Posts Tagged ‘Lost in the ’80s’

  
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: The Tubes and Olivia Newton-John (?!)

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

All right, let me stop all you young ‘uns right there — 1980’s Xanadu is not a great movie, a lost treasure, or an overlooked masterpiece of fun. It’s a dreadful film, downright boring in parts, somewhat laughable in others, but not quite laughable enough to deserve the “campy cult classic” tag it’s earned through the years. But the soundtrack — well, it was stellar enough to keep the brand alive for nearly 30 years and even give the film new life as an intentionally campy Broadway musical in 2007. We all know the Olivia Newton-John hits and ELO classics from the album, but one number is my favorite, and it’s my pick for quite possibly the first mash-up ever.

“Dancin’” (download) was the unlikely fusion of Newton-John doing her best multitracked Andrew Sisters imitation and a newly new-wave Tubes, ditching their arena art-rock pretensions for a stab at stadium-pop glory. Starting off as a big-band swing number, “Dancin’” segues into a borderline date-rape ode to having “it all my way,” with a kick-ass vocal from Fee Waybill. Predating the Tubes’ Top 40 aspirations with David Foster (hi, Terje!), “Dancin’” provided listeners with a road map of where the band was headed — minus the swing, of course.

While never released as a single, the Tubes and Olivia lip-synched the number on a memorable, all-Xanadu edition of The Midnight Special that asked the question “If one Olivia is hot, how about three?”

(more…)

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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Les Rita Mitsouko

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

French duo Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer met at a theater production in the late ’70s and an instant musical bond was formed, one that took them from rock to synthpop and back again.  Recording under the name Les Rita Mitsouko, the duo found success in Europe and eventually scored an American record deal with the stateside branch of their European label, Virgin.  In late 1986, The No Comprendo was released and its first single, “Andy” (download) became a bit of an underground dance hit, with Ringer’s over-the-top vocals (she basically sounds like every crazy rock chick ever, from Nina Hagen to Bjork) and Chichin’s funky guitar fighting for supremacy.

While “Andy” was burning up the dance floor, it was the video for “C’est Comme Ça” (download) that most people remember.  MTV’s 120 Minutes played the hell out of the inventive clip, and Happy Mondays completely swiped the video a year later for their “Step On” clip: (more…)

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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Face To Face, “10-9-8″

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

Big things were planned for Boston’s Face To Face in 1984.  Signed to Epic, the New Wave group was pushed heavily by the label as the next big music sensation.  The band was featured as the backing group in the movie musical Streets of Fire, with lead singer Laurie Sargent providing the singing voice for Diane Lane’s character.  Meantime, the band’s self-titled debut and first single, “10-9-8″ (download) began climbing the charts, complete with a video in heavy rotation on MTV:

A funny thing happened on the way to multi-platinum superstardom, though – their big hit single peaked at a puny #38, despite the promotional push.  Things could have looked up as a second single, “Under the Gun,” (download) was released.  A dancier number complete with a rap, “Under the Gun” was a personal favorite and once again MTV picked up on the video:

But despite a 12″ remix that charted fairly high in the clubs, “Under the Gun” failed to cross over and soon Face To Face were facing a tough time on the charts.  Undaunted, the band forged ahead with a second album, Confrontation, in 1985, but that performed even more poorly, failing to chart any singles.  Soon after, Epic dropped the group.  They recovered a few years later with a new deal on PolyGram and a third album, One Big Day, in 1988, but again, nothing failed to catch fire and Face To Face disbanded.

As a few more years passed, another Face To Face appeared, this one a punk rock group having nothing in common with the original save the name.  The original Face To Face’s first two albums were recently reissued on Wounded Bird Records and are both available on iTunes and Amazon – you just have to dig a bit to find the right ones.  They’re both worth checking out if you liked the singles … Sargent’s voice is great and the hooks are strong.

“10-9-8″ peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.
“Under The Gun” peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart that same year.

