Bradley's Buzz

The Bubbatunes Vaults 2

We're back for another venture through the Bubbatunes Vaults - today we take a breif look at numbers 7-12; so let's get crackin' shall we?

bub 07 Lisa Hartman - THE COLLECTION (2003)
The only double disc in the entire Bubbatunes catalog, and mainly because it's a pain in the kaputy, but The Collection was only made as a double disc because that's the way I got these songs. You see many a moon ago, a great internet pal sent me all the Lisa Hartman songs he had on disc. The package came with two fabulous CDR's of Lisa music that I thought I would never have on CD. The complete collection contained 42 songs and had almost all of Lisa's songs on it. The only songs from her released collection missing were three from her first album, so I made The Collection. One of the biggest little artwork ventures I went on. This is the ultimate in Lisa works, 6 of the 10 songs from her debut Lisa Hartman (1976) are here, all the songs from her albums Hold On (1979), Letterock (1982) and 'Til My Heart Stops (1987) are here, plus her version of "Where The Boys Are", the two Clint Black duets and a double bang of songs from the film The Great American Traffic Jam (1980) - "Waiting For A Miracle" and "Falling In Love With Love" both terrific gems that should've been re-recorded for album but never were. None the less, this is one collection only the hardcore fan probably needs and I've been meaning to come up with another shorter Lisa Hartman bubbatunes collection, but there are many many Bubbatunes on the burner, so we'll see. Perhaps those die hard Lisa fans who read my blog can start emailing me what songs they think should be on a one disc ultimate Lisa collection, that could be interesting. Until then, this is one faboo collection you can look at and listen to but can't have, the work involved is too much and it's been dubbed OUT OF PRINT - unless you really got to have it, then what can I do? But I tell you, this little collection gives me a thrill every time I hear it, I mean it's frickin' Lisa Hartman on CD! But for those in the know, the actual albums by my Ciji Dunne actually end up later in the Bubbatunes collection, so stay tuned. Incidentally, I just read on Clint Black's website that he has once again talked Miss Lisa into recording another duet due out some time next year, so if that doesn't get your Lisa panties in a wad I don't know what will.

Track List:
CD 1:
01. Tempt Me (If You Want To) 02. Why Baby 03. If Love Must Go 04. I Don't Need Love 05. Hold On I'm Comin' 06. Walk Away 07. Kentucky Rainbows 08. Ooh I'm Satisfied 09. I Can't Get You Out Of My System 10. The Dress 11. Johnny's Always On My Mind 12. Oh Me Oh My 13. How Many Rivers 14. The Ice Cream Man 15. Hidin' From Love 16. Games 17. Imagination 18. Where The Boys Are 19. Hole In My Heart 20. Waiting For A Miracle 21. Don't You Love Me Anymore

CD 2:
01. Tender Kiss 02. Somebody's Been Loving Her 03. Easy For Me To Say (with Clint Black) 04. 100 Different Ways 05. Old Time Rock & Roll 06. When I Said I Do (with Clint Black) 07. Two To Do 08. You Keep Me Hangin' On 09. 'Til My Heart Stops Beating 10. Livin' Without Your Love 11. Don't Let Me Go 12. Miss You (Like I Do) 13. Steal Away Again 14. Pickin' Up The Pieces 15. He Ain't You 16. Who's Gonna Hold You 17. New Romance (It's A Mystery) 18. If You Want To Come Home 19. Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye 20. Nobody Likes Lovin' More Than I Do (Dreamer Of Dreams) 21. Falling In Love With Love

