Random album ad #38

Foreigner - 4 (1981)

MFD Random Five #12

In which I click the shuffle icon on the increasingly frustrating iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.

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1. "Subway" by Stuff (1977, Warner Bros.)
   A slow, creeping funk tune that goes double time for the chorus, written and featuring guitarist Cornell Dupree. A not-so-good filler track; I'd rather my Stuff feature Richard Tee.
   


2. "Hong Kong Garden" by Siouxsie and the Banshees (1978, Polydor)
   In 1978, this guy was listening to disco and soft rock, not post-punk. I didn't come to this one until much later via a compilation box set. Only two chords, the band makes the most of 'em, with a strong showing from guitarist John McKay. One of those songs I wouldn't seek out to hear, but I don't mind when it comes around on a shuffle.


3. "If I Saw You Again" by Pages (1978, Epic)
   Fantastic soft rock tune by an oft-overlooked group, this was the single from the Pages' debut album. Great AOR guitar solo by Peter Leinheiser followed my some tasty electric piano work from Steve George. Unfortunately, neither the album nor this wonderfully smooth single hit any charts. See what I mean about overlooked? So good, I forgive all the later stuff with Mr. Mister.


4. "Must Do Something About It" by Wings (1976, Capitol)
   Written by McCartney but sung by Denny Laine, this innocuous, mid-tempo soft rocker doesn't have a whole lot going for it. While not the worst song on Wings at the Speed of Sound, it's not in the top half, either.


5. "Man Out of Time" by Elvis Costello (1982, Columbia)
   I've always been lukewarm on Costello, preferring singles to albums, but from every now and then he writes fantastically catchy songs that I can't get out of my head. This is one of those songs. Steve Nieve shines, the arrangement is perfect, and Geoff Emerick gets the production just right mainly by getting the heck out of the way. To be perfectly honest, however, now that I'm done with these five, I'm going to go listen to Beyond Belief a few times before carrying on with my day, which will probably include listening to all three Pages albums from the years 1978-81.

Charting the Charts: Nick Heyward - North of a Miracle (1983)

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Here's a look at how the 1983 album North of a Miracle fared in various publications:

1984
Date	Billboard 200	Cashbox 200
Jan 14	181
Jan 21	178	182
Jan 28	178	179
Feb 4	194	177
Feb 11		176
Feb 18		173
Feb 25		172
Mar 3		170
Feb 25		200

 

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Rolling Stone, March 1, 1984, p. 51

Smash Hits, October 27, 1983, p. 19

Billboard, January 28, 1984, p. 24

Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music:	★★★

CD Longbox #13

Eagles - Hotel California (1976)

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Exclusive photo courtesy of the Hambonian Archives.

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

Fall Semester 1984

It was in late August 1984 that I packed my Ford Maverick full of clothes, vinyl, and a brand spanking new stereo system before making the 350 mile drive from the scenic Gulf Coast of Texas to the not-so-scenic environs of East Texas State University, the only university to offer me a music scholarship. My major was music education, so I was required to participate in the marching band. This meant I showed up a week early for rehearsals. There's lots of stuff about that semester involving fraternities, hazing, chasing girls, and making friends, but more importantly, I met a beautiful young drum major. We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary last week and will become "empty nesters" later this week as our youngest son starts his own college adventures. We didn't have cameras in our mobile phones back in 1984, but here's some pictures I've found that were developed from negatives.

Logo of ETSU, nicknamed the "flaming snail"
In 1996, the university was absorbed by the A&M system and is now named Texas A&M - Commerce.

The aforementioned Ford Maverick, AKA "The Markmobile"

In addition to the Pioneer cassette deck in The Markmobile, I listened to music on a
Fisher MC-725 stereo and WM-10, both high school graduation gifts.
That Fisher went through needles faster than I went through women. Hi-yoooo!

Some buddies and I hanging out after a marching band rehearsal on the hot blacktop.
I'm on the left in the English Beat t-shirt and Jams.

My home away from home, Berry Hall.

Marching band halftime performance. Note that there was no visitor side to the stadium.

If 32 year old memories can be trusted, here's some of the tunes the marching band performed that year:

• Olympic Fanfare and Theme - John Williams
• Run Back to Mama - Chase
• Morning Glory - Dallas Jazz Orchestra
• The Entertainer - Scott Joplin
• Why Not? - Manhattan Transfer
• Quiet Time - Dallas Jazz Orchestra
• Battle Hymn of the Republic - Julia Ward Howe

and, because the university was affectionately known as "ET":

• Theme from E.T. - John Williams

The beginning of the fall semester was full of new music and new artists, but the following four albums always remind me of that particular time:

	Talk Show The Go-Go's Billboard #18 Cash Box #14
	Access All Areas Spyro Gyra Billboard #59 Cash Box #79
	Difford & Tilbrook Difford & Tilbrook Billboard #55 Cash Box #58
	Modern Times Steps Ahead Billboard - Cash Box -

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But that's just me.  Here's a reminder as to what was topping the Billboard charts on August 25, 1984.

	Top LP Purple Rain Prince and The Revolution
	Hot 100 "Ghostbusters" Ray Parker, Jr.
	Rock Album Heartbeat City The Cars
	Rock Track "Missing You" John Waite
	Soul Album Purple Rain Prince and The Revolution
	Soul Single "Ghostbusters" Ray Parker, Jr.
	Dance Single "The Glamorous Life" Sheila E.
	Country Album Major Moves Hank Williams, Jr.
	Country Single "Long Hard Road" Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
	Adult Contemporary  "Stuck on You" Lionel Richie
	Jazz Album Decoy Miles Davis
	Spiritual Album Straight Ahead Amy Grant
	Classical Album Haydn Hummel Mozart Trumpet Concertos Wynton Marsalis

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Here's the top albums from Rolling Stone 429, August 30, 1984.

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Since music videos were such a big part of our lives back then, here's a list of what was popular on the MTV at that time.

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At the end of that semester I somehow made the Dean's List, even with a C in Biology. The portion I've redacted is my Social Security number, which doubled as my student ID number, an amazingly common practice at that time.

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #17

Albums: Front page of Black Sabbath promo booklet, The Ten Year War, issued to publicize Never Say Die!, below. (Warner Bros, 1978)
Episode:  Season 2, Episode 5, "Jennifer Falls in Love"
Original air date: Monday, October 29, 1979

Blog post #450

Billboard Chart Scrapers: Albert Finney's Album (1977)

Second in a series. To be considered a "chart scraper" album, an artist must have had only one album make the Billboard 200 album chart during the years 1976-85. Said album spent no more than two weeks on the chart, placing no higher than 196. They're all new to me.

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Albert Finney's Album

Released: 1977 (Motown) Produced by: Denis King

Side One	Side Two
But I Was a Child I'd Like It to Be Me Crazy Song When It's Gone We'll Be Okay How Do You Know?	Those Other Men They Say What Have They Done (To My Home Town?) The Bird of Paradise The Stream of Life A State of Grace

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Week	Position
September 3, 1977	199

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click photos to enlarge

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Review links:

Washington Post
Amazon
RateYourMusic.com

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Psuedo-Broadway musical music written by Denis King with lyrics by Finney himself, who writes lyrics like a high school loner writes poetry, e.g.: "How do you know when it's there? Is there a hush in the air?" Even though it's on the Motown label, don't expect any soul to be found on this album. If you like Richard Harris's take on MacArthur Park, this may be just the album you're looking for.

For thoughts on the album from producer/composer/arranger Denis King, click here.

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Wikipedia
Allmusic
Discogs

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