Bill Nelson - The Love That Whirls (Diary Of A Thinking Heart) (1982)

UK import

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later complimented by a CD.

Abridged album notes taken from Nelson's website:

The Love That Whirls is album that mixes vocal and instrumental pieces recorded between April and November 1981 at Ric Rac Studios, Leeds, England and Rockfield Studios Monmouth, Wales. The album reached No. 28 in the UK charts and represented a change in sound for Nelson's solo work when compared to his most recent previous output, as it featured a brightly polished production and a state of the art drum sound.

"Let me explain the title. It's actually based on a fact, rather than a poetic fantasy. It has two direct connections...the first is to the 'whirling dervishes.' These are Sufi dancers who use the whirling dance as a form of prayer and worship. They are taught to love everything and their whirling dance is an expression of that love and a means of attaining divine ecstasy. Hence 'The Love That Whirls.' The other connection is to avant-garde film maker and occultist Kenneth Anger who, in 1949, made a film titled 'The Love That Whirls.' The film was destroyed by the film processing laboratory who took it upon themselves to judge the film 'obscene.' So, you see, these things are not just random words...they are connected to certain things that interest me and inform the mood of the album."

This album is intense. I didn't listen to it much back in '82 because the arrangements are almost too dense - it's a lot to take in all at once. But when I would sit down and listen, it was similar to my preferred synthpop of the time except when it wasn't. When I was young, I simply didn't understand why a group like Flock of Seagulls saw some chart success while Nelson remained generally unknown in the U.S. Now I realize that Nelson was far more interested in creating lush, synthesized soundscapes that fulfilled his inner musician than in seeking commercial pop success. It's almost like he was caught between pop music and soundtrack work. In any case, I liked this album in 1982 and I still enjoy revisiting it every now and then. And that's not just nostalgia talking; I usually hear something new every time I spin this thing.

Press of the time:

• Smash Hits (7 out of 10): "Far from faultless but worth a listen"
• Trouser Press: "he has created a gossamer world of musical beauty"
• Record Mirror (++++): "one of this year's prime LPs"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave (1998): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My favorites are (and always have been) Flaming Desire and Empire Of The Senses. Other top cuts for me are A Private View (which greatly reminds me of early Thomas Dolby), and Eros Arriving. I like all the instrumental tracks, in particular The Bride Of Christ In Autumn, When Your Dream Of Perfect Beauty Comes True, and Echo In Her Eyes.

For this particular CD release, they added 2 tracks to the playlist, so my memory of 12 tracks must adapt to two new cuts that they stuck in as tracks 7 & 8. Looks like those two track were taken from Nelson's 1982 North American EP, Flaming Desire And Other Passions or in the UK, the Eros Arriving single.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My buddy Jim introduced me to this album in 1982 by playing Flaming Desire and I was immediately hooked with the sound of the thing despite its almost impenetrable density. Then I eventually moved on to the next new album because that's what 16 year olds do. Then, in 1988, I briefly dated a girl who had a big cardboard box of cassettes and sitting on top of the pile of tapes was this album. I immediately grabbed it and enthusiastically said, "Let's listen to this one!" which was met by a terse "no" and now you can see why that relationship didn't last long. About a decade later after that encounter, I was pleased to find Flaming Desire included in Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s series, specifically Volume 7.

This album was released in June 1982, around the time I got my drivers license and began subjecting my small town to my "windows-down-volume-up" singing performances. These transportable performances in the Markmobile very possibly included my loud but definitive interpretations of Flaming Desire.

As mentioned in the above advertisement, my LP version included an "additional free album" titled La Belle Et La Bête, which was described on the sleeve as "music composed and played by Bill Nelson for the Yorkshire Actors Company production of Jean Cocteau's Classic Film." Man-oh-man, I would loved to have seen that production. The music is nothing like The Love That Whirls and is often creepy as hell. But I still enjoy the trip every now and then so I give it a spin. And that's why I've kept both the LP version. Maybe one day I'll track down a copy of the CD that contains La Belle Et La Bête.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (1981)

David Sancious - The Bridge (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP (twice), later replaced by a CD.

This album was first issued in the UK and Japan in 1981 with the following cover:

What if I told you a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer released an album in the early 1980s and it wasn't remastered and reissued on compact disc for more than four decades?!? Sounds unbelievable, but that's exactly what happened here. I first bought the album in 1982 and listened to it quite a bit even if I didn't fully understand it. In related news, the album was my introduction to the short-lived Elektra/Musician label. My first copy of the album was sold in the (not so) great LP selloff purge of 1994. I always thought this one would be reissued on CD in the 1990s because weren't all '80s albums reissued on CD in the 1990s? Never happened. Eventually I tracked down another LP copy, burned it to a CD-R, and uploaded it to YouTube as a public service. I had resigned myself to the fact this thing was permanently out of print (POP). Thank goodness for the "reissues done right" folks over at Iconoclassic Records. Sancious himself remastered his album and it was finally reissued on compact disc in 2025. So I'd like to call this a "grail CD" even though that's not exactly accurate. But lawdy I'm happy to finally have a digital copy and the remastering sounds fantastic.

