ZombieKitten said:

Oh yeah. You were forced to listen to the song as it recorded, which is so much more involving than drag & drop.

When I made this compilation, I had a playlist in Winamp of my 20 shortlisted songs. I was tweaking the order and making replacements right up to the uploading.

It was difficult to prune the first song from the playlist, but after the first cull, it became easier.

If it was a CD-R length 80 minute limit (instead of a ten song limit), the mix would have opened with 'Land Of Confusion' by Genesis.

ZombieKitten said:

The guys did "chess" though. I love "one night in bangkok". "I knew him so well" is now a standard aswell.

I'll listen to your mix very soon.

thesexofit said:

mines very pre80s though

GirlBrother said:

I love that song

I made mine chronological order to escape the agonising

ZombieKitten said:

Really? I like a few things pre 80's LOL. Not much mind

I love "Land of confusion" aswell bytheway. People tend to think Phil Collins is pro-conservative politically, but listening to "land of confusion" (which he wrote with the band), I would assume not.

Eighth Day - Hilarious interpretation of creation WTF?


Russians - From creation to the "threat" of its extinction, as far as the "American" perspective. Interesting flip of the coin you've got going on here.


The Visitors - Galactic feel to this. I really like the progression you've painted thus far.


People Are Still Having Sex - This song brings back so many memories What I love about this in context of this mix is that it begs the question what else are you going to do at the end of the world? I have imagined this scenario and just banging everything I could before the apocalypse claimed my body Love all the sampling in this song And wow to think of the AIDS epidemic hitting during the cold war. A physical manifestation of total annihalation

oh yeah, that song is long!


Ask - I, still to this day, have no idea the appeal of the Smiths. I love one song, that's it. Let me ask, was this a comical rhetorical reply to that last song since Morrissey is supposed to be this enigmatic elevated spiritual representation of some kind of sexual purity? quite frankly, I just think he's a mess Again, this really hits on the fact that sex would bring the world together at the end


It's The End of The World - How sad that I had no idea this was R.E.M Well I have always loved this song. Love the contrast of the message with the (I don't remember what my train of thought was here…..) There has to be some contrast that I loved. I have to go back and listen to see if I can remember


99 Red Balloons - I had no idea this was an end of the world kind of song! Just goes to show how oblivious little children can be to catchy pop music. Memory Lane! I don't know, it's so hectic and I can't pick up that end of world message


Two Tribes Confrontation. Only 1 winner


Dancing with Tears in My Eyes - Another way of viewing the end, through dance. Fascinating thought.


It's Alright Wonderful ending Hope and optimism


I thought this was an excellent mix. This kind of "thematic" approach can be distracting to the non-obsessed music lover who might not be able to follow, appreciate or accept a varied musical experience with a single theme. Musically everything really worked well together. The most interesting thing about this is how consumed as a planet we were with the cold war. Even those who weren't the direct fighters. I mean you even have Abba weighing in and they are from one of the most peaceful places on the planet

I totally relate to the whole doomsday mindset. I was raised born again Christian so add the rapture to that and imagine how scared shitless I felt! Terrorism and Al Qaeda is horrifying but truly, we really did face our death day in and day out for decades. One day, the boogeyman just went broke and you wondered how it all happened without the nukes going off.

Interesting, the mix that played right after yours was titled "Sex First Mix"

ZombieKitten said:

Oh. I wish I'd added it now. It was really hard to decide on a running order. This was my original 80 minute playlist.

