Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #57

Album: Ultravox - Vienna (Chrysalis, 1980), Eric Clapton - Just One Night (RSO, 1980), The Charlie Daniels Band. Best guess for the poster below Clapton: Joe Jackson - Beat Crazy (A&M, 1980).
Episode:  Season 3, Episode 9, "The Painting"
Original air date: Saturday, January 10, 1981

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Dr. Fever is holding the August 23, 1980 issue of Billboard, with an ad for the album How to Beat the High Cost of Living on the back cover.

Music ads for 1980 releases

The Keys Album (1981)

Released: 1981 (A&M) Produced by: Joe Jackson Not released in the US

Side One	Side Two
Hello Hello It Ain't So One Good Reason Listening In I Don't Wanna Cry Saturday to Sunday Night	Spit It Out If It's Not Too Much Run Run Run Greasy Money Back to Black World Ain't Turning

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Smash Hits, April 30, 1981, p. 29

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Not released in the US, this album sounds a lot like producer Joe Jackson's first two albums. If you're looking something new to play during your quarantine, you could do worse. I grow tired of the sound by the end, but there are plenty of hooks.

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Counting down my Top 79 of '79: Singles #26 - 11

A breakdown of my top singles from 1979

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	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
26	"Is She Really Going Out with Him"	Joe Jackson	21
25	"I Do Love You"	GQ	20		5
24	"Blow Away"	George Harrison	16	2
23	"Born to Be Alive"	Patrick Hernandez	16			1
22	"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"	Journey	16
21	"Shine a Little Love"	Electric Light Orchestra	8	40
20	"A Little More Love"	Olivia Newton-John	3	4
19	"Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls"	Queen	24

	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
18	"My Life"	Billy Joel	3	2
17	"Arrow Through Me"	Wings	29	29
16	"Heartache Tonight"	Eagles	1	38
15	"Boogie Wonderland"	Earth, Wind & Fire	6		2	14
14	"Cruel to be Kind"	Nick Lowe	12	36
13	"What You Won't Do for Love"	Bobby Caldwell	9	10	6
12	"After the Love has Gone"	Earth, Wind & Fire	2	3	2
11	"Morning Dance"	Spyro Gyra	24	1	60

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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.

Smash Hits Album Ratings - 1981 [part 2 of 2]

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 1981. Hope you find something new that you missed back in '81.

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July 9 issue
The Models	Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf	6
Pointer Sisters	Black & White	7
Joe Jackson	Jumpin' Jive	6
Wah!	Nah = Poo - The Art of Bluff	8
Kiki Dee	Perfect Timing	6
Polecats	Polecats Are Go	7½
Henry Badowski	Life is a Grand...	8

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July 23 issue
Jon and Vangelis	The Friends of Mr. Cairo	8
The Equators	Hot	6
Odyssey	I Got the Melody	5
Angelic Upstarts	2,000,000 Voices	5
The Brothers Johnson	Winners	7
Was (Not Was)	Was (Not Was)	7
The Ramones	Pleasant Dreams	5
Kim Wilde	Kim Wilde	6½

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August 6 issue
Icehouse	Icehouse	8
Pat Benatar	Precious Time	4
Evelyn King	I'm in Love	7
Delta 5	See the Whirl	8
Stevie Nicks	Bella Donna	6
Foreigner	4	8
Kirsty MacColl	Desperate Character	4
The Pretenders	II	7

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August 20 issue
ELO	Time	5
The Go-Go's	Beauty and the Beat	5
Philip Rambow	Jungle Law	5½
Dennis Bovell	Brain Damage	9
Rickie Lee Jones	Pirates	6½
Any Trouble	Wheels in Motion	8
Ian Hunter	Short Back N' Sides	5
David Johansen	Here Comes the Night	3

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September 3 issue
The Korgis	Sticky George	3
Blank Slate	Sirens in the City	5
Hazel O'Connor	Cover Plus	3
Simple Minds	Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call	8
Desmond Dekker	Compass Point	8
Cabaret Voltaire	Red Mecca	7½
Funkadelic	The Electric Spanking of War Babies	7½
Devo	New Traditionalists	7

