Features

Blank & Jones discuss the 12-inch remixes on the forthcoming so80s 11

By Paul Sinclair

Comments

76

Pre-order the two-CD set early from the SDE shop

Blank & Jones issue the eleventh volume in their popular so80s series – which offers rare and forgotten 12-inch remixes from the 1980s – very soon. SuperDeluxeEdition asked Piet Blank and Jaspa Jones if they could give fans and SDE readers some further insight into both their selections on this new compilation and why they’ve changed the format slightly. This is what they had to say:

Blank & Jones:

Some readers will ask why we switched after 10 releases from a three-CD digi-pack to a two-CD jewel case. Well in truth, the CD series actually started with two discs full of 12-inch 1980’s remixes and a third with a non-stop DJ mix of a section of titles included on the other two. Due to a change in licensing rules, mainly at Universal Music, it was no longer possible to do the non-stop mix. So we decided to skip the mix disc and from volume eight to volume ten (three releases) we had also on the third CD of unmixed 12-inch extended versions.

One reason for the change is that it is very difficult to clear/research these 12-inch mixes from the 1980s – it has taken us more than six months just to clear these 22 tracks. Another reason is the packaging –  many fans don’t like digi-paks since they are afraid that the case might get damaged. Many prefer jewel cases as they can be replaced if they are broken or worn out without effecting the design/inlay. Also, these are expensive to repress in relatively low numbers – it’s much easier with jewel cases. This means we can start with a moderate first pressing number and see who is still interested in CDs and repress as necessary.

When we released the Alphaville so8os we learned that you can still release a double cd with a 36 page booklet in a jewel case and it was very well received, so we decided to go with that option. This also meant that we could lower the sales price without having to cut the full colour booklet which features a page for each original 12-inch artwork and extensive liner notes in English and German….

Before we go into detail, we have one thing we would like you to ask: We know that many of you help to feed Discogs with info. That is great. But please respect the liner notes as part of the box you buy. Do not scan them and share them for free…just like the music these are creative copyrights that you paid for. Thank you!

Forever Dancing (12“ Version) / The Beloved 8:35
This song is one of our ‘magic moment’ tracks of the late ’80s. just like New Order, the perfect mix of electronic and indie, combined with the hypnotising voice of Jon Marsh, it still sound so unbelievable cool today! We wanted to have that track on so8os for so long…now we finally got the license from Jon himself and are very proud that we were able to repair that one little glitch that was even included on the very first vinyl pressing. If you have it, listen close at around 6:44 (vinyl: just before the piano solo). this will not be there on the so8os master….

We Need Protection (Screamix) / Picnic At The Whitehouse 6:04
Such a great track and mix. We waited for this master so long…we thought Sony might not be able to track it down, but in the end they found it and sent us this great tape transfer!

Heartbreak Beat (Extended Mix) – The Psychedelic Furs 8:07
This mix is also known in Europe as ‘New York Mix’ as it was done by Steve Thompson and his studio partner Michael Barbiero in New York.

Hey DJ (Extended Version) – The World’s Famous Supreme Team 6:07
This track was some kind of a spin off to the massive success of Malcolm Mclaren’s Buffalo Gals – when he was discovering the early New York rap/hip hop scene around 1982 he also listened to The World’s Famous Supreme Team on the radio…while Duck Rock was produced by Trevor Horn, this one – like the Rock Steady Crew – was produced by and co-written Stephen Hague. The track was also sampled/replayed by various artists later, most successful by Mariah Carey with Honey. Compare them below.

We Run (Extended Single Mix) – Strange Advance 6:07
We tried to license the song via Universal records, but were informed that they only own the rights for USA and Canada. So, we searched for the original band members and found Drew Arnott who was gracious enough to allow us to use the track on so8os. We really like to license from the artist direct, so we can make sure that the person who really deserves to get paid is getting paid.

Working In A Goldmine (DJ) – Aztec Camera 4:01
We simply love this song! We have been big fans of Roddy Frame and even did a demo together around 2003. Of course the album version of Working in a Goldmine is great, but when the deluxe albums were released we were hoping that besides the sax version, this DJ Mix would be included as well. Everyone who bought the 2012 Love reissue will know about the problems with the wrong sax version etc. Anyway, we got this master from Warner Music Japan and are proud to present it here.

