Saturday, October 4, 2014

"Fly Away" by Stevie Woods

Song#:  1022
Date:  05/15/1982
Debut:  88
Peak:  84
Weeks:  2
Genre:  Adult Contemporary, R&B



Pop Bits:  Woods' debut album already featured two Top 40 entries, including the #25 "Steal the Night," when this third single was issued. It would make a quick showing at pop while topping out at #23 at AC. Woods would drop a second LP titled "The Woman in My Life" and the title track would reach #42 on the R&B chart, but it wasn't enough to keep the album afloat. It sank quickly and after one more album that also tanked, Woods' US career came to a close.

ReduxReview:  This song was probably a little too AC-leaning to make an impact at pop, but with similar sounding songs by artists like Al Jarreau doing well, I'm a little surprised this did not do better. It's a lovely, breezy tune that features a nice vocal by Woods. Granted, it is not an outstanding song that stays with you, but it certainly deserved a better fate that a measly two weeks on the chart.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  After his last US album failed, Woods then moved to Germany. He became an active stage performer in shows like "Starlight Express" and released a few singles along the way. He remained in Germany and performed there until his diabetes-related death in early 2014.

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Friday, October 3, 2014

"Love Plus One" Haircut One Hundred

Song#:  1021
Date:  05/15/1982
Debut:  89
Peak:  37
Weeks:  17
Genre:  New Wave



Pop Bits:  This UK band, formed by Nick Heywood, got signed to Arista and issued a debut single in 1981. "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)," reached #4 on the UK chart and this follow-up single did slightly better reaching #3. The success of the singles prompted a full album and "Pelican West" was released in early 1982. It went on to hit #2 on the LP chart. International attention started coming their way and in the US this single got the band into the Top 40 while the LP peaked at #31. Unfortunately, the band quickly developed internal issues while recording their follow-up LP and founder/lead singer/songwriter Heywood took off for a solo career. The remaining members soldiered on and issued another album, but it failed to replicate the success of their debut and they broke up in 1984.

ReduxReview:   I find this song joyous in a mopey kind of way. I didn't latch onto it back then, but now I find the vibes, sax, and "aye-ya-ya's" quite catchy. This style of UK pop/new wave was just beginning to get attention in the US and this song was among the first to reach the Top 40. I think had it been released a year later, it would have done far better as the charts would be hammered with UK acts in a time referred to as the "second British invasion."

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Nick Heywood did have some success in the UK as a solo artist. His single "Whistle Down the Wind" hit #13 while his debut solo album, "North of a Miracle," reached #10. Although he wasn't able to get on the US pop chart, "Whistle Down the Wind" did reach #20 on the AC chart and his 1993 single "Kite" hit #4 on the Modern Rock chart.

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

"Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" by Juice Newton

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  1020
Date:  05/08/1982
Debut:  70
Peak:  7
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Country Crossover



Pop Bits:  Newton's third solo LP, the platinum-selling "Juice," featured three Top 10 singles with two of them going gold ("Angel of the Morning" and "Queen of Hearts"). Her follow-up album "Quiet Lies" began well as this lead single became her fourth Top 10 in a row while reaching #4 at AC. Country radio was less receptive and the song could only muster a #30 showing. Newton grabbed a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocals for the song.

ReduxReview:  Although this is a catchy ditty, I almost remember it more for the video in which Newton keeps getting injured in accidents when her boyfriend picks her up for their dates. She ends up in a full body cast by the end. I wasn't the biggest fan of the song so I didn't buy into it like I did her previous singles. But it is a solid, well-written tune that certainly kept her career on a roll.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:   This song's writer is Gary Burr. He has written or co-written song for numerous country artists. However, he does have one major pop hit to his name. Burr co-wrote the song "This Is the Night," which was performed by Clay Aiken on the season two finale of American Idol. The song served as Aiken's first single (a double a-sided single paired with "Bridge Over Troubled Water") and upon release it became the fastest selling single since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" tribute in 1997. The song debuted at #1 which left season two AI winner Ruben Studdard stuck at #2 with his coronation song "Flying Without Wings." Burr co-wrote the song with Chris Braide and a musician who was on this same 1982 chart, Aldo Nova ("Fantasy").

