Robert Hazard - Escalator of Life

Robert Hazard (born Robert Rimato) was a mainstay of the Philadelphia music scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s.  With his band, the Heroes, he performed David Bowie-influenced new wave material that was modern and catchy, and generated a sizable local following.

In 1982, Kurt Loder (then writing for Rolling Stone) caught a performance and wrote a positive article for the magazine, which led to a recording contract with RCA.  The 1982 EP (simply called Robert Hazard) won critical acclaim and reached #102 on the album charts, while the single "Escalator of Life" peaked at #58, helped by the video (which was played on your favorite video music channel).

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there, with personnel changes in the band, weaker material and problems with the label.  When Hazard's 1984 LP (Wings of Fire) did not sell well, RCA dropped the band.  However, Hazard remained active in the industry, and gradually migrated to roots rock and country music over the years.  Sadly, he passed away (pancreatic cancer) in 2008.

Cool trivia fact:  As long time readers of ERV will know, Hazard wrote Cyndi Lauper's breakout hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."  (Click on the link for more info, including both the Lauper and Hazard versions of the song.)

Update [January 20201] so it turns out that there was a second (and rarer) video made of "Escalator of Life." And what kind of rare video blog would we be if we didn't include it (below):

Bananarama - Venus

The song "Venus" has an interesting history dating back to 1969.  Many readers will know that the Bananarama version is a cover (hence the inclusion on ERV, even though it was not exactly rare).  The original version was recorded by a Dutch group called Shocking Blue in 1969, and became a #1 hit in the U.S.  This places Shocking Blue alongside Sinéad O'Connor as the rarest of one hit wonders, as their only top 40 hit was a #1 song.

The Bananarama version was off their 1986 album True Confessions, and their cover of "Venus" would also go on to become a #1 hit in the U.S., one of three top 40 hits for the band ("Cruel Summer" (#9) and "I Heard a Rumour" (#4) were the other two).  Amazingly, "Venus" did not hit #1 in the U.K., in spite of the band's success in their home market -- in the U.K. Bananarama had 25 top 40 singles, making them the most successful all female act ever.

Bananarama was formed in 1979 by Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin.  The band was known for its lite pop songs and the lack of harmonizing (the three singers typically sang in unison).  Sadly, creative tensions led to Fahey's departure in 1988; she would go on to form Shakespears Sister.  Jacquie O'Sullivan replaced her in Bananarama from 1988 - 1991, but when she left, the band continued on with two lead singers (which is the status to the present day).

While Bananarama were not critical darlings, they did release a bunch of solid 1980s dance pop, including "Venus:"

Amazingly (love the internet), we were able to track down a video of the original version, by Shocking Blue (Note that the volume on this one is a little loud):

Cool trivia fact:  Siobhan Fahey was married to Dave Stewart of Eurythmics from 1987 - 1996.  (Man, that guy was everywhere during the 1980s.)

Bananarama's "Really Sayin' Something" (with a g and Fun Boy Three) was posted on ERV in October 2015.

Julian Lennon - Too Late for Goodbyes

So what is it like to be the first son of a rock legend?  Well ... for Julian Lennon (son of John), it means that a drawing you did as a child became the inspiration for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."  And when you were sad during your parents divorce, a band mate of your dad's wrote "Hey Jude" for you.  Pretty heady stuff.

It also means that when you decide to become a musician, everything you do will be compared to your dad. Especially when your voice sounds like his and when your first album comes out a few short years after his death.

Welcome to the life of Julian Lennon.

In spite of this, Julian Lennon's first album, Valotte (named after the French château when Lennon had stayed) is a solid effort.  It also sold well -- the album reached #17 on the charts and went platinum, spawning 3 top 40 hits -- the title cut (#9), "Too Late for Goodbyes" (#5) and "Say You're Wrong (#21).

