Friday 80s Flashback for March 21, 2025

[Waves of Sunshine] -- Katrina and the Waves released their third, and self-titled, studio album 40 years ago this weekend, on March 22, 1985. Interestingly, their very first album was titled Walking on Sunshine while their second was simply Katrina and the Waves 2. This seemingly reverse chronological naming scheme makes some sense once you realize the third album, the band's first with a major label, consisted entirely of re-mixed (or at least recycled) tracks from the first two LPs. Four of the tracks on this 1985 release were from their 1983 debut album, including this album's big hit, "Walking on Sunshine," while the rest were from their 1984 album. 

And the gambit worked, probably with some help from marketing and MTV. 

While the prior albums were largely ignored, Katrina and the Waves (1985) peaked in the top 30 of both the US and the UK. And it was successful in several other countries. The aforementioned "Walking on Sunshine" was a top 40 hit worldwide, peaking at #8 and #9 on the UK Singles and US Billboard Hot 100 charts respectively. The remaining tracks are serviceable 1980s fare, with "Do You Want Crying," "Machine Gun Smith," and "The Sun Won't Shine Without You" being the unreleased standouts, in my opinion. Oh, and a previously released single, "Going Down To Liverpool," is probably best known for the 1984 cover by The Bangles.  

For giggles, I'll list the tracks on Katrina and the Waves and indicate which ones originally appeared on either Katrina and the Waves 2 (1984) or Walking on Sunshine (1983):

1. Red Wine And Whisky *
2. Do You Want Crying *
3. Que Te Quiero ‡ 
4. Machine Gun Smith ‡ 
5. Cry For Me *
6. Walking On Sunshine ‡ 
7. Going Down To Liverpool ‡ 
8. Mexico *
9. The Sun Won't Shine *
10. Game Of Love *

* from Katrina and the Waves 2, 1984

‡ from Walking on Sunshine, 1983

Flashback: Katrina and the Waves (March 22, 1985)

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And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for March 14, 2025

[Still Dreaming of Action] -- Forty years ago this week, Howard Jones dropped his second studio album, Dream Into Action (March 11, 1985). It peaked at #2 on the UK Albums chart, reached the top ten of the Billboard 200, and did well in several other countries. In addition to climbing album charts, this album had four singles. And two of them – "Things Can Only Get Better" and "Life in One Day" – did very well commercially. The former hit #5 and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK singles charts respectively, while the latter peaked at #14 in the UK and #19 in the US. 

And before you as, yes, "No One Is to Blame" was originally part of this 1985 album, and it's my favorite track here. However, Jones didn't release it as a single until 1986, and it was a re-recorded version that later appeared on on his 1986 EP, Action Replay. So, now I'm left wondering whether I was primed to love the track when it reached the single charts, or I loved it from my first listen through of Dream Into Action. There are greater mysteries, to be sure, but might be pondering that question over the weekend. 

Flashback: Dream Into Action (March 11, 1985)

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And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for March 7, 2025

[All the Fegging Time] -- I have no idea what Fegmania might be or mean outside of Robyn Hitchcock's discography, nor am I really all that curious about it. So, in this post, I'll be focused on Hitchcock's fourth studio album, Fegmania!, which was also his first with his backing band, The Egyptians. But you might have expected that from an 80s Flashback, right? 

Released in March 1985 – quite possibly on March 1 per several sources – Fegmania! either has turned, or will turn, 40 years old as of this month. It is considered one of Hitchcock's best releases, and I'm inclined to agree. Not that you have to take my word for it. AllMusic retroactively gives Fegmania! 4 ½ out of five stars, saying the songs are "twitchy and off-kilter, with melodies that usually went in willfully unpredictable directions" and that the record was Hitchcock's "most consistent work to date." The Chicago Tribune rated it a solid 4 out of 4 stars, calling it "Hard pop with a twist." While Spin said the album had "unpredictably brilliant songs, synapse-bending lyrics, and vigorously inventive guitar" (Spin issue 3, p. 32, July 1985). 

Despite garnering such critical acclaim, Fegmania! doesn't seem to have charted all that well; as far as I can tell, it didn't launch any singles either. That's weird to me. Even now, I feel that this album, with its post-punk pop and smattering of psychedelia, was perfect for the mid-1980s. I'm particularly fond of "Goodnight I Say," "The Man with the Lightbulb Head," "Egyptian Cream," and "Glass." 

Flashback: "Fegmania! (March 7, 1985)

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And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for February 28, 2025

[This is Not the Big Chair] -- Well, it is the big chair. But it's not just the Big Chair this week.  For the final week of February 2025, we have two albums that are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their respective release dates. One was released 40 years ago this week while the other hit that milestone last week. And, as with my prior twofers, these albums are quite different from each other. 

 

The Falcon and the Snowman – First up is Pat Metheny Group's soundtrack album for the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman. This album was released on February 22, 1985, and as with much of Pat Metheny's catalog in the 1980s, it is jazz fusion with a bit of an atmospheric bent. This record also features some interesting collabs. Metheny and company worked with two classical outfits for much of the album. The National Philharmonic Orchestra appears on "Flight of the Falcon", "Extent of the Lie", "The Level of Deception", and "Capture" while the Ambrosian Choir appears on the opening and closing tracks, "Psalm 121" and "Epilogue (Psalm 121)." Ambrosian's contributions not only bookend the soundtrack, but also lent a very different vibe for Metheny. However, Ambrosian's contribution to the vibe was not nearly as different as this one other collaborator that impacts just one song on the album: David Bowie on "This is Not America." Bowie wrote lyrics and recorded vocals for a different version of the song to play over the film's credits. Bowie's participation was director John Schlesinger's suggestion, as Metheny himself reveals in his tribute to David Bowie on his site. In that post, Metheny tells the story of how Bowie worked on the song, and he shares his awe at Bowie's studio work. The embedded YouTube playlist below does not include the music video for the Metheny/Bowie collab, so I'll link that here for you. 

