Hopes for 2021

It is hard to believe 2020 will be over tomorrow and honestly I'm relieved that it is. This year felt like it dragged on and on from all of the stuff that happened. I'm just so tired and fed up with this new lifestyle and I hope things will get back to normal again in the new year. 2020 has been a crazy year and I can't wait for it to be gone. Good riddance.

Even though 2020 wasn't a good year there was something great that came out of it, and that was The Psychedelic Furs' brilliant new album, Made Of Rain. I'm happy and thankful they released new music but sadly they didn't get to be on the road to promote Made Of Rain, all because of you-know-what. I hope with all my heart The Furs will finally tour and I also hope I will see them again; I miss them so much.

As for what will happen on this blog I have three upcoming projects I'm planning to do in 2021. I'm going to write about the 40th and 30th anniversaries of Talk Talk Talk and World Outside, and will make a list of my top ten Psychedelic Furs songs. So stay tuned for those!

Before I end this post, I want to say thank you to all who have been reading and checking out my little blog of mine. It has now over 3,000 views and I am very grateful. Let me be clear that I'm not trying to be famous or anything, I'm only writing it just for fun and want to share my love for The Psychedelic Furs to everyone. But I do hope this blog will get a little more recognition and that more people, especially PFurs fans, will discover and enjoy.

Let's hope 2021 will be a fantastic year and a fresh new start for all of us.

Happy New Year!

Photo: Allan Tannenbaum

My Psychedelic Furs Vinyl #8

Made Of Rain (2020) (Cooking Vinyl COOKLP762) (Double LP)

Side One:

1. The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll

2. Don't Believe

3. You'll Be Mine

Side Two:

1. Wrong Train

2. This'll Never Be Like Love

3. Ash Wednesday

Side Three:

1. Come All Ye Faithful

2. No-One

3. Tiny Hands

Side Four:

1. Hide The Medicine

2. Turn Your Back On Me

3. Stars

ZigZag Magazine 1980

The Psychedelic Furs were the cover stars on the March 1980 issue of British magazine ZigZag. Check out the magazine's readers poll of that year on this link here: https://ontomorrowspages.blogspot.com/2020/02/1980-zigzag-readers-poll.html

Heartbreak Beat Ad

An advertisement for The Psychedelic Furs' single "Heartbreak Beat" appeared in the October 18, 1986 issue of the NME. Even though Midnight To Midnight was a top 20 hit over in the UK its singles "Heartbreak Beat" and "Angels Don't Cry" sadly didn't do well, with the former reaching #79 and the latter #85.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Concert Ads #13

On the October 11, 1986 issue of the NME it showed a list of dates for The Psychedelic Furs' Midnight To Midnight tour in the UK from November to December 1986.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Concert Ads #12

On the October 4, 1986 issue of New Musical Express it showed a list of Scottish concert dates from a lot of artists and it featured The Psychedelic Furs. During that year The Furs performed three dates over at Scotland in December. Edinburgh Playhouse on the 16th, Aberdeen Capitol on the 17th, and Glasgow Barrowlands on the 18th.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Mr. Jones: 40th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to The Psychedelic Furs' third single "Mr. Jones", which came out on this day in 1980. The song was produced by Ian Taylor and its b-side was "Susan's Strange", a track that later appeared on North American versions of The Psychedelic Furs. In 1981 "Mr. Jones" was included on Talk Talk Talk but as a completely different recording. For many years the original single version had never made it on to any Psychedelic Furs album, but in 2001 it was finally featured on the Furs' compilation Greatest Hits and eventually became a bonus track for the 2002 remaster of Talk Talk Talk.

As I mentioned on one of my posts from a year ago, the single version of "Mr. Jones" has more of a poppy, radio friendly feel to it while the Talk Talk Talk version is more loud and in your face, with honking saxophones and screeching guitars. I have a feeling The Psychedelic Furs were probably unhappy with how the first version of "Mr. Jones" sounded and so that's why they recorded the song again.

Both versions of "Mr. Jones" are awesome but if I have to choose which one I like more I have to say the single version. Maybe it's because it's the first version I heard but the album version's really great too. Happy 40th Birthday to this cool song!

"We are going far away

We're going for a ride

Mr. Jones has got a plan

If you just come inside"

Pretty In Pink 1986 Ad

An ad for The Psychedelic Furs' re-recording of "Pretty In Pink" was featured in the August 2, 1986 issue of the NME.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

More Thoughts on Made Of Rain

It's been two months since I posted my review of Made Of Rain but after listening to the album more and more, I feel like doing another review because I have many new things to say. I still can't believe The Psychedelic Furs came out with a new album after all these years and it makes me so happy to think about it. I heard on interviews that they are planning to record another new album in the future and I wonder what the next LP will be like.

Back when Made Of Rain was released I had hoped it would get some success (especially over in the UK) and to my surprise and relief the album made it to #13 on the British album charts! This was a huge milestone for The Furs, and Made Of Rain is now their second highest charting UK album (The first is 1987's Midnight To Midnight, which peaked at #12). Made Of Rain also reached #5 (!) in Scotland, #41 in Switzerland, #47 in Germany, and #62 in Spain. The album even entered on some charts by Billboard in the US, but as far as I know, I haven't heard anything about the album appearing on the main 200 album chart. Still, I'm happy Made Of Rain got a lot of love it truly deserves.

