Sardonicus reviews a bunch of old 45s

I also like Acieeeed but maybe because I was there at the time- for the scandal rather than the raves, considering I was 10!
 
Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers - Swing The Mood b/w Glenn Miller Medley (1989)

UK chart peak - Number 1

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:basil:

The PERENNIAL MOOPY FAVES are BACK BACK BACK! Much to everybody's delight/chagrin. I reckon we've had enough HOT CHAT about the MUCH LOVED RABBIT & pals recently to start demanding a JIVE BUNNY FORUM NOW. And at least this time the record sleeve doesn't have INADVERTENT RACIST UNDERTONES.

"Swing The Mood" was the first & biggest hit for ROTHERHAM'S FINEST, topping the charts the world over, 5 weeks at number 1 in the UK in the summer of 1989, & also scaled the US Top 20. While this megamix SETS THE TONE for all the subsequent releases, the world was several years removed from the previous MEDLEY FRENZY from the likes of Stars On 45, so at this point it probably sounded relatively new & provided the neglected OLDIES MARKET with a NOSTALGIC FIX. The bunny got the little kids on board, & this combined buying power saw them dominate the charts all year, as chart watchers threw up their hands in horror.

Although it does little more than establish the formula, "Swing The Mood" is still their SGT PEPPER'S, their DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, their CITIZEN KANE, IF YOU WILL. It's the only one of the mixes that sounds as though a bit of care & attention has been taken on the mixing, the records sampled are all well-known & flow into the next one OK, & the Glenn Miller backing track is not only a good choice to glue the sound together properly, it cleverly also gives an appeal to the older generation too, so GRANDMA could have a dance at the wedding disco to it as well that year.

Speaking of Glenn, the B side is basically just the original "In The Mood" & I think a few other of his olden time hits. Nice memories for the WW2 generation of TEA DANCES with the IMMINENT THREAT OF BOMBS for a THROWBACK, although maybe don't mention to Grandma that it's alleged that OUR GLENN didn't disappear in an apparent plane crash in 1944, but met a much seedier demise in a FRENCH BROTHEL. Anyway it had me BOPPING AWAY imagining eyeing up ETHEL on the dancefloor (or hopefully ALF if I thought he was THAT WAY INCLINED.)

In the first example of the overall SHODDY attention to detail of Jive Bunny though, they spelled Glenn's name wrong on the sleeve & label. I imagine that being expected to rush release follow-ups to this unexpected success didn't help with the QUALITY CONTROL, but it shows that they weren't taking full care of the finer details from the word go.
It also sent me down a RABBIT HOLE (:basil:) of investigating what Jive Bunny put on the B sides - as previously mentioned, they must have found it a STRUGGLE. I found that later flop singles are now worth quite a bit of money due to their SCARCITY, & that 1991 release "Over To You John" attempted to hand the CARTOON MASCOT MANTLE from Jive Bunny to a dog called John. FAIR DO'S to them for trying, but nobody was interested by this time. Still, the happy memories mean that I'm a lot more FORGIVING of this single than I really should be, & I'm sure @AGinAg (38) would agree with me.
 
Swing the Mood was the happening sound of primary school disco back in 1989.
 
Can we please keep any talk of the rabbit’s hole STRICTLY for Dark Moopy?
 
I've just googled "jive bunny discogs" because I must know about "Over To You John"
 
Their last album was 2013??? What in the X-Files timebending fuck was that about?
 
I'm not comfortable with the amount of Jive Bunny discourse on moopy this last few months.
 
Madonna - The Look Of Love b/w I Know It (1987)

UK chart peak - Number 9

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I don't know if @Suedehead has been READING ALONG at any point but even if not I'm tagging him in here as the RESIDENT EXPERT to sense check all the below HOT MARGE FACTS.

It's about time Madonna showed up here, as with all of these singles being from the 80s & 90s, her influence has been all over this thread & she's popped up everywhere in other reviews, whether about other female artists, music videos, Live Aid with the Thompson Twins, her impact on the musical landscape at that time, you name it, her fingerprints were all over this musical era. If there's a MOUNT RUSHMORE made of 80s pop icons, Madonna is on it, along with Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney, George Michael & the Reynolds Girls.

Yet the single that's appeared is probably her most forgotten release of the 1980s. Even the often overlooked "Gambler" gets more airplay. It wasn't released in America, & just about kept her long run of top 10 singles going here when it scraped to number 9. I'd certainly never heard it before listening to the "Who's That Girl" soundtrack, it never got any recurrent radio play, there was no promotion, no video (unless Suedey knows otherwise) & I've never heard it performed live, if she ever did perform it. It says a lot about her SUPERSTAR STATUS in 1987 that it still became a SIZEABLE HIT despite this.