Call It Love (Trego Snare Version 2) – Yello 6:46
Yes, another treasure from our Yello friends. We have a long relationship with Boris and Dieter. Way back in 1998 we remixed Vicious Games under our ‘Da Bomb’ alias and then in 2000 Dieter Meier returned the favour and spoke on the intro to our second Blank & Jones album DJ Culture.

Upon our visit to Boris Blank’s studio in 2002 he gave us some samples from Oh Yeah which we used on our song Desire. During our so8os activities Yello always supported us with rare mixes from their archives. Like this time. This version of Call It Love was only released in the UK on a limited vinyl edition of the album One Second – an HMV exclusive. It includes an extra verse from the super talented Billy Mckenzie (The Associates) and is pure bliss.

So Much For Love (Rock Mix) – The Venetians 5:39
Here is a funny story from the time when we were working on the Billy Idol so8os artist edition. We ordered a tape transfer from the Abbey Road archive for the Rock’n’Roll Mix of To Be A Lover and were pretty disappointed when the data file arrived as it wasn’t the mix we were looking for. In fact, it wasn’t even the song or Billy Idol! When we checked back with the studio they realised that a wrong tape was housed in the Billy Idol tape box. It turned out to be the Rock Mix of So Much For Love by The Venetians. Of course we kept that master and are proud to present it to you now, albeit a bit by chance. We were reminded that we had it when we saw that Aussie 12-inch ’80s collection earlier this year [12-inch Dance: Australian ’80s Pop], although we were surprised when we read the comments about the bad master of The Venetians on that compilation (“which appears to drop out in the left speaker a few seconds in and never recovers“) so we checked our master and it was much better (even the whole quality of the recording is beyond standard, but that is also the case on the original vinyl).

Fascinated (12″ Version) – Company B 7:32
If you want to know where the Pet Shop Boys got the inspiration from for Domino Dancing check this one out (also used later as a blueprint by Phil Harding for Bananarama‘s miami mix of I Heard A Rumour).

Magic’s Wand (Special Extended Mix) – Whodini 11:19
Not many people know that this a masterpiece by Thomas Dolby. In this extended version he shows so many of his skills.

Vanity Kills (The Mendelsohn Mix) – ABC 6:15
The Julian Mendelsohn Remix of Vanity Kills was transferred from the master tape already two years ago with various other ABC rarities as we were very far with a so8os artists edition together with Universal, but sadly it hasn’t happened yet. Nevertheless, we wanted to share this rare mix with you now.

Vor all den Jahren (Full Length Version) – Stahlnetz 4:05
This German language song by Stahlnetz, Vor all den Jahren, was produced in 1982 by legendary Conny Plank, who at that time had the likes of Ultravox, Eurythmics or DAF and Daniel Miller as regulars in his studio. Thanks to Conny’s son Stephan Plank, who found the master tapes in his father’s archive, while preparing a wonderful film about him, we can present this song also as a world premiere on CD.

Thanks to Blank & Jones for this great insight. You can order so80s 11 from the SDE shop (worldwide shipping). These will ship before the official release date, on Monday 18 December 2017.


Blank & Jones announce So80s 11 / 2CD set of 12" extended mixes from the '80s

so80s [SoEighties] 11

CD1 65:49

01. Rise To The Occasion (Extended Mix) – Climie Fisher 6:10
02. That Was Yesterday (Extended Remix) – Foreigner 6:14
03. We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) (Extended Version) – Tina Turner 6:08
04. Young Turks (Full Length Version) – Rod Stewart 5:02
05. State Of Shock (Dance Mix) – The Jacksons & Mick Jagger 5:41
06. Your Touch (Club Version) – Bonnie Pointer 6:35
07. Hey DJ (Extended Version) – The World’s Famous Supreme Team 6:07
08. The Right Stuff (Remix) – Bryan Ferry 6:34
09. We Run (Extended Single Mix) – Strange Advance 6:07
10. Working In A Goldmine (DJ) – Aztec Camera 4:01
11. Call It Love (Trego Snare Version 2) – Yello 6:46

