"A Word in Spanish" by Elton John

Song#:  3648

Date:  09/17/1988

Debut:  86

Peak:  19

Weeks:  13

Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary

Pop Bits:  Touted as a comeback effort, John's '88 album Reg Strikes Back did help to revive his career following the abysmal performance of his '86 LP Leather Jackets and the throat surgery he successsfully had early in '87. The album would become a #16 gold seller thanks to the #2 Pop/#1 AC hit "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That." To try and keep the momentum going, this next track was issued out as a single. It would do well at AC hitting #4. Over at Pop it didn't catch on quite as well and it stopped just inside the Top 20. Oddly, a third single from the album was not release in the US. In the UK the track "Town of Plenty" was issued out as the second single prior to "A Word in Spanish" (#91 UK), but it only got to #74. Perhaps that result along with the fact that a duet single with John and Aretha Franklin was set to debut early in '89 made the record company choose to not push out a third single in the US. Still, Reg Strikes Back would help to right the ship and it would set John up well for his next LP.

ReduxReview:  Here's a forgotten single in John's catalog. How it ever cracked the Pop Top 20 is a mystery. I assume it just rode the wave created by "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" and was able to somehow cruise up the chart. It was a nice album track, but it really was not single material. However, it probably did have the best shot because the LP was not ripe with single candidates. It had the one surefire hit and the balance was fairly tepid, but listenable John/Bernie Taupin compositions. Seriously, do you even remember this song on the radio? I sure don't and it seems that after its run was done, it quickly disappeared. It is certainly one of John's least memorable and least played Top 20 hits.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  During much of Elton John's prime period, he had a steady backing backing band that consisted of Dee Murray on bass, Davey Johnstone on guitars, and Nigel Ollson on bass. While other side players would come and go, the three musicians would form the core of the band that stayed with John through most of the 70, then later in the 80s. For Reg Strikes Back, Johnstone would stick around on guitars, but Murray and Ollson would only contribute background vocals. For Murray, it would be his last project with John as he would die of a stroke while battling cancer in '92. Over the years, the three musicians would work on projects with other artists besides John, but only Ollson would take a legit stab at a solo career. Although Ollson issued out a prog rock album in 1971, it was after he started working with John that he got a chance to try for a solo career. He signed on with John's label, Rocket Records, and in 1975 issued out a self-titled LP. A single from it, "Only One Woman," would only get to #91 and the album failed to chart. Then a 1978 album for Columbia came and went to little notice, but a 1979 album for Bang Records simply titled Nigel did better. It spawned a pair of Pop Top 40 entries with "Dancin' Shoes" getting to #18 (#8 AC) and "Little Bit of Soap" making it to #34 (#9 AC). A second album for Bang in 1980 was a bust and that result basically ended Ollson's main attempt at a solo career. He would then pick back up with John and also work with other artists.

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"Never Let You Go" by Sweet Sensation

Song#:  3647

Date:  09/17/1988

Debut:  92

Peak:  58

Weeks:  10

Genre:  Freestyle, Dance-Pop

Pop Bits:  This NYC vocal trio's debut album Take It While It's Hot had thus far spawned three singles. Two of them would make the Pop chart including the title track, which peaked at a minor #57. Still looking for a bigger breakthrough, this fourth single was issued out. It certainly caught on in the clubs with the tune becoming the trio's first and only to reach #1 on the Dance chart. Yet a more mainstream audience was still ambivalent about the group's material and for the third time they were unable to make it into the top half of the Pop chart. It wasn't looking good for trio, but luckily their label stuck with them and a fifth single would help get them on the map.

ReduxReview:  This was another good, yet unremarkable, freestyle track from the trio. I can hear how this might ignite the dance floor in clubs, but it still wasn't the right song to break them in a more mainstream way. When compared to charting songs by other freestyle female groups of the time, this one melded in with the pack and didn't stand out. Ted Currier's production was quite good, but the lead vocals were average and the tune just okay. It sounded like it was geared towards club play with a lot of instrumental passages that focused on beats and production. The melody/chorus seemed more like an afterthought. While this was good for the dance floor, it wasn't necessarily right for pop radio and indeed it failed to make a big impression.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  When their debut album was released, the trio consisted of sisters Margie and Mari Fernandez and Betty Lebron. However, as things began to heat up for the group, Mari was getting uncomfortable with how their career was being developed and handled. According to an online interview with Mari, it seemed that her vision for the group was that each member would have a chance to equally showcase their skills. Yet the company behind the group began pushing Betty out front making it more of a trio with a lead singer. That didn't sit well with Mari. Then the company told them to cut ties with songwriter/producer David Sanchez, the person who initially helped the trio get started and produced two tracks for their debut LP. Mari and David had become good friends and she wasn't about to just toss him aside because someone told her to do so. Frustrated with all that was happening with Sweet Sensation and the path they were being forced down, Mari decided to quit in late '88. Her sister Margie decided to continue on with Betty and they hired in Sheila Vega as Mari's replacement. Around this time, "Never Let You Go" had reached #1 at Dance and their fifth single was shaping up to be a hit. So instead of waiting to fully integrate Vega until the next LP, the record company chose to introduce her by replacing the cover of Sweet Sensation's debut album with a new photo that got rid of Mari and included Vega. In '89, new pressings of the album were sent out with Vega on the cover. However, even though Vega appeared on the cover, she would not be heard on the album as none of the tracks were updated with her voice. The songs all remained intact with Mari's vocals. The new trio would then go on to record a new album that would be issued out in '90.

