Song#: 2947
Date: 11/29/1986
Debut: 94
Peak: 89
Weeks: 4
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Over the years there have been various offshoot bands and solo efforts that had their roots planted in Jefferson Airplane. The KBC Band was another group that featured previous members of that famous 60s outfit. Made up of Paul Kantner (K), Marty Balin (B), and Jack Casady (C), the trio slowly came together after each were doing their own thing after departures from Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship. By 1985 they had a full band together and Arista Records signed them up. Their self-titled debut album would be issued in the fall of '86 preceded by this first single. The track did well at Rock getting to #6, but it couldn't quite make it at Pop. It fizzled out after a quick month on the chart. A second single, "America," was another Rock hit (#8), but it failed to reach the Pop chart. The album would sell a few copies and get to #75. Even though the results were fairly positive, the trio quickly began to have issues and by '87 they had split.
ReduxReview: Well, this wasn't Jeff Airplane. It wasn't Jeff Starship either. In some ways it had more in common with then then-current Starship. It was a slab of 80s pop/rock with a keyboard-heavy production. Written by Van Stephenson and Phil Brown, it was probably selected to add some commercial viability to the album. It kind of work since the track did well at Rock, but it wasn't as good or as memorable as other pop/rock tunes that were climbing the chart. It's good to hear Balin's vocals, but it's also odd that he's fronting a track that could have been on a Starship album.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Even though the KBC Band would break up after their debut album, it was the catalyst for a full reunion of Jefferson Airplane. In 1988, the trio got back together along with Grace Slick and Jorma Kaukonen. It was nearly the full lineup of Jefferson Airplane during their heyday. The only member missing was drummer Spencer Dryden. The reunited band recorded a new self-titled album co-produced by Ron Nevison, who had helmed albums by Jefferson Starship (and Heart). While it produced no Pop singles, One track, "Summer of Love," got to #15 at AC while "Planes" made it to #24 at Rock. The album would make it to #85. The accompanying tour was a success, but the reunion would be short-lived and members would go their various ways once again. A mini reunion would take place in 1996 (with Dryden, but without Slick who was recovering from an illness) for a performance at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Saturday, November 9, 2019
Friday, November 8, 2019
"I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" by Grace Jones
Song#: 2946
Date: 11/29/1986
Debut: 95
Peak: 69
Weeks: 9
Genre: R&B, Dance
Pop Bits: Jamaican-born Jones moved to the States with her family when she was in her early teens. By the time she was 18, Jones had moved to New York and was signed to the famous Wilhelmina Modeling agency. She began to work as a model, but her look was more suited for European designers and she made a move to Paris. It was there that she began to dabble in music, most likely influenced by her frequent visits to the city's gay nightclubs. She released a couple of indie singles in 1975 and 1976, but nothing much initially happened with them. However, the recordings got picked up by a small US label who remixed and released them. Both songs became hits on the US Dance chart and even made the lower rungs of the Pop chart. Island Records then came calling and signed Jones. The two remixes would be included on her debut album, 1977's Portfolio. Six more albums would be released over the years including her best effort, 1981's Nightclubbing (#32), which featured the #2 Dance/#5 R&B hit "Pull Up to the Bumper." For her eighth album, Jones moved from Island over to Manhattan and worked with producer Nile Rodgers to come up with Inside Story. This first single was issued out and it became Jones' ninth Top 10 at Dance getting to #4 while also reaching #9 at R&B. The song proved popular enough to become her first Pop chart entry since 1976. It didn't get far, but it did become her highest peaking single on the chart. The LP sold fairly well getting to #26 R&B/#81 Pop. The single and album would be Jones' last to reach the Pop charts. She followed the album up with Bulletproof Heart in 1989, but then didn't record another album until 2008's Hurricane.