While I was waiting for my CD copy of Made Of Rain to arrive, I would listen to it on YouTube (All of the songs from the album got uploaded to The Psychedelic Furs' official YouTube channel) and after getting the CD, the listening experience is a million times better! It's so nice hearing Made Of Rain on my good ol' CD player than having to go to YouTube to hear the album. I know I'm old-fashioned that way, but in my opinion physical media will always be better than digital.

Taken on the day I got this beauty.

So after when I published my Made Of Rain review I was in love with the album, but ever since I got the CD my love for it has grown more. Made Of Rain is one of the best albums The Psychedelic Furs ever made and I'm just so impressed by how incredible it is. How did The Furs create such a fantastic album, this work of art? The music is absolutely perfect and it still has that familiar Furs sound. I wish I wrote this on my first review but the break in the middle of "Ash Wednesday" is really beautiful. I love the guitar and saxophone solos in "This'll Never Be Like Love"; the ending in "Stars"; the gorgeous arrangements in "You'll Be Mine", "No-One", and "Turn Your Back On Me"; the choruses in "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll"... well, I could go on and on. The lyrics are very beautifully written and they are of one Richard Butler's all-time best. There are certain lines that stick in my head and it's fun singing the songs. Gosh, the songs from Made Of Rain are going to be really amazing live! I can't wait until things get back to normal again so that The Psychedelic Furs will start the Made Of Rain tour at last.

I mentioned before how my favorite song was a tie between "You'll Be Mine" and "No-One" but after many listens, "No-One" officially takes the number one spot! This song is definitely a PFurs classic and I just love it a lot. I think "You'll Be Mine's" my second favorite but surprisingly I'm kind of leaning towards "Turn Your Back On Me". I guess it's because there's something about the latter and the music's beautiful in it. It looks like I need to figure out what my second favorite song is.

I don't know when I'm going to do my top 8 PFurs albums list but I have to say this: Made Of Rain is somewhere in my top 3 favorite Furs albums. Yep, you read that right! Top 3! Made Of Rain is absolutely awesome and like I said earlier, one of the most greatest Psychedelic Furs albums. I'm trying hard not to repeat the same words over and over again, but I just can't help myself. The album is full of magnificence, poetry, art, magic, imagination, and beauty. If you haven't listened to Made Of Rain yet, please go check it out right now!

"I am the boy that invented rock & roll..."

Photo: Matthew Reeves

1986 Glastonbury Ad #2

Another ad for the 1986 Glastonbury Festival (featuring our beloved Psychedelic Furs) appeared in the May 24, 1986 issue of UK magazine New Musical Express.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Concert Ads #11

The Psychedelic Furs, along with Inner City Unit, Ludus, and Thompson Twins performed at the Lyceum in London, England on September 21, 1980. Tickets were £3.00.

Songs (Via Setlist FM):

1. Blacks/Radio

2. Soap Commercial

3. Susan's Strange

4. Dumb Waiters

5. Sister Europe

6. So Run Down

7. Pulse

8. Look Around You [?]

9. Fall

10. India

11. Imitation Of Christ

12. We Love You

13. Flowers

The Album That Inspired The Psychedelic Furs

Recently I got my own copy of Siouxsie & The Banshees' 1978 debut album The Scream and lately I have been listening to it. The Scream is really good and to me it is interesting because this is the album that became one of the influences for The Psychedelic Furs' first LP. Another interesting thing is that Steve Lillywhite, who produced The Psychedelic Furs and Talk Talk Talk, was co-producer of The Scream. The album was the reason The Furs chose Steve Lillywhite to produce The Psychedelic Furs, and they wanted to capture the mysterious, loud, and epic sound The Scream had. The Furs went to London's RAK Studios in late 1979 to record their debut, and that studio was where the recording of The Scream took place a year earlier.

The Scream, by Siouxsie & The Banshees (1978).

While listening to the music on The Scream you can tell how much it inspired The Psychedelic Furs, and even kind of sounds like The Furs' music from their debut. One of the songs, "Switch", totally reminds me of the musical style of The Psychedelic Furs, largely due to the saxophone on the track. My favorite song on The Scream is "Mirage", that's a great one.

I also got Siouxsie & The Banshees' 10th album Superstition (1991) and I've been listening to that one as well. It's funny because on the album there's a song called "The Ghost In You" and when I first saw it I actually thought they covered the Psychedelic Furs song! But I discovered it is an entirely original song written by The Banshees. Wouldn't it be cool if it was the other way around?

Concert Ads #10

On February 12, 1980, The Psychedelic Furs opened for Iggy Pop at the Hammersmith Palais in London, England. Tickets were £3.00.

Here's a picture during The Psychedelic Furs' performance at the Hammersmith Palais. I don't know if this was taken on the same day they opened for Iggy or if they came back to the venue later that same year as headliners.

Photo: Terry Lott

Concert Ads #9

The Psychedelic Furs, along with The Boys, The Mo-dettes, and The Kameras, performed at the Electric Ballroom in London, England on September 14, 1979. Tickets were £2.00.

