The Music Of The 80s - Favorites, Classics And Rarities

[hitman531ph]

EARTH WIND AND FIRE

 

Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF's all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s, or improvise like a jazz fusion outfit. Plus, their stage shows were often just as elaborate and dynamic as George Clinton's P-Funk empire. More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF's eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn't been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone. Tying it all together was the accomplished songwriting of Maurice White, whose intricate, unpredictable arrangements and firm grasp of hooks and structure made EWF one of the tightest bands in funk when they wanted to be. Not everything they tried worked, but at their best, Earth, Wind & Fire seemingly took all that came before them and wrapped it up into one dizzying, spectacular package.

White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in Chicago in 1969. He had previously honed his chops as a session drummer for Chess Records, where he played on songs by the likes of Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart, and Etta James, among others. In 1967, he'd replaced Red Holt in the popular jazz group the Ramsey Lewis Trio, where he was introduced to the kalimba, an African thumb piano he would use extensively in future projects. In 1969, he left Lewis' group to form a songwriting partnership with keyboardist Don Whitehead and singer Wade Flemons. This quickly evolved into a band dubbed the Salty Peppers, which signed with Capitol and scored a regional hit with "La La Time." When a follow-up flopped, White decided to move to Los Angeles, and took most of the band with him; he also renamed them Earth, Wind & Fire, after the three elements in his astrological charts. By the time White convinced his brother, bassist Verdine White, to join him on the West Coast in 1970, the lineup also consisted of Whitehead, Flemons, female singer Sherry Scott, guitarist Michael Beal, tenor saxophonist Chet Washington, trombonist Alex Thomas, and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel. This aggregate signed a new deal with Warner Bros. and issued its self-titled debut album in late 1970. Many critics found it intriguing and ambitious, much like the 1971 follow-up, The Need of Love, but neither attracted much commercial attention, despite a growing following on college campuses and a high-profile gig performing the soundtrack to Melvin Van Peebles' groundbreaking black independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

 

Dissatisfied with the results, White dismantled the first version of EWF in 1972, retaining only brother Verdine. He built a new lineup with female vocalist Jessica Cleaves, flute/sax player Ronnie Laws, guitarist Roland Bautista, keyboardist Larry Dunn, and percussionist Ralph Johnson; the most important new addition, however, was singer Philip Bailey, recruited from a Denver R&B band called Friends & Love. After seeing the group open for John Sebastian in New York, Clive Davis signed them to CBS, where they debuted in 1972 with Last Days and Time. Further personnel changes ensued; Laws and Bautista were all gone by year's end, replaced by reedman Andrew Woolfolk and guitarists Al McKay and Johnny Graham. It was then that EWF truly began to hit their stride. 1973's Head to the Sky (Cleaves' last album with the group) significantly broadened their cult following, and the 1974 follow-up, Open Our Eyes, was their first genuine hit. It marked their first collaboration with producer, arranger, and sometime songwriting collaborator Charles Stepney, who helped streamline their sound for wider acceptance; it also featured another White brother, Fred, brought in as a second drummer. The single "Mighty Mighty" became EWF's first Top Ten hit on the R&B charts, although pop radio shied away from its black-pride subtext, and the minor hit "Kalimba Story" brought Maurice White's infatuation with African sounds to the airwaves. Open Our Eyes went gold, setting the stage for the band's blockbuster breakthrough.

 

In 1975, EWF completed work on another movie soundtrack, this time to a music-biz drama called That's the Way of the World. Not optimistic about the film's commercial prospects, the group rushed out their soundtrack album of the same name (unlike Sweet Sweetback, they composed all the music themselves) in advance. The film flopped, but the album took off; its lead single, the love-and-encouragement anthem "Shining Star," shot to the top of both the R&B and pop charts, making Earth, Wind & Fire mainstream stars; it later won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group. The album also hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts, and went double platinum; its title track went Top Five on the R&B side, and it also contained Bailey's signature ballad in the album cut "Reasons." White used the new income to develop EWF's live show into a lavish, effects-filled extravaganza, which eventually grew to include stunts designed by magician Doug Henning. The band was also augmented by a regular horn section, the Phoenix Horns, headed by saxophonist Don Myrick. Their emerging concert experience was chronicled later that year on the double-LP set Gratitude, which became their second straight number one album and featured one side of new studio tracks. Of those, "Sing a Song" reached the pop Top Ten and the R&B Top Five, and the ballad "Can't Hide Love" and the title track were also successful.

 

Sadly, during the 1976 sessions for EWF's next studio album, Spirit, Charles Stepney died suddenly of a heart attack. Maurice White took over the arranging chores, but the Stepney-produced "Getaway" managed to top the R&B charts posthumously. Spirit naturally performed well on the charts, topping out at number two. In the meantime, White was taking a hand in producing other acts; in addition to working with his old boss Ramsey Lewis, he helped kick start the careers of the Emotions and Deniece Williams. 1977's All n' All was another strong effort that charted at number three and spawned the R&B smashes "Fantasy" and the chart-topping "Serpentine Fire"; meanwhile, the Emotions topped the pop charts with the White-helmed smash "Best of My Love." The following year, White founded his own label, ARC, and EWF appeared in the mostly disastrous film version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, turning in a fine cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life" that became their first Top Ten pop hit since "Sing a Song." Released before year's end, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 produced another Top Ten hit (and R&B number one) in the newly recorded "September."

