Sharon Van Etten - 'Tramp' (2012)

Versions:
CD (with Tramp Demos CD)
LP

Tracklisting:
1. Warsaw
2. Give Out
3. Serpents
4. Kevin's
5. Leonard
6. In Line
7. All I Can
8. We Are Fine
9. Magic Chords
10. Ask
11. I'm Wrong
12. Joke Or A Lie

Best Tracks:
Give Out
Serpents
In Line
Leonard

Currently listening to: LP

Sharon Van Etten is, as of mid-2014, my latest obsession.

I hadn't discovered a new artist for some time. Realising this, at the end of 2012, I read through FasterLouder's Top 50 albums of 2012, hoping to discover something new. At #49, was Tramp. I watched the 'Magic Chords' video, and was suitably impressed. Nothing else on FasterLouder's list took my fancy. Though, I kept coming back to 'Magic Chords'. I immediately downloaded the album, and instantly fell in love with it (and don't worry, I happened upon the CD in a store about a week later, and bought it).

Tramp was exactly what I needed. On paper, it ticks all the boxes for what I usually love - a lady with a great voice who sings sad songs about love gone wrong. Such a simple description, however, sells Tramp short. Because, these are really great songs. Sharon Van Etten clearly knows a thing or two when it comes to song-writing. The songs are also delivered with such raw conviction - how could I resist?

Of course, what matters for any great album are the songs. And Tramp is bursting with great songs. If 'Magic Chords' was the loaded gun, then 'Give Out' was the bullet. And, it hit me square in the heart. I can't remember the last time I've been affected by a song quite like this. 'Give Out' is simply beautiful. And, the stunning version she played on Triple J further cemented my love, both for the song and for her. This song has become like my crack since discovering this album. I'm still not sick of it. 'Serpents' is an uneasy (though, rewarding) listen, with it's "black eyes" and "trying to forgive your crimes". Despite their lyrics, songs like 'Leonard', 'All I Can' and 'We Are Fine' feel surprisingly optimistic. When she sings, "Well, I'm bad at loving you" in the chorus of 'Leonard', she sounds likes she quite OK with being bad at loving him. Generally, however, Tramp isn't a cheerful affair. Which, of course, is probably one of the reasons I love it.

I discovered Sharon Van Etten right when I needed her - Tramp felt new, yet happily familiar. I think I'm still in the honeymoon period with this record. I have a feeling, however, that Sharon Van Etten is here to stay - given that I equally love the two records she did before Tramp, and her new one (it's probably bad timing for me to blog Tramp, since I'm currently obsessed with Epic and Are We There). Though, I have had the same feeling before, when I started listening to other artists that have become favourites. I hope I'm right.

Spazzys - 'Aloha! Go Bananas' (2004)

Versions:
CD
CD+DVD
DVD

Tracklisting:
1. Zombie Girl
2. Surfen Bird
3. The Sunshine Drive
4. Action City
5. Hey Hey Baby
6. Steal A Kiss
7. Paco Doesn't Love Me
8. Shake & Twist
9. My Boyfriend's Back
10. Cigarettes
11. You Left My Heart In The Garage
12. Zatopeks
13. My Car Doesn't Brake
14. I Wanna Cut My Hair Like Marky Ramone

Best Tracks:
Zombie Girl
Zatopeks
Paco Doesn't Love Me

Currently listening to: CD

Has it really been 10 years since Aloha! Go Bananas?

My, how time flies.

I first heard The Spazzy's when their demo was played on 3D Radio in Adelaide some time in the early 00's. My best mate and I were immediately interested, based on their name. We thought it was a fucking great name for a band. The first song I remember hearing was 'Let's Get Spazzy'. I instantly loved it. I remember downloading their demo CD from their (Angelfire-hosted) website, which included 'Let's Get Spazzy'. I played it a lot.