Nice story. Anyway...

The music. What about the music? Well, here's what Sancious had to say about the album in his liner notes:

It's captivating new agey solo piano but with more blues licks and gospel harmonies than you'd get from, say, Keith Jarrett or Liz Story. The compositions stand up to both passive and active listening. The pieces are hypnotic in their repetition but somehow avoid aimless noodling. I really like it but, then again, it may admittedly be a case of "right album at the right time." In the end, I guess the why and when don't matter much if you like the thing.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "cerebral, sacred studies of silence and repetition."

Album as described in the above advertisement:

A very special album of spontaneous original compositions by one of the most brilliant young musicians in contemporary music. David plays acoustic piano, synthesizers and guitar in a stunning solo recital.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #36

Tracks: It's a lengthy album (9 tracks, 49:44 minutes), especially for a release that was originally on vinyl. The lead track, titled What If?, has always been my favorite. Other top cuts include Sunday, Invisible Dance (with percussion and synth overdubs), Sleight Of Hand, and Morning. The album ends with the title track, an atmospheric 16 minute prog jazz opus complete with piano, guitar, percussion, and synths. Certainly the most interesting and involved piece on the album. And it turns out Sancious is quite a guitar player as well as keyboardist.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

The Man From Snowy River (1982)

Soundtrack for an Australian film starring Kirk Douglas. Music composed, arranged, and conducted by Bruce Rowland. I don't think I've ever seen the show, but my high school buddy Scott somehow discovered the movie back in early '80s, loved the soundtrack, bought the album, and made us listen to it quite a bit. The soaring main theme is quite lovely and I'm 90% sure I played an arrangement of said theme with one of my junior high bands back when I made a living teaching in the public schools in the early 1990s. Scott's LP was also my introduction to the Varèse Sarabande label. I really wasn't looking for a copy of the soundtrack, but when you can buy a bit of nostalgia for 50¢ in a thrift store, you do so.

The soundtrack won prizes for Rowland in the category of best score from the Australian Film Institute as well as the Australasian Performing Right Association.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 14 tracks, 34 minutes. As with many soundtracks, you get two or three themes and then variants of those themes in all sorts of instrumentation and tempi.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

Clarke/Corea/Henderson/Hubbard/White - The Griffith Park Collection (1982)

It's the old rhythm section from Return To Forever, but this time they've gone acoustic with the help of the addition of a couple of notable horn players. More post-bop and hard-bop instead of RTF's usual fusion. The same personnel on this album, plus singer Chaka Khan, recorded the throwback standards album, Echoes Of An Era, during the same recording sessions. The recording for The Griffith Park Collection was more spontaneous as the musicians played with minimal rehearsal. As described by the Elektra/Musician label:

and from the February 13, 1982 issue of CashBox magazine, p. 27:

I don't love it and that's because of the inconsistent material, not the performances (except when the musicians inexplicably try to coax nonidiomatic sounds out of their instruments). Maybe they should have stuck with standards?

Original album liner notes by Lenny White.

Stanley Clarke - bass
Chick Corea - piano
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet & flugelhorn
Lenny White - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Musician: "I for one would like to see more of this"
• Downbeat (★★★): "a good album that could be much better"
• Stereo Review: "An invigorating exercise in the arts of improvisation and teamwork." Also designated a Recording of Special Merit and received 'honorable mention' by the magazine in its Record of the Year Awards for 1982.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #35
• CashBox Jazz: #26
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #29

Tracks: The better cuts are Why Wait (written by Stanley Clarke) and Remember (written by Steve Swallow).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. This CD was purchased in an effort to collect all the releases on the Elektra/Musician label, 1982-84. Best estimates have me currently at 45 of 55 releases on either vinyl, CD, or both formats.

Utopia (1982)

Canadian import

Note: this release was originally purchased as a 2 LP set, later replaced by this CD.

At some point in late 1982, I was over at my buddy Jim's house watching MTV. Those visits happened frequently in 1982-83, especially on weekends as dates with members of the opposite sex were few and far between at that time. The unusual video for Feet Don't Fail Me Now appeared at some point and while I didn't care much for the video, I couldn't resist that hook. I bought this Utopia album on our next trip to the Houston record stores, which probably didn't happen too much after we saw the video for the first time. I didn't love the album at first. I guess I was expecting different - I mean, just look at their New Wave outfits on the cover! But I only found a little bit of a New Wave vibe; this album was a pastiche of different grooves and rotating lead singers. Plus, the format was odd: the first LP was "normal" with 5 tunes on each side, then there was a second LP (listed as a "5 track bonus LP" in the ad below) that had the same 5 tunes on both sides. It's the kind of inconvenience that puts off a lazy, 16 year old nudnik. Add to that the wide variety of styles and young Mark didn't spin this one very often.

That was then, this is now.

