Hüsker Dü - Makes No Sense At All

Hüsker Dü was one of the most interesting and influential bands of the 1980s.  No less a source than Allmusic believe that they and R.E.M. changed the direction of rock and roll.  At a bare minimum, Hüsker Dü has to be considered one of the acts that laid the groundwork for the alternative music scene.

The group formed in Minneapolis in 1979 and were originally a quartet called Buddy and the Returnables (seriously).  Eventually Grant Hart (drums/vocals), Bob Mould (guitar/vocals), and Greg Norton (bass) booted keyboardist Charlie Pine out of the band and transitioned to a hardcore punk act.

While the band's first few indy records were strong, over time Hüsker Dü began recording material that sounded like melodic punk songs -- punk pop, if you will.  This was groundbreaking and innovative stuff.  Unfortunately, although the band built a strong cult following, they never became a mainstream success.

"Makes No Sense At All" is a great example of the punk pop sound, and comes off the superb 1985 Flip Your Wig LP.  This was the last record on the SST label, as the group had just signed to major label Warner Bros. (who apparently wanted to release Flip Your Wig, but the band declined).  The video includes "Makes No Sense At All" and "Love Is All Around" (the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) which was the B side.  The result is somewhat odd, but still impressive.

Hüsker Dü would go on to release two additional records on Warner Bros. before breaking up in 1987, due to the creative tension between Bob Mould and Grant Hart (the two songwriters for the band).  Mould and Hart remained in the industry, while bassist Greg Norton has sporadically played in the intervening years (he has spent most of his time in the restaurant business).

Cool trivia fact:  Neither "Makes No Sense At All" nor Flip Your Wig charted in the U.S.

Note that Bob Mould's "See A Little Light" was previously featured on ERV.

Simple Minds - All The Things She Said

While we had thought of Simple Minds as a big time success story, it turns out that they had only a brief period of success in the U.S.  American audiences will likely remember the band's big hit, "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which hit #1 in 1985.  That song was the first of four top 40 hits in the U.S between 1985 and 1986.  And with the exception of 1991's "See The Lights," the group did not have another top 40 song in America.

In contrast, Simple Minds were stars in their native Britain, where they had 24 top 40 singles between 1982 and 1998.  They also had three #1 and two #2 albums during this period, as opposed to one top 50 album in the U.S. (1985's Once Upon a Time).

Simple Minds were formed in Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1970s.  The band's name came from the lyrics to David Bowie's 1972 hit, "The Jean Jeanie" ("He's so simple minded he can't drive his module.")  Originally an art rock band modeled after Roxy Music, they evolved into more of an artistic pop/rock band over time; "All The Things She Said" is reasonably representative of the band during the 1980s.

The video features the two key members of the band, singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill.  In fact, both of them remain with the group to the present day.  The female co-lead singer is Robin Clark, a professional backup singer.  Interestingly, Clark is married to Carlos Alomar, who played with David Bowie from 1975 to 2003.

"All The Things She Said" was the last of the four top 40 hits mentioned above -- the song reached #28, while the Once Upon a Time album hit #10.

Cool trivia fact:  The band was not eager to record "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which was brought to them by their label.  The song had already been turned down by The Fixx, Bryan Ferry, and Billy Idol, and Simple Minds also initially turned the song down before reconsidering.  However, they remained ambivalent towards it, as evidenced by the band leaving it off the Once Upon a Time album.

Cool trivia fact #2:  Lead singer Jim Kerr was married to Chrissie Hynde (of the Pretenders) from 1984 - 1990.  He subsequently was married to actress Patsy Kensit from 1992 - 1996.

The Faith Brothers - A Stranger On Home Ground

The Faith Brothers were a British pop/rock band who recorded two strong albums in the mid-1980s.  Led by their passionate and political frontman, Billy Franks, their sound contained elements of rock, pop and soul.  The band was also known for their thoughtful lyrics, which often addressed social or political issues.

