The place for great and not-so-great nearly forgotten videos from the decade of Miami Vice, mullets, and acid wash jeans. All praise to the bands, YouTube, and the original posters of these videos.
"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" is the Gap Band's second appearance on ERV ("Party Train" was posted back in May 2012). While this song is less well-known, it is yet another classic Gap Band tune, with a funky bass line and a catchy melody. "Burn Rubber on Me" was off the poorly titled Gap Band III (it was actually the group's fifth LP), which many critics consider to be their strongest album.
The Gap band was made up of the Wilson brothers (Charlie, Ronnie and Robert) and was named after the streets of their neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street). While they only had two top 40 hits on the pop charts ("Early in the Morning" and "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"), they were mainstays on the R&B charts, where they had 24 top 40 hits.
Although "Burn Rubber on Me" only reached #84 on the pop charts, it was the Gap Band's first #1 hit on the R&B charts. Gap Band III reached #16 on the main charts (also #1 on the R&B album charts), firmly establishing the group as funk stars.
The video is a simple performance piece full of pure funky cowboy wonderfulness.
As we mentioned earlier, the Gap Band remained popular through the 1980s, and continued performing until Robert Wilson passed away (heart attack) in 2010.
The 36th video played on MTV's first day was the humorous and slightly bizarre "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard" by Blotto. The video music channel continued to play the video for some time, and it became something of a trendsetter -- in its early years, MTV played a small number of eccentric videos mixed in with more traditional counterparts. This gradually ended by the late 1980s.
Blotto was an unlikely success story. The band formed in 1978 in Albany, New York and built a small following over the next couple of years. Named after a dog in the 1931 Thorne Smith novel The Night Life of the Gods, the group used pseudonyms -- all with the last name Blotto (a nod to the Ramones). Their comedy-infused new wave was not totally out of place with acts like the B-52s and The Tubes leading to gigs in metro New York (coincidentally, the headquarters of MTV).
In 1980, the band cut an EP - Hello, My Name Is Blotto, What's Yours and worked with some students at SUNY Albany to make a video of "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard." The result is below. In retrospect, videos with any kind of story were rare in the early days of MTV, giving the band a leg up.
Unfortunately, this early exposure did not lead to a huge amount of success as MTV was just starting its meteoric rise. Blotto did release some additional work including an LP (1983's Combo Akimbo) before breaking up in 1984. The surviving members of the group (bassist "Cheese Blotto" (Keith Stephenson) passed away in 1999) continue to perform periodically as of this writing.
As subtle as artillery, Motörhead's punk-infused hard rock was way ahead of its time. But while the band laid the groundwork for thrash and speed metal, they never really broke through commercially in the U.S. Even today, when many critics sing the praises of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash (deservedly so), Motörhead seems (sadly) to be a bit of a forgotten band.
Formed by Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) in 1975 (!) after he was kicked out of Hawkwind, the new band (named after the last song that Lemmy wrote for Hawkwind) had a tough start. In fact, by 1977, the trio including guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and drummer "Philthy Animal" (Phil Taylor) were flat broke. The band decided to do a farewell show before breaking up, which led to a one album contract with Chiswick Records. The following year, they managed to sign a one single deal with Bronze Records, which was extended several times as the band's popularity grew in the U.K.
"Ace of Spades," from the 1980 album of the same name would go on to become the band's signature song. The video is a simple performance piece and it fits well with the group's dark, rocking sound. Motörhead is definitely a "let the music do the talking" sort of group, and it totally comes off in the video. We also think that their sound has held up remarkably well (this is a 30 year old song!).
Lemmy continued to record and perform with Motörhead until his death in December 2015. However, "Fast" Eddie Clarke left the group in 1982 to form Fastway, though he has played with Lemmy several times during the past few years. "Philthy Animal" (Phil Taylor) left Motörhead in 1984, rejoined the group in 1987 and left for good in 1992.
Motörhead recorded a cool, acoustic version of "Ace of Spades" for a Kronenbourg beer commercial in 2010; this version (well worth a listen) is below.
Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone ranks the Ace of Spades LP at #408 on their list of the 500 greatest albums ever.
