March 31, 2023

Various Artists - The Basketball Diaries: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1995)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Post Grunge, Alternative Rock
Label Number: 314-524 093-2

© 1995 Island Records
When it was finally brought to the screen in 1995, Jim Carroll's The Basketball Diaries was updated to the present. Conveniently, this left the producers with the option to assemble an all-star alternative rock soundtrack for the film and have it not seem out of place. And The Basketball Diaries does have an all-star lineup, with contributions from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, PJ Harvey, Flea and the Cult, as well as The Posies, Green Apple Quick Step, the Doors and Jim Carroll himself. Predictably, this is a mixed bag, both musically and stylistically. PJ Harvey's menacing, understated "Down by the Water" is the standout, along with the Jim Carroll Band's "People Who Died" and Soundgarden's "Blind Dogs." "Riders on the Storm" seems out of place among the punkish filler and the whole disc doesn't quite convey either drug-induced paranoia or a coming-of-age story -- it's a sampler, pure and simpler. There's some good stuff on the sampler, but it's still a sampler.

 tags: various artists, the basketball diaries, original motion picture soundtrack, 1995, flac,
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Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust (2011) ☠

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Doom Metal
Label Number: KCR002
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 2011 Killer Candy Records
Just as they did with their unexcitingly named 2010 debut, Vol. 1, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats dedicate their sophomore album, the following year's tellingly named Blood Lust, to celebrating the Summer of Love's soul-chilling autumn: a blasted landscape, post-flower power, resembling Altamont's killing fields, reeking of the Manson Family murders, and, naturally, sounding like a mish-mash of all of the apocalyptic musical forces that converged upon that era. We're talking a mixture of psychedelic rock's harrowing comedown, garage and punk rock's nihilistic ascent, and the earliest manifestations of heavy metal's occult-laced, nerve-damaging bludgeon (later reclassified as doom) -- all poured into a deadly cocktail that Hunter S. Thompson would surely guzzle down with relish. But there's more, and this is the twist…the Cambridge-based trio also acknowledge their very "British-ness" with a passion for B-quality Hammer horror movies that, along with warmer organ sounds and fragile whining vocals, lift the mood of many of their songs to the point where one at least feels the group is having some fun, not slashing their wrists in abject misery. The clamorous mega-riff of opener "I'll Cut You Down" invites an army of zombie go-go dancers to frug their brains out; the circuitous guitar licks and jaunty clip of "Over & Over Again," "Ritual Knife," and "13 Candles" prove one need not sit still during satanic rituals, and the snail-paced offerings such as "Death's Door" and "Withered Hand of Evil" finally bow down to Black Sabbath's Marshall-stacked Stonehenge without further reservations or distractions. No, none of this is exactly groundbreaking (heck, not in the slightest -- lest it involve breaking ground in a cemetery), but Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats make it work nonetheless on the strength of their convictions about this peculiar period and its music, ultimately proving yet again that great songs will always transcend the most recycled of building blocks.

 tags: uncle acid and the deadtbeats, blood lust, 20111, flac,
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Brimstone Coven - The Woes of a Mortal Earth (2020)

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*This is a digital store download purchased from Bandcamp. 
The files have been tagged and sorted for convenience. 
Contains 6 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Doom Metal
Style: Traditional Doom
Label Number: None
 
© 2020 Ripple Music
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 
 
 tags: brimstone coven, the woes of a mortal earth, 2020, flac,
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Psycho Realm - The Psycho Realm '95 (2018)

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*This is a digital store downloaded purchased from Qobuz. 
The files have been tagged & sorted for convenience. 
Contains 2 tracks total that 
were recorded in 1995.
Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Hip-Hop 
Label Number: None

© 1995-2018 Rebel Music Group
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 * Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled. 


 tags: psycho realm, the psycho realm 95, 2018, flac,
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Psycho Realm - Unreleased (2001)

