Another New Blog

Last night I created a third new blog and it's about a collection of my vinyl records. Here's the link if you would like to check it out: https://sarahsvinylcollection.blogspot.com

I also posted my Psychedelic Furs records on there and I took more new pictures of them.

My Psychedelic Furs Vinyl #11

Pretty In Pink: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1986) (A&M 602488194891) (2026 reissue)

Side 1:

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

Side 2:

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

Robert Smith's 30 Favorite Songs

I just discovered a list that The Cure's Robert Smith revealed to SiriusXM all the way back in 2009 and it was a list of his 30 favorite songs of the 1980s. One of the songs that got included was The Psychedelic Furs' "Heaven"!

Here's the full list in alphabetical order:

1. ABC - The Look Of Love

2. The Associates - Tell Me Easter's On Friday

3. Bananarama and Fun Boy Three - It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It

4. David Bowie - Let's Dance

5. Kate Bush - Cloudbusting

6. Cocteau Twins - Persephone

7. Cristina - Things Fall Apart

8. DAF - Sex Unter Wasser

9. Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus

10. Dinosaur JR - Freak Scene

11. Echo and the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon

12. Peter Gabriel - Red Rain

13. The Human League - Human

14. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Some Candy Talking

15. Joy Division - The Eternal

16. Chaka Khan - I Feel For You

17. Madness - Return Of The Los Palmas Seven

18. Mel and Kim - Respectable

19. My Bloody Valentine - Lose My Breath

20. New Order - Everything's Gone Green

21. Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice

22. The Pixies - Gigantic

23. The Pretenders - Don't Get Me Wrong

24. Prince - Starfish And Coffee

25. The Psychedelic Furs - Heaven

26. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence

27. Soft Cell - Tainted Love

28. The Sugarcubes - Birthday

29. Suzanne Vega - Small Blue Thing

30. Tom Waits - In The Neighborhood

Gary Numan

Photo by me.

After seeing Gary Numan open for The Psychedelic Furs a few months ago I decided to check out his music during that time. Like I mentioned on my blog about the concert, the only song I knew from Gary was "Cars" and I enjoyed watching him live. I first got The Pleasure Principle (1979) and I really liked it, and then a month ago I got his other albums, such as Dance (1981), I, Assassin (1982), Warriors (1983), a greatest hits album, and Replicas (1979) from Gary's band Tubeway Army.

Out of all the opening acts I've seen during my lifetime the only two who made me interested to listen to their music were Gary Numan and Frankie Rose.

Roxy Music

Recently I had been getting more into Roxy Music, who are of course one of The Psychedelic Furs' major influences.

For two years the only Roxy Music album I would always listen to was Avalon (1982) which has the two singles I was familiar with, the title track and "More Than This" (my favorite Roxy song). Then a year ago I got two of vocalist Bryan Ferry's solo albums, 1985's Boys And Girls and 1987's Bête Noire (the latter a fantastic album by the way).

At work I wanted something new to listen to so I decided to try out Roxy Music's other albums. I was kind of worried about trying out their '70s stuff because the early/mid '70s music is kind of dated to me (sorry!). The only music I like from that decade is the late '70s, like early Kate Bush, early Siouxsie, etc. So I wasn't sure if I would like it, but after a few listens I eventually did, thankfully.

After listening to Roxy Music's first single "Virginia Plain" it makes me wonder what The Psychedelic Furs' cover of it sounded like. The Furs covered that song live in the early 2000s when they got back together, and in 2004 when Rich Good opened for The Furs with his old band The Pleased, they invited Rich on stage to perform "Virginia Plain". I don't know if there's footage of The Psychedelic Furs covering that song, but I hope there is because I'm really curious.

According to the tour programme for Midnight To Midnight, the first record Tim Butler bought was Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure (1973).