bub 08 Madonna - VIRGIN 82-87 (2003)
Okay, I'm sure no one is surprised that the first bunch of Bubbatunes are Debbie Harry and Pat Benatar, and following with Lisa Hartman probably didn't surprise many either but Madonna collections so early in the Bubbatunes catalog? What can I say, one day it occured to me I had downloaded (shhh) almost all of the Madonna catalog and thought it was high time to create a really good compilation. Of course unless you live under a pointed brassiere you're aware that Madge has had upteen and one hit singles so I realized the only real way to capture her career was once again to divide it up into several compilations. Luckily, Madge seems to make a few albums that have the same feel then switch ideas and sounds (and looks) for a couple albums then do it again, so we have all the early Madonna stuff, the good really good Miss M stuff on Virgin, then move to her more deviant years of hip house on Sex, and the electronica world she discovered in her later career on Afterglow. But here is the first collection, a collection 19 songs that made Ethel who she is today, the pop rock that sent her forth from the depths of Detroit to the clubs of New York to world domination with her endless supply of hair dye, dirty body and used clothing. Everybody, Burning Up, Holiday, Lucky Star, Borderline - all the early singles from her debut album, the all important track run singles from Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) (when she started to lose me as a die hard fan), and the Who's That Girl soundtrack (1987), plus her two singles from the Vision Quest soundtrack and of course the ultimate in Madge early dance - "Into The Groove." Of all Madonna's works, this is collection I will dust off and listen to most often. The rest were made more or less to continue the collection, but we'll get there soon enough.

Track List:
01. Everybody 02. Burning Up 03. Holiday 04. Lucky Star 05. Borderline 06. Like A Virgin 07. Material Girl 08. Crazy For You 09. Angel 10. Dress You Up 11. Into The Groove 12. Gambler 13. Live To Tell 14. Papa Don't Preach 15. True Blue 16. Open Your Heart 17. La Isla Bonita 18. Who's That Girl 19. Causing A Commotion

bub 09 Madonna - SEX 89-92 (2003)
Madonna took a little time off from recording to do acting, make some controversy, tour, you know all the usual stuff, but she came back in full force with Like A Prayer, complete with a dark dye job which lasted all of 3 seconds before going platinum once again, then she edged to the moody side of her persona and opted to infuse the world with her version of Sex, both in song and in umm literature? But through it all, she kept close to the dance roots, bringing Erotica through the underground of the deep house music she was apparantly wallowing in while running naked through the streets with Vanilla Ice and a camera. But you can't deny the fun that can be had in some of these singles, "Express Yourself" is still as strong as the day it came out, as well as "Deeper And Deeper" and "Vogue", the ultimate in cheesey fun "Cherish" and melodrama on "Oh Father" but I have to tell you to this day, I have to skip "Rain", one of her most overrated, boring and overplayed songs to date.

Track list:
01.Like A Prayer 02. Express Yourself 03. Cherish 04. Oh Father 05. Keep It Together 06. Vogue 07. Hanky Panky 08. Justify My Love 09. Rescue Me 10. This Used To Be My Playground 11. Erotica 12. Deeper And Deeper 13. Bad Girl 14. Fever 15. Rain 16. I'll Remember

bub 10 Madonna - AFTERGLOW 1994-2003 (2003)
Miss M seems to take an idea and always milk it by adding a few new touches, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Her house party and sexual persona Miss Dita from Erotica, didn't make it to her next album Bedtimes Stories, but some bass moments and electronica came to up the ante and it was one of the best albums she had made in a long time in my opinion, but as is usually the case I was in a minority and it didn't do as well as her other albums, but when you're selling trillions I don't think that matters much and the single "Take A Bow" actually became one of her biggest singles ever, though I have to say I've never been a huge fan of it. Her ballads always come off as a little lackluster, it's almost like she's been making the same ballad since "Crazy For You" but "Secret" is good and "Human Nature" remains one of my all time fav bitchy songs. But it was with Ray Of Light that Madonna won me over again. Completely retracking her musical boundaries, she hit electornica and the European sound with a gusto, "Frozen" started it off and though still ballady, there were elements in there that actually made it interesting but the song "Ray Of Light" - now there's a killer tune, from beginning to end it is probably my all time favorite Madonna song ever. But then Madge had to go and try to re-create again with the Music album, it worked it parts but by the time of American Life, you knew it was time for Madge to undergo a change yet again.

