Let’s start this off by Snopesing what I believe to be apocryphal – just about every overview about Alphaville I read says something to the effect that “Forever Young” was…
Lost in the ’80s
Work commitments had me tied up all week, but never fear…Lost in the 80s returns in full force next week, with music from Alphaville, Stacey Q/SSQ and…um…Billy Squier. Seeya then!
Hi, kids! Little lesson in prevention today. This is your brain: Alain Jourgensen, 1983 And this is your drain on brugs: Alain Jourgensen, 2006 Any questions? Okay, okay, put all…
Does anyone else change their facial expression as they write? Let me explain. Y’see, I can’t hide my feelings when I’m writing. If I’m typing away some angry screed, my…
Pop’s road is littered with the remains of artists who unsuccessfully attempted the transition from “quirky” and “fun” to “mature” – Toni Basil, Altered Images, and sadly, one of the…
One of the more out of left field musical directions pop took in the early ’80s was, of all things, a rockabilly revival, most notably led by the Stray Cats….
Check out result #2: Can someone please explain the reason for this strange behavior?
The Cars were in a peculiar position in 1987. After the huge success of Heartbeat City and some lesser success with various solo outlets, the band regrouped to work on…
So of all the Cars solo projects (I haven’t forgotten Greg Hawkes’ 1983 effort – but it’s mostly instrumental), whose do you think was the most successful? You’d think the…
So, we’ve established that between writing every single Cars song (with rare exceptions of collaborations with keyboardist Greg Hawkes) and releasing a solo album that Ric Ocasek was very much…
After relative public indifference towards Panorama’s experimentation (while the album peaked at a respectable #5, it failed to chart a single any higher than #37), The Cars regrouped and retreated…
While this shambles its way across the country, embarrassing itself in half-empty sheds nationwide (as Molly Shannon’s Marcy Darcy would say, “Don’t even get me started!”), what better time to…
Did someone mention Paul Young? Oh yeah, I did. Paul Young was one of the new crop of British blue-eyed soul acts that sprouted up like crabgrass in the early-to-mid…
Was marrying Heather Mills the most embarassing thing Paul McCartney ever did? Unfortunately, no. And this didn’t help matters any: So, is that the most cringe-inducing “Wacky Celebrity Cameo” video…
Fiction Factory is one of those bands whom I’ve always read about since they came and went in the early ’80s, but never actually heard until a few years ago….
Some shit you can’t make up. TRACK LISTING:Frosty The Snowman Silver Bells Happy Holiday Merry Christmas Baby White Christmas Here Comes Santa Claus God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Santa Claus…
Rubber Rodeo Á¢€” Á¢€Å“Anywhere With YouÁ¢€ Robin Gibb Á¢€” Á¢€Å“Boys Do Fall In LoveÁ¢€ Nolan Thomas Á¢€” Á¢€Å“YoÁ¢€â„¢ Little BrotherÁ¢€ (a definite must-see) Hunters & Collectors Á¢€” Á¢€Å“Throw Your Arms…
I’m sorry, where were we? Oh, that’s right, we were talking about xylophones. The Romantics were a power pop group that had a brief flirtation with the Top 50 in…
“Somebody just told me a story the other day about David Byrne. Some girl was going out with him in the ’80s, and she woke up in the middle of…
Continuing the Cleveland recollectionsÁ¢€¦ One of the more (only?) popular New Wave acts from the Home of Rock & Roll in the early 80s (I’m excluding Akron) was Exotic Birds,…
In case I haven’t mentioned it lately, I still love VH1 Classic’s The Vault. Out of the blue, they slap on a video banned by MTV back in 1982 not…
Lots of Lost YouTube goodness on some past posts – let’s jump right in: Kissing the Pink, “Maybe This Day” Pete Shelley, “On Your Own” Mari Wilson, “Just What I’ve…
I can pinpoint three things in particular that formed my musical identity during my impressionable teen years, circa 1981-89: 1. MTV (like it or not),2. WOBC 91.5-FM, the tiny radio…
I shouldn’t have to tell you Pete Shelley was in one of the most important punk bands ever, The Buzzcocks, should I? Of course not, you knew that. You also…
While it was INXSÁ¢€â„¢s third album, Á¢€Å“Shabooh ShoobahÁ¢€ was the first to be released in the States, and their worldwide breakthrough, thanks to the single Á¢€Å“The One ThingÁ¢€. But it…
Why? Because I can. Besides, how can you hate on J.J. Fad (Just Jammin’ Fresh And Def)? They’re aDORable. The first female rap group to be nominated for a Grammy,…
Bowie hearts Iggy. This we already know. David BowieÁ¢€â„¢s musical life was changed when he first heard the Stooges perform in the early Á¢€Ëœ70s and entered into a long friendship…
Now, I realize it may seem that way, but I donÁ¢€â„¢t mean to be hating on Blancmange. In fact, IÁ¢€â„¢m pretty much a fan. Just not of that remake. How…
A quickie today: The Go-Betweens were one of those college-rock-y bands you used to see here and there on MTVÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“120 MinutesÁ¢€ ten minutes before 2 a.m. The Australian band…
It was tough growing up in the late 70s/early 80s as an ABBA fan in America. YÁ¢€â„¢see, while the Swede popsters were next to the Beatles and Elvis in pop…