song of the day – “Monster” | FRED SCHNEIDER & THE SHAKE SOCIETY | 1984 / 1991.

Happy Halloween everyone!!  (Well, it’s Halloween for another three hours and change here in Central Maine, where I write this…)

In the 20+ years I’ve been hosting and producing my little 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), there have been a number of Halloween-themed shows aired, and they are always a lot of fun.  Since this is the first Halloween for the blog, I debated on which song to highlight for my first Halloween-themed FOREVER YOUNG blog post.  Michael Jackson’s “Thriller?”  Siouxsie And The Banshees’ “Halloween?”  Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy?”  All great choices, but then I thought about this fun gem from the frontman and founding member of The B-52’s, Fred Schneider.

With The B-52’s on hiatus in 1984, Fred recorded his first solo album away from the band.  For this effort, both the band and album were called Fred Schneider And The Shake Society.  On this album (which will definitely make you shake), he got some help from fellow bandmates Kate Pierson and Ricky Wilson (who passed away the following year), Patti LaBelle and Parliament-Funkadelic vet Bernie Worrell (who we lost in June 2016).  Bernie Worrell co-produced the album with Fred Schneider, and also provided support on the synthesizer, clavinet and vocoder.

The first song on the album was also the first single – a hilarious albeit sexually suggestive song called “Monster.”  (“There’s a monster in my pants / And It does a nasty dance / When it moves in and out / Everybody starts to shout / Monster, aaaah monster, aaaah…”)  You get the idea.  Well, I’m not sure if it was the song’s suggestive lyrics or the unwillingness of the record label (Warner Bros., the same label for The B-52’s) to promote the album, but “Monster” and its parent album did not do well.

You can’t really tell from this angle, but that’s Tina Weymouth on the left, and Kate Pierson on the right; from the hilarious “Monster” video.

The even more hilarious video featured a fun mix of Claymation, Fred Schneider dancing silly in red polka-dotted boxers, and guest appearances from Kate Pierson, Talking Header / Tom Tom Clubber Tina Weymouth, NYC drag performer, playwright and actor Ethyl Eichelberger, and famed artist Keith Haring.  But, in the early days of MTV, the song’s lyrics outweighed the fact the video obviously didn’t take itself seriously, and it was one of the first videos banned by the network.

Fast forward to 1991, a couple of years after the huge success of The B-52’s comeback album, COSMIC THING.  The band’s new label, Reprise Records (founded by in 1960 by Frank Sinatra and a sister label of Warner Bros.), re-released Fred Schneider’s neglected 1984 solo effort, repackaged the album as just FRED SCHNEIDER and remixed “Monster.”  This time, it even reached the BILLBOARD Hot 100 for four weeks during July 1991, peaking at No. 85.

Fred Schneider would release another solo album in 1996, titled JUST FRED.  He’s thankfully still with The B-52’s (check out their most recent live DVD, 2012’s amazing WITH THE WILD CROWD! LIVE IN ATHENS, GA), and since 2010, he has released four albums with his side project away from The B-52’s, The Superions.

I know “Monster” isn’t your run-of-the-mill, traditional Halloween song, but for me, it’ll always be a favorite, especially the funny video, and a song I love sharing this time of year…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKp_RlihJew

(real) one-hit wonder of the week – “I Only Want To Be With You” | THE TOURISTS | 1980.

Between late 1979 and the end of 1989, there were nearly 500 (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s that reached the BILLBOARD Hot 100 just one time, a list that includes Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Timbuk 3, The Church, Bronski Beat, Nik Kershaw, The Buggles, The Waitresses, Ultravox and two different bands named The Silencers.  Once a week, I’ll highlight a (real) one-hit wonder for you.

As Eurythmics, Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart charted 15 singles on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 between 1983’s No. 1 hit, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” and 1989’s Top 40 hit, “Don’t Ask Me Why” (a recent “song of the day” on this very blog).  Well, would you believe they were involved with one of the (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s here in the U.S.?  It’s true.

In 1975, five years before Eurythmics was formed in 1980, Annie and Dave met in a London restaurant where Annie was working at the time.  In 1976, they played together in a Punk Rock band called The Catch, released a single in 1977, and then, later that year, the band formed into the London New Wave / Synthpop band, The Tourists.

The Tourists also featured singer / songwriter / guitarist Peet Coombes, bass guitarist Eddie Chin and drummer Jim Toomey.  Between 1977 and 1980, The Tourists released three albums and six singles, four of which were U.K. Top 40 hits.  The biggest of those hits came in the form of a cover (from their second album, REALITY EFFECT) of a popular 1963 Dusty Springfield song, “I Only Want To Be With You.”

