Comments on: Lost in the ’80s: Shalamar

By: JohnHughes

JohnHughes — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:27:34 +0000

Huh? Read the comment directly below before you sling the “dummy,” dummy.

By: JohnHughes

JohnHughes — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:27:34 +0000

Huh?

By: IFS

IFS — Sun, 17 May 2009 07:27:27 +0000

YOU DUMMY. THAT WAS HOWARD HUNTSBERRY IN klique.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:05:54 +0000

Shalamar is the bomb dot com! Lots of great singles and great grooves!

By: Retro_Remixes

Retro_Remixes — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:14:20 +0000

Shalamar, hey ! Granted, I came to enjoy this group only I after I fell in love with Ms. Watley as the divine solo artist that she was and is. I believe all of Shalamar's albums are available on CD so anyone whose into them should be able to get all of their prime stuff.

And you can “take that to the bank !”

By: :::theroux

:::theroux — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:40:21 +0000

“Make That Move” was probably their best stuff. I saw Jody live last summer, and it was the only Shalamar tune to make her set list. Draw your own conclusions.

The post-Jody Shalamar was fun to look at. I vaguely recall an album cover with a lot of skin-tight white pleather pants. Hewett fans may want to google-pic that one. I just did.

I gave up on them when they unleashed “Circumstantial Evidence” on us. Weird song with cumbersome chorus…the video was an exercise in 80's excess (think: black patent leather orgy.)

By: Pete

Pete — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:26:36 +0000

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this song (and video). Thanks for sparking an interest in getting acquainted with their catalog.

I had also only seen the Chappelle/Rick James bit but not the one with Prince before, so I looked it up. Hilarious!

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:26:45 +0000

My mistake. For once, my pop trivia mind failed me.

A quick check of Google and Wikipedia reveals that I'm confusing 80s r&b groups with lead singers named Howard.

Howard Huntsberry was the lead singer of the lesser known group Klique. And he was the one who covered "A Woman A Lover A Friend" and then went on to "La Bamba" fame.

A bonus to make up for my grievous error: Remember that final scene in "Ghostbusters II" when the Statue of Liberty is rocking out to "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher?" That was the other Howard on the vocals, not Jackie.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:16:08 +0000

Here's what redeems Shalamar and gives them the edge over all the similar 80s bands.

Not Jody Watley. But Howard Hewett, who absolutely idolized Jackie Wilson, one of my personal favorite artists.

I remember him singing a pretty decent cover of Jackie's "A Woman A Lover A Friend" on "American Bandstand" when he could have instead gone with the latest Shalamar claptrap.

And oh yes, he finally did get a chance to play Jackie Wilson for a day: You'll find him playing Wilson and performing "Lonely Teardrops" during a brief cameo in "La Bamba."

By: My hmphs

My hmphs — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:28:23 +0000

After the success of “Dancing in the Sheets,” my hit-seeking radar found their follow-up single, “Amnesia,” in the record bin and I immediately bought it.

It peaked at #74.

Dave, I hope we'll see this in “The Ass End of the 80s” once we get to the letter S.