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"Edge of a Broken Heart" by Vixen

Song#:  3646

Date:  09/17/1988

Debut:  96

Peak:  26

Weeks:  21

Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Rock

Pop Bits:  The roots of this band go back to guitarist Jan Kuehnemund's high school days in the early 70s in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her first band was called Lemon Pepper. They turned into Genesis, but then later became Vixen to avoid any issues with the successful UK band Genesis. Vixen didn't stick together long and broke up in '74. As the 80s rolled in, Kuehnemund decided to revive the Vixen name and set out to create an all-female rock band. Janet Gardner would come in as lead singer sometime in '83 while three other women filled out the other roles. As the quintet started to hone their skills, they got the opportunity to be in a movie. Vixen got cast as a band called Diaper Rash in the '84 sex comedy Hardbodies. It wasn't long after that the group moved to L.A. and began working the clubs. A couple years later, Vixen would become a quartet with the steady lineup of Kuehnemund, Gardner, Roxy Petrucci, and Share Pedersen. They worked the Sunset Strip clubs and were one of the bands interviewed in Penelope Spheeris' documentary The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years. In '88, they finally landed a record deal with EMI Manhattan and work began on a self-titled debut album. When completed, this first single was issued out. It would do fairly well getting to #24 Rock while making the Pop Top 30. Some good MTV coverage helped the song along with some press about the track's writer/producer (see below).

ReduxReview:  With the glam/metal scene basically a boys club, an all-female hard rock band seemed more like a novelty than something legit, but Vixen certainly made their mark and proved they had the skills to hang with any other band on the circuit. However, I think this single was a bit polarizing. While it was a terrific song that featured some high flying vocals from Gardner, it really was a pop song at heart dressed up in glam metal clothes and hair. Then the fact that it was a Richard Marx tune seemed to take away some of the band's cred. I remember some folks sort of ripping on the band basically saying that they were not the real deal because they got this pop guy to help mold them into something commercially viable for the sake of publicity and record sales - basically selling out. That wasn't necessarily true, but Marx was brought in to supply a breakthrough tune, which he did and did well. If a band of guys had done this, I doubt they would have gotten the same flack and that really sucks. Regardless, Vixen got their deserved break and I think this song went on to become more popular and well-known over time than what its chart peak would indicate. It really should have been a Top 10 hit.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  After Vixen had recorded most of the tracks for their EMI debut album, their manager Allen Kovac liked what they had come up with, but thought they lacked a surefire hit. Kovac then reached out to one of his other clients who also happened to be signed to EMI, Richard Marx. Marx had been a successful songwriter for hire before his '87 debut album became a major hit and made him a star. While out on tour to support the LP, Marx got a call from Kovac who asked him to supply a potential hit song for Vixen. Kovac sent a couple of tracks from the album to Marx, who liked what the band was doing. He particularly liked Janet Gardner's lead vocals. While on a two-day break from his tour, Marx sat down and quickly came up with the music for "Edge of a Broken Heart." However, all he had for lyrics was the opening line of the chorus. Needing help to fill out the rest of the song, he called up Fee Waybill, the lead singer of The Tubes, who took the song and was able to quickly come up with the balance of the lyrics. Kovac loved what he heard and then asked Marx if he could produce the song during another tour break. Marx did and the end result was this Top 30 hit.

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"Way Out" by J.J. Fad

Song#:  3645

Date:  09/17/1988

Debut:  98

Peak:  61

Weeks:  9

Genre:  Rap

Pop Bits:  This female rap trio made an impression with their first single, "Supersonic." The song would end up being a gold seller that got to #22 R&B/#30 Pop/#10 Dance. To follow-it up, this track from their debut album Supersonic would be issued out. It wouldn't do as well as their first single only getting to #61 Pop/#51 R&B. The tune didn't do much for album sales, but by this point in time the LP had already peaked at #20 R&B/#49 Pop and gone gold.

