Fazer works with the dead

Here's an eye-catching claim:

N-Dubz' Fazer is set to work with Phil Collins.

"Everyone will be expecting I'm going to work with Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk, but I want to do something musically credible that opens me up to different markets.
"I'm going to work with Phil Collins."

To be frank, we'd not really expect Tinie, Tinchy or Chipmunk to be rushing to work with Fazer - why would you trade down like that? But the Collins claim is fascinating.

Given that Phil Collins has retired from music.

So, has Fazer managed to tempt Collins back for one last job? Has Collins been assured by ATOS that working with Fazer isn't actually doing music, and so won't affect hios entitlement to pensions?

Or is it merely that the record label is dumping a bunch of tapes in Fazer's hands and getting him to have a play?

Let's go back to that quote and find out:

"I'm going to work with Phil Collins, The Script, and I'm already doing a remix of Sting's 'Englishman in New York'."

Dumped tapes, then.

Fazer is happy, though:

"I love 80s music. Dappy and I think music now is nowhere near as good as it was back then."

I suppose if you had to spend most of your day listening to N-Dubz over and over again, you might come to that conclusion.

Even Europe can't stand The Final Countdown

Presumably, had John Norum have been able to see the future, he might not have had such a cool reaction when Joey Tempest introduced The Final Countdown at a Europe rehearsal session:

"When Joey first played us the demo, I was one of those who said, 'Are you mad? This isn't what we're about.' It had synthesizers all over it, and we were more into THIN LIZZY, UFO and DEEP PURPLE. But the song did grow on me."

Given that it's the one song which has kept them in work and bread for thirty years, you can imagine how you might grow to like the song. But only a bit, as he doesn't het much to do:

"As a guitarist, there's not much for me to do on that song. Sure, there's a Ritchie Blackmore-type solo, but that's it. Yet when you see the crowd reaction… well, it does make it all worthwhile. I suppose this is a song that now belongs to the world.

"We've never dropped 'The Final Countdown' from our set, and I doubt we ever will I can just imagine how angry our fans would be!"

Given that it's the only song people are paying to see, yes, I imagine they would be somewhat vexed.

Absolute invites you to dance the Prince Charming

Absolute have announced plans to launch an 80s station on the internet and DAB in London.

Absolute 80s aims to be a "nostalgia trip" for 30- to 54-year-olds, playing 80s pop from the likes of the Human League, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, Prince, ABC, Depeche Mode, Blondie and Bon Jovi.

The new station will operate as a jukebox format, without DJs, while the evening playlist will have a party feel.

This is going to take the place of Absolute Xtreme, which - as we were saying last week - is barely distinguishable from the main station. Something had to be done, and this is clearly something.

The worry for Absolute must be, though, that while people like to have 80s themed parties, and some people still dress up as Boy George and Marilyn to have sex from time to time, is it something that people want round the clock?

Yes, Duran Duran albums still sell tolerably well. And Spandau Ballet can sell tickets to a comeback. But there's a market for Clangers DVDs and Bagpuss backpacks; it would be a foolish move to launch a TV channel off the back of that, though.

I'm not clear that there's any demand for a sustained network playing (a very, very small segment of) 80s music without a presenter or context. And if there is, wouldn't sticking 'Wham" into LastFM do the job?

Bangles back again

The Bangles never quite stopped going - they slowed and deposited members, but never quite stopped. But even so, it's been six years since there was a new studio album. The wait though - let's say we've been waiting - is almost over, as Susanna Hoff is writing new Bangles stuff. And kind-of claiming to have invented alt rock:

"It's kind of funny because having been in the band that's thought of as an '80s band, all four of us were so into '60s music that we really didn't relate to the '80s -- even in the '80s," Hoffs says. "The other thing that continually surprises me is how many people love the '80s. It's really surprising to me. I realize there is something to be said for music that's fun. Even in its lightheartedness or its silliness, I think the '80s was the birth of indie rock, which is a really cool aspect.

Can you really excuse an entire decade because you can loosely find the roots of something once credible there? I'm not so sure.

Bookmarks: Some stuff to read and listen to on the internet

Wired's Listening Post celebrates the Che Cafe scene:

Local music communities like these prefigured today's social networks, according to Rothenberg. "My thesis is that rock 'n' roll scenes were the social networks, before the internet, for teenagers," he told us in an East Village bar in Manhattan. "What we hit upon doing this Che Underground site is putting that back together in a digital medium. People have really responded to it -- everybody who was anybody in that little circle has jumped on there."

