It's not often that you wake up to find one of your musical heroes has passed away. Today, however, is one of those days and I find myself at a loss for words at the moment. Kenny MacLean was one of my favorite singers, with a voice so versatile, so expressive. When he wrapped that voice around a song, it became his. The fact that he was also a great guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and producer did not escape me either and I came to regard much of the music he released throughout his life as some of my favorite of all time.
As a kid, I bought the Deserters' second album, Siberian Nightlife, sight-unseen at my local record store back in Michigan because, upon glancing at the album credits, I noticed they were managed by the same company as the Romantics, whom I adored.
Upon arriving home and giving the record a listen, I fell in love with the band. The album received little fanfare, though, and the band quietly called it a day without me ever knowing it. I figured as much, though, as many of the bands I loved back then were subject to the same lack of appreciation by the mainstream and tended to break up out of frustration.
So the Deserters quickly fell into my own little "where are they now" file until one day I took a look at the new Platinum Blonde album, Alien Shores, and noticed the trio had added a fourth member. It took awhile for me to put two and two together, as he certainly looked a lot different in lip gloss and a bottle-blonde hair-do than he had on the Deserters' album cover, but when I realized that the new guy in Platinum Blonde was Kenny Maclean from the Deserters, I felt as if I'd been reunited with a long lost friend.
See, I was already a huge fan of Platinum Blonde's first album, so Kenny joining the band was like a musical Reese's cup for me. Two great tastes that go great together.
Of course, while Alien Shores was a little overproduced for me, and third album, Contact, was more a showcase for Mark Holmes than an actual Platinum Blonde album (original drummer Chris Steffler had left the band by then), I was thrilled to see Kenny get to be part of such a huge success.
That success, while pretty much limited to Canada, was substantial. Thus, there was a great level of interest in Kenny's first solo album, Don't Look Back.
He'd since continued to work with other artists, was a popular hair stylist (!), and had been performing a set of timeless rock covers as part of a production called Rock Of Ages. Most recently, he had completed work on his third solo album, Completely, and two singles ("Deliverance" and "Feel Free") had already been garnering attention.
His passing catches me quite off-guard and I am sure it catches his family and friends by surprise as well. My most heartfelt sorrow goes out to them, as they mourn the passing of a beautiful soul.
To Kenny, wherever he may be at this moment, I just want to say thanks for making music that touched my heart and for being the kind of guy who gives rock stars a good name. That they should all be as warm and genuine as he was.
Here are four of my favorite songs from his last two solo efforts:
Imagine an 80's pop band featuring future Lightning Seed/Echo & The Bunnymen producer Ian Broudie in a support role and you'll have a pretty good idea why you've probably never heard of Original Mirrors. Unless, of course, you have heard of Original Mirrors, in which case I must wonder if it isn't because you're a Broudie completist.
This particular track is from the band's debut effort and is an interesting revamp of the Diana Ross & The Supremes classic "Reflections".
There are very few albums as criminally unknown to the masses as the one and only release from UK duo The Lover Speaks. Their career certainly began in true story-book fashion; a demo tape made its way to Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, who forwarded it to Jimmy Iovine, who then helped secure a deal with A&M Records. Iovine also produced the duo's lone release, which hits stores in the fall of 1986.
Aside from some obligatory college radio play and a smattering of dance club spins, the album came and went with little fanfare. A second album was released, but rejected by the label. The duo then broke-up in 1988.
That could have been the final chapter in this saga if not for Eurythmics' singer Annie Lennox rediscovering the song "No More I Love You's" for her 1995 covers project, Medusa. Her version of the song broke the US Top 40 and received massive Top 40 radio airplay.
While the original version of the song is not without its charms, Lennox did not so much cover the song as re-invent it and, in doing so, make it her own. After months of hearing Lennox's version, I recall revisiting the original and being quite surprised at the depth of her interpretation. Where the original is much more idiosyncratic, mixing male/female vocals to great effect, Lennox creates a singular vocal performance that lifts the song to new heights, all the while retaining many of the idiosyncrasies that could have very easily fallen by the wayside.
While the song was obviously worthy of the attention Lennox brought to it, the great thing about The Lover Speaks' album is that there is a wealth of great material to be found beyond "the hit". The aforementioned "Never To Forget You" has an earworm-of-a-chorus and a dance groove that, in hindsight, seems tailor-made for the charts and dance floors alike. "Love Is: 'I Gave You Everything'" sounds like a love theme from a John Hughes movie that never was. Close your eyes and you can almost see a young Jon Cryer crying his eyes out in the rain.
"Okay, Darren, we get it, it's a great album. Where can we buy it?"
I'm glad you asked. A quick check of Amazon and eBay reveals that, indeed, you can buy the album. It's gonna cost you, though. Used copies go for a minimum of $85 on Amazon.
This, of course, is a direct result of the album never receiving a much-deserved re-release on CD beyond its initial 1986 release. Considering the fact that just about everything else has seen the light of day on CD, I remain speechless as to why this album remains a buried gem.
And, of course, the idea of paying $85 for any CD is absurd.
With the impending release of Chinese Democracy mere hours away, one thing I've been enjoying much more than the actual album are the reviews. It seems every rock critic on the planet has been winding up and giving this one their best shot. Some take vitriolic pot shots at GNR ringleader Axl W. Rose, while others survey the release with detached humor and bewilderment.
Tis true that Rose has given the rock journalism community much to work with here. First off, you have an album that cost over $13 million dollars to record and sounds like it was cut in somebody's bedroom ProTools studio. Secondly, said album took over fifteen years to complete, yet it sounds like it could have been cut in three weeks and, truth be told, doing so might give it the cohesiveness it is sorely misses.
See, when you have this many band members and producers and engineers work on a project over a decade-and-a-half, the less it's going to sound like a unified piece of work. No GNR album will ever escape comparison to "Appetite For Destruction". What "Chinese Democracy" does so well, though, is reveal the strengths of the band's debut effort. It was recorded quickly by five guys with a united goal and vision, each hungry (both literally and figuratively) to break free of their current surroundings and have their music be heard by a world that does not yet know they exist. In that respect, "Chinese Democracy" could not be more different from that album, and the current GNR could not be more different from the band that recorded "Paradise City".