The original version of “I Only Want To Be With You” was a big global hit, reaching No. 4 in the U.K., No. 6 in Australia and No. 12 here in America.  In 1976, the Bay City Rollers also had a big hit with their cover, which reached the Top 10 in at least seven countries, and the same No. 12 peak here in America.

Three years after the Bay City Rollers version, The Tourists would release their own version, and yet again, it became a Top 10 U.K. hit, reaching No. 4, and in the process, matching the peak of each of the previous versions.  It also reached No. 6 in Australia and No. 13 in Ireland. 

The Tourists took their time reaching the American shores, but “I Only Want To Be With You” finally landed here in the Spring of 1980.  It debuted on the Hot 100 in mid-May 1980 at No. 87, and stayed there for two weeks, before climbing to its peak position at No. 83 in its third week on the chart.  It left the Hot 100 after just four weeks.

The song has been covered many times in over 50 years.  Back in the 80s, it was also covered by the late, great Nicolette Larson (No. 53, 1982), Scottish vocalist Barbara Dickson (1982), The Flirts (1983), Southside Johnny & The Jukes (1986), and Samantha Fox even had a U.S. Top 40 hit with it in 1988.

Around the same time of its short American singles chart run, there was tension among The Tourists, and it was in an Australian hotel where Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart decided to part with the band and form as a duo.  And the rest, as they say, is history, as was The Tourists.

Part of the tension within the band and for Annie and Dave involved creative differences between them and Peet Coombes, who, after the breakup of The Tourists, had years of alcohol and drug problems, and died at the young age of 45 in 1997.  By that time, Annie and Dave had disbanded Eurythmics (and their friendship) for seven years, and in a way, maybe the death of their former Tourists bandmate brought Annie and Dave back together, and the result was their wonderful, critically-acclaimed and final album (so far), 1999’s PEACE.

I know, with their successful history as Eurythmics, it’s hard to think about Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart as (real) one-hit wonders, although David was actually a (real) one-hit wonder here in America in 1991, when he teamed up with Jazz saxophonist Candy Dulfer on the sweet No. 11 instrumental, “Lily Was Here” (originally released in late 1989).

But, for four (vacationing?) weeks on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in 1980, the future Eurythmics were truly American (real) one-hit wonders…as Tourists…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmmCzPklIZA

song of the day – “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” | DEAD OR ALIVE | 1985.

What an incredibly rough year it’s been to be a music fan.  We’ve lost so many music greats this year spanning multiple genres, and we lost another one on Sunday, October 23.  I’ve been wanting to write about England’s Pete Burns, the driving force behind the kick-ass Alt-Dance band, Dead Or Alive, ever since I heard about his passing on Monday, October 24, but between fighting a cold, work and helping out my family, I wasn’t able to write until now.

Dead Or Alive’s Pete Burns in 1985.

Pete Burns may not have had the big-name recognition of other folks we lost this year, like David Bowie or Prince, but his name and his work with Dead Or Alive has resonated with me from the first listen of the 1985 classic, “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).” 

In May 1980, after a couple of short-lived bands (and many lineup changes in the process), Pete Burns changed the name of his band from Nightmares In Wax to Dead Or Alive, right before a radio session with famed producer John Peel. 

During the next few years, despite more lineup changes that seemed commonplace for the band, Pete’s androgynous style and appearance started leading to comparisons to another androgynous singer, Boy George, lead singer of the band, Culture Club, who were international superstars in 1982.  This was about the same time that Dead Or Alive started getting noticed, and they scored a record deal with Epic Records in 1983. 

Dead Or Alive’s debut album, 1984’s SOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM, contained a popular cover of the 1975 KC And The Sunshine Band hit, “That’s The Way (I Like It).”  The single was their first U.K. Top 40 hit, reaching No. 22, while the album climbed to No. 29 on the U.K. album chart.

The band’s biggest success would come with their next album, 1985’s YOUTHQUAKE, which was put together by a new songwriting / production team consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman (better known as Stock Aitken Waterman, or SAW for short).  Released in November 1984 (months in advance of the album) was the single, “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).”

“You Spin Me Round” was not an immediate hit in the U.K., spending its first two months outside of the Top 40 of the U.K. singles chart.  But, over time it built an audience, and in its 17th chart week, “You Spin Me Round” reached No. 1 in March 1985, and spent two weeks on top.  It was the first of many No. 1 U.K. hits for Stock Aitken Waterman, who would go on to produce over 100 Top 40 U.K. hits.  About three months after hitting No. 1 in Britain, Dead Or Alive and “You Spin Me Round” started finding an audience here in America.

Dead Or Alive’s first international hit debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 the first day of June 1985 at No. 88, and unlike its chart run in the U.K., it only took five weeks to reach the Top 40 here.  By mid-August, “You Spin Me Round” had its sights set on the Top 10, but in a very competitive singles chart field at that time, one of the most memorable singles (and one of the biggest dance records) of the 80s had to settle for a week at No. 11 on the Hot 100.