The first time I remember seeing them play was supporting Gerling at Fowler's around 2003. My mates and I went only to see The Spazzy's. And, they were a lot of fun. We saw them once or twice more before they put out Aloha! Go Bananas (I do seem to recall that they released the Paco Doesn't Love Me single first, although I could be wrong). The gigs were always energetic and fucking fun.

I was pretty eager for Aloha! Go Bananas when it first came out. My initial reaction was disappointment - it didn't have 'Let's Get Spazzy'! Regardless, I really dug the album. 'Paco Doesn't Love Me', 'Zombie Girl', 'Zatopeks', 'You Left My Heart In The Garage' and 'The Sunshine Drive' were my favourites.

They played two nights in Adelaide about a week after the album came out. One night at the Crown & Anchor, and the next night supporting Magic Dirt at The Gov. Both gigs were fantastic. I remember being a little tipsy and (accidentally) talking to Kat and Ally. They were really nice, if not a bit dubious about the drunk guys that happened to be sitting next to them (it was in the old foyer at the Cranker, when they'd have the fire going. It was actually unintentional, I promise). I told Kat that 'Let's Get Spazzy' was my favourite song and that I couldn't believe they left it off the album. She seemed surprised that I actually liked it, telling me she'd written it as a throwaway, just to get the band's name on the radio. They then played it for me at the gig, which was sweet.

The weirdest thing about this album was that 'My Boyfriend's Back' became something of a hit single (Wikipedia tells me it hit #24 in the charts). At the time, I was still working at Target, and they put it on the promotional DVD we had to play on the TV's in the store (even Magic Dirt never made it to the Target TV's!). Which was a bit surreal. There was another song I liked on the DVD, so I'd play Spazzy's and this other song on a loop. It was great, if not a bit weird.

Listening to the album tonight, for the first time in a long time, has brought back a lot of memories. Primarily, the smell of beer and cigarettes in the Cranker band room. And, hangovers and ringing ears. Despite, the obvious nostalgia, it's still a pretty good album. I must admit, it's way better than I anticipated.

I ended up with a few copies of the album. I re-bought it when they re-released it with a DVD. I then got a copy of the DVD, since they sent it to people who already bought the album (which I found out after I'd already bought it). All you had to do was email their record label the barcode from your CD and they sent the DVD. Pretty cool.

The last time I saw The Spazzy's was Big Day Out in 2007. Kat had broken her arm and Davey Lane from You Am I played guitar for them. I think they may have played in Adelaide once since then. I don't give The Spazzy's much attention these days. I still haven't bought their second album. I kept meaning to import it, since it was only released in Japan. When it was finally released in Australia a few years ago, I still never got around to getting it. I enjoyed Aloha! Go Bananas so much tonight, I might need to seek it out. I know they still play around Melbourne (and I think they recently toured Europe), I hope I catch them live again some time.

Led Zeppelin - 'Led Zeppelin II' (1969)

Versions:
LP
CD
Cassette

Tracklisting:

Side One:
1. Whole Lotta Love
2. What Is And What Should Never Be
3. The Lemon Song
4. Thank You

Side Two:
1. Heartbreaker
2. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)
3. Ramble On
4. Moby Dick
5. Bring It On Home

Best Tracks:
Ramble On
Whole Lotta Love
Bring It On Home

Currently listening to: LP

As I teenager, I - like many others before me - faithfully worshipped at the alter of the mighty Led Zeppelin. I was convinced that they were the best rock band to have ever graced the Earth. Though I loved Houses Of The Holy and Physical Graffiti, those first four albums were as precious to me as gold.

As the years wore on, my love for Led Zeppelin faded. Quite dramatically. Of all the 60's bands I listened to - and adored - as a teenager, there's only two that I can't really stomach anymore - Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. While Deep Purple don't really come to the table (sure, Fireball is still a great album. That's about it), I feel a little guilty about abandoning Led Zeppelin, if only for how much I deeply, deeply loved them when I was 15. While tastes change, I still love most of the bands I loved at 15. And, Led Zeppelin are, in my estimation, still one of the most loved bands around. So, what is it about them I can no longer relate to?

