Bob Mintzer Big Band - Incredible Journey (1985)

An impulse buy from the clearance bin based solely on the fact that it was released on DMP, the same label as Flim & The BB's. It contains eight lengthy big band originals written/arranged by tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer. In addition to Mintzer, the band has a few familiar names in it including the Brecker Brothers and Peter Erskine. The writing and arranging is first-rate, styles are varied, the performances are outstanding, and the production is so clean you could eat off it. It's a great big band disc and I should love it. However, it would seem that my interest in big band music has waned greatly over the past several decades. Back in the '80s, I was occasionally performing in big bands and doing some rudimentary composing and arranging for such groups. Heck, by 1989 I was directing a high school jazz band. I listened to a lot of contemporary big band stuff at the time, in particular the Dallas Jazz Orchestra and the renowned One O'Clock Lab Band. If I had heard this album back then, I have no doubt it would have been a favorite. So it's a quality release; this stuff just isn't in my wheelhouse any longer.

The CD purchase was an admitted misstep on my part, but it has caused me to adopt a new attitude when perusing the used CD bins. When I pick up a disc these days, I ask myself if I should buy it and the answer, to borrow a phrase from Derek Sivers, has to be an enthusiastic "Hell yeah!" or it's a no. I'm growing older and running out of space, so it's time to be a little more selective in my purchases moving forward. Whether I can stick with such a philosophy remains to be seen. After all, I'm a confessed music junkie.

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

Tracks: Track 4, Computer, is a fun little chart with the added attraction of sounding like a Mike Post TV theme from the '80s.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (1985)

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

I picked up this CD purely for nostalgia's sake and was quickly reminded what a great album it is (well, the first six tracks, at least). The music moves through funk, rock, hip-hop, and jazz without worrying too much about stylistic consistency; it’s less about cohesion and more about in-your-face urgency, which I guess was the point. If you're interested in the album's origin story, there's a great "making of" video available as well as an informative 2021 interview with organizer Steven Van Zandt.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "The Sun City project is about informing and motivating people. That we can dance while we're organizing is this record's greatest triumph."
• Musician: "If this project works at all, it will make you mad as hell at the way the world works when it comes to racial relations."
• Stereo Review: "I wish this record were better than it is."
• CashBox: "this is one of the most substantial social issue albums compiled."
• Billboard
• Robert Christgau: A-

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #31
• Billboard R&B: #28
• CashBox: #31
• Rolling Stone: #40

Tracks: The Sun City single is the best "supergroup" charity single ever released, easily besting Do They Know It's Christmas, We Are The World, Hands Across America, etc. It was named the best single of 1985 in the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. (I ranked it slightly lower, #37 for the year.) It's so choice, in fact, that we're treated to two different mixes of the thing. So many good parts: the Miles Davis intro, the aggressive drums, the chanting, and how coolly Lou Reed delivers the line, "Look around the world, baby, it cannot be denied." We're also treated to a wordless Peter Gabriel track that is better than it should be for something created on the spot (No More Apartheid), an attempt to capitalize on the success of the Paul Hardcastle single "19" (Revolutionary Situation), Gil Scott-Heron speaking truth to power (Let Me See Your I.D.), and an all-star jazz group supporting Miles Davis (The Struggle Continues). The only stinker is the last track, Silver And Gold. These days, the subject matter of apartheid is historical, but Scott-Heron's spoken word poetry about having to have papers to prove that you're a citizen continues to be timely, unfortunately.

And they were telling me that when you walk around in South Africa
You gotta carry this little black book with you
Tells everyone whether you're supposed to be in a given area or not
Damn thats about like my life 'cause I got to do that when I go Philly

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought the album not long after it was released and it got plenty of playing time in my private(!) dorm room during my sophomore year as an undergrad. Oddly, I don't remember any of my peers ever listening to it or discussing apartheid with me.

More recently, I had a pastor who had grown up in South Africa and immigrated to the US as an adult. An Afrikaner, he would occasionally share stories of growing up during apartheid. They were eye-opening at best, horrifying at worst.