In one ways it's a shame it's so forgotten (does she even remember it herself?), but on the other it's quite :disco: that an artist as well known & discussed as OUR MARGE has been over the years has a back catalogue strong enough to reveal HIDDEN GEMS like this one. Penned with Pat Leonard, it's a lovely, sincerely sung synth led ballad that again shows that Madonna can work her way round a bit of HEARTBREAK like few others. She might not have a voice as powerful as someone like Whitney, but she often makes up for it with the emotion she puts into a song & "The Look Of Love" is a prime example. I've not seen the film beyond the opening credits so I'm not sure whereabouts it fits in, but surely it must soundtrack a point when the character feels down & out/has lost everything. If there had been a video, it'd definitely suit WALKING IN THE RAIN. It'd actually fit in perfectly on the "Something To Remember" compilation but it wasn't included - not sure if that was copyright issues with the soundtrack or it was just forgotten. Regardless, it's a fantastic song that deserves more recognition.

"I Know It" makes a WELCOME SHOWING on the B side from the debut album, which I don't reckon she thinks MUCH OF nowadays but is actually one of her strongest albums. It really is an every song could have been a hit AFFAIR, & although this one is more midtempo, it's still got more than one eye on the dancefloor, would have slotted in easily to pop radio at any time during the decade, & is generally :disco: Come to think of it, I can only name "Supernatural" as an actual Marge B side, she's never released much new on the format, which does make me query that OLD CHESTNUT about "Vogue" being written as the flip side of the "Keep It Together" single.

This was actually her last release at the time for about 16 months, her longest break of the decade, before she returned with "Like A Prayer" - trying to summarise anything further about her career would be impossible here, so I won't attempt, but although recent releases haven't GOTTEN ME GOING like they used to, I still think sometimes she might be capable of one last SMASH HIT. Even if she doesn't though - 20 odd years at the top, classic singles galore, gay rights & AIDS activism, a pioneer in countless ways - I'm not exaggerating when I say that she's been one of THE most important popular culture figures. It's hard to imagine what things might be like if she'd never been successful, & personally, I don't want to.
 
There are certain Madonna songs that I have ZERO recollection of ever being released and this is one of them
 
I’ve always had a soft spot for The Look Of Love but it’s definitely not single material
 
I've always been very fond of it, even at the time when I was very SCEPTICAL ... the MARGE OVERLOAD of '85 was QUITE TRYING
 
I adore The Look of Love and it should never have been a single except for the fact that at that point, anything would have been a hit and it was all they had left- well, unless they went with Spotlight.
 
As for I Know It, it’s an ALL TIME FAVOURITE, despite the fact it sticks out on the parent album as a SORE THUMB. It’s more aligned with Ain’t No Big Deal than any of the post-disco club stuff on Madonna.

I KNOW YOU THINK I’M THE FOOLISH ONE

:disco:
 
Madonna b sides are not PLENTIFUL for the reasons you’ve given above, but off THE TOP OF MY HAIRDO:

Ain’t No Big Deal
Supernatural
The Beast Within (if it counts)
Up Down Suite
Let Down Your Guard
Cyber-raga
History
 
Supernatural is marvellous. Definitely her best. Still think it’s a lovely track 9 on Like a Prayer.
 
And as for the QUEERIE about Vogue being written for Keep It Together, I do think that was probably true for a couple of reasons- they wanted to keep going with Like a Prayer because of it being promo for the tour and she’d just had her first US flop in years in Oh Father, which only made #20 in the Christmas rush. They needed something to flog Keep It Together, hence the idea for a “new” bside.
 
Sheena said:
I adore The Look of Love and it should never have been a single except for the fact that at that point, anything would have been a hit and it was all they had left- well, unless they went with Spotlight.
Click to expand...
Left off EVERY compilation, even Something To Remember upon which it would have fitted perfectly.
 
I really like the verses of The Look of Love, but the chorus doesn’t quite land the way it should.

Still a very nice curio though. Probably suffers from association with the film. If it had been a Jackson-esque seventh single from True Blue or something it might show up more.
 
M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume b/w Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance) (1987)

UK chart peak - Number 1

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A one off collaboration between 2 little known indie groups, AR Kane & Colourbox, the only ever chart topper for seminal independent label 4AD (home to The Cocteau Twins, The Pixies, Belly, The Breeders & many more ALTERNATIVE FAVES), one of the most innovative & influential dance singles ever made, the origins of sampling somehow becoming a major worldwide hit (I'm certain a young DJ Shadow was taking NOTES), the M/A/R/R/S one hit wonder story is truly an interesting & quite unique case.