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September 17 issue
Heaven 17	Penthouse and Pavement	8
Ian Dury	Lord Upminster	8
Gary Numan	Dance	9
Shakin' Stevens	Shaky	8
Ultravox	Rage in Eden	5
Crusaders	Standing Tall	8
Altered Images	Happy Birthday	6
The Comsat Angels	Sleep No More	8
Meat Loaf	Dead Ringer	9

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October 1 issue
The Police	Ghost in the Machine	6
Cliff Richard	Wired for Sound	7
Bette Bright	Rhythm Breaks the Ice	6½
Tom Tom Club	Tom Tom Club	6½
Saxon	Denim & Leather	4
Pete Shelley	Homosapien	7
Genesis	Abacab	6½
Godley & Creme	Ismism	4
Sheena Easton	You Could Have Been With Me	5
Madness	7	8
The Passions	Thirty Thousand Feet Over China	8½
John Foxx	The Garden	5

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October 15 issue
The Human League	Dare	8
U2	October	9
The Slits	Return of the Giant Slits	6½
Bow Wow Wow	See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!	8½
Eurythmics	In the Garden	7½
Rose Royce	Jump Street	7
The Cuban Heels	Work Our Way to Heaven	6
Bob Marley	Chances Are	5
Fingerprintz	Beat Noir	7½
Blondie	The Best of Blondie	9½
Carlene Carter	Blue Nun	5
UB40	Present Arms in Dub	8

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October 29 issue
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	Architecture and Morality	9
Linx	Go Ahead	6
Gillan	Double Trouble	7½
Elvis Costello	Almost Blue	9
Martha and The Muffins	This is the Ice Age	7½
Vice Squad	No Cause for Concern	0
Bauhaus	Mask	4
Rex Smith	Everlasting Love	2
Rachel Sweet	And Then He Kissed Me	5
Imagination	Body Talk	8
Joy Division	Still	9
The Meteors	In Heaven	7
Bad Manners	Gosh Its's...	8

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November 12 issue
Adam and The Ants	Prince Charming	5
The Bee Gees	Living Eyes	5
Japan	Tin Drum	8
Prince	Controversy	4
Depeche Mode	Speak and Spell	7
Rush	Exit...Stage Left	2
Diana Ross	Why Do Fools Fall in Love	8½
TV21	A Thin Red Line	5
Earth, Wind & Fire	Raise!	7
Fad Gadget	Incontinent	9
The Sound	From the Lion's Mouth	5
Stray Cats	Gonna Ball	7

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November 26 issue
Soft Cell	Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret	8½
Ian Dury & The Blockheads	Jukebox Dury	9
The Teardrop Explodes	Wilder	8½
The Four Seasons	Tonight!	8
Rainbow	The Best of Rainbow	5
Skids	Joy	5
David Bowie	Changestwobowie	10
The Stranglers	La Folie	8
Kool & The Gang	Something Special	6
New Order	Movement	8
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft	Gold und Liebe	5½
Jacksons	Live	8

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December 10 issue
AC/DC	For Those About to Rock	3
Modern Romance	Adventures in Clubland	6
Durutti Column	LC	8
Boney M	Boonoonoonoos	4
10cc	10 Out Of 10	4
Chas Jankel	Chasanova	7
Various Artists	A Christmas Record	8
Jools Holland	Jools Holland And His Millionaires	3
David Byrne	Catherine Wheel	6½
Tenpole Tudor	Let the Four Winds Blow	6
Jerry Harrison	The Red and the Black	7½
Poison Girls	Total Exposure	4

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December 24 issue
No Album Reviews

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h/t to Brian McCloskey over at Like Punk Never Happened

AT40, May 26, 1984 [Part 2 of 4]

 

I'm breaking down the AT40 show of May 26, 1984 track by track.  For a look at #40-31, click here.

#30:  "Who's That Girl" by Eurythmics. Guest host Charlie Van Dyke introduces this tune by briefly describing the appearance of first Dave Stewart then Annie Lennox with the "carrot-colored crew top hair." I never thought much of this tune with the slow tempo intro and its minor key.

