Saturday, September 12, 2015

"I Melt with You" by Modern English

Song#:  1399
Date:  04/02/1983
Debut:  83
Peak:  78
Weeks:  7
Genre:  New Wave

Pop Bits:  This English band formed in 1979 and released their first single, "Drowning Man," the same year on a small indie label. Although it didn't chart, it helped them secure their first major contract with 4AD Records. They recorded a few singles that did well on the UK indie rock chart and that led to their debut LP "Mesh & Lace." At the time, their sound was along the gloom-rock lines (a la Bauhaus). For their next album, the band decided to change their sound a bit by stepping out of the gothic darkness and including a few rays of sunshine. The results can be heard in this first jangly single that put them in the Top 10 of the US Mainstream Rock chart (#7). It also crossed over to pop and spent a few weeks floating around the bottom quarter of the chart. Although not a major pop hit, it was one that had legs and remains a well-known nugget of 80s new wave.

ReduxReview:  I remember this song from "Valley Girl" (see below) and really liked it. Unfortunately, I didn't pursue getting the song. I'd be reminded of it once in a while because it continued to get airplay over the years. I finally owned it when I bought an 80s compilation that included the tune. It's hard to figure out why this didn't catch on more at pop. With Britpop really ramping up, this song seemed like a shoe-in to do very well. Its memorable chorus should have been enough to drive this song further up the chart. Regardless of its lowly peak, the song has certainly stuck around gaining new fans along the way.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This song got an addition boost thanks to its appearance in the film "Valley Girl." It is used in a montage sequence as well as during the end credits. Although it was not on the initial 6-song pressing of the soundtrack, it would later be the anchor song on Rhino's popular 1994 version of the soundtrack.  2) The song would have a brief second life on the pop chart. The band would break up in 1986, but a couple of members would reform the group in 1989 and issue a new album in 1990. As part of that new LP, they re-recorded this song. It was released as a single and it reached #76 on the pop chart.


Friday, September 11, 2015

"Love's Got a Line on You" by Scandal

Song#:  1398
Date:  04/02/1983
Debut:  87
Peak:  59
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Rock

Pop Bits:  Scandal's self-titled debut EP generated the #5 rock radio hit "Goodbye to You" (#65 pop). This second single did slightly better on the pop chart, but failed to replicate the success at rock radio where it only got to #28. Although the singles were not smash hits, they attracted enough attention to turn the EP into gold.

ReduxReview:  "Goodbye to You" was a rockin' introduction to Scandal. This second single eases things up a bit and it is just as successful. As with "Goodbye," I heard this a lot on the radio at the time (I was in Boston and they were an east coast band) and I thought this would have been an easy Top 40 entry. Strangely, neither could make it past the halfway mark on the chart. Both certainly should have, but I think this one had higher potential as it leaned more towards pop. It was a pair of aces that Scandal pulled out to start their career.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Although the band was getting some solid success, it wasn't enough to keep the band fully together. Some members began taking off and replacements had to be hired. For a brief moment, Jon Bon Jovi became their guitarist. Although he didn't play on any of their recordings, he can be seen as part of the band in the video for this song. Bon Jovi would soon head out to form his own band.  2) A third single was released from the EP, but failed to chart. "Win Some, Lose Some" was a song co-written by Bryan Adams. It first appeared on Adams' 1980 self-titled debut album.


Thursday, September 10, 2015

"Wind Him Up" by Saga

Song#:  1397
Date:  04/02/1983
Debut:  89
Peak:  64
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock, Prog Rock

Pop Bits:  The Canadian band's fourth album, "Worlds Apart," got them their first charting single in the US, the #26 "On the Loose" (#3 Mainstream Rock).  This second single wasn't as popular and only managed a #24 showing at rock while floating around the bottom third of the pop chart for a couple months. However, both songs were popular enough to make the album go gold.

