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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 30, 2010 2:55:00 GMT -5
Hey man, nice work. I like the recommendations so far. I'm a sucker for a good hook, as you know. And you have a lot more obscure knowledge of bands than I do. So I'm listening with great interest.
(And you don't have to hold the tomatoes in my thread. I can take it. It's always an honor to be riffed by a MSTie.)
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 30, 2010 2:24:15 GMT -5
Mr. Atari's Top 100 Songs of the '80s (and now, the top 50)
50: "Why Can't This Be Love"- Van Halen I'm about to commit rock & roll blasphemy, so buckle up. I think Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen was better than David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. I'll concede that Van Halen 1 and 1984 were great albums, and that "Jump", "Panama", and "Hot for Teacher" could easily be in this spot (especially "Panama"). But the stuff in between those albums is a whole lot of nothing for me. On the other hand, the first 3 Hagar albums are exhibits A, B, and C of better songwriting, better arrangements, and- dare I say it- a better band. The songs were tighter and catchier (on the whole). But most of all, there wasn't any more of that awful, awful David Lee Roth shriek/squeal. You know what I mean- his little falsetto howl that says, "Look at me! I'm a rock & roll frontman!". And once you start noticing it, you'll never NOT notice it, because he does it in every freaking song. Over and over. Anyway, I've always loved this first single from 5150.
49: "Beat It"- Michael Jackson Speaking of Eddie Van Halen...Most people know he played the guitar solo on this song. But did you know the main instrumental tracks for the Thriller album were recorded by the members of Toto? No wonder it's such a tight album. As for me, I liked Michael Jackson okay, I guess. "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Starting Something" were both good songs, and I remember the zipper jacket being a big deal around school. But I can't say I really got his appeal. I remember him more for the cultural force he was in those days than for the music itself.
48: "Would I Lie to You?"- The Eurythmics I love Annie Lennox. She's got the grit in her voice that can really carry a rock & roll number. Dave Stewart is a great writer and producer. Together, they made incredible music. I spent a long time deciding which of their songs to put here. "Here Comes the Rain Again" is a personal favorite (complete with a Michael Kamen orchestration). "Sweet Dreams" is their most well-known hit. But this one wins out because it's got a great, driving groove and a nice horn section.
47: "Walking on Sunshine"- Katrina and the Waves I know "real" rock and roll is only supposed to be bitter, angry, and rebellious. It's not legit unless it's brooding and melancholy, because only then is it Meaningful (with a capital M). Well I say, BULL CRAP! Sometimes life can be good and full of joy. And in those times, you need a song that captures what it feels like to be on top of the world. And this one does that for me. It might just be the happiest song ever written. And when it became Fry's theme song on Futurama, I finally threw away the last shred of shame I felt for liking the song.
46: "What You Need"- INXS INXS. You either liked them or you didn't. And if you didn't, then you probably avoided the radio from 1986-1988, because they were all over it. Kick was a tremendous album, with 5 or 6 great songs on it. However, my favorite song of theirs was this one from the album before. Like a lot of famous songs, they wrote it in about an hour because the record company said they needed a "hit" for the album. Maybe sometimes necessity is the mother of inspiration, too.
45: "99 Luftballons"- Nena As a kid in the '80s, I had no idea what this German chick was singing about. I just knew it had a cool beat and a great synth hook. Even now, as I listen to it, I like how the instruments all play around each other's parts. Of course, it was a story about how 99 balloons cause an apocalypse when suspicious cold war governments misinterpret them as a threat and overreact. I'm still a bit amazed that in such an anglo-centric time and place as the 1980s United States that it was the German version of this song (and not the English one) that made it to #2 on the charts.
44: "Sara"- Starship 25 years later, Starship has become a punchline. "We Built This City" was called "The #1 Worst Song Ever" by Blender magazine. I don't understand it, but maybe I was just too young to notice they sucked and too busy enjoying their music. What I find hilarious is that both "We Built..." and "Sara" were co-written and produced by Peter Wolf, the former keyboard player for...wait for it...Frank Zappa. (Not to be confused with the Peter Wolf who was the great lead singer for the J. Geils Band.) Okay, so I liked "Sara" when it climbed the charts to #1 in 1986. But when it came on the radio 10 years later as Mrs. Atari and I were on our honeymoon, it really locked in as a personal favorite.
