new wave Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Duran Duran “The Crystal Ship”

sfilzen — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:17:45 +0000

Duran Duran “The Crystal Ship” bootleg, 2025/1993. Parachute Recording Company. Double live album recorded for live FM Broadcast at Momentum Arena, Pretoria, South Africa on April 24th, 1993. It’s my birthday today and I usually have a stash of Duran vinyl I haven’t listened to or written about in my collection. This live LP is one of the more unusual ones that I picked up recently: the versions of the songs are radically different than almost any other live albums I’ve heard. “Planet Earth” has a whole string section and “Hungry Like the Wolf” has strings, too, plus an enthusiastic acoustic guitar and different backup vocals (which prompt Simon to most definitely go “off-script” for this classic track). “Ordinary World” is lush, elevated with that (fortunately less enthusiastic) acoustic guitar and Simon’s vocals are stellar (a note here that the photos on the LP covers are closer to 2023 than 1993 – Simon definitely did not look like that, nor was Dom playing guitar for them – 1993 was the Warren Cuccurullo era). Simon’s intro to “Come Undone” is hilarious – suggesting that instead of wearing one’s best, clean underwear just in case, he thinks it might be better to go without completely, then launches into a Cure-esque guitar intro (not Simon, that’s probably Warren); the song is slinky and suggestive. The intro to “The Chauffeur” is a total head-scratcher though: Simon talks about a guy in a car on hot day in July on Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles (while in South Africa? Ok?) before the song starts (it’s beautiful once it gets going though the spoken-word moment is a bit jarring). Of course I didn’t write the song but the dirty streets of LA are absolutely not what I envision for this song. The first LP ends with the bootleg’s namesake “The Crystal Ship” which is, of course, a Doors cover. “Girls on Film” is also really unusual – orchestral strings, lyrical embellishments like I’ve never heard, a bit of jazzy free form action: absolutely nothing like the original. “Notorious” is funky as always, but the instrumentation seemed off and a bit out of key (same with the backup vocals) and fortunately they didn’t mess with “Save a Prayer,” sticking pretty faithfully to the original (just a bit more finger-picking on the acoustic and a whisper of strings). On Side 4 there is one other cover: “Success” by Iggy Pop is really fun; but then “Wild Boys” is the most subdued version imaginable before they launch into the finale of “Rio” which is as glorious as it always is.

You can view the entire performance here:

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Thompson Twins “A Product of…Participation”

sfilzen — Wed, 27 May 2026 17:45:02 +0000

Thompson Twins “A Product of…Participation” 1981. T Records (the band’s own label). Thompson Twins’ debut LP is way more experimental pop/post punk in sound than their later, more popular new wave synthpop releases. Some ska and African/world beat influences (see especially the opener “When I See You” for ska and both “Slave Trade” and “Oumma Aularesso (Animal Laugh)” for the African sounds, the latter a rearrangement of a traditional Sierra Leone song). Some tracks could have been on contemporary Talking Heads or B-52 records like the weird and rhythmically driving “Make Believe” (it’s a great track). There’s even some dark jangle-pop on “The Price” that feels Cure and Smiths-esque. Thompson Twins released a couple of singles from A Product of… in the UK (there were other singles that were originally stand-alone releases but appear on later reissues of the LP): “Perfect Game,” the aforementioned “Oumma Aularesso (Animal Laugh)” and “Make Believe.” The track “Politics” (very Talking Heads sounding) was released as a single in Germany. With most of my knowledge of Thompson Twins originating with their later, new wave/synthpop work, it’s pretty wild to hear the band’s origins with a way more challenging and experimental sound.

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Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft “Für immer”

sfilzen — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:34:12 +0000

Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft “Für immer” 1982. The album cover reminds me of that trend “tell me you’re 80’s euro-synthpop without saying you’re 80’s euro-synthpop” ie it’s dripping in electronic beep-boops, sparse drums (machine + real thing), though there is a mix of bright 80’s neon energy and dark industrial goth. We picked up Für immer last week in Berlin, I think at the weird 33rpm store. It was D.A.F.’s (translates as “German-American Friendship”) fifth LP; they formed in Düsseldorf in ’78, no doubt influenced by Kraftwerk. Their specific genre is described as Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave) which feels a bit more industrial than most British or American new wave and artists in the NDW genre were big influences on the EBM movement. D.A.F. are also lumped in with the electropunk and art punk descriptions but this LP is, to me, synthpop/industrial; overall it’s not hypnotic enough to be EBM. Anyway, it’s great! The opener “Im Dschungel der Liebe” (“Jungle of Love”) is straight-up new wave/synthpop with delightful plink plunks to accent the bleep bloops. “Ein bisschen Krieg” (“A Little War”), the second track, does a sharp turn into industrial territory (this one does veer to EBM). One of my top tracks, “Verlieb dich in mich” (“Fall in Love with Me”) is 1000% Devo inspired, as is “Kebabträume” (“Kebab Dreams” – which is hilarious based on our continuous dreams of the Doner kebab we consumed in Berlin). “Prinzessin” (“Princess”) takes another dark turn, though this a bit more Cure-esque in its swirly late -night atmosphere.

