Here's my take on yet another Radio Daze mix from Dirk over at Hambonian Entertainment.
Tracks:
- Fame - Irene Cara, Pop #4, Dance #1. This one hasn't aged well, but it's so iconic I don't think that matters. I loved the movie, soundtrack, TV show, etc. This song won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 1980.
- Hey There Lonely Girl - Robert John, Pop #31, AC #10. I prefer the more soulful original, but the material is so strong it's hard to mess up. John had hella falsetto, didn't he?
- First Time Love - Livingston Taylor, Pop #38, AC #13. Don't remember this one from 1980. It's got a simple, country feel to it but nothing that grabs me.
- Don't Ask Me Why- Billy Joel, Pop #19, AC #1. A guitar song from the Piano Man and it works. Great melody and background vocals. By the time Glass Houses was released, I was a huge Joel fan and knew all the lyrics to this song within days of buying the album.
- Late in the Evening - Paul Simon, Pop #6, AC#7, Dance #63. Back-to-back tracks produced by Phil Ramone - I approve! Great groove with sublime drum work by the incomparable Steve Gadd. Then the horns kick in and take it all to another level.
- Give Me the Night - George Benson, Pop #4, R&B #1, AC #26, Dance #2. Written by Rod Temperton, performed by Benson, produced by Quincy Jones. How this didn't hit #1 is beyond me. Back in 1980 when I would record songs directly from radio, Give Me The Night was one that would get recorded every time I heard it. This meant it might appear 4-5 times on a single cassette tape.
- All Over the World - Electric Light Orchestra, Pop #13, AC #46. Dirk knows I can't resist music from Xanadu. By naming five of the cities mentioned in the song, I won a KIOX radio contest. I think I won a station t-shirt, which means I "won" the opportunity to provide the station with free advertising.
- That Girl Could Sing - Jackson Browne, Pop #22. Meh. Not much of a Jackson Browne fan.
- I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross, Pop #1, R&B #1, Dance #1. Now we're cookin'! Ain't no song like a Chic song, no matter who is singing. And to make it even better, we're treated to a wild trombone solo by Meco Monardo, the guy responsible for the disco versions of Star Wars music.
- Dreaming - Cliff Richard, Pop #10, AC #21. Written by Leo Sayer, there's something about the chorus of this song that will stick with me for days. I enjoy it as much these days as I did back in '80. Good stuff.
- Deep Inside My Heart - Randy Meisner, Pop #22. I have no memory of this one. Mesiner, a former member of Poco and the Eagles, probably should have stuck with one of those groups. Not much to this one; not even Kim Carnes can save it.
- Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen, Pop #5. It sounds like late '50s doo-wop music produced by late '60s Phil Spector and performed by a late '70s Springsteen. Pure rock 'n' roll. Not my favorite Springsteen tune, but a strong way to finish this mix.
The Benson, Richard, Simon, ELO, Ross, and Joel tracks are good enough to earn the seal:
The Radio Daze series of posts:
Original Rhino series reviewed at The CD Project
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Radio Daze Revisited by Hambonian Entertainment
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
| Herc's Hideaway series | |
| Volume ½ | Volume 11 |
| Volume 6 | Volume 12 |
| Volume 7 | Volume |
| Volume 8 | Volume 14 |
| Volume 9 | Volume 15 |
| Volume 10 |
No comments :
Post a Comment