Mix Tape Friday: Left of the Dial (Side A)

A Love Song for College Radio: 1980–81

I’ve waxed nostalgically a time or eleven about my college radio days. It was one of the best times of my life. It was all about being young with no responsibilities, discovering new bands, going to a music club nearly every night of the week, dancing the days away, spending my days at the station instead of in class. Many of the records from my time there — 1980–81 — are still among my favorites. I was there at a good time — post-punk and new wave ruled our airwaves. I wish I could put in writing how thrilling it was the first time I dropped the needle on The Pretenders' debut album, or Roxy Music's cover of "In the Midnight Hour" (still my favorite Bryan Ferry song), or the first Psychedelic Furs album (we gave away a hot-pink — a psychedelic — faux fur coat).

Yes, a Side B is coming next Friday. Covering the college radio years of 1984–88, it’s Tenacious S' contest-winning mix tape! And it’s a groovy one, kids. We’ll cover 1982–83 later this spring; some amazing songs came out during those two years.

My college radio station was Georgia State University’s WRAS — 88.5 on your FM dial. Album 88 has long been considered one of the top college stations in the country, and is the only college station broadcasting on 100,000 watts. (Somewhere I have a mix tape that starts with R.E.M.’s Mike Mills’ congratulating WRAS on getting those 100,000 watts.)

Sadly, I never had a shift, never got to play deejay. I spent 1980–81 as the station’s public relations/public affairs director, coordinating giveaways (which means I was on the guest list at the Agora Ballroom and 688 Club every night of the week) and PSAs. I desperately wanted a shift … but I talk way too fast for radio … and when I slow down to a normal speed … well, I sound rather drawly. I did get my FCC license, though.

Today I finally get to be a WRAS jock. The record is paused at the quarter turn, ready to spin. And so I present 44 songs about 88.5.

The Jam :: That’s Entertainment!

The Clash :: The Magnificent Seven

The Pretenders :: Tattooed Love Boys

Talking Heads :: Once in a Lifetime

Graham Parker :: Endless Night

English Beat :: Tears of a Clown

Mission of Burma :: Academy Fight Song

The B-52’s :: Quiche Lorraine

Roxy Music :: In the Midnight Hour

Blondie :: Rapture

XTC :: Generals and Majors

Buzzcocks :: Everybody’s Happy Nowadays

Peter Gabriel :: I Don’t Remember

R.E.M. :: Radio Free Europe (original Hibtone single)

Soft Boys :: Queen of Eyes

Siouxsie & The Banshees :: Spellbound

Gang of Four :: What We All Want

Devo :: Girl U Want

The Replacements :: More Cigarettes

Dead Kennedys :: Holiday in Cambodia

Spizzenergi :: Where’s Captain Kirk?

Swimming Pool Q’s :: Rat Bait

The Specials :: Rat Race

X :: Los Angeles

10,000 Maniacs :: Groove Dub

Altered Images :: I Could Be Happy

Squeeze :: Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)

Rockpile :: Teacher Teacher

The Police :: Spirits in the Material World

Joy Division :: Love Will Tear Us Apart

Patti Smith Group :: Dancing Barefoot

Psychedelic Furs :: Imitation of Christ

Pylon :: Crazy

Wreckless Eric :: Broken Doll

Split Enz :: One Step Ahead

The Stranglers :: Golden Brown

Suicide :: Johnny Dance

Oh-OK :: Whore Boy

Young Marble Giants :: Salad Days

Elvis Costello & The Attractions :: New Amsterdam

Bill Nelson :: Do You Dream in Colour

Method Actors :: Rang-A-Tang

The Basics :: Sexual Object

The Thrills:: Hey! (Not Another Face in the Crowd)

The Ramones:: Rock ‘n’ Roll High School

Who has time to right-click forty-four times? Grab the zip file instead. The zip file includes a bonus track: the most requested song from my WRAS days — “Sweet Transvestite.” Yeah, I know it came out in 1975 — but for some reason its popularity never waned with our listeners.

To keep today's tape at 44 for 88.5, I had to cut some great songs from my college radio era: Joe Jackson and The dB's ... Joan Armatrading's "Me Myself I" (the first free album I got at the station, with English Beat's I Just Can't Stop It!) ... Georgia's The Brains and The Producers ... maybe there's a part two that must be mixed.

Putting together this mix tape brought back some great concert memories: The B-52’s at the Agora Ballroom, Fred walking one of those invisible dog leashes during “Quiche Lorraine” … Talking Heads at Agora for their Remain in Light tour (and I could have partied with them until dawn, had I left my friends on the floor and gone to the VIP section as invited) … R.E.M. at 688, opening for Gang of Four … local bands like The Basics and Swimming Pool Q’s and The Method Actors. It was a fun time to be in Atlanta.

We had some great in-studio moments and interviews. My favorite? Split Enz performing in the studio. (Remember their groovy laser-etched vinyl for True Colors?) Is it worth bragging that The Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward held my hand the entire time he was in the studio promoting his solo album? Or is that as lame as my Eddie Money moment?

