Rick Springfield - Human Touch

Our second All Hallows Even clip is Rick Springfield's "Human Touch."  This is Springfield's second appearance on ERV; his cover of Sammy Hagar's "I've Done Everything for You" was featured on our little blog way back in 2012.

"Human Touch" came in the midst of Rick Springfield's heyday - between 1981 and 1988 he had 16 top 40 hits and five top 40 albums.  Over time, we've come around on his work - there is a fair amount of solid pop rock songs in his catalog, including this one.  Helped by the slightly odd video, the song hit #18 on the charts, while the Living in Oz album reached #12 and would become the third of four consecutive Springfield albums to go platinum.

The apocalyptic sci-fi video starts with some small skeleton people wondering into a lab that contains Rick and ... a bunch of dancers, it seems.  The year: 2016. The world seems to be a total wasteland (sadly, Springfield might not have been that far off about 2016).  There is then a bunch of dancing, some computers, and a four eyed saxophonist (no, not with glasses ... but with four actual eyes).  The result is an odd but fun video, which is easily recognizable as an 80s clip (the special effects ... oh my).

The sci-fi elements, set, and costumes make this an excellent Halloween video, and we hope that our reader(s) enjoy it as much as we did.

Billy Ocean - Loverboy

Rounding out our All Hallows Even celebration is "Loverboy" by Billy Ocean.  This is definitely one of the oddest 1980s videos, with a plot that seemingly has nothing at all to do with the song.  We suspect that there may have been some controlled substances involved, along with at least one Star Wars fan.

Long time viewers may recall that this is Billy Ocean's second appearance on ERV, as "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" was posted last March.  As we mentioned then, Billy Ocean (given name: Leslie Charles) was a modestly successful singer until 1984, when his Suddenly LP broke out, reaching the top 10 in both the U.S. and the UK.

While "Loverboy" was a big hit (#2 in the U.S. and #6 in the UK), it was not as big a hit as "Caribbean Queen" in either market. Not not worry, though, Billy Ocean remained massively successful through the rest of the decade.

As to the video ... it is a perfect Halloween video, from the sci-fi perspective.  We are of two minds here - on the one hand, it is trying to be an ambitious mini-movie.  On the other hand, there seems to be little plot, and the visuals are cheesy, though perhaps less so by the standards at the time.  The plot seems to revolve around a lizard creature, who goes to a cantina to ... kidnap a female alien (?), after killing her date in an unprovoked burst of laser fire. Yeah. 

It's probably best to not analyze it too much, but it is a weirdly engaging and odd Halloweeny clip.

Cool trivia fact: superstar music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange co-wrote the song, along with Keith Diamond and Billy Ocean.  

Kiss - I Love It Loud

Welcome to ERV's 10th annual All Hallows Even party.  A reminder to our newer readers: our  prior ghostly (ghastly) clips can be found using the All Hallows Even tag on the right.

Leading off this year's festivities is "I Love It Loud" by Kiss.  As most readers know, Kiss has a long and somewhat controversial history.  The group started in New York City in 1973, and was led by Paul Stanley (guitar and vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass and vocals).  Ace Frehley (guitars) and Peter Criss (drums) rounded out the original lineup.  Right from the start, Kiss was known for their makeup, costumes, and theatrical stage shows as much as for their music.

The group really broke out following their 1975 Alive! double album and had a period of superstardom, which was on the wane by the early 1980s.  Changes to their sound likely didn't help - 1979's Dynasty was dance-influenced, while the 1981 "Music from 'The Elder'" concept album included orchestral parts.

With this backdrop, "I Love It Loud" from the 1982 Creatures of the Night LP was a return to form.  Although the album didn't become a huge commercial success, the anthemic hard rock and focus on music videos laid the groundwork for Kiss' success in the 1980s.  Stanley and Simmons capitalized on this by having the band remove their makeup (on MTV no less) and effectively repositioned Kiss as a pop metal act, which paid huge dividends for the rest of the decade.

From a Halloween perspective, "I Love It Loud" is spot on.  The makeup, costumes, and tank/drum kit are nicely complimented by the sonic assault (and glowing eyes).  The result works, in our opinion, and makes for a fun Halloweeny video. 

Dio - Last in Line

After years of playing in bands, Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) came into his own in the early 1980s, helped by his MTV-friendly videos.  Dio's band (cleverly named Dio) scored two platinum records and added a gold one to boot before their popularity declined in the later part of the decade.

