HÜSKER DÜ (ABO #262)

HÜSKER DÜ
DIVIDE & CONQUER

Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart. Hüsker Dü never achieved mainstream success, but attained an influence far larger than their modest sales figures would indicate. Following a series of successful albums, including Zen Arcade (1984) and New Day Rising (1985), the band signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1986, becoming one of the first American underground rock bands to sign with a major record label.
Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a hardcore punk band with thrashing tempos and screamed vocals. The band developed a more melodic musical style as they drifted away from their early sound, helping to develop the early alternative rock sound in the process. Mould and Hart split the songwriting and singing duties; Mould's lyrics were known for being more soul-searching and intense than the often whimsical and cryptic ones of Hart.
Hüsker Dü broke up in 1987 without having achieved a popular breakthrough. Mould formed another band, Sugar, in the early 1990s and has embarked on a sporadic solo career; Hart and Norton have been less active since Hüsker Dü's demise. Although never experiencing commercial success, Hüsker Dü influenced a number of later pop punk and alternative rock bands, such as Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, Green Day, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters, and Justin Broadrick of Godflesh cites them as 'one of the most important bands of all time.' (source: Wikipedia)

My HÜSKER DÜ List
1 - Candy Apple Grey (1986)
2 - New Day Rising (1985)
3 - Zen Arcade (1984)
4 - Flip Your Wig (1985)
5 - Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987)
6 - Everything Falls Apart (1982)
7 - Land Speed Record (1981)

TOTO (ABO #261)

TOTO
CHILD'S PLAY

Baistophing Toto ? What's the point ? Hasn't this band been compiled to death since forever ? Exactly, and that IS the point. Toto is one of the most underrated bands in their own country, USA, and one of the most known but overlooked in Europe. Overlooked mainly because of all those best-ofs growing like mushrooms in a rainy forest. Since the first official best-of, the infamous "Past to Present" (which included some inedits the band didn't want to get released in the first place), we may have seen some 7 or 8 different Toto compilations, one of them even being a triple CD, and all of them tried to outcast the previous ones as the dullest best-of ever.
That's the kind of situation where Baistophe has to come to the rescue. Here you'll find excerpts from ALL albums, including Dune, XX and Through the Looking Glass. You'll find no Rosanna, no I'll Be Over You, no 99, in fact not much of what you might know from Toto. This doesn't mean those were not good songs ; but Toto badly needed a compilation that could show all they could do : ballads of course, but also prog rock, jazz rock, instrumentals, huge work on synthesizers and orchestral arrangements, blending of many singers, fierce guitar solos from Steve Lukather... It's all in there. This compilation might disappoint you, as well as it could enthrill you ; point is, if you really liked what you've heard, you will still have all of their "hits" to (re)discover. Give it a chance, maybe this band is not what you think they are.

My TOTO Top 3
1) Kindgom of desire (1992)
2) Isolation (1984)
3) Toto (1978)

My TOTO Bottom 3
1) Fahrenheit (1986)
2) Hydra (1979)
3) Tambu (1995)

.................................(We asked him not to, he did it anyway and he did it good, thanks to Baker for another tasty "baistophe"!)

OINGO BOINGO (ABO #260)

OINGO BOINGO
SO YOU CAME FOR THE PARTY?