Albert Collins/Robert Cray/Johnny Copeland - Showdown! (1985)

Note: The CD I own is the original 9 track release. It has since been reissued several times in several formats which include a bonus track.

Don't be misled by the album title, this isn't a competition at all; it's a historic, house-rockin' modern electric–blues collaboration. Cray was up-and-coming at the time, but still fits right in with the other established two legends. Collins brings the Texas blues, Copeland brings the Chicago blues, and Cray somehow bridges the two plus adds some silky vocals. This album continues to be one of Alligator Records' best-known releases and helped usher in the late '80s blues revival. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album, the 1986 W.C. Handy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and was later inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall Of Fame. Top notch.

Original liner notes by album producers Bruce Iglauer & Dick Sherman.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "No clear winner in this showdown, but plenty of fine playing and singing"
• Musician: "if you still have doubts about Cray's credibility, here's where you'll lose them, once and for all."
• DownBeat (★★★): "reveals an underlying unity in their three quite individual styles"
• Robert Christgau (B): "Collins gets top billing not just because he's Alligator's man but because this is his album."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #124

Tracks: 3 originals and 6 covers, all worth your time. I prefer the upbeat tunes like Lion's Den, Albert's Alley, or Black Cat Bone, but like I said, it's a collaboration, not a competition.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I was listening to a lot of music back in '85, but was just beginning my foray into blues with the purchase of SRV's Soul To Soul. Looking back, I find it rather odd that I was surrounded by musicians and academics constantly during those college years and not a single person was into the blues (other than my odd flirtations every now and again).

Kenny Burrell & Grover Washington, Jr. - Togethering (1985)

In 1984, Capitol/EMI hired record exec Bruce Lundvall away from Elektra/Musician to be in charge of two major undertakings: 1) the launch of the Manhattan label, and 2) the resurrection of the legendary Blue Note jazz label, which had gone dormant in the late 1970s. As far as the Blue Note relaunch, Lundvall had three goals: reissuing classic releases from the Blue Note heyday, releasing older music from the record label's vaults, and new releases from both established and emerging acts. This release was one of the latter.

As a fan of both Burrell and Washington (and all the other players, for that matter), I had high hopes for this album, but it just doesn't do much for me. The playing is surberb in this all-star, top-shelf session; so I guess it's the material that lets me down. Judging by the reviews below, I'm in the minority.

Liner notes by Burrell and Washington.

Burrell - acoustic and electric guitar
Washington - soprano and tenor saxophone
Ron Carter - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Ralph MacDonald - percussion

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "an excellent, straight-ahead album"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #16
• CashBox Jazz: #8
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #2

Tracks: I enjoy the second track, a samba entitled Sails Of Your Soul, and the third track, the ballad Daydream.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Grover Washington, Jr.
Prime Cuts 1987-1999 (1999)	The Best Is Yet To Come (1982)
Soulful Strut (1996)	Come Morning (1981)
All My Tomorrows (1994)	Winelight (1980)
Time Out of Mind (1989)	Skylarkin' (1980)
Anthology (1985)	Mister Magic (1975)
Inside Moves (1984)/Paradise (1979)	A Secret Place (1976)/All The King's Horses (1972)
Kenny Burrell
Have Yourself A Soulful Little Christmas (1966)	Midnight Blue (1963)

John Surman - Withholding Pattern (1985)

I paid way too much for this CD, but I've never seen it (or any Surman disc) in a used bin, so I threw caution to the wind along with some of my fixed income. A true solo effort, Surman wrote and performed the entirety of the album. It's difficult to describe Surman's music, but Ron Wynn over at allmusic gave it a shot in a ★★★★ review: "Surman mixes enough elements of rock, free, blues, and hard bop to keep the songs varied." I'd call it a unique blend of electronic and acoustic jazz fusion with hypnotic woodwind lines over looping synth textures. It could only be an ECM release. Listen on headphones if you're up for it.