Although Dio's career traces back to the early 1960s (!) he is best known for being the frontman of Elf (1967-75), Rainbow (1975-78) and Black Sabbath (1979-82).  After leaving Black Sabbath, Dio opted to form his own band with drummer Vinny Appice, guitarist Vivian Campbell, and bassist Jimmy Bain.

"Last in Line," from the 1984 album of the same name, suits our All Hallows Even theme perfectly, and has been on our list for some time.  From the elevator ride from (to?) hell, to the weird goings on in the basement, this is one odd and creepy video.  We particularly like that the band plays only supporting roles in the clip, though Dio is pretty visible towards the end.

Though Dio's popularity faded, Ronnie James remained active in the music industry until his death in 2010.

The Bangles - Going Down to Liverpool

"Going Down to Liverpool" is a rare video and a cover, so it fits onto ERV in two ways.  Loyal reader Krista suggested this one a while back, and it seemed like a great fit for the blog.

The Bangles were an all-female pop band from California, and the first version of the band formed in 1980.  Several name changes took the band from the Colours to the Supersonic Bangs to just the Bangs.  A legal issue forced the final name change, to the Bangles, when their independent label EP was released in 1983.

"Going Down to Liverpool" was off the band's debut LP, 1984's All Over the Place.  While the song did receive some radio play, it did not chart -- in fact, the band's first charting single was 1986's "Manic Monday," which hit #2.  Interestingly, the original version of "Going Down to Liverpool" was written by Kimberley Rew and recorded by his band, Katrina and the Waves (of "Walking on Sunshine" fame).  The song appeared several times on early recordings of theirs and caught the attention of Vicki Peterson and Michael Steele of the Bangles, who decided to put it on their record.

The video features Leonard Nimoy, whose son was a friend of Susanna Hoffs (hence his connection to the band).  Hoffs also enlisted her mom, indie film director Tamar Simon Hoffs to direct the video.  While the video did not launch the band to stardom (that would come later), it was a solid effort.  Of course, the band would have some major success in the mid to late 1980s before breaking up.

We're pretty big fans of the original as well:

Cool trivia fact:  Drummer Debbi Peterson sings lead on the Bangles' version, one of only two times that she sang lead for the band (the other time was on "Be With You.")

Note that The Bangles excellent cover of "If She Knew What She Wants" was posted on ERV in December 2014.

In addition, we posted Katrina and the Waves' "Do You Want Crying?" in July 2015.

Jefferson Starship - Find Your Way Back

The history of Jefferson Airplane / Jefferson Starship / Starship is a long, meandering stroll down rock and roll lane.  As many readers will know, the band started as Jefferson Airplane in San Francisco in 1965, and was an early psychedelic rock band.  In addition, Jefferson Airplane is notable as one of the first rock bands to feature a female lead singer -- the charismatic Grace Slick.  By the by, Jefferson Airplane was the model for the Dutch band Shocking Blue, who recorded the original version of "Venus" (featured along with the Bananarama cover last January).

In the early 1970s Jefferson Airplane effectively broke into two bands -- Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship.  Jefferson Starship evolved to become a successful arena rock band in the 1970s and early 1980s, before personnel changes (and a dispute over the name) led to the band becoming Starship in the mid 1980s.  ERV readers should not worry, though, there is no way that a Starship song will ever show up on the blog (with apologies to any fans of "We Built this City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now").

"Find Your Way Back" was from the 1981 Modern Times album.  It was the second album to feature lead singer Mickey Thomas, who joined the band after Marty Balin and Grace Slick quit.  Slick actually rejoined the band late in the recording session for Modern Times and was not in the original promotional materials (this is why the picture of the band at the end of the video does not include her).

The video is loaded with early 1980s goodness, including some sci-fi effects, one really skinny tie (mostly tucked in), and a cool double neck guitar.  We really do enjoy the song and video, in spite of (or perhaps because of) these elements.  Lastly, the song did turn out to be a decent FM hit -- the single hit #29 on the charts, while the Modern Times LP reached #26.

Note that Jefferson Starship's weird video for "No Way Out" was featured on ERV during our All Hallows Even celebration in 2015.

Keith Richards - Take It So Hard

Man, it is hard to figure out how to start a blog post about Keith Richards.  Aside from the fact the he is seemingly indestructible (from a drug standpoint, at least), we are talking about one of the greatest rock songwriters ever.  [We're particularly partial to the guitar lines in "Happy," "Brown Sugar," "Satisfaction," and "Gimme Shelter," just for starters.]

