Smash Hits was a British teen music magazine that was issued fortnightly. On a scale of 1-10, here's how the magazine's reviewers rated albums released in the second half of 1980. Hope you find something new that you missed back in '80.
Smash Hits was a British teen music magazine that was (mostly) issued fortnightly. On a scale of 1-10, here's how the magazine's reviewers rated albums released in the first half of 1980. Hope you find something new that you missed back in '80.
Click on the image below to open a pdf file of the "Rock Short Takes" album reviews from Musician magazine's August, 1980 issue. Artists include Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, and New Musik.
In the years 1976-85, The Queen of Soul almost averaged one new album release per year. I wasn't hip to almost all of these albums upon release, instead spending the time discovering and reveling in her '60s catalog. My loss; I'll make up for it.
In which I select five songs from 1976-1985 based on an arbitrary theme. (Not to be confused with this blog's Random Five feature, a different exercise in arbitrariness). Today's theme, for the "dog days of summer:" songs that have the word "dog" in their title.
"Do the Dog" by The Specials (1979, 2 Tone) A ska cover of Rufus Thomas' 1963 single "The Dog" which is more like a complete deconstruction of the song than a cover. But I still dig it.
"Dog Eat Dog" by Adam and the Ants (1980, Epic) The first Adam and the Ants tune I ever heard was "Killer in the Home." It appeared on a 1981 Epic sampler cassette titled Exposed. I was intrigued. Then "Dog Eat Dog" came up on the second side of the tape and I was hooked. Purchase of the Kings of the Wild Frontier album quickly followed, and I stayed with Adam Ant until he teamed up with Phil Collins, then I quickly lost interest. But Kings of the Wild Frontier is one of my favorite albums of 1980 (even though I didn't hear it until later) and "Dog Eat Dog" is side 1, track 1 of that album.
"Dog and Butterfly" by Heart (1979, Portrait) When I was a kid, I thought this was an Olivia Newton-John tune (I never claimed I was a smart kid, just a smart ass). But Ann Wilson sure brings it with these vocals, don't she? The star of this show, however, is the laid back folkish songwriting and subtle arrangement. The song barely cracked the Top 40, peaking at #34, which is a damn shame. Of course, Top 40 at that time was mainly disco and country crossover, so there really wasn't room for a folk ballad, no matter how beautiful it was. (note: I just checked out the Hot 100 chart of March 31, 1979 and that's a helluva chart. Maybe that explains why "Dog and Butterfly" didn't get any higher: too much competition. Or maybe this song just lulled me into a nostalgic 7th grade daze.)
"Dogs" by The Judy's (1980, Wasted Talent) The Judy's were a local band out of Pearland, Texas, just south of Houston. The trio would end up as opening acts for groups like Talking Heads and The B-52's (oddly enough, a then-unknown R.E.M. opened for The Judy's in Austin in 1981). They became a regional favorite, then me and my high school friends fell in love with them in the summer of 1982 with their album Washarama. "Dogs" comes from the EP released prior to Washarama, The Wonderful World of Appliances. Sung from the perspective of David Berkowitz, this song is an odd exploration of The Son of Sam. Far from my favorite tune by the band, it's creepy and catchy at the same time.
"Atomic Dog" by George Clinton (1982, Capitol) When you read this set's theme, you probably guessed I'd include this song by Dr. Funkenstein. "Bow-wow-wow-yippee-yo-yippee-yay!" may be some of my favorite '80s lyrics. Amazingly, this 1982 single never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 (it "bubbled under" at 101, but it topped the R&B chart and peaked at #38 Disco). I didn't love this as much in the early '80s as I should have. Now a classic, being widely sampled in hip-hop music for the last 35+ years.
While the group had officially broken up (Paul McCartney announced he was leaving the group) on April 10, 1970, the legendary group's selling power persisted by Capitol releasing a few singles during the years 1976-85. What follows is an overview of the official US single releases/re-releases during that time frame. I purchased the Movie Medley single and wish I still had it.
"GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE" (1976)
U.S. Album Chart Peaks:
Billboard
7
Cash Box
3
"OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA" (1976)
U.S. Album Chart Peaks:
Billboard
49
Cash Box
47
"SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND"/
"WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS" (1978)
While the group had officially broken up (Paul McCartney announced he was leaving the group) on April 10, 1970, the legendary group's selling power persisted in numerous compilations and reissues throughout the years 1976-85. What follows is an overview of the official US album releases during that time frame, not including various box sets (i.e., The Collection and The Beatles Collection). I owned none of the albums listed below; opting instead for the red and blue compilations while I was in junior high before beginning to purchase single albums while in high school, starting with Revolver.
ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC (1976)
U.S. Album Chart Peaks:
Billboard
2
Cash Box
4
LIVE! AT THE STAR-CLUB IN HAMBURG, GERMANY; 1962 (1977)
In which I click the shuffle icon on the iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.
"I Want Your Love" by Chic (1979, Atlantic) As longtime blog readers know, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards hold lofty, elevated status around this house. If they made bobbleheads of those two, I'd own 'em and buy extras to give as gifts. My only complaint with this simmering, building disco tune is that I shuffled into the shorter three and a half minute single edit instead of the full seven minute version.
"Don't Tell Me No" by The Cars (1980, Elektra) The Cars could write some catchy hooks, unfortunately, they didn't include any in this single from the very mediocre Panorama album. And the lyrics:
It's my transition, it's my play
It's my phone call to beta ray
It's my hopscotch, light the torch
It's my downtime, feel the scorch, well
Saywhatnow? I don't think I'm alone in my opinion: this song was released as a single but failed to chart.