Yet there are endless die-hard fans who've been waiting breathlessly lo these many years, each convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Axl was and is the true driving force of the band. That he has taken fifteen years to finally "unleash the fucking fury" (to borrow a phrase from fellow metal diva Yngwie Malmsteen) would seem to indicate quite strongly otherwise, but not to them. In their mind, it just makes Axl greater. Of course, Axl must have come to realize this. By never actually releasing "Chinese Democracy", the folklore grew and grew while expectations ebbed and flowed like the Pacific Ocean a stone's throw from Axl's Malibu spread.
But, as was bound to happen, Axl's label, Geffen Records, finally stopped cutting checks for the project. Enter legendary manager/record exec Irving Azoff, who stroked Axl's ego enough to get the reclusive gunner to sign off on the project. Next thing we knew, there was a rumored deal with Best Buy and *GASP!* a release date.
Having known people who'd taken part in the sessions over the years, I'd been privy to supposedly finished masters of the album from as far back as 1998. What I heard when I gave the actual finished masters a listen wasn't that much different from what I heard back then. Aside from a slightly updated track listing, very little has been changed, making the additional millions spent on this project seem completely unwarranted.
And therein lies the rub. This project is probably the last of the old school records; cut in big-name studios, with big-name producers, and an endless revolving door of well-paid sidemen. The way things used to work when this album began are no longer the way things work now and my hunch is that nobody is more shocked by that fact than Axl Rose. I'm sure he may have been aware that other acts and labels were running a leaner, meaner machine, but that such things would never apply to him because, well, he's Axl mother-bleeping Rose, the sole owner of the Guns & Roses brand. Nobody knows better than this guy what it feels like to not leave your home for weeks at a time and still make millions in the process.
That "Chinese Democracy" ever saw the light of day was the result of a label finally saying "enough's enough" and an artist knowing the only way to see another dime was to finally let it go, whether he was happy with the final result or not.
Axl's relatively new alliance with Irving Azoff, of course, does come with some very noticeable strings attached. The diminutive manager has long walked tall and carried a big stick, being instrumental in the reformation of Eagles (who swore that hell would freeze over before they'd even consider getting back together, but then Azoff wrote a number with a crap-load of zeroes on a slip of paper, slid it across the table to each one of them, and voila, it was reunion time!) and no doubt bent on the same such reunion idea with new clients Morrissey and Axl Rose.
Thus, the sooner "Chinese Democracy" is released and recouped (if such a thing is possible), the sooner a GNR reunion can begin taking shape.
A concert industry friend of mine says feels have already been put out for a GNR reunion tour for summer of 2009. This is the same friend who told me of Van Halen's testing of the waters regarding a David Lee Roth-tour a year prior, while they were out with Sammy Hagar.
My only curiosity is whether any real effort will be made to promote "Chinese Democracy". Will the "Hired Guns & Roses" even tour at this point? My hunch is that this album will come and go rather quietly, the less said the better.
I've not been too enthralled by any of the new programs offered by the major networks over the past few years. This year, though, my curiosity was piqued by NBC's new show, "My Own Worst Enemy", starring Christian Slater.
Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of Slater, but the concept of a special agent with a scientifically-produced split personality intrigued me. To me, it looked like it might be of the same quality as another of my current faves, "Burn Notice", on USA Network. That show, which stars Jeffrey Donovan (who can also be seen in Changeling and on the local Chicago theater scene in "Don't Dress For Dinner" through January 11), has been one of my favorite series this year.
Upon watching the pilot episode of My Own Worst Enemy, I remained intrigued and curious about how they would develop the main story line, which is the fact that Slater's handlers can no longer control when one personality rears its head. There's Edward, the cold-blooded agent and Henry, the family man. That neither knew about the other's existence until now and how they learn to co-exist within the same body left much promise that future episodes would bring the goods.
Unfortunately, by the third episode, they'd done nothing to advance the story lines and one began to get the feeling this was a show stuck in neutral.
Additionally, expecting viewers to buy the schlubby ne'er-do-well from Yes Dear (Mike O'Malley) as a fellow secret agent is asking a lot. I've always been incredibly underwhelmed by his acting talents and seeing him pop up on this show struck me as a huge case of miscasting.
Alfre Woodard, on the other hand, seems to have become typecast as a matriarch of sorts, wielding a heavy stick and occasional heart of gold.
While I admit that my interest in the show was waning, I am not known for giving up on shows quickly. I held on for much of Lost's third season before throwing in the towel, for example, despite the show having lost the plot completely about halfway through season two.
Thankfully, NBC probably did me a favor by canceling the show this week. Unfortunately, this probably means that O'Malley will pop up in something else. Perhaps they might team him up with Andy Richter and create a talent vortex that sucks them into some terrestrial abyss from whence they never return.
Christian Slater on the other hand? I'm left wondering what sort of career he has left on the big screen. I don't see him carrying films on his own, that's for sure, but perhaps he will continue to find ensemble roles to keep him busy. One thing's for sure, his dalliance with television is more than likely over.
The remainder of the show's nine episodes will be aired on NBC. After that, adios.
It was just another day, my lady and I a little buzzed from an hour or so at the hookah joint. We decided to step into this little vintage thrift store to check out the retro duds. Just as I was starting to say "They want how much for that Cheap Trick 'One On One' '82 tour shirt?!", I heard the coolest song come on the little in-store CD player.
Of course, everything about this place was cooler-than-thou thrift store chic, right down to the two female employees in horn-rim glasses and retro dresses. This was L.A., after all. So it was with some hesitation that I asked what song was playing.
Barely even looking at me, the woman said in a deadpan voice that was the female equivalent of Napolean Dynamite's: "It's Pedro The Lion, from the album 'Control'. The song is called 'Rapture'."
Awesome.
I promptly left to buy a Pedro The Lion CD.
The song itself is an odd one. It rocks, true, but it also so eloquently captures the moment; a tryst in some thirty-dollar motel room, the euphoria, the guilt, the, ahem, angels singing.
