Limahl January – Too Shy ROTW January 1983
Limahl January – ROTW January 1983
Whilst we’re celebrating the release of new single ‘1983’ from Limahl, we’re all still thinking about that year itself and the success of the band at that time.
This leads us onto this fantastic snippet from January 1983 itself, where Tony Blackburn was presenting his show on Radio 1 and his ‘Record of the Week’ feature, ‘Too Shy’ was on the list of tracks.
Listeners to his show listened to various tracks and had to pass comment on those tracks and then score points which would then decide what the Record of the Week would be.
Naturally, ‘Too Shy’ scored sufficiently and became Record of the Week, it’s very interesting to listen to the comments of the listeners!
Here is that feature:
A huge thanks to Jez Strode for sending that audio track through to us.
Please continue to support the new single from Limahl, he is still busy with interviews and it’s vital that the fans keep buying the single and keep spreading the word!
Limahl was interviewing with TV2 Norway yesterday so stay tuned for further information on that.
We’d love to hear your feedback on the track, let us know what you think!
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – 1983 Update
Limahl January – 1983 Update
Yesterday was of course release day for the new single ‘1983’ and the web world has been buzzing with word of this single coming out. All feedback we’ve heard has been extremely positive and we’ve been keeping a close eye on Amazon stats where the track has been making a great impression.
Limahl was busy yesterday including an interview on Sirius XM Radio which was incredibly well received which should only do great things to help the track onwards.
Incase you missed that interview, we have it for you here:
Amazing interview, a must hear!
Yesterday we saw the track hit #12 in the Amazon hot new dance & electronic releases and also #5 in the movers & shakers list!
Our good friendship with ‘Radio Creme Brulee’ that we made during the DDH release was strengthened even further yesterday when they wrote this superb blog piece on the track and they are giving in great rotation. Nice work!
http://www.radiocremebrulee.com/blog/?tag=limahl
Keep an eye on the Amazon Dance & Electronic chart, the single is moving on up! As of 1.35pm UK today, it is placed at #5:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/new-releases/dmusic/118641031/ref=zg_bs_tab
We’d advise anyone who wanted to buy the track but wasn’t interested in where to get it from, to go for Amazon as we’re really interested in seeing those stats just keep on getting better!
If you can’t spare much money but really want all of the versions, Play.com have the full lot at a fantastic price:
http://www.play.com/Music/MP3-Download-Album/4-/27679313/1983/Product.html
We hope you bring you further updates on the progress of the track as they come through.
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – 1983 Release Day
Limahl January – 1983 Release Day
The day has come, the brand new single from Limahl ‘1983’ is released today!
Before we continue the celebration, the very first thing to do is you haven’t already is to download the track and play it loud.
Please visit your preferred retailer, though here are a selection of links that might help you on your way!
http://www.7digital.com/artists/limahl/1983/
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/limahl/1983
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1983/dp/B006K6NXRU
Now you have the track, here we have the story of 1983 from Limahl:
“In late 2010, I went to perform at a nightclub 80’s party in the North of Norway. British DJ Pat Sharp (who is married to a Norwegian lady) was also working at the same club and we travelled together. Pat and I have worked many times at this type of event.
On my return to the UK he emailed me saying one of his Norwegian contacts Tommy Olsen was possibly interested in collaborating on a new Limahl single. I contacted Tommy and we exchanged a few emails. He then introduced me to his Norwegian writer/producer team of Rune Maurtvedt & Stig Erik Antonsen.
I suggested they email over an MP3 of about 32 bars of music/ideas and I would see/hear if it tickled my fancy. Luckily it did.
I don’t think any songwriter can explain where their idea/inspiration comes from. In English we say, it’s the sixty four thousand dollar question, it’s almost impossible to answer. When I heard the 32 bars of music (drums, synthesisers, bass, etc) there was a retro vibe about it and I suddenly started singing/saying the words “I wanna go back in time” (at that point I didn’t have the melody but it was coming).
