The Analog Kid
I am a music junkie. If you are here, you are probably one as well.
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The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find '80s Albums (Tommy Tutone's "National Emotion")
"The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find '80s Albums" gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the '80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid's vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can't easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!
The Analog Kid is back!
Well, technically I never left. But I haven't posted in a long time, and there were a number of reasons for my absence. First and foremost, I can be kind of lazy about lots of things. That statement usually does NOT apply to anything musical in my life, but in this instance I must admit my guilt. However, the second reason that I haven't been posting was the direct cause of my laziness: my ripping system has been down for MONTHS.
That's right: I haven't ripped a record since last September. THE HORROR.
Sure, I could have posted some old rips that I had yet to share, or featured an out-of-print CD or two (or twenty). But I've been so frustrated with my inability to rip vinyl that I just sort of shut down my blog brain.
Oh, by the way: reason #3 for my extended absence is that I'm 50 years old and my wife is about to have our first baby. As Joe Walsh once said, "HEY MAN, I'M FREAKIN' OUT!!"
Well, I'm happy to report that things have stabilized in the Analog Kid universe. I've been doing some paid writing gigs, and that has helped to ease my brain back into the blogging zone. My wife and unborn child are doing well (knock on wood), and my level of freak-out has been reduced. And lastly, my vinyl ripping system is back up and sounding better than ever!
As I mentioned earlier, I haven't ripped anything since last September. It was at that time that a phantom electrical buzz took over my system. It would come and go, but when it was there it was awful. I have a background in QA, so I troubleshooted my ass off and simply could not track down the issue. My friend (and generous site benefactor) John even took all of the gear to his house, where he proceeded to disassemble/clean/replace and reassemble the parts. On his last test at his house….NO BUZZ. We reassembled the system back at my place, and…you guessed it…HUGE BUZZ.
It was beyond frustrating.
For the past two months, the equipment just sat there untouched. I avoided it because I knew that if I started tinkering with it, I'd go down that rabbit hole and wouldn't stop until the problem was eliminated. Of course, the big issue with that is that I had already tried everything I knew. Or had I? Hmmm…
Earlier this week, I finally reassembled the gear in a different room. It's nowhere near any other electrical items. The turntable stands alone on a desk. The preamp has a new adapter. And still– BUZZ BUZZ. But this time I made an interesting discovery– if I touched the ground cable at the source (either on the back of the turntable or at the input on the preamp), the buzz disappeared. Of course, I knew it was a grounding issue all along– but now I had an idea of how to fix it (and no, holding my finger on the ground cable while I rip a 20-minute album side was never a viable option).
After much tinkering and tightening, I was finally able to create a stable ground with no buzz. I have ripped three albums in the last three days, and the buzz has yet to return. Keep your fingers crossed for me, my friends– if it comes back, I can't be held responsible for my actions.
So, long story short: I finally have a brand new vinyl rip to share with you! The first record that I pulled out of my ripping pile was 1983's National Emotion, the third album from Tommy Tutone. It was released in 1983, and peaked at #179 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. With the band coming off the massive hit "867-5309/Jenny," to say that National Emotion was a major flop would be a severe understatement.
But as usual, the Analog Kid is not interested in sales– only quality. No, National Emotion isn't as good as Tommy Tutone, their fabulous 1980 debut. But to my ears, it blows away the album that gave us "Jenny" (Tommy Tutone-2). The truth is that I don't think I had ever played this record before, because if I had I would have remembered a song as great as "Get Around Girl."
Do me a favor: if you listen to nothing else on this post, please check out "Get Around Girl." It's simply a killer power-pop tune, and I must have played it at least twenty times in the past two days. There are some other great songs on the record as well, and I'm very happy that I can feature this long out-of-print (and never released on CD) record here on The Analog Kid Blog.
Oh, one last thing: while examining the inner sleeve for National Emotion, I said to myself, "Hey– I know that guy!" "That guy" is bass player Gregg Sutton, who I met a few times in the mid-to-late '80s when he played bass for Lone Justice. Gregg also co-wrote "Breathe," one of my all-time favorite songs from Maria McKee. I would have never guessed that he was once a member of Tommy Tutone.
It's good to be back, my friends. I'm ripping another album as I type this, so I promise you that new posts are right around the corner. Thanks for sticking with me!