See, the reason I'd never ventured to listen to a Pedro The Lion album until that fateful day in the thrift shop was because I knew PTL (hmm, are you thinking what I'm thinking?) was basically an indie-approved Christian band and, well, one Starflyer 59 was more than enough.
This song, though, is easily in my Top 10 of all-time favorite songs. It's just a great moment captured imperfectly perfect on tape.
I know the childhood "me" would've wrinkled his nose at the idea that someday I'd look forward to the coming of Thanksgiving and Christmas (oh, is it still politically incorrect to say "Christmas"? Boo f'ing hoo) because, well, it also meant the coming of holiday flavors of coffee creamer.
A couple years ago, it was Carnation who unveiled their Peppermint Mocha and Pumpkin Spice flavors and my mouth danced like Fred Astaire with each sip. This year, even regional imprints like California-based Lucerne, which is sold at Dominick's stores throughout Chicago (but that I cannot find in California, go figure), have come out with their own holiday flavors; luscious Peppermint White Chocolate and delightful Pumpkin Pecan.
Screw the gifts, I am already in coffee-drinkin' holiday heaven.
Mere minutes into the latest 007 caper, Quantum Of Solace, I realized that the James Bond I've known and loved since childhood was dead and gone. In its place; a humorless, steroid-popping bull in a china shop. Gone is any trace of nuance, subtlety or class that made James Bond the pride of Her Majesty's Secret Service.
For two hours, I was struck dumb by what I was seeing on the screen as the moviegoers around me sat transfixed, barely able to breath (but, strangely, still able to shovel popcorn into their pie holes). By the time the end credits rolled, they were up from their seats, happily exhausted from the brainless thrill-ride they'd been taken on and anxious to ride again. And they will, too. Just pack the next Bond flick with tons of explosions and not-even-close-to-being-possible chase scenes and they'll be happy.
In a day and age where we've got enough brain-dead movie franchises for the masses, I really see no need for the 007 series to join their ranks. Fuck, Transporter 3 is a more subtle and intellectually challenging slice of celluloid than this new Bond flick. And, truth be told, Jason Statham makes a better Bond, by far, which is saying something because, well, he's no Sean Connery, if you catch my drift.
Make no mistake, I'm not asking for much. But I'm certainly not asking to be shown James Bond in a moment of self-abuse. What the fuck is that about? The reason we all fell in love with James Bond was because we knew - without having to be beaten over the head with it - that Bond wasn't perfect. We knew that when his lady bought the farm that he hurt inside. We knew he wasn't a machine. We also knew that he was absolutely the best at what he did and that nothing would stand in the way of him being Bond, James Bond and completing his mission.
The new Bond, by comparison, is a mono-syllabic thug with a face only a mother could love. There is no grace or humor to anything he does. He is Rambo in a tailored suit.
You know, it still kills me that People Magazine (and a few other like-minded wastes of paper) can't go an issue without at least some mention of the whole Jen/Angelina thing. Of course, this month's Vogue features a Jennifer Aniston cover story/interview and some tidbits from the interview are now making the rounds on the Associated Press news wire. The general vibe of the AP article is that Jen is now able to admit publicly that what Angelina by falling for Brad on the set of the film Mr. And Mrs. Smith was "uncool."
What's most appalling is that Brad and Jen were officially divorced in October 2005 and it's still the go-to "topic-of-choice" for People, National Enquirer and their brethren some three years later. Now, of course, an otherwise reputable rag like Vogue needs to remind everyone that they're still around every six months or so, so they resort to covering, you guessed it, Jen and Angelina so that AP will have something to dish about.
Sigh.
Apparently, none of this will die down until I, your friendly neighrborhood rock blogger, finally check in with my opinion on the whole Jen/Brad/Angelina thing. If it'll help put this non-story to rest once and for all, believe me, I'm more than happy to do my part.
So here goes:
First off, let me just say that Brad Pitt is a putz. The guy has all the personality and depth of a guy who has never ever had to have any personality or depth because, well, he's pretty easy on the eyes. He's a mimbo. Or is that himbo?
Whatever.
Jen, on the other hand, is an attractive woman with a nice rack in a city full of attractive women with nice racks. Had she not won the lotto by landing the role on "Friends", I seriously doubt, we'd be talking about her now. I mean, she's hot and I'd probably walk through broken glass to drink her bath water if I didn't have anything else going on at that particular moment, but, all things considered, she's not overly remarkable.
I mean, I worked with a woman at my last job whose beauty and natural endowments (for lack of a better word) were stunning. I mean stunning! Multiply Jessica Alba times ten and you're still not even half the way there. If she ever lands a gig on an NBC sitcom, I can guarantee every man in America will have a thirty-minute erection once a week.
Most importantly, Angelina Jolie wouldn't stand a chance of stealing her man. If she tries, this women would have Ms. Jolie spitting teeth.
This, of course, brings me back to poor Jen, who, three years later, is only barely able to muster any real heat on the subject of the woman who stole her man. In the Vogue piece, Aniston is quoted as saying, "There was stuff printed there that was definitely from a time when I was unaware that it was happening. I felt those details were a little inappropriate to discuss. That stuff about how she couldn't wait to get to work every day? That was really uncool."
Wow. I'm all for being diplomatic - wait, who am I kidding? I've never been a proponent of diplomacy. The truth of the matter is that if Jen is ever going to find true happiness, she needs to come out of her shell a bit.
Maybe instead of saying what she said up above, she needs to say what she's really thinking, which is "That little bitch talks about not being the sort of woman to ever steal another woman's man and then what does she do? She steals my man. Now, I know Brad was as blank as a fart, but he was nice to look at and not bad to wake up to each morning, but he was mine. Angelina may as well have come into my house and stole my 52" inch plasma screen television. If she had tried that shit while I was there, I'd have planted my foot so far up her ass there'd be an Adidas logo on the roof of her mouth. Uncool don't even begin to describe it."
Jolie has done a masterful job of cultivating a holier-than-thou mystique in light of the fact that she's a manipulative, lying sack of shit and a man-stealing one at that.
