Popdose: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 10
scrumble
· 1 year ago
"Cat People" circa 1982 was from the movie soundtrack, if memory serves the album version was a bit different. Bowie's legacy might've been better sered by doing these one-offs, even if Let's Dance gave that blockbuster paydirt--when EMI tried to duplicate that formula twice more, it backfired. Still, he had enough cachet to get "This is Not America" w/Pat Metheney over the top 40 yard line ... "Underground" was another intriguing tune that didn't seem to chart.
"Without You" was the fourth single from an album, which could be a subgenre unto itself, i.e. year-old albums whose subsequent singles embodied fatigue ...
scrumble
· 1 year ago
re: "If a Bowie song didn’t have that dance feel to it after 1983, then apparently radio didn’t know what to do with it."
... "Absolute Beginners" was from the soundtrack of a British movie that was American art-house fodder at best. See also: "This is Not America" getting into the 30s, a real aberration.
Rob
· 1 year ago
Awesome soundtrack, though, and worth getting (Don't worry –- I won't link to my blog post on it a few months ago). Songs by Sade, Style Council, Slim Gaillard, a song written by Nick Lowe, Bowie doing "Volare" and arrangements by Gil Evans, no less. Bowie is one of the leads of the movie and he's the worst part. The best character may be Ray Davies of the Kinks who does this wonderful British dance hall number called "Quiet Life." The film was directed by Julien Temple, who later repeated his opening shot from the movie in Janet's "When I Think Of You" video.
steed
· 1 year ago
The soundtrack is one that I don't own - I'll hunt it down based on your recommendation.
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
It's a pretty good soundtrack from a pretty lousy movie--based on an absolute-ly incredible book. If you've never read it, do so. It defines an era, at least in the UK--the first generation of "teenagers."
steed
· 1 year ago
That would be interesting to take a look at - I wonder if that happens more now than it did back in the '80s...seems to me that we regularly get 4, 5 and 6 singles from an album now (though it may just feel like that since singles tend to last for half a year in today's climate). I suppose after three big hits in a row off Let's Dance - they could have released any song on the album as the next single and it would have got about as much airplay as "Without You" based on reputation alone.
scrumble
· 1 year ago
Some others in that category: "Money Changes Everything" by Cyndi Lauper, "Angel" by Madonna (only charted as high as it did due to b-side "Into the Groove"), "Take Me With U" by Prince ...
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
OK, but "Money Changes Everything" was a killer song--particularly the live version on the B-side of the 12-inch single.
steed
· 1 year ago
I actually enjoy all three of those songs mentioned but the Prince is certainly the weakest of the three - but he's my favorite artist - so I'm biased
scrumble
· 1 year ago
I like the songs, too, just sayin' these sounded like fourth singles and not first, second or even third ones ...
Jefferson
· 1 year ago
....and "Angel" was only the third of four singles!
Jeff
· 1 year ago
If I remember right, I think I read in a Rolling Stone article (or possibly Details, back when it was good) from around the time that either Black Tie, White Noise or Outside were released that Bowie felt that he was doing the worst music of his career on the albums Tonight and Never Let Me Down; in effect, he was just phoning it in for the pay check.
Reading that sort of saddened me, since I have all sorts of fond memories of those albums.
I'm a huge Bowie fan, although I can take or leave a lot of his albums. To me, he is more the personality (and person) behind the musician, than the musician himself.
Does that even make sense?
steed
· 1 year ago
I hear ya on this one. Tonight and Never Let Me Down were bad - but the Earthling era was pretty rough too - though it did actually sound like he was trying there - I admit that.
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
I saw both the Serious Moonlight and Glass Spider tours. The former was a great show, the latter an absolutely terrible one--one of the worst arena shows I've ever seen.
"Let's Dance" brought in (or brought back) so many people who hadn't been paying attention since the onset of the Eno years, RCA felt it had to bring out a budget-price LP full of stuff like "Heroes" and "Scary Monsters" and "Ashes to Ashes" just so the newbies who'd attended the Serious Moonlight tour would know what the heck they'd been listening to. That record, needless to say, was far better than "Let's Dance"--though "Modern Love" is still one of my favorite songs.
Elaine
· 1 year ago
I wonder if Mr. Bowie projects his feelings of guilt (undeserving of $$) onto "Let's Dance" and it comes out as an artistic statement. Because truthfully, he should be way more embarrassed by that "Dancing in the Streets" cover with Mick Jagger. What the hell was that?
steed
· 1 year ago
South America!!!!!!
scrumble
· 1 year ago
Also, the branding of Edie B. & New Bohemians left an interesting psychological effect, since it was a classic case of powers that be dragging the woman to the forefront and billing her as the big ego. Your comment would probably be different if it were perceived as a band. They also would've probably lasted longer.
steed
· 1 year ago
You're probably right there. I was talking to someone at work about both this and "What I Am" and he said "Oh, the Edie Brickell songs" - no New Bohemians anywhere - and yeah, that's really the way I think of it too. I'm not sure I've ever heard one word about anyone in the band
Jeff
· 1 year ago
For the record, I think that the band name was officially Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, no 'the'.
By the way, Edie has a new album out with Paul Simon's son, Harper, called The Heavy Circles. Everything I've heard from it and about it has been pretty decent.
rwcass
· 1 year ago
Thanks for catching the "the," seeing as how I didn't.
-- Dave's editor (who obviously didn't finish editing before publication and still needs to finish)
steed
· 1 year ago
Hell, I sat there with the CD in front of me and I didn't catch it.
WHarrisBullzEye
· 1 year ago
I used to be shocked that so many people knew Bow Wow Wow for "I Want Candy" rather than "Do You Wanna Hold Me." I must've seen the video for the latter a thousand times, but I can't even remember the video for the former.