CD2 76:03

01. Forever Dancing (12“ Version) – The Beloved 8:35
02. We Need Protection (Screamix) – Picnic At The Whitehouse 6:04
03. Heartbreak Beat (Extended Mix) – The Psychedelic Furs 8:07
04. So Much For Love (Rock Mix) – The Venetians 5:39
05. Fascinated (12“ Version) – Company B 7:32
06. Magic’s Wand (Special Extended Mix) – Whodini 11:19
07. Vanity Kills (The Mendelsohn Mix) – ABC 6:15
08. Be Free With Your Love (Extended Dance Mix) – Spandau Ballet 6:40
09. Sleeping Bag (Extended Mix) – ZZ Top 6:11
10. Strong Me Strong (12“ Version) – Yellowman 5:15
11. Vor all den Jahren (Full Length Version) – Stahlnetz 4:05

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

76 Comments

76 thoughts on “Blank & Jones discuss the 12-inch remixes on the forthcoming so80s 11”

  1. I was never a huge fan of Yello but probably because I didn’t know much about them, their stuff is really showcased on so80s so I’d agree that an artists so80s collection for them would be great.

  3. Another 2 masterpieces not available on CD, maybe for the next release

    George Benson 20/20 (Jellybean Remix) 9:41
    James Ingram Better Way (Extended Dance Version) 7:25

    Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

  5. piet – were there any ZTT reconstructions left over? I am playing it again this morning and enjoying immensely for the umpteenth time but struck me p:machinery wasn’t included – which sure you would have banged out a brilliant version of!

  7. Thanks for the tip, Soren and Paul. I do own that one of course. ;)
    But there’s still so many more mixes and rarities (like “Play With Me” from the Cool World Soundtrack for example) to explore.
    And a Blank & Jones curated compilation doing that would be amazing I think.

  11. Thank you Paul/Piet Blank/Jaspa Jones for the above post/the story behind…! I’ve already pre-ordered volume 11 when it was announced here on SDE! Now after reading the above I got more curious about the “for me” less familiar/known songs! Like I always say: I will support you guys with the So80s-series. Even only a few songs I like per volume. Without our support you guys cannot go on with the future release. I want to see more of the 80’s gems unravelled. Hoping with every new volume I can see more the songs I like ;) As long as I live I will support you guys rather than buying the big labels re-re-re-releases with the same/familiar remixes over and over with a different title/cover arts (so lame/boring)!

  12. I would love to see these on future volumes:

    1. HEART “These Dreams(Extended Remix)
    2. MENUDO “Hold Me”(Extended Mix)
    3. MICHEL’LE Nicety(Remix)

    Thank you!

  13. I just was wondering how these sets compare to Ben Liebrand’s “Grand 12 Inches” sets? I’m sure someone on here much more in the know than me can answer that one :-)

  17. Hi Piet

    A bit left field this one but have you gents thought of doing a UB40 So80s release as they had so many extended dub mixes released in that decade.
    There are some real gems from 1982 onwards through to 1988/89 and only a a couple of deluxe edition albums have come out. The fans are really crying our to see these on CD and I think there is enough material to warrant a double CD to take it through into the 1990s….

    Saad

  18. The ZZ Top “Sleeping Bag” 12″ was always one of my favorites! NONE of this rips online nor my own from my 12″ sounds great so I am EXCITED to finally have a great sounding version. That song is still so cool!

  20. I took your advice and got out my 12 inch of the brilliant Forever Dancing by The Beloved and I can’t hear anything. Probably just my tired old ears!What a great track this was, so much better than their more successful stuff a little later.

    1. ha ha…hey tom…to be honest: i never heard it either…although i must have played that record thousands of times..until we were in the mastering room fpor so8os and we heard it on the master…we were afraid that it was new, so we checked on the original first pressing on vinyl…it’s really just a tiny bit of a skip…

  21. another nice tracks for the future
    Patto Black And White 6:25
    Hong kong Syndikat – Too Much (Cola Banana Club Mix) ?????
    – Girls I Love (No-Gas-Mix) 7:20
    M&H Band – Pop Corn (Remix Version 87 Special D’J) 6:30

    Make the world dance. Love the 70s & the early 80s Tom Moulton, Jellybean, Larry Levan, Shep Pettibone, Louil Silas Jr., Kevorkian & all the other mastermixers

  22. Dear Piet,
    Would it be possible to issue a SO80S presents MODERN TALKING, C.CATCH,LIME for instance in the near future as you did for several artits (ALPHAVILLE,OMD etc.)?