"In the countdown this week are two of the many groups who named themselves for cities. One is a group named for a German city, the other is the most successful group ever named for any city. A city located on the shores of one of the Great Lakes. Details coming up."

#29:  "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson. The biggest climber in the countdown, up 11 notches, and the first of four tunes in the countdown from the Footloose soundtrack album. Written by Eric Carmen, this ballad would peak at #7 in July. I never had much need for this ballad as I already had Lionel Richie's "Hello" in my wooing repertoire (this simply means the Richie tune is much easier to play on the piano and sing to the ladies). I gotta say, the bridge is a winner, though. I once tried to watch the "updated" 2011 remake of Footloose, but couldn't stomach more than 5 minutes before bailing. And you kids get off my lawn.

Charlie states that in the rock era, a total of 23 acts have taken the name of a city as their own, but he doesn't list them all 23.  Instead he lists the 13 of these 23 who made the top 10:

• Atlanta Rhythm Section (2 top 10 hits, 1977-78)
• The Bay City Rollers* (2 top hits, 1975-76)
• Boston (on this date, Boston had 2 top 10 hits, 1976-78. They would later have two more in 1986)
• The Brooklyn Bridge (1 top 10 hit, 1969)
• Buffalo Springfield (city name two-fer!) (1 top 10 hit, 1967)
• The Kingston Trio (2 top 10 hits, 1958-63)
• Kokomo (1 top 10 hit, 1961)
• The Manhattans (2 top 10 hits, 1976-80)
• The Manhattan Transfer (1 top 10 hit, 1981)
• Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (3 top 10 hits, 1966-67)
• The Oak Ridge Boys (1 top 10 hit, 1981)
• Orleans (2 top 10 hits, 1975-76)
• and, the most successful "city group" of all...

#28:  "Stay the Night" by Chicago. On this date, Chicago had 13 top 10 hits. This single wouldn't join that grouping, peaking at #16. By the time the '80s were over, they would add an additional 7 top 10 hits to their tally, bringing it to an impressive 20.

I've told this story so forgive me if you've heard it before: I saw Chicago on their 1985 tour promoting this album. During the encore, the band sang this tune and I can still hear 10,000 teenage girls yelling, "STAAAAAAY THE NIGHT!" along with Peter Cetera while the band played. I've never been able to properly enjoy that song since.

Nonetheless, Chicago 17 is a winner and this was its lead single.

#27:  "Run Runaway" by Slade. Although a huge band in their native UK, I can't say the same for the US. This tune won't make me change the station, but I'm not seeking it out to listen to it. To my mind, Big Country did it better.

"Coming up: a Long Distance Dedication from a romantic couple who grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same school in Bangkok, Thailand, but never met until they were 10,000 miles from home."

#26:  "They Don't Know" by Tracey Ullman. On its way down the charts at this time, I love this tune and the album it comes from. This particular tune reminds me of a "seniors only" weekend trip to a beach house on Galveston Island which included various shenanigans including wine coolers and my first midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. All photographic evidence has been destroyed.

Long Distance Dedication: "Dear Casey, we don't know how to start our story; it seems like fate brought us together. We lived in the same neighborhood in Bangkok and attended the same high school, but we never knew each other. After graduating from high school, he went to the US for his bachelor's degree in civil engineering at UC Berkeley. I received my BA degree from a university in Bangkok and then I went to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio for my masters and doctoral degrees in education. Then, he went to Ohio State to pursue his masters degree. And that's where we met and fell in love. Unfortunately, he graduated in 1982 and had to be back to work, so he left me there for a year. It was the most difficult time of our lives, being apart. But, with love and a strong commitment, I worked as hard as I could to finish up the Ph.D. requirements and, finally, our dreams came true. On my commencement day, he came back to Columbus to be by my side. And that was the most precious graduation present I've ever received. Now, we're back together in Bangkok and we'd like to share with other people who are in love that it's worth all the suffering if your love is certain. Just the two of us can make dreams come true [ed. note: you can see where this is headed, right?] no matter how long it takes or how far apart we are. Casey, we would like to have the song "Just the Two of Us"as our "overseas" dedication. Thank you very much. Love, Kid and May."