For Your Pleasure (1973)

Strawberry Switchblade

Recently I got into Strawberry Switchblade, who were a new wave duo from Scotland in the '80s. I wanted to get their eponymous debut album from 1985 (their only one, actually) and so I looked at their Discogs page. The thing that surprised me was that Strawberry Switchblade NEVER got a CD reissue in the UK and Europe, and didn't get released in the US. However, the album got reissued on CD many times in Japan, where Strawberry Switchblade got more popular there. So on Amazon I bought the CD (used, but in very good condition) and it came all the way from Japan. What's really cool is that in the booklet there's an introduction written in Japanese (probably a biography about Strawberry Switchblade), and has the lyrics in both English and Japanese. I paid $61 for the CD, but it was totally worth it. It's the 1997 reissue with some bonus tracks added.

I know you're probably thinking, "what does this have to do with The Psychedelic Furs?", but the music videos for Strawberry Switchblade's singles "Since Yesterday" (the group's only UK top 5 hit), "Let Her Go", and "Who Knows What Love Is?" were all directed by Tim Pope, who did The Psychedelic Furs' iconic videos for "Love My Way", "Heaven", "The Ghost In You", "Here Come Cowboys", and "Angels Don't Cry". The "Since Yesterday" video kind of reminds me of "The Ghost In You" in a way, and what's interesting is I read that "Since Yesterday" is about nuclear war. That song came out in 1984, the same year as "Heaven", which is also about nuclear war!

Tim Pope and Richard Butler during the filming of the "Ghost In You" video. Credits to photographer.

It's a shame that Strawberry Switchblade never got the recognition they truly deserved and I definitely recommend listening to their self-titled LP. My favorite song on the album is "Deep Water".

Frankie Rose

I recently started listening to Frankie Rose, who opened for The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus And Mary Chain on the 2024 Tour.

As I mentioned on my blog about the Portland concert, I really liked Frankie and she was absolutely great. I wanted to check out her music but I wasn't sure if any of her albums are on CD (I know, I'm old-fashioned that way). I looked up on Discogs and thankfully they are on CD, so I bought four of Frankie's albums on Amazon. I've been listening to them on my Spotify while working and her music's really good. I even recognized a couple songs that Frankie performed at the concert and it made me think of that wonderful day. She sort of reminds me of Kate Bush in a way.

Out of all the support acts I've seen Frankie Rose is the only one who got me interested. I definitely recommend checking out her music. The albums I got are Interstellar (2012), Herein Wild (2013), Cage Tropical (2017), and Love As Projection (2023).

Rebel Yell

I recently started listening to Billy Idol's music, mainly his first two albums.

I remember hearing my dad play "Eyes Without A Face" when I was a kid and during my teenage years I heard "White Wedding" and "Rebel Yell" on the Rock Band and Guitar Hero video games. My brother got into Billy Idol but his music didn't interest me.

A month ago while working at retail, four or five times, the store played "Catch My Fall", which has the great Mars Williams, and whenever I would hear the saxophone I'd get emotional. So I decided to get the first two albums and they are really good. And it makes me wish I listened to them earlier.

On Rebel Yell it's interesting that three people who worked on this album were on Mirror Moves a year later. Keith Forsey, Tommy Price, and Mars Williams. Oh, and here's an interesting fun fact: Billy Idol and John Ashton share the same birthday, November 30. The former in 1955 and the latter in 1957.

Gavin Rossdale on The Psychedelic Furs

On the website Consequence Gavin Rossdale, the frontman of the post grunge band Bush, was chosen to list his 10 favorite albums by British artists and the interesting thing is that The Psychedelic Furs' first album was included! Here's what Gavin had to say about the debut:

"Well, I had to include that because that first record, Psychedelic Furs, was one of the first albums I had as a kid. It's one of those records that I know backwards, start to finish. I don't talk about Richard Butler enough, because I think he's one of my favorite singers. Really, just an amazing band. It's one of those brilliant records where, and it's true with all of these records, I put them on and they just take me to a better place, you know what I mean? Just transports me — and that's when music beats life, and it helps you against all the struggles that we're forced to endure. So just an amazing record, an amazing band.

