J. Geils Band - Love Stinks

You have to just love a video that starts with the drummer playing on his set in an alley with frozen fish (yes, you read that correctly), followed by some great power chords and a guy playing two trumpets while bouncing on a pogo stick.  Welcome to the wonderful, slightly insane world of the J. Geils Band.

The band formed in the late 1960s, and had a solid career in the 1970s, with its blues-influenced bar rock and energetic live shows.  Their breakout album was, of course, 1981's Freeze Frame, which was a #1 LP with two top five singles ("Centerfold" and the title cut).  As is typical for ERV, we are going to dig a tiny bit deeper and go with the title song from their 1980 album -- Love Stinks.  

"Love Stinks" is a bit more rocking than most of J. Geils' early 80s songs, but shows the direction that the band was moving towards -- a more radio friendly sound with strong hooks and slick production techniques.    Ironically, this transition would lead to huge success a year later but also accelerated the end of the band, as the creative tensions between singer Peter Wolf and keyboardist Seth Justman (the band's songwriters) took its toll.

While the Love Stinks album peaked at #18, the single of the same name barely broke the top 40 at #38.  The well done video (unusual for its day) did generate some airplay on shows such as HBO's Video Jukebox, but was released before the video music revolution took hold.  Pity.

Some additional cool J. Geils insanity, also off the Love Stinks LP:  "No Anchovies, Please."

Cool trivia fact:  "Love Stinks" was the 83rd video ever played on MTV, and was played on the first day that the video channel was up.

J. Geils' "Come Back" was posted on ERV in June 2015.

Big Audio Dynamite - The Bottom Line

After being kicked out of The Clash, Mick Jones was left with a daunting task.  Specifically, what do you do for an encore after being a key member of the seminal punk band of the late 1970s and early 1980s?  Jones started off by co-founding General Public (along with members of The English Beat, among others) but left during the recording of their first album.  After a second failed band (Top Risk Action Company or T.R.A.C.), Jones finally sorted things out with Big Audio Dynamite (BAD).

To his credit, Jones did not attempt to re-create The Clash's sound in BAD, but instead pushed ahead with a dance and reggae influenced post-punk sound.  While Big Audio Dynamite was somewhat inconsistent during their career, they were also interesting and adventurous.

The first single from the first Big Audio Dynamite album (This is Big Audio Dynamite) was "The Bottom Line."  While it was not a hit, the song did generate some airplay, and showed the direction that Jones was moving in.  I'm not totally sure if the nearly one and a half minute introduction is courageous or just indulgent, but it is quite a way to introduce your second band to its audience.

The video captures the irreverence and sense of humor of the band, as well (although we don't remember seeing much of it on MTV at the time).  It also underscored just how much Mick Jones was into cowboy movies.

BAD would go on to have some success during the 1980s and 1990s, before breaking up in 1997.  Jones remains active in music to the present day.

Love and Rockets - So Alive

Love and Rockets emerged from the ashes of Bauhaus, an early and influential goth rock band that formed in 1978.  Bauhaus broke up in 1983, but the members stayed in touch and in 1985 agreed to a joint rehearsal.  Lead singer Peter Murphy didn't show up, but the other musicians -- Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins did and jammed together.  The jam session went so well that they decided to form a band, which became Love and Rockets, named after a comic book series by Los Bros Hernandez.

The band had somewhat of a cult following prior to their breakout 1989 hit "So Alive."  While their music was more driving and upbeat than Bauhaus (which is not saying much), it was still definitely indie rock, with a strong psychedelic vibe.  "So Alive," with its T-Rex and Lou Reed influences, is a bit of an aberration and caused some controversy among the bands' supporters, with some predictably calling it a sell-out.

In any event, the song became a big hit in 1989, ending up at #3 on the charts.  While Love and Rockets continued to make music until their eventual break up in 1999, they did not have another hit, leaving them as a one-hit wonder.  In the years since, there have been periodic reunions of both Love and Rockets and Bauhaus, although both bands appear to be on hiatus at the moment.

Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands to Yourself

"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" has one of the best opening lines of any eighties song: "I got a little change in my pocket going jing-a-ling-a-ling."  And with that auspicious beginning, the Georgia Satellites burst onto the music scene.  The Satellites played a wonderfully retro brand of rock and roll that owes as much to Chuck Berry as it does to Lynyrd Skynyrd.  However, their hybrid rock & roll/country stylings were well off the beaten trail in the mid-1980s, a fact that would eventually hurt the band.  [If this story reminds our readers of Lone Justice or Jason and the Scorchers, well, you may be on to something.]

The Georgia Satellites originally formed in the early 1980s, and actually broke up in 1984, as their career appeared to be going nowhere.  Fortunately, their manager continued to shop the band's demo recordings, and eventually found a small British label that released them as the Keep the Faith EP.  The positive response led to the band re-forming and they were subsequently signed by Elektra in 1986.

