BILLY HIXX & THE NEW BREED.

In 1985, weather you were a graduate, dropout or just a degenerate party animal at Georgetown University, the only spot needed to release those inner-becoming-an-adult-anxieties was at St. Elmo's Bar. Especially a hot spot in the winter months, St. Elmo's was also THE primary destination if you wanted to catch the tough-as-nails new act Billy Hixx & The New Breed. Like many of us who leave college and feel lost in the working world, frat-boy Billy Hicks is unable to keep a steady job but has the ability to release his inner-demons through the saxophone. Billy also faces problems with his marriage and has a hard time giving up his "ladies man" persona.

BILLY HIXX & THE NEW BREED. from TNUC on Vimeo.

Billy Hixx's saxophone-fused rock is exactly what this crowd needs to let loose and become children of the night. His sweaty style of saxophone is packed with attitude and a war cry of freedom. While St. Elmo's Fire is an easy movie to track down, the song Billy is playing in the clip is exceedingly rare. It was originally a b-side on the John Parr 'Man in Motion' single and remains to this day as one of the best things to filter out of the movie. David Foster, who wrote the majority of the music from the film, wrote and performed the song in the studio. Stream + download the track below but prepare to drown in a sea of sweaty sax.

David Foster - One Love [St. Elmo's Fire] by TNUC

THE RENEGADES.

I'm at a loss of words as to how this one slipped by me. Patrick Swayze, a God around these parts, stars in the short lived TV show called The Renegades. Have a look at the gripping intro and then visit I-Mockery to read a superb article about the show.

ANTARCTICA.

Based on actual events, the story behind the 1983 film Antarctica revolves around a group of Japanese arctic explorers who travel to the white continent for research. The explorers befriend a pack of dogs who actually end up saving their lives during one of the harsh treks of their journey. The 3 scientists and 20 dogs pulling a sleigh over icy mountains form an emotional bond as they struggle through the rough conditions of this cold and bleak land.

Enter Vangelis. Most recognized for his unforgettable work on Bladerunner and Chariots of Fire, his score for this obscure and touching Japanese film is one of his finest pieces of work to date. Vangelis provides the story of the film, as well as the breathtaking shots of Antarctica and its wildlife, with drawn-out, icy melodies that convey the frigidness of this continent's silent greatness.

The film takes a tragic turn when the explorers are forced to leave the continent due to severe weather conditions. This forces them to leave the dogs behind, which makes the explorers even more depressed when they return home after feeling so powerless to do anything about it. The following summer, they choose to revisit Antarctica and find that two of the dogs have miraculously survived all this time. As they are reunited with the dogs, Vangelis' score shines victoriously. There are scenes with the dogs fishing for food, running across the ice and even shots of the magnetic phenomenon known as Aurora Australis (southern lights) which as you can imagine, is pure magic when accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of Vangelis.

ANTARCTICA by V A N G E L I S download

1) Theme from Antarctica

2) Antarctica Echoes

3) Kinematic

4) Song of White

5) Life of Antarctica

6) Memory of Antarctica

7) Other Side of Antarctica

8) Deliverance

FLOOD THE GATES.

Gatekeeper's massively-anticipated new EP Giza, teleports down from the heavens, swoops over thick forests of green, takes a dip in bubbly lava and arrives in stores this week. The good folks at 20jazzfunkgreats have been blessing us all week with daily premiers of the videos (by Thunder Horse Video) that accompany each track. Be sure to pick up the HDVHS (fuck,yes) which I believe sports a metallic color tape. Release of the year? I like to think so.

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12" EP from Merok

HDVHS from Hippos in Tanks

VIDEO ARMAGEDDON: COBRA.

Today TNUC begins assaulting you with VIDEO ARMAGEDDON. This will be an on-going feature on the site, spotlighting forgotten and short-lived video game wonders.

In 1986, the same year the film hit theaters, Cobra was released by Ocean Software for the video gaming system Commodore 64. Ocean Software was notorious for releasing video game adaptations of films. In the game, you are Marion Cobretti and your mission is to protect top fashion model Ingrid Knutsen from the ruthless maniac known as 'The Night Slasher'. You begin the game with no weapon and are forced to head-butt whoever comes in your way, which sends them flying across the screen. Weapons are hidden inside hamburgers which enables you to pick up either a knife, pistol or a vicious laser-sighted machine gun.

Due to a rush during its release, the game only features three levels. Because of this, there is no final boss to fight in the end of the game so once the three levels of the game are completed, the game repeats! The levels, or "playfields" are CITYSCAPE (night-time), COUNTRYSIDE (day-time) and THE FACTORY.

The best part of the game that I can see from here is the music score which was created by Ben Daglish. Play the clip below to hear how he arranges the classic Sylvester Levay song from the original film, "Skyline". A link to a download of the original track from the movie is below the clip.

Sylvester Levay - Skyline by TNUC