Songs (Via Setlist FM):

1. India

2. Sister Europe

3. Fall

4. Blacks/Radio

5. We Love You

6. Pulse

7. Imitation Of Christ

8. Flowers

Made Of Rain Reactions & Songwriting Credits

It's hard to believe Made Of Rain came out a week ago and so far it is still receiving a lot of praise. Besides reading reviews from music journalists I checked out the fans' opinions on the PFurs Facebook fan page For Fans Of The Psychedelic Furs. Many loved Made Of Rain but there are others who have mixed feelings about the album. Even though some of those fans like Made Of Rain, they said it wasn't as good as Forever Now and Mirror Moves, and one of them said the slow songs didn't fit the album. But the thing that surprised me was a couple people (who are long-time fans) said Made Of Rain doesn't feel like a Psychedelic Furs LP. The first person said that Made Of Rain is basically a Love Spit Love album with The Psychedelic Furs name slapped on it, and the second said half of the album didn't sound like The Furs. On my review of Made Of Rain I mentioned how three of the songs reminded me of Love Spit Love and Richard Butler's solo album but I don't think like, "Oh, this doesn't sound like The Psychedelic Furs!". To me it is The Psychedelic Furs and their music but in the modern age. The music on Made Of Rain is glorious and The Psychedelic Furs did a wonderful job with it.

This picture is reminiscent of the US cover art for The Psychedelic Furs (1980). Photo by Matthew Reeves.

Another thing I want to talk about is the songwriting. I know that all of the song lyrics on Made Of Rain were written by Richard Butler but I always wanted to know who wrote the music to these songs. I went to Made Of Rain's page on Discogs to find out (I'm still waiting for my CD) and it was interesting! I'll list out the composers and the songs.

Tim Butler: "Don't Believe", "You'll Be Mine", "Wrong Train", and "Tiny Hands".

Rich Good: "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll", "Don't Believe", "This'll Never Be Like Love", "Come All Ye Faithful", and "No-One".

Paul Garisto: "Don't Believe", "Ash Wednesday", and "Turn Your Back On Me".

Richard Fortus: "Hide The Medicine" and "Stars".

John Ashton: "Wrong Train".

Jon Carin: "Stars".

Here are a few things that interest me:

1. Paul Garisto wrote the music to "Ash Wednesday" and "Turn Your Back On Me".

2. Jon Carin was co-writer of "Stars" and since he worked on Richard Butler's solo album the song definitely has that feel!

3. I don't know if it's true or not but someone said that "Hide The Medicine" was originally supposed to be a Love Spit Love song.

My Thoughts on Made Of Rain: The New Album

The first time I heard The Psychedelic Furs were planning on doing a new album was in 2016, when bassist Tim Butler mentioned it on an interview that he did. As the days, months, and years went by only little was revealed, but then in 2019 more news came. During that time I would update my blog about new information I heard for the album and posted links to interviews I would find. The anticipation was huge, and when I heard the forthcoming album would be released in 2020 I was excited. And on January 31st, 2020, the moment we had all been waiting for came. The first single of the new LP entered the scene and blessed our ears, and we got to hear the name for the album: Made Of Rain.

I'll always remember the happiness I felt on that day and I wondered what The Psychedelic Furs were going to do for the Made Of Rain tour. I was looking forward to hear the new songs live and see my beloved band again.

However, I never knew that sadly, things would eventually get worse.

Since you-know-what happened The Psychedelic Furs had to postpone the Made Of Rain tour and even the album's release date got changed (It was supposed to be released on May 1st but it switched to July 31st). I feel heartbroken for The Furs, because I knew they were excited about the tour and wanted to sing the new songs. I don't understand why this has to happen now of all times but I hope everything will get back to normal again very quickly. Even though the tour got postponed we were thankfully treated to three more tracks from Made Of Rain and patiently waited for the arrival of the new album.

And finally, it is here at last...

Before I begin I'll tell you how I reacted when I listened to Made Of Rain in its entirety for the first time. As the first song was playing I suddenly started to cry and I couldn't believe I was listening to the new album, which I had been waiting for so long. Throughout Made Of Rain I was filled with awe and after it ended I was in a daze. Did that really happen? Did I actually hear a new album by The Psychedelic Furs? Their first in three decades? New music? I was speechless, emotional, and my body was shaking a little bit. It was an incredible feeling to experience. 

And now I present to you all, my review of The Psychedelic Furs' eighth album, Made Of Rain! 

The Songs

Made Of Rain begins with "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll", and it is a great album opener. I can't believe it has been a year since The Psychedelic Furs debuted the song live for the first time at a concert in New York City while touring for the Summer. The footage of that performance appeared on YouTube and I remember listening to "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll" a lot, just so I would become familiar with it when I went to see them. It was fantastic hearing "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll" in person and it is awesome in studio form. I get nostalgic every time I listen to the song.

"The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll" ends with a calming, mellow sound but things kick up a notch with the next song "Don't Believe". This was the first single that came out and the combination of Rich Good's guitars and Mars Williams' saxophone are a match made in Heaven. After months of listening to "Don't Believe" I like to concentrate on the background music in the verses and it is interesting to discover certain details.