I eventually came to love the thing and play it often. Indeed, my enjoyment of Todd Rundgren's work has only increased over the years. And while this is decidedly a group effort in which all band members make considerable contributions in songwriting, production, and lead vocals, Rundgren is first among equals.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "With enviable ease, Rundgren and Utopia use simple melodic devices to trigger a dominolike succession of core riffs, crack rhythms and chorus hooks."
• Billboard: "this could be the band's biggest in some time."
• CashBox: "a bevy of upbeat tunes geared for hook-conscious listeners."
• Stereo Review: Best of the Month. "A Nearly Perfect Set of Well-Made Pop Songs"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #84
• Billboard Rock: #23
• CashBox: #93
• Rolling Stone: #55

Tracks: Let's rank 'em! (excluding the bonus track, the Dance Mix of Hammer In My Heart)

1. Feet Don't Fail Me Now
2. I'm Looking At You But I'm Talking To Myself
3. Neck On Up
4. Hammer In My Heart
5. Bad Little Actress
6. Forgotten But Not Gone
7. Princess Of The Universe
8. Chapter And Verse
9. Say Yeah
10. Libertine
11. There Goes My Inspiration
12. Private Heaven
13. Call It What You Will
14. Burn Three Times
15. Infrared And Ultraviolet

As you could probably guess, this album plays much better on a single CD than on 3 different LP sides. Despite the MTV airplay, the aforementioned Feet Don't Fail Me Now only managed to climb to #82 on the pop chart. I love that hook as much now as I did when I first heard it. The other single released from the album was the Hammer In My Heart, which didn't reach the pop chart at all, but managed to get to #31 on the rock chart.

Videos for Hammer In My Heart and Feet Don't Fail Me Now - along with You Make Me Crazy from the 1979 album Adventures In Utopia - appeared on a "Video 45" tape titled The Utopia Sampler.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

Gil Scott-Heron - Moving Target (1982)

German import

You ever been in a job interview where you were asked the questions, "What are some of your weaknesses?" followed up with "What are some of your strengths?" They're quite common and my go-to answer for many years was to use the same response for both questions: "I am outspoken, open, and honest. I enjoy speaking truth to power. If you agree with my thoughts, then you will view that as one of my strengths; if you disagree with me, you will see that as an annoying weakness." For Gil Scott-Heron, speaking truth to power was definitely a strength and I enjoy his brand of honest poetry set to a groove, even if the lyrics often make me uncomfortable in a white guilt sort of way.

This album certainly is all over the place in terms of styles and if I'd heard it upon release, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it, much less understood it. But the writing is good, the musicians (known as the Amnesia Express band) are top-shelf, and these days I like the blend of jazz-funk, soul, and blues with a dash of reggae. I particularly like Ed Brady's guitar solos throughout. All there to support Scott-Heron's introspective, politically rooted storytelling.

Reviews/ratings:

• Robert Christgau (B): "the horns and rhythm are progressive funk as it was meant to be"
• Washington Post: "his best yet"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #123
• Billboard Jazz: #13
• Billboard R&B: #33
• CashBox: #133
• CashBox Jazz: #7
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #4

Tracks: My favorite tracks are Fast Lane, Washington, D.C., and Blue Collar. Two tracks, the funky Fast Lane and reggae-ish No Exit, were both released as singles although neither saw any chart action.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: By late 1982, my addiction to physical media was in full bloom and I often spent time at the local music store. This store was in an old shopping center along with a grocery and a fabric store. It not only sold records and tapes, it also carried sheet music, pianos, band instruments, guitars, drums, and miscellaneous accessories. Sort of a one-stop music shop. It no longer exists and I wonder if the culprit was the internet stealing sales, poor store management, or a combination of both. I also wonder where the local folks now go for band instrument repairs, piano tuning, or guitar lessons.

In any case, I was browsing the store's vinyl stock on the regular in the early '80s and the staff would occasionally special order records for me as well. I bought a couple of albums from the store simply because I was intrigued by the covers - The Nightfly and Incognito - and those gambles paid off for me as I still listen to those albums today. I also would handle a copy of the Waitresses' album Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful and even though I was familiar with the song I Know What Boys Like, I just couldn't pull the trigger on that one, so I had to live with that loss until I bought it on CD.

And then there was a copy of Moving Target. It was in the store's bins for quite a while, so I'm unsure if the thing ever sold, but I sure was captivated by the cover that looked to me like it could be taken from an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. I must have picked up that album and inspected it closely at least a half-dozen times. That album cover was my introduction to Scott-Heron, but it would be decades before I heard the album itself. Since I retired in early 2021, I've been on a mission to read books, watch movies, and hear albums that I missed in my youth. So I finally found a used CD copy of Moving Target a few years back and have enjoyed the jazz-funk since.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1974)

Eric Gale - Blue Horizon (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

A prolific studio musician, Gale also played with Stuff. This was his seventh solo album and his only release on the Elektra/Musician label. As described in promotional material:

The effort to blend blues and reggae is prevalent throughout the album, usually in the form of Gale playing blues licks over a reggae-lite groove. Sometimes successful, other times not, but A for effort. Still, it doesn't hold together as an album. Pleasant enough but nothing particularly memorable.