ReduxReview: I think that this song was Jones' most commercially viable single and indeed it did well at Dance and R&B. However, Pop ignored the tune. I'm not absolutely sure, but my guess is that the song's video (a cool one directed by Jones herself) was never promoted or probably even played on MTV. At the time, the lack of R&B artists (besides Prince and the Jacksons, of course) was still an issue, which was a shame. This song should have been a bigger hit and MTV's support could have made a difference. What kind of sucks too is that this song has a Eurythmics feel to it and I can easily hear Annie Lennox singing this. Had Eurythmics done this song back then, their video would have been on MTV and this certainly would have been a hit for them. But since it was Grace Jones, it got different treatment. That also bled into pop radio as well. Idiots. Well, at least the song became a club and R&B hit and is still one of Jones' best singles.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: When Jones attended college, she took theater class. That led to her doing some summer stock shows in Philadelphia. As her modeling career took off, she dabbled in a bit of acting, but it wasn't until she was an established music star that more opportunities came her way. Her first significant role was in 1984 when she co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian. She got good notices for her performance and also for her next role as a villain in the 1985 James Bond flick A View to a Kill. She would also appear in the 1986 horror-comedy Vamp and alongside Eddie Murphy in 1992's Boomerang. A couple years prior to Conan the Barbarian, Jones had the chance to be in a sci-fi flick that would turn out to be a classic of the genre. Jones was sent the script to an upcoming film titled Blade Runner. She was being considered for the role of the replicant Zhora. Jones hadn't even read the script before turning the role down on the advice of artist/photographer Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a personal and professional relationship. After turning down the role, Jones then read the script and realized she made a mistake. She tried to get back on board with the film, but by then Joanna Cassidy was already signed on for the role. Jones didn't make that mistake again when Conan came her way.
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Date: 11/29/1986
Debut: 95
Peak: 69
Weeks: 9
Genre: R&B, Dance
Pop Bits: Jamaican-born Jones moved to the States with her family when she was in her early teens. By the time she was 18, Jones had moved to New York and was signed to the famous Wilhelmina Modeling agency. She began to work as a model, but her look was more suited for European designers and she made a move to Paris. It was there that she began to dabble in music, most likely influenced by her frequent visits to the city's gay nightclubs. She released a couple of indie singles in 1975 and 1976, but nothing much initially happened with them. However, the recordings got picked up by a small US label who remixed and released them. Both songs became hits on the US Dance chart and even made the lower rungs of the Pop chart. Island Records then came calling and signed Jones. The two remixes would be included on her debut album, 1977's Portfolio. Six more albums would be released over the years including her best effort, 1981's Nightclubbing (#32), which featured the #2 Dance/#5 R&B hit "Pull Up to the Bumper." For her eighth album, Jones moved from Island over to Manhattan and worked with producer Nile Rodgers to come up with Inside Story. This first single was issued out and it became Jones' ninth Top 10 at Dance getting to #4 while also reaching #9 at R&B. The song proved popular enough to become her first Pop chart entry since 1976. It didn't get far, but it did become her highest peaking single on the chart. The LP sold fairly well getting to #26 R&B/#81 Pop. The single and album would be Jones' last to reach the Pop charts. She followed the album up with Bulletproof Heart in 1989, but then didn't record another album until 2008's Hurricane.
ReduxReview: I think that this song was Jones' most commercially viable single and indeed it did well at Dance and R&B. However, Pop ignored the tune. I'm not absolutely sure, but my guess is that the song's video (a cool one directed by Jones herself) was never promoted or probably even played on MTV. At the time, the lack of R&B artists (besides Prince and the Jacksons, of course) was still an issue, which was a shame. This song should have been a bigger hit and MTV's support could have made a difference. What kind of sucks too is that this song has a Eurythmics feel to it and I can easily hear Annie Lennox singing this. Had Eurythmics done this song back then, their video would have been on MTV and this certainly would have been a hit for them. But since it was Grace Jones, it got different treatment. That also bled into pop radio as well. Idiots. Well, at least the song became a club and R&B hit and is still one of Jones' best singles.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: When Jones attended college, she took theater class. That led to her doing some summer stock shows in Philadelphia. As her modeling career took off, she dabbled in a bit of acting, but it wasn't until she was an established music star that more opportunities came her way. Her first significant role was in 1984 when she co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian. She got good notices for her performance and also for her next role as a villain in the 1985 James Bond flick A View to a Kill. She would also appear in the 1986 horror-comedy Vamp and alongside Eddie Murphy in 1992's Boomerang. A couple years prior to Conan the Barbarian, Jones had the chance to be in a sci-fi flick that would turn out to be a classic of the genre. Jones was sent the script to an upcoming film titled Blade Runner. She was being considered for the role of the replicant Zhora. Jones hadn't even read the script before turning the role down on the advice of artist/photographer Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a personal and professional relationship. After turning down the role, Jones then read the script and realized she made a mistake. She tried to get back on board with the film, but by then Joanna Cassidy was already signed on for the role. Jones didn't make that mistake again when Conan came her way.
