John Hall Band--Crazy (Keep On Falling) (1981)

     John Hall was a singer/guitarist for the band Orleans. They had hits such as, "Still the One" and "Dance With Me". He left the group in 1977 and began a solo career with two hits which reached the top 100. "Crazy (Keep On Falling)" was the highest charting of the two reaching number 42 in the winter of 1981/82. He rejoined Orleans in 1985 and worked with them for another 12 years while continue to write for others as well. Always politically active, Hall ran for the House of Representatives in the state of New York and served one term from 2007-2011.

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Sammy Hagar--Your Love is Driving Me Crazy (1982)

     The quintessential Californian rocker, Sammy Hagar's career has spanned four decades which includes roles in two top bands of their respective decades, as well as an impressive solo career. He was born in Salinas,  California,, but his family soon moved to Fontana where he grew up.
     Sammy played in a number of bands starting in 1967, until joining the band Montrose in 1973. He stayed there three years (73-75), until leaving after a dispute with Ronnie Montrose. However, this gave him his first taste of success and a couple of members of this group also left and became part of Hagar's backing band.
     This lead to his first solo success from 1976 to 1984. He began plowing the hard rock ground that was established with Montrose. "Your Love is Driving Me Crazy" was his best showing on the charts, reaching #13 in the winter of 1983. He had three other top 40 songs in his career to this point, but has had moderate success with other songs throughout. His credentials and appeal to the hard rock crowd has continued unabated.
     For many of a younger vintage, he is best known as the lead singer for Van Halen for 11 years. For 80's hard rock aficionados, debate has always raged about which version of Halen was better, the David Lee Roth version, or the Sammy Hagar. For me, they are both great, but two different kinds of bands. Roth's version was more playful, but the spotlight was (in his mind) Roth's alone, which of course caused the friction between the real star (Eddie and his guitar) and the lead singer. This made for some epic music, but it also paved the way for Roth's exit. For my money, Hagar's version of the group was a much more interesting one musically, but that perhaps had more to do with the group stretching out a bit more. I've personally always like Hagar's voice anyway.
     After his stint with VH, he began mixing a solo career with other group work, such as Los Tres Gusanos, Planet Us, Sammy and the Waboritas, and Chickenfoot. He is probably best known now for his businesses. He has a couple of restaurants in Las Vegas and St. Louis where all profits go to local charities, a couple of mountain bike shops in California, and of course Cabo Wabo Tequila.

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Golden Earring--Radar Love (1973)/Twilight Zone (1982)

     Any artist that can stay in the game for over 50 years has my respect, and the group Golden Earring has done just that. Although the majority of their success has been initially in their homeland (the Netherlands), they have maintained a level of popularity that most other bands couldn't touch. They began as a pop band in 1961, and with their first top ten single in 1965, began a career which has brought 51 top forty singles in their homeland along with 32 albums, first in pop, then into a more mainstream rock sound. 
     Of those albums, eight of them has charted here in the states, two of them in the top 40 on the strength of two classic rock tunes. The first, "Radar Love" propelled the album, "Moontan" to #12 on the charts and almost a decade later, "Twilight Zone" did the same for the album "Cut". The best reason I can think of them not compounding successes here had to do with lack of great follow up songs. The last chart action they had here was in 1986 with the top forty single, "Quiet Eyes" in 1986

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The Go-Go's--We Got the Beat (1982)

