A solo album? The heck you say!

Being an 80s music fan, I'm always looking for new/old music to satisfy my music needs.  To me it's easy to have all "the hits" that everyone has.  You can go anywhere that sells music and find the Greatest Hits of the 80s.  The fun part is plucking one of those hits off of your newly purchased compilation and search for that artist's individual cds.  Not so much fun anymore is it??? (it actually is if you like doing research)

It depends on who you are looking for. There are several major stars of the 80s that are still going strong today, having managed to surf through the decades of mainstream music.  I don't want to make it sound like it's completely impossible to find certain bands and their music. But sometimes it is.  And then, sometimes you get lucky.

Recently, while on a quest for new 80s music, I was shopping at a record store..(yes they still make those) Rainy Day Records to be exact in Olympia, Washington.  While I was there, I headed for the bargain bin and started to dig through the 98 cent cds.  Not only do I love shopping for new/old music, I love a bargain even more!

Much to my surprise as I was looking, I happened to find a solo album by Ric Ocasek entitled This Side of Paradise.  I say surprise because I wasn't aware he had a solo career.  How uniformed, right?  No one ever tells me anything.

That kind of got me to thinking about other artists of that time that were still with the bands that made them famous or vice/versa and branched out to make a solo album.  I couldn't think of any so I had to do some research. (there's that word again)  Here's what I came up with:

George Michael-He was with Wham! when he had two solo singles that made people wonder if he was going to leave the group and jump into the solo career waters head first.  As it stands he didn't have to as the group disbanded a year before he decided to.  So it was like he got a really big push! Wham! Push!  play on words?  Let's move on.


Morrissey- Now Morrissey on the other hand, waited until The Smiths broke up to start his solo career (what a gentleman) I mean seriously, what else was he going to do, sell shoes?  Mind you if he did he would be extremely good at it.  He just has that magnet charisma that makes him irresistible to mostly everyone.  But I digress.  My favorite solo album by Morrissey is Bona Drag. Exquisite!


Morten Harket, Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen- The gorgeous men of my favorite band in the entire world a-ha.  They have actually been successful at doing both, band members and also partakers in several outside projects.  Now that they have officially disbanded (I smell a reunion within the next 5 years, mark my words. Don't ask me how I know, I just do) they are free to pursue the many endeavors that keep them majorly busy. 


Belinda Carlisle-Once the familiar voice of that fabulous all girl group The Go-Go's, Belinda went on to lead a very successful solo career in 1985 after the girls went their separate ways 1985.  Who could forget Heaven Is a Place On Earth?  Really try and forget it, I dare you. 

These are just a few of the many.  If you are lucky enough to be able to find any of their albums, good for you! And, you never know, you may actually find a solo album of YOUR favorite band, stranger things have happened. The greatest part of finding a treasure is the searching I always say.  So check out Ric Ocasek's solo stuff if you haven't already.  Happy Hunting!

Do You Karaoke?

Well my daughter finally talked me into going to her place of employment to do Karaoke.  I know I make it sound like a really big deal, but it didn't take much prodding from her as she invited me to come and do Karaoke 80's style.  I was there with bells on.

There is a very unique (shall we say) atmosphere whenever people gather to do Karaoke.  There are the bar regulars who don't sing unless they are completely wasted.  There are the Karaoke/Bar regulars who are first in line to get their books and slips all scrambling back to their seats to make out their requests and hopefully be the first ones to be called.

And then there is me ;)

Having had several years experience with singing and vocal training my demeanor is pretty much calm on the outside and thrilled as hell on the inside, mainly because I know I'm only going to do what I know I can sing.  Plain and simple.  I know Karaoke is only for fun and the whole point is to enjoy yourself, but I personally think there are limits to how much fun one is actually having while screeching Total Eclipse of the Heart at the top of their lungs whilst somewhere in midst of the darkness outside you can hear several dogs howling in unison.