Strangely enough, Epic was not enthusiastic about “You Spin Me Round,” so much so that Pete Burns actually took out a loan to record the song.  According to Pete’s 2007 book, FREAK UNIQUE: MY BIOGRAPHY, Pete explained, after the song was recorded, Epic Records “said it was awful.  It was unanimous – it was awful, it was rubbish.”  He later added that the band even had to fund the money for the video themselves.  Well, as has happened many times with many record labels to many artists in many years, the record label was completely WRONG.

“You Spin Me Round” was a global sensation, also reaching No. 1 in Ireland and Switzerland, and the Top 10 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Holland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and along with their first-ever U.K. hit, “Misty Circles,” reached No. 4 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart.

In the U.K., “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” has been re-released three times since its original release in 1984, and in 2006, the original version stopped at No. 5, due to Pete Burns’s appearance as a contestant on the U.K. reality show, CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER.

Though Dead Or Alive was never able to duplicate the international success of “You Spin Me Round,” “Brand New Lover” (from MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW) did reach No. 15 on the Hot 100 in March 1987 (also their first No. 1 hit of two on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart). and they did have some other minor hits, like 1985’s “Lover Come Back To Me” and 1987’s “Something In My House” (always a Halloween favorite of mine).

Growing up in a very conservative Central Maine in the 80s, in a word, “weird” was my initial thought about the appearances of folks like Boy George and Pete Burns.  I just wasn’t used to it.  But, I didn’t really care, because I loved the music of Culture Club and Dead Or Alive too damned much.  Their androgynous appearances didn’t matter to me, it’s who they wanted to be, and it was fine by me. 

Pete Burns himself responded to the subject of appearances in a 1984 interview: “The trouble is that people are all too ready to jump to conclusions about anybody who they think looks a bit strange.  They think you must be mentally subnormal.  Over the years I’ve had to learn how to deal with people who refuse to take me seriously.  That’s where I learnt the blunt side of my character.”

In more recent years, though he kept the Dead Or Alive moniker going, Pete Burns was known more for his affection for plastic surgery than the music.  He once told the British tabloid newspaper, the DAILY MAIL,  “People redecorate their homes every few years and I see this as no different.  Changing my face is like buying a new sofa.”

In an interview with the DAILY MAIL just in September 2016, Pete explained how the plastic surgery obsession began: “I realized [in the 1980s] I was going to be a visual entity and that I had to look good.  I had a broken nose.  In the punk days somebody head butted me in Liverpool and it went over to one side.  The number of surgeries I’ve has is probably 300.  I hope when I’m 80 and I get to heaven God doesn’t recognize me.”

Well, sadly Pete Burns never made it to 80, but he did make it to 57.  And, I will choose to remember Pete not for the plastic surgery obsession that may or may not have cost him his life, but instead for his wonderful music with Dead Or Alive, and on a 1994 Dance hit called “Sex Drive,” a song he did originally with a band called Glam, but which was re-recorded and remixed by Dead Or Alive in 1997.

R.I.P. Pete Burns, and many, many thanks.  I promise your music will keep me spinning ‘round like a record for many years to come, and maybe if I make it to 80.  I’d like that…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU

song of the day – “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (Red Version) | SWANS | 1988.

Okay, I know you’re prolly thinking it’s sacrilege to highlight a cover of one of the most beloved songs of the 80s (and then some) before highlighting the original, but it’s really not meant to be sacrilegious, I swear.  It’s just my history with the song is a bit different than most folks.

As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, I listened to mostly Top 40 music for many years and had a late start getting into Alternative music in the 80s.  Then, in 1988, I was dating someone who had a radio show at her college, and long story longer, upon my first listen to the Red Version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by the New York City Experimental / Avant Rock band, Swans, I fell in love with it immediately.  And, believe it or not, at the time, I honestly didn’t know it was a cover of a song by a Greater Manchester, England band called Joy Division, the precursor to another band I was late to get acquainted with (but had by 1988), New Order.

The love for Joy Division’s original “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was massive in New Zealand, where it spent a week at No. 1 in 1981, and it was also a hit in the U.K. and Australia, and a couple years later in Ireland (and again in the U.K. and New Zealand).  Over the years, the international love for the song grew, and has since been covered many, many times.  In 1988, Swans released two different versions on their 4-track LOVE WILL TEAR US APART EP.

The first version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” on the EP, and my favorite version, is the Red Version, with vocals by Swans leader, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Michael Gira.  The other version is referred to as the Black Version, sung by keyboardist / vocalist / songwriter (Jane) Jarboe.  This version was a bit more stripped down and intimate than the Red Version. 