Get Face To Face music at Amazon or on Face to Face

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Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Jules Shear, “Whispering Your Name”

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

I gave Jules a quick once-over a little over three years ago, so I think it’s high time I spotlighted another track of Shear beauty, this one from his stellar solo debut, Watch Dog. Bearing the distinctive production stamp of Todd Rundgren as well as guitar work from Elliot Easton, Watch Dog is one of the shining gems of 1983, or as it’s more commonly known around these parts, the Best Year for Music Ever!

Besides featuring “All Through the Night,” later a top-five hit for Cyndi Lauper, Watch Dog is jam-packed with hooks and memorable tunes like “I Need It” and “She’s in Love Again.” It’s a damn shame it was only on CD for a fifth of a second; used copies, should you ever be able to find one, run upwards of $100 or more. The brightest moment on the album has to be its opener, the heartbreaking “Whispering Your Name” (download), the story of a man who discovers his lover still has another in her heart thanks to her sleeptalking. Here’s where Rundgren’s production is patently obvious, but whereas it usually tends to overpower the artist in question, with Shear it works beautifully.

Let me take a moment here to rant about record companies and their stranglehold on out-of-print masters. EMI is sitting on both Watch Dog and Shear’s second solo album, The Eternal Return (1985), letting them rot in a vault somewhere. Music consumers, especially you wonderful people who read Popdose, know how easy it would be to digitize these masters and throw them up on iTunes or Amazon. So why the delay? Especially in this economy, where the low overhead makes this a slam dunk. Argh. Drives me nuts. Rant over.

Although it was released as Watch Dog’s lead single, “Whispering Your Name” failed to chart. The album didn’t move that many copies, either, but it obviously had fans, as Lauper’s cover of “All Through the Night” proved. Another artist a decade later covered yet another song off Watch Dog, and we’ll feature it on Thursday’s Lost in the ’90s. Be here, won’t you?

“Whispering Your Name” did not chart.

Get Jules Shear music at Amazon or on Jules Shear

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Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Dexys Midnight Runners

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

DexysA quickie today, folks – I’m getting ready to move in with my betrothed, and I’m currently surrounded by boxes of stuff.  Moving is such a hassle, but I can’t forget you, faithful reader!  So, howzabout covering one of the biggest one-hit wonders of the ’80s?

I’ve always wondered why Dexys Midnight Runners were unable to follow up the #1 success of “Come On Eileen.”  I mean, it’s not like Too-Rye-Ay was lacking in potential singles.  The classic album was brimming with hooks, but of course, Dexys U.S. label chose “The Celtic Soul Brothers” (download) as “Eileen’s” follow-up, a single which flopped at #45 upon its initial release in the U.K. (it would later chart much higher after being re-released in “Come On Eileen’s” wake).  While it’s a great tune, much in the same spirit as the massive hit that preceded it, it wasn’t the best choice.

A better choice would have been “Eileen’s” follow-up in the U.K., a remake of Van Morrison’s “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile),” (download) which hit #5 there, but wasn’t even issued as a single here.  A shame, since its instant familiarity and the fact that it was featured in a performance on The Young Ones which was then all over MTV would have been a natural. (more…)

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Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Paul McCartney, “So Bad”

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

Oh, some things just write themselves, don’t they?

I kid, I kid. “So Bad” is an overlooked little gem from the Paul catalog, released in the States as the follow-up to “Say Say Say,” his megahit duet with Michael Jackson. (Sorry to put that one in your head. Let’s get back to today’s subject, shall we?)

“So Bad” (download) was taken from Paul’s Pipes of Peace LP (1983), which was mostly made up of leftover tracks from his previous effort, Tug of War (1982). As a result, it shares many traits with Tug, such as producer George Martin and some studio drummer named Ringo, of all things. Oh yeah, and Linda’s on it. Surprise!

Okay, sorry again. That’s two cheap shots in one post about a song I actually quite like. I must be grumpy. The video for “So Bad” is sort of melancholy in light of Linda’s passing. She did the photography for all the posed shots surrounding the band, and that little freeze-frame of Mrs. McCartney winking and smiling near the end of the clip is heartbreaking.