 

1979's I Am contained EWF's most explicit nod to disco, a smash collaboration with the Emotions called "Boogie Wonderland" that climbed into the Top Ten. The ballad "After the Love Has Gone" did even better, falling one spot short of the top. Although I Am became EWF's sixth straight multi-platinum album, there were signs that the group's explosion of creativity over the past few years was beginning to wane. 1980's Faces broke that string, after which guitarist McKay departed. While 1981's Raise brought them a Top Five hit and R&B chart-topper in "Let's Groove," an overall decline in consistency was becoming apparent. By the time EWF issued its next album, 1983's Powerlight, ARC had folded, and the Phoenix Horns had been cut loose to save money. After the lackluster Electric Universe appeared at the end of the year, White disbanded the group to simply take a break. In the meantime, Verdine White became a producer and video director, while Philip Bailey embarked on a solo career and scored a pop smash with the Phil Collins duet "Easy Lover." Collins also made frequent use of the Phoenix Horns on his '80s records, both solo and with Genesis.

 

Bailey reunited with the White brothers, plus Andrew Woolfolk, Ralph Johnson, and new guitarist Sheldon Reynolds, in 1987 for the album Touch the World. It was surprisingly successful, producing two R&B smashes in "Thinking of You" and the number one "System of Survival." 1990's Heritage was a forced attempt to contemporize the group's sound, with guest appearances from Sly Stone and MC Hammer; its failure led to the end of the group's relationship with Columbia. They returned on Reprise with the more traditional-sounding Millennium in 1993, but were dropped when the record failed to recapture their commercial standing despite a Grammy nomination for "Sunday Morning"; tragedy struck that year when onetime horn leader Don Myrick was murdered in Los Angeles. Bailey and the White brothers returned once again in 1997 on the small Pyramid label with In the Name of Love

[hitman531ph]

FICTION FACTORY

 

The British band Fiction Factory are forgotten one-hit wonders. Best-known for the Depeche Mode-ish single "(Feels Like) Heaven," Fiction Factory wrote soulful, melancholic pop songs illuminated by danceable synthesized rhythms and funky bass lines. Heaven 17 was an obvious influence; however, the deep, ardent vocals of Kevin Patterson easily challenged any charges of plagiarism. Featuring Patterson, Chic Medley (guitars), Graham McGregor (bass), Eddie Jordan (keyboards), and Mike Ogletree (drums, percussion), Fiction Factory released their debut LP Throw the Warped Wheel Out in 1984 under Columbia Records; they also toured with Paul Young and O.M.D. "The Ghost of Love" was the album's first single, but it didn't have the impact of its follow-up, "(Feels Like) Heaven." "(Feels Like) Heaven" was a hit on new wave radio stations in America and in the Philippines. Misinterpreted by many radio listeners as a love song, "(Feels Like) Heaven" is actually about a bitter breakup; to the band's dismay the track stereotyped them as purveyors of sentimental synth-pop ballads. "(Feels Like) Heaven" was revived in 1995 on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80s, Vol. 13, and Columbia reissued the Throw the Warped Wheel Out album on CD that year. Fiction Factory released a second LP, Another Story, under Virgin Records, in 1985 before splitting up. The band hand already broken up during the release of the "Another Story" album. The said album came up with "Time is Right" which was a minor hit although New Wavers loved it.

[hitman531ph]

BOLSHOI

 

The Bolshoi was a rock group from Leeds, England, featuring Trevor Tanner (vocals, guitar), Paul Clark (keyboards), Nick Chown (bass), and Jan Kalicki (drums). Their debut EP, the six-song Giants (1985), was followed by their first full-length album, Friends (1986), and then Lindy's Party (1987), which briefly made the U.K. charts. The band broke up soon after

Edited October 11, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

WHAM!

 

Wham! sparked something of a pop revival in the mid-'80s and could arguably be held responsible for sparking off the boy band trend of the '90s. They were unashamedly pop, to the point of padding the front of their trousers for television appearances. At the heart, however, was a string of catchy singalong singles written by George Michael (born Georgios Kyrriacos Panayiotou in London to a Greek restauranting family).

