Electric Light Orchestra! The 1976 hit, "Telephone Line!"

"Telephone Line" to me, is the coolest song by Electric Light Orchestra from’76. This was waaaay before we had Caller ID when we would sit by the phone awaiting for an actual call from that special someone.

The US version of this single was released in “green” vinyl---as was the norm, many ELO singles were issued in different colors---but this was the only single that was green.

I never knew that the group's name was based not only on electric light (as in a light bulb as seen on early album covers) but also using "electric" rock instruments combined with a "light orchestra" (orchestras with only a few cellos and violins that were popular in Britain during the 1960s).

You’ll notice that the official band logo is on this video. It was designed in ‘76 and is based on a ‘46 Wurlitzer jukebox. The band's previous logo was similar to the General Electric logo.

As I reminisce, I remember a show called “James at 15”.  It seems to me that this song was once on that show. There was a scene when “James” makes a phone call and gets his heart broken... I’m sure it was to this song.

Oh well, add this song to your Playlist if it isn’t on there already. You’ll be playing it at least half a dozen times!

Ahhhhh…the memories!

Temple of the Dog! 1991's "Hunger Strike!"

In the 90's, I really missed the 80’s and shrugged the 70’s…then, as time went on, I started really missing and appreciating the 70’s. Then in the 2000's, I started shrugging the 90's and kept going back to the 80's (and still do of course!). But then the other day I heard “Hunger Strike” on the radio and I started to really miss the 90’s! I started to think about some of the cool songs that came out of this decade. I then got on to YouTube and searched for this video and it brought back memories of how the decade started with this “new” kind of music. Grunge!

You know, there was a time that Eddie Vedder started looking a lot like the Lion from the Wizard of Oz….

.

But, I digress….

"Hunger Strike" was written by vocalist Chris Cornell of Sound Garden who had formed the group Temple of the Dog in 1990 as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone. It was a released as a single on their only self titled album in 1991.  The line-up included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of Mother Love Bone), Mike McCready on lead guitar, Matt Cameron on drums and Eddie Vedder providing lead and backing vocals. Soon after this concept album, Vedder, Ament, Gossard and McCready formed Pearl Jam.

Cornell on the song:

“When we started rehearsing the songs, I had pulled out "Hunger Strike" and I had this feeling it was just kind of gonna be filler, it didn't feel like a real song. Eddie was sitting there kind of waiting for a rehearsal (Mookie Blaylock….later Pearl Jam) and I was singing parts, and he kind of humbly—but assertive—walked up to the mic and started singing the low parts for me because he saw it was kind of hard. We got through a couple choruses of him doing that and suddenly the light bulb came on in my head, this guy's voice is amazing for these low parts. History wrote itself after that, and that became the single.

This song rocks! I'm STILL going hungry!

"The Logical Song!" by the band Supertramp!

“The Logical Song” by the band Supertramp brings back so many memories!!

I was 13 years old (1979) at the time this song was released  and I remember distinctly how awesome the story/lyrics and music could be put together so beautifully.

Some facts:

1.    I remember thinking at the time, “Supertramp??? What kind of name is that for a band??” It was named after William Henry Davies’ book, “The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp”. Davies spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time. The book was one of the band's favorites.

2.    This song has been described as a timeless and touching tale about the human condition. The lyrics are a "story of innocence and idealism lost" with Hodgson, who wrote the song, condemning an education system not focused on knowledge and sensitivity.

3.    In addition to the use of castanets, what’s really cool is that SuperTramp makes use of contemporary sound effects that were popular at the time. For example, you’ll hear at the end of the song a double tweet sound of a Mattel Electronic Football Game. Which, if you don’t remember, was one of the first interactive games that was often limited to buttons and sound effects that featured simple red-LED displays. Wow! Now that was high tech at the time!

All I can say is, SUPERTRAMP is SUPERFANTASTIC!

"Shower Me With Your Love!" The 1989 Hit by Surface!

I almost forgot about this group of the 80s until I heard this song on the radio today! The memories come flooding back! When slow jams were truly slow jams!! The year was 1989! Surface was a smooth group!! One of my favorite tunes! If you’re gonna get married soon, you gotta play this one!

Wow! These haircuts make me miss the Arsenio Hall Show! 

Or Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff!

Or....De La Soul!

Or......Kid 'n Play?

ANYWAYS!!!

Today’s R&B could take lessons from songs like this!

Duran Duran's 1982 Hit, "Rio!"

This band is amazing!! This is one of my favorite Duran Duran songs of all time! It has such a catchy melody and the intricate bass line is awesome!!  In fact, the saxophone and bass solo on this tune is just incredible!

A few studio tricks were done to get the distinctive sound for this song.  Keyboardist, Nick Rhodes, made the sound at the beginning of the song by placing some metal rods on the strings of a grand piano in the studio, playing the instrument, then the recorded sound was reversed to create the intro. The laughter on the track was that of Rhodes' girlfriend at the time.

