MI-SEX - Where Do They Go?

Mi-Sex first gained notoriety in their native New Zealand and Australia in late 1979 with their electro new wave chart hit, Computer Games. Although the band continued on until 1985, no other single brought them as much success.

Their more straightforward, pop-oriented final LP, 1984's Where Do They Go?, contains no less than two essential new wave treasures in addition to a healthy dose of others that are pretty enjoyable.

Castaway and Blue Day - both released as singles - are not tunes you'll likely hear on flashback radio, but ones that have "80s classic" written all over them. The former is an peppy, insanely catchy sing-along number, while the reflective Blue Day sounds like the best song Men at Work never wrote.

The reggae-tinged title cut is another highlight, as is the the lively pop of Falling in and Out, 5 O'Clock (In the Morning) and Don't Look Back in Anger.

This album tries to be nothing other than radio-ready new wave without many twists and turns, but it is a worthwhile listen all the way through. The powerful lead vocals by the late Steve Gilpin are particularly notable. Unfortunately, Gilpin died in 1992 after being struck in a car crash.

Mi-Sex - Where Do They Go? (LP, 1984)

Track listing:
1 - Only Thinking
2 - Where Do They Go?
3 - Castaway
4 - Blue Day
5 - I Lose Control
6 - Falling in and Out
7 - Making Love on the Telephone
8 - 5 O'Clock (In the Morning)
9 - The Stranger in You
10 - Don't Look Back in Anger

WEB LINKS:
- Mi-Sex on Wikipedia
- Informational site on Mi-Sex vocalist, Steve Gilpin
- Blue Day video on YouTube
- Castaway video on YouTube

PEARL HARBOUR - Pearls Galore!

Pearls Galore! by Pearl Harbour is one of those "lost" albums that even many fans never knew existed.

The LP was the follow-up to Harbour's 1980 album, Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too, which was more widely known and consisted of short, clever rockabilly pop tunes. Before that, Harbour performed under the moniker Pearl E. Gates as front woman in new wave band Pearl Harbor and the Explosions.

By the time Pearls Galore! came out to limited release it was already 1984, and after four years of silence it's no surprise Harbour had fallen off the radar. Even so, the LP is a very worthy listen, with production by Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, The Go-Go's) and the material itself adding more of a 60s girl group polish to the singer's rockabilly base. Harbour even throws in a Shangri-Las cover (Out in the Streets) and an original track (He Ain't So Bad) that sounds remarkably like one.

Opener Killer Joe is another cover that pays tribute to 60s pop. The calypso-tinged Flirt and the latin and surf-flavored Spanish Bop are lots of fun. Nerves, Run Rhythm Run and the twangy Please Come Home hearken back to the sound of Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too. Get Outta Here is tough and catty, and wouldn't sound out of place on a Joan Jett record. Hula Love, yet another retro cover - this one originally by Buddy Knox - closes the album off with a laid back island vibe.

Flirt and Hula Love were pulled as singles (the latter released on 10" blue vinyl!), but unsurprisingly neither left a dent.

According to this site, the Japanese edition of the album contained some alternate songs - Voodoo Voodoo, You Don't Fool Me, A Love Like Yours, I Can't Tell You on the Phone and What I Should've Said. Apart from the first two, which were released on an earlier single, I've never heard these tracks. If anyone can help, PLEASE let me know.

One interesting fact to note is that during this time Harbour was married to Paul Simonon of The Clash. Check out this cool clip of her performing Fujiyama Mama with the band in 1982.

After releasing Pearls Galore! Harbour was quiet for over a decade, then released the raw Here Comes Trouble in 1995.

While Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too has seen digital release on iTunes, the elusive Pearls Galore! has never been reissued in any format. Check out a vinyl rip here:

Pearl Harbour - Pearls Galore! (1984)

Track listing:
1 - Killer Joe
2 - He Ain't So Bad
3 - Flirt
4 - Spanish Bop
5 - Nerves
6 - Get Outta Here
7 - Out in the Streets
8 - Please Come Home
9 - Run Rhythm Run
10 - Hula Love