  25. Hi Piet,

    No 11 is pure heaven – what a great, great collection of obscure and classic tracks. Can’t wait for your mix version (Mixcloud again?) as well.

    Special thanks for including one of the three – for me at least – ABC treasures with Julian Mendelsohns Vanity Kills mix. The other two I am waiting for are

    Tower of London (Extended Version) ca. 5:58
    How to be a Zillionaire (Nickel & Dime Mix) ca. 5:22

    Both should be Mendelsohn Mixes so Julian might have the masters as he probably did for Vanity Kills.

    What else did you guys want to feature on the artist compilation? Obviously both the Suberbs of Alphabet City and The Remix Collection were mastered in the dark days and all mixes on them could use a re-master, but your space is obviously limited.

  26. Such a fan of so80s
    Glad to see Strange Advance get released.
    Any more Canadian artists in future volumes?
    Angel in my pocket – One to One
    Perhaps some Rough Trade, Spoons, Chalk Circle??

    Thanks P&J for your hard work!

  27. And another cheerful 2 thumbs up for the ABC so80s collection!!!
    I so hope it will include the Single Remix of ‘(How to Be A) Millionaire’. I know it’s technically not a 12″ remix but to my knowledge it has never been released on CD so far and hence is very VERY sought-after.

  28. Another great mixes
    Paul Simon
    Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes (Extended Remix) 8:02 Killer track
    The Boy In The Bubble (Extended Remix Version) 6:11

    Kim Wilde Say You Really Want Me (Extended Mix) 9:50 (available on Cd but maybe on your 12 inchs collection too)
    The Motor City Crew Let’s Break (Vocal) 6:38
    Black Gold C’mon Stop (Long Version) 10:40 (Preludes masterpiece – Don Casale forever)

    and two of the best:
    The Immortals – The Ultimate Warlord (Original Version) 9:49 (available on Vinyl Rams Horn Holland)
    Peter Griffin Step By Step 8:43 Moby Dick Records – the extra extended Version.

    Viele Grüße Piet aus Oberfranken. Weiter so.

  30. Hi Piet.

    Glad you guys are working hard to bring us these fine compilations! Here’s a wishlist of tracks I’d love to see:

    Artists United Against Apartheid – Not So Far Away (Dub Version) 12:39 [one of the best dub mixes ever]
    Billy Crystal – You Look Marvelous (Extended Version) 7:31 [rare but surprisingly great Arthur Baker/Latin Rascals mix]
    Daryl Hall & John Oates – Adult Education (Special Club Mix) 6:05 [the only remix not included on the Japanese 12″ collections)
    EBN-OZN – AEIOU Sometimes Y (Long Version) 7:38 [never on CD]
    Escape Club – Wild, Wild West (Dance Mix) 7:54 [a #1 hit in the US but somehow never released on CD?]
    Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy (Justin Strauss Mix) 7:36 [despite all the FYC remix comps and reissues, this was never reissued on CD]
    Greg Kihn – Lucky (Dance Mix) 5:54
    Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F (London Mix) 5:44 & Fletch Theme (Extended Version) 7:39
    Heart – These Dreams (Extended Remix) 5:25 [Rare promo-only remix of a #1 US hit]
    Huey Lewis & The News – Heart & Soul (Special Mix) 6:42 [the only HL&N remix never on CD]
    Joe Jackson – You Can’t Get What You Want (Specially Remixed Version) 6:25
    Kate Bush – Cloudbusting (The Organon Mix) 6:33
    Kim Carnes – Crazy In The Night (Dance Mix) 5:10
    Lene Lovich – It’s You, Only You (Extended Dance Mix) 5:44 [how has this classic track never been on CD?]
    Michael Sembello – Automatic Man (Extended Remix) 6:59 [underrated follow up to Maniac]
    Olivia-Newton John – Living In Desparate Times (Extended) 6:36
    PP Arnold – Electric Dreams (International Dateline Mix) 5:27
    Pat Benatar – Invincible (Extended Version) 5:29 & Sex As A Weapon (Extended Mix) 6:13
    Peter Wolf – Lights Out (Extended Dance Mix) 6:16
    Robbie Nevil – Dominoes (The Dance Mix) 6:21 & Wots It To Ya (Rusty’s 12″ Dance Mix) 9:57
    Robert Palmer – You Are In My System (Remix) 6:03 [the original 12″ has never been on CD, only the inferior remake!]
    Rockwell – Obscene Phone Caller (Extended) 5:07
    Scritti Politti – Perfect Way (Way Perfect Mix) 7:27 [much longer promo version of commonly available mix]
    Stevie Nicks – I Can’t Wait (Dance Mix) 6:21
    Sting – If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free (Torch Song Mix) 4:52 [great William Orbit version never on CD]
    Tee Vee Toons – Jane Get Me Off This Crazy Thing (Late Night Dance Mix) 6:48 [amazing dance megamix of TV themes]
    The Firm – Radioactive (Special Mix) 5:52
    The Truth – Weapons Of Love (Aggro Mix) 5:12
    Tom Petty – Make It Better (Forget About Me) (Dance Mix) 7:10 [the only Tom Petty remix that exists!]