43: "Jeopardy"- The Greg Kihn Band This was one of the first songs I remember really loving. I couldn't wait for it to get played on the radio, and would walk around the house as an 8-year-old singing it at the top of my lungs. I had no idea what jeopardy was or why our love was in it. But I think if I heard it for the first time tomorrow, I'd still love it. Great groove, nice minor key vibe, and some catchy "oooh oooh oooh ooohs" (which are always a bonus). And, of course, it led to one of the best Weird Al parodies. And if you don't think that earned it some extra points, well then you still don't know me very well.
42: "Don't Shed a Tear"- Paul Carrack "Cab fare to nowhere is what you are." One of my favorite opening lines in music history. "All that I saw in you, now I see through" is another great lyric here. This is a great song if you've ever been dumped. Carrack is one of my favorite singers, whether in Squeeze, or in Mike + the Mechanics, or here on his biggest solo hit. What makes the song work for me most is the chord move between the verses and the chorus. The way the pre-chorus builds is a neat trick, and one I've tried to steal more than once.
41: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys What I love about the '80s is how many genres and styles all got played and all mixed into the same top-40 radio. I had never heard anything like the Pet Shop Boys, but I loved it. "Opportunities" and "It's a Sin" were also equally great. I think if someone were to cut open my brain and was able to detangle all of the musical threads that have twisted around each other in my subconscious, they'd probably be surprised at how much British synth-pop they'd find. But that's what happens when you grow up in the '80s.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 30, 2010 0:13:41 GMT -5
that's the kind of courtesy you don't usually see in list threads. I can only imagine how hard it was for him. You have no idea. And MJ, you'll have plenty of time to demolish my taste in the next few posts. I'm sure I'm going to have to turn in my "music snob" card when this is all said and done. We're about to hit the top 50, and I imagine as we get closer to the end (and especially at the end), I'm going to have to be nimble to dodge the tomatoes. But hey, it's my list and it's really what I enjoy. In fact, I put the 100 songs as a playlist on my iPod after I made the list last week, and it's all I've been listening to.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 29, 2010 12:32:56 GMT -5
Even though (say it with me) list threads are boring, here's the first 50 in a quick-reference format:
51: I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty 52: Big Time - Peter Gabriel 53: Stone in Love - Journey 54: Time after Time - Cyndi Lauper 55: Sister Christian - Night Ranger 56: Missing You - John Waite 57: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive 58: St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) - John Parr 59: I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman 60: Talking In Your Sleep - The Romantics 61: Break My Stride - Matthew Wilder 62: She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby 63: Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers 64: Jessie's Girl- Rick Springfield 65: Paradise City- Guns 'n' Roses 66: Cult of Personality - Living Colour 67: Owner of a Lonely Heart- Yes 68: Calling America - ELO 69: Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams 70: Holding Back the Years - Simply Red 71: The Look of Love - ABC 72: I Knew You Were Waiting For Me - Aretha Franklin & George Michael 73: Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier 74: Second Wind (You're Only Human) - Billy Joel 75: I Wanna Know What Love is- Foreigner
76: Twilight Zone- Golden Earring 77: Centerfield- John Fogerty 78: Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen 79: Higher Love - Steve Winwood 80: Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant 81: I Wanna Be a Cowboy - Boys Don't Cry 82: Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard 83: Keep Your Hands to Yourself- The Georgia Satellites 84: Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer 85: Your Love - The Outfield 86: Never Surrender - Corey Hart 87: And We Danced - The Hooters 88: Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung 89: Come Dancing - The Kinks 90: Small Town - John Mellencamp 91: Burning Down the House - Talking Heads 92: The Search is Over - Survivor 93: Our House - Madness 94: Lovin' Every Minute Of It - Loverboy 95: Rock This Town - Stray Cats 96: Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar 97: One More Try - George Michael 98: Too Shy - Kajagoogoo 99: Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling 100: She's a Beauty - The Tubes