Original liner notes, written by Gale.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #20
• CashBox Jazz: #22
• Radio & Records Jazz: #29

Tracks: The title track features Hugh Masekela and there are a trio of tracks with vocals from guitarist Mark Mazur. My top picks are Blue Horizon, When Tokyo?, and the upbeat 97th & Columbus. The latter is the only track on the album that sounds anything like Gale's music with Stuff. The most daring track is Call Me At The Same number, which is a reggae tune which moves from 4/4 to 6/4 & 7/4 at the chorus. Doesn't work for me, but the band seems to like the groove.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Ginseng Woman/Multiplication (1977)

Gerry Rafferty - Snakes & Ladders (1980)/Sleepwalking (1982)

EU import

I don't remember who wrote it nor on which social media platform it appeared, but several years ago I read something along the lines of "Childhood was a lot like euphoria: listening to Gerry Rafferty and not taking baths." That particular sentiment certainly applied to your humble blogger's childhood, circa 1978. However, unknown to me at the time, the writer was referring to the HBO teen drama Euphoria, not the emotion. But before I caught on to that fact, I went and ordered this two disc package to expand my knowledge of Mr. Raffery's music. I've never seen the show but I'm glad I picked this set up, mainly for the Snakes & Ladders album.

I love a good twofer CD set, but points off on this one for complete lack of liner notes. Not even playing or songwriting credits. I hate heading online for that info, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

---

SNAKES & LADDERS (1980)
12 tracks, 49 minutes

The lead track, The Royal Mile, was released as single, peaking at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, that's the only tune in this entire 2 CD set that saw any chart action in the US. Track 6, the bluesy Bring It All Home, was also released as a single. Nevertheless, this album has grown on me over the years. To my ears, it reliably delivers Rafferty’s characteristic blend of soft rock, folk, and pop sensibilities. It doesn't pack the punch that City To City delivers, but if you enjoyed that 1978 album, there's something here for you.

Press of the time:

• Trouser Press: "He varies the mood noticeably from song to song, which allows you to appreciate what a really clever songwriter he can be."
• CashBox: "truly a master at producing driving power pop tunes."
• Billboard: "brilliant LP"
• Record World: "This one sounds more like his first." [note: by "first," the writer is incorrectly referring to City To City] 

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #61
• CashBox: #140

---

SLEEPWALKING (1982)
8 tracks, 37 minutes

This is a horse of a different color. Rafferty moves from his folky soft rock to music that utililzes lots of synths and production tricks. But I understand an artist's desire to keep up with the popular sound while playing around with the latest technology. From Rafferty's website:

By 1982, after releasing three albums in quick succession, Rafferty’s was keen to take his music – and his life - in a different direction. The result was Sleepwalking.

Christopher Neil, who replaced Hugh Murphy, Rafferty’s usual producer, introduced the synthesisers and drum machines Rafferty would enthusiastically build into his musical repertoire. The resulting album is brave attempt to create a crisper less acoustic sound, with far less intricate arrangements, that builds on Rafferty’s folk-pop roots.

Sleepwalking can be interpreted as more of a song cycle than a series of tracks. The theme is alienation and, to some extent, the potential for redemption.

So it sounds like Rafferty, but it doesn't. A few tracks remind me a bit of Long Distance Voyager. After this release, Rafferty took a six-year hiatus from recording

Press of the time:

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My favorite tracks are Standing At The Gates, the moody Good Intentions, and The Right Moment. I also like the pulsing title track, which was unsuccessfully released as a single.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None - I didn't hear music from either album until four decades after release.

Previously revisited for the blog:
City To City (1978)

Various Artists - Billboard Top Album Rock Hits, 1982 (1997)

The second volume of a four disc series from Rhino Records covering the years 1981-84, which just so happen to coincide with the years in which your humble blogger attended high school. The track selection speaks for itself but I'm very disappointed in the lack of liner notes detailing each track. However, there was a "Rock Quiz" included in the CD insert if you're up to the challenge.

More from the CD insert:

The "Joel" mentioned above is the late Joel Whitburn, renowned documentarian of popular music charts and founder of Record Research. More from the aforementioned Rock Tracks book in a bit, but for more on the origins of Billboard's Rock charts on March 21, 1981, click here or the image below:

Also, I put together a list of all the songs that hit #1 on the Top Tracks chart in 1982. That's available here: List of Billboard #1 Rock Tracks of 1982.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: All but three have already appeared on this blog.