     The history of girl groups on the pop/rock charts is woefully low compared to solo artists. There was a burst of activity in the early 60's, as groups like The Shrielles, The Ronettes, The Cookies under the producing hand of Phil Spector were all over the charts. Motown also had early success with groups like Martha & the Vandellas and of course, The Supremes. As the the rock and roll era morphed into the modern rock era, most groups involving all women were left behind. The early 70's brought the group Fanny and guitarist Suzy Quatro began to push the doors open, with The Runaways upping the ante in the latter part of the decade. (You are welcome to add the Wilson sisters and Heart into this discussion, but because the group has always had men in it, am not including them in this discussion). The Go-Go's seemed to split the difference between the 70's rock sound, with a 60's girl group sensibility.
     They were formed in Los Angeles in 1978 and consisted of Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar), Margot Olavarria (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). They began life as a west coast punk band, in fact for a brief time Carlisle was a member of the seminal LA punk band, The Germs, but she contracted a case of mono and left the band before playing a gig. Charlotte Caffey was added late in 78, and Gina Schock replaced Bello in 1979. Those changes also brought a change from straight up punk to a more power pop sound. In 1980 Olavarria left the band and replaced by Kathy Valentine.
     They signed with I.R.S. Records in 1981, and their first album Beauty and the Beat, became a huge (and totally unexpected) hit. The first single, "Our Lips Our Sealed" went to number 20, but it was this song, written by Caffey, and recorded by the band originally in 1980 and released by Stiff Records in the UK that took off into the top 5. The album was hailed as a great new wave album that in reflection had much more to do with 70's style power pop, than any new wave artists. The next few years saw more hits, but the effects of tensions within the group, not to mention their ability to party just as hard as their male counterparts caused the output to suffer. All of the women have gone on to alternate between touring as a group, and solo projects, with Carlisle having the most success on the charts. If you are interested in knowing more about the history of girl groups, a great resource can be found here: http://www.girl-groups.com/  

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Frida--I Know There's Something Going On (1982)

     The group ABBA never formally disbanded, but just slowly faded away in 1983 with the unfilled promise that the group had not stopped recording. The quartet had basically lost interest, as well as being lured by other new and interesting projects. Frida Lyngstad was the first to take advantage of this as she paired up with the Phil Collins' produced, "I Know There's Something Going On".
     The other three members had one hit a piece in the US as well. Agnetha Falskog had a top forty hit in 1983, "Can't Shake Loose" (#29), and the team of Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson collaborated with Tim Rice to create the music for the musical, "Chess" . A single from that play "One Night in Bangkok" was recorded by Murray Head and reached number 3 on the charts in the spring of 1985.
     Frida, who had never sung rock before was lead by Collins to record an album that was a bit more edgy compared to her work with ABBA. Having come from a background in jazz, this interested her. As you hear this single, Collins' drums almost dominate over the vocals, but the effect is a striking one. She was to collaborate with producer Steve Lillywhite for the album, "Shine". The album (if you can still find it) shows her pushing the envelope even further, but the album went nowhere. She continued to work in Europe, but wasn't heard of again in the states, until the world-wide renaissance, which began again in the 90's. She currently lives in Switzerland.

    

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A Flock of Seagulls--I Ran (1982)

     The memories of the 80's and it's music seem to be indelibly stamped on the minds of those who lived through it in a way that no other decade of music ever will. That's isn't necessarily because the music was that much better (although there was great music made), but with the advent of MTV and it's rock and it's country offspring, the images that were connected  in a way never done before. By the 90's and beyond a generation of music listeners and TV watchers had  gotten used to it and videos became strictly promotional tools rather than a combination of that and cable entertainment.
     Because it was so new our minds become wedded (for better or worse) to the images regarding a song or artist. When one mentions Cindi Lauper, Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran, or Eurythmics you can certainly remember the song, but the image that comes with it cannot be untangled. More than a few artist might never had a hit in the states if it were not for those images which brings us to Mike Score's hair.
     In the early era of videos, very little was actually spent on making them, and the video to "I Ran" was one of the cheapest, with the band surrounding the one camera as it spun around taking pictures. However, one could not take your eyes off of Score's hair that seemingly sprouted wings on both sides while dipping over the front covering one eye (on re-watching this video, it occurs to me that it's isn't nearly a pronounced on this video than it would be later)
     For music fans who were still recovering from disco, it was a strange sight, and the music provided a backdrop that seemed odd as well. However it just seemed to be the right sound and look at the right time. "I Ran" went to number 9 that year and it's followups, "Space Age Love Song" (#30) and "Wishing (I Had a Photograph Of You) (#26) made 1982 a very successful year for the band.
     They reached the Hot 100 once more in 1984 and then vanished from sight. The song proved that just like dozens of other songs from the 1980's, a picture was worth at least a couple of hundred thousand in sales.

