My Spotify Wrapped 2023

Four days ago I got to look at my Spotify Wrapped for this year and I am happy that The Psychedelic Furs are my number one!

Here are my top 5 artists according to Spotify:

Concert Ads #45

On the 3rd and 4th of September in 1984 The Psychedelic Furs played their first two Japanese shows at the Yomiuri Hall in Tokyo, Japan during the Mirror Moves tour. It looks like tickets were ¥3,900 and the advanced ones were ¥3,000.

In Loving Memory: Mars Williams

Photo by me.

It has been three days now and to me it doesn't even feel like it actually happened. I'm still trying to come to terms with it but it just feels so unreal to me. I feel like I'm in a bad dream but unfortunately I am not. On November 20, Mars Williams, the great saxophonist of The Psychedelic Furs, sadly passed away after a year-long battle with cancer.

When I first heard the news I was devastated, heartbroken, and I cried a lot. I didn't even want to go to work that night because I was too overcome with grief. I arrived at work anyway, but I was depressed while being there and when I got home in the morning, I went to bed and cried again.

I remember I was in tears when David Bowie passed but the death of Mars Williams hurts me even more. He played on the music which made an impact on my life for nine years, and getting to see him perform at the five PFurs concerts I went to was spectacular. But the heartbreaking thing is that I last saw him in concert just a month ago.

Looking back on the night I saw The Psychedelic Furs for the fifth time it never entered my head that it would be my final time seeing Mars Williams perform with The Furs in person. I found out from reading on the latest update on his GoFundMe that in late Summer Mars' treatment options were coming to an end, and so he decided to join The Furs on the Fall tour with the time he had left. I believe in my heart that that was his way of saying goodbye and thank you to the fans, and I'm happy he got the chance to be with the band and doing what he loved one last time.

There will never be another saxophonist who can capture the same sound that Mars had. Every note, every solo, was filled with pure magic, both studio and live, and they always leave me in awe. The Psychedelic Furs songs Mars performed on were wonderful, like "Heartbeat", "Like A Stranger", the rerecording of "Pretty In Pink", "Heartbreak Beat", "Shock", "Angels Don't Cry", "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll", "This'll Never Be Like Love", and many more. Live, Mars was so amazing, and I feel honored to have seen him in action five times. Mars added his own style to the earlier songs and performed outstanding solos, and he would get cheers from the audience every time he did that. On my blog post about last month's concert I wrote that Mars Williams was part of what made The Psychedelic Furs' music so great and I couldn't imagine a concert without him, one of the key ingredients to The Furs. And sadly, now that Mars is gone, it will never be the same like it was before.

Even though I am sad about what happened, I am glad that Mars is free from the pain at last. I'm glad he doesn't have to deal with his illness anymore and I pray that he is in a better place now. My love, sympathy, and thoughts go out to the band, to Mars' family and friends, and to everyone who had worked with him.

Rest in peace Mars Williams. Thank you for everything you did for The Psychedelic Furs. Your music and legacy will live on forever. <3

{May 29, 1955 – November 20, 2023}

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Concert Ads #44

On February 14, 1984 The Psychedelic Furs performed at the Pabellón Municipal La Casilla in Bilbao, Spain. Opening act was Jotakie.

Pretty In Pink Ad #2

A UK advertisement promoting The Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty In Pink" single. 

My Psychedelic Furs CDs #13

Should God Forget: A Retrospective (1997) (Columbia/Legacy C2K 65152) (Double CD)

This is a 2-disc compilation album that was released in 1997 and was produced by Tim Butler and Bruce Dickinson of Columbia Records. Has songs from the first seven albums, plus five live recordings, two alternate versions, and a b-side.

Track listing:

CD 1:

1. India

2. Sister Europe

3. Pulse

4. Mack The Knife (Live)

5. Blacks/Radio

6. We Love You

7. Imitation Of Christ

8. Soap Commercial (Live)

9. Pretty In Pink (Original Version)

10. Mr. Jones

11. Into You Like A Train

12. I Wanna Sleep With You

13. Merry Go Round (Yes I Do) (UK Version)

14. President Gas

15. Love My Way

16. Sleep Comes Down

17. I Don't Want To Be Your Shadow (Non-LP B-side)

CD 2:

1. Alice's House (Alternate Version)

2. The Ghost In You

3. Here Come Cowboys

4. Heaven

5. Highwire Days

6. Heartbeat (Live)

7. All Of The Law (Live)

8. Heartbreak Beat

9. All That Money Wants

10. Entertain Me

11. Should God Forget

12. Torch

13. Get A Room (Live)

14. Until She Comes

15. All About You

16. There's A World

Notes:

CD 1:

Tracks 1–3 and 5–7: From The Psychedelic Furs (1980); "Blacks/Radio" made its first US appearance on this compilation because the song was removed from US releases of the album. The only Americans who were lucky enough to hear the song were the ones who bought the UK version of the debut as an import.