Unfortunately, Lennon was not able to duplicate this success.  He released three additional albums through 1991, with each LP performing worse than the previous one.  Lennon then left the industry for seven years, before releasing Photograph Smile in 1998.  When it did not sell particularly well, he again left the industry, and became involved in photography, several internet businesses and charitable work.  He has had a somewhat higher profile lately, and released another album in 2011, but has had little commercial success of late.

Cool trivia facts:  the videos for "Too Late for Goodbyes" and "Valotte" were directed by Sam Peckinpah, best-known for the 1969 western The Wild Bunch.

Special shout out to eagle-eyed viewer Corky, who pointed out that Martin Briley (featured on ERV in October 2011 for "Salt of My Tears") can be seen on the video at 0:08.  Briley was a successful studio musician and played guitar on the studio version of "Too Late for Goodbyes."

Icehouse - Crazy

"Man of Colours" was Icehouse's fifth album; the band dates back to 1977, and began as a pub rock group from Sydney, Australia.  The group was originally called Flowers, but changed their name in 1981 (after signing with Chrysalis) to avoid legal issues, as there was a signed Scottish band with the same name.  Icehouse was chosen as it was the name of Flower's debut album in Australia, which in turn was named after a song, inspired by frontman Iva Davies' flat (apparently the building was cold and in a dodgy part of town).

Speaking of Iva Davies, it is worth pointing out that Icehouse really was his band, as he was the lead singer and songwriter for Icehouse.  (He also played keyboards and guitars on their studio recordings).  The other members of the band tended to turn over every few years (with a few exceptions).  [This explains why both videos below feature Iva so much.]

As with many Australian bands, they were much bigger in their home market than they were abroad.  Icehouse had 18 top 40 hits in their homeland between 1980 and 1990; in contrast they had 2 in the U.S. -- "Crazy" (which hit #14) and "Electric Blue" (Co-written by John Oats of Hall & Oats, which peaked at #7).  By the way, "Electric Blue" was their only #1 in Australia, although "Crazy" did hit #3.  While the band's success diminished after 1990, they have remained active to this date.

Lastly, it is worth noting that the band shot two videos for the song -- the first version was the Australian music video, directed by Mark Joffe:

The second version is the U.S./International version directed by John Jopson.  If that name is familiar, it is because Jopson directed a ton of videos in the 1980s, including songs by the Hooters, Poison, Choirboys, the Outfield and John Waite:

Squeeze - Another Nail in My Heart

By taking traditional pop songs and updating them with a post-punk approach, Squeeze became a pioneer in the emerging New Wave scene in Britain.  And as if that wasn't enough, they also created a bunch of memorable, well-crafted pop / new wave songs, with catchy melodies and clever lyrics.

The band was formed in 1974 and was named after the poorly-received Velvet Underground record.  [Squeeze, the VU record was released in 1973 without any of the original members of the band, and was panned by critics and fans alike.]  The main creative force behind Squeeze (the band) was the duo of Chris Difford (lyrics) and Glenn Tilbrook (music), who wrote virtually all of the songs, including "Another Nail in My Heart."

"Another Nail in My Heart" is off the 1980 LP Argybargy [Argybargy is British slang for an argument, by the by].  As with most of the early Squeeze singles, it did not break the top 100 in the U.S., although it did reach #17 in the U.K.  In what can only be described as a crime against music, none of the early Squeeze singles charted in the U.S. until 1981's "Tempted" (#49).  The band would go on to have 2 top 40 hits ("Hourglass," which hit #15 in 1987 and "853-5937," which peaked at #32 the following year).  A less polite person that I might suggest that the relative success of these later songs could be considered signs of The Universe having a sense of humor ... or irony.

In any event, the band broke up in 1982 (although Difford and Tilbrook continued to work together and even released an album in 1984).  Squeeze subsequently reformed in 1985 and continued working together until 1999, then broke up (again) before reforming (again) in 2007.  We believe they are together as of this writing.

