- Artist: The Damned
- Title: Phantasmagoria
- Year: 1985
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: No idea
- Keeper: Yes
If the cover of Phantasmagoria doesn’t make it abundantly clear, song titles like “Sanctum Sanctorum”, the sounds of organs and harpsichords, and David Vanian’s deep-voiced singing should; The Damned got their Goth on in a big way with this record. Some people didn’t like it. They were turned off by the big production and the theatrical imagery. They thought The Damned had forgotten their punk rock roots and sold out. But I love this record, and since it was their highest charting album I know I’m not alone.
Some think The Damned invented “Gothic” rock, but unlike most other all-too-serious bands that would follow, they always seemed to have a sense of humor about it. My favorites are the epic album opener “Street of Dreams”, and the surprisingly cheerful-sounding pop goth songs “Grimly Fiendish” and “Edward the Bear.”
U2 -- Pride (In the Name of Love) - Japan
- Artist: U2
- Title: Pride (In the Name of Love) – Japan
- Year: 1985
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: 1985 – Probably Tower Records in DC
- Keeper: Yes
Based on the track listing, according to Wikipedia, we have “Version 3” of this “Pride” 12 inch by U2. But that page doesn’t mention anything about it being a Japanese promo, which it is.
Side 1
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” (Single Version)
“Boomerang I” (Instrumental)
“Boomerang II”
Side 2
“11 O’Clock Tick Tock” (Long Version)
“Touch”
The “Boomerang” songs sound more like Duran Duran than what you would expect from U2. I like them. “11 O’clock” is a previously unreleased version. I don’t recognize “Touch” at all; it sounds very early. We’re going to keep this one. It has some interesting extras, a great package, and it appears to be a “collector’s item.”
- Artist: New Order
- Title: The Perfect Kiss
- Year: 1985
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 7
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: Unknown
- Keeper: Yes
I think I’ve left that Mano Negra record cover up there long enough for everyone to enjoy it. This cover for New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss” is also handsome, if not as irresistible. Typical of New Order the cover is minimalist but also refined. This is only a 12 inch single and the cover is a metallic silver with the title embossed along the edge. The dust cover is swanky too with one side colored a deep blue and the other listing the tracks in, again, a very minimalist graphic design.
I like the song. I’m pretty sure “The Perfect Kiss” and Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” were separated at birth. They’re not identical twins stylistically, but I’m here to tell you the melodies are very similar. Now, I’m guessing that few people are fans of both bands, which may be why no one seems to have noticed. But I was working in a chain record store when the Bon Jovi track was a hit. We had a number of teenagers at the store, I was only 19 or 20, and I got to listen this one more times than I care to remember.
Fac 123
- Artist: King
- Title: Won’t You Hold My Hand Now
- Year: 1985
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 4
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: ?
- Keeper: No
I’m so tired of these King 12 inches. “Won’t You Hold My Hand Now” was not motivating me to update this site, but I’m getting it over with now. This single is extra boring. I’m not all-out hatin’ on King, it’s just that this is really blah. Buh-bye.
- Artist: The Fleshtones
- Title: Speed Connection II
- Year: 1985
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1985 – When I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
- Keeper: Yes
In general, live recordings are “for-fans-only”, and Speed Connection II from The Fleshtones is no exception. Moreover, I think this record killed their chance to break out to a wider audience in the late 1980s and beyond. I’m no Fleshtones historian but I say all that based on my real world experience from working at a chain record store when this was released. I had been a fan for a while and my perception was that their label IRS really decided to promote this one. Which is too bad because for a lot of people this was the first thing they heard by The Fleshtones. And they did not dig it, they told me. This isn’t the greatest recording ever. The performances are great, but the sound is inconsistent. Also, many of the songs are covers or medleys or watered-down versions of studio tracks. For fans only.