Step off, Heather Mills. You never stood (ha!) a chance. “So Bad” is a cute, if lightweight, ballad (from Paul? Ya don’t say!) that put McCartney’s falsetto to good use. Unfortunately, despite its decent charting, it always seems to get the short shrift when it comes time to package those greatest-hits compilations or retrospectives. Heck, it didn’t even make it onto Wingspan (2001), for Linda’s sake — an unfair snub for a legitimate McCartney hit. You never seem to hear this one on AC or ’80s radio stations either, but boy, you’ll certainly hear “Say Say Say.” Ugh. Which was worse — “Say Say Say” or “The Girl Is Mine”? It’s a Sophie’s Choice of crap!

God, I am grumpy.

“So Bad” peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.

Get Paul McCartney music at Amazon or on Paul McCartney

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Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: The Wild Swans

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

This has been a week of happy endings for me, and I’m not referring to a trip to the massage parlor (this time).

Y’see, twenty-odd years ago, I bought one of those awesome Sire Records compilations Just Say Yes, which featured a veritable who’s who of new wave/alternative rock in the late ’80s.  Amongst the Depeche Mode and Erasure remixes sat a song by The Wild Swans, a combo from Liverpool that had been kicking around in various forms since the dawn of the decade.  The Wild Swans were a little New Order, a little Echo & The Bunnymen (in fact, Bunny drummer Pete de Freitas produced their debut single), and a dash of every other jangle-rock band of the moment – Sire had a habit of signing a lot of bands that sort of blended together.  Isn’t that right Ocean Blue?

In fact, vocalist/keyboardist Paul Simpson doesn’t have much good to say about his experience on Sire – from a 2004 interview:

“Being on a major was just one compromise after another. To be fair, Sire did give us a huge push in America and we even had a hit single in Germany but it’s at home you want to shine. The Smiths psychically destroyed us. They had the pretty jangle and the soaring vocal melodies but with the extra winning ingredients of big blouses, gladioli and humour. We were prop and humour-free. I know I keep saying it but that beautiful keyboard refrain from There is A Light That Never Goes Out is Ged’s from “Enchanted”. Later I would just crumple when voices from the audience would accuse us of being Smiths copyists but inside I’d be thinking how these morons were revealing to the whole concert hall how ignorant they were.” (more…)

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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Phil Seymour, “Talk to Me”

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

Remember when power-pop singles could actually be hit singles?

Ah, them’s was the days. The Romantics, Cheap Trick, the Raspberries, the Dwight Twilley Band …

Oh, about the Dwight Twilley Band — while Dwight got the marquee and the glory, bassist and drummer Phil Seymour sang along and just so happened to cowrite a good number of the band’s output, including their big single, “I’m on Fire.” So when the Twilley Band petered out, Seymour gathered enough material to snag his own label deal, this time with his name out front.

His debut, Phil Seymour, is a power-pop classic that scored a decent hit when the genre could still get on Top 40 radio. “Precious to Me” is one of those tunes for which everyone gives you a blank stare when you mention it, but once they hear it, they always say, “Omigod! I remember that song! I haven’t heard it in years!” Don’t believe me? Watch below:

“Precious to Me” did fairly well, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. A follow-up album, simply called Phil Seymour 2, was rushed out the following year, and compared to the debut, it’s a bit of a mess. Stuffed to the gills with covers, drug and alcohol problems hung like dark clouds over the project, resulting in a less than stellar effort. Still, the lead single, “Talk to Me” (download), is a decent choice, although its rockier slant may have scared off any new fans Seymour’s previous ballad hit may have earned.

“Talk to Me” flopped, as did Phil Seymour 2, and not long after that even Seymour’s record label, Boardwalk Records, went under. He gigged around with the Textones and other studio projects before discovering he had lymphoma. He died in 1993 at the age of 41.