"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers. (#2 in 1981). I don't need any excuse to listen to this classic. In fact, I'm pausing this episode now to listen to the full 7+ minute version. But I'm wondering if Kid and May felt slighted that their letter was read by a guest host and not Casey himself.

"American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world every week on great radio stations like..."

• WNVA - Norton, Virginia
• KRXL - Kirksville, Missouri
• JORF Radio Nippon - Tokyo, Japan

#25:  "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by The Scorpions. Decidedly not in my wheelhouse in 1984, I've come to appreciate it for the rock anthem it has become. This single peaked here at #25, but has gone on to enjoy extended popularity at sporting events and in TV ads.

#24:  "You Can't Get What You Want" by Joe Jackson. As a big fan of Joe's Night and Day album, I bought this album (Body and Soul) immediately upon release. It was different, but I enjoyed it all the same. I didn't think there was a single on it, but this tune proved me wrong. This single was Jackson's last appearance in the Top 40, peaking at #15 about a month after this episode. I heard it on the speakers of my local home improvement warehouse just last week.

Charlie then teases an upcoming look at "whatever happened to The Monkees?"

#23:  "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins.  Just one in a line of at least 6 or 7 Loggins soundtrack hits of the '80s. I still love it and dance to it. Admit it, you do, too. The second of four tunes from the Footloose soundtrack on AT40 this week (Charlie mentions that the soundtrack is the #1 album this week). This smash had been #1 back in March/April and was on its slow decline down the chart. It would eventually spend an amazing 16 weeks in the Top 40 - the entire spring of my senior year in high school. I even remember dancing to this tune at prom.

Prom ticket. The prom theme was "City Lights." Seriously.

Van Dyke then gives a brief history of The Monkees and updates where the members have ended up. At that time in 1984, according to AT40:

• Davy Jones: training as a horse jockey, preparing to ride in the British Grand Nationals and writing his autobiography
• Mickey Dolenz: living in England, directing TV and stage productions
• Peter Tork: living in Venice, California with his family, has a band based in New York
• Mike Nesmith: pioneer in video production, produces movies (Repo Man), inducted into the American Video Award Hall of Fame. 

#22: "Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters. Charlie mentions that the title of the song was originally simply "Jump" but the parenthetical subtitle was added after Van Halen's single "Jump" was released. Love this tune, particularly when the soaring bridge. Why I never bought the Break Out album is beyond me. This would eventually peak #3 at during 15 weeks on the chart.

--end of hour two--

#21: "The Authority Song" by John Cougar Mellencamp. Meh - I can take it or leave it. Peaked at #15 the previous week and I can't see how it got that high. Reminds me of this pinback I wore around that time:

Oddly, my teachers didn't like this one.

Billboard, May 26, 1984, p. 60

More to come...

*the Rollers named themselves after the Bay City in Michigan, not the one in Texas.

AT40, August 4, 1979 [Part 2 of 4]

 

I'm breaking down the AT40 show of August 4, 1979 track by track.  For a look at #40-31, click here.

Casey introduces the next song by stating that ABBA's net income makes them the most profitable business enterprise in Sweden, clearing $12 million.

#30:  "Does Your Mother Know" by ABBA. I'm an ABBA fan and I don't care who knows it.  Those Swedes could write some hooks.  This song would spend 10 weeks in the top 40, peaking at #19. I have considered doing an ABBA bracketology series, but we all know that "Dancing Queen" would be the winner, so what's the point?

#29:  "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick.  The 25th (of an eventual 31) Top 40 record for Warwick. Produced by Barry Manilow and written by his songwriting team of Richard Kerr and Will Jennings, this sounds just like a Manilow record, right down to the key change at the end. (I'm not sure Manilow has the vocal chops to pull off the octave leaps in the chorus, so maybe that's why it was given to Warwick). This single was on its very slow ascent on this chart; it would peak at #5 on October 20th, more than two months later.