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"Play the Game Tonight" by Kansas

Song#:  1019
Date:  05/08/1982
Debut:  78
Peak:  17
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The band's recent shift towards Christian-oriented rock did not sit well with lead singer/songwriter Steve Walsh. He decided to leave the group (the first original member to do so) and form his own band called Streets. After a grueling process, the remaining Kansas members hired John Elefante as a replacement. Their first LP with the new guy, "Vinyl Confessions," leaned heavily toward the CCM arena and this first single became only their third to reach the pop Top 20. Although the single did well, the album became their first to not reach gold-level sales.

ReduxReview:  This song put them back in the Top 20 and I do like the song, but I think they kind of lost some of their identity here. This really encroaches on Styx territory, which is weird considering their Christian content. Regardless, it worked well even though the Kansas of yore was kind of left behind like dust in the wind...

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The overt Christian overtones of the album brought new fans to the group and got noticed by the CCM community. It was named the best album of 1982 by CCM Magazine and decades later, HM Magazine (Heaven's Metal) put the album at #74 of the 100 Best Christian Rock Albums.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

"Standing on the Top (Part 1)" by The Temptations featuring Rick James

Song#:  1018
Date:  05/08/1982
Debut:  82
Peak:  66
Weeks:  8
Genre:  R&B, Funk



Pop Bits:  The Temps had been struggling since their last R&B Top 10 in 1976. Personnel and label changes didn't help and by 1982 they were on the verge of disappearing from the charts completely. Something had to be done. A significant step was convincing former Temps Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin to rejoin the group for a tour and an album. Appropriately titled "Reunion," the album needed a convincing lead single and it came courtesy of group member Melvin Franklin's nephew, R&B star Rick James. Written and produced by James, this was to be a comeback single. It partially was. On the R&B front, the song got them back into the Top 10 (#6) while the LP hit #2. At pop, the tune didn't really catch on and stalled in the lower third of the chart. It wasn't as significant of a comeback as expected, but it helped revive the ailing group. The tour was a bit rough as well and after it was all done, Kendricks and Ruffin departed once again leaving the rest of The Temps to struggle through the decade.

ReduxReview:  Although James was an R&B star, he wasn't a major force on the pop chart. So his name on this single didn't mean much in the pop world. This definitely has that RJ funk stamp on it and the tune sounds great. However, it's not one of his strongest pieces and several parts of it sound more like Rick James featuring The Temptations rather than how it was billed. It was a good effort, but ultimately it was a forgettable entry in the Temps catalog.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  The Temptations were signed to Motown in 1961 (initially on their Miracle label and then over to Gordy). For three years they struggled to get a hit and along the way even missed out on one. Berry Gordy wrote the song "Do You Love Me" for The Temptations. When it came time to record the song, Gordy couldn't find the group or get in contact with them. Apparently they had left the Hitsville studios to participate in a gospel showcase. Gordy felt he had a major hit on his hands and wanted to get it recorded and out the door right away. Another Motown group struggling for a hit, The Contours, were hanging around and Gordy grabbed them for the song. It ended up being a smash for The Contours hitting #3 pop and #1 R&B (and later again #11 pop in 1988 thanks to the film "Dirty Dancing").

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"I Know What Boys Like" by The Waitresses

Song#:  1017
Date:  05/08/1982
Debut:  84
Peak:  62
Weeks:  6
Genre:  New Wave



Pop Bits:  This group was really not a group when this song initially came out. Akron, Ohio, musician Chris Butler wrote and recorded this song on his own with the assistance of vocalist Patty Donahue. This was while Butler was in the avant-new wave band Tin Huey, who had released a self-titled album in 1979 for Warner Bros. Butler got a single issued in 1980 and tagged it as by The Waitresses. Nothing came of it. After Tin Huey dissolved, Butler shopped the song in New York and ended up getting signed to Polygram's Ze Records. He quickly got Donahue on board and formed a real band that issued a formal debut album called "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful." With major label backing, the song became a cult hit and grabbed enough attention to get on the pop chart while the album climbed to #41. Unfortunately, the group couldn't capitalize on their lone hit and after a couple of failed EPs and one formal follow-up LP, the band split. 

