Debbie Harry - Rockbird

After Blondie finally broke up in 1983, Debbie Harry seemed to be at the bum end of her career. After the flop of her 1981 debut album and her 1982 collaboration with Giorgio Morroder, Rush Rush, it could have been all over for Debbie’s pop career.

However, 1986 would prove to be a great year. The single French Kissin’ In The USA was a major hit in the UK, peaking at #8 – back when that was quite good! The album, Rockbird, really cashed in on the pop appeal of French Kissin’.... It kicks of with I Want You, a shouty, electronic, bubblegum pop ditty with off the wall horns and some seriously silly lyrics. It has quite a 50’s rockabilly feel to it too. It’s totally throwaway, but somehow makes quite an impression and while it’s nothing like the material Blondie recorded, it is a bit punky and wouldn’t sound too odd with the synthesisers removed and the guitars turned up! Buckle Up is pretty similar in style and every bit as good, and You Got Me In Trouble also follows this trend, although is more on the pure pop side. This one has some nice horns and is a bit smoother.
Next up is the second single In Love With Love, while the vocals are just lovely, I like Debbie’s high vocals on this one especially, I think the production on the album version lacks the energy of the remixes, in particular the SAW remix, which was the single version in the UK. This whole album was Debbie at her absolute poppiest and it was a shame she didn’t stick with this kind of thing, as sales were pretty good for the album, over 100,000 copies in the UK alone. This single tanked though, although the Justin Strauss freestyle mix was a US club hit.

Free To Fall is the first ballad, and its absolutely lovely. It’s very emotive and extremely classy. Debbie’s voice is really strong on this album, and nowhere is this more evident than on the ballads. This was the third and final single, and it was big old flop in the UK. It had a great B-side, Feel The Spin, a euro flavoured slice of 80’s disco taken from the soundtrack to the movie Krush Groove.

The title track, Rockbird, is quite intense and makes use of that saxophone again. I’ve never been particularly keen on this one, but it is good, and picks up the frenetic pace of some of the earlier tracks on the album. Secret Life takes things down to a mid-tempo before kicking into a rocky chorus. Some really nice lyrics and pretty vocals on the verses make this one an absolute pleasure to listen to. Beyond The Limit is more of the same.

The horn section of Debbie’s band are really prominent throughout and it gives the whole album a bit of a retro feel. Producer Seth Justman did a really great job on the album and produced a set of glossy pop songs with just enough of an edge of craziness to befit a legend like Debbie. Stephen Sprouse and Andy Warhol did the artwork and soul legend Jocelyn Brown provided some of the background vocals. It’s a fine collection of trashy pop that would be perfect in any collection!


Video - In Love With Love [Remix]
Video - Interview

Deborah Harry - Two Times Blue (Clubstar Mix)

The first batch of mixes to one were not up my alley. However, one can always rely on Clubstar, a staple of any AATW Records release in recent years, to produce the goods. This takes Deb's original melancholy rock track and injects it with a the kind of stuff you can only find on Wigan Pier on a Staurday night. This is just amazing, what a relief after the dirge that the Soulseekerz and Stonebridge came up with. The original speed of the vocal is maintained on this one and the results are just stunning. Considering how badly the album, Necessary Evil, has done there is little chance of a proper second single. For me, this mix, is one of the best things to come out of the whole project.

224kbps mp3, CD Rip
Two Times Blue (Clubstar Mix)
http//www.zshare.net/audio/10131363acbd1d28/

Hairspray, 1988

CREW: John Waters (Director)

Waters has consistently directed some of the greatest trash masterpieces ever committed to celluloid. His most popular movies include Pink Flamingos, Cry Baby, and of course Hairspray!

STARRING: Ricki Lake (Tracy Turnblad)

Ricki lost over 100lbs and scored her own talkshow in 1993.

Divine (Edna Turnblad)

Star of many of John Waters’ movies, most famously Divine ate dog faeces at the end of 1972’s Pink Flamingos. In 1984 Divine had a big hit in the UK with the single You Think You’re A Man, he was a popular dance diva throughout the 1980’s in Europe until his death in 1988.

Debbie Harry (Velma Von Tussle)

Debbie fronted punk/pop band Blondie before going solo in 1981. She made her major motion picture debut in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome in 1983, which went on to become a cult classic. In 2006 Debbie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with her Blondie band mates.

Colleen Fitzpatrick (Amber Von Tussle)

Colleen reignited her career when she took the name Vitamin C and scored a platinum album.

With Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono, Mink Stole, Ruth Brown, Michael St. Gerrard and Pia Zadora.

PLOT: Chunky teen Tracy Turnblad longs to be a dancer on the popular Corny Collins TV show. She comes home from school every day and watches it with her friend Penny. The show hosts a dance competition and Tracy wins, soon she is the most popular dancer on the show, much to the dismay of her nearest rival, Amber. But things are not all that they seem behind the scenes of the squeaky clean show. The management won’t allow any black kids on the show. Tracy and friends try and put things right.

No sex, no violence, no language, some minor drug references, PG/PG.

THOUGHS: This is my favourite movie ever. The whole movie is just so perfect and I enjoy it more every time I watch it. The dancing, the performances, the music is all perfect! It’s very kitsch and campy, but it’s suitable to show anyone! My favourite scene is the one where Penny’s mother visits downtown to rescue her from Motormouth Mabel’s store. It’s amazing! Hairspray was turned into a Broadway musical a few years ago and won a whole host of awards. They are currently filming a movie version of the musical with John Travolta as Edna and Queen Latifah as Motormouth Mabel. I know they’re much bigger names, but somehow now matter how good it is, the original will always be my movie.

CAN I BUY IT? DVD!