#28:  "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers. What should have been a Bread song (and maybe it was originally?) recorded by The Gambler. This tune had all sorts of crossover appeal: #1 Country, #1 Adult Contemporary, and would peak at #5 on the pop chart.

Before a commercial break, Casey teases a story about Arthur Fiedler by playing a snippet of his only pop chart appearance, an arrangement of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which peaked at #55 in 1964. "Special tribute" coming up.

#27:  "Suspicions" by Eddie Rabbitt. Like the earlier Kenny Rogers tune, here's another smooth rock tune marketed as a country tune. Good stuff, right down to the flute solo. And like, Kenny, this did well on multiple charts: #1 country, #9 Adult Contemporary, and #13 pop.

Casey offers up a very brief tribute to Arthur Fiedler, who had passed away on July 10, 1979. I can't think of Fiedler and the Boston Pops without thinking of my father, who may be their biggest fan. The number one artist in his CD collection is the Boston Pops and its not even close. Sadly, Dad doesn't have the last album Fiedler recorded with the orchestra, Saturday Night Fiedler.

Now, on with the countdown...

#26:  "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels Band. Three country tunes in a row, such was Top 40 music in 1979. Loved this tune much more in '79 than I do now. I always thought the devil was the winner of the contest and enjoy the "band of demons" guitar riff that leads into his solo, which is butchered in this AT40 edit. #1 country, #30 Adult Contemporary, and would peak on the Hot 100 in the #3 spot on September 15.

Listener question: "A listener in Idaho wants to know if any number one song has ever fallen right off the chart from the number one position. Well, that did happen - once - to a singing cowboy who owns the pennant-chasing California Angels baseball team. Details coming up."

#25:  "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" by Joe Jackson. "One of eight British acts in the countdown." I love this tune and have absolutely no memory of hearing it on the radio in 1979, so a hearty "screw you" to the Houston station program director of 1979. Shame. This song only spent 8 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #21.

Answer to listener question: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry in December, 1949.

#24:  "One Way or Another" by Blondie. Tomorrow may be different, but today, this is my favorite Blondie tune. I'm sure 13 year old me would listen to these lyrics and think, "Please come and get me, use me, and lose me, Debbie." This single would peak here at #24.

Casey returns from the break by telling us that American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world every week on great radio stations like:

• WENK - Union City, Tennessee
• WFJA - Sanford, North Carolina
• DYXI - Iloilo, Philippines

#23:  "People of the Southwind" by Kansas. This song has already been featured here on MFD. It spent 8 weeks on AT40, peaking here at #23.

AT40 Archives: "Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy.  Casey's counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's, this is the second of three in this show. This tune was #1 for one week, December 28, 1974.

--end of hour two--

#22: "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind & Fire. ♥ EWF is one of my all-time favorite groups and this is my fifth favorite song by the group. Of course I've given that some thought, why do you ask? What are the other four, you say?

My top 5 EWF songs:

1. September
2. Got To Get You Into My Life
3. Shining Star
4. Fantasy
5. After The Love Has Gone

Anyway, this smooth tune written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group & Best R&B Song. This single spent 13 weeks on the chart, spending two weeks in the #2 spot behind "My Sharona."

Casey mentions that seven different countries are represented in this week's countdown: England, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, and the U.S. He goes on to say that's the most since July, 1978.

#21: "I Can't Stand It No More" by Peter Frampton. While I like the chorus, the rest of the song doesn't do much for me.  The verse chord progression reminds me of AC/DC's "Big Balls" (a favorite of mine as a teenager).  This isn't a song I'd seek out to listen to.  Frampton's final Top 40 single, it had peaked at #14 in late July.

"There's a drummer in our survey who says he never wanted to be anything but a musician, but his father didn't approve. So in order to play his first professional gigs, he had to sneak out of his bedroom window four nights a week for two years. That story, and his band's latest single, are coming up."

Billboard, August 4, 1979, p. 56

More to come...

MFD Not-So-Random Five #4

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: Songs that have the word "radio" in their title.

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1. "Radio Free Europe" by R.E.M. (1983, I.R.S.)
   The first R.E.M. song I ever heard and still one of my favorites.