And enjoy the music being curated by the Che Underground blog.

Embed and breakfast man: Say yes to the best

There's nothing like enough for a full weekend of Man From Del Monte stuff, so instead, as a mini-event, it's Man From Del Monte Thursday evening.

At the time, we thought of them as a poppier Kitchens Of Distinction, but we're now busily reworking that as an ahead-of-their-time Art Brut. They were from the second half of the 1980s, but the use of those fake flowers that vibrated in time to sound would have told you that.

What we didn't know until just digging out their Wikipedia entry was that, if you believe the wisdom of crowds, they were managed by the young Jon Ronson. It probably says a lot about his management nous that there's only two videos by the band surviving on YouTube.

This is My Love Is Like A Gift You Can't Give Back:



[Later Drive Drive Drive]

This is why they want to keep children from computers

We suppose, at least, the current fascination with the 'Rickroll' (whereby one links something random to Never Gonna Give You Up on YouTube) isn't being driven by a marketing company trying to flog deodorant or training shoes.

What is rickrolling?

As far as we can tell. It's a bit like a slightly less infernal version of that 2inches.com stunt you used to see all the time on Popbitch, back when you used to read Popbitch all the time. A link promising one thing, but delivering something else.

Rick himself is being good natured about this blast of kind of fame:

“I think it’s just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it,” Astley said. “But that’s what brilliant about the Internet.”

Rickrolling is being co-opted into direct action, too, reports the New York Times:

Former Scientologists protesting against the church, for example, have been playing and singing the song this year outside Scientology offices in London, Washington, Seattle and other cities.

Although singing 'Never gonna give you up' outside a cult office is surely the wrong message, isn't it?

It will all help ticket sales for this summer's Here And Now tour, where he shares billing with Bananarama, ABC, Paul Young, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Johnny Hates Jazz and the Cutting Crew. (Since H&N promises 'only the hits', surely those last two won't be on stage very long?) It'll help with sales, that is, providing that someone links to the actual ticketshop and doesn't just rickroll the curious.

Me, I Disconnect From You

Gary Numan won't be reworking his old stuff, oh no, no, no:

"Me? Join in on the '80s revival? I'd rather eat worms. I've absolutely no interest in going back to the '80s.

"I was there the first time so it's got nothing new to offer. I've always refused to do anything connected to the '80s, any TV shows or retro tours, and I play very little old stuff at my gigs."

Gary Numan will, erm, complete his tour playing through his 1979 album Replicas in its entirety, building on the success of the tour of material from the Telekon album.

Patsy Kensit is Mrs Big Leggy

Patsy Kensit has got engaged to Jeremy Healy, bringing together two 80s minor popstars in one marriage.

Here's Patsy with Eighth Wonder, doing Stay With Me at the glittery Montreux Rock Festival:



And here's Jeremy, with Haysi Fantayzee's last single release, Sister Friction:

The sound of feet dashing to catch a bandwagon

The ever reliable remember the eighties - although they should consider renaming themselves The 80's - A Warning From History - reports that the latest totally unwanted revival is of Modern "Ay-ay-ay-ay-Moosey" Romance, a band who even at the time not even Look-In could muster much excitement over. More encouragingly, the Most Beautiful Man in the world (or at least Duran Duran, or at least on the days when Nick Rhodes looked like crap) John Taylor is apparently working with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But John, don't save a Yeah for me now...

... I'm sorry, I think Local Radio got into my brain.

What goes ha-ha-bonk?

Remember the 80's reporting that Killing Joke are back in the studio, with a new album and a one hundred date tour - one hundred of the things - written on Jaz Coleman's Puppy Love 2003 Calendar in pencil.

A mighty long way down rock and roll/ from Top of the Pops to drawing the dole

Is there any way we can stop the cruelty? Former 80's someones China Crisis have been signed up to play a gig at a JobCentre. Which is handy, we suppose.

The Polaroids that bind us together

Following on from the success of blindyouth.com in bringing early human league releases back to the stores, Nightporter, an equally wonderful Japan fansite, look to be making headway in their campaign to get Sylvian stuff rereleased. They deserve your support.

[Via remember the 80s.]