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 29, 2010 11:57:07 GMT -5
Mr. Atari's Top 100 Songs of the '80s(continued) 60: "Talking in Your Sleep"- The RomanticsThe Romantics are another two-hit wonder that don't get the respect they deserve. Their first hit, "What I Like About You", is rightfully in the "best songs ever written" category. Too bad it was released in '79, or it would push these guys way up this list. Still, their second hit was also great, and the more I listen to it, the more I want to get more albums by these guys. What a great riff & bass line. 59: "I Can Dream About You"- Dan HartmanDan Hartman wrote this song for his good friends, Hall & Oates, but they had just finished an album and politely declined the offer. So he recorded it himself and it tore up the charts in '84. The video for the song featured footage from the little-seen movie, Streets of Fire, where the song was sung by a black actor; so when I was a kid, I thought Hartman was black. Later, he worked as a producer for a wide range of artists, like Tina Turner, James Brown, Steve Winwood, and Joe Cocker. Wikipedia estimates he was directly involved in projects that sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Not bad for a one-hit wonder. 58: "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)"- John ParrI never saw this movie. St. Elmo's Fire is an electrical discharge between a grounded object and the sky, most often occurring on ships at sea. What this has to do with a movie about whiny, rich, lawyer kids who have problems is beyond me. What's even more confusing is that the song is about a guy in a wheelchair who raced across Canada, and has nothing to do with actual St. Elmo's Fire or the movie about rich, whiny lawyer kids with problems. In fact, it's probably best not to think about it too much. Good song, though. For extra laughs, go find the video on YouTube. At the end, Parr approaches each actor from the movie and touches them in a sympathetic way, all while lip-synching in full dramatic mode. 10 out of 10 for awkward humor. 57: "You Spin Me Round"- Dead or AliveI remember hearing this for the first time and being impressed by how much was going on in this song. It's an incredibly "busy" arrangement. Later, I was surprised that it took a band of 4 guys just to program synthesizers like that. But being synth-heavy and busy doesn't mean it's a bad song. Just try to listen to this song and not move something. As I write these commentaries, I listen to the song I'm writing about. Right now, my 2 year-old is dancing all over the living room to this one. That's what I call a deciding vote. 56: "Missing You"- John WaiteJohn Waite had an interesting career. He started out as the lead singer for The Babys, who had moderate success in the late '70s. Then he had this #1 hit. Then, he joined with half of Journey to form Bad English and had another #1 hit with "When I See You Smile". Then, he re-recorded this song with Alison Krauss (who's awesome, by the way) and had a sizable country hit. Waite has a tremendous voice, and this song was always a favorite of mine and holds up very well. 55: "Sister Christian"- Night RangerFor better or worse (but mostly worse), this song set the template for power ballads that came later. Slow, piano intro that builds into the first chorus. Then, we get a soaring guitar solo that leads into a huge chorus, followed by a recapitulation of the piano intro. The reason it got copied ad nauseum? Because it's a darn good song. With a very good soaring guitar solo. 54: "Time After Time"- Cyndi LauperBeneath the obnoxious little girl voice, and beneath the pink hair and trying-too-hard fashion sense was a tremendous songwriter. Seriously. Go listen to this song, or "True Colors", or "All Through the Night", or "Change of Heart" and tell me differently. I can't stomach "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", but the rest of her catalog is impressive. "Time After Time" was co-written by the keyboardist of the Hooters (see #87). Proving that it's an amazing song, it's been covered by at least 120 other artists. 53: "Stone in Love"- JourneyJourney has made a huge comeback in recent years, thanks mostly to "Don't Stop Believin'" being featured in The Sopranos, Glee and karaoke bars around the world. "Separate Ways" was a great song, too (but an awful video). "Any Way You Want It" will always remind me of Caddyshack. They had about 15 other good songs, even their ballads. But "Stone in Love" is by far my favorite. It's a great riff, with a little more guts than their other hits. The ending section reminds me a bit of the second half of "Layla" with the keyboard slow-down and building guitar solo. It was also one of the first guitar solos I ever learned, and I still use tricks from it when I play today. 