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*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz. 
The files have been tagged & sorted for convenience.
Contains 4 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Hip-Hop 
Label Number: None

© 2001-2021 Sick Symphonies, Inc
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 * Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled. 


 tags: psycho realm, unreleased, 2001, flac,
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March 30, 2023

The Stranglers - The Raven (2001 Remastered Edition) ☠

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*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz. 
The files have been tagged and sorted for convenience. 
Contains 15 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: New Wave
Label Number: None
 ☠: Selected by Lass
© 1979-2001 Parlophone Records Ltd.
By the time The Raven was released, the Stranglers had branched out a bit from their punk-influenced pop music stylings and grouchy personal-relationship-based lyrics. Half the songs on this album (among them "Dead Loss Angeles," "Nuclear Device," "Shah Shah a Gogo," and "Genetix") spout verses critical of social or political issues. Only the first of these four numbers, with its clipped vocal delivery and stripped-down, bass-heavy arrangement, shows significant British punk influence. Certain songs here exhibit strong mainstream tendencies with no hardcore sensibilities whatsoever, such as "Duchess" (a tuneful power pop number with clear chart-oriented influences) and "Don't Bring Harry" (a slow-tempo, piano-dominated selection). Still other influences can be heard in "Meninblack," a Devo-derived number featuring a synthesized clipped beat/electronic pulse texture, chilly and sanitized-sounding organ, lockstep drums, and Alvin & the Chipmunks-style sped-up vocals. The intriguing "Ice" boasts interesting production touches and an inventively dubious tonal focus. The songs are lengthy, with at times prolix instrumental openings and interludes. Sound quality on the EMI America re-release is uneven at times, with occasional distortion in the drums and percussive low synthesizer. This is a generally good album worth hearing. Original pressings of this release have a 3-D picture on the front cover. Approximately half the songs on this album would be reissued one year later on the U.S. label release IV.

 tags: the stranglers, the raven, 1979, 2001, remaster, flac,
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Various Artists - Clerks (Music From The Motion Picture) (1994)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Alternative Rock, Post Hardcore, Grunge
Label Number: OK 66660

© 1994 Chaos/Miramax/Columbia Records
In the spirit of Reservoir Dogs, the soundtrack to the hip independent comedy Clerks is filled with little clips of the movie's dialogue, which only proves how important context is to comedy. In the film, the jokes and pop culture debates are uproariously funny, but when they're heard outside of the cramped convenience store where the film takes place, they fall flat. And that's also what happens with the songs. With the exception of Alice in Chains' sinewy, acoustic-based "You've Got Me Wrong" (also featured on their Sap EP) and Soul Asylum's "Can't Even Tell," none of the songs have much power when separated from the film. Furthermore, there's not much variety -- it's all grunge and metal, and none of it is particularly distinctive. Fans of the film will find the Clerks soundtrack a fun memento, even if it's a bit tiring. Alternative/hard rock fans will find some of the album entertaining, but will also find it somewhat subpar.

 tags: various artists, clerks, music from the motion picture, soundtrack, 1994, flac,
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Various Artists - The Cable Guy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Post Grunge, Alternative Rock, Trip-Hop, Hip-Hop
Label Number: OK 67654
 
© 1996 Work
The soundtrack to Jim Carrey's black comedy The Cable Guy is a typically uneven set of alternative hard rock. None of this material has appeared on albums or singles before and, unfortunately, much of this does sound like leftovers or rejects, particularly offerings by the Toadies, $10,000 Gold Chain and Silverchair. However, Jerry Cantrell's contribution rocks as hard as any Alice in Chains track, Porno for Pyros' Lou Reed ("Satellite of Love") cover is affectionate, and Jim Carrey's over-the-top rendition of "Somebody to Love" is very funny. In fact, it's the best moment of the album. Come to think of it, it was the best part of the movie, as well.

