That’s one heck of a picture. Looking at now, you can see why I wasn’t alone in having the most enormous schoolboy crush on Claire Grogan in 1982. Or maybe you can’t. She has always seemed like one of the most beautiful women ever, the fact she’s from Glasgow only helps. This picture isn’t actually from 1982, they were much more punky early doors, less puffa skirt and pink and blue, but still as cute as buttons.

Anyway, to the music. Altered Images served up the most sublime remixes. To this day the Martin Rushent Altered Images remixes are right up there. There’s more where this came from, and no doubt much of it will appear here sooner or later, but I never tire of this remix in particular. If proof were needed I have been listening to it with some regularity since 1982, which is over a quarter of a century. That’s quite a long time.

It’s funny, who would have thought you could look back over the last 25 years and pinpoint a band like Altered Images as being significant. Ask people of a certain age and they are a big part of their musical and, erm, sexual education – the edges do blur when you’re 14. They remain one of my favourite ever bands.

Wonder where the child who counts the track in has got to, a Rushent offspring no doubt, who will be racing headlong towards being 30 by now. If anyone knows, I’d love to hear the story.

Download lowdown…
- iTunes has some AI, but too few remixes. There’s ‘Love To Stay’ – twice – from their grown-up ‘Bite’ album, a dance mix of ‘Bring Me Closer’, and an extended version of ‘Don’t Talk To Me About Love’, but none are a patch on the early remixes.
- A quick glance at 7digital.com confirms there’s little Altered Images in the public domain, save the ‘Reflected Images’ best of… which amazingly doesn’t include the good stuff remix-wise.
- Spotted Altered Images downloads somewhere? Mail us at mitts[at]rippingvinyl.co.uk