52: "Big Time"- Peter GabrielI'm a huge Genesis fan, and I get really tired of the "Peter Gabriel vs. Phil Collins" debate. It's basically the Joel vs. Mike discussion, but with even more snobbery and whining. I like them both, and it was fun to see Gabriel, Collins, and Genesis all have huge success in the '80s. In all my research, I didn't see Gabriel on any top 100 lists of the '80s. What the hell? "Sledgehammer" was outstanding. "In Your Eyes" is a classic. But "Big Time" is my favorite. It's a nice satire of the me-first, greedy, yuppie culture of it's time. Like all of Gabriel's music, it features world-class instrumentalists. A near-perfect song all the way around. 51: "I Won't Back Down"- Tom PettyThe older I get, the more I like Tom Petty. He writes simple songs very well, and that's incredibly hard to do. When he and Jeff Lynne teamed up for 1989's Full Moon Fever, he found the perfect mix. "Free Fallin'" gets overplayed and wears out. But "Runnin' Down a Dream" and this song never get old. Petty belongs in any top 100 list, simply based on his output with other great songs in the '80s, like "Refugee", "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "Jamming Me". This one is his best, though. A great song about standing strong in the face of opposition: " Well I know what's right, I got just one life. In a world that keeps on pushin' me around, but I'll stand my ground, and I won't back down.." My dream is to one day write a song like Tom Petty. I'm just angry that he beat me to this one.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 29, 2010 10:09:46 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the comments, everyone. It really makes the work of doing this worth it. Even if you disagree with the list. Keep 'em coming!
The next 20 should be coming today.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 27, 2010 14:04:40 GMT -5
ironically, didn't tor johnson's character DEFECT from russia and that was the whole point of the movie? Okay, that's the best pun I've seen in a long time. Well done, sir. Well done.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 27, 2010 13:46:39 GMT -5
Mr. Atari's Top 100 Songs of the '80s (continued)
The hits keep on coming:
70: "Holding Back the Years"- Simply Red Simply Red isn't one of those bands that come immediately to mind when one thinks of classic '80s music. But when this song or "If You Don't Know Me By Now" comes up on my iPod, I never skip it. I always let it play all the way through, and I'm always glad I did. There's just something about their music that goes deep into the soul for me. And a really nice muted trumpet performance in this one- a bit of a rarity in popular music.
69: "The Summer of '69"- Bryan Adams What other song would you put at #69 in a list of best songs of the '80s? Adams was only 10 years old in 1969, so he took a lot of heat about the lyrics to this one. But I give him a pass, because I was 10 years old in the summer of '85 when this was a huge hit, and those were the best days of my life. I love that a song about nostalgia can create so much nostalgia for me. How meta.
68: "Calling America"- ELO A very obscure song by a very not-obscure band. I'm not a big fan of Lynne's over-orchestrated mid-'70s output. I love (LOVE) the Time album with its digital rock innovations that helped pave the way for bands like Radiohead and The Flaming Lips. This song, however, has the '80s written all over it, and I love it even more for that. I distinctly remember listening to it on my Walkman and calling the radio station to request it so I could tape it from the broadcast onto my boom box. Definitely my favorite ELO song, and one I'm kind of glad is obscure; because I know it won't get ruined by being in some stupid commercial like all the other ELO songs (and #61 below).
67: "Owner of a Lonely Heart"- Yes Apparently someone at MST had a problem with this song, based on Servo's critique in the unfunny host segment from "Final Justice". Don't let that ruin the song for you. It's a nice complex and wholly original piece of work. Yeah, the synth hits are a bit much, but the guitars, drums, and bass are high quality Yes, as always. There was a pizza place in the town I grew up called Joe's Pizza. It was a total hole in the wall, and had a jukebox that played warped 45s. In high school, my friends and I would inevitably end up there after a night of bowling or cruising or whatever. We would ALWAYS play this song on the jukebox while we ate the world's best sausage & pepperoni. They also sold Cherry RC (!) which was AWESOME! Man, that was some good eating and good atmosphere.