ReduxReview:  This is a good entry for Saga and it shows of a little more of their prog rock roots. However, it is just not as instantly memorable as "On the Loose." It takes a few listens to warm up to the song as there is no real hooky chorus to grab on to. I certainly wouldn't peg this as a big hit single, but it's definitely worthy of some rock radio support.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The producer of this album, Rupert Hine, had been recording his own albums and producing for other artists since the early 70s. Although he had worked on some successful projects, this Saga album may be his first production to gain a large worldwide audience. Around the same time he was also having success producing The Fixx. The 80s would be a big period for Hine as he would go on to produce many major artists like Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, the Thompson Twins, and Rush. Apparently, Saga's lead singer Michael Sadler sang differently on this album thanks to Hine. Hine thought Sadler sounded stilted like a choir boy and wanted Sadler to be more free and into the singing. So Hine made Sadler get on the roof of a barn that was on the studio property and sing "On the Loose." The emotional experience changed the way Sadler approached vocals and he kept it up throughout the band's career.


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

"New Years Day" by U2

Song#:  1396
Date:  04/02/1983
Debut:  90
Peak:  53
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Rock

Pop Bits:  The quartet that Rolling Stone would dub the "Biggest Band in the World" got their start when teenager Larry Mullen, Jr. founded a band with a few other classmates. Initially known as Feedback and then The Hype, by 1978 the band was reduced to four core members: Mullen, Paul Hewson (Bono), David Evans (The Edge), and Adam Clayton. With a name change and Bono leading the way, the band won a talent contest that got them some money and an opportunity to record a demo. That led to an EP release by CBS in 1979 called "Three." It charted in Ireland, but failed to get attention elsewhere. The band then signed to Island Records and issued their first full-length album "Boy" in 1980. The LP got them noticed, but not in a big way. Their next effort, "October," didn't do much to expand their following. However, their next release "War" finally got them a larger audience. This first single would go Top 10 in several countries including the UK where the album reached #1. In the US, the song was a hit at rock radio reaching #2 while almost getting into the top half of the pop chart. The album would reach #12 and go gold. Over time, it would end up selling over 4 million copies.

ReduxReview:  I have to admit that it took me a while to get into U2. Their sound and lyrics were just a bit too heavy for my pop mind to take in. However, the band was hugely popular at my college and the more I heard, the more I dug their sound. I didn't buy any of their music until "The Unforgettable Fire." After that, I backtracked to "War" and really loved it. It's such an intense record with moments of shear brilliance. I actually didn't know that this specific song did so well on the pop chart. Rock radio I can understand, but this really isn't a pop single. This song also reached the US dance chart and peaked at #38, which considering the lyrics and themes of the album, is a little weird. I can't imaging being in a club and this coming on and someone going "hey, it's my jam!" and running out all happy to the dance floor to do the Elaine ("Seinfield" reference...). But you know, whatever. If a song affects you at any level, that is a good thing.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) U2's "War" album was far more politically charged than their previous works (as evidenced by the bold title). The lyrics for this song originally were not political at all. Bono's lyrics were first drafted as a love song to his wife. The subject of the ode would then be reworked into a song about the Polish Solidarity movement led by Lech Walesa, who eventually became President of Poland.  2) Later in 1983, U2 would issue a live album titled "Under a Blood Red Sky." That title was derived from a lyric line in this song.


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

"Let's Dance" by David Bowie

#1 Alert!
Gold Record Alert!
Rated 10 Alert!
Song#:  1395
Date:  03/26/1983
Debut:  54
Peak:  1 (1 week)
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Rock, Dance

Pop Bits:  After being on the RCA label since 1971, Bowie made a switch to EMI. For his first effort for the new label, the rock chameleon decided to change up his sound once again and move towards something more commercial and hit oriented. He hired producer Nile Rodgers (Chic) and the pair set out to record the album "Let's Dance." This title-track song would be the first single released and it quickly became a worldwide hit. It would be Bowie's second (and last) #1 in the US while becoming his fourth #1 in the UK. The hit would propel his album to #4 and it would become his first platinum studio album in the US. Worldwide, it remains his best-selling album moving over 7 million copies.