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Donald Fagen--I.G.Y (What a Beautiful World) (1982)

     When Steely Dan split up in 1981, Walter Becker moved to Hawaii and spent time on his avocado farm (and took some time to wean off of his drug habit). Donald Fagen went to work on a solo album which would be released in 82 as, "The Nightfly".
      Musically, the album didn't sound a whole lot different than what you might expect from a Steely Dan album, however the lyrical content was something else indeed. For the Dan's entire lifespan, the lyrics were as much a part of the fun as the music. Obtuse, but intelligent, the lyrical pairing with the jazzy overtones to the music were a perfect match. However, this first post-Dan album was almost totally autobiographical, speaking of Fagan's childhood spent in New Jersey.
     I.G.Y stood for "International Geophysical Year". It stood for an scientific interchange between the East and West after the death of Stalin. The event lasted from July of 1957 until December of 1958 and was attended by all major powers except for China. The lyrics speak of a positive and hopeful world that would achieved by those of other cultures coming together. In fact, much of this album had an upbeat positive feel about it, which was another great contrast from the cynical outlook of his lyrics with Steely Dan.
     The song reached number 26 on the charts, but was a huge FM hit as well. It was nominated for a Grammy for song of the year in 1983, but lost out to Willie Nelson's, "You Were Always On My Mind". In 93, Becker and Fagen resurrected their group and he maintains a solo career along with touring and recording with the group.

 

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Duran Duran--Hungry Like The Wolf (1982)

     If I were born ten years later, there might be a quaintness to the synthesizers of the 1980's. As it turns out, growing up during the early days of the Moog taught me a few things (like enjoying the bass sound in a recording) and it seemed as if the entire technology took a step back. Which is why a lot of early 80's stuff leaves me cold except for those artists who understood musical textures and could make the best of lousy keyboards.
     Which brings me to Duran Duran. One could, I suppose discuss the merits of their music, but listening to an hour of them (which happened in prep for the radio show) brings a numbness to my brain cells. Their sound was good enough, and was danceable, but what gave them staying power for so long were the videos.
     Like everyone else in my generation, the idea of seeing an artists rendition of a song was fascinating, even if the artist usually had very little to do with it. I can remember for hours sitting and just watching this (yes kids, MTV used to actually just show videos.....). Looking back now with a tad more jaundice view, it was obvious that without MTV Duran Duran would have gone the way of many a early 80's UK group. However, the guys could make love to the camera and the videos were interesting in a 1982 sort of way.
     In an age now where substance gets overshadowed by flash (there is still a lot of good stuff out there...but you have to work a bit harder for it), one has to look back and wonder if MTV was a good thing at all. Of course, the programming that you find on it now make this video clip look like Masterpiece Theatre.

 

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Dazz Band--Let It Whip (1982)

     The Dazz Band began it's life in Cleveland in the mid 70's as a jazz fusion band. They were first signed to 20th Century Records in 1978 as the band, Kinsman Dazz and it's first album by the same name was produced by Philip Bailey, who also co-produced their second disc, "Dazz" in 1980.
     By this time they had several songs on the R&B charts, and by 1980 had officially changed their name to "Dazz Band". This also came with a switch of labels as 20th century closed up shop, and the band was signed to Motown.Their first two albums with their new label produced three singles that reached the R&B charts, but it wasn't until 1982, and "Let It Whip" that the band reached it's peak on the R&B and pop charts (reaching #1 and #5, respectably).
     They continued to have success throughout the 80's, but outside of a couple of singles that reached the lower rungs of the hot 100, "Let It Whip" was about all of their influence on the pop charts.

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Reflections on Donna Summer by her former music director.

Scott Hallgren is a friend of mine who had the privilege of working with Donna Summer for seven years. Since her death, I had been hoping to get some thoughts and stories. Hope you enjoy reading them as well. His website is:  http://scootmanmusic.com/

I had the pleasure of working with Donna 1998 - 2005; all of it on keyboards, 4 of them as her pianist, 3 as her musical director. If I'd only known as an 8 year old, driving around in my Mom's Chevette, listening to Donna on AM radio...

