Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #85

Albums: Peter Tosh - Wanted Dread & Alive (EMI America, 1981), Stiff Records (1980), Jefferson Starship - Modern Times (Grunt, 1981), The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (Warner/Atlantic, 1981), The Tubes - The Completion Backward Principle (Capitol, 1981)
Episode:  Season 4, Episode 3, "The Union"
Original air date: Wednesday, October 21, 1981

Bonus: visible album sleeve is Tattoo You.

Click here for more WKRP posters!

Rolling Stone magazine's 1981 Reader's & Critic's Polls

Taken from issue #364, March 4, 1982. Click images to enlarge.

Music ads for 1981 releases

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

So the Classic Rewind (Ch 25) channel on SiriusXM recently ran a listener's poll to determine the best album rock album releases of 1981. Poll results were played in a countdown around Labor Day weekend. I'm not saying their list is wrong, but here's what I would have broadcast if they'd bothered to ask me. Included below is the album's peak position on the Billboard Rock Albums Chart.

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played
40	X	Wild Gift	-	"White Girl"
39	Blue Oyster Cult	Fire of Unknown Origin	6	"Burnin' for You"
38	Jefferson Starship	Modern Times	3	"Find Your Way Back"
37	38 Special	Wild-Eyed Southern Boys	8	"Hold On Loosely"
36	Def Leppard	High 'n' Dry	18	"Bringin' on the Heartache"
35	Stevie Nicks	Bella Donna	3	"Edge of Seventeen"
34	Duran Duran	Duran Duran	-	"Girls on Film"
33	Adam and The Ants	Prince Charming	-	"Stand and Deliver"
32	Loverboy	Get Lucky	3	"Working for the Weekend"
31	Sammy Hagar	Standing Hampton	1	"There's Only One Way to Rock"

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played
30	AC/DC	For Those About to Rock...	3	"For Those About to Rock..."
29	Tom Petty	Hard Promises	1	"The Waiting"
28	Psychedelic Furs	Talk Talk Talk	-	"Pretty in Pink"
27	Pretenders	Pretenders II	11	"Message of Love"
26	U2	October	28	"Gloria"
25	Electric Light Orchestra	Time	10	"Hold On Tight"
24	Todd Rundgren	Healing	15	"Compassion"
23	Joan Jett	I Love Rock 'n Roll	2	"I Love Rock 'n Roll"
22	Rush	Moving Pictures	4	"Tom Sawyer"
21	Split Enz	Waiata	33	"One Step Ahead"

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played
20	The Moody Blues	Long Distance Voyager	1	"Gemini Dream"
19	Phil Collins	Face Value	2	"In the Air Tonight"
18	Rick Springfield	Working Class Dog	16	"Love is Alright Tonight"
17	Billy Squier	Don't Say No	3	"In the Dark"
16	Genesis	Abacab	1	"No Reply at All"
15	Elvis Costello	Trust	16	"From a Whisper to a Scream"
14	Van Halen	Fair Warning	2	"Unchained"
13	Journey	Escape	1	"Stone in Love"
12	The Tubes	The Completion Backward Principle	11	"Talk to Ya Later"
11	Kim Wilde	Kim Wilde	44	"Kids in America"

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played
10	Styx	Paradise Theatre	1	"Rockin' the Paradise"
9	The Who	Face Dances	1	"Don't Let Go the Coat"
8	Daryl Hall & John Oates	Private Eyes	19	"Private Eyes"
7	The J. Geils Band	Freeze-Frame	1	"Centerfold"
6	Squeeze	East Side Story	10	"Tempted"
5	The Go-Go's	Beauty and the Beat	10	"Our Lips are Sealed"
4	The Rolling Stones	Tattoo You	1	"Start Me Up" & "Waiting on a Friend"
3	The Cars	Shake It Up	2	"Since You're Gone" & "Shake It Up"
2	Foreigner	4	1	"Juke Box Hero" & "Urgent"
1	The Police	Ghost in the Machine	2	"Spirits in the Material World" & "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"

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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" #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

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #43

Albums: Plasmatics - Beyond the Valley of 1984 (Stiff, 1981),  Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (Rolling Stones, 1981),
Episode:  Season 4, Episode 13, "Changes"
Original air date: Wednesday, January 27, 1982


Can you even imagine WKRP promoting this album??

Top Albums of September '78

Let's take a look at what was topping the various album charts on September 16, 1978.