Track 4: Recorded during the Peel Sessions on BBC Radio, broadcasted on June 18, 1980. 

Track 8: From the Peel Sessions, June 18, 1980.

9–12: From Talk Talk Talk (1981)

13–16: From Forever Now (1982); the version of "Merry Go Round (Yes I Do) is the one that only appeared on the British versions of Forever Now.

Track 17: B-side of "Danger" (UK single) and "Love My Way" (US single).

CD 2:

Tracks 1–6: From Mirror Moves (1984); the alternate version of "Alice's House" was recorded during the sessions for Forever Now; the live version of "Heartbeat" was from The Psychedelic Furs' concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California on August 28, 1987.

7–8: From Midnight To Midnight (1987); the live version of "All Of The Law" was from the August 28, 1987 show.

Track 9: From All Of This And Nothing (1988)

10–12: From Book Of Days (1989)

13–16: From World Outside (1991); the live version of "Get A Room" was from The Psychedelic Furs' concert at the Metro in Chicago, Illinois on November 13, 1991.

Behind the Songs: No Tears

A quote from Richard Butler on the song "No Tears".

Richard Butler (on being asked what the demonstrations mentioned in the first verse meant): "Demonstrations in the sixties. It's a comparison between then and now, a kind of sad look back. The Weathermen (US anarchists) don't say anything these days, they fight with the Black Panthers and the White Panthers. Recently two Weathermen were shot dead by the police." (Sounds 1981 [German magazine])

Behind the Songs: In My Head

A quote from Tim Butler on the song "In My Head".

Tim Butler (on being asked if there were any plans of releasing a third single from World Outside): "Yes, I think 'In My Head' is going to be released. I'm not sure at the moment. We've been taking a rest over Christmas, so we haven't been in contact with the record company yet, so we don't really know." (Northern Colorado Mirror 1992) [Sadly it never came to be...]

Behind the Songs: Entertain Me

A few quotes from The Psychedelic Furs on the song "Entertain Me".

John Ashton: "It was [producer] Dave Allen's idea for me to smash the guitar during the take for 'Entertain Me'. He also provided the lighter fluid! A sort of 'Up Yours' if you will. So English." (Unknown source, 1989?)

Richard Butler: "It is pretty raucous. That song was the only one on [Book Of Days] that just happened in the studio. John [Ashton] and Knox [Chandler] were playing around with the riff, I thought it sounded good and went over to get one of Vince [Ely's] snare drums, set it on the floor of the studio and just started banging. I liked that rackety quality - the sound of total amateurism! Vince obviously thought he could do it better - or didn't want people to think the amateur sound was his, so we ended up using a proper kit. But the sound is still there." (Pulp Magazine 1990)

Tim Butler: "The day this was written I had just got an acoustic bass. I proceeded to play this through every space effects box at hand (fuzz, flanger). The ensuing riff was well received by everyone in the studio, and Richard got an immediate handle on the lyrics. The guitar sound in the middle break is John using and abusing a guitar, smashing and burning it." (Should God Forget liner notes, 1997)

Photo: Peter Robathan

Behind the Songs: Wedding Song

A couple quotes from John Ashton on the song "Wedding Song".

John Ashton: "I'd say that fifty percent of what I heard on that first [demo] tape is there on the first album. We'd written a few things together - 'India,' 'Wedding Song' - but I think the whole sound of the Psychedelic Furs evolved around that year." (Musician 1987)

John Ashton (on how the band came up with the song during the sessions for the first album): "We had recorded a version of 'India,' and were looking for another song for the album. The sax player was playing this riff, and Steve Lillywhite said, 'That's a great riff there - you should build a song around that.' We started with Vince [Ely] laying down this bit, and then it just came, like just not thinking about it." (Musician 1987)

Behind the Songs: Shadow In My Heart

A quote from Richard Butler on the song "Shadow In My Heart".

Richard Butler: "'Shock' sounds great live, and 'Heartbreak Beat' and 'Shadow In My Heart' are going over great on tour." (Rock Express 1987)

Tim Butler Biography

A short biography of Tim Butler was featured in a 1983 issue of The Island Ear.