Their eponymous debut was a huge hit -- the album topped out at #5, while "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" peaked at #2, kept out of the top spot by Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer."  Sadly, from there it was all downhill, as rock radio more or less ignored the band, although they did manage to have a minor hit in 1988 with their cover of The Swinging Blue Jeans' song "Hippy Hippy Shake."  The band finally broke up in 1990.

Lead singer/songwriter Dan Baird would go on to have success with his 1991 CD, Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired, which goes on the list of greatest album titles ever.  Baird continues to perform as of this writing.  Other members of the Satellites re-formed the band and continue to perform as the Georgia Satellites.  Additionally, lead guitarist Rick  Richards is also a member of Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds (Izzy was a former member of Guns n' Roses, by the by).

Cool trivia fact:  "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" was supposedly based on an argument between the Satellite's drummer and his girlfriend, and was written on a tour bus.

Cool Trivia Fact #2:  The demo version of this song helped land the Satellite's recording contract.  However,  the band did not like any of the 'professional' takes of the song, so they put the original demo version on the album, and it is the version that you hear to this day (including in the video above).

The Satellites' video for "Battleship Chains" was posted on ERV in March 2014.

Dazz Band - Let It Whip

The Dazz Band were part of the vibrant early 80s funk scene, along with The Gap Band, The SOS Band, Kool & the Gang and (of course) Rick James.  The band formed in Cleveland in the late 1970s, and was the result of a merger between two local funk bands -- Bell Telefunk and Mother Braintree.  The name came from "Danceable Jazz" which was the musical concept for the group.

Although the Dazz Band are an official one hit wonder on the pop charts, they were R&B stars, and had 18 charting songs between 1980-88 (plus two more in 1998).  However, only "Let It Whip," from their 1982 LP Keep It Live broke the pop top 40.  It peaked at #5.

The video is a performance clip of the band (at the LA Roxy, we believe).  As an aside, few funk bands made videos, and those that did tended to simply record their performances.  This is similar to hard rock bands of the era, and opened the door to the new wave artists who embraced the video music format.  We do not recall seeing this video back in the day (MTV was also not great about showing black artists until Michael Jackson broke through with Thriller).

The Dazz Band stopped recording in the late 1980s, but then re-formed in the mid-1990s as part of the funk revival trend.

Lita Ford - Gotta Let Go

Along with Joan Jett, Lita Ford built a successful solo career after the collapse of The Runaways.  However, Ford's style was more pop/metal (as contrasted with the punk sensibilities of Jett) and in fact, it was this musical divergence that was the main cause of The Runaways breakup.

In the aftermath of the breakup, Ford took vocal lessons and worked a variety of odd jobs, including gas station attendant, perfume salesperson, fitness instructor and hairdresser (!) before she landed a recording contract.  While her first solo LP, Out for Blood (1983), did not chart, her second album, 1984's Dancin' on the Edge, hit #66.  We remember seeing "Gotta Let Go" on MTV at the time, but it did not chart in the U.S. (it did break the top 100 in the UK, though).

Of course, Ford is best-known for her 1988 LP, Lita, which yielded two top 20 hits ("Kiss Me Deadly" and "Close My Eyes Forever.")  That album broke the top 30 and went platinum in the U.S.  While Ford has only had modest success since then, she remains musically active; her last album as of this writing (Living Like a Runaway) was released in May 2012.

"Gotta Let Go" is a fun video that features Ford as a suburban housewife who can magically transform into a leather-clad heavy metal super-heroine with her trusty guitar.  Unfortunately, aside from hitting and choking bad guys (who look a lot like The Stray Cats), the guitar has limited special abilities -- no shattering glass or laser beams here.  Still, the video gets a solid from us -- good song, fun story and reasonably rare.

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.

The Sherbs - I Have the Skill

The Sherbs are an interesting story, especially to non-Australians, who may not know much about the band's origins.  It turns out that the Sherbs were the re-formed version of Sherbert.  And who the hell are Sherbert .... ?  [good question].

Virtually unknown outside of Australia, Sherbert were big pop stars in their home market in the 1970s.  Between 1973 and 1977, the band had ten top 10 hits and two #1s.  However, their clean-cut, teeny-booper image did not last, and by the late 1970s, their popularity had declined.  In response, the band released a record under the Highway name and then briefly broke up only to  re-form as The Sherbs.

The Sherbs released two LPs in an attempt to restart their career by tapping into the emerging New Wave movement (think: Split Enz).  Unfortunately, they did not find much in the way of success -- Australian audiences in particular seemed to go out of their way to not buy the records.  The band finally broke up in 1984.

"I Have the Skill" was from from The Sherbs 1980 debut album, (creatively called The Skill).  It  was the band's only charting single, reaching #61 on the Billboard charts.  The early performance video is not terribly noteworthy, with the possible exception of Daryl Braithwaite's perspiration (he is the lead singer, btw).

Note that ERV also featured The Sherbs video for "We Ride Tonight" in honor of Halloween 2012.

Cool trivia fact:  Daryl Braithwaite would go on to have a successful solo career in Australia from the late 1980s through the early 1990s.

