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Post by bestmusicexpert on Aug 10, 2014 1:01:51 GMT -5
How can you NOT LIKE Brothers Johnson
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Post by americantop40 on Aug 10, 2014 1:51:10 GMT -5
Here's my take on August 7th, 1982:
40: EARLY IN THE MORNING - GAP BAND : Soul crossovers have always been a treat on AT40 and by this time in the 80’s, sorely missing for the most part. The Gap Band was able to break through twice. While I prefer their other top 40 hit, I still love this song and I shake my head when I think how Robert Palmer charted higher with his remake 6 years later. 39: STILL THEY RIDE - JOURNEY : I would rather listen to this ballad anytime over of the overplayed “Open Arms”. 38: ROUTE 101 - HERB ALPERT: This one deserved a better fate, but outside of “Chariots Of Fire”, instrumentals generally didn’t perform very well on the charts in the 80’s. 37: LOVE PLUS ONE - HAIRCUT ONE HUNDRED: Okay, but the lead singer, Nick Heyward, would release much better records as a solo artist in years to come. 36: HOT IN THE CITY - BILLY IDOL: This song would chart again in 1987/88, but would only make it to #48. Good song. 35: CAUGHT UP IN YOU - .38 SPECIAL: This group had a lot of listenable songs, but not a great song. That is, until “Second Chance” in 1989. 34: YOUR IMAGINATION - HALL & OATES: My second favorite song from their “Private Eyes” LP. I thought this would do well on the R&B chart just like my favorite song from the LP, but no go. 33: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR: Another victim of overplay . This had been my favorite of the singles from the “American Fool” album until then. But it still contains one of the most memorable and saddest lines in a song, 32: PAPERLATE – GENESIS: Average at best, like most of their 80’s material. 31: I FOUND SOMEBODY - GLENN FREY: No just no! Hard to believe this came from the same album as his best solo effort, “The One You Love”. 30: IF THE LOVE FITS, WEAR IT - LESLIE PEARL: Underrated song. Love it. 29: AND I'M TELLING YOU I'M NOT GOING - JENNIFER HOLIDAY: People generally remember where they were when they experience a stirring moment in their life. Hearing this song for the first time was one of those moments. The passion and pain expressed in this performance was like nothing I ever heard before or would ever hear again. One of the greatest vocal performances in the history of recorded music. 28: EYE IN THE SKY - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT: Surprising hit since it was somewhat monotonous. But pleasant enough that no one should hate it or complain about hearing it too often. 27: WHO CAN IT BE NOW - MEN AT WORK: Unlike the prior song, this one was quirky enough that it did suffer from overplay. But I enjoyed it before that happened. 26: KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE: I enjoyed this song back in 1982, but since that time the song has taken on a new life and it has eventually become one of my favorites of the year. 25: AMERICAN MUSIC - POINTER SISTERS: No, just no. What a waste of their vocal talents. 24: THINK I'M IN LOVE - EDDIE MONEY: Good song, but he would never again repeat the quality of the material on his first two albums. 23: OUT OF WORK - GARY U.S. BONDS: To understand just how relevant this song was at the time, in August 1982, the unemployment rate was 9.8%, which is higher than it was in any August in our most recent recession of a few years ago. It is around 6.2% now, which you have to go back to August 2007 to find a much lower rate. So thankfully, the percentage of Americans singing this tune is dramatically less than it was 1982 and 2010. Now most of us just sing it because it is a good song! 22: LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND - KENNY ROGERS: Good song, bad movie. 21: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I - RICK SPRINGFIELD: Something is terribly wrong with the charts or radio in general when a song spends 6 weeks at #21. This one deserved better.
20 down, 20 to go. There is one "No Just No" in the Top 20 but I won't ask anyone to guess since no one would ever guess it.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 10, 2014 7:02:45 GMT -5
^"Eye Of The Tiger?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2014 7:04:44 GMT -5
American Music?
