Cutting Crew - One for the Mockingbird

Many ERV readers will recognize Cutting Crew as the band behind "(I Just) Died in Your Arms," a #1 song from 1987.  In typical Eighties Rare Videos form, we're not featuring that song; instead we are opting for the last of their three top 40 hits, the upbeat "One for the Mockingbird."

Cutting Crew's roots date back to The Drivers, a British band who landed a minor hit in Canada in 1982 with "Tears On Your Anorak." [For American readers, an anorak is British slang for a heavy jacket.] During The Drivers tour of Canada, the Canadian group Fast Forward was the opening act, and Nick Van Eede (the lead singer of The Drivers) and Kevin MacMichael (Fast Forward's guitarist) struck up a friendship.  After The Drivers broke up, Van Eede and MacMichael formed a new band - Cutting Crew.

In 1986, Cutting Crew's debut album (Broadcast) went on to become a hit, reaching #16 on the album charts, with the aforementioned three top 40 singles.  Unfortunately, the band was unable to maintain this momentum, and after two relatively unsuccessful follow up LPs, they broke up in 1993.

By the by, the video for "One for the Mockingbird" is peak MTV ... wow.  It is a rapid-cut assault on your senses, with more visual effects than most sci-fi movies.  Still, we have to admit that it is fun in a totally 1987 way.  And as a bonus, the video includes Frosty Beedle on drums (total bonus points for a seriously cool name).

Nick Van Eede has re-formed Cutting Crew a few times through the years, without any of the other original members.  Sadly, Kevin MacMichael died of lung cancer in 2002.

Duke Jupiter - I'll Drink To You

Here at ERV, we have a particular soft spot for the bar band.  In the 1980s it seemed as though every city had a few of these groups - comprised of working musicians who generated a local following, hoping for their one big break.  [The Pub Rock tag will direct readers to previously featured bands who fit the bill, with varying degrees of success.]

In Rochester, NY, Duke Jupiter was the prototypical bar band.  Playing straight-ahead rock and roll, they were active on the scene from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s.  And for a brief moment in 1982, it looked as if they might break through, thanks to their exposure on a new video music channel ... but sadly it was not to be.

"I'll Drink To You" was the lead single off the group's 1982 LP, Duke Jupiter I.  The music video is a simple concert clip of them performing at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA.  The performance footage captures some of the energy of their live show (though the audience seems a bit .... sedate) and it was picked up by MTV, and put into rotation for a time.  The song even charted - reaching #58, while the album reached #204.

Unfortunately, this was as close as the band came to breaking out, and in 1986 they played a farewell concert and broke up, ending a 13 year run.  However, they have occasionally re-formed for reunions, though it is unclear if this will continue, as drummer Dave Corcoran died from cancer in 2018.

MC Lyte - Cha Cha Cha

MC Lyte was a female trailblazer in hip hop and is the answer to a trivia question: who is the first solo female artist to release a rap record? (Answer: MC Lyte - Lyte As a Rock, 1988).

Born in Brooklyn, NY as Lana Moorer, MC Lyte began rapping at 12, and recorded her first song at 14.  Lyte's first album came out when she was 17; though it was not a huge commercial hit, it did establish her as an important rising hip hop artist.

Lyte's second album (1989's Eyes on This) did better, reaching #86 on the album charts, and peaking at #6 on the rap album charts.  "Cha Cha Cha" did not land on the singles charts, but was a #1 song on the rap charts for two weeks.

MC Lyte would go on to have further successes in the 1990s, and would expanding into acting, business ventures, philanthropy, and political causes over time.

Cool trivia fact: the video for "Cha Cha Cha" was directed by Tamra Davis, who has directed a bunch of movies, TV shows, and music videos.  Davis was married to Mike D of the Beastie Boys for years, although they are now legally separated.