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Thursday, November 7, 2019
"The Best Man in the World" by Ann Wilson
Song#: 2945
Date: 11/29/1986
Debut: 97
Peak: 61
Weeks: 12
Genre: Pop, Rock, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: Heart's Ann Wilson didn't have any inclinations to start a solo career, but she was persuaded to lend her voice to a few movie tunes in the mid-80s. The first one was a duet with Loverboy's Mike Reno, "Almost Paradise," which became a #7 hit from the soundtrack to Footloose. A couple years later, Wilson would be asked to help with another soundtrack song, this time for the Eddie Murphy comedy The Golden Child. The track would end up being a solo-billed effort by Wilson titled "The Best Man in the World" and it would be issued out as the soundtrack's first single. The tune would do well at Rock getting to #5, but it just didn't catch fire at Pop where it stopped short of the top half of the chart. A second single from the soundtrack, "Deeper Love" by Meli'sa Morgan, was released. It only got to #74 on the R&B chart. Without a significant single to promote it, the soundtrack stalled at a low #126.
ReduxReview: With Nancy Wilson, songwriter Sue Ennis, and producer Ron Nevison on board with this tune along with Ann Wilson, it is more-or-less a Heart song. The verse rocks along quite well, but there are odd sections in half-time that sound like they were written by a film composer (which they were, see below) and they don't quite fit the song. There is also no real chorus or hook to the tune. Half of the tune is rockin', the other half is not. It's a bit like under-baked bread. This one needed more time in the oven.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) Composer John Barry was selected to do the film's score. He began the work, but issues arose with producers and he ended up leaving the project. French composer Michel Colombier then stepped in to complete the score. Although most of Barry's original music would not be used, a couple portions did make the cut. An instrumental titled "Wisdom of the Ages" would be in the film and on the soundtrack. He also wrote the music to this song. Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis would supply the lyrics. 2) The Golden Child was Eddie Murphy's next film after the hugely successful Beverly Hills Cop. It ended up being a mild box office hit, but most critics panned the flick and audience reaction was mixed. Even Murphy wasn't a fan. He stated in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone that the movie "was a piece of shit" even though it did well and made money.
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Date: 11/29/1986
Debut: 97
Peak: 61
Weeks: 12
Genre: Pop, Rock, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: Heart's Ann Wilson didn't have any inclinations to start a solo career, but she was persuaded to lend her voice to a few movie tunes in the mid-80s. The first one was a duet with Loverboy's Mike Reno, "Almost Paradise," which became a #7 hit from the soundtrack to Footloose. A couple years later, Wilson would be asked to help with another soundtrack song, this time for the Eddie Murphy comedy The Golden Child. The track would end up being a solo-billed effort by Wilson titled "The Best Man in the World" and it would be issued out as the soundtrack's first single. The tune would do well at Rock getting to #5, but it just didn't catch fire at Pop where it stopped short of the top half of the chart. A second single from the soundtrack, "Deeper Love" by Meli'sa Morgan, was released. It only got to #74 on the R&B chart. Without a significant single to promote it, the soundtrack stalled at a low #126.
