Playback (SSQ album)

Last updated
Playback
Ssq playback.jpg
Studio album by
SSQ
Released1983
Recorded1982–1983
Genre
Length31:03
Label
Producer Jon St. James
SSQ chronology
Playback
(1983)
Jet Town Je t'aime
(2020)
Stacy Q chronology
Playback
(1983)
Stacey Q
(1985)

Music videos were released for both "Synthicide" and "Screaming In My Pillow." There were three different videos released for "Screaming In My Pillow": The first version was a PG-13-rated version that received airplay on MTV. A more controversial, "uncensored" version was aired on Playboy TV depicting full-frontal nudity and lesbianism by Stacey Swain and an unknown model. A third video, called the NC-17 version, was considered too graphic for mainstream airplay. It was included on Red Hot Rock , a VHS compilation of uncensored music videos.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Synthicide" Jon St. James 3:36
2."Jet Town"St. James, John Van Tongeren3:40
3."Big Electronic Beat"St. James, Van Tongeren3:30
4."Clockwork"St. James5:28
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Screaming in My Pillow"St. James, Elizabeth Roberts4:19
2."Anonymous"St. James, Van Tongeren3:54
3."Walkman On"St. James, Van Tongeren3:40
4."N'Importe Quoi"St. James, Martine Hamel2:56
Total length:31:03
Cassette version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Fire" Jimi Hendrix 3:47
10."Synth Samurai"St. James4:09
2014 remastered version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Synthicide"St. James3:32
2."Jet Town"St. James, Van Tongeren3:40
3."Big Electronic Beat"St. James, Van Tongeren3:32
4."The Girl Who Seduced the World"St. James3:34
5."Screaming in My Pillow"St. James, Roberts4:38
6."The Model"St. James2:31
7."Anonymous"St. James, Van Tongeren3:55
8."Walkman On"St. James, Van Tongeren3:36
9."N'Importe Quoi"St. James, Hamel2:56
10."Playback" (Kendun Mix)St. James3:52
11."Tonight (We'll Make Love Until We Die)"St. James, Stacey Swain 3:15
12."Clockwork" (Extended Mix)St. James5:31
13."Synth Samurai"St. James4:09
14."Tonight (We'll Make Love Until We Die)" (Alternate Mix)St. James, Swain4:02
Total length:52:43

Personnel

Legacy

The album was re-released on July 10, 2014, by F1 Music as a digital download on the iTunes Store and Amazon. It has never been issued on a legitimate compact disc by any company. It was originally issued on vinyl and cassette only.

Related Research Articles

Stacey Lynn Swain, known by her stage name Stacey Q, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's "Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten in five other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretty Vacant</span> 1977 single by Sex Pistols

"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. It was released on 2 July 1977 as the band's third single and was later featured on their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, released during that same year.

<i>Decade of Decadence 81–91</i> 1991 greatest hits album by Mötley Crüe

Decade of Decadence 81–91 is the first compilation album by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on October 19, 1991. It peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was the band's sixth album overall and the first of several greatest hits compilations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utopia (band)</span> American rock band

Utopia was an American rock band formed in 1973 by Todd Rundgren. During its first three years, the group was a progressive rock band with a somewhat fluid membership known as Todd Rundgren's Utopia. Most of the members in this early incarnation also played on Rundgren's solo albums of the period up to 1975. By 1976, the group was known simply as Utopia and featured a stable quartet of Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell and John "Willie" Wilcox. This version of the group gradually abandoned progressive rock for more straightforward rock and pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokio Hotel</span> German music band

Tokio Hotel is a German music band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, bassist Georg Listing, and drummer Gustav Schäfer. Starting from the foundation, the band's music genres were pop rock and alternative rock; since 2014, the band began to perform electropop and synth-pop.

<i>Playmate of the Year</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Zebrahead

Playmate of the Year is the third studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead, it is also their final album released via Columbia Records.

SSQ is a synthpop outfit consisting of Stacey Swain, Jon St. James, and past members include Dan Van Patten and John Van Tongeren, Rich West, Karl Moët and Skip Hahn. Their debut album Playback received praise from critics when released in 1983. As of 2020, Jon St. James and Stacey Swain resurfaced as SSQ, releasing a full length album of new material titled Jet Town Je t’aime. As Stacey Q, Swain had a solo hit with her single “Two of Hearts” in 1986. SSQ members stayed on as her band for television and concert performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlife Crisis</span> 1992 single by Faith No More

"Midlife Crisis" is a song by American rock band Faith No More. It was released on May 25, 1992, as the first single from their fourth album, Angel Dust. It became their only number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cemetery Gates</span> 1990 single by Pantera

"Cemetery Gates" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Pantera. The song is the fifth track from the 1990 album Cowboys from Hell, the band's fifth record and second with lead singer Phil Anselmo. The song, the longest in Pantera's discography, showcases Anselmo's vocal ability and range, concluding with screaming high notes answered by Dimebag Darrell on guitar in a trade-off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legs (song)</span> 1984 single by ZZ Top

"Legs" is a song by the band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was released as the fourth single in May 1984 more than a year after the album came out. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and the dance mix version of the song peaked at number 13 on the dance charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two of Hearts (song)</span> 1986 single by Stacey Q

"Two of Hearts" is a song by American singer Stacey Q, first issued as an independent 12-inch dance club single by On the Spot Records, then picked up by Atlantic after achieving regional sales. Written by John Mitchell, the song was Stacey Q's biggest hit; its global sales success fueled the recording of her debut album Better Than Heaven (1986), which included the song.