Quarterflash - Take Me to Heart

Quarterflash were a successful pop/rock act from the early 1980s with a couple of unusual features.  First, the band's lead singer, Rindy Ross, also played saxophone (well, we might add).  Second, Quarterflash's key members were a married couple -- Rindy and Marv Ross.  Prior to writing this entry, we did not realize just how successful they were -- between 1981 and 1983, Quarterflash had 6 charting singles, 3 of which went top 20, and their first two LPs both broke the top 40.

The band formed in Oregon in the late 1970s as the merger of two bands, Seafood Mama and Pilot, and briefly continued as Seafood Mama before changing their name to Quarterflash.  The Australian slang term came from a book the Rosses read that described recent immigrants as "one quarter flash and three parts foolish."  It seems that they just liked the name.  (I imagine that after Seafood Mama, the bar may not have been set that high.)

Quarterflash are best-known for "Harden My Heart," the lead single off their self-titled debut album, which hit #3 in 1981.  In typical ERV style, we skipped over that (for now, at least) and went for a less well-known cut from 1983's Take Another Picture LP.  "Take Me to Heart" was the band's last big hit; it peaked at #14.  The video ... well, it features that Rosses and a bunch of manikins.  (I have to call out the turned up collar on Rindy's shirt as well ... for our younger readers, this was the style of the times).

After their 1985 LP, Back into Blue did not sell that well (peaking at #150), the band was dropped by their label, and broke up soon afterwards.  The Rosses remained together, and continued to make music, even releasing Quarterflash albums in 1991 and 2008.

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.

BoDeans - Only Love

The Wisconsin-based BoDeans came onto the music scene in the mid 1980s, and were another roots rock band that was loved by critics and briefly viewed as The Next Big Thing in rock -- much like the Del Fuegos had been in 1985.  The band's breakout album was 1987's Outside Looking In, and the first single was the catchy song below, "Only Love."  The BoDeans opened for U2 and were named Best New American Band by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine.  (As many readers will know, being named best new artist by anyone is the kiss of death for most acts.  Don't believe me?  See the comments section for a list of Grammy winners for Best New Artist going back to 1975).

At any rate, Outside Looking In stalled at #86 on the album charts, and "Only Love" didn't hit the singles charts.  1989's Home did slightly worse, and while the band continued to release albums and tour, they gradually became a successful working band (their albums tended to chart in the top 200, but not by much).

The band did get a second break, when their song "Closer to Free" was used as the theme to Fox's Party of Five TV show.  The song went to #16 on the Billboard singles charts in 1996, three years after it had been originally released as the lead single from the band's 1993 CD, Go Slow Down.  [By the way, the Rembrandts followed a remarkably similar path in 1994 when they wrote "I'll Be There for You" for NBC's Friends.]

While the video for "Only Love" is a basic performance shoot, it is one of the best videos of this type -- nothing fancy, but really well-shot, and the use of still images is quite effective.

Cool trivia fact:  Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads fame) produced Outside Looking In.

Marshall Crenshaw - Whenever You're On My Mind

For people who don't believe that a pop song can be a well-crafted work of art, we'd like to present Marshall Crenshaw.  He wrote a truckload of great pop songs, and his first two albums, 1982's self-titled debut and 1983's Field Day are chock full of them.  It is just short of criminal that he is an official one hit wonder, as only 1982's "Someday, Someway" broke the top 40.

In retrospect, we think Crenshaw may have been hurt by the video music revolution as much as any artist -- he released a couple of performance videos in 1982, but "Whenever ..." was his first 'real' video.  My guess is that he wasn't into the whole music video thing at the time.  Additionally, his 60's influenced pop songs may have been seen as a bit dated in the early 1980s.  Looking back on them now, however, reinforces the timeless nature of his songs.

"Whenever You're On My Mind" is a great example of his work.  On its surface, it is a love song, but the catchy hook and thoughtful lyrics make it one of the better love songs written in the decade.  Plus, you have to love a songwriter who uses the word reverie (go ahead, you can look it up if you like ... I'll wait).  Amazingly, neither the song, nor the album (Field Day) even charted upon their release in 1983.

The video was played a little back in the day, and then seems to have been forgotten.  In fact, it was hard to find even today.  For folks who like it, we suggest listening to samples from his first two albums -- there are a lot of pop classics there.

Cool trivia fact:  Crenshaw co-wrote the Gin Blossom's 1995 hit "Til I Hear It from You," which peaked at #11 in 1996 (the highest charting song that Marshall Crenshaw wrote).  The guitar intro, in particular, sounds a lot like a Crenshaw lick.

Spinal Tap - Hellhole

Is there a larger, more important eighties band than Spinal Tap?  Well,  yes, but that does not diminish what David, Nigel and Derek achieved.  They brought their special blend of music to countless audiences and in the process sold dozens of records.

As many readers will know, Spinal Tap started as The Originals (later they changed the name to the New Originals, as there was another Originals) and went through several other names before settling on Spinal Tap.  They then had a period of some success, and although they have had many drummers (at least 19), the core of David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls has remained constant through the years.

