Currently Booming: The Human League - Young Guns Documentary

Boom Radio: Deep Dives with Patrick Hemming (Aired 1-21-22)

Listen to "DeepDives: 01 21 22 (AOR ‘08-‘20)" on Spreaker.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Pet Shop Boys - 'Love Comes Quickly'

 

You can live your life lonely
heavy as stone
Live your life learning
and working alone
Say this is all you want
but I don't believe that it's true
'cause when you least expect it
waiting round the corner for you

Love comes quickly
whatever you do
you can't stop falling
Love comes quickly
whatever you do
you can't stop falling

 

1986 was the year when The Pet Shop Boys broke through in the states. "West End Girls" shot to the top of the charts and synth music was at the height of its' popularity. The Pet Shop Boys followed up that song with a track called "Love Comes Quickly" that didn't do quite as well on the charts. It still remains one of the band's favorite songs as well as one of mine. "Love Comes Quickly" is about the lack of control you have when falling in love. Suddenly it hits you that the feelings are already there.

 

Check out this live performance of the song from Wembley in 1989!

 

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: Alice In Chains - 'Would?'

"Into the flood again
Same old trip it was back then
So I made a big mistake
Try to see it once my way
Drifting body it's sole desertion
Flying not yet quite the notion"

The early 90's were truly one of the most depressing eras in music history. Grunge replaced hair metal and suddenly everyone was not just introspective, but fairly depressive and that's probably why the sound didn't last for very long. The great thing about grunge was that artists had found their way back to writing real songs again. Between glam rock songs about partying and hot chicks, and dance songs about partying and having a good time, the end of the 80's songwriting lacked depth. It was kind of refreshing to hear artists saying things that mattered again.

I think one of the best examples to come out of the 90's is Alice in Chains' "Would". Sure it embodied the heavy sound that everyone was creating but it also touched on death, addiction and not passing judgment. Jerry Cantrell had been thinking of Andrew Wood (who had died of a heroin overdose a few years earlier) and all of the issues that his untimely death had caused, so he put it to music and people got it. 

The song itself holds up better than most other early 90's tracks. Grunge has a way of sounding dated now and only a handful of tracks seem to have held up as well as "Would?". Check out the video below.

Daily Boom Lost Hit: SWV - 'Right Here'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Natalie Cole - 'Jump Start (My Heart)'

"Our love is running down, done fell into a slump

Give me a spark to get the fire burning

A get my engine moving, set these wheels a turning

Our love could use some rejuvenation

You bring the wine, I'll bring the sweet conversation

Romance is here to stay, I'll testify 'cause I need some today

So won't you

Jump start my heart

Charge me up when I'm running down

Oh, jump start my heart

Lift my feet up off the ground"

"Jump Start (My Heart)" is a bit of a lost hit for Natalie Cole. I think most people associate her with ballads and songs that serve as a tribute to her father (Nat King Cole). But by now, you know me and you know that I can't turn down a song that makes me want to move something. I mean, that's a good way to kick off the weekend right?  Check out the video below for "Jump Start (My Heart)". Do you remember it?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Club Nouveau - 'Why You Treat Me So Bad'

Oh, girl, I loved you but you

Turned and you walked away

I would love you more tomorrow

Than I know I do today

Do you remember Club Nouveau? Sure you do if you were raised in the '80s because back in 1987 their remake of "Lean On Me" shot to number one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, making it one of those songs that stayed stuck in your head. Club Nouveau followed that hit with a song called "Why You Treat Me So Bad" which did really well on the dance charts. The beat resembles Timex Social Club's "Rumours" and for good reason, Jay King formed Nouveau' after leaving Timex Social Club and fully embracing a new jack swing sound.

Lyrically, this song kind of speaks to all of us. Who hasn't realized that they were dating the worst possible person and probably for way too long? "Why You Treat Me So Bad" is a breakup anthem, 1980's style. Check out the video below, do you remember this one?

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Quiet Riot - 'The Wild and the Young'

Daily Boom Lost Hits: A'Me Lorain- 'Whole Wide World'

"I always love a little mystery
But now the tensions killing me
No place left for words to hide
I never thought it could be quite so tough
Lips once sealed are splitting up
There ain't no secrets to outshine, father time."

