song of the day – “Sometimes A Fantasy” | BILLY JOEL | 1980.

On June 15, 2014, Casey Kasem, host of the longtime countdown program, AMERICAN TOP 40, passed away at the age of 82.  From my first blog post (and prolly some more inbetween then and now), I explained how, in 1979, I was a geeky, lanky and somewhat lost 12-year-old living in Central Maine, had a few friends and not a lot of interest in much of anything, but at some point early that year, I discovered AMERICAN TOP 40, and was glued to it every weekend.  Not only could I hear the 40 biggest songs in the country every week, but also Casey’s cool trivia and facts about the songs and the artists, a trait I treasure to this day.  For me, the show was No. 1 with a bullet.  And still is (thanks to the re-airing of broadcasts of AT40 on iHeart Radio).

In honor of my radio hero, Casey Kasem, for the entire month of June, I will be highlighting a song each day (some days will have two songs!) that peaked in the Top 40 of the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (including five (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s), and with every blog post, just like on AMERICAN TOP 40, the hits will get bigger with each post.  On June 1, 2017, I featured a song that peaked at No. 40.  On June 30, I’ll feature a “song of the day” that went all the way to No. 1. 

As Casey used to say on AT40, “And on we go!”

A few posts back, I complained about how certain (or all?) commercial radio programmers, over the course of time, have “determined” what songs are deemed important enough to keep going into radio immortality and how other songs are just left behind, to be merely forgotten. 

Billy Joel’s “Sometimes A Fantasy” is one of those mostly-forgotten gems that got passed over in Radio Immortality Land for overrated songs like “Big Shot” (sorry, Billy, just not a fan of that one).  “Sometimes A Fantasy” was the fourth of four singles released from his No. 1 album, GLASS HOUSES. 

With Punk already established and New Wave on the rise, for GLASS HOUSES, Billy Joel took on a more edgier Rock approach than his other albums, and it worked.  The first single, “You May Be Right,” reached No. 7, the second single, “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me” was Billy’s first No. 1 single in America, and the laid back “Don’t Ask Me Why” (another mostly-forgotten gem) reached the Top 20. 

I loved “Sometimes A Fantasy” from the first listen.  Sure, the other singles from the album were great, and I owned each one of them, but “Sometimes A Fantasy” struck a chord the other ones didn’t for whatever reason.  And, the single version had something the album version didn’t – a longer version. 

It was rare for single versions to be extended over their album counterparts, usually it was the other way around.  But, with “Sometimes A Fantasy,” as the album version faded out after 3 minutes and 40 seconds, the 45 version continued on for another 40 seconds with a kick-ass guitar and instrumental solo, until Billy Joel laughs at the end and wails, “I’ve got blisters on my blisters!” (paying homage to Ringo Starr’s outburst of “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” at the end of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter”).  I loved it! (and still do…)  (And, to date, for whatever reason, outside of posts on YouTube, this version continues to NOT be available in any other form.)

“Sometimes A Fantasy” – a song about a lonely, horny man who calls his significant other on the phone and tries to get her to have phone sex with him – debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in mid-October 1980, just as “Don’t Ask Me Why” was finishing up its run in the Top 40.  It only took four short weeks for “Sometimes A Fantasy” to reach No. 40, and it looked like it was going to be another big hit for the New York City native.

But, somehow, radio programmers across the country collaborated on this one, and decided that “Sometimes A Fantasy” wasn’t the hit they thought it was, and the song spent a quick two weeks at No. 36 on the Hot 100 in mid-November 1980.  It was off the Hot 100 after just nine surprising weeks.  I was so disappointed because it’s such a great song, one of my all-time favorite Billy Joel songs.

If my memory serves correctly, I believe GLASS HOUSES was the third non-soundtrack album (following Fleetwood Mac’s RUMOURS and Michael Jackson’s OFF THE WALL) to generate four Top 40 singles from one album.  It’s been more commonplace and then some since then.  In fact, three albums released in the 80s had seven singles released –  Michael Jackson’s THRILLER, Bruce Springsteen’s BORN IN THE U.S.A., and Janet Jackson’s RHYTHM NATION 1814 – and even more impressive, all seven hits from each of those historic albums reached the Top 10.  And RHYTHM NATION 1814 remains the only album in history to have seven commercially-released singles reach the Top 5.

SCRUBS, my third-favorite show of all-time, was thankfully notorious for keeping the 80s alive with mentions and song selections (and incorporating the amazing Colin Hay into many episodes), and in a Season 6 clip episode, “Sometimes A Fantasy” was used.  And, it was nice that I wasn’t the only one who remembered this awesome song.

Well, “Sometimes A Fantasy” didn’t reach the Top 5, or even the Top 35, though I wish it had.  I could fantasize that it charted higher than it did, but it’s not the real thing.  Still, though, I’ve always contended that “Sometimes A Fantasy” is one of the coolest things Billy Joel ever did, even if radio programmers of the day didn’t think so…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhJg1finpyU

song of the day – “Slipping Away” | DAVE EDMUNDS | 1983.

On June 15, 2014, Casey Kasem, host of the longtime countdown program, AMERICAN TOP 40, passed away at the age of 82.  From my first blog post (and prolly some more inbetween then and now), I explained how, in 1979, I was a geeky, lanky and somewhat lost 12-year-old living in Central Maine, had a few friends and not a lot of interest in much of anything, but at some point early that year, I discovered AMERICAN TOP 40, and was glued to it every weekend.  Not only could I hear the 40 biggest songs in the country every week, but also Casey’s cool trivia and facts about the songs and the artists, a trait I treasure to this day.  For me, the show was No. 1 with a bullet.  And still is (thanks to the re-airing of broadcasts of AT40 on iHeart Radio).

In honor of my radio hero, Casey Kasem, for the entire month of June, I will be highlighting a song each day (some days will have two songs!) that peaked in the Top 40 of the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (including five (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s), and with every blog post, just like on AMERICAN TOP 40, the hits will get bigger with each post.  On June 1, 2017, I featured a song that peaked at No. 40.  On June 30, I’ll feature a “song of the day” that went all the way to No. 1. 