ReduxReview: With Nancy Wilson, songwriter Sue Ennis, and producer Ron Nevison on board with this tune along with Ann Wilson, it is more-or-less a Heart song. The verse rocks along quite well, but there are odd sections in half-time that sound like they were written by a film composer (which they were, see below) and they don't quite fit the song. There is also no real chorus or hook to the tune. Half of the tune is rockin', the other half is not. It's a bit like under-baked bread. This one needed more time in the oven.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) Composer John Barry was selected to do the film's score. He began the work, but issues arose with producers and he ended up leaving the project. French composer Michel Colombier then stepped in to complete the score. Although most of Barry's original music would not be used, a couple portions did make the cut. An instrumental titled "Wisdom of the Ages" would be in the film and on the soundtrack. He also wrote the music to this song. Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis would supply the lyrics. 2) The Golden Child was Eddie Murphy's next film after the hugely successful Beverly Hills Cop. It ended up being a mild box office hit, but most critics panned the flick and audience reaction was mixed. Even Murphy wasn't a fan. He stated in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone that the movie "was a piece of shit" even though it did well and made money.
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
"War" by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 2944 Date: 11/22/1986
Debut: 45
Peak: 8
Weeks: 12
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Springsteen had a reputation for being a terrific live performer and some of his concerts would even go over the three-hour mark. Yet after a decade of recording music that resulted in seven successful studio albums, Springsteen had yet to release a live disc. As things from his #1 LP Born in the U.S.A. wound down near the end of '85, Springsteen's producer, Jon Landau, sent some concert tapes his way thinking it was time to explore a live record. Over the next few months, the pair would comb over hundreds of concert recordings that were culled over the years. They whittled down selections until they had a set of tracks that practically mimicked Springsteen's three-hour events. The songs would be spread over five LPs and boxed up to become Live /1975-85. It was ready in time for the '86 Christmas holiday period and to promote it, this first single was selected for release. The song was a hit at Rock getting to #4 while becoming his eighth Top 10 Pop entry in a row. It created even more demand for the box set and when released in mid-November, it burst on to the Album chart at the #1 position. It was only the fourth album in chart history to debut at #1 and the first since Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life in 1976. It was an epic debut for an artist who was know for giving epic concerts.
ReduxReview: I remember when this box set came out. It was like an event. I believe that it wasn't too expensive (maybe $25?), but for a barely working college kid, that was a chunk of change. So I did the logical thing - I asked for it for Christmas. Got it! In the end, I wasn't all that enthralled with it. I should have known better because I never really liked live albums, but then it was Springsteen. It has to be something awesome. I found it to just be okay. I'm pretty sure I listened to the whole set once and then filed the box away. It was just too much for me. I might have enjoyed attending one of his mega-concerts, but to listen to it on album was a bit of a chore. I copied a few tracks I liked to cassette so I could hear them separately. This song was one of them. Springsteen applied the appropriate grit to the politically charged tune and as always the E Street Band were on point. It was a solid reading of the old hit and an appropriate choice for a single. It did well, but it has kind of been forgotten over the years.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) Eventually, the box set would be certified 13x platinum making it one of the best selling concert albums of all time. However, the RIAA's policy at the time was to count each disc in a box set separately for certification. Therefore, since Springsteen's set had five discs, a purchase of the set counted as five towards certification. So while it may have been certified 13x platinum, the actual count of full box sets sold was around 4 million. 2) While Springsteen only recorded his own original songs for his albums, he would often throw in cover tunes into his concert sets. This was one of them. It was recorded at the Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum on September 30, 1985. It was originally recorded by The Temptations early in 1970 for their Psychedelic Shack album and there were calls to release it as a single, but Motown refused to because they thought the political nature of it would harm the group's reputation. Instead, it got recorded by Edwin Starr and issued out in the summer of '70. The song became a big #1 Pop/#3 R&B hit.