	Billboard	CashBox	Record World
1	Don't Look Back Boston	Grease Soundtrack	Grease Soundtrack
2	Some Girls Rolling Stones	Don't Look Back Boston	Don't Look Back Boston
3	Double Vision Foreigner	Some Girls Rolling Stones	Double Vision Foreigner
4	Grease Soundtrack	Double Vision Foreigner	Some Girls Rolling Stones
5	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack
6	Natural High Commodores	Natural High Commodores	Natural High Commodores
7	Blam! Brothers Johnson	Worlds Away Pablo Cruise	Worlds Away Pablo Cruise
8	Who Are You The Who	Who Are You The Who	Who Are You The Who
9	A Taste of Honey A Taste of Honey	Blam! Brothers Johnson	Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack
10	The Stranger Billy Joel	Shadow Dancing Andy Gibb	Stranger in Town Bob Seger

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Exclusive MFD meta-analysis of the above charts:

1. Don't Look Back (28 pts)
2. Grease (27 pts)
3. Some Girls (24 pts)
4. Double Vision (23 pts)
5. Sgt. Pepper (18 pts)
6. Natural High (15 pts)
7. Who Are You (9 pts)
8. Worlds Away (8 pts)
9. Blam! (6 pts)
10. A Taste of Honey (2 pts)
11. Saturday Night Fever (2 pts)
12. (Tie) The Stranger, Shadow Dancing, Stranger in Town (1 pt)

MFD Not-So-Random Five #6

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: Live Top 40 hits.

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1. "I Do" by J. Geils Band (1982, EMI)
   From the album Showtime!, this single peaked at #24 in 7 weeks in the Top 40. The band's last Top 40 hit, this single is a cover of a 1965 single by the Marvelows. Like most any live Geils performance, this is a non-stop high-energy, balls-to-the-wall performance. The highlight for me is the harmonica solo by the wonderfully named Magic Dick. I quickly bought the album, followed by other J. Geils live albums.
   
   And I've just repeated this song five times before moving on with the four tunes to follow.


2. "Going to a Go-Go" by Rolling Stones (1982, Rolling Stones)
   From the album Still Life, this single peaked at #25 in 5 weeks in the Top 40. An appropriately named album as the band trudges through this lifeless cover of a Smokey Robinson tune. I submit that it only made the Top 40 because it was a Stones single. I'll take the 1965 original any day.


3. "Daybreak" by Barry Manilow (1977, Arista)
   From the album Barry Manilow Live, this single peaked at #23 in 5 weeks in the Top 40. Love this one. This song makes me feel good, but if you don't like it, I get that - it's too saccharin for some. The key to this live version is the backing vocals by Lady Flash. I recently caught Barry's act and IIRC, he sang this at the beginning of the show because of course he did. And we all sang along and were happy.


4. "She's Got a Way" by Billy Joel (1981, Columbia)
   From the album Songs in the Attic, this single peaked at #23 in 9 weeks in the Top 40. By 1981, I was buying anything Joel released, but I was pleasantly surprised by this album. This song is overwrought romantic pap, but it's also pretty easy to play. In 1982, I purchased the sheet music and quickly learned it (never had the range to sing the high G, but that didn't stop me from trying), and then used my playing/singing to seduce girls. Hey, I wasn't a jock and I didn't have a new sportscar, so I had to use the tools at my disposal. I'd like to tell you that my plan worked often, but I can't name one time that it did. Anyhoo, still dig the song.
   
   

   

   Sheet music from the MFD archives



5. "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick (1978, Parachute)
   From the album Cheap Trick at Budokan, this single peaked at #7 in 13 weeks in the Top 40. When I was dreaming up today's theme, this was the first song I thought of. If you've heard the uneven studio cut, you know this live version blows it away - no comparison. Can't stand still, can't help but sing along, can't help but be in a good mood. And even though I've been married 29 years, I still want her to want me. 

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #30

Albums: Elvis Costello - Trust (Columbia, 1981), Joe Walsh - There Goes the Neighborhood (Asylum, 1981), Peter Tosh - Wanted Dread & Alive (EMI America, 1981), Stiff Records (1980, see below), The Clash - The Clash (CBS, 1977), The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (Warner/Atlantic, 1981), The Tubes - The Completion Backward Principle (Capitol, 1981)
Episode:  Season 4, Episode 1, "An Explosive Affair: Part 1"
Original air date: Wednesday, October 7, 1981

Bonus: visible album jacket is RocKihnRoll by The Greg Kihn Band (Beserkley, 1981). The song playing under this scene is "Can't Stop Hurting Myself" which is track 4 on the album.

Vintage Music Pinbacks #8

Eighth 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" Berlin, "Sex (I'm a...)" 1982
2.  1" Spandau Ballet, ca. 1980
3.  1.25" Rolling Stones "In Concert" ca. 1981
4.  1.25" Thompson Twins logo, ca. 1983
5.  1.25" The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, 1980
6.  1" Crass, "Nagasaki Nightmare" 1981
7.  1.25" David Bowie, Let's Dance, 1983
8.  1" The Human League, ca. 1981

Vintage Music Pinbacks #2

Second 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 early '80s:

1.  1.75" Rolling Stones 1981 Tour
2.  1.5" The Police (pinback dated 1983)
3.  1.25" The Milkshakes, ca. 1981
4.  1" The Motels, All Four One, 1982
5.  1.25" The Kinks, State of Confusion, 1983
6.  1.25" Asia logo 1982
7.  1" Adam Ant, "Antmusic" 1980
8.  2" David Bowie, "Fashion" 1980

Classic album cover art #17

The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (1981)

Design by Peter Corriston,
illustration by Christian Piper