In 1982 I fell in love twice in one evening.
The bar at Portsmouth Guildhall where myself and a few friends had gone to see Depeche Mode was packed. We had just watched the support act, Blancmange, and I had been blown away. It was all I could talk about as I pushed my way through the throng desperate for the barman's attention. I had seen them before in the previous year as support for Japan but where once there was simplicity and nervousness there was now layers and confidence. They were mesmerising. We got our drinks and milled around, trying to look cool whilst arguing about the music we had just witness. It was at this moment that I glanced around and fell in love again.
She wasn't looking at me but oh did I stare. And then she looked up. It seemed that we held the gaze for hours but it was only a few seconds before she coloured slightly and carried on her conversation. My friends saw it straight away. Glancing about to see who had caught my eye. This was a usual occurrence for them but seeing as I hadn't charged over full of bravado, front and what I thought was cheeky charm they knew something was up. I remember going to the toilet, fag in hand and staring into the mirror above the hand basin. Wow. All thoughts about Blancmange had flown out of my head. I had to find her. I also had to compose myself. My hands were shaking.
Blancmange - Feel Me 12"
This was my band and they still have a place right at the very top. I've seen them, interviewed them, drank with them and made them laugh. I've sat in pubs in London next to them discussing all manner of subjects. I've learnt to be normal around them. Now it's just one of them and I think back with a smile. Their first album came out in 1982, Happy Families. I thought, and still do, that's it's a work of genius. Keeping the simple synths but adding so much more. They were different. I've picked the 12" version because of the lovely keyboard bit in the middle but it could have been any of this album.
Obviously I'd gone to the Guildhall to see Depeche Mode. They were very good as well. Excellent in fact. Dave Gahan was a fantastic front man, modelled on Bowie apparently, and the whole set was accomplished. From the previous concerts I'd seem of them they also had improved. More professional. I don't remember much about it if I'm honest as I spent most of the concert looking around. My useless mates hadn't kept an eye on where my new love had gone when I was otherwise engaged. They did for a while mill about a bit joining in the search but to no avail. I was despondent.
Depeche Mode - The Sun And The Rainfall
The last song from their first album without Vince Clarke. Going against the tide here but I still love this album. They have gone on record as saying it's their worst, but what do they know!
Was it meant to be? I once again found myself staring into a bathroom mirror. This time it was at a friends party. It was her. I have no doubt. Different hair colour, similar dress sense and two months older. The friend in question had no idea who she was, why she was at his party or why I had what seemed like a pathological interest in her. He too was a bit bemused by my weirdness. "Go and say hi", he told me like it was the easiest thing in the world. He had a big tent in the garden with his stereo system in it. This next part is burned into my brain. Someone had put on Haircut 100. This was a little weird as we were cool. We liked synths. We dressed exactly like we liked synths. I'd been to and got in to some of London's coolest clubs dressed this way. What were they thinking? As I went into the tent to sort out the music, all thoughts of the mystery girl had gone. This was far more important. But there she was. Standing next to a speaker. With one of my mates attempting to chat her up. She glanced up as I entered, obviously looking for salvation from Pete and his dull conversation.
Haircut 100 - Nobody's Fool
A non album single that came out later in the year. It's just a fun song with a fun video especially as it stars Patsy Kensit before she went down the inject everything route. The last single I think from them before dear old Nick went solo.
It turned out that she lived two miles from my house, had been at my junior school, was my age, was an artist and her name was Becka. Rebecca to her parents. She was also single and had wondered why I had legged it to the toilet at the Depeche Mode gig. We swapped numbers, home landline numbers of course, and I promised to ring sometime on the Sunday to set up a date. She left the party with friends and I danced around like a loon until the sun came up. I was in love.
During this party I was introduced to the music of Thomas Dolby. He had gone completely under my radar but I do remember buying the album, The Golden Age Of The Wireless, later on in the year. Fresh from his work on Foreigners 4 album, mainly the synths on 'Waiting For A Girl Like You', weirdly prophetic, Wireless is a stunning album.
