Flashback Friday: Guys And Dolls - I Got The Fire In Me

"Don't walk away from the light"

Guys And Dolls were a UK disco-pop group popular in the late 70's/early 80's. While a lot of their earlier stuff is a little too discofied for me, once they developed more Abba-esque new wave elements, they became much more interesting. I think the ballad Broken Dreams is their classic track, but it's a little too subdued for a Friday. Instead, I'm going to post the excellent (and total Abba rip-off) I Got The Fire In Me. I love the give and take between the female and male vocals and, of course, that glistening cotton-candy production. I do have one request, though. My kingdom to anyone who has an mp3 of their late-career single Glory To The Beautiful People. I can't seem to find one anywhere, and I really love that track. It sounds so much like Scissor Sisters!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their greatest hits here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: The Shorts - Comment Ca Va

"Comme ci, comme ci, comme ci, comme ça"

The Shorts were a Dutch boyband active during the 80's, and I'm sure they released quite a few wonderful tracks, but it's this irresistible single that they're most known for. You don't have to speak Dutch (or French) to enjoy this--though their is an English version available, if you're so inclined. It's one of those songs I could imagine being played at an Oktoberfest somewhere, which is not a bad thing at all. It's so easy to sing along to, and has the feel of a big, crowd-pleasing folk song. It's the kind of track that could have only come out of Europe. In fact, it's pretty much a stereotype of "European" music. This means that it probably sounds pretty chintzy and lame to some Europeans, but to a Yank like me, it's utterly charming.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: The Fixx - Deeper And Deeper

"The more I see, the more I fall"

Most people know The Fixx for their one big hit in the US, One Thing Leads To Another. While that track undeniably earns its "hit" status, it's never been one of my favorite 80's songs. I much prefer this track, which I first discovered as part of the soundtrack to the awesome 80's cult movie, Streets Of Fire. To me, it sounds nothing like One Thing. Instead, it's got a real aggressive, beat-heavy sound. When I heard it the first time, I had no idea who the band was, but I was definitely hooked. The production's just outstanding, complimenting the ultra-catchy guitar-riff infused hook perfectly. Also worth noting: the band has a new album out this year!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their greatest hits here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Michael Jackson - Al Capone

"A madman's out tonight"

This is a bit of an odd Flashback Friday because, even if the song was recorded back in the 80's, it wasn't officially available to the public before this week. Al Capone is one of the awesome demos included in the 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Bad. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how absolutely epic and classic that album was (as well as all four of his first albums), so it's beyond awesome to hear other tracks recorded in that era. There are only a few artists in history that bring me so much excitement from something as simple as b-sides and unreleased material. Michael is right at the top. I would listen to anything he recorded. Al Capone is especially cool because it's the template for what would become the legendary Smooth Criminal. You can hear the similarities--the staccato instrumentation and verses, the urgency of the melody and vocals--but it is really a totally different song. Sort of a shadow version of Smooth Criminal. Its younger, rougher sibling. To me, at least, the existence of this is a very special gift. To the Powers That Be: Please release more.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy Bad 25 here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Chess - Never Change A Winning Team

"The odds aren't always what they seem"

I've been pondering the awesomeness of Abba lately (something I often do). Particularly, I've been reintroducing myself to their last album, The Visitors, which I consider to be a pop masterpiece. But even after Abba broke up, their style of music--namely, the Bjorn/Benny songwriting--continued in Scandinavia. One of Benny and Bjorn's most prominent projects was the musical Chess. This song isn't from that play (as far as I know), but it is from a Dutch group named Chess and (I believe) written and produced by Bjorn and Benny. Please let me know if I'm wrong. Even if I am, you can imagine why I'd draw that conclusion. It sounds exactly like how I'd imagine a late-80's Abba track would sound. Unfortunately, when it came to an album, all these girls released was a bunch of Broadway covers. This is somewhat of a red herring in their short discography.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the Chess musical album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Scool - Roll Baby Roll

