Believe it or not, there was a moment in time when women couldn't get enough of Loverboy's lead singer, Mike Reno. I know this for sure because my mom appeared to be one of them. Was it the red leather pants? Was it the bandanna tied around his head? Was it his aggressive lyrics that did it? Who knows maybe it was a combo of all three. All that I'm positive of is that something that he did worked because the band was hot and nearly forty years after they first got together, here we are still mentioning them.
1981's Get Lucky album really put Loverboy on the musical map here in the states and the string of singles that it produced was the proof. "When It's Over" was a breakup anthem with a twist. It was told from the perspective of a man watching another woman's relationship crumble. In other words, Reno was the best friend, would be lover or older brother trying to save you from yourself and your own bad judgment. Who doesn't need one of those? Check it out for yourself below!
I always wondered why Lisa Stansfield didn't become a bigger star in the states. When she broke out in the late '80s her voice was something different. She wasn't a pop princess like Debbie Gibson or Tiffany or... instead she had an older, more grown sound. She fused pop, soul and a touch of jazz with some pretty perfect balance. What that meant for her biggest hit, "All Around the World" was that it found a comfortable spot on numerous Billboard charts. It just kind of fit wherever you put it and on numerous occassions, the song fit at number one.
You can still find Stansfield performing to this day and I have to believe that smaller venues are really her favorites. Her music can just envelope an audience in theaters and clubs. Check out the video for "All Around the World" below. Do you remember it?
If everlasting love is What you're waiting for Then that time for you Just has arrived
When I say the name Sheena Easton a lot of you will probably connect her one of those big 80's ballads ("For Your Eyes Only" anyone?) that she sang. She spent the first five years of her career being packaged as the proverbial good girl- and then Sheena hooked up with Prince and her image went through a huge overhaul. "Sugar Walls" showed us all a completely different side of her, one most certainly motivated by her work with Prince. By 1988 the songstress had signed with a new label and was embarking on a more soulful, R&B path.
"The Lover In Me" made it to number two on Billboard's Hot 100 but not without some mixed reviews. For every music critic that insisted that this was Sheena's best work to date, there was another just waiting for a chance to pan it. Check out the video below. Did you prefer her work later on in the '80s when her image had been vamped up, or did you prefer the sweeter Sheena who sang "Morning Train"?
Tonight in the city You won't find any pity Hearts are being twisted Another lover cheated, cheated In the bars and the cafes, passion In the streets and the alleys, passion A lot of pretending, passion Everybody searching, passion
I've already told you guys that music played a huge part in everyday life for me as a kid in the 80's. My dad had the most enviable record collection but of course, there was conflict along the way. My mom didn't exactly love his hobby and she blatantly disapproved of a lot of the artists that he brought in the front door. He got away with a lot but it was fairly well known that dad was expected to keep a close eye on what 45's I wanted. The only problem there was that because music is such a subjective thing he just wasn't inclined to tell me no.
Dad suffered through several spinning's of "Disco Duck" before being happy to watch me move on to ABBA. Dad might have been a classic rock kind of guy but he had no problem encouraging my love of disco, at least until I discovered Pat Benetar and then my taste was all over the place.
I still can remember this one Saturday afternoon when he and I drove to a record store in a strip mall next to a Kmart (back when the blue light special was alive and well). There were several record stores that we would frequent and if you told me that they wouldn't exist a few decades later I would never have believed it. Anyway, the Saturday afternoon deal was always that I could get a 45 or 2 if it was a really good week. I looked and looked, knowing exactly what I wanted, Rod Stewart's "Passion". It was probably 1980 and not exactly appropriate for a 9-year-old. Dad actually said no, probably because he envisioned my mom's reaction if he bought it for me.
The next weekend I had a plan. I had 179 pennies in a sandwich bag because if it was my money he probably wouldn't stop me. I walked up to the counter with "Passion" in one hand and the pennies in the other. The shop owner made me count them out and then he scooped them up and dumped them into his register drawer. I think my dad secretly liked how nervy I was, but warned me that my mom would be pissed & he would likely get blasted too.