Thomas Dolby - Windpower
Love is a weird word. We use it in so many ways that it seems to have lost a lot of it's clout in recent times. But back in 1982 I was definitely 100% in love. I rang her house that Sunday, a bit later than I had meant to but in my defence I didn't get home until around 7am and hardly slept due to thoughts about her. A gruff voice answered, politely I asked for Rebecca and then patiently waited. Yes she remembered me, yes she would meet up at a local pub on the Wednesday evening and yes I could walk her home after. And that was that. I was now in a relationship. I introduced her to my parents, my younger brother and my record collection. She did like wise. We spent many a happy hour lying on my bed listening to music. We spent many a happy hour down the pub listening to music. My friends all liked her as did my family. The summer of '82 was a blur of parties, pubs, concerts and music. All accompanied by Becka. Or Becks as she now called herself.
The next song on the list is because of my younger Brother and his tastes. B-Movie were another band that had passed me by. He loved them. I thought they sounded a little too raw for my tastes but in 1982 they re-released this song and the 12" is a doozy.
B-Movie - Nowhere Girl 12"
I had started to call her Becky. She didn't mind I don't think. She had also started to stay over. Bliss. We decided to decorate my bedroom and over the course of a weekend the Happy Families album cover appeared on my wall. It was a work of beauty. It was still love. And then...
I fucked it up. I won't go into too much detail but let's just say a toga party, lots of alcohol and a very willing young blonde girl meant it had all gone to pot. She had come round when I wasn't at home to remove her stuff and my family called me all sorts of names. My Brother sniggered. Her Dad wouldn't pass on my messages. I was distraught. The next few songs on the list are probably due to this time and the way my brain was thinking but if I'm honest I moved on pretty quickly. The nature of youth I suppose.
When Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode after one album citing musical differences no one could predict the fantastic album he produced with another old school friend, Allison Moyet. the marriage of his synth skills and her stunning voice worked. Beautifully. Recorded in the same building as Depeche Mode's album, but in an extension, hence 'Upstairs At Erics'. Eric being the producer.
Yazoo - Don't Go
We've touched on the next band in the previous year but in 1982 they released a fantastic album called 'The Luxury Gap'. Heaven 17, named after a band on a list in the bar scene in A Clockwork Orange, had moved on from their angry and political first offering into something a lot more polished. It's a great album from the paving slab sample in 'Crushed By The Wheels' to the massive hit 'Temptation', but I'm going for Martyn Ware's favourite song. A great live band now, they never really toured in the 80's after having their fingers burnt with The Human League.
Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
This next song and the album it comes from was one of mine and Rebecca's favourites. The album, 'The Lexicon Of Love' is still a favourite today. Trevor Horn's finest work as a producer is full of stunningly arranged tunes with Martin Fry's lovely voice draped over the top. To be honest I could pick any song from this album but I'm going with...
ABC - All Of My Heart
A few years ago, Ultravox reformed and started to play a few gigs. After a chat with some old mates, Uni, College and home village a few of us decided to re-visit Portsmouth Guildhall for one of their concerts. Obviously I've moved on since those heady early 80's days including geographically but it was the first time I'd returned to the venue since Rebecca. It, like my mates, had changed. The venue for the better but the rest of us? It still held a lot of memories and although completely remodelled I could almost picture my younger self and where we first almost met. A lot of ghosts in there that's for sure. Ultravox were excellent though and we all had a lovely time. The next song is from their 1982 album, Quartet, another offering that had more polish than previous efforts.
Ultravox - Visions In Blue
And now I'm chucking in a "Becky Wildcard". The next band I always though of as posers, reliant on videos, MTV was around the corner in Britain but starting to pick up pace in America, and style over substance. A band who took their name from the film Barbarella. She loved them, said they were proper musicians and would abuse my record player with them regularly. I didn't want to tell her that I'd seen them in a pub in London in '81 but was too pissed to remember much of it. I can't say that I've grown to love them over the subsequent years but I do admit that they were ok...! For some reason I do like the last song on my list. It's sort of dreamy and has a nice bass line.
Duran Duran - Save A Prayer
And what of Rebecca now? We've spoken, even met up when I was in her area a few years ago. She's still beautiful, I'm still an idiot but we chatted, had a few laughs about how young we were and how 1982 will always be 'our year'. And yes, also about what a twat I was. I found out I did break her heart which wasn't nice to hear.
Still...young love eh?