Since then, Capitol Records has released an anthology of some tracks from Seymour’s debut along with later demos and recordings, but it’s currently out of print. The debut, however, is now on CD in full, thanks to Collector’s Choice, but none of the tracks from Phil Seymour 2 have yet to make it to any digital format. While it wasn’t his best effort, it’d still be nice to get a few tracks from that album on CD someday. Until then, it’s worth scouring the vinyl bins for a nice used copy you can digitize on some snowy day.

“Talk to Me” did not chart.

Get Phil Seymour music at Amazon.

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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Marilyn, “Baby U Left Me (In The Cold)”

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

Lest you think Paris Hilton or any of the various Kardashians invented “Famous for Being Famous,” let me point you to Peter Robinson, better known to UK tabloid readers as Marilyn.

Born in Jamaica but raised in England, Marilyn made a name for himself as one of the Blitz Kids, an outrageous group of kids who worshiped Bowie, dressed to the nines in all sorts of drag, and hung out at the Blitz nightclub – other Blitz Kids included Boy George and Steven Strange from Visage.  Marilyn’s trademark was his gender-twisting take on Marilyn Monroe – once made up from the neck up, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the dead movie star, hence his nickname.  Marilyn wasn’t content to just make the scene, however.  He hobnobbed with pop stars (his one-time boyfriend was none other than future Bush frontman, now Mr. Stefani Gavin Rossdale), making a notable appearance in the video for Eurythmics’ “Who’s That Girl?” and famously crashing the Band Aid recording of “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”  Proximity to pop royalty probably fanned the desire to become a pop star himself – enter songwriter/producer/Haysi Fantayzee member Paul Chaplin.

Marilyn and Chaplin teamed to create a single, “Calling Your Name,” that sounded just enough like Culture Club to get Marilyn on the charts in the UK, Japan and other territories.  Marilyn also got some import airplay on stations like KROQ Stateside, but couldn’t quite score an American record deal.  The fact that his next two singles flopped didn’t help.

By the time 1985 rolled around, Marilyn’s label gave him an ultimatum.  Go to America and write a hit, or else.  Working with famed producer Don Was of all people, Marilyn recorded a great single, “Baby U Left Me (In The Cold)” (download).  With a touch of Motown and a dash of Scritti Politti, the record should have been a smash.  In fact, it beats anything Culture Club were releasing at the time, since they’d hit the downslide of “The War Song,” et al.  “Baby U Left Me” even had a snazzy video featuring a newer, butcher Marilyn (Look!  He’s kissing a GIRL!): (more…)

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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: The Belle Stars, “World Domination”

by John C. Hughes

lit80s

This one’s been a long time coming … and it’s not even as complete as I’d like it to be.  Let me explain…

When I first started Lost in the ’80s way back in the halcyon days of 2005, one of the songs I was dying to feature was today’s selection, the Belle Stars’ “World Domination,” a one-off single the girl group, then reduced to a trio, released on MCA in 1986.  You see, the girls had seen much better days – they had several hits in the U.K. around 1982 and 1983, but in the States the best they could do was the MTV favorite, “Sign Of The Times,” which barely scratched the Hot 100.  By the time 1986 came around the group, which was once a seven-piece, found itself shrunk down a trio with limited options, save for a one single record deal with MCA.

Where the girl group once shared a kinship with Bananarama by fusing its pop sound with ska overtones, around this time the Belle Stars found themselves in Bananarama’s footsteps again, foregoing the ska influences for straight-ahead dance.  While “World Domination” was a flop in Britain, it got plenty of club play in the States.

Which brings me to why this has taken so long…

“World Domination” is friggin’ impossible to find.

I’m serious.  You know me.  I’m always in record shops all across our great nation.  I dig through bins, fingers dusty and dirty, knees giving out, back aching.  And for nearly five years now, I have been unable to locate a copy of this song.  Not a single, not a 12-inch, not even a flipping cassingle.

Until last week. (more…)

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