Hipsway - The Honeythief

Ah, the one hit wonder - such an interesting phenomena.  The category is comprised of major bands where only one single hit the Top 40 (such as Roxy Music), talented underappreciated artists who never quite caught on (Marshall Crenshaw), and acts who just caught lightning in a bottle (T'Pau).

Hipsway is mostly the latter, but there was definitely talent in the band, as well.  The group formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1984 and was led by Johnny McElhone (fomerly of Altered Images) on bass. Singer Grahame Skinner, guitarist Pim Jones, and drummer Harry Travers rounded out the lineup.

The group's self-titled debut album came out in 1986, and had a seriously catchy song on it, "The Honeythief," which became a hit.  Interestingly, "The Honeythief" was the third single released from the LP, which is kind of hard to understand.  At any rate, the song reached #19 in the U.S. and #17 in the UK, and helped the album to chart, too (#55 U.S., #42 UK).

Unfortunately, follow up success was elusive, thought Hipsway did have a few charting songs in the UK.  However, after the poor performance of their second LP (1989's Scratch the Surface), they broke up.  Noteably, Johnny McElhone would go on to have continued success in the UK with his next band, Texas (a definite candidate to show up on this blog down the line).

Hipswap did re-form in 2016, and even released a new album in 2018.

Eddie Money - I Wanna Go Back

This is Eddie Money's second appearance on ERV; "Think I'm in Love" was posted more than 10 years ago (way back in August 2011).  As most readers will know, Money was a star in the late 1970s and 1980s with four platinum LPs and 11 top 40 hits (yes, two of which were in the early 90s).

"I Wanna Go Back" was one of those hits; it reached #14 on the singles chart, while the Can't Hold Back album reached #20 on the album charts.  The video is a combination of Money in concert and going back to a high school reunion.  At the reunion, he sees (but does not connect with) a mysterious blonde - played by Marilyn Martin, who sang the backing vocals on the track.

Eddie Money remained active in the music industry (and even dabbled in acting) until his death from cancer in 2019. 

As a cool bonus, "I Wanna Go Back" is one of those "I bet you didn't know that it is a cover" songs that we love so much at ERV.  The original version was recorded in 1984 by Billy Satellite, an Oakland rock band who never quite made it ... and the original version also has a video (you're welcome):

Cool trivia facts:  "I Wanna Go Back" was also covered by Greg Rollie and Ace Frehley.

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.

Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie

"C'est La Vie" was the song that was played at every party in 1987, before fading away.  It was the debut single from Robbie Nevil, and became his biggest hit, peaking at #2.  Interestingly (to me at least), it spent 2 weeks at #2, but was blocked from the top spot by 2 different songs - "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott and "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters.

Robbie Nevil was born in Los Angeles and worked in the industry for years prior to landing a recording contract in 1986.  His self-titled debut album was a hit, reaching #37 and yielding three top 40 hits ("Dominoes" and "Wot's It to Ya" are the other two).  He would go on the have five top 40 singles before transitioning to songwriting, and remains active in the industry as of this writing.  

The video for "C'est La Vie" was shot at a construction site, and shows a shy Nevil hanging with a bunch of models.  The clip (and song) were strong enough to go into heavy rotation for a time at MTV. 

Oh, and one other thing - this is a cover.  Nevil did co-write the song, but it was released by Beau Williams two years earlier:

Poison - Talk Dirty To Me

Here's a fun conversation starter:  What is the most 1980s band?  Not the most successful act of the decade; rather, what artist or group best represents the 1980s vibe?

While we're not sure of the answer, Poison should probably be on the short list.  The band's flashy glam rock sound and image dominated MTV in the second half of the 1980s, and the group sold a boatload of records, as well.

Poison (named after a 1981 Kix song) formed in 1983 in Pennsylvania, and originally was comprised of Bret Michaels (vocals), Matt Smith (guitar), Bobby Dall (bass), and Rikki Rockett (drums).  Like so many other glam rock (pop metal) acts, they moved to LA to make it, and honed their craft playing in the Sunset Strip clubs.  Later, when Smith left the group the remaining members held auditions (more on this later) before settling on C.C. DeVille.