As Casey used to say on AT40, “And on we go!”

In researching for this blog post, I found a lot more songs from the 80s that peaked at No. 39 than expected, at least 30.  There were some great ones, like “Atomic” by Blondie, “I Don’t Care Anymore” by Phil Collins, “In The Mood” by Robert Plant,” “Looking For A Stranger” by Pat Benatar, “My Town” by the Michael Stanley Band, “Skin Trade” by Duran Duran, “Tomorrow People” by Ziggy Marley, “(What) In The Name Of Love” by Naked Eyes, “Second Nature” by Dan Hartman, “Who’s Making Love” by The Blues Brothers, Bon Jovi’s first hit, “Runaway,” ELO’s sadly-forgotten “Last Train To London,” the gorgeous “Wake Up (Next To You)” by Graham Parker And The Shot, and six (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s.

I also found some songs I had forgotten about, like “Don’t Let Him Know” by Prism and “New Romance (It’s A Mystery)” by Spider, and some stinkers among the bunch, including “Memory” by Barry Manilow, “Sartorial Eloquence” by Elton John (sorry Elton, with a song title like that, it was bound not to work out), and the “WTF was I thinking with this song” song by Mick Jagger, “Let’s Work.”  Downright awful.  Don’t watch the video – that’s four minutes you’re not getting back.

I nearly chose “Wake Up (Next To You)” as my selection for a song that peaked at No. 39 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, but I wanted to choose instead a gem from the sensationally-talented Welsh singer / songwriter / guitarist / über-producer, Dave Edmunds.

Born in Cardiff, Wales, Dave Edmunds first got his big break with a band called Love Sculpture, and in 1968, they reached No. 5 on the U.K. singles chart with a song called “Sabre Dance.”  Two years later, he had himself a huge international solo hit called “I Hear You Knocking,” which spent six weeks at No. 1 in the U.K., reached No. 3 in Canada and New Zealand, and No. 4 in the U.S. and Australia.  Dave’s version was actually a cover of a 1955 hit by R&B singer Smiley Lewis, and then covered by the legendary Fats Domino in 1961.  It’s also been covered many times over the decades, including versions by Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams.

Through the end of the 1970s, Dave Edmunds picked up another three Top 10 U.K. hits, including Silver-Certified “Girls Talk,” written by Elvis Costello and appearing on his 1979 album, REPEAT WHEN NECESSARY (on Led Zeppelin’s SWAN SONG label). 

NERDY FUN FACTS: Huey Lewis appears on that same 1979 Dave Edmunds album, playing harmonica on a song he wrote called “Bad Is Bad,” four years before it would appear on Huey’s own monster album with The News, SPORTS.  And a song called “Queen Of Hearts” was also on the album, a No. 11 U.K. hit for Dave Edmunds that would become a big global hit for New Jersey Country singer, Juice Newton, in 1981.

Yepper, that’s Huey Lewis’ name and song on Led Zeppelin’s label, years before Huey became a star in his own right…

In addition to being a successful singer, songwriter and musician, Dave Edmunds was also a popular producer for other artists, including producing several albums by The Stray Cats, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, his side project with Nick Lowe, Rockpile, and k.d. lang’s second album, ANGEL WITH A LARIAT.

In all the years Dave Edmunds produced his own albums and the works of other artists, when it came time to work on his own 1983 album, INFORMATION, Dave did something he had never done before – he collaborated with another producer, in this case, Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra.

Jeff Lynne would go on to produce two songs on the album – the title track, and the album’s first single, “Slipping Away,” which Jeff Lynne also wrote.  “Slipping Away” entered the BILLBOARD Hot 100 at No. 93 in mid-May 1983.  I confess I didn’t know much about Dave Edmunds when this song came out, but I loved the updated twangy sound. 

With the help of airplay on the relatively new MTV, “Slipping Away” inched its way up the Hot 100, reaching its peak position of No. 39 nearly three months after debuting on the chart.  Four weeks after reaching the Top 40, “Slipping Away” slipped its way out of the Hot 100.  It’s his last Top 40 hit to date. 

Dave Edmunds, now 73, released two albums in recent years, one in 2013 called …AGAIN (featuring recordings from the 90s and four new songs), and in 2015 (ON GUITAR…RAGS & CLASSICS).

It’s his twangy, Jeff Lynne-penned and produced No. 39 hit, though, that caught my ear, which introduced me to a music legend, and is a song that has never slipped away from me since, and won’t…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFETrcH1Dks

song of the day – “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” (from STOP MAKING SENSE) | TALKING HEADS | 1984.

On Wednesday, April 26, 2017, I was very saddened to learn of the passing of one of my all-time favorite film directors (and one of the most-celebrated), Jonathan Demme.  He died of complications from esophageal cancer and heart disease, and just turned 73 in late February.

When folks think of Jonathan Demme’s filmography, one of the first movies to come to mind, naturally, would be the brilliant 1991 horror-thriller, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, which, to this day, is one of only three films ever to win Academy Awards in all five major categories – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (for Ted Tally), Best Actress (for Jodie Foster), and Best Actor (for Anthony Hopkins).

Another of the films Jonathan directed that most folks will instantly think of is his heartbreakingly incredible 1993 film, PHILADELPHIA.  That film won Academy Awards for actor Tom Hanks and for Bruce Springsteen’s song, “Streets Of Philadelphia.” 

From the “Streets Of Philadelphia” music video.

For that video (co-directed with Jonathan’s nephew, wonderful Ted Demme, who passed away in 2002), and unlike most music videos, they had Bruce sing the lyrics live instead of lip-syncing to the song in the video.  And it paid off.  Not only did “Streets Of Philadelphia” receive the Academy Award for Best Original Song, it also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, four Grammy Awards (Song Of The Year, Best Rock Song, Best Male Rock Performance and Best Song Written For A Motion Picture), and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video From A Film.  And, it gave Bruce his last big hit, reaching No. 1 in at least eight countries, and the Top 10 in another eight, including here in America.

