The “Known” Collection

If you haven’t been following this series of posts from the beginning, what the fuck have you been doing!!?? This isn’t rocket science, it’s a Blog FFS!! Today is the final post of a series of 5 (Five) that completes a mammoth trawl through 128 cracking tunes (1.35Gb) in mp3 format. Coming last, or first depending how you view the blog, is The “Known”. Only to be played when you’ve been given just over an hour to live! Believers rejoice as the final 17 (quality, not quantity folks) tracks are finally within your reach. There’s nothing clever here, just straight forward bangin’ choons from artists you all should know and love. Obviously this is a matter of taste, my taste, which as ihr stadtführer it is allowed and expected to be “Special”.

Unless you have been hiding under an enormous rock for the entire 80’s (or weren’t born) then you can’t fail to recognise the two covers that I have chosen to illustrate the tracks contained herein. The “intrepid explorers” among you will be willing the download to hurry up and finish their mouths dry with anticipation, only to have their hopes and desires dashed at the state of play enclosed. The “could care not a jot” will be immediately turned off and will snub the post as being “Too Obvious”. Will you miss out on “New Life”, “Electricity”, “Changeling” or “Murderous”?

The “I Think I Know This” Collection

Wow…WoW…WOW!! Some great numbers of fellow travellers checking out the three collections posted so far. I must admit that I might have been a bit too keen in posting them in the space of a week and should have maybe taken more time in the presentation, write up and time period so that as many folks as possible could enjoy them. Not to worry though as I’ll retro tag them all to make it easier, for the late arrivals to this little party, to find.  Now to the meat (vegan alternatives are available) of this collection. As suggested by the title many of you will know, or more to the point recognise, most of the bands/songs enclosed within. I have posted a couple of the bands/singles earlier in the blog history which might/might not encourage you to investigate past posts. Kicking off this set is the well-received personal favourite 12” single of mine “Fire Island”. Solidly followed up by the Arthur Baker remix of “Freemason (You Broke The Promise)”, the Sinister Subway mix of “Underpass” and a track from the first AIDS benefit single. Interested?? Not yet? MMMmmm. How about we partake in some “Chinese Black” and slowly descend below the waves of despair into “Marilyn’s Dreams”. Become a “Witness (To A Scream)” from a “Lady Shave” “Assassin”. Yeah, now we’re talking!

The "Seriously Questionable" Collection

Folder number three is as the title suggests, yet this shouldn’t be a question as to the validity of the bands and songs enclosed within, for these are the ones for who pop stardom was but a kiss away. Or maybe pop isn’t the best descriptive word to use here, as the underground world of minimal synth lends its self quite nicely to underground Goth, underground Industrial and underground Synth-pop, which hopefully you’ll find herein. There are some absolute gems hidden in here from Simon F (previously of Intaferon), Berlin (yes Take My Breath Away) from 1983 and the outstanding Barbi & The Kens (you can decide on this one). All of which should be taken seriously enough with the remaining 31 tracks. The musical endeavours can’t be side lined either as many of the bands here are of the classic one single and gone variety. Every ounce of their being, at that moment in time, is represented in their work presented here and they deserve at the very least a healthy listening too. Plus, these singles are very, very rare nowadays.

The “Why Haven’t I Heard This” Collection

More subversive than Vi Subversa? It’s doubtful that anything could be more subversive than aunty Vi, but we like to kid ourselves along that we are actually doing it! With the old school musicians union getting their collective knickers in a twist because of ol Gazza Numans synths replacing musicians (not actually realising that behind every synth stood a band member) while the darker side of electronic music tried to kill off all drummers. Now that is pretty subversive when the drummer was considered the beating heart of any band (and the only member to bum cigs off). The one member of the band who didn’t make it with the groupies after the show should be shown some respect, but probably not in this, the second instalment of 26 bangin’ classics from the land that time forgot.

The “I Should Have Heard This” Collection

A while back there was a wee discussion between fellow travellers on the merits of Coldwave / Darkwave / Minimal Synth / Synth-pop and possibly Drum Machine Goth / Electro / Industrial. I had a look through my insignificant collection and found that I have quite a bit of this massive cross connected, cross pollinated, cross genre of blindingly good music. I therefore thought I should share some of it with the unsuspecting of you out there who just download anything that looks remotely interesting.

I have created 5 distinct folders (that collectively weigh in at 1.35GB) containing 128 choons! No art work could ever contain the awesomeness of these folders, indeed the folders themselves are bursting at the seams with the recently dead bodies and the ancient rotting corpse of bands who quite rightly are long dead, mainly one single and gone, phantoms from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Understanding the impact that Punk and New Wave had on the independently minded young bands of the day, who saw the evolution of the synthesizer from mindless widdling by legendary keyboardists to a Moog Synth as a way to avoid the monotony and mindless numbing of long term unemployment in late 70’s Britain. Add a tinny beat box and droning vocals, mumble something about Buddha and you’re off. It also helped if you lived in Sheffield.