DJJD Music: 2018

I thought that I would not make another Retro 80s CD album anymore. That had changed, especially with the change of music styles I have gone as well as a minor resurgence in album creation.

Concept and Theme of the Album

This album is similar that to DJJD Reto 80's Volume 4 with primarily synthpop music with a touch of DJJD Retro 80's Volume 1. A lot of this tracks were picked up from YouTube channels emphasizing rare synthpop songs that are not mainstream classics. Found some great tracks from Gary Numan, Sparks, and La Bionda [a band that like a precursor of the French band AIR].

Concept and the Album Cover

Discovered this software that generates personal pictures based on different themes. I used this software to recreate the album cover for DJJD Volume 25. This one I created a cover using 1980s style themes. The back album cover is taken from neo-1980s art that at this time is quite popular. One picture reminds me of my niece Madison, so I added it to the back album with the appropriate adjustments, like a Pac-Man border.

Friday, May 11, 2018

DJJD Retro 80's Volume 7

Created By: Jonathan Dysart (DJJD)

Original Creation Year: 2009

Year of Re-master: 2010

Song Listing

Side A

1. Down Under: Men At Work

2. Hungry Like The Wolf: Duran Duran

3. Walk Like An Egyptian: The Bangles

4. Modern Love: David Bowie
5. Don't Stand So Close to Me: The Police

Side B

6. Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive: Men At Work

7. Raspberry Beret: Prince

8. That's All: Genesis

9. Need You Tonight: INXS
10. Mediate: INXS

Side C

11. 1984: Van Halen

12. Jump: Van Halen

13. China Girl: David Bowie

14. Dangerous Type: The Cars
15. The Old Man Down The Road: John Fogerty

Side D

16. Who Can It Be Now?: Men At Work

17. Sea of Love: The Honey Drippers

18. Wrapped Around Your Finger: The Police
19. Save A Prayer: Duran Duran
20. Polkas on 45: Weird "Al" Yankovic

Origin of the Album

I was wanting to get rid of excess CDs since the digital age was now in full force. Some of them were greatest hits CDs of Men At Work, David Bowie, and Duran Duran. So I took the same approach that I did with the original DJJD Retro 80's Volume 1, and composed those tracks with others I had into a new album.

Concept and Theme of the Album

This album was not taking leftover tracks that I did for Volumes 2 through 6. This was brand new, with a similar theme of Volume 1 - classic hits of the 1980s, primarily from the three artists mentioned above.

Concept and the Album Cover

Found this great mosaic of 1980s icons in one picture. So I applied the picture as the front album cover with a border created from the Atari 2600 joystick. The back album cover is basically a 3D rendering of Pac-Man with Pac-Man font for the album title and song listings.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

DJJD Retro 80's Volume 6

Created By: Jonathan Dysart (DJJD)

Original Creation Year: 2008

Year of Re-master: 2010

Song Listing

Side A

1. Slipping Away: Dave Edmunds

2. Dreamtime: Daryl Hall

3. Roxanne: The Police

4. Your Love: The Outfield
5. Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody: David Lee Roth

Side B

6. Silent Running: Mike & the Mechanics

7. Emotion in Motion: Ric Ocasek

8. Steppin' Out: Joe Jackson

9. Total Eclipse of the Heart: Bonnie Tyler

Side C

10. Manic Monday: The Bangles

11. Kiss on My List: Daryl Hall & John Oates

12. Lost in Love: Air Supply

13. Drive: The Cars

Side D

14. Sister Christian: Night Ranger

15. I Want to Know What Love Is: Foreigner

16. The Living Years: Mike & the Mechanics
17. Sowing the Seeds of Love: Tears for Fears

Origin of the Album

"This is DJJD with all of your classic hits of the 80's on the Lite Rock FM." That is basically what this album is, soft rock songs of the 80's. So go to your couch with your significant love one, turn down the lights, and listen calmly to those great hits. [Whisper, whisper]

Concept and Theme of the Album

If you are going to have rock, pop, synthpop of the 1980s, you also need some soft rock - just to balance things out. Some of the songs you will need to get the kleenex out, especially one song from Mike and the Mechanics. My personal favorite song on this album is rarely heard, a solo song by Ric Ocasek (a member of "The Cars"). Two tracks dedicated to Mom, who at that time only played Lite Rock radio which brings me back to those times at Cross Keys: "Kiss on my List" and "Lost in Love". And then there is, in my opinion, one of the best 1980s videos of all time... on DAVE TV!

Concept and the Album Cover

Found this beautiful picture of an eagle flying through some mountains. Getting inspiration from that Ross guy painter from PBS, I adjusted the picture to look as though it was watercolored painted. Then I did some compositing of the same picture over itself (a similar technique used in DJJD Volume 5) and added the album titles. I used a similar picture of mountains near a lake and applied similar techniques.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

DJJD Retro 80's Volume 5

Created By: Jonathan Dysart (DJJD)

Original Creation Year: 2007

Year of Re-master: 2010

Song Listing

Side A

1. My Sharona: The Knack

2. What I Like About You: The Romantics

3. Mony Mony: Billy Idol

4. One Thing Leads to Another: The Fixx

Side B

5. Some Like It Hot: The Power Station

6. Cruel to be Kind: Nick Lowe

7. Jeopardy: Greg Kihn Band

8. Eyes Without a Face: Billy Idol

Side C

9. Centerfold: J. Geils Band

10. Keep Your Hands to Yourself: The Georgia Satellites

11. Good Times Roll: The Cars

12. Centerfield: John Fogerty
13. Rock Me Tonight: Billy Squier

Side D

14. Respect Yourself: Bruce Willis

15. Big Log: Robert Plant

16. You Got Lucky: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
17. Twilight Zone: Golden Earring
18. When Doves Cry: Prince

Origin of the Album

This album is a compilation of 1980s mainstream rock. It's not hard rock, heavy metal, nor is it soft rock. This would be the type of rock you would hear in a classic rock radio station for the 1980s. Not much to say about this. Just rock on!