Later on, Michael Gira called their version(s) of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” a mistake, but mistake or not, it was not only popular with yours truly, it was a hit at college stations around the country, (climbing the Independent charts in June 1988 and almost reaching No. 1), and brought the band a record deal (albeit short-lived) with Uni/MCA Records.

Since “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” there have been nine Swans live albums released, nine studio albums released, including this year’s THE GLOWING MAN, three EPs, and a whopping 12 compilations – all with Michael Gira still at the helm.

In 2006, for the 10-year anniversary of my little 80s radio show, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), I compiled a list of the “80 Best 80s Covers Of The Past 25 Years (1980 – 2005),” and the Swans’ Red Version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was ranked at No. 1.

Nearly 30 years after its release, I don’t know if it’s just because I was introduced to this version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” before the original Joy Division classic, but – and again, I don’t want to sound sacrilegious – I have to say it remains my favorite version of the song.  And I adore the Joy Division original, I really do.  I guess it’s one of those (maybe?) rare cases where you actually like the cover version better than the original song.  Maybe a blog post idea for another time?

It’s more than okay if you don’t agree with me.  And, don’t worry – love will NOT tear us apart over whichever version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart “ (Joy Division or Swans) you prefer.  Either way, “there’s still this appeal, that we’ve kept through our lives…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qS3tHL6AV4

song of the day – “Theme From THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO (Believe It Or Not)” | JOEY SCARBURY | 1981.

In April 2004, I put together a theme show for my little 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine).  This wasn’t your ordinary theme show – it was actually about themes, TV themes to be exact.  The show was called DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST YOUR SET.  In the course of 120 minutes, I played a total of 63 80s TV themes, along with some bits from shows like WKRP IN CINCINNATI and CHEERS.  I also played a special remix on TeeVee Toons Records (later TVT Records), named after a line in one of the favorite cartoons of my youth (THE JETSONS), “Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing!”  It was co-produced by Ivan Ivan (who produced Book Of Love’s wonderful debut album), and featured TV themes from the 50s and 60s. 

Fast forward 12-and-a-half years, and on tonight’s show (10.23.2016), I’m going to revisit the show – DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST YOUR SET: THE SERIES FINALE.  In listening to the 2004 show this past week, apparently I  concentrated more on quantity than quality, but this time I’ll bring back the coolest and most memorable themes of the 80s, and some I didn’t get to last time, including “Falling” by Julee Cruise (the vocal version of the theme from TWIN PEAKS, which was released in 1989, in advance of the show itself), and an entire set dedicated to 80s TV theme show legend, Mike Post.

80s TV theme song legend, Mike Post.

Most of Mike Post’s theme songs were instrumental gems, but there was one song he wrote the music for that had vocals (songwriter Stephen Geyer wrote the lyrics).  It was for a television show called THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO (starring William Katt, TV veteran Robert Culp and the lovely Connie Sellecca), and it was sung by California native and Pop singer, Joey Scarbury.

Joey Scarbury had a minor hit back in 1971 with a song called “Mixed Up Guy.”  It reached No. 73 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100.  By the end of the decade, he had started working with Mike Post, and when the opportunity came along to record a theme song for this new TV series, Joey was given the chance to sing on it. 

THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO debuted with a 2-hour pilot episode in mid-March 1981, and was a huge success.  That success inspired Elektra Records to release it as a single, and within just a couple of months, it flew into the Hot 100 at No. 85.

A couple of months later, in mid-June 1981, “Believe It Or Not” rocketed into the Top 40 at No. 27, and on July 4th (I’m not making this up), the theme for THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO made its way into the Top 10.  Unable to penetrate the stranglehold Diana Ross and Lionel Richie had at No. 1 with “Endless Love” (the second-biggest song of 1981; two other songs would fail as well), “Believe It Or Not” had to settle for a couple weeks at No. 2.

Though it never made it to No. 1, “Believe It Or Not” did sell a million copies in the U.S. alone, it spent half a year on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, and was ranked at No. 11 for all of 1981, beating out No. 1 songs by Sheena Easton, Air Supply, two songs by Blondie, and “Medley” by Stars On 45.

With the success of “Believe It Or Not,” Elektra Records gave Joey Scarbury a chance to do an entire album, called AMERICA’S GREATEST HERO, which turned out to be the only album he ever released.  It did, however, generate one more single, “When She Dances,” which reached No. 49 on the Hot 100.

THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO spent three seasons on ABC before flying away from our TV sets.  Joey Scarbury would go on to write songs for Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbitt and The Oak Ridge Boys, among others, but it’s the song co-written by Mike Post that will forever stay in the hearts of many (yours truly included) – you can believe it…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcsMPyjwav8

(real) one-hit wonder of the week – “Miami Vice Theme” | JAN HAMMER | 1985.