I don't remember her words exactly but I do remember him defending me and saying I probably just loved the music (true story) and he wasn't going to stop me if I had the nerve to bust my piggy bank for it. Needless to say, "Passion" got thrown in the garbage but about a week later my dad bought it and magically gave it to me after he was done with it. For years afterward my dad would buy 45's, put them on tape & I'd inherit the vinyl.
It's 35 years later and yes, not only do I have that 45 but I also have the album that is was on. "Passion" is played fairly often in my house, to this day.
"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!
"Every time I hear your voice And I look into your eyes Sends a burning sweet sensation Oh, inside of me The look in your eyes Has found me I am sending Sending my love to you Praying that you are home Sealing it with a kiss"
Zhanefirst caught my eye back in 1994 when their "Hey Mr. DJ" kind of became an anthem. They were a little hip hop but with a smooth neo soul groove thrown in. Their harmonies were tight and there was little there not to love. Zhane had a string of hits in the mid-90's but my very favorite is still "Sending My Love". It's a bit slower and smoother than their other stuff. Rather than rambling on I'm going to just tell you to check it out. Do you remember this?
I won't bore you with the details, baby I don't even wannna waste your time Let's just say that maybe You could help to ease my mind Baby, I ain't Mr. Right But if you're looking for fast love If that's love in your eyes, it's more than enough Had some bad love Some fast love, is all that I've got on my mind
There's something really refreshing about a person that just owns their stuff and says exactly what they mean, isn't there? You don't have to agree with or even like the message, but to have the nerve to do it is really something. So back in April of 1996 when George Michael finally put his real cards on the table I was impressed.
Of course I'm talking about "Fastlove" one of the best tracks off of Michael's Older album. Rather than wishing for love or trying to mend a broken heart, he knows exactly what he wants- a no strings attached fling. What's interesting is the way that people really embraced this song in spite of it being about a one night stand. Michael is smooth, risque and kind of at his best on this dance song, probably because of the authenticity.
What are your thoughts on 90's George Michael? Do you prefer this sexier variation or do you rather him from his days fronting Wham?
I was first introduced to Jim Peterik's work when I was still in diapers. In the 1970s my dad was music-obsessed and used his gigs in local radio to justify his growing vinyl collection. Growing just as quickly was his literal wall of stereo equipment. He would make several trips to a store called Stereo House before finally plunking down a wad of cash and walking out with a big box of something that he would spend the next several hours agonizing over. The sound had to be just right and one of his favorite songs to use in order to achieve that perfect musical balance was "Vehicle" by The Ides of March, a group co-founded by Peterik 55 years ago.
Aside from playing guitar, keys and being a vocalist, Peterik is also considered to be songwriting royalty. His work with 38 Special, Sammy Hagar, REO Speedwagon, and more has been top-notch, paving the way to a Grammy win for a little ditty called "Eye of the Tiger", a song by Survivor (another blockbuster group that he co-founded).
After more than fifty years in the industry, Peterik still has plenty to do. He is writing for the likes of The Beach Boys, still performing with The Ides of March, and recently released a single, "Proof of Heaven" with Dennis DeYoung off of his latest World Stage release,Winds of Change. I had a chance to chat with Peterik recently and it was like climbing into a musical time machine that I didn't want to step away from. Check it out below.
Photo: Jim Peterik's Official Facebook
Jim Peterik on working with Dennis DeYoung on "Proof of Heaven":
"The song with Dennis DeYoung was a long time coming because we've been friends for forty years or something. I had my first hit "Vehicle" withThe Ides of Marchwhen he was just getting started. He was making the transition from Tradewinds (later TW4) to a group called Styx, while we were at the top of the charts. Here they come with this song called "Best Thing" and I thought, 'Oh boy' (laughing). We became friends and very friendly rivals at the same time, but we've always had a deep respect for each other. He recently moved nearby, to the suburbs of Chicago, and so we started just going to dinner together with our wives, with absolutely no agenda. Dennis started to tell me about his new band that is kind of Styx-y that he plays with now, and how he has been doing theatrical work and solo work, but he started to get really excited when telling me about how he wanted to get back into rock and roll. Of course, (laughing) I was the final nail in that coffin because I told him he had to make a new record. Yeah I know, they don't sell anymore, yadda yadda, I know, but people want to hear his voice. They want to hear his music, and so I just kept hammering him (laughing). He'll tell you that if it wasn't for me he probably wouldn't have done the album, but once he got started then he really reclaimed that sound that he was such a big part of creating with Styx.
