Love and Rockets “Motorcycle” 1989. 12″ single, Beggars Banquet records. “Motorcycle” was the lead single from their 1989 s/t record (their fourth studio LP) Love and Rockets. I’m not sure if it charted or not; if it did, it wasn’t nearly as successful as the second single “So Alive” which hit #3 on the US charts. I loved that record (though I liked their earlier material a bit more) and had the cd around the time it was released in ’89. Now the singe/record/band is lumped in with “alternative rock” but that term either didn’t exist in ’89 or was not on my radar. We just called it “cool” and danced in the alternative/punk/industrial clubs to this song and other L&R tracks. Also on the 12″ is “I Feel Speed” which is essentially a slowed-down version of “Motorcycle;” the band does this fairly frequently to their songs (see “Mirror People” from Earth, Sun, Moon and “All in My Mind” from Express). Side Two has two industrial dance-styled instrumentals: “Bike” and “Bikedance.” Both are hypnotically pounding and a bit experimental (which I suppose is why another genre they are thrown into is neo-psychedelia).

New Order “Brotherhood” 1986. Factory Records/Qwest Records promo copy. New Order’s fourth LP released almost exactly 40 years ago. Synth-forward post-punk, the album went to #9 on the official UK album chart (#1 on the indie chart) and to #117 in the US. New Order released just one single from the record, “Bizarre Love Triangle” – it hit #4 on the US Dance/Disco charts and #5 in Australia; it only went to #56 in the UK.  A new mix of “Bizarre Love Triangle was included on the 1994  The Best of New Order and that went to #98 on the US Hot 100. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the song was ranked #204 on its “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, considered by many as an example of a synthpop masterpiece. While “Bizarre Love Triangle” was the only official single from Brotherhood, the single “State of the Nation” (US Dance chart #4, UK #30) was included on the CD release as a bonus track; it is not on the vinyl release. A 2024 extra super-duper re-release (has all the tracks plus a ton more) also has the single-only/Pretty in Pink soundtrack “Shellshock” (released in early ’87). Besides “Bizarre Love Triangle,” which is excellent, my top picks include most of Side B (the synthpop side): “All Day Long” and “Angel Dust” transports me square to the dance floor in an alternative club in the late 80’s. Side 1 is great, too, though slightly less techno/pop: “Paradise” and “Weirdo” are definitely danceable but both feel more angular and experimental. The bass on “Broken Promise” is amazing – another great dance track. 

The Ghost Wolves “In Ya Neck!” 2011. Pau Wau Records, mini-album on white vinyl. The Texas two-piece’s first release. Bluesy with more than a touch of punk and rockabilly attitude (their Bandcamp bio describes them as “The Cramps from the crypt met up with the Ramones and take all the cocaine Hasil Adkins left on the floor).” It’s been 10 years since we’ve The Ghost Wolves perform (and they’ve been busy: farming, having a couple of kids, running an animal rescue plus continuing to make records and play shows) but I remember them being a wild ride. For whatever reason I either didn’t take photos of that show up at Mile of Music or accidentally deleted them off my phone. Bummer. Anyway, this 6 song mini-album (not an EP and I don’t know what the difference is) is a great example, in bite-size, of their hard driving blues style. My top tracks are the rocker “Broke Joke,” the stripped down, buzzy lo-fi banger “Big Star” and the country-blues dancing encouraged “Snake and the Jake Shake.”