Happy Birthday to MTV

Don't simply repeat the familiar passive-aggressive lament, "remember when MTV played videos?" Instead, let's be thankful for the few years we had with televised videos on the network and that we got to be active participants in that little slice of cultural history. Plus, I was introduced to a lot of music (and fashion) I never would have experienced otherwise. 

Would movies like Footloose or Flashdance have been produced without MTV's influence? Discuss.

And if you want to revisit MTV's somewhat revised first hour of programming, click here. 

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Recommended for further nostalgic research:

Rock Short Takes, August 1981

Click on the image below to open a pdf file of the "Rock Short Takes" album reviews from Musician magazine's August 1981 issue. Artists include Joe Walsh, Van Halen, New Musik, and The Moody Blues.

CD Longbox #37

Yellowjackets (1981)

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Exclusive photos courtesy of Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

To view other longboxes, please click here.

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox, go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Music Ads from 40 Years Ago

MFD Random Five #55

In which I shuffle through some music files and listen to the first five songs from the years 1976-85 that randomly pop up.

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1. "Drivin' My Life Away" by Eddie Rabbitt (1980, Elektra)
   I must have dug the thing back in '80 because I remember every word. I still like the percussive vocals in the verse but the chorus doesn't do much for me now. No bridge, no solo, just a below-average turnaround. But here I am still singing. Go figure.


2. "One Love in My Lifetime" by Diana Ross (1976, Motown)
   Miss Ross. A great Motown single. Sounds like a Supremes tune (especially the intro and chorus) and that's fine with me. As good as it is, it barely makes the top half of songs from that '76 self-titled album.


3. "Kingdom Come" by David Bowie (1980, RCA)
    I once succinctly described the entire Scary Monsters album as "all tension, no release" but this cover of a Tom Verlaine tune hidden halfway through side 2 might be the exception that proves that description. Full of Fripp's manic guitar work, this thing isn't exactly an easy listen, but it's quality stuff nonetheless.


4. "Stay With Me" by George Howard (1985, GRP)
   This is smooth jazz at its nadir - overproduced, mostly synth accompaniment, and Simmons or DMX Drum way up in the mix. And not much to the writing - mostly just one lick. Howard got a pleasant tone on the soprano sax, which isn't easy to do, so I'll give him that. But this was popular, hit #1 on the jazz charts, and moved a bunch of copies - hell, I've even got the CD. Shrug.


5. "Desert Moon" by Dennis DeYoung (1984, A&M)
   I'd almost forgotten this tune but here we go. Like many people, I lost interest in Styx with the Kilroy debacle. Still, DDY was able to later score one more top 40 hit with this ballad. It's not terrible, but sure could have used some Tommy Shaw crunch.