Oingo Boingo (formerly known as the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo) is one of those rare genuinely cult bands from the USA, but mainly unknown to other countries. Maybe the name of their songwriter / guitarist / vocalist will shine a light : he is indeed Danny Elfman, the famous multi-awarded film score composer and Tim Burton's musical alter-ego. Younger brother of director Richard Elfman, Danny founded Oingo Boingo as a comedy troup in Southern France, gaining popularity when the band scored (and appeared into) Richard's first and never matched ultra-cult-movie Forbidden Zone. Coming back to the US, the band shortened its name to merely Oingo Boingo, and dropped some of the most theatrical-based gimmicks in favour of a blend of pop, punk and ska. Heavily based on synthesizers, goofy horn section and the one-of-its-kind weird guitar playing by Steve Bartek, Boingo released 4 albums in 5 years, becoming more and more pop, but without losing the quirkiness of Elfman's vocals.
They soon became one of US hidden treasures. Supported by a faithful audience, increasing popularity with their annual Halloween show, Boingo was also featured as a background or foreground soundtrack for many movies. Their 1985 album "Dead man's party", while disappointing some early fans for being a bit too mainstream, proved that Elfman was a hell of a great hit-maker. They conquered success with the soundtrack (very sadly not included here) from John Hughes's movie "Weird science" (later known as the series Codename Lisa), and Tobe Hooper used No-One Lives Forever as the beating track for the now famous bridge sequence opening Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
Elfman then became what he's mainly known for these days : a great "classical" composer, sailing between blockbusters (Darkman and Spiderman for his friend Sam Raimi) and more intimate movies (Dolores Claiborne, Nightbreed, Article 99), always teaming with genius Steve Bartek (now his official arranger) and never losing touch - if only once - with his longtime partner Tim Burton. But he didn't give up the Boingo at once : he gave birth to three more albums - the latter, being called just "Boingo", was a complete alien in the 1994 musical landscape, feeding from grunge and Elfman's orchestral works. Boingo also released in 1988 a double-"live in the studio" album, "Boingo alive", which is one of the very best records ever made that way. In 1995, partly because of the beginning of hearing loss after all these years of loud music, Elfman gave a farewell concert on the night of Halloween, ending Boingo's career on the highest note one could have dreamed of.

My BOINGO Top 3
1) Good for Your Soul (1983)
2) Boingo (1994)
3) Dead Man's Party (1985)
(...not counting Boingo Alive)

My BOINGO Bottom 3
1) Forbidden Zone (1980)
2) Dark at the End of the Tunnel (1990)
3) Oingo Boingo (1987)

(Thanks to Baker for the great "baistophe"!)

ALAIN MARKUSFELD (ABO #259)

ALAIN MARKUSFELD
L'ENROULEUR DE GALAXIES

Another great lost talent of rock history. Alain Markusfeld is a marvelous guitarist who made several albums in the seventies but dropped out of business in the early 80s due to a lack of interest to his music. The man didn't even found his audience in his home country, France. His albums are great and gained cult status among most litterate music connoisseur.
From his very beginning with his band Trust (not to be mistaken with French hard rock band Stefan have baistophed some months ago), everyone had witnessed his great talent as an instrumentalist. From electric to acoustic, the guitar seemed to be one with the man. With albums like Platock or Contemporus which feature some great instrumental tunes and great suites like Mike Oldfied could (or should) have done, Markusfeld seems to have a second chance in the blogosphere. Like Gentle Giant for England, Alain Markusfeld may be one of the most underrated French musicians of all time.
Sadly, I've been unable to find any sample of his music so, you'll have to trust me and download this very best stuff to judge for yourself, I'm quite sure you will not be disappointed.

My Alain Markusfeld TOP
1. Platock (1978)
2. Contemporus (1979)
3. Le Désert Noir (1977)
4. Le Son Tombé Du Ciel (1971)
5. Live (1981)
6. Le Monde En Etage (1970)
7. Le Mutant (1970, w Trust)

(another great post by Ayah!)

THE CARDIGANS (ABO #018) [REPACKED]

THE CARDIGANS
LIFESTYLE
[REPACKED]

The Cardigans is a Swedish band formed in the town of Jönköping in 1992. The band's musical style has varied greatly from album to album and encompasses their early indie leanings passing through '60s-inspired pop and more band-based rock.
Their debut album Emmerdale (1994) gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. But it wasn't until their breakthrough second album Life (1995) that international audiences and critics responded. The band is perhaps best known outside of Sweden for their international hit singles "Erase/Rewind" and "My Favourite Game" from the album Gran Turismo (1998) and "Lovefool" from the album First Band on the Moon (1996). Its inclusion in the soundtrack of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet by director Baz Luhrmann secured their popularity. The Cardigans have sold 5 million albums worldwide.