Between late 1979 and the end of 1989, there were nearly 500 (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s that reached the BILLBOARD Hot 100 just one time, a list that includes Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Timbuk 3, The Church, Bronski Beat, Nik Kershaw, The Buggles, The Waitresses, Ultravox and two different bands named The Silencers.  Once a week, I’ll highlight a (real) one-hit wonder for you.

In April 2004, I put together a theme show for my little 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine).  This wasn’t your ordinary theme show – it was actually about themes, TV themes to be exact.  The show was called DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST YOUR SET.  In the course of 120 minutes, I played a total of 63 80s TV themes, along with some bits from shows like WKRP IN CINCINNATI and CHEERS.  I also played a special remix on TeeVee Toons Records (later TVT Records), named after a line in one of the favorite cartoons of my youth (THE JETSONS), “Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing!”  It was co-produced by Ivan Ivan (who produced Book Of Love’s wonderful debut album), and featured TV themes from the 50s and 60s. 

Fast forward 12-and-a-half years, and on tomorrow night’s show (10.23.2016), I’m going to revisit the show – DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST YOUR SET: THE SERIES FINALE.  In listening to the 2004 show this week, apparently I  concentrated more on quantity than quality, but this time I’ll bring back the coolest and most memorable themes of the 80s, and some I didn’t get to last time, including “Falling” by Julee Cruise (the vocal version of the theme from TWIN PEAKS), and an entire set dedicated to 80s TV theme show legend, Mike Post.

One song I did get to last time and will play again tomorrow night was the biggest TV theme song of the 80s, and the last instrumental to reach No. 1 on BILLBOARD’s Hot 100 singles chart until 2013 – The “Miami Vice Theme” by Jan Hammer.

MIAMI VICE, starring Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas and Edward James Olmos was prolly the flashiest (and grittiest?) crime drama of the decade, and was one of the biggest TV shows during the second half of the 80s.  The show debuted on NBC in September 1984, and in August 1985, the show’s theme, by the Prague-born American musician, composer and producer, was released.

While Jan Hammer will forever be best known for his Synthpop work on MIAMI VICE, his specialty has been Experimental music and Prog Rock, and over the years, he has contributed to and collaborated on several albums with the NYC Jazz / Rock Fusion group, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, legendary Rocker Jeff Beck, Jazz Fusion guitarist Al Di Meola, plus work with Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell, Mick Jagger (on his 1985 solo album, SHE’S THE BOSS), Journey’s Neil Schon, the late, great Clarence Clemons and many more.

In August 1985, the popular theme from MIAMI VICE was released as a single, in advance of the TV soundtrack.  Another song that would appear on the soundtrack, “Smuggler’s Blues” by Glenn Frey, originally appeared on his 1984 album, THE ALLNIGHTER, but due to its inclusion on the TV show, it became a Top 15 hit in late June 1985.

Jan Hammer’s “Miami Vice Theme” debuted on the Hot 100 in early September 1985, reaching the Top 40 a couple of weeks later.  It was climbing the Top 10 this week in October, and in November 1985, it spent a week at No. 1 and a total of 22 weeks on the chart.  It was also a big multi-format hit, charting on BILLBOARD’s Adult Contemporary, Dance, Rock and even the R&B chart, where it reached No. 10.

Around the globe, the “Miami Vice Theme” reached the Top 10 in the U.K., Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland.  And though his follow-up from the MIAMI VICE soundtrack, “Crockett’s Theme,” was a big hit in the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Holland (where it spent four weeks at No. 1), the “Miami Vice Theme” was the only hit Jan Hammer had on the Hot 100.

With music from Jan Hammer, Glenn Frey (“Smuggler’s Blues” and the No. 2 hit, “You Belong To The City”), Phil Collins, Tina Turner and more, the first MIAMI VICE soundtrack spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on BILLBOARD’s album chart.  It was the biggest TV soundtrack ever until Disney Channel’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL in 2006.

On top of composing the theme for MIAMI VICE and music for 90 of its 112 episodes, Jan Hammer has composed and produced music for at least 14 films, and 20 episodes for a popular early 90s British television show called CHANCER, starring Academy Award nominee Clive Owen.

Jan Hammer turned 68 this year, is still working nearly 50 years after his start in the music business.  In a 2014 interview with ROLLING STONE about MIAMI VICE and the show’s 30th anniversary, Jan was asked about the show’s legacy (and that of his one American hit), and he said, “We definitely shook up the TV world.  You can still feel certain aftershocks, even at this late date.  [Musical] shades of it show up here and there, but it’s more of an intangible thing.  I get [Google News] alerts with reviews, and they’ll say, ‘There’s this synth, and it’s very much Jan Hammer-like…’  It’s really amusing.  And then I’ll go and listen to it and I’m like, ‘Yeah, they have a point’.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQDU-2qMre0

song of the day – “D.M.S.R.” | PRINCE | 1982.