2. "Radio Silence" by Thomas Dolby (1982, EMI)
   There are actually two versions of this tune: the one I had on my LP and the "guitar version" that my buddy Scott had on his LP. (I actually prefer the guitar version, mainly because of the spoken lyric about 3 minutes in: "Trytothinkofnothing. Trytothinkofnothing. Trytothinkofnothing...") Anyway, I'm listening to what I consider to be the original version because it was on my copy of the LP. It's actually a duet with Lene Lovich who adds a lot to the thing. Man-oh-man can Dolby write. I've listened to this song since 1982 and I'm still not tired of it. And that goes for the Golden Age of Wireless album.


3. "The Spirit of Radio" by Rush (1980, Mercury)
   I'm not much for Rush because of Geddy Lee's voice, but even he can't distract from what the other two guys are doing here. A pastiche of about four different grooves are here, including a section in 7 and a reggae-lite-ish vibe. And, God help me, I dig the thing. But don't take my word for it:
   
   
   
   When (free, illegal) Napster was big in the very early 2000's, me and a colleague at work (we were public school band directors at the time, although neither of us are in that line anymore) would download old favorites and listen to them at work. He downloaded this tune and when the intro guitar-lick started playing, he grabbed a nearby trumpet and started playing the guitar part by ear with incredible technique and accuracy. I'm still amazed at that impromptu feat almost 20 years later.


4. "On Your Radio" by Joe Jackson (1979, A&M)
   Sez Jackson himself (Musician, February 1983):

   “On Your Radio" is not a revenge song – it’s a triumph song. It’s supposed to be inspiring, saying, “Hey! You there in the back of the class with the big ears! You can do whatever you want if you just try hard enough.” It’s not vindictive; it’s much more a song about hope.

   Listen here, Joey. You can hear it that way if you want, but I'm gonna stick with an interpretation that's slightly more petty. Because I was the guy in the back of the class with big ears who now wants to give double rods to half my graduating class. (See also: Ben Folds Five - One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces)


5. "Song on the Radio" by Al Stewart (1979, Arista)
   Sez Stewart himself:

   There’s no justification for it, but the record company asked for a mid-tempo ballad with a saxophone on it, and I was kind of making fun of Arista Records. They wanted a song that could be played on the radio, and very tongue-in-cheek I wrote a song called ‘Song on the Radio.’ I thought they’d be smart enough to see I was actually joking, but of course they didn’t, and they put it out as a single and it made the Top 30, and the joke was on me...

   I love everything about it, from the slap-in-the-face start to the sax work to Stewart's distinctive voice to the Alan Parsons production to the understated chorus. I wish I was talented enough to write a song this good as a joke to stick it to the record company. Almost a decade later, Nick Heyward (a former Arista artist, ironically) recorded some music that sounds a lot like this tune. A lot. 

MFD Not-So-Random Five #2

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: Song titles that begin with the word "heart"

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1. "Heart" by Nick Lowe (1982, Columbia)
   The second track from the stellar, highly recommended Nick the Knife album. A reworking of the Rockpile original, I prefer this light-hearted (pun intended) pseudo-reggae take on the tune. (Don't get me wrong, The Rockpile version is great, too. Just different.) I enjoy the background vocals and organ guitar trade-off.


2. "Heart Attack" by Olivia Newton-John (1982, MCA)
   Even though I was trying to be a New Wave hipster in '82, I couldn't resist this tune (or ONJ, for that matter). Written for a greatest hits album by Steve Kipner, this is catchy as all get-out and I love the combination of synth along with the sax solo. Who is that? Tom Scott? My only complaint is that sometimes she's yelling instead of singing, but a lot of artists suffered from that particular malady in the early '80s. Good song, bad video. On a related note, your humble blogger will be seeing ONJ in concert on March 23. ❤


3. "Heart and Soul" by Huey Lewis and The News (1983, Chrysalis)
   When I first heard this song, I rushed out to buy the 45 even though I had given up on buying 45s several years previously. I'm guessing I had to buy the single because the album wasn't yet released. Anyway, it reminds me of a high school post-football game "victory dance" where I was pursuing a young blond named Melody or Mary or something like that (I'd check my yearbook but I really don't feel like getting up). That relationship didn't work out because she had a crush on a friend of mine (how high school is that?). But the song: this synth hook is relentless but somehow never gets old and the breakdown guitar bit is an earworm. Didn't know until I checked the wiki this was a cover of an quirky Exile song and it was later covered by The BusBoys so I learned something new today.


