The place for great and not-so-great nearly forgotten videos from the decade of Miami Vice, mullets, and acid wash jeans. All praise to the bands, YouTube, and the original posters of these videos.
As with any endeavor, inspiration for eighties videos can strike in strange ways. After we finished the previous post (Lou Gramm's, "Just Between You and Me"), we thought that it would be cool to follow it up with April Wine's, "Just Between You and Me," a totally different song that has the same title (as astute readers will already have noticed). Consider this a double shot of "Just Between ... "
Canadian rockers April Wine had been around for a lifetime by the time their 1981 album, Nature of the Beast came out. The band formed in 1969 (!) and had released 8 albums prior to their U.S. breakout. Nature of the Beast peaked at #26, and ended up going platinum in the U.S. (and double platinum in Canada). In addition, two singles broke the U.S. top 100 -- "Just Between You and Me" (#21) and "Sign of the Gypsie Queen" (#57).
The video is pretty basic, highlighting the band in concert (in fact, "Sign of the Gypsie Queen" was shot using footage from the same concert). We have to say, we love the three guitars and the big drum kit (with double bass); the whole thing is a great snapshot of a late 70s / early 80s rock band.
Cool trivia fact: "Just Between You and Me" was the 14th video ever played on MTV and the first one by a Canadian performer, securing April Wine a place in music video history.
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.
Talk Talk were part of the New Romantic movement of early 1980s British synth pop, along with other non-threatening bands such as Duran Duran, Haircut 100, ABC, A Flock of Seagulls and the like. Amazingly (to me, at least), Talk Talk only had one top 40 hit in the U.S., 1984's, "It's My Life," although a No Doubt cover of the song would go on to hit #10 on the U.S. charts in 2004.
In their native Britain, though, Talk Talk were stars, and had 17 top 100 hits from 1982 - 1990, with "Talk Talk" charting twice, and "It's My Life" charting three times. "Talk Talk" (the song) was off Talk Talk's (the band's) 1982 debut album, which was surprisingly not called Talk Talk. (It was titled The Party's Over.) As another interesting diversion, there have been a fair number of bands that named themselves after their own songs; a partial list will appear in the comments section.
The video for "Talk Talk" (the song) is classic 1982. By the way, for our younger readers, the machine at the beginning of the video is called a turntable, and it was used to play spinning disks called records, which is how many people listened to music in the dark days before the iPod. However, the quick cuts, interesting camera angles, white outfits (with ties), and electronic drums were proto-typical of an early 1980s new wave video designed for the new video music channel MTV. We had not watched the video for this song in quite some time, and we have to say, it really is a somewhat dated thing of beauty.
In any event, Talk Talk (the band) would go on to become one of the most interesting bands of its era, as they evolved quite dramatically from a new wave band to an experimental post-rock band that were critically acclaimed -- and quite ahead of their time. Unfortunately, this rapid evolution did not lead to huge commercial success, and the band broke up in 1992. For readers who are interested in Talk Talk's development, almost anything from 1988's Spirit of Eden or 1991's Laughing Stock is recommended.
Is it just me, or does it appear that lead singer Mark Hollis is having some kind of seizure when he sings?
As an added bonus, we recently (2014) found a second version of the video; it is below for your approval.
Here at ERV, we realize that there is a wide range of videos that could be considered rare, and we try to run the gamut. In fact we even put some not-so-rare stuff up occasionally (the cover songs, for instance). However, there can be little doubt that "Backstabber" is rare by any definition, and we suspect that most of our readers have never heard of the band or the song.
Hyts were a foursome out of California who signed to Gold Mountain Records in the early 1980s. The band was made up of Pat Little (lead vocals, guitars), Stan Miller (bass), Tommy Thompson (keyboard, guitar) and Roy Garcia (drums). Their self-titled debut album was released in 1983, and had a minor hit, "Backstabber" that reached #48 on the rock charts (it did not chart in the Hot 100).
The video is something else. A "Psycho" inspired schlockfest, complete with a lead singer singing in the shower, dancing skeletons, and dancers who transform into mother (complete with knives) ... it really has to be seen to be believed. Oh, and did we mention that the guitarist and bass player have matching outfits? [We also love the video clip that it comes from, as it starts with a promo for a Duran Duran concert ... cool, old MTV].
At any rate, Hyts went on tour to support the record, but had to stop when drummer Roy Garcia was injured (he fell off the stage). The follow up record (Looking From The Outside) was delayed by the label, and when it was finally released in 1986, it did not sell well. The band was subsequently dropped by the label and faded from view ... until now.
Benjamin Orr (Orzechowski) was the co-vocalist and bass player for the Cars, the seminal 70s and 80s new wave band out of Boston. He released one solo album, 1986's The Lace, which peaked at #86 on the Billboard album charts. The Lace also produce one hit single, "Stay the Night," which hit #24.
The Lace came out during a down period for the Cars; in fact, Ric Ocasek and Elliot Easton also released solo albums around the same time. While the band did manage to churn out one more album (1987's Door to Door), in retrospect this was the beginning of the end. Interestingly, the break up does not seem to have been terribly acrimonious, as many of the members stayed in touch. It just seemed as if they were tired of working together as a band.