As great as THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and PHILADELPHIA are, those aren’t the movies I instantly think of when I think of Jonathan Demme.  The first movies I think of (which he directed) are the incredibly fun SOMETHING WILD from 1986, 1987’s genius SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA with the late, great Spaulding Gray, the hilarious MARRIED TO THE MOB from 1988, Robyn Hitchcock’s sensational 1998 concert film, STOREFRONT HITCHCOCK, and most of all, the film I have long considered as THE BEST concert film of my generation, 1984’s STOP MAKING SENSE with Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club.

In a Facebook post on the day Jonathan passed away, Robyn Hitchcock reminisced:  “I last saw Jonathan Demme four years ago today (April 26).  Had no idea till this morning that it would be for the last time.  Here we are in New York in 1996 where he filmed me in concert in a shop window ‘Storefront Hitchcock’. 

“Jonathan was a born movie-maker: he loved people and he loved filming them.  Fictional or actual, he caught so many lives and glimpses of lives and framed them for others to enjoy.  Jonathan was a true keeper of souls, and now we must celebrate his.  He did a lot for me, too – thank you, JD.  ‘Are you ready for your close-up?’”

That Wednesday night, in a journal entry on David Byrne’s website, davidbyrne.com, he shared a letter which he apparently worked on for hours following the news of the passing of Jonathan Demme.  In the letter, David wrote, “One could sense his love of ordinary people.  That love surfaces and is manifest over and over throughout his career.  Jonathan was also a huge music fan – that’s obvious in his films too – many of which are jam-packed with songs by the often obscure artists he loved.  He’d find ways to slip a reggae artist’s song or a Haitian recording into a narrative film in ways that were often joyous and unexpected.

“Jonathan’s skill was to see the show almost as a theatrical ensemble piece, in which the characters and their quirks would be introduced to the audience, and you’d get to know the band as people, each with their distinct personalities.  They became your friends, in a sense.”

Jonathan Demme and David Byrne.

 

Jonathan’s and David’s creative minds complimented each other.  In David’s letter, he mentions how Jonathan helped him while he was developing the 1986 Talking Heads film, TRUE STORIES, how he wrote a song for SOMETHING WILD (“Loco de Amor,” performed with legendary Cuban-born Salsa vocalist, the late Celia Cruz), and how he scored MARRIED TO THE MOB. 

STOP MAKING SENSE, to me, is Jonathan Demme’s masterpiece in film.  It’s just as much a masterpiece for David Byrne and Talking Heads as well.  In fact, it’s both names that grace the 1984 movie poster for STOP MAKING SENSE, and rightfully so.

In researching for this blog post, one of the coolest things I read was that, long before crowd-funding for films and albums became commonplace, Talking Heads (then at the peak of their career) raised the $1.2 million dollars themselves so the film could be made.  Pretty damn cool.

In a 1984 review for the concert film, the late, great film critic, Roger Ebert, hailed the film and then some: “The overwhelming impression throughout STOP MAKING SENSE is of enormous energy, of life being lived at a joyous high…  It’s a live show with elements of METROPOLIS [referring to Fritz Lang’s 1927 Sci-Fi film marvel]

“…But the film’s peak moments come through Byrne’s simple physical presence.  He jogs in place with his sidemen; he runs around the stage; he seems so happy to be alive and making music…  He serves as a reminder of how sour and weary and strung-out many rock bands have become…”

A publicity shot for STOP MAKING SENSE…

STOP MAKING SENSE has many memorable moments (well, the whole thing is memorable), but one that comes to mind is that “big suit” David Byrne sports in the film.  The suit increases in size throughout the course of the film, and when they perform “Girlfriend Is Better,” the suit is so ridiculously (and brilliantly) large.  On a DVD interview for the film, David Byrne explains what the “big suit” represents:  “I wanted my head to appear smaller and the easiest way to do that was to make my body bigger, because music is very physical and often the body understands it before the head.”  I love that quote; it’s so true.

David Byrne sporting the “big suit” in “Girlfriend Is Better.”

The film version of STOP MAKING SENSE was released on April 24, 1984, months in advance of the soundtrack album, which, in its original LP form, had just nine songs, and some of them edited or different mixes than what appeared on the cassettes or CDs.  Despite the soundtrack only having nine of the film’s songs, the soundtrack spent more than two years on the BILLBOARD Album chart, and was certified Double-Platinum 10 years after its release, selling more than two million copies in the U.S. alone.

In 1999, when the film celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a theatrical re-release, Sire and Warner Bros. restored the songs in the film to include all 15 songs by Talking Heads, and “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club. 

Talking Heads bandmates, Tom Tom Club co-founders and longtime husband and wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz remembered the T-Heads liking Jonathan “from the get go, discovering the contagion of his unique joie de vivre [exuberance] that matched his massive creative talent.  He didn’t so much work for us as completely with us.  Since Talking Heads decided to pay for the film ourselves, we had the creative freedom to do it our way.  Jonathan was the perfect catalyst on our team to make that happen…  We will remain forever grateful for what he achieved with STOP MAKING SENSE.  We love him still and we always will.”

From “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody).”

As for my own little tribute to Jonathan Demme, I honestly could have chosen any song from STOP MAKING SENSE, but the only song I would ever choose is the forever beautiful “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” (originally from their 1983 breakthrough album, SPEAKING IN TONGUES).  Or, as THE NEW YORKER once described it, “a love song only in spite of itself (it dispenses about as much hope as Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’).”  Irregardless, “This Must Be The Place” is one of the most amazing songs (the live STOP MAKING SENSE version especially) that I’ve ever heard.  And I’ve heard a few.

From the iconic dance with the lamp in “This Must Be The Place.”

You’re already missed, but I’m so grateful for the films and memories you left us.  R.I.P. Jonathan, and many, many thanks…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9aN93S8nl8

Jonathan Demme, 1984.

song of the day – “Flamethrower” | THE J. GEILS BAND | 1982.

