Hi all! Due to life events, I will not be posting or reupping albums in the future. Some of the albums might be available on the Facebook group mentioned below. Thanks for understanding!

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For all you pop lovers on Facebook, you should join the Pop Rush Community Facebook page immediately. Lots of amazing shares of great pop music from the 1990's and 2000's!!

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Saturday, October 6, 2007

Apollo Smile - Apollo Smile (1991), Love, Kisses And Grenades (1998) & Wrecking Ball (2000) TRIPLE POST!!

Apollo Smile (real name Paula Scharf) was a '90s oddity. Though classifying herself as a singer, songwriter and actress, she was best known for being the "Live-Action Anime Girl". This is a title she created for herself and she appeared at tons of anime, comic and video game conventions, doing pretty much nothing but showing up and signing autographs. Apparently a lot of anime fans considered her a 'fake', though what a real live action anime girl is is beyond me! Whatever the case, she released this, her only major label album (she self-released two others, Love Kisses & Grenades and Wrecking Ball, which are impossible to get a hold of). The music on this album is definitely pop, but with surfy, synthy, pop-rocky overtones - lots of dance beats with surf guitars, which makes sense on tracks like "Dune Buggy" (the remix of which was done by Shep Pettibone). Ms. Smile doesn't have the greatest singing voice, but that's really beside the point. The album is still a fun and odd ride. She released two other albums independently, Love, Kisses and Grenades in 1998 and Wrecking Ball in 2000. They're a natural progression from her debut. Quite good!!

**UPDATE: Leave it to Consolecharlie to dredge up info on Apollo Smile! LOL Thanks again, friend! Here is her bio from her new job as a dance instructor / choreographer for Dance By Leslie in Connecticut:

Apollo has worked professionally in the performing arts for over 25 years. She’s danced with the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre School in New York City and was a recording artist for GEFFEN Records in Los Angeles. In addition, she has been a stuntwoman for various films and television shows and has toured Las Vegas with a Martial Arts Stunt Troupe. Her dance training includes jazz, hip-hop, ballet, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary and more.
Apollo moved back to her native Guilford in 2004 and has been enjoying teaching dance and choreographing high school musicals on the Shoreline. She will be teaching jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop for DBL.



Download Apollo Smile

1 Thunderbox
2 Dune Buggy
3 I Want You To Love Me
4 Love Comes Your Way
5 Theme For All Nations
6 Friends
7 Hymn To The Sun
8 Temple Of Love
9 Peace
10 Theme (Reprise)
11 Dune Buggy (Bonus Remix)

Download Love, Kisses And Grenades

1 Battle Cry
2 Hikigane
3 Feelin' Groovy
4 Purrr…
5 Last Stand In Disco Land
6 Tite Pants
7 Rainbow Rider
8 T.S.T. (Team Smile Theme)
9 Trigger Finger
10 Call Me
11 Going Back
12 Live Wire
13 Hikigane (Joe 90 Mix)
14 Let's Rock (Bonus Track)

Download Wrecking Ball

1 Smile
2 Sunshine Slayer
3 Superball
4 TF2000
5 Love Comes Your Way
6 Aim High Get Down
7 Love Slave
8 Tired Wings
9 Shorty's Theme
10 Girl's Got Rhythm
11 Humble
12 Props To The Fans

37 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Thanks for the Apollo Smile album! Her voice isn't too bad to be fair and it sounds better than most albums of the time.

    I've found something she made called Same but I not sure if it's a single or album, do you know anything about it?

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  3. I actually met her at Dragon*Con in Atlanta when she was marketing herself as the live action Anime girl. She did this for awhile with minimal success. She later joined some techno outfit as the lead singer but left in the late 90s. She was really sweet and her album "love and grenades" was cute techno stuff.

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  4. Cool! I've only got one song from that album. Any chance of you uploading it?

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  5. Think I ma have a lead on our friend Apollo :D

    I'ce checked up her old website in the internet archive and I've found her email address

    smilehq@aol.com

    Any chance of finding her - this is it :D

    Let me know if you get anything from it.