Tommy Tutone: National Emotion
Columbia Records, 1983
320 kbps vinyl rip courtesy of The Analog Kid
1. "Dumb But Pretty" (Tommy Heath/Jim Keller/Brian Dalton)
Dumb But Pretty
2. "Someday Will Come" (Tommy Heath/Steve LaGassick/Mark Holden)
Someday Will Come
3. "Laverne" (Jim Keller/D. Gilman)
4. "National Emotion" (Tommy Heath/Jim Keller)
National Emotion
5. "Get Around Girl" (N. Rupar)
Get Around Girl
6. "I Believe" (Tommy Heath/Jim Keller/Gregg Sutton)
7. "Money Talks" (Tommy Heath/Jim Keller/Sue Shifrin/T. Britten)
8. "Imaginary Heart" (Tommy Heath/Jim Keller)
Imaginary Heart
9. "Sticks And Stones" (Jim Keller)
10. "I Wanna Touch Her" (Jim Keller/J. Henderson)
I Wanna Touch Her
Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Tommy Tutone: "Angel Say No" (Tommy Heath/Jim Keller)
From the album Tommy Tutone
Angel Say No
Tommy Tutone: "867-5309/Jenny" (James Keeler/Alex Call)
From the album Tommy Tutone-2
867-5309/Jenny
Lone Justice: "Inspiration" (Maria McKee/Gregg Sutton)
From the album Shelter
Geffen Records, 1986
Maria McKee: "Breathe" (Maria McKee/Gregg Sutton)
From the album Maria McKee
The Eagles: "Life's Been Good" (Joe Walsh)
From the album Eagles Live
Asylum Records, 1980
Life's Been Good
Posted by The Analog Kid on April 5, 2018 in New Wave, One-Hit Wonders, Power Pop, Rock and tagged Gregg Sutton, Joe Walsh, Maria McKee, National Emotion, The Analog Kid, Tommy Tutone.
Tom Petty: 1950-2017 ["The Last DJ"]
Tom Petty: 1950-2017
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and I spent countless hours exploring Ventura Boulevard as a kid. I think I've mentioned before on this blog that I used to ride my bike down to The Wherehouse on Ventura every Saturday to buy 45s (89 cents each!!). While I never purchased any Tom Petty 45s during that time (we relocated to Texas in 1979 and my tastes before then ran more towards Olivia Newton-John and Rod Stewart), I did have a Tom Petty experience in my college years that took me right back to those Ventura Blvd. days of The Wherehouse, Licorice Pizza, Pup 'N' Taco, and Winchell's Donuts.
The date was April 25, 1989. It was a Tuesday. The Waterloo Records release board had let me know a few weeks earlier that Tom Petty's first solo album would be released on this day. I had long ago traded in my trusty Schwinn for a 1979 Ford Thunderbird, but my excitement level on new-release Tuesdays always took me right back to the way I felt on those glorious '70s Saturdays. Waterloo opened at 10 AM that morning, and I was waiting at the door. I was the first person to buy a copy of Full Moon Fever that day– in fact, I watched them pull the new CD copies out of the box. I didn't have a CD player in my car at that time, so I had to wait until I got home to pop on the disc.