I know I'm coming off like I'm all that, I'm really not, I do okay for what it is.  There are some people however that get intimidated by people who come to Karaoke with a musical background, you can usually spot them after you do your first song and when you walk past them they give you a dirty look.  I've actually been booed before and the Karaoke Host was heckled for "Hiring Professional Singers"  An insult and a compliment in the same sentence, how very :)

But all in all, I did pretty good this time, for not having sung publicly for about 2 years.  I opened with Sweet Dreams (are made of this) my signature song and a good warm up as well.  I did Too Shy next, which I hadn't done in a while, but I want to put on my cover album, so it was great practice.  I did two songs I'd never sung before, Sister Christian by Night Ranger and Back on the Chain Gang by The Pretenders. Those were fun.  I had a couple of drinks in me before I did Sister Christian (i suffer from minor stage fright) so it came out virtually flawless.  I received a big round of applause for that one, that made me happy.

My daughter then suggested we do a song together, which is something we rarely do, and I agreed mainly because well I was drunk and thought I knew the song.  Apparently I don't know Come On Eileen as well as I thought I did and much to my daughter's surprise, neither did she.  So needless to say there was a lot of blah blah blahs thrown in there for good measure, coupled with a few "you don't know this song? I thought you knew this song?" from my darling girl.  On a up note (guffaw) she did however do a fabulous rendition of  If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher and one of my all time faves Maneater by Hall and Oates.

All in all, it was a great night and I had a wonderful time.  Made some new friends, heard some excellent songs and quite a few really bad ones but I'm sure they were having a great time, and really that's what its all about.  Next time I do Karaoke?  I might just learn the words to Come On Eileen.  Don't hold your breath though...:)

Ciao For Now!

The Very Best of Survivor!

And they were not kidding.  I was very excited about the arrival of this album, mainly because I honestly thought I knew all the hits. I wasn't even close.  Here is a picture of the CD that I received recently.

Here are the songs that are on the CD, and hopefully you will be as surprised as I was :)

				1. Take You On A Saturday 2. Burning Heart 3. Poor Man's Son 4. High On You 5. Is This Love 6. The Search Is Over 7. You Know Who You Are 8. I Can't Hold Back 9. Summer Nights 10. Ever Since The World Began 11. She's A Star 12. Eye Of The Tiger 13. Caught In The Game 14. Santa Ana Winds
				The best part about this particular CD that is an extra enhancement for me is it comes from this: Sony/Legacy's 2009 budget-line collection-Playlist.  This is a very good quality produced CD and it is Eco-Friendly which is a plus, no big bulky CD case. No liner notes?  Yes there are, they are actually embedded on the CD in a PDF.   How clever is that?  I'd say very.
				All in all I think I got more than my money's worth.  And if I decide that I like some of the songs on one particular album I can just hop on iTunes or Amazon and sift through that album to see if I like it all or just the "hit" that I heard on this one.  (that's another feature on the CD,  it tells you what album the song is from)  I know record companies have been doing that for years, but hey, I amuse easily ;)
				So if you are wondering what to do on one of those hot "Summer Nights"  "You Know Who You Are"  ;)  invest a bit of time and look straight into the "Eye of the Tiger and grab your self a disc full of The Very Best of Survivor.  You will then see that "The Search Is Over"
				Ciao For Now!

Welcome to The Pleasuredome

I was not very familiar with Frankie Goes to Hollywood other than the usual songs, Two Tribes and the ever popular Relax.  So imagine my amazement when I finally listen to their first album Welcome To the Pleasuredome. Not only did they have the notable hits as the a fore mentioned, but there were also covers!  3 to be exact if I'm not mistaken "quickly looks at song list"  Yes there are 3.  That I know of any way, there could be more but I don't recognize any of them.  I'm sure someone will set me straight on that later.

War-excellent version and arrangement, really like that narrative in the background.
Born to Run-Wow! gutsy choice of songs to cover, I really think I like this version more than the Boss's
San Jose-Okay not sure why it was chosen, but it is one of my favorite Bossa nova type songs.  They even kept the same feel to it which was quite nice.

At first when I listened to the album, I was really dead set against the title track Welcome To The Pleasuredome, mainly because its like 15 mins long.  But truthfully in hindsight, if you listen to it in it's entirety, it goes by pretty quickly, kind of like an ambiance new age kind of song..like Enya without the chanting.  Oh wait, I think there was a little chanting..

All in all I really enjoyed listening to the album.  Holly Johnson and the guys are high octane at its finest and it's displayed in their songs.  I hope if you haven't already, you get an opportunity to give this gem a listen.

