I can't understand why she would leave me this way
With nothing to say
Then I found the note on the door
It said good-bye and she don't want me no more
Bye-bye baby, bye-bye, she said in the letter
And that was all she wrote
When you first think of FireHouse "All She Wrote" probably isn't the very first song that comes to mind. The band is best known for the power ballad "Love Of A Lifetime" but they really came out of the gate back in 1989 knowing how to rock. "All She Wrote" was FireHouse's fourth single off of their self-titled debut album. It reached only as high as number 58 on Billboard's Hot 100 back in 1991 but the song got a lot of radio play, especially on rock stations across the U.S.
What sets FireHouse apart from many other bands is the fact that they have seen minimal changes to their lineup. C. J. Snare, guitarist Bill Leverty, drummer Michael Foster, and bassist Allen McKenzie still continue to play gigs all over the world.
I'm waiting for the right moment to come So I can thank you for all the tender love you've given to me
If you were listening to American Top 40 on your radio 30 years ago then one of the songs that you might have been waiting to record was the Force MD's "Tender Love". It was sitting in tenth place on Billboard's Hot 100 after becoming one of the best songs to come out of the Krush Groove soundtrack. Those are the details but if you were a teen then you knew this song because it was THE love song of the moment. "Tender Love" generated lots of dedications (remember when that was actually a thing?) from the left coast to the right and to this day it's easily recognized the minute it begins to play.
The Force MD's first connected in Staten Island back in 1981 and despite having some old-school hip hop roots it was their ballads that really brought them success. The band was also considered to be very early pioneers of the New Jack Swing movement that really took off in 1990. Sadly, three of the group's original members died of various causes in the late '90s. The remaining members put out their last Force MD's album in 2000.
Check out "Tender Love" below. I promise that you're going to remember it.
And past your door, but you don't live there anymore
It's years since you've been there
Now you've disappeared somewhere, like outer space
You've found some better place
And I miss you like the deserts miss the rain.
"Missing". the dance song from 1994 by Everything But The Girl technically classifies as a one-hit-wonder for most people, in spite of the group being around for more than 30 years. This is one of those songs that remains pretty timeless for multiple reasons. First off the sound isn't the least bit dated or obvious and then there are those lyrics, ones that surely resonate with anyone who has ever had a significant other for even an hour.
We all know what it's like after a breakup when all of those familiar haunts no longer have any meaning. Who hasn't done the random drive by just to see, well, what are we actually looking for in those moments? A familiar face? Proof that everything is different now? Closure?
"I've got all this love, waiting just for you I just gotta know that your love is true Can't keep running boy in and out my life Wanna be your girl, not 'cause the mood is right"
A good part of the 90's were about soul, New Jack Swing and slowjamz for me. In between the Indie alternative music domination you had its' polar opposite- R&B. Many groups came and went and one of my favorites was Jade. They arrived on the scene in 1991, had a break out hit in 1992 which paved the way for their debut album, Jade To The Max.
"Don't Walk Away" was one of the leading singles from it and it also went on to be one of the hottest dance songs of 1993. What followed was a string of singles over the next few years that did well on Billboard's charts. The group eventually disbanded by the late 90's but reunited in recent years to play a gig here and there. "Don't Walk Away" will always be my favorite, check it out below!
LET THE MUSIC PLAY DOCUMENTARY NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE
COVID-19’s Decimation of the Music Industry as Told by Those Working on the Inside
NEW YORK, NY -- DailyBOOM Media has released Let The Music Play, a documentary on COVID-19’s brutal impact on the music industry, on April 9, 2021, via YouTube (a mid-April release on Amazon Prime is also slated). This feature-length film was written by Executive Producer Cate Meighan, with Emmy Award-winning Video-Editor and Co-producer Heather Dauterive, and an original score by Award-winning Multi-instrumentalist Jack Miele.
In early 2020, the music industry was readying itself for another blockbuster year. Acts like Guns N’ Roses and Foo Fighters were gearing up for major tours, while Motley Crue announced a reunion that had sold out nationwide within minutes. Symphonic shows, festivals, Vegas residencies, and club gigs were all booked solid when Covid-19 brought everything to a screeching halt. Overnight an entire billion-dollar industry was shut down and the fact remains that it will be one of the very last industries to fully reopen.
Not everyone fortunate enough to grace the stage makes a ton of money, especially when you consider the massive amount of overhead that goes into booking even the smallest of club tours. Artists feel as though their lives are at stake because their livelihood is their life. If they cannot work, then they cannot feed their kids and they just aren’t going to make it. Right now, no one is waiting for a rock star to sign a contract or respond to an email- musicians are just as unemployed as those who would normally pay hard-earned money to see them play.