Genesis - Land Of Confusion ("The Man" will kill us all)
Hazel O'Connor - Eighth Day (Technology will kill us all)
Sting - Russians (The Russians and Reagan will kill us all)
ABBA - The Visitors (Our own Governments will kill us all)
Blondie - Atomic (It just sounded sinister to my eight-year old ears. Anything "atomic" will kill us all. lol)
La Tour - People Are Still Having Sex (Sex will kill us all)
Queen - Hammer To Fall (Nuclear War will kill us all)
Prince - Ronnie Talk To Russia (The Russians will kill us all)
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World... (Apathy will kill us all)
Culture Club - The War Song (War will kill us all. Because it's "stupid")
The Smiths - Ask (The bomb. The bomb. The bomb. The bomb will kill us all)
Nena - 99 Red Balloons (Balloons will kill us all)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes (The Russians and Reagan will kill us all)
The Clash - London Calling (Nuclear Holocaust will kill us all)
Ultravox - Dancing With Tears In My Eyes (Nuclear Holocaust will kill us all)
Mike & The Mechanics - Silent Running (Nuclear Holocaust will kill us all)
Europe - The Final Countdown (If you don't want to be killed, get on that spaceship to Venus!)
Pet Shop Boys - It's Alright (It's gonna be alright. Probably)

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Honestly, if you can rent the movie, do so. It's ace.

From what I recall of the plot, the record company forces her to abandon her punk roots and go in a new-wave direction that she isn't comfortable with. So, she becomes a heroin addict - because she's pissed off. Just after the performance of this song in the movie, she gets on a subway home and has a nervous breakdown.

Anyway, from what I remember, she's supposed to be a little "wired" during the performance of that song.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

It wasn't so much a transition from creation to extinction. It was more to do with the juxtaposition of a ridiculously camp pseudo-hymn to a straight-faced diatribe.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Well, I wanted the four main terrors of the 1980s as the first four songs, like the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse. So, the first song is technology destroying nature; then it's nuclear war via Russia; then it's Governments terrorising their own people; finally AIDS.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Yep - the ultimate irony. If hate doesn't kill you, love will.

I did consider including Eurythmic's 'Sex Crime (1984)' but it's lyrically very weak and I hate the actual song.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Yes.

The sequencing here was an obvious joke! Morrissey claimed to be celibate for most of the 1980s. I just thought it was sort of hilarious having such an overtly sexual lyric next to Morrissey's ditty about still not having sex.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I always associate their early stuff with They Might Be Giants. A lot of U.S. Indie bands sounded the same at the time.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I'm getting the impression that most people are more familiar with the German-language version.

Here's the English lyrics:

You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got.
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone.
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, Something's out there.
Floating in the summer sky.
99 red balloons go by.

99 red balloons.
floating in the summer sky.
Panic bells, it's red alert.
There's something here from somewhere else.
The war machine springs to life.
Opens up one eager eye.
Focusing it on the sky.
Where 99 red balloons go by.

99 Decision Street.
99 ministers meet.
To worry, worry, super-scurry.
Call the troops out in a hurry.
This is what we've waited for.
This is it boys, this is war.
The president is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by.

99 knights of the air
Ride super-high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a superhero.
Everyone's a Captain Kirk.
With orders to identify.
To clarify and classify.
Scramble in the summer sky.
As 99 red balloons go by.

99 dreams I have had.
In every one a red balloon.
It's all over and I'm standing pretty.
In this dust that was a city.
If I could find a souvenir.
Just to prove the world was here.
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Yeah - Trevor Horn!!! The cunt.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I actually think this is one of the weirdest songs. It sounds like any other 1980s synth-pop love song about breaking-up, on first listen. You know... It could easily have been written as a straight-up love song without all the nuclear holocaust subtext. There's something wonderfully perverse about the lyrics.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I've always loved this song and when I came to create this mix, I knew it had to close the set.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I know!!!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Could you imagine Rihanna or Miley Cyrus singing about Bin Laden? It would just sound... wrong.

There have been "message songs" in recent years, but they're less doom-laden; aimed more at the Bush administration than a specific foreign threat; and nowhere near as popular as these songs were!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Richard! It's random, you loon!

.
[Edited 2/23/10 2:56am]

thesexofit said:

Are you doing a mix too? I'd love to hear it.