For this blog, we settled on "Hellhole," from their 1982 LP, Smell the Glove.  We know that some fans will regret that we didn't consider something off Intravenus de Milo or The Sun Never Sweats, but we wanted to stay on the 1980s theme.

In any event, "Hellhole" does a great job of showcasing the band's strengths -- you can almost smell them.

As a special treat, we am also including "Rock and Roll Nightmare," a great early video from ABC's The TV Show.  This is rare and really interesting.

We also wanted to take a moment to thank anyone reading this.  This post is our 100th on ERV, and we have really enjoyed it.  Please feel free to check out the other 99 videos on the site -- we think we have a bunch of good stuff here.

For folks who are so inclined, there are a few ways to offer support to ERV.  You can: like us on Facebook (link is on the right), subscribe to the blog, tell your friends about us, leave comments and / or click on our sponsors.  And do not worry -- this is not the end.  It is not even the beginning of the end (but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning, as Churchill said).  As of this writing, we have 118 videos in the bullpen, ready to be added (and more are put on the list nearly every week).  It turns out that there were lots of good songs and videos done in the 1980s (even rare ones).

So rock on and thanks again for reading.

And by the way, we do know that Spinal Tap is a parody (before someone posts a snarky comment). ;)

Nazareth - Holiday

"Holiday" is a catchy tongue-in-cheek rock song that cleverly folds in several different musical styles (in particular, the chorus has a Caribbean feel that contrasts nicely with the rock verses).  It was released in 1980, and was off Nazareth's wonderfully named Malice in Wonderland LP, which goes on my "coolest album names ever" list, along with Thomas Dolby's Aliens Ate My Buick and the Hoodoo Gurus' Mars Needs Guitars.

Nazareth is an interesting band who never quite made it big, but managed to have a moderately successful career, while making some seriously good music.  The band started in Scotland in 1968 (!) and between 1975 and 1981, they had 7 consecutive albums break the U.S. top 100, although only 1975's Hair of the Dog broke the top 20.  We believe that they are an official one hit wonder, as only "Love Hurts" broke the top 40.  How "Hair of the Dog" didn't chart is beyond us.

"Holiday" did in fact chart, but it peaked at #87 in 1980.  The video combines the band performing with a young man playing a video game in a seemingly random way, but maybe it made more sense in 1980.  At any rate, it is a decent effort for an early video -- remember that MTV didn't even launch until August 1981. [As an aside, "Holiday" was played on MTV on the first day the channel was running -- it was video #138.]

Nazareth would continue to release albums on a regular basis through the 1980s, but without much success.  They continue to record and tour to this day -- the very definition of a hard working band.

Cool trivia fact that may interest only us:  The video game being played in the "Holiday" video is Super Road Champions, made by Model Racing in 1978.

The Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost in You

The Psychedelic Furs are another in a growing list of under-appreciated bands on ERV; highlighting videos like "The Ghost in You" is one of the reasons why we started the blog.  In the Furs case, we think the combination of a relatively short period when they were at the top of their game and a somewhat evolving sound combined to limit their success.  However, at their peak (say from 1981-84), they made some of the strongest music of the decade.

The band started in England in 1977 and was formed around the Butler brothers (Richard sang and Tim played bass).  Their name was an allusion to a Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs."  Some readers may be surprised at how little commercial success the band had in the U.S., where they are an official one hit wonder.  Yes, the Furs only had one top 40 hit ("Heartbreak Beat"), although they did have three other charting singles in the top 60, including "The Ghost in You," which hit #59.

"The Ghost in You" was written by Richard and Tim Butler, and was the second single off the 1984 album Mirror Moves.  It is a lush, atmospheric song, with interesting, ambiguous lyrics.  The mostly monochromatic video tries to capture the atmosphere, with some success.

Although their 1987 LP, Midnight to Midnight was a commercial success, the band seemed to have lost their way musically -- something that Richard Butler has admitted in recent interviews.  The Furs released two additional albums that did not do as well, before breaking up in 1991.  Richard and Tim Butler would go on to form Love Spit Love before reforming the Psychedelic Furs in 2001.

Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well

Mixing old school R&B with modern pop and rock elements, Terence Trent D'Arby briefly looked like The Next Big Thing in music.  His debut album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby hit #4 on the U.S. album charts, and was a huge international hit as well.  However, his follow up efforts did not generate much commercial success, leaving him as an interesting one album wonder.

D'Arby was  born in New York City (as Terence Trent Howard), but grew up with his stepfather, which is where the Darby comes from.  As a young man, he was a boxer and joined the U.S. Army, a path that led him to Germany and eventually London, after he left the army.  Several years of working the London music scene led to a recording contract, and his first album was released with a ton of publicity and immediately became successful in Britain.

Although success in the U.S. was slower, his material gained traction in late 1987 and into 1988.  "Wishing Well" was his big hit, and it reached #1 (for 1 week) in May 1988.  From there, his career slowly fell apart, due to arrogance (he once proclaimed that his album was the most important LP since Sgt. Pepper), and weaker material that did not connect with his audience.  He eventually changed his name to Sananda Francesco Maitreya, but continues to write and record music.