Those working behind the scenes in the industry are the hardest hit, living through a situation that snuck up on them and has then unfolded like a gradual continuation of an utter disaster. There is no money to be made, people are getting sick, and hundreds of thousands are dying. Many often do not realize just how much one venue benefits an entire community and the tourism industry. People stop for dinner before a show, they stay in a hotel, they shop, they fuel up before driving home. Everyone from parking attendants to the guy that stocks the ice behind a bar has been directly impacted by the hard-hit music business.
Let The Music Playis a feature-length documentary that gives viewers a detailed glimpse inside of this shattered and shuttered industry through the eyes of its’ hardest workers. Famous artists, indie artists on the rise, plus rock and dance acts working the club circuit on both coasts have all lent their voices to this documentary. We also believed it was crucial to hear from the National Independent Venue Association, various promoters, venue owners, and a mastermind merch guy that put together one of the most popular streaming concerts of the year. Every voice was crucial to the telling of this story and in our eyes, they also share an equal amount of importance. They speak openly about the financial hardship, deep depression of losing something that they love so much (even temporarily), and the things that they are doing to help keep their own positivity and hope alive.
Since we are dealing with Covid-19 restrictions and there is no such thing as a backstage interview, we met our interviewees exactly as they were. Some have studios at home with great cameras and others had a more normal setup. As a media team we prefer perfection of course, but these are not normal times and we needed to be authentic. This group of people has been so incredibly honest with us and we feel a responsibility to be just as honest with our viewers in how they are portrayed.
The cast of Let The Music Play includes:
Sal Abbatiello – Promoter/Manager/Venue Owner
Stacey David Blades – Crashing Wayward/ Ex-L.A. Guns
Whey Cooler – Pretty Poison
Jesse James Dupree – Jackyl
Audrey Fix Shaefer – Communications Director NIVA/Save Our Stages
Tony Hall – Dumpstaphunk/Neville Brothers/Harry Connick Jr.
Joel Hoekstra – Whitesnake/Cher
Haley Johnsen – American Idol Semi-finalist
Ron Keel – Ron Keel Band
Todd Kerns – Slash & The Conspirators
Jeffrey “Soave” Martinez – Freestyle Artist
Sabrina Nieves – The Cover Girls
Jeff Pilson – Foreigner/Ex-Dokken/Black Swan
Greg Ross – Owner of Manic Merch/Creator of Back To The Basement
Numa Saisselin – President of The Florida Theatre of Performing Arts
Jade Starling – Pretty Poison
Chris Steven- Indie Artist
Michael Sweet – Stryper
Ace Von Johnson – L.A. Guns/Faster Pussycat
Chip Z’Nuff – Enuff Z’Nuff
More information is available at www.letthemusicplay.org.
To view Let The Music Play please click the link below.
Jump back, what's that sound Here she comes, full blast and top down Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue Model citizen zero discipline Don't you know she's coming home with me? You'l lose her in the turn I'll get her!
Sounds a little suggestive doesn't it? As it turns out, "Panama", the third single off of Van Halen's1984 album was in fact written about a car, not a chick. If you remember back to the summer of 1984 this was one of the most popular songs on the radio. Van Halen was kind of basking in the success of their sixth album and it was right before David Lee Roth decided to leave in favor of being a solo artist. Between "Panama", "Jump" and "Hot For Teacher" barely an hour passed without MTV showing a VH video and truth be told they were one of the groups that you could never get enough of.
1984 was such a great year in music history and Van Halen certainly played a big part in making it so memorable. Check out "Panama" below and tell me, was it your favorite track off of the album?
She's a modern day Delilah Keeps her scissors laser sharp Once she finds your weakness She'll cut you to the quick Stab you in the heart She'll love you like a lion Leave you like a lamb She's a modern day Delilah She'll cut you if she can
Do you guys remember Van Stephenson? I actually had forgotten about him completely, in spite of loving a few of his songs. It was actually a post by The 80's Man earlier today that reminded me just how much I like some of his stuff. Stephenson wrote several songs for country greats such as Crystal Gayle and Kenny Rogers before finding his own success on Billboard's charts.
"Modern Day Delilah" was his biggest hit and the video was thought to be a bit risky way back in 1984. Check it out below!
"Somehow the wires uncrossed, the tables were turned Never knew I had such a lesson to learn I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do I tidied up my point of view I got a new attitude I'm in control, my worries are few 'Cause I've got love like I never knew Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh I got a new attitude"
The 80's reintroduced us to a few women (Tina Turner) that had previous success in a group (Chaka Khan) but found their own way to a solo career. Patti LaBelle is one of them, but it took her awhile. Seven years after the demise of LaBelle, she finally returned to the charts with a little dance ditty called "New Attitude". It did well on Billboard's charts and even better on dancefloors across the globe.
