Retrovision: Tricky - Black Steel

"Black Steel" stands out as one of Tricky's most successful single releases during the 90s. This distinctive track is a cover version of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," and what sets Tricky's rendition apart is the inclusion of Martina Topley Bird and the transformation of the song is notable for its replacement of rap with singing. The addition of a guitar arrangement creates a completely different atmospheric experience and impression of the song. Tricky's version of "Black Steel" is widely regarded as one of the best cover versions ever recorded, showcasing the artist's ability to reinterpret and breathe new life into iconic tracks from different genres.

Best of 2023 - The Album List

Absolutely thrilled to share our favorite releases from this remarkable year in music. It's a joy to witness the triumphant return of seasoned veterans who have graced the industry for decades, alongside the exciting emergence of new talents. What unites these diverse artists is their remarkable ability, each within their own genre, to reinvent themselves with their recent releases. Here are the ten albums that collectively represent the artistic evolution and enduring brilliance of musicians, leaving an indelible mark on the musical landscape of 2023.

Best of 1992 - The Singles List

 Following Freddie Mercury's death in November 1991, one of the significant events of 1992 was his tribute concert held five months later. Tickets for the event sold out within three hours of going on sale, despite no performers being announced apart from the remaining members of Queen. A star-studded lineup including Elton John, George Michael, Axl Rose, Metallica, Annie Lennox, and many others paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury.

In the same year, Kylie Minogue ended her longstanding collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman, with whom she had been recording music since 1987. Meanwhile, George Michael took on a different battle with Sony, filing a lawsuit against them for allegedly failing to promote his album "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1." However, he would ultimately lose the case in June 1994.

In November 1992, Factory Records was declared bankrupt. The label, founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, boasted releases by iconic acts such as Joy Division, New Order, OMD, and others from the 80s. Their catalogue was subsequently sold to London Records.

On the UK charts, "Bohemian Rhapsody" made a return to the hit list in January. Shakespeare's Sister enjoyed the longest-running number one with "Stay," topping the charts for eight weeks. Additionally, Euro dance had a standout year, with Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" holding the top spot for six weeks.

Erasure also made a comeback in 1992 with their ABBA tribute, topping the charts for five weeks in June with their "Abba-esque" EP, featuring the hit "Take a Chance on Me."

01. Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness

02. The Cranberries - Dreams

03. R.E.M - Drive

04. Tori Amos - Crucify

05. Madonna - Erotica

06. Nirvana - Lithium

07. Sade - No Ordinary Love

08. Shakespeare's Sister - Stay

09. Neil Young - Harvest Moon

10. Electronic - Disappointed

11. The Cure - Friday, I'm in Love

12. Annie Lennox - Why

13. Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover

14. Alice in Chains - Would?

15. Suede - Drowners

16. The Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love (1992)

17. Ride - Twisterella 

18. Nirvana - Come As You Are

19. Marc Almond - Days of Pearly Spencer

20. Neil Young - Harvest Moon

21. Opus III - It's a Fine Day

22. Pulp - Babes

23. The Future Sound of London - Papua New Guinea

24. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

25. The Cure - High

26. U2 - Even Better Than The Real Thing

27. Orbital - Halycon

28. Tasmin Archer - Sleeping Satellite

29. Tori Amos  - Silent All These Years

30. Bruce Springsteen  - Human Touch

31. George Michael - Too Funky

32. Snap - Rhythm is a Dancer

33. R.E.M. - Man on the Moon

34. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Face to Face

35. Erasure - Breath of Life

36. Sonic Youth - 100%

37. Verve - Superstar

38. Madonna - Deeper and Deeper

39. Prodigy - Out of Space

40. Metallica - Where ever I May Roam

41. Shakespeare's Sister - I Don't Care

42. Annie Lennox - Walking on Broken Glass

43. Jesus and the Mary Chain - Reverence

44. Red Hot Chill Peppers - Under The Bridge

45. U2 - One

46. 2 Unlimited - Twilight Zone

47. Felix - Don't You Want Me

48. Elton John - The One

49. Ace of Base - All That She Wants

50. Lightning Seeds - Life of Riley

Best of 1992 - The Album List

Following Freddie Mercury's death in November 1991, one of the significant events of 1992 was his tribute concert held five months later. Tickets for the event sold out within three hours of going on sale, despite no performers being announced apart from the remaining members of Queen. A star-studded lineup including Elton John, George Michael, Axl Rose, Metallica, Annie Lennox, and many others paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury.