Also, I always wondered how they came up with their band name. It’s named after a character in the 1968 Jane Fonda movie Barbarella. In the movie, Barbarella (Jane Fonda) is assigned by the President of Earth to retrieve Doctor Durand Durand from the planet Tau Ceti in order to save Planet Earth. Dr. Durand Durand is the inventor of a weapon called the Positronic Ray.

It’s hard to believe the group has never disbanded and have recently kicked off a tour to support their latest album.  I just heard them on TV recently playing this 1982 hit and they sound just like they did in the early 80’s! I gotta see these guys!

Debbie Gibson! ....Oh Yes I did!

Yes! I did post this song!

But hey, no Autotune here, huh?

This song was great! You know you liked it! Hard to believe she was actually 15 when she originally wrote this song.

I remember seeing a ton of girls with their big hair in a ponytail on the side with stonewashed jeans with bright shirts and matching socks, huuuuge belts, and tons of make- up.

Yup….it was 1987 alright!

Frankie Smith's 1981 hit "Double Dutch Bus!"

One of my favorite songs of 1981 was a song called “Double Dutch Bus” by Frankie Smith. The funny thing was, I had absolutely no idea what this song was about! Can you imagine trying to sing this song on Karoake night?

After doing some research, I found out that the “Double Dutch Bus” actually represents a combination of two institutions in Smith's Philadelphia Pennsylvania neighborhood: the double Dutch game of jump rope played by neighborhood kids, and SEPTA, (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) the public transit bus system that was the backbone of the local transportation network (and for which Smith had unsuccessfully applied for a bus driving position; the Transpass referred to in the song is an actual SEPTA pass).

Frankie’s song popularized a nonsensical form of slang, in which "iz" is placed in the middle of a word. For example, the word "place" becomes "plizace" or the last letters of a word are replaced with "-izzle" (ex. sure becomes shizzle). Now you know how this style became part of today's hip-hop slang culture (popularized by rapper Snoop Dogg).

After watching this video, I couldn’t help but notice that the bus in the video happens to look like one from the Department of Corrections! Yikes!

"On The Loose!" Saga's 1981 Hit!

I just heard this song “On the Loose” by the band Saga on the radio today and it took me back to 1981 when MTV first hit the tube with all music all the time! This song is totally 80’s with those awesome keyboards and the guitar being tight on the solo!

As I listened to this song, I was listening to the lyrics, “No one could stop me now! Tonight I’m on the loose!” ....And I thought, if “No one can stop you now”, why aren’t you and the band still around?

Then, I heard these guys are still touring. Doh!

If I could go back in time, I’d find a 1975 Chrysler Cordoba with rich Corinthiannnn leather seats, an 8 track tape player with a cassette adaptor and play this tune till the tape starts to stretch and ruin! Yeah!

Madcon versus Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons?

A few years ago, I fell in love with this song called “Beggin’” by a group called Madcon, a Norwegian hip-hop group. 

As I started researching this song, I came to realize and was embarrassed that I had no idea it was a remake of the famous 1967 Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons song, “Beggin’”!

Madcon's version of the song is a total re-recording of all instruments by the production team 3Elementz, and all vocals by Madcon. This single went 6 times platinum and was the highest selling song in Norway in 2007, and received the "Hit of the Year".

"Beggin'" was actually composed in 1967 by Keyboardist/songwriter Bob Gaudio and the lyrics were written by Peggy Farina (lead singer on the song “My Boyfriend’s Back”).

I was not aware that Bob Gaudio had also written or co-written almost every single Four Seasons hit!

I love the fact that a song in the 60’s can be a hit again 40 years later by adding a little rap and then making it sound like it’s from the 70’s!!

Sad to say, I wonder how many Madcon fans even know who Frankie Valli is?

Hey, wait.......doesn't he look like Frank Stallone????

Wow! These guys not only look alike, they're both singers and they're both named Frank! What a trip!

ANYWAY....I digress......

What’s funny is, if you didn’t know the title when listening to the song, you would think he was saying…. “Peggy!...Peggy Sue.. ooh ooh ooh…”

So, if I compare both versions.....my favorite version would be ?? Frankie's of course!!

 

Scandal's 1982 Hit, "Goodbye To You!"

I love this song!! The bass line really rocks! It's so funny to see Patty Smyth dance all Totally 80's "Fresh Prince" Carlton in this video! Aaaahhh. Those were the days!

What's really funny? The bass player looking a little like an 80's George Clooney!

“Goodbye to You” was written by Scandal band member/founder and guitarist Zack Smith and sung by Patty Smyth and released as a single in 1982. The band broke up a few years later but has since reunited.