"It's so full of fun"

I just uncovered this track earlier in the week. I was completely won over by its cheesy charm, especially those pumping synths that form the instrumental hook of the song. Scool (what the hell is up with that name?) were a short-lived German girl group and this song was written about--what else?--rollerskating. I feel like it's a long lost unreleased track from Xanadu or something. Sure, it's catchy and bright, but the biggest reason I love it is because it's so damned tacky. I mean, look at that picture above! Sometimes I can't believe that this era actually existed. The song's "lyrics" are also worth a good laugh (my favorite is quoted above--the delivery is just so unconvincing). I hope there's a music video out there somewhere...



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Learn more about them here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Maywood - If You Wanna Be Free

"Take your chance, don't blow it"

Ah, Maywood... how I love thee. I first wrote about these sisters way back during the early months of this blog. Back then, it was a post on their biggest hit (and still excellent) Late At Night. Since then, I've delved deeper into the girls' back catalog and compiled a best-of album of all of my favorite tracks. The thing about Maywood is that when they're good, they're really good. But they've also got a lot of downtempo filler to sift through. Most of their uptempo numbers are completely awesome in that "guilty pleasure" way, though. Their music is a mix of pop, eurodance, country, and disco. You really can't go wrong with any of their singles, but I chose to post this track because I'm feeling in an especially discotastic mood. And this definitely fits the bill. The girls certainly know their way around a melody. I'll try to remember to post the tracklist of my best-of in the comments later so you can check out Maywood's highlights for yourself. But if you don't get that far, be sure to at least youtube "Distant Love" and "Standing in the Twilight" after listening to this song.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their greatest hits here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: G'race - Manhattan

"Some girls need liberty"

I'm sticking with Dutch singers for this Flashback Friday, though this song doesn't sound Dutch at all. It's written about an American city and given a classic African melody. It shouldn't work, but my god it does. G'race is actually a band, not the name of the lead singer. In fact, she wasn't even around when they first started. But she's all over this track. It's a mix of Adam Ant-style percussion and more typical new wave. And more than that, it's catchy as hell (even if the bulk of its melody is borrowed from traditional African music). Jungle Beat, the album that this is taken from, is worth listening to as well... if you can find it. Of course, I'm a sucker for afro-inspired pop, so I was preconditioned to love this.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Learn more about them here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Throwback Thursday: Doris D & The Pins - Shine Up

"Stop! This is enough!"

Instead of a Flashback Friday tomorrow, we're doing a Throwback Thursday. I'll be out of the state for work travel, but this is the perfect song to take you through the weekend. Doris D & The Pins had a wonderfully funny band name. Why don't we get these kinds of band names anymore? Campy and ridiculous without a hint of irony. Anyway, this song was big in Europe when it was released in 1980 and really the band's defining moment (though I would recommend their entire first album). The group was basically Doris and her back-up dancers, and they specialized in a mix of sugary pop, disco and new wave. Shine Up borrows liberally from the Lipps Inc classic, Funkytown, but adds a killer melody that's incredibly spare but all the more powerful for it. It's the type of track that will get stuck in your head for days, especially that "stop, this is enough!" bit. It's lethal.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their greatest hits here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Tower - See You Tonight

"I'm so glad that I'll see you again tonight"

There are some moments--wonderful moments--that an obscure band just sort of falls into your lap and they end up being perfectly suited to your taste. Now, my taste is pretty wide, but there is a certain genre, for lack of a better word, that I hold very dear. Let's call it uptempo, synth-driven theatrical rock/pop with a grandiosity and bombast seldom found in "normal" music (and preferably a sci-fi and or glam influence). As you can imagine, this doesn't come around too often! But when it does... especially an entire album of it... it's quite special. So, with this in mind, I present Tower to you. They're from the Netherlands, which had its own pop boom around the late 70's/early 80's (a subject I'll be exploring more in the coming weeks). Despite this, they don't sound much like their Dutch contemporaries. If I had to describe them, I'd say their sound is a mix between ELO, Meat Loaf and Blondie (or Surferosa, for a more modern-day comparison). In other words: perfection. I really don't want to even say any more about this song. You just need to listen to it. In form and structure, it's pretty much the type of thing I live for. Cheesy, yes, but oh so right. Unfortunately, the band only recorded one album (Titan), and a couple of extra tracks before disbanding. What a shame. But at least they left us with this.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. The album's out of print, but you can hear all the tracks here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Uncanny X-Men - Everybody Wants To Work

