Music ads from 1982

SXM's "40 Cassettes Turning 40" - Part One

So the Classic Rewind (Ch 25) channel on SiriusXM recently ran a listener's poll to determine the best rock album releases of 1981. Poll results were played in a countdown around Labor Day weekend. Here are the results and yes I have beef. Included below is the album's peak position on the Billboard Rock Albums Chart.

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
40	The Kinks	Give the People What They Want	5	"Destroyer"
39	Triumph	Allied Forces	5	"Fight the Good Fight"
38	The Who	Face Dances	1	"You Better You Bet"
37	Santana	Zebop!	3	"Winning"
36	Eric Clapton	Another Ticket	1	"I Can't Stand It"
35	Pretenders	Pretenders II	11	"Talk of the Town"
34	Sammy Hagar	Standing Hampton	1	"There's Only One Way to Rock"
33	The Moody Blues	Long Distance Voyager	1	"The Voice"
32	Joe Walsh	There Goes the Neighborhood	2	"A Life of Illusion"
31	Rush	Exit...Stage Left	13	"Closer to the Heart"	live album, band also placed at #3

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
30	Blondie	Best of Blondie	-	"Dreaming"	greatest hits
29	Blue Oyster Cult	Fire of Unknown Origin	6	"Burnin' for You"
28	ZZ Top	El Loco	6	"Pearl Necklace"
27	U2	October	28	"Gloria"
26	Billy Squier	Don't Say No	3	"My Kinda Lover"
25	Journey	Captured	5	"Just the Same Way"	live album, band also placed at #1
24	Billy Joel	Songs in the Attic	15	"Ballad of Billy the Kid"	live album
23	Pat Benatar	Precious Time	2	"Promises in the Dark"
22	Bob Seger	Nine Tonight	4	"Hollywood Nights"	live album
21	Men at Work	Business as Usual	2	"Down Under"	released in US in 1982

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
20	Tom Petty	Hard Promises	1	"Woman in Love (It's Not Me)"
19	38 Special	Wild-Eyed Southern Boys	8	"Hold On Loosely"
18	Def Leppard	High 'n' Dry	18	"Bringin' on the Heartache"
17	Stevie Nicks	Bella Donna	3	"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"
16	Ozzy Osborne	Diary of a Madman	8	"Over the Mountain"
15	Phil Collins	Face Value	2	"I Missed Again"	Genesis at #9
14	Van Halen	Fair Warning	2	"Mean Street"
13	J. Geils Band	Freeze-Frame	1	"Centerfold"
12	Loverboy	Get Lucky	3	"When It's Over"
11	The Police	Ghost in the Machine	2	"Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
10	Joan Jett	I Love Rock 'n Roll	2	"Crimson and Clover"
9	Genesis	Abacab	1	"No Reply at All"	Phil Collins at #15
8	The Rolling Stones	Tattoo You	1	"Hang Fire"
7	Styx	Paradise Theatre	1	"Rockin' the Paradise"
6	Queen	Greatest Hits	11	"Don't Stop Me Now"	greatest hits, track not on US release
5	AC/DC	For Those About to Rock...	3	"Let's Get It Up"
4	The Cars	Shake It Up	2	"Shake It Up" & "Since You're Gone"
3	Rush	Moving Pictures	4	"Limelight" & "YYZ"	band also placed at #31
2	Foreigner	4	1	"Juke Box Hero" & "Waiting for a Girl Like You"
1	Journey	Escape	1	"Don't Stop Believin'" & "Who's Cryin' Now"	band also placed at #25

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So what would the countdown look like if I was in charge? Well, as much as I like Songs in the Attic, I don't think live albums should be on such a chart. And even though I absolutely adore Queen's Greatest Hits album, I don't believe 'best of' compilations have any place here, either. Tune in later this week for my version of the list. 

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Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #64

Albums: The Tubes - The Completion Backward Principle (1981, Capitol), Elvis Costello - Trust (1981, Columbia), Patti Austin - Every Home Should Have One (1981, Qwest), AC/DC - For Those About To Rock We Salute You (1981, Atlantic), The Whispers - This Kind of Lovin' (1981, Solar), Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances (1981, Island)
Episode: Season 4, Episode 15, "I'll Take Romance"
Original air date: Wednesday, February 17, 1982

Music ads for 1980 releases

The Filthy Fifteen (1985)

In late 1985, the Parents Music Resource Center began a movement to censor rock music. Looking back, the group's efforts were largely ineffective, but it was successful in creating the above advisory sticker which most likely helped album sales more than hindered them.

