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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 13:46:20 GMT 1
988 Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off (1986)
The former Soul Train dancer from Chicago who lost out to Howard Hewett to become the singer in Shalamar, became a touring backing/session singer in the late 1970s/early 1980s. After working with Culture Club a demo tape of his material saw him signed to Arista Records for which this (USA#5 / UK#2) hit was by far his greatest success not least after it was used on hit 1980s television show Miami Vice. The single was written to reflect more modesty when it came to sex in light of the AIDS pandemic at the time. Unfortunately, Jermaine Stewart did not practise what he preached as he died of an AIDS related liver failure in 1997 aged 39.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 13:52:22 GMT 1
987 Ready For The World - Oh Sheila (1985)
This 1985 USA#1 hit (and a Top 5 hit all over the world bar the UK where it only made UK#50) incredibly had nothing whatsoever to do with Prince. This American R&B band from Michigan had two other USA Top 40 hits.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 13:59:48 GMT 1
986 John Fogerty - The Old Man Down The Road (1985)
Taken from his USA #1 album Centrefold the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman scored his biggest solo hit of his career (USA #10) with this single. It was a Top 20 hit all over the world but only reached UK #90. The video for the song, popular on MTV at the time, features an extended single camera sequence that follows an electric guitar cord through various scenes. But the song is most infamous for the Fogerty v. Fantasy legal case where Saul Zaentz, owner of Fantasy Records claimed that "The Old Man Down The Road" shared the same chorus as "Run Through The Jungle" (1970 USA #4 hit), a song from Fogerty's days with Creedence Clearwater Revival years before. (Fogerty had relinquished copy and publishing rights of his Creedence songs to Zaentz and Fantasy, in exchange for release from his contractual obligations to same.) Zaentz sued (Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty) but the defendant Fogerty ultimately prevailed when he showed that the two songs were whole, separate and distinct compositions. Bringing his guitar to the witness stand, he played excerpts from both songs, demonstrating that many songwriters (himself included) have distinctive styles that can make different compositions sound similar to less discerning ears.
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Post by suedehead on Sept 14, 2013 14:04:58 GMT 1
989 Sheena Easton - 101 (1989) The Scottish singer (turned half decent actress in the 1990s when the hits dried up) first came into the public eye as the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time presented by Esther Rantzen, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records. It is not unreasonable to say that she went on to have a more substantial career than any alumni that has come out of a Simon Cowell Pop Reality TV show having had 15 Top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 (12! more than Leona Lewis has managed, and 9 more than One Direction have currently). This is my favourite track by her. It was written by Prince. Apparently he submitted the instrumental of this, and the tune that became a duet on the "Like A Prayer" album for Madonna to choose one to turn into a collaboration which became "Love Song". Personally I think Madonna made the wrong choice. This track surprisingly failed to trouble the Billboard Top 100 but reached UK #54. She's well behind various Cowell-manufactured acts in UK terms though. She had three top ten hit singles and her best position in the albums chart was number 17. That leaves her nine top ten singles and three top three albums behind Leona Lewis. Personally, I wouldn't choose to listen to either of them.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 14:10:20 GMT 1
985 Michael Sembello - Maniac (1983)
This synthpop song performed by the Philadelphia born guitarist and songwriter whom in the 1970s worked with a whole host of artists (Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, George Benson, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, ...) was produced (not by Giorgio Moroder as I previously thought) by the legendary Phil Ramone. The song was used in the 1983 film Flashdance and topped the USA & Canadian charts, but only reached UK#43. He later went on to score music to soundtracks for movies and films such as Cocoon, Gremlins, Summer Lovers, The Monster Squad and Independence Day.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 14:19:20 GMT 1
984 Brothers Johnson - Stomp (1980)
As a fan of Red Dwarf I have very fond memories of this track. This late Disco period track was co-written by Rod Temperton, and sublimely produced by Quincy Jones topped the USA Billboard R&B and Dance charts, and the New Zealand national charts. It also reached USA#7 & UK#6. The Brothers Johnson were an American funk and R&B band consisting of American musicians and brothers George aka 'Lightnin' Licks' and Louis E. Johnson who played were frequently hired as session musician to play on Quincy Jones productions including George Benson's Give Me The Night album, and Michael Jackson's Off The Wall and Thriller albums.
