Post by blackbowl68 on Mar 10, 2013 9:06:47 GMT -5
Chart Critique for CASEY KASEM'S AMERICAN TOP 40: THE 80'S - MARCH 9, 2013
This week's presentation is for the week ending March 5, 1988
PERSONAL: This was a transitional time for me as I went from being a boy to a man. I was completing my first year in college not far from my home in Long Island, New York. I also began working my first year in a bowling alley in Stony Brook.
DROPPERS:
TUNNEL OF LOVE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (37)
I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (33)
EVERYWHERE - FLEETWOOD MAC (30)
Footnote: Since both me and my sister were buying singles and albums at this time, this key will be helpful.
These were singles I bought.
These were singles my sister bought.
These were songs from albums we bought.
40: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS - ALEXANDER O'NEAL featuring CHERRELLE (DEBUT) Average Minneapolis sounding number from these two singers that are so inseparable, they had to do their episode of Unsung together.
39: HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - THE BANGLES (26) Funkier version of lost Simon & Garfunkel nugget for the movie "Less Than Zero."
38: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO - WHITNEY HOUSTON (DEBUT) The ballad that was about to break a long standing chart record & have many screaming"sellout."
37: ROCK OF LIFE - RICK SPRINGFIELD (DEBUT) Jazzy little ditty that marked his first chart in three years for former Aussie teen idol.
36: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (36) Power ballad that became biggest hit to date for Beantown hard rockers.
35: WISHING WELL - TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY (40) Modern day international soul brother with groovin' future #1 single.
34: TWILIGHT WORLD - SWING OUT SISTER (31) Jazzy soul from British pop band that was a real breakout.
33: SOME KIND OF LOVER - JODY WATLEY (36) Dry mix of dance nugget from Jackie Wilson's goddaughter. Liked it was preceded with a snippet of "Take That To The Bank."
32: CHECK IT OUT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (35) Bluegrass inspired number designed to show off the Bloomington, IN midwestern roots.
31: WHEN WE WAS FAB - GEORGE HARRISON (31) Song about British superstar's days with his most famous band with a sound reminiscent of his days in Bangladesh.
30: I WANNA BE YOUR MAN - ROGER (16) I'm in the minority of how many feel about the biggest pop hit for this Dayton, OH talkbox funkster. While not my favorite, it sounds good & consistent to me.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: PIANO IN THE DARK - BRENDA RUSSELL with JOE ESPOSITO - Great urban AC ballad that was effectively sampled for recent Flo Rida hit.
29: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (21) Aussie band's former #1 with rather funky bassline.
28: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (38) Follow up single that eventually broke a perfect track record regarding Billboard Power Picks.
27: BECAUSE OF YOU - THE COVER GIRLS (27) New York Freestyle trio number that only sounds good on FM radio.
26: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (33) Cherrelle's cousin with R&B number that sounds like it was written for a man to sing.
25: PUSH IT - SALT-N-PEPA (23) Remix version of B-side that I wasn't too crazy about despite becoming the first gold RIAA single of the year. Liked the original A side, AND their follow-up much better.
24: ROCKET 2 U - THE JETS (28) Fair hit single that gives the guys in the Minneapolis based family group a chance at lead.
23: (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY - MICHAEL BOLTON (25) Pop updated version of Otis Redding nugget (his original was #1 almost 20 years earlier to the week). Decent recreation but far from as great.
22: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR - BILLY OCEAN (29) He may have admired Otis Redding in his early years, but Ringo Starr inspired this lively hit produced by Shania Twain's future husband.
21: COULD'VE BEEN - TIFFANY (21) Teen idol's former #1 that sounds like perfect American Idol fodder.
20: HYSTERIA - DEF LEPPARD (24) Third single & title track from hard rock album that still wasn't a big hit...yet.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) - SAMANTHA FOX - British lass playing tease on this Full Force production.
19: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (22) Former British frontman strengthens his slow jazz side on this baited breath track.
18: DON'T SHED A TEAR - PAUL CARRACK (9) Part time Mechanic scores his biggest solo hit with the intriguing pop number.
17: LOVE OVERBOARD - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (19) Considering pop radio slept on "Save the Overtime For Me" five years earlier, I'm surprised this R&B dance track became a big hit for the veteran family group.
16: I WANT HER - KEITH SWEAT (20) Harlem R&B singer with the song that launched the New Jack Swing sound, and put producer Teddy Riley on the map.
15: SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (7) This one seemingly became a top 10 hit under everyone's radar. Never really heard this song anywhere except AT40.
14: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSÉ( 6) Miami female dance trio fourth single & former #1 with typical 80s dance ballad that would set a pattern for the rest of the year.
13: PUMP UP THE VOLUME - M/A/R/R/S (13) From what I understand, this was the biggest of the British drum-n-bass record to chart in America. This would become the second single of the year to be certified gold.
