Lou Gramm - Just Between You and Me

Lou Gramm (born Lou Grammatico) became famous as the voice behind Foreigner, who were massively successful during the late 1970s and early 1980s.  However, the creative tension between Gramm (who wanted the band to continue with the straight-ahead rock sound that made them stars) and guitarist Mick Jones (who was pushing for more ballets and new wave inspired keyboards) began to tear the band apart in the mid-1980s.

As a result (stop us if this sounds familiar), Gramm released a solo album in 1987 (Ready or Not).  The LP peaked at #27 and the single "Midnight Blue" broke the top 10. While Gramm returned to Foreigner to work on their next album (Inside Information), the writing was on the wall, and Gramm left Foreigner after his second solo album came out, 1989's Long Hard Look.  (To be fair, Gramm did rejoin the band in the 1990s, but the second iteration did not have much success).

Long Hard Look yielded two top 40 hits, "True Blue Love" (which peaked at #40) and "Just Between You and Me," which hit #6.  "Just Between You and Me" was co-written by the superb hired-gun songwriter Holly Knight (there is more on her on the post for John Waite's "Change," which she also co-wrote.)  The nicely done black and white video intersperses Gramm with a nice young couple who seem to be acting out the song's lyrics.

Gramm would go on to have a major health scare (a benign brain tumor) in 1997; while he survived, the resulting treatment impacted his weight and voice.  However, he seems to be doing well, and continues to perform.

By the way, "Midnight Blue" was posted on ERV in May 2014.

The Replacements - I'll Be You

The Replacements were an influential alt-rock band whose popularity never matched their impact.  This is at least partly due to their behavior -- they refused to promote their albums, and their drunken, sloppy live shows are the stuff of legend.  They also did not concern themselves with videos until the end of their career, effectively cutting themselves off from the MTV audience.

While the Replacements seemed to be almost gleefully ignoring the business part of the music business, they also wrote some great music during the 1980s, and became trailblazers for the emerging indie rock scene.  This can be clearly heard in "I'll Be You," the band's only charting single (#51), from 1989's Don't Tell a Soul.  Although frontman Paul Westerberg has stated he views the song as over-produced, it still sounds like a stripped down rock song to me, with pop, rock and punk influences.  In other words, it was ahead of its time and sounded different from what was on the radio at the time.

Unfortunately, by the time Don't Tell a Soul came out, the band was already fraying, and they broke up in the early 1990s.  Westerberg continued to sporadically make music (most notably for the Cameron Crowe movie "Singles"), though it seems like his heart wasn't in it after the Replacements broke up.

Lastly, pay attention to the lyrics; Westerberg is one of the great rock lyricists, in my opinion.

The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man

Although they were only around for a few years, the Pixies had a disproportionate impact on rock and roll.  Their sound was a conglomeration of alternative college rock, punk and California surf rock, put together in way that was greater than the sum of the parts.  As a result, they laid the groundwork for the grunge/alternative surge of the early 1990s.  Bands as varied as Nirvana, Radiohead, Weezer, and U2 have all stated that the Pixies had a huge influence on their sound.  Kurt Cobain, in fact, stated that "Smells Like Team Spirit" was his attempt to write a Pixies-esque song.

The Pixies formed in Boston in 1986, though "Here Comes Your Man" was from their 1989 Doolittle album (and was never released as a single).  Interestingly, this song was written by frontman Black Francis years earlier (when he was 14 or 15), but the band was reluctant to record it, as they viewed the sound as too commercial.  Critics have since come to view "Here Comes Your Man" as one of the most melodic and accessible alternative songs ever written.

Unfortunately, the Pixes were not able to hold it together past early 1993, as the tension between Francis and bassist Kim Deal (who would go on to form The Breeders with her sister), tore the band apart.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone ranked Doolittle at #141 on their list of the greatest 500 albums ever.

Beastie Boys - Shadrach

In the aftermath of License to Ill, many fans and critics thought that the Beastie Boys would turn out to be a one album wonder.  After all, the rock/rap album was the first hip hop LP to hit #1 on the Billboard charts, and it went on to sell 9 million units.  Furthermore, the band had a contentious falling out with Def Jam Records and Rick Rubin, their co-songwriter/producer.

After relocating to California, the Beasties decided to work with the Dust Brothers production team, and released Paul's Boutique in 1989.  Although critically acclaimed, the album landed with a decided thud.  Hip hop fans had never heard anything like it and had no idea what to make of it.  Sales were disappointing, the label stopped promoting it and MTV did not aggressively show the videos.

But gradually, fans saw the genius in the record.  Rarely is a record way ahead of its time, but Paul's Boutique could easily be considered such an album.  It is now widely viewed as one of the greatest hip hop albums ever and one of the strongest albums (of any genre) of the 1980s.  Rolling Stone ranks it as the 125th greatest album ever.

The album is so textured and varied that no one song can really do it justice, but "Shadrach" comes close -- partly because the video seems to capture the vibe of the album.  (Several critics have observed that Paul's Boutique sounds almost painted with samples.)  The song's title comes from a story in the Book of Daniel, but is also used in an old Sly Stone song, "Loose Booty," which is sampled (along with 8 other old funk and rock songs, most of them sampled so cleverly that they are hard to pick up at first.)

"Riddle me this, my brother, can you handle it?"

Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole

Nine Inch Nails blasted onto the music scene in 1989 with Pretty Hate Machine, their debut album.  Complex, diverse and dark, the band sounded unlike anything else at the time.  While their music reflected clear industrial influences (particularly Ministry), the focus on melodic, complex sounds (and lyrics) was truly refreshing.

For those who don't know, Nine Inch Nails (NIN) is Trent Reznor; while he uses a backup band to tour, he alone is responsible for the music.  "Head Like a Hole" is a great early example of the band's sound,  with multiple melodies, a driving beat, and a dark, rocking chorus.

The video is also classic NIN, with rapid cut black and white images interspersed with the band.  Definite art house movie feel, and more than a little bit strange.  Again, seriously ahead of its time.

"Head Like a Hole" was the first NIN song to chart, but it did not break the top 100 (it peaked at #109).  The Pretty Hate Machine album did better, peaking at 75.  NIN would go on to have tremendous success in the early to mid 1990s, and their next 5 albums would break the top 10.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone ranks Pretty Hate Machine 453rd on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.