Surman - baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, recorder, piano, synthesizer

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "A sly and very attractive LP"
• Billboard: "continues the stately, brooding mood of his earlier label works."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album as described in the above magazine advertisement:

British multi-instrumentalist and composer John Surman presents an intricately layered and beautiful work, Withholding Pattern. Surman's extensive use of overdubbing allows the synthesizer and piano to provide a foundation for his passionate reed forays on soprano and baritone saxophones and bass clarinet.

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

Tracks: It's all trippy, but my top picks today are tracks that are more synth-based à la Tangerine Dream: Changes Of Season, Holding Pattern I, and Wildcat Blues, as well as the bass clarinet solo of The Snooper.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Selected Recordings :rarum XIII (2004)

Various Artists - Denon New Releases Classical Sampler 1985/1986 (1985)

I can't explain my recent fascination with early demonstration/sampler CDs, but lately I just can't resist buying them whenever I see them, particularly when they're dirt cheap and come in the original smooth sided jewel case like this one did. 

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

Tracks: Sure, they're all excerpts of larger works but I guess that's to be expected as the whole point of a sampler disc is to sell copies of the full CDs. My beef with this sampler is that they don't identify the work by movement, just vague references to titles such as "Suite VI." For my personal edification, I'll try to fill in their blanks below. Click on each track for more information regarding artist and release information from the CD's liner notes.

1. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
   Symphony No. 1 in D (4th movement, excerpt) - 4:17
2. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
   Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection" (5th movement, excerpt) - 7:51
3. Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791)
   Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, "Turkish", K. 219 (3rd movement, excerpt) - 3:03
4. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
   Partita for keyboard No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828 (First movement "Ouvertüre," excerpt) - 2:45
5. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
   Partita in A minor for solo flute, BWV 1013 (First movement, excerpt) - 2:45
6. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
   Concerto in B minor for 4 Violins, RV 580 (First movement, excerpt) - 2:38
7. Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
   Cello Sonata, L. 135 (First movement, excerpt) - 3:12
8. Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
   Children's Corner, L. 113 (Sixth movement "Golliwog's Cake Walk") - 2:50
9. Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
   Symphony No 8(9)* in C Major, D 944, "The Great" (First movement, excerpt) - 3:37
10. Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
    Der Freischütz, J. 277, Op. 77 (Number 10 - Finale, Act I, excerpt) - 4:10
11. Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
    Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 (Act II, excerpt) - 5:55
12. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
    Solo Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 (First movement) - 3:39
13. Jerome Kern (1885-1945)
    Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, from the 1933 musical comedy Roberta - 3:51
14. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
    Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 (First movement, excerpt) - 3:15
15. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
    Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major (First movement, excerpt) - 3:15
16. Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
    Siete Canciones Populares Españolas (No. 5 "Nana") - 1:34
17. Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791)
    Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat Major, K. 495 (Second movement, excerpt) - 2:33
18. Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
    Chorale Fantasy on "Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland" (excerpt) - 3:06

*blame the numbering confusion on musicologists (and, yes, "musicologist" is an actual profession in the academic world).

Because I'm only familiar with a few of the 18 tracks, filling in the blanks with relative ease makes me wish we'd had access to all this information on the Internet when I was pursuing a music degree. I'm happy students today have it all at their fingertips - I should think such access would make the study of music history and repertoire that much richer, not to mention easier.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: It's a rather loose association, but I learned the Haydn Trumpet Concerto (track 15) around 1985 or '86 - I even wrote my own cadenza! My trumpet professor was unimpressed but that was his usual demeanor (think Statler or Waldorf minus the sense of humor).

Various Artists - Billboard Top Dance Hits 1985 (1998)

Truth in advertising from the good folks over at Rhino: ten dance tunes from 1985, all but one hit #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Lots of extended versions and with a total disc running time of an hour. One in a series of ten covering the years 1976-1985, not to be confused with either The Disco Years or Special Editions Disco series, also issued by Rhino. I never planned on buying all ten discs in this Top Dance Hits series, but they keep popping up in used bins so ya never know.

Some of the songs were released in late 1984 but all peaked on the dance chart in 1985. The compilation is slanted towards the first half of the year, with 8 of the 10 tracks peaking during that time with the other two tracks peaking in July (19) and August (Freeway Of Love).

