B.E.F. - Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume Three: Dark (2013)

UK import

An album of covers featuring guest vocalists, described by Martyn Ware in the liner notes thusly:

Simply put, the original idea was to create dark, electronic versions of previously happy pop songs - of course the concept expanded a little as the tracks were created, but this was the DNA at the heart of the album. Armed with this idea, which the artists immediately embraced, I started working on the backing tracks in 2010.

I haven't heard Volume 2 (yet), but Volume 3 is similar to Volume 1 in that it is a hit-or-miss affair: a few good, a few bad, and a lot of mid.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

1. Every Time I See You I Go Wild featuring Kim Wilde
   written and originally recorded by Stevie Wonder
2. Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time featuring Green Gartside ✔
   originally recorded by The Delfonics
3. Don't Want to Know featuring Sarah Jane Morris
   originally recorded by John Martyn
4. Picture This featuring Kate Jackson ✔
   originally recorded by Blondie
5. Breathing featuring Andy Bell ✘
   originally recorded by Kate Bush
6. It Was a Very Good Year featuring Glenn Gregory
   made famous by Frank Sinatra
7. I Wanna Be Your Dog featuring Boy George
   originally recorded by The Stooges
8. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh featuring David J Roch
   originally recorded by Bill Withers
9. God Only Knows featuring Shingai Shoniwa ✘
   originally recorded by The Beach Boys
10. Make Up featuring Boy George
    originally recorded by Lou Reed
11. Just Walk in My Shoes featuring Sandie Shaw ✔
    originally recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips
12. The Look of Love featuring Polly Scattergood ✘
    popularized by Dusty Springfield
13. Party Fears Two featuring Glenn Gregory
    originally recorded by The Associates
14. Smalltown Boy featuring Billie Godfrey
    originally recorded by Bronski Beat

Bonus tracks:

15. The Day Before You Came featuring Maxim
    originally recorded by Abba
16. Co-pilot To Pilot featuring Kelly Barnes ✔
    originally recorded by Teena Marie

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but hearing I Wanna Be Your Dog reminds me of this pinback I occasionally wore when I was in high school:

Oddly enough, adults in my life (parents & teachers) never commented on the pin. When my classmates asked what it meant, they quickly lost interest when I mentioned The Stooges. Such is high school.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume One (1982)
Music for Listening To (1981)
Geisha Boys and Temple Girls (1981)