American Top 40: The 80s - February 16, 2013
This week's presentation - February 15, 1986
This is a recycled commentary from a different message board, since this show was first broadcast by Premiere just weeks before I started posting the commentaries here on the AT40 Boards. Back then, I was replying to the commentary of freakyflybry, so both of our critiques, from the original Premiere broadcast back in 2009, are featured here:
Cool! As I said, this show was among the list of shows on the XM marathon in early 2003, right after American Top 40 Flashback ended its series. Since most of the shows were AT40 Flashback shows (along with several early-80s shows that had originally been planned before those two years were axed), this one also could have originally been slated (most likely in 2001, when there were two February, 1985 shows run). Anyway, I'm glad they did this show, because of that and there were lots of good songs.
Me too, but this one was pretty good. Clarence Clemons, of Springsteen's E Street Band did great sax work on this song
I've come to like this song a little better than I used to. Still, Mellencamp has had a few better songs.
I like his slow songs the best, so this, along with "It Ain't Enough" and "Never Surrender" were among my favorites from him.
Indeed they did. Anyway, I like this song a lot better than their first hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)".
Indeed, but my favorite of his charted hits (of course, he only had two).
Awww, this was definitely my favorite of the droppers. At least we heard it on the last 1985 show (I think so, anyway)
Yes indeed. I wonder, in the case this was indeed originally planned for the Flashback series, if this would have been a three-hour show or a four-hour one. Because this is a song that all die-hard 80s fans know and, hence, would be a "safe" song with which to kick off the show. Anyway, it's a pretty good song (suprised Bry didn't say anything about this being an 80s mix show essential)
This one sounds kind of like a combination of "Poison Arrow" and "Be Near Me". It's actually a pretty good song, IMO
Yeah, this isn't quite as well-known as her two other mid-80s hits. I thought it was pretty good, but I prefer "Who's Zoomin' Who".
Me too, but this used to be one of my favorite songs by Mellencamp. When I was 14 (the year this song charted) I always used to like to sing my own version of this song, replacing the first two letters in R.O.C.K. I'll let you use your imagination from there.
Mine too, but that's not saying much, since I'm not a big INXS fan. This one definitely beats the overplayed "Need You Tonight"
Yeah, you don't hear this one very often. Such a shame too, as it hit the Top Ten (yet "Working For The Weekend" barely touched the Top 30 and guess what - they play it all the time)
And this song was peaking at #17 in its 17th week on the chart. How about that? Anyway, this song was so/so, but definitely not one of my favorite songs. Surprisingly, the song only got as high as #32 on R&R.
Back around this time in 1986, this was my favorite song in the world. I got a bit tired of it after playing it so many times but it's still good to hear it every now and again. They played the full album version this week (they usually play the single version, in which the instrumental parts are chopped down)
Actually, my favorite ZZ Top song is the one that followed this one, "Rough Boy". This one was pretty good.
Ha ha ha, I knew you'd say that. Anyway, as much as I like this song, it's my least favorite of their three big hits.
The story was pretty interesting, but this song can be annoying at times. Still, it's much better than "Piece Of My Heart". Thank God they opted not to play that song, a definite "No. Just no."
This is the song that started off the second hour, so that's why I wondered so much about the AT40 Flashback and three-hour thing, because this one isn't as widely known as the Sly Fox song. Anyway, I like this song. Elton was starting to pull out of his slump around this time.
Meh, not really a big fan of this song. I prefer "Who Found Who".
I like the two about the same too (but I didn't really care for "Where Do The Children Go" - a very cheesy song)
Yep, his slow jams is what he's best known for, I think. Anyway, it's a nice song.
The melody of this song was inspired by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's Romance Melody from the Lieutenant Kije Suite. It's a pretty good song (that tolling bell at the end sure is eerie!)
I like this song better than "Money For Nothing", but I prefer "So Far Away" and "Sultans Of Swing".
