Old Enough to Forget

Night Ranger released Dawn Patrol in the waning months on 1982. The band would pull three singles off the album with the last one dropping in the summer of 1983. The album was slick as snot, with a twin guitar assault that was more than capable of melting faces. Jeff Watson on one side with his mind bending dexterity and Brad Gillis, fresh off a stint with Ozzy was on the other. Brad was also on Mr. Osbourne's Speak of the Devil -  also released in November of '82. I suspect Brad's departure was amicable as Ozzy & Sharon got a shout out on the back cover.  Night Ranger found their voice early on with bread and butter slick rock and roll. This was '82 and hard rock was coming into the mainstream. The band also managed to pull off the two lead singer trick and make it look easy. Bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy took turns singing their own songs while occasionally writing together. Their voices were similar but different enough to give the album a nice back...

Roxy Music released their first album simply titled, Roxy Music in 1972, and a decade later released their final and arguably their best known (and best) album Avalon in 1982. Avalon was my introduction to the band, and frankly was also my exit. I did end up with Siren at some point, and did like "Love is the Drug" but honestly I never really let the album breathe ... I think it got a cursory spin and I took off the one song for a mix tape and then shelved it. I was young and didn't know any better ... that's what I'm going with. I also suspect that at some point I'm going to end up with more Roxy Music albums in my collection. It was  Avalon  though that was the perfect combo of restrained smokey cool and the songs and performances felt effortless. Brian Ferry himself was the epitome of cool, and was joined by Phil Manzanera on guitar and Andy Mackay on saxophone, both of whom were masters of their craft. Others were brought in as needed. Alan Spenner and Ne...

This was the first album I bought by 38 Special. I had no idea that "Hold on Loosely" was a big deal, I just knew that the song was amazing. We had limited radio when I was a kid up north, and unless it was word of mouth or something I'd read about when browsing the magazines I was pretty sheltered. When Special Forces dropped in '82 I snapped it up. Right off the bat the band was kicking in the door and "Caught Up in You" became my second favourite song by the band. The rest of the album then sort settled into a groove as one decent but not especially memorable song after another played. Some of the songs were goofy, "Back Door Stranger" probably isn't a thinly veiled play on words. If it was it was way more subtle than Deep Purple was when they were singing about knocking on a back door. You can take the 12 year old out a teenager, but you can't take a 12 year old out of a teenager. No that wasn't a typo. Now while I'm being casua...

I remember when this came out in 1982. It was just in time for Christmas and I bought two copies. One for me, and one for my best friend Mike. At the time I didn't know the album would be a mostly forgettable collection of songs, with one really annoying "hit" with an S song in "It's Raining Again".  There was a certain degree of pent up excitement at the thought of a new album and the stop gap release of the obligatory live album certainly didn't count, at least to me. Heck, let's be honest, the live version of "Dreamer" got a second life no one saw coming, or wanted ... again, just me. Breakfast in America was huge in Canada going Diamond, with over 1.5 million copies out there. I suppose the pressure to try and have lightning strike twice was enormous. With the benefit of hindsight, and the internet there's a lot of information out there about the tumultuous gestation period that birthed "...famous last words..." The delic...

Toronto was always one of those bands who seemed to have a decent song on the radio whenever they put out a new album. Get It On Credit was the band's third album in as many years and the big song this time was "Your Daddy Don't Know" which is a great tune even if it sounds like the song was the result of putting "Jessie's Girl" in a blender. A tad unkind, and not entirely true, but where's there's smoke there's something burning. Doesn't matter, it's the best song on the album and one that still puts a grin on my face. This is also the album where the band had mostly worked out "What About Love" but decided it wasn't good enough ...it would end up being good enough to when it kick started Heart's career a couple years later. The album is a decent collection of mid tempo rock songs, and singer Holly Woods is ably supported by guitarists Sheron Alton and Brian Allen. I've always liked the band, and I've picked...

