Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #88

Albums: Adam & The Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier (Epic, 1980), The Scooters - Blue Eyes (EMI, 1981), Elvis Costello - Trust (Columbia, 1981)
Episode:  Season 3, Episode 19, "A Simple Little Wedding"
Original air date: Sunday, March 21, 1981


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Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #81

Albums: Chaka Khan - What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (1981, Warner Bros.), Elvis Costello - Trust (1981, Columbia)
Episode: Season 4, Episode 4, "Rumors"
Original air date: Wednesday, October 28, 1981

Album ads from December 1977

 

Music ads from 1985

 

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #69

Albums: Elvis Costello - Trust (Columbia, 1981), Gary Myrick - Living in a Movie (Epic, 1981), The Police - Ghost in the Machine (A&M, 1981), George Benson - The George Benson Collection (Warner Bros., 1981), Midnight Star - Standing Together (Solar, 1981).
Episode: Season 4, Episode 13, "Changes"
Original air date: Wednesday, January 27, 1982

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

Album ad #74

RCA Christmas Ad (1983)

• Kenny Rogers - Eyes That See in the Dark
• Daryl Hall & John Oates - Rock 'N' Soul, Part 1
• Eurythmics - Touch
• Lionel Richie - Running with the Night
• Daryl Hall & John Oates - H2O
• David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture
• Elvis Costello - Punch the Clock
• JoBoxers - Like Gangbusters
• Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
• Bucks Fizz - Greatest Hits
• Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #52

Albums: Duran Duran - Duran Duran (1981, EMI), The Tubes - The Completion Backward Principle (1981, Capitol), Elvis Costello - Trust (1981, Columbia), Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Nine Tonight (Capitol, 1981), Oingo Boingo - Only a Lad (1981, IRS), The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (1981, Rolling Stones), Riot - Fire Down Under (1981, Elektra)
Episode: Season 4, Episode 8, "Jennifer and the Will"
Original air date: Wednesday, December 2, 1981

MFD Random Five #44

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.

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1. "Mirabella" by Earl Klugh (1980, Liberty)
   A busy yet relaxing solo acoustic piece from the wonderful Late Night Guitar album. Although Klugh is considered a jazz artist, there's not much improvisation here, but it's so good you'll hardly notice. 


2. "The Long Honeymoon" by Elvis Costello (1982, Columbia)
   It's okay but its no "Beyond Belief." This bossa/cocktail piano crossover has its moments, such as the chord progression in the chorus, but the rest doesn't speak to me. 


3. "Raspberry Beret" by Prince (1985, Paisley Park)
   I loved this psychedlic thing from the get go. In fact, Around the World in a Day was the first Prince album I purchased myself instead of dubbing friend's albums. And that was because of this lead single. The winding cello line, and man-oh-man that middle eight.  Off the top of my head, I'd call this a top five Prince tune along with "1999," "U Got the Look," "Dirty Mind," and "Kiss."


4. "I Don't Know Where to Start" by Eddie Rabbitt (1982, Elektra)
   I don't remember this tune from '82, when it reached #35 on the pop chart. It's a pleasant enough crossover ballad, the guitar accompaniment is interesting but the banal chorus melody hurts. Rabbitt's final Top 40 tune as a solo act.


5. "I Like Dreamin'" by Kenny Nolan (1976, 20th Century Fox)
   Speaking of Top 40, this song spent 20 weeks there, peaking at #3. A classic soft rock single complete with strings, harps, female background singers, and not one but three upward modulations near the end. Barry Manilow would be jealous.

Top Albums of March 1979

Let's take a look at what was topping the various album charts on March 17, 1979.

	Billboard	CashBox	Record World	Rolling Stone*
1	Spirits Having Flown Bee Gees	Spirits Having Flown Bee Gees	Spirits Having Flown Bee Gees	Briefcase Full of Blues The Blues Brothers
2	Blondes Have More Fun Rod Stewart	Minute by Minute The Doobie Brothers	Blondes Have More Fun Rod Stewart	Blondes Have More Fun Rod Stweart
3	Minute by Minute The Doobie Brothers	Blondes Have More Fun Rod Stewart	Briefcase Full of Blues The Blues Brothers	Dire Straits Dire Straits
4	Dire Straits Dire Straits	Dire Straits Dire Straits	Minute by Minute The Doobie Brothers	Spirits Having Flown Bee Gees
5	Cruisin' The Village People	52nd Street Billy Joel	Dire Straits Dire Straits	Minute by Minute The Doobie Brothers
6	Love Tracks Gloria Gaynor	Briefcase Full of Blues The Blues Brothers	52nd Street Billy Joel	52nd Street Billy Joel
7	Briefcase Full of Blues The Blues Brothers	Cruisin' The Village People	Totally Hot Olivia Newton-John	Armed Forces Elvis Costello
8	Totally Hot Olivia Newton-John	Love Tracks Gloria Gaynor	Cruisin' The Village People	Best of, Vol. 1 Earth, Wind & Fire
9	52nd Street Billy Joel	Totally Hot Olivia Newton-John	Love Tracks Gloria Gaynor	Toto Toto
10	Armed Forces Elvis Costello	Armed Forces Elvis Costello	2 Hot! Peaches & Herb	Totally Hot Olivia Newton-John