The third track "You'll Be Mine" is the second single of Made Of Rain and every time I listen to it I always get emotional and even teary eyed, too. The music is utterly gorgeous and if I hear "You'll Be Mine" live someday I would probably break down crying.

Fourth song is "Wrong Train" and it is one of the oldest songs The Psychedelic Furs ever wrote. It was most likely written in the late 1990s or early 2000s, and is the only song on Made Of Rain to have a songwriting credit from former guitarist John Ashton. Although "Wrong Train" was never recorded at the time it became a fan favorite whenever The Psychedelic Furs would play the song at their concerts. When I first saw The Furs back in 2015 they actually performed "Wrong Train" but I couldn't remember what it sounded like. I'm glad the song finally got recorded after all these years.

After "Wrong Train" are the next two songs "This'll Never Be Like Love" and "Ash Wednesday". The former has powerful saxophone and guitar solos, and the ending of the latter has this sort of a melancholic beauty to it. Then comes the seventh track and fourth single, "Come All Ye Faithful". This is the only song so far to have an official video and the music on the choruses is fun to listen to. I mentioned before how parts of it reminded me of Forever Now (1982) but after hearing it more, it sounds like it could be a song from Love Spit Love's second album Trysome Eatone (1997).

Next is the third single "No-One" and I absolutely love it! I get emotional and cry on this song too because the music is so amazing and there is just something about it. In fact, to me it is reminiscent of Book Of Days (1989). The awesome thing is Rich Good once told me on Twitter that "No-One" is one of his favorite songs on the album.

Ninth track "Tiny Hands" features Amanda Kramer's excellent keyboard playing, and later on "Hide The Medicine" you could feel the strong emotion pouring out. And finally we get to the last two songs, "Turn Your Back On Me" and "Stars". When I listened to them they totally reminded me of the music on vocalist Richard Butler's brilliant self-titled solo album from 2006. "Turn Your Back On Me" and "Stars" both have that same atmospheric sound as Richard Butler but different in their own way. The ending to "Stars" is grand and epic, and it is a perfect song to close the album.

For favorite songs, I have to say it's a tie between "You'll Be Mine" and "No-One". It's hard to choose which one I love more because I love those songs for different reasons. I don't know if my opinion will change later but right now I just love "You'll Be Mine" and "No-One".

Photo: Reed Davis

The members of The Psychedelic Furs are very talented musicians and they definitely gave their all on Made Of Rain. It was nice to hear again Paul Garisto's fantastic drumming and Mars Williams' magical sound of his saxophone. Amanda Kramer is an amazing keyboardist, and Tim Butler is awesome as always with his bass guitar. Rich Good is an incredible guitarist and his work is phenomenal! He was so brilliant and performed beautifully on songs like "Ash Wednesday", "No-One", and "Hide The Medicine". One of the highlights of Made Of Rain is Richard Butler himself, and his vocals are lovely and a delight to hear! I can't get over how good Richard's voice is and his singing is so strong, powerful, and crystal clear. There's not a change in his vocals at all and he still sounds the same! I really wish I can find more words to describe his singing but all I can say Richard Butler's voice is absolutely wonderful. Even Richard Fortus (who produced Made Of Rain along with The Furs) played a few instruments and you can hear his influence on some of the songs.

Final Thoughts

Made Of Rain is truly a masterpiece and it is one of the most greatest albums The Psychedelic Furs ever made. I'm still in awe about it and the album is a work of art. The music is just perfect and full of beauty, magic, and emotion. I have to say Made Of Rain is, in my opinion, The Psychedelic Furs' best album since Book Of Days. Already Made Of Rain is one of my absolute favorite Psychedelic Furs albums and I'm looking forward to see where I will rank it when I do my top favorite PFurs albums list in the future.

The great thing about Made Of Rain is that it was made with a lot of love and care; and it shows. The Psychedelic Furs put all their heart and hard work into making this and Richard Fortus led the way. As a long-time Furs fan he knew what was best for the band and guided them throughout the recording process. I'm glad The Psychedelic Furs took their time on Made Of Rain and the wait was totally worth it.

To the Butler brothers, Rich Good, Paul Garisto, Mars Williams, Amanda Kramer, Richard Fortus, and everyone else who worked on Made Of Rain, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for giving us this gorgeous album. I'm really proud of you guys and I'm happy Made Of Rain is getting all the love right now. You did a fantastic job and congratulations to all of you. I can't believe how awesome Made Of Rain is and it is definitely album of the year!

After when "Don't Believe" was released Rich Good wrote this beautiful, heartfelt message about Made Of Rain on his Instagram:

"So proud of this record. I've been with The Furs for eleven years; in that time we've played countless shows, lived through everything imaginable and I now consider them family. Writing and recording music is a very personal journey. It takes time when you all live in different places and the pressure to deliver, both internal and external, was always present. In the end what I love about this album is that we made it for ourselves... if you create art solely for your audience you'll almost always lose your way and produce some pastiche born of expectation. I hope Made Of Rain challenges our fans and reminds them why they loved the band in the first place."