The 11th video ever played on MTV, "When Things Go Wrong" is another great, nearly forgotten classic by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters. Lane was a native Californian who began her career as a folk artist in the late 1960s. By the mid-1970s, she had moved to Massachusetts and became involved in the vibrant punk and new wave scene. After hanging out at the legendary Rathskeller club (nicknamed The Rat) in Boston, she decided to put a group together.
The resulting band released an independent three song EP in 1979, which sold more than 10,000 copies. Later that year, Jerry Wexler (one of the most well-regarded A&R executives in the industry) signed them to Warner Bros. and the band's major label LP came out in 1980. Unfortunately, poorly produced records and a lack of marketing doomed the group. "When Things Go Wrong" managed to reach #87 on the singles chart, but the band did not have another charting single or album as far as we can tell. By 1983 the Chartbusters had broken up, although Lane remained in the industry.
In 2001, there was a Robin Lane & The Chartbusters reunion, which led to a new album in 2003. More recently, Lane has been involved with the Turners Falls Women's Resource Center, where she uses music therapy to help abuse survivors. [As an aside, this gets our vote for coolest post rock star job ever.]
Cool trivia fact: Robin Lane was married to Andy Summers (guitarist of The Police) from 1968-70.
Addendum: Thanks to reader Shellie, who mentioned a TV show in Boston, called Chronicle, that featured Robin Lane over the summer. The show is up on YouTube (here), for folks who are interested (It gets a recommendation from ERV).
By 1980, Billy Joel was a big big star, but the lack of critical acclaim bothered him. So, he did what any good artist would and poured these frustrations into his seventh solo album. The resulting effort (Glass Houses) combined Joel's skillful pop melodies with a stronger rock sound and edgier lyrics. It is our favorite Billy Joel album, and the last of four tremendous LPs (Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street and Glass Houses) that he made between 1976 and 1980.
The really impressive thing about Glass Houses (and the three other albums) is the strength of the material. There is nary a bad song on any of these records, and they are quite stylistically diverse, to boot. They are also impeccably produced by Phil Ramone, which, ironically, may have added fuel to the fire for some critics who viewed it as too polished for rock and roll.
As many readers will know, Joel was anything but an overnight success. He started playing keyboards with The Echoes in 1965, then quit to join The Hassles in 1967. In 1969, Joel formed Atilla with The Hassles drummer Jon Small, but the group disbanded after Joel had an affair with Small's wife (Joel would eventually go on to marry her). Billy Joel's solo career started with the release of Cold Spring Harbor in 1971, and he gradually build a following until the huge success of The Stranger in 1977.
"Sometimes a Fantasy" was the last of five singles released from Glass Houses. The song reached #36 on the charts, but given Joel's huge success at the time, it is almost a lost classic. The video (which we don't recall ever seeing back in the day) is the only 'story' video shot from Glass Houses, as the other videos are simply Joel performing on a sound stage (remember, Glass Houses came out a year before MTV launched). We am particularly partial to the "bad" Billy Joel (the one with the beard) in the video.
Billy Joel would go on to have continued success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, albeit with mostly weaker material in your humble author's view. His last rock studio album was 1993's River of Dreams, although he still performs to the present day. And over time, the critics have warmed up to him -- Allmusic rates the four albums above as 4 stars (on a 5 point scale; actually, all but 52nd Street are 4 1/2 stars).
Often viewed by critics as the first punk band, the Ramones are an incredibly important act in the history of rock and roll. By stripping rock down to its basic elements, they created something new, brash and exciting, and breathed new life into the music industry.
The roots of the Ramones go back to early 1960s rock and roll, and the band's style (jeans, leather jackets) showed these influences. This was probably one of the factors that made them so influential -- they were doing something new, but it was connected to rock's past.
The Ramones got their start in New York City, and they quickly became part of the punk/new wave scene at CBGB's that included Blondie, Talking Heads, and Television among others. Their early sets (often featuring 10 songs in 20 minutes) soon gathered a following, and they were signed by Sire in 1975. Their debut album came out the following year, and the band then began a relentless touring schedule for the next 20 or so years.
In spite of the band's importance, they had only modest commercial success, and in 1980 they decided to work with Phil Spector on their fifth album, End of the Century. While the combination was a bit weird, it also made some sense, as the band's 1960s influences and desire for more commercial success fit well with Spector's strengths. The resulting album was surprisingly good, though the recording sessions were tumultuous (at one point, Spector apparently pulled a gun on the band).
