» 1980s
You Could Take My Heart Away Tonight – Silver Condor
Here we have a completely forgotten one-hit wonder from 1980 that sports a tenuous link to a much better-remembered one-hit wonder from 1985 by Autograph. “You Could Take My Heart Away Tonight” really goes nowhere for a really long time. Or at least it feels like a long time as you listen to the song. The biggest problem for Silver Condor is that they sound like at least 100 other Los Angeles bands who garnered a little … Read entire article »
Radioactive – The Firm
Author’s note: Though I never owned either of The Firm’s two LPs, I have heard them in their entirety. And like many Led Zeppelin and Bad Company fans, I had salivated at the prospect of Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers teaming up in The Firm! With that kind of talent, surely the music couldn’t be anything less than brilliant, right? Well… Supergroups always seem like a good idea at the time, but most end up being … Read entire article »
Turn Up the Radio – Autograph
For much of the the 1970s, Los Angeles was known for softer pop-country-folk-rock hybrids such as the Eagles, The Carpenters, Bread, Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac and others. But in 1978, a new heavy metal band from nearby Pasadena fired the first warning shot across the bow of LA-area mellow rock; Van Halen’s debut album, featuring Eddie Van Halen’s fiery guitar licks and David Lee Roth’s howls punctuated by a blistering mix by Ted Templeman, quickly turned … Read entire article »
Call to Your Heart – Giuffria
Before there was Giuffria and their one hit, “Call to Your Heart,” there was Angel–anybody remember those guys? Signed to Casablanca Records, Angel’s early albums sounded like a cross between Deep Purple and Yes, but when those more progressive albums didn’t sell, by 1977, they changed their sound to a poppy, “lite metal” vibe that was about ten years ahead of its time. If Angel isn’t where Bon Jovi got half their sonic ideas, it should’ve … Read entire article »
We’re Not Gonna Take It – Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister had slogged the clubs in and around New York City for years in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until they shifted operations across the Atlantic that they secured a record deal. Their debut LP Under the Blade was initally released only in Europe (a remixed version showed up in this country after Stay Hungry became a big seller). Looking like a (New York D)olled-up version of Motley Crue, the flamboyant Twisted Sister with their … Read entire article »
Burning Heart – Vandenberg
When Deep Purple fell apart in 1976, singer David Coverdale re-emerged a few years later with the first incarnation of Whitesnake, which featured two of his ex-bandmates in drummer Ian Paice and keyboardist Jon Lord. Like Rainbow, Whitesnake inherited the instability gene from its Deep Purple parent and through the years, a veritable Who’s Who of hard rock and heavy metal played in the group at one time or another. Trying to unsnarl who all played … Read entire article »
Sirius XM 80s on 8 Top 40 Turkeys of the 1980s
Now for a list of 80s songs that are simultaneously awful and awesome and include a plethora of one-hit wonders (Bob and Doug McKenzie, Bertie Higgins, Taco) along with a gaggle of hits by artists who loaded the Billboard Top 40 with songwriting fodder for years (Paul McCartney, Starship, Olivia Newton John). During the Thanksgiving weekend of 2011, SiriusXM’s 80s on 8 station played their Top 40 “Turkeys” of the 1980s. Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, Nina … Read entire article »
New World Man by Rush
Editors note: Here is Jim Barton’s take on “New World Man” by Rush. You can also read Michael Waterman’s thoughts on the one song that made Rush a one-hit wonder. Featuring three of the most amazing musicians ever to walk the planet, Rush have been a fixture on the album chart and concert stage for more than 35 years, selling millions and millions of albums and tickets. Their specialty is highly intellectual lyrics set to … Read entire article »