The group formed in Fulham, London and released their first album, Eventide (A Hymn For Change) in 1985.  "A Stranger On Home Ground" comes from this LP (it was the second single, we believe).  A second album (A Human Sound) following in 1987, but neither record broke through commercially, and the group broke up by the end of the decade.

We don't recall hearing this back in the day, but came across it while researching the blog and enjoyed it.  This is a true rare video, from a unique band who never quite found their audience.

Cool trivia fact:  In 2009, Billy Franks was the subject of a documentary called Tribute This! where he and three friends tried to recruit 10 famous artists to do a tribute album to ... Billy Franks.  (Yes, really).

Sheila E. - A Love Bizarre

Although she is sometimes thought of as a Prince protégé, Sheila E. (Escovedo) was actually an accomplished musician before she played with His Purpleness.  Several family members were professional musicians, most notably her uncle (and also her father, we believe), who were in Azteca.  In fact, she initially met Prince at one of her concerts in 1978 before reconnecting with him in the mid-1980s.

Sheila E. began working with Prince during the Purple Rain sessions (1984), and it quickly turned into a full collaboration.  Her 1984 LP, The Glamorous Life was primarily comprised of songs written by Prince, including the title track (which was originally intended for Apollonia 6).

While the single "The Glamorous Life" remains Sheila E.'s best known song (and highest charting at #7), we opted for "A Love Bizarre," from her 1985 album, Romance 1600.  The song was also written by Prince and performed as a duet between The Unpronounceable Symbol and Sheila E.  It also did well (#11), underscoring the Midas touch that Prince had during the 1980s.

Sheila E. eventually joined Price's band for a few years (87-89) before going off on her own.  While she has recorded a few solo albums, she has mostly worked as a musician in the intervening years (including a few stints with Prince).

Cool trivia fact that may only interest me:  "A Love Bizarre" is the second song featured on ERV from the Krush Groove soundtrack.  The Beastie Boys "She's On It" was on the blog back in May 2012.

Cool trivia fact #2:  Sheila E. is not a two hit wonder.  In addition to "A Love Bizarre" and "The Glamorous Life," she also broke the top 40 with "The Belle of St. Mark."  Nope, we don't remember that one either.

The Long Ryders - Looking for Lewis and Clark

"Looking for Lewis and Clark" is another reader suggestion and a mighty fine one at that.  The song is by the Long Ryders, a really interesting LA-based band who deserved a lot more success than the pittance they received.

Guitarist/singer Sid Griffin founded the band in the early 1980s.  Named after the 1980 Walter Hill western film of the same name (but with a more traditional spelling), the group quickly gathered a following.  They released their first EP in 1983, and the band's rocked up country sound and political lyrics endeared them to critics and fans alike.  We think of the Long Ryders as sounding like a more rocking version of 1980s R.E.M.; readers who enjoy that music would be well served to check out the band's catalog.

While The Long Ryders were loosely associated with the Paisley Underground scene, many critics (correctly, in our view) consider them more of a roots rock or country rock band.  [As an aside, the term Paisley Underground refers to an LA-based style of roots rock that had strong 1960s (Byrds) and psychedelic influences.  Artists associated with the scene include The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, Rain Parade, and The Three O'Clock.]

"Looking for Lewis and Clark" was the lead single off the group's major label debut, 1985's State of Our Union.  The song charted in the U.K. (#59) but did not hit the U.S. charts.  It did generate a bit of college radio play, but we do not recall ever seeing the video on MTV.

After a few more years of struggling to break through, the Long Ryders broke up at the end of 1987.  Sid Griffin moved to London a few years later and founded The Coal Porters, a bluegrass act.

We particularly love the call-outs of  Tim Hardin and Gram Parsons in the song.

The Long Ryders' cover of "I Want You Bad" was posted on ERV in March, 2016.