My CARDIGANS List
1 - Gran Turismo (1998)
2 - Emmerdale (1994)
3 - First Band on the Moon (1996)
4 - Life (1995)
5 - The Other Side of the Moon (1999)
6 - Long Gone Before Daylight (2003)
7 - Super Extra Gravity (2005)

THE SISTERS OF MERCY (ABO #035) [REPACKED]

THE SISTERS OF MERCY
SOME KIND OF STRANGER
[REPACKED]

The Sisters of Mercy are an English gothic rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output as a strike against their record company. Currently, the band is kept alive as a touring outfit only. The band's symbol was inspired by a common illustration in Anatomy textbooks, namely that illustrating the anterior and posterior triangles of the neck. Specifically, it was noticed by Andrew Eldritch in the early medical student's bible Gray's Anatomy.
The group has released three original studio albums, of which the last was released in 1990. Each album was recorded by a different line-up; singer and songwriter Andrew Eldritch and the drum machines called Doktor Avalanche are the only points of continuity among the line-ups. Eldritch and Avalanche were also involved in The Sisterhood, a side-project connected with Eldritch's dispute with former members.
The group ceased recording activity in 1994, when they went on strike against their record company Time Warner, which they accused of withholding royalties and being incompetent. Although Time Warner eventually let the band go in 1997, they have not signed to another label, and have chosen not to go the independent label route, despite showcasing numerous new songs in their live sets.
Since 1985, when the other original members left, The Sisters of Mercy has become the artistic vehicle of Andrew Eldritch. Ex-members of the group established the bands Ghost Dance and The Mission.

Pierre's SISTERS OF MERCY List
1 - First and Last and Always
2 - Floodland
3 - Vision Thing

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(cover art by SFP, rip & selection by Pierre)

Y&T (ABO #258)

Y&T
HIGHER

Y&T (originally known as Yesterday & Today) is an American hard rock/heavy metal band formed in 1974. They hail from the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The band released two studio albums on London Records as Yesterday & Today in the 1970s, before shortening their name to Y&T and releasing several albums on A&M Records beginning in 1981, as well as albums on Geffen Records, Avex Records, and others. The band was originally co-managed by Herbie Herbert (who also managed Journey) and Louis "Lou" Bramy. The band has sold over 4 million albums worldwide to date.
With career accolades that include performing on American Bandstand, two Bammie Awards, five top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the top 40 charts, multiple national and international television appearances, and a worldwide fan base, Y&T has sold over four million albums and released eleven studio albums since their 1974 inception. The band has survived the disco fever, survived New Wave's peak in popularity, rode the crest of the 1980s hard rock and glam metal insurgence, outlasted the age of grunge, and continue to perform today, remaining faithful to melodic power ballads. At any of their concerts, fans can be heard calling out their requests including "Rescue Me" from Earthshaker, "Forever" from Black Tiger, and the title track from Mean Streak. Several songs by the band are also included in the soundtracks of numerous movies and television shows.
"Summertime Girls" remains as the band's signature song, with lesser songs such as "Mean Streak" also being well-known. Music videos for songs such as the aformentioned two, "Lipstick & Leather", "Don’t Stop Runnin'", "Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark", and "Contagious" are still featured videos on VH1 today. (source: Wikipedia)

My Y&T Top 3
1 - Earthshaker (1981)
2 - Yesterday & Today (1976)
3 - Black Tiger (1982)

My Y&T Bottom 3
1 - Contagious (1987)
2 - Down for the Count (1985)
3 - Ten (1990)

CRY ME A RIVER (VAC #028)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
CRY ME A RIVER

It's been a while since we've had a special baistophe dedicated to one specific song. Today's subject will be Cry Me A River.
The first two versions I heard were very different. The first one was by Viktor Lazlo (not on this baistophe) sung in french and the second one was Joe Cocker's. I could hardly imagine that those two songs were twin brothers (or sisters). Years after, I discovered other versions and found that that song had been covered quite a lot!
The problem I met with this song is that so many versions are fairly similar. Fortunately, some people have had the wit to make it their own. That's why you'll find rock, jazz, funk or pop versions here and I believe it makes an homogenous lot which, I felt, would be a hard result to get.
Enjoy.