4. "Heart of Ice" by Joe Jackson (1984, A&M)
   The album closer of Body and Soul, this seems like a leftover song from Jackson's Mike's Murder soundtrack. Mostly instrumental; vocals don't appear until 5 minutes in. One of the background vocalists is Ellen Foley who many of you know from "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" but I'm more familiar with her work on Night Court (side note: how great is the Night Court theme?). This song is good, not great, and I don't understand the ending at all. Not to mention the title probably isn't appropriate for Valentine's Day.


5. "Heart to Heart" by Kenny Loggins (1982, Columbia)
   One of my top 5 Loggins singles. What's not to like? Written by Loggins, Michael McDonald, and David Foster with performances by those three, members of Toto and Pages, and a sweet sax solo by David Sanborn. (Pro tip: you should check out Sanborn's 1982 instrumental pop album, As We Speak.) And oh! that middle eight. The fact that this goodness only reached #15 on the pop charts shows you how good the music was in '82*. Somehow, I came across a High Adventure cassette in 1983 and that thing took up residence in the Markmobile's Pioneer deck for a few weeks.

*Curious, I had to see which 14 songs the American public thought were better than "Heart to Heart." Well, hear ya go:

Vintage Music Pinbacks #11

Eleventh (and last?) 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.  2" Electric Light Orchestra, Discovery, 1979
2.  1.25" Pretenders, Learning to Crawl, 1984
3.  1.25" Genesis, Duke, 1980
4.  1" Men at Work, ca. 1982
5.  1.25" Joe Jackson, I'm the Man, 1979
6.  1" Soft Cell, Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing, 1982
7.  1.25" Depeche Mode, Some Great Reward, 1984
8.  1.25" The Cure, ca. 1985

Vintage Music Pinbacks #7

Seventh 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 1980s:

1.  1.25" The Police (pinback dated 1983)
2.  1.5" (pinback dated 1982)
3.  1.25" Men at Work, Business as Usual, 1982
4.  1" Roger C. Reale Band, 1981
5.  1" Soft Cell, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, 1981
6.  1.25" The Pretenders (pinback dated 1984)
7.  1.25" Joe Jackson, Night and Day, 1982
8.  1.25" Haircut 100, "Nobody's Fool" 1982

Vintage Music Pinbacks #4

Fourth 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.  1.25" The Boomtown Rats, ca. 1977
2.  1.25" Ian Dury, ca. 1981
3.  1.25" Joe Jackson, Body and Soul, 1984
4.  1.25" Eurythmics (pinback dated 1984)
5.  1" Depeche Mode, "A Question of Lust" 1986*
6.  1" Adam and The Ants, "Dirk Wears White Sox" 1979
7.  1" Thompson Twins, Into the Gap, 1984
8.  1.25" Record Breaker, Manchester CT, ca. 1980
9.  1.25" The Human League, Dare!, 1981
10.  1.25" The Police, Synchronicity, 1983
11.  1.25" Asia, Asia, 1982

*I realize that 1986 is beyond the scope of this blog, but I like the pinback so I'm bending the rules.

Vintage Music Pinbacks #3

Third 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 late '70s and early '80s:

1.  1x2" The Atlantics, Big City Rock, 1979
2.  1.25" Bow Wow Wow, "Do You Wanna Hold Me?" 1983
3.  3 cm. MTV  (pinback dated 1984)
4.  1.25" Haircut One Hundred, ca. 1982
5.  2" Adam Ant, Friend or Foe, 1982
6.  2.25" Miles Davis, Dr Pepper Music Festival, WPLJ, 1982
7.  1" Police, ca. 1979
8.  1.25" Joe Jackson, Night and Day, 1982

Vintage Music Pinbacks #1

First in a series.