66: "Cult of Personality"- Living Colour Speaking of a complex and wholly original music, here comes Living Colour. I remember trying to cover this in a band once. We gave up when we realized our guitarist couldn't pull off the Vernon Reid riff. And our singer couldn't pull off Corey Glover's range. And the bass player and I were all too aware that we were a pale imitation of Muzz Skillings and Will Calhoun. So basically, we couldn't even match one element, let alone the whole song. I think this is about how every band in the world would measure up to every song Living Colour ever did. They reunited recently and put out a really good album last year called, The Chair in the Doorway. It's worth checking out.
65: "Paradise City"- Guns 'n' Roses Stephen King once wrote that, "good music leaps out of your speakers, grabs you by the throat, and demands that you pay attention." No album in my life did that like Appetite for Destruction. It was a full-blown napalm assault on everything else in the industry. Still probably the best guitar tone on any album ever. I once heard a story (probably apocryphal) that Slash tried 50 different combinations of guitars and amps in the studio to get it just right. He settled on a cheap Mexican Les Paul knock-off and a pawn-shop Marshall stack. I picked this song over "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" for three reasons: 1) No one's every covered it and crapped all over it's legacy (cough *Sheryl Crow* cough). 2) It features a gym teacher whistle. More songs need to feature a gym teacher whistle. 3) The guitar solo at the end is just sick. Unbelievably sick.
64: "Jessie's Girl"- Rick Springfield Rick Springfield had a couple really good songs. "Affair of the Heart" and "Don't Talk to Strangers" are also a big part of the soundtrack to my childhood. A girl in 3rd grade once told me she thought I was cute and that I had hair like Rick Springfield. Don't think that didn't have an effect on who I am today. Rick Springfield hair and my Member's Only jacket made me quite the elementary school stud.
63: "Sea of Love"- The Honeydrippers I didn't learn that The Honeydrippers were Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck until about 3 years ago. I just thought it was a one-hit wonder playing a beautiful cover of an old '50s soul song. Now I like it even more. You want to talk about guts? Guts is when you risk your entire heavy metal legacy to put out an album of songs you like in a completely different style. Oh yeah, Paul Shaffer, Nile Rogers, and Brian Setzer also contributed to the album. Holy crap!
62: "She Blinded Me With Science"- Thomas Dolby My dad is a pastor. That meant Sunday mornings were looong days waiting for him to run two services and an hour of Sunday school. We'd swipe his car keys and go sit in the station wagon to listen to Casey Kasem's "America's Top 40" on the car's radio. Whenever I hear this song, I smell the hot dashboard and vinyl seats and feel the itchy church clothes all over again. And you know what? It's a good memory.
61: "Break My Stride"- Matthew Wilder It really pisses me off when companies use old songs for their ad campaigns. Now, this song will always make me think of some chick doing yoga and a credit card company. Which sucks because up until about two months ago, I felt like this was my little piece of arcane music history. For dozens (hundreds?) of sound and mic checks, I've tested my vocal mic by singing, "Last night I had the strangest dream: I sailed away to China, in a little rowboat to find ya. And you said you had to get your laundry cleaned." It always lightened the mood and gave everyone a laugh. Now it makes people want to check their bank balance.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 27, 2010 10:00:21 GMT -5
It's okay, MJ. You like Blondie, who just...ergh...bleck...so...nails...chalkboard... Yuck! So I guess we're even. And you can put your mind at ease- there's no REO or Styx on the countdown. Journey, on the other hand...
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 27, 2010 3:22:29 GMT -5
Mr. Atari's Top 100 Songs of the '80s (continued)
79: "Higher Love"- Steve Winwood Winwood had a great career long before the '80s. The guy wrote, "Gimme Some Lovin'" and recorded with Eric Clapton, for crying out loud. And man, could he sing. But unlike other rock legends who made a killing in the '80s by wussing out (I'm looking at you, Heart & ZZ Top), his "selling out" phase still had great musicianship and class. "Back in the High Life", "The Finer Things", "Roll with It" and "Valerie" were all worthy hits, too. This one had a great percussion track which puts it on my chart.
78: "Glory Days"- Bruce Springsteen Okay, I'll say it: I don't really like Springsteen. I don't really dislike him, but I've never understood his superstardom. He's blue-collar and gritty, I get that. He puts on a high-energy show. Neat. His songs just never did anything for me. Still, his heyday was a good time in my life, so I have good memories of his music; and I think this is the most appealing of his hits for me.