The cool thing is that now, more than thirty years later, "New Attitude" is often the soundtrack to anything intended to empower woman. It has become an anthem of sorts for ladies everywhere. For now, though, let's throw it back to its' original, feel-good video.
Since Covid-19 has slowed gigs down we are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM. ICYMI Vivian Campbell is arguably one of the busiest men on the rock landscape right now. He just wrapped up playing a string of dates with his Dio-inspired bandmates from Last in Line and he will barely have a chance to catch his breath before joining Def Leppard for the European leg of their current tour. His year is booked solid and at least for right now, the iconic guitarist would have it no other way. It seems that he is quite content to be literally revisiting and honoring his early years with Dio while embracing younger generations of fans that show up night after night to hear the Def Leppard classics.
I caught up with Vivian the other day for a quick chat and discovered a man whose search for inner acceptance seems to have made his current joy that much more palpable.
Last In Line Promo Shot
Vivian on making the juggling of Def Leppard and Last In Line look easy:
"It's not easy I've got to say that, but I've always enjoyed my work and I think now I'm enjoying it more than ever. Over the last couple of years, and for the first time in my career, I'm happy with my guitar playing (laughing). It has always been a struggle for me because I've never really been content with what I did and finally after all of these years I realized that it's okay. We're all individuals and we all bring something to the table and while I may not be the worlds greatest guitar player, nobody sounds like me. We all have a unique voice and I'm happy with mine so I'm really enjoying my work.
I've also realized that while the Last In Line project is a side project, it's a very serious one to me. Especially in this day and age, you can't just phone it in. You really have to manifest it and do live shows to make it a real thing, so I've been committed to doing their tour. I am quite literally working all the time- I'm either working with Def Leppard or working with Last In Line. It's work that I really enjoy but it has also taught me another life lesson (laughing) and that is that I do finally see the importance of scheduling time off. I am intending to do that next year (laughing) because this year is already booked with both bands but next year I will plan a vacation."
Vivian on the differences between playing in both bands:
"I really enjoy both Last In Line and Def Leppard because they are two incredible bands filled with incredible musicians that I get to play with. I also get to exercise different muscles because, with the Leppard thing, it's the vocals that we're really known for. It's a high production show and very well oiled machine with two guitarists and Phil Collen really does all the heavy lifting. It's the vocal aspect there for me and being a rhythm guitar player, something that a lot of guitar players don't focus as much on, so I'm very proud of my ability in that. In Last In Line I'm not just the only guitar player but I'm the only melodic instrument in the band, we're not even touring with a keyboard player. That puts a lot of pressure on me as a guitarist but it's also very rewarding and it challenges me.
It brings me back to the origins of Last In Line, which goes back to the original Dio band. We took the name from Dio's second album and so this band is a great way for me to reconnect with that part of my life and that band. It's a challenge to play like that and I take pride in trying to nuance my performance night after night. Some of those guitar solos from those early Dio albums, in my mind I still haven't played right (laughing). I've played them 96 or 98 percent right but I'm still looking to get to a hundred percent. It's not even big things, it's tiny little things (laughing) but I need to challenge myself. I think that if you're not moving forward then you're standing still in life so I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel but I am always trying to make things better.
The same is true with Def Leppard.Joe (Elliott) and I talk about it some nights right when we come off stage. I really do think that sometimes it's only us guys in the band that notice the details. As professionals, we all do have that desire and goal to make things better rather than just phoning it in and taking the easy road. I think that is the difference between bands that are successful and bands that maybe aren't doing well. It's a matter of professional pride."
Vivian on the creativity that still is running through his veins:
"A lot of people ask why Def Leppard even bothers making new records in this day and age when people just want to hear hits from the '80s. It's important to us. We make them for that percentage of our fan base that is really excited about new Def Leppard music but more importantly, we do it for selfish reasons. We do it because there is a creative element to what we do. We want to get better at the songs that are decades old but at the same time we have a creative muscle that we all need to exercise and so we still strive to make great new records too.
It's a strange time because back when Def Leppard or even the old Dio band were first starting out we had the ecosystem of MTV and of FM radio that actually programmed their own music nationwide and even worldwide. The digital age is so different and even with all of the media, it's actually very difficult to get new music out there. There's a percentage of fans of any band that really want that new music but struggle to find it."