"And [Richard Butler's] a really good artist as well. He's a painter. I had a chance to buy one of his paintings. I was in New York a few years ago, and I dunno why I didn't get it. I'm really, like, dumb. He's excellent. I gotta find one."

And Gavin talked about his favorite song on the album, which is "Sister Europe":

"That big song in there for me was 'Sister Europe.' I grew up with my sister, and so having a song about the 'sister of mine' and all part of the scene that we're in and the young punks and the kind of cool things that were happening in London… I have deep memories for that band."

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

Depeche Mode on Richard Butler

Credits to photographer.

On March 10 Depeche Mode did an interview with the NME and both Martin Gore and Dave Gahan talked about Richard Butler's contribution to their new album Memento Mori. Here's what they said about Richard.

Martin Gore: "I've never written with anyone outside of the band in our history. Richard reached out to me around April 2020, just texting to say, 'We should write some songs together'. I asked for ideas and he sent me a few lines, so I put those to music and we started sending them back and forth.

"We ended up writing seven songs. We didn't like the first one, but the other six were so great that I thought it would be a bit of a waste to put them out as a side-project. They just wouldn't get the same sort of exposure as they would if they were put out by Depeche.

"[Richard's] really great at coming up with ideas – especially during times when I wasn't feeling particularly creative because there wasn't a lot of stimulus coming in. I was just sitting at home and he was prodding me and giving me ideas. That kept the wheels moving."

Dave Gahan: "Martin sent me about six songs, and Richard Butler was singing on a few of them. I was like, 'The [__] is this?' Then Martin explained that during COVID he and Richard had written some songs together. I don't care who wrote them, but they were some great songs.

"One of them was [lead single] 'Ghosts Again', which I loved straight away. Straight away when I heard the demo, it was like when I first heard 'Enjoy The Silence'. I felt the melancholy and the joy at the same time. It was a special song and I wanted to sing it."

Singles Reviewed by Richard Butler

In a July [?] 1982 issue of UK magazine Melody Maker Richard Butler was chosen to review a selection of singles that came out at the time. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with any of these songs but here are Richard's thoughts...

The Raincoats: "No-one's Little Girl" (Rough Trade). If things were as they should be, this would be a hit record. It's absolutely great! If Laurie Anderson stands a chance with "O Superman", then The Raincoats certainly deserve it with "No-one's Little Girl". I think it's brilliant. Single of the week!

It's one of those things that hits you right in the chest. You can't really say what makes a good song. It just affects you. This has a really pretty sound, the violin break at the end... aaah! This is the only single I'm actually taking away with me. The B-side's great too...

Madness: "Driving In My Car" (Stiff). This isn't fair. I knew it was gonna be a favorite record out of this pile because I think Madness are absolutely great. They can't fail and I've already heard this one on the radio. They get better and better. I thought "Grey Day" was an amazing song and I think this one's amazing, too. I love the sounds they're using, they're so adventurous.

Of all the people that came out of that 2-Tone thing, Madness are the ones that seem to be pushing something away and yet still doing the basic loonie bit. This sounds awkward and strange – like they've got square wheels on the car or something. I can imagine Madness making a psychedelic single, easy! Let's play the B-side...

Funboy Three: "Summertime" (Chrysalis). A very calculated summer single, but unfortunately it's raining. I dunno... if Captain Sensible can cover an old song and get away with it then maybe they can do the same. I like their simplicity – "The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum" was great – but this is a bit obvious.

Bad Manners: "My Girl Lollipop" (Magnet). Another cover! It was Millie originally wasn't it? I used to like her version – I was a real little kid when that came out. Funny – Bad Manners and the Funboy Three both came out of 2-Tone and both are doing covers, though this lot have remained exactly the same, still using the reggae beat they always use. They've never developed the way Madness have, they haven't moved on. This is so easy, the only imagination used was picking out what song to cover. Not a lot more to say...

