"Playing to Win" by LRB

Song#:  2194
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  81
Peak:  60
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The Little River Band went through a major change when their lead singer and original member Glenn Shorrock left the band. He was replaced by John Farnham and their first effort together, The Net, didn't yield the results expected. With a pair of middling Top 40 single entries, the album stalled early and failed to go gold (after having four gold/platinum studio albums in a row). The band was in flux at the time with both personnel and direction issues. A couple of long-time members took off and the sound of the band began to have a harder edge. With Farnham still fronting the band, they recorded their eighth studio album, Playing to Win. The title track was chosen for the first single and upon release it got some exposure at Rock and ended up at #15 on that chart. However, their new sound didn't translate to Pop and it halted before it could get close to the Top 40. It would end up being their final single to reach the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  This certainly isn't the smooth soft rock sounds of LRB. The changed up sound is almost a cross between Kansas and Styx with a little Toto thrown in. It probably wasn't the best move for them. It's fine to change up things, but there was a lot going on with the band around this time and they just went a bit too far overboard with the changes. They might as well have broken up and started a new band. It might have worked out better. This anxious song isn't all that bad, but it's certainly no "Reminiscing" or even "The Night Owls." To me, it sounds like a band trying too hard and not getting anywhere.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) In addition to the changes in personnel and sound, the band began to bill themselves with the acronym that fans knew them by - LRB. The album and singles were all credited as such. However, the change only lasted for one album since it really didn't work out.  2) The band recorded one more album with Farnham at the helm before he left for a solo career. Once Farnham was out, original vocalist Glenn Shorrock rejoined the band. They smoothed out their sound and over the course of two albums they managed to get three songs into the Top 30 of the AC chart. After that, the band stopped recording and just toured. There would be numerous personnel changes over the years with a few indie albums released, but none of them included anyone from the band's original line-up. As of this posting date, the band still tours, but the only member from their hitmaking days to stay in the band is bass guitarist Wayne Nelson, who joined the group in 1980.

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"Crazy" by Kenny Rogers

Song#:  2193
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  86
Peak:  79
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Pop, Country Crossover, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Rogers' sixteenth studio album, What About Me, became another platinum seller for the artist thanks to the title track hit, which was done in a trio style with James Ingram and Kim Carnes. The song hit #1 at AC while going to #15 Pop. Country didn't respond as well and the song faltered at #70. However, Rogers regained his Country audience with this second single from the album. The ballad would hit #1 becoming his sixteenth to do so. It was also another AC Top 10'er getting to #5. But like Country did on "What About Me," Pop proceeded to ignore this tune and it barely made a dent in the chart.

ReduxReview:  It's kind of crazy (so to speak) that this song just utterly failed at Pop. With "What About Me" hitting #15, it seemed a big, hooky, Lionel Richie-ish ballad would achieve similar results. It didn't and I'm not really sure why. Maybe it was just too standard of a song - like, we've heard this before, even from Rogers (i.e. "Through the Years"). Perhaps it was just a bit too bland. Whatever the case, it didn't grab a Pop audience. However, even though it sounded nothing like a country tune, it got to the top of that chart. Weird. I think the song has a good chorus and I always remember it, but the rest of the song is a bit flat. At the point when the song should really soar, it doesn't. Overall, I think the song is just barely a cut above average.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Singer/songwriter Richard Marx co-wrote this hit with Rogers. The pair also co-wrote "What About Me" along with producer David Foster. Marx contributed one other track to the album, "Somebody Took My Love," which he co-wrote with David Pomeranz. Over the next few years, Marx would continue to write and sing background for other artists before finally landing his own solo deal in 1987. His very first solo single, "Don't Mean Nothing," would be the first of nine Top 10 hits for the artist. But it was his work on this Kenny Rogers album that got him established in the business.

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"Restless Heart" by John Waite

Song#:  2192
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  88
Peak:  59
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Waite's second single from his No Brakes LP, "Tears," couldn't come close to the #1 first single "Missing You." It stalled just inside the Top 40 at #37. However, the label thought there might be more life left to the album and decided to issue this third single. The song stalled short at Rock getting to #28 and its prospects at Pop were dimmer. With those results, that wrapped up the singles for the album and Waite now had the task of following up the album and its iconic #1 single.

ReduxReview:  This heartland-ish rocker is certainly different from "Missing You" and "Tears." And that could be part of the problem. No Brakes was kind of a mish-mash of styles and none of them, except "Missing You," were very Pop friendly. Consequently, "Missing You" was the only song to hit big and the one people remember. This track is certainly not bad, but it's jangly, country-twinged sound wasn't necessarily something that was going to attract a big audience.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  As the 80s began, Waite was still with his former band The Babys. But a small event seemed to be the catalyst that would break up the band. While performing an encore during a tour stop supporting their 1980 album On the Edge, Waite was pulled off the stage by an over excited fan. The accident resulted in an injury to Waite's knee and that ended the tour. With Waite out of commission for a bit, the band assessed the situation and their career prospects. Feeling that perhaps they could never be as successful on record as they were on stage, it was decided the band would call it quits. Each member moved on to their own projects with Waite having success as a solo artist and Jonathan Cain joining up with Journey - a band that The Babys had toured with quite a bit. There was a good chance The Babys still might have broken up before recording another album, but with Waite sidlined and time to think, the split probably came sooner than expected.