Track List:
01. Secret 02. Take A Bow 03. Bedtime Story 04. Human Nature 05. Love Don't Live Here Anymore (Remix) 06. Frozen 07. Ray Of Light 08. The Power Of Goodbye 09. Nothing Really Matters 10. Beautiful Stranger 11. American Pie 12. Music 13. Don't Tell Me 14. What It Feels Like For A Girl 15. Die Another Day 16. American Life

bub 11 Concrete Blonde - HAUNTED IN HOLLYWOOD 1986-2002 (2003)
In 1990, Concrete Blonde released the single "Joey" and it was the first time I had ever even heard of them. Once I got the Bloodletting album which spawned the single, I became a die hard Johnette fan. I spent countless hours listening to everything the woman had to tell me. I played her songs for anyone who would listen and ended up creating a huge Concrete Blonde fan base in Wausau, Wisconsin. The Concrete Blonde line up includes Johnette, Jim Mankey and when he isn't causing trouble Harry Rushakoff. As the years went by, Harry would come and go but Johnette and Jim always stayed together.In 1994, the band broke up officially and Johnette spent her time on countless things as this is one girl who isn't lacking in creativity. With the terrible happenings of 911, the original trio regrouped and made a new album. This compilation spans the beginning of Concrete Blonde to that reunion album of 2001.Being a word man myself, I just love a good lyric. If there is a song with a great lyric and the music that matches is just as catchy and meaningful I will love that song and the band forever. Such is the case with Johnette and Concrete Blonde. Because of the oodles of great songs, it is so hard for me to pick and choose favorite Concrete Blonde song. Every single song tells a different and interesting story. Johnette doesn't pussy foot around with standard pop fluff, instead she invites you into a world she has created. Each song is filled with vivid imagery and for a brief three to five minutes you can visit that world with her. Even when doing a cover song, it seems Johnette's high and low battle cry of a voice makes the song all her own.I opted to open up Haunted In Hollywood, with one such battle cry. It's not a cover song but "Heal It Up" is definitely a highlight if you want to hear Johnette scream her pain. The love song takes a whole new life when Johnette feels "the pinch/feeling the void deep in your soul/feeling, oh feeling so out of control/the years have not been kind to me you know/ heal it uuuuuuup/heal it uuuuuuup." Hard hitting and painful - just the way we like it.It's probably not shocking news to even the casual Concrete Blonde listener that the band has done its fair share of songs about the occult. They have done vampires, ghosts and just about anything else that comes to mind. Most are dark and dangerous little ditties while others like "Ghost Of A Texas Ladies' Man" actually show a humorous side to the band.The song is actually inspired by a ghostly apparation Johnette met in a Texas hotel room, but the hard hitting drum beats, the whip cracking and the Spaghetti western guitar give the song a fun filled backdrop as Johnette sees a cowboy smile through her shower door. One of Concrete Blonde's most famous songs is actually a cover from Andy Prieboy - "Tomorrow Wendy" tells the tragic tale of a woman with AIDS on the edge of dying. Incorporating lyrics about John F. Kennedy, God and other images, you are left wondering if it's the ramblings of a person on their last breath or the grieving words of someone Wendy is leaving behind."I told the priest don't count on any second coming/God got his ass kicked the first time he came down here slumming/He had the balls to come/the gall to die and then forgive us/ Though I don't wonder why/I wonder what he thought it would get us/Hey, hey goodbye/Tomorrow Wendy is going to die."Now onto one of my all time favorite songs by anyone! The song "True" is one of the first songs on the debut album Concrete Blonde released in 1986. It has it all, set to a small yet speedy guitar beat, Johnette croons about being true to yourself. It is a song filled with self assertion that can lift anyone up - even those forced to serve funnel cakes."True" has gotten my best friend Lisa and I threw many a challenging day, and we still call each other repeating the lines, "When I've had enough/I'll get a pick up truck and I'll drive away/I'll take my last ten bucks just as far as it will go/sometimes I'm easily fooled/I take a painful step and get knocked back two/I do it all I can and it's all I can do/ but I'm true."This song is filled with brilliant lines, that I completely relate to - "If I had a choice/I'd take the voice I've got cause it was hard to find/you know I've come too far to wind up right back where I started/they tell me who I should be/I'll never let the monkeys make a mess out of me/I'll give all that I am/and it's all I can do/ and I'm true.""Then they talk you up and then they talk you down/and you begin to doubt/sometimes the reasons seem so very far away/but I'll stop breathing the day/that if I can't walk proud then I will walk away/I'll do all I can/and it's all I can do/oh, I'm true."