"Proof of Heaven" is really kind of like proof of Dennis because it so echoes the Styx sound. I co-wrote it with him and I was very supportive of that sound. He asked me to put it on my World Stage album and I was stunned because it was supposed to be for his album. He really wanted it on this album and he wanted to do the video together and to just make it great, and so, of course, I said 'Hell yeah', (laughing). It was a beautiful thing and then when he gave me the green light we went into the studio with some of his band and some of the people that I work with. It was like a collective when we finally cut it, a hybrid of Dennis' world and my world.
I'm anxious for people to listen to World Stage because it's one of my highest moments. I got to work with some of my heroes and I'm really thankful to be able to blend old friends with new friends on this project."
Photo: Jim Peterik's Official Facebook
Jim on the lightning in a bottle that is The Ides of March:
"It's a funny little story. I wrote the song "Vehicle" to try and win my girlfriend back and I guess it worked because 46 years later I'm still married to her (laughing). We never thought it was going to be a hit record. We already had one song out called "One Woman Man" which was great but it stiffed, so Warner Brothers dropped us. We were trying to win them back by putting a demo tape together and "Vehicle" was number four on this tape, out of four songs. It was decent and when we played it at dances the dance floor would fill up, so we saw it as that kind of song and not really a hit song. That's how much we knew (laughing). We cut it and the record company said, 'That's the song, guys!'. It was the fastest rising record in Warner Brothers history and suddenly I'm 19-years-old and on the road with Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, and The Grateful Dead wondering what just happened. The oldest guy in our group was only 21 and it was just incredible. Even more incredible is that the song is still around. You still hear it on the radio and in commercials on television.
The Ides of March have now been together for 55 years and on August 15th we're releasing our anniversary album called Play On, with the original four guys. We're really proud of it and we're doing a double vinyl album with the fourth side being all of the classic masters. We have never stopped playing, even in the seventeen years that I was with Survivor. It went to the back burner for me, but we never stopped. I think we're the oldest living band with its' original four members."
Jim on Survivor and unearthed Jimi Jamison vocals:
"Oh, it was a great band and we made a lot of great music. The chemistry in a band isn't always smooth and sometimes the jagged edges are what help to really create that unique band. I think that kind of summarizes Survivor. There was a lot of tension, creative differences, and power struggles that were not pleasant at the time, but I think that those things helped to form what we were. I can't argue with the success and we created a real signature sound that was Survivor. We were blessed with two great singers, with Dave Bickler who sang "Eye of the Tiger", and the Jimi Jamison who sang so many great hits. I miss him every day, to this day.
Flash forward to the present, the last track on the new World Stage album is an uncovered, lost Jimi Jamison track called "I'll Love You All Over the World". I found this old tape from 2008 and it wasn't cut very well but his vocal is stunning so I asked his heirs if I could take his voice and build a new track around it, and they said absolutely. I wasn't prepared for being in the studio with his voice. There was that wonderful tenor in the room, which will never be heard again, and there was this enormous responsibility of building a great track around it. Most of the musicians were tearing up because it was so emotional. Everybody loves this song and there's no one else who sounds like Jimi Jamison."
Photo: Jim Peterik's Official Facebook
Jim on his writing process and approach to working with legendary artists:
"I'm blessed because I'm a fan of so many different kinds of music. We all start as fans, I don't care how much success you have, you've got to be a fan. When I was five-years-old it was Elvis, The Everly Brothers, and Chuck Berry. I absorbed all of those styles and loved them all, even into the horn era when Blood, Sweat and Tears reigned supreme. You can hear that being channeled on "Vehicle". I'm a bit of a chameleon and I can kind of do it all because I'm a fan of it all. Writing with 38 Special was a really cool pairing. They first came to my house in 1981 and the first song we wrote was "Hold on Loosely", which was a pretty good way to start (laughing).