While End of the Century was the band's highest charting LP, it only reached #44, and none of the singles charted. The band would go on to tour and release records up until their breakup in 1996. Sadly, Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee would all pass away within eight years of the breakup.
Cool trivia facts: "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" was the 103rd video played on MTV (on the first day).
The Ramones never had a top 40 hit; 1977's "Rockaway Beach" was their highest charting single at #66.
In 2002, Spin Magazine ranked the Ramones as the second greatest band ever, trailing only the Beatles.
The Ramones video for "Pet Sematary" was posted on the blog in October 2013 as part of our annual All Hallows Even celebration.
The 63rd video aired on MTV, "Once In a Lifetime" is now often viewed as one of the most significant songs and videos of the 1980s. The song was named to the NPR 100 (the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century) while the video has been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Talking Heads was made up of three friends from the Rhode Island School of Design (David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth) who were subsequently joined by Jerry Harrison (who had played in Jonathan Richman's band The Modern Lovers). The band came out of the vibrant punk/new wave scene at New York's CBGBs, along with the Ramones, Blondie, and Television, among others.
Allmusic characterizes Talking Heads as art-school punks, which is a great description. The band incorporated punk, new wave and world music influences into something that resembled artistic pop music. The formula did not always work, but at their best, Talking Heads made some of the most artistic and interesting music of their era.
"Once In a Lifetime" was the lead single off the band's fourth record, 1980's Remain in Light. While the album sold well and reached #19 on the charts, "Once In a Lifetime" did not break the top 100, peaking at #103. (It did better in the U.K., where it reached #14.) Remain in Light was also the third LP where Talking Heads collaborated with Brian Eno, who co-wrote, produced and engineered the album.
The video was one of the craziest, most creative things shown on early MTV. Choreographed by Toni Basil (of "Mickey" fame), it consists of David's Byrne's crazed marionette-like spasms, which are combined with additional footage in the background. Somehow, the whole thing comes together, and the result is a musical and visual masterpiece.
Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone rated Remain in Light as the 4th best album of the 1980s, and the 39th greatest album ever.
One of our favorite aspects of researching ERV is encountering a video so rare that even we haven't seen it. The unreleased Guns N' Roses video for "It's So Easy" (previously featured on ERV) would be one such example. And the first Police video (below) for "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is another.
The Police released five strong albums over a six year period, and are one of the few rock bands who did not release a bad album, in your author's opinion. While we favor the first three LPs, even the weaker Police material is extremely strong. The band successfully combined elements of punk, new wave, traditional rock, jazz and even reggae into their songs. In addition, they became huge stars, and have sold some 50 million units.
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" was off the superb third Police album, 1980's Zenyatta Mondatta. Recording between tours, the album was completed in roughly four weeks. Subsequently, the band has criticized the album as being rushed, but many critics (including the folks at ERV) believe that it is one of the strongest rock records ever made.
The first (rare) video was recorded at the same time as the video for "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da." The recording took place in late November 1980 in Grey Rock, Quebec. Although the vid was shown on the BBC's Top of the Pops around the same time, it has since become almost totally forgotten.
The second video of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is the standard video, and it was recorded later. We remember seeing this one on HBO's Video Jukebox, probably in 1981. It features Sting in his Beat (English Beat to Americans) t-shirt.
As many readers will know, the Police never officially broke up, but they simply went their separate ways (for the most part) after their 1984 Synchronicity tour. A 1986 attempt to re-record their greatest hits was aborted and only remakes of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (released at the time) and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (rare but released later) were done. They did re-form for a 2007 - 2008 reunion tour, but have not released any new material since 1983's Synchronicity.
The Joy Division story is among the more tragic rock and roll tales, and is only compounded by the band's innovative and visionary sound. Joy Division formed in 1977 in Manchester (UK) and were originally called Warsaw. They changed their name in 1978 to differentiate themselves from Warsaw Pakt, an on-the-rise UK punk band. The Joy Division name came from the 1955 novel The House of Dolls -- it was the prostitution section of a Nazi concentration camp.
While they came out of the vibrant UK punk scene, the band quickly migrated to a different sound that was moody, dark and atmospheric; the band was one of the originators of goth. Their innovative approach earned them the respect of several industry insiders and critics, including the influential John Peel of the BBC. Although their first LP only reached #71 on the UK charts, they were a band on the rise.
