Los Lobos - Will the Wolf Survive?

Los Lobos were an unlikely and underrated success story in the 1980s.  The group's roots date back to 1973, and they were originally named Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles (the wolves of East Los Angeles.)  The band's name came from a 1977 National Geographic article, "Where Can the Wolf Survive?" making the group perhaps the only rock act named after a story in Nat Geo.

Their music blended traditional rock with country and Tex-Mex influences, creating a unique sound that became critically acclaimed.  Unfortunately, major commercial success proved to be elusive - they only had three charting singles, two of which broke the top 40 (although their cover of "La Bamba" hit #1 in 1987.)

"Will the Wolf Survive?" is a lovely piece of songwriting, and shows the sophistication of Los Lobos.  Rock, country, and Latin American sounds seem to effortlessly fuse together.  The lyrics use the metaphor of a wolf, trying to find his place in a modern world, to illuminate the status of immigrants. In our view it is poetic and evocative.

The single, "Will the Wolf Survive?" peaked at #78 on the singles charts, while the album How Will the Wolf Survive reached #47.

Los Lobos remains together (with most of their original members) as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone rated How Will the Wolf Survive as the 30th best album of the 1980s (and at #431 on their list of the greatest albums ever)

Cutting Crew - One for the Mockingbird

Many ERV readers will recognize Cutting Crew as the band behind "(I Just) Died in Your Arms," a #1 song from 1987.  In typical Eighties Rare Videos form, we're not featuring that song; instead we are opting for the last of their three top 40 hits, the upbeat "One for the Mockingbird."

Cutting Crew's roots date back to The Drivers, a British band who landed a minor hit in Canada in 1982 with "Tears On Your Anorak." [For American readers, an anorak is British slang for a heavy jacket.] During The Drivers tour of Canada, the Canadian group Fast Forward was the opening act, and Nick Van Eede (the lead singer of The Drivers) and Kevin MacMichael (Fast Forward's guitarist) struck up a friendship.  After The Drivers broke up, Van Eede and MacMichael formed a new band - Cutting Crew.

In 1986, Cutting Crew's debut album (Broadcast) went on to become a hit, reaching #16 on the album charts, with the aforementioned three top 40 singles.  Unfortunately, the band was unable to maintain this momentum, and after two relatively unsuccessful follow up LPs, they broke up in 1993.

By the by, the video for "One for the Mockingbird" is peak MTV ... wow.  It is a rapid-cut assault on your senses, with more visual effects than most sci-fi movies.  Still, we have to admit that it is fun in a totally 1987 way.  And as a bonus, the video includes Frosty Beedle on drums (total bonus points for a seriously cool name).

Nick Van Eede has re-formed Cutting Crew a few times through the years, without any of the other original members.  Sadly, Kevin MacMichael died of lung cancer in 2002.

Duke Jupiter - I'll Drink To You

Here at ERV, we have a particular soft spot for the bar band.  In the 1980s it seemed as though every city had a few of these groups - comprised of working musicians who generated a local following, hoping for their one big break.  [The Pub Rock tag will direct readers to previously featured bands who fit the bill, with varying degrees of success.]

In Rochester, NY, Duke Jupiter was the prototypical bar band.  Playing straight-ahead rock and roll, they were active on the scene from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s.  And for a brief moment in 1982, it looked as if they might break through, thanks to their exposure on a new video music channel ... but sadly it was not to be.

"I'll Drink To You" was the lead single off the group's 1982 LP, Duke Jupiter I.  The music video is a simple concert clip of them performing at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA.  The performance footage captures some of the energy of their live show (though the audience seems a bit .... sedate) and it was picked up by MTV, and put into rotation for a time.  The song even charted - reaching #58, while the album reached #204.

Unfortunately, this was as close as the band came to breaking out, and in 1986 they played a farewell concert and broke up, ending a 13 year run.  However, they have occasionally re-formed for reunions, though it is unclear if this will continue, as drummer Dave Corcoran died from cancer in 2018.

MC Lyte - Cha Cha Cha

MC Lyte was a female trailblazer in hip hop and is the answer to a trivia question: who is the first solo female artist to release a rap record? (Answer: MC Lyte - Lyte As a Rock, 1988).

Born in Brooklyn, NY as Lana Moorer, MC Lyte began rapping at 12, and recorded her first song at 14.  Lyte's first album came out when she was 17; though it was not a huge commercial hit, it did establish her as an important rising hip hop artist.