Oh, and one more thing.  If you can, check out the artwork inside the liner notes, very creative.  I especially like the quote about Andy Warhol.

Ciao For Now...xx

New Tunes-Visage by Visage

Well honestly I don't know what to say.  Had I not already have heard Fade to Grey I would not have known this was Visage.  Which means as you may have guessed, nothing else on the album sounds like it.  Not that I was hoping it would, but some part of me really want to hear some more of that sultry French murmuring in the back ground on perhaps another song?  I know I'm not the only one, come on now, don't leave me hanging here....Anyone? Anyone?..

So which songs did I like?  I like Tar, that song to me is candy for your ears, not so much the lyrics but all of the sounds and rhythms that were produced to create it..very cool.  Same with Malapaso Man, lots of percussion, I love percussion!  Steps was very good as well, short, sweet and to the point.  I like that too. As a matter of fact if you blink you might miss the whole album, the majority of the songs are only 3-4 minutes long and there are only ten of them. 

The jury is still out on how I feel about the album as a whole.   I don't hate it, but it's not quite what I thought it was going to be.  I will give it a few more listens and let some of the other songs grow on me, like "Moon Over Moscow" and "Blocks on Blocks"  A lot of theses songs are reminiscent of  some of John Foxx's stuff  which I do like very much.

I will say however I am glad to have in in my 80s Music Library as it was a long time coming.  Who knows I might even have some one to thank for that.  After all Limahl recently referenced Visage in his song 1983. But seeing as I cannot tell a lie, I had already purchased it before I heard the song :) (Yay! I'm psychic!)  What can I say, there was a lot of Steve Strange buzz going around Twitter at the time, I just jumped into the vortex and ran with it ;)  Next on the list of albums to blog?  Frankie Goes To Hollywood-Welcome to The PleasureDome very excited about that one.  Ciao For Now!

In closing, I will thank Limahl for giving a shout out to Visage and several other bands that were cresting the 80s New Wave Era, everyone likes to be appreciated every now and then. 

1983

"Hey! Do you want to know what I wanna do? I wanna go back in time"

Those are the opening lyrics to one of the best pop songs I've heard in a really long time. 

The new single is 1983,  by none other than Limahl himself.

I honestly can't remember when I've been so excited about something.  This may be an exaggeration but really, only I would know that.  The minute I heard it I knew that I had to have it.  It is to me the quintessential dance tune that can move the stubbornest of non-movers.  The more I listen, the more I wanted to listen and the more I want to listen, the more I wished I was on a dance floor choreographing the best dance number since Thriller.  It inspired me that much.  Sound unbelievable?,  probably, but hey, those who know me don't call me Pollyanna for nothing.

There are 6 versions of 1983, a little something for everyone.  There are the Clouds and Coffee versions, one for radio play and one that is extended..very nice.  There are the two Tom Moroca Remixes, one is extended play and the other is the radio play.  These latter two I felt were a must for any hard-core clubber that wants more beat and less lyrics.  The next one is the Original Radio Version, very upbeat and poppy keeping your foot-tapping and your body swaying, the way pop songs should.  And finally my personal favorite, the Acapella version, except for some added vocals to fill the chorus, this version is all Limahl, singing in the smooth and silky style that has made him well known throughout the world. No beats, no music.  Its heaven.



What? That's it? No back story? No history?  Hey, I didn't write the song I just really love it.  I know that Limahl has done several radio interviews since the release, so you might want to go to his website and check them out or follow him on Twitter to keep posted on the happenings.  Me personally I want it to be a world wide phenomenon.  But here again this is Pollyanna talking :)  1983 is available for MP3 download on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.UK (UK residents only), 7digital.com and iTunes.  Get yours today, I highly recommend it. 

The Ultimate Eighties-100 Hits

 Here we are kids, this is my new listening toy :) there are so many artists on here that I know absolutely nothing about it's shameless, but I'm loving it!  If you get a chance to check it out do so. Just as a word of warning, I'm not really loving CD #3 particularly songs 13-20.  I know that's a big lot of songs but hey, I know me and I know what I like.  Enjoy!