Concept and Theme of the Album

Rock on! For trivia sake, there is a song on this album done by an actor before he became huge over a Christmas action movie on a tower building. It does contain two tracks that were made in 1978 and 1979; but who cares. Sorry, I am not perfect! They are basically 1980s tracks anyway. This album I often have been negligent to listen. Need to change that.

Concept and the Album Cover

Found a nice 80s style picture with a guitar player rocking out. I imposed a pink ground with the reflection of the picture, along with a boom box and the album title. I had a really bad back album cover for some time. I decided to scratch that and redo it with a bunch of colorful guitars. Much better than before!

DJJD Retro 80's Volume 4

Created By: Jonathan Dysart (DJJD)

Original Creation Year: 2007

Year of Re-master: 2010

Song Listing

Side A

1. Living in the Plastic Age: The Buggles

2. Jocko Homo: DEVO

3. Don't You Want Me: Human League

4. Video!: Jeff Lynne
5. Singing in the Rain: Ray Parker Jr.

Side B

6. Personal Jesus: Depeche Mode

7. Der Kommissar: Falco

8. Cars: Gary Numan

9. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money): Pet Shop Boys
10. Space Age Love Song: A Flock of Seagulls

Side C

11. Paranoimia: The Art of Noise

12. Women III: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

13. Enjoy the Silence: Depeche Mode

14. Fade to Grey: Visage

Side D

15. Love Action (I Believe in Love): Human League

16. Love is a Stranger: Eurythmics

17. Tainted Love: Soft Cell

18. Send Me An Angel: Real Life
19. It's a Sin: Pet Shop Boys

Origin of the Album

This album is a compilation of 1980s synth-pop; the detail of this subgenre is found on this link. There is not much rock on this album, pure pop that is driven by synthesizers. This album gets into the subgenre that I loved the best in the early 1980s - pure British with a touch of German and French. Yes, there are two songs from 1990, but I bunch it in with the 1980s since this band is known as 1980s band.

Concept and Theme of the Album

Synth-pop all the way. One regret is having the song "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. I discovered that this song is about Pedophile. So you can skip that if you want to. Similar that to "Love Action" by Human League. This album was created before I started discerning stuff not appropriate. So I apologize about that.

Concept and the Album Cover

The album cover had to look futuristic, so I found this artistic photograph, which looks similar that to the inner sleeve of Electric Light Orchestra's "Out of the Blue". I tinted the photograph a bit bluish. The back album cover is a generic yet Sci-Fi looking background.

Monday, May 7, 2018

DJJD Retro 80's Volume 3

Created By: Jonathan Dysart (DJJD)

Original Creation Year: 2005

Year of Re-master: 2010

Song Listing

Side A

1. I'm Alright [Caddyshack]: Kenny Loggins

2. Spies Like Us: Paul McCartney

3. Eye of the Tiger [Rocky 3]: Survivor

4. Weird Science: Oingo Boingo

Side B

5. Ghostbusters: Ray Parker Jr.

6. Flash's Theme [Flash Gordon]: Queen

7. Taking A Ride [Heavy Metal]: Don Felder

8. We Don't Need Another Hero [Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]: Tina Turner

Side C

9. Miami Vice Theme: Jan Hammer

10. Axel F [Beverly Hills Cop]: Harold Faltermeyer

11. A View to a Kill: Duran Duran

12. Don't You (Forget About Me) [The Breakfast Club]: Simple Minds
13. St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion): John Parr

Side D

14. Power of Love [Back to the Future]: Huey Lewis & the News

15. Take My Breath Away [Top Gun]: Berlin

16. Flashback [Miami Vice]: Jan Hammer

17. In The Air Tonight [Miami Vice]: Phil Collins
18. Purple Rain: Prince

Origin of the Album

This album is a combination of the famous 1980s soundtrack songs. Unlike the soundtracks of DJJD Volume 16 and DJJD Volume 25, these are pretty much pop songs, except for the Jan Hammer and Harold Faltermeyer instrumentals. This is conducive to the early 1980s movies - more pop songs instead of traditional symphonic soundtracks.

Concept and Theme of the Album

A listing of what I call the best representation of 1980s movies in pop culture.

Concept and the Album Cover

The album cover background is similar to old fashion movie theaters. Similar that to DJJD Volume 16, I decided to add the official movie posters of the soundtracks, except for the TV show Miami Vice. The back album cover is taken from the idea of a listing from a restaurant chalkboard. I just posterized the background to fit the 1980s style.