07/09/2007
Mix Disc Monday Home / Music Home / Bullz-Eye Home
Despite George Orwell’s concerns, 1984 turned out
to be a pretty decent year, all things concerned. Certainly,
there was some great music hitting stores during those
366 days (that’s right, smart guy, I knew it was a
leap year…well, rather, my editor did), and,
for the first time in my life, I was actually starting
to buy some of it, thanks to my financially-lucrative
paper route. I was also beginning to attend concerts
as well, thanks to a beautiful perk of the paper-carrier
business known as the Carrier Card; it scored you free
admission to any show by a specific local concert promoter,
just as long as it was general admission and wasn’t
sold out. So, yes, I remember 1984 quite fondly indeed…and
these songs are a significant part of those memories.
"Blasphemous Rumours," Depeche Mode (Some
Great Reward)
I don’t want to start any "Blasphemous Rumours," but,
hey, I’ve got to start with something.
"Dance Hall Days," Wang Chung (Points
on the Curve)
It’s depressing to me that Wang Chung’s history has basically
been rewritten to have people believe that they came,
invented an exclamatory phrase that was famous for fifteen
minutes ("Everybody Wang Chung tonight!"), and vanished.
Too few people remember how great this song was – and,
yet, as good as it is, it’s bettered by the band’s theme
for the film, "To Live and Die in L.A.." But, of course,
that’s a discussion for another Mix Disc Monday.
"Obscene Phone Caller," Rockwell (Somebody’s
Watching Me)
Speaking of artists who’ve had their histories rewritten,
this song seems to have virtually vanished off the planet,
even though it was also a Top 40 hit like its predecessor,
the better-remembered title track from Rockwell’s debut
album. It’s not the best album in the world, but it’s
strange that it isn’t available on CD; I’d like to own
it, if only for those two songs, as well as his surprisingly
effective cover of the Beatles’ "Taxman."
"One Night in Bangkok," Murray Head (Chess)
For the longest time, I thought Murray Head was
a one-hit wonder. I had no idea that "One Night in Bangkok"
was actually his second hit; he’d already risen
to the upper reaches of the charts with "Superstar," from
Jesus Christ Superstar. It only took me slightly less
time to discover that "One Night in Bangkok" was written
by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, from ABBA. No wonder it
was so damned catchy!
"Renée," Talk Talk (It’s My Life)
The title cut is all but unlistenable to me now,
thanks to No Doubt’s ubiquitous cover from a few years
ago, and that really depresses me. But the album that
bears its name is a great one, and although I’ve got several
favorite tracks ("Dum Dum Girl" is one that leaps immediately
to mind), I remain partial to this one. I briefly had
a crush on a Tennessee girl named Renée, and this song
ended up starting Side Two of a mix tape I made for her.
(Since I know you’re wondering, Side One started with
Material Issue’s "Renée Remains the Same.")
"Nobody Told Me," John Lennon (Milk and Honey)
It came from beyond the grave, this song did. Almost
four years after his murder, some of John Lennon’s last
recordings with his wife, Yoko Ono, emerged, and this
track became a posthumous hit. I always thought the chorus
felt rushed, like Lennon was hurrying to get the entire
sentence, "Nobody told me there’d be days like these,"
as many times as possible before it was over. Most peculiar,
mama.
"No More Lonely Nights," Paul McCartney (Give
My Regards to Broad Street)
Great song. Shame about the movie. This was the very
first Paul McCartney album that I ever owned, so I’m more
partial to its contents that any sensible Macca fan really
ought to be. Still, this song was great. It amazes me
that it hasn’t made an appearance in any of his set lists
in recent years. In fact, come to think of it, I don’t
think he’s ever played it live, has he? Well,
maybe he’ll remedy that if he decides to tour behind this
new Starbucks-released album.
"The Only Flame in Town," Elvis Costello and
the Attractions (Goodbye Cruel World)
I know, I know, it’s the worst album Elvis Costello’s
ever made…or, at least, that’s the general perception,
anyway. This song hasn’t exactly aged that well, either,
but it’s got a great guest vocal from Daryl Hall and that
definitively ‘80s saxophone sound. An artifact of its
time, but certainly one worth revisiting on occasion.
"Reel Around the Fountain," The Smiths (The
Smiths)
I’d love to tell you that I was cool enough to
have been listening to this album in 1984, but that would
be a miserable lie. You sometimes forget that Morrissey
can be a bit dirty with his lyrics, but then you hear a
lyric like, "You can pin and mount me like a butterfly,"
and it all comes rushing back.
"Jump," Van Halen (1984)
My very first concert: Van Halen, Hampton Coliseum,
on the night they received a call from Casey Kasem to
tell them that this song had gone to #1. I can’t hear
this song without thinking of David Lee Roth telling the
audience about that call. I also vaguely remember that
the whole place smelled like Otto’s jacket.
"Hammer to Fall," Queen (The Works)
I’m not a "Radio Gaga" apologist like some Queen fans
are – I’m sorry, but that song was just plain silly –
but if you go back and examine the album, you’ll find
that this song remains one of the best pop-rock tracks
of their later years.
"Watusi Rodeo," Guadalcanal Diary (Walking
in the Shadow of the Big Man)
Look closely: they’re not cows, they’re water buffaloes.
Okay, I admit it, I know this album from its later Elektra
reissue rather than the indie version that came out back
in ’84, but I love this band so much that I don’t want
to miss an opportunity to praise them. Guadalcanal Diary
never got the love they deserved outside of the South,
but one of my greatest concert moments was watching them
cover "Stayin’ Alive" during a show at The Boathouse,
in Norfolk, VA. If you don’t know the band, you’re missing
out.
"Axel F," Harold Faltermeyer (Beverly Hills
Cop: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
My idea of a pick-up move in 1984 was to break
out my miniature Casio organ and play this song. Funny how
I stayed single ‘til I was 31.
"Distant Early Warning," Rush (Grace Under
Pressure)
Most Rush fans really, really
hate this album. I mean, they despise it. But I saw
Rush on this tour – with Y&T
as their opener (can I get some love for "Summertime Girls"?)
– and I still remember the laser show, and how the video
for this song was playing on the giant screen behind the
band while they played it. Fond memories.
"Do
They Know It’s Christmas?," Band Aid
It’s unlikely there will ever be another song that features
as many of my favorite artists as this one. I mean, come
on: U2, the Boomtown Rats, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, Duran
Duran, Heaven 17, Bananarama, Wham!, the Style Council,
Culture Club, The Police, Genesis, Big Country, Frankie
Goes to Hollywood, and Paul Young were all a part of it.
You can’t beat that with a stick. Not even with "We are
the World." That’s right, I said it: I liked this song
better.