Unfortunately, their growing success and touring schedule was placing a strain on lead singer Ian Curtis. In particular, Curtis' epileptic seizures became difficult to control and his marriage was failing. In May 1980, just before the band was to leave for their first American tour, Curtis committed suicide. He was 23.
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was written as an ironic response to "Love Will Keep Us Together," a 1975 hit for Captain & Tennille. In retrospect, the lyrics seem autobiographical, as the song was written during a difficult time in Curtis' life. The video was shot by the band themselves, during the recording of the song.
As many readers will know, the remaining members of Joy Division stayed together and renamed themselves New Order. They would go on to have significant success, and were featured on ERV last December for "Bizarre Love Triangle."
Cool trivia facts: NME rated "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as the greatest single of the past 60 years in 2012.
Rolling Stone ranked the Closer LP as the 56th best album of the 1980s.
The song has charted 3 separate times in the UK -- in 1980 (#13), 1983 (#19) and 1995 (#19). It never charted in the U.S.
The title of this song is inscribed on Ian Curtis' tombstone.
Unless you are a big time music aficionado, the name Hilly Michaels probably doesn't mean much to you. This is a shame, because Hilly had a really interesting, slightly crazy career that includes 2 good hyper-bubblegum albums and a ton of jobs as a session drummer.
Hilly (given name: Michael Hillman) started drumming in the late 1960s with Michael Bolton and went on to work with Sparks, Dan Hartman ("Instant Replay"), Ellen Foley and Ian Hunter ("All of the Good Ones Are Taken"), among others. In 1980 he released his first solo album, Calling All Girls. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker (famous for his work with The Cars and Queen), Calling All Girls is critically acclaimed for its uptempo new wave popiness. The album is filled with well-crafted pop songs and features appearances by Liza Minnelli (really), Elton John, Greg Hawkes (Cars) and G.E. Smith (SNL).
The "Calling All Girls" video was an early classic on MTV and it is not hard to see why. In addition to the catchy pop song, the vibrant animation really distinguishes this video from other of the era. In fact, "Calling All Girls" was the 93rd song ever played on MTV (the first day), and it remained an early favorite of the channel for some time.
In spite of the strong material, the album did not connect with listeners and Hilly's second album, 1981's Lumia did not fare any better. Hilly remained active for years as a session drummer, before leaving the industry to live in the Caribbean and then Florida for a number of years. He still performs one a somewhat unpredictable basis to the present day.
Cool trivia fact: Hilly's manager was Jake Hooker. That name doesn't ring a bell? Well, Hooker was the guitarist of the Arrows, famous for writing and recording the original version of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," later made famous by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. [The link will magically transport you to the March 2012 ERV blog post featuring the original and the cover.]
Cool trivia fact #2: Michaels was asked to join KISS twice -- in 1980 and in 1990. He declined both times.
You have to hand it to the Jacksons -- when they went big, they really went big. Case in point: the 9+ minute video for "Can You Feel It" from 1981. For an early (pre-MTV) video, this is about as big as it gets. And while the video is dated (and just a bit over the top), it has become regarded as something of a classic in recent years.
1980's Triumph LP came during a weird period for the brothers. While the band had remained reasonably successful in the late 1970s, Michael's 1979 solo album Off the Wall had rocketed him to super-stardom, leading to speculation that he would leave the band to focus on his solo career. (This eventually happened, but not for several more years.)
At any rate, the video for "Can You Feel It" is particularly noteworthy for the Robert Abel's special effects. Michael (who co-wrote the song with Jackie) came up with the concept, which portrays the Jacksons as god-like creatures who spread magical pixie dust ... really. We particularly like that the special effects at times drown out the music.
"Can You Feel It" would go on to be a modest disappointment, peaking at #77 on the charts, while the Triumph album would do better, reaching #10 and going platinum. Of course, in 1982 Michael Jackson would release Thriller, and go on to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time ... but you already knew that.
By taking traditional pop songs and updating them with a post-punk approach, Squeeze became a pioneer in the emerging New Wave scene in Britain. And as if that wasn't enough, they also created a bunch of memorable, well-crafted pop / new wave songs, with catchy melodies and clever lyrics.
