MFD Random Five #51

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. "Lay It Down" by Ratt (1985, Atlantic)
   I always considered Ratt to be a poor man's Van Halen even though they're more hair metal, but man-oh-man that's a sweet opening riff. If only the chorus could keep pace. Peaking at #40 for one week in August of 1985, was the band's second and final Top 40 hit.


2. "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg (1979, Epic)
   I disliked this song when it was on the charts because I thought it was schmaltzy. Now that I'm a lot older and slightly more mature, I think it is one of the most beautiful ballads this side of The Beatles' "Yesterday." Shout out to the incomparable Jerry Hey for the flugelhorn solo.


3. "Stand By" by Roman Holliday (1983, Jive)
   I almost hate myself for liking this Stray Cats-meets-Sha Na Na rockabilly number.  I like it now, but if I had heard it in 1983, I would have hated it. Discovered this tune in the late 90's via Rhino's spectacular CD series Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s.


4. "It Might Be You" by Stephen Bishop (1983, Warner Bros.)
   From the 1982 movie Tootsie, this single peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. We love the soft rock goodness of Bish around here and this song fits right in that category. I only recently discovered Bishops's 1980 album, Red Cab To Manhattan, which I recommend. Anyway, this song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983, losing to Up Where We Belong.


5. "Birdland" by Freddie Hubbard (1982, Elektra/Musician)
   Birdland was first released by Weather Report in 1977 and quickly became a standard. Maynard Ferguson and The Manhattan Transfer, among others, quickly released versions of their own. Heck, by the early '80s, high school bands all over the country were playing arrangements. The stellar, melodic material actually lends itself to any sort of jazz group (combo, big band, etc); this direct-to-digital big band version isn't the best I've heard, but it's certainly not the worst.