Another example of a one-hit wonder in the States while huge in the U.K., paranoid android and Bowie Low cop artist Gary Numan can lay the blame for his lack…
John C. Hughes
402 Articles
John C. Hughes began his Lost in the ’80s blog in 2005 and is now proud to be a member of the Popdose family, where he’s introduced LIT80s’s companions, the obviously named Lost in the ’70s and Lost in the ’90s, alongside the slightly more originally named Why You Should Like…
John C. Hughes
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It wasn’t the most auspicious of beginnings for Richard and Karen Carpenter.Á‚ Despite later huge success with several Top 40 hits and platinum albums, their first album, Offering, was a…
John C. Hughes
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It’s a shame The Lucy Show picked an awful sitcom to name themselves after, since the duo of Mark Bandola and Rob Vandeven had little in common with the strained…
John C. Hughes
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I’ve had it up to here listening to a small segment of people trying to put down America.Á‚ America’s the greatest land on Earth and we oughta be proud of…
John C. Hughes
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It’s a shame that U.K. synthpop duo Soft Cell became the epitome of an ’80s one-hit wonder.Á‚ While they charted with several singles overseas, “Tainted Love” was their sole American…
John C. Hughes
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Richard Jobson and Stuart Adamson founded Scottish punk band the Skids in 1977 – and if that second name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you know Adamson’s more famous combo,…
John C. Hughes
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There’s never been a musical trend that Cher has been afraid to jump upon.Á‚ From watered down hippie-dippy love songs to disco to adult contemporary schlock, the Dark Lady has…
John C. Hughes
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After a vacation summering in beautiful Silver Lake, California (aka, barhopping),Á‚ John C. Hughes and the world’s foremost Belinda Carlisle impersonator, a.k.a. his buddy Matty (or “Bearlinda,” if you prefer),…
John C. Hughes
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Is there such a thing as a casual Trash Can (or Trashcan, if you prefer) Sinatras fan? I ask that since every TCS fan I’ve met has been nearly obsessive…
John C. Hughes
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Starting out as a trio called the Strutters, singer/songwriter Mark Kjeldsen along with rhythm section Bobby Irwin and Ron FranÁƒ§ois re-branded themselves as the Sinceros, trading in New Wave and…
John C. Hughes
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Former Monkee Michael Nesmith closed out the ’70s in a better position than when the decade began.Á‚ After the Monkees disbanded, Nez knocked around a bit on RCA Records, scoring…
John C. Hughes
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It’s an old pop joke that winning the Grammy for Best New Artist is pretty much the kiss of death for long-term success. See the Starland Vocal Band, Milli Vanilli,…
John C. Hughes
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Scottish trio One Dove found themselves branded with the trip-hop label after releasing their debut Morning Dove White in 1993.Á‚ It wasn’t a label undeserved, really, since the group’s expansive,…
John C. Hughes
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Here’s an oldie but a goodie, in a whole new style: the classic video for a-ha’s “Take On Me,” redone literally. What does that mean, you ask? Watch and learn,…
John C. Hughes
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It may be the height of over-sharing to admit this, but Revenge of the Nerds was a movie that really spoke to me in high school.Á‚ As a computer-loving, comic…
John C. Hughes
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Remember when the Hustle swept through discos everywhere?Á‚ People were taking Hustle classes, the nightly news reported on the fad, there were instructional records and books.Á‚ Hey, remember when everyone…
John C. Hughes
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Y’know, if you name your kid Herbert or Poindexter, you’re just setting that child up for a lifetime of teasing and ridicule.Á‚ And if you name your band Kajagoogoo, well,…
John C. Hughes
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Note from John: My Phagz on 45 partner (not THAT way!) Matty has been on my jock non-stop, begging me to feature today’s artist on Lost in the ’90s since…
John C. Hughes
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What’s up, every bizzle? It’s Jizzle-ohn in the hizzouse with another Lost in the Izzle. Before you grab the flaming torches and pitchforks, let me just say that’s my li’l…
John C. Hughes
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We all know Charo for her ubiquitous variety show and Love Boat appearances throughout the ’70s, but did you know the former MarÁƒa del Rosario Pilar MartÁƒnez Molina Baeza Rasten…
John C. Hughes
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Hardcore David Bowie fans are probably familiar with the name Ava Cherry, but for the benefit of everyone else, Ava was Bowie’s lover in the early to mid ’70s, as…
John C. Hughes
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Combining shoegaze and dreampop with straight-ahead power pop, Washington D.C. indie-rock darlings Unrest were the brainchild of Mark Robinson, founder of the TeenBeat label.Á‚ After a few post-punk experimental years,…
John C. Hughes
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If at first you don’t succeed … fail a second time.Á‚ Third time’s the charm! That twist on two hoary old clichÁƒ©s pretty much sums up the long struggle of…
John C. Hughes
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Anyone who’s ever worked at a record store that buys and sells used CDs can tell you what titles they see over and over again.Á‚ Jagged Little Pill, Cracked Rear…
John C. Hughes
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Let’s get all the cute little jokes about the title of today’s featured song out of the way first, shall we?Á‚ I’ll pause while you do so. G’head, get ’em…
John C. Hughes
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Boy, we’d buy anything in the ’70s, wouldn’t we? Laverne & Shirley, the most successful spin-off from Happy Days, was riding high in 1976, overtaking its parent show to capture…
John C. Hughes
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Riding a rockabilly/Motown revival during the early ’80s that also included the Polecats, Roman Holliday and the Stray Cats, Britain’s JoBoxers (with American lead singer Dig Wayne) barely scraped the…
John C. Hughes
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So, who worries about the music their kids listen to? I don’t have any kids myself, but when I was visiting my 13-year-old niece recently, she asked me to get…
John C. Hughes
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Naked Eyes, ABC, Belinda Carlisle, and the Human League are currently crisscrossing the country on the Regeneration Tour, an oldies-revival trek that thankfully isn’t entirely mired in nostalgia, since all…