DISQUS

thefxc · 10 months ago

I've never heard that mix of "In Love With Love"--my copy of the 7" has the Stock Awesome Waterman version. I'm waiting for Koo Koo to be rediscovered; I think it fits in nicely with other post-punk bands of the day that are so in vogue right now.

Save yourself; stay away from He's My Girl.

I seem to recall that De La Soul themselves aren't very fond of "MM&I," which may explain why it's buried on the CD.

A lot of 2nd tier AOR this week, mostly because it's a Hagar-heavy week. (Didn't "VOA" hit the top 100?) Do we get Heart next week? ("If Looks Could Kill"...brilliant...)

Thanks again for this feature! It's my favorite Popdose jag.

Confuzzled · 10 months ago

I've never heard that stripped-down mix of "In Love with Love," either, and had come to the comments to ask what it might be.

steed · 10 months ago

"Voa" didn't chart. Only "Two Sides of Love" and "I Can't Drive 55" from that record did.

He's My Girl is already on my list - so it's too late. Though maybe not - seeing that my wife and I seem to take a week and a half per disc and that it's #86 on my list right now - I may never get to it.

The version of "In Love with Love" up now is the SAW (12" extended mix, I believe) - meant to just post that here and leave the version I originally posted up but things don't always go as planned. Weird part about the version I posted originally is that's the one I'm most familiar with - not the SAW. Now I'm even curious as to what that version was...

thefxc · 10 months ago

I think the previous version was an edit of a Justin Strauss remix...it looks like Geffen was sending "ILWL" to a bunch of remixers to try to turn it into a hit. (It's understandable, the LP version is dull.) I remember that Rockbird was promoted pretty heavily, but "French Kissin" was a big, and somewhat surprising, disappointment on the charts. I guess they tried to recoup the promo budget with the second single.

WHarrisBullzEye · 10 months ago

Hagar's "Winner Takes It All" is one of those songs that teeters between unforgivably cheesy and completely brilliant, if only because you can imagine using it for one of those getting-back-into-shape-to-win-the-big-game montage.

I would never claim that George Harrison's "Gone Troppo" is a great album, but I bought it on vinyl in a cutout bin years ago and fell in love with it. Slight, yes, but still a pleasant listen every time I pull it out.

scrumble · 10 months ago

There's an interesting confluence here of artists around age 40 (give or take: Hagar, Hall, Hancock, Harrison, Harry) all doing what they could to try and connect with a 12-24-year-old audience, if somewhat cynically at times. Now, the script has flipped where the artists are younger and the Top 40 radio audience is older.

steed · 10 months ago

I have to agree on "Winnner Takes It All" - if you asked me to sing a Hagar solo song - "55" would of course be first, but "Winnner" is next on the list. It's both epic and total crap at the same time.

Chris X · 10 months ago

There's only ooooooone way to rock!

that's what comes to mind immediately for me, after "55" of course.

DwDunphy · 10 months ago

Most hits that fall in the latter half of the album are total flukes. I don't know of a single A&R guy who would force the label to not frontload a potential single.

DavidMedsker · 10 months ago

Well, these days, anyway. I think of songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and my beloved "Year of the Cat," both of which were last or next to last on the albums that spawned them.

arensb · 10 months ago

"and yet I would know his son before him."

I'm the other way around. I remember watching Johnny Halliday when he was the host of the Friday night movie (or something) on TV, but didn't even know he had a son.

Chris X · 10 months ago

One can only wonder what John Oates was doing while Daryl was recording these solo records. Grooming his moustache? Seriously though, why did Hall even bother? This stuff sounds just like something H&O would churn out together(which of course, is a good thing). Did he have a bet with Oates or something? "I can have a hit record without you and your moustache!" Or was he trying to capitalize on his "I'm the half of the duo that the ladies love, I'm going to get my face out there some more." shtick?