 

 

George met Wham!'s other half, Andrew Ridgeley, at school in the London suburb of Bushey, and in 1979 they started performing together as part of the ska-based band the Executive. When that group dissolved, they wrote songs, made demos, and rushed into a recording contract with the equally eager independent label Innervision, scoring an instant hit with "Wham Rap!" (they thought that "wham" was the sound they made when Michael and Ridgeley performed together). In order to move to a recording contract with Sony label Epic, Wham! was forced to walk away from most of the royalties from their debut album, Fantastic. None of that mattered when their 1984 single, "Wake Me up Before You Go Go," became a worldwide hit, off the album "Make It Big", accompanied by a video of the pair cavorting in their sportswear. Almost immediately, George Michael started thinking of a solo career, and released "Careless Whisper," issued in the U.S. under George Michael of Wham! Other hits by the duo inclues Everything She Wants, Freedom, I'm Your Man, The Edge of Heaven. Wham! is also the first foreign act to perform live in a concert in Communist People's Republic of China in 1986.

 

 

Wham!'s end came suddenly three years later, in 1986, reputedly when the group's manager, Simon Napier-Bell (later to manage Take That), decided to sell a share of his management to a South African entertainment conglomerate. Supposedly, as part of a stand against South African politics, George Michael immediately announced Wham!'s breakup. They gave their farewell performance before a sold-out audience of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium.

 

George Michael comfortably stepped straight into his own highly successful solo performing and recording career. Andrew Ridgeley's post Wham! album, Son of Albert, sold poorly and produced just one minor hit, "Shake."

Edited October 11, 2005 by hitman531ph

[cruesome]

I somehow managed to download a familiar album off the bitorrent network. It's Hollywood Rose - The Roots Of Guns N' Roses with 5 songs, 3 versions each (the original demo, gilby clarke mix, and fred curry mix). This is awesome, considering Slash wasn't around yet.

 

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00022LJBA.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

 

here's the press release:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Before Guns ‘N Roses, there was…

 

HOLLYWOOD ROSE -- The Roots of Guns 'N Roses

 

DEADLINE MUSIC TO RELEASE ‘THE ROOTS OF GUNS ‘N ROSES’ ON JUNE 22ND, BY HOLLYWOOD ROSE, THE BAND COMPRISED OF AXL ROSE, IZZY STRADLIN, CHRIS WEBER AND JOHHNY KREIS

 

Album features previously unreleased tracks as well as never-before heard studio recordings with new remixes by Gilby Clarke of GNR fame and Fred Coury of Cinderella.

 

Produced by Chris Weber, album also includes bonus guitar overdubs by Tracii Guns (Brides of Destruction, L.A. Guns) with liner notes by original GNR manager Vicky Hamilton.

 

Los Angeles, CA -- Indie juggernaut, Cleopatra Records announced that its hard rock/metal imprint Deadline Music will release The Roots Of Guns 'N Roses by Hollywood Rose, the band that included members who would later become one of the biggest rock ‘n roll acts in the world, Guns 'N Roses. The release date has been set for June 22nd.

 

Comprised of Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Chris Weber and Johnny Kreis, Hollywood Rose recorded these tracks some twenty years ago. They have remained in a vault, nearly forgotten... until now.

 

Formed in 1984, the inception of Hollywood Rose was a chance meeting at the legendary Sunset Strip landmark, The Rainbow, between Chris Weber and Izzy Stradlin. Mutual friend Tracii Guns introduced the two guitarists who would become fast friends. Weber expressed interest in forming a band and Izzy suggested his childhood friend Bill Bailey, who would later change his name to Axl Rose, fill the vocalist spot. They enlisted drummer Johnny Kreis, who answered their ad in The Recycler, and began developing their powerfully charged brand of fiery glam rock by performing at such L.A. venues as Country Club, Troubadour and Music Machine just to name a few.

 

With little more than the desire to just be a rockin’ band, Hollywood Rose went into a now defunct sixteen-track studio in Hollywood to lay down these five recordings, financed by Chris’s father. ‘When we went into the studio to record these songs, there were no expectations, just a band of musicians creating art,” states guitarist Chris Weber. ‘We weren’t trying to get a record deal or anything like that, we just wanted something to hand out to people at our shows. And at this time, we were all so broke that my dad ended up paying for our studio time,” reminisces Weber.

 

Included with the original, five track, unpolished gems are new remixes and mastering by Gilby Clarke (of GN’R fame), Fred Coury (Cinderella) and guitar overdubs by Tracii Guns (Brides Of Destruction, L.A. Guns). The sound is a musical hybrid of angst-ridden punk rock fueled by hook-laden guitar riffs. This highly anticipated release offers fans a glimpse into the beginnings of one of the greatest rock n’ roll bands of all time.

 

Cleopatra Records is one of the premier leading independent record labels in the world. It proudly boasts releases by punk icons The Germs, Johnny Thunders and the godfather of electronic Gary Numan among many others. Its hard rock/metal imprint Deadline Music offers headbangers releases by such metal luminaries As Cinderella, Quiet Riot, L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat, just to name a few. Cleopatra Records and its subsidiary labels are distributed exclusively by Navarre Corporation in North America and Canada.

[7391N]

I enjoyed listening to GNR, Poison and Warrant.

 

I saw an earlier photo of Pantera in the 80's and they looked glam too

[Guest Dobermaxx]

here's a Glam trivia question for you guys.