The video of "Another Nail in My Heart" is a solid early video with the band performing (and hanging out at the pub) while keyboardist Jools Holland pushes a piano around London.  We particularly like the way that they shot the guitar solo (starting around 0:52), which is an absolutely superb piece of musicianship.

For folks who are interested in learning more about the band, their greatest hits record, Singles – 45's and Under is highly recommended.

The Smithereens - A Girl Like You

The Smithereens are another in a growing list of underrated 1980s rock bands, and stood out as an unusual band that combined rock with 1960s British Invasion pop.  The result was inventive and catchy, in a Beatles meets AC/DC sort of way.  This led to some success in the mid to late 1980s, as they had three successive albums that broke the top 60.  However, they never truly found the success or recognition that they deserved.

The band was formed in New Jersey in the early 1980s, and named after a Yosemite Sam expression ("Varmint, I'm a-gonna blow you to smithereens!")  Amazingly, the original lineup of Pat DiNizio (songwriter, guitars and vocals), Jim Babjak (guitar), Dennis Diken (drums) and Mike Mesaros (bass) stayed together for 25 years, until Mesaros quit the industry to raise his kids.

"A Girl Like You" was the band's biggest hit, from 1989's 11 (named after the famous Spinal Tap amplifier).  The song peaked at #38, while the LP hit #41.  The Smithereens had a second top 40 hit, as well -- but it probably isn't the one that you are thinking of.  "Too Much Passion," from the Blow Up CD hit #37 in 1992.

While the band's period of major success was relatively brief  they have remained a working band, and continue to perform and record to this day.

Cool trivia fact:  "A Girl Like You" was originally written for the Cameron Crowe movie Say Anything... Apparently, Crowe felt that the song gave away too much of the plot, so he did not include it, but he remained on good terms with Pat DiNizio (who did a cameo in the Crowe film Singles in 1992).

Franke and the Knockouts - Sweatheart

Franke (no i) and the Knockouts were a New Jersey band, founded in 1980 by Franke (also no i) Previte.  Between 1981 and 1982, the band had 3 (!) top 40 singles, with "Sweatheart" as the highest charting hit, at #10.  [Since we know that it will come up, the two other hits were 1981's "You're My Girl," which reached  #27 and "Without You" from 1982, which peaked at #24.]

While the band's first two LPs both broke the top 50, their third album did not chart, and the band broke up in 1986.  End of story, right?  Well, not quite ...

After the breakup, Franke Previte was looking for a recording contract when an old friend contacted him.  Jimmy Ienner, former president of Millennium Records was producing the soundtrack for a movie and wanted Previte's help for the final number.  Previte co-wrote a song for the film, and had another song that was used, as well (although both songs were performed by other artists).  The film was called Dirty Dancing (some readers may have heard of it) and the soundtrack became a hit (18 weeks as the #1 album in the U.S. in 1987).  We posted more on this story on the "Hungry Eyes" entry, which includes the original and cover versions of the song.

And that, my friends, is how Franke and the Knockouts are connected to Dirty Dancing.  Unfortunately, Previte did not have another big hit, but a 2010 Reuters article indicates that he remains active in the industry (mostly helping young songwriters) and is living comfortably off the royalties (which are generating a mid-six figure annual revenue).  Nice to have a happy ending at ERV.

Cool trivia fact:  Tico Torres, who went on to fame and fortune as the drummer in Bon Jovi, played drums on Franke and the Knockouts third album, 1984's, Makin' the Point.

Pretenders - 2000 Miles

"2000 Miles" came out in late 1983, just before the Learning to Crawl LP, which was released in January, 1984.  While the song does reference Christmastime, it is not a traditional Christmas song, and in fact was initially thought to be an anti-war song (in the aftermath of the Falklands war).

Subsequently, Chrissie Hynde has stated that the song is a tribute to her friend and former bandmate, James Honeyman-Scott, who died the previous year.  In any event, the result is a wonderful, haunting song, and one of our holiday favorites.  The song also gets the nob for being "the single most depressing Christmas standard of all time" according to Allmusic.