This is my favorite from "Born In The USA". My favorite by him would be "Hungry Heart" (which we just missed hearing on last week's show. Otherwise, Springsteen would have had a song on this show for four weeks in a row)
It was definitely a sales hit. Anyway, I forget how this one goes, but I guess that means it apparently wasn't that impressive.
Well, I prefer "Hold Me Now", but I like this better than the other songs by them that hit the Top Ten. This one sounds a tad like their Top 40 miss "You Take Me Up" (although it doesn't have the HB sound of that song)
I liked this one too, a little better than "Take On Me".
A tad overplayed, but still pretty good. I still prefer a few others by him.
I believe this was their first big hit to feature Nancy Wilson on lead. Anyway, yeah, I like it too. I'm sure JessieLou liked hearing this one too.
My feelings precisely. I liked her next hit "I Can't Wait" a tad better.
It was indeed.
You know, when Casey mentioned the fact that Stevie had a pretty good chance of matching Elvis' record, I had to laugh because I remembered this being one of his last Top Tens (and when I went to check, I saw that it was his very last one)
I like this about the same as "Always", but it gives me an weird feeling, due to the fact that it's about two people sneaking around. The part about them having to leave in the middle of sex makes me feel kind of sad, because I can imagine how the two feel.
Me too. This one was just kind of there.
Me too, especially "The Belle Of St. Mark"
It is indeed a good song, but my least favorite of their three 1986 hits.
Me too. Definitely has kind of a "northern town" feel to it, with the cold wind blowing at the beginning.
Not one of my favorites by them, of course, as I prefer their slower songs.
Still a tad burned out on this song, due to its gross overplay in 1986, but its first few weeks on, I loved it.
I like it but it's one of my least favorite songs by her.
I'm not a big James Brown fan at all, so this would probably be about the best he can get IMO
This probably comes in the middle. Surprised that this didn't come from "Make It Big". Actually, I think it wasn't from anything for awhile, as the only album that I can find it on is "Music From The Edge Of Heaven", which was released in the summer of 1986 while this song charted in early 1986.
Yeah, same here. Is it me, or did they totally cut the solos by Gladys Knight and Elton John? Strange, as I believe I heard Casey mention all four people involved in the song, yet we only heard from Dionne and Steive (well, OK, we did hear Elton saying "Yeah" at the end, as well as his ad lib in the fade. Not sure if Gladys Knight was the one saying "That's what friends are for, huh?" or was singing at the very end)
I like both songs about the same. My favorite by them is the obscure "Something Real", from 1987
And, of course, Sheena is another artist who does best with slower songs (though I do like "Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair")
Well, Survivor have had many more hits than A-Ha, so I don't think many people at all mistake them for a one-hit wonder. Anyway, this is also one of my favorite songs by them and I agree - you'd think they'd play this more often due to its high peak and its long stay on the charts.
This song was #1 on R&R the week before, mostly via vacuum effect as songs by Dionne & Friends, Survivor, and Wham! were losing steam and Whitney Houston wasn't quite strong enough to make a 6-1 jump (though I wonder how close she came?) Anyway, I like this song.
Meh, overplay has kind of weakened this one, as well as the fact that I'm an old fart and this is more of a teenybopper song. It's OK, but possibly one of my least favorites by her (though I still like it better than "I'm Your Baby Tonight")
Predictions for next week: Well, 1980 is out, since they just did the February 23 show last year, so that year will be done no sooner than sometime in March. As for next week, I'm kind of torn between 1983 and 1987. If they hold off on 1987 next week, they'd have to wait a few more weeks, if they wanted to stick to the same month, keep the original broadcast and rebroadcast date close together, and not repeat any shows that have been done in the past two years. If they hold off on 1983 last week, that would be two years in a row that they haven't played any shows from that year until March. However, the latter scenario seems more likely than the former, so I'll make the February 28, 1987 show as my main prediction (February 21 was done last year, so I doubt we hear that one) with February 26, 1983 as my back-up prediction.