I couldn’t find any live performances or videos from Für immer so here’s a contemporary video of “Liebe auf den ersten Blick” off their 1981 LP Gold und Liebe featuring most excellent 80’s style dancing.

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Arcadia “The Promise”

sfilzen — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:24:31 +0000

Arcadia “The Promise” 1986. Today is Simon LeBon’s birthday (b. 1958)! “The Promise” was the third single from the Duran side project Arcadia’s 1985 album So Red the Rose. It went to #37 in the UK – I don’t think it charted in the US (though I loved it, and the entire record which I bought pretty much on its release date, November 18th 1985). “The Promise” features guitar work from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and uncredited, but obvious, backing vocals by Sting. From wiki: “Sometime during the band’s stay in Paris to record So Red the Rose, they went to see a Sting concert there, and decided it would be interesting to have him come over and sing on the album, mainly because they liked the combination of Sting’s and lead singer Simon Le Bon’s voices on the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” single by Band Aid, and wanted to see what would result from putting them together again. Sting was very amicable about the whole idea, and it turned out to be one of the band’s favourite moments on the record.” The b-side to the single is the gothic instrumental “Rose Arcana.”

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Soft Cell “Non-Stop Extended Cabaret”

sfilzen — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:30:21 +0000

Soft Cell “Non-Stop Extended Cabaret” 2024, limited edition Record Store Day release which I’m spinning today in honor of David Ball who died on Wednesday (b. 1959 d. October 22 2025). Non-Stop Extended Cabaret is a modern look back at their classic debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981) which went to #22 in the US and to #5 in the UK. The lead single from the LP, “Tainted Love” (originally performed by Gloria Jones, 1964) went to #1 in the UK and to #8 in the US. I feel somewhat responsible for part of its success: as a 10 year old me and my friend pestered the local radio dj’s on the request line relentlessly to spin the track. The version on this RSD release is a 2021 10″ extended version by Dave Ball. From the RSD website about the record: “This release was created by Dave Ball using only the original studio parts – they’re not remixes, they’re extended versions! Also included are a new reworking of their first single for Phonogram, “A Man Can Get Lost,” and the new, previously unreleased remixes of its flipside, “Memorabilia,” by The Hacker and Daniel Miller.” Soft Cell released two other singles from their debut which get an extended mix as well: “Bedsitter” which went to #4 in the UK (from Wiki: it is “a song that explored the underbelly of the London club scene of the time, it has been described by critic Jon Savage as one of the greatest songs of the 1980s”) and “Say Hello Wave Goodbye” (#3 in the UK and ranked no. 65 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 100 Best Songs of 1982). I also like the dark wave vibe of “Youth (Dave Ball’s 2018 ‘Wasted On The Young’ Mix)” and dark, super-seedy “Sex Dwarf (2023 Extended Version).”

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The Quilz “Are You Still Out Tonight?”

sfilzen — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:29:31 +0000

The Quilz “Are You Still Out Tonight?” split 7″ with Xposed 4Heads “Ultra Cloud” 2020. Milwaukee synthpop /new wave retro 80’s mash up: each band performs their original track along with a remix/redo of the other’s song. We caught The Quilz last weekend at our neighborhood park’s annual Pumpkin Pavilion, where they performed an electric selection of spooky – but danceable! – Halloween-adjacent songs.

The Quilz’s “Are You Still Out Tonight?” is electro-dream pop, shimmery bright with a few dark-edged touches and nods to the early 80’s Euro-synthpop sound. The Xposed 4Heads version of the track has a driving beat and bass background, making it way less dreamy and much more urgent, but keeps the synthpop vibe. Xposed 4Heads are heavily influenced by Devo so their “Ultra Cloud” absolutely has that keyboard/guitar 80’s dancey space geek mood. The Quliz’s remix sounds pretty similar to the original, with maybe a bit more emphasis on the bleep-bloop synths plus an intro that maybe had some Duran nods (always a good thing). Both bands are fun to see live – I don’t remember if they’ve done a joint show but it would be a good one.