ReduxReview:  What an annoying song. The whiny voice combined with the one-chord chorus is enough to create an instant dislike. And it is insanely catchy, which is another reason to hate it - instant earworm. Yet I can't help but like the thing. It was certainly an odd chart entry at the time and I'm surprised that it did fairly well and has had a life long after its chart days. It has even been used in an episode of "Family Guy." Quirky and weird, you are either into it or not. I kinda dig it.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Triple Shot!  1) Prior to their LP getting finished, the newly formed Waitresses contributed a song to a Ze Records holiday compilation. Their tune "Christmas Wrapping" didn't make any waves in the US, but later in 1982 it became a surprise chart hit in the UK reaching #45. It has become a kind of holiday standard there and was even covered by the Spice Girls in 1998. The song was also sung on an episode of the TV show "Glee."  2) Chris Butler is a Guinness Book world record holder. He currently holds the record for the longest pop song ever recorded. His composition "The Devil Glitch" runs for 69 minutes.  3) The group was tapped to appear on and write the theme song to the 1982 cult TV show "Square Pegs."

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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

"Hooked on Big Bands" by Frank Barber Orchestra

Song#:  1016
Date:  05/08/1982
Debut:  98
Peak:  61
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Easy Listening



Pop Bits:  And the medleys continue! This time around the focus was swing music, specifically that of bandleader/composer Glenn Miller. English bandleader Frank Barber hopped on the "hooked" train and created an album of medleys that focused on swing-era hit makers like Miller, Duke Ellington, and others. Although his LP and same-named single were titled with "Hooked on," it was not the same as the K-Tel series that started with the Top 10 hit "Hooked on Classics." K-Tel would release there own swing LP very soon courtesy of bandleader Larry Elgart (and would do better), but Barber beat them to the punch with this single hitting the chart first and sticking around for a few months. It would be Barber's only chart entry.

ReduxReview:  Is it just me or does this sound thoroughly unexciting? Big band/swing music should be full of energy and make you wanna cut a rug. This is just plain blah. Especially for a tune set specifically to a dance track. It's well played and arranged so it is not as bad as some of the stitched together medleys, but it does nothing for me. I'd rather listen to collections of the real stuff.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Although titled "Hooked on Big Bands," the single was actually an edited version of the LP's "Glenn Miller Medley." Miller was one of the top selling artists of the swing era. At age 38, he volunteered to serve during WWII and became a Captain (and later Major) in the Air Force. He also was very active in the military bands including his own Army Air Force Band. In December of 1944, he was to fly from the UK to Paris to do a show. The plane, containing Miller and two others, disappeared somewhere over the English Channel and was never found.

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"Crimson and Clover" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  1015
Date:  05/01/1982
Debut:  63
Peak:  7
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Jett's massive hit "I Love Rock n' Roll" was still in the #1 slot when this follow-up single was issued. Although not as successful, the song did quite well and found its way into the Top 10. It did about as well at rock radio reaching #6 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

ReduxReview:  Jett & Co. totally rip through this pop/psychedelic classic (see below). I dug it and bought the single. It doesn't surpass the original, but I love how Jett amps it up, especially in her sneering "yeah's." She's obviously a terrific musician, but she is also gorgeous. Even though the video is really crappy, it's worth watching just to see her.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is a remake of a 1968 song by Tommy James & the Shondells. Written by Tommy James and Peter Lucia, Jr., the group recorded the song and James had a rough mix of it with him when visiting a Chicago radio station for an interview. He was talked into playing the tune for them off the air, but the station secretly recorded the song and then proceeded to play it on the air later as an exclusive. Audience response was huge and eventually James and the record company had little choice but to issue the single in the rough mix version. It went to #1 and became the group's biggest hit.  2) Jett's album, "I Love Rock n' Roll" consisted of several remakes. One oddity on the original pressings of the album was Jett's version of the Christmas tune "Little Drummer Boy." Since the album had been originally release near the end of 1981, it seemed fine to include the song. After the holidays had past, further pressings replaced the song with "Woe Is Me," a Jett composition that served as the b-side to "Crimson and Clover."