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TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,496
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Post by TheThorne on Sept 14, 2013 14:19:52 GMT 1
I have about 850 songs in my 80s list on Spotify will probably pinch some of these for my list as it goes on.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 14:47:31 GMT 1
983 U2 - I Will Follow (1980)
Taken from the debut album "Boy" produced by Steve Lillywhite this is the first of many appearances by the Dublin four-piece. This October 1980 release failed to trouble the UK Top 75 but reached #3 in Ireland, and was a minor hit in Australia and a Top 40 hit in New Zealand and Belgium. It made USA #81 late in 1983 as a double A-sided single with the live version taken from their Under A Blood Red Sky album.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 14:53:09 GMT 1
982 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Cities In Dust (1985)
Taken from their seventh studio album Tinderbox, this track was written about the city of Pompeii, destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD. With suitably (very 80s) oblique lyrical imagery (which I love). This track peaked at UK#21 and reached the same peak in Ireland for the post punk Goth rockers fronted by the pioneering Siouxsie Sioux.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2013 15:07:44 GMT 1
981 Iggy Pop - Shades (1987)
Taken from the former Stooges frontman seventh solo studio album Blah Blah Blah which featured the hit "Real Wild Child" a cover of Australian Johnny O'Keefe's 1958 Oz#1 smash hit, three songs co-written by ex-Sex Pistol guitarist Steve Jones, and the remainder co-written by David Bowie. Unlike his seminal The Idiot and Lust for Life albums Bowie played no part in the recording process. By the time of his follow up album "Instinct" Pop had disowned this album calling it "a Bowie album in all but name". Not least as Bowie had a pick of the co-writes for his Tonight and Never Let Me Down albums. However, most Bowie fans agree he made a huge mistake not taking this track for himself as it would easily have improved either album. This track made UK #87 and Germany #31.
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Post by rubcale on Sept 14, 2013 19:03:46 GMT 1
Kim Carnes Bette Davis Eyes was the #1 hit for 1981 on Billboard because of the methodology they used of giving points for weekly position during the time on the Hot 100.
In terms of sales it was dwarfed by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie's Endless Love.
I didn't expect to find much common ground with the songs listed on this run-down but I like Kim Carnes, Stephanie Mills, Patrice Rushen and Jermaine Stewart with SM being the stand out track so far.
I'd never even heard 101 by Sheena Easton before!
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borneoman
Member
love is tough, when enough is not enough
Posts: 34,344
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Post by borneoman on Sept 15, 2013 13:03:12 GMT 1
993 Krush - House Arrest (1988)This House track by this Sheffield based trio released late in 1987 peaked at UK#3 in January 1988. As the video is very dull, I'd much rather post this "in the studio" performance as it highlight's the singer (Ruth Joy) hilarious inability to dance, whilst the DJ does not exactly look very cool. Little wonder the keyboardist Mark Brydon soon bailed out to have far greater success from the mid 1990s with vocalist Róisín Murphy, as the producer of Moloko. love House Arrest!!! Was one of the first singles that I bought!! UK house music was amazing in 1988 with people like S'Xpress, Bomb the Bass or this one... pity Krush didn't have more singles... I think Ruth Joy tried going solo but kinda think she big flopped...
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vya
Member
Posts: 8,776
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Post by vya on Sept 15, 2013 13:49:05 GMT 1
Really looking forward to the rest of the list..
A few comments on those I particularly like:
996: Inspiral Carpets - Joe I think this was first song of theirs I ever heard. I love its raw freshness.