Buttons, badges, pinbacks - whatever you call 'em, I've got a shoebox full, collected over the past fifty years. When I was in high school, I typically wore one or more on a shirt or my letter jacket daily (one or more safety pins were also acceptable).  I normally bought them at the record store or Spencer's Gifts.

Let's take a look at what I was wearing in the early '80s - here's a few of my vintage music pinbacks:

1.  2.25" Devo, Freedom of Choice 1980
2.  1" Thompson Twins logo
3.  1" The Human League, "Being Boiled" 1978
4.  1" Eurythmics logo, (pinback dated 1984)
5.  1.5" Joe Jackson, Night and Day 1982
6.  1.25" U2 (pinback dated 1983)
7.  1" The Comsat Angels logo 1980

Joe Jackson - Mike's Murder Soundtrack (1983)

Released: August 30, 1983 (A&M) Produced by: Joe Jackson Peak on the US Billboard 200: 64

Side One	Side Two
Cosmopolitan 1-2-3-Go (This Town's a Fairground) Laundromat Monday Memphis Moonlight	Zémio Breakdown Moonlight Theme

Charted singles:	Hot 100
Memphis	85

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Night and Day was my first Joe Jackson album and I listened to it constantly in late '82/early '83. I was starved for more of the same so I purchased this soundtrack album as soon as I saw it. It reminds me of early morning marching band practices on dew covered football fields not because of the music but because that's what was going on in my life every morning around the time I was listening to this album. It's no Night and Day but what is? However, it is in the same vein and uses the same musicians as Night and Day and for a musical chameleon like Jackson, that's saying something. And that was good enough for me.

It's got a couple of strong songs, a couple of good songs, a derivative single, and extended instrumental soundtrack cuts. It's hit-or-miss, mostly enjoyable, and four of the tracks held me over until the next album. So why did this flop after the success of Night and Day?

Rolling Stone, October 13, 1983, p. 11

What a mess. Turns out most of the music on here wasn't even used in the movie. The director recut the movie and had the movie rescored by industry legend John Barry. By the way, I have seen the movie and can't recommend it whatsoever; even the lovely Debra Winger couldn't save that thing.

Rolling Stone, March 15, 1984, p. 15

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• Cosmopolitan:  If the syncopated mallet percussion in the intro isn't immediately identifiable as early '80s Joe Jackson, I don't know what could be. Released as a single in other countries but not the US. Even Jackson's sax solo ain't bad.
• 1-2-3-Go (This Town's a Fairground):  Filler, but good filler. Joe couldn't think of chorus lyrics so he counts instead. However, the profane lyrics in the second chorus appealed greatly to 17 year old me.
• Laundromat Monday:  Laid back Latin groove featuring piano and vibraphone. Speaking of vibes, there's a tasty vibe solo at the end of this one and that's not something you hear very often in pop music.
• Memphis: This is the derivative single I referred to earlier. It's not very good and features what Robert Christgau correctly called a "Booker T. Winwood organ part." Lyrically, we get "Where the hell is Memphis" as a chorus if that tells you anything. No wonder it flopped.
• Moonlight: A beautiful ballad featuring piano over electric piano. Gets its groove from Stephen Bishop's "On and On" but takes it to a soaring chorus. Released as single in the Netherlands, apparently.

• Zémio:  And now we start the instrumental soundtrack side of the album. This track features a bass melody over Latin percussion which is transferred to sax and piano. Like most soundtrack music, it's intentionally monotonous with meandering solos - I count three chords in the whole eleven minute track.
• Breakdown:  Starts out with creepy synths over a bass drum, then alludes to "Moonlight" before going back to the creepy synths. I don't love it, but can see it being effective soundtrack music. This track was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, losing to George Benson's "Being With You."
• Moonlight Theme: a shorter, instrumental version of "Moonlight" perfect for your karaoke needs.

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Cosmopolitan Moonlight Laundromat Monday 1-2-3-Go (This Town's a Fairground) Moonlight Theme Breakdown Memphis Zémio

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