77: "Centerfield"- John Fogerty Two of my great loves in life: Baseball and Creedence. To have them together? It's a thing of joy. I like the clapping, I love the twangy riff, but most of all, I love how it makes me feel. Every time I hear it, I feel like it's opening day in April. The snow is melting, the sun is up, and there's new grass on the field. It's even more significant to me, as I played centerfield from little league through high school ball. Fogerty perfectly captured how it feels to love baseball. Plus, I can't get enough of how he pronounces the word "shoes" in the third verse.
76: "Twilight Zone"- Golden Earring I've never paid attention to the lyrics of this song. To this day, I have no idea what the line is after "This is a madhouse..." or the significance of "the bullet hits the bone." I could look it up, but I won't. It's better to mumble my way through as I sing along. What I do know is that, just like "Radar Love" before it, it's an awesome jam song with a super-cool bass line and guitar solos that build and build and build.
75: "I Wanna Know What Love Is"- Foreigner Foreigner weren't a whole lot different than Supertramp, Styx, REO, and Cheap Trick as '70s AM rockers who helped keep pop-rock alive in the wake of disco and punk. Lots of music snobs think that whole era should be eschewed. I am a music snob, but I have to disagree with my snobby brethren. Some great songs came out of those bands, usually played by good musicians (who played real instruments) and very good singers. Lou Gramm and Mick Jones are prime examples. And if you think you're too good to blast this song in the car and sing along at the top of your lungs, then you need to get over yourself.
74: "Second Wind (You're Only Human)"- Billy Joel Billy Joel is a poor man's Paul McCartney, and I think he's okay with that. He's written A LOT of songs and even though some of them are god-awful ("Piano Man" comes immediately to mind), some of them are pretty good. He was a major player in the '50s renaissance that hit mid-'80s music, with songs like "Uptown Girl" and "For the Longest Time"; and other songs like "Tell Her About It", and "Pressure" were worthy hits. Those songs, plus the ones on 1989's Storm Front ("We Didn't Start the Fire", "Shameless", "I Go To Extremes") definitely earn him a place on this list. "Second Wind" was always my favorite.
73: "Everybody Wants You"- Billy Squier Oh, Billy Squier, where've you gone? He was the heir to Led Zeppelin (or at least he tried to be) with "The Stroke" and "Lonely is the Night". He sang like Plant and he played guitar like Page, and wrote songs that worked on '80s radio. "Everybody Wants You" has a hook that sticks with you for a month. Billy had a great sound and a great future, but had the misfortune of failing spectacularly on MTV. And we are all that much poorer as a result.
72: "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me"- Aretha Franklin & George Michael One of the mainstays on '80s radio was the duet ballad. Mike Reno & Ann Wilson. Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes. Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes. So, so many. And not all of them sucked. Still, I think at least one deserves a spot on this list, and so I picked this one. It's a pretty good song, but it's really the best of the pack because of the performers. These two are a pairing for the ages, and their talents supersede the song itself. It really is impressive to listen to this one.
71: "The Look of Love"- ABC So help me, I like ABC. It's British dance pop that is so very, very white. But good gravy, I could listen to it all afternoon. Martin Fry has a great voice, and their stuff is catchy. They did a song called "When Smokey Sings", which was a tribute to Smokey Robinson and attempted to capture the Motown sound. I can't tell you how white it is. They're like musical Lik-M-Aid. Empty calories with no nutritional value, but still tasty.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 26, 2010 14:04:09 GMT -5
I always thought Power Station was just a one-off side project for Palmer and the Duran Duran guys. According to wikipedia, their album was recorded and released before Palmer's solo stuff.
And TF, it's actually the drum sound that makes me not enjoy Power Station. It's just too bombastic and distracting for me. But you'll be happy to note that The Outfield is recording a new album this summer for release in a few months.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 25, 2010 21:42:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback, groupie. I love checking in and seeing comments on my list.
