I've got this mystery record too, I remember I spun it once years back and filed it away, I didn't enjoy it that much. Now just listened to it again this evening, I'm surprised I didn't recognize right away, the main sample/loop is Shep Pettibone's remix of "Sugar Daddy" by Thompson Twins, which in itself samples "I've Got My Mind Made Up" by Instant Funk. The mind boggles!

The Xen Mantra Beefy Bells mix is "the mix to have" for this single, far as I'm concerned. Not sure how this record fared in the rest of the world, but in my little corner, all the local DJs had this record and were playing it to the hilt. The downtempo breakdown in the middle really got the floor jumping every time. Back in the day I had to wait a while to get my own copy of this, but it was well worth it.

One of Taco's finest moments, this record found him still searching for that post-"Ritz" musical identity that would be commercial. On first listen, you'd think he had found it. Taco's voice complements the dance pop track "Got To Be Your Lover" perfectly. The producers have created it to sound exactly like a Stock Aitken Waterman record, and it really does. The time and the sound were right, but something didn't click for this track and it remained in obscurity. I suspect it's because the label didn't have a lot of money for promotion more than any other reason, because this record should have been a hit. "Love Touch" is very similar, but suffers in light of "Got To Be Your Lover"'s catchier lyrics.

One of my favorite Taco singles, and one of the reasons is the bizarre subject matter. Could this be the only song ever recorded about cryogenics?? Ditto that for the now-topical references to cloning and genetic engineering. Musically it's synthpop with eurodisco flare, very similar to the b-side, "Flash", which appeared on Taco's sophomore album "Let's Face the Music". The 12" mix contained here is mostly a loop job on the 7" version, so there's no urgent reason to seek it out unless you're a completist.

Just a note for collectors who, like I once did, notice that the version of "Puttin' on the Ritz" included here is titled "Puttin' On The Ritz/Broadway Rhythm". Since this release is the only place it's labeled like that, I thought I'd go on record saying that it is not anything different than any of the other releases. The version contained here is actually the previously released 12" version of "Ritz". The other versions included here are identical to the album versions.

I remember finding this record in a bin someplace and I loved the original track, so I bought it. I knew it was the winning mix of a remix contest, so I didn't expect a whole lot from it.

It's odd because I do like the mix very much. It's a solid groove, although it suffers from one problem: the vocals. Having no access to the master tapes, the remixers simply pitched up the track to where the vocals start going into Mickey Mouse territory. I am also not exactly sure which speed the record is intended to be played on, it's not listed anywhere on the item. You can't play it on 33 1/3 though, because then everything sounds seriously distorted, so I think they intended for you to play it on 45 rpm and just deal with the vocals being pitched up too high.

I know this was a long long time ago, there was no digital technology available that would allow a DJ to adjust the tempo of the vocals without pitching up or down, so these guys were creative in that they pulled it off. Crazily enough, the mix still works with this liability. The funky groove was of its time, and it still sounds good to me in 2009. It's just odd that this was the winning mix. I wonder what the other entries sounded like???

A gorgeous clear vinyl pressing and an eye-catching sleeve are the best aspects of this release, as the actual mixes contained here are boring in the extreme.

The main version contained here is an atmospheric house track, around 130 bpm, with some techy synth stabs. A timpani-flavored intro sounds promising, but the mix rapidly goes nowhere. How much you like it will depend on how taken you are with the synth programming, as very little of the original track is used. There are no full vocals except for the song's chorus, which you will definitely be tired of by the time you're done listening. Sealing the doom is the treatment given to Pete's aggressive vocals, which are reverbed here so as to sound soft and non-threatening. The mix appears in three forms, all with the prefix "400hz".

The one exception is the very interesting "Jail House Remix", which replaces the more techy aspects of the mix with a warm, disco-influenced bassline that is drastically different from the original track, yet works very well. This mix also features the complete vocal elements, verses intact. However, if you bought the US edition of "Nukleopatra", this mix appeared on the CD as a bonus track, so you have already heard it.

Frankly, these mixes sound as if Marc Antoine was not interested in them. Technically they are well done, but there's nothing memorable here, except for the brief moment of inspiration in the "Jail House" mix. It would be better if this were the main mix with a few versions instead of an odd b-side cut. And even though the record is smoothly produced, I'd welcome something a little more rough around the edges if it were somewhat exciting, as we've all heard this song so many times before.

Just some info for the odd collector out there...

This release actually does contain a real "extended version" of the song! I was a little worried that it would not, since I hunted down the "Superphysical Resurrection" 12" single for years, only to find out that the version on the 12" was only "extended" by looping one segment of the song, and there was nothing really different about it at all beyond a few repetitive segments.

What a surprise to hear this mix then, which does feature some unique twists, including a weird solo in the middle that sounds like a synth rendering of a steel drum sound. There are also a few other tidbits in it that suggest the creator of this mix was working with the master tapes instead of just the single cut of the song.

Although this is called "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House", just glance at the track listing and you might notice that the only bits here that have anything to do with spooky material or the supernatural are a small collection of sound effects and one short audio sketch.

Still, this was an important record in my childhood, and I suspect the youths of many others, too. It was marketed to children and required the use of the imagination to visualize what was being portrayed through the sound effects.

Some of the effects, like the howling dogs, the wind, and the rain, have been used numerous times in different movies and cartoons. A few of them have been sampled for different electronica projects too. For example, "Theme From S'Express" uses the female narrator's voice from The Martian Monsters ("countdown is progressing"), and The Orb use the harrowing falling scream in "The Unsafe Bridge" for their track "Assassin".

This used to be a highly sought-after Dead or Alive collectable, and I could never understand why. I owned a copy once and hardly ever listened to it. It was unlistenable in some places to be honest; all of the tracks here that were featured on "Rip It Up" are the Rip It Up versions--literally. You might remember that "Rip It Up" is a megamix album that was intended to be played from start to finish so that the songs all segue together. Well, "Star Box" takes tracks from that megamix and re-arranges them so that they make no sense whatsoever. Songs just start and end with little warning, to the point where it becomes annoying.

The remaining tracks, the ones that were not on "Rip It Up", are all the original album versions and there's nothing unique about them. Just getting this out there in case there were any fans that weren't aware of it. It may be a rare CD, and if you're a diehard collector then I suppose I can see why you'd want it anyway, but at least understand that it's not exactly listenable.