Jen seems to have come out of this with very little public sympathy while Brad and Angie are more popular than ever, their every move covered by a salivating tabloid press.
If Jen, just once, came out swinging, she'd turn the tables once and for all on these two vacuous love birds.
While released in November of 1982, Michael Jackson's Thriller was, no doubt, the chart story of 1983 (and 1984). Upon release, it became the first album in history to simultaneously top the charts in the US and UK. It spent 37 weeks at #1 in the US and spent 80 consecutive weeks in the Top 10. It also produced seven Top 10 singles, "The Girl Is Mine" (#2), "Beat It" (#1), "Billie Jean" (#1), "Human Nature" (#7), "P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)" (#10), "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (#5), and the title cut (#4).
Additionally, although released in the fall of '82, Prince's album, 1999, enjoys huge success throughout 1983. The title track, for starters, reaches #12 in the US. "Little Red Corvette" climbs to #6, while third single "Delirious" also makes an appearance in the Top 10, peaking at #8.
JANUARY
Eurythmics release their breakthrough album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This). With the title track becoming a #1 hit single (with the video getting heavy MTV rotation prior to radio getting in on the action), the album peaks at #15 and is certified platinum.
Def Leppard release their third album, Pyromania, and, in doing so, jump to the front of the hard rock scene. Singles "Photograph" (#12), "Rock Of Ages" (#16) and "Foolin'" (#28), all garner heavy rock and Top 40 radio airplay, propelling the album to #2. The album would go on to sell over ten million copies in the US.
FEBRUARY
U2 release their third album, War, and, in doing so, knock Michael Jackson's Thriller from the #1 spot in the UK. The album reached #12 in the US, with singles "New Years Day", "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Two Hearts Beat As One" getting widespread radio airplay.
Styx release the concept album Kilroy Was Here, which is best-known for the hit single "Mr. Roboto". That single would reach #3, while follow-up single "Dont Let It End" would reach #6. The album itself would peak at #3 and the band would take their conceptual show to the stadiums of America, where the band's attempts at acting out portions of the album would not be well-received by audiences.
Journey release Frontiers, their second album since Jonathan Cain's addition to the line-up. The album would rocket to #2 on the charts while four singles would enjoy Top 40 success: "After The Fall" (#23), "Send Her My Love" (#23), "Faithfully" (#12), and "Separate Ways" (#8). The band's tour is one of the year's biggest undertakings and also one of the most successful. During said tour, they would hire NFL Films to film a documentary on the band's travels called Frontiers And Beyond.
MARCH
Quiet Riot rocket out of obscurity with their third album, Metal Health and the Top 5 mega-hit single "Cum On Feel The Noize". Propelled by the success of the single, as well as radio hits "Metal Health" and "Slick Black Cadillac", the album hits #1 in the US and goes on to sell over 6 million copies.
Laura Branigan returns with the aptly-titled album Branigan 2, scoring a Top 10 hit with "Solitaire" and hitting #12 with "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You". Strangely enough, the album also includes a re-working of Falco's "Der Kommisar" that is re-titled "Deep In The Dark".
Pink Floyd release the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to The Wall. The new album, entitled The Final Cut, would reach #1 in the UK and much of Europe, but would rise only as high as #6 in the US. Singles "Not Now John", "Your Possible Pasts" and "The Hero's Return" were all non-factors on the charts. Behind the scenes, the band is in shambles, as Rick Wright is no longer a part of the band and David Gilmour sings but one song. It would be Water's last album with the band. To date, the band has never performed a song from this album in concert, although Roger Waters has done so during his solo shows.
APRIL
R.E.M. release their first full-length album, Murmur, and take the alternative scene by storm, scoring heavy critical acclaim and widespread college radio airplay. It peaks at #36 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and is named Best Album of The Year by Rolling Stone, beating out Michael Jackson's Thriller. [Check out "We Walk/Behind Closed Doors" (live)]
Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer runs the London Marathon, finishing in four hours, thirty minutes. Said Strummer beforehand, "The biggest temptation will be to run into a pub along the route."
Former Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon is found dead on April 14 of a heroin overdose.
David Bowie re-invents himself yet again and enjoys the greatest commercial success of his career with the album Let's Dance, which rises to #4 on the US charts (and #1 in the UK) as singles "Let's Dance" and "China Girl" both break the Top 10 and garner heavy MTV airplay.
Michael Bolton releases his first solo album under his new last name (he had released two albums in the 70's under his real name Michael Bolotin) for his new label, Columbia. The self-titled album, which is comprised of hard rock would-be anthems, manages a lowly chart position of #89.
MAY
The second US Festival kicks off on May 28 with a line-up of new wave acts headlined by The Clash. The next night features heavy metal acts (featuring Van Halen), and the third night is more mainstream fare (David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, John Cougar, and U2. While a great success, the event is a ridiculously expensive undertaking (a $15 million budget, with most bands rumored to have made in the area of six figures for their performances) and, thus, festival founder Steve Wozniak (best known for co-founding Apple Computer) puts the idea of future US festivals to rest for good. [Check out Stray Cats "Lonely Summer Nights" (live"]
Rick Springfield releases Living In Oz, an album intended to showcase his serious side as an artist in the wake of the teen idol success that followed the release of Working Class Dog. This album features two Top 20 singles in "Human Touch" and "Affair of The Heart and manages to make it to #12 on the charts, selling well over two million copies. By year's end, Springfield is at work on his big-screen debut, Hard To Hold. [Check out "Living In Oz" (live)]
Talking Heads release their fifth studio album, Speaking In Tongues, which is best known for the band's signature tune, "Burning Down The House", which reached #9 on the US singles charts. The album itself would rise to #15 and reach platinum status. The band had initially commissioned artist to Robert Rauschenberg to design the cover. His creation, a mix of blue plastic encasing a clear vinyl album, proved to costly to manufacture in large quantities. 50,000 copies are manufactured and sold at a list price of $12.98. David Byrne's alternate design, which he painted himself, replaces it.