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

Tracks:

Song	Artist	Time	Dance	Hot 100	R&B
New Attitude (Extended Version)	Patti LaBelle	6:13	1	17	3
Point Of No Return (Extended Version)	Exposé	6:07	1	*
Fresh (Remix)	Kool & The Gang	5:51	1	9	1
19 (Extended Version)	Paul Hardcastle	5:16	1	15	8
Freeway Of Love (Rock Mix)	Aretha Franklin	4:53	1	3	1
Loveride	Nuance feat. Vikki Love	6:44	1		34
Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Extended Version)	Tears For Fears	5:43	1	1
Loverboy (Extended Club Remix)	Billy Ocean	8:06	1	2	20
We Are The Young (Club Version)	Dan Hartman	6:56	1	25	58
Turn Your Back On Me	Kaja	4:00	2

*a re-recorded version of the song hit #5 on the Hot 100 in 1987.

Mostly familiar tunes here given the typical '80s extended treatment: drums pushed up in the mix, longer intro, dance break or drum breakdown in the middle, lots of production tricks, and a repetitive final two minutes. My recently rekindled love affair with Kool & The Gang continues unabated, but the two remixes that I enjoy more with every spin of this disc are the guitar-heavy Rock Mix of Freeway of Love and Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Best I can recall, two innocuous tracks were new to me when I purchased this disc: Loveride and Turn Your Back On Me. They don't send me scrambling to push the skip button, but neither does much for me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Nothing in particular, but I'm immediately swept back to my first year in college. Back when I matriculated, the name of the school was East Texas State University. In 1996, it became part of the Texas A&M System and renamed Texas A&M - Commerce. However, just last month it was renamed yet again to East Texas A&M University, the school's seventh name in its 135 year history. Go Lions.

1985 logo of ETSU,
nicknamed the "flaming snail"

Previously revisited for the blog:
Billboard Top Dance Hits 1976 (1992)
Billboard Top Dance Hits 1978 (1992)
Billboard Top Dance Hits 1979 (1992)
Billboard Top Dance Hits 1980 (1992)

Windham Hill Artists - A Winter's Solstice (1985)

Calm New Age tunes just seem suited to the season, especially if one listens alone on a quiet night by the light of a fire or Christmas tree. Granted, "quiet nights" are few and become fewer as we near the year's end, but that doesn't mean I won't make the attempt. No familiar Christmas tunes here unless you put the "What Child Is This" lyrics to the Greensleeves melody, yet they all just seem to fit. Perfectly conceived and executed, this release was successful enough to spawn numerous sequels and a series of concert tours.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "A collection of seasonally oriented compositions including originals and traditional tunes."
• CashBox: "Should sell like antifreeze in St. Paul in February."
• Art Lange in DownBeat: "there's no denying the sheer beauty of the 10 pieces on this compilation."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #77
• Billboard Jazz: #11
• CashBox: #106
• CashBox Jazz: #7
• R&R Jazz Radio National Airplay: #26

Tracks:

1. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - David Qualey (guitar) ✔
2. Engravings II - Ira Stein (piano) & Russel Walder (oboe)
3. New England Morning - William Ackerman (guitar)
4. High Plains (Christmas On The High-Line) - Philip Aaberg (piano) ✔
5. Nollaig - Bill Oskay (violin) & Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (guitar)
6. Greensleeves - Liz Story (piano) ✔
7. Bach Bourée (From The French Suite) - Darol Anger (violin) & Mike Marshall (mandolin)
8. Northumbrian Lullaby - Malcolm Dalglish (hammered dulcimer)
9. Petite Aubade - Shadowfax
10. A Tale Of Two Cities - Mark Isham (keyboards, trumpet) ✔

Tracks 1, 6, and 7 are arrangements of tunes found in the public domain, the remaining tracks are original compositions

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Windham Hill releases

Out Of The Blue (1985)

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

When record executive Bruce Lundvall left the Elektra/Musician label to start Manhattan Records in 1984, he was also put in charge of reviving and relaunching the legendary Blue Note jazz label which had laid dormant since 1979. His vision was to not only reissue the classic Blue Note releases, but also re-establish the label "as a home for both new and established jazz talent." To that end, this band of young up-and-comers was put together by audition and reminds one of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in both make-up and style of music. More information about the band can be found in 1985 features in DownBeat and Cashbox magazines with further hype available from Stanley Crouch's liner notes.