Tim Butler Biography:

Favorite Food: Japanese

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Album: Remain In Light (Talking Heads)

Favorite Movie: Halloween 1

Favorite Single: "Love My Way"

Favorite Actor: Dustin Hoffman

Favorite Actress: Chesty Morgan

Favorite TV Show: Fawlty Towers

Favorite Group: Velvet Underground

Favorite Pastime: Sleeping

Biggest Dislike: Eating chicken at gigs

Behind the Songs: ****

A quote from Richard Butler on the song "****".

Richard Butler (on being asked if the "Sister Europe" b-side was originally intended as the introduction to "India"): "No. We used it as the intro to 'India' afterwards. It's the introduction to 'India' played backwards." (Overview 1981)

Behind the Songs: Sex [Unreleased]

A couple quotes from Richard Butler on the unreleased song "Sex".

Richard Butler: "Well, we're not new wave and we're not punk. I mean, we do three really slow songs – 'Sister Europe', 'Imitation Of Christ', and 'Sex'. We also do 'Mack The Knife' – that Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill song – that was written years ago. I don't think we can be classed as 'new wave.'" (Slash 1980)

Richard Butler (in response to the interviewer saying some of the songs like "Blacks/Radio" could be controversial because of the titles): "Yeah, well we've had all that. We played at Portsmouth Polytechnic – they think they're clever students down there and they're all into this leftist scene. Anyway, they thought: 'Well, this song is called "Blacks"', and immediately they started throwing bottles and glasses cos they thought it was racist. They thought 'Sex' was sexist and all the women's libbers started throwing things. It was a load of bollocks." (Slash 1980)

Behind the Songs: Mack The Knife [Cover]

A selection of quotes from The Psychedelic Furs on their cover of the Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht song "Mack The Knife".

Richard Butler: "Well, we're not new wave and we're not punk. I mean, we do three really slow songs – 'Sister Europe', 'Imitation Of Christ', and 'Sex' [an unreleased song]. We also do 'Mack The Knife' – that Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill song – that was written years ago. I don't think we can be classed as 'new wave.'" (Slash 1980)

Richard Butler: "We don't really do cover versions. 'Mack The Knife' is the only cover version we'd do." (Overview 1981)

Richard Butler (on the time The Furs decided to cover the song): "We were on tour and we heard it by a guy called Bobby Darin, have you heard of him? It's from a Bertolt Brecht play, The Threepenny Opera and the way Bobby Darin sang it, it sounded syrupy. It shouldn't be done syrupy. It should be done more sneering and if you've seen the play, it's a very seedy type of song. We thought it should be done in more of a seedy way...or at least a bit more aggressively. So, we thought, we don't like Bobby Darin going down doing this version, so we'll do one." (Overview 1981)

Richard Butler: "I did an album of Kurt Weill songs last year, where everybody was asked to do one track each. So they got in touch with me and I said I'd like to do 'Mack The Knife' because I'd done it before, on a B-side years ago. But they said 'Sorry. Sting's got that one, but what we have got is "Alabama Song" and I was kind of dubious about that one because a lot of people before had said 'you sound like David Bowie' and I knew Bowie had done it before. So it was like the acid test doing that, but I don't think anybody could say my version sounds remotely like his, so [__] 'em." (One Two Testing 1986)

Richard Butler (on working on the Kurt Weill tribute album): "I first wanted to do 'Mack The Knife' because I think it's a good vicious song but they wanted me to do 'The Alabama Song.'" (i-D 1987)

John Ashton (on performing the cover during the 1980 Peel Sessions): "The idea was to get on and to stay on for as long as possible. I think Duncan [Kilburn] and Richard came up with this as an idea for a cover. It was originally 8 minutes +. It was edited severely!" (Should God Forget liner notes, 1997)

Photo: David Corio

Here On Easy Street

Photo: Peter Noble

Today a new unofficial Psychedelic Furs website just got released and it is called Here On Easy Street: An Unofficial Psychedelic Furs Archive. On the website it has lots of interviews, a discography, info about the band members, and so much more! Here is the link to the website and please check it out and spread the word to other fans! https://noeasystreet.blogspot.com/

An Unexpected Miracle

While I was working on the last hour of my shift on Monday morning, something unexpected happened.

I mentioned this on one of my posts on my Green Day blog, but I work at a Walmart and they have their own radio station which they would play 24/7. They would play some songs I like, but most of the time they would play songs I'm not into. On the post from my Green Day blog, I wrote that they played two songs from American Idiot even though they weren't singles.

Anyway, on that particular morning they played a song which made my jaw drop.

The song they played was The Psychedelic Furs' "The Ghost In You"!!!!

I was really surprised and excited because they never play The Furs' music. I was thinking maybe they played "The Ghost In You" because it's the month of Halloween and it mentions the word "ghost" in the title and choruses. Or maybe not, but it was a delight hearing that song!