April Wine was striking while the iron was hot, or in this case platinum. The band had finally cracked the US market with The Nature of the Beast and at home the band had released consecutive gold or platinum albums since 1975's breakthrough Stand Back .  Power Play managed to ride the band's momentum to platinum status in Canada, but despite the album cracking the top 40 on the US album charts it didn't translate into sales. The album was produced by Mike Stone and Myles Goodwin, and the classic line up was still intact. Brian Greenway - guitar, vocals Myles Goodwyn - vocals, guitars, keyboards Gary Moffet -guitar, background vocals Steve Lang - bass, background vocals  Jerry Mercer - drums Heck the album cover was awesome. There was Myles with his three pick up Les Paul slung over his shoulder arms splayed out basking in the moment. I loved that guitar. Two pickups good. THREE BETTERER! Take that Peter Frampton! The only problem was the songs. The band had been cranking ...

After a few punk albums with Generation X, Billy Idol stepped out (or sold out  according to the stalwart punk rockers who felt betrayed by his change in direction) and launched his solo career. Billy teamed up with guitarist Steve Stevens and the two of them created a hybrid punk bubble gum genre that was equal parts sneer, attitude and catchy hooks. Billy was one of the cornerstones of the '80s and here in Canada he was a pretty big deal proportionately outselling our neighbours to the south. I always liked the songs on the radio, but aside from hearing one of his later (at the time) albums  Whiplash Smile once at a friends (a cursory listen didn't do much to solidify Mr. Idol as anything warranting a purchase) I never bothered to buy anything. Billy Idol was released in '82 and the song I really remember is "White Wedding (part 1)" a song that still gives me a big grin. The album would go gold in the US and move 100,000 copies here in the Great White North, eh...

"Eyes of a Stranger" is a remarkable song. It put Payola$ on the musical map, and even after over four decades the song is still awesome. The band may have garnered some fans with it's debut and "China Boys" a song that got some sporadic play back in the day ... but I never really liked it all that much. This was the album that was supposed to allow the guys in the band to quit their day jobs, except for Bob Rock who balanced his house duties at Little Mountain Sound and being in the band. A wise choice as history would show. The band was centred on the core of Bob Rock (guitars) and Paul Hyde (Vocals) along with Chris Taylor on drums, and Laurence Wilkins on bass. Lawrence would depart after this album. The band's sound was born out of the British punk scene from the late '70s and their fuck you attitude was on full display with the band's name: Payola$. Yeah, that's a name that'll open doors to radio. I wonder how many conversations took pl...

A while back while rummaging through the discount bins over at Krazy Bobs I found not one, or two, or three but five albums by Icehouse. This was awesome. Bob had been seeding the bins as I found a lot of records that came home with me that day. Back in the day I had Man of Colours on CD, and I really liked it. The opening one two punch of "Electric Blue" and "Crazy" was so good it almost overshadowed the rest of the album. I was also one of a handful of people who went to the theatre to see "Young Einstein" featuring Yahoo Serious. This was a stinker of a movie my girlfriend, and now wife, has still to forgive me for making her see. The only redeeming part of "Young Einstein" was hearing "Great Southern Land" by Icehouse, and Mental as Anything's version of "Rock and Roll Music" they were both so good. Although if I'm keeping score (she does) it's actually better than "No Holds Barred" Hulk Hogan...

From the catalogue of one hit wonders I present for your reading pleasure Taco. Taco Ockerse is probably best known for his 1982 hit "Puttin' on the Ritz" which was kitschy fun. As a rock guy it wasn't cool to admit you liked it, but the song was ridiculously infectious even if it was a tad too long, but hey it was still a hit, and not just a hit, a worldwide hit. Here in Canada the single moved over 100,000 copies and in the US it was a million seller. Irving Berlin who was 95 when Taco released his cover, made Mr. Berlin the oldest living songwriter to have a top 10 hit in the States. Despite the success of the single, it didn't seem to pull the album along with it. After Eight is an odd record. It's an uneven mix of re-imagined standards with a new wave twist to original compositions that fall into crooner territory with a programmed drum beat. I'll give him credit, it was ambitious. Did it work? Well, it's all in the ear of the beholder I guess. F...