As for the hard bop music itself, it certainly features the players in their best light. And that playing is outstanding. The problem is the writing, all originals composed by the band themselves. If the music sounds like it was written by a bunch of jazzers in their early 20s, you'd be right. But like I've long believed: no artist hits a home run every at-bat, and when you're young and learning, what you create most likely isn't perfect and that's part of the learning process. I wrote my first music at age 17 and I can't bear to hear it these days. As Derek Sivers writes: "It's better to create something bad than nothing at all. You can improve something bad. You can't improve nothing." Now that's some good advice right there. We all start somewhere. So I can appreciate the efforts here - I listen knowing where these guys were coming from. There's not much here to hum after the album is put away, but you can hear the potential and guess that was the point of this showcase.

Michael Philip Mossman - trumpet, flugelhorn
Kenny Garrett - alto saxophone
Ralph Bowen - tenor saxophone
Harry Pickens - piano
Robert Hurst - bass
Ralph Peterson - drums

If I'm being honest, I've only heard Garrett and Hurst outside of this album as they later joined the groups of Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis, respectively. Of the others, the playing of pianist Pickens impresses the most.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "I'll bet everyone here goes on to better things."
• CashBox: "An impressive, contemporary hard-bop effort."
• Billboard: "At once ambitious and accessible."
• DownBeat (★★★★): "a group sound that to these ears already sounds authentic and individual"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #29
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #5

Tracks: Of the 7 tracks on the album, my top picks are Eastern Love Village (written by Garrett) and O.T.B. (written by Mossman).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I was in high school, my immediate group of friends usually listened to the same music. There were subtle differences - I was getting into smooth jazz while my friend Brett was listening to Scorpions and Scott was listening to original Broadway cast albums - but we could agree on most albums (the one that immediately comes to mind is Beauty And The Beat but there were many others). However, we never ridiculed the others' music choices, just those suspect opinions of peers outside our group because we were admittedly a bunch of music snobs.

Fast forward a year or two to my college music studies and suddenly it was the complete opposite. I often heard the same words from both my music professors (save one) as well as my fellow music students - heck, even the girl I dated my freshman year: "You shouldn't be listening to that; you should be listening to this." And then they'd tell me what was worth my time. And, not coincidently, what was worth my time was the music they preferred. When it comes to music, I try to be open-minded and am usually willing to give anything a listen, but there's no convincing me that my opinion isn't valid. Plus, telling a contrarian like myself that I should do something is a sure way to get me not to do it, weak attempts by others at using reverse psychology not withstanding.

So not only did I keep playing my Spandau Ballet and Spyro Gyra albums but I also started picking up albums that I didn't think anyone else in that damn college music building would have. At that point, I was aware of Blue Note's storied history and wanted to be in on the ground floor of the label's revival. All that led to the purchase of this album (I also picked up a 2 LP Blue Note compilation around the same time). I listened to OTB occasionally but my go-to neo-bop album at that time was undoubtedly Black Codes. Not surprisingly, Marsalis was an artist my trumpet professor told me not to listen to.

Ramsey Lewis - Fantasy (1985)

I've spun this disc about a dozen times and I still don't know what to make of it. Lewis always leaned towards jazz-pop crossover, but it seems his friend and former drummer Maurice White (along with producer/writer Morris "Butch" Stewart) introduced Ramsey to the Roland Super Jupiter, LinnDrum, and the infamous Yamaha DX7. Plus there's some undeniable Herbie Hancock Future Shock/Sound-System influence. Add in some Prince-flavored R&B dance grooves then throw a lot of timely production at the whole thing and this is about as 1985 as it gets. Smooth jazz need not apply, but the lead track, This Ain't No Fantasy, did scrape the bottom of the Billboard 12 Inch Singles Sales chart. One newspaper called it "techno-jazz" so let's just go with that.