 

What did DAD stand for?

 

Let's see who of you remembers this group.

[cruesome]

here's a Glam trivia question for you guys.

 

What did DAD stand for?

 

Let's see who of you remembers this group.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i listen to them, but as to the meaning of the name DAD, nfi ako

[dnetsoul]

ei... hitman531ph... you seem to know so many about bands and artists in the 80s. just wondering if you also have info about the group jimmy,jimmy? been searching the net and still... nothing.

[joeyboy252003]

How abaout HALL & OATES their pretty popular during the 80's

[elbaron1914]

hey hitman! great infos...

one of my favorites when in rome.. any info?

[pimpkin®]

The cure

Tears for Fears

 

:thumbsupsmiley:

[elbaron1914]

favorite 5..

1. skid row

2. aerosmith

3. bon jovi

4. gnr

5. damn yankees

[hitman531ph]

WHEN IN ROME

 

The 1988 single "The Promise" is When in Rome's biggest commercial success and sole claim to fame. The three-piece group released just one self-titled album and faded into obscurity. When in Rome's Clive Farrington, Andrew Mann, and Michael Floreale reportedly started out in an earlier Manchester band, Leisure, who featured Corinne Drewery, who would go on to front another one-hit wonder group, Swing out Sister. When in Rome managed to land a second Top 40 hit and missed the Top 10 with their second single "Heaven Knows" from the same 1988 album. (This is not to be confused with Rick Price's ballad Heaven Knows which was recorded in the 90s)

Edited October 18, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

TEARS FOR FEARS

 

Tears for Fears were always more ambitious than the average synth pop group. From the beginning, the duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were tackling big subjects -- their very name derived from Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy, and his theories were evident throughout their debut, The Hurting. Driven by catchy, infectious synth pop, The Hurting became a big hit in their native England, setting the stage for international stardom with their second album, 1985's Songs From the Big Chair. On the strength of the singles "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout," the record became a major hit, establishing the duo as one of the leading acts of the second generation of MTV stars. Instead of quickly recording a follow-up, Tears for Fears labored over their third album, the psychedelic and jazz-rock-tinged The Seeds of Love. While the album was a big hit, it was the end of an era instead of a new beginning. Smith left the group early in the '90s, and Orzabal continued with Tears for Fears, pursuing more sophisticated and pretentious directions to a smaller audience.

Orzabal and Smith met as children in Bath, England. Both boys came from broken homes, and Smith was leaning toward juvenile delinquency. Orzabal, however, turned toward books, eventually discovering Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy, a way of confronting childhood fears that John Lennon embraced after the Beatles disbanded. Orzabal turned Smith on to Janov, but before the duo explored this theory further, they formed the ska revival band Graduate in the late '70s. After releasing a handful of singles, including "Elvis Should Play Ska," Graduate dissolved in the early '80s, and the duo went on to form Tears for Fears, a synth pop outfit directly inspired by Janov's writings.

 

Riding in on the tail end of new wave and new romantic, Tears for Fears -- which featured musical contributions from former Graduate keyboardist Ian Stanley on early albums -- landed a record contract with Polygram in 1982. The following year, the band released its debut, The Hurting, which became a major hit in Britain, generating no less than three Top Five hit singles. Two years later, the group released Songs From the Big Chair, which demonstrated a more streamlined and soul-influenced sound. Songs From the Big Chair became a huge hit in America, rocketing to the top of the charts on the strength of the singles "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout," which both hit number one, and the number three "Head Over Heels," which were all supported by clever, stylish videos that received heavy MTV airplay.

 

Instead of quickly following Songs From the Big Chair with a new record, Tears for Fears labored over their new record, eventually delivering the layered, Beatlesque The Seeds of Love in 1989. Featuring soulful vocals from Oleta Adams, who dominated the hit "Woman in Chains," the album became a hit, reaching number eight, while the single "Sowing the Seeds of Love" reached number two in the U.S. Again, Tears for Fears spent several years working on the follow-up to Seeds of Love, during which time they released the collection Tears Roll Down: Greatest Hits 82-92. Smith and Orzabal began to quarrel heavily, and Smith left the group in 1992, making Tears for Fears' 1993 comeback Elemental essentially a solo record from Orzabal. On the strength of the adult contemporary hit "Break It Down Again," Elemental became a modest hit, reaching gold status in the U.S., yet was hardly up to the group's previous levels. Smith, meanwhile, released a solo album in 1993, Soul on Board, which generally went ignored, except for one Top 10 hit "Calling Out". Orzabal returned with another Tears for Fears album, Raoul and the Kings of Spain, in 1995, which failed to make much of an impact. In late 1996, the group released a rarities collection. In 2004, Orzabal reunited with Smith for the colorful and Beatlesque Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, their first collaboration in over a decade

Edited October 18, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

I have featured The Cure and Daryl Hall & John Oates in previous posts.