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Post by slf on Aug 10, 2014 8:57:04 GMT -5
For the week ending August 12, 1972
Wow, this has to be one of my favorite countdowns yet, at least since I've been writing critiques. There are so many classic gems, including several great, but sad songs. (Appropriately, around that time, Charles Schultz released a childrens cartoon book call "Happiness Is A Sad Song", the followup to "Happiness Is A Warm Puppy", which feature Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Co).
40. Saturday In The Park/Chicago--Although a fun, punchy song with typically superb horn work, it didn't quite measure up to the stellar releases from the past three year period and, thus, began the group's slow descent into Mushville.
39. Sweet Inspirations/Where You Lead/Barbara Streisand--I had never heard this Streisand medley before, but it was OK, I suppose. She did deliver a fine vocal performance, as usual.
38. Take It Easy/The Eagles--It's OK, but ridiculously overplayed, even more than most of their hits.
37. Backstabbers/The O'Jays--Just as our nation owes its beginning to a shot heard round the world, Philadelphia International Records owes its start to a piano rumble heard round the music world. That ominous piano riff is followed by four piano notes, then congas, more spooky piano, then a funky R&B guitar providing the main melody line, then the introduction of those glorious strings. So goes one of the greatest song openings of all time, right before the group belts out "What they do: they smile in your face", then Eddie Levert continues "all the time they want to take your place. They're BACKSTABBERS!", the title then echoed by the other two. Then follows two powerful, insightful verses full of warnings about your good "friends" who may want to steal your woman. To paraphrase Elizabeth Barrett Browning, how do I love this definitive old school masterpiece? I just counted the numerous ways.
36. Outa-Space/Billy Preston--Enjoyably funky, but somewhat repetitive.
35. Rocket Man/Elton John--Fine, well-produced song with fun, spacey sound effect.
34. Conquistador/Procol Harem--A marvelously dramatic art-rock classic made particularly intriguing by the inclusion of horns and staccato strings to give it a baroque feel. However, it's comical yet almost embarrassing to hear the singer mispronounce the title as "con-kwist-ador". (Obviously, he never took a class in Spanish.) Was I mistaken, or did Casey also mispronounce the song title?
33. When You Say Love/Sonny & Cher--Although the song has some poignant lyrics and sincere sentiments, why did anybody think it was a good idea to assign them to the tune of a Budweiser jingle? That decision reduced this release to little more than novelty song status. I mean, once someone associates a jingle so closely to a consumer product, it's nearly impossible to reprogram that person to think of the song in another way.
32. Small Beginnings/Flash--I was unfamiliar with this song, but was pleasantly intrigued by this unique, energetic lost hit.
31. Beautiful Sunday/Daniel Boone--This is a fun, peppy song with good guitar work.
30. Baby, Let Me Take You (In My Arms)/The Detroit Emeralds--Another smooth old school ballad.
29. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do/The Partidge Family--Frequently, when bubble gum groups from the early '70's remake a song, the results are lame or even disastrous. But this was a pleasant surprise; well-produced and well-sung.
28. Join Together/The Who--It was fairly enjoyable, but not nearly at the level of their typical majestic work of this period, particularly their masterpiece from a year earlier, "Won't Get Fooled Again".
27. Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me/Mac Davis--Mediocre, at best. How this song spent three weeks at #1 and "Backstabbers" only peaked at #3 around the same time is beyond me.
26. Guitar Man/Bread--This stirring song is one of their best. The actual "guitar man" in the song delivers beautiful guitar workouts, and the glorious ending is made even more interesting by the dubbed-in audience snippets.
25. Rock And Roll, Part 2/Gary Glitter--Cheesy, but still irresistibly catchy.
24. Gone/Joey Heatherton--A fairly pleasant ballad. This song is probably the only thing this beatiful, sultry actress/singer has in common with the late country singer Ferlin Husky. (He had the original version of this song.) Do you remember her ads in the '70's for Serta mattresses? That's what I mainly remember her for.
23. Happy/The Rolling Stones--I can take it or leave it.
22. Looking Through The Windows/The Jackson Five--I don't remember this song at the time. But after hearing it on a countdown last year and then just yesterday, I feel that this is one of their greatest releases. This dynamic song is full of energy, yet majestically beautiful. The next time I download songs on iTunes, I got to remember this song.