Cool trivia fact:  D'Arby (Maitreya) was the guest lead singer of INXS in 1999, when they performed prior to the Sydney Olympics (their original lead singer, Michael Hutchence, died in 1997).

John Waite - Restless Heart

Long time readers of ERV will notice that this is the second John Waite video on the blog ("Change" was posted last August). Waite is another artist who fits in perfectly here, as he recorded a ton of great pop and rock songs, with some success, but never really became a big big star (as Counting Crows might say).

Case in point:  The Babys (Waite's band before he went solo) never had a top ten single or a top 20 album.  Case in point #2:  While Waite's breakout 1984 album No Brakes hit #10, and produced a #1 hit with the ever-present (in 1984) "Missing You," the other singles did not do that well.  "Tears" barely broke the top 40 (#37), and "Restless Heart," a solid song with a strong video peaked at #59.  Go figure.

At any rate, "Restless Heart," a well-crafted song with a black & white 'story' video, would be on my short list of the best lesser-known videos.  It is well worth a look.  By the way, we think the hat the Waite wears at the start of "Restless Heart" is an allusion to a similar hat that he wore in the "Change" video.  Or, maybe he just likes hats.

After No Brakes, Waite released two more studio albums in the 80s, and then joined Bad English, who released two albums before breaking up.  Waite then returned to his solo career and continues to record and tour as of this writing.

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":

Prism - Don't Let Him Know

Prism's "Don't Let Him Know" seems like the perfect follow-up to Bryan Adams, as their one U.S. hit was actually written by Adams and Jim Vallance.  The history of Prism, however, goes all the way back to the early 1970s, when producer Bruce Fairbairn and songwriter Jim Vallance formed the band.  Over time, Prism became successful north of the boarder, with ten top 100 hits between 1977 and 1981.

Even when Vallance started working with Bryan Adams, he remained active (as a songwriter) with Prism, and in the summer of 1981, Vallance and Adams wrote "Don't Let Him Know" for Prism.  Vallance has subsequently stated that the song was influenced by "Bette Davis Eyes," and we think that you can hear that, especially in the drums.  In any event, "Don't Let Him Know" would go on to be Prism's only top 40 hit in the U.S., making them an official one-hit wonder (although, to be fair, they had three other songs that broke the U.S. top #100).

We don't think that an official video was ever made for the song (if any readers know of one, please let us know in the comments).  As a result, we have gone with a clip from Solid Gold, although, sadly, the Solid Gold Dancers do not make an appearance.  Prism broke up in 1982, although the band later re-formed and continues to play to this day.

Coll trivia fact:  Bruce Fairbairn would go on to become a hugely successful record producer for Krokus, Loverboy, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and AC/DC among others until his untimely passing in 1999.

Bryan Adams - Hearts on Fire

The "every man" rock star, Canadian Bryan Adams seems to have flown under the radar during his career -- until you consider the large number of catchy rock songs he has written and the 75 million (or so) records that he has sold.

Although Adams released his first album in 1980, it was 1983's Cuts Like a Knife and 1984's Reckless (a #1 album that went 5x platinum in the U.S.) that really launched his career.  However, in typical ERV style, we are not going to go with anything off those smash records.  Instead, we dug a little bit deeper into his catalog.

"Hearts on Fire" was originally written during the Reckless recording session with Adams' longtime songwriting partner, Jim Vallance.  Two years later, Adams recorded the song and it became the second single off his 1987 album, Into the Fire, where it peaked at #26 on the U.S. charts.  While it was not a huge hit, it is a solid, and pretty typical Bryan Adams song.  No question about it; the dude knows how to write a decent rock song.  The video is about as straightforward as they come (much like Mr. Adams, we imagine) -- it is a performance clip, from a 1987 concert in Florida.

Cool trivia fact:  Bryan Adams sang backup on Mötley Crüe's 1989 album Dr. Feelgood (other artists who sang backup on the album include:  Sebastian Bach, Robin Zander, Jack Blades, Rick Nielsen  and Steven Tyler).

Femme Fatale - Falling In and Out of Love

Femme Fatale was a pop metal band from Albuquerque, New Mexico who were led by the charismatic front woman Lorraine Lewis.  The band formed in 1987, and quickly moved to LA -- the center of the pop metal movement of the late 1980s.  From there, they signed a record deal, and put together an album (their 1988 self-titled debut).

While the singles "Waiting for the Big One" and "Falling in and out of Love" both received some airplay on MTV, the album's sales were only so-so.  Neither single charted, and the album peaked at #141.  This was likely due to the abundance of similar bands; we think Femme Fatale simply got lost in the mix.

After touring as the opening act for Cheap Trick, Femme Fatale went back to the studio to work on their follow up effort,  which was to be called Lady in Waiting.  However,  it was never released, as they were dropped by their label (MCA).

The video for "Falling in and out of Love" is classic late 1980s hair metal goodness, complete with headbanging, swirling cameras and lots of lights.

Lorraine Lewis has remained in the industry without much mainstream success, but she continues to perform Femme Fatale songs to this day.

