What is it about nice people that attract total idiots?Nice people are martyrs. Idiots are evangelists.

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Saturday, July 7, 2012

The great eighties countdown week 10.1

Sorry about the interruption.  God thought we might like a taste of the "good old days."  Frankly, I only minded the heat, especially between 2 and 7 PM.  And Laurie had her iPad that she charged at my son's place, so she was good once I bought battery lights and fans.  BTW, entrepeneurs out there, I think there's a market for battery fans that are too big to hide in your armpit, just sayin'.  And now, back to our countdown.

120- A Life Of Illusion, Joe Walsh, #34, #1 mainstream rock, 1981.  One of those lines that my mind often hears in times of crisis: "Pow, right between the eyes, Oh, how nature loves her little surprises..."

119- Don't Dream It's Over, Crowded House, #2, 1986.  Tell me you never sang along with "hey now, hey now..."



118- Kiss On My List, Hall And Oates, #1, 1981.  Especially when the play the long version that leaves in the entire guitar solo by Jeff Southworth.  Why cut that out in the first place?

117- Twilight, ELO, #38, 1981.  Not an era of ELO's history that I'm very fond of, but this one's stood the test of time for me.

116- No Control, Eddie Money, not released, 1982. The autobiographical title track of one of the best rock lps ever.

115- Any Way You Want It, Journey, #23, 1980.  A new generation learns this as an insurance jingle.  We old farts remember Rodney Dangerfield on the golf course in Caddyshack.

114- Breakfast In America, Supertramp, #62, 1980.  And the live version hit #62 the next year. WTF?

113- In A Little While, Amy Grant, unreleased, 1982.  The lead cut off the fantastic Age To Age lp.



112-  Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, #3, 1981.  Really established her as one of the tough female vocalists of all time.

111-  Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd, #1, 1980.  A lot of kids wanted this to be our graduating class song.  I doubt we were alone.

110- Somebody's Baby, Jackson Browne, #7, 1982.  Can't stand the dude's politics, but he's a great musician.

109- Highwayman, Kristofferson/Jennings/Cash/Nelson, #1 country, 1985.  I played this tape into the ground.  As of about a month ago, I have the CD.

108- King Of Pain, the Police, #3, #1 MSR, 1984.  No other band had the ability to be so consistant in sound but so innovative.



107- Eye In The Sky, Alan Parsons Project, #3, 1982.  The one big popular hit they had, but still pure APP.

106- Rock On, Michael Damian, #1, 1989.  Hey, you already knew I was a big The Young And The Restless fan.  Is it a shock I'd like Danny Romalotti's one big hit?

105- You Make My Dreams, Hall and Oates, #5, 1981.  Back then, this would have been a LOT higher.  Of course, back then the eighties were a year and a half along.

104- Miss Emily's Picture, John Conlee, #2 country, 1981.  One of the most immediate tear-producing songs for me.

103- Tweeter And The Monkey Man, Travelling Wilburys, #41 MSR, 1989.  Really puzzled that MSR only had this at 41. Our msr station played the crap out of it.  Dylan at his best.

102- Boys Of Summer, Don Henley, #5, #1 MSR, 1984.  On the "karaoke's greatest hits" or whatever it was they played at work, they changed, "Out on the road today, I saw a Dead Head sticker on a cadillac" to "...a blck flag sticker..."  Talk about losing the entire meaning of the song in one shot!



101- Passing By The Graveyard, Eddie Money, Unreleased, 1982.  The story of John Belushi's death, from No Control.

Next week, we hit the top 100 at last.  See you then!

2 comments:

  1. Those songs brought back many memories....:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CWM:
    GOod countdown list this week...
    On the JOurney numbner, it amazes me ho the yojnger generation finds "our" songs via marketing devices...
    They get the wrong connotation about the original and any meanings behind the songs.

    The kids will look at our generation as a bunch of plaided sportcoat-wearing SALESMEN...LOL!

    Plus, I think it's a cheap-ass cop out for the sale people...how "original" to take someone else's song and turn it into something to sell something...how plageristic of them.
    (yeah, I know they probably pay to use the song)
    But still...doesn't seem right.

    Boys of Summer was always a great song...meant we were headed for the shore!

    Always did like The Highwayman, too...those boys could turn a tune.

    Great list.

    Keep those hits coming.
    Stay safe up there.

    ReplyDelete