<i>Stacey Qs Greatest Hits</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Stacey Q

Stacey Q's Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American singer Stacey Q, released on May 16, 1995 by Thump Records. It was re-released on February 6, 2007 under the title Queen of the 80's with a slightly different track listing. Although it is a greatest hits album, the compilation includes only songs from her studio album Better Than Heaven (1986) and her early career with the bands Q and SSQ. Some of the album's material was re-recorded, giving the originally dance-pop and synthpop songs house and eurodance music to achieve more commercial sound.

<i>Stacey Q</i> (album) 1985 EP by Stacey Q

Stacey Q is the first extended play by American singer Stacey Q, released in 1985 by On the Spot Records. It was only released in cassette format limited to 500 copies. Produced by Jon St. James, the EP features an early version of her hit song "Two of Hearts", which would later peak at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and become one of the highest-selling singles of 1986. Other songs on the EP include "Dancing Nowhere," later featured, along with the updated version of "Two of Hearts," on her debut album Better Than Heaven (1986) and "Dancing in the Dark", a cover version of Kim Wilde's song. "Shy Girl" was released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hold the Line</span> 1978 single by Toto

"Hold the Line" is a song by American rock band Toto from their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. Written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, the lead vocals on the song were performed by Bobby Kimball.

Jon St. James is an American guitarist, songwriter–composer, producer and recording engineer. His Casbah Recording Studio was a part of Orange County, California's new music scene in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. St. James' first album was as leader–frontman–songwriter of the progressive rock group French Lick. St James was a pioneer of techno pop and dance music, using Moog synthesizers, electronic effects, and tape loops. St. James lived in France for two years, studying Musique concrète with French composers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream Aim Fire (song)</span> 2007 single by Bullet for My Valentine

"Scream Aim Fire" is a song by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The first single from their second album, Scream Aim Fire, the song was released on the American iTunes store on 18 December 2007, and has also been released on the band's MySpace profile. Featured in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour and non-US versions of Guitar Hero Modern Hits, it is the band's highest charting single worldwide. It is also available as downloadable content in the video game Rock Band 3. A live version of the song recorded at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge show was included as a bonus track on deluxe editions of the band's 4th studio album Temper Temper.

<i>Sway</i> (Blue October album) 2013 studio album by Blue October

Sway is the seventh studio album by Blue October. It was recorded at Fire Station Studio in San Marcos, Texas, with co-producer David Castell in February and March 2013. Additional recording sessions for strings and vocal overdubs took place at Test Tube Audio in Austin, Texas, in April 2013, and the album was mixed at Studio 62 in Austin by Tim Palmer between May and July 2013. Production credit for the album is shared between Justin Furstenfeld, David Castell and Tim Palmer. Castell had previously produced Blue October's album History For Sale and co-produced Foiled, while Palmer produced the band's album Any Man in America and mixed History for Sale. Sway was Blue October's first album to be released after Justin Furstenfeld got sober, and the songs have a marked sense of positivity and optimism compared to the band's previous work.

Skip Hahn is an American record producer, musician, singer and songwriter. Hahn is known for work with the American band SSQ (1982-1988), on Playback; and, with SSQ backing Stacey Q on their Better Than Heaven and Hard Machine albums. On a side project during the months recording the Better Than Heaven album, Hahn collaborated with Jon St. James on James's album, Fast Impressions, writing, performing and producing. Guest artists included guitarists Allan Holdsworth; Ray Gomez; and Scott Bowers. From 2005-2007, Hahn and St. James worked together as a duo named Echo Junkies, releasing the art-rock album, Echo Junkies, in 2007. This time special guest artists included their SSQ bandmate/singer/songwriter, Stacey Q, Jason Freese (saxophone), Danny Mantel on tabla.

American singer Stacey Q has released five studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play, thirteen singles, four promotional singles, and six music videos. Born Stacey Swain, she first served as the lead singer of the band SSQ put together by producer Jon St. James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wakrat</span> American rock band

Wakrat is an American trio composed of Tim Commerford, Mathias Wakrat and Laurent Grangeon. The heavily alt-punk-influenced group released their self-titled debut album in 2016.

References

  1. AllMusic
  2. "SSQ – Playback". Discogs. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  3. Paste Magazine