Meatloaf, having committed career suicide by not only parting ways with, but also suing, writer/producer Jim Steinman, releases a new album called Midnight At The Lost And Found. Most notably absent from the album are two songs Steinman had written for the project, "Making Love (Out Of Nothing At All)" and "Total Eclipse of The Heart". The songs, of course, went on to both be huge hits for Air Supply and Bonnie Tyler, respectively. "Total Eclipse" went to #1 on the US charts, while "Making Love" would only rise as high as #2. Oddly enough, it was kept from the #1 spot by "Total Eclipse", as both were released as singles within weeks of one another. Meanwhile, Meatloaf's album fails to chart.
The Police release their sixth album, Synchronicity. Easily their most accessible work to date, the album is preceded by the release of the single "Every Breath You Take", which dominates radio and MTV playlists, becoming the band's first US #1 single. The band tours the US through the summer and fall, playing large stadiums to sold-out crowds every step of the way. Subsequent singles "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger land in the Top 10 with "Synchronicity II" peaking at #16. For diehard fans of the band, there are actually thirty-six different variations of the album artwork.
Hall & Oates reach #6 on the pop charts with their cover of a Mike Oldfield (of Tubular Bells fame) song, "Family Man". It is included on their mega-platinum album, H2O, which also includes Top 10 hits "Maneater" and "One On One".
Mere months after being plucked out of relative obscurity to play on David Bowie's Let's Dance album, Stevie Ray Vaughan releases his debut major label effort, Texas Flood. His arrival on the national scene totally revitalizes the blues genre as his playing draws raves from the likes of Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton. The album breaks the Top 40 and the single "Pride And Joy" enjoys heavy AOR format radio airplay. [Check out "Mary Had A Little Lamb" (live)]
JULY
Madonna releases her self-titled debut album and quickly enjoys success on the disco/dance scene. She quickly turns that momentum into mainstream success with singles "Lucky Star" (#4) and "Borderline" (#10) both becoming huge pop singles. The album itself reaches #8 in the US.
Robert Plant scores his second Top 10 solo album with the release of The Principle Of Moments. It featurs Top 20 single "Big Log", while "In The Mood" rises to #39. The album features Phil Collins on drums for six tracks. Collins is also part of Plant's touring band.
John Travolta appears in the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, entitled Staying Alive. In this film, he is now a struggling Broadway dancer looking for his big break. The movie was directed by Sylvester Stallone. The soundtrack album features a majority of Bee Gees tunes, as well as a song by Frank Stallone (no way!), and Cynthia Rhodes (who would go on to join Animotion and marry Richard Marx).
SEPTEMBER
Almost two years after the original release of their debut LP, Too Fast For Love, Motley Crue release their follow-up album, Shout At The Devil. With metal acts such as Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Quiet Riot, and Scorpions enjoying mainstream success, Motley Crue's reputation as "bad boys" makes for great press and helps propel the album into the Top 20, even as singles "Too Young To Fall In Love" and "Looks That Kill" fail to break the Top 40. [Check out "Helter Skelter" (live)]
Detroit's The Romantics bounce back from a two-album slump to achieve the highest chart success of their career with their fourth album, In Heat (#14). The album's lead-off single, "Talking In Your Sleep", generates plenty of heat in its own right on Top 40 radio and quickly hits the Top 5. Follow-up single "One In A Million" also breaks the Top 40.
KISS announce the release of their new album Lick It Up by appearing on MTV on the day of its release sans make-up. Aside from being the first album to show the group without their trademark facepaint, it is the first album since the official departure of guitarist Ace Frehley. The album would reach a peak position of #24 and go gold on the strength of public interest in the band's new look, while the single "Lick It Up" would only rise as high as #66 on the singles charts.
After five straight Top 40 albums, Cheap Trick's aplty-named album, Next Position Please, fails to break the Top 40. "I Can't Take It" and "Dancing The Night Away" (a cover of a song by UK band The Motors) are released as singles; both fail to chart.
J. Geils Band singer Peter Wolf is suddenly kicked out of the band.
OCTOBER
Following the break-up of her band (Blue Angel), bankruptcy, and a stint as a waitress in a Japanese piano bar, Cyndi Lauper returns with her first solo album, She's So Unusual. First single "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" goes #1 in over ten countries, but stalls at #2 in both the US and UK. The video gains almost non-stop rotation on MTV and makes Cyndi one of the most recognizable new faces on the music scene. Follow-up single "Time After Time" becomes her first US #1 single. Other singles from the album include "She Bop (#3), "All Through The Night" (#5) and "Money Changes Everything" (#27). The album has sold just shy of ten million copies in the US to date.
Paul McCartney releases Pipes Of Peace, an album that, like the album before it (Tug Of War), features two Michael Jackson collaborations (The #1 US hit "Say Say Say" and "The Man"). The album itself manages only a #15 showing in the US, going Top 5 in the UK.
Saying "this album is either gonna make me famous or ruin my career", John Cougar Mellencamp releases Uh-Huh, the follow-up to the wildly successful American Fool. Most notably, it is his first album to carry his legal surname, Mellencamp. It features collaborations with John Prine ("Jackie O") and, even stranger, Mellencamp's hair dresser, Dan Ross (Play Guitar"). The album goes to #9 on the US charts, with three hit singles; "Crumblin' Down" (#9), "Pink Houses" (#8), and "Authority Song (#15).
Paul Simon releases a new solo album, entitled Hearts And Bones. What makes this album most notable was that, up until the last moment, it had been a Simon & Garfunkel album (to be called Think Too Much), but Simon wiped Garfunkel's vocals off the tracks, much to the chagrin of Warner Brothers Records, who'd been banking on the chiming of cash registers that a new Simon & Garfunkel album would most surely bring. The album is a commercial underachiever, barely denting the Top 40, with lead-off single "Allergies" peaking at a lackluster #44. Second single "Think Too Much" (a song that had been issued as the B-side to "Allergies") fails to chart. [Check out "Hearts And Bones" (live)]
Huey Lewis & The News release Sports and immediately take the charts by storm. It is also reported that sales of vanilla-flavored ice cream go through the roof - just kidding. First single "Heart And Soul" builds upon the momentum of the band's last album, Picture Thus, and climbs to #8 on the charts. A steady string of heavily-played radio hits is to follow, including ""I Want A New Drug" (#6), "If This Is It" (#6), and "Walking On A Thin Line" (#18). It would go on to be the 2nd best selling album of 1984, behind only Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Culture Club release their second album, Colour By Numbers, and score their second straight UK #1 album (the album peaks at #2 in the US). The album is also a huge success in the US, reaching #2 and spawning massive MTV hits "Karma Chameleon" (#1), "Miss Me Blind" #5), "Church Of The Poison Mind" (#10), and "It's A Miracle" (#13). The album is certified 10x Platinum in Canada; the first album to achieve the Diamond certification in that country.
