Face to Face - 10-9-8

Face to Face (no relation to the 1990s punk band) was a Boston-based new wave band fronted by lead singer Laurie Sargent.  In their heyday, they were often compared to 'Til Tuesday for obvious reasons (Both were Boston-based new wave bands with a female lead singer).

Face to Face's big break came in 1984, and for a brief period it looked like they were on their way to stardom.  Their self-titled first album broke into the charts, as did the single "10-9-8."  The band's music was also featured in the movie Streets of Fire, which was heavily marketed over the summer of 1984.  However, sales of their single and album stalled, and Street of Fire bombed at the box office.  Face to Face soldiered on for a few more years, but eventually broke up in 1988.

"10-9-8" peaked at #38, while Face to Face's debut LP reached #127.  For those keeping score at home, that does make Face to Face an official one hit wonder.  By the way, the video for "10-9-8" is not half bad -- it is something of an artistic performance piece.  And for our younger readers, that thing shown around 1:20 is called a payphone, and was used in days of yore (before cell phones).

After the band broke up, Laurie Sargent remained active in the industry, while guitarist Angelo Petraglia became a successful songwriter (mostly roots and country rock).