Back in the 1980s, long before THE DIGITAL AGE of music (or of everything, I suppose, but music in this case), people had to rely on the radio to hear their favorite songs, or rely on their friends who had the albums or tapes, and you could borrow theirs, OR you purchased either the 45s or the full albums, depending on the artist.  If you purchased the full LP, sometimes, like with albums by ASIA or Bruce Springsteen or Thomas Dolby or Cyndi Lauper or Michael Jackson or INXS, you’d consider yourself lucky that the entire album (or most of the album) was a keeper. 

Not ranking on Millennials here, but youngstahs today have it easy, with iTunes and Spotify and Pandora and YouTube to check out entire new albums first and / or they can pick and choose any tracks off the albums that they want to purchase.  Even now with vinyl making a strong (and deserved) comeback, almost always when you purchase a full-length record album, there is a digital counterpart included for your convenience (kinda like a marriage of the old and the new).

Well, back in 1982, I only had a handful of albums to my name because (1) I was being frugal about purchasing albums for reasons stated above, and (2) I was frugal about buying albums because I just didn’t have the ca$h.  There was one album, though, that proved to be a MUST BUY – the 12th studio album by Worcester, MA Rock legends, The J. Geils Band – FREEZE-FRAME.

Not only did the nine-track FREEZE-FRAME album have the awesome singles “Centerfold,” “Angel In Blue” and the title track, it also had gems that could have been singles themselves – “Rage In The Cage,” “Piss On The Wall” and “Flamethrower.”

Before owning the FREEZE-FRAME album, I had already purchased the “Centerfold” single (at last check, ranked at No. 63 on BILLBOARD’s 2016 list of the Greatest Hot 100 Songs Of All-Time), which had “Rage In The Cage” as the B-side.  My oldest friend, Pete, had the album, and I remember going to his house and listening to it, which inspired me to pick it up as well.  The FREEZE-FRAME album deserves its own blog post, and I’ll prolly write about the entire album on the bloggy thing here at some point.  Today, though, it’s all about that Rockin’ and Soulful “baby who’ll melt you with her touch.”

“Flamethrower” is the sixth song on FREEZE-FRAME (or the first song on Side Two, if you prefer), and right from song’s start (featuring a killer harmonica courtesy of the band’s longtime harmonica and saxophone specialist, Magic Dick), you quickly realize there’s NO WAY you’re gonna be able to sit still through this five-minute jam.

Back in 2015, for the first time, I (along with one of my besties, the super-talented and awesome Hopey T.), saw The J. Geils Band perform in Portland, Maine, and they were phenomenal.  There are many bands who work well together, and then there’s The J. Geils Band, whose musical interaction between band members is amazing to watch.  And on songs like “Flamethrower,” it’s amazing to listen to.

Almost exactly half-way through “Flamethrower,” each of the band’s (then) six members – Peter Wolf on vocals, guitarist and band namesake J. Geils, keyboardist and vocalist Seth Justman, bassist Danny Klein, drummer / percussionist Steven Bladd and the aforementioned Magic Dick – play together on a sensational minute-long-plus instrumental jam, even prompting Peter Wolf to exclaim, “Yeah!”  It actually kinda reminded me of one of THE best instrumental gems, er, jams in Rock history – the last four minutes of their brilliant 1973 hit, “Give It To Me.”

NERDY FUN FACT: “Flamethrower,” “Angel In Blue” and “River Blindness” (all on the FREEZE-FRAME album) featured five backup singers, including Whitney Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, and the late, great R&B / Pop legend, Luther Vandross.

Even though “Flamethrower” was never officially released as its own single, it does have an interesting BILLBOARD chart history.  As a 12” B-side to lead single, “Centerfold,” both songs reached No. 12 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart in 1982.  As the 7” B-side of the album’s second single, “Freeze-Frame,” it was actually “Flamethrower” that led both songs to reach No. 25 on BILLBOARD’s R&B chart for two weeks in April 1982.  And, over on BILLBOARD’s Mainstream Rock chart, it was the only non-single song from FREEZE-FRAME to chart there, reaching No. 30.

Hearing this song again on my iPod this afternoon makes me want to pull out the 41-minute FREEZE-FRAME album and play it all the way through a couple of times, from the title cut through to “Piss On The Wall.” 

Seth Justman, who wrote or co-wrote every song on FREEZE-FRAME and who was the sole writer on “Flamethrower,” once told NME (New Music Express) that the song was “not just about a woman, it’s about a woman factory worker and how she lets loose at night.  It’s about a certain spirit that’s in everybody. 

“In the middle of that song the spirit in the body has taken over.  It’s not just a hot chick in hot pants.  It’s a woman who punches the clock every day at 8 and 5 and when she leaves she does something with her life, whatever she has to do to punch the clock the next day and not go crazy.  That punch clock is in everyone; there’s something inside everyone that makes you want to go on and get better and stronger.” 

I can’t tell you enough how much I wholeheartedly agree with Seth’s amazing and surprising comment.  Or maybe I just did.  Or maybe when you jam out to “Flamethrower” again, you’ll think about that punch clock or flamethrower inside of you, and figure out ways on how to get better and stronger.  I know I will…

“I forget the darkness / I forget the pain / When she’s movin’ through my heart / And when she’s pumpin’ through my veins / She’s the part inside me / I can never control / And she’s the only reason / I know I’ve got a soul…”

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

song of the day – “Over The Hills And Far Away” (12” Mix) | GARY MOORE | 1987.

Well, just two STUCK IN THE 80s shows to go on WMPG community radio (in Portland, Maine, USA)!  Wow.  This past Sunday, 1.29.2017, my awesome and talented WMPG radio neighbor, DJ SHAXX (host of the kick-ass LEFT OF THE DIAL), and I teamed up for a second installment in celebrating the 12-inch single, extended remixes and even mash-ups on a show that we called 12inchTHROWDOWN Redux! 

The 12” single, to my knowledge, got its start during the disco era of the 70s, but it was during the 80s where the 12” single really flourished.  One of the great things I love about the history of the 12” single during the 80s is that almost everyone in the music industry felt compelled to commission at least one 12” extended mix, whether or not they really needed to (i.e. Billy Joel, Chicago, Toto, Matthew Wilder, Nena, Bruce Springsteen). 