 

I will try to look into Jimmy Jimmy

[hitman531ph]

TWISTED SISTER

 

A product of New York City's early-'70s rock scene, Twisted Sister were faithful students of the New York Doll's glam school, with Kiss' theatrics and the shock rock of Alice Cooper thrown in for good measure. While excellent role models from an artistic standpoint, the Dolls' decadent and unreliable behavior would set a terrible precedent, turning the signing of a New York band into an industry taboo. Twisted Sister were among the most obvious victims of this problem, struggling for nearly a decade before getting their big break in the early '80s. And when this break finally came, the band would become one of the most gruesome examples of over exposure in the history of rock & roll, bringing an abrupt end to their brief moment in the sun. Founded in December 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French (who as John Segal, legend has it, played in a pre-Kiss band called Rainbow with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley), Twisted Sister was initially a glam rock cover band modeled after the New York Dolls. Their apprenticeship on the local club scene was a slow one, but by late 1975, a somewhat stable lineup had coalesced around French, fellow guitarist and high school buddy Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, bassist Kenneth Harrison Neil, and drummer Kevin John Grace. A number of different vocalists filed through their ranks, but it was only with the arrival of Dee Snider in early 1976 that the band found a true leader. Snider brought a strong Alice Cooper influence to the band, giving their by then antiquated glam sound a welcome kick in the ass. He also quickly developed into the band's dominant songwriter and, with new drummer Tony Petri in tow, Twisted Sister finally began making a name for themselves in and around the city. A significant growth spurt ensued; Snider wrote a wealth of original material and the band's live performances grew to be a local legend, setting attendance records in many clubs and culminating in a fruitful, May 1978 recording session -- which would yield most of the material released 20 years later as the Club Daze album. Their transformation from glam rock into metallic hard rockers was completed later that year with the arrival of ex-Dictators bass player Mark "the Animal" Mendoza. November 1979 saw another studio session, this time at Electric Lady studios with famed Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer. It resulted in their first single "I'll Never Grow up Now!," released on the band's own TSR label in early 1980, with another single, "Bad Boys of Rock 'n' Roll," following that summer. But for all their hard work, by 1981 the band had nothing to show except a growing collection of record company rejection slips. Finally, independent Secret Records decided to take a chance on the group and, after cutting the four-track Ruff Cuts EP (initially released only in Britain), the group flew to England with new drummer A.J. Pero (ex-Cities) to record their first full-length album, Under the Blade, with famed UFO bassist Pete Way producing. Despite obtaining only a mediocre sound (the project was Way's first attempt at production), the album became a surprise underground success and created enough of a buzz to attract giant Atlantic Records, which came calling with a major distribution contract -- the final ingredient for Twisted Sister's assault on the charts over the next two years. 1983's You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll laid the groundwork for their success with their more polished production values and strong material, which, despite yielding only one single in the title-track (for which the band filmed their first, incredibly cheesy but already mildly amusing video), garnered instant cred with the metal crowd. Later that year, L.A.'s Quiet Riot topped the charts with their debut Metal Health (the first heavy metal album to do so), and Twisted Sister took advantage of this sympathetic musical climate to unleash their definitive statement, Stay Hungry. Digging deep into his pop and glam roots, Snider added new commercial appeal to the band's hard rock onslaught. And with such monster hits as "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" (with their hilariously tongue-in-cheek accompanying videos) leading the way to radio and MTV saturation, the album would exceed the multi-platinum barrier. The extensive touring that followed would keep them near the top of the charts for many months to come and would help make the "sick mo-fos" from Long Island a household name in America. Of course the backlash, when it came, was equally as quick and incredibly vicious. Overexposed to the breaking point after converting every angry teenager in America (and their parents), Twisted Sister had lost the edge of their dangerous image, not to mention the respect of their loyal, but terribly possessive, core metal fan base. To complicate matters, 1985's Come Out and Play album was very uneven. Attempting to cater to both the band's hardcore elements and their newfound pop constituency while introducing an excessively glammed-up image makeover to boot, it quickly slid off the charts. Not even Atlantic Records' reissue of Under the Blade (with an added bonus track, "I'll Never Grow up Now!") could staunch the bleeding, and a dumbfounded Twisted Sister quickly transformed from media darlings to their favorite whipping boys. Snider remained in the camera eye, however, appearing before a Senate committee later that year (along with such rock & roll luminaries as Frank Zappa and Bob Denver) to testify against the demands of Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) for music censorship legislation. Sadly, it would prove to be Twisted Sister's highest profile appearance that year, as their concerts were frequently marred either by low attendance or crowd animosity, and, as if to add insult to injury, drummer Pero quit at tour's end. 1986 was a troubled year for the group, with rumors running rampant about a rift between Snider and French over the band's direction, as well as ownership of the Twisted Sister name. Eventually, the group returned to action with 1987's disappointing Love Is for Suckers (featuring new drummer Joey "Seven" Franco), but not even the services of flavor of the month pop-metal producer Beau Hill could save the album from oblivion, and Twisted Sister disintegrated shortly thereafter. 1992 saw the release of a Twisted Sister greatest-hits package, entitled Big Hits and Nasty Cuts, followed by the self-explanatory Live at Hammersmith two years later. The bandmembers would fade from sight in the early '90s, but Snider eventually re-emerged. First as the voice behind the New York State Lotto commercials, then with a new band called Desperado, featuring Franco and ex-Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme. Later changing their name to Widowmaker (and hiring guitarist Al Pitreli), the group released two albums in the early '90s to little media or public success. Snider would transition into a career as a nationally syndicated heavy metal DJ, before writing and starring in the 1998 terror flick Strangeland based on a couple of songs from the Stay Hungry album. The film would also spur a return of the final Twisted Sister lineup in order to record a brand new song, entitled "Heroes Are Hard to Find," for its soundtrack (guitarist French, coincidentally, was managing Sevendust, also featured on the soundtrack). 1999 saw most of the band's Atlantic albums re-released by Spitfire Records with bonus tracks, as well as the aforementioned demo collection, Club Daze, Vol. 1. The same year, rumors began circulating about an impending Twisted Sister reunion tour (going so far as being confirmed as fact on www.MTV.com), and while relations between members were the best they'd been in years, a tour failed to materialize. Snider kept his profile up by appearing in the video "Zip-Lock" by MTV darlings Lit, that parodied Twisted Sister's classic "We're Not Gonna Take It" clip (this time, Snider played the drill instructor-like father). 2001 saw the release of a Twisted Sister tribute album, Twisted Forever (featuring such metal acts as Motörhead, Anthrax, Vision of Disorder, Joan Jett, and Sebastian Bach, among others, plus a cover of AC/DC's "Sin City" performed by Twisted Sister themselves), as well as another rarities set, Never Say Never: Club Daze, Vol. 2. All five bandmembers united for several autograph signing sessions in record stores and one-off performances during the summer, sparking further rumors of a full-on reunion

