DISQUS

The Man I Used To Be · 9 months ago

I sense a song that name drops Holy Moses and Noah in our future...

DwDunphy · 9 months ago

So you're saying it don't have to hide anymore?

thefxc · 9 months ago

Yeah! They were the Israelites!

Chris X · 9 months ago

I know you're out there! Let's see you!

Keith · 9 months ago

"Escalator of Life" actually got quite a bit of airplay on a station here in Central Kentucky, of all places, and can still be heard frequently on XM/Sirius channel 1st Wave. I love "How Can I Refuse" but have always wondered if there was ever any controversy about how similar the opening chords sound to Judas Priest "You've Got Another Thing Comin", and for that matter, both of them kind of resemble Foreigner's "Hot Blooded". And, despite the fact that they both have only one entry on this list, Heaven 17's body of work surpasses that of Haysi Fantayzee easily.

My hmphs · 9 months ago

I'm partial to Nancy Wilson's solo stuff - mostly for her husband Cameron Crowe's movies.

And you mentioned the word "talent" and Jimmy Buffett in the same sentence. Is that a first?

steed · 9 months ago

Haha. "Talent" - yeah, that's intereting - that didn't even hit me when I wrote it - it very well could be the first and only time I do so. Takes Bertie Higgins to cause that slip up.

DwDunphy · 9 months ago

On the topic of how many tracks for a proper-length album, ten used to be the golden mean in the 1970s but nine was more common for rock acts that wanted to stretch out. This was, of course, dictated by the length of a viable vinyl side. It didn't mean the band wouldn't have recorded more than eight-to-ten; they would have, but those would be relegated to B-Sides.

Then came the 80-minute CD. Label chiefs probably looked at the playing field, looked at the budgets they were cutting checks for and said, "To hell with spending our money on lowly B-Sides... Everything goes in!" And now, the 12-song album is fairly standard and bands will put everything they have onto it, including a lot of stuff they previously could have been more discerning toward.

JonCummings · 9 months ago

That all seems about right--except to say that Nashville was much slower to adjust to the capacity of CDs, and continued to make 9- and 10-song albums the norm all the way up to the millennium. That's no surprise, considering how regimented Nashville is.

A corollary to the number-of-tracks question: My perception was that, particularly among established rock acts, song lengths expanded through the late '80s and well into the '90s to fill the extra space on CDs. They seem to have contracted a bit since then.

DwDunphy · 9 months ago

That's right. It wasn't until Nirvana and the three-minute power blast that songs started regulating down again.

jack · 9 months ago

Colin James Hay's first record really spoke to me for some reason... the soundrack for a lonely 9th grader.

GrayFlannelSuit · 9 months ago

I'll cop to not only owning that Bertie Higgins album but still liking it and still listening to it. As for Buffett, I think Yacht Rock summed up my feelings on him pretty well.

DwDunphy · 9 months ago

I have a problem with musicians that are rich, mellow, eternally buzzed on something or other and not the least bit guilty about it.

steve · 9 months ago

I own the album "Just Another Day In Paradise" as well, and I think it's fine, although the sad realization of "Port Of Call" still kind of makes me queasy.

GrayFlannelSuit · 9 months ago

If you've not been to Bertie's web site, I highly recommend it. It's an...interesting read.

Brian McCurdy · 9 months ago

I agree about "Escalator of Life." I grew up in the Philadelphia area during the '80s and this song was constantly on the radio (98 FM at the time). I just assumed it was a well-known song everywhere.

Rob · 9 months ago

What a week. Some of my absolute favorite obscurities…

When that Colin James Hay song came out, it made me realize – as if "Overkill" hadn't proved to me tht fact already – that there was a lot of talent in him. Really good stuff. He and Peter Gabriel were really ahead of their time in terms of embracing African music.

"Let Me Go" is still one of the best songs of the new wave era. I can't believe it never broke the top 40.

I remember during my freshman year in college that some Philly-area guy on my dorm floor either lent me the Robert Hazard album or played it for me. Total awesomeness. Our college station played the hell out of the album. Of course, Robert then made a fortune on "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" royalties…

Jeff · 9 months ago

Oh, man, do I love that Colin James Hay song. I have Looking for Jack on vinyl, and have been trying to track down a copy on CD for years. A friend of mine loaned me a copy of Man at Work recently, and it is really, really good. Plus, you have to love a guy who plays a singing, guitar playing corpse on Scrubs.

I actually hear the song 'Escalator of Life; on Radioio's New Wave station on iTunes quite a bit.

And sorry, but I will never, ever like Heart.

Gexxa · 9 months ago

Bertie Higgins is the father of US Based world famous Drum and Bass DJ, Dieselboy.

Music does run in families!!

breadalbane · 9 months ago

Boy, Canadains are sure taking a pasting this week, with both Corey Hart and Headpins getting the deluxe treatment.

Not that I'm about to defend either act.