A thought occured to me which made me depressed thinking about it, since all my coworkers heard "The Ghost In You" playing, they probably don't know who The Psychedelic Furs are and don't know this beautiful song. Sigh.....

Psychedelic Furs October 2, 2023

It has been a long time since I had written a concert blog and it feels really good to write another one.

On October 2 I went to my fifth Psychedelic Furs show at the Silva Concert Hall in Eugene, Oregon. It was one of the most wonderful, beautiful and emotional nights for me. I can't believe I finally saw them after waiting for four years.

I remember when I arrived home after seeing The Furs for the fourth time in 2019 I thought of how in 2020 the band would go on tour to promote the upcoming (at the time) Made Of Rain, their first album in 29 years, and getting to hear more of the new songs live. I was ready for it and I felt in my heart that 2020 would be a great year for The Psychedelic Furs and for us fans.

But sadly 2020 took a turn for the worse with the pandemic happening and because of that The Psychedelic Furs had to postpone the Made Of Rain tour. I was heartbroken for the band because I knew they were looking forward to touring for the new album and performing the new songs. Why did the pandemic have to come at that point in time and ruin everything? It just wasn't fair.

Even though the tour got delayed, at least we were all fortunate enough to be treated with the release of Made Of Rain, which is a beautiful album. But we all waited patiently for the tour to happen, whenever that may be.

In the Autumn of 2021 The Psychedelic Furs started doing some shows on the East Coast and I was happy they finally got to play the new songs. On YouTube someone uploaded the full concert at one of their shows and I watched the whole thing. The Made Of Rain songs sounded awesome (I actually teared up) and I wanted to hear them so much with my own ears.

The Furs toured again in 2022 and during the Summer that year they went to two towns in Oregon, Forest Grove and Jacksonville. I was surprised not seeing Portland because the band always goes there whenever they would tour. I really wanted to go to those shows, but sadly I wasn't able to. I was disappointed but I hoped I would have the chance to see The Furs again soon.

Fast forward to 2023 The Psychedelic Furs toured for a little bit in the Spring, and soon after that they announced a tour in the Fall. They were coming back to Oregon again, this time in Eugene, at the Silva Concert Hall, which is located in a building called the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. This was my time to go, and so I bought two tickets; one for me and one for my brother, who's always my concert buddy. I didn't get the front row tickets because they were too expensive, so I just got the seated ones a little further back which were much cheaper. I wasn't bummed out that I didn't get the front row ones, because what mattered most was seeing The Psychedelic Furs for the first time in four years. Plus it's good for my feet too, since my job is overnight stocking and I walk a lot.

In late August at work I requested to have October 2nd off and two weeks later it got approved. Then I discovered to my relief that on my work schedule I got the day before the concert off! I had a feeling I was going to work on that day but I got it off instead. I could just rest at home before the big day.

But the plans for October 1st changed because at around 5:00 PM my brother called me on the phone and asked me if I wanted to go to Bend with him to visit his fiance. He said that we'll spend the night there at a motel, and on the next day head over to Eugene. I heartily said yes, and so I got ready, packed my stuff, and at around 6:30 my brother came to pick me up and we drove over to Bend. When we got there the three of us went out for dinner, then went to the motel which my brother's fiance paid for, and went to bed.

I went to bed at about 11:00 PM and unfortunately I didn't get enough sleep. I had passed out three times but they only lasted an hour. When I woke up the third time, it was 3:55 AM and I tried to go back to sleep but I just couldn't. I wasn't used to sleeping in a motel bed (the last time I slept at a motel was 13 years ago) and I forgot to bring an old T-shirt that I always use to cover my eyes when I sleep. So it was hard trying to fall asleep with my eyes uncovered.

At around 6:30 AM my brother's fiance left to go to work and my brother and I tried to sleep a little more; but all of a sudden my brother didn't feel tired so we just got ready at 7:00 and left the motel. We did some sightseeing in Bend for a little bit and before we left the city we stopped by where my brother's fiance worked. We visited him on his work break, and after that we headed out to Eugene. Instead of going on the freeway, we went on a different route that was more scenic, with mountains and forests. While we were on that route we stopped at this place and stayed there for a little bit. It was really nice and quiet.

Photo by me.

After that my brother and I headed on to Eugene and we got there at around 4:30 PM. We found the Hult Center for the Performing Arts and parked at the venue's parking area. It was actually raining in Eugene and I liked to think the rain appeared because The Psychedelic Furs were there, and too it fits the theme of Made Of Rain. My brother and I did some more sightseeing, and at 6:30 we went inside the venue.

