Well, here’s another week of the letter P. And while I hate to say it up front, I think this might be the weakest post of the series.
I know that’s not the best way to promote something, but since it’s alphabetical here at Bottom Feeders, it’s all just luck of the draw, and we all know bad weeks are going to come along now and again. I’m curious to see what you’ll think of it. Let’s get started with more of the songs that charted at #41 or lower on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1980s.
Dolly Parton
Á¢€Å“But You Know I Love YouÁ¢€ — 1981, #41 (download)
Á¢€Å“The House of the Rising SunÁ¢€ — 1981, #77 (download)
Á¢€Å“I Will Always Love YouÁ¢€ — 1982, #53 (download)
Á¢€Å“Save the Last Dance for MeÁ¢€ — 1983, #45 (download)
Á¢€Å“DowntownÁ¢€ — 1984, #80 (download)
Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
Á¢€Å“The Greatest Gift of AllÁ¢€ — 1984, #81 (download)
Á¢€Å“Real LoveÁ¢€ — 1985, #91 (download)
How could you not love Double-D, as I like to call her? Okay, so there are plenty of other ways to look at breasts that might be more interesting than these, but as a kid growing up in the Á¢€Ëœ80s, I knew nothing of Dolly PartonÁ¢€â„¢s except for Á¢€Å“9 to 5Á¢€ and ginormous cans. But I have to give respect to Miss Dolly as sheÁ¢€â„¢s had a great career and despite making traditional country (something I have no interest in) she made it quite tolerable.
If IÁ¢€â„¢m not mistaken, Á¢€Å“The Greatest Gift of AllÁ¢€ might be the first Christmas song in this series.
The Pasadenas
Á¢€Å“Tribute (Right On)Á¢€ — 1989, #52 (download)
ItÁ¢€â„¢s not a shocker that the Pasadenas never blew up. Their music is more Á¢€Ëœ60s and Á¢€Ëœ70s soul than Á¢€Ëœ80s. And while this song (thankfully not a mash-up of hits) is actually damn good, it was about 9 years too late to be a major hit for them. If this had been released in Á¢€â„¢80 or Á¢€â„¢81, I have no doubt this would have gone top 10.
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Robbie Patton
Á¢€Å“Smiling IslandsÁ¢€ — 1983, #52 (download)
Robbie PattonÁ¢€â„¢s major breakthrough was in 1979 when Fleetwood Mac asked him to open up for them on tour. After that Christine McVie played keyboards and produced both his solo records and Stevie Nicks sang on Á¢€Å“Smiling IslandsÁ¢€ which was his second and final Hot 100 hit. StevieÁ¢€â„¢s contribution to this track actually makes it worse in my opinion.
Henry Paul Band
Á¢€Å“Keeping Our Love AliveÁ¢€ — 1981, #50 (download)
Henry Paul was an initial member of the second incarnation of the Outlaws, in the early Á¢€Ëœ70s. He left the band around Á¢€â„¢79 or so and formed the Henry Paul Band which yielded only this one hit (maybe because everyone was deaf after the ear-bleeding falsettos at the end of this track). In Á¢€â„¢92 he teamed up with Van Stephenson to form the country band Blackhawk.
Teddy Pendergrass
Á¢€Å“CanÁ¢€â„¢t We TryÁ¢€ — 1980, #52 (download)
Á¢€Å“Love TKOÁ¢€ — 1980, #44 (download)
Á¢€Å“YouÁ¢€â„¢re My Latest, My Greatest InspirationÁ¢€ — 1982, #43 (download)
Á¢€Å“Hold MeÁ¢€ — 1984, #46 (download)
Á¢€Å“JoyÁ¢€ — 1988, #77 (download)
Growing up in Philadelphia, I remember the Teddy Pendergrass story vividly. My mom talked to me about “TP” being on Lincoln Drive in Philadelphia when his brakes failed and he plowed into a tree, paralyzing him from the waist down. And I guess I heard so much about it that I always thought he had a bigger career than he really did. Granted, he had a ton of hits on the R&B charts, but his only Top 40 entries after he left Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were 1978’s Á¢€Å“Close the Door,” which reached #25, and “Two Hearts,” a Stephanie Mills duet that hung around at #40 for two weeks in the summer of ’81. Key tracks here are Á¢€Å“Love TKO,” one of his best minor hits, and Á¢€Å“Hold Me,” a duet with Whitney Houston from his 1984 album Love Language that also appeared on her self-titled debut a year later.
Pendulum
Á¢€Å“Gypsy SpiritÁ¢€ — 1980, #89 (download)
HereÁ¢€â„¢s another one of those songs that if you look on Á¢€Ëœ80s message boards, collectors will always list. Á¢€Å“Gypsy SpiritÁ¢€ is an impossible to find 45 on Venture records. And while I do own a copy of the single, IÁ¢€â„¢ve never seen a copy of their album Just BitchinÁ¢€â„¢. A quick ebay search yields neither result. And if youÁ¢€â„¢re thinking this is a pretty shitty sounding MP3 — well, the actual record doesnÁ¢€â„¢t sound much better than that and IÁ¢€â„¢m listening to a copy thatÁ¢€â„¢s as mint as you are going to find these days.
Pepsi & Shirlie
Á¢€Å“HeartacheÁ¢€ — 1987, #78 (download)
Á¢€Å“All Right NowÁ¢€ — 1988, #66 (download)
Background singers made good Á¢€” these two ladies were both backing singers for Wham! early on in their career. ShirlieÁ¢€â„¢s original partner was Dee C. Lee, who also sang for Wham! before marrying Paul Weller and singing backing vocals for the Style Council. Both these tracks come off their lone Á¢€Ëœ80s record which shares the title of the Free cover song here.
Bernadette Peters
Á¢€Å“Dedicated to the One I LoveÁ¢€ — 1981, #65 (download)
Bernadette Peters may be a great Broadway actress but he voices translates better on stage than on disc. This is a pretty tepid version of a song that’s been done by many artists, most famously the Shirelles and the Mamas & the Papas.
QUICK HITS
Best song: Dolly Parton, Á¢€Å“I Will Always Love YouÁ¢€
Worst song: Pendulum, Á¢€Å“Gypsy SpiritÁ¢€
TOP 40 ONLY
Partland Brothers (1); Peaches & Herb (1); Leslie Pearl (1); Pebbles (2); Nia Peeples (1); Steve Perry (5)
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