[A Precious 40 Years] -- In July of 1981, Pat Benatar released her third studio album, Precious Time. That means we're celebrating that record's 40th anniversary! As I've written before, I love Pat Benatar. In my opinion, she is one of the all-time great rock and roll singers. No one will ever budge my position on that. But this third outing for her didn't get the same love as her prior releases. Sales dipped a bit, though the album was certified Double Platinum in the US. It even peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200, her only record to do so. I don't specifically know why Precious Time underperformed, but 1981 was a pretty crowded field for music. Even so, I think Precious Time's singles are at least as strong as any she's released in her career. I mean, "Fire and Ice" and "Promises in the Dark" are absolute scorchers, and they were both top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 (and top 20 on the US Mainstream Rock chart). And her cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" probably should have garnered more attention, too. Anyway, Benatar's voice is in fine form and her band, fueled by her husband Neil Giraldo's blistering guitar work, cooks along nicely. If you haven't listened to this album in a while, or ever, this weekend is a great time to give it a spin (or a click).
Flashback: Precious Time – Pat Benatar (1981)
"And so you put up your guard | And you try to be hard | But your heart says try again."
Track list:
Side one 1. "Promises in the Dark" 2. "Fire and Ice" 3. "Just Like Me" (Paul Revere & the Raiders cover) 4. "Precious Time" Side two 5. "It's a Tuff Life" 6. "Take It Anyway You Want It" 7. "Evil Genius" 8. "Hard to Believe" 9. "Helter Skelter" (The Beatles cover)
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!
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