21. Sealed With A Kiss/Bobby Vinton--It's OK, but far from great.
20. Motorcycle Mama/Sailcat--It's cheesier than a Chicago deep-dish, but I can't completely hate it. At least he's talking about true love, marriage, and starting a family, not just about sex.
19. Day By Day/Godspell--This is one gorgeous, catchy sing-along hit, from the stirring opening to the upbeat tambourine and hand-clapping of the later verses. This was one of the early examples of Christian music shaking off its stodginess and becoming fun and full of life.
18. Hold Your Head Up/Argent--I'm appreciating the glorious nature of this song more and more all the time. The powerful music, especially the main melody line, is accompanied by inspiring lyrics. Is it me, or was this song once used as a LDD? If not, it would have made a great one.
17. You Don't Mess Around With Jim/Jim Croce--This fun, catchy story song launched the short, but sweet career of this fine singer/songwriter. There's no telling how much more he would have contributed in the 41 years that have elapsed since his tragic plane crash.
16. Layla/Derek (Eric) & The Dominos--(Editors note: I'm critiquing the full-length version, even though the song was cut short in the countdown). Desparation followed by doom. That is the theme of this epic release in a nutshell. The vocal first half is basically Eric Clapton frantically begging Layla (Patti Boyd,of course) not to end their relationship (although he seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth in the third verse). But as the chorus, with Eric and/or Duane Allman providing the classic wailing guitar parts, repeats over and over, the song seems to peter out, reflecting the singer's rapidly fading hope of keeping Layla. Then, with Jim Gordon's pounding piano notes opening the instrumental second half, doom sets in for the singer. Layla is gone, never to return. What follows is about three minutes of glorious, intense musical melancholy, fitting for a period of mourning the loss of a true love. Is it no wonder this is one of the best loved classic rock songs of all time.
15. Lean On Me/Bill Withers--It has wonderful sentiments, but otherwise is so-so, at best.
14. Hold Her Tight/The Osmond Brothers--I'll give them credit for rocking out, but it's still hard to get over the whiny, bubble gum nature of their vocals. Some of their rockers they released manage to rise above that annoyance, but this release doesn't.
13. The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA/Donna Fargo--This is an irresistibly peppy, optimistic song that always puts a smile on my face.
12. Goodbye To Love/The Carpenters--Talk about going from the happiest girl in the USA to probably the saddest. Although this is as gorgeous and well done as all their previous hits, the profound sadness oozing from Karen's vocals are somewhat hard to take, which is why I have never purchased this song online. It's just too sad, heck it's even sadder than "Layla", if you can believe that. I am intrigued, however, by the wailing, rocking guitar parts, probably a first for a Carpenters song.
11. Coconut/Harry Nilsson--The giddy, silly nature of this song was the perfect antidote for the above sad song.
10. School's Out/Alice Cooper--Another giddy, silly release. I am particularly amused that he couldn't think of anything to rhyme with the words in one of the verses, so he openly proclaimed that fact in the song.
9. How Do You Do/Mouth & MacNeal--At the time, I associated this and "Coconut" together because both sounded delightfully silly and fun. Little did I know that the "ba-na-ba-na-ba-na" parts were, most likely, euphemisms for, well, you know what.
8. Too Late To Turn Back Now/Cornelius Bros & Sister Rose--Beautiful soul song which made very good of strings.
7. I'm Still In Love With You/Al Green--It's OK, but his only above average songs are "Let's Stay Together" and "Sha-La-La".
6. Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)/The Hollies--It's a fun, enjoyable rocker, but it didn't deserve to be their biggest hit. That honor should have gone to "Bus Stop" or "On A Carousel".
5. Where Is The Love/Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway--A sweet, smooth, flowing ballad that epitomizes the summer of '72.
4. Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast/Wayne Newton--A very gut-wrenching story song dealing with the tragic effects of the breakup of a marriage on the children involved.
3.(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right--As I stated in my critique of Barbara Mandrell's version of this song, I don't care much for songs which brazenly glorify extramarital affairs because, frankly, those affairs usually end in heartbreak.
2. Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)/Looking Glass--I didn't like this song at the time, but I eventually grew to love this beautifully dramatic song.
1. Alone Again, Naturally/Gilbert O'Sullivan--Boy, was I spot on when I said this countdown was full of great sad songs. I ought to hate any song that seems to condone suicide, a tragic act which this singer is contemplating, but the melody is just too beautiful and the lyrics are too touching and sung so convincingly.
And my favorite song of the countdown (Drum roll):
Man, how can anybody choose between "Layla" and "Backstabbers" (classic rock at its best and old school R&B at its best)? Answer: you can't.
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Post by dukelightning on Aug 10, 2014 9:35:46 GMT -5
How can you NOT LIKE Brothers Johnson For him, not liking the Brothers Johnson is second nature.
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Post by bestmusicexpert on Aug 10, 2014 10:08:41 GMT -5
Those two are two of the most talented players in all of music. Louis gets even more for his playing on many of Michael Jackson's great tracks!
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Post by dukelightning on Aug 10, 2014 10:38:57 GMT -5
Just 2 of the artists produced by Quincy Jones. Fred Bronson's HOTTEST HOT 100 HITS has a section on producers. And the first one just happens to be Quincy. Here are the top 20 songs produced by him....
20 LOVE IS IN CONTROL 19 STRAWBERRY LETTER 23 18 SHE'S A FOOL (Lesley Gore, 1963) 17 I JUST CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU 16 BAD 15 DIRTY DIANA 14 I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU 13 DON'T STOP TIL YOU GET ENOUGH 12 WANNA BE STARTIN SOMETHIN 11 GIVE ME THE NIGHT 10 THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL 9 STOMP 8 IT'S MY PARTY 7 MAN IN THE MIRROR 6 THE GIRL IS MINE 5 WE ARE THE WORLD 4 BABY COME TO ME 3 BEAT IT 2 ROCK WITH YOU 1 BILLIE JEAN
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Post by mga707 on Aug 10, 2014 11:03:44 GMT -5
14. Hold Her Tight/The Osmond Brothers--I'll give them credit for rocking out, but it's still hard to get over the whiny, bubble gum nature of their vocals. Some of their rockers they released manage to rise above that annoyance, but this release doesn't. I feel sorry for The Osmonds during this period in their career as a group. They must've felt so constrained by their teen idol image. Here they were, with this track and their next two MGM singles ("Crazy Horses" and "Goin' Home") practically screaming 'Hey, we're a real rock band who know how to play our instruments and everything!' to little avail. I remember secretly liking all three songs back in 72/73, but no way as a 14/15-year-old male would I have been caught dead buying the 45s. I will confess to buying "One Bad Apple" back in the winter of 71 when it came out, mainly because I thought it was a decent Jackson Five imitation. I also thought that their later lush ballad tunes, especially "Love Me For a Reason", were decent songs as well.
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Post by mga707 on Aug 10, 2014 11:46:59 GMT -5
Sorry, guy, time to 'critique your critique'! 37. Backstabbers/The O'Jays--Just as our nation owes its beginning to a shot heard round the world, Philadelphia International Records owes its start to a piano rumble heard round the music world. That ominous piano riff is followed by four piano notes, then congas, more spooky piano, then a funky R&B guitar providing the main melody line, then the introduction of those glorious strings. So goes one of the greatest song openings of all time, right before the group belts out "What they do: they smile in your face", then Eddie Levert continues "all the time they want to take your place. They're BACKSTABBERS!", the title then echoed by the other two. Then follows two powerful, insightful verses full of warnings about your good "friends" who may want to steal your woman. To paraphrase Elizabeth Barrett Browning, how do I love this definitive old school masterpiece? I just counted the numerous ways. Can't argue with any of the above. Similar theme to "Smiling Faces (Sometimes)" from a year earlier. Both great songs. You are correct. Casey always 'Gringo-ized' the title, as did everyone at the time other than local DJs here who knew better! As an always-horny 14-year-old, I dug their LP cover (bare boobies! ) I seem to recall that this band was connected to Yes in some fashion. Here's an early-70s soul group that has totally fallen off the radar. Being on a small independent label (Westbound) didn't help. The Ohio Players started on the same label, but then got picked up by a major (Mercury). Props to Young MC for giing a 'shout-out' to their previous top 40 record (a great one), "You Want It, You Got It". Hard to listen to this and think of anything but 'creepy pedophile'. I think immediately of Catherine O'Hara's "Lola Heatherton' character from SCTV. Sorry, Joey! With Keith handling the vocal, it's almost too easy to change the lyric to "I need drugs, to keep me happy!" Jerry's kid (Gary Lewis) had already remade Brian Hyland's 1962 #3 hit back in '68. Both remakes peaked at #19. Miss Karen C could 'own' a sad song like nobody's business! "I Need To Be In Love"--a perfect example. One of these days I'll have to get up the energy to do one of these critiques myself! Always enjoy reading yours.