Ahh, the stories - WAY too many to tell, whether it was:

- the Rod Stewart impersonator we sent onstage with flowers in El Paso during "Dim All The Lights" (she'd originally written the song for Rod and talked about that every show) that made her freak out and fall off her stool laughing during our 'acoustic' segment,

- performing as the 'house band' at the reception following Sony label prez Tommy Mottola's 3rd wedding (before he was legally divorced from Mariah), and having my rig directly in front of a table - at which were seated Joe Pesci, Rhea Perlman, Rosie O'Donnell, Danny DeVito, and Michael Jackson (who planned THAT table?),

- me getting to perform with my hero Elton John's band, play his piano, and accompany him and Donna on "Enough Is Enough" for the AIDS Foundation's 2003 benefit at Elton's home, then Barry Manilow get up to join them and say, "I can't believe I'm up here with Donna & Elton - this is fuckin' great! Isn't this fuckin' great?" to the horror of many glitterati,

- or the number of times something went awry during "On The Radio", where Donna would invite 3 audience members (females, for reasons you might expect) up to sing background vocals; once, in Columbus, a girl took the mic and walked out front and sang the second verse with an astonished Donna looking on; another time, at a Sony PGA Open, only 2 females were willing to come up, so the audience begged Donna to take the guy 'in the red windbreaker'... he promptly flew up the stairs, grabbed the mic, and said, "Donna, I'm not a girl, but I do have a very small penis", just as she had taken a sip of Dr. Pepper from the cup on my piano. ***It was Adam Sandler.*** (You can imagine how long it took her to stop laughing, and us to clean off the piano!)

Donna never wanted to be an 'oldies' act, and struggled with the box that many tried to put her in. She could sing ANYTHING. We used to do 'Someone To Watch Over Me' as a duet, Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams', 'Nights In White Satin', 'New York, New York'. She sounded INCREDIBLE on the 2010 David Foster & Friends show (with Seal).

None of us had any idea she was sick, and I only hope that I'll be able to attend the memorial here in Nashville - she had so many real friends I don't know where they'd put everyone. The fact that she's gone too soon makes it that much harder.

She never stopped creating, was always musical, and my life is so much better and richer for having known her.

- S

Scott Hallgren
Composer/producer/pianist

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Sunday Morning Vault: Marshall Crenshaw--Someday, Someway (1982)

    Over the years of studying popular music, one comes to the conclusion that most of the hits over the years were that way because they ARE good. However, to just dismiss all other songs as unworthy is musically throwing the baby out with bath water. Anyone who has spent time attempting a career in this business can tell you that many variables come into play for a song to even get a record deal, much less making a hit out of it. Some will play for awhile, and decide to quit music after awhile to pursue more lucrative interests.  Others seems to be happy doing what they are passionate about despite popular sentiment, they make enough money to make a secure living (sometimes not), and in the case of artists like Marshall Crenshaw, have a solid cult following.
      Marshall would be considered an artistic renaissance man. His Beatles roots were deep early as his first group was called, "Astigafa" which is an acronym for "a splendid time is guaranteed for all" from 1968 to 1973. His first break came playing John Lennon in the off-Broadway version of "Beatlemania". He has penned songs for movies, written books, and played Buddy Holly in the 1987 movie, "La Bamba".
      It's interesting that he played Holly, because with his debut release in 1982, he seemed nothing less than a second coming of the fallen star. Just a look at the cover of that album showed an uncanny resemblance with the glasses and his angular frame. More importantly, the music had a clean, fresh production and an enthusiasm that almost glistened off of the disc. It sounded so new at the time, but for those who knew better, it's roots were the short, to the point songs about love in it's various forms that Holly wrote and sang, and filtered through the early Beatles.
     "Someday, Someway" barely made the top 40 in the summer of 1982, but none of it's follow-up's ever made the charts. The single and the album that is came off of however, was not ignored as a very strong cult following has developed over the past 30 years who consider him (as I do), the most underrated artist of the last three decades. His second album, "Field Day" is actually my favorite, and the single off of it, "Whenever Your On My Mind" is one of the finest pop singles ever. His latest release, "Jaggedland" was released in 2009. You can see what he's up too at: http://www.marshallcrenshaw.com/
     Not only are we playing, "Someday, Someway", but as a bonus...am putting up "Whenever Your On My Mind" as well. Happy Sunday!!