"2000 Miles" was a hit in the UK when it was released, hitting #15 in December 1983.  It was not released as a single in the U.S., although it was the B side of "Middle of the Road."  Learning to Crawl ended up being the most successful Pretenders album in the U.S. by chart position -- it peaked at #5.

The video is good cheesy fun.  It was not played much back in the day and remains a somewhat rare video to this day.

Note that "Day After Day" was also posted at ERV, last December.

Young MC - Principal's Office

1989 was Young MC's year.  He co-wrote the two major hits for Tone Lōc's smash LP Lōc-ed After Dark, which went to #1.  The two hits both broke the top 5, with "Wild Thing" reaching #2 and "Funky Cold Medina" hitting #3.  Young MC then released his first album, Stone Cold Rhymin'.  That album peaked at #9, and produced two additional top 40 hits -- "Bust a Move" (#7) and "Principal's Office" (#33).  Incredibly, Young MC never had another top 40 hit.

Young MC (Marvin Young) was born in England, but his family moved to Queens, NYC when he was eight.    While he was at college at USC, he joined Delicious Vinyl, which led to the success with Lōc-ed After Dark and Stone Cold Rhymin'.  However, he left the label after his first LP, due to a series of creative and legal disputes and eventually signed with Capital Records.  His subsequent releases did not catch on, with 1991's Brainstorm being the only subsequent album to chart (it hit #66).  While his later material was solid, it remained a bit stylized  and changes in the hip hop scene pushed him out of the limelight.  In recent years, Young MC has acted and appeared on a few celebrity-themed reality shows.  He continues to write and record, as well.

For the blog, we decided to go with "Principal's Office," as it is the rarer hit, and that's what the blog is all about.  The song relies on a cool old Lee Michaels riff from "Who Could Want More."  By the by, Lee Michaels is best known for his 1971 hit "Do You Know What I Mean?"  The video itself is full of superb 1989 fashion goodness, right down to the acid wash jeans.

Kim Carnes - More Love

"More Love" is the second Kim Carnes cover to appear on ERV, as "Bette Davis Eyes" was posted last April.  That post does a good job of summarizing Carnes' career and her long path to success -- follow the link above and check it out, if you are so inclined.  [In addition, Carnes' "Voyeur" appeared on ERV in May 2014.]

Unlike "Bette Davis Eyes," "More Love" is a reasonably traditional cover.  [For those who have not listened to the original version of "Bette Davis Eyes," we highly recommend it, as it is one of the more dramatic re-makes that we are aware of.]  "More Love" is a straightforward pop/soul song, originally recorded by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles in 1967.  The original version was a hit, peaking at #23 on the charts -- one of 26 top 40 hits for that band (!).  The Kim Carnes version charted even higher; the song hit #10, becoming Carnes' first solo top 40 hit ("Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer," a duet with Kenny Rogers, had previously hit #4 in 1980).

While all of that is interesting, it is the video of "More Love" that secured it a place on ERV.  Simply put, this is one of the great unknown early 1980s videos.  The song came out before MTV and was a little too adult contemporary for the channel; as a result most folks have never seen it.  However, it is a classic, and has a wonderful (and slightly off) sense of humor, with fork accidents, a burning piano and crashing dancers.  It is not clear how much the video helped the song, but Carnes career really took off in 1980 and 1981, so it probably didn't hurt.

The original version of the song, by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles is below:

Cool trivia fact:  the original version was written by Smokey Robinson, to his wife (Claudette Rogers Robinson) after she had a series of miscarriages (8 in total).  Claudette felt responsible for the miscarriages; the song was Smokey's way of re-assuring her.  The miscarriages also forced Claudette off the tours, but she and Smokey eventually had two children.  They were divorced in 1986, after 27 years of marriage.