12: OUT OF THE BLUE - DEBBIE GIBSON (18) The teen sensation from Long Island scores the title track of her debut album. Good things were on the horizon.
11: HUNGRY EYES - ERIC CARMEN (5) Comeback hit of sorts for Cleveland native written for the movie "Dirty Dancing."
10: I FOUND SOMEONE – CHER (14) Comeback power ballad of sorts for Oscar nominee with Laura Branigan flop written by Michael Bolton.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAMELA - TOTO - When I first heard this reached the top 40, my first thought was...is pop radio becoming that far behind the times?
9: MAN IN THE MIRROR - MICHAEL JACKSON (17) Fourth single from Bad written by Siedah Garrett and featuring the Andrae Crouch choir that has taken a stronger meaning since the King of Pop's untimely death.
8: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS - RICHARD MARX (15) Singer songwriter with third hit single that has typical 80's pop sound.
7: JUST LIKE PARADISE - DAVID LEE ROTH (12) Former VH frontman with average boombastic rocker.
6: CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM YOU - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (10) Latin band of Cuban heritage with another big pop ballad.
5: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS - PET SHOP BOYS with DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (2) Song deserved to be British dance duo's biggest hit since "West End Girls." Dusty at least sounds updated here.
4: I GET WEAK - BELINDA CARLISLE (8) Quality followup to her #1 hit of previous year.
3: SHE'S LIKE THE WIND - PATRICK SWAYZE (featuring WENDY FRASER) (3) "Dirty Dancing" actor exercises his singing chops for huge movie hit and doesn't do half bad.
LDD: LA BAMBA – LOS LOBOS - Dedication was more for following example set by Ritchie Valens giving back to family.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE STEP UP - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Sad performance ballad that sounds too personal for top 40 consumption.
2: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP - RICK ASTLEY (4) Rickrolling aside (who started that mess), British singer scores with deservedly across-the-board dance smash produced by Stock-Aitken-Waterman.
1: FATHER FIGURE - GEORGE MICHAEL (1) British solo superstar was continuing his hit streak with rather cryptic sounding number.
SYNOPSIS: This was the period in which many record companies were shamelessly guilty of album milking. So many third & fourth singles were becoming the biggest hits chartwise. I noticed a sizable chunk of the stations Casey mentioned in this show were AC formatted. I find that rather odd for a top 40 based show. While many listeners of this show were swaying towards AC at this time, I bent towards R&B and hip hop, chiefly because it was the closest thing I was hearing that was reminiscent of the psychedelic soul sound I admired. This may be why I was likely one of the few AT40 listeners still buying new 45s & 12" singles.
This week's presentation is for the week ending March 5, 1988
PERSONAL: This was a transitional time for me as I went from being a boy to a man. I was completing my first year in college not far from my home in Long Island, New York. I also began working my first year in a bowling alley in Stony Brook.
DROPPERS:
TUNNEL OF LOVE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (37)
I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (33)
EVERYWHERE - FLEETWOOD MAC (30)
Footnote: Since both me and my sister were buying singles and albums at this time, this key will be helpful.
These were singles I bought.
These were singles my sister bought.
These were songs from albums we bought.
40: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS - ALEXANDER O'NEAL featuring CHERRELLE (DEBUT) Average Minneapolis sounding number from these two singers that are so inseparable, they had to do their episode of Unsung together.
39: HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - THE BANGLES (26) Funkier version of lost Simon & Garfunkel nugget for the movie "Less Than Zero."
38: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO - WHITNEY HOUSTON (DEBUT) The ballad that was about to break a long standing chart record & have many screaming"sellout."
37: ROCK OF LIFE - RICK SPRINGFIELD (DEBUT) Jazzy little ditty that marked his first chart in three years for former Aussie teen idol.
36: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (36) Power ballad that became biggest hit to date for Beantown hard rockers.
35: WISHING WELL - TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY (40) Modern day international soul brother with groovin' future #1 single.
34: TWILIGHT WORLD - SWING OUT SISTER (31) Jazzy soul from British pop band that was a real breakout.
33: SOME KIND OF LOVER - JODY WATLEY (36) Dry mix of dance nugget from Jackie Wilson's goddaughter. Liked it was preceded with a snippet of "Take That To The Bank."
32: CHECK IT OUT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (35) Bluegrass inspired number designed to show off the Bloomington, IN midwestern roots.
31: WHEN WE WAS FAB - GEORGE HARRISON (31) Song about British superstar's days with his most famous band with a sound reminiscent of his days in Bangladesh.
30: I WANNA BE YOUR MAN - ROGER (16) I'm in the minority of how many feel about the biggest pop hit for this Dayton, OH talkbox funkster. While not my favorite, it sounds good & consistent to me.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: PIANO IN THE DARK - BRENDA RUSSELL with JOE ESPOSITO - Great urban AC ballad that was effectively sampled for recent Flo Rida hit.
29: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (21) Aussie band's former #1 with rather funky bassline.
