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

[hitman531ph]

LLOYD COLE

 

Through both his lauded work fronting the Commotions and his more eclectic solo efforts, Lloyd Cole established himself as one of the most articulate and acute songwriters of the postpunk era. Born January 31, 1961 in Buxton, England, Cole formed the Commotions in 1982 while studying philosophy at the University of Glasgow. Originally a large soul band, the group eventually trimmed itself down to a quintet which included keyboardist Blair Cowan, guitarist Neil Clark, bassist Lawrence Donegan and drummer Stephen Irvine.

 

The uncommon quality of Cole's songwriting earned the Commotions a contract with British Polydor, and in 1984, they debuted with Rattlesnakes, a wry, heartfelt record of jangling guitar pop stuffed with references to the likes of Jules and Jim, Simone de Beauvoir, Norman Mailer and On the Waterfront; "Perfect Skin," the shimmering first single, reached the U.K. Top 30. Produced by the hit-making team of Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer, 1985's Easy Pieces, was a slicker effort that included the singles "Lost Weekend" and "Brand New Friend," both of which earned significant airplay on alternative radio outlets.

 

Following the release of 1987's Mainstream, Cole disbanded the Commotions and moved to New York City to establish himself as a solo performer. There he joined forces with noted session drummer Fred Maher, who enlisted ex-Voidoid Robert Quine on guitar and an up-and-coming singer/songwriter named Matthew Sweet to play bass for Cole's eponymously-titled 1990 solo debut, which continued much in the vein of his work with the Commotions. 1991's Don't Get Weird on Me, Babe, however, marked a major artistic shift, as the entire second half of the album explored lush, string-sweetened cabaret music, arranged by Paul Buckmaster (known for his work with Elton John and the Rolling Stones).

 

Commercial success continued to elude Cole, however, and it took 1993's Bad Vibes -- a diverse effort touching upon psychedelia and electronics -- a year to find U.S. distribution. By the time of 1995's Love Story, his sound had come full circle; a return to the more minimalist, folk-rock inspired work with the Commotions, the LP not coincidentally marked Cole's reunion with the band's guitarist Neil Clark. The new millennium sparked a new union for Cole, for his 2001 album The Negatives not only showcased the album's namesake, but the name of his new band. Collaborations with Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy), Jill Sobule, and Michael Kotch (Vitamin C, Eve's Plum) were featured on the new record, as well as production credits from Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur). Extensive touring followed. Cole resurfaced in 2004 with the understated Music In a Foreign Language LP. Recorded largely at home, the album featured a cover of Nick Cave's "People Ain't No Good".

[sedative]

Mountain Dance - Dave Grusin

[sedative]

Dave Grusin

Lee Ritenour

Tom Scott

Al deMeola

George Benson

Earl Klugh

Stanley Clarket/George Duke

Herb Alpert

Lani Hall

Amy Holland

etc., etc.,

 

Nothing beats the 80's music!

[hitman531ph]

DAVE GRUSIN

 

Dave Grusin has been a highly successful performer, producer, composer, record label executive, arranger, and bandleader. His piano playing ranges from mildly challenging to competent to routine, but he's primarily an accomplished film and television soundtrack composer. Grusin played with Terry Gibbs and Johnny Smith while studying at the University of Colorado. He was the assistant music director and pianist for Andy Williams from 1959 to 1966, and then started his television composing career. Grusin recorded with Benny Goodman in 1960 and recorded with a hard bop trio who included Milt Hinton and Don Lamond in the early '60s. He also played and did a session with a quintet including Thad Jones and Frank Foster. Grusin also musically scored the 1967 Dustin Hoffman movie "The Graduate" along with Simon & Garfunkel. Grusin did arrangements and recorded with Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones, and Carmen McRae in the early '70s. He played electric keyboards with Gerry Mulligan and Lee Ritenour in the mid-'70s, then helped to establish GRP Records out of a production company. GRP developed into one of the top contemporary jazz and fusion companies; they were later taken over by Arista, then by MCA. Grusin continued recording through the '80s and '90s, doing numerous projects, from fusion and pop to working with symphony orchestras. He has also conducted the GRP Big Band, scored such films as The Fabulous Baker Boys, and performed duet sessions with his brother, Don, and Ritenour. In addition to his numerous GRP releases, Grusin has also recorded for Columbia, Sheffield Lab, and Polygram.

 

Classic 80s jazz fusion had popularized Dave Grusin with tracks like Friends and Strangers, Mountain Dance, Rag Bag, Early A.M. Attitude and Theme from St. Elsewhere.

Edited May 9, 2006 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

Yup. The 80s Jazz Fusion.

 

The Clarke/Duke Project

David Benoit

Dave Grusin

Lee Ritenour

Chuck Mangione

Herb Alpert

Tom Scott

Bob James

Alphonse Mouzon

Noel Pointer

John Kaizan Neptune

George Benson

Earl Klugh

Willie Bobo

Michael Pedecin Jr

Michael Franks

The Manhattan Transfer

Hubert Laws

Debra Laws

Ronnie Laws

Patti Austin

Shakatak

Al Jarreau

MFSB

The Jones Girls

Hiroshima

Kenny G

 

and a whole lot more

[sedative]

Yup.  The 80s Jazz Fusion.

 

The Clarke/Duke Project

David Benoit

Dave Grusin

Lee Ritenour

Chuck Mangione

Herb Alpert

Tom Scott

Bob James

Alphonse Mouzon

Noel Pointer

John Kaizan Neptune

George Benson

Earl Klugh

Willie Bobo

Michael Pedecin Jr

Michael Franks

The Manhattan Transfer

Hubert Laws

Debra Laws

Ronnie Laws

Patti Austin

Shakatak

Al Jarreau

MFSB

The Jones Girls

Hiroshima

Kenny G

 

and a whole lot more

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Iba talaga dati pre! Miss thoses times and tunes.