I can remember walking into a Listening Booth store in the middle of my local mall and flipping through their one rack of 12" dance mixes of freestyle/house music and finding a copy of A'Me Lorain's "Whole Wide World". I bought that and a copy of Lisette Melendez's "Together Forever" and felt like I hit the music lottery. Back in 1990, in the middle of suburban Pennsylvania, club music was a novelty rather than a standard. I was 90 minutes from Philly, two hours from NYC and basically just far enough out for stores not to carry a whole lot of dance stuff. 

I was still glued to Dance Party USA and my friends from the series so I knew what was popping in the clubs. I found a way to get my hands on Judy Torres and Coro even if I had to order it. But A'Me Lorain was an unexpected find and I played this record into the ground. She is still around, in case you were wondering. She dropped a dance track last spring that didn't do much chart-wise, in spite of getting a bit of club play. You can check it out here.

In the meantime, revisit "Whole Wide World"!

90's Nostalgia: Lisa Fisher- 'How Can I Ease the Pain'

All alone, on my knees I pray

For the strength to stay away

In and out, out and in you go

I feel your fire

Then I lose my self control

How can I ease the pain

When I know your coming back again

And how can I ease the pain in my heart

I have to admit, I had completely forgotten about Lisa Fisher's "How Can I Ease The Pain" until MTV Classic played it's stunning video the other day. Whatever I was doing at the time, I stopped to watch every second of it. This, is easily one of the very best ballads of the 90's. When it was released back in 1991 Fisher kind of skyrocketed to success. She was the IT girl and was expected to follow "How Can I Ease The Pain" with years of equally gut-wrenching ballads. Her Grammy win for the track only reinforced that notion.

So where has Fisher been for the last 25 years? The answer is everywhere. She has toured, dueted and provided backing vocals for Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan... you get the idea. She also does tour on her own and sounds even better live. Few songs from the 90's connect with heartbreak quite like "How Can I Ease The Pain".

Daily Boom Lost Hit: The Rolling Stones- 'Anybody Seen My Baby'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Howard Jones - 'Everlasting Love'

She wasn't looking for a cuddle in the back seat
He wasn't looking for a five minute thrill
She wasn't thinking of tomorrow or of next week
This vacancy he meant to permanently fill
I need an everlasting love
I need a friend and a lover divine
An everlasting precious love
Wait for it, wait for it, give it some time.

Howard Jones is an interesting 80's icon. Despite having 15 songs to hit the top 40 from 1983-1992, he was hardly a media darling. Jones is to this day widely considered to be one of the most defining figures from the syth pop era but back then he was a bit of a misfit. There were always guys that looked cooler and acts that were splashier and in the end Jones actually admitted that it was just fine with him. He never necessarily was taking aim at fitting in anyway.

Instead of being known for his look, it's his music that has lasted for decades. Catchy songs like "What Is Love" and "No One Is To Blame" still get plenty of blame. I happen to still love "Everlasting Love"- a nifty little tune about a guy looking for a whole lot more than just a quick fling. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Paul Young- 'Come Back and Stay'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Naked Eyes- 'Promises Promises'

"Second time around
I'm still believing words that you said
You said you'd always be here
"In love forever"
Still repeats in my head
You can't finish what you start
If this is love it breaks my heart"

Sometimes there's a particular reason behind the 80's throwback each day and other times, there really is not. Today I can thank Spotify's Discover Weekly for making the choice for me. If you have Spotify then check out your own personalized Discover Weekly. Basically, they curate a special playlist for you each week based on your musical taste and I have to say, I usually love what they put together for me. 

Anyway, Naked Eyes "Promises, Promises" is on my current list and it's a song that I've always loved, It was the second release back in 1983 off of their Burning Bridges album. Ironically, Naked Eyes was actually one of the very first groups to make full use of synthesizers in their music. If you were around in the early '80s then I don't have to explain just how popular the synth sound was and how it really ruled Billboard's Hot 100. 

Boom Radio: Mojo Rocks with Mojo Moomey (Aired 1-14-22)

Boom Radio: Deep Dives with Patrick Hemming (Aired 1-14-22)

Listen to "DeepDives 01 14 22 1985-1993" on Spreaker.

