Lost Gem Alert!!
Wham! – Blue (Armed With Love)
This is a genuine rarity! Even a lot of Wham! fans are not even aware of this particular piece of music.. but I’ve always liked it, and what better place to break out a rarity such as this than here on The 80′s Man.
“Blue (Armed With Love)” was first developed in the studio back in 1983 during the sessions for Wham’s first album. The tone of the track was very blue, with each layer in the multi track evoking a synthesized blur (that is quite impressive when played on a loud sound system! :) For some reason it didn’t reach completion, nor did it make it onto that first album. But for some reason it DID turn up on a B-Side, with the recording clearly seeming “unfinished” with most of it being instrumental.
The tune was basically forgotten until it turned up, oddly enough, on the bands UK “best of” album titled The Final in 1986. In the US of that same year, a semi-equivalent title was issued instead.. Music From The Edge Of Heaven.. which would feature a “live version” of the tune called “Blue (Live In China)”.. that recording, obviously more common, is much more complete with finished verses, thus a conventional song! However, the live version doesn’t pack the punch that the studio recording does.
Now, if I had to make a guess.. I would say that The Final was suppose to include the live version.. It was a “best of” package and including a concert track to display the bands performance style seemed more logical a choice than the rare B-Side! So I can only imagine it’s inclusion on that album was an accident.
That being said, had this accident never happened, I probably would have never know how awesome this version is. Still, it would have been nice to have this studio version with all the lyrics wouldn’t it :)
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I believe it’s also the B-side for “Club Tropicana.”
The first minute of this track sounds like a very ’80s sounding instrumental. I have to dig out that CD with the live version you mention now to hear the finished lyric. I like these rarities. Very cool.
@ Santi – Yeah it’s such a cool track. Do dig out that live version and play the comparison game! BUT I just found this other performance on youtube from UK TV back in the day (clearly the studio backing track which I posted here, but with a LIVE vocal). This is probably the best example of what would have been the finished studio track; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc6OvuKp0mo
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