    Cheers Piet!

    1. Cool wish list AudioDile.

      Re Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy (Justin Strauss Mix) 7:36, this mix came out on a 2-track US promo CD in a white card sleeve which was stamped with the info. My dog chewed the corner of mine (the card sleeve) when we brought him home as a puppy last year. It’s a great mix.

      Would like the US-only 12″ remix of Special AKA’s Free Nelson Mandela. Really cool intro.

      Looking forward to getting this edition of so80s.

    1. I have a dream:

      Eddy Grant Romancing the Stone 9:05 min mix
      Patti Labelle Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight) (Extended Version) 7:50 min
      Angela Bofill Too Tough (Long Version) 6:38 min
      Grand Master Flash And The Furious Five Super Rappin’ No. 2 (Vocal) 7:15 min

  32. Hi Piet thank you for the stories for the selection of the tracks. Hope you can find more rare Malcolm Mclaren mixes especially Double Dutch (New Dance Mix) which so far I know never is released on cd. I like the new standard with jewel case. Looking forward for volume 12.

    1. yes soren, that malcolm mclaren “double dutch” 12″ is also on our wishlist since a long time…but it was always denied. malcolm mclaren never approved compilations while he was alive and this did not change after his death.
      we once had the idea of a super deluxe edition of “duck rock” – there was also a great vhs movie with that album…any many alternative versions/b-sides etc…maybe the only person that could give it a go would be trevor horn…anyway, would love to see that happening, whoever would do it in the end….but probably this is too leftfield for a major…but they won’t license it our either…

      1. WhaaaaaH!
        Duck Rock deLuxe is on top of my whishlist for ages now!
        Brilliant album, an incredible mix of dance, pop, worldmusic, country, ambient and a radioshow from New York City. Introducing the crazy sound of scratching and somehow… The Art of Noise!
        An 80s Pop Highlight, its time far ahead and not only musically: videos and artwork are top-notch! It is how I got to know Keith Haring.

        The accompanying 12″s and B-sides are a must hear: Zulus on a time-bomb, Do you like scratching? She’s looking like a Hobo, Hobo Scratch and the long mix of Double Dutch: Wow!
        Even the forgotten Swamp Thing album has its moments: Duck Rock Cheer, Eiffel Tower and Supresto are fun!
        Something left in the vaults? I’d like to know! And I want that deLuxe!

  33. oh yes…one thing i wanted to say: big THANK YOU to all of you leaving so encouraging comments here…we often feel very lost between master owners, uninterested artists, unfindable masters etc…so reading these comments is even more important to us than a sold cd …. we hope we will find the time to continue with this fantastic hobby on a regular basis in the future…we guess it is all a bit dependend where the physical product will go…
    anyway a BIG THANK YOU to PAUL for supporting/editing/correcting everything…as you can guess from the way i write the comments, it was along way and a lot of work for paul to make it look like it does now above ; )

  34. On my Xmas wish list – repressings of the remastered first five – since I’m missing 4 and 5, and I’m sure others are looking to fill gaps in their collections. Really looking forward to 11.