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Post by jamie9012 on Aug 10, 2014 13:03:30 GMT -5
Greetings.
Here is my Critique for the Episode from 1972. I am listening to the Episode now, so I may make, in my Critique, some errors.
August 8, 1972
40: SATURDAY IN THE PARK – CHICAGO - Debut. This was a great Classic to begin this show! It sounds like a party that I would like to go to. 39: SWEET INSPIRATION/WHERE YOU LEAD– BARBRA STREISAND- Debut. I do not know many of her Songs, but I liked this one also. It sounded soulful. 38: TAKE IT EASY – THE EAGLES - Like many of their Hits, I hear this one often on the Radio. 37: BACKSTABBERS – THE O'JAY'S - Debut. It is early in this Episode, and yet, I recognize three songs! This song, in 1972, peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 36: OUTA-SPACE – BILLY PRESTON - Good Instrumental. 35: ROCKET MAN – ELTON JOHN - At the time, this was his biggest Hit (as Casey Kasem said), but later, several of his songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This one peaked at #6. 34: CONQUISTADOR – PROCOL HARUM - Great! 33: WHEN YOU SAY LOVE – SONNY & CHER - I do not remember this Song well, however I did like it. 32: SMALL BEGINNINGS – FLASH - This song reminded me of songs that I have heard from the group Sweet. 31: BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY – DANIEL BOONE - Awesome Song! And it is Sunday. 30: BABY LET ME TAKE YOU IN MY ARMS – DETROIT EMERALDS - I do not remember hearing this Song.
Around this time, Casey Kasem gave some interesting information about singles with high advanced Sales. He mentioned the song "Can't Buy Me Love" from The Beatles.
29: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO – THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY - Very great! It was one of my favorites in this Episode (although I had never heard it before). 28: JOIN TOGETHER – THE WHO - So far, I really like this Episode. I am not familiar with many of the Songs, but they sound great. 27: BABY, DON'T GET HOOKED ON ME – MAC DAVIS - In this Song, he warns a woman not to fall in love with him. He seems to be afraid of a commitment now. 26: THE GUITAR MAN – BREAD - From #39 to #26. For me, the Songs from this band sound timeless. I wish that I could hear them more often on the Radio. 25: ROCK & ROLL PART #2 – GARY GLITTER - It is interesting how he changed his stage name and became more successful. This one makes me think of sporting events. Last year, I heard another Episode from 1972, and I wrote the same thing about this song. 24: GONE – JOEY HEATHERTON - Good! 23: HAPPY – THE ROLLING STONES - The #1 Rock and Roll Band in the World- Casey Kasem. A lively song. 22: LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDOW – JACKSON FIVE - When I see this Title, I can only imagine a child looking from the outside into an ice-cream store. Great song! 21: SEALED WITH A KISS – BOBBY VINTON - Good. 20: MOTORCYCLE MAMA – SAILCAT - I have always wanted to ride an ATV. Maybe, one day, I will ride a Motorcycle. 19: DAY BY DAY – GODSPELL - At this point in the Show, I had been doing multiple things, so I could not write any notes about some of the next songs. 18: HOLD YOUR HEAD UP – ARGENT - Good! 17: YOU DON'T MESS AROUND WITH JIM – JIM CROCE - This one reminded me of his Hit "Bad Bad Leroy Brown", which, in 1973, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 16: LAYLA – DEREK & THE DOMINOS - AWESOME! I must say that I really like this Episode! 