Fine Young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home

Named after a 1960 movie, Fine Young Cannibals were a British pop/soul band formed from half of The Beat (The English Beat to Americans), who were previously featured on ERV for "Save It For Later."

The Beat broke up in 1983, surprising guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele, who were notified by their accountant that vocalists Ranking Roger and Dave Wakelin had left the band to form General Public.  Once Cox and Steele decided to continue making music, the first order of business was to find a singer, which proved to be a difficult task.  After eight months and 500 demo tapes, the duo finally settled on Roland Gift and set about recording their first LP.

The first single off their self-titled first album was "Johnny Come Home," a cool piece of post-ska fusion.  While the song only reached #76 in the U.S., it broke the top 10 in the U.K., leading to significant success there.  Four years later, the band's second album, The Raw and the Cooked became a huge international success, reaching #1 in both the U.S. and the U.K.

There seems to be some controversy over whether the band officially broke up, but Fine Young Cannibals never released a third album, and have only occasionally worked together since The Raw and the Cooked.  This is a shame, as they created some of the best jazzy, soul/pop music of the decade.

Mink DeVille - I Must Be Dreaming

In 1985, Mink Deville released Sporting Life, the band's six (and final) LP.  The album contained one of the better unknown ballads from the 1980s - "I Must Be Dreaming," which seemed like a great fit for ERV.

Mink Deville's origins go way back to 1974 when Willie Deville (born as Billy Borsay) formed the band in San Francisco.  Named somewhat randomly after the group's idea of a cool car (a fur-lined Cadillac), Mink Deville first gained notoriety as the house band at CBGB's from 1975 - 1977.  Amazingly, their unique pop/soul style somehow fit in with the new wave and punk groups at the time.

Signed to Capital in 1976, Mink Deville recorded several eclectic albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and never quite found their audience.  In fact, few of their albums and singles even charted in the U.S. though they did have some success internationally.  In addition, as members of the band left, Willie Deville replaced them with studio musicians, so by the third album Mink Deville and Willie Deville were virtually indistinguishable.  The Sporting Life was the last album where the Mink Deville name was used, after that it was Willie Deville for all concerts and albums.

Willie Deville would go on to release eight more studio albums, mostly with a soul flavor (in fact, his pop/soul songs with Latin rhythms would come to be called Spanish-Americana music).

Deville sadly died of cancer in New York in 2009.

Cool trivia fact: The pop metal band Giuffria recorded a cover of "I Must Be Dreaming" in 1986, which charted at #52.

Ready for the World - Oh Sheila

Ready for the World (RFTW) was an R&B act out of Flint, Michigan who had a string of hits in the mid-1980s.  The group formed in 1982 and soon had a major supporter in The Electrifying Mojo (a famous DJ on Detroit's WJLB).  This eventually led to a recording contract with MCA.

The band's self-titled 1985 debut album  reached #17 on the charts and went platinum.  It also yielded a #1 hit in "Oh Sheila," a pop funk song that sounded a lot like Prince lite, which was not a bad thing in 1985.  RFTW would go on to have seven top 10 hits on the R&B charts and three top 40 hits ("Oh Sheila," "Digital Display" and "Love You Down.")

The group released three more albums through 1991, with each one performing worse than its predecessor.  They broke up in 1991, and lead singer Melvin Riley went out on his own (without much success).  In 2005, RFTW re-formed and we believe that they still play together as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  Lead singer Melvin Riley came up with the name Sheila by ... well, he just made it up because it sounded good.  Apparently, the song was almost called "Oh Lisa."

The Cure - In Between Days

Led by the unique (and intentionally unkempt)  Robert Smith, The Cure produced some of the more interesting and creative pop songs of the 1980s and 1990s.  Indeed, while a casual observer might view The Cure as a goth band, the reality is much more complex.