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "the fifty-year-old pianist has armed himself with synthesizers"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• CashBox Jazz: #13

Tracks: I find myself enjoying the (mostly) instrumental tracks such as The Quest and Slow Dancin'. I'll confess Ram Jam gets me moving and actually features Lewis on traditional piano for a bit. Almost half the tracks here include lead vocals from various artists: It's Gonna Change (Josie Aiello), Victim Of A Broken Heart (Morris "Butch" Stewart), Never Give Up (Alice Sanderson Echols), and Part Of Me (Maurice White & Brenda Mitchell). Despite good performances, they're all fairly generic R&B of the time.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Tequila Mockingbird (1977)
Hang On Ramsey! (1965)/Wade In The Water (1966)

Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair (1985)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD. I'm guessing this early CD release ended up in a used bin when someone replaced it with the multi-disc box set reissue.

Back in high school, my buddy Jim had played his copy of T4F's The Hurting album for me, even letting me borrow it for further inspection, but other than the song Change, I really wasn't into it. (Nowadays I like that album, so who knows what kept me from enjoying it back in '83?) Then this album hit hard near the end of my freshman year of college and I had a copy of the cassette before I left school and headed home that summer.

I'd call it a pop-rock album, but there's hints of prog rock and Depeche Mode liberally sprinkled about. In addition to the great hooks throughout, I love the drum sound on this record - the absolute perfect sound for 1985, so my compliments to producer Chris Hughes (formerly of Adam And The Ants) and engineer David Bascombe.

For its inclusion in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, John Doran wrote, "For a brief time, Tears For Fears became the biggest band on the face of the planet on the strength of this album" and while that assertion is arguable, it certainly could be true, and I was more than happy to be 19 years old and along for the ride.

Press of the time:

• Record Mirror (★★★½ ): "songs that make you yell and emote along with them"
• Rolling Stone: "they can't help it if you've heard it all before"
• Stereo Review: "memorable melodies, purposeful arrangements, and a resolute performance"
• Musician: "delightfully addictive"
• Smash Hits (8 out of 10): "wonderful melodies upon sturdy song structures"
• Billboard: "capable of winning over more serious-minded rock fans"
• CashBox: "Tears For Fears looks set to finally break the band big in America"
• Robert Christgau (B): "Imagine my surprise when I discerned substance"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• CashBox: #1
• Rolling Stone: #1
• Billboard Pop CD: #3
• CashBox Top CD: #3

Tracks: My top three picks are highly predictable: 1) Head Over Heels, 2) Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and 3) Shout. Once I finally picked up my copy this CD, I was reminded how much I enjoyed The Working Hour and Mothers Talk. My only skippable track is the plodding I Believe, which is saved when it segues into the guitar-heavy, orchestrated Broken which is really just an intro/outro for the wonderful Head Over Heels. I've no idea what's going on in the final track, Listen, but I can't say it's not interesting.

	Hot 100	Rock	AC	Dance
Shout	1	6		1
Everybody Wants To Rule The World	1	2	2	1
Head Over Heels	3	7	5
Mothers Talk	27

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm immediately back to the summer of 1985, one of my best. This tape got its fair share of play in the Markmobile that summer.

And, of course, the ending of the movie Real Genius.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92) (1992)

Talking Heads - Little Creatures (1985)

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

After releasing 5 innovative studio albums, 2 amazing live albums, and the best concert film of all time, this was the beginning of the end for Talking Heads. While not the first TH album with filler tracks, it was the first TH album with a majority of filler tracks. Sadly, that trend would continue until the band ultimately split later in the decade. But the good stuff here is very good, with the singles being the most commercial tunes the band ever released.

Some of the cuts recycle previous Talking Heads grooves and melodies, but try to cover it up by adding a folkish-country-feel or atypical instrumentation to many of the lesser tunes:

"Hey, David, isn't this the same melody as Girlfriend Is Better?"
"Yeah, but we'll add an accordion or steel guitar and nobody will know."