*March 22 issue

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Exclusive MFD meta-analysis of the above charts:

1. Spirits Having Flown (37 pts)
2. Blondes Have More Fun (35 pts)
3. Minute by Minute (30 pts)
4. Dire Straits (28 pts)
5. Briefcase Full of Blues (27 pts)
6. 52nd Street (18 pts)
7. Cruisin' (13 pts)
8. (tie) Love Tracks, Totally Hot (10 pts)
10. Armed Forces (6 pts)
11. Best of Earth Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (3 pts)
12. Toto (2 pts)
13. 2 Hot! (1 pt)

Blog post #750

Random Album Ad #63 (not-so-random holiday edition)

Soundtrack - Party Party (1982)

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1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions: "Party Party" 
2. Dave Edmunds: "Run Rudolph Run" 
3. Altered Images: "Little Town Flirt" 
4. Bad Manners: "Yakety Yak" 
5. Sting: "Tutti Frutti" 
6. Bananarama: "No Feelings" 
7. Madness: "Driving In My Car"

1. Modern Romance: "Band Of Gold"
2. Bad Manners: "Elizabethan Reggae"
3. Pauline Black: "No Woman, No Cry"
4. Sting: "Need Your Love So Bad"
5. Midge Ure: "The Man Who Sold The World"
6. Chas And Dave: "Auld Lang Syne"

MFD Not-So-Random Five #1

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, another exercise in arbitrariness). Today's theme: Song titles that are girls' names.

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1. "Sara" by Starship (1985, Grunt/RCA)
   Starship's mid-80's oeuvre has been widely criticized, but with three #1 hits over the span of three years, somebody must have liked the tunes at the time. I think "Sara" is the best of Starship's output. I don't like the way the over-echoed drums are pushed to the front of the mix and there's not much to the verse, but the guitar solo is pretty good and there's something about the flatted chord in the chorus that gets me every time. Bonus points for featuring Rebecca De Mornay in the otherwise poor video.


2. "Joanna" by Kool & The Gang (1983, Polygram)
   In the late fall/early winter of 1983, I was briefly interested a girl named JoAnn. She was a couple of years younger than me and, in her father's opinion, too young to go on a "car date" so that relationship never got off the ground. Other than the similar names, the girl and the song have nothing to do with each other. However, I'm always reminded of JoAnn when I hear this tune. (A few years later DeBarge did something similar with "Who's Holding Donna Now"). I can't think of any K&TG song I dislike. The trombone solo, the sappy lyrics, the constant eight note electric piano motif - it all works for me.


3. "Alison" by Elvis Costello (1977, Stiff)
   If this isn't the best tune Costello ever penned, it's certainly in the discussion. I didn't hear it until about 5 years after its original release and that was perfect timing for me as I wouldn't have understood it at age 11 but the angst certainly was on the mark for me as a 16 year old in love with anything in a skirt. I love the noodling guitar, the classic chorus melody, and the fade out for the last minute of the cut. My aim is true.


4. "Angela" by Bob James (1978, Tappan Zee)
   To my knowledge, this was my introduction to Bob James as this tune was used as the theme music to the TV sitcom Taxi. It's a nice enough melody but the good stuff didn't even make the TV theme version. I could do without the recorder, but there's a tasty electric piano solo by James and a sublime guitar solo by Eric Gale that's the highlight of the cut for me.


5. "Jeanette" by The English Beat (1982, I.R.S.)
   The second single release from the Special Beat Service album, this peaked at #45 in the UK and didn't make any mark here in the US. But as a young boy growing up on the coastal plains of Texas, the whole album was just what I needed. Love the accordion parts over the ska beat, then they throw in Saxa on the saxophone over some background vocals and I can't resist some chair dancing. Good stuff. I can easily listen to Special Beat Service all the way through then hit the repeat button. In fact, it placed at #7 on my list of the Top 82 Albums of 1982.