GirlBrother said:

Yeah Iam on the list LOL. Havn't a clue what to put on it, or what to theme it (a "guilty pleasures" theme would be too hard as thats 95% of my collection LOL), but even if I dont theme it, I still havn't a clue what to put on it.

Ur mix is great.

Some thoughts...

Eighth Day - OMG! It's been over 25 years, but I know this song and I LOVED it as a kid!! I saw Breaking Glass among countless other Euro indies on cable waaaay back in the early '80s, and I recall this song from the movie's climax. Hazel belted this one out all dressed in some silver getup straight out of Tron, right? It's funny: The biblespeak ("Forever and ever... Amen!") is what reeled me in as a kid. (Some things never change. ) But I could never discern the lyrics enough to know it was a sort of tongue-in-cheek redux of the Creation story. Now that I recognize it, I love the song even more. Last year, I began a theological aesthetics paper on the perpetual Creation theme in our own art, music, literature, etc. -- and, importantly, on our anxieties as creators over an anticipated Fall -- but I aborted the project. It's been a fascination of mine for years. This unexpected -- and strangely prescient -- blast from the past is sort of inspiring me to look into it again.

Visitors - Never heard it before, but I really like it. You say the tonal range gives you an Eastern vibe. That's interesting. I get something almost Celtic, but there's definitely something quirky, enjoyable and "other" going on there. And, yes, I also enjoy ABBA's take at this synthy New Wave sound. Pity we didn't get more.

People Are Still Having Sex - I've had this single in my collection since it came out in the early '90s. (Not ALL of '90s club music was trash! ) My favorite mixes really play up that synth bed, and I sometimes wonder if Prince didn't unconsciously rip it off for the opening bars of "Digital Garden."

99 Luft er... Red Balloons - I always knew the song invoked nuclear war, but I've always been too lazy to much listen closely enough to the lyrics to figure out why. It's so damned obvious now that you've pointed it out. Anyway, it's a fave from back in the day. The rhythm guitar and thumpy bass in the funk breakdown are an awesome juxtaposition to the otherwise New Wave drive of the song. I've always thought that when you can get both wannabe punks and breakdancers going with your song, you've done something right!

Two Tribes - Trevor Horn's also been on my sh*t list since I heard the Wendy & Lisa story, but there's no denying he could come up with an arresting sound. I never paid much attention to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, but I can understand the appeal in retrospect. Interesting that a song like this would be so popular in the U.K. I always wondered how countries other than the United States and Russia felt about the two rocketing us all toward Armageddon.

It's Alright - The Pet Shop boys are so... um... "mercurial" for me. I didn't think this one of their stronger songs, but I actually do appreciate it in this context... and as I listen repeatedly, it quickly grows on me... and I love how long this mix is. It makes for a perfect ending to your mix. I may actually end up downloading it. In some ways, I guess you're correct: The more mindless club songs of the late '80s/'90s (not that this was one -- it's lyrics actually are pretty thoughtful) were a sort of reprieve from the dread of the last decade of the Cold War. In that way, I suppose they -- at least the better of them -- deserve more respect.

...I often try to pick a favorite or two from the mixes, but I honestly don't think this mix had a soft spot -- and the songs are all so different -- so it's tough to choose. Hearing "Eighth Day" again has really made my evening, but I liked pretty much everything.

Great mix.
[Edited 2/23/10 15:52pm]

Lammastide said:

I honestly can't think of another lyrically similar song. It's definitely out there, on its own.

Lammastide said:

They definitely saved their best for last...

Lammastide said:

See? This is why you can't trust your own memory. I could have sworn this was released in the 1980s; but I've checked and it was released at the tail-end of the Cold War, 1991.

http://www.discogs.com/La...ter/133596

I'm positive there was a dance song which explicitly referenced AIDS in the 1980s, well before Prince's 'Sign O' The Times' - I just don't know what it was now!!!

If I'd realised that I'd broke my own rules and slipped into 1991, I might have included Julian Lennon's ecological disaster song, 'Saltwater', from the same year.