The Cure formed in England in 1976, and emerged during the English post punk/new wave scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Although their early music mostly fits into the goth genre, there was always a strong pop and alternative sensibility present.  By the time the band released their 1985 album, The Head on the Door, they had clearly transitioned to a more pop oriented sound that was somewhat unique.  This led to huge success in the U.K. and Europe, and modest success in the U.S.  For instance, The Cure has had 22 top 40 hits in the U.K., but only 3 in the U.S. ("Just Like Heaven, "Lovesong" and "Friday I'm In Love.")

"In Between Days" is a good example of their work, as it features a strong uptempo melody with introspective lyrics.  The song hit #15 in the U.K., but peaked at #99 in the U.S. -- although it did gain some traction on college radio.  The Head on the Door was a top 10 album in Britain, but only reached #60 in the U.S., though it was the first Cure LP to go gold in America.

Of course, The Cure would go on to have continued success globally and the band remains active in the industry as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  early incarnations of the band were called Malice and Easy Cure before becoming The Cure in 1978.

Note that "Pictures of You" appeared on ERV in September 2014, while "Lullaby" was part of ERV's All Hallows Even celebration in 2020.

Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City

The political music and concert trend of the 1980s was somewhat weird.  The whole thing started with Bob Geldof's Band Aid project "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in late 1984.  In 1985, seemingly every musician on the planet was recording an all star song or appearing at a concert.  USA for Africa, Live Aid, Farm Aid, Hear 'n Aid (yes, we kid you not, there was a heavy metal charity project) all took place within 12 months of Band Aid.

Still, Artists United Against Apartheid seemed to be a bit different.  First, it was much more blatantly political (younger readers can look up apartheid here). and second, it seemed to be more genuine.  The project was organized by Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band and included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Bono, Pete Townshend, Peter Gabriel, Pat Benatar, Bonnie Raitt, Lou Reed, Keith Richards, Run-D.M.C., Clarence Clemons, Hall and Oates, and Jackson Browne among others.

The point of the video was twofold:  to raise awareness of apartheid, and to pressure artists who were considering performing at Sun City, thus pressuring the South African regime.  This was not a totally trivial issue, as performers such as Frank Sinatra, Queen, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Julio Iglesias, The O'Jays, Linda Ronstadt, Cliff Richard, Johnny Mathis, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick and Laura Branigan had performed at the casino.

While an early version of the song named names, it was decided to take a more subtle route in the end.  In spite of this, "Sun City" was not a huge success -- the single hit #38, while the album peaked at #31.  It is likely that the blatant political message of the song, combined with the rap elements made this a little bit of a tough sell.  Still, the project did generate a fair amount of publicity, and it also raised money for anti-apartheid causes.  Overall, we think it was a solid success for Little Steven.  And this story has a happy ending, as South Africa is now a free and democratic country in the community of nations.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone ranked the Sun City album as the 100th greatest LP of the 1980s.

Accept - Midnight Mover

Led by diminutive (5'6") camo-wearing vocalist Udo Dirkschneider and known for their hard and fast sound, the German band Accept put out several strong heavy metal albums in the early to mid 1980s.  While their aggressive, uptempo version of heavy metal laid the groundwork  for thrash, the band had difficulty in the U.S. market, as they were simply too heavy for American audiences of the time.

Accept formed in Solingen, Germany and slowly built a following in Europe during the late 1970s and early 1980s.  [For hard rock fans, we'd recommend "Fast As a Shark" from the 1982 Restless and Wild LP and "Balls to the Wall" from the 1983 album of the same name.]

Following the modest success of Balls to the Wall, which hit #74 of the U.S. charts, the band decided to craft a more commercial album.  They hired producer Dieter Dierks (famous for his work with the Scorpions) and focused on writing more melodic hard rock.  The result was 1985's Metal Heart, a good but unsuccessful album that alienated some of the group's core fans and did not expand its audience.  Ironically, Metal Heart is now well-regarded by many Accept fans.