The band was formed in 1974 and was named after the poorly-received Velvet Underground record. [Squeeze, the VU record was released in 1973 without any of the original members of the band, and was panned by critics and fans alike.] The main creative force behind Squeeze (the band) was the duo of Chris Difford (lyrics) and Glenn Tilbrook (music), who wrote virtually all of the songs, including "Another Nail in My Heart."
"Another Nail in My Heart" is off the 1980 LP Argybargy [Argybargy is British slang for an argument, by the by]. As with most of the early Squeeze singles, it did not break the top 100 in the U.S., although it did reach #17 in the U.K. In what can only be described as a crime against music, none of the early Squeeze singles charted in the U.S. until 1981's "Tempted" (#49). The band would go on to have 2 top 40 hits ("Hourglass," which hit #15 in 1987 and "853-5937," which peaked at #32 the following year). A less polite person that I might suggest that the relative success of these later songs could be considered signs of The Universe having a sense of humor ... or irony.
In any event, the band broke up in 1982 (although Difford and Tilbrook continued to work together and even released an album in 1984). Squeeze subsequently reformed in 1985 and continued working together until 1999, then broke up (again) before reforming (again) in 2007. We believe they are together as of this writing.
The video of "Another Nail in My Heart" is a solid early video with the band performing (and hanging out at the pub) while keyboardist Jools Holland pushes a piano around London. We particularly like the way that they shot the guitar solo (starting around 0:52), which is an absolutely superb piece of musicianship.
For folks who are interested in learning more about the band, their greatest hits record, Singles – 45's and Under is highly recommended.
"More Love" is the second Kim Carnes cover to appear on ERV, as "Bette Davis Eyes" was posted last April. That post does a good job of summarizing Carnes' career and her long path to success -- follow the link above and check it out, if you are so inclined. [In addition, Carnes' "Voyeur" appeared on ERV in May 2014.]
Unlike "Bette Davis Eyes," "More Love" is a reasonably traditional cover. [For those who have not listened to the original version of "Bette Davis Eyes," we highly recommend it, as it is one of the more dramatic re-makes that we are aware of.] "More Love" is a straightforward pop/soul song, originally recorded by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles in 1967. The original version was a hit, peaking at #23 on the charts -- one of 26 top 40 hits for that band (!). The Kim Carnes version charted even higher; the song hit #10, becoming Carnes' first solo top 40 hit ("Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer," a duet with Kenny Rogers, had previously hit #4 in 1980).
While all of that is interesting, it is the video of "More Love" that secured it a place on ERV. Simply put, this is one of the great unknown early 1980s videos. The song came out before MTV and was a little too adult contemporary for the channel; as a result most folks have never seen it. However, it is a classic, and has a wonderful (and slightly off) sense of humor, with fork accidents, a burning piano and crashing dancers. It is not clear how much the video helped the song, but Carnes career really took off in 1980 and 1981, so it probably didn't hurt.
The original version of the song, by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles is below:
Cool trivia fact: the original version was written by Smokey Robinson, to his wife (Claudette Rogers Robinson) after she had a series of miscarriages (8 in total). Claudette felt responsible for the miscarriages; the song was Smokey's way of re-assuring her. The miscarriages also forced Claudette off the tours, but she and Smokey eventually had two children. They were divorced in 1986, after 27 years of marriage.
Long time reader(s) of ERV will know that we have a soft spot for early 80s funk, and "Take Your Time" is one catchy song. We debated putting it up, since it is not a promotional video, but then we thought of all the positives:
It is a Soul Train clip ...
... which means that Don Cornelius introduces the band. Was there a cooler, more debonair dude ever? (Maybe, but you have to think that Mr. Cornelius is in the discussion)
The song has a xylophone in it. Funkiest xylophone ever? (Maybe, but you have to think that this xylophone is in the discussion)
We totally love how much Bruno Speight (guitar) and John Alexander Simpson (bass) are grooving to the song (around 1:43 for the best example ... bopping in time)
The guitar line has to be on the short list of best funk guitar lines ever (see 2:55)
The band looks like they were some kind of funky navy ... or they had been watching too many Adam and the Ants videos
So there you go ... some readers may know that this was off the first (and self-titled) S.O.S. album, from 1980. The album sold well, driven by "Take Your Time," which hit #3. While the S.O.S. band did not have another top 40 hit on the main charts, they had a string of R&B hits, four of which showed up on the Billboard 100. Most of these songs were produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; the band worked with them starting in 1983.