With the release of their self-titled album, the transformation of Genesis into a full-fledged pop band is complete. While previous efforts Duke and Abacab had only hinted at their pop side among the prog, the reverse is true for this effort. While first single "Mama" is a dark, atmospheric track that does prog-era Genesis justice, "That's All" (which reaches #6 on the pop charts) more accurately reflects the album's direction. "Illegal Alien" and "Taking It All Too Hard" both fall short of Top 40 status, but enjoy moderate MTV rotation. The album, meanwhile hits #9 and sells over
NOVEMBER
Not wishing to rest on the laurels of their platinum success with the album and single "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" earlier in the year, Eurythmics release Touch and continue their winning ways. With the album rising to a peak position of #7, the band scores a Top 5 single with "Here Comes The Rain Again". Two additional singles also break the Top 40; "Who's That Girl" (#21)and "Right By Your Side" (#29).
Duran Duran enjoy hits from three albums during the calendar year 1983, including their latest album, Seven And The Ragged Tiger. First single "Union Of The Snake" lands at #3, with "The Reflex" going #1, and "New Moon On Monday peaking at #10. Despite their songs being all over MTV, the album manages a meager #8 showing on the charts.
Yes do a masterful job of retooling themselves for the 80's following the less-than-successful attempt that was Drama (1980). Marking the introduction of new guitarist Trevor Rabin and the return of original singer Jon Anderson, 90125. The lead-off single "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" becomes the band's first US #1 hit single. The album itself peaks at #5.
The Rolling Stones release their new album, Undercover, and see their streak of eight consecutive #1 studio albums in the US come to an end. The album, while peaking at #4, receives lukewarm critical reviews (save for a glowing review in Rolling Stone, which should come as no surprise considering Jann Wenner himself would go on to give Mick Jagger's quickly-forgotten 2004 solo album, Goddess In The Doorway, a five-star rating). "Undercover of The Night" is the album's sole Top 10 single. Subsequent singles "She Was Hot" and "Too Much Blood" fail to break the Top 40.
U2 release Under A Blood Red Sky, a live album culled from a pivotal perfomance at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre just outside of Denver, CO. The album, released mere months after their breakthrough studio album, War, peaks at #28 on the charts and solidifies their status as a premier live act.
In a November issue of Rolling Stone magazine, ten largely-unknown UK acts are hailed as the future of UK rock. The ten bands mentioned are The Chameleons, Specimen, Big Country, The Smiths, The Alarm, The Bluebells, Aztec Camera, Virginia Astley, The Death Cult, and Jimmy The Hoover.
DECEMBER
By year's end, the impact of MTV on the music scene is undeniable. A Rolling Stone article entitled "Ad Nauseum: How MTV Sells Out Rock & Roll" only hints at the potential backlash as record companies begin to feel the pressure to cater to the channel's whims. While making stars of VJ's like Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, and J.J. Jackson, the list of artists the video channel has singlehandedly turned into stars also continues to grow. Well, maybe not so much black artists, which the channel is widely criticized for ignoring. After Mark Goodman interviewed David Bowie in his hotel room for an MTV segment, with cameras no longer rolling (but a reporter taking notes), Bowie turned the tables on Goodman:
Bowie: I'm distraught by the fact that there are so few black artists featured on MTV. Why is that? Goodman: I think we're trying to move in that direction. We seem to be doing music that fits into what we want to play on MTV. The company is thinking in terms of narrow-casting... Bowie: There seem to be a lot of black artists making very good videos that I'm surprised aren't used on MTV. Goodman: Of course, also we have to try and do what we think not only New York and Los Angeles will appreciate, but also Poughkeepsie and the Midwest. Pick some town in the Midwest that would be scared to death by Prince, which we're playing, or a string of other black faces, or black music... Bowie: Isn't that interesting... Goodman: We have to play music we think an entire country is going to like, and certainly we're a rock & roll station. We grew up in an era where the Isley Brothers meant something to me. But what does it mean to a 17-year-old? Bowie: I'll tell you what the Isley Brothers or Marvin Gaye means to a black 17-year-old, and surely he's part of America. Goodman: No question, no question. That's why we're seeing those things. Bowie: Don't you think it's a frightening predicament for MTV to be in? Goodman: Yeah, but less so here than in radio.
In March, in fact, the station finds itself in a showdown with CBS Records when the label delivers the video for Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". If MTV, which had not shown much attention to Jackson's previous videos, does not agree to play the video, CBS threatens to yank all of their videos from the channel. MTV airs the video.
Last holiday season, I uploaded a song called "Christmas Is A Big Fat Pain". If you downloaded the tune and still have it, I'd love it if you could send it to me. I'd be forever grateful.
This commentary is a long time coming, so here goes.
If, like me, you've felt this burgeoning sense that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, you've probably also noticed that, despite the fact that we have more of everything at our disposal, the quality of everything has gone down considerably.
My theory is that having 500 channels (all in HD, woo hoo) doesn't necessarily mean that there is actually anything worth watching. I mean, seriously, how many times have you been wide awake at 2AM and found nothing on?
By the same token, everybody's got a band these days, it seems. Just because modern advances make it possible for some tone-deaf or, at best, mediocre band to record their songs on the bass player's computer and have tracks uploaded to their MySpace page in mere minutes doesn't necessarily mean they should. Yet, even before such technology was available, such bands were still able to afford to cut a demo and have 1,000 CD's pressed up (950 of which are sitting in the drummer's closet). Shit, as of ten years ago, there were already too many bands foisting their latest coffee coaster upon the world.