We saw the merchandise area and went over there to see what they had and I bought two things. I got a T-shirt that has the band's name with the purple star behind it, and to my delight a hoodie that says The Psychedelic Furs on it. I always wanted to have a band hoodie and I am happy it's a Psychedelic Furs one. I feel like it represents who I am.

So then my brother and I went into the Silva Concert Hall, and I think I read that it was built in 1982 and the interior is supposed to resemble a theater from the 19th century. We found our seats, sat down, and waited during intermission.

The opening band Squeeze came on and they were fun to watch. I'm only familiar with a few of their songs because a couple of Squeeze's songs were in the Rock Band video game which my brother and I used to play, and the song I remembered the most was "Tempted". They played that song and it was great hearing it. While Squeeze was performing the thought of seeing The Psychedelic Furs in a moment entered my head and I got super emotional. I tried not to cry but a tear escaped out of my eye. I wiped my eye and composed myself. I couldn't believe it would happen soon.

After Squeeze performed we waited during the second intermission and it was so cool seeing the new look of The Psychedelic Furs' drum kit. And then at last, the moment I had been waiting for came. The lights went dim, the introduction music started, and The Psychedelic Furs arrived on stage. The band members were the ones to arrive first, and after when they got settled in their positions vocalist Richard Butler appeared. When I first saw them walk on stage the tears were finally let loose and I started crying. It was actually happening, and how did I live without seeing The Psychedelic Furs for four long years?? It absolutely felt like old times again, before all the crazy things happened in the world.

The newest member to fill in former drummer Paul Garisto's place on the drums was Zachary Alford, who first joined The Psychedelic Furs in 2021. It was cool to finally see Zach in action and he's an awesome addition to the band. And it was so wonderful to see saxophonist Mars Williams back on the stage. When The Furs did the first part of the 2023 tour Mars was sadly unable to join them because he had been going through treatment. I can't imagine a Psychedelic Furs show without Mars. He's part of what makes The Psychedelic Furs' music so great and he's incredible on the saxophone. I hope Mars is enjoying the tour and I hope his health continues to improve and get better. I shouted out "We love you Mars" twice and I don't know if my voice was loud enough but I hope he heard me.

On my blog about the second concert I attended I mentioned that the setlist for the 2016 tour was my favorite setlist, mainly because two other songs from Midnight To Midnight were played, "Angels Don't Cry" and "All Of The Law". But this setlist...  it is definitely the best one for me. All of the songs were so fantastic but I will talk about the ones that stood out to me the most.

The Psychedelic Furs played "In My Head" from their 1991 album World Outside and it was delightful hearing it. It's one of my favorite songs on that album. And the Made Of Rain songs.... Wow.... they were so amazing and I finally got to listen to them live! I'll start with "Wrong Train" first. In 2015 when I first saw The Furs, they played this song but at the time I wasn't familiar with it. But now since it's on Made Of Rain it was great hearing the song. "This'll Never Be Like Love" was very fantastic, especially when guitarist Rich Good and Mars Williams gave it their all at the end. They played beautifully.

But the two songs from Made Of Rain that made me become very emotional were "No-One" and "You'll Be Mine". As I said many times, "No-One" is my favorite Psychedelic Furs song of all time and I was in tears when they played that song. I was so glad I got to hear my favorite PFurs song in person. It was glorious. I was in awe throughout the whole song.

After when The Psychedelic Furs performed "Heaven" I knew "You'll Be Mine" was next since I looked at the setlists from the previous shows. And let me tell you, the performance of "You'll Be Mine" was something that I will never forget. It's one of those moments that stay with you forever and it makes me emotional, even cry, thinking about it. It sort of felt like a religious experience in some way, and in my opinion it was even more powerful live. On my review of the Made Of Rain album I wrote that if I heard "You'll Be Mine" live I would probably break down in tears. And it turned out I was right all along. I cried throughout the whole song and even though I really wanted to sing, I couldn't and just remained silent. It's hard to believe that three years ago when "You'll Be Mine" first came out the world was in shambles. I didn't know what would happen in the coming days, weeks, and years, and I felt like all was lost. But as I listened to the music, even though the song's about death, it gave me hope. Back then I never imagined I would be back at a concert, three years later, seeing The Psychedelic Furs and hearing them play "You'll Be Mine". It meant so much to me that they played this song and I want to thank the band with all my heart for doing that.

There was no encore this time, and when the lights came back on my brother and I left our seats and went out. Deep down I was kind of hoping we would stay for a little bit, in case we were lucky enough to meet Rich Good again but we left right away. My brother had to be at work at 11:00 AM and the drive home was an hour and a half.

My fifth Psychedelic Furs show, and my first concert in the 2020s, was absolutely wonderful. I never wanted that day to end and I wish I can go back in time to relive it all over again. I can't believe it actually happened and I really hope I will see them again next year.