Orr continued to play music, but curiously never did a follow up album. He apparently recorded some music for an intended CD in the 1990s, but it never materialized. However, Orr continued to play music until his death (from pancreatic cancer) in 2000.
By the by, an earlier Ric Ocasek solo song ("Something to Grab For") was previously posted on this blog (September 1, 2011). We also posted the Cars "Since You're Gone" in May, 2014.
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 ...)
Although Prince was a huge success in the 1980s, this is his second time on the blog ("Controversy" was posted on September 23, 2011). And we believe that this is justified -- both Prince posts are great songs and rare videos. In fact, we don't believe that "Dirty Mind" was even played much on MTV -- the only time we recall seeing it was on the old USA show Night Flight (and yes, we did watch Night Flight a lot).
(In fact, seeing this video as a young lad in the early 1980s was a memorable experience. My thought process went something like this ... "hey this is a really good song ... wait, is that dude wearing panties and garters and a trench coat? Man, he seems odd ... but I really dig the song.")
"Dirty Mind" was the title cut of the 1980 LP that showed the eccentric music genius of Prince. He had released two solid, if unspectacular albums in the late 1970s. However, on the Dirty Mind album, he broke all of the rules, fusing rock, pop, new wave and R&B in a way that hadn't been done before. He also went way over the line of good taste -- it was an insanely raunchy album for the time. This combination of weirdness, hyper-sexuality and great music in many different styles would lead Prince to superstardom in a few short years.
The song itself is driven by a keyboard riff by Doctor Fink, one of the few Prince songs that he did not exclusively write. It also does not have a chorus -- it is a groove driven song (unconventional, and very cool). While the Dirty Mind album is now regarded as a masterpiece by many critics, it was not a huge commercial success, peaking at #45 on the album charts. The single did not even chart. However, Prince was comfortable with the new direction, and it would lead to tremendous commercial and artistic successes just a few years later.
Ladies and gentlemen, for your audio and video pleasure ... His Purpleness.
Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone rated Dirty Mind as the 18th best album of the 1980s. Purple Rain was ranked second (behind The Clash's London Calling), making Prince the only artist to have 2 LPs in the top 20.
Note that "Uptown" was posted on ERV in January, 2015.
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.
How can you tell if an artist is a great singer-songwriter? Well, how is this for a partial list of performers who have covered John Hiatt songs: Bob Dylan, Willy DeVille, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Three Dog Night, Joan Baez, Paula Abdul, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Buffett, Mandy Moore, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rosanne Cash, Jewel, Aaron Neville, Jeff Healey, Keith Urban, Joe Cocker and Chaka Khan. Impressive, yo.
John Hiatt put out his first record in 1974, but it took him years to find his voice (and his audience). In addition, his career was almost ruined by years of alcohol abuse. His breakthrough came on 1986's Bring the Family, which had two notable songs -- "Have a Little Faith in Me" and "Thing Called Love." Since then, virtually all of his album have had strong sales, and end up peaking between 110 and 50 or so on the album charts.
Amazingly, in spite of critical acclaim and solid LP sales, Hiatt has never had a top 100 single. "Slow Turning," from the 1988 LP of the same name, is his biggest hit -- it reached #8 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. It is also a great song and quirky, cool video. And, as a bonus, it has one of the great lines in rock and roll:
Yes, this is not a rare song or video, but our loyal reader(s) will know that we like to post songs that you didn't know were covers, and this puppy qualifies. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" catapulted Joan Jett to stardom, and was a monster hit -- 7 weeks at #1 in early 1982, and it became the 56th best selling single of the rock era.
What you may not know was that the song is a cover of an Arrows song. Who are Arrows? (We're glad that you asked). The Arrows were a British pop rock band active from 1974-77, who had a TV show on Granada Television in the UK (this becomes important in a moment). The song was written in response to the Rolling Stones "It's Only Rock and Roll;" the Arrows felt that the Stones' song was an apology, and this was their response.
The Arrows version was originally released as a B side, then re-recorded and released as an A side in 1975. However, it did not chart -- but it did show up on the Arrows' TV show. (Remember how we stated that this was important ...) Well, Joan Jett saw the song on the TV show while she was touring with the Runaways in 1976, and liked it ... a lot. She apparently tried to convince the Runaways to record a cover, but her bandmates did not feel the same, so they passed.
Jett eventually recorded a version in 1979, as part of three songs that she recorded with Paul Cook and Steve Jones (of the Sex Pistols) as she tried to start a solo career, but the songs were not released (until years later). Finally, Jett recorded the song on her second album, which she also titled I Love Rock 'n' Roll ... and the rest, as they say, is history.
Here are the two videos, starting with the original Joan Jett & the Blackhearts vid from 1981 (we love how it starts with Jett's "Bad Reputation" from the her previous album of the same name):
And here is the Arrows version, from TV -- which is, we believe, the version that Joan Jett saw in 1976 (and loved):
Lastly, we recently found a color version of the video, which is below.