I wanted to post the next batch, but I'm not feeling very creative right now. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 25, 2010 2:25:02 GMT -5
Mr. Atari's Top 100 Songs of the '80s (continued)
89: "Come Dancing"- The Kinks The Kinks belong on every top 100 list of anything to do with rock. I once got into a heated argument with a friend who refused to believe that this was a Kinks song. In his defense, it really doesn't sound anything like "You Really Got Me". But it is a nice storytelling song about lost childhood.
88: "Dance Hall Days"- Wang Chung Wang Chung had some good songs. Everyone remembers them for that dumb "Everybody Wang Chung tonight" lyric, but even that was a catchy tune. "Let's Go!" is probably my favorite song of theirs, but this one has nostalgic value, and seems to be more well known.
87: "And We Danced"- The Hooters The third song in a row about dancing. This one's a fun party song. I remember the first time I heard it, I was impressed with how the band exploded into the song after the "hooter" intro. Even now, it's more fun than it has any right to be. Sometimes, all you need is three chords and a hook.
86: "Never Surrender"- Corey Hart I feel bad for two-hit wonders. They never get the attention of the one-hit wonders, but their career plunges into obscurity just as quickly. "Sunglasses at Night" was his big hit, but this one was a sincere, heartfelt song about perseverance. I always liked it. And I'd be lying if I said the lyrics didn't motivate me a few times in my life. ("So if you're lost and on your own/you can never surrender/and if your path won't lead you home/you can never surrender.")
85: "Your Love"- The Outfield Let's get one thing straight: The Outfield are a great band. A GREAT BAND. I will not argue about this. Tony Lewis is one of the best singers ever and John Spinks is an incredibly tasteful guitarist. Their harmonies together are pitch-perfect. Their first two albums (Play Deep and Bangin') belong in the pantheon of all-time pop classics. Criminally, they get dumped on the pile of bands thought to be capable of just one somewhat-successful song. Songs like "Say it isn't So", "Since You've Been Gone", "61 Seconds", "For You", "My Paradise", and "Winning It All" say differently. They merit a much higher spot on this list (top 30 at least), but I'm giving them the place of honor at #85 (as 1985 was my favorite year in my youth).
84: "Addicted to Love"- Robert Palmer I remember when Palmer hit it big I thought, "Who is this guy? He looks like he's 40. How is he a pop star? He must be from a famous band I need to check out." He wasn't. He was just the guy from that "Doctor, doctor, gimme the news" song. He went on to have two more big hits: "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" (as featured in "Hobgoblins") and "Simply Irresistible", and slummed with a couple of the Duran Duran guys. And now he's dead. True story.
83: "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"- The Georgia Satellites Combine some CCR with some Chuck Berry and mix in some Hank Williams yodel, and you've got yourself a stew goin'. The lyrics are silly, but the music is good, old-fashioned, down-home, southern-fried 12-bar blues. And that's a stew that's welcome on my table in any decade. That it made it to #2 during the decidedly non-bluesy '80s is quite an accomplishment.
82: Pour Some Sugar on Me- Def Leppard Ah, Def Leppard. Are they power pop or are they lite metal? Who cares? Haters will keep on hating. But they sold a gazillion albums and had an original sound. I'll tell you what- if you can write some great riffs and great hooks, and get Mutt Lange to give it that Mutt Lange sound, then you too can fall asleep on piles of money and give the haters both middle fingers. The Hysteria album had seven (count 'em, seven!) hit singles. This one had terrible lyrics, but 23 years later and everyone on the planet recognizes it.
81: "I Wanna Be a Cowboy"- Boys Don't Cry When the internet hit, and I realized I could build a library of '80s music without searching for obscure and out-of-print full-length CDs, this was the first song I went looking for. It was obscure even when it was on the charts. But somehow, it exists in the subconscious of anyone who was listening to the radio in the '80s. Everyone I've ever played it for has the same reaction: "Oh yeah! I remember this song! Cool!" No one has ever said, "What is this crap? You like this?!?" (Until now, as I'm sure some wiseacre will post it below.)