Back in the day, of course, when it took some serious cash to pay for quality demos and CD replication, such expenses kept most crap bands locked up in their garage, where they belonged.
And that was a necessary gatekeeper of sorts that ensured that the landscape wasn't so littered with crap bands, unwanted CD's, and the like.
To go back to the days when I was getting my start, it was even more of an undertaking for a band to create actual "product". Back then, if a band had an actual album (what's an album, you ask?) - no, not a cassette! - you took them seriously.
On the Chicago scene, for example, I was one of the first indie artists to go the CD route and that was only because I found a label to sign me up. Back then, it was all about cassettes and vinyl. Cassettes were cheesy, vinyl was cool, and CD's were still almost a foreign format to many. I can't tell you how many potential sales we lost because the label I was signed to in '88 was CD-only. Heck, I didn't even own a CD player at the time.
But the minute I started sending my CD to clubs and magazines and labels, I noticed an immediate interest in what I was doing. I was getting bookings I had tried unsuccessfully for months to get when all I had was a cassette demo. Same songs, mind you, but, with a high-quality package in-hand, I was now legit.
A few years later, the playing field had been leveled considerably and every band able to scrape together a couple grand was putting out their own CD. Then, of course, a little band called Nirvana blew onto the national scene and fucked things up but good.
See, Nirvana were great, but many of the bands they influenced and inspired were not. When they saw Nirvana, they didn't see the quality of the songs. Instead, they saw a guy that played out of tune if he felt like it, trashed his guitars, dressed in ripped jeans and torn t-shirts, and pretended not to care about a goddamn thing. Pretty soon, the whole place was full of bands that looked like they'd just gotten off of work from the local Jiffy Lube and were hell-bent on wallowing in their own self-pity in some dive bar.
I remember talking to Joe Shanahan, who ran and handled bookings for the legendary Metro in Chicago at the time. He told me, "It used to be I could tell by listening to a band's music whether they were pulling my leg - 'Oh, we're signed to a major label, blah blah blah' - but after Nirvana hit, that changed. Bands that would not have had a chance in hell of getting signed were landing million-dollar deals."
And it has gone downhill steadily ever since. Today, you've got bands who can barely play a note making records. And getting signed. And becoming hugely successful. And having careers.
Radio has become completely unlistenable. MTV has become a complete non-factor in the breaking of new artists. And the labels themselves have come thiiiiis close to taking themselves right out of the game.
All of the above used to be the gatekeepers that kept at least a modicum of quality intact (although crap bands still managed to get signed, just not quite so many).
Nowadays, some slimy Asian chick who couldn't have gotten arrested a decade ago racks up a million friends on MySpace, lands a record deal, and gets her own TV show.
Musically speaking, there are too many channels and nothing good on any of them.
That's incredibly sad because, even when there weren't so many crap bands out there, there were still tons of great bands that couldn't get arrested. Now, of course, those bands are struggling even harder to find an audience. What's also sad is that there is a huge audience out there hungry for great music. The trouble is that there are no longer any trustworthy gatekeepers, no taste makers, and, thus, artist and audience are having a hard time finding one another.
I hate to say it, though, but I think the genie is so far out of the bottle that there's no putting it back in.
"Oh Darren, that just sounds like sour grapes, man."
Hey, you could very well be right. This isn't about me, the artist, though. This is about me, the guy who used to religiously hit all the cool record stores in town, spending hundreds of bucks a month on new music.
The fact that there are barely any record stores left doesn't even bother me at this point because, truth be told, as of a few years ago, there stopped being any real reason to walk into a record store. The bins were so full of all the crap released over the last ten years that I found myself just shaking my head at it all.
Bob Costas is best known as a sportscaster/commentator, but, if you ask me, he really shines as an interviewer. In the 90's, in fact, his show, Later With Bob Costas was uniformly brilliant. Not only did he usually show supreme taste in guests (Martin Scorcese, Paul McCartney, etc.), but he was always incredibly informed and prepared to conduct an interview that wasn't tied to a series of pre-determined questions. His approach was warmly conversational and, because of that, he got really great insights from his guests.
Of course, one of my favorite Costas interviews was of Police drummer Stewart Copeland and, as luck would have it, I found the interview on YouTube and thought I'd pass it along.
This one goes out to all Chicago readers of He's A Whore. On November 22, one of my all-time favorite bands, Slow Runner, comes into town and I urge you to go check them out.
They'll be playing the intimate Back Porch Stage at the House of Blues (329 N. Dearborn, Chicago IL). Showtime is 9:30pm and they'll be opening for William Fitzsimmons so make sure to get there early.
I was going to provide an online link to purchase tickets, but the only option is through Ticketmaster, which adds $7.90 in "convenience charges" to the $14 ticket price, which is fucking preposterous. I suggest picking up the tickets at the HOB box office and saving almost $8 in extra fees PER TICKET.
Here are a couple of my fave tracks from the last couple Slow Runner CD's, available for purchase HERE.
Just came across this little nugget on YouTube. It's a 1984 appearance by Cheap Trick on Rock Palace.
What makes this most notable, and worth checking out if you haven't already, is a) the introduction by legendary producer - and, let's face it, tragic 80's fashion victim - Roy Thomas Baker (who produced 1982's "One On One), and b) the band opens with a live version of "Up The Creek".
As a fan of that particular song (I might be in the minority in that regard, but oh well), I'd actually never heard the band do the song live, so seeing this was quite the thrill for me.
Part 1 - Roy Thomas Baker intro, the band then performs "Up The Creek" and "I Can't Take It".
Part 2 - RTB asks Rick a couple questions, then the band performs "She's Tight",
Today is the one day where Americans not only vote, but lie, cheat, steal, and intentionally betray the system put in place to elect public officials. I remember talking to a woman who regularly volunteered at her local polling location about all the "irregularities" that go on each year and how she had actually taken part in some of them. "Oh, both sides cheat," she said matter of factly. "Each side knows the other side is going to, so they better do it too just to even things up."