Samson: "Losing My Grip" (Polydor). I can remember kind of liking Free in my youth before I found out what was half decent and what wasn't. I don't like this because it's so predictable and I've heard it a million times before. I've been hearing it since Free brought out "All Right Now" and it's never stopped since then.

I can't even start to guess what the appeal of it is, but it's something that will carry on – it's going now and it will be going, probably, in another ten years. And, in another ten years' time, I still won't understand its appeal.

Chaotic Dischord: "[__] The World" (Riot City Records)/The Adicts: "Viva La Revolution" (Fall Out Records). Hard core punk is basically reactionary as bad, if not worse, than heavy metal. Probably worse! The Adict's cover is sub-Clockwork Orange and the riff sounds like The Ramones. Chaotic Dischord are a very amateurish four-piece punk band playing four different things at the same time. This has been going on since 1977 so we're what? Into fourth generation punk now? Awful. Terrible.

[Melody Maker]: At least The Adicts invest their dirge with a little humor to drag it out of its trough.

Richard: What, like the Anti-Nowhere League? I'm not interested in it getting out of its trough.

The Managers: "Shake It Up, Shake It Up" (Sire). Heard it before, heard it before.

Jackson Browne: "Somebody's Baby" (Asylum). Definitely part of the Bruce Springsteen heritage – "She's got to be somebody's baby/She's so fine"... If you're into these kind of lyrics and this kind of music then...

MM: You should be dead!

Richard: Maybe they play this type of stuff in modern American supermarkets. See, Jackson Browne does nothing objectionable. People can play his stuff on the radio and nobody ever complains about it.

MM: We're complaining.

Richard: Yeah, because it's so unimaginative. It's dross.

Glenn Frey: "I Found Somebody" (Asylum). Another one! You might as well walk around and review the soundtrack in your local supermarket as listen to this. There's nothing to criticize it for and there's nothing good to find in it. It just drifts in one ear and out the other. There's no point where you can say "That's awful – I disagree with that sentiment" or "Yeah! I agree with that!"

Pop music should educate people – you can either try to do something political like The Clash, which I find slightly self-defeating because anybody who buys a Clash album already thinks like that.

I mean, if you were to force Ronald Reagan to listen to The Clash, maybe it would be worthwhile, but otherwise it's preaching to the converted. Or you can try to educate people like Elvis Costello or Bob Dylan or even John Cooper Clark does; makes you a bit aware of what goes on around, making people, through your music, use their imaginations to listen to it like you did when you made it.

I think this is absolutely dry of anything approaching imagination.

Carly Simon: "Why" (Mirage). Yeah, why?

Allez Allez: "African Queen" (Kamera). Very Grace Jones. Humphrey Bogart probably wouldn't have liked it. I've spoken to the singer and I know the band are Belgian and that they're all working really hard but... I don't want to put them down that much because she's got the cutest bum I've ever seen at the Camden Palace.

Skankar & Bill Loveday: "Himalaya"/Will Sergeant: "Favourite Branches" (WEA). I don't like the A side at all – it's very Thunderclap Newman. The B-side, unfortunately, is "Listening Wind" by Talking Heads. It's worth mentioning that Will Sergeant is the guitarist from Echo & The Bunnymen, so maybe they're getting into Talking Heads... that might be a good thing.

Maximum Joy: "In The Air" (Y). Okay, I've heard "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag" and I didn't like it – sounded like a fluke to me. I really don't wanna put people down – we've had enough of it, so I'd rather be positive about things, but it's a drag that the sax line and the vocal line are pretty much the same. The cover's great – like a Daz pocket... maybe worth it for the cover alone, but honestly, I don't think they've got any chance at all.

Tom Tom Club: "Under The Boardwalk" (Island). There seems to be a big thing about doing summer singles this year and really it's become cool to do a lot of things that weren't cool before. We're out of the punk thing now and right back into the business. Once it was considered uncool to be commercial, now it's considered cool, really cool to be going on "Top Of The Pops", really cool to be doing cover songs.