"Loud Music in Cars" by Billy Bremner (1981, Stiff) Guitarist for Rockpile cuts a solo single and guess what? It sounds like Rockpile/Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds stuff. And that's okay with this guy. This thing shuffles along with a decent verse but the George Harrison-esque chorus comes along and I'm hooked.
"A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" by The Kinks (1978, Arista) I feel bad about not liking any Kinks record, but with a title like that, I expect a rocker, not maudlin navel-gazing.
"For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton (1981, Warner Bros.) James Bond theme music written by Bill "Gonna Fly Now" Conti. And I gotta confess - I like the thing. The atmospheric production, Easton's vocals, all of it. I didn't tolerate many ballads in '81 as a transitioned to a New Waver wannabe, but I more than tolerated this tune. I'm also reminded of an ill-advised Maynard Ferguson cover (click at your own risk). According to the Wiki, "Easton is the only artist (to date) to be seen singing the theme song to a Bond movie during its opening titles."
So what was I doing around the time of this AT40 episode's broadcast? Not much beyond looking forward to 8th grade (top dog at the middle school!). I don't remember much about the summer of '79; I rode my Sears 10-speed bike around town a lot, I guess. If we went on a family vacation that summer, I couldn't find any photographic evidence of it around here. In the words of Peter Gibbons, "I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything I thought it could be." Man-oh-man what I wouldn't give for a carefree three months like that again.
Your humble blogger's 7th grade yearbook photo
Now, on with the countdown:
#10: "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick. This was recently featured in a "Not-So-Random Five" post. One of the great live singles and great love song to boot. This was the first of 8 Top 40 singles for the band; it had peaked at # 7 a few weeks earlier.
Like he did in the first hour, Casey gives the address so listeners could receive a free copy of the AT40 Worldwide Listening Directory, a listing of stations that carry AT40..
#9: "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer. This song was #1 back in June and was falling down the chart only because her follow-up single was in the middle of a five week run at #1. I prefer this tune to "Bad Girls" simply because of the guitar, but really Donna could do no wrong in my book.
#8: "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" by Dr. Hook. Now here's some soft rock goodness with just a slight touch of disco. Right up my alley as 13 year old and I still like it today. This song would spend 16 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #6 in August.
#7: "Makin' It" by David Naughton. A TV show theme, sung by the show's lead. I've always liked this song with its positive attitude over a disco beat. And, yes, I remember watching a few (if not all) episodes of the TV show. The theme song entered the Top 40 on May 12, nearly two months after the show had been canceled. Naughton's only song to reach the Top 40, it peaked at #5 in 16 weeks on the chart. The TV series, on the other hand, only lasted 9 weeks. Below is an episode. If you can make it through all 24 minutes, you made it twice as far as I just did.
"There's a man in the countdown who used to be a member of a famous trio who once had all their cash stolen by a real kangaroo dressed in a sports coat. And they have photographs to prove it. That story is coming up." #6: "My Sharona" by The Knack. A great song from a great album. The first New Wave #1? I like to tell people that my wife's nickname is Sharona and that the song was written about her. Apparently, the real Sharona is a real estate agent in L.A. This would sit atop the Hot 100 for 6 consecutive weeks starting August 25.
Casey tells the story of the Kingston Trio touring in Australia, running over a kangaroo, dressing it in their clothes, and photographed themselves. The kangaroo was only stunned, revived, and took off still wearing their clothes (with the group's cash in the sports coat's pocket). Note - this probably isn't true, it's a urban legend-type story called "The Kangaroo Thief" that dates back to the early 1900's. But it's still a good story, Casey. Anyway, John Stewart was a member of the Kingston Trio from 1961-67, so this tall tale leads into...
#5: "Gold" by John Stewart. Stewart was more known for his songwriting than his singing. With production by Lindsey Buckingham and background vocals by Stevie Nicks, this sounds like a mid-'70s Fleetwood Mac hit, which is probably what they were after. It peaked here at #5 in 13 weeks in the Top 40.
#4: "The Main Event/Fight" by Barbra Streisand. This song was featured in its own post back in 2014. (Spoiler alert: I gave it a grade of 'B'). It would move up to #3 the next week, peaking there.
#3: "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward. I loves me some disco, but I just don't care for this one. Something about the chorus grates on me. Nonetheless, it topped the Top 40 charts for 2 weeks, the R&B charts for 5 weeks, and the disco chart for a week. It was Ward's only Top 40 hit.
#2: "Good Times" by Chic. This song contains the most important, most sampled, most imitated bass lines of all time (see Bowie's Let's Dance, Queen's Another One Bites The Dust, and, of course, Rapper's Delight). Nile Rodgers is a musical genius and hella guitar player. The last of Chic's 5 Top 40 tunes, this one was huge: #1 pop, #1 R&B, #28 AC, #3 Disco. What kept it from earning its rightful #1 spot on the disco chart? According to my crack staff, it was The Boss (all cuts) by Diana Ross and "This Time Baby" by Jackie Moore.
Before we continue, Casey tells us what's atop the other charts:
Country: "You're the Only One" by Dolly Parton
Disco: "I've Got the Next Dance" by Deniece Williams
R&B: "Good Times" by Chic
Album: Bad Girls by Donna Summer
#1: "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer. Summer and Moroder and the peak of their disco powers. A huge hit, this would spend a total of 15 weeks in the Top 40, five of those weeks in the #1 spot. This is the fourth of those five. It also hit #1 on the R&B chart and, of course, #1 on the disco chart.