While the band continued on for a few years, Udo left Accept in 1987, effectively ending their period as a premier hard rock band.  The band has continued on and off in the intervening years (including a few periods with Udo) and generally continues to have modest success, especially in Europe.

Cool trivia fact:  "Midnight Mover" is generally regarded as the first video to use bullet time, which became popularized by The Matrix movies.  As with all thing Accept, the use here is completely unsubtle, but cool, although it may cause motion sickness and / or convulsions.

Run-D.M.C. - King of Rock

And after a brief delay (holidays, don'tchaknow) we are back.  Long time readers will know that ERV likes to cover many different genres from the eighties, including the then-emerging hip hop scene.  That includes arguably the most important rap band of the decade (perhaps ever), Run-D.M.C.

Run-D.M.C. was named after the two primary rappers -- Joseph 'Run' Simmons and Darryl 'D.M.C.' McDaniels (Jason 'Jam-Master Jay' Mizell was the third member of the group).  They were the first successful 'new school' rap act, and started the crossover process, where rap began to be accepted as a legitimate music genre by mainstream audiences.

King of Rock was the group's second album, and was released in 1985.  The album was produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith and was mixed by Rick Rubin.  It took hip hop directly into the rock scene, by using guitars and drums as an integral part of the music.  The result was something that sounded different from anything else out there, but which was accessible to rock audiences.  King of Rock was a trendsetting album, but it was not a huge hit -- it reached #52 on the album charts.  The single "King of Rock" did not chart on the Billboard 100.

The video, featuring Larry 'Bud' Melman (Calvert DeForest) from David Letterman did receive some airplay on MTV back in the day, which was a rarity for rap videos.  For example, Yo! MTV Raps was not launched until 1988.  Again, the video was not a huge hit, but it laid the ground work for what was to come.

Run-D.M.C. would go on to have huge success with their next album, 1986's Raising Hell, which included the top ten remake of Aerosmith's "Walk this Way."  They remained at the forefront of the rap scene through the early to mid 1990s, at which point they gradually faded from view.  The group officially disbanded following Jam-Master Jay's murder in 2002.

Bon Jovi - In and Out of Love

I'll admit it:  I've always had a soft spot for Bon Jovi.  First off, the band is from my home state (NJ), and second, they wrote a bunch of damn good pop metal songs in the eighties, and then were able to evolve musically during the nineties.

In typical ERV form, we are not going to feature any of the videos from Slippery When Wet; instead we went with "In and Out of Love," from 1985's 7800° Fahrenheit (so named because that is the temperature at which rock melts).  7800° Fahrenheit highlighted the radio-friendly pop metal sound that would take over the music world a year or two later, but it didn't quite resonate with the listening public at the time.  It is not as if the album was a bust -- it hit #37 and went gold, but that is a far cry from the 12 million units that Slippery did.  (As a side note, 7800° Fahrenheit did go platinum in 1987, pushed by the success of Slippery When Wet.)

The "In and Out of Love" video is typical Bon Jovi -- fun and enjoyable.  The video was shot in Seaside Heights, NJ, and features a cast of locals.  The clips of London and Japan that bookend the video underscore the background of the song -- Jon Bon Jovi wrote it after the band's first tour.

After 7800° Fahrenheit, Bon Jovi focused on improving their music (and sales) and made two significant changes.  First, they brought in professional songwriter Desmond Child to help with a few songs and second, they test marketed the songs (yes, really) with local teenagers in NJ to help determine what went on the record.   The results:  two consecutive #1 singles ("You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer") and a boatload of record sales.

Charlie Sexton - Beat's So Lonely

Part of the vibrant Austin, Texas blues scene, Charlie Sexton was taught guitar by W.C. Clark, the famed instructor of Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughan, among others.  By the mid-1980s, Sexton had developed a reputation as something of a guitar prodigy, which led to a recording contract.  Amazingly, his first album, 1985's Pictures for Pleasure, came out before Sexton's 17th birthday.

