Shark Vegas- You Hurt Me 12”

Here’s one on the synthpop side of things, a mild obscurity on the otherwise popular Factory imprint.  Some may be familiar with this tune via the club circuit, where it enjoyed massive success in The States and Berlin, despite a relatively cool reception in the UK.

Shark Vegas was a German supergroup of sorts, featuring ex-Die Unbekannten members Mark Reeder on synths/tapes/guitar and Alistair Gray on vocals with two other members of pop band Soif de la Vie.  The original version of this 12” was recorded in 1984 and released on Totenkopf Records (Abwärts, Die Toten Hosen).  After a tour with New Order in 1984, the band decided to rerecord and remix the single with Bernard Summer in to assist on the decks (a very common practice at the time, if you consider New Order’s involvement with Section 25, Thick Pigeon/Stanton Miranda, etc.).  Sumner would also play guitar at the end of the track, while co-producer Donald Johnson (A Certain Ratio) sang backup.  A real family affair!  The Factory version of the 12” (complete with an iconic message on the cover) became a dance club hit overseas.

These two singles would make up the majority of Shark Vegas’ discography, though the band would contribute a handful of tracks to soundtracks and compilations, most notably the track “Pretenders of Love,” which appears on Young, Popular, and Sexy (1987) and was reissued on the FAC.DANCE compilation in 2011.  I just now discovered “Love Habit” on Youtube, and it continues to push the band’s slightly ironic sound to the extreme, with some rather of-the-time synth lines…  If anyone has an mp3 of that one that isn’t sourced from YouTube, feel free to send it my way.  I’m also interested in hearing “11th March”- which apparently hails from an independent film called The Party.  With that in mind, here’s both versions of this excellent 12” for your listening pleasure.

Shark Vegas- You Hurt Me 12” (1984)
1. You Hurt Me
2. You Hurt Me For the First Time
3. You Hurt Me For the Last Time

Shark Vegas- You Hurt Me 12” (1986)
1. You Hurt Me
2. You Hurt Me Version
3. But Now Your Flesh Lies Rotting In Hell

*download both here*

…and here’s some rare footage of the band performing the track in Berlin in the mid-1980s!  Enjoy!

7 Responses to “Shark Vegas- You Hurt Me 12””

  1. Thanks so much for sharing these. I only them from the two Fac Dance compilations and it’s great to hear the rest of the story (albeit a very short story.)

  2. Mark Reeder Says:

    Wow! quite an introduction. Thank you! I am very pleased to hear that you liked our music. Indeed, there is certainly much more to that story, but you are going to have to wait to hear about it. I am currently in the process of putting a comprehensive Die Unbekannten cd together, maybe after that, I will do a Shark Vegas one. If you are interested, there is a previously unreleased radio version of YHM featured on my latest CD “Collaborator” on the recently revived Factory Benelux label, as well as a collection of other remixes. http://www.factorybenelux.com/mark_reeder_collaborator_fbn111cd.html or maybe this CD will also interest you http://www.5point1.org? best wishes, mark

    • Frankie Teardrop Says:

      Hi Mark! Thanks for the comments and for the good news about future releases— can’t wait to hear both the Die Unbekannten and Shark Vegas discs. Most importantly, thank you for all the years of great music!

  3. Mike Brandon Says:

    I think I have a high quality MP3 and FLAC version of the tune you want.

  4. Mike Brandon Says:

    I def. do. I will remember to send them to you in mid-july..when i am back in NYC and at my computer that contains them!

  5. William Hart (SixBellsChime) Says:

    Hey Frankie, I’ve been reading and listening to your blog posts for years and years now, but have never commented on one. Just wanted to say thank you for curating such an amazing blog. Your taste in music is pretty impeccable. Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate it. Cheers!

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