 tags: various artists, the cable guy, original motion picture soundtrack, ost, 1996, flac,
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Various Artists - Music From The Gregg Araki Movie: Nowhere (1997)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Alternative Rock, Post Grunge, Trip-Hop, Industrial
Label Number: 314 534 522-2

© 1997 Mercury Records
The soundtrack to indie filmmaker Gregg Araki's Nowhere includes Hole's blistering "Dicknail" as well as music from 311 ("Freak Out"), Radiohead ("How Can You Be Sure?"), James ("Thursday Treatments"), Suede ("Trash"), Elastica (the previously unreleased "In the City"), the Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Lush, Curve, Chuck D and Marilyn Manson.

 tags: various artists, music from the gregg araki movie nowhere, nowhere soundtrack, ost, flac,
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Cemetery Lights - Consumption (2022) ☠

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*This is a digital store download purchased from Bandcamp. 
The files have been tagged and sorted for convenience. 
Contains 8 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Black Metal
Label Number: None
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
 © 2022 Nuclear War Now! Productions
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

tags: cemetery lights, consumption, 2022, flac,
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March 29, 2023

Shy Rose - You Are My Desire (1994)

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Country: Italy
Language: English
Genre: Hi-NRG
Label Number: SPLK-7206

© 1994 Unidisc
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: shy rose, you are my desire, 1994, flac,
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Various Artists - The Cowboy Way (Music From The Motion Picture) (1994)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Hard Rock, Rock, R&B, Film Score
Label Number: BK 64379

© 1994 Sony 550 Music/Epic Soundtrax
In keeping with the cowboys-in-New-York theme of the movie, this collection of 11 songs from the soundtrack of The Cowboy Way features a number of country and Southern rock artists, notably Travis Tritt, the Allman Brothers Band, and Emmylou Harris. But there's also miscellaneous hard rock (Bon Jovi, Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers), alternative (Cracker, Blind Melon), and even R&B (En Vogue), meaning that this is another of those random roundups of rejects that pass for movie soundtracks these days.

 tags: various artists, the cowboy way, music from the motion picture, ost, soundtrack, flac,
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Various Artists - Resident Evil: Music From & Inspired By The Original Motion Picture (2002)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Nü-Metal, Industrial Metal, Electronic, Film Score
Label Number: 168 618 450-2

© 2002 Roadrunner Records
A soundtrack inspired by a movie inspired by a video game -- that is a true sign that the entertainment industry is eating itself alive. Sparing any more commentary on the ridiculousness of the situation, this is basically a collection of heavy metal and aggressive electronica thrown together out of previously released material. There are a few remixes and Marilyn Manson contributes some original music for the score, so the album isn't completely made up of old stuff. Slipknot contributes a new mix of "My Plague" that sheds everything that makes it heavy and listenable in the first place, starting the album off on a blatantly commercial and unappealing note. Yet Slipknot turns around and remixes Manson's "The Right Song," managing to make it heavier, more aggressive, and ultimately much better than the original mix. Manson's other contributions are also quite good, showing that he may not always get along with mentor Trent Reznor, but he has at least learned some lessons about songwriting from him. Coal Chamber delivers a pretty average song with a great Korn-esque breakdown toward the end that really shapes up the song. The always dependable Fear Factory does what the band does on virtually every metal soundtrack it ends up on, stealing the show with a well-written, intelligent song that puts half the artists here to shame. Static-X sounds great with a Ministry-lite chug, but Rammstein only sounds OK when attempting the same shtick. Depeche Mode delivers the real shocker with a solid and tense cover of the Stooges' "Dirt," turning it into a campy angst-fest that still works despite the group's bizarre transformation into an industrial metal band through the years. Prodigy's excellent remix of Method Man's "Release Yo Delf" is another pleasant surprise, building a huge DJ Muggs-style beat behind the rapper's gruff voice. And the rest of the album is actually pretty decent, highlighted by some interesting industrial metal that never falls below average. Altogether, this is a pretty good album that may not live up to the standards set by the little-heard Faust soundtrack album, but still delivers enough good music to please pickier fans of the genre.