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

RATT

 

Ratt's brash, melodic heavy metal made the Los Angeles quintet one of the most popular rock acts of the mid-'80s. The group had its origins in the '70s group Mickey Ratt, which had evolved into Ratt by 1983; at that time the band featured vocalist Stephen Pearcy, guitarist Robbin Crosby, guitarist Warren DeMartini, bassist Juan Croucier, and drummer Bobby Blotzer. The band released their self-titled first album independently in 1983, which led to a major label contract with Atlantic Records. Their first album under this deal, 1984's Out of the Cellar, was a major success, reaching the American Top Ten and selling over three million copies. "Round and Round," the first single drawn from the album, hit number 12, proving the band had pop crossover potential. While their second album, 1985's Invasion of Your Privacy, didn't match the multi-platinum figures of Out of the Cellar, it also reached the Top Ten and sold over a million copies. By that time, the band could sell-out concerts across the country and were a staple on MTV and AOR radio. Both Dancin' Undercover (1986) and Reach for the Sky (1988) continued the band's platinum streak and their audience, had only slipped slightly by the time of their final album, 1990's Detonator.

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

WHITESNAKE

 

After recording two solo albums, former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale formed Whitesnake around 1977. In the glut of hard rock and heavy metal bands of the late '70s, their first albums got somewhat lost in the shuffle, although they were fairly popular in Europe and Japan. During 1982, Coverdale took some time off, so he could take care of his sick daughter. When he re-emerged with a new version of Whitesnake in 1984, the band sounded revitalized and energetic. Slide It In may have relied on Led Zeppelin's and Deep Purple's old tricks, but the band had a knack for writing hooks; the record became their first platinum album. Three years later, Whitesnake released an eponymous album which was even better. Portions of the album were blatantly derivative -- "Still of the Night" was a dead ringer for early Zeppelin -- but the group could write powerful, heavy rockers like "Here I Go Again" that were driven as much by melody as riffs, as well as hit power ballads like "Is This Love." Whitesnake was an enormous international success, selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone.

Before they recorded their follow-up, 1989's Slip of the Tongue, Coverdale again assembled a completely new version of the band, featuring guitar virtuoso Steve Vai. Although the record went platinum, it was a considerable disappointment after the across-the-board success of Whitesnake. Coverdale put Whitesnake on hiatus after that album. In 1993, he released a collaboration with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page that was surprisingly lackluster. The following year, Whitesnake issued a greatest hits album in the U.S. and Canada -- focusing solely on material from their final three albums (as well as containing a few unreleased tracks).