In the same year, Kylie Minogue ended her longstanding collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman, with whom she had been recording music since 1987. Meanwhile, George Michael took on a different battle with Sony, filing a lawsuit against them for allegedly failing to promote his album "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1." However, he would ultimately lose the case in June 1994.

In November of 1992, Factory Records was declared bankrupt. The label, founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, boasted releases by iconic acts such as Joy Division, New Order, OMD, and others from the 80s. Their catalogue was subsequently sold to London Records.

On the UK charts, "Bohemian Rhapsody" made a return to the hit list in January. Shakespeare's Sister enjoyed the longest-running number one with "Stay," topping the charts for eight weeks. Additionally, Eurodance had a standout year, with Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" holding the top spot for six weeks.

Erasure also made a comeback in 1992 with their Abba tribute, topping the charts for five weeks in June with their "Abba-esque" EP, featuring the hit "Take a Chance on Me."

01. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People

02. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

03. Sade - Love Deluxe

04. The Cure - Wish

05. Madonna - Erotica

06. Ride - Going Blank Again

07. Alice in Chains - Dirt

08. Shakespear's Sister - Hormonally Yours

09. Annie Lennox - Why

10. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead

Retrovision: Ultravox - Passing Strangers

Ultravox' video for the song Passing Strangers has been remastered. The song was released in 1980 and was the second Ultravox with Midge Ure on voclas.

7_Songs: Gary Numan

Back in the late 70s there were not many bands experimenting with electronic music and Gary Numan was one of the first artists to make a commercial success with the new technology driven sound. Kicking off at the height of punk rock, with his band the Tubeway Army, he already made prominence with the influential Are Friends Electric? clearing the path for the electro pioneer Gary Numan as solo artist.

In 1979, Numan released Cars, his most commercial song to date, purely synthesized and drum machine driven, which explained the European concept of New wave and anticipated the future at the same time. His image of an android like persona, cold and mysterious, which perfectly fit the music and the themes around J.R. Ballard and dystopian Sci-Fi. With the decline of synth pop, Numan adapted new music influences like jazz and funk, and his music became more sophisticated. Beyond the 90s, it became loud, adapting industrial and goth styles.

With more than 40 years in the music business, Numan has released more than 20 albums and more than 60 singles and 10 mill records in total. Replicas as well as the debut album The Pleasure Principle and Telekon all reached No1 in the UK. With all the upcoming releases, his popularity started to decline and after his fifth studio album, he left Beggars Banquet and launched his label Numa Records, on which his sixth album Berserker was released. This label continued to release his music as well as from other artist as well with little success.

Along OMD and the Human League, he is considered as the Pioneer of electronic music in the 80s, and his influence goes beyond the decade. At one point, his music was even seen as a love child between Kraftwerk and David Bowies Berlin trilogy albums. With the emergence of Nine Inch Nails and Marylyn Manson, his music was rediscovered and often cited as an influence. Below is a selection of favorite Gary Numan songs discovered throughout the years under different circumstances.

Are 'Friends' Electric?

Are 'Friends' Electric? was the first hit for Gary Numan and his band Tubeway Army which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for four weeks. Sales in particular benefited from the record company's use of a picture disc. It was the first time a band reached No 1 in the UK charts where all band members played electronic instruments and synthesizers. This was also a totally unheard of sound in mainstream chart music in 1979 where technology and alienation was perfectly portrayed with great synth walls and robotic and cold lyrics. The Sugarbabes covered this song and achieved a number one UK hit in 2002.

Cars

After Numan dropped the name Tubeway Army and continued with the same band members as solo artist, he released his debut Cars, his most commercial and biggest hit to date. The song was featured on Numan's debut album 'The Pleasure Principle' and both the song and the album were released in 1979. Similar to Are Friends Electric, this song was avant-garde, futuristic and different from everything else what one could hear in the charts. It was an electronic odyssey with the rhythm section, bass guitar, gloomy and apocalyptic synths and a shot of tambourine. The song was covered twenty years later, emphasizing more the guitar sound on it.

We Are Glass

Released as a third single, We Are Glass reached the No 5 in the UK charts and it was also his first official release in the 80s. It was in the fashion of Numan's second album 'Telekon' although it was not originally included on it, only on the album reissue. The sound was enriched with more guitars and even piano and viola and the great effect of hand clapping, which was also visualized in the music video. Futuristic as the previous with the Numanoid factor, it was the closest he ever got to Cars with the success factor.