In the 80s, you had 12” extended mixes from all walks of music life – with artists like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, INXS, Michael Jackson, New Order and Pet Shop Boys leading the way.  The most surprising 12” dance mixes came from Rock and Roll artists.  In the 80s, Rock bands like The Cult, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, ZZ Top and AC/DC all released 12” extended and/or dance mixes of some of their songs.

One Rock artist who was talked into releasing at least a couple of remixes in the 80s was the late, great Gary Moore, from Belfast, Northern Ireland.  In the 70s, Gary was a member of the Irish Rock bands Skid Row and Thin Lizzy. 

For his sixth studio album, 1985’s RUN FOR COVER, Gary teamed up with his former Thin Lizzy bandmate, Phil Lynott, on the song, “Out In The Fields,” about the religious issues they faced in their native Ireland.  Shortly after the song’s success, Phil Lynott died at the young age of 36 in early January 1986.

Gary was off of my music radar until his next album, WILD FRONTIER (most notably the album’s first single, “Over The Hills And Far Away”) was released in March 1987.  The album features many songs about Ireland and throughout the album, there’s a powerful Celtic presence, especially on “Over The Hills And Far Away.”  I think that (along with the incredible assist of a drum machine, believe it or not) is what attracted me to the song. and ultimately, the album.

“Over The Hills And Far Away” is a song about a man who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit and longs for the day he gets out to be with the woman he loves (“Over the hills and far away / She prays he will return one day / As sure as the rivers reach the sea / Back in her arms is where he’ll be…”).

The creative non-trad 12” extended mix of “Over The Hills And Far Away” starts off with Gary walking over to a couple of doors from his music past, or rather Gary revisiting a couple of songs from the previous album, RUN FOR COVER – the aforementioned “Out In The Fields,” and “Empty Rooms.”  He opens the door to each song via the sound of a creaky door (i.e. his guitar), and then promptly closes each door once the quick sampling of each song was done.  From there, he walks over to another creaky door, opens it (again, via his guitar) and then, replete with that powerful drum machine beat, Gary rips into that same guitar and starts wailing with everything he’s got.  At the end of the song, the door to “Over The Hills And Far Away” closes too.  This 12” mix was one of the highlights of the 12inchTHROWDOWN Redux show from the other night.

Following the release of his next Rock album, 1989’s AFTER THE WAR, Gary achieved his biggest success with 1990’s STILL GOT THE BLUES album, which featured the likes of Blues legends Albert King and Albert Collins, and The Beatles’ George Harrison.  It was certified Gold here in the U.S., Finland and Germany.  It was certified Platinum in the U.K., Australia and Switzerland, and Double-Platinum in Sweden. 

Gary Moore would continue to release (mostly) Blues albums through 2008.  He sadly passed away of a heart attack in early February 2011 at the young age of 58.  He was beloved by many, especially folks in the Rock music field, including Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Geldof, Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, Bryan Adams and Henry Rollins.  In Skånevik, Norway, a large statue was erected of Gary Moore, in honor of his many performances at the Skånevik Blues Festival.  

I remember Gary mostly for his massive guitar talents, especially on that amazing 1987 song that always takes me “over the hills and far away…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SgQUi9uJrc

xmas song of the day – “Winter Wonderland” | EURYTHMICS | 1987.

Happy Holidays!  Since it’s the first year of my blog, and since it’s the last year for my Annual Holiday Show on my little 20-year-old 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), I wanted to present to you THE 31 DAYS OF 80s XMAS SONGS, or, 31 of my favorite 80s holiday musical treats.

The song for Day 5 of the 31 DAYS OF 80s XMAS SONGS is “Winter Wonderland” by Eurythmics, from one of my all-time favorite Xmas albums, 1987’s A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS, which came about from an idea of super-producer Jimmy Iovine. 

Long before Jimmy Iovine was the co-founder of Interscope Records and Beats Electronic (with Dr. Dre), Jimmy was an engineer on such classic albums like Bruce Springsteen’s BORN TO RUN, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN and THE RIVER, Meat Loaf’s BAT OUT OF HELL and John Lennon’ WALLS AND BRIDGES. 

Before 1987, Jimmy Iovine produced or co-produced such memorable albums  Patti Smith’s EASTER, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ DAMN THE TORPEDOES, Dire Straits’ MAKING MOVIES, BELLA DONNA by Stevie Nicks, ONCE UPON A TIME by Simple Minds and The Pretenders’ GET CLOSE.  He also supervised the music for the 1984 John Hughes classic, SIXTEEN CANDLES, and in 1988, he produced U2’s excellent double-album soundtrack to their rockumentary, RATTLE AND HUM, and supervised the music for the Bill Murray holiday film, SCROOGED.

For the first A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS album in 1987, Jimmy Iovine recruited many of the recording artists he worked with, like Bruce Springsteen, U2, The Pretenders and Stevie Nicks, along with Eurythmics, John Mellencamp, Sting, Run-D.M.C., Madonna, Bryan Adams, Alison Moyet and more – 15 songs in all.

In the wake of Band Aid, Live Aid, Farm Aid and “We Are The World,” Jimmy Iovine wanted to put together a Christmas album as a memorial to his dad, who passed away in 1985. 

The idea for A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS to benefit Special Olympics was idea of Jimmy Iovine’s wife, Vicki (herself a volunteer for Special Olympics), and that’s where the “special” in A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS is inspired from.  Mr. and Mrs. Iovine got some help organizing the album from extended Kennedy family member Bobby Shriver, and the founders of A&M Records, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.

Since the original 1987 A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS album, there have been nine other albums released in the series, through 2013.  And since 1987, the series has raised over $100 million dollars for Special Olympics.  Since 1991, A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS ranks as the 19th best-selling holiday album here in America, and has sold over four million copies since its release.

A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS Producer Jimmy Iovine (front center), surrounded (in no particular order) by U2, Annie Lennox, Sting, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Run-D.M.C.