The group signed to Enigma Records in 1986, and released their debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In later that year.  Although sales were slow to start, a combination of flamboyant videos and a knack for self promotion helped the band break out.

The band's rise began in earnest when MTV put the video for the second single, "Talk Dirty to Me" into heavy rotation.  Poison's debut LP would eventually go triple platinum, while the single would become the first of  10 top 40 songs. 

As was the case with many pop metal acts, Posion's success waned in the early 1990s as grunge became popular, and DeVille left the group for a time (yes, drugs may have been a factor).  However, the original lineup re-formed in the late 1990s and appears to be together as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  C.C. DeVille played the guitar lick from "Talk Dirty to Me" at his audition for the band.

Cool trivia fact #2:  Slash (of Guns N' Roses) auditioned for Poison, and was one of three finalists (along with Steve Silva from the Joe Perry Project) for the job.

Huey Lewis And The News - Doing It All For My Baby

Although ERV has been mostly on hiatus of late, we could not miss the opportunity to celebrate All Hallows Even.  We've been posted rare-ish, Halloweeny (is that even a word) vids since soon after we opened up shop, 7 years ago, and it's become a tradition.  So, on to this years' festivities.

By 1986, Huey Lewis and the News had become big stars.  Fore! (the 1986 LP) was their second consecutive #1 album, and between Sports, Back to the Future, and Fore!, they scored 11 top 40 hits (and 3 #1s - "The Power of Love," "Stuck With You," and "Jacob's Ladder.")

"Doing It All For My Baby" was the last single off the Fore! album, and was released in June 1987.  The video has a prefect Halloween vibe, and is actually a tiny bit darker than we remember.  After the long intro, we're treated to a campy, monstery rendition of the song, with Huey and the band playing most of the major roles.

The song would go on to reach #6 on the charts, though we think this represented the end of the band's superstar period.  However, they have remained active in the industry (with some lineup changes through the years) until the present day.   

Cool trivia fact:  The model in the video is Tara Shannon, and there is an interview with her here.

We've previously posted videos for "Some of My Lies are True," "Workin' For A Livin'," and "Heart and Soul" (which was part of ERV's first All Hallows Even celebration in 2011.

Genesis - Land of Confusion

For the second video of our "confusion" double shot, we went with Genesis' "Land of Confusion" - one of the more overtly political songs of the 1980s.

By 1986 Genesis (and Phil Collins separately) were huge pop stars, and the band seemed far removed from their art rock roots with Peter Gabriel.  In fact, 1986's Invisible Touch would be the third of four top 10 LPs in the U.S., and the fourth of five consecutive #1 albums in the U.K.

"Land of Confusion" was one of five top five singles from Invisible Touch and hit #4 on the U.S. charts.  The video featured puppets from Spitting Image (a British TV show that was popular at the time).  Interestingly, Spitting Image often made fun of Genesis, which led to the idea of using them in the first place.  The political lyrics from Mike Rutherford suite the theme perfectly, and older readers will recall that "Land of Confusion" went into heavy rotation on MTV for a time.

 Eagle-eyed readers may want to try to identify the many politicians and celebrities caricatured in the video.

As many readers will know, Genesis remained major stars through the early 1990s, before fading from view.  In recent years, the band has sporadically re-formed for reunion tours.

Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight

A wonderfully catchy piece of dance-pop, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" was the peak of Wang Chung's career, and might also be the most dangerous eighties video ever made.  (More on the second point in a bit.)

Wang Chung (originally spelled  Huang Chung) was a British new wave act that formed in London in 1980.  The group was comprised of  Jack Hues (born as Jeremy Ryder) on vocals and guitars, Nick Feldman on bass, and Darren Costin on drums (though he left the group in 1985).  Named after the first note in the Chinese classical musical scale, the band released their first LP in 1982, using the original spelling.  However, it was 1984's Points on the Curve that put them on the map (in the U.S., at least), as "Don't Let Go" and "Dance Hall Days" became top 40 hits.

The band continued to have success in 1985 with the soundtrack of To Live and Die in L.A, but 1986's Mosaic contained their biggest hits, with two top 10 singles -- "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (#2) and "Let's Go" (#9).

