Tales...

Goldfrapp have announced their new album. Tales of Us, which marks the sixth studio LP from the group, will be released on September 9.

Tales Of Us will be available on CD, vinyl and digital formats. The duo has also put together a special limited edition boxset that contains the CD, vinyl, an exclusive disc of bonus material plus the full album in 5.1 on DVD. It also contains a 12” print (first 500 copies signed by the duo) and a 40-page hardback book compiled by them. The price for the box is £64.99.

Tracklist:

1. Jo

2. Annabel

3. Drew

4. Ulla

5. Alvar

6. Thea

7. Simone

8. Stranger

9. Laurel

10. Clay

Tracks...

The third and last post for now featuring some of my favorite recent tracks.

SOTD...

It's Friday! I passed all my tests! Me thinks it's time for some disco!

Child star Leif Garrett has not had an easy life (or career, for that matter). His well documented troubles with substance abuse and the law are much more known then his work. But, he did release one song that I absolutely adore.

"I Was Made For Dancin'" came out in 1979 and became his biggest hit, charting at #10 in the US and #4 in the UK. It became the highlight of his music career, as things went downhill afterwards. A classic case of a child star - he didn't even reach 18 before he was "burned out". Oh well, there is always this number to enjoy.

August?...

Although not officially confirmed, it seems that the Blu-Ray/DVD release of Madonna's MDNA Tour will be on August 26th/27th! Hope it's true - I can not wait any longer!



UPDATE:

It's official - here's the press release:

Madonna’s groundbreaking, critically acclaimed, controversial and visually stunning MDNA concert will be available in the US on August 27th (August 26th globally), it was announced today by Universal Music. The two hour MDNA extravaganza was the most successful tour of 2012.

Presented by Live Nation Global Touring, the tour included 88 sold out shows in 29 countries. Madonna and her ten member band lead by musical director Kevin Antunes and troupe of 25 dancers performed a wild two hour spectacle that fascinated, enthralled and entertained 2.2 million fans.

The show’s co- director and supervising editor, Danny B. Tull commented…
“Madonna spent six months personally editing the video footage from 30 cameras and many different shows to put together the MDNA DVD. Her attention to every frame, every detail and nuance and total commitment to show her creative vision has been done to perfection. Each song is like a short movie. One minute you are in an action movie and the next you’re at a golden era musical before shooting across to India and back for a house party to finish. It’s better than any 3-D Imax movie out there and at a break neck pace that would make any Olympian struggle for breath.”

Songs included “Girls Gone Wild” and “Gang Bang” from Madonna’s MDNA CD which debuted at No. 1 in 35 countries as well as fan favorite classic Madonna songs such as “Hung Up”, “Express Yourself,” “Vogue,” “Open Your Heart, “Like A Prayer” and “Celebration”.

Madonna in her manifesto about the show remarked…
“My show is a journey.. the journey of a soul from darkness to light. It is part cinematic musical theatre, part spectacle and sometimes intimate performance art. I know people can relate to it. It’s very important to me as an artist that my show not be taken out of context. It must be watched with an open heart from beginning to end.. I am sure if it is viewed this way, the viewer will walk away feeling inspired, invigorated and will want to make the world a better place.. And this of course is my intention.”

Amongst the glowing reviews, the Daily Mail raved…
“The queen of pop’s latest album MDNA provided the bedrock for a two hour show that sent out a powerful message to any young pretenders eyeing up her crown.. She remains one of the greats.”

The Miami Herald remarked…
“Madonna’s sold-out concert was a jaw-dropping sequence of stunningly designed set pieces; including an aeriel drum crops, a battalion of dazzling dancers, an explosively bloody gangster fantasy and a surreal spiritual voyage.”

The Dallas Morning News commented…
“The Material Girl proceeds to take us through a song cycle that examined sex, liberation, sin, empowerment, love, addiction, rebellion and finally redemption.. She did it all in classic Madonna style – controversial and eye-popping.”

The MDNA DVD was directed by Danny B. Tull and Stephane Sennour and was produced by Madonna..
Executive producers: Arthur Fogel , Guy Oseary and Sara Zambreno.
Tour wardrobe was created by Arianne Phillips.
Supervising Editor Danny B. Tull.
Director of Photography Mark Ritchie.

SOTD...

Back in 1986, ex-Blondie singer Debbie Harry was french kissin in the USA. She released the song as the first single from her second solo album, Rockbird.

Sadly, Debbie never found much success as a solo artist. The single peaked at #57 in the US, although it did better in the UK where it became her only solo Top 10 hit, peaking at #8. The song did well in some other territories, especially Australia where it peaked at #4.

To be fair, Debbie's solo material often leaves a lot to be desired IMO. But when she's good, she nails it. I think she nails it here.

SOTD...

Today we travel to France. Back in 1988, this was the biggest selling single of the year over there, spending nine weeks at the top of the charts. The single ended up being certified platinum.

Then of course there's the video...

SOTD...

Time to go back to 1992 now - where we meet the unique and absolutely fabulous paring of English dance producer Adamski and the utterly amazing German princess of punk: Nina Hagen.

"Get Your Body" was not exactly a hit (at least not in the UK, where it peaked at #68) but the fantastic video was played a lot on MTV. I still love this song - in fact I bought the 12" a couple of weeks ago and I have been playing it a lot. ("I'd like to bite you - instead I kiss you")...