Lammastide said:

Don't make me take that Rainbow Children CD out of its digipak!

Lammastide said:

This appears to be quite a common reaction!

Lammastide said:

I've honestly only just realised how white-bread this mix is.

Lammastide said:

Yeah, that's what I was trying to verbalise in my prologue... You know, about the internet making today's kids emotionally smarter when it comes to foreign cultures (if not academically smarter).

Lammastide said:

A good mix is like moving furniture around. A tatty old chair in a dark dreary room can suddenly look daringly outré when juxtaposed next to a modern coffee table.

Lammastide said:

No matter what tracklist I decided upon, this song was always going to close the mix. It's a perfect representation of dancing replacing... um... angsting as the Cold War diminished.

Lammastide said:

Thanks! It means a lot that people have listened and had a reaction.

I'm totally Amazed at 99 Red Balloons The balloons are metaphors for bombs. I have memories of New Wave Breakdancing to and that song was such a big hit over here. I bet if I asked a thousand peers, nobody would know this was about the apocalypse

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I thought war machines opening eager eyes was suspect

Very interesting mix... I had never though of the songs by The Smiths and Ultravox in that way, but I guess wasn't paying enough attention to the lyrics.

I actually attempted to make a playlist that would follow up this theme - a sort of "end of Cold War-people coming together"-theme, but I could only come up with about 5 songs, so if I ever get the chance to do my own mixtape for the Org, I'll have to pick some other theme I guess.

purplehippieonthe1 said:

It's like the terror has been hidden somewhat, like artificial sweeteners in salad dressing.

purplehippieonthe1 said:

I can only think of two, off the top of my head... 'Winds Of Change' by The Scorpions and 'Holiday' by Madonna - but 'Holiday' was released at the height of the cold war, so I don't really know.

GirlBrother said:

"Winds of Change" was on the list, also "Keeping The Dream Alive" by Freiheit - I always connected that song with Germans hoping for the eventual fall of the Berlin Wall.
I also thought of a local hit from 1987 that could have started the mixtape, "Moscow Moscow" by Strax, which was written about the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Iceland in '86, that some consider part of what lead to the fall of the Soviet Union. I think the chorus was something like: "Moscow Moscow, Washington is offering to sign - Moscow Moscow, hurry up, it's almost news at 9"
Now I can't remember what 2 other songs I had in mind, but anyway I couldn't find enough songs to do an 8-track.
[Edited 2/23/10 16:03pm]

purplehippieonthe1 said:

Ah!

Now, I could definitely build a mix CD around 'Keeping The Dream Alive'...

The theme would be "songs that sound like Christmas songs, but actually aren't at all".

You could call it "Slight Christmas".

GirlBrother said:

That reminds me that there has a been a trend in Iceland for a while to remake such songs (usually Italian songs), like for example "Gente di mare", with Christmas-y lyrics in Icelandic - and Icelandic comedy group Baggalutur has made fun of this trend, making every Christmas new cover versions with Christmas-y lyrics to very different songs like "Thunderstruck", "Run To The Hills", "Islands in the Stream" and of course "Keeping The Dream Alive".
[Edited 2/23/10 16:38pm]

Eighth Day: I really need to see Breaking Glass! Hazel's voice was reminiscent of Lene Lovich & Nina Hagen at times. I love it! This verse really stood out to me because I think it applies now. So many people fear 2012, the end of the current Mayan world. The world of materialism. Man is so greedy. Man destroys to gain. When will it end? When there is nothing?
Behold what man has done
There's not a world for anyone
Nobody laughed, nobody cried
World's at an end, everyone has died
Forever amen (amen), amen (amen), amen (amen)

Russians: I was about 7 when this came out & really didn't know what was going on outside of my home & school. It wasn't until a year or so later when "Head of the Class" had an episode about Russia did I have an inkling. The lyrics are so point blank & name names. I think it was ballsy during that time to do so.