Unfortunately, Wang Chung's 1989 LP, The Warmer Side of Cool did not do particularly well, and the band broke up in 1990.  The did re-form in 1997, and remain together as of this writing.

Now, as to the video ...  The clip was directed by the famous duo of Godley and Creme, who opted for a strobe effect of rapid cuts.  Unfortunately, someone at the BBC became concerned that this cause trigger epileptic seizures, and the network banned it on health grounds.

Stabilizers - One Simple Thing

Stabilizers were another act that appeared on MTV for the briefest of time before fading from view.  The band consisted of Dave Christenson on vocals and Rich Nevens on guitar and keyboard.  By 1985, they had generated enough buzz on the Erie, PA music scene to get signed by Columbia Records, and Tyranny (their debut LP) came out the following year.

"One Simple Thing" was the lead single from Tyranny, and it picked up a bit of airplay -- even breaking into the top 100 at #93.  However, the follow up single did not do as well, and the band was dropped by the label before releasing their second effort.

There seems to be remarkably little information on Christenson and Nevens since then, so if any reader has information to share, please leave it in the comments.

"One Simple Thing" is a classic 1980s pop song, in the Mr. Mister vein (note that Mr. Mister's Welcome to the Real World hit #1 on the album charts in early 1986).

Cool trivia fact:  "One Simple Thing" was directed by David Fincher, who got his start in videos (including Jermaine Stewart's "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" and Loverboy's "Notorious")  before transitioning to movies (Seven, Fight Club and The Social Network, among others).

The Housemartins - Happy Hour

The Housemartins were the rock band equivalent of a shooting star.  In Britain, they enjoyed some mainstream success, with 7 top 40 singles between 1986 - 1988.  However, the band barely made a ripple in the U.S., though they did pick up a modicum of airplay on college radio in the mid 1980s.

The group formed in Hull (U.K.) in 1983 and jokingly referred to themselves as the fourth best band in town (after Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and the Gargoyles).  However, their seductive combination of upbeat guitar hooks and cutting lyrics endeared them to critics and fans alike.  John Peel (the influential DJ) became an early supporter, and the Housemartins' first album, 1986's London 0 Hull 4 became a surprise hit, reaching #3 on the U.K. album charts and going platinum.  Our pick for the blog, "Happy Hour" was the big hit off this album, and reached #3 on the U.K. singles chart.

While 1987's The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (yes, that's really what they called their sophomore effort) did not do quite as well, it still reached #9 on the charts, and their non album single "Caravan of Love" (a cover of the Isley-Jasper-Isley song) became a #1 smash in the U.K.  However, inside the band, things were not going well at all.  Singer Paul Heaton was interested in sophistipop, while bassist Norman Cook was more interested in club and dance music.  As a result, the band amicably called it a day in 1988.

For most of the acts on ERV, that would be the end of the story (except for the reunions).  However ... Paul Heaton along with drummer Dave Hemingway and roadie/bassist Sean Welch formed The Beautiful South, who would go on to have massive success in the U.K. through 2007.  Not to be outdone, Norman Cook also became a big success; you may know him by his pseudonym, Fatboy Slim.

Ric Ocasek - Emotion in Motion

Back in September 2011, we posted Ric Ocasek's cool, quirky "Something to Grab For," off his first solo LP, 1982's Beatitude.  Four years later, Ocasek released his second solo album, This Side of Paradise. To my ear, this record sounds a bit tired (as in exhausted).  Of course, by this point the Cars had released five albums and the band was slowly coming undone.

Additionally, Ocasek and the Cars had transitioned from eccentric new wave songs to a more traditional pop sound.  The music wasn't bad at all, and it was lushly produced (no surprise, as Ocasek would go on to become a successful producer in the 1990s.)  However, it wasn't as sharp or interesting as their early material. In contrast, the first two Cars records are simply sensational in our opinion.

"Emotion in Motion" is the strongest cut off Ocasek's album, and it would go on to become his only top 40 hit as a solo artist (#15).  To be fair, The Cars also had 13 top 40 singles (and 3 #41s), so it's not like he didn't have a ton of success with his band.

The Cars released Door to Door in 1987 before breaking up.  Ocasek has remained in the industry and has released five albums since then, but has had little in the way of commercial success.  The Cars never did have a full reunion prior to Ben Orr's untimely death in 2000.