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  6. I was tangentially involved with this. It's a good LP, but took too long to complete - there were lots of problems! If it had come out in '89, while the folks at Geffen (and the machinery in the Apollo camp) were more up for it then I'm sure it would've been more of a success.

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  7. By the sound of things, Apollo hasn't done well since 2001 :(

    http://odeo.com/episodes/22051392-Show-46-James-Interview-Part-3-Bring-Me-the-Head-of-Apollo-Smile-A-Cautionary-Tale

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  8. Can't believe it but I've found her :D

    She's now works for the company "Dance By Leslie" http://www.dancebyleslie.com/
    and her mini biography is below:

    Apollo Smile-Dailey has worked professionally in the performing arts for over 25 years, including with the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre School in New York City. She was a recording artist for GEFFEN Records. Apollo has performed in various films and TV shows and toured Las Vegas.

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  9. Here's a recent article too about her and her current exploits :D

    http://www.theday.com/article/20100128/NWS10/301289918/-1/zip06details&town=Guilford&template=zip06art

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  10. Consolecharlie/Dream101July 1, 2010 at 3:33 PM

    I finally managed to get it for ya Nasty G - "Wrecking Ball" by Apollo Smile. It's kinda similar to Republica and EMF, with some small acoustic and funk elements. It includes remakes of "Love Comes Your Way" from her first album and WItchy Trigger Finger" (TF2000) from Love Kisses and Grenades :)

    The link is only temporary so you'll have to reupload it for the blog :) Enjoy

    http://rapidshare.com/files/404348934/Apollo_Smile_-_Wrecking_Ball_-_2000.rar.html

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  11. OMG, you are awesome as always! Can't wait!! :)

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  12. Consolecharlie/Dream101July 7, 2010 at 2:58 PM

    Haha no problem Nasty G, enjoy :D

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  13. she lives in Guilford CT

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  14. Any chance of a reupload of wrecking ball plz?

    You really weren't exaggerating when u said this album and Love Kisses & Grenades were impossible to find > <

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  15. Thanks so much for both those albums, guys. I've had a major soft spot for Apollo since playing Space Channel 5 back on the Dreamcast, always wondered what her albums sounded like. Turns out they're a lot of fun. Cheers for those!

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  16. Another thing - does anyone have any idea where to track down a copy of Love, Kisses & Grenades? I don't seem to be able to find that for love nor money. There isn't even anyone selling them for crazy money on eBay :(

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  17. Good news, I've managed to track down Love, Kisses & Grenades. Two versions even :). Version 2 is probably the definitive release, it was most widely sold (the first went out of print quite quickly) and has more polished mixes of quite a few tracks. You can grab them from my fledgling Apollo fansite at http://apollosmile.farfromsleep.net

    Enjoy and stay groovy out there :p

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  18. Could you reupload this and their Wrecking Ball album as well. Seems mediafire give up.

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    Replies
    1. They have both been reupped. ;)

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    2. im humbley request another re-up of Apollo Smile(her first album). All the other projects are being kept alive else where on the web except for this one it seems.

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  19. I suppose ill have to check back at this page everyday until you post the re-up of her self titled project but i do hope you post it soon. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Oops, just noticed this. Sorry. It's been reupped if you still need it...

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  20. Good day, is there any chance of reuploading her Album? Thanks a million!

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  21. She teaches and works on the CT shoreline as a choreographer. Really nice lady.

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  22. Hey Nasty G, could you re-upload Apollo Smile's album(s)? Thanks a lot :D

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    1. Can you or anyone re-up Love Kisses and Grenades? I had it in the 90s and sadly lost it there. Thanks

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  23. Would appreciate it very much if someone could re-upload "Love, Kisses and Grenades" and "Wrecking Ball".

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  24. Really want a re-up of Wreckingball, and if possible, Love Kisses and Grenades.

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  25. Hello, I hate to bother, but would it be possible to reupload Apollo Smile and Wrecking Ball? Thank you in advance!

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  26. Do you have any info about the current whereabouts of Apollo Smile? She voiced a character in the 90's and the video game developers are trying to contact her: https://segascream.com/desperately-seeking-apollo-smile/

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