Another ingenius ditty awaits us in "...Long Time Ago" from 1992's Walking In London.We get another walk through the valley of occult in "The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden" from Bloodletting. Almost a speed metal song without the actual metal, the song pumps through a fast drum and guitar beat while Johnette tells a tragic love story."Rain" is one of the all time best songs Concrete Blonde has ever recorded. A moody little ballad it shows off all the things that Johnette and the boys can do. Truly an exquisite listen from the Mexican Moon album.Then it's off again to "Bradley loves this song" land. Without any kind of real intro, Johnette's voice and the music start off "Someday?" one of my all time favorites by the band. Another of the lovelorn songs but so sweet, so dreamy, and so depressing. "Little Sister" is one of those overlooked songs that would never find its way onto a label released compilation. The song has always held me captive as I too have a "Little Sister". A love letter of sorts to a younger sibling, the song is sweet but sad. In fact, my little sister can't listen to the song because it makes her miss me and she wants to cry. My whole family is filled with sissy pants isn't it? Concrete Blonde have released numerous singles that included those rarities known as B-sides. In fact in 1994 the band released Still In Hollywood, a collection of such rarities. I couldn't do a compilation without doing some of those songs which are as equally profound and brilliant as anything released on album.The first we encounter is "Free"; a hard rocking ditty declaring independence from all. Ironically, it's the title track of the album Free from 1989 but it never made it onto the album My ultimate favorite of all Concrete Blonde rarities is the acoustic ditty known as "Probably Will." Released in the UK as the B-side to my favorite single, Someday? the song is pure excellance in my opinion. "They say I may be crazy/I only say I've had my fill/they say I'll throw it all away/I probably will/they'll only give you what you're taking/but lately I've been unfulfilled/they say I'll probably blow it off someday/I probably will."Then the chorus, "The way they talk about each other/the way they talk about themselves/well they can talk, talk, talk forever/you know they probably will." I love it. It's also the song I learned to play on guitar when I was taking lessons that's a whole different story!"Now onto the most infamous song of them all - the mother lode, the mantra of Concrete Blonde "Still In Hollywood."I interviewed Johnette a few years ago for a magazine I was writing for and asked her about her love/hate thing with the city. She isn't sure about it any more than we as listeners are. She lived here for most of her life yet always had a longing for something else. Now days, she is living out in her beloved desert in a trailer or something, and I still don't understand it. Anwyay, "Still In Hollywood" was the first single from the band and it holds all that is a great Concrete Blonde song. It's a driving rock song with Johnette both crooning and screaming. There are characters galore introduced in the lyrics and there is angst. Concrete Blonde never really had the luxury of having a huge hit single but with the ones that were released it's a complete surprise none of them did anything on the charts. One of my favs they've done is "Happy Birthday."Set to a bouncy beat but telling the tragic tale of having one birthday all alone in their run down apartment, even without a video, you envision the whole scenerio through Johnette's lyrics, that is great songwriting. After spending so much time on the golden days of Concrete Blonde, I had to put a song on from the reunion album, 2002's Group Therapy. Slightly more edgy than previous efforts most of the songs ranged in the five to six minute range. There were two singles released, an ode to Roxy Music entitled"Roxy" and the one I chose to put on this compilation - "Take Me Home,"a somber tale about lost friends and long nights of drinking -you know I can relate. Filled with the scathing singles like "God Is A Bullet", "Joey" and "Everybody Knows", fun crunchy acoustics like "Little Conversations" and "Make Me Cry" and more b-side including the jumpy drunken elated "100 Games Of Solitaire", and ending with the tour-de-force "Why Don't You See Me?" which is arguably the best vocal performance in her career, in my opinion and a fabulous way to end a venture into the haunted Hollywood world of one of the best lyricists around and her kick ass band - the world of Concrete Blonde.

