A while back—I’m not exactly sure when—I assembled a playlist of Elton John songs in iTunes. I narrowed down the playlist to CD length so I could listen to it in the car.
Recently, while moving for the second time in less than six months, I gave it a spin. Subsequently, it provided the soundtrack for much of the week I spent taking boxes from old place to new place. Continue reading
As I mentioned in a corresponding post (two in one day!) on my other blog, today is my 50th birthday. Continue reading
It has been a while since my last post—over two months, in fact.
I had intended to continue the saga of the Summer of 1987 in my next post—but, alas, real life decided to intervene. (You are forewarned—this could be a long one…) Continue reading
This was to be my last post about the trials and tribulations of the summer of 1987, as things took several turns for the worse… Continue reading
A “Larger than life itself…”
Ringo Starr – “Oh My My” (Apple)
Rod Stewart – “Dock of the Bay” (from Motown Returns to the Apollo)
Go West – “Call Me” (Chrysalis)
The Human League – “Fascination (extended remix)” (A&M)
The Style Council – “The Lodgers (or She Was Only a Shopkeeper’s Daughter)” (Polydor)
Phil Collins – “Don’t Lose My Number” (Atlantic)
Donna Summer – “I Feel Love” (Casablanca)
Elton John – “Your Starter For…” (MCA)
Stevie Wonder & George Michael – “Love’s in Need of Love Today” (from Motown Returns to the Apollo)
Kajagoogoo – “Too Shy (Midnight mix)” (EMI)
Apollonia 6 – “Sex Shooter” (the only performance in Purple Rain that isn’t interrupted by dialogue or cutaways) (Warner Bros.)
B “A 2 x 4’ll do it…”
The Style Council – “Shout to the Top!” (Polydor)
Paul Young – “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” (CBS)
Band Aid – “Do They Know It’s Christmas? (12″ version)” (Columbia)
Thomas Dolby – “The Search for Truth” (the first 30 seconds or so of one of the “Dissidents” remixes played at 33-1/3 rpm instead of at 45) (EMI)
Go West – “Goodbye Girl” (Chrysalis)
The Jam – “Absolute Beginners” (Polydor)
Elton John – “Philadelphia Freedom” (from The Superior Sound of Elton John 1971-75) (DJM)
Spandau Ballet – “Lifeline” (Chrysalis)
Earth, Wind & Fire – “Touch” (Columbia)
John Lennon – “Ya Ya” (Apple)
The Style Council – “Council Meetin’” (Polydor)
“It’s a keeper…” Continue reading
The 24th Birthday State of Mind Tapes
March 16, 1987
Part 1:
A
David Sylvian – “Gone To Earth” (Virgin)
Kate Bush – “Running Up That Hill” (EMI)
The Style Council – “My Ever Changing Moods” (Polydor)
Joe Jackson – “The Verdict” (A&M)
Prince – “Sometimes it Snows in April” (Paisley Park)
Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Ballet Mécanique” (School/Midi)
Supertramp – “The Logical Song” (A&M)
Simply Red – “Holding Back the Years” (Elektra)
David Sylvian – “The Healing Place” (Virgin)
The Style Council – “Blue Café” (Polydor)
B
Robbie Nevil – “C’est La Vie” (EMI Manhattan)
The Style Council – “(When You) Call Me” (Polydor)
Boz Scaggs – “Hard Times” (Columbia)
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “Tokyo Storm Warning” (Columbia)
Japan – “Oil On Canvas” (Virgin)
David Sylvian – “Nostalgia” (Virgin)
Jimmy Buffett – “Wonder Why We Ever Go Home” (live) (ABC)
Koji Ueno – “Adagietto (remix)” (¥EN)
Epo – “Harmony” (Dear Heart/Midi)
David Sylvian – “Upon This Earth” (Virgin)
Part 2:
A
Ike & Tina Turner – “Nutbush City Limits” (United Artists)
Rachel Sweet – “B-A-B-Y” (Stiff/Epic)
Rachel Sweet – “Who Does Lisa Like?” (Stiff/Epic)
Mick Karn – “Buoy” (featuring David Sylvian) (Virgin)
John Lennon – “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” (Apple)
John Lennon – “Mind Games” (Apple)
John Lennon – “#9 Dream” (Apple)
Elton John – “Roy Rogers” (MCA)
Thomas Dolby – “Weightless” (EMI)
Plastics – “Diamond Head” (Island)
Joe Jackson – “You Can’t Get What You Want (Til You Know What You Want)” (A&M)
Nick Heyward – “Whistle Down the Wind” (Arista)
B
Elvis Costello – “Hoover Factory” (Columbia)
Wynton Marsalis – “Melancholia” (Coumbia)
Culture Club – “Time (Clock of the Heart)” (Virgin/Epic)
The Style Council – “It Didn’t Matter” (Polydor)
Sade – “Punch Drunk” (Epic)
Supertramp – “Just Another Nervous Wreck” (A&M)
Warren Zevon – “Ain’t That Pretty At All” (Asylum)
Japan – “Sometimes I Feel So Low” (Hansa)
The Art of Noise – “Love” (ZTT)
David Sylvian – “Silver Moon” (Virgin)
David Sylvian – “Where the Railroad Meets the Sea” (Virgin) Continue reading
The Beatles
all Parlophone
1987 Continue reading
Prince – “Sign “☮” the Times”*
Paisley Park 0-20648 (12-inch single)
1987
U2 – The Joshua Tree
Island 7 90581-2 (CD)
1987
Amidst all the anxiety and pathos swirling around inside my head, these two records were released. Prince’s new single, “Sign “☮” the Times”, came out in February (the album of the same name wouldn’t hit the shops until the end of March); The Joshua Tree came out in March, one week before my birthday. Continue reading
1987 will undoubtedly be the subject of a lot of posts on this blog. It was, simply, that kind of year for me—in as many different ways as you can interpret “that“. In nearly every respect possible—physically, geographically, emotionally, and a few other “-ly”s—I was in a different place at the end of the year than I was at the beginning.
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
MCA MCA2-10003 (double LP)
1973
Since I bought this album in the spring of 1974, a couple of the things I remember about the time are lots of sunny days, and the introduction of Mr. Pibb, Coca-Cola’s Dr. Pepper wannabe soda. Continue reading