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"Obsession" by Animotion

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2191
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut: 90
Peak:  6
Weeks:  24
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Formed from the ruins of another band called Red Zone, Animotion came alive via co-lead singers Astrid Plane and Bill Wadhams (who served as the band's songwriter). Their previous experience along with their demos helped to get the band signed to Mercury Records. An album was in the works with Wadhams providing the compositions. However, it seemed the LP needed a hooky single to sell the set. This song, written by Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres, seemed like it might do the trick. When issued as a single, it debuted low on the chart, but as the weeks ticked by the popularity of the song slowly increased. It took a while, but the song finally got into the Pop Top 10 (#35 Dance).

ReduxReview:  I swear this has to be one of the most licensed songs out there. It seems to pop up on compilation albums constantly. A quick search on a music database shows the song appearing on over 200 different compilations and soundtracks. The band probably didn't benefit as much as the writers and publishers, but it did make sure that the band would not be forgotten. VH-1 put them at #11 on their list of Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s, but that's a bit inaccurate. The band (although in a new lineup that excluded Plane and Wadhams) did score another Top 10 hit later in 1989 with "Room to Move" (#9). However, most folks only remember this song. I'll refrain from labeling them as one-hit wonders here, but I can understand why they got the tag. This song is pure synthpop candy. The memorable keyboard lines, production, hooky chorus, and dual vocals really made this song snap. It's still a fun listen.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This song was originally written and performed by Michael Des Barres and Holly Knight and was included in the 1983 film A Night in Heaven. It was also included on the movie's soundtrack. It was issued as a single, but it didn't do any business. Although Des Barres had a musical background and had released music with bands and as a solo act, he ended up having more success as an actor. He has appeared in numerous films and TV shows over the years. Right around this time, his acting career got a boost thanks to his appearance in the horror/comedy film Ghoulies. However, audiences may know him via his six season stint on the his TV series MacGyver, on which he played the character Murdoc. Fans of Roseanne may recognize him from playing Leon's boyfriend for a couple of episodes. Des Barres still continued with music projects along the way. At one point, he became the new lead singer of Power Station following Robert Palmer's departure. Although the band would break up before any new recordings were done, Des Barres did lead the band in their appearance at 1985's Live Aid concert.

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"Careless Whisper" by Wham! featuring George Michael

#1 Alert!

Platinum Record Alert!

Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  2190
Date:  12/22/1984
Debut:  37
Peak:  1 (3 weeks)
Weeks:  21
Genre:  Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul



**A shout-out to a watchful reader who pointed out correctly that I missed covering this song! On the actual chart it was mislabeled as a re-entry and since I look for ones listed in bold as "NEW," I overlooked this song, especially since it debuted very high on the chart far apart from the rest of the week's debuts. So here is a catch-up entry! I think it's only the second song I missed in five years, so I guess that's not too bad!

Pop Bits:  After enjoying four Top 10's in their UK homeland, Wham! finally broke through in the US with the #1 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," the first single from their second album Make It Big. For the follow-up, this ballad would be issued. However, since George Michael had recorded this song off on his own without his bandmate Andrew Ridgeley, it was decided that this single would be credited as a solo effort from Michael. In most countries, the single was listed as by George Michael. However, in a few places (such as the US) it was thought better to keep the Wham! name on the single to help associate it with the album. Therefore, the US credit turned into "Wham! featuring George Michael." Regardless of the credit, the song grabbed a spot in the Top 40 in its debut week and proceeded to head to the top spot. It would also reach #1 at AC and #8 at R&B. With the song debuting at the very end of '84, nearly its full chart run would then take place in '85. Because of that, it became the #1 charting single for 1985.

ReduxReview:  The one thing that I always remember about this song is the line "guilty feet have got no rhythm." I was in a songwriters class at college when this came out and the professor initially though the line was "guilty feelings, got no rhythm," which he thought was a great line. When he found out it was "guilty feet," he was so bummed. He railed on about it and thought that line ruined a great song. Frankly, I liked the "guilty feet" and didn't know why the line so perturbed him. Regardless, the song is classic 80s and it took George Michael's star to a whole new level. It showed what he was capable of and it led to bigger hits and Grammy recognition.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) For the most part, George Michael wrote the majority of the songs for Wham! However, this is one song that both he and Ridgeley worked on together. Most of the song had been created by Michael, who got a musical idea for the song when he was 17 and riding a bus to a DJ gig. The famous sax line came first and then the rest followed. Ridgeley assisted in completing the song later. However, Ridgeley didn't participate in the recording of the song and even though it appeared on the Make It Big album, it turned into a George Michael solo single.  2) Michael recorded this song twice. First, he flew to the famed Muscle Shoals recording studio in Alabama and recorded it with the legendary producer Jerry Wexler. Once completed, Michael decided it wasn't what he had in mind for the song. He went back to the UK and produced a new version himself. That version is the one that ended up being used. The Wexler version got a release later in the UK as the b-side to a special 12" extended version of the song. (I've heard this version and I must say that Michael was right in redoing the song. Wexler did a solid job and gave the song an older blue-eyed soul feel, but Michael's was spot on for the time and for Wham's sound. And his vocal was better.)

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