(Thanks to AYAH for another great compilation!)

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE/STARSHIP (ABO #257)

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE & STARSHIP
THE AMAZING JOURNEY

I will always remember the first time I learned that 1985's hit single "We Built This City" had been made by a band that was no stranger to the Jefferson Airplane. How surprising, that song hadn't anything to do with such a hippy band! By this time, Jefferson Airplane had known so many changes it shouldn't come as a surprise their sound had so drastically changed. First, the departure of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy, who were the blues identity of the original band, to start Hot Tuna, made not only the band change its name to Jefferson Starship (a more futuristic name) but also their music take an unexpected turn.
Mind, Jefferson Starship were still a rock band but with much more pop elements than before. Still, the folk sound remained with the adjunction of a violonist but the psychedelic sound had completely vanished. Maybe that's the reason why Jefferson Starship didn't have that good of a reputation, they had become one among so many others... Maybe dropping their psychedelic sound didn't help. Fans lost interest and their prestige dropped as people could not recognize that particular sound of theirs..
Anyhow, the music was still good, different indeed, but good nonetheless. Up to the early 80s, Jefferson Starship remained fairly close to what Airplane was even if changes were easily noticeable. Most of all, Grace Slick's inconsistency in choice, she left and returned to the band several times, was unsettling and didn't help keep a strong fan-base.
By the mid 80s, Jefferson Starship seemed to have nothing really new to record and changed name again becoming the pop band known as Starship. That band was the one who made the hit single I told you about at the beginning of this article. Surprisingly, nowadays, like Yes with Owner of the Lonely Heart, Jefferson Airplane/Starship is more remembered because of that song than their 60s/70s classics such as White Rabbit or Somebody To Love, both milestones of the original Woodstock festival.
This compilation was, hence, made for those who know the Airplane yet missed the rest or those who know Starship yet have no idea what a major band Airplane was in the late 60s.
Just feed your head!

My top will be different the ones have made before, I didn't want it to look like:
1. mostly any Jefferson Airplane album
2. mostly any Jefferson Starship album
3. Starship albums

so, I chose to make two separate Tops :

My Jefferson Airplane TOP3
1. Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
2. Crow Of Creation (1968)
3. Volunteers (1969)

My Jefferson Starship/Starshp TOP3
1. Dragon Fly (1974)
2. Modern Times (1981)
3. Red Octopus (1975)

(This compilation is the work of Ayah, let him be thanked)

WILLY DEVILLE (ABO #256)

TEARDROPS MUST FALL:
A TRIBUTE TO
WILLY DEVILLE
The 'Solo' Years 1987-2008

As a solo artist, some could say Willy DeVille showed no direction or no true identity as his works are quite diverse. Going from cajun & mariachi to jazz, soul, blues, rock, country, folk and more, the man explored the many possibilities his solo freedom gave him. Not focused Willy? Maybe so, but his talent and unique voice were enough to make all this material his own, not many artist can't even begin to dream of such an achievement... Sadly, success only came in rare occasions (with the Princess Bride song, "Storybook of Love" or his delightful cover of "Hey Joe"). Now that he's gone, and dearly missed, it's time to pay tribute to a great artist with Baistophe's exploration of his seven solo releases.