I'm about to drop the needle on Led Zeppelin II and find out. I'm hoping I'm newly impressed by what I hear. But, I have a feeling it might be a bit too wanky, cock-rock for me.

Things are off to a good start with 'Whole Lotta Love' and 'What Is And What Should Never Be'. Robert Plant's voice, which used to be one of my favourites voices in the world, teeters on the verge of self-indulgence, but, happily, doesn't quite becomes conceited. On these first two tracks, at least. Once we get to 'Killing Floor' (or 'The Lemon Song', if we really must), it all falls apart. It doesn't help that I'm much more familiar with Howlin' Wolf's version of the song now than I was when I worshipped Led Zeppelin. It's also with this song that I've come to realise that, largely, it's Robert Plant's voice that has put me off Led Zeppelin. Yes, he has a great voice. But, it's a bit pompous and over the top, isn't it? 'The Lemon Song' sounds like Page and Plant playing soggy biscuit. It's not pretty. 'Thank You' is possibly the worst song on the album. A song like this shouldn't have been so bad in 1969 - tons of bands were doing sickly saccharine love songs, and making them work. Somehow, 'Thank You' is particularly nauseating. It should have been their 'Here Comes The Sun'. Instead, it's their 'Close To You'.

I'm hoping things improve with the second side. I can't decide if I like 'Heartbreaker', it was never a favourite. Things pick up again with 'Living Loving Maid'. While it sounds like it could be any number of unremarkable hard rock bands from the late 60's, I quite enjoyed it. Even better is 'Ramble On', where all the elements have harmoniously fused. It is, easily, the best four and a half minutes on the album.

'Moby Dick'. Ugh. I forgot about this one. The riff's actually pretty good. But, then there's the drum solo. 70's drum solos are the musical equivalent of watching paint dry. And, this was the monster that started them all. The albums ends on a high note with 'Bring It On Home'. That pompous voice croons the blues-y songs pretty good. The first half of the song is a rare understated moment in Led Zeppelin's back catalogue, and it really works well. Even when the rocky part kicks in half way through, it still works. Aside from 'Killing Floor', I can't think of any of those old blues songs (that blatantly they stole) that they didn't do well.

I'm pretty sure that the first version I had of this album was a cassette. And, strangely, it's not the same cassette copy as the one I still have. My Dad did inherit a lot of my old tapes to play in the car. I'm assuming this one of one of them.

I did not enjoy Led Zeppelin II as much as I thought I would. I have listened to it - and enjoyed it - in the last few years (I have a friend who, once our drinking sessions had wound deep into the night, would inevitably demand that I put this album on), but tonight it felt like an old friend that I have no interest in reconnecting with. Perhaps, the first or third (or even fourth) albums would have been a wiser choice if I wanted to reignite the love for Led Zeppelin. But, I don't. I know that will sound like blasphemy to the Zeppelin faithful out there - I know, from experience, that they hold the band very close to their hearts. However, Led Zeppelin II, as influential and important as it may be, just isn't for me anymore (which feels odd to say after the last blog praised Kylie Minogue's first album. But, there you go).

Kylie Minogue - 'Kylie' (1988)

Versions:

LP

CD

Cassette

Tracklisting:

Side One:

1. I Should Be So Lucky

2. The Loco-Motion

3. Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi

4. It's No Secret

5. Got to Be Certain

Side Two:

1. Turn It Into Love

2. I Miss You

3. I'll Still Be Loving You

4. Look My Way

5. Love At First Sight  

Best Tracks:

Got To Certain

I Should Be So Lucky

Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi

Currently listening to: Cassette

Now, this was the first album I ever owned. I had a cassette copy that I (accidentally) stole my school library in, of all places, Ceduna. It's hard to believe I've been listening to Kylie even longer than I've been listening to Madonna. Our Kylie's treated me well over the years. Though, it has been a tumultuous relationship.