Note that The Cars "Since You're Gone" was posted on ERV in May 2014.

Cameo - Candy

So here's a handy tip from your friends at ERV:  If you see an eighties video and it features a red codpiece, then you're probably watching something by Cameo.  (This is especially true if the song is funky.)

We previously featured Cameo's smash "Word Up," which was the group's breakthrough song.  The second single off the Word Up LP was "Candy," and it would be the only other Cameo song to break the top 40 at #21.  In contrast, the band had a string of charting R&B songs from 1976 through the early 1990s.  Cameo had a remarkably long and interesting career, and managed to change with the times during the 1970s and 1980s.  It's a shame that they didn't have more crossover success, but that's the way it goes, sometimes.

The video for "Candy" was directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński, using Times Square, New York (circa 1986) as the backdrop.  It was technically advanced for the time, with multiple images appearing one after another.  And yes, many of the images are wearing a red codpiece, starting 9 second in.  In our view, the video captures the energy, funkiness and strangeness of Cameo; we're fans of it.

As we mentioned on the "Word Up" post, Cameo had continued R&B success until the early 1990s, then faded from view.  Frontman Larry Blackmon remained in the industry as an A&R executive, though there have been occasional Cameo releases in recent years.

David Lee Roth - Goin' Crazy!

For my money, David Lee Roth's 1985 departure from Van Halen was a real musical tragedy.  Led by Diamond Dave's showmanship and Eddie Van Halen's guitar licks, Van Halen had become superstars by the mid-1980s.  Both factions seemed to suffer after the breakup, and it is hard not to wonder what they would have produced together.  In fact, the parties involved also seem to have (eventually) realized this as there have been several reunions since 1996.

But in 1985, these reunions were very far away.  Inspired by the success of his Crazy From the Heat EP, Roth put together a group to rival Van Halen.  Guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette were all outstanding musicians, but the songwriting and chemistry just did not seem to click as much as they had in Van Halen.

On the other hand, Roth's campy and slightly insane worldview remained front and center -- and was well-suited for MTV.  As an example, the video for "Goin' Crazy!" has a nearly three minute intro (skip to 2:36 if you would just like to see the song).

"Goin' Crazy!" reached #66 on the charts, while the Eat 'Em and Smile LP hit #4 and went double platinum.  While 1988's Skyscraper was a hit, Roth's fortunes then faded; by the early 1990s he was no longer a major star.  Van Halen saw a similar trend, and the group has reunited with Roth several times since 1996.  The most recent incarnation of Van Halen has included DLR since 2006 or so, and even released an album (A DIfferent Kind of Truth) in 2012.  They appear to be together as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  "Goin' Crazy!" was originally intended to also be the theme of Roth's movie of the same name, but the project was shut down.

Note that Van Halen's cover of "Pretty Woman" was posted on ERV in January 2012.

[January 2019 update]  So it turns out that DLR made a Spanish version of "Goin' Crazy" called ..."Loco del Calor." See it for yourself, below:

The Bangles - If She Knew What She Wants

This is the second Bangles cover to be featured on ERV; their version of Katrina and the Waves' "Going Down to Liverpool" (with Leonard Nimoy) was featured on ERV in May 2013.  The Bangles were known to use outside songwriters -- in addition to the 2 covers posted on ERV, their hits "Manic Monday" (Prince), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (Liam Sternberg), and "Hazy Shade of Winter" (Simon and Garfunkel) were all written by outsiders.  However, fully half (4) of their top 40 singles were co-written by a band member.

The group only managed to release three albums in the 1980s before disbanding, but they left behind a pretty strong collection of 1960s influenced pop, including "If She Knew What She Wants."  The song (off the huge 1986 LP Different Light) was released between "Manic Monday" (#2) and "Walk Like an Egyptian" (#1).  Although the song reached #29, it did not become a monster hit, and has become something of a forgotten single in the intervening years.

Interestingly, the group recorded two videos for the song.  The American version was produced and directed by Susanna Hoffs' mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs (an indie film director who also directed "Going Down to Liverpool.")

