NEW ORDER, NENEH CHERRY, NU SHOOZ...JUST THREE OF 20 ACTS HERE WHO TOOK THE 12" SINGLE AND MOULDED IT IN THEIR OWN IMAGE, HELPING IT TO BECOME A DOMINANT FORMAT OF THE 1980S
JEREMY ALLEN
The 12" record was introduced to vinyl consumers by Columbia way back in 1948, replacing the old phonograph cylinders, though it was during disco’s heyday that 45rpm mixes featuring a high fidelity single track across one side of a record became fashionable. By the 1980s, the 12" was de rigueur for any self-respecting artist or label. The proliferation of the extended mix would no doubt have surprised Tom “undisputed king of the disco mix” Moulton, or even hip-hop great DJ Kool Herc, innovators whose methods of prolonging the groove came from the necessity of keeping the dancefloor moving.
2O DEAD OR ALIVE
YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) (1984) In 1984, You Spin Me Round not only ushered in one of pop’s great characters in Pete Burns, but it also signalled the first supernova success for soon-to-be legendary pop producers Stock Aitken Waterman. SAW’s first No.1 also reached No.11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and the 12"s Murder Mix lives up to its name, executed by a deadly – and uncredited – Phil Harding of PWL Studios. Harding whips up tension with bass oscillations and percussion, Burns arriving fashionably late, two minutes in.
19 THE CURE
WHY CAN’T I BE YOU? (1987) If the oft misheard Cure lyric “you make me horny again” is a mondegreen, this track’s producers François Kevorkian and Ron St. Germain weren’t set right. Horns, be they synthetic or otherwise, are unleashed all over the Why Can’t I Be You? 12" remix. An uncharacteristically ebullient track, souped up with congas and dub-like guitar, there’s even a suggestion that Robert Smith had subconsciously absorbed the melody to Wham!’s Bad Boys into the chorus and brassy arrangements.
18 ARCADIA
ELECTION DAY (1985) When Duran Duran went on hiatus during the mid-80s, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon moved into the Plaza Athénée, a five star Parisian hotel that’ll set guests back a few grand a night. That was just the beginning of the eye-watering expense that went into the making of So Red The Rose by Duranie side-project Arcadia, creators of what Le Bon described as “the most pretentious album ever made”. Election Day was the highlight here, and the ostentatious Consensus Mix sounds every bit as opulent as those circumstances dictated.
17 BRONSKI BEAT
WHY? (1984) The extended version of Why? appears to pl
