Stavros Podcast: Recent Episodes
Stavros
It's a bit raw and a bit unfinished. I've always thought Bowie's most commercially slick album could be turned on it's head and done differently. Hears a taster of how it may have been.
You would not believe your eyes if one million open flies.
Were all zipped up at once......
Owl City. Hmmm
For all you men out there and who are far to common to mention.
A bit of prog rock and cacophony for you all.
Well not quite as Robert Smith perceived it. But here we go. Friday's may never be the same again.
Another tune from the 80s from Mr Howard Jones. It's sort of an old song by now though isn't it?
Another thing from the man called Sting. Who needs panpipes when you can do it with guitars for some easy listening?
As the server space runs out there will have to be a cull soon.
Here's Europe's finest moment "The Final Countdown"
In the dark cold nights over Christmas in 1980 a group of American airmen spotted something very strange going on over their airbase at Bentwaters in Suffolk. Lights were spotted in Rendlesham forest nearby. This is the X-Files theme mixed with samples of the recording made by the base deputy commander as he tracked these objects from the forest and witnesses beams of light shooting down from the object. "This is weird".
Filmed at nearby Bebington Oval in 1982 and the location for many a forgotten football match I played in......Here is the theme tune to the film.
As we approach that time of year where most people in the UK are thinking of the creation of Father Christmas. Here is some "True Faith" for all the Christians out there.
Time to be cultural and appreciate the fine tones of Eric Satie. Can't get no Satie Faction - so here is Gymnopedie no. 1.
Who would have thought back in 1983 that Margie Thatchead would go on an on and on and still be around to see the legacy she left? Still I'll be watching every last breath she takes. Long shallow slow ones I hope........
Here's "Every Breath You Take" from the same year.
This rather spooky theme tune harks back to the days of Kyle Mclachlan and damned fine coffee. What the hell was it all about?
She dreams of 1969. When Louis Armstrong landed on the moon and The Beatles were just about to "Let it Rot". Originally a hit for the Human League 15 years afterwards.
Magical. Originally by the Millibands older brother Steve and a big hit 1982. Here we have "Abracadabra".
Originally a sizeable hit song for the Smashing Pumpkins and with one week to all Hallows Eve here is the LSO (Little Stavros Orchestra) version of Tonight Tonight.
And no it isn't really an orchestra it's all done with samplers and synths.
Adamski & Seal. It sounds like a solicitors but this was the soundtrack to the 1990 World Cup along with Nessun Dorma and Elephant Stone. As we approach All Hallows Eve beware of the Killer .
Alf & Vince's finest moment. The backing has been totally re-recorded and I've tinkered with the vocals and added in a bit of Adam Sandler. Enjoy.
Younger people may remember this song from the film "Donnie Darko". This is truer to the original version from Tears for Fears. And yes you better watch out for the little feller on the cover.
...in large amounts. This 1980s offering from Depeche Mode re-created faithfully for the Pope's visit. Next week "People are Papals".
An absolutely awesome vocal by Morton Harkett. I tried to achieve an orchestral sound here on samples and synths that do not do this song justice.
Originally a hit for Visage back in 1981 when the sun shone and people laughed and smiled all day long. Because they had the minds of a toy. The rest of us gritted our teeth in preparation for the summer's riots.
Chopped up lyrics from the Black Eyed Paedophiles mixed with a bit of Fast Fashion. Here on the Bank Holiday Weeked Special.
Ahh the sound of leather on willow. I'm talking about cricket. The sound of the BBC in years gone by...........
You may be Rich
You may be Paul
You may have nothing in this world at all..................
You could be Raoul
You could be Moat
You may have been seen to be acting the goat......
No this is not an Alarm song this is "Guilty" as done by Mike Oldfield.
New Order from Manchester. Stuart Hall is from Manchester. So was his best friend. Here is a song about a rather cold John Mundy.