995: Stephanie Mills - Never Knew Love Like This Before Simply gorgeous. Was introduced to this, several years after it was released, by its inclusion on one of the "street sounds" compilations that had a lot to do with the rare-grove phenomenon. But this song is pretty outstanding. Had no idea "She's Out Of My Life was about her..
993: Krush - House Arrest Yes, a classic of its genre, and an unexpectedly, deservedly, big hit. Really ought to be better known as I suspect 25 years on it is now pretty obscure.
992: Freiheit - Keeping The Dream Alive I actually preferred the follow up, the non-hit "Kissed You In The Rain", which was also very ELO-like, but not quite so overladen by orchestration.
991: Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots A classic, of course, brought back to public consciousness (having also fallen into obscurity, more or less), first, by Tongue n' Cheek's tolerable if unremarkable cover version, a few years before the big names mentioned above played about with the song a bit.
989: Sheena Easton - 101 Glad to see this here. Powerful.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 14:42:07 GMT 1
980 Beatmasters ft Betty Boo - Hey DJ! (I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing) (1989)
This UK#7 hit by the London based hip-house outfit had a handful of hits in the UK House boom of the late 1980s before turning into successful remixers, writers and producers in the 1990s and beyond. This track introduced us to the welcome talents of Alison Clarkson.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 14:50:44 GMT 1
979 Supertramp - It's Raining Again (1982)
This topical song was the UK melodic progressive rockers 7th of 9 USA Top 40 hits (USA #11); and their final of 5 UK Top 40 hits (UK #26). However, in Europe the record was a big success reaching the top 10 in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland.eclipsing the successes of earlier 70s releases (Dreamer; The Logical Song; Goodbye Stranger; Give A Little Bit; Breakfast In America; ..). The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy whom directed a number of videos in this countdown.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 15:01:49 GMT 1
978 Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious (1980)
This USA R&B #1 and USA #9 and UK #8 funk soul single was written and produced by Stevie Wonder. This is certainly not the last time you see a Jackson on this countdown. This lip sync Soul Train performance is worth watching not least for the 4th eldest child of Joseph and Katherine Jackson hilarious lip-syncing over Stevie Wonder's vocals on the bridge. Of course if it was released today the artist would probably go down as Stevie Wonder featuring Jermaine Jackson ... but that's another subject to discuss.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 15:13:00 GMT 1
977 Dolly Parton - 9 To 5 (1981)
This song was written and originally performed by the country legend for the 1980 comedy film of the same name, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut. Whilst this only made UK #47, it topped both the USA and Canadian charts and went on to win Dolly a pair of Grammy awards.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 15:23:52 GMT 1
976 Vesta Williams - Once Bitten Twice Shy (1986)
This Ohio born R&B singer was a one hit wonder in the UK with this UK #14 hit which sounds like the best song Chaka Khan never sung. It also reached the USA R&B Top 5, but failed to trouble the top 100 where her only hit was 1989's Congratulations. She'd previously been a backing vocalist for the likes of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Sting, Stephanie Mills, and Anita Baker. Sadly she died aged 53 in 2011.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 15:36:32 GMT 1
975 George Michael - Father Figure (1988)
This was the third single taken from Faith, and George's first proper single to fail to reach the Top 10 in the UK (UK #11). In contrast it became George's sixth number one single (counting #1 singles garnered as half of Wham!), and made #2 in Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, and went Top 5 in Australia.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2013 15:45:39 GMT 1
974 Elaine Paige And Barbara Dickson - I Know Him So Well (1985)
It was written by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson along with Tim Rice. "I Know Him So Well" is a song from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess. In this duet, two women - Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress -- express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart. The two two-times Olivier Award winning actresses laid down their vocals separately and never met during the recording of the song, only for the video and subsequent performances on Top of the Pops and the European tours. This song was of course a UK #1 hit, but the less said about the two awful cover versions by Whitney Houston and Cissy Houston; and Geraldine McQueen and Susan Boyle the better.
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