The Visitors: I could not believe this was ABBA! Love they synth sounds! If only they continued with it. A long way from Dancing Queen! I tried imagining myself in those lyrics. Scary. It made me think of WWII when they would come searching the homes.

People Are Still Having Sex: I definitely remember this one. Great dance beats. I remember being a pre-teen & the schools were educating about the dangers of sex besides unplanned pregnancy...AIDS. Sex can kill you! I was terrified of sex at that point.

Ask: Ok, I guess I'm the outcast here since I do love The Smiths. This is one of my all-time fave songs. Take a chance & ask before all chances are gone.

It's the End of the World as We Know it: I clearly remember this song & everyone trying to get the lyrics right. It's really a trip how it just sounds fun but the lyrics seem to be a brief list of so many problems in the world.

99 Red Balloons: One of my childhood favorites, although it was the German version that received more air play. It wasn't until my teens that I learned that the balloons represented bombs. Totally different meaning then. My fave lyric: Everyone's a Captain Kirk lol

Two Tribes: I'd never heard this song. Definitely NOT "Relax." To some people, war is a game & all they care about is "scoring that point." The media only shows & tells what THEY want us to see & know. We really don't think too much about the opposing side.

Dancing With Tears in My Eyes: I love this song! If this is the end, it's ok because I'm with my love. I'm one of those who enjoys the melodramatic love stories. Perhaps a reason why I love Morrissey & The Smiths - to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die...

It's Alright: This was such an uplifting song. No matter what happens, I hope we can make it through. To me, I think it applies even now with the disaster in Haiti, harsh winters & the people without heat, even the attack on an IRS building in Austin & the affected employees & families.

Such a great mix. It shed light on how these songs reflected what was going on in the world at that time. Many times we hear these & don't even think about it because some of them sound like good times instead of that of a political nature.

I'm starting to listen to this now. It's awesome! My only complaint is that my mix will have a very similar theme.

'Eighth Day' by Hazel O'Connor.

I hadn't heard this before (or even of Hazel O'Connor), but wow! What a great opener, and just up my alley!



A lot of my very favorite music is derived from dystopian nightmares, as will be evident in a few weeks.

Russians by Sting

I hadn't heard this one before, either! It's a lot more interesting than a lot of his stuff.

The Visitors (Crackin' Up) by ABBA

This is the revelation to me. I always thought ABBA were just lightweight fun. I don't own any of their music, but hearing this icy synth tension has changed my mind.



Indeed!

People Are Still Having Sex by La Tour

I love how they interlace this song with that iconic horror riff.

Ask by The Smiths

This has long been a favorite of mine, but I guess I misheard the lyrics! I always thought it was "If it's not love, then it's the bond that will bring us together." This song just got a whole lot more gray!

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M.

One of the only R.E.M. songs that I can stomach.

99 Red Balloons by Nena

I never really understood the lyrical context of this song, but I've always loved it! I feel like I've been sleepwalking through a lot of these old favorites of mine now.

Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Would you believe that I didn't hear this song until about 2 years ago? Great track!

Dancing With Tears In My Eyes by Ultravox

This is a perfect example of a song that seems pretty commonplace on the surface, but carries a dark undercurrent that often goes unnoticed!

It's Alright by Pet Shop Boys

What a fitting (and somehow uplifting) ending! You've really captured the paranoia and latent tension of the times with these songs. So often the 80s are maligned as a decade of fluff, but this mix stands as a great refutation of that fallacy. Great job!

Moonstar319 said:

I believe it was released on DVD a few years ago, but is now out-of-print.

Moonbeam said:

I think she had one year of stardom in the U.K., when Breaking Glass was released. She was never really famous again, which is a shame.

Moonstar319 said:

Yeah, a lot of these songs were quite proactive in naming names, rather than dressing-up their angst in impenetrable metaphors like Radiohead. Even Prince called-out Ronald Reagan.

Moonbeam said:

I love the fact that it's sooooo serious.