It's as if Byrne's musicological interests moved from an international focus to Americana, a trend that would continue into the frustrating True Stories album. Can you tell I was disappointed in this one? Despite initial critical praise (see below), this album hasn't held up like most of the band's other albums. But after the amazing run that proceeded it, something had to give eventually - nothing lasts forever. Still, as I mentioned, there's a few peaks among the valleys.

Press of the time:

• Spin: "new-wave folk music"
• Robert Christgau (A): "The music is rich in hidden treasures the way their punk-era stuff never was"
• Rolling Stone: "The songs are simple and clearly rooted in pop structures, and Byrne injects a feeling of lyrical giddiness that almost makes this sound like a different band."
• CashBox: "characterized by its relatively simple songwriting"
• Smash Hits (8 out of 10): "finds them calming down and returning to slightly more straightforward melodic pop songs."
• Billboard: "the band's most accessible work yet"
• High Fidelity: "Byrne adheres rigorously to a logic you sense but only he understands"
• Stereo Review (Best of the Month): "back to playing their original quirky, hyperactive variety of avant-garde garage-band rock."
• DownBeat (★★★★): "a taut, compact record that rocks with a vengeance from beginning to end."
• Musician: "the Talking Heads variety show, with something for everyone"

Regardless of what I think, the album is the band's top seller and it topped the 1985 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll as well as the Rolling Stone Critics Poll. The cover art, created by outsider artist Howard Finster, was selected as album cover of the year by both the critics and readers of Rolling Stone:

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #20
• CashBox: #12
• Rolling Stone: #5
• Billboard Pop CD: #6
• CashBox Top CD: #4

Tracks: The cream of the crop here is And She Was (#54 pop, #33 dance, #11 rock), Stay Up Late (#24 rock), and Road To Nowhere (#25 rock). I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite from that trio. However, the first release was track 4, The Lady Don't Mind; that single didn't chart despite having a promotional video directed by the incomparable Jim Jarmusch. I'd include that cut in a second-tier of tracks along with Walk It Down. When compared to the top three, the remainder is fairly bland to these ears.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. When I played a Talking Heads album in 1985, it was usually Stop Making Sense.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best Of (2004)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Fear Of Music (1979)

Papa Doo Run Run - California Project (1985)

EARLY CD WEEK* (APRIL 18-23, 2022)

Musically, this disc ain't nothin' to write home about: a group of obviously talented musicians performing faithful, rote covers of Beach Boys tunes. I don't think the term "tribute band" was around in '85, but that's what we've got here. The Internet tells me the group was the house band at Disneyland from 1975-90 and might still be a touring group (their website hasn't been updated since 2012 so I have my doubts). Tribute bands aren't typically my thing; however, this disc has a bit of historical significance:

Billboard, August 10, 1985, p. 21

Guest artists on the CD include Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, Mike Love of The Beach Boys, and John Stamos of Full House. I've seen promo materials/websites stating this album earned the group a Grammy nomination, but I can't find anything official that would confirm that claim.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200:: Did not chart
• Billboard CD: #22
• CashBox CD: #22

Tracks:

Wow - that Wilson guy could freakin' write, huh? As with every Telarc release I own, it's all very well done. But I'll stick with the Beach Boys originals.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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*I recently compiled complete chart data for compact disc charts from both Billboard and CashBox magazines. While doing so, I saw the names of a number of very early sampler/demonstration discs with which I was completely unfamiliar. I found a few early CDs that charted, as well as similar discs from 1983-85, and am featuring those this week.

Rodney Franklin - Learning To Love (1982)/Marathon (1984)/Skydance (1985)/It Takes Two (1986)

UK Import

2019 two disc set from Cherry Red Records featuring the jazz/R&B pianist's fifth through eighth studio albums (1982-86). I prefer his earlier albums, but that doesn't mean there's not good stuff here to enjoy. To this listener, disc two is better than disc one.