The cover art for the albums was designed by pop and graffiti artist, Keith Haring, and the untitled image of a mother and child was chosen by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1987 as the cover of the first A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS album.  Keith Haring sadly passed away in early 1990, but that image has become synonymous with the album series, and also with the mission of the Special Olympics.

This wonderful version of “Winter Wonderland” by Eurythmics has been a longtime holiday favorite of mine, and it has made it onto most (if not all) of the playlists for my Annual Holiday Show.  Many versions of “Winter Wonderland” have been recorded since it was written in 1934, from Bing Crosby to Elvis Presley to Ozzy Osbourne, but this version truly stands out among the best.

To learn more about Special Olympics and the mission of A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS, go to averyspecialchristmas.org.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVLeW9UmjE

song of the day – “Hallelujah” | LEONARD COHEN | 1984.

It was already a rough week and then some with the end result (at least the electoral college version anyway) of the 2016 United States presidential election (more on that in my next blog post), but in the 4:00 hour this morning, I woke up from a semi-decent night’s sleep to find out we lost another music giant this year – Leonard Cohen.

I don’t believe this was from 1984, or even the 80s, but I love this shot…

Leonard Cohen died on Monday, November 7th, but the world didn’t find out about it until a message to fans was posted on Facebook on November 10th: “It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away.  We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries.”  His son, producer Adam Cohen, said his dad “passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles with the knowledge that he had completed what he felt was one of his greatest records [YOU WANT IT DARKER, just released on October 21st]. He was writing up until his last moments with his unique brand of humor.”

Leonard Cohen’s last album, YOU WANT IT DARKER, just released in October 2016 (and one heluva great album cover).

Born in Westmount, Quebec in September 1934, Leonard Cohen had an interest in music and poetry at a young age, and in 1967, at the age of 33, he released his debut album on Columbia Records – SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN.  The opening song on that album, “Suzanne,” ended up being recorded by folks like Judy Collins, Nina Simone, Frida (of ABBA; on her 1971 debut album), and was sampled by R.E.M. on the song “Hope,” which appeared on their 1998 album, UP.

Between SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN and YOU WANT IT DARKER (which I can’t wait to hear), Leonard Cohen released 14 studio albums, eight live albums, and at least seven compilations.  He was among an elite group of artists – including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen – who had their entire catalog of albums on one record label – Columbia Records.

Admittedly, I wasn’t the biggest Leonard Cohen fan, but I always had a lot of respect for him, especially his songwriting, and grew to love many of his songs over the years, including “So Long, Marianne” (from SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN), “Bird On The Wire” (from 1969’s SONGS FROM A ROOM), “Famous Blue Raincoat” (from 1971’s SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE), “Chelsea Hotel” (from 1974’s NEW SKIN FOR THE OLD CEREMONY), “First We Take Manhattan,” “Tower Of Song” and “I’m Your Man” (from 1988’s I’M YOUR MAN), “Democracy” and “The Future” (from 1992’s THE FUTURE), “The Letters” (from 2004’s DEAR HEATHER), plus 1988’s “Everybody Knows” (from I’M YOUR MAN) and 1984’s “If It Be Your Will” (from VARIOUS POSITIONS; both songs were prominently featured in the excellent 1990 Christian Slater film, PUMP UP THE VOLUME).

Apart from being a big success in Scandinavia, Austria and the U.K., Leonard’s 1984 album, VARIOUS POSITIONS (his first album in five years), was not a popular album at the time, and had mixed reviews.  One of the nine songs on VARIOUS POSITIONS (and the first song on Side Two), was a song called “Hallelujah.”  It apparently took Leonard Cohen five years and 80 draft verses to write the song.

Of the song, Leonard Cohen said, “Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means ‘Glory to the Lord.’  The song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist.  I say, ‘All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value.  It’s a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion’.” 

“Hallelujah” went relatively unnoticed for several years until Welsh singer / songwriter John Cale (a founding member of The Velvet Underground) heard Leonard Cohen sing an updated version of the song live in New York.  John Cale enjoyed the song so much that he decided to record his own version.  That version appears on the wonderful 1991 tribute album, I’M YOUR FAN: THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, which features 80s and early 90s Alt-Rock royalty like R.E.M., Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch, Pixies, That Petrol Emotion, James, The House Of Love, Lloyd Cole, and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. 

John Cale’s 1991 reworked version features just vocals, piano and lyrics that Leonard Cohen had only performed live.  He asked Leonard Cohen to send him those lyrics, and Leonard did -15 pages’ worth!  According to a 2010 piece in THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, John Cale claimed he “went through and just picked out the cheeky verses.”  It is this version – used in the first SHREK film in 2001 – that has inspired most of the covers of “Hallelujah” that you know and love today, including one I’ll come onto in a moment.

Prolly the best Leonard Cohen tribute album I’ve ever heard, 1991’s I’M YOUR FAN was not purchased by many, but, according to a piece I saw online today, one person who purchased the album was a woman from Brooklyn, New York, and the person who used to house-sit for this woman was a singer named Jeff Buckley, the son of multi-genre singer / songwriter Tim Buckley, who died in 1975 at the age of 28.

He loved the version on I’M YOUR FAN, and reworking the song from John Cale’s own rework, Jeff Buckley performed “Hallelujah” in a bar in the East Village of NYC, where an executive from Columbia Records (Leonard’s Cohen’s longtime record label) was in the audience, heard the song, and signed Jeff Buckley right away.  Jeff’s studio version appeared on his 1994 album, GRACE.

GRACE would turn out to be Jeff Buckley’s only album.  In late May 1997, while in Memphis, Tennessee, Jeff Buckley went for a swim – fully clothed – in a channel of the Mississippi River and died of accidental drowning at the age of 30.  His version of “Hallelujah” took awhile to find an audience, but when it did, you couldn’t escape it.  It’s been widely used in television shows and films, and on April 20, 2013, just days after the Boston Marathon bombing, it was played at Fenway Park at the home opener for the Boston Red Sox, for a tribute honoring the victims of the bombing.  Jeff Buckley’s version has sold well over a million digital copies. 