Before I end this blog I want to mention something special happened during that day, and I would like to show you all. It's in this gift box right here and I will open it now:

Ta-da. Isn't it awesome? What do you all think?

Seriously though, it's in a different gift box that I keep in my heart. This is something that I have to keep to myself and believe me, I wish I can tell you all but it is too important and sacred to let it out. But I will only tell you how I feel about what happened.

How could an ordinary person like me deserve this? I feel like I am not worthy to have this happen to me. I never imagined something like this would happen in my life and I feel so happy, thankful and blessed. I wish I can think of many more words to say, but I will never forget what happened on that day for the rest of my life. It absolutely made my whole night and it means a lot to me. <3

Thank you for reading.

Setlist:

1. Into You Like A Train

2. Mr. Jones

3. Heaven

4. You'll Be Mine

5. Wrong Train

6. President Gas

7. The Ghost In You

8. In My Head

9. Pretty In Pink

10. No-One

11. This'll Never Be Like Love

12. Sister Europe

13. Heartbeat

14. Love My Way

15. Heartbreak Beat

*All concert photos by me*

Rich Good Interview: Sactown Magazine

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Today on Instagram Rich Good posted a new interview that he did with Sactown Magazine. In the interview he talked about living in Nevada City, being a graphic designer, getting into music, when his band The Pleased toured with The Psychedelic Furs, and how he joined The Furs. Here is the link to the interview: https://www.sactownmag.com/love-his-way-rich-good-psychedelic-furs/

Oh, and one more thing: Only a week left until I see The Psychedelic Furs!

Concert Ads #43

During the Mirror Moves tour on May 31, 1984 The Psychedelic Furs, along with Front 242, Shriekback, and The Sisters Of Mercy performed at the Pallieterhal in Lier, Belgium.

The Tour Setlist

With me being busy (and exhausted) at work I didn't have the time to talk about the setlist for this tour. But right now I will since I have the day off today.

On the setlist there are four songs from Made Of Rain and they are "Wrong Train", "This'll Never Be Like Love", "No-One", and "You'll Be Mine". I am so happy to see "No-One" and "You'll Be Mine" on the list because they are two of my favorite Psychedelic Furs songs (with "No-One" being my #1 favorite). Another song that I was excited to see is "In My Head" from World Outside. I can't wait to hear that one.

Only two weeks left until I see The Furs and what's cool is I have October 1st off which is the day before the concert. I had a feeling I was going to work on that day but it turned out I will not after all. I can rest before the big day!

The Fall Tour Begins

Last night The Psychedelic Furs officially performed on the first day of the tour in Buffalo, New York and it's exciting that the tour has already started. I want to see what the setlist is like but on Setlist.FM it hasn't been updated. Hopefully I will find out soon.

Yesterday Zachary Alford posted a picture of the band rehearsing on his Instagram and Mars Williams is back!!

Photo by Zachary Alford.

I hope Mars is feeling better now and when I checked out the photos from last night's concert it was so great seeing Mars in action. I bet he missed being on stage with the band and I hope he continues to be with them throughout the tour. Wishing Mars all the best.

Anyway, I still can't believe I'm going to see The Psychedelic Furs and the cool thing is I got October 2nd (the day I'm going to see them) off from work, so I'm very relieved about that! And once again my brother is going with me. I totally can't wait!

Behind the Songs: Get A Room

A quote from Richard Butler on the song "Get A Room."

Richard Butler: "We've had that song around for ages but it'd been in a different form, almost entirely acoustic, it had a harpsichord, and it had the cello and the acoustic guitar, and we decided to approach it in a different way when we got into the studio." (B-Side 1991)

Behind the Songs: Tearing Down

A quote from Richard Butler on the song "Tearing Down."

Richard Butler: "'Tearing Down' is another song that came about in the studio so that was fresh." (B-Side 1991)

Behind the Songs: Shock

A couple quotes from Richard Butler on the song "Shock".

Richard Butler: "We're still trying to decide which track [from Midnight To Midnight] will be the next single, there's one called 'Heartbreak Beat', one called 'Angels Don't Cry' and one called 'Shock' and we'll decide when they've been mixed." (Record Mirror 1986)

Richard Butler: "'Shock' sounds great live, and 'Heartbreak Beat' and 'Shadow In My Heart' are going over great on tour." (Rock Express 1987)

Behind the Songs: Don't Be A Girl

A quote from Tim Butler on the song "Don't Be A Girl."