 tags: various artists, resident evil, music from and inspired by the original motion picture, soundtrack, 2002, flac,
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March 28, 2023

Kariya - Let Me Love You For Tonight (Single) (1988)

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*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz. 
Contains 5 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: House
Label Number: None

© 1988-2019 Last Man Music
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: kariya, let me love you for tonight, single, 1988, flac,
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Sisley Ferre/Attack - The Album (1989)

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Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Genre: Hi-NRG
Label Number: HS 8920-1

© 1989 Hotsound Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: sisley ferre, attack, the album, 1989, flac,
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Tasha - You Only You (1992)

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Country: Belgium
Language: English
Genre: Hi-NRG
Label Number: ALCB-466

© 1992 Alfa International
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: tasha, you only you, 1992, flac,
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Various Artists - Jackass The Movie • The Official Soundtrack (2002)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Punk Rock, Post Grunge, Hardcore, Heavy Metal
Label Number: 440 063 426-2

© 2002 American Recordings
Whatever you may think of the JACKASS phenomenon, be it good, crazy, all-American fun or social Darwinism at its most base, this soundtrack at least provides the opportunity to hear the Rezillos once again conjure the spirit of punk rock with "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" and the Ramones try to meld the Beach Boys and New York punk with "California Sun." In other news, Swedish girlie rockers the Sahara Hotnights show what the fuss is all about with their "Alright, Alright (Here's My Fist Where's the Fight?)" and The Misfits do what they do best--rock like there's no tomorrow--on "Hybrid Moments."

Despite being divorced from the movie's undoubtedly hilariously harrowing visuals, the music still bumps and grinds in all the best places. And any album that manages to sequence Slayer's "Angel of Death" and Sir Mixalot's "Baby Got Back" together is obviously worthy of respect.

 tags: various artists, jackass the movie the official soundtrack, ost, 2002, flac,
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Various Artists - The Transporter: Music From & Inspired By The Motion Picture (2002)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Hip-Hop, R&B
Label Number: 62823-2

© 2002 Elektra
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: various artists,  the transporter, music from and inspired by the motion picture, soundtrack, 2002, flac,
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March 27, 2023

Nemesis - The Day of Retribution (2007 Remastered Edition)

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*Reissued and remastered in 2007 by GMR Music Group. 
Contains 11 tracks total.
Country: Sweden
Language: English
Genre: Doom Metal
Style: Epic Doom
Label Number: GMRCD9006

© 1984-2007 GMR Music Group
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: nemesis, the day of retribution, 1984, 2007, remaster, flac,
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Black Hole - Land of Mystery (2010 Reissue)

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*Reissued in 2010 by Andromeda Relix. 
Contains 9 tracks total
Country: Italy
Language: English
Genre: Doom Metal
Style: Progressive Doom
Label Number: AND 024

© 1985-2010 Andromeda Relix
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: black hole, land of mystery, 1985, 2010, reissue, flac,
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Various Artists - Gunmen (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1993)

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Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Hip-Hop, R&B, Rock, Film Score
Label Number: MCAD 10708

© 1993 MCA Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: various artists, gunmen, music from the original motion picture soundtrack, ost, soundtrack,  1993, flac, 
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March 26, 2023

Bananarama - Deep Sea Skiving (1983)

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*U.K. first pressing. 
Contains 11 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hi-NRG
Label Number: 810 107-2 R-1