In an effort to make Sexton's sound more commercial, synthesizers and drum machines were added, which resulted in an inconsistent album.  However, this formula worked quite well on the lead single, "Beat's So Lonely," and the song became a hit, landing at #17, while the LP hit #15.  Unfortunately, none of Sexton's subsequent songs or albums did as well, leaving him as a one hit wonder.

Fortunately, Sexton remained in demand as a studio musician and collaborator with country, blues and rock artists including Bob Dylan, the Arc Angles, Lucinda Williams and  Edie Brickell.  He continues to write and perform to this day.

Big Audio Dynamite - The Bottom Line

After being kicked out of The Clash, Mick Jones was left with a daunting task.  Specifically, what do you do for an encore after being a key member of the seminal punk band of the late 1970s and early 1980s?  Jones started off by co-founding General Public (along with members of The English Beat, among others) but left during the recording of their first album.  After a second failed band (Top Risk Action Company or T.R.A.C.), Jones finally sorted things out with Big Audio Dynamite (BAD).

To his credit, Jones did not attempt to re-create The Clash's sound in BAD, but instead pushed ahead with a dance and reggae influenced post-punk sound.  While Big Audio Dynamite was somewhat inconsistent during their career, they were also interesting and adventurous.

The first single from the first Big Audio Dynamite album (This is Big Audio Dynamite) was "The Bottom Line."  While it was not a hit, the song did generate some airplay, and showed the direction that Jones was moving in.  I'm not totally sure if the nearly one and a half minute introduction is courageous or just indulgent, but it is quite a way to introduce your second band to its audience.

The video captures the irreverence and sense of humor of the band, as well (although we don't remember seeing much of it on MTV at the time).  It also underscored just how much Mick Jones was into cowboy movies.

BAD would go on to have some success during the 1980s and 1990s, before breaking up in 1997.  Jones remains active in music to the present day.

Beastie Boys - She's On It

Every once in a while, outside events will influence a blog posting and sadly, today is one of those days, as Adam Yauch (MCA) has passed away.  For those who don't know, MCA, along with Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) were the Beastie Boys.

Eighties Rare Videos previously highlighted "Shadrach," from the inventive and influential Paul's Boutique album, but the impact of the Beastie Boys extends beyond that one album.  In fact, the band's longevity and innovation really stand out in an industry where neither is common.

While the Beastie Boys started as a punk band in the late 1970s, they had evolved into a hip hop band by the early 1980s.  They then worked with Rick Rubin and Def Jam on the License to Ill LP, and became huge stars.  However, instead of continuing with the party/hard rock/rap formula, the band expanded and produced some of the most interesting music of the 1990s.

"She's On It" was an early example of the Rick Rubin rap/rock style and Rubin even appears in the video.  The song was on the Krush Groove soundtrack (now who remembers that movie).  The song did not chart, but the video was played on MTV and laid the groundwork for what was to come.  It also seems appropriate for today, as MCA has the first line: "There's no confusion / in her conclusion."

Cool trivia fact:  The model in the video is Sharon Middendorf and there is a link to an interview with her from beastiemania.com in the comments section.

Jason and the Scorchers - White Lies

One of the nice things about writing a blog on eighties rare videos is that is provides an opportunity to revisit and perhaps even introduce a few folks to bands who produced great music, but never made it big.

Jason and the Scorchers (JATS) are a great case in point.  Although front man Jason Ringenberg was originally from Illinois, the band formed in Nashville in the early 1980s.  Stylistically, JATS broke new ground as a country/punk band and probably defined cowpunk as much as any other group.

Loved by critics, Jason and the Scorchers never really broke out in spite of really strong material.  The short answer is that their sound was too country for rock stations and too rocking for country stations.  Ironically, just a few years later, the emergence of modern country with strong rock influences would lead to a rise in popularity of country music.