Despite an early childhood love (that ran from this album up until around the time of 'Confide In Me'), I fought the Kylie love for a long, long time. When 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' came out, I couldn't deny it, and Fever became the first Kylie album I bought since Let's Get To It. After that, I bought a few more, but it was still a rocky relationship. I've never seen Kylie live, as she's always timed her tours while I'm in a, what I call, Kylie slump. Since X, which I hated at first then fell in love with during my first overseas trip (those Europeans love a bit o' Kylie), I've stopped fighting it and embraced it, wholeheartedly. I can't help myself. I ended up buying all the remaining albums I was missing from her back catalogue, including this one - my original tape was long gone. I've come accept that I love Kylie. And, I fucking love daggy, old Kylie.

For added nostalgia, I've popped on my (more recently acquired) cassette of the album. I still listen to this album more than I care to admit. However, hearing it on a wobbly, bassy cassette brings back memories of many childhood car trips with this in my walkman.

Side One is pure gold. Well. In a cheesy, 80's pop kind of way, it's pure gold. It does, in fact, contain a good chuck of my favourite Kylie songs. 'I Should Be So Lucky' has, in recent years, become my favourite karaoke song. I also love that, at the insistence of Nick Cave, she started doing spoken words performances of it in the 90's. Which did make me look at all the songs on this album differently. Despite the cheese factor and the unmistakable Stock, Aitken and Waterman production, many of the songs are actually pretty well-written, decent songs. And, like all good Kylie songs that followed, have that underlying melancholy. In the hands of someone else songs like 'I Should Be So Lucky' or 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi' could have been downright wretched.

As a kid, 'It's No Secret' was always my favourite Kylie song. These days, that accolade goes to 'Got To Be Certain'. Most of Side One, however, are favourites. Not so much, 'Loco-motion'. It's bit of cheesy fun, but has mostly nostalgic value - I actually remember when this came out (I was 5. And, loved Neighbours), and I loved it. All of the songs on Side One were singles, which also means they were all accompanied by gloriously daggy videos. From Kylie dagging around Melbourne in 'Got To Be Certain' to the French-chic of 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi' (which features Kylie singing in front of a photo of Arthur Rimbaud), these videos feature Kylie at her daggy 80's best.  I highly recommend watching these videos, they're a lot of fun. I think she left a few off the Ultimate Kylie DVD, but if you find a copy of the Greatest Hits 87-99 DVD, they are all preserved there (along with all the others from her early career). It's a worthy investment. And, has become my favourite DVD to watch whilst drunk.

Side One of this album makes me fantastically happy. Like The Immaculate Collection, it's my gay prozac. I love every song on the first side of this record. Side Two, however, is another story. 'Turn It Into Love' was a single (I think only in Japan?), and I've grown to really enjoy that one.The remaining four songs are pretty forgettable. 'I Miss You' would have been an OK b-side (and funnily enough, 'Made In Heaven', which was the b-side to 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi', is better than any of these songs, yet isn't on the album). 'I'll Still Be Loving You', 'Look My Way' and 'Love At First Sight' (and no, not that 'Love At First Sight') are offensive in their unoffensiveness. They're just there. They are blatant album filler - I'm not sure if the makers of this record ever intended anyone to actually still be listening at this point. There's probably a reason that all the good songs are on the first side.

As I said, my original cassette of this album is long gone. Regrettably, I started giving my cassettes away when I was around 12, when I discovered 60's music. Suddenly, all my late 80's and early 90's pop tapes weren't cool. I'd love to have them all back, and see exactly what I had. But, there you go. The new cassette I got was part of a Kylie bundle I bought on eBay for $1, that had this cassette, a special edition of X and 45's of 'Never Too Late' and 'Hand On Your Heart' - for $1. It was worth it to get the cassette. It brings back a lot of memories.