"Life's too good to work"

It's been raining all week here in the Pacific Northwest. Yesterday was particularly dreary--Junuary, we call it. But today, just before lunch, the sun finally came out again to remind us that it was indeed almost Summertime. It can't come quickly enough, as far as I'm concerned. This newfound discover of blue skies and warmth has me feeling like a good old Australian pop singalong is in order. Uncanny X-Men, in addition to being named after one of my favorite comic series, fit the bill perfectly. They were big in their own country throughout the early 80's, and this is one of their better known (and catchiest) singles. It's pretty simple stuff, but it's got a classic radio melody and straightforward 80's production that makes it both refreshing and comfortable. Plus, the lyrics pretty much describe my line of thought these past few weeks.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their biggest album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Baby's Gang - My Little Japanese Boy

"You are my friend, my friendly Japanese boy"

Ah, italo disco. It really is unlike any other genre out there. It has such a distinctive sound of its own, totally recognizable as soon as you hear it. As a bridge between disco and more modern dance music, it took the ideas of the former and added the drum machines and electro riffs of the latter. It remains one of those strange genres that really only existed for a short period of time. Sure, there are those who imitate it now (and more to come, I'm sure), but it's not something that's really made a mainstream comeback. Although, I guess it wasn't necessarily "mainstream" in its own time, either. My overall point: italo disco is super cool, even in its inherent cheesiness. Baby's Gang specialized in the stuff, but they made it a thousand times weirder. Essentially, the group is "Baby" (you'll know her when you hear her... trust me) and her "gang," a chorus of heavily-accented women semi-singing. I know... strange stuff. But also strangely addictive. Their single Challenger remains a classic, but this one's nearly as good. Its political correctness is highly debatable, and it's beyond trying to understand, but just listen to the synths! Amazing. Plus, entering into this weekend of Eurovision (Loreen for the win, please), this seems somewhat appropriate in its randomness.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Mark Spiro - She Doesn't Mean A Thing To Me

"Baby save the third degree"

Those who follow this blog closely will realize exactly why I picked this song to highlight based on just the few seconds alone. It's got those cheesy, chugging synths! They may be what some people hate about 80's music, but I am in love with this sound. Mark Spiro's song may not be one that a lot of people remember from the decade, but it's a solid piece of very 80's radio rock. It was featured briefly in cheesy cult movie Voyage of the Rock Aliens (which I wrote about earlier this year), but beyond that Mark Spiro did some songwriting for others in the 80's and released a string of albums starting in 1986 and continuing on to the present. I can't say any of his other stuff's interested me all that much, but there's something about this song that catches my attention.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy his albums here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: David London - The Sound Of The City

"New York speaks in your native tongue"

The early 80's Village People movie-musical, Can't Stop the Music, is widely considered one of the campiest b-movies ever made. Sadly, as a connoisseur of this genre, I can't agree. It's boring and overlong. Check out the Apple or Voyage of the Rock Aliens if you want real 80's camp. But even if I don't find the movie that (unintentionally) funny, the opening track is pretty damn joyful. David London's The Sound of the City is an excellent, deliriously upbeat disco-pop number. It's like a parade passing through your speaker, loud and bombastic and instantly singalong-able. David London is actually Dennis Frederiksen, who did a lot of session work and played with bands like Toto and Survivor in the 80's. He recorded another great song for the movie (Samantha) and an album under the David London stage name. This, though, is the highlight of his career. It's just so damned giddy!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Ya Ya - We've Only Tonight