ReduxReview:  C'mon - how can you not love this? From the instantly recognizable opening through to the final guitar solo, this was just pure gold. Bowie had had a few hits over the years including the #1 "Fame" (1975), but he had never done something so pop-hit oriented. Getting Nile Rodgers on board was a brilliant move and shooting a memorable video for MTV exposure certainly upped the ante. Bowie was already a superstar, but this album took him to an entirely new level. He gained a lot of new fans, many who had zero clue about Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, or the Thin White Duke. It was incredible, but Bowie paid a price for it later. In the meantime, everyone was putting on their red shoes to dance the blues.


Trivia:  The guitar solo in the song is done by blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Bowie was completely floored by Vaughan's perform at the 1982 Montreaux Jazz Festival and the two struck up a conversation after the show. Months later, Bowie tracked down Vaughan and asked him to come in to play lead guitar on the new album. The success of the album helped Vaughan's career which led to his own successful recordings. Initially, Bowie wanted Vaughan to go out on tour in support of the "Let's Dance" album (the Serious Moonlight tour). Vaughan was set to do so, but squabbles over his fee and other things led to him dropping out of the tour just a few days before the first show. Soon after, Vaughan and his band Double Trouble would get a contract and issue their first album "Texas Flood." It would be the first of four platinum albums Vaughan would issue. Sadly, in 1990 he would die in a helicopter crash following a performance with Eric Clapton.


Monday, September 7, 2015

"Stranger in My House" by Ronnie Milsap

Song#:  1394
Date:  03/26/1983
Debut:  71
Peak:  23
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Country Crossover

Pop Bits:  Milsap was definitely on a roll. He started off the decade with a #1 country hit ("Why Don't You Spend the Night") and his next nine singles accomplished the same feat. Included in that streak was his biggest pop crossover success, the #5 "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me." Unfortunately, his streak of country #1's got interrupted by this lead single from his album "Keyed Up" that could only reach #5. However, it was another crossover success for him reaching #8 AC and almost reaching the pop Top 20. His next single would return him to #1 at country and by the time the decade was done, Milsap would have hit the top spot 23 times. Add in 12 more from the 70s and that gives Milsap 35 #1's, which put him in fourth place for the artist with the most country #1's (George Strait holds the record at 44 #1's).

ReduxReview:  Once again, another great song from Milsap. I'm a bit surprised this didn't get to #1 at country. I wonder if it was a little too pop/rock for the country market at the time. His singles around this time did lean towards pop, but there was still enough country in them to appease that crowd. This one may have just gone a bit too far pop. Regardless, it's a quality tune with a solid arrangement and reliable vocal turn from Milsap.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  This song got Milsap a Grammy nomination for Best Country & Western Vocals, Male. The song would win a Grammy for Best Country & Western Song. The Grammy would go to the song's writer, Mike Reid. Reid was a pro football player for five season with the Cincinnati Bengals. He retired from the sport after the 1974 season after being plagued with injuries. He then set out on a music career (his college degree was in music) that eventually led him to Nashville where his songs started to get recorded by other artists. Reid would have a brief career as a solo artist recording two album and grabbing a #1 country hit with 1990's "Walk on Faith."


Sunday, September 6, 2015

"If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady" by The Pointer Sisters

Song#:  1393
Date:  03/26/1983
Debut:  72
Peak:  67
Weeks:  5
Genre:  R&B, Dance

Pop Bits:  The Sisters' album "So Excited!" put them in a slight slump. Their previous two albums were gold sellers that produced Top 10 hits. The best that "So Excited!" could generate was the #16 "American Music." The lack of a solid single hurt the album and it failed to go gold. This third single wouldn't help the cause as it petered out in the lower third of the chart while only reaching #44 at R&B.

ReduxReview:  Of course, the vocals are top-notch, but the material is far from their best. There is a lot of jammin' going on over a lengthy single chord, like in the verse. There are times that can work, but I don't think it does here. The Sisters certainly give it their all and they do take the song to another level, but even that level is far below the one on which their main hits reside.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  For the "So Excited!" album, the Sisters recorded their version of the song "I Feel for You." Originally written and recorded by Prince for his 1979 self-titled album, the song would end up becoming a major hit two years later for Chaka Khan (#3 pop, #1 R&B).