Surprising-but-true Corey Hart fact: Eric Clapton plays on his first album. (That's not offered as defense of Corey, by the way -- more as another signpost on the long slow road towards Clapton's total irrelevancy.)

_________________________________


Oh yeah, "Escaltor of Life" was a cult hit up here in Toronto. I know I heard it on CFNY a fair bit, although it didn't cross over to the top 40 stations. I'd put it as the best song ot this week's posts.

WHarrisBullzEye · 9 months ago

A few random comments:

* If you dug that Hawks song, you should definitely head over to NotLame.com and pick up a copy of "Perfect World Radio," which offers as much of a summary of their sound as can be legally found on CD. (Their two proper albums have yet to be released on disc.) There's some really great stuff on there.

* I bought Colin Hay's solo debut because I was such a huge Men at Work fan, and when it proceeded to make only the tiniest ripple, I was stunned...but I still kept buying his stuff, anyway, and I've been thrilled that more and more people are finally realizing that there's more to him than songs about vegemite sandwiches.

* "If Looks Could Kill" rocks, "Let Me Go" is awesome, and if I never heard "Shiny Shiny" again, it'll be A-OK with me.

Kenny Bania · 9 months ago

"This was Hewett’s only solo hit in the ’80s, though he did have a gospel song that garnered him some praise."

That's Gold Dave - GOLD!

wags · 9 months ago

Heh. Loved Men at Work but never could get into Colin Hay solo. Perhaps I heard too many tracks that sounded like the one here that leave me unmoved.

Eric S. · 9 months ago

Have to weigh in on this week as it hit a number of hot buttons.

First is The Hawks. "Right Away" is certainly nothing special, but they did have a great song, "It's All Right, It's O.K." It's more representative of their sound, which was more pop rock than today's entry.
http://eschorn.home.comcast.net/myfilelocker/It...

have to agree with your comments on the Headpins lead singer. However, I love the "Just One More Time" and bought their greatest hits (hit?) on a Canadian CD just to get this song.

Finally, I couldn't agree more about Heart's "How Can I Refuse". I'm actually surprised this made it to #44, as it never seems to get played on classic rock radio anymore. "Passionworks" was definitely a transition album as they moved toward a more middle of the road sound, but "How Can I Refuse" really stands out (I don't mean to pile on, but if Ann has "lost a ton of weight", then she was two tons before the surgery).

steed · 9 months ago

See, that's the thing about "Just One More Time". With a different singer I really think I'd like the song - it is kind of catchy. I just can't get past the screaming.

Chris X · 9 months ago

I will never stop laughing at your burning hatred for Corey Hart. It's not a disdain I share, but still.

I never paid any attention to Dan Hartman other than "I Can Dream About You" (which I absolutely love, and is the kind of song I will hang around a department store for a few extra minutes for when it comes on over the PA) although apparently he has some songwriting and production credits to his name for other artists.

Colin Hay is a fantastic songwriter, and I would argue that his solo efforts showcase this fact better than Men At Work. Don't get me wrong, I adore Men At Work, and always get happy when listening to their songs, but there seems to be a happy pop sheen over all those songs that take away from the structure of the songs(see his solo reworkings of the Men At Work hits for further clarification) He is also a fantastic live act. Half of his set comes off as stand up comedy, he is an absolute riot in between songs, and a great storyteller.

Would you call "Dirty Laundry" Henley's biggest hit? I'd think "Boys of Summer" would hold that title, or did "Laundry" actually chart higher? If anything, "Boys" is the one that most people know, and that still gets "several times daily" airplay on the radio these days.

As for Heart, I also prefer the older stuff. Seriously, "Barracuda"..."Magic Man".."Crazy On You"...that stuff is badass. "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You", "Never", "Alone"..pop radio AOR fluff. Mind you, it's GOOD pop radio AOR fluff, but there is a definite dropoff point in the band's recorded output.

That Heaven 17 song is a true gem, and I play it almost everytime I spin at my weekly DJ gig.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Robert Hazard, you can read my drooling fanboy rant in the comments of Jon's column from last week.

steed · 9 months ago

Well, technically "Dirty Laundry" went to #3 while "Boys of Summer" hit #5. Yeah, you'd think "Boys" would have been the bigger hit. I still hear "Dirty Laundry" whenever I listen to the radio too...so I have to think even now they aren't that far apart in popularity.

AOR fluff - it's what the decade is all about!

Ray · 9 months ago

Also like the Heaven 17 song, but even better is their song Temptation.

Michael · 9 months ago

Isn't Dan Hartman's “It Hurts to Be in Love” — 1981
a remake of a Buddy Holly song or a Neil Sedaka song ?
..

Michael · 9 months ago

Or, how about a remake of a Gene Pitney song ?

I know I heard that song growing up & it wasn't Dan Hartman's version..

The Man I Used To Be · 9 months ago

I am geared up for next week.....Hooters, Hornsby and Honeymoon Suite!