Manufactured electronic pop music from Moroder, what’s not to like?
I’m sure the Sputnik’s themselves are discussed elsewhere, but this album is notable for being the first (only?) album to have adverts between tracks. I believe the original plan was for more regional advertising but there were few takers.
So who bought the advertising space?
Das neue Deutsch Muzik magazine!
A music / lifestyle focused magazine for the DE/CH/AT market, lasted 10 years and the German wiki article seems to indicate it was much the same market as The Face or iD in the UK sought, that of the Style Bible.
Network 21 was a pirate TV station operating in London.
Network 21 had a flash of activity on the web about 8 years ago, but this seems to have disappeared. Luckily the Internet Archive has some of the content.
A Kensington Market clothing and maybe fetishwear store. I wasn’t sure about this one at first until I could find a copy of the sleeve notes. Typing Pure Sex & Rubber into an Internet search box is frankly asking for trouble.
The above image courtesy of an ebay listing which describes the garment thusly : “RARE PURE SEX ENGLAND KENSINGTON MARKET LONDON MADE IN ENGLAND 100%COTTON MUTED DARKER PINK (almost light burgundy) TANK T-SHIRT TOP WITH A ROUND TUBE SEWN THROUGH FROM BREAST TO BREAST ON THE FRONT BOTTOM OF THIS SHIRT IS RAW EDGE SEWN FINISH & THIS SEWN EDGE IS FRAYED IN SPOTS FOR UNUSUAL COLLECTION PIECE IN ONE SIZE LADIES.”
Only 5 ad slots were sold, so a couple of them were self sourced. This is one for the imaginary Sputnik Corporation.
i-D Magazine treads a similar path to Tempo mentioned above, a Fashion Bible with distinct photography and reportage. It is now part of Vice Media. I don’t think there’s a print version any more.
More wishful thinking on the part of the band, but after all Frankie Goes To Hollywood got a game a year previously. Which was actually pretty good for a licensed property. You can play it here. It’s a bit Wario Ware / Lazy Jones, but not without it’s charm.
And Shakin’ Stevens of Viz fame got a free game on one of his singles a few years before. You can play that here. I recommend you don’t and instead look at the following screen for a few seconds, then move on.
Anyway, if anyone is planning next year’s April Fool and they’re handy with a C64 (or other device of that era), a Sigue Sigue Sputnik rediscovered beta wouldn’t be a bad idea.
This is at least still a vibrant brand, and was arguably the best thing on the album. In the movie Demolition Man Sandra Bullock sings advertising slogans, most notably the Jolly Green Giant. If you were to force me to sing an advert from memory for some reason, this is the one that would come to mind first.
Even the record label didn’t last. EMI (Electric and Musical Industries) was acquired by a consortium of interests and the pieces scattered, although it has been recently resurrected as a zombie brand with Virgin wearing EMI’s face. See also Infogrames wearing Atari’s clothes.
And back to the band themselves, this was from the Japanese edition.