Malcolm McLaren – Madame Butterfly (1984)

Ah, the 1980s.

Those pretentious, bombastic lyrics; the ruffs; the spectacle; and that echoey drum sound probably invented by Martin Hannett for Joy Division’s classic “Closer” LP (and then abused by every two bit producer for the next decade).

Stumbled upon this on the iPod and thought it deserved an outing.

Really takes me back to my time in Manchester in the mid 1980s. Sure we loved The Smiths and New Order, literally worshipped at the shrine of Joy Division and were always willing to check out underestimated genius like The Chameleons. But, we have to remember, there still was Top of the Pops and Smash Hits!, etc. And this was one of the best pop records of the decade.

We will all have our views on Malcolm McLaren. The scheming svengali managing the New York Dolls and then, brilliantly, the Sex Pistols. The chaos of The Great Rock and Roll Swindle and then bringing South African township jive and electro into the UK mainsteam (“Double Dutch” and “Buffalo Gals” anyone?)

All great stuff with many examples to come in future posts. But, why not start here with a wonderful fusion of early electronica and, ahem, opera …  even as you read it, a no brainer winning combination .. what could possibly go wrong?

Pop genius.