Tracks
1. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham
2. Never Gonna Give You Up - Astley, Rick
3. I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany
4. Walk Like An Egyptian - Bangles
5. Waiting For A Star To Fall - Boy Meets Girl
6. Maniac - Sembello, Michael
7. Maneater - Hall and Oates
8. 99 Red Balloons - Nena
9. Down To Earth - Curiosity Killed The Cat
10. Breakout - Swing Out Sister
11. I Can Make You Feel Good - Shalamar
12. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
13. She Works Hard For The Money - Summer, Donna
14. Rhythm Of The Night - DeBarge
15. Don't Stop The Music - Yarbrough and Peoples
16. Message - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
17. Reward - Teardrop Explodes
18. Bridge To Your Heart - Wax
19. Axel F - Faltermeyer, Harold
20. Race - Yello

1. Poison Arrow - ABC
2. Love Plus One - Haircut 100
3. Prince Charming - Adam and The Ants
4. Shout To The Top - Style Council
5. I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters
6. Let's Hear It For The Boy - Williams, Deniece
7. Midas Touch - Midnight Star
8. Feels Like I'm In Love - Marie, Kelly
9. You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me) - Joseph, David
10. Only Way Is Up - Yazz and The Plastic Population
11. Theme From S'Express - S'Express
12. Baby I Don't Care - Transvision Vamp
13. Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor
14. Breakaway - Ullman, Tracey
15. Eighth Day - O'Connor, Hazel
16. Wonderful Life - Black
17. Labelled With Love - Squeeze
18. Lady In Red - De Burgh, Chris
19. Happy Talk - Captain Sensible
20. Puttin' On The Ritz - Taco

1. It's Raining Men - Weather Girls
2. Celebration - Kool and The Gang
3. Oops Upside Your Head - Gap Band
4. Word Up - Cameo
5. All Cried Out - Moyet, Alison
6. Shout - Tears For Fears
7. It's Different For Girls - Jackson, Joe
8. Harvest For The World - Christians
9. Get Down Saturday Night - Cheatham, Oliver
10. Secret Lovers - Atlantic Starr
11. Up Where We Belong - Cocker, Joe and Jennifer Warnes
12. Footloose - Loggins, Kenny
13. Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz
14. When Will I Be Famous - Bros
15. Heartache - Pepsi and Shirley
16. This Ole House - Shakin' Stevens
17. Do The Hucklebuck - Coast To Coast
18. Cry - Godley and Creme
19. I've Never Been To Me - Charlene
20. I Should Have Known Better - Diamond, Jim

1. Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
2. Wouldn't It Be Good - Kershaw, Nik
3. World Shut Your Mouth - Cope, Julian
4. Look Of Love - ABC
5. Let's Get Serious - Jackson, Jermaine
6. System Addict - Five Star
7. Teardrops - Womack and Womack
8. My One Temptation - Paris, Mica
9. And The Beat Goes On - Whispers
10. Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent - Guthrie, Gwen
11. Sleep Talk - Williams, Alyson
12. Tell It To My Heart - Dayne, Taylor
13. Push It - Salt 'N Pepa
14. Breakin'.../There's No Stopping Us - Ollie and Jerry
15. Don't Turn Around - Aswad
16. Pass The Dutchie - Musical Youth
17. Too Good To Be Forgotten - Amazulu
18. Ever So Lonely - Monsoon
19. Calling Your Name - Marilyn
20. Seven Tears - Goombay Dance Band

1. Addicted To Love - Palmer, Robert
2. Something About You - Level 42
3. Get Out Of My Dreams (Get Into My Car) - Ocean, Billy
4. All Night Long (All Night) - Richie, Lionel
5. Break My Stride - Wilder, Matthew
6. Down Under - Men At Work
7. I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Kershaw, Nik
8. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead Or Alive
9. Obsession - Animotion
10. Sonic Boom Boy - Westworld
11. Fade To Grey - Visage
12. I'm In Love With A German Film Star - Passions
13. New England - MacColl, Kirsty
14. Stop - Brown, Sam
15. Don't Look Any Further - Edwards, Dennis and Siedah Garrett
16. On The Wings Of Love - Osborne, Jeffrey
17. Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime - Korgis
18. Da Da Da - Trio
19. Nellie the elephant - Toy Dolls
20. Ace Of Spades - Motorhead