Although there have been some personnel changes, the S.O.S. band continues to perform to the present day.
Cool trivia fact: S.O.S. stands for Sound of Success. The band was originally called Santa Monica (although they were from Atlanta, Georgia, as Mr. Cornelius points out), but they changed their name prior to their first album.
While the lyrics hint at a great story behind Donnie Iris' "Ah! Leah!," it turns out that there really isn't one. In fact, the song originally had an anti-war concept before turning into a love / lust song, and the name came from a previous band mates' girlfriend. Ah well.
"Ah! Leah!" was Donnie Iris' (given name: Dominic Ierac) first solo hit, but he had an interesting career before that. He started as the lead singer of The Jaggerz, who had a huge hit in 1970 with "The Rapper." After The Jaggerz broke up, Iris was asked to join Wild Cherry, who were popular based on their 1976 hit "Play That Funky Music." And after Wild Cherry broke up, Iris went out on his own with Mark Avsec, the keyboard player for Wild Cherry.
Iris' first album, 1980's Back on the Streets, went to #57 on the charts, while "Ah! Leah!" hit #29. Iris would go on to have 5 more charting singles, including two more top 40 hits through 1985, so there is no one hit wonder story here. However, legal problems with his record label prevented any new material from being released from 1985 through 1992, which effectively ended Iris' mainstream popularity. Even so, Iris (and Avsec) continue to record and perform to the present day.
Cool trivia fact: The actress in the "Ah! Leah!" video is rumored to be Joanna Lumley, who became famous as Patsy Stone in the BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous.
You have to just love a video that starts with the drummer playing on his set in an alley with frozen fish (yes, you read that correctly), followed by some great power chords and a guy playing two trumpets while bouncing on a pogo stick. Welcome to the wonderful, slightly insane world of the J. Geils Band.
The band formed in the late 1960s, and had a solid career in the 1970s, with its blues-influenced bar rock and energetic live shows. Their breakout album was, of course, 1981's Freeze Frame, which was a #1 LP with two top five singles ("Centerfold" and the title cut). As is typical for ERV, we are going to dig a tiny bit deeper and go with the title song from their 1980 album -- Love Stinks.
"Love Stinks" is a bit more rocking than most of J. Geils' early 80s songs, but shows the direction that the band was moving towards -- a more radio friendly sound with strong hooks and slick production techniques. Ironically, this transition would lead to huge success a year later but also accelerated the end of the band, as the creative tensions between singer Peter Wolf and keyboardist Seth Justman (the band's songwriters) took its toll.
While the Love Stinks album peaked at #18, the single of the same name barely broke the top 40 at #38. The well done video (unusual for its day) did generate some airplay on shows such as HBO's Video Jukebox, but was released before the video music revolution took hold. Pity.
Some additional cool J. Geils insanity, also off the Love Stinks LP: "No Anchovies, Please."
Cool trivia fact: "Love Stinks" was the 83rd video ever played on MTV, and was played on the first day that the video channel was up.
J. Geils' "Come Back" was posted on ERV in June 2015.
The Sherbs are an interesting story, especially to non-Australians, who may not know much about the band's origins. It turns out that the Sherbs were the re-formed version of Sherbert. And who the hell are Sherbert .... ? [good question].
Virtually unknown outside of Australia, Sherbert were big pop stars in their home market in the 1970s. Between 1973 and 1977, the band had ten top 10 hits and two #1s. However, their clean-cut, teeny-booper image did not last, and by the late 1970s, their popularity had declined. In response, the band released a record under the Highway name and then briefly broke up only to re-form as The Sherbs.
The Sherbs released two LPs in an attempt to restart their career by tapping into the emerging New Wave movement (think: Split Enz). Unfortunately, they did not find much in the way of success -- Australian audiences in particular seemed to go out of their way to not buy the records. The band finally broke up in 1984.
"I Have the Skill" was from from The Sherbs 1980 debut album, (creatively called The Skill). It was the band's only charting single, reaching #61 on the Billboard charts. The early performance video is not terribly noteworthy, with the possible exception of Daryl Braithwaite's perspiration (he is the lead singer, btw).
Note that ERV also featured The Sherbs video for "We Ride Tonight" in honor of Halloween 2012.
Cool trivia fact: Daryl Braithwaite would go on to have a successful solo career in Australia from the late 1980s through the early 1990s.