While neither of these songs is on this video, here’s a bit of The Quilz performance from last week filmed by man-about-Milwaukee Juan:

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Duran Duran “Meet El Presidente”

sfilzen — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:52:21 +0000

Duran Duran “Meet El Presidente” 1987. Last week I fulfilled yet another big life wish, spinning a 3 hour set of Duran Duran (plus side projects) vinyl records at Wiggle Room. I had intended to spin this song but it didn’t make the cut as I started to run out of time. “Meet El Presidente” was the third, and final, single from the Nile Rodgers produced Notorious; it hit #24 in the UK but just went to #70 in the US. If I’m being honest, I don’t really even remember it from ’87 (though my daily listens had skewed heavily punk by that point). The single version is a different mix than the album’s with a more pronounced Latin groove (think Miami Sound Machine). And because I don’t remember hearing the single back in the day, the LP version is a bit more familiar. Both are smooth, funky and highly danceable. The b-side, “Vertigo (Do the Demolition),” has a more slow-burn funk with a big 80’s production sound that, apropos its title, has a bit of an industrial flare.

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Talking Heads “Wild Wild Life”

sfilzen — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 17:03:53 +0000

Talking Heads “Wild Wild Life” 1986. 12″ single. The boppy, upbeat new wavey track was the lead single from True Stories and hit no. 25 in the US. Its video won the 1987 MTV Best Group Video award as well as “Best Video from a Film” (that video is extended sequence lifted directly from the True Stories movie): it features cameos from actor John Goodman and comedian Sam Kinison and the Talking Head band members parody a bunch of 80’s celebrities (Prince, Billy Idol, Madonna, etc) lip syncing. So fun! It’s not my all-time favorite Heads song, but it is pretty great. The 12″ single has both the Extended Mix as well as the LP mix, plus a version of the country-twanged “People Like Us” from the True Stories movie; there is a different version on the album. I’m not crazy about that song. And since I don’t even remember if I ever saw True Stories back in the 80’s (I probably did at some basement party but wasn’t paying attention), I can’t recall its place in the film.

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Duran Duran “Thanks Again”

sfilzen — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:55:41 +0000

Duran Duran “Thanks Again” 2025, bootleg double LP. Today, June 20th, is John Taylor’s 65th birthday (b. 1960). Thanks Again is a collection of alternative takes/live versions of cover songs that originally appeared on their 1995 LP Thank You. I’m sure a bunch of this stuff has been available on other releases or bootlegs; a possibly different version of Thanks Again was released on CD in 2023 that collected recording sessions from 1992-1995 (I don’t have that CD so cannot confirm). I do have a CD of Thank You and I think that some of the alternative versions on Thanks Again are even better than what appears on that album. “White Lines (Version 2)” has the same ass-shakey-funky beat with a different vocal sound from Simon that I quite like. Their take on Zeppelin’s “Thank You” is pretty epic. The acoustic version of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” is lovely. Some aren’t as good: Both the regular and acoustic covers of The Doors’ “Crystal Ship” are pretty muddy and “Success” (written by Bowie, originally performed by Iggy Pop) is messy. I’m totally weirded out by their cover of Public Enemy’s “911 is a Joke” – it’s a cover viewed through the lens of The Rolling Stones in their Sticky Fingers era, complete with harmonica and twangy blues guitar. There are some Duran originals on Thanks Again, though alternative takes from the originals: two versions of “Electric Barbarella” – acoustic and “plastic kiss acoustic mix.” This album is also the only place I have “Dreamboy” which was written by Simon LeBon that is on the 1998 soundtrack for Love Kills starring Mario Van Peebles and Lesley Ann Warren (I haven’t seen that movie), as well as “Plastic Girl,” an unreleased song recorded during demo sessions for the album Medazzaland between 1995and 1997. I’m happy to have this in my rather impressive Duran collection but it’s really only for nerds like me with the uneven sound quality and questionable release background.

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Duran Duran “The Wedding Album”

sfilzen — Thu, 22 May 2025 18:19:50 +0000

Duran Duran “The Wedding Album” 1993. Today, May 22nd, is my and Joe’s anniversary – 26 years! And it’s World Goth Day..while Duran’s seventh studio LP (actually named Duran Duran but everyone knows it as The Wedding Album) is not at all gothy, the record is still perfect today. This is a reissue on gold vinyl – I think the vinyl release was pretty limited back in ’93. It went to #4 in the UK and to #7 in the US. I really wasn’t listening to much D2 in ’93 and certainly not any new material so I’m mostly familiar with this record in retrospect. But it does have what is now one of my favorite all-time Duran songs, “Ordinary World.” Live, it’s magic and I think they’ve performed it at every concert I’ve been to. It was the first single released from the LP and hit the top 10 virtually everywhere in the world. It’s a near perfect song: sad and sophisticated, glorious and anthemic. The second single released, “Come Undone,” is sexy as hell; it also was a hit going to #7 in the US and #13 in the UK. I’m actually not too familiar with a couple of the other singles they released from The Wedding Album: the rocker “Too Much Information” (#35 UK, #45 US), “Drowning Man” (only released as a single in the US) and “None of the Above” (Japan-only). However, the cover of Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale” I clearly am familiar with – it was only released as a single in France. That track, and its video, do happen to be quite gothy.

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