  35. hello piet
    thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
    i asked my question now two times but sadly it was not answered anyway.
    at the time you made the so80’s with culture club:
    was is just not possible to find the very rare promo 12” extended mix of “heaven’s children”
    or were you not interested in that precious thing?
    if it was not possible to locate this mix in 2012 – maybe it will be in 2018 ?

    1. hey daniel, sorry…there were 125 entries in the last news post…so i must have overseen it…thank you posting it again: at the time we did culture club we were limited to 1 cd by emi (so they could sell it for 5 euro). they also wanted to have those 12″ reconstructions where we created possible 12″ extended version from the two version of “do you really want to hurt me” and “time”…so there was no space left…i am sure that there are many rare versions to discover in the cc vaults. it would be a fanatstic project to do…would be thrilling to get boy george involved as well as curator…loved his book and the way he looked back at things…he also was an early supporter of our first club music productions back in 1998 when he was djing a lot….who knows…but one thing: usually the 80s deals which these artists have are not very good, so they don’t have much interest in visting their legacy or investing time it it…which is understandable…why making the majors richer…i think a smart move would be to offer them some extra money if they get involved…wouldn’t kill a major ; )…sorry i am off topic here ; )

  36. Great to see the Trego Snare version 2 of Call it Love on there – I had the HMV 12″ but I let it go as part of a downsizing following the downsizing of my previous marriage! Is there any chance of ZTT set part 2 ever seeing the light of day?

    1. hey jeremy, well…we would have loved to get our hands on “slave to the rhythm” of course…but it seems very complicated with that song…it belongs to universal, not ztt, plus i don’t know why, but we tried to license the 12″ (hot blooded) version since day one of so8os as it is one of the best 12″ records ever done in our ears, but it was always denied by universal…so must be something…
      of course early seal songs would be great as well…
      i think we were lucky to catch a momentum back then for the ztt project…not sure if any windows would still be open as the company that took care of ztt was sold to bmg rights…that’s also where the new “art of album” releases come from…

  37. I noticed here an Austrian New wave song which seems a bit like DAF. Could you do more new wave of German speaking countries (aka Neue Deutsche Welle, funny enopugh even when coming from coutries like Austria or Switzerland)? I know for sure there are great remixes to find!

    1. hey roland, i guess you mean “STAHLNETZ” on so8os 11…they were from wuppertal in germany…not austria…the singer jochen rausch is a friend for over 20 years and we always tried to locate the tapes…we now have the complete album which was also produced by conny plank and hopefully can release it in 2018…we are always open to german music especially german new wave…also swiss group grauzone is a favourite…but doing “theme” so8os is not planned for now…we loved the 80s because they were cross everything…pop, new wave, goth, rock, electronic etc…we think that’s what makes the collections special when you listen to them in one go…

  38. Welcome back Piet on this beautiful site!
    I think those infos behind each track (12″) of this So80s vol. 11 are amazing.
    Maybe you could write a book where you could put all the infos with photos of the master tapes or else and you say how you got the masters. This could be interesting for each 80s 12″ lovers.
    Regards

    1. thank you BE.D 12″ – your words mean a lot, like the other encouraging comments. we always considered a book, but somehow did not find the time…i believe that all the license clearing of cover art etc must be really enormous…and we are still artists in the first place….maybe we will find a good publisher in the future who could help with that…

  39. Great insight!! Thanks for the interview Paul, Piet and Jaspa. Huge fan of your releases. Many thanks!!
    Amazing how similar that synth riff from Company B “Fascinated” is compared to the Pet Shop Boys and Bananarama songs. I have all 3 remixes but never noticed. So many Italo songs from the 80’s have amazing synths and melodies. You guys had a lot of Italo on So80s 7 to Italo but I wish you could do more. I think you said that Baby Records had no masters in its archives, that explains a lot. All Baby Records songs sound like crap. Really too bad. Those Den Harrow songs, all done by Chieregato and Turatti (and sung by Tom Hooker I believe) are amazing.

