Stephen's 80s Music Blog

I usually make it a rule on this site to avoid replicated coverage of any one artist or album or song unless absolutely necessary. I think it's a policy that helps promote breadth of content and is therefore a sound one. However, in the case of this keyboard-heavy early power ballad - which made appearances on two separate occasions within the U.S. Top 50, in 1983 and 1989 - I think an exception can be justifiably made.

The reason I feel compelled to honor this Australian one-hit wonder in such a way relates to an experience I had last week while making my daily journey through the contents of my iPod. Going alphabetically by song title, I reached this song during my lunch break and cranked it up to sing along the way I'm always compelled to do whenever I hear it. When my mp3 player, as it sometimes does, jumped to the next song without apparent reason, I became quite agitated, especially after multiple attempts to go back and work through the glitch failed completely. So, long story slightly abridged, I didn't get to listen to the whole song that day, a fact that marred an otherwise perfectly enjoyable lunch break in my breezy, shaded car with the windows rolled down. Now that I've gone out of my way to procure a clean copy of the tune this weekend, I wanted to point out, dear readers, that when owning a song becomes this important, I think it's safe to say you might have a forgotten gem on your hands.

• Compare prices on Moving Pictures CDs here.
• Top 10 '80s Songs of Self-Pity & Self-Absorption

I'm sure there are more than a few music fans who might suggest that the only memorable thing about British synth pop band ABC is that their records/tapes/CDs could be found very near the beginning of the pop/rock section at your local music store. Notice that I use the past sense there because, seriously, does anyone really go to stores for music anymore now that chains charging up to $20 a pop for an album have all but replaced the independent, locally owned retail experience of old?

Anyway, I suppose I digress. I had intended to lament the relative obscurity of an overlooked '80s band instead of ranting like the old codger I am, so back to that. The wide musical interests and appeal of this consistent group effectively represent the capability of '80s music to endure, as ABC's blend of retro soul, funk and elegant electronic pop maintained the vital threads of early rock and roll within its modern textures. Leader Martin Fry still shines vocally a quarter century after making hits out of solid songs like "The Look of Love" and "Be Near Me," but the best thing about the band's catalogue is that it proves quite clearly that synth pop, new wave and New Romantic stylings don't have to be as stodgily one-dimensional as those genre reputations sometimes suggest. Despite its elementary-sounding name, ABC displays a keen ear for more than just the '80s basics.

• Profile of ABC
• Top 5 ABC Songs of the '80s
• Compare prices on ABC CDs here.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realized that this consummate Scottish pop band's long-awaited sophomore album, Hats, was released at the tail end of 1989, making this tune a viable candidate for showcasing here. I was also amazed to discover that this track made the Top 10 on the modern rock charts from an album that nearly made the Top 100 on Billboard's album charts. I don't know why MTV couldn't have shown the video for Bulletboys' rather revolting "Smooth Up in Ya" a few less times to make room for groups like the Blue Nile to get some exposure way back when, but I guess there are some mysteries that will always remain unsolved.

Nonetheless, this is a rather rare kind of forgotten gem of a band, one that has released only four albums over the course of a quarter-century but has successfully championed quality over quantity for that entire period. Still, while it's a bit understandable that the group's music has sometimes flown under the radar because of a lack of momentum within the public consciousness, there is really no excuse for artistry this profound to have been so radically unheard. Luckily, fans of this fine band can perhaps expect a new album by oh, around the time the Olympics begin in London and the election heats up during the summer of 2012. Hey, at least this band always leaves us with something new to look forward to somewhere down the line.

For my inaugural borrowing of guest reviewer Alun Williams from his usual place covering classic rock, I've found an energized perspective to help spice things up on this site. Check in with Alun as he discusses Rick Springfield's first album of new material in five years, Venus in Overdrive. The record apparently covers a lot of ground in terms of influence and tribute, revealing that Springfield is far from giving up on a vibrant, notable career even a quarter-century removed from his greatest successes.

• Rick Springfield Profile
• Compare prices on Rick Springfield CDs here.

Album Cover Photo Courtesy of New Door Records

Of the '60s rock bands that could have been predicted to still be going strong two decades after their emergence, perhaps the Kinks wouldn't have been among the first to come to mind. After all, the English group was so tied to the British Invasion and its pivotal role in the history of rock and roll that it would seem a guitar-centered band like that would find no way to fit into the newly synthesized, image-happy '80s pop scene. But if ever there were a resilient bunch capable of molding itself to various styles even while making dynamic, straightforward music, the Kinks are certainly it.

This track confidently stakes a claim to that kind of versatility and staying power, especially in the way it provides such a visceral answer to the group's Top 10 departure hit from 1983, the gently melodic "Come Dancing." On the pleasing contrary, "Do It Again" announces itself quickly as a fierce rocker from its opening chords, standing up incredibly well next to a Kinks classic like "All Day and All of the Night" as gold-plated rock and roll for the ages. Rumors and anticipation aside, perhaps brothers Ray and Dave Davies will never patch up their differences enough to put together a proper reunion. But if rock and roll has taught us anything, it's that as long as group members continue to kick around, just about anything's possible.

If you've been hoping for veteran rockers like Ozzy Osbourne, Gene Simmons or Ted Nugent to go away quietly and retreat into an ordinary life out of the spotlight, then - if you haven't done so already - get used to disappointment. All three have built considerable side careers on reality television, and from the looks of things we can only assume that trend still has a surplus of fuel left in the tank. After all, Ozzy and a portion of his lovable family are set to host a new variety show on Fox, of all things, come fall. Unholy Osmond Family!