1. Shake It Up - The Cars (#2 Rock, #4 Pop)
   Also on Anthology: Just What I Needed, Original Album Series, and The Absolute Best Totally 80's.
2. Heat Of The Moment - Asia (#1 Rock, #4 Pop)
   Also on Asia, Fantasia: Live In Tokyo (live version), and 80s Hits Stripped (acoustic version).
3. 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone (#1 Rock, #4 Pop)
   Also on Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 5, I Love Rock & Roll: Hits of the 80's, Vol 4, and 80s Hits Stripped (acoustic version).
4. Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac (#3 Rock, #4 Pop)
   Also on Greatest Hits.
5. No One Like You - Scorpions (#1 Rock, #65 Pop)
   Also on Hear The Light, Vol. 1.
6. Keep The Fire Burnin' - REO Speedwagon (#2 Rock, #7 Pop)
   I'm not the biggest REO Speedwagon fan, usually calling them OREO Chuckwagon or some such mockery. The group's slower tunes were normally overwrought and overplayed, but this cut is a upbeat rocker with a tasty little organ solo. I can take it or leave it (I prefer the very similar Roll With The Changes), but at least it ain't a power ballad.
7. Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier (#1 Rock, #32 Pop)
   One of the best songs on the disc and one the best things Squier ever released.
8. Caught Up In You - .38 Special (#1 Rock, #10 Pop)
   Also on The Very Best of the A&M Years.
9. Think I'm In Love - Eddie Money (#1 Rock, #16 Pop)
   The lack of Eddie Money tunes in my CD collection is downright embarrassing. Anyway, this plea from a man to his woman has a great groove and incessant beat.
10. Working For The Weekend - Loverboy (#2 Rock, #29 Pop)
    Also on Classics: Their Greatest Hits.

According to my 1995 edition of Record Research's Rock Tracks book, the following tunes were the top 40 rock tracks of the year. All ten CD cuts are present and accounted for:

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Shake It Up and Heat Of The Moment are special to me as they come from the first and second albums I ever heard on the emerging personal stereo technology. During my sophomore year in high school in the fall of 1981, I was in either science or health class and a friend named Mark had a Shake It Up cassette and a new Sony Walkman 2. I gave it a listen (during class, of course) and couldn't believe I was able to hear the music that loudly while the teacher couldn't hear a thing. Not too long after - probably January 1982 - a new acquaintance let me borrow his blue Panasonic personal stereo. He introduced me to Asia and and then went on to hip me to synth pop and New Wave. Personal stereos were a big deal and forever changed my listening habits. My first Walkman was a WM-10 either purchased with graduation money in 1984 or received as a gift from my parents the previous Christmas.

The back of the CD insert encourages CD buyers to "Visit Rocky's Swingin' Pad at www.rhino.com" which looked like this in 1997:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Billboard Top Album Rock Hits, 1984
Billboard Top Album Rock Hits, 1981

Laurie Anderson - Big Science (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by the Enhanced CD reissue released in 2007 by Nonesuch Records.

One night not too long ago, I was listening to my copy of the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 7, which concludes with O Superman (For Massenet), a single which peaked at #2 in the UK but laid an egg here in the US. It had been a good while since I had heard the song and I stopped what I was doing and simply listened. I hit the repeat button and did it again. It is such a great work from a master storyteller. My LP copy of Big Science is scratched to hell so I ordered this CD and here we are.

In the liner notes, Anderson describes this piece as being about "technology, size, industrialization, shifting attitudes toward authority, and individuality." Which kinda sorta meshes with my thoughts of it being all about power: who wants it, who takes it, who keeps it, etc. The somewhat minimalist music is secondary to the lyrical imagery, but it's all about pushing everything forward. I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics, but the music practically forces you do so and how can I not admire writing such as:

• "I came home today and you were all on fire"
• "this book would be thick enough to stun an ox."
• "Your eyes. It's a day's work just looking into them."
• "This is the time. And this is the record of the time."

I'm sure you would have different favorites, but that's what is catching my ear today. I was a bit too young to be a part of the alternative NYC/No Wave scene, but I would love to travel back there and hang out with people like Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, and Arthur Russell.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (A-): "she achieves moments of humor so exquisite that I just have to hear them again"
• Musician: "This is the avant-garde art music album for folks who generally hate the stuff"
• Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "I think it's great."
• Billboard: "playful, provocative, and challenging"
• Stereo Review: "low-budget Mike Oldfield crossed with early-Seventies bubblegum"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "Even without visual aids, Laurie Anderson manages to communicate three ideas at once."
• Trouser Press: "a rewarding experience with limited impact"
• DownBeat (★★★½): "takes Anderson's acute perceptions of American life and dissects them with a minimalistic, dry humor."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #124
• CashBox: #113
• Rolling Stone: #23

Tracks: It's all one song cycle and really should be experienced as a 39 minute whole. I have to admit, however, that I have to be in exactly the right mood to spin this one.

This 2007 disc was released as an "Enhanced CD" so let's find a computer with a CD/DVD drive and check out the extras:

• video for O Superman (recommended)
• Bonus track plus downloadable MP3 and WAV files of Walk The Dog, the b-side of O Superman
• lyrics and credit for Walk The Dog
• links for the websites of Anderson and the record label.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I was first exposed to this album around age 16 or 17, I was mesmerized by the possibilities. And when I finally saw the video for O Superman, I was fully convinced that I need to become some sort of starving performance artist squatting in a loft in NYC. This never happened for two reasons: 1) a crippling case of stage fright which usually rendered me completely nervous and exhausted prior to any performance then a limp, sweaty pool of wasted anxiety following the show; and 2) a complete lack of talent. Still, I wish I had given it a shot, if only to upset the adults in my life. 😈 At the very least, I might have learned something from the attempt.

