) team, including left-winger and future hall-of-famer, John Barnes, contributed vocals and rapping to the song. Last year, a blog entry in NME magazine celebrated the 25th anniversary of perhaps the greatest sports-themed anthem of all time with a look at ten "geeky" facts about the song. I've reposted them below.

1. New Order drummer Steve Morris claims the band's manager, Tony Wilson, tricked the FA and the band into working with each other. "Knowing Tony, he probably s(continued)