Track List:
01. Heal it Up 02. Ghost Of A Texas Ladies' Man 03. Tomorrow Wendy 04. TRUE 05. ...Long Time Ago 06. The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden 07. Rain 08. Someday? 09. Little Sister 10. Free 11. Probably Will 12. Still In Hollywood 13. Happy Birthday 14. Take Me Home 15. 100 Games Of Solitaire 16. Little Conversations 17. Roses Grow 18. Joey 19. God Is A Bullet 20. Everybody Knows 21. (You're The Only One) Can Make Me Cry 22. Why Don't You See Me?

bub 12 Divinyls - DIVINYTYVE (2003)
Like Concrete Blonde, there are some good Divinyls compilations out there (Make Me Happy stands out) there are always so many good songs they left out. Since the band only had one stateside top 40 hit it's not all that imperative to put the same songs on every comp, which is why "Divinytyve" is so, well divine and definitive of the Divinyls.

Combining most of the singles collection (and including a full singles discography in the booklet) I found 21 of my ultimate fav Divinyls songs to show everyone how ingenious they really were. Plus the fact that some songs have never ever been included on a compilation like the singles “Good Die Young” which opens up my compilation, “In My Life” and “Heart Telegraph” which is one of the best songs ever – though it was a B-side to MY introduction to the Divinyls, the single “Pleasure & Pain” which I had to include. “Pleasure & Pain” written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman (Mike of the production side of Blondie/Pat Benatar and Holly of the writing side to “The Warrior”/”Love Is A Battlefield” etc.) is a lot more toxic and blunt than “I Touch Myself” ever was. “It’s a fine line between pleasure and pain,” croons Chrissy but in between her lover breaking her “body with the back of your hand” she is secretly finding passion in it “please don’t ask me how I’ve been getting off…” If that isn’t an interesting take for a song I don’t know what is. Ironically, the song was also their closest thing to being a hit peaking at #76 in the US in 1985.

I’ve also included a rare nugget known as “Talk Like The Rain” which was on the Australian version of What A Life! but never saw a US release. In fact upon research I found out the US versions of both the debut album (Desperate) and What A Life had different track listings. I couldn’t include all the Australian songs but did include this one.

"Human On The Inside" came from the very last Divinyls album (to date). Due to the frictions between the personality's of Christina and Mark, not to mention the chilly reception from the record companies, Divinyls albums are sporadic at best and this album Underworld was only released in Australia along with this great pseudo ballad in which Christina is the subject in an abusive relationship, "There's blood in these veins/and I cry when in pain/I'm only human on the inside." The song's lyrics are great with verses including "I thought you'd come through/I thought you'd come clean/you were the best thing I should never have seen." The song should've been another hit, and even Chrissy Hynde from the Pretenders seemed to have agreed as she redid the song two years later under the title "Human." Unfortunately she didn't have much luck with it on the charts either.

Also from the album is the full on ballad “I’m Jealous” which was apparently featured in Melrose Place and ended up on a Melrose Place soundtrack (who knew?). I never watched the show as it is not Knots Landing but I do love this song. Chrissy opens with “You’ve got a new girlfriend” and you know she isn’t too happy about it. Great song – once again could’ve should’ve been a hit.