You know, it may be worth it to register for some classes and finally get that shift.

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Mix Tape Friday: New Wave Friday

Favorite Boy and I have spent many an ’08 night chatting about music and YouTubing videos, which has left me musically nostalgic of late. Thus we must go new wave this fine January day.

You longtime readers may remember that new wave is my favorite genre of music. (You are journaling my likes and dislikes, no?) I’ve pondered the why. The obvious answer: It was the rage during my aurally formative years — eighteen to twenty-five. But it’s a bit more than that. New wave redefined pop music for me. After years of listening to pop ditties about afternoon delights, car washes, and rubberband men, suddenly I was singing along to brilliant, literate songs about detective-watching and Jackie O and shellfish. The subject matter was as cool as the beat.

And, thank God, my obsession with new wave saved me from going down the hairband aisle at Turtles Records.

New wave is hard to define. It’s sort of post-punk, sort of poppy. To paraphrase Justice Stewart, I can’t define it, but I know it when I hear it. I always start with the Stiff Records lineup — Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds and Graham Parker, Wreckless Eric and Ian Dury, Madness and The Bongos — then spin out from there. But new wave isn’t just a British movement. Talking Heads were a major player in the beginning; some say Sire Records’ Seymour Stein coined the name to market post-punk bands like them. About a quarter of today’s tracks are by Stiff Records artists, though.

Today’s tape includes tracks released between 1976 and 1983 — a truly golden age of music. Fittingly, the earliest track — the lone one from 1976 — is by Nick Lowe. I’m sure I missed one of your favorites — but don’t worry, because there will be more New Wave Fridays. List your favorites in the comment box.

Tears for Fears :: Mad World/Pale Shelter

The Psychedelic Furs :: Love My Way

Split Enz :: I Got You

Depeche Mode :: Just Can’t Get Enough

The Cure :: Boys Don’t Cry

Wreckless Eric :: (I’d Go the) Whole Wide World

Nick Lowe :: So It Goes

The Jam :: Modern World

Devo :: Freedom of Choice

Big Country :: In a Big Country

After the Fire :: Der Kommissar

Talking Heads :: Once in a Lifetime

The B-52’s :: Rock Lobster

Buzzcocks :: Everybody’s Happy Nowadays

Bow Wow Wow :: I Want Candy

Joe Jackson :: I’m the Man

The Vapors :: Turning Japanese

Thomas Dolby :: She Blinded Me with Science

The Go-Go’s :: We Got the Beat

XTC :: Generals and Majors

The English Beat :: Twist and Crawl

The Three O’Clock :: Jet Fighter

Let’s Active :: Every Word Means No

R.E.M. :: Stumble

The Cars :: Since You’re Gone

Violent Femmes :: Gone Daddy Gone

Madness :: One Step Beyond

Elvis Costello & The Attractions :: I Can’t Stand Up (For Falling Down)

Squeeze :: Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)

Dave Edmunds :: Girls Talk

Gang of Four :: I Love a Man in a Uniform

Gary Numan :: Cars

Lene Lovich :: Lucky Number

Ian Dury & The Blockheads :: Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick

The Stranglers :: (Get a) Grip (On Yourself)

Human Sexual Response :: Jackie Onassis

The Bongos :: Numbers with Wings

Boomtown Rats :: I Don’t Like Mondays

Aztec Camera :: Oblivious

The The :: Uncertain Smile

When I first started reading the beloved Bee Boy’s blog, he had “Every Word Means No” as his tagline. I knew I’d found a kindred spirit, and that’s why it was easy for me to pick which Let’s Active tune to include today.

You know of my deep love for Elvis Costello and Squeeze (again, you’re jotting down my faves, right?), but I have yet to wax poetic about Joe Jackson. Joe and Elvis defined the new wave era for me. In 1980 I wore white cruel shoes (with skinny ties, of course) just like Joe wore on the Look Sharp! cover. I’ve seen Joe in concert many times, and he’s always amazing — and I just found out hours ago that he’ll be here in April.

I’ve told this story before, but I never tire of telling it. Bob Geldof read the story that inspired “I Don’t Like Mondays” at my college radio station. WRAS had a teletype machine in the newsroom, from which we received news stories. The machine was big and clunky and very loud, especially when a major story was breaking. A big story came across the wire while not-yet-Sir Bob was in the studio, and it was so distracting he stopped the interview to read the story on the air. It was, of course, the story that inspired “I Don’t Like Mondays,” which he wrote later that afternoon. (That was a year or two before I joined the station; I was still in Athens at that time and thus cannot play the I Was There card.)

I worked for a Japanese company in the very early 1980s, where three of the four managers were Japanese. When they’d return to the office after a saki’ed lunch, they’d get me to sing “Turning Japanese,” particularly “No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women / No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark.” They thought it was a hoot. I never explained what “turning Japanese” meant.

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