On my little 20-year-old radio show, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), in 2006, to mark the tenth anniversary of the show, I compiled a list of the 80 BEST 80s COVERS (1980-2005), and both the John Cale and Jeff Buckley versions were tied at No. 3 on the list.

A long way from Leonard Cohen’s dirge and gospel-influenced original version of  “Hallelujah,” the song has been covered over 300 times in 32 years, including covers by Rufus Wainwright, k.d. lang, Bob Dylan, Regina Spektor, Willie Nelson and Bono of U2.  In 2010, as part of the HOPE FOR HAITI NOW benefit album, Justin Timberlake, Matt Morris and Charlie Sexton took a version of “Hallelujah” to No. 12 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, and most recently, the Texas A Cappella group Pentatonix took their version to No. 32.

Leonard Cohen has an incredible amount of accolades which spans decades, and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2008 by Lou Reed, who said that Leonard Cohen was in the “highest and most influential echelon of songwriters.”  Of Leonard Cohen’s songs, Matt Johnson of The The said, “When I listen to his songs, it’s a simple, stripped-down naked soul.”  On Matt Johnson’s Twitter page for The The, he said, “I was lucky enough to have dinner with #LeonardCohen when I was a young songwriter of 22.  He gave some great advice. RIP x”

A photo of Leonard Cohen via Matt Johnson’s tweet tribute on The The’s Twitter page…

Leonard’s also in the Rock And Roll Songwriters Hall Of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame, recipient of a 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2011, was named a Companion Of The Order Of Canada, which is Canada’s highest civilian honor.

Back in the early 80s, Leonard Cohen once said of himself, “I get tagged as an art-song intellectual, but I’ve always tried to have hits.”  Well, Leonard, within the next couple of weeks, you’re gonna get your wish.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least a half-dozen versions of “Hallelujah” flood the Top 50 of the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (including his original) and other singles charts around the globe.  Hallelujah indeed. 

R.I.P. Leonard, and many, many thanks…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttEMYvpoR-k

(real) one-hit wonder of the week – “I Still Want You” | THE DEL FUEGOS | 1986.

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.

The 4-man Rock band The Del Fuegos were formed in Boston in 1980, and were comprised of Tom Lloyd (bass), Woody Giessmann (drums), and brothers Warren Zanes (guitars) and Dan Zanes (guitars / vocals). 

The band paid their dues and played wherever they could – bars, lofts, art galleries, clubs, frat houses, gymnasiums and even a state prison, which, over the years led to bigger venues like auditoriums and bigger theaters.

In 1984, the band released their debut album, THE LONGEST DAY, on Slash / Warner Bros. Records.  ROLLING STONE magazine named the band the Best New Band of 1984.  Tom Petty was apparently a fan (the band opened for him on one of his tours), as was Bruce Springsteen, who jumped on stage with them at one show to play the 60s classic, “Hang On Sloopy.”

The Del Fuegos were even in a Miller beer commercial in 1985.  Later that year, the band’s second album (of four) would become their biggest album – BOSTON, MASS.  Released in 1985, BOSTON, MASS. featured the singles “Don’t Run Wild” and “I Still Want You,” the latter of which became the band’s lone hit on the BILLBOARD Hot 100. 

For months, the momentum for BOSTON, MASS. continued to build, and in late May 1986, “I Still Want You” made its debut on the Hot 100 at No. 96.  I remember the first time I heard the song, I initially thought the vocals belonged to Billy Idol, who I love, and once I realized who The Del Fuegos were, I went out and picked up the album.

Years later, I was excited to find the 45 of “I Still Want You” at a record show in Portland, Maine, and had to laugh, because it was an alternate version of the album version – it was called the “Horny Mix.”  It wasn’t anything sexual, it was a play on words, just meaning there were horns added to the mix.  Funny guys.  (You can even hear the horn section in the video.)

“I Still Want You” spent a couple weeks at No. 87 in June 1986 and was gone from the Hot 100 after just four weeks.  The following year, The Del Fuegos released their third album on Slash, STAND UP, which did not not fare as well as BOSTON, MASS., and Warner Bros. dropped them from the label.  The relationship of the Zanes brothers over time was strained, and after they lost their record deal, Warren Zanes and drummer Woody Giessmann left the band. 

Dan Zanes and bassist Tom Lloyd picked up a couple new members for the band, and they released their fourth album, 1989’s SMOKING IN THE FIELDS, on RCA Records.  Though the album did almost as well on the BILLBOARD album chart as BOSTON, MASS., the band broke up within a year, and of the experience, Dan Zanes said, “The ‘80s were over, we were over.”

After the demise of The Del Fuegos, in 1995, Dan Zanes would release a children’s album (as Dan Zanes and Friends), which won a Grammy Award.  Warren Zanes earned himself two Master’s Degrees and a Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Arts, and is currently the Vice President of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (didn’t know there was such a thing, but that’s pretty cool).  Original bassist Tom Lloyd also earned himself a Ph.D., in Envrionmental Engineering, from CalTech in 1999, and original drummer Woody Giessmann founded Right Turn in 2003, a rehab program to help fellow artists with drug addiction and other mental health issues.

Cover art for the U.K. single version of “I Still Want You.”

For a couple of dates in June 2011, the band got back together for the first time in 21 years for two performances at the famed Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Mass., where the shows raised money for Woody’s Right Turn rehab program.  That led to a reunion tour in 2012 and an 8-song EP titled SILVER STAR. 

Whether or not you consider “I Still Want You” a hit or the band as a (real) one-hit wonder of the 80s, one thing’s for sure – The Del Fuegos were a great Rock band, and a band (and song) I still want in my record library forever…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0bAX_iQ2rY

song of the day – “Beat’s So Lonely” | CHARLIE SEXTON | 1986.

Today, Saturday, August 6, 2016, is the seventh anniversary of the passing the brilliant writer / producer / director / 80s film hero and a personal hero of mine, John Hughes.  John was in NYC when he died of a heart attack at the far too young age of 59.

