Our enterprising BBC radio 2 has a great Saturday night programe, hosted by Sara Cox, on - drumroll please - SOUNDS OF THE 80s featurning interviews with and occasional concerts from Icons of the 80s English music scene, and playing all those 80s hits.
Last Saturday had a great concert by Boy George with guest Jimmy Sommerville, and background vocals by the great Eve Gallagher. Its on the BBCiPlayer at the moment for 30 days. We loved The Boy back in the day, that astonishing voice of his on Culture Club tracks like "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" and "Time" etc. Jimmy Sommerville too is one of the defining voices of the era, and a great Gay Pride veteran, with those iconic Bronski and Communards tracks, as well as his own solo career (I like the "Dare To Love" album and others), and those songs and videos for "Smalltown Boy", "Why" etc. Good to see them both here in great form, great survivors.
Culture Club have put their problems behind them, the Boy has had varied ups and downs and is back on an up now, so expect tour and more new material. Jimmy is still working too (we saw him in London and Brighton several times back then) - I have already pre-ordered a new 2-cd+DVD pack of his rarities coming out later in October.
Here is the YouTube link to Jimmy singing Boy's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" at the climax of last week's concert.
Some more essential Sounds of the 80s for me:
"Be Cool" & "Man To Man" - Joni Mitchell - her 1982 happy album WILD THINGS RUN FAST
"Who's Zooming Who" & "Freeway of Love" - Aretha Franklin, her 1985 disco album
"Dress You Up" - when I first got to like Madonna, screened at that first showing in Brighton of DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, the film of the moment then.
"Hold Me Now" - Thompson Twins, who had a great sound and look.
"West End Girls" & "Love Comes Quickly" and all that early Pet Shop Boys releases.
"Relax", "Two Tribes" and all those Frankie Goes To Hollywood hits and videos. Good to see Holly Johnson is back with a new album (EUROPA) and tour as well ....
Human League hits, Blondie hits, Talking Heads hits, Soul II Soul, Inner City, Ultravox etc. Those disco anthems (before the deep house sounds of the '90s) like "I Dont Wanta To Talk About It", "Coming Out Of Hiding"etc. and the Italo Disco sounds, like "P A S S I O N" by The Flirts. plus Princess and "Say I'm Your Number One" (there were already Prince and Queen and King, so Desiree Heslop became Princess). 
Joyce Sims with "All and All" and so many others, Eve Gallagher's "Love Come Down" - see Music label.
Donna Summer's "Love Is In Control" from her terrific album with Quincy Jones (it also has "State of Independence" and a great "Lush Life") - the first album I heard on Sony Walkman !
Donna Summer's "Love Is In Control" from her terrific album with Quincy Jones (it also has "State of Independence" and a great "Lush Life") - the first album I heard on Sony Walkman !
Time to dig out those compilation albums ....
(For Rory and Stan and all....).
(For Rory and Stan and all....).
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