It’s October 21, and 2day marks six months since Prince passed away at the age of 57.  But, 2day also marks the birthday of one of THE BEST and closest people in my life, my dear and tremendously talented friend, Hope.  Happy Birthday!  Hope and I had the same idea 4 2day’s “song of the day.”  Sure, like millions of people around the globe, we miss Prince.  But, Hope suggested 2 me earlier 2 make 2day’s post a celebration, not one of sadness 4 The Purple One.  Then I let the birthday girl pick out a Prince song 4 the post 2day.  At the top of her list was “D.M.S.R.,” the eight-minute epic jam from Prince’s 1982 brilliant breakthrough album, 1999.

“D.M.S.R.” is the fifth song on the album (or if U prefer, the second song of 2 on Side 2).  Whether or not U practice Catholicism, surely U have heard of the Holy Trinity, which is comprised of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit).  Well, in 1982, Prince gave U the Holy Quartet (or Quadrality?), which stands 4 “Dance, Music, Sex, Romance.” 

“D.M.S.R.” was only released as a promo single, but it did appear on several B-sides worldwide.

The album 1999 came out at the 80s height of The Cold War, and when U think about it, there’s a heavy presence of The Cold War throughout the album.  Where does “D.M.S.R.” fit in on this apocalyptic classic?  Well, in the eyes and mind of Prince, if The Cold War was bearing down on U, what would U rather do – be scared and helpless and prepare yourself 2 die OR  get down and PartyUP with the rest of the world before the bombs find their way 2 U?  In 1982, I prolly would have gone with the former, but in 2016, U can bet your ass and my record collection I’m gonna get down and PartyUP with some D.M.S.R.!!

This song has been called “unadulterated filler” by ROLLING STONE, “jittery” by PITCHFORK, and a “straight-up party-funk bomb” by SLANT magazine, but I’ve always loved how Prince takes just 4 words, smashes them 2gether, and does everything he can 2 advocate them by giving the world one more kick-ass jam before The Cold War takes it all away.

Well, it’s 34 years after the album’s release, and The Cold War’s gone, and Prince is gone (although his presence is definitely still accounted 4), but “D.M.S.R.” is thankfully still around.  And, rest assured, regardless of next month’s concerning U.S. Presidential election, “D.M.S.R” will ALWAYS be around.  Prince wouldn’t have it any other way…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3yNxjhcbCw

I must have this shirt…

song of the day – “Crazy” | ICEHOUSE | 1987.

Around early November 1987, when Australia’s Icehouse was opening for Boston’s The Cars at the former Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine, I wasn’t very familiar with their work, but I sure was digging their then-new single, “Crazy.”

Icehouse, the six man New Wave / Rock band formed in Sydney in 1977 (starting with the band name Flowers), was led by singer / songwriter / lead guitarist and then some, Iva Davies.  Their self-titled debut album, released in October 1980, was a huge success in Australia and New Zealand, going multi-platinum, and even reached No. 82 on the BILLBOARD album chart.  The second single from the album, “We Can Get Together,” was released in October 1980, and in August 1981, was the band’s first entry on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, spending a couple of weeks at No. 62. 

In their native Australia, Icehouse had 11 Top 40 hits before 1987, while in the same time frame here in the U.S., they had just two chart entries on the Hot 100, “We Can Get Together” and “No Promises” (from the 1985 album, MEASURE FOR MEASURE).  It reached No. 79 in August 1986, though it did reach the Top 10 on BILLBOARD’s Dance and Rock charts, and was my introduction (like many others here in the U.S.) to a band I would soon grow to love.

MAN OF COLOURS, the sixth album for Icehouse, was released in late September 1987, and though they had four Top 5 Australian albums to their credit, Icehouse hadn’t had a huge album since their debut.  That all changed with MAN OF COLOURS.  The album spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Australian album chart, and was certified 7x multi-platinum in Australia, with sales of over 700,000 copies.

Released a couple months in advance of the album was the song “Crazy.”  While it was an automatic smash Down Under, it took awhile for it to build an audience here in America.  But, it did build an audience, and debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 this week in October 1987.  Like its two Hot 100 predecessors, “Crazy” started a slow climb up the start, but by mid-November 1987, it had surpassed the chart peaks of both of them.  “Crazy” reached the Top 40 of the Hot 100 in early December 1987, was a favorite on MTV, spent a week at its peak position of No. 14 in late January 1988, and a total of 21 weeks on the Hot 100. 

Around the globe, “Crazy” reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 10 in New Zealand, and the Top 40 in the U.K. and Canada.  It also reached No. 10 on BILLBOARD’s Mainstream Rock chart, but mostly, “Crazy” finally brought the band long-deserved success here in America.  Their next single, “Electric Blue,” co-written by Iva Davies and John Oates, became their only No. 1 single in Australia, and was a Top 10 hit on the Hot 100 and in other parts of the world.