I use a small dictaphone when songwriting and record every single idea that comes into my head. I try all kinds of phrases to see what is working good and bad. Then usually the next day I listen again with a fresh ear and the best ones are obvious. I also usually record more ideas just in case I missed anything.
I find songwriting as natural as riding my bicycle (which I ride almost every day). I have spent so many years in studios writing, recording, mixing, editing, exploring ideas, that it’s completely second nature to me now. The amazing thing is, it STILL really gets me so excited – how cool is that !
Technology these days is awesome and I was able to record my vocal lyric/melody ideas on to their 32 bars of music using my laptop, a music editing program and my lovely vintage AKG 414 professional microphone.
I emailed it back and then they made suggestions, then I made suggestions and so on, until we ended up with something we were all happy with.
Once we had a more solid outline of the melody, I sunk my teeth into the lyric writing to try and bring the year 1983 back to life. I decided on 1983 because it was the year ‘Too Shy’ was released (my debut single with 80’s group Kajagoogoo which I also co-wrote). It’s a good omen.
Tommy next commissioned various remixes, one of which was the German team of ‘Clouds & Coffee’ who added their dance element and a touch of magic – the fabulous result is what you can hear.
Hope you like it.
Limahl”
Like it, we certainly do!
Please let us know your comments, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the new single!
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – Competition Winners
Limahl January – Competition Winners
As part of our celebration of the new Limahl single ‘1983’, we ran a competition to win Amazon vouchers to buy the new single on us.
We asked the question, which satellite channel appeared in the text during the trailer video for 1983.
The answer was of course, ‘MTV‘.
A big well done and thanks to all of those that took the time to enter.
Our five winners will be receiving their Amazon voucher via email so look out for that imminently. They are:
1 Sean
2 Mariann & Anders
3 Michael English
4 Irene Turner
5 J’nae
Great stuff guys, please download the version of the track you’d most like for free and get stuck in and enjoy!!
The big release day is just tomorrow, 1983!!
We’ll see you on the other side……
2012 KajaFax
Nick Beggs Update January 2012
Nick Beggs Update
It’s about time we had an update on all things Nick Beggs, very interesting times afoot and we shall be there all the way!
The new project ‘Lifesigns’ from Nick and John Young is well underway and we’re hoping we all get to hear some of that soon.
To stay right ahead of the game on that project, look out for updates on this site:
http://www.lifesignsmusic.co.uk/
The book that Nick has been writing ‘Dangerous Potatoes’ is now complete but we believe this is not yet in the process of being published.
We REALLY hope this happens soon, we’d love to get our hands on this book!!
If you missed this interview in December, you really have to read this!
http://www.rock-legacy.com/2011/12/nick-beggs.html
And finally, we finished on a photograph sent in to us this morning by the lovely Nick Beggs himself and this is a cracker!
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – 1983 Competition
Limahl January – 1983 Competition
To celebrate the release tomorrow of the eagerly awaited new single from Limahl, KajaFax would like to give five digital copies of the track away to our readers.
If you’re one of the winning five, we’ll simply send you an Amazon voucher via email to the value of the track and you can then purchase the version you’d like on us, and then of course buy the other versions as a gift to yourself!
To enter this competition, simply watch the official trailer video and then answer the question below:
Q. Which satellite television channel is mentioned in the text of the trailer video?
Once you have your answer, please email it into:
Whitefeathers@rocketmail.com
Competition closes strictly UK 10pm TONIGHT (January 9th 2012). Winners will be announced on the site thereafter this evening, vouchers will be sent out to the winners on release day. If you haven’t been contacted by the end of this evening, unfortunately you haven’t won.
We’ve been waiting for this for the past five years since the amazing, ‘Tell Me Why’ so don’t delay tomorrow, get buying this amazing single and spread the word!
Best of luck!