Of course, you know what song leads off the album. Move west down Ventura Blvd, indeed…
Yesterday's Tom Petty tribute featured the strangely out-of-print 1996 soundtrack for She's The One. Today's post features another OOP Heartbreakers record, but this time the lack of CD availability makes a little more sense. Simply put, 2002's The Last DJ is one giant middle finger to the music industry. I wasn't a big fan of the record when it came out, but The Last DJ has grown on me over the years. Since the music industry won't even let you buy a CD copy of the album on Amazon at this time, I'm happy to post the entire album here on The Analog Kid Blog. Oh, and I'm sure Tom would like me to add a big "FUCK YOU" to Warner Bros. as well.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: The Last DJ
Reprise Records, 2002
1. "The Last DJ" (Tom Petty)
The Last DJ
2. "Money Becomes King" (Tom Petty)
Money Becomes King
3. "Dreamville" (Tom Petty)
4. "Joe" (Tom Petty)
5. "When A Kid Goes Bad" (Tom Petty)
When A Kid Goes Bad
6. "Like A Diamond" (Tom Petty)
Like A Diamond
7. "Lost Children" (Tom Petty)
8. "Blue Sunday" (Tom Petty/Mike Campbell)
9. "You And Me" (Tom Petty)
10. "The Man Who Loves Women" (Tom Petty)
The Man Who Loves Women
11. "Have Love Will Travel" (Tom Petty)
Have Love Will Travel
12. "Can't Stop The Sun" (Tom Petty/Mike Campbell)
Can't Stop The Sun
Tom Petty: "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty/Jeff Lynne)
From the album Full Moon Fever
Warner Bros, Records, 1989
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs: "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty/Jeff Lynne)
From the album Under The Covers, Vol. 3
Shout Factory!, 2013
Stevie Nicks: "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty/Jeff Lynne)
From the album Music From Party Of Five
Rod Stewart: "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" [Special Disco Mix] (Rod Stewart/Duane Hitchings/Carmine Appice)
From the U.S. 12″ Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
Warner Bros. Records, 1978
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? [Special Disco Mix]
Olivia Newton-John: "A Little More Love" (John Farrar)
From the album Totally Hot
MCA Records, 1978
A Little More Love
Posted by The Analog Kid on October 17, 2017 in Rock and tagged Analog Kid Blog, Free Fallin', Matthew Sweet, Olivia Newton-John, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, Susanna Hoffs, The Last DJ, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
Nearly Lost You: Hard-To-Find '90s Albums ["She's The One" By Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers]
"Nearly Lost You: Hard-To-Find '90s Albums" gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the '90s in its entirety. "But Mr. Analog Kid," you ask, "Are there really that many CDs from the '90s that you can't buy anymore? It doesn't seem too long ago that I was rocking out to the Gin Blossoms and sucking down some Crystal Pepsi!"
You'd be amazed at how many things from the '90s are now long-gone (and I'm not only talking about my youthful good looks). Did you know that Crystal Pepsi was only around for about two years? Pepsi discontinued the product in late 1993, but it recently made a comeback and now you can find it just about anywhere in the U.S. if you look hard enough. I suppose the same thing could also be said about the Gin Blossoms…
The first song I listened to after I heard about Tom's passing was "Learning To Fly," the leadoff track from 1991's Into The Great Wide Open. I was in tears before I even got to the chorus.
I'm going to celebrate the music of Tom Petty (and The Heartbreakers, of course) every day this week here on The Analog Kid Blog. I may write about his death and my feelings about this great loss– then again, I might just let the music do the talking for me.
Let's begin The Analog Kid Blog's tribute to Tom Petty with the soundtrack to She's The One, a fantastic little record that went criminally unnoticed upon its release back in 1996. Petty was fresh off the triple-platinum success of 1994's Wildflowers, yet She's The One barely managed to go gold. I don't remember a lot of promotion for the record, and I'm sure that had something to do with the lack of sales– and honestly, I have no idea why Warner Bros. took that approach. She's The One is a fun, loose Heartbreakers album that, as I am writing this, remains inexplicably out of print.
The Analog Kid hopes you enjoy this semi-lost '90s classic. Rest in peace, Tom.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: She's The One [Songs And Music From The Motion Picture]
1. "Walls (Circus)" (Tom Petty)
Walls (Circus)
2. "Grew Up Fast" (Tom Petty)
Grew Up Fast
3. "Zero From Outer Space" (Tom Petty)
Zero From Outer Space
4. "Climb The Hill" (Tom Petty/Mike Campbell)
Climb That Hill
5. "Change The Locks" (Lucinda Williams)
6. "Angel Dream (No. 4)" (Tom Petty)
Angel Dream (No. 4)
7. "Hope You Never" (Tom Petty)
Hope You Never
8. "Asshole" (Beck)
9. "Supernatural Radio" (Tom Petty)
Supernatural Radio
10. "California" (Tom Petty)
11. "Hope On Board" (Tom Petty)
Hope On Board
12. "Walls (No. 3)" (Tom Petty)
Walls (No. 3)
13. "Angel Dream (No. 2)" (Tom Petty)
14. "Hung Up And Overdue" (Tom Petty)
Hung Up And Overdue
15. "Airport" (Tom Petty)
Tom Petty: "You Wreck Me" (Tom Petty/Mike Campbell)
From the album Wildflowers
You Wreck Me
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: "Learning To Fly" [Live] (Tom Petty/Jeff Lynne)
From the album The Live Anthology
Learning To Fly [Live]
Gin Blossoms: "Follow You Down" (Bill Leen/Jesse Valenzuela/Phillip Rhodes/Robin Wilson/Scott A. Johnson)
From the album Congratulations I'm Sorry
A&M Records, 1996
Follow You Down
Posted by The Analog Kid on October 16, 2017 in Rock, Soundtrack and tagged Crystal Pepsi, Gin Blossoms, She's The One, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
EP-iphanies: "Wide Boy Awake"
The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts! In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it's digital, you don't have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to 33⅓ or 45!