Tim Butler: "'Don't Be A Girl' is about not listening to all this crud you get in advertisements about, you know, to be a girl you have to be gorgeous looking, wearing corsets and whatever. I mean, just be yourself. Don't believe and don't sort of be swayed by all the ads of the perfect woman. Just be yourself." (Modern Rock Live 1992)

Concert Ads #42

During the tour for Forever Now on the 11th and 12th of March 1983, The Psychedelic Furs went to the Perkins Palace in Pasadena, California. Opening act was Our Daughter's Wedding.

Concert Ads #41

On November 19, 1982 The Psychedelic Furs performed at the Santa Monica Civic in Santa Monica, California during the Forever Now tour. The tickets were $9.75 (advance) and $10.75 (day of show). The support act was The Dream Syndicate.

Behind the Songs: All About You

A selection of quotes from The Psychedelic Furs on the song "All About You".

John Ashton: "We had one song ['All About You'] that was fifteen minutes long and we edited it down to four minutes. That's where the producer comes in and splices it up and away you go." (B-Side 1991)

Richard Butler: "Sometimes a song just.... take 'All About You,' I think the band had just finished playing something else and you can hear John on the keyboards playing the end of another track with some keyboard stabs then, you get the whole band coming in playing something else and that was a song where we all picked up as we were going along and it was recorded as we were making it up and that is the one that was edited down. With something like that you don't want to put overdubs on it, the whole point of the song and what was exciting about it was that we had recorded something that was completely out of the blue. It's exciting hearing the guitar do something different in each verse, and the keyboards doing something different.... each finding their way." (B-Side 1991)

Tim Butler: "Some tracks [from World Outside] were done in just a couple takes. 'All About You,' for example, was the result of two 15-minute jams that we edited to four minutes." (Fond du Lac Commonwealth 1992)

Tim Butler (on introducing the song): "This is a song – it's a personal favorite of mine, called 'All About You.'" (Modern Rock Live 1992)

Concert Ads #40

On December 17, 1989 The Psychedelic Furs performed at the Salt Palace Exhibition Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah during the tour for Book Of Days. Support act was East Of Eden. Tickets were $14 (advance) and $16 (day of show).

Songs (via Setlist FM):

1. Dumb Waiters

2. Heaven

3. Torch

4. President Gas

5. House

6. I Don't Mine

7. Entertain Me

8. Love My Way

9. Sleep Comes Down

*Note: setlist incomplete and out of order*

Concert Ads #39

On the 11th and 12th of September 1981 The Psychedelic Furs performed at the Reseda Country Club in Los Angeles, California during the Talk Talk Talk tour.

Exciting News

I know it's been a month since I last posted but I had been so busy lately. I am now doing full-time at work and whenever I have my two days off my mind and body would always be tired and not in the mood to do anything. But I'm glad I am posting now because I have something exciting to share with you.

Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of my second Psychedelic Furs concert and on my Twitter I tweeted the link to my blog about the show. Then later I saw I got notifications and...

The Psychedelic Furs' official account retweeted my blog!!!!!

Screenshot from my phone.

And not only they retweeted it but liked it, too! I never expected that would happen and I was so happy, I was freaking out. It totally made my day!

My Dad's Opinion on Made Of Rain

For Father's Day last week I gave my dad a copy of Made Of Rain and here's how it happened.

So my parents like The Psychedelic Furs and as I mentioned a long time ago on this blog, they saw The Furs live during the Midnight To Midnight tour. Even though my parents like The Furs' music, they don't have all of their albums and aren't familiar with most of their songs. The only albums they had were Mirror Moves and Midnight To Midnight, both on tape. I don't know if my mom listened to the latter, but my dad said he liked it pretty good. Nowadays my dad has the CD of Mirror Moves, a greatest hits album, and Made Of Rain.

Some time last year on days when my dad would be off from work we played either a card game or a board game and while we played we listened to all of my Psychedelic Furs albums (except Mirror Moves since my dad already has it). With The Psychedelic Furs, Talk Talk Talk, Forever Now, Book Of Days, and World Outside my dad liked them okay but not enough to make an impact on him. When we got to Made Of Rain he actually liked it, enough that he wanted to get the album! So I had that ingrained into my head, and as previously mentioned, on Father's Day I got his own copy.

After when my dad listened to the album a couple more times he said to me that he really liked it. I told him there were some long time PFurs fans who complained that Made Of Rain didn't sound like a Psychedelic Furs album, and here's what my dad told me: He said that it does sound like a Furs album and that the music is passionate and played with more heart. With Midnight To Midnight, even though he likes it, he said it felt hollow and The Psychedelic Furs' hearts weren't into it. But with Made Of Rain, the band was into it and put a lot of care and thought onto the album. I totally agree with his statement because the music is absolutely incredible and The Psychedelic Furs definitely gave it their all on Made Of Rain.