The band also produced an international version that seems to have been particularly popular in the UK:

And if that is not enough, "If She Knew What She Wants" is also a cover, as our many astute readers will have deduced.  The song was originally written and recorded by Jules Shear, who is also known for writing and recording the original version of "All Through the Night," which hit #5 for Cyndi Lauper in 1984.

Alice Cooper - He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)

What better way to continue our Halloween celebration than with Alice Cooper.  Cooper (born Vincent Furnier) emerged on the scene in the 1970s with the band of the same name (in fact, Cooper took the band's name on as his own).  As a cool aside, the name Alice Cooper supposedly came to the group during a session with a Ouija board.

After the act broke up in 1974, Cooper continued as a solo artist, although his success waned during the late 1970s and early 1980s due to weaker material and alcohol abuse.  By the mid-1980s, Cooper had cleaned up his act, and revitalized his career by providing a song for the Friday the 13th, Part VI movie soundtrack.  "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" also appeared on Cooper's 1986 Constrictor LP.  The single went to #56 on the charts, while the album reached #59.

This success helped to re-establish Cooper as a flamboyant rock star, and he has continued to record and perform to the present day.  He also expanded into movies and radio -- his syndicated radio program, Nights With Alice Cooper has been on the air since 2004 and is well worth a listen (or three).

The video below highlights Alice Coopers showmanship.  This, combined with clips from the movie, make it a superb holiday treat.

R.E.M. - Fall On Me

R.E.M.'s song about acid rain (according to Bill Berry) or oppression (according to Michael Stipe) was the first single released from their 1987 Lifes Rich Pageant LP (and yes, the lack of an apostrophe is intentional on the band's part).  The record continued R.E.M.'s progression away from folk rock towards a more mainstream sound, a transition that would lead to significant success in the 1990s.

At the time it was released, Lifes Rich Pageant became the highest-charting R.E.M. album, as it reached #21 on the charts.  Of course, the group would go on to have two #1 and three #2 albums later in their career.  "Fall on Me" was not a big hit, but it did chart, reaching #94.

The video for "Fall on Me" was directed by lead singer Michael Stipe, and consists of words (mostly from the song's lyrics) that flash over upside down footage of a quarry in Indiana.  For extra points, one word in the video is famously misspelled; see if you can identify it without resorting to Google.

Note that R.E.M.'s first single "Radio Free Europe" was posted on ERV back in September 2011, when the band officially broke up.

Owen Paul - My Favourite Waste of Time

Rare video (especially in the U.S.) - check
Cover of a song by a great, underrated songwriter - check
Solid pop song with a great hook - check

And with that, let's check out Owen Paul's cover of "My Favourite Waste of Time."  Paul ended up as a U.K. one hit wonder; while this song went to #3 on the charts, he did not have another charting single.  Sadly, both Paul and this song are mostly unknown outside of the U.K.

Owen Paul (born Owen Paul McGee in Glasgow, Scotland) reportedly decided to go into the music business after hearing the Sex Pistols.  How that path led him to well-crafted power pop is anybody's guess.  At any rate, he released several singles after "My Favourite Waste of Time," none of which charted and eventually became a producer in the later part of the decade.  In 1989, he produced the Taboo album for the Japanese rock group Buck-Tick.  During the marketing efforts for the album, he got into a dispute with the record label, and left the industry for 15 years.

Since 2002, Paul has returned to recording and performing, mostly in the U.K. and Europe.

As was alluded to above, "My Favourite Waste of Time" is a cover of a Marshall Crenshaw song.  Crenshaw is a seriously underrated songwriter who should have become more successful in my opinion.  This song was a demo recording that was used as the B side of Crenshaw's one hit, 1982's "Someday Someway."

In recent years, "My Favourite Waste of Time" has been covered by Freedy Johnston, Bette Midler, and Ronnie Spector.

Timex Social Club - Rumors

Originally called the Timex Crew, Timex Social Club switched names after a lineup change and ended up as a classic one hit wonder.  The group originally formed at Berkeley High School (in Berkeley, California) in 1982. Timex Social Club's sound combined elements of R&B, jazz, hip hop and dance into something that would come to be know as new jack swing in the early 1990s, and if things had broken slightly differently for the group, they could have been major players in that scene.  However, squabbles and lineup changes prevented this from happening.