Beastie Boys - She's On It

Every once in a while, outside events will influence a blog posting and sadly, today is one of those days, as Adam Yauch (MCA) has passed away.  For those who don't know, MCA, along with Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) were the Beastie Boys.

Eighties Rare Videos previously highlighted "Shadrach," from the inventive and influential Paul's Boutique album, but the impact of the Beastie Boys extends beyond that one album.  In fact, the band's longevity and innovation really stand out in an industry where neither is common.

While the Beastie Boys started as a punk band in the late 1970s, they had evolved into a hip hop band by the early 1980s.  They then worked with Rick Rubin and Def Jam on the License to Ill LP, and became huge stars.  However, instead of continuing with the party/hard rock/rap formula, the band expanded and produced some of the most interesting music of the 1990s.

"She's On It" was an early example of the Rick Rubin rap/rock style and Rubin even appears in the video.  The song was on the Krush Groove soundtrack (now who remembers that movie).  The song did not chart, but the video was played on MTV and laid the groundwork for what was to come.  It also seems appropriate for today, as MCA has the first line: "There's no confusion / in her conclusion."

Cool trivia fact:  The model in the video is Sharon Middendorf and there is a link to an interview with her from beastiemania.com in the comments section.

The Gap Band - Party Train

Originally called the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band, after their neighborhood in Tulsa, the Gap Band produced some of the catchiest funk this side of Rick James.  The band was centered around three brothers -- Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, who started playing music in the late 1960s.  They eventually moved to LA, and released their first album in 1974.  However, it wasn't until the early 1980s that the band really took off.

"Party Train" is from 1983's Gap Band 5: Jammin', the last of 4 straight gold or platinum albums for the band. While the song peaked at #3 on the R&B charts, it surprisingly did not break the top 100 on the Billboard pop charts.  The album peaked at #28, although it did hit #2 on the R&B album charts.

The video is classic Gap Band -- flashy, exuberant and fun.  Yes, the Wilsons loved their cowboy hats and boots (they were, after all, from Tulsa).  However, the video is just a crazy, funky California beach scene.  With the exception of Charlie Wilson's ill-advised (really small) bathing suit, this clip is a winner.  And there is even dancing with roller skates (briefly, around 4:37).

Although the Gap Band's popularity declined after the 1980s, they continued to perform until Robert Wilson's untimely death from a heart attack in 2010.

A rarer Gap Band classic, "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" was posted on ERV in January 2014.

Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes

"Bette Davis Eyes" is another non-rare song and video, on the blog because it is a cover, something that may surprise many of our readers.  While the last 'songs that you didn't know were covers' entry -- Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll" was a huge hit, "Bette Davis Eyes" was even bigger.

Kim Carnes (sometimes thought of as the female Rod Stewart due to her blonde hair and raspy voice) had a solid, interesting career even before the success of "Bette Davis Eyes."  She started in the New Christie Minstrels, singing folk songs in the late 1960s, then went out on her own as a singer / songwriter.  She gradually became successful , and really broke out in 1980.  In that year, her duet with Kenny Rogers, "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" hit #4, while Carnes' cover of a Smokey Robinson & The Miracles song, "More Love" hit #10.

But her cover of Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon's "Bette Davis Eyes" became a hit on an entirely different scale.  The song was originally recorded in 1974 by Jackie DeShannon as a pop / jazz song (yes, really).   DeShannon, best known for "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," knew Carnes -- they appeared together in a 1967 film, C'mon, Let's Live a Little.  However, it was Donna Weiss who pitched the song, as a fallback after Carnes passed on her newer composition.  

Carnes' version of "Bette Davis Eyes" spent 9 weeks at the top on the Billboard charts (non-consecutive, as it was interrupted for one week by the "Stars on 45 Medley.")  Billboard named in as the #1 song of 1981, and it won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.  How's that for a hit single?

Unfortunately, Carnes was not able to follow it up with another big hit, although she did have a sting of successful singles through 1986.  As her performing career waned, she transitioned to songwriting, eventually moving to Nashville, where she lives (and writes) to this day.

And the original Jackie DeShannon version ...

(Amazing, huh?)

Note that Carnes' "Voyeur" was posted on ERV in May 2014.

Jason and the Scorchers - White Lies

One of the nice things about writing a blog on eighties rare videos is that is provides an opportunity to revisit and perhaps even introduce a few folks to bands who produced great music, but never made it big.

Jason and the Scorchers (JATS) are a great case in point.  Although front man Jason Ringenberg was originally from Illinois, the band formed in Nashville in the early 1980s.  Stylistically, JATS broke new ground as a country/punk band and probably defined cowpunk as much as any other group.

Loved by critics, Jason and the Scorchers never really broke out in spite of really strong material.  The short answer is that their sound was too country for rock stations and too rocking for country stations.  Ironically, just a few years later, the emergence of modern country with strong rock influences would lead to a rise in popularity of country music.

"White Lies" was the main single of Jason and the Scorchers first full length album -- 1985's Lost and Found.  The album barely broke the top 100, and the song did not chart on the hot 100.  Jason and the Scorchers put out two other solid albums in the 1980s before breaking up in 1990.  They have since reformed a few times and continue to perform.