However, the mid-1980s were a difficult time for the Rolling Stones.  Mick Jagger wanted to move towards a more updated, poppy sound, and when Richards resisted, Jagger effectively went out on his own.  [Regular ERV readers will recognize that truckloads of lead singers go out on their own, almost always to the detriment of themselves and their band.]  By 1986, the situation came to a head, and Jagger refused to tour or support the Stones Dirty Work LP, instead focusing on his solo record.  At that time it was unclear if the Rolling Stones would continue as a band.

This led to Richards deciding to do his own solo record (his first); the result was the 1988 album, Talk Is Cheap.  While the songs do not measure up to the late 1960s / early 1970s masterpieces (what does?), the record produced some of the best Richards material in years.  He co-wrote the album with Steve Jordan, and set up a band (the Xpensive Winos) to record and tour.

"Take It So Hard" was the lead single and does a great job of recapturing some of the Richards magic (man, does he have a feel for great riffs ...)  The video is a shot of the band performing after a nuclear holocaust has presumably destroyed everything except Keith and the band.  (Given Richards apparent invulnerability  this seems like a shockingly plausible scenario, actually ...)

Of course, the Stones were able to get it together and have continued to periodically record and tour as of this writing.  Richards released one additional solo album, 1992's Main Offender, before re-focusing his efforts on the Stones.

The Stones dark and cool video for "Undercover of the Night" was posted on ERV in June, 2015.

The Jacksons - Can You Feel It

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.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove

Earth, Wind and Fire were perhaps the most successful funk/pop act of the 1970s, with six consecutive top five albums.  "Let's Groove" was on the last of those, 1981's Raise.  Although the single and album sold well, critics were less enthusiastic, and in retrospect, this album marked the beginning of the end for the band.

Maurice White, the main creative force behind Earth, Wind and Fire, co-wrote "Let's Groove," and he was clearly searching for an updated sound.  He used a vocoder to create the intro; this funky futuristic vibe is accentuated by the video.  In particular, we love the costumes and the video effects (the video was made using the classic Scanimate computer system, commonly used in the 1970s and early 1980s).

"Let's Groove" peaked at #3, while the Raise LP peaked at #5.  In my book, it is noteworthy that even during their descent, E, W & F were still churning out some really solid music.

While the band soldiered on, they did not have any top 40 hits after 1982, and their album releases became less frequent, as well.  However, they continue to perform (with Maurice White) to this day.

Planet P Project - Why Me?

Long time reader Krista requested this, and we have to say that it is an excellent pick, even if it did take us a minute to even remember the song.

Planet P Project (named after a planet from Robert A. Heinlein's book Starship Troopers) was an experimental band comprised of keyboardist Tony Carey and producer Peter Hauke.  Carey had previously played in Rainbow from 1976-77, and was working on his solo career in the early 1980s.  While Carey's solo work was relatively straight ahead rock, Planet P Project provided an outlet for his avant-garde side.

Amazingly, "Why Me?" caught somebody's eye at MTV and the video went into moderate rotation for a while.  It was definitely among the stranger things being played on the channel at the time, both musically and visually.  While "Why Me?" did not break the top 40, it did chart -- hitting #64, and helped the self-titled album reach #42 on the charts.  When the follow up album, 1984's Pink World only reached #121, Carey dropped Plant P, although he did reform the concept in 2005 and has released three albums in recent years.

Note that Tony Carey's 1982 single, "I Won't Be Home Tonight" was posted on ERV in July 2014.

A Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song

One of the prototypical early MTV bands, A Flock of Seagulls gets a bad rap as "that one hit wonder band with the hair."  In fact, they were not even a true one hit wonder, as two songs from their debut album broke the top 40 in the U.S.  ("I Ran," #9 and "Space Age Love Song," #30), while the LP, a concept album about an alien invasion of earth, peaked at #10 in the U.S.  They also had one top 40 hit from their second album, Listen ("Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You)" which peaked at #26).

The band began in Liverpool in the late 1970s, and got their name from a line in The Stranglers song, "Toiler on the Sea." And, in one of the least surprising factoids ever, lead singer Mike Score was a former hairdresser.

"Space Age Love Song" tells a love story in three verses, each verse starting with "I saw your eyes."  The songs' structure is unconventional, with no apparent chorus or bridge, just the verses linked with a catchy guitar line.  While the sound is a bit dated, we think this ranks as a great rock love song.

As is often the case, A Flock of Seagulls were unable to replicate their success.  Although they released several follow on albums, they saw steadily declining sales and finally broke up in 1985.  However, in recent years, they have reunited from time to time, and lead signer Mike Score continues to tour under the Flock of Seagulls name.