Song of the Day: 'Mascara Streakz' by Altered Images

 

What's not to love about there being new music from Altered Images, the first since 1983's "Bite." (If anyone has Clare Grogan's scrapped solo album, 1987's "Trash Mad," please send it over!) "Mascara Streakz" is the title track from the forthcoming LP,  which will be released on Aug. 26. (Pre-order HERE.) "Glitter Ball" is the second release from "Mascara Streakz," and you can hear another album track, "Beautiful Thing," HERE. 

In addition to the new album, the group is set to hit the road in September for a string of headline U.K. tour dates.

Song of the Day: 'I Could Be Happy' by Altered Images

I remember dying seeing this video with my brother Bill the summer we got MTV and running out to buy "Pinky Blue" and "Happy Birthday" at Hollywood Records near Mesa Community College. Would have loved to have seen Clare Grogan perform a bunch of Altered Images hits in Los Angeles earlier this year, but wasn't able to make it. Damian and I have booked our Wimbledon adventure for this summer to celebrate my 50th birthday, and are still mapping out the rest of the time we'll be over there. Going to Glasgow has suddenly risen to the top in part because a friend tells me it's the country's best city, which makes sense given the fact that such a small place could produce a handful of my all-time favorite bands, including Clare and the boys, the Bluebells, Aztec Camera, Orange Juice and the Questions, as well as the Trash Can Sinatras, Big Country, Belle and Sebastien, Simple Minds, the Cocteau Twins, Shirley Manson (Angelfish) -- not to mention the Bay City Rollers!

If you're in the U.K., be on the lookout for Altered Images on tour soon!

Song of the Day: 'Love Bomb' by Clare Grogan

Soldier finds love after having both legs blown off in IED attack

When I read this story about a wounded soldier who found love again -- of course she fell for him, he lost his legs, she didn't lose her eyes! -- my immediate thought for a headline was "Love Bomb." That, of course, made me think of Altered Images singer Clare Grogran's debut solo single of the same name, which bombed, thus convincing the record label to shelve the accompanying album. While nearly everything else in the world has leaked on the Internet, I'm still waiting for said LP, "Trash Mad," to appear one day. If you've got it, give me a holler. I could be (really) happy!