My WILLY DEVILLE Top 3
1 - Backstreets of Desire (1994)
2 - Loup Garou (1996)
3 - Crow Jane Alley (2004)

My WILLY DEVILLE Bottom 3
1 - Victory Mixture (1990)
2 - Miracle (1987)
3 - Horse of a Different Color (2001)

MARILYN MANSON (ABO #255)

MARILYN MANSON

POSTHUMAN

I won't be long with MM's case aas everyone knows him at least by his name and reputation. One thing I like in Marilyn Manson is that too few people understands him, really. His detractors are simply fanatic christianists who only find in him evil ways. On the other hand, too many of his fans love him for his satanic image. So if there's a war of ideas behind MM, it's just because of the public, not of the artist.
It's a bit sad to resume MM to that identity, because even in that agressive music there's a little bit of tenderness that can only betray the identity behind which he's hiding. Just listen to The Speed Of Pain and find negative waves in it... Marilyn Manson is just a rock'n'roll singer like many others and that's enough to like what he's playing. If you find it insane, it's just that you didn't understand that it's only second-degree.

My MM TOP
1. Mechanical Animals (1998)
2. Smells Like Children (1995)
3. Antichrist Superstar (1996)
4. Portrait Of An American Family (1994)
5. Holy Wood (2000)
6. The High End Of Low (2009)
7. Eat Me, Drink Me (2007)
8. The Golden Age Of Grotesque (2003)

(thanks to Ayah who manages to post even when he is away...)

CHRIS ISAAK (ABO #254)

CHRIS ISAAK
HEART FULL OF SOUL

Songwriter Chris Isaak clearly loves the reverb-laden rockabilly and country of Sun Studios. In particular, he transfers the sweeping melancholy of Roy Orbison's classic Monument singles ("Crying," "Oh, Pretty Woman," "In Dreams") to the more stripped-down, rootsy sound of Sun, resulting in a stylized take on '50s and '60s rock & roll that made him into a star in the early '90s, propelled to a great degree by the hit single "Wicked Game."

Isaak began performing after he graduated from college, forming the rockabilly band Silvertone. The group, which featured guitarist James Calvin Wilsey, bassist Rowland Salley, and drummer Kenney Dale Johnson, would become the singer/guitarist's permanent supporting band. Isaak released his first album, Silvertone, on Warner Bros. in 1985. It was critically well received yet failed to sell well. Two years later, he released the self-titled Chris Isaak, which managed to scrape into the Top 200 album charts. After its release, the singer began an acting career with a bit part in Jonathan Demme's 1988 film Married to the Mob; he would later have parts in Wild at Heart, The Silence of the Lambs, and A Dirty Shame, as well as starring in his own situation comedy series for the Showtime cable network.

Released in 1989, Heart Shaped World initially sold more than Chris Isaak, yet it didn't manage to break big until late 1990, when the single "Wicked Game" was featured in David Lynch's Wild at Heart. Soon, the single became a Top Ten hit; the album also made it into the Top Ten and sold over a million copies. Both 1993's San Francisco Days and 1995's Forever Blue mined essentially the same vein as Heart Shaped World, yet both went gold and spawned a handful of hits. In 1996, Isaak released The Baja Sessions; Speak of the Devil followed two years later. Isaak's busy touring schedule and growing visibility as an actor kept him out of the recording studio until 2002, when he released Always Got Tonight, though in 2004 he did find time to cut his first seasonal album, Chris Isaak Christmas, which featured five new Yuletide tunes along with a batch of holiday favorites. The musician once again flexed his TV muscles in 2009 with The Chris Isaak Hour, whose debut on The Biography Channel was promoted in part by Mr. Lucky, his first album of original material in seven years.

Here's "Baistophe" view of the finest of Isaak's works on two Cd's, one for the gentle side, the other for the rock songs. Enjoy.

mStanzas' CHRIS ISAAK Top 3
1 - Heart Shaped World (1989)
2 - Forever Blue (1995)
3 - Speak The Devil (1998)

mStanzas' CHRIS ISAAK Bottom 3
1- Always Got Tonight (2002)
2- San Francisco Days (1993)
3- Mr. Lucky (2009)

(Selection & rip by mStanzas / upload & artwork by S.F.P.)