Music for Chameleons

Numan joined the Air Training Corps as a teenager, when he wanted to be either a pilot or a pop star. The sudden popularity in the music only delayed his first dream however delayed until late 1981 when he took a trip around the world in his airplane. Music for Chameleons was composed during the trip, and it was the first song that was taken from his third album 'I, Assassin' released in 1982. The song failed to cope with the popularity of the above-mentioned singles, but is still one of the favorite Numan tunes.

We Take Mystery To Bed

We are still on the 'I, Assassin' and We Take Mystery To Bed was the second single and the follow-up to the above which even charted better. On this track, fretless bass and drums play well with the dance groove and the general atmosphere is still dark and reminds of Gary's early work, still less synthetic. According to his biography, the song was written about Gary's girlfriend Deb whose letters are also visible in the video. This single was the last top 10 hit for Gary Numan.

Berserker

With the release of his fifth studio album 'Warriors', Gary Numan left Beggars Banquet and for his sixth album he decided to launch his own record label Numa Records, on which 'Berserker' was the first long player and also the first single. Numan had full control over the production process and on this album he geared up the synths growing more in the dance genre, with less gloomy bass and more female backing vocals, still keeping the guitars. Despite the solid production, neither the album nor the single managed to make an impact on the charts and Numan further wandered off from the mainstream.

My Name is Ruin

Taken from Gary Numan's 21st studio album, My Name is Ruin was the lead single released in 2017. The song is about a man living in a post-apocalyptic world, whose daughter gets taken away from him, and his whole life from then on becomes the need to get her back. In fact, Numan's 11-year-old daughter Persia contributes vocals to the track. The album was produced by his long time collaborator Ade Fenton.  The video was recorded in the desolate deserts of southern California.

Below is the link to YouTube playlist with almost all Gary Numan Releases from 1978-2021.

Best of 2021 - Albums / EPs

Year two of Covid ups and downs and a quiet year for us here. Following the songs list here comes the favorite albums and EP list for the first time together. If not for more, than certainly a great Duran Duran return and anniversary celebrating 40 years in the music business.

Best of 2021 - Singles / Tracks

Time to roll back and motor through some of the great single releases from 2021. Musical highlights are certainly the albums by London Grammar, Wolf Alice, Big red Machine and the Duran Duran come back. More about this in the album selection.

01. Wolf Alice - The Last Man On Earth
02. Geoffrey O' Connor ft Laura Jean - Foolish Enough
03. Yves Tumor - Jackie
04. Duran Duran - Anniversary
05. London Grammar - Lose Your Head
06. Big Red Machine ft Fleet Foxes and Anais Mitchell - Phoenix
07. Fleet Foxes - Featherweitght
08. The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
09. Wolf Alice - Delicious Things
10. The Antlers - Solstice
11. Agnes - 24 Hours
12. Sharon van Etten & Angel Olsen - Like I Used To
13. The War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore
14. Cold Cave - Night Light
15. Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over The Country Club
16. Manchester Orcherstra -  Bed Head
17. Juno Francis - Symmetry
18. Manic Street Preachers - The Secret He Had Missed ft Julia Cumming
19. Weather Station - Parking Lot
20. Shygirl - Cleo

Best of 1991 - The Singles

The early 1990s, particularly 1991, marked the peak of Grunge music's popularity, epitomized by Nirvana's groundbreaking release of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and their second album, Nevermind. This success paved the way for other influential grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and even the early works of Radiohead.

Simultaneously, in 1991, Metallica and Guns N'Roses achieved their greatest commercial triumphs with their respective albums. Metallica's self-titled "black album" sold over 30 million copies worldwide, while Guns N'Roses' Use Your Illusion I & II collectively sold over 15 million copies.

However, amidst the musical milestones, tragedy struck on November 24 when Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury passed away at his home in London due to complications from AIDS. Queen's iconic song "Bohemian Rhapsody," released as a double A-side with "These Are the Days of Our Lives," reached number one on the UK charts for the second time, further solidifying Mercury's legacy.

01. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

02. REM - Losing My Religion

03. Guns 'n' Roses - November Rain

04. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

05. Queen - The Show Must Go On

06. Pearl Jam - Alive

07. Metallica - Enter Sandman

08. Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman

09. The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored

10. Simply Red - Stars

11. Guns'n' Roses - Don't Cry

12. Metallica - The Unforgiven

13. My Bloody Valentine - When You Sleep

14. U2 - The Fly

15. Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over Till It's Over

16. Erasure - Love to Hate You

17. Prince and the New Power Generation - Cream

18. Prince the New Power Generation - Get Off

19. The KLF - 3 AM Eternal

20. Enya - Caribbean Blue 

Top 100 Songs of the 80's

The 80s, with its broad appeal and sing-along melodies, played a pivotal role in popularizing Pop music like no other decade before. It brought a new glamour, charm, and diverse music forms, shaped by influences from Glam rock, Punk, Disco, Kraftwerk, David Bowie, and Blondie. The convergence of these influences resulted in one of the most significant explosions in music history—the New Wave supernova.

New Wave, functioning as an overarching term, was remarkable for its diversity, encompassing a festival of music genres. The technological advancements of the era, coupled with the launch of MTV, transformed the music landscape, elevating the visual image's importance alongside the music itself. This visual emphasis led to iconic figures like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, and George Michael, who not only dominated the charts but also profoundly influenced popular music and culture.

Simultaneously, in and out of the mainstream, the charts were shaped by the likes of Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, The Cure, and The Smiths—chart favorites that continued their influence into subsequent decades. This rich musical tapestry culminated in the Top 100 80s songs chart, where a multitude of factors were considered to showcase the era's musical brilliance.

• Official releases only
• Maximum two song per artist

01. New Order - Blue Monday

02. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

03. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill

04. The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

05. Bronski Beat - Small Town Boy

06. The Cure - Just Like Heaven

07. a-ha - Take On Me

08. Visage - Fade To Grey

09. Echo & Bunnymen - The Killing Moon

10. Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

11. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

12. Kraftwerk - The Model (1981)

13. Madonna - Like A Prayer

14. The Human League - Don't You Want Me

15. New Order - True Faith

16. Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

17. OMD - Enola Gay

18. Talk Talk - It's My Life

19. Alphaville - Big in Japan

20. Eurythmics - Love Is A Stranger

21. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?

22. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down

23. Ultravox - Vienna

24. Soft Cell - Tainted Love

25. The Clash - Rock The Casbah

26. David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes

27. The House Of Love - Shine On

28. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Spellbound

29. INXS - Never Tear Us Apart

30. The Stranglers - Golden Brown

31. The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary

32. Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

33. The Cure - Charlotte Sometimes

34. Gary Numan - Cars

35. Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)

36. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World

37. Dear Or Alive - You Spin Me Around (Like A Record)

38. Prince - Sign O' The Times

39. Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face

40. Blondie - Atomic

41. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time

42. Roxy Music - Avalon

43. Desireless - Voyage Voyage

44. Duran Duran - Planet Earth

45. Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short

46. Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy

47. Yazoo - Don't Go

48. Enya - Orinoco Flow

49. The KLF - 3AM Eternal

50. Kim Wilde - You Keep Me Hanging On

51. Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin

52. The Stranglers - Always The Sun

53. INXS - Need You Tonight

54. The Jesus and Mary Chain - April Skies

55. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat

56. MARRS - Pump Up The Volume

57. Japan - Quiet Life

58. Tracy Chapman - Fast Car

59. Tanita Tikaram - Twist In My Sobriety

60. U2 - New Year's Day

61. Sade - Smooth Operator

62. Tears For Fears - Mad World

63. The Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion

64. Morrissey - Every Day Is Like Sunday

65. Killing Joke - Love Like Blood

66. a-ha - The Sun Always Shine On TV

67. Black - Everything Is Coming Up Roses

68. The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums

69. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

70. Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm

71. Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning

72. Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over

73. Bryan Ferry - Don't Stop The Dance

74. Talk Talk - Live's What You Make It

75. Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance

76. Phil Oakey & Giorgio Moroder - Together In Electric Dreams

77. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

78. Spandau Ballet - True

79. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Happy House

80. Heaven 17 - Temptation

81. Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven

82. Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot

83. Wham! - Everything She Wants

84. R.E.M - Pop Song '89

85. Bauhaus - She's In Parties

86. Bananarama - Cruel Summer

87. Laura Branigan - Self Control

88. Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way

89. Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel - Don't Give Up

90. Erasure - Little Respect

91. Inner City - Good Life

92. S'express- Theme Form S'express

93. Sinead O'Connor - Troy

94. The Church - Under The Milkyeway

95. Robert Palmer - Johnny and Mary

96. The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang

97. Laurie Anderson - O Superman

98. Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach

99. Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now

100. Electronic - Getting Away With It