15: LEAN ON ME – BILL WITHERS - In July of 1972, this Song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is a Classic. 14: HOLD HER TIGHT – THE OSMONDS - I do not remember this Song well. 13: THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WHOLE U.S.A. – DONNA FARGO - Yet, another Song that I do not remember. However, I think that Casey Kasem said that this was her first Hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 12: GOODBYE TO LOVE – THE CARPENTERS - Karen Carpenter made this song sound beautiful, although the Title seems sad. 11: COCONUT – NILSSON - Months ago, I played, in my Uncle's home, a '45 with this Song. He liked it, and printed out the Lyrics! It does sound so unique. 10: SCHOOL'S OUT – ALICE COOPER - One of the ultimate summer Songs. I had never heard it before, but the Lyrics fit the mood just right! 9: HOW DO YOU DO – MOUTH & MacNEAL - This one sounded pleasant. 8: TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW – CORNELIUS BROTHERS & SISTER ROSE - I believe, I believe, I believe, that I love this Song! 7: I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU – AL GREEN - I will fill in the earlier songs a little later. Now, I will pick up on those that are playing. This was a good song! 6: LONG COOL WOMAN (IN A BLACK DRESS) – HOLLIES - For some reason, I thought that this was either The Rolling Stones or Creedence Clearwater Revival! What a surprise this is! 5: WHERE IS THE LOVE – ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY - Another duet together? Hmmm... I did not know that they worked together so much. Recently, I heard another of their recordings on American Top 40. 4: DADDY DON'T YOU WALK SO FAST – WAYNE NEWTON - What an interesting story about how he was punched in the stomach while trying to learning music. According to the list that I have read, this was his biggest Hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 3: (IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG) I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT – LUTHER INGRAM - Sincere lyrics and a beautiful melody. All is good! 2: BRANDY (YOU'RE A FINE GIRL)– LOOKING GLASS - This Classic is about a woman who works in a bar that serves many Sailors. She falls in love with one of the Sailors, however, he is too dedicated to his job at the sea to have a relationship with her. There is one part of this song that bothers me: in the final verse, it is mentioned that she is walking through the town at night. I wonder if this could be at a future date? 1: ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) – GILBERT O' SULLIVAN - What a sad Song! He did such an excellent job in describing the troubles of a person who has been stood up at the altar, and has experienced the death of his Parents. It does make me upset.
Thank you for reading.
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Post by pb on Aug 10, 2014 13:18:31 GMT -5
As an always-horny 14-year-old, I dug their LP cover (bare boobies! ) I seem to recall that this band was connected to Yes in some fashion. Flash included Yes's original guitarist, Peter Banks, and on the first album also included their original keyboardist, Tony Kaye (who would return to the band in the 80's).