Currently Booming: Def Leppard on 'American Bandstand'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Culture Club - 'Miss Me Blind'

"Now there's no need to demand

Grab my golden hand

I'll teach you

And you'll never be sure

If the way that you need

Is too much like greed

Decide if you are rich or you're poor

I know you'll miss me

I know you'll miss me

I know you'll miss me blind

Bet you make the fool run

Bet you know how

To make it last forever"

I have to admit, Culture Club always kind of gets a little lost in my pile of 80's classics and I'm never really sure why. I've always been a Boy George fan and some of this groups' songs really are timeless. Then there are those that carry a personal time-stamp, like "Miss Me Blind". This takes me back to a Friday night in 1984 when it was pouring and we had just left a pizza parlor connected to our local mall. We stepped outside into the rain and a few thunderbolts later and my parents and I were taking cover inside of The Jean King- a store that was exactly like its' name implied. 

As the rain poured down on the roof above, I was surrounded by racks of Jordache, Calvin Klein and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. It was denim heaven. I'm pretty sure if I walked into that store today I'd be amazed by how small it actually was but on this particular night, it was divine. In my mind any good store also has great music playing and "Miss Me Blind" was always my favorite Culture Club song so obviously, the fact that it was on here only makes the memory sweeter. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom Freestyle Flashback: Noel - 'Silent Morning'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Thompson Twins- 'Doctor Doctor!'

I saw you there, just standing there

And I thought I was only dreaming, yeah

I kissed you then, then once again

You said, you would come and dance with me

Dance with me, across the sea

And we could feel the motion of a thousand dreams

                        Doctor, doctor, can't you see, I'm     

Burning burning?

Oh, doctor, doctor, is this love, I'm feeling?

I often will say that 1984 was musically one of the best years of my life. In a matter of months Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Cyndi Lauper and countless others were blaring from boom boxes while revolutionizing the fashion of an era. The group Thompson Twins can also quite easily be included in the mix of great music. 

Into The Gap was the group's fourth album (led by Tom Bailey and Alannah Curie) and it cranked out a few hits that landed on Billboards charts, including my favorite, "Doctor! Doctor!"  The heavy synth song did incredibly well on both the Hot 100 and Billboard's dance charts. The video itself was made at a time when technical tricks were more important than any kind of story line. Clouds, pastel lighting and ice skaters all are heavily featured in between the Thompson Twins performing their song. Check it out for yourself below. Do you still love this new wave style?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Stevie Nicks -'I Can't Wait'

"She wonders how many more hours
Her heart will feel broken
In secret she says she needs to see him
But no words are spoken
She dances around in a circle
Well she's got that feeling now
Blame it on something at first sight
Put the blame on me if you want to
To be continued
I can't wait... I can't wait"

I've always thought that "I Can't Wait" is one of Stevie Nicks' better solo songs. It was the first single released from her third solo album back in 1985 and it did very well. It made it to number 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 and the video was n heavy rotation on MTV. Still, it seems to be lost beneath a bunch of other songs by Nicks and after I did a bit of digging I realized the reason why. 

Stevie explained it herself in the liner notes of her 1991 compilation album, Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks.

"To understand this song, you sort of have to let yourself go a little crazy. Love is blind, it never works out, but you just have to have it. I think this was about the most exciting song that I had ever heard. My friend, Rick, whom I had known since I was 18 and he was 13, brought over this track with this incredible percussion thing, and gave it to me asking me if I would listen to it and consider writing a song for it. I listened to the song once, and pretended not to be that knocked out, but the second Rick left, I ran in my little recording studio and wrote 'I Can't Wait.' It took all night, and I think it is all about how electric I felt about this music. And that night, that SATURDAY night, Rick and I went into a BIG studio and recorded it. I sang it only once, and have never sung it since in the studio. Some vocals are magic and simply not able to beat. So I let go of it, as new to me as it was; but you know, now when I hear it on the radio, this incredible feeling comes over me, like something really incredible is about to happen.""

If you search on Youtube you'll see that she performed it a few times in 1986 but left it alone after that. I understand that rush that she mentions because I get it too whenever "I Can't Wait" comes on the radio. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: The Hooters - 'Johnny B'

"It's a sleepless

night she's callin' your name

It's a lonely ride I know how you want her

Again and again you're chasin' a dream yeah

But Johnny my friend she's not what she seems

Johnny B how much there is to see

Just open your eyes and listen to me

Straight ahead a green light turns to red

Oh why can't you see oh Johnny B"

Back in the mid-eighties if you were living in Pennsylvania then you were very familiar with a group called The Hooters. They were from Philly and had a string of hits that landed on Billboard's hot 100. "And We Danced" and "All You Zombies" were probably the most popular but my favorite was "Johnny B". How popular were The Hooters? They actually opened the Philly portion of a huge ditty called Live Aid, one of the most star-studded benefit concerts of all time. 