A special note from The Analog Kid:
Has it really been almost six months since my last post? Where DOES the time go?
I know, I know…I suck. I really have no excuse other than pure laziness, so I won't even try to make up some bullshit reason for my prolonged absence. I will, however, assure you that I have a slew of new music ripped and ready to post for your listening pleasure!
Let's start with the self-titled 1982 U.S. mini-LP from England's Wide Boy Awake, shall we? I picked up this EP at Atomic Records (3812 W. Magnolia) during a recent visit to Los Angeles, and finished up the vinyl rip late last night. (By the way, I can't say enough about how much I love Atomic Records. They only sell high-quality used LPs, and they actually price them accordingly– this EP was only $3.99, for example. Be sure to check them out the next time you're in the L.A. area!)
As an added bonus, you can follow up your trip to Atomic with a visit to one of the original Bob's Big Boy restaurants– it's right down the street!
Uh-oh– as my wife is probably thinking right about now, "He's going down the L.A. rabbit hole!" Forget about Big Boy Combos and blue cheese dressing and Paco's Tacos and Randy's Donuts and Hof's Hut and Pup 'N Taco and Dodger Stadium and Western Exterminator for now– there's music to check out!
Wide Boy Awake was fronted by Kevin Mooney, the former bass player for Adam & The Ants. The band only released a few singles before disbanding, but you may have stumbled upon a song or two from them on various '80s compilations. The 1982 Wide Boy Awake mini-LP has never been issued on CD, so The Analog Kid hopes you enjoy this new vinyl rip of a long-lost new wave classic!
It's good to be back, my friends– keep checking back for more "new" music!
Wide Boy Awake: Wide Boy Awake [U.S. Mini-LP]
RCA Records, 1982
1. "Slang Teacher" (Kevin Mooney)
Slang Teacher
2. "Bona Venture" (Kevin Mooney)
Bona Venture
3. "Whooping On The Roof" (Kevin Mooney)
Whooping On The Roof
4. "Chicken Outlaw" (Kevin Mooney)
Chicken Outlaw
5. "Ravers Red Light" (Kevin Mooney)
Ravers Red Light
Wide Boy Awake: "Slang Teacher" [7″ Version] (Kevin Mooney)
From the U.S. promo 7″ Slang Teacher
Slang Teacher [7″ Version]
Adam & The Ants: "Antmusic" (Adam Ant/Marco Pirroni)
From the album Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Epic Records, 1980
Antmusic
Posted by The Analog Kid on October 4, 2017 in Alternative, New Wave and tagged Adam & The Ants, Analog Kid Blog, Atomic Records, Bob's Big Boy, Kevin Mooney, Wide Boy Awake.
"It's been seven hours and 365 days…"
There's nothing I can say today that hasn't already been said by others, so I'll simply share this rare and beautiful album.
Prince: The Rainbow Children
NPG Records, 2001
All songs written and produced by Prince
1. "Rainbow Children"
Rainbow Children
2. "Muse 2 The Pharaoh"
Muse 2 The Pharaoh
3. "Digital Garden"
Digital Garden
4. "The Work, Pt. 1"
The Work, Pt. 1
6. "The Sensual Everafter"
The Sensual Everafter
7. "Mellow"
8. "1+1+1 Is 3"
1+1+1 Is 3
9. "Deconstruction"
10. "Wedding Feast"
11. "She Loves Me 4 Me"
She Loves Me 4 Me
12. "Family Name"
13. "The Everlasting Now"
The Everlasting Now
14. "Last December"
Last December
15. "Untitled"
16. "Last December (Reprise)"
Last December (Reprise)
The Family: "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince)
From the album The Family
Sinead O'Connor: "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince)
From the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Chrysalis Records, 1990
Prince: "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince)
From the album The Hits 1
Posted by The Analog Kid on April 21, 2017 in Funk, Rock, Soul/R&B and tagged Nothing Compares 2 U, Prince, Sinead O'Connor, The Family, The Rainbow Children.
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