Lyte's second album (1989's Eyes on This) did better, reaching #86 on the album charts, and peaking at #6 on the rap album charts.  "Cha Cha Cha" did not land on the singles charts, but was a #1 song on the rap charts for two weeks.

MC Lyte would go on to have further successes in the 1990s, and would expanding into acting, business ventures, philanthropy, and political causes over time.

Cool trivia fact: the video for "Cha Cha Cha" was directed by Tamra Davis, who has directed a bunch of movies, TV shows, and music videos.  Davis was married to Mike D of the Beastie Boys for years, although they are now legally separated.

Little Feat - Let It Roll

This one goes out to D, the biggest Little Feat fan that we know.

For all intensive purposes, there were two Little Feats.  The first version came out of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, and formed in the late 1960s.  This group was led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Lowell George, and built a following in the 1970s.  They were the prototypical swamp rock act, best known for "Dixie Chicken."

Unfortunately, George's erratic behavior and drug use (and differing views as to the musical direction of the band) led to Little Feat's demise by 1979.  George made conflicting statements about whether he would re-form a new Little Feat or remain a solo act, but this was all rendered moot when he died of a heart attack later that year.  He was 34.

The remaining members of the group managed to release one last album (1979's Down on the Farm), at which point Little Feat officially broke up.  However, the now former bandmates remained in the industry, playing with other artists. In 1987, the surviving members re-formed the band, added a couple of new musicians, and set out to record an album.  This became the second version of Little Feat.

Their 1988 album, Let It Roll served to successfully relaunch the band and further grew their audience. While we don't recall seeing much of them on MTV, the songs were all over rock radio in 1988. For the blog, we went with the title cut off the LP.  Yes, the vintage hot rod is a little ZZ Top derivative, but the blending of cars and the band performing live mostly works, in our opinion. 

While Let It Roll was Little Feat's last top 40 album, the band retained their loyal fan base, and remains active (with a few lineup changes) to the present day.

Laura Branigan - Gloria

Long time ERV readers will know that we love to feature covers, especially when the remake is a big hit.  For instance, we have previously posted "Bette Davis Eyes," "I Love Rock 'n' Roll, " and "Mickey" - and a bunch more.  Yep, they're all covers (readers can use the Covers label to the right to see all of the videos in this category.)

"Gloria" is another song that fits - it was the single that launched Laura Branigan's career, and was her biggest hit as well.  Plus, we bet that most English-speaking readers have no idea that it is a cover of an Umberto Tozzi song.  In a bit of good fortune, the co-producer of Branigan's first LP, Greg Mathieson, was the keyboard player on the original version, and suggested a remake.

Laura Branigan would go on to become a pretty big pop star in the 1980s - all five of her albums released in that decade broke the top 100.  In addition, her first three LPs all reached #34 or higher, and she had seven top 40 singles, led by "Gloria," which peaked at #2 for three weeks in late 1982. Interestingly, (to me, at least) "Gloria" was kept out of the top spot by two different songs - Lionel Richie's "Truly" and the previously mentioned "Mickey," covered by Toni Basil.

The video for "Gloria" ... well, let's just say that the label did not spend a ton of money on it.  It's Branigan on a modestly decorated soundstage, lip-singing away.  Not surprisingly, we don't recall seeing the clip back in the day, although the song was all over the radio for a time.

Laura Branigan would remain active in the industry until her untimely death (from a brain aneurysm) in 2004.

The Umberto Tozzi version came out in 1979, and was a top 10 hit across several countries in Europe.

Fastway - Say What You Will

"Fast" Eddie Clarke rose to fame as Motörhead's guitarist, and can be seen on the "Ace of Spades" video, which was posted on ERV in November 2013.  However, a dispute during the band's 1982 U.S. tour resulting in him leaving the group - and he quickly set about forming a new one.

Around the same time, bassist Pete Way left UFO, and with Clarke formed a band, which they called ... Fastway.  Singer Dave King and drummer Jerry Shirley rounded out the lineup.  Unfortunately a legal dispute with Chrysalis prevented Way from recording with his new band; as a result he left the group prior to their first LP.  (Bass is uncredited on the album but seems to have been Mick Feat.)

Fastway's self-titled album came out in 1983, and represented a solid bluesy hard rock effort.  The album was a modest success, reaching #31 on the charts, though the "Say What You Will" single did not chart.  However, Fastway was not able to build a following, though they released several subsequent LPs, and even played on the Trick or Treat soundtrack (now who remembers that movie).  Clarke tried several lineup changes in the late 1980s, to no avail, and finally broke up the group in the early 1990s.