The other songs are made up of the first two albums. In Australia, Divinyls got their break by recording an EP soundtrack to the film Monkey Grip then they recorded the debut, while in the US the debut album Desperate came out with songs from both Monkey Grip and Australia’s Desperate. They got “Boys In Town” as a single and actually hit #6 down under and why not with lines like, “I am just a red brassiere to all the boys in town.” The first official single was “Science Fiction” with its crazy drum rolls and Chrissy’s howls the song is a hoot.

“Ring Me Up” is a song any 80s aficionado will recognize by the “uh uh” at the beginning as being in the prom scene in Sixteen Candles but the rest of the song is one great rocker and never included in any other compilation. Then my ultimate favs from the first album “Elsie” and “Siren”. Ironically when released as a single “Siren” was backed by the wicked wicked “Elsie”. In Australia, it was included as part of Monkey Grip as the song is about a heroin overdose and poor Elsie’s downfall, it was actually my inspiration to Swivek’s “Eva” who doesn’t overdose but does shoot everyone who ever did her wrong.

But it’s the bombastics of my ultimate fav Divinyls song ever that throw the compilation into a loop, "Siren (Never Let You Go)". Anyone who ever heard this song or anyone who I ever played it for knows exactly how exciting this little gem is. It's pure balls to the wall rock and roll with Mark taking the lead vocals on the first verse, "I knew when I met you I would not forget you/I knew I had to let you know/I knew it was you who did the wicked voo doo/I'm never gonna let you go oh oh" then Christina jumps in with her growly Betty Boop hiccups and the whole thing goes through new wave trauma! As the guitar solo ends the vocals jump in, "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU U U U Never Let U Go" Get it. It's great! The song was the second single released from the debut album Desperate but it was only released in Australia while the US released "Only You" (not included on this compilation) a song which though good does not measure up to "Siren."

"Casual Encounter" was included on the Australian version of Desperate and they released it as a third single putting a re-recorded version of "Gonna Get You" as a Bside. The song included on this compilation is Chrissy at her earliest randiest best.

The albums What A Life! and Temperamental are usually pretty well defined on other compilations but they also forget some of my favs like “In My Life” with Chrissy’s mad rantings in the middle telling us the tragedies of her life despite “such advantages.” The aforementioned “Heart Telegraph”, “Good Die Young” - a clever clever lyric beginning with the line, “City air/toxic taste” and one of the catchy choruses they’ve come up with. I’m not sure what it’s really about…nuclear war? Sex? Not really sure, I just know “music changes but the dance steps don’t when the good die young…”

Two of my favorite tracks from the 1991 diVinyls album are included, the fun image filled “Need A Lover” with Chrissy crying to the wizards, witches in the tower and any other kind of occult figure to send her a lover and the wicked if not perverse “If Love Was A Gun."

Lest we forget Divinyls did a lot of time between albums doing soudntrack songs, I've included one of their best, "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" cleverly put into the Buffy The Vampire Slayer film, and interestingly done by Deborah Harry a few years earlier in her film Intimate Stranger.Then the whole thing ends with that one song everyone expects – “I Touch Myself” and as I do, I am drawn back into the Divinytyve world of the Divinyls and start the CD all over again.

Track List:
01. Good Die Young 02. Siren 03. Human On The Inside 04. Ring Me Up 05. Heart Telegraph 06. Back To The Wall 07. Boys In Town 08. In My Life 09. If Love Was A Gun 10. Science Fiction 11. Pleasure & Pain 12. Elsie (Edit) 13. Sleeping Beauty 14. Gonna Get You 15. Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore 16. Talk Like The Rain 17. Need A Lover 18. Hey Little Boy 19. I'm Jealous 20. Casual Encounter 21. I Touch Myself

Stay tuned as we continue venturing those dusty musty but always interesting Bubbatunes vaults!

posted by swivek @ 8:53 AM