[jhendrix]

My Favorite is:

 

The Promise by When in Rome

[hitman531ph]

KING

 

King was a British New Wave band of the mid-eighties. They released two albums on CBS before splitting up. Lead singer Paul King would later become a VJ on VH1.

 

Their biggest hit was a UK #2 hit (US Top 20) "Love and Pride" off the 1984 album "Steps in Time." A lesser hit "Won't You Hold My Hand" reached the UK #24. The band came up with a second album in 1985 called "Bitter Sweet." The album chalked up one UK #8 hit "Alone Without You." The follow-up hit missed the UK Top 10 and settled at UK #11, called "The Taste of Your Tears." Their last single, "Torture" which was released in 1986, managed to reach UK #23.

 

The band split up afterwards and the lead singerof the band, Paul King, became a VJ on VH1.

 

King returned in 1998 with the album "Gravelands" which contained remakes of 80s, 70s and 60s music. King was now under EMI Records.

 

2003 saw the release of "Return to Splendor" which was another album filled with remakes of old songs. A second album appeared in the same year "Redemption" whch contained new, original material.

 

2005 saw the release of the EP "She's Into Star Wars."

[pol_gimikera]

whatever happened to:

 

nielsen pearson - "if u should sail"

roger voudoris - "get used to it"

kashif - (jazz)

paul young - "everytime u go away"

general public - "tenderness"

jerry rafferty - "baker street"

john waite - "missing u"

pablo cruise - "whatcha gonna do"

style council - "ur the best thing"

ambrosia - "biggest part of me"

johnny hates jazz - "turn back the clock"

steve perry - formerly of journey

windjammer - (pop)

 

??????????

[pol_gimikera]

dami nyan mp3's pa. nagkalat sa mga semi-malls. faves ko -lee rittenour, stanley clarke/george duke, crossover songs of steely dan esp. that of donald fagen - "kamakiriad" - this album's just fun to listen to. check it out. :thumbsupsmiley:

[PappiMo]

I've been a collector of Jazz Fusion music since the eighties, and it's sad to learn that most of the Jazz lounges have closed down. I was hoping to visit some of them when I come back to Manila soon. I remember the bars that dotted Jupiter and Pasay road in Makati. I stll have my old LPs and CDs with me. It would be great to have a portal for collectors and fans of the genre to share their thoughts and discoveries.

 

In some aspects, Manila is still ahead in discovering new artists. Here in the states, the term Jazz Fusion is strictly restricted to the likes of Metheny and Corea. For the likes of Lee Ritenour and David Benoit, it's referred to as "Smooth Jazz". Fusion also developed to other forms such as Acid Jazz (eg Incognito, Brand New Heavies) and even NeoSoul. For artists with a jazzy influence (eg Workshy, Sade), they refer to it as "Jazzy Pop" or "Smooth Pop". Whenever I ask my friends to send me some CDs from Manila, I usually refer to the music as "Crossover" kind (obviouslly pertaining to stuff similarly being played in 105 FM).

 

One advantage of living here is being able to watch these artists live, and in most cases, in a small setting. This allows one to meet and talk with the artist after the show. Recently, I've watched (and met) Debra and Eloise Laws, Kenny Rankin and David Pack (Ambrosia frontman and singer of David Benoit's "Key To You").

 

'Hope to meet other soul/jazz music lovers out there!

 

Bye for now.

[orionpax]

hmmmm SpyroGyra

[JP2332]

Hi....

 

Good to hear you're a jazz fusion/jazz collector.... I've got this track recorded in cassette in an FM station and would like to know the title/artist of the song. I believe this track was from late 70s or early 80s. If you could provide me an email address so I can send to you the track and help me identify this tune. Appreciate it very much.

 

Thanks

 

Joel

 

email: j_2332_j@yahoo.com

 

 

I've been a collector of Jazz Fusion music since the eighties, and it's sad to learn that most of the Jazz lounges have closed down. I was hoping to visit some of them when I come back to Manila soon. I remember the bars that dotted Jupiter and Pasay road in Makati. I stll have my old LPs and CDs with me. It would be great to have a portal for collectors and fans of the genre to share their thoughts and discoveries.

 

In some aspects, Manila is still ahead in discovering new artists. Here in the states, the term Jazz Fusion is strictly restricted to the likes of Metheny and Corea. For the likes of Lee Ritenour and David Benoit, it's referred to as "Smooth Jazz". Fusion also developed to other forms such as Acid Jazz (eg Incognito, Brand New Heavies) and even NeoSoul. For artists with a jazzy influence (eg Workshy, Sade), they refer to it as "Jazzy Pop" or "Smooth Pop". Whenever I ask my friends to send me some CDs from Manila, I usually refer to the music as "Crossover" kind (obviouslly pertaining to stuff similarly being played in 105 FM). 

 

One advantage of living here is being able to watch these artists live, and in most cases, in a small setting. This allows one to meet and talk with the artist after the show. Recently, I've watched (and met) Debra and Eloise Laws, Kenny Rankin and David Pack (Ambrosia frontman and singer of David Benoit's "Key To You").

 

'Hope to meet other soul/jazz music lovers out there!

 

Bye for now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[JP2332]

Sa mga Jazz lovers and record/CD collectors. sinong artist ito? or anong title... thanks

jazz2.mp3

[KayaK]

mga peeps, remember mike francis? came to manila and did concerts in the mid 80s. i understand he's italian and not known in the states. i don't know what to make of of his music. can you call it jazz? or more like pop jazz? one of his big hits back then was suddenly back to you.