Luckily Osbourne, at least, continues to serve as a driving force in music on one level or another, either through the legacy of Ozzfest or in live performances such as the one he put on this weekend for a Monsters of Rock date in Calgary. Even better, his '80s catalogue holds up far better than it probably should, given the singer's constant state of intoxication through much of the decade. Ozzy doesn't need to be officially labeled a living legend, as at least the second part of that phrase has been common knowledge for decades. Even so, it's worth noting the work he did during the decade in which he became a full-fledged superstar.

• Ozzy Osbourne Profile
• Top 10 Ozzy Osbourne Songs of the '80s

Album Cover Photo Courtesy of Sony Records

Well, now, here's one that truly earns the above title I bestow upon it. This Athens, Ga. guitar rock band's first widely released album, 1988's solidly brilliant Rough Night in Jericho, is so damn forgotten, underrated, and possibly never heard in the first place that it's next to impossible to find on CD. And, believe me, it's not a hell of a lot easier to locate this particular music online. Over the years, in fact, more than a few far more colorful profanities have accompanied my desperate efforts to get this record without resorting to climbing into the attic to retrieve my dusty old cassette copy. However, I won't (or can't) share those with you now.

Anyway, to my slight but welcome surprise, this entire album sounds just as wonderful to me as it did during my late high school and early college days, when I spent just about as much time fondling or playing this tape as I did in my girlfriend's dorm room (don't worry; she's my wife now, so there's no danger in my comparison). And, by the way, I know where you think I was going when I selected "fondling" and "playing" as my verbs above. Nasty, gutter-minded readers you are. Anyway (again), this track represents '80s guitar rock, jangle pop and college rock at its most dense, sophisticated and listenable. And although there are some who tag Dreams So Real as a "minor" Athens band, clearly I am not one of them. I don't think you should be either.

• Dreams So Real's Official MySpace Music Page
• College Rock Profile
• Top 10 '80s U.S. Music Scenes

I don't remember very many of these (although I really dug actress Christa Miller for a while), but I recall an episode of The Drew Carey Show in which Drew's nemesis, Mimi, tried to drive him from his house using the Noriega torture method of blasting Van Halen's "Panama" for days on end. I don't know exactly what this says about me, but that's exactly what I thought about when I found this story out of Greenville, S.C. about a mother fox and her cubs that became a nuisance living under a couple's home. And while I'm a bit saddened that the animals earned this abrupt dismissal, I'm even more offended that someone identified the loud playing of '80s music to be the magical catalyst capable of such an efficient eviction. Of course, maybe it was just the noise in general, but wouldn't you deem many other styles and eras of music to have far greater potential for scattering wildlife? How about Toby Keith or beach music or Jimmy Buffett? The list could be endless.

I shouldn't take it so personally, I guess, but I wonder if I'm alone in my pronounced irritation with a world that stubbornly continues to see '80s music as something less than extraordinary. Yes, the decade had its share of musical disasters and abominations, but the often typical consensus that '80s music had a tendency to emphasize glitz and fluff over substance really doesn't hold up all that well to a serious perusal of the era's offerings. Take a look around my site for dozens of strong supporting arguments for this position, and by all means try to resist any sudden urge to vacate the premises as you explore.

You know that age-old, conceptual conservation piece when you're asked what three historical figures with whom you would most like to have dinner? I remember years ago when David Letterman, in a memorable skit for the '80s NBC version of his late-night show, chose William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln and Gene Shalit for his dinner of distinction: a "wretched repast" of Bojangles' chicken.

I was thinking recently that there are so many twists to that basic idea and that even within the realm of '80s music the possibilities are more than abundant. So I thought I'd start with an anti or bizarro list of some kind, and what better than a list of the '80s music artists who would most stick out like a sore thumb in your parents' living room, making small talk and trying to answer your dad's question about what they're gonna do with their lives? By necessity, this must be merely an introductory list, as often questions like this come down so subjectively to a matter of taste. But really, the more I think about it, this one might be pretty definitive. Still, before you say anything, realize that I've omitted Ozzy Osbourne for two reasons: he's too safe and obvious as a choice and he's been highly tamed over the years as a pop culture figure so that we now understand he was always a bit of a softy. No, check out my list for the '80s artists who could really send the folks screaming for the exits.

Following my discovery a couple years back of the wonderful Canadian new wave band the Kings, I've become exponentially convinced that all the greatest bands of the genre must have been cursed by Kajagoogoo or somebody like that and banished forever into a den of unjust musical obscurity. Here's another example of the cruelty and abject stupidity of the music industry, which somehow managed to irritate this Richmond, Va. band with the can't-miss name into exiting the business before its career could even launch. I know I've effected righteous indignation in this slot plenty of times before, but every time I get all soapboxy it feels once again like the first time.

This is a great single by a great band, full of the quirkiness, musical ingenuity and off-kilter charm that was almost always absent from the circa 1983 bands that found an unearned home on MTV by clamping onto the coattails of a musical style that at least initially injected genuine freshness into mainstream rock music. With all due respect to the group, one look at the retro music video for this track makes it absolutely clear that Single Bullet Theory got its record contract because of its live and recorded sound rather than some primped, carefully engineered image. After all, one of the band's guitarists, as seen in that video, looks more like an insurance salesman than Cheap Trick's Bun Carlos, which is really saying something. But so freakin' what? SBT was a worthy band ruthlessly sequestered from droves of music fans who would have loved to have had a chance to hear them.