In addition to being an innovative band that wrote great country/punk songs, Jason and the Scorchers were also known for their high energy live performances.  For folks who are so inclined, here is a clip of them on Conan O'Brien performing "White Lies" around 1998.

JATS strong cover of Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie" was posted on ERV in 2013.

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.

Joan Armatrading - Drop the Pilot

Joan Armatrading is yet another artist who should have had more American success, but never quite found her audience.  In some ways this is understandable, as her music is eclectic and a bit hard to categorize.  However, she is a really solid singer/songwriter and well worth a listen.

Armatrading was born in Saint Kitts, but her family moved to Birmingham (UK) when she was young.  John Peel (the famous UK disc jockey) became a fan early on, and was a supporter of hers throughout her career.  While Armatrading is a bit of a cult figure in the U.S., she had a successful career in Britain, with 14 charting singles between 1976 and 1992.

"Drop the Pilot" from 1983's The Key was her biggest U.S. hit, peaking at #78, while the LP hit #32.  The video is a wonderful combination of a performance and an old movie, with the old Purple Rose of Cairo trick thrown in.  (Yes, we know that Purple Rose of Cairo came out 2 years after this video.)  Additionally, "Drop the Pilot" is representative of Armatrading's work in that it contains elements from multiple musical styles.

For readers who are interested in checking out other songs, we recommend "I Love It When You Call Me Names," "Love and Affection," and "Me Myself I."

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.

April Wine - Just Between You and Me

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 - Just Between You and Me

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 - Talk Talk

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.

Hyts - Backstabber

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 - Stay the Night

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.

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 ...)

Prince - Dirty Mind

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.

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.

John Hiatt - Slow Turning

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:

"Now I'm in my car

Ooh, I got the radio on

And I'm yellin' at the kids in the back

Cuz they're banging like Charlie Watts"

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'n' 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.

The Hooters - Karla With a K

The Hooters were formed in Philadelphia in 1980, and were driven musically by the partnership between Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (who met at Penn in 1971).  The band's style was rocked up folk music (or, if you prefer, folk influenced rock) and sounded quite a bit different from most of what was on MTV in the mid 1980s.

"Karla With a K" was the third single off 1987's Long Way Home, and (unfairly, we think) broke the band's streak of six consecutive singles that charted in the U.S.  The video is a performance clip, with some European travel shots thrown in.

In retrospect, "Karla" was the beginning of the end for The Hooters; while the band's cover of "500 Miles" from 1989's Zig Zag did chart, it was the last Hooters song to do so.  In fact, the poor sales of Zig Zag led Columbia to drop the band.  Although The Hooters soldiered on, and even released an album on MCA, they had little success.  The band unofficially broke up in 1995.

Bazilian and Hyman have remained active in the music industry to this day.  Fittingly, their biggest success was as a team; they co-wrote and performed on Joan Osborne's triple platinum 1995 album Relish ("One of Us" in particular, sounds like it could have been a Hooters song).

Cool trivia fact:  The band took its name from the Melodica (which they called a "hooter"), a combination keyboard/harmonica instrument played by both Bazilian and Hyman.

The Hooters' highest charting single, "Day by Day" was posted on ERV in February, 2016.

Y & T - Summertime Girls

Y&T was a band that was playing the right kind of music at the right time, but somehow never really broke through.  The band formed in Oakland in 1974, and were named after the Beatles LP, Yesterday and Today.  After they signed to A&M in 1980, they shortened their name to Y&T, probably because it sounded more metal.  They would go on to release six radio-friendly hard rock albums in the 1980s, but somehow never found their audience, in spite of the fact that their high energy live shows were legendary.  In retrospect, much of the blame likely lies with the label, as A&M had few hard rock bands (and seemingly had no idea how to promote them).

"Summertime Girls," from the 1985 album Down for the Count was the closest thing to a genuine hit that Y&T had, but it peaked at #55 on the Billboard charts, so the band does not even count as an official one hit wonder.  The video is a cheesy masterpiece of 1980s fun, complete with lots of girls in bikinis, a few metal babes, and roller skates.  And, we found a version that includes the somewhat rare 30 second intro.

While the band broke up in 1991, they reformed in 2001 and are still performing, although we believe that the only original member left is singer/guitarist Dave Maniketti.

Missing Persons - Surrender Your Heart

Missing Persons were an iconic early 1980s MTV band.  With their visually flamboyant style, including singer Dale Bozzio's pink highlights and fishbowl bras, they seemed tailor-made for the new music video channel.

The background story of the band goes back to 1976, when Bozzio ran into Frank Zappa in LA (after walking out of an interview with Hugh Hefner to be a valentine for the annual Playboy party).  Zappa hired her on the spot, and she performed with him throughout the late 1970s.

In 1980, Dale Bozzio, along with her husband Terry and several other member of Zappa's band ventured out on their own as Missing Persons.  Two years of working the LA club scene led to a record deal, and Spring Session M (an anagram of the band's name) was released in 1982.  It became a huge hit, and videos for "Words" and "Destination Unknown" went into heavy (and we do mean heavy) rotation on MTV.