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Post by americantop40 on Aug 10, 2014 14:15:21 GMT -5
And now the final 20 of August 7th, 1982:
20: DO I DO - STEVIE WONDER: Fun song with a killer bass line. Would have fit right in with the music from spring & summer of 1979. 19: PERSONALLY - KARLA BONOFF: No just no. Hard to believe this disjointed mess came from the woman who wrote the phenomenal song, “Someone To Lay Down Beside Me”. BUT, she more than compensated for this disappointing effort with her follow-up called, “Please Be The One”. A moody masterpiece in the same vein as Foreigner’s “Waiting For A Girl Like You”. It just goes to show you can never judge an artist by one song. 18: LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME - JUICE NEWTON: While I enjoyed the singles from her prior LP, this was the single that started off a string of 7 straight remarkable singles that resulted in JN becoming my favorite female vocalist from 1982 – 1984. 17: TAINTED LOVE - SOFT CELL: This one used to be tolerable but my goodness, it has been played to death. 16: LOVE IS IN CONTROL - DONNA SUMMER: When I heard Quincy Jones was producing DS’s next album, I knew it was going to be special. And while it turned out to be everything I hoped it would be, it turned out to be a commercial disappointment. Maybe there was still a disco backlash happening for Summer. Whatever the case, this was another well-produced winner by the Q. 15: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU - MELISSA MANCHESTER: Gutsy release from the balladeer. I equally enjoyed her next charted single, “Nice Girls”, but it sadly just missed the Top 40. 14: TAKE IT AWAY - PAUL McCARTNEY: Similar to the excitement that came from hearing about QJ producing DS’s new album, I was also looking forward to hearing the album which would reunite Paul McCartney with producer George Martin. While the album did not disappoint either, this song was not one of the highlights. In fact, George Martin once again took an average song and made it a Top 10 hit. 13: LET IT WHIP - THE DAZZ BAND: The intro blew me away back in ’82 and it still does even today. As I mentioned in my prior post, not enough R&B action in the Top 40 for my tastes and when one managed to break through the barrier, it was always something special. 12: VACATION - GO-GO'S: Loved the music video more than the song. But there was no way this band could ever top the debut release, “Our Lips Are Sealed”. 11: WASTED ON THE WAY - CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH: Hearing this song on the radio while driving around in the warm summer of ’82 put a smile on my face. On so many levels it took me back to my youth in the early 70’s. 10: DON'T YOU WANT ME - HUMAN LEAGUE: This one barely escaped the “No Just No” commentary. The new synthpop sound kept it interesting enough to keep my attention but everything else about it was unremarkable. Certainly not deserving of the success it achieved. 9: ONLY THE LONELY - THE MOTELS: Took me awhile to appreciate this song and with the help of the music video, I ended up enjoying this song very much. 8: KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN' - R.E.O. SPEEDWAGON: Their 80’s version of “Roll With The Changes”, but not nearly as good. If you want to listen to this song, you might as well hear the superior version. 7: EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER - AIR SUPPLY: With each release I kept thinking to myself, “There’s no way their string of Top 5 singles will continue”. But I did enjoy this one and especially their prior hit. As we know, this would be their final Top 5 song in a row. 6: ROSANNA – TOTO: Good song but overplayed. I preferred many other songs by the group, including “Africa” and “I Won’t Hold You Back” from the IV album. 5: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY – CHICAGO: While nearly everyone else abandoned Chicago in the years prior to this release, I remained a big fan and purchased all of their albums. So I was happy with the success of this song and their other chart successes in the 80’s until Peter Cetera left. 4: HOLD ME - FLEETWOOD MAC: The music industry was really hurting at this time with an average song like this one spending 7 weeks at #4. Where are you Michael Jackson!?! 3: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND: At least this one deserved the success it achieved. But the LP version is by far the better choice to listen to this song. 2: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR: And then there is this average rocker that reminded us once again how the music industry was in trouble. But at least it provided some unexpected entertainment when I watched Cougar kick over a chair and storm off when an interviewer confronted him about the lyrics to this song in 1982. 1: EYE OF THE TIGER – SURVIVOR: Probably the greatest victim of overplay on the chart this week. But nice to see Jim Peterik back in the Top 10.
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Post by mga707 on Aug 10, 2014 14:47:18 GMT -5
As an always-horny 14-year-old, I dug their LP cover (bare boobies! ) I seem to recall that this band was connected to Yes in some fashion. Flash included Yes's original guitarist, Peter Banks, and on the first album also included their original keyboardist, Tony Kaye (who would return to the band in the 80's). Thank you.
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Post by jamie9012 on Aug 15, 2014 21:05:51 GMT -5
It means it fell off the top 40 from #6. Spent 6 weeks at positions 5 and 6 all told. And most of the other songs in the top 10 spent a lot of weeks at certain positions. The list... Eye of the Tiger...#1 for 6 weeks Hurts so Good....#2 for 4 weeks AND #3 for 4 weeks Abracadabra....#3 for 4 weeks Hold Me....#4 for 7 weeks Hard to Say I'm Sorry...#5 for 4 weeks Rosanna....#2 for 5 weeks Only the Lonely...#9 for 4 weeks That's 8 of the top 10 songs btw. My response is a bit late, but thank you very much.
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