Largely forgettable list this week, with a couple exceptions. "Rockit" naturally, though that it did not chart in the top 40, or even top 10 based on how much I remember it being played back then, is unbelievable It STILL gets respectable airplay. And that Paul Hardcastle song is excellent. Agreed that it is better than "19(Vietnam)"

and what, no Robert Hazard? The Hooters? (can you tell I'm from Philly or what?)

scrumble · 10 months ago

Oates did a duet around that time with the Parachute Club, basically a semi-closeted lesbian band from Toronto, who did have a hit or two (but not this one)
http://www.spike.com/video/love-is-fire/2791404

scrumble · 10 months ago

oops, there were more guys in the band than I remembered ... so, they were de facto "feminist"

breadalbane · 10 months ago

"De facto" feminist? Makes 'em sound like they were somehow feminist by default. Like 'em or hate 'em, The Parachute Club were a proudly lesbian-positive, feminist band from the start (from more-or-less the same Toronto scene as Rough Trade.).

Oates, by the way, actually produced and co-wrote the "Love Is Fire" track, which (credited simply to The Parachute Club) was a top 40 hit in Canada.

He also co-wrote the Icehouse hit "Electirc Blue" around this time.

steed · 10 months ago

Hazard, Hooters - they're all coming...

Ray · 10 months ago

Some good stuff here! I clearly remember John Hall Band's "Crazy (Keep On Fallin'") being a pretty big hit in Chicago on WLS during my senior year (Class of '82). I also remember hearing Debbie Harry's "French Kissin' (in the USA)" a lot back in '87.

Keith · 10 months ago

Interestingly enough, in the early 80's I was very much into "2nd tier AOR". I loved Sammy's "Standing Hampton" record, which featured the first two songs listed in his entry here, as well as There's Only One Way to Rock (mentioned in another post above), and one of the two "Heavy Metal" themes. Still think it is his most solid solo effort, my personal fave being a song called "Can't Get Loose". Having said that, I never really appreciated the collaboration with Schon and the others. I much preferred Schon with Jan Hammer. Some great tracks buried in that 2nd tier AOR. Maybe I'll try to start a collection of all the songs that charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart...anybody familiar with Danny Spanos?

steed · 10 months ago

Danny Spanos - "I'd Lie To You For Your Love" - man, what a terrible song.
There is some stuff on those rock charts that's seriously hard to locate. I have all the MP3s - but am still missing a hard copy of about 15-20% of the chart. Go for it man...and be prepared to open up the wallet.

Cross Arm Breaker · 10 months ago

I don't feel guilty about it at all, "Winner Takes It All" by Hagar rocks!

Cross Arm Breaker · 10 months ago

Whoops, downloaded wrong. I meant "Never Give Up" rocks. "Winner" is a fine slab of cheese rock, though.

BobCashill · 10 months ago

I know Sam Harris mainly from The Life (1997), a great Broadway flop musical, the last by Cy Coleman. Harris starts the show with a superb number, "Use What You Got," and he has a song called "Easy Money," which onstage ended with the suggestion of a lusty threeway. (It's about pimps and ho's in the old Times Square.) The brassy cast album is worth a listen.

Lani Hall recorded the theme song to Never Say Never Again (1983), Connery's comeback Bond. "Never say never again/Never, ever say never again..."

mojo · 10 months ago

I am stunned that what B-3 organ freaks consider the greatest application of a Hammond in rock--Whiter Shade of Pale--was covered by such a SuperGroup who, uh, left out the famous organ line. I mean, WTF?

Old_Davy · 10 months ago

Being a Missouri boy (St. Louis had this weird fascination with Sammy Hagar) I'm surprised that "I'll Fall In Love Again" and that cover of "Whiter Shade Of Pale" didn't hit the top 40. Both got considerable airplay. The hype surrounding HSAS was huge...Hagar! and a guy from Journey!! in the same group!!! Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Evan4 · 10 months ago

I was always surprised (and disappointed) that Debbie Harry's solo career never amounted to much, hits-wise. That's her entire collection of Hot 100 hits up there. The SAW remix did the trick for ILWL--it's her only solo single to top the Dance/Club Play chart.

Personally, I have an unnatural fondness for her '89 album, Def, Dumb & Blonde which is a pretty decent pop record for its time.

Methane Of Modern Love · 10 months ago

Hagar, Schon, Aaronson, Shrieve. Sounds like a law firm.