Cool facts:

1. Patty Smyth was asked by Eddie Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth (after he quit).

2. The original Demo video of "Goodbye To You" was filmed in a small studio and features Bon Jovi playing guitar (was a friend of the band) and Late Show with David Letterman’s, Paul Shaffer playing the keyboards/synthesizer. In the released version, Paul actually wrote and recorded the keyboard solo and based it on Del Shannon's "Runaway". 

Check it out here:

The Best Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solo’s of All Time!

Eruption: Initially, "Eruption" wasn’t even considered as a song for the first Van Halen album as it was just a guitar solo Eddie performed live in the clubs or as a warm up but producer Ted Templeman overheard it in the studio as Eddie was rehearsing it for a club date and decided to include it on the album. Eddie Van Halen later recalled, "I didn't even play it right. There's a mistake at the top end of it. To this day, whenever I hear it, I always think, 'Man, I could've played it better.'"

Spanish Fly: After 'Eruption”, Eddie recorded Spanish Fly as a follow up to the famous “Eruption” on the second album, Van Halen II, as a direct response to people suggesting Eddie was a good rock guitarist, but that he probably couldn't go beyond this. Again, when Ted Templeman heard Eddie playing this song at a party, he stated, “You play acoustic too?” and suggested he add it to the album. Eddie got a kick out of it and ultimately rehearsed the song until it was ready to record. He played it in one take with a pick on a nylon string acoustic guitar.

All Music Guide has described Eddie Van Halen as, "Second to only Jimi Hendrix...undoubtedly one of the most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century!”

Frank Rodriguez has described Eddie Van Halen as, “Undoubtedly THE most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century!”

KC and the Sunshine Band, "Please Don't Go!"

The year was 1979! The introduction of the Sony Walkman, Swatch Watch, Apple Computers, Sock Sweat Bands, Skateboarding, Slip n Slides and this song, PleaseDon’t Go, my all time favorite KC and the Sunshine Band record!

A few facts you might not have known??

• The song was the band's first love ballad, and was the first number one song of 1980.

• They took their name from lead vocalist Harry Wayne Casey's last name ("KC") and the "Sunshine Band" from KC's home state of Florida ('The Sunshine State').

•  “KC” worked part-time in a record store. He noticed often that customers would come in not remembering the titles of the records they wanted, and the store would lose the sale — this is the reason so many of his songs repeat their titles over and over.

Where is he now?

In the mid ‘90s, due to the revived interest in the music and fashions of the 1970s, “KC” re-formed the Sunshine Band and plays up to 200 dates a year and continues to produce other artists. He's still rockin'!

You know, if they ever made a movie about “KC’s” life, I could only see one actor playing him…...Jim Carrey!?! Come on! You can see the resemblance!

Santana's "Oye Como Va!"

Aahhh. The music of Carlos Santana! Brings back some great memories!

You know, this song actually has a lot of history. Some people think that Santana was the first to come out with this song.  "Oye Como Va" is a version of a song originally written by Cachao, a Cuban Mambo Musician and covered by Puerto Rican Latin Jazz and Mambo Musician, Tito Puente in 1963 and then popularized by Santana's cover of the song in 1970, helping to catapult Santana into super stardom.

For those who don’t know the meaning of the song, I’ll help you out.

Oye!
Listen up, y'all !

Como va mi ritmo ..bueno pa gozar
To how great my rhythm is going/flowing, for your enjoyment

(La música) mulata
A mixed blend (for a mixed audience)

This was the BEST song to listen to as I remember growing up having cookouts in our backyard with my family eating Fajita's! It also reminds me of eating my favorite dish of all time!  Carne Guisada with Spanish Rice, Refried Beans and a stack of Hot Fluffy Tortillas!

I miss my mom!

Buckner & Garcia's Top Ten Hit Single, "Pac-Man Fever!"

When I was in Jr. High and High School, I can remember going to my favorite arcade game rooms (especially the one in the Sunrise Mall in Corpus Christi) spending ENDLESS amounts of quarters playing video games for HOURS! Wow! I’m getting depressed just thinking about all that money I wasted on those games “back in the day”! I loved playing Pac-Man although I have to admit that my favorite was Space Invaders and Asteroids.

It’s funny to think that Pac-Man just celebrated its 30 year anniversary! Wow! How time flies!
Pac-Man was first released in Japan in 1980 and is considered to be one of the classics and an icon of 1980s popular culture. As soon as it came out, the game became a social phenomenon that sold a ton of merchandise and inspired, among other things, an animated television series and this 1982 top top-ten hit single, “Pac-Man Fever” by Buckner & Garcia.

Pac-Man is one of the longest running video game franchises from the golden age of video arcade games and succeeded by creating a new genre and appealing to both genders.

It’s among the most famous arcade games of all time and has the highest brand awareness of any video game character. It’s actually on display at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

I gotta tell ya! I got a Pac-Man Fever!! And the only prescription……is more cowbell!!