Fast-forward more than 30 years and The Hooters are still around and on occasion they do pop up to play a gig together. Check out "Johnny B" below.

'Let The Music Play' Feature-Length Documentary on COVID-19's Decimation of the Music Industry is OUT NOW! (Watch)

 

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 Play is 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.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Bananarama - 'Venus'

"Goddess on the mountain top
Burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name
She's got it
Yeah, baby, she's got it
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire."

Back in the spring of 1986, Bananarama found their way to the top of the U.S. Billboard charts with their remake of The Shocking Blue's "Venus". It was a song that they believed would lend itself to dance floors but it took a bit of convincing to find a production team that agreed. Thankfully they did and their instincts were dead on because "Venus" still to this day has a way of setting any dance floor on fire.

The video for this is just so much fun. Sure, Bananarama has always loved to play dress up but my favorite moments of "Venus" is when they are all just dancing and having a blast. Check it out below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Glenn Frey - 'You Belong To The City'

"You're out of your room
And down on the street
Moving through the crowd
In the midnight heat
The traffic roars
And the sirens scream
You look at the faces
It's just like a dream"

Miami Vice was never my thing. In fact, I'm not sure that I've ever watched an entire episode of the 80's classic show (maybe I should), but the soundtrack? Well, that was fantastic. There was a time in the middle of the decade when every artist either wanted a cameo on the show or at the very least to have one of their songs featured. I think my very favorite song used was Glenn Frey's "You Belong to the City".

Sure it worked great with the Miami vibe on the show, but it also worked great for the rest of America. It went to number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1985 and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV. I know because I actually remember doing the math so that I could anticipate when it would show next so that I could watch it. 

It's another great 80's song with a fantastic sax solo- which can totally make a song, in case you haven't already noticed. "You Belong to the City" has just enough wail in there to make it fantastic. Check it out below!

Boom Radio: Mojo Rocks with Mojo Moomey (Aired 1-7-22)

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: David Bowie - 'China Girl'

"I couldn't escape this feeling with my China girl

I feel a wreck without my little China girl

I hear her heart beating loud as thunder

Saw these stars crashing

I'm a mess without my little China girl

Wake up in the morning, where's my little China girl

I hear her heart's beating loud as thunder

Saw these stars crashing down"

It has been awhile since anything by David Bowie has made its' way on to DailyBOOM, hasn't it? So let's revisit "China Girl", a song that was first recorded by Iggy Pop in the late 70's with little fanfare. He and Bowie had written it together and when Bowie remade it in 1983, it found commercial success. It's off of the Let's Dance album and the single was sandwiched between the title track and the later release of "Modern Love", so it was basically positioned for success.

The song itself has always had a bit of a double meaning. While the video depicts a romance, China is a term for heroin and girl is a term for cocaine. Bowie supposedly loved the hidden meaning of the song because he loved adding different layers to his music. 

I just remember loving the song as a kid and I still believe it's one of Bowie's best tracks to come out of the 80's. Check out the video below!

Boom Radio: Deep Dives with Patrick Hemming (Aired 1-7-21)

Listen to "Deep Dives 1985-1992 01 07 22" on Spreaker.

Currently Booming: Donna Summer Live- VH1 Special from 1999 (Watch)

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Debbie Gibson - 'Foolish Beat'

"When I was sorry
It was too late to turn around (turn around)
And tell you so.
There was no reason
There was no reason
Just a foolish beat of my heart.
I could never love again the way that I loved you (oh)
I could never cry again like I did when I left you
And when we said goodbye,
Oh the look in your eyes
Just left me beside myself without your heart (without your heart)
I could never love again now that we're apart"

Remember the very first break up song that hit a nerve with you? I can remember a few when I was about 16. Expose's "Seasons Change" and Debbie Gibson's "Foolish Beat".  One was about basically moving on and the other kind of wallowed in the angst. Since I was wallowing myself, "Foolish Beat" kind of felt like it was written for me. It to this day feels like a diary entry that I could have written back in 1988. That devastation of your first break up, even if the other person was truly an idiot, is universal. That's what makes "Foolish Beat" pretty timeless.  The words still resonate at pretty much any age, don't they?