Def Leppard Promo Shot
Vivian on watching the Def Leppard audience evolve over the years:
It's interesting and also a good situation for a band like Def Leppard that has been growing our audience for years now. There's a strong percentage of that audience that is like our children's age now and they come to the shows all excited to hear the hits of the '80s (laughing). It's so nice to reach beyond your own generation and see your audience grow. It's such an exciting thing and it has been happening for us for the last decade or so. We really feel the energy and as our audiences get younger they also are more energetic and we feed off of that and it makes our performance more energized.
Def Leppard was obviously very big in the '80s and then the '90s were rough because the musical landscape changed so much that we were playing live just for our core fans. The late '90s brought a change in the wind and more people started showing up and we noticed that a lot of them were younger. Last year we did 60 dates in North America on a co-headlining tour with Journey and probably 40% of that audience was younger. The energy that young people bring to the show is very palpable and we really feed off of that. Especially when your playing songs that are thirty years old (laughing), we are playing them for the audience and their excitement fuels us to make things even better. It's such a good thing and it makes us really happy."
Vivian on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction:
"It's a great honor to be in the hall of fame and I definitely think Def Leppard deserves it. I'm happy because now I get to vote and have a say from the inside (laughing), but personally, I've never put a lot of stock in the industry awards. Being the new guy in the band (laughing) and it has been 27 years for me, but as a fan first, I remember buying the Hysteria album. I wore it out on cassette and then I bought it on cd, and I can remember being amazed that this landmark rock record wasn't even nominated for a Grammy. It had seven hit singles on it! That kind of framed my whole reference point for industry awards and I just don't think that they're totally reflective of merit. I will say that the thing that resonates with us is the fact that we got the biggest ever popular vote. The fans are very loyal and they made that happen. The people who have been with Def Leppard since day one are really the ones who put us here. I believe they're the ones who brought us to the attention of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
Vivian on the fans:
"The audience is vital. If there's no audience then there is no band and so that means there's no show. They are like an extra member of the band and if they aren't excited about the show then we're not so excited about playing it. We're kind of like vampires now, we feed off of that energy and if they're giving us a lot when we're giving even more back. There are certain cities all around the world that I really love to play because of their energy. There's really no such thing as a bad audience it's just a matter of how excited they can get, and then in turn how the can excite us."
"I can tell you how I feel about you night and day
How I feel about you
I'll love you more in the rain or shine
And making love in the rain is fine
A love so good and I call it mine
Love is blind"
Al B. Sure! is one of the very first soul singers that I can remember actually being my own age when he first broke through. In the late 80's I thought of Motown when I thought of soul and just about every R&B artist out there in my age group was headed in a real New Jack Swing kind of direction. Al B. Sure! kind of made me stop dead and really listen. His song "Night and Day" hit Billboard's top ten and it was one of those end of the night request countdown favorites. The perfect song to dedicate to your boyfriend or girlfriend before going to sleep.
I know Al B. Sure! was popular but I hadn't realized just how many awards he was nominated for. We're talking Grammy's, Billboard Awards, Soul Train Awards... In other words, he had the music industry's respect as well as the fan's love. Al B. Sure! is still rooted firmly in the music biz and so are his three grown sons.
Check out the video for "Night and Day" below. It's one of those songs that I always recognize 3 notes in!
"Baby tell me does she love you like the way I love you Does she stimulate you, attract and captivate you Tell me does she miss you existing just to kiss you Like the way I do Tell me does she want you, infatuate and haunt you Does she know just how to shock and electrify and rock you Does she inject you, seduce you and affect you Like the way I do Like the way I do"
Years before Melissa Etheridge became an Indie rock darling of the 90's she made some serious moves as a rocker. When her self-titled first album was released back in 1988 it featured a song called "Like The Way I Do". It never charted well on Billboard's Hot 100 but it did really well on the modern rock charts. It also was in heavy rotation on rock stations across the U.S. In between Warrant and Kix you were quite likely to hear Etheridge's "Like The Way I Do" or "Similar Features" being played to break up the hairband predictability.
Check out the video for "Like The Way I Do" below!
I wanna fall from the stars Straight into your arms I, I feel you I hope you comprehend.
I'm going to be really honest here, I don't remember very much from 1991. I was 20 and it was most definitely not my best year that's for sure. I was juggling school, work, and had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life and that day job, it really didn't help the quality of my life at all. It was an office (not so) affectionately known as "the smoke infested dungeon" because back in 1991 smoking inside of public places was perfectly legal and smoke, they did.
Twenty-five salespeople in one huge space cold calling hundreds of people each day, begging them to invest in five years worth of magazines.
