Top Albums of April 1978

Let's take a look at what was topping the various album charts on April 8, 1978.

	Billboard	CashBox	Record World
1	Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack	Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack	Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack
2	Slowhand Eric Clapton	Even Now Barry Manilow	Even Now Barry Manilow
3	Even Now Barry Manilow	Slowhand Eric Clapton	Running on Empty Jackson Browne
4	The Stranger Billy Joel	The Stranger Billy Joel	Slowhand Eric Clapton
5	Aja Steely Dan	Running on Empty Jackson Browne	Point of Know Return Kansas
6	Weekend in L.A. George Benson	Weekend in L.A. George Benson	The Stranger Billy Joel
7	Point of Know Return Kansas	Aja Steely Dan	Aja Steely Dan
8	Running on Empty Jackson Browne	Point of Know Return Kansas	News of the World Queen
9	Earth Jefferson Starship	Earth Jefferson Starship	Rumours Fleetwood Mac
10	The Grand Illusion Styx	News of the World Queen	Weekend in L.A. George Benson

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Exclusive MFD meta-analysis of the above charts:

1. Saturday Night Fever (30 pts)
2. Even Now (26 pts)
3. Slowhand (24 pts)
4. The Stranger (17 pts)
5. Running on Empty (17 pts)
6. Aja (14 pts)
7. Point of Know Return (13 pts)
8. Weekend in L.A. (11 pts)
9. Earth (4 pts)
10. News of the World (4 pts)

MFD Not-So-Random Five #3

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 begin with the chorus instead of a verse.

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1. "If You Want My Love" by Cheap Trick (1982, Epic)
   I have to believe that, deep down, every band wants to be The Beatles. Bands like Cheap Trick never hid that fact and this may be their most Beatlesque tune apart from their "Magical Mystery Tour" cover. (Heck, the middle eight cribs "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" almost verbatim). The melody doesn't do vocalist Robin Zander any favors, showing his limited range, but that chorus is so filled with hooks, I'll still be humming this one a week from now.


2. "Good Times" by Chic (1979, Atlantic)
   One of the top songs of 1979, it's immediately recognizable and features Nile Rodgers' guitar scratching over what may be the most famous/duplicated bass lick of all-time from Bernard Edwards. I've heard it hundreds of times (if not thousands) and it's still as fresh to these old ears as it was when I was a thirteen year-old knucklehead.


3. "We Built This City" by Starship (1985, Grunt/RCA)
   It's been increasingly hip to mock this song as one of the worst songs ever, but I can think of much worse. And that's all revisionist history BS anyway. Hell, yeah, we liked this rock anthem in 1985 - it was #1 for two weeks ferchrissakes. It was nominated for Grammy's Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (losing to the homophobic "Money for Nothing"). I don't love it, but I can still tolerate it in the right playlist/mix (or in GTA V). I still hear it on the radio occasionally, so someone still likes it (or thinks we still like it, or a combination of the two).


4. "Brick House" by Commodores (1977, Motown)
   I'm not sure if it would still work today, but this was a sure-fire dance floor filler during my favorite decade. Even over 40 years later, it's got me moving. Are the lyrics complimentary or misogynistic or both? It didn't matter to me back in '77 when I was eleven. Back then, I thought the lyrics were "she's my tomato" instead of "she's mighty, mighty" so what do I know about lyrics, anyway? But man-oh-man that opening bass line is the stuff.


5. "Dancing Queen" by ABBA (1976, Atlantic)
   I've already written about this one in this post. Here's what I wrote then:

   I can say with absolute certainty this song was my favorite tune for several months in 1977 (probably the four months it was in the Top 40, if not longer). To this day, I still get up and dance at the sound of the initial piano glissando. When I saw Mamma Mia! on Broadway, the cast came out and sung this song as an encore and I was up grinning and dancing with a few hundred of my new closest friends. I'm told there are people that don't care for this disco classic, but I wouldn't want to know them.

   Last year. I ranked this single the #2 song of the year for 1977.

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.