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Toni Basil--Mickey (1982)

     By 1980, Antonia Basilotta, better known as Toni Basil, had enjoyed a successful career as a   choreographer and actress. Her work could be seen on film (The T.A.MI. show, 1964), on television (Shindig 1966) and then later doing work on tours for David Bowie and Bette Midler among others.  Much of work was on B-films in the late 60's and 70's, but can be seen in the movies, "Easy Rider", and "Five Easy Pieces"
     She recorded her first single in 1966, "Breakaway", but had not recorded since then. She heard a song called, "Kitty" which was performed by the UK group Racey in 1979. It had been written by the songwriting duo of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, but Basil took the changed the direction of the song by renaming it "Mickey", after former Monkees drummer Mickey Dolenz who she had taking a liking to after working with the group on their movie "Head" in 1968.
     The song went to #1 in the US in 1982 on the strength of the video which she choreographed and danced in herself. She had a couple of minor chart hits after that, but he career in videos, concert tours, and television continued to rise as she continues to be very much in demand today. However, for many of us, we'll still remember her in the cheerleader's outfit.....

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Patti Austin w/James Ingram--Baby Come to Me (1982)

     In the modern history of music, there can be many variables that can make a song a hit. The news of the day can effect it, as can the mood of the population. At times, cross pollination (i.e television, You Tube...etc.) will push a song up the charts. The story of this song was an example of this.

     Patti Austin already had a solid career singing backup on other people's music, and doing jingles. Although only 22 at the time of this recording, she had a lot of experience, with her first time on stage at the Apollo theater at the age of 4. Of course, she had always been around music with Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones being her godparents. It was Jones who signed her to his Quest records in the early 80's.

      "Baby, Come to Me" was released in late 1981, and struggled to reach #73 in late 1982. Later that year, ABC chose the song to be the love theme for the character Luke Spencer on the soap opera "General Hospital". It reignited the song and until it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the R&B charts. By the way, it's not hard to hear Michael McDonald on background vocals as well. Austin continued success on the charts for much of the 80's. She continues to record and tour, but with her focus on Jazz and Adult Contemporary. She won a Grammy in 2008 for best Jazz Vocal.

    

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Asia--The Heat of the Moment (1982)

     I've always been a bit conflicted about Asia. They were born out of the general meltdown of the progressive rock movement and the lineup certainly had the rep; John Wetton, Geoff Downs, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer had all been with groups who were at the top of their game less than 10 years before.

     Many of us who grew up listening to King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer though them to be "selling out". Being quite a bit older now, and having dealt with the music business to some degree, it seems more obvious now that as much as one might enjoy 'serious' music, singles put food on the table. For a time in the early 80's they did just that, scaling down the ambitions without losing the vibe (or the pomposity) of the music.

     Although the hits stopped coming by the mid-80's, they continue to record and tour. The lineup has shuffled consistently with the original lineup being the one touring now.

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Adam Ant--Goody Two Shoes (1982)

     Stuart Leslie Goddard had changed his name to Adam Ant in 1977 and put together his own band called Adam and the Ants to explore his fascination with the punk rock movement that was in full swing in the UK at the time. Their debut release, "Dirk Wears White Socks" was a bit of a mix (and a sloppy one at that) of several different styles as they attempted to find a voice. That was pushed along by the meeting of Malcolm McLaren, who at the time was the manager of the Sex Pistols, who was asked to manage Ant's band. This he did, and introduced them to the Burundi sound, which the group perfected, then McLaren stole the band (and renamed them Bow Wow Wow) to back his new find, Annabella Lwin. 

     This began a race between Ant and McLaren to see who could get an album out first. Adam was able to gather a band together who quickly picked up on the new sound, recorded "Kings of the Wild Frontier", and got it released before Bow Wow Wow could. This propelled The Ants to the forefront of what was considered the "new wave" (in US) or "new romantic" (in the UK) movements.
Ant broke up the band in 1981 and went solo. This is where we pick up on him in the states, as "Goody Two Shoes" reached the top 20 in late 1982. Unfortunately, the album, "Friend or Foe" was the last great album Ant would release for years and although he was found on the charts several times over the next 20 years (including a top 20 song with, "Room at the Top" in 1990), he never truly picked up momentum.  If you like this song, I would suggest you pick up "Kings of the Wild Frontier" which has a sound which was truly one of a kind.

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