The Best Day of the Year

Well everyone, today's the big day. The Psychedelic Furs finally released Made Of Rain. Last night I listened to the whole thing on YouTube and right now I'll I could say the new album is... WOW. I really wish I can say more but I'll save my words for later because I'm currently working on a review of Made Of Rain. I can't wait until it gets published out there for everybody to see! Also last night I ordered the CD on Amazon and I'm looking forward to have my own physical copy of it.

I found a couple new Richard Butler interviews and here's the link to the first one by Tidal. https://tidal.com/magazine/article/psychedelic-furs-return/1-73834

And the second one by HMV. https://www.hmv.com/music/psychedelic-furs-made-of-rain-interview

More Interviews

Just thought I would stop by again to show a couple more interviews I found. The first one is by Kansas City based website The Pitch and they interviewed Tim Butler. https://www.thepitchkc.com/the-psychedelic-furs-tim-butler-on-made-of-rain-the-bands-first-lp-in-nearly-30-years/

And the second one is an interview with Richard Butler by Spin Magazine. https://www.spin.com/2020/07/richard-butler-on-the-psychedelic-furs-first-album-in-29-years/

Another Richard Butler Interview

Photo: Matthew Reeves

With all the interviews and reviews that have been appearing lately it warms my heart seeing all the love The Psychedelic Furs are getting. Made Of Rain is receiving a lot of praise from critics and so far I haven't seen a negative review which is good! This proves that the album is definitely a strong comeback for the band.

Richard Butler was yet again interviewed and here's a new one by Rock Cellar Magazine. https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/psychedelic-furs-interview-richard-butler-made-of-rain-new-album/

100 Club Punk Festival

Here's the advertisement for the famous 100 Club Punk Festival which took place over in London, England on September 20, 1976. It featured bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and a couple others. The most important thing about this is that Richard and Tim Butler (who were 20 and 17 at the time) attended the festival and it inspired them to start a band. And that band eventually became The Psychedelic Furs...

An Upcoming Announcement & Richard Butler Interview

Earlier today on Twitter The Psychedelic Furs posted that they're going to announce some important news tomorrow and I'm eager to hear what it could be. With Made Of Rain being released in four days and seeing a bunch of interviews/reviews popping up it's such an exciting time right now. A few people hope the announcement will be about new tour dates but honestly I'm not so sure...

Speaking of interviews here's one that Richard Butler did with Yahoo! Entertainment. https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/richard-butler-talks-psychedelic-furs-comeback-album-the-real-story-of-pretty-in-pink-and-how-he-got-that-voice-214503180.html

7/28/2020 Update: Well, the announcement turned out to be about tour dates after all, and The Psychedelic Furs added more shows in the UK for next Spring. Can't wait until The Furs will finally be able to perform the new songs!

Cryptic Rock Interview

Since Made Of Rain's coming out next week I have been finding a lot of interviews and here's another new Tim Butler interview that was featured on the website Cryptic Rock. https://crypticrock.com/interview-tim-butler-of-the-psychedelic-furs/

Yesterday while doing chores I was listening to the four new Made Of Rain songs and I couldn't believe that the new album will be here very soon. Has it really been almost six months since we heard the announcement? It doesn't even feel like it has been this long but I'm so happy and excited that Made Of Rain will finally be released. Made Of Rain is the only good thing to happen this year and the long wait has been totally worth it!

Music Week Interview

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Two days ago Tim Butler was interviewed by Music Week and he talked about Made Of Rain, the frustration of not touring due to the pandemic, The Psychedelic Furs' hiatus in the 1990s, influences, "Pretty In Pink", and a few other topics. I love what Tim said about his brother Richard Butler in response to this:

Music Week: You wouldn't actually know you'd been out of the studio so long – [Made Of Rain's] a pretty classic sounding Furs album...

Tim Butler: "Yeah, with Richard's voice you can't really not be The Psychedelic Furs! It's one of the most distinctive voices in alternative rock over the last 40 years."

Here is the link to the interview. https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/the-psychedelic-furs-on-their-first-album-for-29-years/080467

New Wave Art

One day I found this cool artwork that shows all the bands and singers who are famously well-known in the 80s punk/alternative/new wave genre, such as Morrissey, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Siouxsie, Howard Jones, etc. The best part about the picture is that Richard Butler is on it! See if you can spot him!

Artwork by Matthew Lineham.

If you can't find Richard I'll give you a hint. His look is based on this photo:

By the way, ten days until Made Of Rain comes out!! Can't wait!!

Some Unexpected News

Today when I went on the For Fans Of The Psychedelic Furs Facebook fan page it has been announced that sadly, Paul Garisto is officially leaving The Psychedelic Furs... One of the members of the fan page (who's actually a friend of Paul's) posted the announcement and uploaded a screenshot of a message that Paul wrote on his Facebook account. When I read the news it left me in total shock, and even made me a little sad. I never expected that would happen at all and he will be really missed.

To Paul Garisto, thank you so much for all you have done for The Psychedelic Furs and I'm glad I got to see you at those four concerts I went to. I hope things go well for you and I wish you all the very best.

