FLAMING HANDS - Wake Up Screaming (7" Single)

A while back I posted two 7" singles, It's Just That I Miss You and The Edge, from obscure Australian new wave pop band Flaming Hands. Here's another of their singles, Wake Up Screaming, from 1980.

Wake Up Screaming was produced by seminal Australian rock musician Lobby Loyde, and like the band's debut single, a cover of I Belong to Nobody by Soul Inc., it features an organic, 60s-inspired rock sound. It also boasts a memorable melody by guitarist and songwriter Jeff Sullivan, a very cool sax break and the pure-yet-powerful vocals of singer Julie Mostyn.

The B side, Sweet Revenge, finds Mostyn musing about taking emotional revenge on a lover who has betrayed her. Musically, the song has a similar vibe to the A side and is just as strong. It begins with a simple, sing-songy vocal intro with a girl-group melody and crescendos into a true pop confection highlighted by a sparkling piano solo and a more aggressive guitar sound as the song reaches its end.

Wake Up Screaming is one of my favorite singles, has never been reissued in any format and like everything else by the Flaming Hands, deserves to be discovered my more people.

Flaming Hands - Wake Up Screaming (7" single, 1980)

Track listing:
1 - Wake Up Screaming
2 - Sweet Revenge

FOR FANS OF:
The Dugites, The Tribe, Blondie, INXS, The Pretenders, The Sinceros, The Motels, Martha and the Muffins, The Tourists

PAULINE BLACK - I Threw It Away (7" Single)

In 1983 ex-Selecter vocalist Pauline Black released I Threw It Away, a soulful single that traded in the two-tone ska of her previous band for more of a pop type of balladry. The song is a perfect showcase for Black's one-of-a-kind vocals, and was later covered by Joe Cocker!

The B-side is a fun, synthy cover of I Can See Clearly Now.

Pauline Black - I Threw It Away (7" single, 1983)

Track listing:
1 - I Threw It Away
2 - I Can See Clearly Now

D-DAY - Right to Know (7" Single)

I previously posted about the splendors of the obscure, raucous Texas new wave band D-Day and their debut and lone LP. That self-titled album was preceded by two memorable singles, the irreverent Too Young to Date and Right to Know. While the former was a slice of raw power pop, 1981's Right to Know took the sugar rush up a notch. The cut is fueled by an out of control, rather cheap-sounding (in a cool way) synth, some manic drumming and the always powerful, showy vocals of De Lewellen.

The B-side is a funk-infused, brassy number called Your History Complete, and is noticeably not as strong, but still pretty enjoyable if you give it a few spins.

D-Day - Right to Know (7" Single, 1981)

Track listing:
1 - Right to Know
2 - Your History Complete

PAYOLA$ - Introducing Payola$

Payola$ formed in Vancouver, Canada in 1978 and included two key members - British-born lead vocalist Paul Hyde and guitarist Bob Rock (who later went on to produce various Metallica albums). The band started off as a rough-around-the-edges, punk-influenced act and transitioned further into new wave pop with each release. Their debut EP, appropriately dubbed Introducing Payola$, definitely represents the earlier, edgier style. That being said, the release is not without hooks and melody, making it digestible for those without a taste for punk.

Opener China Boys is a punchy, hooky tune that would later appear in an updated version on the band's first LP, 1981's In a Place Like This. The second track on side 1, TNT, is an angry working class call to arms. On side 2, Rose dabbles in reggae and Juke Box finishes things off with more punk energy.

Payola$ went on to release a few additional LPs, and scored a minor hit with Eyes of a Stranger off their 1982 album, No Stranger to Danger.

Amazingly, the band's material has not yet been released on CD apart from a rather meager greatest hits compilation. Check out my vinyl rip of the Introducing Payola$ EP:

Payola$ - Introducing Payola$ (1980)

Track listing:
1 - China Boys
2 - TNT
3 - Rose
4 - Juke Box