During the summer of 1989, I made many, many trips to Coconuts Music (previously Peaches Records & Tapes, because nothing says music more than a plurality of fruit). By then, I’d fully embraced the joy and convenience of cassettes, which dovetailed with my discovery of modern rock (hello, R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs — $6.99 each, if memory serves). But one particular visit to Coconuts that summer still stands out, as it represented one of the very last times I’d purchase current chart singles on 45.

That sweltering afternoon in the Chicago suburbs, I left Coconuts with this trio of 45s in hand for the car ride home: Prince’s “Batdance,” Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance,” and Love and Rockets’ “So Alive.” With 23 years in the rearview mirror, the first is a something of a pop-culture relic (unusual for the Purple One), but the latter two are stone-cold classics.

Covers-wise, I’m not surprised that few have approached “Buffalo Stance.” The track is all-attitude, and Neneh Cherry delivered that in spades. Best to let it stand, never to be topped. But the sublimely sexy “So Alive” beckons as an irresisitble temptress, with Better Than Ezra and  Duncan Sheik (on his Covers ’80s album) among those who’ve turned out new takes.

Last year, Simulover, a collaboration between DJ Alex Lauterstein and electropop artist SIRPAUL, covered “So Alive” on their self-titled debut. The duo’s version, featuring supporting vocals by SIRPAUL’s sister, Cherylyn, hewed closely to Love and Rockets’ original.

Now Simulover has remixed their cover, ushering “So Alive” to a space the synthpop tune was destined to visit from the very start — the dance floor. It just took 23 years and two New York City boys to see the path more clearly.

On the strength of Love and Rockets’ “So Alive” (and previous song, “Haunted When The Minutes Drag,” included on the She’s Having A Baby soundtrack), I did purchase the band’s self-titled album on cassette on my next trip to Coconuts. Total disappointment. Today we’ve got the benefit of previewing tracks prior to purchase (usually paying more than $6.99), so while I continue to miss the tangible objects, the digital world does offer that clear advantage.

Free download of Simulover feat. Cherylyn – “So Alive” (Love and Rockets cover) via the SoundCloud player above.

(via EQ Music Blog)