Here is the message that Paul Garisto posted:

"Hey Psychedelic Furs Fans,

We first met 36 years ago and you have unknowingly supported me through everything life throws at a person in that time frame. I am eternally indebted to you and your love of live performance. Without you, I understand that it would not have been possible for me to do what I believe I was placed on this planet to do, create music and connect with people.

It's been a fantastic ride that I wouldn't trade for anything and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope to see you down the road with future projects that I will be involved with. Adios my friends.

Much love,

Paul."

 Via Paul Garisto on Facebook.

My Thoughts on Come All Ye Faithful

With Made Of Rain coming out in almost a month (yay!) I never expected another song from the album would be released. I actually thought "No-One" was the last single but thankfully The Psychedelic Furs released the fourth song from Made Of Rain, and it is called "Come All Ye Faithful".

"Come All Ye Faithful" is more of a rock and roll, upbeat number and it is less darker sounding than the three previous singles. The music is absolutely great, with Mars Williams giving it his all and I love the notes of Tim Butler's bass guitar. And as always, Richard Butler's voice is spectacular! While I was listening to his singing during the choruses, for some reason his vocals reminded me of how he used to sound on Forever Now and Mirror Moves. Even the choruses have a Forever Now feel to it, which I really like.

"Come All Ye Faithful" is an awesome song and The Psychedelic Furs did a fantastic job with it. I can't believe we're getting close to the big day, the day when Made Of Rain will finally be released to the public. On the official lyric video for "Come All Ye Faithful" it showed the real vinyl copy of Made Of Rain, inside and out. It looked beautiful, like a work of true art.

Zon Guitars Ad

Here's an old advertisement from what looks like to be a guitar company and it featured Tim Butler with his bass guitar. This ad is very cool and I wonder what year it was from. Maybe Mirror Moves era?

Talk Talk Talk Ad #2

Here's another different ad for Talk Talk Talk which I found on The Psychedelic Furs' official Facebook. Today is the album's 39th anniversary and I'm planning to write a blog post about it. But that won't happen until next year, because it will be the 40th anniversary of Talk Talk Talk!

Another album that was released the same day and year as Talk Talk Talk was Siouxsie & The Banshees' fourth LP Juju. Happy 39th Anniversary to that album as well!

Another Tim Butler Interview

Just now on the For Fans of The Psychedelic Furs Facebook page someone posted a link and it was an interview that Tim Butler did. The interview was published on the website All Access back in March and Tim answered 10 questions from the website, such as how The Psychedelic Furs formed, touring, and Made Of Rain. It mentioned the Royal Albert Hall concert which was supposed to take place in May but sadly it got postponed until April of next year, due to the Coronavirus.

Here is the link to the interview. https://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/10-questions/archive/31319/10-questions-with-tim-butler-of-the-psychedelic

Richard Butler Radio Interview

Last Sunday Richard Butler was interviewed on New York radio station Q104.3 and he talked about Made Of Rain, the three new songs, and his experience of visiting New York for the first time. He also discussed the state of the music industry during the pandemic and the hopes of being able to tour later this year. The interview was uploaded on YouTube and here is the link if you want to check it out. https://youtube.com/watch?v=4yDBnXbMzf8

1986 Glastonbury Ad

Here's an advertisement for the 1986 Glastonbury festival which featured The Psychedelic Furs as one of the headliners. This was probably the first time The Furs performed at Glastonbury but I wonder if they ever came back to the festival in the 2000s or early 2010s. So far I don't know.

Songs (Via Setlist FM):

1. Heartbeat

2. Here Come Cowboys

3. Alice's House

4. Highwire Days

5. Heartbreak Beat

6. Sleep Comes Down

7. Torture

8. Love My Way

9. Midnight To Midnight

10. Silver [All Of The Law?]

11. Sister Europe

12. Shock

13. President Gas

14. Heaven

15. Pretty In Pink

16. Forever Now

Check out this review of The Psychedelic Furs' performance at Glastonbury '86 by Record Mirror.

My Thoughts on No-One: The Third New Song

Ever since I heard the announcement that Made Of Rain will be released in July I hoped another new song would eventually come out sometime later. Well, I was right, because at four in the morning The Psychedelic Furs came out with the third song from Made Of Rain called "No-One". When I first saw The Furs' post on Twitter I got super ecstatic and went straight to YouTube. After when I listened to the new song many times I wanted to work on writing about my thoughts on it but my mind was in a blank. I didn't know how to start because I was very much in awe about "No-One" and all I could do was just sit there. It was so exciting hearing a new Psychedelic Furs song and it felt like it was Christmas all over again. Later today I listened to "No-One" three more times and so now I will tell you all how I feel about it.

"No-One" is absolutely spectacular and the first time I heard the song I got kind of emotional because there's just something about it. I really love the music and Rich Good is a very awesome guitarist. The sound of his guitars are so beautiful, pure, and crystalline, it makes me think of lights sparkling in the water. And once again, Richard Butler's voice still blows me away. His singing on "No-One" is phenomenal, gorgeous, and fantastic, especially on the choruses. Before "No-One" came out "You'll Be Mine" was my favorite song so far from Made Of Rain but now I think "No-One" will become my new favorite or it will be tied with "You'll Be Mine". I heard that BBC 6 actually played "No-One" last Thursday and I didn't even know about it!