Over the past 20 years on my little 80s radio show, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), there have been various tributes to John and the music from his films.  On the Sunday following his passing in 2009, I vowed to dedicate a show every August as a tribute to John.  On Sunday, August 7, 2016, it will be my eighth and last John Hughes tribute on STUCK IN THE 80s and WMPG.

One song that has made it on to nearly every tribute show I’ve done for John is a song that appeared in a brief but pivotal scene in 1987’s SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL (which John wrote and produced), and wasn’t on the soundtrack – “Beat’s So Lonely” by Charlie Sexton.

In his early days, the San Antonio, Texas native was taught (along with his brother Will) how to play guitar by the “Godfather of Austin Blues,” W.C. Clark.  In 1982, not quite 14 years old, “Little Charlie” Sexton played a number of dates with the Joe Ely Band after that band’s guitarist broke some bones in his hand.

Charlie’s impressive guitar work was already legendary, especially for such a young man, and in 1985, then just 16 years old, he released his first album, PICTURES FOR PLEASURE.  On the album, Charlie Sexton merged Rock and Blues with New Wave, and instantly drew comparisons to David Bowie and Billy Idol (Keith Forsey, Billy’s longtime producer and collaborator – and the man who scored the John Hughes classic, THE BREAKFAST CLUB – produced PICTURES FOR PLEASURE).

The lone single from the album, “Beat’s So Lonely,” debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in mid-December 1985 and took its time climbing the chart, reaching the Top 40 two months later.  In early April 1986, (and a statistic only a singles chart nerd like myself can prolly appreciate), a then-17-year-old Charlie Sexton spent his third week at No. 17 (in its 17th chart week on the Hot 100) with “Beat’s So Lonely.”  And, after that, for 24 years, Charlie Sexton was a (real) one-hit wonder of the 80s.

Then, in 2010, following the devastating Haiti earthquake, Charlie appeared on a cover version of Leonard Cohen’s eternal “Hallelujah” with Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris on the HOPE FOR HAITI NOW compilation, to benefit those affected by the earthquake. “Hallelujah” was one of 19 performances from the live telethon, which also included folks like Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Madonna, Bono, The Edge and Stevie Wonder.  That version of “Hallelujah” reached No. 13 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 and was the most-downloaded song from the album.

Charlie Sexton and David Bowie on stage together, 1987.

Charlie Sexton has released a total of four albums between 1985 and 2005, but he’s remained busy.  He performed in the brilliant 1991 Ridley Scott film, THELMA & LOUISE, and contributed to the soundtrack.  He was also a guitarist for Bob Dylan’s backing band from 1999 to 2002, and again from 2009 to 2012. 

To this day, Charlie continues to perform, supports other musicians such as Eric Clapton and Spoon, and has even done some more acting, appearing in the 2014 Richard Linklater film, BOYHOOD, nominated for six Academy Awards and picking up a win for Best Supporting Actress, Patricia Arquette.

Charlie Sexton, in a scene from the 2014 film, BOYHOOD.

And on this day, yeah, the beat is lonelier without John Hughes around, but every time I play songs like Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” Oingo Boingo’s “Weird Science,” “Pretty In Pink” by The Psychedelic Furs, “Tenderness” by General Public, “If You Were Here” by Thompson Twins, OMD’s “If You Leave” or this gem by Charlie Sexton, I know the beat of John Hughes is still there, and as long as people keep playing the music from his films, and watching those amazing films, the beat will always be there, and maybe, not so lonely…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCRtHVEroQ0

song of the day – “The Feeling Begins” (from THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST) | PETER GABRIEL | 1989.

Peter Gabriel is famous for taking his time in releasing studio albums – six years between SO and 1992’s US, 10 years between US and 2002’s UP, and eight years between UP and 2010’s covers concept album, SCRATCH MY BACK.  But every one of these albums was more than worth the wait, all exceptional in their own way.

But, just because there was a gap between these albums doesn’t mean Peter Gabriel wasn’t busy.  For example, inbetween SO and US, Peter started his long association with Amnesty International and participated in all 28 of Amnesty’s Human Rights Concerts (a series of concerts that ran between 1986 and 1998), and of which also included the likes of U2, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, The Hooters, Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman and  Sinéad O’Connor.  Peter would perform at six Amnesty concert events in 1986 and another 20 in 1988, as well as the Secret Policeman’s Ball benefit shows.

In addition to his work with Amnesty International, Peter Gabriel did actually release a brilliant film score between SO and US, for the 1988 Martin Scorsese film, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST…but unlike most film soundtrack or scores, he didn’t release it right away.

Of the delay in releasing the film score, Peter Gabriel said, “After we finished mixing the film, there were some unfinished ideas that needed developing, and I took some extra time to complete this record.  There are several places the were not able to be included and I felt the record should be able to stand as a separate body of work.  I chose the working title for the film – PASSION.”

On this album, you’ll find music represented from many parts of the world, and musicians to match, hailing from the likes of Turkey, India (L. Shankar, Manny Elias), Egypt (Hossam Ramzy), Morocco, Senegal (Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal), Pakistan (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) and many more.  Several of these artists would appear on Peter Gabriel’s next album, 1992’s US, and later on their own compilation released by Peter’s label, Real World Records, the 1993 companion album, PLUS FROM US.

PASSION (Music From THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST) was released as a 2-album set (and on one CD and cassette) on June 5, 1989, nearly 10 months after the release of the film itself.  PASSION was well-received everywhere, being certified Gold here in the U.S., as well as receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score – Motion Picture and winning a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best New Age Album, Peter’s first Grammy Award.  It has been long-regarded as a landmark album for the popularity of the World music genre.

I have long-regarded this album as one of the most moving and beautiful bodies of music I have ever heard, and my passion for PASSION will stay with me forever.  If you are moved by today’s “song of the day,” “The Feeling Begins” (which is the album opener for PASSION) as much as I was the first time I heard it, I encourage you to continue that feeling and listen to the entire album. The PASSION will stay with you too…

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