Playback is the first studio album by the American synthpop[1] band SSQ, released in 1983 by Enigma and EMI America Records.[2][3] It was the only album released by the band as SSQ until the release of their second album Jet Town Je t'aime in 2020, though the band members later worked on lead singer Stacey Q's debut album Better Than Heaven (1986) and follow-up album, Hard Machine (1988).

Playback
Studio album by
Released1983
Recorded1982–1983
Genre
Length31:03
Label
ProducerJon St. James
SSQ chronology
Playback
(1983)
Jet Town Je t'aime
(2020)
Stacy Q chronology
Playback
(1983)
Stacey Q
(1985)
Singles from Playback
  1. "Synthicide"
    Released: 1983
  2. "Big Electronic Beat"
    Released: 1983

Music videos

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Music videos were released for both "Synthicide" and "Screaming In My Pillow." There were three different videos released for "Screaming In My Pillow": The first version was a PG-13-rated version that received airplay on MTV. A more controversial, "uncensored" version was aired on Playboy TV depicting full-frontal nudity and lesbianism by Stacey Swain and an unknown model. A third video, called the NC-17 version, was considered too graphic for mainstream airplay. It was included on Red Hot Rock, a VHS compilation of uncensored music videos.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Synthicide"Jon St. James3:36
2."Jet Town"St. James, John Van Tongeren3:40
3."Big Electronic Beat"St. James, Van Tongeren3:30
4."Clockwork"St. James5:28
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Screaming in My Pillow"St. James, Elizabeth Roberts4:19
2."Anonymous"St. James, Van Tongeren3:54
3."Walkman On"St. James, Van Tongeren3:40
4."N'Importe Quoi"St. James, Martine Hamel2:56
Total length:31:03
Cassette version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Fire"Jimi Hendrix3:47
10."Synth Samurai"St. James4:09
2014 remastered version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Synthicide"St. James3:32
2."Jet Town"St. James, Van Tongeren3:40
3."Big Electronic Beat"St. James, Van Tongeren3:32
4."The Girl Who Seduced the World"St. James3:34
5."Screaming in My Pillow"St. James, Roberts4:38
6."The Model"St. James2:31
7."Anonymous"St. James, Van Tongeren3:55
8."Walkman On"St. James, Van Tongeren3:36
9."N'Importe Quoi"St. James, Hamel2:56
10."Playback" (Kendun Mix)St. James3:52
11."Tonight (We'll Make Love Until We Die)"St. James, Stacey Swain3:15
12."Clockwork" (Extended Mix)St. James5:31
13."Synth Samurai"St. James4:09
14."Tonight (We'll Make Love Until We Die)" (Alternate Mix)St. James, Swain4:02
Total length:52:43

Personnel

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Legacy

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The album was re-released on July 10, 2014, by F1 Music as a digital download on the iTunes Store and Amazon. It has never been issued on a legitimate compact disc by any company. It was originally issued on vinyl and cassette only.

References

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  1. ^ AllMusic
  2. ^ "SSQ – Playback". Discogs. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  3. ^ Paste Magazine