Oingo Boingo's 1985 Hit,"Just Another Day!"

I remember it well. High School, 1985, my senior year, listening to a variety of music, primarily hard rock/heavy metal when my wife (friend at the time and a good friend of hers) introduced me to a group called Oingo Boingo.

Oingo Boingo??? My initial thought was, “What kind of goofy crazy circus clown name is that for a band?”  I really didn’t want to listen to their music but eventually, I gave in and was pleasantly surprised at the incredible musicianship of this band as I listened to what ultimately became one of my favorite songs, “Just Another Day!” They were incredible! They were very different! I didn’t realize how popular these guys were. In California, they were like the Beatles!

Years later, I was sitting in a movie theatre watching the movie, “Batman” when the credits showed that the scoring was done by none other than songwriter/composer (Oingo Boingo’s frontman)  Danny Elfman!

Elfman would eventually score music for television and more movies! His main collaboration has been with Tim Burton and has scored all but two of his films (those being Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd).

His first major motion picture score was Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Elfman was so apprehensive at first because of his lack of formal training (he actually dropped out of high school), but with orchestration assistance from Oingo Boingo guitarist and arranger Steve Bartek (which today almost exclusively employs), he achieved his goal of creating his first musical score!

I had no idea his film scores included Edward Scissorhands, Good Will Hunting, Men in Black, Spider-Man, Big Fish, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Darkman, Alice in Wonderlnd and dozens more. Elfman also wrote the themes for more than a dozen TV series, including The Simpsons, Batman: The Animated Series, Tales from the Crypt and Desperate Housewives.

Wow! What talent!

Another interesting fact? He is married to actress Bridget Fonda and is related to actress Jenna Elfman.

Sugar Hill Gang's 1981 Hit "Apache!"

Everytime I hear this song it makes me want to bust out and thrown down the cardboards in the street and start trying to do some break dancing! 

I didn’t realize that “Apache" was an instrumental tune that was first written by a guy named Jerry Lordan and was recorded by the British group The Shadows in 1960. It started to get a little more recognition in North America, when it was recorded by Jørgen Ingmann, a jazz guitarist from Denmark in 1961.

Now, it wasn’t until 1973, when the Incredible Bongo Band recorded it with more “bongo” drumming that it really started to gain some momentum. At that time, it was called "hip-hop’s national anthem" even though this version was not a hit when it was first released.

So, in 1981, the Rap Group Sugar Hill Gang covered this tune and took it to a whole different level!! Outside of the lyrics featuring references to the Lone Ranger, the long percussion break in the middle is the reason I got into this song and gets me going everytime!

In 1995, the Sugar Hill Gang's version of "Apache" gained new popularity after being featured in a sixth-season episode of the NBC’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!!

Still sounds great after all these years!

Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force!! "Far Beyond the Sun!"

Now this takes me back!!

There is no other guitarist quite like Yngwie Johann Malmsteen!!

This Swedish virtuoso guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader became known for his awesome classical playing approach in heavy metal music which became a new musical style in the early 80s.

In high school, I would play this cassette in my car every single day multiple times a day until my tape was literally ruined!! I saw Malmsteen's "Rising Force" in concert in 1985 and musically, I was never the same again!

Now, only my "Musiac Major Bretheren" would appreciate this. Malmsteen is known for his technical fluency compositions that incorporates high speed picking with harmonic minor scales, diminished scales and using sweep picked arpeggios. He draws heavy influence from Bach and Beethoven.  

In an interview, Malmsteen explained that his regular use of harmonic minor was because in the 1980s he was trying to move away from the blues-based pentatonic scales that were frequently used at the time. Go figure!

All I know is that according to the music world of me, he is considered to be THE most technically gifted rock guitarists of all time!!

Or, a better way to put it?? The pioneer of......oh yeah.......Shred Guitar!!

Rush's 1981 Instrumental Hit "YYZ!"

I happened to catch this particular animated video of Rush’s “YYZ” as I was searching for just the right one to post. This video is amazing! It was created by a guy named Bobby Standridge.

Using himself as a model, Bobby spent a year and a half animating Neal Peart drumming to "YYZ." He posted it on the Web in the summer of 2005. The video became something of an Internet sensation. News of the animation actually reached Peart himself and even asked to post the video on his own Web site.

The title. “YYZ” is the IATA airport identification code for the Toronto Pearson International Airport, of Rush's native area of Toronto. It’s common practice for air navigation aids to broadcast their identifier code in Morse code using VHF omni-directional range (VOR). A plane using VOR equipment would then always know it's tracking the right station. The song's introduction, played in a time signature of 5/4, repeatedly renders the letters "Y-Y-Z" in Morse Code using various musical arrangements.

Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart has said, in reference to the airport code, "It's always a happy day when YYZ appears on our luggage tags!”