One of the main reasons that this never got a follow-up is because the 2 groups didn't really mesh together well. They were put in a studio together at the BEHEST of the record company, who might have expected nothing more than an interesting indie chart hit. They essentially ended up working on the two separate sides as two separate units, lending a few guitar effects & other bits to each other for use, but "Pump Up The Volume" is really all Colourbox & "Anitina" all AR Kane.

I'm not sure how this exactly managed to take off on the radio, as it must have sounded like nothing else on Earth at that time, or if it came up entirely through club play. But somehow it scaled the charts, knocking Rick Astley off the top, with SAW threatening to sue over the unauthorised sample of their single "Roadblock" in what was perceived as a desperate attempt to keep OUR RICK atop the HIT PARADE (this copy has the offending sample removed).

For a record that's such a LANDMARK in dance music, I've always thought "Pump Up The Volume" must have been quite a difficult record to actually dance to. I've never thought its repetitive, lolloping beat made me want to move - it's more of an interesting mixture of samples, weird arse noises (is that a COW I hear at one point?), searing guitar effects & so on that I prefer to sit back & let wash over me. The spacey video actually accompanies it perfectly, it really does remind me of travelling through space with all these strange effects & oddball bits flying out at me one after the other. I'd be intrigued to know what the general impression was at the time, if it was a curio, a dance success or what. After it hit, it inspired a whole raft of similar hits from the likes of Bomb The Bass, & even the Harry Enfield record reviewed earlier parodied it. It also inspired a lot of discussion around whether a record built of samples could be considered REAL MUSIC, which seems rather antiquated now - but I guess shows just how OUT THERE "Pump Up The Volume" must have felt in 1987. It really is up there with the likes of "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer as a moment in dance music history when you can feel how it changed & shaped what people would be listening to in the ENSUING YEARS.

"Anitina" was listed at 4AD's request as a double A side, possibly to stop any complaints about the collaborative nature of the single, but it was only in name. It never received any airplay, & I'd never heard it until I specifically sought it out on YouTube 20 odd years after the fact. I do also love it though it's very obviously NOT A HIT. It's a slightly dancey, but much more dream pop alternative song with shimmery guitars & indecipherable vocals galore. It's very reminiscent of labelmates The Cocteau Twins, & still sounds well put together & refreshing, probably all the more due to its UNFAMILIARITY.

The 2 bands didn't have any desire to collaborate further, even after the phenomenal success of this single, & slipped back into obscurity, with Colourbox member Steve Young passing away in 2016. So a brief but flawless career, & probably the most influential one hit wonder of all time.
 
A bizarre tale, well told.

The whole experience thoroughly soured Martyn and Steven Young to the point where they never released another record - their final recording was on a 4AD compilation album the same year. Having only got into Colourbox the previous year when they released two singles simultaneously - one of which was the eternal classic "The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme" - their absense after this was somewhat felt. AR Kane cracked on, however - they made some fine albums. "i" is the necessary one.
 
A 4CD box was released of the complete works of Colourbox. It went out of print in a flash because they underestimated demand and for whatever reason, the silly sods never repressed it. Ah well.
 
I remember being COMPLETELY FLUMMOXED by this song as a ten year old. We always hear about our parents and grandparents talking about hearing the Beatles and Elvis for the first time and how MIND BLOWING it all was, but the late 80s was also a highly creative period. This was COMPLETELY different. Was it even a SONG? That’s how it felt then. I was bemused by it going to #1 but if you were old than me it was probably all very exciting.

I doubt it was being played in the clubs at the time - the club scene then was either 80s R&B or New Romantics / new wave, and this would just have not fitted in. Had house music not followed shortly after (and not been a HUGE hit) this would probably have been relegated strictly to novelty pop compilations next to Superman, Star Trekkin’ and Agadoo. As it turns out, this was HIGHLY influential on Europe’s answer to EDM.

I didn’t know anything about the production history of it - very interesting @Sardonicus and @octophone .

it kind of makes you wonder what direction dance music would have taken without it. Without PUTV you don’t get “House Arrest” or “The House That Jack Built”, which means you don’t get Technotronic, or S-Express, or Snap! - at least not in their current form. Would US house have invaded Europe without any competition and taken over completely? Where does Italo house fit into this timeline?
 