Five magazines for five years. Obviously, that went really well. The same pitch call after call, half praying that the next person that answered didn't decide to do the math in your ear and point out that it was actually a $500 investment to paper that may not even exist in 5 years! Lousy job and most days ended with no commission and a massive headache from all of the smoke sitting in the air.
There were three side offices off of the main room and after about 6 months I was lucky enough to be bumped to a desk in one of them. The four people in each office were out of sight and out of managements' mind, so they usually forgot to listen to our calls. We also had a radio and believe me, besides having each other to talk to, that radio was the only other high point in the job. When you've got an office job it quickly becomes apparent just how repetitive regular radio is and back in 1991 the top 40 songs were played every 3.5 to 4 hours without fail. "Stars" by Simply Red was one of the last songs that I heard at the end of my shift every day for about two weeks leading up to when I told Hearst Corp exactly where they could stash their mags for good.
The song, combined with quitting time always made me happy back then and now, it still puts a smile on my face for sure.
"Baby how could you be hangin' out on a diamond queen Ain't you missin' me poor little me When you knew all the time that you could have been With your homegirl lovin' and a Kissin' on sweet little me
Don't you know if you want to be a man you Gotta work real hard If you want to make me feel like I'm your number one then Nothin' in the world should make us part 'Cause we can make it work if you Take it with the hurt from the heart."
Long before Pebbles was linked to the girl group that she created, TLC, she could be found burning up the charts herself. In 1990 she released her second album, Always, which was completely produced by Babyface and then-husband L.A. Reid. The result was some literal New Jack Swing magic. "Giving You the Benefit" was the lead single off of the album and it landed in the top ten on Billboard's Hot 100.
This song was straight dancefloor fire when it was first released and it's one of those that still gets people moving. This queen had a way of throwing down female anthems that we were all able to sing along to with a nice bit of attitude. Pebbles, the artist hasn't made an album in a while, but Sister Perri can be found on social media promoting all things peaceful and godly.
But let's revisit this fantastic song. Oh and another thing, this video is for me, one of the very best of the 90's. Check it out.
"Time of season Wipes the tears No rhyme or reason No more fears All the dreamin' Is far behind You are here now Everything's alright"
Is Saigon Kick one of the most underrated bands around? Their fans like to think so. After forming back in 1988 the band finally made a huge breakthrough with their 1992 hit ballad, "Love is on the Way". It made it to number 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 but more importantly, the song got tons of airplay across the country.
Technically, "Love is on the Way" is considered a one-hit-wonder but the band is still around, thirty years after the fact. I realized that I had never listened to a full album of Saigon Kick's and so I gave The Lizard a shot. You should too, it's definitely worth a spin. In the meantime, here's "Love is on the Way".
Are you like me? Do you recognize this song a few seconds in, whenever you do hear it?
You've brought my world to an end Love takes its victim and leaves its remains My broken heart has died in vain Tell me why have we forsaken the dreams we had The pain makes it so hard to understand You're a lifetime ago but a memory away And I'll love you till my resurrection day Love kills the fire's gone Dying embers still remain Love kills and now you're gone Girl, I'll never be the same again
I'm going to be honest here, saying that I don't remember Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Love Kills" is an understatement for me. It was released back in 1988 on the A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master soundtrack and pooped up in an episode of MTV Classic'sMetal Mayhem this morning. Vincent started the group back in 1984, after finding fame as a member of KISS. In 1986 he hired Mark Slaughter to handle the lead vocals and the group then had a few successful tracks.
Anyway, I stumbled onto this video this morning and was struck by just how good 22-year-old Slaughter (looked) sounded here. He later went on to find success with his own band, Slaughter, into the 90's. In the years since "Love Kills" the group obviously disbanded but the guys have continued rocking out individually. Check out the video below, do you remember this one?
I was raised by parents that loved Fleetwood Mac. I vaguely remember parties thrown by them back in the 70's, a bunch of people crammed into our small living room with Stevie Nicks singing in the backdrop. Then when Tusk first came out my dad was absolutely obsessed. He played the title cut CONSTANTLY, on loop for what seemed like days. I totally got it though. I really was different from everything else that he played and I loved it. Still, I wouldn't exactly peg myself as a Fleetwood Mac "fan". I'm more of a cherry picker, with them and lots of other artists that I'm "supposed to" love.
That pickiness has still led me to a bunch of songs by the band (and by the individual artists' as well) that I do love, like "Big Love". It comes from their 1987 release Tango in the Night, which I generally do like from start to finish. "Big Love", especially acoustic versions later on, really made me appreciate Lindsay Buckingham's voice and guitar skills. He and Christine McVie released an album of duets that have done really well and is considered to be a follow up to songs from 30 years ago, like "Big Love". Check out the video below!
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