Update on Mars Williams #2

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Here is another update about Mars Williams. His GoFundMe page has reached its goal!! Yesterday Dave Rempis, who organized the page, had posted an update and here's what he wrote:

"Dear friends,

We wanted to post another update on Mars Williams GoFundMe campaign to share some good news. Last night we hit the goal of the campaign!! Thanks to your incredible generosity, we've been able to ensure that Mars can have some time and space while undergoing chemo to not have to worry about the medical bills, or being out of work for close to a year. (That's not to say you shouldn't encourage friends to donate, so please feel free if you're so inclined! Everything helps and will have a great impact.)

Mars will be continuing treatment for a few more months. And as anyone knows who's been through this, or had close friends and family going through this, CANCER SUCKS. It's a major drag any way about it. But Mars is continuing to navigate his way through it, and even practicing his horns or having coffee with friends when he has enough energy to do so. As always, he's making everyone around him laugh even when it's tough to get out of bed. And he's hoping to be back onstage this fall.

We had coffee yesterday, and he asked me to pass along his regards and gratitude for the support you've all shown in ways both big and small. And he looks forward to seeing you again onstage asap!!!

Thanks so much to all of you, and with my utmost appreciation,

Dave"

I'm so happy that Mars Williams got the help, and I hope he will get better enough to join the rest of The Psychedelic Furs for the Autumn tour. Wishing all the best for Mars. <3

The Psychedelic Furs' Top 5 Popular Songs (Spotify)

Photo: Matthew Reeves

About a couple hours ago I downloaded Spotify on my phone and I added the artists I like and made my own playlist. I looked at The Psychedelic Furs' profile and it showed five of their most popular songs at the moment on the app. Here's what the list looks like.

1. Love My Way (137,521,203)

2. Pretty In Pink (52,738,413)

3. The Ghost In You (31,789,738)

4. Heaven (12,324,085)

5. Heartbreak Beat (7,737,680)

What I'm kind of disappointed about is that Spotify doesn't have Richard Butler's solo album. That album needs to be rereleased by The Furs' current label Cooking Vinyl. Wouldn't it be great? But I'm glad the app has the two Love Spit Love albums on there.

My Psychedelic Furs CDs #12

Pretty In Pink: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1986) (A&M CD 3293)

Being a Psychedelic Furs fan, I just had to get the soundtrack of Pretty In Pink. And I'm glad I did, especially since it has the "new" version of "Pretty In Pink". I haven't watched the movie so far, but maybe someday I will.

"Pretty In Pink" is the fifth track and I thought it would be the first track since the movie is supposedly based on the song. I say supposedly because the story of the song is not really about a girl wearing a pink dress.

Here's a note from John Hughes about the music featured in the liner notes:

"The music in Pretty In Pink was not an afterthought.

The tracks on this album and in this film are there because Howie Deutch [director] and I believe in the artists, respect the artists and are proud to be in league with them. Endless thanks to them all and to David Anderle, the best friend and ally anyone venturing into the blur of film music could ever have." – John Hughes.

Track Listing:

1. If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

2. Left Of Center - Suzanne Vega featuring Joe Jackson on piano

3. Get To Know Ya - Jesse Johnson

4. Do Wot You Do - INXS

5. Pretty In Pink - The Psychedelic Furs

6. Shell-Shock - New Order

7. Round, Round - Belouis Some

8. Wouldn't It Be Good - Danny Hutton Hitters

9. Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo & The Bunnymen

10. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths

Autumn Tour

Recently The Psychedelic Furs had finished the Spring tour and announced more shows also. The second part of the tour will start this Autumn, and it feels weird to me that The Furs will not tour in the Summer. I'm so used to them doing their usual Summer tours.

But I have some very great news to share with you all. On October 2 I will be seeing The Psychedelic Furs in Eugene, Oregon at the Silva Concert Hall, which is located at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. This will be my fifth Psychedelic Furs show and my first concert in four years. Can't believe it's been that long...

I'm so excited about this concert because I can finally hear some of the Made Of Rain songs live and getting to see the new member of The Furs, Zachary Alford, on the drums.

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Since the tour will start in September it makes me wonder if Mars Williams will come back. I really hope he does, but I guess we'll see when the time comes. I hope he gets better so that he can go back to doing what he loves: touring with The Furs and playing the saxophone on stage.

Before I go, I want to say my blog has now reached over 15,000 views and I want to thank you all for reading my posts. I really appreciate it.

Mirror Moves Japanese Ad

I found this Japanese advert for Mirror Moves and it looks absolutely great.