For their second album, the band decided on a somewhat more experimental sound.  Although many critics think that 1984's Rhyme & Reason was their strongest album, it did not resonate with fans.  1986's Color in Your Life did even worse, perhaps impacted by the deteriorating marriage of the Bozzios (they divorced and the band broke up in 1986).

Dale Bozzio went on to record one album on Prince's Paisley Park Records, and then mostly disappeared from view.  Terry Bozio continued on as a session musician, and worked with Andy Taylor (of Duran Duran fame) on his only solo hit, "Take It Easy."

For the blog, we went with "Surrender Your Heart" from Rhyme and Reason.  The video uses paintings from Peter Max and is one of the more interesting/artistic videos of the era.

Missing Persons' video for "Destination Unknown" was posted on ERV in October 2022, as part of our annual All Hallows Even party.

Dire Straits - Skateaway

Picking the strongest song from Dire Straits classic album Making Movies is almost like picking your favorite finger.  The LP (justly ranked as the 52nd best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone) is incredibly solid from start to finish, and well worth a listen for any 1980s music fan.

We eventually settled on "Skateaway," partly for sentimental reasons, as it was the first song that we heard from the album.  Coincidentally, it was the only single from Making Movies to chart in the U.S., reaching #58, while the LP hit #19.  The song is classic Dire Straits, with a great beat, cool lyrics and interesting, artistic guitar work by Mark Knopfler.

The song was inspired by a girl on roller skates in New York City, and the somewhat dated video (featuring "it girl" Jayzik Azikiwe)  does reflect the story line.  We liked that the band is barely present in the video, and when they do appear, it is a humorous, awkward moment.  (We especially liked that the Stratocaster gets better lighting and more air time than the band).

Dire Straits would go on to have tremendous success with the somewhat more commercial-sounding Brothers in Arms, but in my opinion Making Movies was their masterpiece.

The Church - Under the Milky Way

A lush, haunting song, "Under the Milky Way" almost did not make it on to The Church's 1988 album, Starfish.  When bassist/singer Steve Kilby first played the song to the band, they were unenthusiastic, although the drummer and manager liked it enough to push for its inclusion on the LP.  The band eventually came around enough to release it as a single, and it went on to become a huge hit.  In fact, The Church are a classic one hit wonder in the U.S. -- one hit single (in the top 40) and no other charting songs.

While "Under the Milky Way" was ostensibly written about Kilby's then-girlfriend, Karin Jansson, it was really about nothing, according to Kilby.  He wasn't terribly bothered about the lyrics, instead working on the song to create an atmosphere, which he did exceedingly well.  The 12-string acoustic guitar (which starts the song) and the Ebow solo (providing a strange, bagpipe-esque sound) all combine to make this an unusual, and interesting song.

The Church remained successful through the mid-1990s in their native Australia, and continue performing to this day.  "Under the Milky Way" would go on the be voted the best Australian song of the past 20 years (in 2008) by The Australian newspaper.

Cool trivia fact:  The song's title comes from the English translation of the Amsterdam music hall called the Melkweg, which is still around.

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.

The La's - There She Goes

Astute readers may look at this post and think, "Isn't this song from the early 1990s?"  And they would be half-right (but let's say wrong for the purpose of this blog).

The story of The La's centers around Lee Mavers, your garden-variety perfectionist/musical genius.  Creatively, Mavers was The La's, although there have been a succession of musicians who worked with him over the years.  The band formed in Liverpool in the mid 1980s, and signed their first recording contract in 1987.

The first version of "There She Goes" was released in 1988, and hit #59 on the UK charts, hence my assertion that this song belongs on the blog.  However, work on their self-titled first album took two additional years, before finally being released in 1990.  The remixed version of the song (from the LP) reappeared on the UK charts (#14) and hit the U.S. charts in 1991 (#49).  With the success of their first album, Mavers was given additional autonomy to record his second album.  This turned out to be a disastrous decision.  Work on the follow up LP started in 1991, but was never completed (the project was apparently abandoned in the mid-1990s).  Sadly, aside from an occasional appearance, Mavers has disappeared from view.

In terms of the song, it is a catchy 60s-influenced pop song with an unusual structure.  The song has no verses -- just a chorus (repeated 4 times) and a bridge.  And yet, the unusual structure only seems to add to the appeal.  There are unconfirmed rumors that "There She Goes" is about heroin use or is an allusion to "There She Goes Again" (Velvet Underground).  Or perhaps it is just a simple, honest love song.  Regardless, it has aged well and is now something of a rock standard.

As befits a song with a complex, interesting history, there are two videos.  And what kind of lame blog would this be if we didn't show our (few) loyal readers both versions?

The first version was shot in 1988:

And the second version came out in 1990:

Cool trivia fact:  the La's version of "There She Goes" has charted 4 separate times in the UK -- in 1988 (#59), 1990 (#14), 1999 (#65), and 2008 (#181).