Is it just me, or is it disconcerting to you as well that hundreds, perhaps even thousands of otherwise normal, law-abiding citizens take part in illegal, unethical, and downright un-American activities based on their own political leanings, party affiliation, or personal beliefs? To think that your beliefs are so right that you'd cheat to ensure victory must be a great feeling. To think that there's nothing wrong with that - even better.
So why do I feel sick as I stand in line at my local polling station?
Is my hour spent waiting in line going to be wasted because someone involved in the process is hell-bent on doing their best to further their own chosen agenda and, thus, it ends up being disqualified (on a chad technicality perhaps), lost, or incorrectly recorded?
I hate being jaded. I hate being distrustful. Most importantly, though, I hate the fact that there are people among us who think nothing of a little evil now and again when it serves them.
That's why it is more important than ever to vote today. By doing so, we outnumber them, we make it harder for them to pervert the system they've been entrusted to uphold, and (regardless of which candidates or proposals you favor) we tell them in no uncertain terms that their bullshit will not fly. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever.
For better and worse, Donna Lewis will always be remembered as the woman who gave the world "I Love You Always Forever", a song that took the world by storm in 1996, reaching #1 in the US and going Top 5 across Europe.
I've always liked the song and have remained interested in Donna's career long after the rest of the world, in infinite fickledom, moved on. Outside of a brief return to the pop charts a year later, via the ballad "At The Beginning" with Richard Marx (for the brilliant, yet underrated film Anastasia), her career has been relatively low-profile. Her second album, Blue Planet, while a more solid effort than her debut, failed to maintain the momentum and would lead to her exit from the Atlantic Records' roster.
2002 brought the low-key, internet-only release of her third effort, Be Still. Thankfully, she has taken a more proactive role in promoting her latest album, In The Pink (which actually includes re-worked versions of two of the better cuts from Be Still; "Ireland" and "Pink Dress") and, thus, I feel compelled to also tell the world about how great a record this is.
For anyone who liked "I Love You Always Forever", you will find a lot to like here. For those who don't, there is also a lot to like. Donna finally reveals herself as the multi-faceted artist her first two records only hinted at.
"Ireland", for example, is ethereal, pulsating with an understated elegance that begs the question: "Why couldn't radio play music like this?" "Pink Dress" announces itself with a distorted guitar riff (no, seriously) and lyrics that paint vivid pictures of the bliss of being dressed-to-the-nines and taking absolute joy in the realization that, for that moment, we are as beautiful as we've ever been.
Lewis's self-assured, almost-whispered vocal delivery embues each song with a warmth and charm that is undeniable. On "Shout", she delivers the album's delicious hook in beautifully understated fashion, singing "I want to shout it out/I want to laugh out loud". The song itself seems to exist in a self-made universe where things really are that simple.
The album's real stand-out, for me at least, is "Don't Ever", a song that spells it all out so brilliantly:
don't ever turn your back on all your dreams don't ever loose the hunger don't ever change your patience and your pain that would'nt be you without me
don't ever be still be reckless evermore don't stay up all night without me don't overdo the suffering in vain don't ever dance in fountains without me
and i'm laying on your shoulder and the need is love
and it's you I talk to all night and it's you laughing out loud at me you holding me up to the moon and I love you enough that it's true I won't ever be without you
don't ever forget all about the words don't ever stop believing don't ever rest without me in your place don't ever grow old without me
and I'm needing your shoulder to cry my last tear
and it's you I talk to all night and it's you laughing out loud at me you holding up to the moon and i love you enough that it's true I won't ever be without you laughing out loud at me you Holding me up to the moon
Donna Lewis triumphs over all that is wrong in the world, creating a musical world that is filled with possibilities, love with no strings attached, and smiles from the heart. For anyone who needs to be reminded of who you were before the world got to you, this is your album.
Okay, lemme just come right out and say that I've never been a fan of Scott Weiland's music. I was never into Stone Temple Pilots, or Velvet Revolver, or his previous solo effort.
So, it was with a total lack of anything remotely approaching excitement that I popped in my promo copy of his new CD, Happy In Galoshes (due November 25).
And damn if I didn't end up digging the album.
Produced by Weiland and Doug Grean (Velvet Revolver, Sheryl Crow), with some production assistance from Steve Albini, the album covers a lot of ground, stylistically, and Weiland also showcases a pretty varied vocal palette. Quite frankly, I never knew the guy was that talented a vocalist, but I must say that, on this effort, he totally delivers.
A real standout is the atmospheric, mid-tempo pop track "Crash".
Still, I gotta wonder...does the world really need another cover of Bowie's "Fame", though?
Maybe I'm showing my age...yeah, whatever...but I friggin' dug the 80's. I was old enough to dig the 70's a little bit, too, but I was never really down with the classic rock. This was more than likely due to the fact that everybody else I knew was already into that type of music. I wanted something else, something I could call my own, and so I ended up being the first kid in my class to jump into the punk and new wave scene.
The funny thing is in '82 I remember having a pic of Duran Duran (along with PiL, INXS, Adam & The Ants, The Romantics, and others) on my school folder and having the girls in my math class take one look and call them "fags". By the end of the school year, every last one of those dumb broads was heavier into Duran Duran than I ever was.
I mean, seriously, to go from calling a band "gay" to worshipping them - Ah, the very definition of sheep.
The 80's were great for more than just new wave, though. What I recall most vividly was the variety of genres that all got radio and MTV airplay. Unlike today, where it's either teeny pop, hip-hop, emo/screamo, or ever-so-precious indie rock, there were a ton of different styles all sharing a portion of the spotlight.
Anyway, I was thinking it might be fun to just upload a bunch of live tracks year-by-year and get a varied, albeit brief overview of that decade we all know and love.
In Part 1, the band turns in one of the better performances of "Kings Road" that I've ever heard.
Part 2 is a sit-down interview between Toms Snyder and Petty, discussing getting in shape for the tour, Rolling Stone article about MCA's attempt to use Petty's record to implement their new higher pricing, and the band's influences.
The band performs "A Woman In Love", with a super-tasty piano intro from Benmont.