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – Interview 2009
Limahl January – Interview 2009
As all Kajagoogoo fans are aware, Limahl has a new solo single release that will be available from all digital stores from Tuesday, and we at KajaFax are extremely excited about it! ‘Limahl January’ is exactly that…a whole month of KajaFax articles dedicated to Limahl and his career past, present, and future…
Today, KajaFax brings you this great interview given by Limahl, recorded back in September 2009 and originally broadcast on UK Radio. The interview is interesting in that Limahl touches on a few of the issues raised in yesterday’s post which, if you missed it, you can read again here:
https://kajafax.co.uk/2012/01/07/limahl-january-from-1983-to1983/
At almost 25 minutes in duration, this really is a fascinating interview and a great insight into the life and career of Limahl and Kajagoogoo.
Audio content courtesy of Gaydar Radio
During the interview, reference is made to the Bands Reunited show recorded by VH1 some years earlier, which you can see in its entirety here:
This really is a great interview which we hope you enjoy!
Remember, Limahl’s brand new single, ‘1983’, will be on general release and available from all digital retailers from Tuesday.
Please purchase your copy and help make it a huge success. Remember every sale counts towards that all important chart place!
Facebook user? Please ‘Like’ the official 1983 page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/1983-by-Limahl/344520878906920?refid=7
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – From 1983 to……1983!
Limahl January – From 1983 to……1983!
As all Kajagoogoo fans are aware, Limahl has a new solo single release that will be available from all digital stores on January 10th, and we at KajaFax are extremely excited about it! ‘Limahl January’ is exactly that…a whole month of KajaFax articles dedicated to Limahl and his career past, present, and future…
Today, we thought it only fitting to mention the song that started it all – Too Shy. Limahl’s career as a recording artist had started a couple of years before as a part of pop group Brooks and of course as a solo artist under his real name, Chris Hamill. In the summer of 1981, he placed the now infamous ad in Melody Maker.
“I am 22, good looking, talented, with imagination, song writing ability and I need four musicians with the same qualifications. No Des O’Connor fans!”
As a result, he joined a band called Art Nouveau. The band, by that time renamed Kajagoogoo, signed with EMI on July 14th, 1982 and the wonderful “Too Shy”, produced by Nick Rhodes and Colin Thurston was released.
The whole process of taking a single from the studio mixing desk to the record store was very different back in 1983. In a world without the internet or widespread MTV, ‘traditional’ music media was king….we may not have had computers but we did have radios! From the earliest test pressings to the number one position in the singles chart, the promotional wheel was constantly turning to get Kajagoogoo onto the television, the radio and of course onto the pages of pop magazines such as the now defunct Melody Maker, and Smash Hits! magazines.
Here we have one of those early 7” vinyl test pressings, issued by EMI in November 1982:
…and the subsequent promotional DJ copy of the single, issued to radio pre-release:
The album, White Feathers was recorded over Christmas ’82 and the band made their first TV appearance on The Other Side of the Tracks in January ’83. A week later Too Shy made the number one slot. Here we have the 12” version of that release proudly displaying the famous Kajagoogoo logo still in use by the group to this day:
And what a number one it was, both here in the UK and in numerous territories all over the world! As Limahl said when speaking with KajaFax in Wigan last year:
“When ‘Too Shy’ was number one, they couldn’t actually physically print enough copies…..they were selling 30,000 copies a day”
So popular has the song been that it has been re-worked and re-issued many times over the years, usually in a form that reflects the musical trends of the day:
Incredible.
Fast forward 29 years. The test pressing is largely obsolete, CD acetates are merely company issued CD-R discs, and the paper press release has been replaced by the Electronic Press Kit. Internet websites like Facebook, YouTube & SoundCloud have largely replaced the national radio broadcasters in terms of promotion, and MTV now has a dozen competitors in the music television marketplace. The one constant is the music however, and good music will always stand tall. Maybe things are not so different from back in 1983 after all?
The brand new single, ‘1983’, will be on general release and available from all digital retailers from January 10th.
Please purchase your copy and help make it a huge success. Remember every sale counts towards that all important chart place!
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – Live Dates for Limahl in 2012
Limahl January – Live Dates for Limahl in 2012!