As an album, Kylie relies heavily on it's singles. My favourite way to hears these songs, and the way I'd recommend anyone hear them, is on the Greatest Hits 87-99 album (which, I think is now, sadly, out of print). Kylie wasn't really an album artist until Impossible Princess, but she put out some great singles. Greatest Hits 87-99 fantastically distils this early part of her career, without the filler. Instead of enduring the dreary songs on the second side of Kylie, you can cut straight to 'Hand On Your Heart'. Plus, it includes 'Made In Heaven' and 'Especially For You', which Kylie doesn't. Perfect!

MGMT - 'Oracular Spectacular' (2008)

Versions:

CD

LP

Tracklisting:

1. Time To Pretend

2. Weekend Wars

3. The Youth

4. Electric Feel

5. Kids

6. 4th Dimensional Transition

7. Pieces Of What

8. Of Moons, Birds & Monsters

9. The Handshake 

10. Future Reflections

Best Tracks:

Kids

Pieces Of What

Weekend Wars

Time To Pretend

Currently listening to: LP

I first heard this album during my first trip to London in 2008. One of my friends that I was staying with was part of a record club that mailed him CD’s of new, up-and-coming albums. None of us had ever heard of MGMT, but we popped it on to see what we thought. I quite enjoyed it. I remember thinking that it sounded a little psychedelic, which I quite liked. After that initial listen, I largely forgot about it, other than being surprised to see a billboard for it near a hostel I stayed in a few days later near Wembley. It certainly didn't strike me as a particularly commercial record.

Fast forward six months, once I was back in Australia, and the thing fucking exploded. I didn't expect that. After hearing (and liking) 'Electric Feel' and 'Time To Pretend' all over Triple J, I saw the album cover and realised that it was the same band that my friend in London had played me. Then, they were everywhere. Which was great. I always enjoy when music I like actually hits the mainstream in Australia (I would have also never picked The XX to ever be as popular as they were, either. Goes to show what I know).

It wasn't until 'Kids' that I bought the album. Every weekend, my friends and I would go out dancing to the same place we always did. And the DJ kept playing this fucking great song. I didn't know what it was for a few weeks, but I eagerly waited for it and danced like a spastic when it did, inevitably, come on. Then, I found out it was 'Kids'. What a fucking great song! I became obsessed with it. When I first got the album, I just played 'Kids' on repeat. It took me a few months to actually listen to the whole album. I still love 'Kids'. I think it’s easily one of the best singles of the 00’s (probably Top 3, along with 'Hate To Say I Told You So' and 'Standing In The Way Of Control').

Once I got past 'Kids', I discovered the album was pretty good. 'Weekend Wars' had been a free single on iTunes at some point before I got the album, and I really liked that, too. The first half of the album (or, all of Side A if you’re listening to the vinyl version, which I am) is pretty much all gold. 'Kids', 'Time To Pretend', 'Weekend Wars', 'The Youth' and 'Electric Feel' are all great. 'Electric Feel' is actually my least favourite of the singles from this album, but it works much better in the context of the album.

Side One is, easily, the more accessible. The second half of the album, or Side Two, gets a bit more interesting, which isn't always a good thing. Until tonight, I’d forgotten how much I loved 'Pieces Of What'. '4^th Dimensional Transition' is also good. 'Of Moons, Birds & Monsters', 'The Handshake' and 'Future Reflections' aren't bad, they just pale in comparison to the preceding seven tracks.

Oracular Spectacular is still a great listen, even if it does slightly die in the arse by the end. It certainly hit more times than it misses.

PJ Harvey - 'The B Sides' (1995)

Versions:
CD
CD (with To Bring You My Love)

Tracklisting:
1. Reeling (Four Track Version)
2. Daddy
3. Lying In The Sun
4. Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
5. Darling Be There
6. Maniac
7. One Time Too Many
8. Harder (Studio Version)
9. Goodnight

Best Tracks:
Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
Lying In The Sun
Maniac

I touched on this one in the To Bring You My Love blog. This is a promo only album (I remember reading somewhere years ago that it was a mail order only thing. Despite my encyclopaedic knowledge of PJ Harvey, I could be wrong), and it was also released as a bonus disc with To Bring You My Love.