It was like a blind date, I'm sitting there in my kitchen eating nachos that my wife made, with these guys that I don't know at all (laughing). I feel like if I can break the ice and become another member of the band while writing with them, then it all works out. Don Barnes had a title, he said, 'Hold on Loosely' and I said, 'Yeah, but don't let go,' and it just went from there. In about four hours time we had that song and sent a crappy demo of it to their manager. He listened and said, 'Well guys, you just got your first top ten'. I really try to bring out what each band is all about. I knew that they were southern rock and I also knew that they needed a commercial edge to make them accessible, so that's what I tried to do for them.
I was blessed to write with one of my heroes in 2012, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. We did "That's Why God Made the Radio" and it went to number two on Billboard for The Beach Boys. I'm a huge fan of theirs and always have been so it felt very natural to try and channel Brian. I felt like I was kind of reminding him of what made him so great. He was sitting at the piano just dorking around and I'd say, 'What's that! Let me turn the tape recorder on!' (laughing). I tried to capture some of the things that maybe he wasn't even aware of. He's a genius and just so good at everything that he does, that he almost doesn't realize how good it actually is. It was my job to capture the lightning in a bottle and that song is one of my proudest moments.
You've got to be an open channel to other people's ideas. It can't be an ego trip. You've got to be like an antenna picking up everything and that's just how great songs are written."
Jim on how the older he gets, the more he stays the same:
"Nothing has really changed for me and that's a good thing. I've always wanted to write songs that meant something to me and I never looked at the bottom line. The bottom line will come if enough people relate to your song. I just always wanted to write songs that I would want to buy. I still get excited when I wake up in the morning and maybe there's a goal or a band who is looking for a song. Right now I'm working with a group that I can't mention, but we're writing songs for their album and that's what wakes me up in the morning.
The performing still matters and it's certainly part of the puzzle for me. Like tonight, I'm doing a show with The Ides of March at an outdoor community college venue which holds about 6,000 people. That's a nice crowd and we're going to do our hits of course, but we're also going to do the stuff that I've written for 38 Special, Sammy Hagar, Survivor, and then three new songs from the new album. I gain so much from the live experience and the way people react. I can ride on the high of just one show for a couple of weeks. That feeling of inspiration or of having really connected with that audience, that really inspires me to keep going.
When I was a kid I was a worrywart. I mean I worried about tornadoes, hurricanes, getting cancer, just everything (laughing). Even if I was right with all of them, I was paying too much attention to the worries and once I found my calling and stepped on stage to play "Kansas City Here I Come" for the Talented Teen Search in my hometown, I wasn't worried. I would ride on the energy of a gig like that for two weeks and then the worries would come back, so I'd have to do another show (laughing). In a way, I'm still that kid and I need music to put that shit into remission."
Jim on what will fill his time these next few months:
"I'm always playing everything by ear (laughing), but this fall will bring a lot of Ides of Marchshows because that new record is coming out. Then starting in January, we're doing some World Stage shows. The bill has not been firmed up yet, but it's going to include at least some of the prime people on the new CD. We're thinking of videotaping the first show for a World Stage special. I also think there's going to be a video for another song on the album. I'm not yet sure which one or how big the budget will be (laughing). It may be a lyric video but hey, they're effective! Frontiers Records have been really good to us and if you had a hit in the 80's that Serafino (Perugino, Frontiers founder) loves, you're golden forever.
Just to have someone who still cares means a lot. Believe it or not, we rockers can get really down in the dumps after our glory days are behind us. Serafino is like a cheerleader because he reminds us of what we meant to people and that's worth a lot. Memories are such a big part of the sound print of a song. I have a jukebox in my house and I have it stacked with my favorite memories. When I hear Elvis Presley and I can almost put myself in my parents living room with my sisters there, music is like a time machine. If you love music then it's your own private time machine and one familiar song can just change the course of your entire day."
Check out Jim's official site for updates on everything he's doing, plus info on upcoming shows. Also, check out The Ides of March's official site. Don't forget to follow Jim on Facebook and Twitter too!
"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!
I was on Facebook yesterday and saw a posting that reminded me of a long forgotten song. "C'Mon and Get My Love" was the track that introduced us to Cathy Dennis way back in 1989.