As all Kajagoogoo fans are aware, Limahl has a new solo single release that will be available from all digital stores on January 10th, and we at KajaFax are extremely excited about it! ‘Limahl January’ is exactly that…a whole month of KajaFax articles dedicated to Limahl and his career past, present, and future…
2012 promises to be a busy year in the world of Kajagoogoo and in particular the group’s front man Limahl.
Limahl is due to treat us to some solo live shows during the months of February and March, participating in three Butlins Big Weekend events in those months.
You can catch our man LIVE at the following venues on the below dates:
Minehead, Somerset, UK – 3rd February 2012
Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK – 24th February 2012
Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK – 16th March 2012
Please note that the above dates available as a part of the ‘Butlins Big Weekend’ events, details of which can be found here:
http://www.bigweekends.com/the-dates/index.aspx
These events promise to be great fun and the perfect opportunity to see Limahl perform his hit singles live on stage – maybe performing new single, 1983 perhaps? Whatever the set list may bring, these gigs are indeed great news for all fans of Limahl and Kajagoogoo.
As a taster for the shows, we present video footage of Limahl on stage last year at the ‘Ultimate 80s’ weekend, Minehead. Video courtesy of ukbboy:
….and a similar event from 2009, when Limahl decided to invite some friends along to join him on stage….
Video courtesy of 80sWeekends
Remember, that’s not all. The brand new single, ‘1983’, will be on general release and available from all digital retailers from January 10th.
Please purchase your copy and help make it a huge success. Remember every sale counts towards that all important chart place!
‘1983’ is released by DIG Music and will be available from January 10th
http://www.7digital.com/artists/limahl/1983/
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/limahl/1983
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1983/dp/B006K6NXRU
2012 KajaFax
Limahl January – The Greenhouse Effect
Limahl January – The Greenhouse Effect
As all Kajagoogoo fans are aware, Limahl has a new solo single release that will be available from all digital stores on January 10th, and we at KajaFax are extremely excited about it! ‘Limahl January’ is exactly that…a whole month of KajaFax articles dedicated to Limahl and his career past, present, and future…
The Greenhouse Effect was a track recorded live in 1983 and included on the first press of Limahl’s debut solo album ‘Don’t Suppose….’, before being replaced on subsequent editions by the massive hit single ‘Never Ending Story’.
Picture disc courtesy of J’nae
KajaFax spoke to Limahl about the track:
“The Greenhouse Effect is basically a song about global warming…I was being socially aware, expressing that awareness through my music….as I remember it was recorded around 1983 and ended up as a b-side bonus track on one of the singles…”
As Limahl points out, the song did indeed find its way onto the B-side of a single release – that single being ‘Tar Beach’:
The Greenhouse Effect
(Music and Lyrics: Limahl)
Better be careful, better beware
High above there’s something in the air
You cannot see it and it doesn’t show
But sooner or later we all will know
Look around you but not too far
It’s not our fault it’s just the way things are
Get the picture I can see it now
The future race wandering how
There’s no pretending no disguise
Let’s face the facts we cannot run and hide
We’re creating problems with the seeds we sow
As the pendulum swings too and fro
Something must happen this is suicide
Is the planets destiny worth the try
And tomorrow when the day is come
We can all look up and still be one
A forgotten gem in Limahl’s back catalogue, The Greenhouse Effect is expected to be included on the Cherry Red re-release of the Don’t Suppose album released later in the year.
For those unfamiliar with the track, KajaFax has exclusively provided this sample for your enjoyment:
So….do you want to know more about the ‘2012’ effect? The terrific new single release by Limahl? His brand new single, ‘1983’, will be in store on January 10th and deserves to be a smash hit all overEurope.
Please purchase your copy and help make it a huge success. Remember every sale counts towards that all important chart place!
‘1983’ is released by DIG Music and will be available from January 10th.
http://www.7digital.com/artists/limahl/1983/
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/limahl/1983
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1983/dp/B006K6NXRU
2012 KajaFax
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