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
"Two People" by Tina Turner
Song#: 2943
Date: 11/22/1986
Debut: 72
Peak: 30
Weeks: 12
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Turner followed up her Grammy-winning smash album Private Dancer with her sixth solo effort Break Every Rule. Its first single, "Typical Male," got things kicked off in a good way when it reached #2 on the Pop chart. For a follow-up, this mid-tempo ballad was selected. Expectations were that it would be another Top 10 for Turner, but the results were not that good. The tune just barely made the Pop Top 30 while getting to #12 at AC and #18 R&B. It was a disappointment that played into album sales. Turner was going to need something better than this to help promote the LP.
ReduxReview: This was another Terry Britten/Graham Lyle (one of five on the album) and like I inferred in my review of "Typical Male," the pair didn't bring their A-game to the table. Except for "Typical Male," the balance of their material written for Turner (like this track) was weak. I think they were trying for another "What's Love Got to Do with It," but it didn't work out. This wasn't a bad song. The chorus had a nice hook and it was a lovely track to hear. It just wasn't single-worthy. If you look at the singles from Private Dancer or her two movie songs, they were much stronger and far more memorable. This one was just mediocre and it showed when it failed to even get close to the Top 10.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: The b-side to this single was the non-album track "Havin' a Party." It was Turner's remake of Sam Cooke's hit "Having a Party." Cooke originally wrote and recorded the song in 1962. It got to #4 R&B and #17 Pop. Three other artists would do versions of the song that would reach the Pop chart. Two were in medley form while the other was a full remake. In 1973, R&B vocal group The Ovations did a version of the song that included snippets of other songs Sam Cooke had performed. The medley got to #7 R&B/#56 Pop. Luther Vandross used the chorus of the song in his track "Bad Boy/Having a Party." That 1982 single would get to #3 R&B/#55 Pop. In 1994, Rod Stewart would perform the song during his set on the show MTV Unplugged. It would be released as a single and would get to #6 AC/#36 Pop. Turner's version was produced by Martyn Ware (of Heaven 17 and pre-Dare Human League). Ware had produced Turner's take on Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," which was the single that initially began Turner's comeback (#1 Dance/#3 R&B/#26 Pop).
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Date: 11/22/1986
Debut: 72
Peak: 30
Weeks: 12
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Turner followed up her Grammy-winning smash album Private Dancer with her sixth solo effort Break Every Rule. Its first single, "Typical Male," got things kicked off in a good way when it reached #2 on the Pop chart. For a follow-up, this mid-tempo ballad was selected. Expectations were that it would be another Top 10 for Turner, but the results were not that good. The tune just barely made the Pop Top 30 while getting to #12 at AC and #18 R&B. It was a disappointment that played into album sales. Turner was going to need something better than this to help promote the LP.
ReduxReview: This was another Terry Britten/Graham Lyle (one of five on the album) and like I inferred in my review of "Typical Male," the pair didn't bring their A-game to the table. Except for "Typical Male," the balance of their material written for Turner (like this track) was weak. I think they were trying for another "What's Love Got to Do with It," but it didn't work out. This wasn't a bad song. The chorus had a nice hook and it was a lovely track to hear. It just wasn't single-worthy. If you look at the singles from Private Dancer or her two movie songs, they were much stronger and far more memorable. This one was just mediocre and it showed when it failed to even get close to the Top 10.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: The b-side to this single was the non-album track "Havin' a Party." It was Turner's remake of Sam Cooke's hit "Having a Party." Cooke originally wrote and recorded the song in 1962. It got to #4 R&B and #17 Pop. Three other artists would do versions of the song that would reach the Pop chart. Two were in medley form while the other was a full remake. In 1973, R&B vocal group The Ovations did a version of the song that included snippets of other songs Sam Cooke had performed. The medley got to #7 R&B/#56 Pop. Luther Vandross used the chorus of the song in his track "Bad Boy/Having a Party." That 1982 single would get to #3 R&B/#55 Pop. In 1994, Rod Stewart would perform the song during his set on the show MTV Unplugged. It would be released as a single and would get to #6 AC/#36 Pop. Turner's version was produced by Martyn Ware (of Heaven 17 and pre-Dare Human League). Ware had produced Turner's take on Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," which was the single that initially began Turner's comeback (#1 Dance/#3 R&B/#26 Pop).
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