    1. yes kauwgompie, a so8os den harrow is very high on our wishlist…ok, it is very very cheesy, but bad boy or don’t break my heart, taste of love just sound so 80s ; ) but yes, the problem are the masters…if there is somewhere a secret archive we would be the first to do it ; ) …

      1. You can get the real masters from Tom and Miki. They do have all the masters. They’ll be happy to license it if they can do it, not sure that they can do it. Maybe that’s the problem in the first place and not to get the masters.

    2. Was a fan of Company B since that song was a top 30 US hit…had the 45…the main reason was producer ISH…he’s done great work since his band Foxy in the late 70s and their Top 10 hit “Get Off”… A similar feel was in Canadian singer Nancy Martinez and her debut album from 1987 on Atlantic…”Not Just The Girl Next Door” and top 40 US hit “For Tonight”…

      1. I remember picking that CD up as soon as it appeared, mainly for the Yes song (which I only had on cassette at that point) and the Cars song (which was the version they used in the video, and was an Arthur Baker remix, and was just awesome). Will be interesting to compare the Foreigner song to the So80s version.

  42. I’m not familiar with most of these tracks, but looking forward to hearing them. it’s miles better to get some new stuff I don’t know than the usual compilations that have the same stuff on them all the time

  43. Not really a huge fan of 80’s mixes or indeed these collections, but I do admire Blank & Jones utter devotion in supplying the fans with the goods. I applaud them both for trawling archives and tracking down rare mixes, as well as getting permissions from band members themselves, to give top notch digital copies instead of needle drops. Really I commend those guys, very admirable work.

  44. Thank you Piet & Jaspa. I’m a big fan of the so8os series, and really appreciate all the hard work that you put into compiling them. I’ve made my order and am looking forward to receiving it. I like your approach to the series, which has led me to discover songs I’d never heard before, those perhaps that were hits in Europe but not in the UK.

    It’s fantastic that you pop by SDE to discuss the releases with readers in the comments section. You are always engaging and incredibly polite, especially when some commenters are less than themselves.

    Keep up the good work, and fingers crossed that the ABC project comes to fruition. I love the Alphabet City album, and have felt let down by its treatment on reissues with respect to the lack of remixes included, especially with there being at least two of each single.

    All the best
    Dominic

    1. hey mike…yes, we still want to do this collection so bad! the tracklisting was more or less final, but we wanted to discuss with other collectors before closing it, so we make sure that nothing is forgotten…

      1. Fantastic idea guys!
        Love the Mendelsohn mix of Vanity, Julian was one of the best remixers/engineers of the time. I’ ve got all of them and stopped only with the UP album/singles since I really couldn’ t stand house music… Got the subsequent Love Conquers All though, the first single from Abracadabra. No more singles after that and Say It I’ m afraid…
        Keep on the good work! (for me just the fact that you made So80S Kajagoogoo puts you up there with the best!!!!! By the way: in your researches for that record did you bump into a “Beat the Beast Mix” of The Lion’ s Mouth by any chance?)

        2. Agree wholeheartedly about Mendelsohn’s skills. Being an 80’s aficionado, my all time best remix done has to be the ABC “Fear of the world -In Cinemascope” remix he did. His work with PSB has been amazing too. Each remix seems to be so we’ll thought out and a true art work. Listen to what he did with Suburbia

      3. Sounds fantastic! Yes, being a HUGE ABC fan I absolutely need that CD set as well. However, I would be remiss not to mention that the So80s series is truly exceptional. Just one quick question. I seem to remember a really, really long Altered Images version of one of their early hits released in 1981 (sometime). Can’t remember any other details. Is there something? Same goes for a Propaganda version of “Dream Within A Dream”. You already put one out, but I seem to remember to have heard one which had a similar atmosphere but lasted longer. Do you know of anything in that regard?

      4. Hopefully it will have “The Real Thing”. I got the 12″ years ago but has never been seen on any compilations, like ABC is embarrassed by this song. I loved it!

Leave a Reply