When I saw Icehouse open for The Cars (on the 1987 DOOR TO DOOR tour, just months before they broke up), I didn’t know most of the songs, but Icehouse put on a solid show, and it wouldn’t take long for me to delve into some of their other gems, like “Icehouse” (from 1980’s ICEHOUSE), “Great Southern Land,” “Uniform” and “Hey Little Girl” (from 1982’s PRIMITIVE MAN), “Cross The Border” (from MEASURE FOR MEASURE), “Electric Blue” and the title track from MAN OF COLOURS, and “Touch The Fire” (from the 1989 compilation, GREAT SOUTHERN LAND).

Though Icehouse never again achieved the fame and success they had with MAN OF COLOURS and songs like “Crazy” and “Electric Blue,” they are still together today, their entire studio catalog has been reissued, and they released two live albums in each of the last two years. 

Icehouse’s Iva Davies today, now 61 years young.

 

I’m forever grateful that “Crazy” was crazy enough to come into my life around this time 29 years ago.  And, if you haven’t yet acquainted yourself with the wonderful music of Icehouse, I won’t call you “crazy,” I won’t say that you’re “probably out of your mind,” I’ll just say, “what are you waiting for?” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzMaptbNMRw

song of the day – “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” | KATE BUSH | 1985.

On the day I graduated from high school in June 1985, if you had asked me who Kate Bush was, I wouldn’t have had any friggin’ idea.  Thankfully, that all changed a few months later when I heard “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” (from her brilliant 1985 album, HOUNDS OF LOVE).

By 1985, England’s Kate Bush had been releasing music since 1978, when, at the age of 19, her first album, THE KICK INSIDE, went Platinum and her first single, “Wuthering Heights,” spent four weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. (Kate was the first female recording artist to reach No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with a self-written song). 

“Wuthering Heights” was based on the last 10 minutes of the 1967 BBC miniseries, which was based on the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë (who Kate Bush shares a birthday with – July 30th).  Kate was discovered by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour in the mid-70s, when she was just 16, and helped her record her demo tapes (and paid for them).  EMI Records suggested Kate wait until she was 19 to release her first album, and the wait proved to be a smart move.  Though not a success here in America (she sadly never really was), THE KICK INSIDE and “Wuthering Heights” were both huge global hits.  Even Pat Benatar covered “Wuthering Heights” on her second album, 1980’s CRIMES OF PASSION.

Fast forward to September 1985, and 27-year-old Kate Bush had released her fifth album, the masterpiece HOUNDS OF LOVE.  The acclaim for the album was almost universal, and here in the U.S., it became her highest-charting album, reaching No. 30 on BILLBOARD’s album chart.  The original ROLLING STONE review for HOUNDS OF LOVE wasn’t impressive (“There’s no arguing that Bush is extraordinarily talented, but as with Jonathan Richman, rock’s other eternal kid, her vision will seem silly to those who believe children should be seen and not heard.”  Ouch on both accounts; both Kate and Jonathan are awesome!!).  However, THE ROLLING STONE ALBUM GUIDE later reversed that review, giving HOUNDS OF LOVE four out of five stars.

The first single from HOUNDS OF LOVE, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” was released in early August 1985, more than a month before the album was released.  EMI was reluctant to release a single with the use of “God” in the title, and wanted to release another song from the album, “Cloudbusting,” as the first single. 

EMI (and others along the way) misinterpreted the lyrics to the song, and why Kate named it the way she did.  As she explained in a 1992 interview, “I was trying to say that, really, a man and a woman can’t understand each other because we are a man and a woman.  And if we could actually swap each other’s roles, if we could actually be in each other’s place for a while, I think we’d both be very surprised!  [she laughs] 

“And I think it would lead to a greater understanding.  And really the only way I could think it could be done was either… you know, I thought a deal with the devil, you know.  And I thought, ‘well, no, why not a deal with God!’  You know, because in a way it’s so much more powerful the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you.  You see, for me it is still called ‘Deal With God,’ that was its title.  But we were told that if we kept this title that it would not be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn’t play it, France wouldn’t play it, and Australia wouldn’t play it!  Ireland wouldn’t play it, and that generally we might get it blacked purely because it had God in the title.”

But, Kate was persistent and persuaded the suits at EMI to release “Running Up That Hill” as the first single, since it was the first song written for the album.  So, there was a compromise – on HOUNDS OF LOVE, the song’s title is listed in full as “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” and the single is just listed as “Running Up That Hill.”

The response in Kate’s U.K. homeland for “Running Up That Hill” was positive and immediate, and it debuted all the way up at No. 9 on the U.K. singles chart, on its way to a No. 3 peak, her second-highest charting U.K. hit, and her biggest U.K. hit released during the 80s.