© 1983-1986 London Records
Bananarama's first album is by far their best. Before they fell in with the lucrative but often boring Stock, Aitken & Waterman assembly line starting with 1986's True Confessions, Siobhan Fahey, Sarah Dallin, and Keren Woodward were unashamedly poppy, but they had enough artistic credibility to create a debut album that, barring a couple of small missteps, actually works as an album instead of a collection of singles with some filler. (They were even hip enough for their first single to be produced by ex-Sex Pistol Paul Cook.) Of course, the singles are terrific. There are four British chart hits in these 11 songs, and every one of them still sounds terrific, where later hits like "I Can't Help It" are terribly dated. The slinky "Shy Boy" and a rattling cover of the Marvelettes' "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" (co-starring the trio's early mentors Fun Boy Three) are classic girl group songs updated for the '80s, every bit as credible as any mid-level Spector or Motown singles. That Cook-produced debut single, "Aie a Mwana" (oddly left off the album's first U.S. edition), now sounds mostly like a curio of the brief tropical craze that hit the U.K. in 1981/1982, but "Cheers Then" is a heartbreaker, an absolutely lovely lost-love song that's possibly the best thing Bananarama ever did and certainly one of the top singles to come out of Great Britain in 1982. Surprisingly, though, Deep Sea Skiving has some album tracks that are the equal of the singles. A funky version of Paul Weller's "Doctor Love" (originally written for Weller's then-girlfriend Tracie Young, whose version came out in 1984) is a killer, as is the countrified "Young at Heart," written by the trio and Fahey's then-boyfriend, Robert Hodgens of the Bluebells (who did their own version on 1984's Sisters). Three more Dallin/Fahey/Woodward compositions present a well-rounded portrait of young girls on their own in the big city, with the bouncy, glammy "Hey Young London" like a night out on the town and the resentful "What a Shambles," a morning-after snit about an out-of-touch star from the point of view of three struggling working-class girls. It's the closing "Wish You Were Here," though, that caps the album's widely varied moods with a romantic wistfulness that's like the emotional flip side of "Cheers Then." Deep Sea Skiving is not perfect. "Boy Trouble" is awfully slight, and a cover of Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is okay, but basically pointless. Still, it's Bananarama's finest album by far, and an underappreciated pop gem of its era.

 tags: bananarama, deep sea skiving,  1983, flac,
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Bananarama - Bananarama (1984) ☠

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*U.K. first pressing. 
Contains 9 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hi-NRG
Label Number: RAMA 2 (820 036-2)
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1984 London Records
For their second album, Bananarama underwent a telling change in persona, from the flyaway-haired, overall-clad everygirls of Deep Sea Skiving into a sleeker and glammier look. Similarly, the album has a much more polished feel than the occasionally scattershot debut, which is not always a good thing; sticking with Tony Swain and Steve Jolley to produce the whole thing (the duo had shared production duties with three others on the debut), Bananarama traded their early tropical-tinged playfulness and ironic overtones for a more commercial sound that scored well on the charts (the terrific opener "Cruel Summer" was a worldwide hit, and several other tracks were U.K. hits) but was less unique than before. What's most unusual about Bananarama is the content of the songs. Lyrically, the album is surprisingly serious, with topics ranging from sectarian violence in Ireland ("Rough Justice") to domestic violence ("King of the Jungle") to drug use ("Hot Line to Heaven"), none of which are in keeping with the trio's frothy image. Indeed, under the singalong chorus, the album's best track, "Robert de Niro's Waiting," turns out to be the traumatized musings of a teenage rape victim, set to an improbably dreamy, carefree melody. Even comparatively light songs like "State I'm In" and "Dream Baby" have an oddly paranoid tone to them. Of course, the detour into mature themes didn't last long, as the group's next album introduced the chart-bound frivolity of Stock-Aitken-Waterman into the picture, but Bananarama in an intriguing and often excellent side trip. Important discographical curiosity: original U.S. copies of Bananarama included an extended seven-minute take of "Hot Line to Heaven." After the fall 1984 release of the single "The Wild Life" (the theme to Cameron Crowe's second movie), U.S. copies of Bananarama were altered to include the new single at the start of side two, followed by the superior single edit of "Hot Line to Heaven."

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