True Blue

I've always been a fan of Madonna, but recently I've been digging deeper into her music and I must say that now I am a Madonna mega-fan. I've listened to all her albums and seen all her videos, after buying the Celebration Video Collection, and of all eleven of her studio albums I must say I like True Blue the best. However, some songs stand way superior to any on True Blue, such as "Like A Virgin" and "Like A Prayer". The album as a whole though is the best.


Five singles were released from True Blue: "Live To Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", "True Blue", "Open Your Heart", "La Isla Bonita". All singles were a chart success. The first two and "Open Your Heart" were #1 hits. The other two were Top 5 hits. My personal favorite is "Papa Don't Preach". I love it for its great instrumental entrance as well as its darker tone, message, and music video. The song gathered lots of controversy over its teen pregnancy theme. Nonetheless, it became one Madonna's most successful singles and secured her a position as one of the greatest artists of the 1980s.

Artist in Depth: Dead or Alive (Part 6)

1990 saw the release of Fan the Flame (Part 1), the first of several Japan only releases. Even though the album peaked at #23 in Japan, all three of its singles failed to chart. In 1992 the band had planned to release Fan the Flame (Part 2), which was very similar in style to Part 1. Fan the Flame (Part 2) was recorded but never released and today some of the album can be found on the internet. Burns, however, criticizes its illegal distribution and those fans who continue to download it.

Over the next few years, Dead or Alive kept out of the recording studio, until Burns, in 1994, recorded and released a track with the Italian techno band Glam. "Sex Drive" became another huge dance hit and reached #1 in Italy. That same year, Burns released a cover of David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" under the name International Chrysis. The single only charted in Australia at #97.

In 1996, Dead or Alive released Nukleopatra, first in Japan, and later around the world. It contained both "Sex Drive" and "Rebel Rebel". The follow up album, Fragile, was another Japanese success, containing "Hit & Run Lover" which peaked at #2 in Japan in 2000. A remix album was released the next year.

Since Fragile in 2000, Dead or Alive has not released any new material. They have, however, enjoyed chart success in the UK thanks to the release of their greatest hits album Evolution: The Hits and frontman Pete Burns' appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 4.

Dead or Alive is planning on releasing new material later on in 2010. They are also planning to tour the US and Europe for the 25th anniversary of "You Spin Me Round".

"Be yourself, the religion of me..."

 -Pete Burns

Artist in Depth: Dead or Alive (Part 5)

In 1987, Dead or Alive released their first compilation album Rip It Up, which contained all singles from Youthquake and Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know remixed. This album also supported their first world tour, which included stops in the US, Europe, and Japan. The two Japanese dates were filmed and released on VHS.  It was widely believed that the concert was entirely mimed; however, parts of the show were live, while others were pre-recorded or mimed. Nonetheless, the tour was a success and caused their popularity in Japan to explode. The album itself did not prove to be as successful in the UK and US as the past two releases; however, the album reached the Top 5 in Japan and was certified Gold.

Shortly after the world tour ended, the band left Stock Aitken Waterman, and a year later in 1989, Tim Lever and Mike Percy left the band to form careers as mixers and producers. Burns and drummer Steve Coy were now the only members left in the band. They released a self-produced album, Nude. The first of three singles, "Turn Around and Count 2 Ten" became the band's biggest hit in Japan staying at #1 for a massive seventeen weeks. It also peaked at #2 on the US Dance Chart while the album's second single, "Come Home (With Me Baby)" topped both the US Dance Chart as well as the Japanese charts. The final single from Nude, "Baby Don't Say Goodbye" again topped the charts in Japan and peaked at #6 on the US Dance Chart.

"Come Home (With Me Baby)", which was also #1 in Brazil, failed to receive significant radio play due to a reactionary attitude toward the song's seemingly casual attitude toward sex at a time when AIDS awareness was coming into the public consciousness.

Beginning in 1990 with the release of Fan the Flame (Part 1), Dead or Alive began to release their material in Japan only to capitalize on the major success of Nude in Japan, but the 90s would prove to be the beginning of Dead or Alive's downfall.

Artist in Depth: Dead or Alive (Part 4)

With the release of Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know in 1987, Dead or Alive became dark and controversial. The album's first single "Brand New Lover" attracted no controversy and became another international success. I proved to be most successful in the United States were it peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart were it stayed for two weeks. In the UK, it barely entered the Top 40 reaching only #31.