I love that Breakfast Club album. "Right on Track" rocks, of course, but there's also a great song called "Never Be The Same" that absolutely deserved to be a hit.
And, lastly, I remember being so annoyed by the overplaying of "What I Am" being followed by the total UNDERplaying of "Circle." In fact, I'm STILL annoyed, dammit. It's such a great song.
Eric S.
· 1 year ago
For whatever reason, "I Want Candy" just won't go away. I've seen it on just about every 80's "new wave" compilation, and I think half the Disney child stars have recorded it at some point in their "careers".
DavidMedsker
· 1 year ago
So Whitney turned down "Waiting for a Star to Fall" but agreed to record "So Emotional"? Can't buy taste, I suppose.
Totally have a soft spot for "Kiss and Tell."
Dan
· 1 year ago
You post I Want Candy 2 days after the death of Bo Diddley with no mention of him?
Tony Billoni
· 1 year ago
Wow, Breathless and Takin' Me Back--that's an old fave of mine. I grew up in Cleveland, and the Michael Stanley Band were the house band for the whole city circa 1977-82. We considered Breathless a local band, too, 'cause they would get a lot of hype when playing locally.
Eric S.
· 1 year ago
Don't know how I missed this in the 80s. I'm a big Michael Stanley Band fan and this does have that same vibe.
DavidMedsker
· 1 year ago
Wow, that Boys Band song really is terrible. Ooh, key change! Still terrible.
wags
· 1 year ago
Gotta say I'm glad you figured out to leave off My Guy/My Girl from the CD mix wedding favors. As a result, I still have both of ours in the house!
Eric S.
· 1 year ago
Definition of generic - See Boys Band above (Quite the irony that these guys would pick a name that defined all their spawn years later)
Eric S.
· 1 year ago
To continue on the generic theme, that Britn_y Fox song may be the blandest hair metal song ever. It's certainly the blandest to last almost 5 minutes. I thought my media player was looping on me.
steed
· 1 year ago
Ha! I love those songs that I can fast forward on my iPod and no matter where the little arrow lands it seems like it never missed a beat.
Retro_Remixes
· 1 year ago
I love Breakfast Club. They were a great upbeat pop group with some really cool songs like Right On Track and their dandy remake of Expressway To Your Heart". They deserved more success or at least a second album release.
Laura Branigan is one of my favorite artists and she was a classic example of someone who had great talent but was pushed aside when she stopped having hits. To think that she fell out of favor while hundreds of no-talents continued to be allowed to have hits. Makes me hate the record business.
Oh, and as for Bow Wow Wow . . . they set the summer sun on fire !!!
Elaine
· 1 year ago
I want you to post the CD mix wedding party favor!
Jefferson
· 1 year ago
Boy Meets Girls' first single "Oh Girl" is a mainstay on my iPod. I don't know why, I can't justify it, it just is. I'm gonna have to chalk it up to nostalgia.
Néstor
· 9 months ago
Help me, please!
I need the track: Boys Band “Please Don’t Stop Me Baby (I’m on Fire)”, anyone that can send me by mail to nrodri@adinet.com.uy
leslie ng
· 1 month ago
hi i wanna download BOYS BAND' song 'Please don't...i'm on fire' very badly--but unable to with the download link or even hear the song..can send me the song's mp3? please ">
leslie ng
· 1 month ago
hi can anyone who has the BOYS BAND's 'Please don't stop me baby i'm on fire' mp3 , kindly send me via mail--ngles231@yahoo.com.sg?? thanks very much! :> leslie
All Comments
"Without You" was the fourth single from an album, which could be a subgenre unto itself, i.e. year-old albums whose subsequent singles embodied fatigue ...
... "Absolute Beginners" was from the soundtrack of a British movie that was American art-house fodder at best. See also: "This is Not America" getting into the 30s, a real aberration.
Reading that sort of saddened me, since I have all sorts of fond memories of those albums.
I'm a huge Bowie fan, although I can take or leave a lot of his albums. To me, he is more the personality (and person) behind the musician, than the musician himself.
Does that even make sense?
"Let's Dance" brought in (or brought back) so many people who hadn't been paying attention since the onset of the Eno years, RCA felt it had to bring out a budget-price LP full of stuff like "Heroes" and "Scary Monsters" and "Ashes to Ashes" just so the newbies who'd attended the Serious Moonlight tour would know what the heck they'd been listening to. That record, needless to say, was far better than "Let's Dance"--though "Modern Love" is still one of my favorite songs.
By the way, Edie has a new album out with Paul Simon's son, Harper, called The Heavy Circles. Everything I've heard from it and about it has been pretty decent.
-- Dave's editor (who obviously didn't finish editing before publication and still needs to finish)
I love that Breakfast Club album. "Right on Track" rocks, of course, but there's also a great song called "Never Be The Same" that absolutely deserved to be a hit.
And, lastly, I remember being so annoyed by the overplaying of "What I Am" being followed by the total UNDERplaying of "Circle." In fact, I'm STILL annoyed, dammit. It's such a great song.
Totally have a soft spot for "Kiss and Tell."
Laura Branigan is one of my favorite artists and she was a classic example of someone who had great talent but was pushed aside when she stopped having hits. To think that she fell out of favor while hundreds of no-talents continued to be allowed to have hits. Makes me hate the record business.
Oh, and as for Bow Wow Wow . . . they set the summer sun on fire !!!
I need the track: Boys Band “Please Don’t Stop Me Baby (I’m on Fire)”, anyone that can send me by mail to nrodri@adinet.com.uy