It's so easy... the thing is you've already got the tunes going round in your head, you know them already, so the first time you hear it you might hear a different arrangement but it takes so little time to latch on. This is like somebody tapping on your shoulder and saying: "Hey! You know this already! Buy!"

It's a cop-out. I mean, it's hardly being creative is it?

Sheena Easton: "Machinery" (EMI). Well, ha ha ha! It's a hit! I reckon it's a hit, I really do! Partly I like her because she's a big fan of the great bard John Cooper Clark, partly because it's so predictable. Don't put this in because it's so uncool, but it's got the same thing Madness have – they could really do something with this riff!

Maybe it'll drift out of my head as easily as it comes in but thinking on chart terms, I think it's obviously gonna be successful. You even get the fan club address written down here. I think I'll have to write off – "Sheena, I gave you a good review, will you write to me? Here's my address..."

Scritti Politti: "Asylums In Jerusalem/Jacques Derrida" (Rough Trade). I think this is great. The A side's very different from the AA side which is very admirable. "Asylums" is Stevie Wonder though I prefer "Jacques" which is The Monkees.

The Pencils: "Watching The Tears" (Next). It would be nice if they'd written it, the sounds are great, but it really is "Ticket To Ride" and the Hollies. It's very derivative, but it's also very good. I mean, sounds are constantly being regurgitated and sometimes it's worth it. The Jam re-doing "Taxman" as "Start" – they interpreted the sound more in a different way; they had an Eighties feel whereas this sounds more like the genuine article.

If I didn't know, I'd think this was off a Sixties album or something. It has nothing to say for now.

Tom Petty: "Refugee" (MCA). Everything that's invested in Bruce Springsteen is invested in Tom Petty. They're carrying on the flame of rock 'n' roll. It's derivative but it's still very good because he invests it with something of his own. These are two tracks off albums that have been out for ages – one of the best songs off "D*** The Torpedoes" and the B-side sounds like Bob Dylan's "Street Hassle" so the ethics are a little in doubt though the songs aren't.

Blancmange: "Feel Me" (London). I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. They ought to get Brian Eno in to produce. What else to say about it? Talking Heads meet Joy Division, somewhere between Depeche Mode and Soft Cell. I think they deserve a break.

Tjahman Levi: "Lend A Hand" (Jahmani). It's very slick reggae, very commercial and if Elvis Costello needs something to do after trying country music and psychedelia maybe he should try reggae because this is his type of melody. It's not really my kind... I'd rather listen to the dub stuff, I'm not into all the Jah business because I think that's a pile of bollocks.

Larry Elgart & His Manhattan Swing Orchestra: "Hooked On Swing" (RCA). The sort of record you ought to get with your hundredth birthday telegram from the Queen. For getting rid of old relatives that you don't like – play it and they might dance and have a heart attack.

Green Day Inspired by President Gas?

I had been wanting to talk about this but recently I was listening to Green Day's song "Holiday" from the American Idiot album, and in the lyrics it mentioned a "President Gasman." It totally made me think of The Psychedelic Furs' "President Gas", and I don't know if I'm right or wrong with this, but I wonder if "Holiday" was inspired by The Furs song? I mean, Green Day has got to be influenced by The Psychedelic Furs in some way, especially since they covered "Pretty In Pink" four years ago when they performed as their other band The Coverups.

I wish I can ask Green Day that question on their Twitter or Instagram but unfortunately I have a feeling they wouldn't respond to it. The thought is very interesting to me and if there are any of you who love both The Psychedelic Furs and Green Day, do you think the same thing too?

Edit: A long time ago on YouTube I watched a Psychedelic Furs video (I can't remember if it was a interview or a live performance) and in the comments for that particular video someone said that Green Day and the song "Holiday" were influenced by "President Gas". Maybe it's true?