After hearing "Don't Believe", "You'll Be Mine", and "No-One" it makes me really excited and curious about the rest of Made Of Rain's songs. I'm interested about what "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll" and "Wrong Train" will be like in studio form. Even though Made Of Rain is not out yet I have to say it is, in my own opinion, definitely the album of the year!

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Love My Way Ad

An ad for The Psychedelic Furs' gorgeous single "Love My Way" appeared in the July 8, 1982 issue of Smash Hits, a music magazine from the UK.

Mirror Moves Ad #2

Another ad for The Psychedelic Furs' fourth album Mirror Moves was featured in the May 1984 issue of UK magazine The Face. Just like the "Heaven" 7", the first 20,000 copies of Mirror Moves also came with a free poster.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Heaven Ad

An ad for The Psychedelic Furs' song "Heaven" appeared in the April 1984 issue of British magazine The Face. The first 20,000 copies of the 7" single came with a free colored poster that contained the lyrics.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Until She Comes Promo Poster

Here's a promotional poster for The Psychedelic Furs' "Until She Comes", the first single from their seventh album World Outside (1991). Allmusic perfectly described the song as "a lovely slow ballad that shimmers like a lake in the afternoon sun."

Made Of Rain Update

Today The Psychedelic Furs announced on their social media pages that since the Coronavirus is still happening Made Of Rain will be released in July instead of May. I've heard of some bands and singers postponing their upcoming albums but I've never thought if The Furs would do the same thing. Well, this morning I discovered the news and I didn't even expect it at all. I was honestly disappointed because I was looking forward to it but I totally understood and respected the band's decision.

Since Made Of Rain will come out in July I am hoping we'll get another new song from the album sometime soon. Would it be "Wrong Train", "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll", or any of the others? If a new song does get released then at least that would give us something to listen to along with the two previous singles. Hopefully next month, but we will see when the time comes.

Even though July is a long way ahead the wait will be absolutely worth it. I'm really excited about Made Of Rain and its songs "Don't Believe" and "You'll Be Mine" are truly works of art. I can't wait to hear the rest of the tracks and I know they will be fantastic.

Edit: It just occurred to me that Made Of Rain will be released the day after the 29th anniversary of World Outside. I thought that's kind of cool.

Concert Ads #8

On March 21, 1980 The Psychedelic Furs performed at the Russell Club in Manchester, England. Tickets were £2.00 for admission and as far as I know, I'm not sure who opened for The Furs. Notice how the flyer spelled the word "Psychedelic" wrong!

Update About the Tour

Yesterday The Psychedelic Furs posted a statement on their Twitter and Instagram and they said that with the current situation still going on, they sadly have to postpone and reschedule their shows in April and May. Honestly I'm not surprised because I had a tiny feeling it would eventually happen but mostly I feel sad for the band. I bet they were really excited about the tour and wanting to perform the new songs live to people. In the statement The Furs said they're hoping to be on the road in the Summer if the whole thing gets taken care of very soon.

With all of this happening I hope with all my heart I will see The Psychedelic Furs again this year but like I said on my previous post, their health is the most important thing right now. I really hope they are doing okay and taking good care of themselves.

To end things on a happy note, at least we have the new album to look forward to and the two released songs. I heard a couple reviews about Made Of Rain and they were full of praise for the album. Mojo said the album is The Psychedelic Furs' strongest since Forever Now, and Louder Than War said Made Of Rain's a perfect Furs album and they said it's almost on par with David Bowie's comeback album from 2013, The Next Day. I'm so ready for this and I want March and April to go by quickly. After when I get Made Of Rain and listen to it fully I will definitely write about my thoughts on the album! Can't wait!

My Thoughts on You'll Be Mine

Earlier this morning I got to listen to one of the new songs from Made Of Rain called "You'll Be Mine" but before I go any further I would like to say something which has been on my mind recently...

With so many bands and singers cancelling/rescheduling their concerts due to You-Know-What (I refuse to say its name) it makes me worried and concerned about The Psychedelic Furs and the Made Of Rain tour. The Furs are going to start their tour in the eastern part of the USA earlier next month and I wonder if those dates, along with the Cruel World festival and Royal Albert Hall in England, will be cancelled or rescheduled. I also wonder if the same thing will happen to the Summer tour dates (So far I heard the band's going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 5th). It's really disheartening that You-Know-What has to barge in while The Psychedelic Furs are preparing to tour for their first new album in three decades. I hope things will get better in the end but most importantly I hope the band members are safe and doing okay. Their health is the only thing that matters.

Now then, let's get right to the main topic of this blog post, "You'll Be Mine"! After when "Don't Believe" was released I wondered if another track would come out sometime soon, and I felt it would either be "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll" or "Wrong Train." Well, at about 5:40 in the morning a video was posted on Twitter and to my unexpected surprise and excitement, it was the second new song called "You'll Be Mine." I have to say, I think this song is my favorite so far, and it is just fantastic, beautiful, and absolutely amazing. The musical arrangements are gorgeous and Richard Butler's voice... Wow!!! I am again blown away by how strong, smooth, and powerful his vocals are, and the awesome thing is Richard still sounds the same after all these years! I could go on and on about his voice, he's just so incredible.