"Holiday" is a catchy tongue-in-cheek rock song that cleverly folds in several different musical styles (in particular, the chorus has a Caribbean feel that contrasts nicely with the rock verses). It was released in 1980, and was off Nazareth's wonderfully named Malice in Wonderland LP, which goes on my "coolest album names ever" list, along with Thomas Dolby's Aliens Ate My Buick and the Hoodoo Gurus' Mars Needs Guitars.
Nazareth is an interesting band who never quite made it big, but managed to have a moderately successful career, while making some seriously good music. The band started in Scotland in 1968 (!) and between 1975 and 1981, they had 7 consecutive albums break the U.S. top 100, although only 1975's Hair of the Dog broke the top 20. We believe that they are an official one hit wonder, as only "Love Hurts" broke the top 40. How "Hair of the Dog" didn't chart is beyond us.
"Holiday" did in fact chart, but it peaked at #87 in 1980. The video combines the band performing with a young man playing a video game in a seemingly random way, but maybe it made more sense in 1980. At any rate, it is a decent effort for an early video -- remember that MTV didn't even launch until August 1981. [As an aside, "Holiday" was played on MTV on the first day the channel was running -- it was video #138.]
Nazareth would continue to release albums on a regular basis through the 1980s, but without much success. They continue to record and tour to this day -- the very definition of a hard working band.
Cool trivia fact that may interest only us: The video game being played in the "Holiday" video is Super Road Champions, made by Model Racing in 1978.
Although Prince was a huge success in the 1980s, this is his second time on the blog ("Controversy" was posted on September 23, 2011). And we believe that this is justified -- both Prince posts are great songs and rare videos. In fact, we don't believe that "Dirty Mind" was even played much on MTV -- the only time we recall seeing it was on the old USA show Night Flight (and yes, we did watch Night Flight a lot).
(In fact, seeing this video as a young lad in the early 1980s was a memorable experience. My thought process went something like this ... "hey this is a really good song ... wait, is that dude wearing panties and garters and a trench coat? Man, he seems odd ... but I really dig the song.")
"Dirty Mind" was the title cut of the 1980 LP that showed the eccentric music genius of Prince. He had released two solid, if unspectacular albums in the late 1970s. However, on the Dirty Mind album, he broke all of the rules, fusing rock, pop, new wave and R&B in a way that hadn't been done before. He also went way over the line of good taste -- it was an insanely raunchy album for the time. This combination of weirdness, hyper-sexuality and great music in many different styles would lead Prince to superstardom in a few short years.
The song itself is driven by a keyboard riff by Doctor Fink, one of the few Prince songs that he did not exclusively write. It also does not have a chorus -- it is a groove driven song (unconventional, and very cool). While the Dirty Mind album is now regarded as a masterpiece by many critics, it was not a huge commercial success, peaking at #45 on the album charts. The single did not even chart. However, Prince was comfortable with the new direction, and it would lead to tremendous commercial and artistic successes just a few years later.
Ladies and gentlemen, for your audio and video pleasure ... His Purpleness.
Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone rated Dirty Mind as the 18th best album of the 1980s. Purple Rain was ranked second (behind The Clash's London Calling), making Prince the only artist to have 2 LPs in the top 20.
Note that "Uptown" was posted on ERV in January, 2015.
Picking the strongest song from Dire Straits classic album Making Movies is almost like picking your favorite finger. The LP (justly ranked as the 52nd best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone) is incredibly solid from start to finish, and well worth a listen for any 1980s music fan.
We eventually settled on "Skateaway," partly for sentimental reasons, as it was the first song that we heard from the album. Coincidentally, it was the only single from Making Movies to chart in the U.S., reaching #58, while the LP hit #19. The song is classic Dire Straits, with a great beat, cool lyrics and interesting, artistic guitar work by Mark Knopfler.
The song was inspired by a girl on roller skates in New York City, and the somewhat dated video (featuring "it girl" Jayzik Azikiwe) does reflect the story line. We liked that the band is barely present in the video, and when they do appear, it is a humorous, awkward moment. (We especially liked that the Stratocaster gets better lighting and more air time than the band).
Dire Straits would go on to have tremendous success with the somewhat more commercial-sounding Brothers in Arms, but in my opinion Making Movies was their masterpiece.