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LEARNING TO LOVE (1982)
8 tracks, 43 minutes

By this point in his career, Franklin had fully opted to move away from a smooth jazz sound to pop/R&B tunes. Produced by Stanley Clarke, this (not surprisingly) sounds a lot like a Clarke solo album at times. Other recognizable names include Nathan East, Michael Sembello, Abraham Laboriel, Tom Scott, Alex Acuna, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, and Alphonse Mouzon.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "power and sophistication"
• CashBox: "synth-saturated fusion, soulful ballads, scorching bod-shakers and fast-paced funk"
• Stereo Review: "quality pop-soul fare with just enough of a jazz flavor to make it sound sophisticated"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #190
• Billboard Jazz: #9
• Billboard R&B: #45
• CashBox Jazz: #6

Tracks: Enuff is Enuff (#68 R&B) is a pleasant enough shuffle and the theme to the 1982 movie, "One Down, Two to Go." Clarke even breaks out the talkbox and a piccolo bass solo on that one. Tom Scott steals the show on a couple of tracks here: That's The Way I Feel 'Bout Your Love (#64 R&B) and the cover of the Christopher Cross hit, Sailing. The only track that approaches fusion is track 6, a nine minute medley of sorts titled Genesis/New Day/Nature's Way/Early Morning/Let There Be Light which offers a fantastic drum solo from Mouzon.

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MARATHON (1984)
7 tracks, 36 minutes

Definitely '80s pop that is of its time. Clarke on the boards again, calling on friends such as Ronnie Laws, Gerald Albright, and enough synth drums to last a good while.

Billboard, February 4, 1984, p. 53

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #187
• Billboard Jazz: #15
• Billboard R&B: #54
• CashBox Jazz: #7

Tracks: The single was Stay On In The Groove, which peaked at #72 on the R&B charts. The above Billboard blurb mentions Let's Talk and that's a fun little funk piece, mainly because of Gary Calvin's bass line. Speaking of bass lines, the hard-workin' Louis Johnson (of The Brothers Johnson) is the star of Searchin' For - enough so that I stopped what I was doing and looked up the credits once that track started. Clarke doesn't play as much on this album as one might guess. But, all things considered, my preferred tracks here are Lumière (Franklin's solo shines) and the ballads, Love Is The Answer (with vocals from Darryl Coley and Lynn Davis and a soprano solo from Laws) and the New-Age-ish Reflection Of A Dream, the latter of which is simply Franklin at a Steinway piano.

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SKYDANCE (1985)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

Not as many synths on this one, which is surprising for a 1985 release. Produced by orchestral arranger Paul Buckmaster instead of Clarke. Not as many big name guests, either, meaning the focus is on Franklin's playing, as it should be. Things settle down and relax; this is the strongest album in this 2 CD set.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "Franklin seems to have found his groove"
• Billboard: "Pleasant if predictable"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #31
• CashBox Jazz: #6

Tracks: All are enjoyable, but my top picks come from what was side one: Song For You, Destiny, and Fiesta. Although Fiesta saw a limited release as a promo single, there wasn't a hit single to drive album sales, unfortunately.

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IT TAKES TWO (1986)
8 tracks, 35 minutes

And we're back to the familiar sound of the mid-'80s with lots of programming and synthdrums. Franklin takes over production duties alongside French composer/arranger/conductor Michel Colombier, but only writes 3 of the 8 cuts here. Not much jazz to be found, but there's some tasty, if a bit preachy, poppish R&B with occasional contributions from Gerald Albright.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "likely the best album Franklin has recorded to date"
• Billboard: "stylish fusion"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #34
• CashBox Jazz: #14

Tracks: The lead track was written by Colombier and Jeff Lorber and is high-energy and features dazzling work from Franklin. The released single was Look What's Showing Through, written by Eddie Schwartz (most famously known for writing Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot). Even with vocals from the incomparable Brenda Russell, that single only reached #59 on the R&B chart. Also good are The Eagle And The Condor and the final cut, Let There Be Peace, which is a beautiful solo piano piece. Also included is a completely unnecessary cover of Mr. Mister's Broken Wings.