While I repeatedly listened to "You'll Be Mine" I felt like the music was giving me hope and this is what we need during these difficult times. I'm so excited about Made Of Rain and I totally can't wait to hear the rest of the songs.



"When the new black is white
And the new low's a high
Like a lesson learned in time
You'll be mine"

Forever Now Ad

An ad for The Psychedelic Furs' third album Forever Now appeared in the October 1982 issue of British magazine The Face. Unfortunately The Face gave Forever Now a negative review and I completely disagree with that.

The ad is really cool and I like how the album cover is sideways.

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

New Interview with Tim Butler

Today on one of my blog posts I got a comment from Gail and she said that Tim Butler was recently interviewed on a podcast hosted by Kyle Meredith. She told me the interview was available on YouTube and so I checked it out. I never really heard Tim Butler's speaking voice before and it was cool hearing him. The whole podcast was great and they talked about the making of the new album Made Of Rain, The Psychedelic Furs' first album (which celebrates its 40th anniversary this weekend), musical influences, and other topics. Here is the link to the video of that interview.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YTqPdZMOoPM

Concert Ads #7

On September 14, 1980 The Psychedelic Furs performed on the second night of the Futurama2 Festival at Queens Hall in Leeds, England.

Songs (Via Setlist FM):

1. Soap Commercial

2. Susan's Strange

3. Dumb Waiters

4. Fall

5. India

6. So Run Down

7. Sister Europe

8. Look Around You [?]

9. Pulse

10. Imitation Of Christ

11. Mr. Jones

12. We Love You

Via vintagerock.wordpress.com

Concert Ads #6

On February 26, 1979 The Psychedelic Furs opened for The Flys at the Music Machine in London, England. Tickets were £1.00 for admission.

1980 ZigZag Readers' Poll

Back in April 1980 UK magazine ZigZag did a readers' poll and The Psychedelic Furs were mentioned quite a bit on it. They appeared in seven categories and here is the list of their rankings:


Albums

#5 The Psychedelic Furs


Singles

#10 "We Love You" - Psychedelic Furs


Group

#8 Psychedelic Furs


Live Group

#11 Psychedelic Furs


Tip For The Top

#1 The Psychedelic Furs


Boy Singer

#9 Butler Rep [Richard Butler]


Unrecorded Song

#4 "Soap Commercial" - PFurs
#5 "Mack The Knife" - PFurs


Here's the complete picture of the poll if you want to take a look.

Concert Ads #5

Via liverpoolerics.blogspot.com

On March 14, 1980 The Psychedelic Furs performed at Eric's in Liverpool, England. The opening act was Wah! Heat and tickets were £1.50 for members and £2.00 for guests.

This was the infamous gig that caused Eric's to close for good (although it reopened in 2011). After The Psychedelic Furs finished their set the Liverpool police barged into the club and destroyed the whole interior to search for drugs. For no reason they actually arrested Richard Butler, even though he had nothing to do with the situation. Richard's experience with that incident became the inspiration for the song "So Run Down" from Talk Talk Talk, with the line "Blue cars, big beat/Dead on my feet/I get this heat/Run round Lime Street"

9/22/2022 Update: Two days ago I found this magazine clipping from the March 22, 1980 issue of Melody Maker. It talked about the closing of Eric's and what happened at that show. It showed a picture of The Psychedelic Furs and they were briefly mentioned as well:

"The end came a week early when police raided after a Psychedelic Furs set. It is understood that those arrested face charges of possessing drugs, assault and obstruction. They were later bailed. The Furs' singer, Butler Rep, was among those charged with cannabis possession."

Caption under photo taken by Tom Sheehan: "Psychedelic Furs found themselves the last band to play Eric's when the police raided the club."

Live Performance of Wrong Train

Here's a video of The Psychedelic Furs performing their song "Wrong Train" six years ago at one of their concerts in New York. When I watched it last night there were a couple things that stood out to me. The first was that "Wrong Train" will finally be on The Psychedelic Furs' new album Made Of Rain and I really can't wait to hear the studio recording. The second thing was that video was filmed in April 2014, seven months before I got into The Furs. I felt kind of sad watching it because I wasn't a fan at that time and it made me wish I discovered their music earlier. Even though it's almost six years I feel like I had been a fan for a long, long time. I'm so happy The Psychedelic Furs are part of my life and their music has helped me in many ways.

Heartbeat Ad

An ad for The Psychedelic Furs' single "Heartbeat" appeared in the October 13, 1984 issue of British magazine NME (New Musical Express).

Via @nothingelseon (Twitter)

Concert Ads #4

On May 12, 1984, The Psychedelic Furs performed at Friars in Aylesbury, England during the Mirror Moves Tour. The opening act was Passion Puppets and tickets were £4.00.

Via aylesburyfriars.co.uk

Concert Ads #3

On February 2, 1980, The Psychedelic Furs and The Spiderz opened for Iggy Pop at Friars in Aylesbury, England. Tickets were 275p.

Via aylesburyfriars.co.uk