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Monday, September 29, 2014

"Body Language" by Queen

Song#:  1014
Date:  05/01/1982
Debut:  78
Peak:  11
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  This second single from Queen's "Hot Space" album continued the group's foray into more dance-oriented material along the lines of their #1 hit "Another One Bites the Dust." The shift in direction caused a riff within the band and it divided record buyers as well. In the UK, this single petered out at a lowly #25 while US audiences almost put the song in the Top 10. The song was a distinct shift away from their arena rock with nary a guitar to be heard (except in the outro). Overall reception of the album was tepid and it only reached gold status, which was a far cry from the multi-platinum sales of their previous studio LP, "The Game."

ReduxReview:  If you look around the web for lists of worst Queen songs, this shows up quite a bit. Every artist has their clunkers and this certainly is one for them. It's basically the point where the rockin' Queen of yesteryear ceased to exist. ("Flash's Theme" the previous year didn't do them any favors, but at least that was a side project.) This was basically a Freddie Mercury joint with the rest of Queen looking on in horror. It's pretty bad. It's not even something kitchy or now considered great and "ahead of its time." It was the Freddie Mercury turd smelled 'round the world.

ReduxRating:  2/10

Trivia:  The video for this song was a little too much for the fledgling MTV channel. The images of scantily clad men and women writhing around in a lot of steam and sweat were considered too erotic for the time and it became the first video to be banned by MTV.

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"Personally" by Karla Bonoff

Song#:  1013
Date:  05/01/1982
Debut:  79
Peak:  19
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  It took this singer/songwriter three LPs to do it, but she finally grabbed a hit with this single from her "Wild Heart of the Young" album. Primarily known as a songwriter, with several of her songs recorded by major artists like Linda Ronstadt, her own solo career was a slow starter. This single finally got her on the map.

ReduxReview:  I always though this was a terrific song. I like the arrangement and Bonoff's easy delivery. For me, this should have gone Top 10. She's a quality songwriter and it is too bad that she didn't become a bigger star. But for some reason, pro songwriters who go on to start up a solo career fine little success. At least she got this one hit to her name, even though she didn't write it (see below).

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  She wrote or co-wrote all but one of the songs on her "Wild Heart" album. The one song she did not write happened to be this one. Perhaps either her or her label thought the LP needed a hit single to kick it off and so Bonoff recorded "Personally." This song is a remake of a tune written by Paul Kelly and recorded by R&B artist Jackie Moore. Moore's original version wasn't a major hit and only reached #92 on the R&B chart in 1978. Following Bonoff's hit single, country artist Ronnie McDowell had a #10 country hit with the song in 1983.

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Sunday, September 28, 2014

"Any Day Now" by Ronnie Milsap

Song#:  1012
Date:  05/01/1982
Debut:  81
Peak:  14
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Country Crossover, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Milsap was at his peak popularity on the pop chart when the title-track single from his "There's No Gettin' Over Me" peaked at #5. It would be his lone pop Top 10 and his best showing on the album chart (#31). His follow-up tried to match that feat but fell just a little short. This first single from his LP "Inside" just missed out on the Top 10 while the album itself peaked below the Top 50 hitting #67 (#4 country). It was still a solid showing for the country-leaning artist and the song was another #1 hit for him at country and also at AC where it stayed at the top for five weeks.

ReduxReview:  I liked this song back then but I have a better appreciation for it now. I actually think the Chuck Jackson version (see below) is what made me like the song more. It has a funky keyboard riff at the beginning that is a little weird, but it caught my attention. It made me pay attention to the song. Milsap turned it into a smoother pop/country venture and gave it a lovely feel. Again, another song that makes me think "why don't I have a Ronnie Milsap best-of yet?"

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  This Burt Bacharach/Bob Hilliard-penned tune was first recorded by R&B singer Chuck Jackson in 1962. It reached #23 on the pop chart and #2 R&B. Percy Sledge also reached the charts with a version in 1969 (#86 pop, #35 R&B). Although not a charting single, Elvis Presley recorded the song and it served as the b-side to his 1969 #3 hit "In the Ghetto."

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