This thing was a club kid's dream and Dennis had a string of hits off of her Move To This album, all in a pretty similar vein. She released a follow up a few years later and then appeared to disappear from the charts. While she's not front and center onstage now Dennis has actually had an extremely successful career writing and producing pop songs. She is responsible for penning such tracks as Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and Britney Spears "Toxic".
Dennis has worked with just about every major pop princess within the last 15 years, but check her out here in her video debut.
Do you have a favorite Bon Jovi song? I mean, is it possible to even pick just one? During their early rise to fame the band put out a handful of albums that ultimately dominated the airwaves throughout the 80's. While it's hard to pick, and songs like "Living on a Prayer" and "Runaway" definitely make my final cut of possibilities, I think that "Born to be My Baby" tops my list. The low-budget video has also been a favorite of mine. Forget about the arena-rock crowd, glam makeup and pyro that most rock videos showcased by the end of the decade, Bon Jovi took a simple approach. Just the band working in the studio, putting together their song. Instead of flipping a switch and performing for the cameras, the cameras capture them naturally interacting and guess what? It really works. Check out "Born to be My Baby" below.
"Madalaine This is love too tough to tame Madalaine Beware of the girl Beware of the pain Running scared Through the dark of the day The story never dies But the names keep changin' And the face fade Take you dead or alive"
I think I was first introduced to Winger during an episode of Headbanger's Ball. I was in 11th grade and worked as a closer at a fast food place several nights a week. By the time I rolled in the door, it was midnight or later. Prime viewing time for hair metal videos. In an era of pretty men, Kip Winger may have just been the prettiest.
Seriously.
His hotness factor was off the charts with those piercing eyes and that hair that I was actually jealous of. His ballet moves were easily ignored or downplayed because he just looked so amazing while doing them.
The rest of the band was pretty freakin fantastic too. While their lyrics were fairly predictably, the guitar riffs and arrangements were better than most of their hair metal rivals. They toured with Bon Jovi, The Scorpions and many more- before the end of the 80's.
"Madalaine" was the first single off of Winger's self-titled debut album and it was a great introduction to the band. It was current but felt different from what every other band was doing. They caught my eye and my ear and they've now had it for thirty years.
"Madalaine" was also the very first song in the tracklist on that album and it made you want to keep listening. Check out the video below.
I haven't heard After 7's "Heat Of The Moment" in years and when I finally did, I was sure it was Bobby Brown. I mean, doesn't it sound like "Every Little Step"?? Except that I like it better than that song that Brown did for one of the Ghostbuster sequels. It was released near the end of 1989 when New Jack Swing was really catching on thanks in great part to Babyface and L.A. Reid's writing and production. They put out some of the best tracks of the era, including this one.
After 7, comprised of Melvin andKevon Edmondsand Keith Mitchell, first got together in 1987 and found success right out of the gate. Their self-titled debut album spun a few R&B number 1's ("Ready Or Not" and "Can't Stop") that also did very well on Billboard's Hot 100. "Heat Of The Moment" remains my favorite though & I think it's a great kick start to your new week, so here ya go! Check out the video below!
Now she's breakin' hearts in heaven Shinin' bright in the sky I still hear her voice in the wind I still think of you in the night, oh yeah Well I guess you'll never know How much I need her so
I was trying to find the perfect power ballad for this morning and this song by L.A. Guns came to mind. Back in 1989 "The Ballad of Jayne" caused many headbangers to pause for a moment and think about the lyrics. While the guys admitted that the song was originally a tribute to Hollywood icon, Jayne Mansfield, who was killed in a tragic accident, the lyrics resonated with just about everyone.
If you've ever lost anyone too soon then "The Ballad of Jayne" will hit a nerve. Phil Lewis' haunting vocal makes this one of the best ballads to come out of the 1980's. Plus it is pretty timeless. After taking a listen to "The Ballad of Jayne" for the first time in a while it occurred to me that it could have just been released yesterday.
As for L.A. Guns, well they're still around playing shows here and there. I'm pretty sure that "The Ballad of Jayne" ends up being one of the best songs in their setlist to this day.
