It is because the song has become a ghost. You cannot legally stream it. The rights are tangled between a defunct label (Graviton Records) and the estate of a producer who died intestate. In 2016, a lawyer representing Sony Music attempted to claim the track, only to discover that the fire destroyed the chain of title.
The vocalist is listed only as “Escher” (believed to be a pseudonym for Lorna Del Ray, a session singer who vanished from the industry in 1985). Escher’s contralto is drowsy yet menacing. When she purrs the hook— “Close your eyes, forget the time / Come under my spell, 1981…” —she isn’t seducing a lover. She is seducing the listener’s memory. The 1981 Exclusive mix emphasizes a repetitive, arpeggiated Roland Jupiter-4 bassline that feels hypnotic, almost dangerous. BPM clocks in at a lethargic 98, which was commercially suicidal for dance floors at the time. The “Exclusive” nature of this recording stems from disaster. Master tapes for the 1981 session were stored at Graviton Studios in New York. On March 12, 1982, an electrical fire destroyed the vault. Everything—the multi-track stems, the liner notes, the original artwork—turned to ash. come under my spell 1981 exclusive
All that survived were the 250 promotional acetates already mailed out the month prior. Most of those were played to death, thrown away, or warped in hot cars. Perhaps only 15 copies in playable condition exist today. It is because the song has become a ghost
Unlike the later 1983 commercial re-release (which featured a heavy, overproduced saxophone solo), the is raw. It is vulnerable. The track opens not with a drum machine, but with the sound of rain against a window pane—an auditory cue that producer Arthur “Midnight” Croft allegedly recorded during a thunderstorm in Soho, London. The Anatomy of a Spell To understand the song, you must understand the era. 1981 was a transition year. The glitter of disco was dead, but the body was still warm. Synth-pop was rising, but gothic rock was still gestating in the underground. “Come Under My Spell” sits perfectly in this crack. In 2016, a lawyer representing Sony Music attempted