The album's other three singles all caused some sort of controversy. The most successful of the three, "Something in My House", reached #12 in the UK and was very gothic sounding and had a cover sleeve depicting Burns in front of a Satanic alter featuring an inverted crucifix. One remix of the song even included sound clips form The Exorcist. "Hooked on Love", which suffered from very little promotion due to what the record company felt was a "Gothic" overtone that had been added to the song in a post-production remix, barely managed to scrape into the UK Top 70. The final single, "I'll Save You All My Kisses", originally had a picture sleeve that featured Burns with a metal "Sex" belt buckle in front of his lips, but Epic covered up the word "Sex" with a sticker that said "Kiss" after retailers objected. The music video for the single was banned by MTV because of its "overtly gay" content. It showed Burns in black tights and a leather jacket singing the song from a baseball diamond while a number of men clung to a fence and ogled him, with some tearing off their shirts.

Despite the controversy stirring in the US and Europe, they continued to have chart success around the world. Also with the release of Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know, the band gained a massive following in Japan that would flourish with the release of their next two albums, Rip It Up and Nude.

Artist in Depth: Dead or Alive (Part 3)

In 1985, Dead or Alive released their second album Youthquake under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman. The album's lead single "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" was released in November 1984. It entered the UK charts in early 1985 but lingered outside the Top 40 for over two months. Finally the single topped the chart at #1 for two weeks. It also peaked at #1 in Canada, #1 in Switzerland, #2 in Germany, #3 in Italy, #3 in Australia, and #11 in the United States. "You Spin Me" became the bands first major international success. It remains a club hit to this day.

Two of the album's other singles "Lover Come Back To Me" and "In Too Deep" achieved Top 20 status in the UK, peaking at #11 and #14 respectively. Another single, "My Heart Goes Bang", reached #23 in the UK. All three became huge dance hits in the UK and the US.

Youthquake brought the band a large but short lived spotlight, but their third album Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know would keep them in the limelight.

Artist in Depth: Dead or Alive (Part 2)

Dead or Alive released their debut album Sophisticated Boom Boom in May of 1984. Wayne Hussey, who had been with the band since 1982 left just before the album's release, even though he wrote a lot of the material. The album contained past singles "Misty Circles", "What I Want", and "I'd Do Anything" and also featured a cover of KC & The Sunshine Band's "That's The Way (I Like It)". The single became the band's first big hit, reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart and #28 on the US Dance Chart. The album itself peaked at #29 on the UK Albums Chart.

Dead or Alive had gone mainstream. The band appeared on many British TV shows, including Top of the Pops, after the success of "That's The Way (I Like It)" and Burns appeared in many British magazines thanks to his outrageous looks.

The release of Youthquake and that album's lead single, however, would bring the band into international spotlight.

Artist in Depth: Dead or Alive (Part 1)

One day in 1977, after rehearsing music with friends, flamboyant Liverpudlian Pete Burns realized his powerful singing voice. Shortly thereafter, he and his friends including Julian Cope and Pete Wylie formed the band The Mystery Girls. However, the band only payed one gig at Eric's in Liverpool. Burns returned though in 1979 to form the post-punk band Nightmares In Wax which released one EP entitled Birth of a Nation after being signed to Eric's Records Label. The EP featured the track "Black Leather" which is not bad, actually.

"...now that I'm old enough to do what I like, I do big heavy muscle boys on motor bikes..."

In 1980, the band was set to record for John Peel of BBC. Just before the session, Burns changed the name of the band to Dead or Alive, which seemed more marketable. After the release of several independent singles, Burns' appearance began to attract more attention and was even compared to Boy George of Culture Club, who appeared on the music scene a few years after Dead or Alive.

The band's early singles and their EP It's Been Hours Now began placing high on the UK Indie Chart in the early 1980s, and "Number Eleven" even peaked at #7 on the chart. Epic Records took notice. They signed the band in 1983 and released "Misty Circles" which charted in the UK at #100 in early June 1983. They also released two other singles, "What I Want" and "I'd Do Anything", that became club hits, but mainstream success still eluded the band. That would change, however, with the release of the band's first full length album Sophisticated Boom Boom.