Wednesday, November 12, 2014

A Mess From 'Just Say Yes'

Lots of new music to listen to today. So, I need to make this quick. Digging up that rare mix from Wild Swans last week got me thinking about how much I enjoyed Sire's 'Just Say Yes' sampler series in the late '80s. They were chock full of singles, remixes, live versions and B-sides from the label's stable of alternative stars, but Sire would throw in a curve ball to keep things interesting too. Without question, you could always count on an appearance from Depeche Mode, Erasure and Morrissey. They were the cornerstones of the operation at the time, but you might find something from Figures on a Beach, the Ocean Blue and k.d. lang as well.

The first compilation, out in the winter of '87, was the best. Unfortunately, they got weaker with each release, and I gave up on the endeavor with the fourth volume in 1990, but the series did continue through at least the seventh sampler in 1994. Bottom line is these must have been a success because I would always end up buying the records Sire was marketing. Here's a little mix of late '80s magic from that series:

Echo & the Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar (12" Mix) (from 'Just Say Yes...')
The Smiths - Work Is a Four-Letter Word (B-side from 'Just Say Yes...)
The Mighty Lemon Drops - Inside Out (Live) (from 'Just Say Yo')
Throwing Muses - Dizzy (Remix) (from 'Just Say Mao')
Ian McCulloch - Candleland (Second Coming Version) (from 'Just Say Da')
Erasure - Chains of Love (Truly in Love With the Marx Bros. Mix) (from 'Just Say Yo')

4 comments:

Post-Punk Monk said...

My entrée to the "Just Say…" series was "Just Say Yo." Volume 2. I passed on volume one since I already had much of it in its constituent albums. Not so on Vol. @, where I bought 5-6 albums I had not been planning on buying! The mark of a successful compilation! I still have three of the six I once owned in this series. I never bit for "Just Say Roe."

Brian said...

Yo, Monk! That second one was strong, particularly that 12 minute Tubular Bells/Pretty Boys and Girls mix from Book of Love, but I liked the James, Wild Swans and Mighty Lemon Drops songs too.

Echorich said...

The Just Say... series was a real treat from a label that had previously filled my childhood with amazing, obscure music on the Loss Leaders series.

Anonymous said...

Echorich - I remember seeing the Loss Leader inner sleeves and always wanting them but as a boy, the concept of mail order records was not possible… something for grownups only since they had the check book necessary for purchase. It wasn't until the mid-80s, when my friend Brian suggested that I get in on some fine catalog orders that he would share with me that I crossed that line. Then we split the postage. My collections exploded as there were a lot of items that never found their way down to sleepy Central Florida! For seven years I awaited the biweekly Goldmine with a highlighter at the ready! The the internet hit and it was all over. One could get any record you wanted [almost] if one had the will and budget.