The video for "Say What You Will" did receive a bit of airplay back in the day, but eventually faded from view ... until now.

"Fast" Eddie Clarke remained in the industry until his death in 2018.

Elliot Easton - (Wearing Down) Like a Wheel

As we've mentioned before, The Cars appeared to be running out of steam by the mid-1980s, which led to three of the five member releasing solo albums.  ERV has previously featured work by guitarist/singer Ric Ocasek ("Emotion in Motion") and by bassist/singer Ben Orr ("Stay the Night") both of which came out in 1986.  However, The Cars' lead guitarist, Elliot Easton released his only solo album the prior year.

Easton's solo album was titled Change No Change and was co-written with Jules Shear.  If Shear's name sounds familiar, it's because he wrote Cyndi Lauper's "All Through the Night" and The Bangles' "If She Knew What She Wants."

The resulting record was neither a commercial nor a critical success.  While Easton is undoubtedly a gifted guitarist, the songs don't highlight this, and there was criticism of his voice, as well.  The album peaked at #99, and while "(Wearing Down) Like a Wheel" picked up a modicum of airplay, it did not chart.  It is a solid, if unspectacular song, and a nice rare video too.

In addition to the videos linked above, Ric Ocasek's earlier (and excellent) "Something to Grab For" was featured on ERV early on, in September 2011.  We also posted The Cars "Since You're Gone" in May 2014. [Yes, The Cars are well-represented on ERV.]

Cool trivia fact: Elliot Easton's given name was Elliot Steinberg.

Blue Murder - Jelly Roll

While many readers may not know who John Sykes is, most will have heard his music.  In fact, Sykes' story is another somewhat sad rock and roll tale.

Sykes got his big break in 1982, when he joined Thin Lizzy just before the recording of their last studio LP, 1983's Thunder and Lightning.  Sykes even co-wrote one of the tracks for the LP - "Cold Sweat." In 1984, as Thin Lizzy was winding up, Sykes joined Whitesnake.

ERV readers will recall that David Coverdale ran Whitesnake - full stop. (Note that "Slow An' Easy" and "Love Ain't No Stranger" have been previously featured on the blog.) Sykes joined the band in time to re-record some guitar parts for the U.S. release of the Slide It In LP, and toured in support of the album.  He and Coverdale then co-wrote all of the songs on what became the 1987 self-titled album, with the exception of two older Whitesnake songs that the band re-recorded.

Unfortunately, the Whitesnake story then became difficult.  Coverdale developed a sinus infection that required surgery and there was some doubt as to whether he would be able to continue singing. After being out of action for most of 1986, Coverdale returned to the studio and put the vocal tracks over the music. However, the delays and health issues strained Coverdale's relationship with the rest of the band; as a result, he fired everyone prior to the album's release.

Sykes would go on to form Blue Murder with Tony Franklin on bass and Carmine Appice on drums.  Their 1989 album was quite solid, but did not become a huge hit.  Sykes would later speculate that the label (Geffen) did not properly promote the group, perhaps due to being on the same label as Whitesnake.

Blue Murder would release a second album (Nothin' but Trouble) in 1993, but sales were disappointing.  The group broke up in 1995.

Cool trivia fact: the actress in the video is Meg Register.

Stephanie Mills - Never Knew Love Like This Before

"Never Knew Love Like This Before" was a catchy pop/R&B hit from Stephanie Mills that became her biggest hit.  The song reached #6 on the charts, while the Sweet Sensation LP peaked at #16 and went gold.

Mills grew up in Bedford–Stuyvesant (Brooklyn) and landed a recording contract at 16.  Her big break came a year later, when she was cast as the original Dorothy in the Broadway production of The Wiz, a role she held from 1974-79.  Known as "the little girl with the big voice," Mills transitioned to the music industry full time after The Wiz, and had 5 gold records and three top 40 singles during the late 1970s and 1980s. She also had 24 top 40 R&B singles, including five #1s.  We believe that she is still active in the industry as of this writing.

The video for "Never Knew Love Like This Before" is literally Mills happily dance-walking through a park.  Ah, for the simple days before MTV, when promotional videos were something of an afterthought for much of the industry ...

Cool trivia fact:  "Never Knew Love Like This Before" was co-written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, who also co-produced the Sweet Sensation album. Hardcore Madonna fans will note that Reggie Lucas was the original producer on Madge's self-titled debut (he also wrote "Borderline.")  Unfortunately, he and Madonna did not see eye to eye, and she brought in John Jellybean Benitez to remix the album prior to its release.