Eye Hate U

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Text on Button hate u the gold experience
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Black illustration of an eye followed by text over a gold symbol and more black text on a white background

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"Eye Hate U" is a song by pop musician Prince from his 1995 album The Gold Experience.  It was the lead single release in support of the album.  

The song was one of the last original singles from Prince to reach the U.S. Top 40 charts, and peaked within the top 10 of the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop charts.  Actress and singer Carmen Electra claims Prince told her the song is about her.

Catalog ID MU0377

Empire State Soul Club

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Text on Button EMPIRE STATE SOUL CLUB NYC
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Black text around the outer edge with white text over an illustration of the empire state building on a white background

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"We make no attempt to define the meaning of Soul. Soul is a feeling."
 
The Empire State Soul Club was the self-proclaimed Pinnacle of Soul. The club hosted monthly dances at various New York City bars and clubs in the 1980s and 1990s. The music featured was mostly obscure 1960s soul, although other kinds of music were sometimes included in their sets. The Empire State Soul Club published a newsletter that included an official statement of beliefs and announced events. 

Sources

The Soul Shack (n.d.) Empire State Soul Club. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www.soulshack45.com/id29.htm.

Catalog ID MU0023

Elvis Costello

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Photograph of Elvis Costello's head and shoulders in yellow and black on a red background

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Elvish Costello (Declan Patrick MacManus) is an English musician and record producer. In the 1970’s he was a part of the first wave of punk and new wave in Britain, releasing his first successful album, My Aim Is True in 1977. After forming his backing band, The Attractions, he went on to release two more acclaimed albums: This Year’s Model (1978) and Armed Forces (1979), the latter of which featured his most popular single, Oliver’s Army. In 1986 Costello and the Attractions split up and Costello has gone on to enjoy a diverse and successful solo career.  

Catalog ID MU0330

Discotex and His Sexolettes

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Text on Button DISCOTEX SEX-O-LETTES
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Green, blue and orange text over illustrations of people in costumes on a pink background​

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Formed in 1974, Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes were an American disco group. Comprised of musicians, Bob Crewe, Cidny Bullens, Kenny Nolan, and Sir Monti Rock III, the group produced three albums, being Disco-Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes Review, Manhattan Millionaire, and A Piece of the Rock. Some of their most popular singles were the 1974 single, "Get Dancin" as well as 1975's "I Wanna Dance Win- Choo (Doo Dat Dance). Though they disbanded in 1986, the group continued to be recognized by other musicians, most prominently of which was Elvis Costello and Pet Shop Boys. both of whom mentioned Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes in their songs.

Catalog ID MU0397

David Johansen Live It Up

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Text on Button DAVID JOHANSEN LIVE IT UP
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White text and an illustration of a glass with bubbles coming out of it on a black background

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Live It Up was the first live album released in 1982 by musician David Johansen, who is also known as Buster Poindexter and the lead singer of the New York Dolls.  The album features multiple covers of songs by The Foundations, a British soul band who were active between 1967 and 1970. The only original song featured is the New York Dolls’ Personality Crisis

Catalog ID MU0338

Tom Petty Damn the Torpedoes

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Text on Button Damn the Torpedoes T.P.
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Black text on a red background

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Damn the Torpedoes was the name of the album released by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in late 1979. It was the band’s third album and the first released under the Backstreet Records label. Two of the album’s songs, “Don’t Do Me Like That” and “Refugee”, made the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Rolling Stone magazine rated the album as 313 on their 500 greatest albums of all time list in 2003. The title of the album makes reference to a famous quote by U.S. Navy Admiral David Farragut. Farragut gave the order to “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” during the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War.

Catalog ID MU0429

Creem Magazine

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Text on Button 10TH YEAR BOY HOWDY 1969 1979 CREEM
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Black text round the outer edge with an illustration in the center of a character on a silver background

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Creem was a monthly rock ‘n’ roll magazine that was first published in 1969 and ended publication in 1989, though it had a short return in the early 1990’s. The magazine is credited with creating the term “punk rock”. Creem picked out punk rock and new wave movements early and are also credited with providing large amounts of exposure to upcoming artists such as David Bowie, Blondie, Lou Reed, and Roxy Music, as well as being the leaders on coverage of upcoming rock and metal groups like The Smiths, The Go-Go’s, Kiss, Van Halen, and The Cure. The “Boy Howdy” icon was designed by cartoonist Robert Crumb. 

This button is most likely in celebration of the magazine's ten-year anniversary. 

Catalog ID EV0322

Cheap Trick Rainbow

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Text on Button CHEAP TRICK
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White text centered on button. Black background with concentric blue, pink, orange, yellow, and green rings surrounding text.  

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The Los Angeles radio station 95.5 KLOS had several buttons made in the 1970s and 1980s featuring band names inside their distinctive rainbow logo.

Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Chicago, IL, in 1973. They released their first full-length, self-titled album in 1977. The band is known for its distinctive visual image and stage presence, which includes the frequent use of Hamer five-neck guitars by the group’s quirky front-man Rick Nielsen. Their second album, released later the same year, was perhaps their biggest success and featured songs “I Want You to Want Me” and “Hello There.”

Sources

95.5 KLOS. (Accessed 2024, October 10). https://www.955klos.com/ 

Cheap Trick. (2024, October 6). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 10, 2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap_Trick 

Nielsen, R. (2021, March 4). Rick Nielsen reveals the story behind his 1981 Hamer five-neck. Guitar Player. https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/rick-nielsen-reveals-the-story-behind-his-1981-hamer-five-neck 

Catalog ID MU0002

Buzzcocks

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Text on Button BUZZCOCKS
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Pink text on a blue background

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British punk band the Buzzcocks released their sixth album Modern in 1999. Following the release of their previous album All Set, the band wanted to create a more modern sound by using electronic instruments and drum machines. While not a commercial success, Modern received mostly favorable reviews from critics, some of whom described it as a reinvention of 1980s new wave music. 

Catalog ID MU0418