Various Artists - Windham Hill Records: Sampler '82 (1982)

Selections from the Windham Hill Records album catalogue. This album was the second such sampler issued from Windham Hill, a New Age label that existed from 1976-2007.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #33

Tracks, with my picks indicated (✔):

1. Remedios - William Ackerman from the album Passage
2. Blosson/Meadow - George Winston from the album Winter Into Spring ✔
3. The Happy Couple - Michael Hedges from the album Breakfast In The Field ✔
4. Minou's Waltz - Ira Stein & Russel Walder from the album Elements
5. A Thousand Teardrops - Shadowfax from the album Shadowfax
6. Wedding Rain - Liz Story from the album Solid Colors ✔
7. Tideline - Darol Anger & Barbara Higbie from the album Tideline
8. Purple Mountain - Scott Cossu from the album Wind Dance
9. Clockwork - Alex de Grassi from the album Clockwork ✔

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I wasn't much into this stuff until later in the decade, around '87-'89. While I enjoy the music and find it quite relaxing and meditative, I can only handle it in small doses - usually no more than one album at a time. Go figure.

I recently picked up this disc from a local thrift store for a quarter, partially because of the music, but mainly because it still had the original smooth-sided jewel case. In the past, I would often remark that I'm not a CD collector, but rather a music junkie who just happens to prefer buying CDs to other formats. However, when I buy a disc because of the packaging, I need to go ahead and acknowledge the fact that I am indeed a CD collector. "Hi, my name is Mark, and I'm a CD collector."

Previously revisited for the blog:
Sampler '94 (1994)
Windham Hill - The First Ten Years (1990)

Steve Winwood - Talking Back To The Night (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette, later replaced by a CD.

With lots of moody keyboards, Winwood spends this whole album trying to recapture the magic of his 1981 hit, While You See a Chance. That's okay with me - I love that song. This album is either underrated, overlooked, or I simply just listened to it a lot more during my junior year of high school than it deserved. Or all of the above. If you like Winwood's synthpad music and soulful singing, then it's all good. Of the four albums Winwood released in the '80s, this was his least successful, but I still dig most of it.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "finds his blue-eyed r&b inflections as strong and seamlessly delivered as at any point in his career."
• CashBox: "a stunning performance"
• Musician: "Winwood's decision to continue the format of playing all of the instruments and producing himself...ultimately works against him."
• Rolling Stone (★★½ ): "sounds perfectly unambitious"
• Robert Christgau: C
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #28
• Billboard Rock: #6
• CashBox: #28
• Rolling Stone: #12

Tracks:

1. Valerie: Opening the album with its best song - a tried and true method. And if you like to sing along as much as I do, you quickly realize that Winwood possesses an incredible voice and it's useless to keep up but fun to try. Lots of syncopation and a fun synth solo using the same preset he used on "While You See a Chance" (if it aint' broke...). As a single, this peaked at #70 pop, #13 rock. A remixed version released in 1987 peaked at #9 pop, #2 adult contemporary, #13 rock.
2. Big Girls Walk Away: Like the first track, this one seems to me to relentlessly push forward (to what, I couldn't tell ya). Fantastic chorus and an even better bridge.
3. And I Go: Winwood slows the pace and pulls out the Hammond B-3 for this one. And it's just not doing anything for me.
4. While There's a Candle Burning: a mediocre verse gives way to a redeeming chorus in which the upward movement of the music attempts to move the positive lyrics in the same direction. I would've liked a bridge or solo to mix things up, but this is the shortest song on the album, so I'm outta luck.
5. Still in the Game: the most obvious attempt to replicate the success of "While You See a Chance" almost lifting the backing tracks from that hit. I'm relieved that we've returned to the feel of the first two tracks, but again, there's no solo or bridge (yet there's room for a 80 second fade-out vamp at the end). I dig the chorus, though. As a single, this peaked at #47 pop, #8 rock. 
6. It Was Happiness: And again, we start off with the hi-hat figure that appears throughout the album. The verse is just okay, but Winwood's vocals save it. Then we head into a bouncy, cheesy chorus that could only come from the '80s.
7. Help Me Angel: Finally a different sort of syncopated keyboard groove under the familiar hi-hat pattern. The lyrics are a bit simplistic, but Winwood's pleading for help somehow works. And we get a solo on this one. That ending, though. Sheesh.
8. Talking Back to the Night: A moody ode to people's problems as they move about the night. I prefer the subtle verse to the high-flying chorus. The best part of the thing might be the keyboard licks Winwood inserts between the vocal phrases the second time through the verses and on through the vamp at the end. Good stuff. Not released as a single in '82, but remixed and released in '87 when it peaked at #57 pop, #7 AC, #17 rock, and was used as part of a "The Night Belongs to Michelob" ad campaign.
   
   
9. There's a River: Yawn. 

Let's rank 'em!