The group only released one major label LP, 1986's Vicious Rumors, which hit #29 on the R&B albums chart but did not break onto the main albums chart.  However, the single "Rumors" became a hit, reaching #8 on the singles chart.  While the follow up singles ( "Thinkin' About Ya" and "Mixed-Up World") both broke the top 20 on the R&B charts, they did not enjoy crossover success and the group broke up.

Producer Jay King, who had a major influence on the group's sound would go on to form Club Nouveau (literally:  New Club) and would land 2 more top 40 hits, including the 1987 cover of Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" which would go to #1.

Timex Social Club has re-formed in recent years and continues to perform as of this writing.

Tesla - Little Suzi

Some videos just cry out for inclusion on ERV; Tesla's cover of "Little Suzi" being one great case in point.  The single was from Tesla's debut LP, 1986's Mechanical Resonance.  Although the song picked up a bit of airplay on rock radio, it barely dented the charts at #91, though the album went platinum and peaked at #32.

Telsa is an interesting band -- they were positioned as a hair metal group, but never quite fit the bill, and were in fact more of a straight up hard rock act.  They originally formed in Sacramento in 1982 and performed under the name City Kidd for several years, before changing their name (due to their manager's suggestion and during the recording of their first LP).  The band's jeans and T-shirt image, along with more complex songs (often with somewhat unconventional lyrics) differentiated them from the run-of-the-mill pop metal act.

The group released four consecutive albums that broke the top 40, and even scored two top 40 singles ("Love Song" and "Signs") between 1986 and 1994.  In 1994, guitarist Tommy Skeoch left Tesla due to drug problems, and the group broke up shortly afterward, before re-forming in 2000.  They continue to perform as of this writing, though Skeoch left the band again in 2006.

The video for "Little Suzi" is a pretty standard staged performance clip, but it does fit the band and the song reasonably well.

"Little Suzi" is also noteworthy to us as is it a cover of a song by the British act Ph.D.  The original version of the song was called "Little Suzi's on the Up" and was from that band's self-titled 1981 debut.  By the by, Ph.D. got its name from the last names of the three members -- Simon Phillips, Tony Hymas, and Jim Diamond.

Neither the single nor the LP charted in the U.S., but the somewhat eccentric video for "Little Suzi's on the Up" was the fifth vid ever played on MTV.  (Other first day videos featured on ERV can be located by using the MTV First Day label on the right.)

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

One of the many great things about writing blog entries for ERV is that is provides an opportunity to link seemingly disparate songs (and bands) in assorted crazy ways.  For some examples, check out the first two singles by Feargal Sharkey, or the Hoodoo Gurus' song that sounds a bit like a Robert Plant single.  In this case, there is a surprising connection between The Flirts and Pet Shop Boys ... more on that in a moment.

Pet Shop Boys (no 'the') are an English duo of Neil Tennant (vocals, keyboards) and Chris Lowe (keyboards, vocals).  The group formed in 1981 and were originally called West End (after the section of London), before changing their name to Pet Shop Boys, after a friend who actually worked in a pet shop (and was a boy).

In 1983, the duo met New York producer Bobby Orlando (Bobby O); they were big fans of his dance-driven productions.  Bobby O agreed to produce some Pet Shop Boys songs, and worked on 11 songs, including "West End Girls," which became a minor U.S. club hit.  The group dropped Bobby O in 1985 (only after agreeing to pay him of cut of their royalties) and signed to EMI/Parlophone.

By the way, Bobby Orlando was also the producer/creator of The Flirts. (!)

Pet Shop Boys remixed the Bobby O songs for their major label recordings, and went on to become big stars.  "West End Girls" became a #1 hit in the U.S. and U.K., and their 1986 debut LP, Please, broke the top 10 in both countries.  The duo would go on to have 42 top 30 singles in the U.K. and 6 top 40 hits in the U.S.  They have sold more than 50 million units over their career and remain active as of their writing.

 The original "West End Girls" video is below.  Note that the song was inspired by the T.S. Eliot poem 'The Waste Land.'

And, of course, the original version, produced by Bobby O: