Eddy Grant - Romancing the Stone

"Romancing the Stone" wasn't Eddy Grant's biggest U.S. hit, but we love to feature rare videos at ERV, and there is a method to our madness.  Anyhow, that's out story and we're sticking to it.  Grant, who was born in Guyana (perhaps the only artist on ERV from that country) has had a long and interesting career performing music that combined traditional Caribbean music (calypso, reggae and soca, in particular) with R&B, funk and rock.  The result eventually became called ringbang and is closely associated with Grant.

Of course, in addition to his diverse music, Eddy Grant also floated in and out of the charts, particularly in Britain (his family moved to London when he was a child).  He had 7 top 40 hits in the U.K. as a solo artist, plus 6 more as the main songwriter of The Equals, who were successful in the U.K. in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Grant is also known for his political lyrics, especially on the topic of apartheid.

American audiences will mostly know Grant for his 1982 hit "Electric Avenue," which went to #2 on the charts.  "Romancing the Stone" (written for the movie of the same title) was also a top 40 hit in the U.S., as it reached #26 in 1984.  Unfortunately, there seems to have been a dispute with the movie's producers, as the song was not included in the movie (except for the guitar solo) and did not appear on the soundtrack.

As an interesting aside, we would recommend Romancing the Stone (the movie).  It is a funny action adventure movie that does not take itself too seriously, and is well cast (Kathleen Turner in her prime, for instance).  The backstory to the movie is quite sad, as screenwriter Diane Thomas worked as a waitress for years while developing the script.  Her big break came when she pitched the story to a customer (Michael Douglas), which led to major success.  Sadly, she was killed in a car accident the following year, and never wrote another screenplay.

Eddy Grant made two videos for the song, as a result of the dispute with the producers.  The first video features clips from the movie (and supernatural guitars, as Grant's guitar can apparently transform from a machete and change the weather if a suitcase is thrown at him):

The second video is just Eddy and a corpse (I think).  Not sure where this idea came from, but probably not the best.

Face to Face - 10-9-8

Face to Face (no relation to the 1990s punk band) was a Boston-based new wave band fronted by lead singer Laurie Sargent.  In their heyday, they were often compared to 'Til Tuesday for obvious reasons (Both were Boston-based new wave bands with a female lead singer).

Face to Face's big break came in 1984, and for a brief period it looked like they were on their way to stardom.  Their self-titled first album broke into the charts, as did the single "10-9-8."  The band's music was also featured in the movie Streets of Fire, which was heavily marketed over the summer of 1984.  However, sales of their single and album stalled, and Street of Fire bombed at the box office.  Face to Face soldiered on for a few more years, but eventually broke up in 1988.

"10-9-8" peaked at #38, while Face to Face's debut LP reached #127.  For those keeping score at home, that does make Face to Face an official one hit wonder.  By the way, the video for "10-9-8" is not half bad -- it is something of an artistic performance piece.  And for our younger readers, that thing shown around 1:20 is called a payphone, and was used in days of yore (before cell phones).

After the band broke up, Laurie Sargent remained active in the industry, while guitarist Angelo Petraglia became a successful songwriter (mostly roots and country rock).

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

"Bizarre Love Triangle" is one of those cool songs where the title does not appear in the lyrics, something that New Order did a lot.  It was the second single from the band's 1986 Brotherhood LP and was one of a relatively small number of songs that the famously reclusive (aloof?) band turned into a video.  The main video (the first one below) was directed by the American painter Robert Longo of Men in the Cities fame.

New Order was formed from the remains of Joy Division, following the tragic suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis.  While the band started out as stylistically similar to Joy Division, they gradually incorporated more dance and synth pop elements into their songs.  The result was a new wave dance sound that was trendsetting, and laid the groundwork for many bands to follow.

While they became huge stars in their native Britain, New Order had only modest mainstream success in the U.S.  "Bizarre Love Triangle" did not chart in 1986, although it was re-released and did hit #98 in 1995.  The Brotherhood album was also not a huge hit; it peaked at #161.

Of course New Order continued to have success (particularly in the UK and Europe) and they remain active as of this writing, although they have had at least two breakups/long hiatuses through the years.

In classic ERV style, we found a second video of the song, recorded in the famous Strawberry Studios in London.  (Sorry for the abrupt ending.)

Cool trivia fact:  New Order is not a U.S. one hit wonder.  They actually had two top 40 hits -- 1987's "True Faith (#32) and 1990's "Regret (#28).

Was (Not Was) - Walk the Dinosaur

With a really catchy backbeat and a fun, Flintstones-esque video, "Walk the Dinosaur"  became a big hit in the late 1980s.  The song was originally released in 1987 in the UK, where it would climb to #10, but it would not peak on the U.S. charts (at #7) until 1989.  Needless to say, it became Was (Not Was') biggest hit, although it is worth noting that the band had an additional top 40 hit, as "Spy in the House of Love" reached #16 in 1988.

Was (Not Was) was founded by David and Don Was (really David Weiss and Don Fagenson) in the late 1970s, and over time the band gained a small following with their funky, slightly strange dance pop sound.  However, only 1988's What Up, Dog?  broke the top 50 on the Billboard album charts.  By the early 1990s, the band went on hiatus, as David and Don Was pursued other endeavors -- Don became a successful record producer while David became a journalist (and produced several soundtracks).  They reunited in 2004 and continue to perform together to the present time, even releasing a new CD in 2008.

Curiously, "Walk the Dinosaur" is an upbeat song with dark lyrics -- the song is about nuclear Armageddon. (Somehow that part didn't make it into the video).  Also, the song has taken on a life of its own -- it has appeared on several soundtracks (including the 1994 version of The Flintstones movie) and was used at Chuck E. Cheese's and Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Go figure.

Oh and consider yourself warned -- this thing will bounce around your head at random times for a few days. It is a damn catchy beat.  And with that warning ... "Boom boom acka lacka lacka boom."

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone ranked What Up, Dog? as the 99th greatest album of the 1980s.

The S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right)

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:

1. It is a Soul Train clip ...
2. ... 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)
3. The song has a xylophone in it.  Funkiest xylophone ever?  (Maybe, but you have to think that this xylophone is in the discussion)
4. 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)
5. The guitar line has to be on the short list of best funk guitar lines ever (see 2:55)
6. 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.

MARRS - Pump Up the Volume

MARRS (or M|A|R|R|S) was formed when Ivo Watts-Russell, the head of 4AD records in London, proposed a project to blend soul with electronica.  He did this after two bands on his label -- Colourbox (electronica) and A.R. Kane (dream pop) independently mentioned the idea to him.  The project was called MARRS, after the artists' first names --  Martyn Young (from Colourbox), Alex Ayuli, Rudy Tambala  and Russell Smith (from A.R. Kane), and Steve Young (from Colourbox).

Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that the bands simply could not work together.  As a result, each band recorded material and then let the other band provide input.  Although the original idea was to record an LP, the groups recorded one song each and then the project shut down.  Colourbox contributed "Pump Up the Volume," which sampled some A.R. Kane guitars, while A.R. Kane wrote "Anitina," with Colourbox providing the drum programming.

This would have been the end of the story, except that "Pump Up the Volume" sounded really, really good.  Released as a single in 1987, it became the first #1 song in the UK that used samples. (It peaked at #13 in the U.S.)  The title comes from an Eric B. & Rakim sample (from "I Know You Got Soul"); other samples include songs from:  Fab 5 Freddy, Kool & the Gang, Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C.  In fact, some samples were cut from the U.S. version, as the rights could not be obtained.  Overall, the U.S. version has 23 samples (the original UK version has 26 samples).

In spite of the huge success, the bands had no desire to record together again, and the project was never re-formed.  Colourbox broke up in 1987, while A.R. Kane remained active until 1994. Interestingly, while both bands were well-regarded by critics, neither had much commercial success either before or after the MARRS project.

Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall in Love

"Don't Wanna Fall in Love" was the hit single off Jane Child's 1989 eponymous solo album and the catchy song came damn close to being a #1 hit -- it peaked at #2 for three weeks in 1990, held out of the top spot by Sinéad O'Connor's "'Nothing Compares 2 U," which many readers will know was written by Prince.

Child has an interesting backstory, as her parents were both classical musicians.  She grew up in Toronto, but wrote "Don't Wanna Fall in Love" in New York, which is why the video was shot there.  While she is an official one hit wonder, her single "Welcome to the Real World" peaked at #49.

After her follow up album, 1993's Here Not There was a commercial disappointment, Child dropped out of the limelight, and became a session musician.  Child eventually released her third album Surge, in 2002.

Cool trivia fact:  Child wrote all of the songs on here debut album, and played all instruments except guitar.

Stacey Q - Two of Hearts

Although she is thought of as a one hit wonder, Stacey Q actually had two top 40 hits ("We Connect" was the other, and no, we don't remember it either).

Stacey Q (real name: Stacey Swain) had an interesting career prior to her 1986 breakout.  Among other things, she was an entertainer at Disneyland and an elephant girl for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus.

In the early 1980s, Stacey Q became involved in the emerging electronic music scene, and became the lead singer of Q (later renamed SSQ after ... Stacey Swain).  While the band did not become successful, Stacey began using the Stacey Q moniker, and she kept it when she started her solo career.

1986's Better Than Heaven was her second solo album, and became a huge dance LP, peaking at #59 on the album charts, and providing two top 40 dance hits -- "Two of Hearts" and the aforementioned "We Connect."

While many readers will recognize "Two of Hearts," we think that few people know that it is a cover. The original (also from 1986) was co-written and performed by Sue Gatlin; the extended version of the original is below.  Also of note, the song's big breakout came when it was used in an episode of "The Facts of Life" TV show.  Yes, really.

As with many artists, Stacey Q was unable to maintain her success and quickly faded from view.  She has released five albums since Better Than Heaven and we believe that she continues to perform to this day.

The Stacey Q version of "Two of Hearts" (a #3 hit in 1986):

The original Sue Gatlin version of "Two of Hearts":

Breakfast Club - Right on Track

Your basic one hit wonder, Breakfast Club has an interesting backstory that has nothing to do with John Hughes.  (In fact, there is no relationship between the movie and the band at all, as far as we can tell).

However, Breakfast Club was Madonna's first band in New York.  Yes, that Madonna (and yes, that New York).  The Material Girl was briefly the drummer of Breakfast Club, in 1979, we believe.  She left to become the lead singer of her own band, Emmy, and then, of course, went out on her own.

Breakfast Club continued on, eventually signing a record deal and releasing their self-titled first album in 1987.  "Right on Track," helped out by a catchy, if somewhat bizarre video went on to become a top 10 hit, peaking at #7.  No doubt the grooving chickens helped (check out the video if you do not know what we are talking about -- coolest chickens ever.)

While Breakfast Club recorded a second album, it was never released and the band broke up in the late 1980s.

Coll trivia fact:  Stephen Bray, the Breakfast Club's drummer, was an old friend of Madonna's from Michigan.  He co-wrote "Right on Track," and co-wrote (with Madonna) "Into the Groove," "True Blue," and "Express Yourself"  among others.  Impressive.

Thomas Dolby - Airhead

So in typical ERV style, we're posting a Thomas Dolby song, but it isn't the one that you know and love.  However, it is rare and quite good, actually.

"Airhead" was the lead single from 1988's Aliens Ate My Buick (excellent title, right up there with Mars Needs Guitars, if you ask us (and you didn't)).  The album was a bit of a style change for Dolby, and was more dance influenced that the synth pop that preceded it.  As a result, his fans had a tough time with it.  The album peaked at #70 (Dolby's last charting LP), but fell off the charts relatively quickly.

The video is a wonderfully creative, slightly eccentric puppet show.  Dolby was (he probably still is) a visual artist; one suspects that he was involved in the design of the video.  We haven't been able to find anything out regarding a specific target for the song, but he did marry actress Kathleen Beller in 1988.  It is not too difficult to imagine Dolby finding inspiration for this song in the Hollywood scene.  [By the by, pay attention to the the lyrics; they are truly great.]

As Dolby's popularity waned, he transitioned to film and video game soundtrack work, and we believe that he continues to work in the industry to this day.

Cool trivia facts (a bunch):  Thomas Dolby's given name was Thomas Morgan Robertson; the Dolby nickname came from the keyboards and audio equipment that he used.  Surprisingly, Thomas Dolby is officially a one hit wonder in the U.S. -- while "She Blinded Me With Science" peaked at #5, he did not have another top 40 hit.  Lastly, Dolby played the keyboard intro to Foreigner's 1981 smash, "Waiting for a Girl Like You."  (See what you can learn by reading the whole entry.)

In the interest of completeness, here is the link to the extended dance version of "Airhead," called "Airhead's Revenge," and featuring Salt-n-Pepa.

Erasure - A Little Respect

If you are not a big 80s synth pop fan, the name Vince Clarke may not mean anything to you, but he wrote some of the strongest songs of the genre, and was a writing force behind several successful bands.

Clarke got his start in Depeche Mode, where he wrote most of the songs for 1981's Speak and Spell, including "Just Can't Get Enough."  A disagreement over the musical direction of the band led to his departure that same year, and he formed Yazoo (Yaz if you live in the U.S), where he again wrote most of the material, including "Don't Go."  When Alison Moyet opted to go solo in 1983, Clarke worked with Eric Radcliffe and Feargal Sharkey (yes, the same one who was highlighted on this blog on November 15, 2011 ... small world, huh?) in a project called The Assembly who actually had a top 5 hit in the UK called "Never Never" that was written by Clarke (of course).

The Assembly did not work out, and Clarke started Erasure (with Andy Bell) in 1985.  After a slow start, they had a string of hits in the UK and Europe, with 22 consecutive top 20 hits in the UK, including 12 that peaked in the top 10.  In the U.S., Erasure was more of a cult dance/synth pop band, and had only 2 top 40 hits -- "Chains of Love" (#12) and "A Little Respect" (#14), both from 1988's The Innocents LP.

"A Little Respect" has become one of Erasure's signature songs, and is a great example of a strong dance/synth/pop song.  However, it would have to go on the list of least imaginative (i.e., most literal) videos ever.  Just check it out (but consider yourself warned ...)

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.

Baltimora - Tarzan Boy

A classic one hit wonder, Baltimora came onto the music scene in 1985 with the catchy dance song "Tarzan Boy."  The band was a strange Northern Irish - Italian collaboration, with an Italian producer and writer (Maurizio Bassi) and a Northern Irish lead singer (Jimmy McShane).

Bassi and McShane apparently met in Ireland in 1984, where McShane worked as an EMT.  The two quickly formed a band, with McShane as the frontman, due to his flamboyant style.  There seems to be some dispute over who actually sung the lead vocals on Tarzan Boy, with several sources claiming that Bassi did the honors.

At any rate, the song became a huge success, hitting #13 in the U.S. (although it did even better in most of Europe).  Unfortunately, the other songs from the Living in the Background album did not do as well, and a second album (1987's Survivor in Love) did not chart at all.  Baltimora disbanded soon afterwards, and neither Bassi nor McShane had much success with their future musical projects.  McShane died of AIDS in 1995.  He was 37.

Cool trivia fact:  A remix of Tarzan Boy charted, and nearly broke the top 40 in 1993 (it peaked at #51), after the song was used in a Cool Mint Listerine commercial.  Here is your special bonus, from your friends at ERV:

Re-Flex - The Politics of Dancing

Wonderful synth-dance song, and a great video to boot from the one hit wonder Re-Flex.  "The Politics of Dancing" was the lead single from the 1983 album of the same name and hit #24 on the charts, with some help from a ton of airplay on MTV.  Cool trivia fact:  the 12" version of this song was the first extended version of a song by a British band to top the U.S. dance charts.

The band recorded their follow up album, Humanication, in 1984 as a planned 1985 release.  The first single was "How Much Longer," which had an environmentalist message and featured Sting on backing vocals.  The song was released in Germany, but the record label did not like the political nature of the song/album and killed the project.  To this day, the album has never been released, although there are apparently bootleg copies in existence.  Re-Flex released two songs for the Superman IV soundtrack in 1987, but did not release another album (in the 1980s, at least).

Cool trivia fact #2: An early version of Re-Flex featured Phil Gould and Mark King who would go on to form ... Level 42.  Gould, by the way, also played with M ("Pop Muzik").

Update [May 2021], it turns out that Re-Flex made a prior (and rarer) video for "The Politics of Dancing," so we've added it (below):