1. Valerie
2. Talking Back to the Night
3. Big Girls Walk Away
4. It Was Happiness
5. Still in the Game
6. Help Me Angel
7. While There's a Candle Burning
8. And I Go
9. There's a River

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Because it was generally uneventful, I don't remember many details about prom at the end of my junior year, but artifacts from my personal papers indicate it was held on Saturday, April 23, 1983 and the chosen theme was "Stairway to Heaven" (God help us). I wasn't dating anyone at the time, but Vicki, a co-worker at my Burger King job agreed to go with me and we had an acceptable, platonic evening. The most memorable part of the prom may have been my attire. As I wrote in this post:

I've always been a bit of a contrarian and for the prom my junior year, I decided to be different by wearing tennis shoes with my tuxedo (special thanks to my date for allowing it). I realize that wouldn't so much as raise an eyebrow these days, but in 1983, it garnered several condescending eyerolls from members of my immediate family and, amidst the rice fields of rural south Texas, it was quite the trendsetting statement.

I borrowed my father's car because it had a working air conditioner whereas my car did not. I grabbed this tape to play as pleasant but unobtrusive background music for the evening. Since there weren't any hits from the album, I was unsure if Vicki would be familiar with any of the music. Heck, I didn't even know what kind of music she preferred. But less than five minutes into our date, there was Vicki, belting out the chorus to Valerie right along with Stevie. It surprised me enough that I obviously remember it all these years later.

* * *

It is traditional for one generation to bad-mouth the music popular with the generations that follow. I swore I'd never do it, yet I did and caught myself doing it just the other day (in my defense, the song on the radio was just three notes repeated over and over for 4 minutes). I guess dismissing others' opinions makes us feel better and a little superior. In any case, my mother was riding with me in my car in late '82/early '83 and made such a comment about the music my peers and I enjoyed. The dig cut a little deeper than it should have except for the fact I was a moody, angst-ridden 16-year-old kid who found solace in music. I popped this cassette into the deck as I attempted to prove to her that "my music" had melodies as good as any tune from the '50s. I doubt my tactic worked and if it did, I have no memory of it. But there are some good melodies on this album, no?

Previously revisited for the blog:
Roll With It (1988)
Back in the High Life (1986)
Arc of a Diver (1980)

Kool & The Gang - Albums 1979-1984 (2020)

UK Import

Some records are bathed in such a happy spirit that listening to them is like taking a short, revitalizing vacation. The effect has nothing to do with the loudness of the music or the heaviness of the beat; it's all in the spirit of the performance.

Review of As One in Stereo Review, February 1983, p. 76

I was in down mood recently and arbitrarily spun the Kool & The Gang compilation The Dance Collection and found my spirits immediately lifted. Not only were there many comforting, familiar tunes, almost all the tunes were positive, happy, major-keyed, at dance speed or midtempo. So I ordered this 6 albums on 3 CDs set from BGO and the albums have been in steady rotation ever since. I didn't have any of these albums back when they were originally released and boy did I ever miss out on some good stuff. The dates perfectly cover the years I was in grades 8-12 in middle/high school and on into my freshman year at university.

Why start the set in 1979 with the group's 11th studio album? Ladies' Night marked the beginning of the group's most successful era which (probably not coincidentally) also marks the debut of lead vocalist James "J.T." Taylor and the use of Eumir Deodato as producer. All six albums here peaked in the top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned multiple top 40 singles on both the pop charts (14) and the R&B charts (17).

Excellent remastering job on these plus a fantastic liner note booklet that includes full credits as well as a nice essay by Charles Waring, columnist for Record Collector and contributor to MOJO and Wax Poetics. Well done. I'll probably never listen to all three discs consecutively, but just putting one CD in and enjoying 2 albums is just the right amount of good vibes. Or maybe shuffle tracks from all six. I prefer the first two CDs to the third, but it's all just a big box of feel good.

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LADIES' NIGHT (1979)
6 tracks, 34 minutes

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "It's clearly a long way from 'Jungle Boogie'"
• Billboard: "The group effectively fuses funk and disco with jazz, r&b and pop"
• CashBox: "worth the wait"
• Record World: "slick rhythmically and vocally with Deodato's production to match"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #13
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #14
• Rolling Stone: #32

Also, the album as a whole made the Disco Top 100 chart, peaking at #5.

Tracks: The singles are fantastic - Ladies' Night (#8 pop, #1 R&B), Too Hot (#5 pop #3 R&B, #11 dance), Hangin' Out (#36 R&B) - but the other three cuts are just as good and discolicious. The smooth grooves of Too Hot take me back to 8th grade dances/parties in a big hurry.

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CELEBRATE! (1980)
8 tracks, 35 minutes

Press of the time:

• Record World: "winning combination is back"
• CashBox: "The band continues to craft top-flight R&B/pop songs"
• Stereo Review: "the music is never very heavy, never very hot, never very anything except comfortable"
• Robert Christgau (C-): "they've adapted painlessly, nay profitably, to disco"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #10
• Billboard R&B: #2
• CashBox: #12
• Rolling Stone: #19

Tracks: The title track has become the group's signature tune and wedding reception staple. Case in point: my lovely wife and I attended a wedding last month and all the 20-somethings in attendance at the reception flooded the dance floor when this song played and they knew every word of the lyrics. (Oddly enough, they belted out Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody even louder than Celebration, but that's neither here nor there.) The truth is, I've heard Celebration thousands of times by now yet I never tire of it and it never fails to improve my mood. A rare thing, indeed.