ReduxReview:  "Supersonic" was a terrific track and while this follow up didn't quite get to the same level, it was still a solid track. It was a hooky tune that was a fun listen. I also liked the addition of the guitar sample from The Monkees' 1966 track "Mary, Mary." (Just a couple months earlier, Run-D.M.C. covered "Mary Mary"). I bought the single and thought it would be another good hit for the trio, but it surprisingly stalled in the bottom half of both the Pop and R&B charts. "Supersonic" rightfully gets all the love and attention, but folks shouldn't have ignored this little gem.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  While J.J. Fad is usually seen as a female rap trio with Juana Burns (aka MC J.B.), Dania Birks (Baby-D), Michelle Franklin (Sassy C.), the group also had a side member. DJ Train (Clarence Lars) would man the turntable for the trio and provide the scratching behind the tunes. He would do so on the group's debut album and on their 1990 follow up. However, J.J. Fad was not his only project. In 1989, he would help form the gangsta rap outfit C.P.O. (Capital Punishment Organization) with Vince "Lil' Nation" Edwards. They would release an album in 1990 titled To Hell and Black. Although none of their singles would reach the charts, the album would get to #33 R&B. It would be the group's only album. Sadly, in 1994 DJ Train died of smoke inhalation due to a house fire. It seems that his mother, sisters and niece made it out fine, but Train thought there were two more people inside and ran in to get them. It was a fatal mistake as he was then overcome by the smoke. He passed away later at a local hospital.

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"One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3644

Date:  09/10/1988

Debut:  57

Peak:  5

Weeks:  17

Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary, Soundtrack

Pop Bits:  The idea of creating songs for the Olympics wasn't a new one. The '84 summer games held in Los Angeles had an official soundtrack with compositions (John Williams' now famous "Olympic Fanfare and Theme") and pop/rock tunes by the likes of Loverboy, Foreigner, and Christopher Cross whose track "A Change for Heaven" was issued out as a single (#16 AC/#76 Pop). The album wasn't a big seller, but its concept wasn't forgotten as the '88 Summer Olympics approached. To be held in Seoul, South Korea NBC would be the main broadcaster for the US and it seems someone took the idea of a themed album to Arista head Clive Davis and a deal was struck for him to supply a soundtrack. Of course Davis had in his label stable one of the biggest stars in music at the time, Whitney Houston, so it seemed logical for her to appear on the album. The song given to her was an Albert Hammond/John Bettis composition titled "One Moment in Time." Houston got it recorded with producer Narada Michael Walden and a few weeks prior to the open ceremonies, the song was issued out as a single. The timing, of course, was perfect as Houston had just wrapped up the singles from her second album. Then the Olympics came and the inspirational tune was all over NBC's broadcast. All that plus Houston's star power and vocal ability helped the song become her 10th consecutive Pop Top 10 hit. It would also become her seventh #1 on the AC chart. Over on the R&B chart it didn't do as well and became her first single to not hit the Top 10 reaching only #22. The song would end up earning Whitney a Grammy nod for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Thanks to the hit, the soundtrack album would reach #31 and go gold (yes, an appropriate certification for something Olympic related).

ReduxReview:  For anyone who needs a massive, inspirational, treacly, catchy, mass-appealing song for an event or occasion, this would be it. Hammond and Bettis certainly gave their all and threw in every musical trick in the book to make this work not only for the Olympics, but for Houston as well. It was going to take someone with prime vocal chops to pull this off and Houston was the right one for the job. Between the writers, Houston, and Walden's equally gigantic arrangement/production, the song became the perfect anthem for the Olympics and although it leaned towards sentimental AC pop, it still became a big hit. While I definitely appreciated all of that, I really didn't like the song at all. For me it was just a big overblown schlocky tune that was good for what it was written for, but as a pop single constantly heard on the radio....yeesh. It wore me down after about two listens. Plus, I was getting tired of Houston belting out these AC songs that sounded like they were for someone twice her age. Clive Davis had kept her stocked up on these adult ballads and it all sort of culminated with this one. While I appreciate its Olympic use and its place in history at the time, as just a song in Houston's catalog it doesn't rank among my favorites.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Since the host country for the Olympics was South Korea, Houston didn't get to perform the song at the opening or closing ceremonies. Her first big live performance of the song came when she sang it during the opening of the Grammy Awards show in February of '89. Her rendition at the show is considered among her best performances. Houston was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for the song at that show, but she ended up losing the trophy to Tracy Chapman.

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