On the eve of England's most crucial World Cup match since 2006 we are faced with the fact that we have either the most atrocious team that ever set foot on a football pitch or potential world champions.
Sadly the truth lies between the two somehwere.
"No More Heroes" first released in 1977 by the Stranglers.
This is a very rare re-mix of an even rarer song by Wirral band "My Amiga". As my brother is in the band he won't care about me making them sound like New Order. And if he does he can sue me. Or Bernard Sumner.
Aaaaaaaaaahh those halycon days when the summer holidays lasted forever and the sun shone every day....................
I had a night off last night and I'm running out of recordings as well!
Here is "Let it Be" by the Flab Four.
A big hit back in 1986 for the Human League. The aptly titled "Human". It applies to about half the people on the planet.
Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" is the same f** song as Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth".
And here is the proof.
The 80s and 90s intertwine as I recreated the Eurythmics famous 1984 track and added the vocals from Everything But the Girl's "Missing". Not as good as the first track but better than the second?
** I've re-recorded this as there was a buzz on one of the tracks.
Initially released by the Kraut synth combo (who played the same night as Wings in 1975 in Liverpool) ie Kraftwerk. It resided on the classic "Man Machine" album until a wave of New Romanticism struck Britain in 1981 and became the bands only No.1 record in the UK.
Here is an updated version using 21st century synths.
It's "Eleanor Rigby" alright but not as you know it. What is that tune? You've heard it before haven't you but it takes a bit of time to work it out. If you say "Please" you may get the answer..
Dick Whittington thought the streets of London were paved with gold.No wonder he was called Dick! Sting thought it was out in the fields. Neither of them were right.
So jump in an elevator and chill..
John F. Kennedy never got to hear Van Halen. But his deafness or should I say deathness should not stop me mixing his famous words about Berlin with Eddie and the Band's most famous poodle rock moment from 1984. I don't own an Oberheim synthesizer. But this is very close.
Here in my car, I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors and then spread on all fours....
Nah I don't think they were the words . Here is the No.1 sound of 1979.............. Although I used a minimalist production on this. Just a bass synth, lead synth and drum machine. There is a bad drop out about a 2 mins in. I can't be bothered fixing it.
First released in 1987 and a No.1 UK hit for the Pet Shop Boys. I have no idea why they were called the Pet Shop Boys as neither of them appeared to like animals or were "boys". But then the comments should stop there. Rumour has it that they were named after friends who owned a pet shop...........
Germany has made pop stars out of very few people...Nena,Sam Fox, The Scorpions and David Hasslehoff . Well I'm not going to mess with the Hoff here. Who would?
But Kraftwerk remain it's biggest worldwide export after Sausages, Beer and Genocide.
Here we have Computer Love .
Ahh Paris in 59. If you remember the 50s then what are you doing here? This is a Thin Lizzy track in all but name. The original was released in the poptastic year of 1979 under the Gary Moore pseudonym. Here is the Phil the Greek once again accompanied by the super-fluous Stavros production.
A synth heavy production for what is essentially an epic 80s anthem that Mike Reid had to ban to get it to go to No.1 . Well done Mr Bankruptcy.
Christina Aguilera's Genie in Bottle vocals and Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" mixed together. Hmmmm!
First released by Rush in 1981 and a staple of their compilation and live albums for ever after. However just like that first chord from A Hard Day's Night I was unable to quite nail that synthesizer sound on this track to perfection.
I have re-mixed this from the original as it had some strange high pitched hiss in the mix.
Take one Buggles track and sample a porn star's voice and you get "Ahhh a Ah a Ah". But that wasn't in tune so there is only a small remnant of a porn star sample in this.
First released in 1979 and launching MTV in the USA. Trevor Horn's finest moment at the mike rather than behind the mixing console.
Well it isn't the spring equinox but here is Equinoxe 5. First released in 1978 by Jean Michel Jarre and still sounding as good today as anything from 1978 can.
I have had a request to day YMCA from someone who liked my version Enola Gay.
It isn't a nice place I'm telling you to F*** off to.
OK. This one has not one synthesizer on the track and the complex guitar work is from Brother Philip the Greek. I did think of asking Andy Summers but he'd have told me to do one.
Blu Cantrell's "Breathe" vocal track mixed with our own re-creation of "Sue Lawley" by the Police. I could have spent ages getting the vocals perfectly in tune and time. But I didn't because you won't listen to this enough to notice.
To Sir Les Parry of Wirral (and Sean Garnett and Wayne Allison as well) for a mighty effort to keep the Rovers in Division 1 after the Barnes disaster. "....It's one on one, if Barnes had stayed Tranmere were gone.. ."
OK so it's got a bum note or 2 but who cares?
OK so this is hardly an electro mix. But if you take the the basic premise of mixing "Tears for Fears" vocals with a certain Bryan Adams song's chord structure played on an acoustic guitar then this works wonderfully well. Or does it? You decide.
I have been to see OMD live twice. On one occasion they came out for the encore and the opening bars of this song came ringing out across the arena. Two blokes not too far away began to embrace each other. Now given the fact that neither of them looked like survivors from Hiroshima or Nagasaki I rapidly came to the conclusion that they had completely missed the point of this song. Luckily Andy McCluskey was completely oblivious to this 'ménage a deux' whilst belting out the chorus of "Enola Gay".
First recorded by the Frenchman Jean Michel Jarre in 1977. Oxygene is well French for Oxygen. So here you go. Parts II, III and IV - Lovely stuff.
These are scary times. Beware of cuts, bruises and people trying to steal your soul itself.
Here's another 80s tune from the film that should never have gone to version 3. Dedicated to Eddie Murphy, who despite once bagging a Spice Girl,must realise it's career over for him in reality
No time for comment. Sweet Dreams everyone.
Actually this mix was not very good so I've re-recorded a bit of it and re-posted a new version.
Moving into the 90s now. Here we have a version of Robert Miles - Children and pretty good it is too if I may say so myself. It's taken 2 years to get the sound right on this!
This is dedicated to all those Catholic kids who can never look a Catholic priest in the eye again. And there have been a lot of them. Where there's life there's hope. But obviously no * Pope.
Jean Michel Jarre is coming up. Just wait 'til the weekend.
But there may be a few more things over the next few days. You just never know.
In 1981, when Visage were enjoying success in the music charts, Andy Gray was a young footballer plying his trade at Wolves. He then went on to play for a minor club on Merseyside and finally retired from the game altogether.
He is now credited with inventing the Premier League,along with Richard Keys, and is a self proclaimed fountain of knowledge on football.
So here is my tribute to that moment after the game when Sky cameras "...Fade to Gray". And we watch and listen in wonder as Andy tells us about things we saw for ourselves but he is the only person who understood the meaning of it all in the context of the game.
Back in the 1980s when Kraftwerk were German, Welshman were Welsh and sheep in the province were very worried a single was released called "Tour De France".
This is my own re-mix/ No sheep were harmed during the making of it.
Couldn't do the Jean Michel Jarre track (yet!)
But here is a track dedicated to school summer holidays in the 70s and 80s ,Aunty Dorothy and Joytime.
"Gordon's Gin" - originally recorded for a cinema & TV advert and features on the Human League album "Travelogue". Proper synthesizers were used to record this one.
Free "Popcorn" provided straight afterwards for your consumption.
Inspired by the memories of New Year 1984 (beware the sausage roll!), Strouds Corner, the woman in the Palace who couldn't see straight and Ian Evans inability to drink Fosters lager without puking.
Here is my own faithful recreation of "Get Carter" by the Human League using a Casio VL-Tone software simulation and a very expensive digital audio workshop.
This one is for the moose.
Next week I will play something by Jean-Michel Jarre or maybe not.