Moonstar319 said:

I love the lyrics. I love how plain and stark they are.

I hear the doorbell ring and suddenly the panic takes me
The sound so ominously tearing through the silence
I cannot move, I'm standing
Numb and frozen
Among the things I love so dearly
The books, the paintings and the furniture
Help me

The signal's sounding once again and someone tries the door-knob
None of my friends would be so stupidly impatient
And they don't dare to come here
Anymore now
But how I loved our secret meetings
We talked and talked in quiet voices
Smiling

Now I hear them moving
Muffled noises coming through the door
I feel I'm
Crackin' up
Voices growing louder, irritation building
And I'm close to fainting
Crackin' up
They must know by now I'm in here trembling
In a terror evergrowing
Crackin' up
My whole world is falling, going crazy
There is no escaping now, I'm
Crackin' up

These walls have witnessed all the anguish of humiliation
And seen the hope of freedom glow in shining faces
And now they've come to take me
Come to break me
And yet it isn't unexpected
I have been waiting for these visitors
Help me

Now I hear them moving
Muffled noises coming through the door
I feel I'm
Crackin' up
Voices growing louder, irritation building
And I'm close to fainting
Crackin' up
They must know by now I'm in here trembling
In a terror evergrowing
Crackin' up
My whole world is falling, going crazy
There is no escaping now, I'm
Crackin' up

Now I hear them moving
Muffled noises coming through the door
I feel I'm
Crackin' up
Voices growing louder, irritation building
And I'm close to fainting
Crackin' up
(I have been waiting for these visitors)
They must know by now I'm in here trembling
In a terror evergrowing
Crackin' up
(I have been waiting for these visitors)
My whole world is falling, going crazy
There is no escaping now, I'm
Crackin' up
(I have been waiting for these visitors)
Now I hear them moving
Muffled noises coming through the door
I feel I'm
Crackin' up
(I have been waiting for these visitors)
Voices growing louder, irritation building
And I'm close to fainting
Crackin' up
(I have been waiting for these visitors)
They must know by now I'm in here trembling
In a terror evergrowing
Crackin' up
(I have been waiting for these visitors)
My whole world is falling, going crazy
There is no escaping now, I'm
Crackin' up

Moonbeam said:

It's not so much the synths to me, as that weird flanged double-tracked almost out-of-key howl by Frida on the verses. It's just bonkers.

Moonstar319 said:

I still am!

Moonbeam said:

It's weird that Lottie's mix last week featured the full tune. I'd already started making a few playlists (including this one) a couple of weeks ago.

Moonstar319 said:

Yeah, I'm surprised by all the... indifference.

Moonbeam said:

Honestly, I discover that I've been mishearing lyrics to old songs, at least once a week. It's always a shock.

Moonstar319 said:

It's Muppetational!

Moonbeam said:

Yeah, I'm not really a fan. A lot of their songs sound the same. I do quite like that 'Tongue' song though.

Moonstar319 said:

I know! It just sums-up the dickish mentality of so many military types.

Moonbeam said:

I'm just curious as to why the English version doesn't appear to have been played on the radio in more English-speaking countries. Weird.

Moonstar319 said:

I'm surprised! I still see the video on some of the oldie music channels in the U.K., now and again.

Moonbeam said:

Maybe I'm just old!

Moonstar319 said:

It's completely melodramatic. Do people even write death songs anymore? I'm thinking of things like 'The Leader Of The Pack' by The Shangri-Las.

Moonbeam said:

Yeah. I've always found Prince's 'America' to be like that.

Moonstar319 said:

It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it - no matter how many times I've heard it before.

Moonbeam said:

There's a definite journey in the mix; from paranoia; to the reality of nuclear holocaust; and then finally to optimism for the future.

Moonstar319 said:

Lyrics just seemed to be far more intriguing at the time. Songs these days just seem to be about love, dancing, or reaching a personal goal. It's like we're stuck in the 1950s again, in some ways.