28: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (38) Follow up single that eventually broke a perfect track record regarding Billboard Power Picks.
27: BECAUSE OF YOU - THE COVER GIRLS (27) New York Freestyle trio number that only sounds good on FM radio.
26: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (33) Cherrelle's cousin with R&B number that sounds like it was written for a man to sing.
25: PUSH IT - SALT-N-PEPA (23) Remix version of B-side that I wasn't too crazy about despite becoming the first gold RIAA single of the year. Liked the original A side, AND their follow-up much better.
24: ROCKET 2 U - THE JETS (28) Fair hit single that gives the guys in the Minneapolis based family group a chance at lead.
23: (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY - MICHAEL BOLTON (25) Pop updated version of Otis Redding nugget (his original was #1 almost 20 years earlier to the week). Decent recreation but far from as great.
22: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR - BILLY OCEAN (29) He may have admired Otis Redding in his early years, but Ringo Starr inspired this lively hit produced by Shania Twain's future husband.
21: COULD'VE BEEN - TIFFANY (21) Teen idol's former #1 that sounds like perfect American Idol fodder.
20: HYSTERIA - DEF LEPPARD (24) Third single & title track from hard rock album that still wasn't a big hit...yet.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) - SAMANTHA FOX - British lass playing tease on this Full Force production.
19: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (22) Former British frontman strengthens his slow jazz side on this baited breath track.
18: DON'T SHED A TEAR - PAUL CARRACK (9) Part time Mechanic scores his biggest solo hit with the intriguing pop number.
17: LOVE OVERBOARD - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (19) Considering pop radio slept on "Save the Overtime For Me" five years earlier, I'm surprised this R&B dance track became a big hit for the veteran family group.
16: I WANT HER - KEITH SWEAT (20) Harlem R&B singer with the song that launched the New Jack Swing sound, and put producer Teddy Riley on the map.
15: SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (7) This one seemingly became a top 10 hit under everyone's radar. Never really heard this song anywhere except AT40.
14: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSÉ( 6) Miami female dance trio fourth single & former #1 with typical 80s dance ballad that would set a pattern for the rest of the year.
13: PUMP UP THE VOLUME - M/A/R/R/S (13) From what I understand, this was the biggest of the British drum-n-bass record to chart in America. This would become the second single of the year to be certified gold.
12: OUT OF THE BLUE - DEBBIE GIBSON (18) The teen sensation from Long Island scores the title track of her debut album. Good things were on the horizon.
11: HUNGRY EYES - ERIC CARMEN (5) Comeback hit of sorts for Cleveland native written for the movie "Dirty Dancing."
10: I FOUND SOMEONE – CHER (14) Comeback power ballad of sorts for Oscar nominee with Laura Branigan flop written by Michael Bolton.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAMELA - TOTO - When I first heard this reached the top 40, my first thought was...is pop radio becoming that far behind the times?
9: MAN IN THE MIRROR - MICHAEL JACKSON (17) Fourth single from Bad written by Siedah Garrett and featuring the Andrae Crouch choir that has taken a stronger meaning since the King of Pop's untimely death.
8: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS - RICHARD MARX (15) Singer songwriter with third hit single that has typical 80's pop sound.
7: JUST LIKE PARADISE - DAVID LEE ROTH (12) Former VH frontman with average boombastic rocker.
6: CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM YOU - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (10) Latin band of Cuban heritage with another big pop ballad.
5: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS - PET SHOP BOYS with DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (2) Song deserved to be British dance duo's biggest hit since "West End Girls." Dusty at least sounds updated here.
4: I GET WEAK - BELINDA CARLISLE (8) Quality followup to her #1 hit of previous year.
3: SHE'S LIKE THE WIND - PATRICK SWAYZE (featuring WENDY FRASER) (3) "Dirty Dancing" actor exercises his singing chops for huge movie hit and doesn't do half bad.
LDD: LA BAMBA – LOS LOBOS - Dedication was more for following example set by Ritchie Valens giving back to family.
PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE STEP UP - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Sad performance ballad that sounds too personal for top 40 consumption.
2: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP - RICK ASTLEY (4) Rickrolling aside (who started that mess), British singer scores with deservedly across-the-board dance smash produced by Stock-Aitken-Waterman.
1: FATHER FIGURE - GEORGE MICHAEL (1) British solo superstar was continuing his hit streak with rather cryptic sounding number.
SYNOPSIS: This was the period in which many record companies were shamelessly guilty of album milking. So many third & fourth singles were becoming the biggest hits chartwise. I noticed a sizable chunk of the stations Casey mentioned in this show were AC formatted. I find that rather odd for a top 40 based show. While many listeners of this show were swaying towards AC at this time, I bent towards R&B and hip hop, chiefly because it was the closest thing I was hearing that was reminiscent of the psychedelic soul sound I admired. This may be why I was likely one of the few AT40 listeners still buying new 45s & 12" singles.