When I was in high school a friend of mine had Spanish Train And Other Stories , and I remember being enthralled by the title track. I don't recall anything else. When videos were a thing in '83 I remember seeing "Don't Pay The Ferryman" and I was hooked. The album would be a big deal here in Canada where it sold over 100,000 copies. Chris De Burgh was likeable. I'll be the first to admit that I never really thought much of the rest of the album at the time. It was decent but I was really hoping for an album full of rockers. Of course I should have known better, but hey I was still a teenager. It didn't matter though - that one song was a killer, and the rest of the album was pleasant enough and I'd play it once in a while. After all, I was a fan of Al Stewart so it wasn't like I didn't listen to what could be loosely categorized as "adult contemporary" music. Rupert Hine produced this one, and he'd been working with SAGA around t...

There are good albums, and then there's Toto IV. A near perfect rock album that had it all. Big guitars, the pounding drums, great vocals, and most importantly amazing songs. The band always had all of the ingredients at their disposal but the perfect combination had eluded the band when it came to pulling off an album's worth of unparalleled excellence. Over the years I've purchased this album four times. First when it came out, and then on CD, and then when they released the All In Box set a few years ago (so good), and then again just recently when I found the record and felt it should come home with me. I bought this album before I'd heard any of the songs on the radio. Apparently "Rosanna" came out as a teaser a month or so before the album dropped and I may have heard it, but honestly I don't remember. What I do remember is hearing "Afraid of Love" blaring on the stereo at one of the record stores in the mall, and it was around the break...

Guilty Fingers was the third and final album by The Cry. Released in '82 on RCA the band's swansong came and went with about the same amount of fanfare as their two previous releases ... probably less I imagine. The core band was still Gary Scrutton on guitars, Brian Whitty on bass, and Robo MacPherson on keys and lead vocals. This time Kimball Fox (Kim Berly) was back on the throne playing drums and singing. After two albums of skinny tie infused new wave tinged pop The Cry moved right into the middle of the road and delivered just that, an uninspired middle of the road collection of generic pop songs that were neither hot nor cold - they're weren't just right either.  Which was a shame, as I had deliberately sought this one out as I had really enjoyed the band's first two efforts. It's not like Kimball Fox wasn't giving it his all on the songs he fronted. He was trying to muster a a sneer and some attitude and while the songs aren't especially memorab...

Back in '82 it was either "Come on Eileen" or "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" that were poisoning the radio, and making youth group dances insufferable. Although if I was to be honest Dexys Midnight Runners were pretty cool, but it wasn't rock. Over the decades I've softened to the point where I will give Culture Club a pass. They ended up being a lot more than a one hit wonder. On the other hand, Dexys were relegated to the one hit pile. But man, what a hit.  Here I am over forty years later with the album blaring in the background. I wanted to hear the entire album, but I picked it up for one song. When it was released an awful lot of people only bought the single and eschewed the album, apparently as it went gold in a number of markets. Oddly for a song that went #1 in the US the album and the single didn't sell enough to make the RIAA database. That must suck. "What single?" you ask ... really, you're going to make me say it? I actu...

Eye in the Sky was about as good as it got for The Alan Parsons Project. The band had been building up to something and the band got close with their previous albums, Eve and Turn of a Friendly Card . "Games People Play" remains one of my favourite songs, and Ian Bairnson's guitar solo is right up there with the best of the best. Eye in the Sky went double platinum here in Canada. The band was never a band, it was aptly titled a project and it was centred on Eric Woolfson, and Alan Parsons. The two wrote the songs, and Parsons engineered and produced and would bring in vocalists as required. Of course over the span of their career the singers would be consistent, names like Chris Rainbow, Lenny Zakatek (who should have had a solo career) and Elmer Gantry. There were others of course, but I run the risk of having to pull out a bunch of records and start reading credits. As to credits, the vinyl copy I found was missing the insert which sucked. The vinyl cleaned up okay w...