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

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NIGHT RANGER

 

Featuring ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Brad Gillis and former Montrose keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, Night Ranger was one of the most popular mainstream hard rock bands of the mid-'80s. The group formed in the early '80s in San Francisco; in addition to Gillis and Fitzgerald, the members included Jack Blades (vocals, bass), Jeff Watson (guitar), and Kelly Keagy (drums). After a few local gigs, promoter Bill Graham managed to get them supporting slots on Judas Priest, Santana, and Doobie Brothers concerts. Night Ranger's first album, Dawn Patrol (1982), reached number 38 on the U.S. charts, yet it was 1983's Midnight Madness that established the band as a commercial force. Featuring the AOR hit "(You Can Still) Rock in America" and the number five single "Sister Christian," the record peaked at number 15 and sold over a million copies. 1985's 7 Wishes was just as successful, reaching number ten on the charts. Night Ranger's audience began to diminish after 1987's Big Life. Fitzgerald left the following year and the band released their last album, Man in Motion, which failed to go gold or spawn any Top 40 singles. Night Ranger broke up the next year. Jack Blades joined the supergroup Damn Yankees, which also featured Ted Nugent and Tommy Shaw. A reunited Night Ranger returned in 1998 with Seven

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

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DAVID BOWIE

 

David Bowie began the 80s with his 1981 collaboration with Queen, "Under Pressure," and the theme for Paul Schrader's remake of Cat People. In 1983, he signed an expensive contract with EMI Records and released Let's Dance. Bowie had recruited Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers to produce the album, giving the record a sleek, funky foundation, and hired the unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan as lead guitarist. Let's Dance became his most successful record, thanks to stylish, innovative videos for "Let's Dance", "Modern Love" and "China Girl," which turned became into Top Ten hits. Bowie supported the record with the sold-out arena tour Serious Moonlight.

 

Greeted with massive success for the first time, Bowie wasn't quite sure how to react, and he eventually decided to replicate Let's Dance with 1984's Tonight. While the album sold well, producing the Top Ten hit "Blue Jean," it received poor reviews and ultimately was a commercial disappointment. He stalled in 1985, recording a duet of Martha & the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" with Mick Jagger for Live Aid. He also spent more time jet-setting, appearing at celebrity events across the globe, and appeared in several movies -- Into the Night (1985), Absolute Beginners (1986), Labyrinth (1986) -- that turned out to be bombs. Bowie returned to recording in 1987 with the widely panned Never Let Me Down, supporting the album with the Glass Spider tour, which also received poor reviews. In 1989, he remastered his RCA catalog with Rykodisc for CD release, kicking off the series with the three-disc box Sound + Vision. Bowie supported the discs with an accompanying tour of the same name, claming that he was retiring all of his older characters from performance following the tour. Sound + Vision was successful, and Ziggy Stardust re-charted amidst the hoopla

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

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NENA

 

After one year as vocalist for the Stripes (who disbanded after just one unsuccessful album in 1980) Nena Kerner assembled a new band in Berlin, called Nena, with herself as vocalist, Carlo Karges on guitar, Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen on keyboards, Jürgen Dehmel on bass, and Rolf Brendel on drums. Their debut single "Nur Geträumt" became a number one success in the German speaking countries after the band's first TV appearance on the "Musikladen" TV program on August 17, 1982. From then on, however, Nena became one of the most successful pop stars Germany had ever seen, including the unique success of the original German language version of the second single "99 Luftballons" in the U.S. in 1984. In mid-1985 however, for no apparent reason, sales of Nena's next records and attendance numbers on the 1985 tour dropped, which led to the eventual end of the band in mid-1987

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

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FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

 

On the back of an enormous publicity campaign, Frankie Goes to Hollywood dominated British music in 1984. Frankie's dance-pop borrowed heavily from the then-current Hi-NRG movement, adding a slick pop sensibility and production. What really distinguished the group was not their music, but their marketing campaign. With a series of slogans, T-shirts, and homoerotic videos, the band caused enormous controversy in England and managed to create some sensations in the United States. However, the Frankie sensation was finished as soon as it was started; by the release of their second album, Liverpool, in 1986, the group's audience had virtually disappeared.

Based in Liverpool, Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed in 1980, comprising ex-Big in Japan vocalist Holly Johnson, vocalist Paul Rutherford, guitarist Nasher Nash, bassist Mark O'Toole, and drummer Peter Gill. Originally, the group was called Hollycaust, but they changed their name to Frankie Goes to Hollywood -- taken from an old headline about Frank Sinatra's acting career -- by the end of the year. The band didn't make anything of note until 1982, when they appeared on the British television program The Tube with a rough version of the video for "Relax." The appearance attracted attention from several record labels as well as record producer Trevor Horn. Horn contacted the band and signed them to his label, ZTT. Late in 1983, Frankie's first single, the Horn-produced "Relax"/"Ferry Cross the Mersey," was released. A driving dance number, "Relax" featured sexually suggestive lyrics that would soon lead to great controversy.