PJ Harvey has a wealth of great b-sides and non-album tracks. I could be, and probably (definitely) am, a little biased. Though, more than any other artists I've ever fallen in love with, PJ Harvey's vast back catalogue is full of obscure treasures. The more you dig, the more you're rewarded. When I first starting listening to PJ, back in the days of Napster, I downloaded all I could get my hands on. And, I was always impressed with the quality of her b-sides. To Bring You My Love was the album that made me fall in love with her, and I ended up loving the b-sides from that album just as much as the album tracks. I made a CD of b-sides to listen to in my CD player, mostly To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? b-sides, and I absolutely played it to death. So in love with PJ was I, that I’d take my discman to bed with me so I could listen before I went to sleep (which isn’t uncommon, but this was the only time I ever did it). My two favourite CD’s to play before bed were the b-sides CD and a bootleg called Black Monsoon, which was a live recording from the To Bring You My Love tour.

With the decline of singles in the music business, b-sides are becoming less and less common. And, this saddens me. For the most part, however, PJ Harvey has consistently given us b-sides, in one form or another. And, most have equalled the tracks that ended up on her records. As I said, when I first discovered her, I was taken with the quality of the b-sides, particularly those from To Bring You My Love. I remember reading an old interview with her many years ago, where she said that she left some of her favourite tracks off of To Bring You My Love because they didn't fit anywhere on the album. And, she was right. Despite the quality of the songs that didn't make the album ('Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name', 'Lying In The Sun', 'Maniac'), To Bring You My Love is so meticulously sequenced that any of these songs would have, indeed, been out of place. And, this has rung true for most of her career. She'll put a stunning song on a b-side ('Nina In Ecstasy', '66 Promises', 'Reeling', 'Angel', '30', 'Sweeter Than Anything', 'Liverpool Tide', to name but a few), where it will remain largely unnoticed, save for those of us devout to enough to savour anything and everything she puts out.

I will, no doubt, gush about these songs as I review the individual singles for this blog. But, back to The B Sides.

It's fitting that it was later released as a bonus disc to To Bring You My Love, it serves as a nice companion piece. All of the To Bring You My Love b-sides are included, except for the wonderful 'Long Time Coming' from Send His Love To Me. It's exclusion is curious - not only is a great song, it would have also brought The B Sides up to 10 tracks. 9 tracks seems a little paltry. Also missing is her rousing cover of Howlin Wolf's 'Wang Dang Doodle', from the Man-Size single. The only other b-sides not included were demo versions of tracks from Dry and Rid Of Me, all of which (aside from 'Man-Size') are easily available on Dry Demonstration or 4-Track Demos. At 32 minutes long, there was certainly room for both 'Long Time Coming' and 'Wang Dang Doodle' on The B Sides. Even more perplexing is the addition of the 4-Track Demos versions of 'Reeling' and 'Goodnight' - neither were ever b-sides. However, given that The B Sides was released when PJ Harvey was transitioning from a band to a solo artist, this decision - along with the omission of 'Wang Dang Doodle' - does make sense. The only Rid Of Me b-side included is 'Daddy', which sounds nothing like PJ Harvey, the trio. 'Daddy' is also interesting when viewed as a bridge between Rid Of Me and To Bring You My Love. That said, the band version of 'Reeling' is, for me, the definitive version. The inclusion of 'Goodnight' could be due to the fact that it was often played on the tour supporting To Bring You My Love. The first version of it I ever heard was the live version from Glastonbury 1995, which remains one of my favourite PJ Harvey songs. It's a shame that, with 'Hook' and the beautiful performance of 'Water' from Glastonbury released as b-sides to Send His Love To Me, 'Goodnight' remains unreleased (I do hope the whole show sees a proper release someday). It took me a long time to warm to the demo version. The only other curious fact about The B Sides is that 'Harder' is listed as the 'Studio Version'. While it was recorded during the same BBC session that produced 'Long Time Coming' (and is included on the wonderful My Life bootleg), the studio version of 'Harder' is the only version that was officially released. In the heady days before Discogs, morsels like this ('oooh, maybe the live version has been released on an obscure single?!', 'What if there's a studio version of 'Goodnight' somewhere?!') would send my brain into a frenzy.