Rolling Stone, September 12, 1985, p. 13
click photo to enlarge

The group put together this list of 15 "objectionable" songs in an apparent attempt to outrage suburban moms with nothing better to do.

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"Darling Nikki"

Prince

from the album Purple Rain (1984)

Not released as a single

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"Sugar Walls"

Sheena Easton

from the album A Private Heaven (1984)

Pop	Rock	R&B	Dance
9		3	1

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"Eat Me Alive"

Judas Priest

from the album Defenders of the Faith (1984)

Not released as a single

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"Strap On 'Robbie Baby'"

Vanity

from the album Wild Animal (1984)

Not released as a single

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"Bastard"

Mötley Crüe

from the album Shout at the Devil (1983)

Not released as a single

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"Let Me Put My Love in You"

AC/DC

from the album Back in Black (1980)

Not released as a single

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"We're Not Gonna Take It"

Twisted Sister

from the album Stay Hungry (1984)

Pop	Rock	R&B	Dance
21	7

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"Dress You Up"

Madonna

from the album Like a Virgin (1984)

Pop	AC	R&B	Dance
5	32	64	3

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"Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)"

W.A.S.P.

Not released in US until later in the decade.

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"High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)"

Def Leppard

from the album High 'n' Dry (1981)

Not released as a single

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"Into the Coven"

Mercyful Fate

from the album Melissa (1983)

Not released as a single

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"Trashed"

Black Sabbath

from the album Born Again (1983)

Pop	Rock	R&B	Dance

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"In My House"

Mary Jane Girls

from the album Only Four You (1985)

Pop	Rock	R&B	Dance
7		3	1

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"Possessed"

Venom

from the album Possessed (1985)

Not released as a single

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"She Bop"

Cyndi Lauper

from the album She's So Unusual (1983)

Pop	Rock	R&B	Dance
3	27		10

MFD Random Five #53

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. "Dancin' Tonight" by Bill LaBounty (1979, WB/Curb)
   Co-written by LaBounty and Michael Johnson, this is the lead track from the Rain in My Life album. It's slow getting started, but by the time the vocals kick in, it's an average soft-rocker. Could have used a better bridge and less abrasive sax tone, but worth a listen.


2. "This Charming Man" by The Smiths (1983, Rough Trade)
   Other than "How Soon Is Now," I've never really understood the attraction of The Smiths, but this track has shuffled around as part of Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The '80s Underground, Vol 2. Morrissey's voice atop a wannabe Motown beat just leaves me wanting to hear The Jam or Culture Club do it better. 


3. "The Best Will Survive" by Dwayne Ford (1981, Epic)
   A few years back, I ventured down a rabbit hole concerning early '80s AOR albums that never charted. That's a post for another time, but that must have been when I acquired the files for Ford's 1981 album Needless Freaking. Can't tell that this album was ever released in the US. Not exactly Toto, this is guitar crunching underneath overdubbed choir vocals sounds like it would come from an early '80s AOR album that never charted.


4. "Shake a Leg" by AC/DC (1980, Atlantic)
   Making a strong argument that there really wasn't any filler on the Back in Black album. I need to get out on the open road with that album and quick.


5. "That Girl" by Stevie Wonder (1981, Tamla)
   The segue seems jolting to me now, but going from AC/DC to Stevie Wonder was entirely possible on Top 40 radio in the early '80s. This single was big hit in early '82, I've only got two minor complaints: 1) would rather have had Wonder play the drums instead of programming them, and 2) longer harmonica solo (but I say that about every Wonder solo). Not the best random five, but it sure came on strong at the end.

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #55

Albums: AC/DC - For Those About to Rock We Salute You (Atlantic, 1981), Kraftwerk - Computer World (Warner Bros., 1981), Lindsey Buckingham - Law and Order (Asylum, 1981)
Episode:  Season 4, Episode 19, "The Creation of Venus"
Original air date: Wednesday, March 31, 1982

MFD Random Five #48

In which I shuffle through some music files and listen to the first five songs from 1980 that randomly pop up.