 

Around the time of the release of "Relax," Frankie's promotional director, Paul Morley, a former music journalist, orchestrated a massive, intricate marketing campaign that soon paid off in spades. Morley designed T-shirts that read "Relax" and "Frankie Says...," which eventually appeared across the country. The group began playing up their stylish, campy homosexual imagery, especially in the first video for "Relax." The video was banned by British TV and a new version was shot. Similarly, Radio 1 banned the single and the rest of the BBC radio and television networks quickly banned the record as well. Consequently, "Relax" shot to number one in January of 1984 and soon sold over a million copies. Frankie's second single, the political "Two Tribes," was released in June of 1984. The single, which was also produced by Trevor Horn, entered the charts at number one; it went gold in seven days. "Two Tribes" stayed at number one for nine weeks and eventually sold over a million copies. While it was on the top of the charts, "Relax" went back up the charts, peaking at number two.

 

Frankie mania had taken England by storm, yet it took a while to catch on in America. "Relax" peaked at number 67 in the spring of 1984, while "Two Tribes" just missed the Top 40 in the fall. Welcome to the Pleasuredome, the band's Trevor Horn-produced debut double album, entered the U.K. charts at number one and their third single, the ballad "The Power of Love," also reached number one. Welcome to the Pleasuredome reached at number 33 in early 1985 in the U.S., prompting the re-release of "Relax"; this time around, it made it into the American Top Ten.

 

"Rage Hard," the first single from their second album, peaked at number four in the U.K. during the summer of 1986. It was followed by the release of Liverpool, which reached number five on the British charts. Frankie Goes to Hollywood began their final tour in early 1987; by April, the band had broken up. Holly Johnson went on to pursue a solo career, which began in earnest in 1989, after a long legal battle with ZTT. Paul Rutherford also began a solo career, yet neither his nor Johnson's were particularly successful. Johnson was diagnosed with AIDS in the early '90s and subsequently retired from music.

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

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FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS

 

When the Beat (known as the English Beat in the U.S. only) split in 1983, it came as a surprise to guitarist Dave Cox and bassist David Steele. The first time they realized that the group's vocalists, Ranking Roger and Dave Wakelin, had gone off to form a group without them was when their accountant phoned to finalize the divorce. While the defectors had formed General Public, Cox and Steele set about creating something new of their own. Apart from not wanting to repeat the mistakes the Beat made, and a vague notion of adding both jazz and soul to the Beat's ska roots (they also decided to feature a strong vocalist), there was no real master plan.

The latter proved harder than they could have imagined. More than 500 potential singers auditioned, before, despairing of finding someone, they decided to seek out a singer whose band had once supported the Beat. They found Roland Gift singing with a barroom R&B band named the Bones, looking like Sidney Poitier but sounding like Otis Redding. He was everything they had remembered; he was their man. Gift had spent his teenage years in youth theatre, until the advent of punk made music his main passion. As punk gave way to the two-tone ska which gave rise to groups like Madness and, ultimately, the Beat, Gift took up saxophone and singing in a local band.

 

Keeping live work down to just the occasional on-off date, the Fine Young Cannibals signed to London Records in early 1985. Their name came from an obscure 1960 film starring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood. Resisting the record company's attempts to team them up with a producer determined to make the group a product of her sound rather than theirs, the Fine Young Cannibals released a demo version of "Johnny Come Home" as their first single. Its instant success allowed them to team up with a compatible producer, Robin Miller, for the first Fine Young Cannibals album, also containing the group's trademark overstated version of Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds." For the Johnathan Demme film Something Wild, they reached back into Gift's punk past with a version of the Buzzcocks' classic "Ever Fallen in Love." Five years later, a second album emerged, The Raw and the Cooked, the raw side made up mostly of songs the group had contributed to Barry Levinson's film Tin Men. The single "She Drives Me Crazy" was a worldwide number one hit.

 

Since then, the Fine Young Cannibals have remained elusive. Cox and Steele continue to work together under various names, while Roland Gift's hoped-for film career never quite took off. The Fine Young Cannibals have never officially broken up, and rumors of reunions and recording sessions have persisted

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph

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INFORMATION SOCIETY aka INSOC

 

An agreeable dance outfit with ties to industrial music, techno, and funk plus an equally appreciable pop sense, Information Society hit the dance clubs and later the charts with their infectious breakout single, 1988's "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)." The group, a quartet formed in Minneapolis by James Cassidy, Paul Robb, Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen), and Amanda Kramer, signed to Tommy Boy Records a few years later and recorded a self-titled debut album. The single "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)," propelled by a Leonard Nimoy sample and Valaquen's smooth, assured vocals, became a club hit and eventually landed at number three in the pop charts. Later that year, "Walking Away" hit the Top Ten as well, and the album reached gold-certified status. Kramer left soon after, however, to record with the Golden Palominos, 10,000 Maniacs, and also on her own. Information Society's sophomore album, similar to not-so-famous follow-ups by dance-popsters EMF and Jesus Jones, was more than competent but mostly ignored by critics who had pegged them as one-hit wonders. Several singles managed shallow chart exposure, but after the third album (1994's Peace & Love, Inc.), both Robb and Cassidy exited. Harland continued on, releasing the industrial-tinged Don't Be Afraid for Cleopatra Records in 1997.

Edited October 19, 2005 by hitman531ph