It’s a nifty little compilation to have. The only problem is that finding the individual singles from which these tracks were culled is much easier than finding a copy of The B Sides. After many years of searching, I finally found my copy on eBay about two years ago. I think I paid about $60 for it (and have watched, in dismay, as it sold for as little as $30 since), which I was happy with, since I'd spent so long looking for it. The first copy I got was the 2-CD version of To Bring You My Love, which was much cheaper. While it's a nice addition, the stand-alone version, complete in a digipak with fantastic exclusive artwork, is the better version to have. If you're dedicated enough to fork out for it, of course.

One of the great things about PJ Harvey, and also one of the most frustrating, is her reluctance to re-issue her old material. While it is certainly admirable that she, unlike many of her contemporaries, hasn't repackaged and re-released her back catalogue, she may be the one most deserving of such treatment. The lady has released a vast amount of material that hasn't been included on her albums. I can only hope that she one day sees fit to release another compilation of her non-album tracks, much in the same vein as The Bad Seeds' dignified B-Sides & Rarities set. For now, The B Sides is the closest we have. It was the first, and last, compilation of it's kind. Being that this CD is almost 20 years old, it's due for an update. 

Madonna - 'Like A Virgin & Other Big Hits!' (1985)

Versions:
CD

Tracklisting:
1. Like A Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)
2. Holiday
3. Lucky Star (Extended Dance Remix)
4. Borderline (Extended Dance Remix)

Best Tracks:
Holiday

Currently listening to: CD


If I'm to listen to every item in my collection, I'd really better get cracking on the singles. Especially, the Madonna singles. I have a lot. I am something of a completest. I like to get every album, every single, every everything of my favourites artists. In most cases, this is acquirable (over time). Collecting Madonna, however, is another story entirely. There's just so much out there. Like this curio from Japan.

I only got this one about a year ago. Most of Madonna's 80's singles are fucking expensive when you find CD copies. The 12" or 7" versions are usually easier to find, and cheaper. I've only been (obsessively) collecting Madonna vinyl for the last 7-8 years (aside from the small collection I'd amassed over the years), whereas CD's I've been collecting for over 20 years. So, I still have a bee in my bonnet about getting every Madonna single on CD. Generally, I keep my eye out to find them cheap (because I have so much Madonna shit, I have to draw the line somewhere) and I'm most of the way there. Along the way, you find odd releases, like this one, which I got cheap on eBay.

My main attraction to this, I must admit, is that fact that is it tackily titled, Like A Virgin & Other Big Hits! There were a surprising amount of Japanese only Madonna EP's from the early 80's, up until the early 90's. This may have been the first? (I'm too lazy to actually see if it is. I'm assuming it is, since there's none from the first album). Many of these Japanese EP's are of interest to collectors, as they usually contain an album's worth of material, as opposed to the usual CD single.

The 4 tracks on this one aren't that exciting, given that I already have them on multiple formats. Plus, every time 'Holiday' appears on one of these things, they shove the album version on. (Sure, it's already 6 minutes long, but I do wish they'd done a crappy 80's 12" version of it at some point. You Can Dance almost rectified this in 1987). This CD is, honestly, only for the devoted. However, there is something I love about it. Maybe it's that all the songs, aside from the then-new 'Like A Virgin', are remixes from Madonna's fantastic first record. Like many Japanese CD's from the 80's/90's, it does contain a booklet of photos and lyrics (in English and Japanese, of course). The whole affair is fairly tacky and, as far as Madonna's vast back-catalogue goes, pretty undignified.

For me, though, that's the appeal. This is a real curio from Madonna's early career, that would be a welcome addition to any obsessive fan's collection.