New Blog

I created a second new blog today called Heart Grenade, and it's mainly about my second favorite band Green Day and their album American Idiot. On the blog I talk about things that are related to the album and the memories I have during that era. I wrote my first post on there so feel free to have a look! Here's the link: https://americanidiotworld.blogspot.com

David Bowie's Top 10 (1983)

Photo: Fiona Hamilton

Today would have been David Bowie's 75th birthday, and as all of us PFurs fans know, he had been a loyal supporter of the band, wanted to produce one of their albums, and there's even a rumor of Bowie doing a cover of "Pretty In Pink". Yesterday I found some old article from an unknown magazine and it was some readers choice awards for the year 1983. On the page there were top 10 lists by seven artists who had chosen their favorite albums and singles. David Bowie was one of them and he put The Psychedelic Furs' song "Love My Way" in third place! Here's his full list.

1. Marvin Gaye's Greatest Hits, by Marvin Gaye

2. 1999, by Prince

3. "Love My Way," by The Psychedelic Furs

4. "Tour de France," by Kraftwerk

5. "Little Red Corvette," by Prince

6. Duck Rock, by Malcolm McLaren

7. "Wanna Be Startin' Something," by Michael Jackson

8. "Bring It On, Bring It On," by James Brown

9. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)," by Eurythmics

10. "We Free Kings," by Roland Kirk

Morrissey Reviews The Furs

In the October 25, 1984 issue of Smash Hits Morrissey of The Smiths was chosen to review the latest singles that came out at the time, and one of the singles was The Psychedelic Furs' "Heartbeat". Besides calling the picture sleeve "artless" and saying The Furs should stop being Americanized, he said that "Heartbeat" was a "good single".

Here is Morrissey's short review:

The Psychedelic Furs: Heartbeat (CBS) "Good single with oddly artless sleeve. The Furs must de-Americanize themselves. A hit."

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?

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...

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!!

A Mystery Solved

About four or three years ago I was looking at AllMusic's profile on Richard Butler and I checked out his discography. It showed his solo album of course but there was also an album that I'd never even heard of. I remember clicking on the album to see what it was and that was pretty much it. The album went in the back of my mind and I had forgotten about it, until recently I went to Richard's page on AllMusic and I saw that strange album again. The album was called Burial and it's by this obscure British band named Death In June. They formed in the early eighties and their music is mostly neofolk and experimental. They released some albums and I think they are still around. Burial was Death In June's second album and was released in 1984 on vinyl only. Burial is both a studio and live album, with the first side containing the studio tracks while the second side has live recordings from a concert Death In June did back in 1983. In the 1990s Burial was released on compact disc and in recent years it had gotten vinyl and CD reissues.

Front cover of Death In June's Burial, 1984.

At the end of my Psychedelic Furs biography it listed the discography of The Furs and its band members and on Richard Butler's section Burial wasn't listed. Then on Discog's discography for Richard the album was not on there either. When I went to Burial's page on AllMusic and checked the credits, Richard Butler was only credited as "primary artist." But the weird thing is I checked Wikipedia and on both Death In June's and Burial's articles there was no mention of Richard Butler. My curiosity peaked, and I started to wonder so many things. Did Richard work with Death In June? Was this a collaboration that no one knew about? Did Richard Butler provide vocals on a few of the studio songs? Did Richard really work on the album or not?

So I went to Discogs to see if they have a page for Death In June and there was. I went to the page and on the band's list of members, to my surprise, Richard Butler's name was on there but crossed out, as in he was a former member. But for some reason there was a 6 by his name in parentheses, and I clicked on the name to see why. Well, it turned out it wasn't the Richard Butler after all! It was a different guy that had the same name, and it even showed his middle name which was Mark (the real Richard Butler's middle name is Lofthouse). On the description it said that the other Richard Butler guy was the keyboardist for Death In June from 1983 to 1984.

I'm absolutely relieved to know the real results, and the mystery was solved successfully. I don't get why Allmusic put Burial on their discography for Richard Butler even though the real Richard never worked on the album. Hope Allmusic will know the truth and remove the album so that it won't confuse many people like me, especially if they're Psychedelic Furs fans.