Celebration (#1 pop, #1 R&B, #1 dance, #34 AC) was the platinum-selling hit, but there were two other singles from the album: Jones Vs. Jones (#39 pop, #33 R&B) and Take It To The Top (#11 R&B, #1 dance) - of those two, the latter gets the nod from me. But that's just the first three cuts on the album. We're then treated to the tasty dance instrumental Morning Star (that sounds like it was lifted from a Tom Browne album of the time), then the funky Love Festival. There isn't much going on in the remaining tunes, but they're certainly enjoyable enough filler.

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SOMETHING SPECIAL (1981)
8 tracks, 36 minutes

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★½): "finds the band comfortably rehashing the successful pop-soul formula they launched with 'Ladies' Night'"
• Billboard: "light, lilting tempos, sprightly jazz tinged horn lines and simple good time messages"
• CashBox: "looks like it will continue the hot streak"
• Stereo Review: "These are nearly all monotonous, thumpy productions of songs about steppin' out an' gettin' down."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #12
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #10
• Rolling Stone: #19

Tracks: The lead track, Steppin' Out (#89 pop, #12 R&B, #16 dance), is a fantastic opener and I can't believe it didn't chart higher than it did. The other singles from this album were Take My Heart (#17 pop, #1 R&B, #16 dance) and my personal favorite from this release, the funk-fest of Get Down On It (#10 pop, #4 R&B, #16 dance). Take My Heart is a fantastic shuffle for sure and might have the best arrangement on the album, but "Get your back up off the wall!" is so dang catchy, the English teacher in me will even excuse the two consecutive prepositions. ;-) Good Time Tonight is the obvious attempt at duplicating the sound and feel of Celebrate and almost succeeds; Be My Lady and the super-positive Stand Up And Sing could each have been chosen for a single release; No Show is as close to a ballad as the group gets around this time and it's a dang good one, at that. The bonus track, Stop!, is a driving instrumental in search of lyrics and a melody but it's catchy enough that I'm glad it's included here.

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AS ONE (1982)
7 tracks, 36 minutes

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★): "slick but substantial R&B-fueled pop"
• Billboard: "their best bid yet to make a substantial splash"
• Stereo Review: "one of the best dance records in many months"
• CashBox: "a best bet"
• Smash Hits (9 out of 10): "What more can you ask for?"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• Billboard R&B: #5
• CashBox: #36
• Rolling Stone: #24

Tracks: Street Kids is just an okay opener, but that's followed by Big Fun (#21 pop, #6 R&B) - which is indeed big fun with great horn licks and falsetto vocals. We're later treated to two entirely different but equally fantastic dance tunes with silly lyrics: Hi De Hi Hi De Ho and, my favorite cut on the album, Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La La La) (#30 pop, #7 R&B). There's a nice variety here with some balladry, a little pseudo-reggae, funk-lite, some disco strings, the familiar Celebration and Too Hot grooves, and "I find its uncomplicated optimism heart-warming and irresistibly danceable."

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IN THE HEART (1983)
9 tracks, 35 minutes

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "a disappointment"
• CashBox: "takes them even further into the pop territory"
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "state-of-the-art soul, brimming with optimism"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• Billboard R&B: #5
• CashBox: #30
• Rolling Stone: #50

Tracks: Joanna (#2 pop, #1 R&B, #2 AC) and Tonight (#13 pop, #7 R&B) were the big singles while Straight Ahead (#103 pop) didn't quite make the Hot 100. Regardless of chart success, those three are the cream of the crop here. Definitely my least favorite of the six albums included in this set.

In the late fall/early winter of 1983, I was briefly interested in a girl named JoAnn. She was a couple of years younger than me and, in her father's opinion, too young to go on a "car date" so that relationship never got off the ground. Other than the similar names, the girl and the song have nothing to do with each other. However, I'm always reminded of JoAnn when I hear this tune. The trombone solo, the sappy lyrics, the constant eight note electric piano motif - it all works for me.

The dance-rock sound of Tonight certainly laid the groundwork for the next album...

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EMERGENCY (1984)
7 tracks, 36 minutes

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "can always be counted on to deliver easy-to-listen-to r-&-b dance music"
• Billboard: "the group continues to develop"
• CashBox: "one of the strongest song-for-song B/C collections of the year"
• Robert Christgau (B-): "anonymity is their signature"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #13
• Billboard R&B: #3
• CashBox: #19
• Rolling Stone: #17

Tracks: This double-platinum album became the group's all-time biggest seller on the strength of four hit singles:

	Pop	R&B	Dance	AC
Misled	10	3	9
Fresh	9	1	1	5
Cherish	2	1		1
Emergency	18	7	41

For those keeping track, the above four singles make up over 57% of the whole album; they're all great and I can't imagine 1985 without them. They're also the first four track on the album. So what about the remaining three tracks? Surrender is a danceable attempt at Minneapolis funk, Bad Woman is a poor man's Careless Whisper, and You Are The One is a prayer set to a manic-synth-Latin-syncopated accompaniment. Still, 5 out of 7 ain't bad.

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Previously revisited for the blog:
The Dance Collection (1990)