80: "Goody Two Shoes"- Adam Ant Probably my favorite groove on the list. A great throwback to the big band era of the '30s. Just a great, catchy, bouncy tune. I love how it changes keys every 8 bars after the trumpet break. And the acoustic guitar really makes the song. Adam Ant also had a guest villain spot on Sledge Hammer! in the second season. If you think that didn't influence his placement on this list, then you don't know me very well.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 24, 2010 22:16:24 GMT -5
Thanks for the comments, guys. solgroupie- fear not, both Wham! and Huey Lewis are coming up. (Sorry. After some editing and recounting of votes, Wham! is not coming up. Two George Michael songs is enough for this list.) And MJ, I have a feeling some of my picks will make you happy, and some will whip you into a fury. As you know from making your top 100 lists, most of the rankings are arbitrary, and could switch tomorrow if I did this again. But I'm expecting quite a few "how could you put song X ahead of song Y!?!" comments from folks. And I already apologized for "Centerfold". I make no apologies for Mark Knopfler's voice, however.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 24, 2010 18:57:44 GMT -5
Due to popular no demand, here comes the list. Presented with commentary because, as always, list threads are boring.
Just a reminder of the ground rules:
1- Only one song per artist. 2- If the artist is better known for another decade or genre, they were given less consideration. 3- None of these are picked ironically or pretentiously. These are my opinions, based on my own musical tastes and nostalgia. If you think I'm wrong, you can comment or you can bite me. Or both. Mr. Atari's Top 100 Songs of the '80s
100: "She's a Beauty"- The Tubes I don't know much about these guys. I wasn't an album buyer in 1983, and unlike MJ, I wasn't into underground new wave. Good song, though. Why would I lie?
99: "Major Tom (Coming Home)"- Peter Schilling In 1983, I was way too young to know who David Bowie was. As far as I knew, he was just that guy in that one video who played guitar with gloves on. But I knew Schilling's Major Tom was a cool song about a guy stuck in outer space. And it still is.
98: "Too Shy"- Kajagoogoo This one doesn't hold up very well. But it has a great (GREAT!) fretless bass line. Played by a real bass player, too. Not just a Casio.
97: "One More Try"- George Michael I like George Michael's voice. His version of "Somebody to Love" with Queen at the Freddy Mercury Tribute concert is stunning. He totally should have joined the band as Freddy's replacement. Anyway, he had some solo hits that I enjoyed in the '80s. This one was the most musically impressive. (And another great bass line). A great rainy day song.
96: "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"- Pat Benatar I had to include at least one song from the rockin' leather chick era of the early '80s. It was either this or "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett. Benatar's was a bigger hit, but either one works. Call it a tie.
95: "Rock This Town"- Stray Cats Setzer's version with his orchestra blows the roof off of this one. But it's still a classic song, even here in it's skeletal form. I remember wondering how that drummer played standing up. I still wonder.
94: "Lovin' Every Minute of It"- Loverboy Loverboy gets a lot of crap as being cheesy rock. Were they a cheap Canadian Foreigner/Journey knock-off? Sure. But Mike Reno had a decent voice (anyone who can hold their own in a duet with Ann Wilson deserves a little respect), and this is a catchy anthem. Good for blasting at full volume in the car.
93: "The Search is Over"- Survivor Speaking of cheap Foreigner/Journey knock-offs... Looking back, I'm surprised at how many Survivor songs I recognize (and like). Obviously, "Eye of the Tiger" is what they'll be remembered for, but they had other good ones like, "High on You". The first line of this one is "How can I convince you what you see is real?" Every time I hear it, I think of Mike's riff: "What you smell is unfortunate."
92: "Our House"- Madness Not being British, I have no idea about how this song ranks against the rest of their catalogue (which apparently is huge in England). But even as a kid, I could tell this was a fun song with an impressively complex arrangement.
91: "Burning Down the House"- Talking Heads I have a cover version of this song by Tom Jones. It's wonderfully surreal. I'm sure I'd really get into Talking Heads if I went deeper into their catalogue. But I haven't. Baby, what do you expect?
90: "Small Town"- John Mellencamp Mellencamp has a wing in the '80s music hall of fame. But I never really liked "Jack and Diane" or "Pink Houses". "Authority Song" was pretty good. And since I'm from the midwest, I thought I should include him somewhere. So here.
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