"White Lies" was the main single of Jason and the Scorchers first full length album -- 1985's Lost and Found.  The album barely broke the top 100, and the song did not chart on the hot 100.  Jason and the Scorchers put out two other solid albums in the 1980s before breaking up in 1990.  They have since reformed a few times and continue to perform.

In addition to being an innovative band that wrote great country/punk songs, Jason and the Scorchers were also known for their high energy live performances.  For folks who are so inclined, here is a clip of them on Conan O'Brien performing "White Lies" around 1998.

JATS strong cover of Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie" was posted on ERV in 2013.

Go West - We Close Our Eyes

Few acts capture that somewhat hard to describe "mid-80s sound" as well as Go West.  The English duo of  Peter Cox and Richard Drummie released a bunch of cotton-candy sweet, but really likable dance/pop/synth songs from 1985 to 1992.  While they are best-known for "King of Wishful Thinking" (their only top 10 hit, from the soundtrack of Pretty Woman), they actually had 7 charting singles, 3 of which broke the top 40.

"We Close Our Eyes," the duo's first single, barely missed being a top 40 hit (and we do mean barely; it peaked at #41 in April of 1985).  The relentlessly happy song, accentuated by keyboards was also an MTV favorite for a time.  The video, directed by 80s video savants Godley and Creme, contains marionettes, lots of exercise, and a really big wrench.  It also feature a cut about every second or so, and seems well-matched to the almost unnaturally happy song.

Go West went on hiatus after 1992's Indian Summer CD, and were dropped by Chrysalis Records.  However, Cox and Drummie remained on good terms, and continue to perform (and even release new material) to the present day.

Y & T - Summertime Girls

Y&T was a band that was playing the right kind of music at the right time, but somehow never really broke through.  The band formed in Oakland in 1974, and were named after the Beatles LP, Yesterday and Today.  After they signed to A&M in 1980, they shortened their name to Y&T, probably because it sounded more metal.  They would go on to release six radio-friendly hard rock albums in the 1980s, but somehow never found their audience, in spite of the fact that their high energy live shows were legendary.  In retrospect, much of the blame likely lies with the label, as A&M had few hard rock bands (and seemingly had no idea how to promote them).

"Summertime Girls," from the 1985 album Down for the Count was the closest thing to a genuine hit that Y&T had, but it peaked at #55 on the Billboard charts, so the band does not even count as an official one hit wonder.  The video is a cheesy masterpiece of 1980s fun, complete with lots of girls in bikinis, a few metal babes, and roller skates.  And, we found a version that includes the somewhat rare 30 second intro.

While the band broke up in 1991, they reformed in 2001 and are still performing, although we believe that the only original member left is singer/guitarist Dave Maniketti.

The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon

Mike Scott's masterpiece began on a snowy New York City street in January 1985, when his girlfriend asked him whether it was hard to write a song.  The song started as a few scribbles on the back of an envelope, and was still unfinished when the recording of the This is the Sea album began in March.

As an ode to artistic expression, the song's lyrics are clearly a tribute to the artists who inspired Scott.  While there has been much speculation about who it is written about, the only comments that Scott has made indicate that  C.S. Lewis was "in there somewhere" and that Prince wasn't (Prince had been rumored to be a source of inspiration, and some sources still cite him).

Amazingly, neither "The Whole of the Moon" single nor the This is the Sea album ever charted in the U.S.  "The Whole of the Moon" did chart twice in the U.K.; once in 1985, upon the original release (#26), and again in 1991 (peaking at #3), after the song won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

After This is the Sea, Scott (who was the main creative force behind the Waterboys), opted to go for a smaller, more folk sound, which continued until the band broke up in 1993.

Cool trivia fact:  The video is directed by Irish director Meiert Avis, who has directed dozens of videos, including a bunch from U2.  The Waterboys posed a little bit of a challenge in that Mike Scott will not lip sync; hence an actual concert was created just for the video.