We've Got A Fuzzbox & We're Gonna Use It - What's The Point b/w Fuzzy Ramblings/Fever (1987)

UK chart peak - Number 51

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The Spice Girls really were the end point of numerous other almost but not quite there attempts, from Toto Coelo to Shampoo to this lot, who managed a rather unique year long flash in the pan career twice over, once on the indie scene & then later as pop queens. There's also a very reasonable case that Fuzzbox were the last truly proper punk band, forming at school & playing gigs with little musical knowledge, much improvisation & excessive use of the aforementioned fuzzbox distortion pedal, chiefly to try hide the many musical errors made mid-gig.

Their scuzzy indie noise caught the ears of local label Vindaloo, who released the double A side "XX Sex/Rules & Regulations" to huge success on the indie chart as well as peaking at that agonising #41 on the national chart. I was too young to remember it but the video, which clearly cost all of 12p to make, screams ITV Chart Show Indie Chart countdown. With the girls adopting a standout image of crazed towering punk hairdos & hideously tacky mismatched thrift shop outfits, follow up "Love Is The Slug" (which has a frigging brilliant drum solo bit) hit the top 40 & this third single, which sadly flopped, was surely intended to give them an even bigger hit.

It's hard to see why this did flop all these years later, because it's got all the ingredients of a hit single - a fun loving band with tons of colour & personality, a funny video (included below) that shows their sense of humour as they tit about doing the ironing & hoovering while trying to play the song, a catchy chorus & all DONE & DUSTED at under 3 minutes. Fuzzbox were later accused of selling out their punk roots with their later pop reinvention, but "What's The Point" is actually an early example that they did have an ear for the poppier side of things - from the insistent, knocking drum beat to the Bananarama-esque chorus. I can't work out just why it didn't follow the previous single into the top 40 & Fuzzbox seemed quickly consigned to the dumper.

BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE. All but forgotten by 1989, they re-emerged with a glam new look, the punk look abandoned for matching Sgt Pepper's inspired outfits & a pop sensibility with a definite eye on conquering the charts this time round. And 1989 indeed proved to BE THEIR YEAR. They did the rounds on all the kids TV shows at the time, when they again showed how they were full of fun & GAME FOR A LAUGH, & were rewarded with a top 5 album & 3 hits in "International Rescue", "Pink Sunshine" & "Self!"- with the eternally summery "Pink Sunshine" being CRUELLY ROBBED of a deserved top 10 when its sales were reduced as a result of some underhand marketing SHENANIGANS from some pesky types at WEA records. I was introduced to Fuzzbox when they appeared on seminal 1989 compilation "Monster Hits" with 4th single, a cover of Yoko Ono's "Walking On Thin Ice", but despite it actually being sang properly, rather than with Yoko's screeching, & a swank video & sound (including a synth noise that sounded like a BUS INDICATOR :D) for reasons I've never fathomed it bombed entirely, peaking outside the top 75.

The band began work on a third album, but imploded during the recording sessions, with "Your Loss My Gain" given a very limited release before they all left the music industry, with the exception of lead singer Vicki - with the sleevenotes to the Greatest Hits suggesting that things fell apart when she began planning a solo career with WEA without the knowledge of the others. A foolish decision - there wasn’t the interest & the band was clearly stronger as a unit. It never materialised, & small wonder - I followed her on MySpace years later when she was still trying to launch something & her solo stuff was yawnsome sub-Texas wank.

Perhaps realising they should have SEIZED THE MOMENT back in 1990, Fuzzbox (minus drummer Tina) reformed around 2009 but sadly guitarist Jo succumbed to cancer not long after. Vicki & Jo's sister, Maggie, are still keeping a version of the band going with the occasional new song & gig, but the magic & interest is long gone now. A prime example of HUBRIS cocking up something genuinely good & fun far too early, but still, it was good while it lasted & numerous 90s successors were clearly taking NOTES.

A BARGAIN 2 B sides for the price of one (great value, girls!) firstly sees "Fuzzy Ramblings" with the girls doing clips from some sort of parody radio show, telling each other knock knock jokes & doing impressions. Genuinely pretty funny & very reminiscent of later Spice Girls B side "Spice Invaders". They finish with a snappy, punky cover of Peggy Lee's "Fever" with this upbeat reworking actually surprisingly decent. It's a damn sight better than their cover of "Spirit In The Sky" which is a horrible tuneless MESS even to my TOLERANT EARS.

 
Never heard of them. Played it for 10 seconds (can't right now) and they remind me of the Bangles (In your room/Be with you).

Love how fiercely heterosexual your records collection is :disco:
 
I never DID get We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Going To Use It, though I did like the later pop singles as Fuzzbox. Even then I couldn't get away from the fact they just felt novelty.
 
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