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1. "Sweet Rum and Starlight" by Earl Klugh (1980, EMI)
   Tropical-meets-country in this smooth jazz tune from the acoustic guitar legend's sixth album, Dream Come True. If that sounds like a strange mix, it's because it is. Not my favorite Klugh tune, but I've always felt any Klugh is good Klugh.


2. "The Story of a Man and a Woman
   Part 1: She Thought I Was Stanley Clarke
   Part 2: A Fool Again
   Part 3: I Nearly Went Crazy (Until I Realized What Had Occurred)"
   by Stanley Clarke (1980, Epic)
   An adventurous three-part, eleven minute suite that closes out the album, Rocks, Pebbles and Sand.  Not much melody to be had in Parts 1 or 3, but Part 2 has a good groove and nice keyboard solo (Chick Corea, maybe?). Clarke's vocals are thin, but points for trying.


3. "Love Him, Love Her" by Seawind (1980, A&M)
   More jazz - 3 in a row! While this Hawaiian group is generally considered to be in the smooth jazz genre, this tune is squarely in the yacht rock category. Pauline Wilson has a great voice and the Michael McDonald-ish feel is much appreciated around this house.


4. "Have a Drink On Me" by AC/DC (1980, Atlantic)
   Now that's an abrupt change of gears. Typical tune from the Back in Black album - meaning great guitar riff, hooks a'plenty in the chorus, gravelly vocals, and the mandatory guitar solo. Great effort, but sometimes overlooked because on its place on the album immediately following both "Back in Black" and "You Shook Me All Night Long."
   
   [Note: the next 1980 song to shuffle around was Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" which previously appeared on Random Five #46.]
   


5. "Coming Up" by Paul McCartney (1980, Columbia)
   The studio version from McCartney II. I liked the live version so much, I bought the 45 single not realizing which side of the single was which. In any case, while this studio take is fine, I much prefer the live version, without the vocal manipulation. FWIW, I got this version on the UK version of McCartney's All the Best! compilation (1987).

Rock Short Takes, March 1982

Click on the image below to open a pdf file of the "Rock Short Takes" album reviews from Musician magazine's March, 1982 issue. Artists include Adam & The Ants, Joan Jett, Romeo Void, and AC/DC.

Counting down my Top 79 of '79: Singles #79 - 62

A breakdown of my top singles from 1979

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	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
79	"Lady"	Little River Band	10	7
78	"Highway to Hell"	AC/DC	47
77	"Dance the Night Away"	Van Halen	15
76	"Hot Stuff"	Donna Summer	1		3	1
75	"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"	Rupert Holmes	1	8
74	"Let's Go"	The Cars	14
73	"Heaven Knows"	Donna Summer with Brooklyn Dreams	4	17	10
72	"Suspicions"	Eddie Rabbitt	13	9
71	"In the Stone"	Earth, Wind & Fire	58		23

	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
70	"I Will Survive"	Gloria Gaynor	1	9	4	1
69	"(not just) Knee Deep"	Funkadelic	77		1	43
68	"Driver's Seat"	Sniff 'n' The Tears	15
67	"Sad Eyes"	Robert John	1	10
66	"Still"	The Commodores	1	6	1
65	"You Can't Change That"	Raydio	9	25	3
64	"Ships"	Barry Manilow	9	4
63	"The Gambler"	Kenny Rogers	16	3
62	"One Way or Another"	Blondie	24

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All chart positions are peak positions from Billboard charts. These are my personal top 79 singles of those that peaked on the Billboard charts in 1979. The list is solely my opinion. Using Joel Whitburn's book, Pop Annual 1955-1999, I started with the 475 singles that peaked on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in 1979. An initial pass through that list narrowed it down to 105 tunes, then listening, ranking, and editing began. The top 79 are presented here, in order.

Vintage Music Pinbacks #6

Sixth in a series.

Buttons, badges, pinbacks - whatever you call 'em, I've got a shoebox full. Here's a few of my vintage music pinbacks from the '70s and '80s:

1.  1" KTSA "Gold & Silver Button" 1981
2.  1.25" Police, Ghost in the Machine, 1981
3.  1.25" Rockpile, Seconds of Pleasure, 1980
4.  1" Shooting Star, ca. 1979
5.  1.75" Chuck Mangione, Feels So Good, 1977
6.  1.25" Ric Ocasek, Beatitude, 1982
7.  1" U2, War, 1983
8.  1" AC/DC, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
9.  1" Ultravox, ca. 1980
10.  1.25" Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, 1984