Songs from the Big Chair – Next, we have the second studio LP from Tears for Fears. Released forty years ago this week, on February 25, 1985, this record was even more successful than their very successful 1983 debut. Between the US, UK, and international markets, six of Big Chair's eight tracks were released as singles.  The album peaked at #2 in the UK and at #1 in the U.S., ultimately going multi-platinum. That success was driven by two huge singles, "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," both of which topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Oh, and a third single, "Head Over Heels," my personal favorite, also performed rather well internationally. Overall, Songs from the Big Chair garnered glowing reviews, was named one of the 1980s' best albums (by Slate and Pitchfork), and rocketed up charts around the world. The album even earned a nod in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. 

So, did you have either, or both, of these records back in 1985? 

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Flashback #1: The Falcon and the Snowman (February 22, 1985)

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Flashback #2: Songs from the Big Chair (February 25, 1985)

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And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for February 21, 2025

  

[Don't You Forget Breakfast - Redux] -- The Breakfast Club, the second of John Hughes' teen coming-of-age films, hit theaters on February 7, 1985. Later that same month, on February 19, 1985 – 40 years ago this very week! – The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) hit stores and charts. British pop musician Keith Forsey produced the album, in addition to writing and performing on several tracks. This soundtrack album peaked at #17 on the US Billboard 200 chart, probably propelled by Simple Minds' recording of the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)." I mean, that one track practically leapt from the soundtrack and became the anthem of the film itself. The tune is an aural bookend, with Keith Forsey's demo playing as the film opens and the Simple Minds version playing over the close and end credits. 

And, yet, I have to ask: Do you recall any other songs from this record? Here are 10 tracks, in order, with their artist:

1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" — Simple Minds
2. "Waiting" — Elizabeth Daily
3. "Fire in the Twilight" — Wang Chung
4. "I'm the Dude" — Keith Forsey
5. "Heart Too Hot to Hold" — Jesse Johnson & Stephanie Spruill
6. "Dream Montage" — Gary Chang
7. "We Are Not Alone" — Karla DeVito
8. "The Reggae" — Keith Forsey
9. "Didn't I Tell You" — Joyce Kennedy
10. "Love Theme" — Keith Forsey

When I wrote a Flashback post about this album four years ago, the only other artist here with name recognition for me was Wang Chung. Even now, Wang Chung's contribution ("Fire in the Twilight") leaves as much of an impression on me as it did back in 1985, which is not much of an impression at all. It sounds like average TV theme fare from another decade. Other tracks on The Breakfast Club might have me recall specific moments of the film, but they have no real staying power; I mean, I never find myself humming them later. 

The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) just might be one of the okay-est soundtracks ever. 

But I have to admit that, in re-exploring the album again, I do find the entire effort to be worthy of, at least, background music. It is nice to have playing while doing other reading or work. It is pleasant, barely taking any attention while not quite folding away to nothingness in the recedes of my mind. 

Let me know what you think. Just don't forget about me, OK?

Flashback: The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

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That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

Note: This Flashback was repurposed from the post I wrote for February 19, 2021.

Friday 80s Flashback for February 14, 2025

[How Will I Know?] -- Forty years ago today, February 14 fell on a Thursday. And on that Thursday, Whitney Houston  (1963–2012)  dropped her solo, self-titled, debut album: Whitney Houston. After a slow start, Whitney Houston ultimately climbed to the top of the Billboard 200 in 1986, and it stayed in that top slot for 14 weeks. Seven of the album's ten tracks were singles, and three of them – "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," and "Greatest Love of All" – all shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, her record was the first debut album, as well as the first album by a solo female artist, to have three #1 singles in the US.

Between 1986 and 1987, Houston received five Grammy nominations, including two for Album of the Year (once each in both '86 and '87). Houston did win a 1986 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Just the beginning for Whitney Houston's remarkable career. 

Flashback: Whitney Houston (February 14, 1985)

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And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for February 7, 2025

[Hole in my memory] -- Heads and Hearts was the fourth album by UK-based post-punk rockers, The Sound. I don't have a specific release date, just that it came out in February 1985. Still, that means the record turn 40 years old at some point in this month. And that is close enough for me to celebrate its anniversary. 

Heads and Hearts received some critical praise and appreciation, but nothing that really helped it generate sales or even extra air time. Like several of The Sound's records, it didn't even get a US release. Seems it was limited to mostly European countries. Maybe US record execs didn't expect them to fare well across the pond. Maybe they were too much of a niche act in their native England. Whatever limited The Sound's international audience, it must not have prevented some import sales, otherwise I would not have discovered this album in the mid-1980s. 

And this album caught me at the perfect time, being in college and wondering about life. And although I'm now no longer the demographic for lyrics describing problems facing young adults, I still find the vocals and the instruments compelling. I would say this album is, today, just as perfect for cranking up the headphones and zoning out for 40-odd minutes.

Favorite tracks: "Total Recall," "Restless Time," "One Thousand Reasons," and "Mining for Heart."

Flashback: Heads and Hearts (February 1985)

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And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!