“Running Up That Hill” was a global success as well, reaching the Top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland, the Top 20 in Canada, and the Top 30 in Austria, France and New Zealand.

Over here in the U.S., “Running Up That Hill” debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in early September 1985 at No. 95, and on this date in 1985 (10.19), it was still climbing the Hot 100.  It reached the Top 40 two months after its Hot 100 debut, on its way to a No. 30 peak (like parent album, HOUNDS OF LOVE) in late November 1985, and would stay on the chart until mid-January 1986.  It stayed on the Hot 100 for a total of 20 weeks, which is a longer chart stay than some songs that went to No. 1.

“Running Up That Hill” was also one of those rare hits that appealed to both Dance and Rock fans, and reached No. 13 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart and No. 34 on BILLBOARD’s Mainstream Rock chart.

The wonderful legacy of “Running Up That Hill” has continued for more than 30 years, and has been covered numerous times, including a 2003 cover by a Dutch Symphonic Metal band, Within Temptation, but my favorite cover version has to be the 2003 version by the London Alt-Rock band, Placebo.  It’s one of the best 80s covers I’ve ever heard.  In 2006, Placebo’s downbeat version was described by Q magazine as “sound[ing] more like a pact with the Devil’ than the original ‘deal with God’.”  I love that.  That version has also appeared on several TV shows and films.

When EMI Records celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1997, HOUNDS OF LOVE was featured as part of their “EMI First Centenary” series, replete with B-sides and remixes.  I was so excited to find this shortly after its release, and, it’s a disc I treasure dearly to this day.  In fact, HOUNDS OF LOVE is one of my all-time favorite albums of any decade.  And, from the first time I heard “Running Up That Hill,” I can safely say there’s been a thunder in my heart for Kate Bush ever since…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp43OdtAAkM

song of the day – “The Lovecats” | THE CURE | 1983.

For 10 of the 20 years on my little 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s, on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine, I aired a special series called FAST FORWARD, which featured new music from 80s artists, reissues, new covers of 80s songs, and artists who had nothing to do with the 80s but whose music was inspired by the 80s and sounded like it could have come from there.

Last Sunday (10.9.2016), I aired the first installment in a five-part series, titled THE NEXT GENERATION, highlighting those non-80s artists that kept the 80s revolution going well past Y2K. 

With 17 shows left to go before I retire the show from WMPG on my 50th birthday in February, four of those remaining shows will be dedicated to the FAST FORWARD: THE BEST OF 2000-2016 series.  The next installment airs tonight (10.16.16), and it’s all dedicated to The Cure.

Between 2000 and 2016, The Cure released three new albums, a live album, and three compilations, including the amazing 4-CD box set from 2004, JOIN THE DOTS: B-SIDES & RARITIES 1978-2001 (THE FICTION YEARS).  I’ll be dipping heavy into that tonight, as well as some of their music Y2K onward.  Mainly, though, tonight’s show will feature some excellent covers of Cure gems.  To my knowledge, no other band has been covered more since 2000 than the British Goth legends.  In fact, on the show I will feature four different covers of one song by The Cure – 1983’s “The Lovecats.”

The original version of that fun music catnip, “The Lovecats” was released this week in October 1983 and was not initially featured on any album, though it was later included on the compilation JAPANESE WHISPERS, released later that year.

According to a number of Robert Smith’s fans (though not confirmed), he was inspired to write “The Lovecats” after reading THE VIVISECTOR, a 1970 novel by Australian author Patrick White.  Without giving anything away in the novel involving cats, I can say that according to the author, “the cats symbolize the most innocent and vulnerable members of society, and the casual cruelty with which they sometimes meet their fate.”

The band’s U.K. homeland loved “The Lovecats” so much, it became their first Top 10 hit there, reaching No. 7.  It also reached No. 6 in Australia, No. 15 in Ireland, and No. 23 in New Zealand.

As mentioned before, “The Lovecats” has been covered a number of times, mainly since 2000, including covers by English Trip Hop artist Tricky, Canadian Indie Rock singer Luke Doucet, English Alt-Rockers The Hotrats, Throwing Muses co-founder Tanya Donelly, and in 2005, longtime Pop superstar Paul Anka covered “The Lovecats” on his 2005 Swing Jazz covers album, ROCK SWINGS.  I don’t have the strength to play that version, though I do have it.

I love cats and I love “The Lovecats,” though truth be told, I wasn’t introduced to this song until prolly the end of the 80s.  But I’ve loved it ever since, and honestly, I don’t think I’ve met anyone who doesn’t like this song.  It’s three minutes and 33 seconds of fun Alt-Rock perfection, with some New Wave and Jazz thrown in for good measure.  Meow…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDc3vlDB6hc