"Don't fuss, don't fight"

This track, as far as I know, is pretty rare--as is the entirety of Ya Ya's 1984 album, Scarred. The pop/rock band is most known by their soundtrack work on various 80's films, but they deserve a wider audience. If you're a fan of big, bright power pop (and if you're reading this blog, the chance is pretty high), you're gonna love this. It was hard to pick just one track from their album to showcase, but I think this is a pretty good indicator of what you're getting with Ya Ya. Lots of energy, excellent use of synth riffs, and an overall catchy Cars-esque pop song firmly rooted in the 80's. Unfortunately, there's just not a lot of info about this group around on the internet. In fact, I couldn't even find a picture! I had to do with the cover of their album (above). Classify them under "hidden treasure," I suppose.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the cassette or LP here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.)

Flashback Friday: Pia Zadora & Jermaine Jackson - When The Rain Begins To Fall

"You know that we can have it all"

In addition to being a music nut, I'm a massive fan of cheesy, obscure 80's musicals. The granddaddy of all of them is definitely The Apple, and if you haven't experienced that movie yet, make it your homework to watch it this weekend. I can't think of a more entertaining mess. Along the same lines is the mid-80's "comedy" Voyage of the Rock Aliens. The movie is pure insanity, barely holding together from one deliriously weird musical number to the next. It was a vehicle for actress/singer Pia Zadora and the artist line-up of Curb Records. It failed commercially, of course, and was never even given a release in the US. But it is pure, campy gold. When the Rain Begins to Fall, a duet (for some reason) with Jermaine Jackson, was actually a hit in Europe. I can see why. It's deceptively simple, but the melody sticks with you even if you don't want it to. The song opens the movie in a vignette/music video between Zadora and Jackson that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the plot -- only one of the many reasons I love this weird movie. Check out the clip here. It's more than a little Lady Gaga-esque, right?



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Import the movie here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.)

Flashback Friday: Nik Kershaw - Drum Talk (Extended 12" Remix)

"I let the drums do the talking"

I've been sort of rediscovering 80's pop star Nik Kershaw now that his breakthrough debut album, Human Racing, has been reissued as one of those fancy two-disc remastered sets. While the first disc is the album we're all familiar with, the second one is full of remixes and bonus tracks. It's a remix that I want to highlight today. Drum Talk is one of my favorites from the album as is, but this extended version just makes it that much sweeter. It's not heavy on melody (the way I usually like my pop songs), but that's not what this particular track is about. The vocal part of the song doesn't even really kick off until three minutes in. However, the percussion in this is just so wild that it doesn't really matter. It's like they threw all the production into a blender and turned it on high. If you're unfamiliar with Kershaw's work (and most of it is much more song-oriented than this!), pick up this reissue. It's a great place to start.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy (and sample) the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Frank Stallone - Far From Over

"You made your choice and now my chance is over"

Whenever I feel like I need a burst of energy, or even a release of nervous energy, I put this song on and let it just take me away. It is an incredible piece of over-the-top cheese. And when I say over-the-top, I mean so far out that you'd need a pair of wings to catch it. It's pump-you-up music, and it also marks the sweet spot during the early 80's where disco was fading and colliding with rock and new wave. I'm a particular fan of this era, as I think disco-rock is one of the most entertaining and underutilized genres in pop music. Far From Over is taken from the soundtrack to Staying Alive, the "sequel" to Saturday Night Fever. It was Frank Stallone's biggest hit (and yes, that's the same Stallone as his brother Sylvester), but I prefer to think it was due to Vince DiCola's influence as co-songwriter that this song is as amazing as it is. You see, DiCola also wrote my childhood anthem, uber-perfect power ballad The Touch from the 80's Transformers soundtrack. So, his work has been ingrained in me from a very early age. Everything's so serious nowadays. Where are big, cheesy songs like this one?



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.