Old Enough to Forget

Mr. Mister was huge ... then they weren't. Here in Canada the band's previous album Welcome to the Real World went triple platinum moving over 300,000 units. That's a lot of music per capita and I did my part by buying a record. I remember waiting for the follow up album ... and I don't know how I missed it. I suppose part of the problem was I didn't hear anything on the radio or see a video on Much Music. My sense of object permanence is kind of ... oooh a squirrel. In the fall of 1987 Mr. Mister released Go On ... and while I may have missed the boat, others didn't and the album would still go gold in Canada (50,000) and the band's music would appear in a few soundtracks, from Stand and Deliver, Stakeout , and I am absolutely positive they had a song in the Patrick Dempsey movie Can't Buy Me Love ... I'm certain of it. Don't ask me why I remember that - or why I saw it in the theatre, but not what I had for breakfast. "Stand and Deliver...

I got this a while ago, not like 1987 a while ago, more like a couple of years ago. I found this one still sealed and it was around ten bucks ... why not? The credits didn't give a lot away for me, but I saw Neil Geraldo's name listed in the special thanks, and as I am a sucker for word association that was enough for me. Now if I was a fan of Patti Smith I may have recognized "Dancing Barefoot" in the track list but I'm not (at least not yet, never say never) and although I've heard her version, back in '79 this more or less flew over my radar. Interestingly, the version here really isn't a cover, as Ivan Kral co-wrote the song with Smith and was a member of her band at the time. Her version is great, and I have to say the Eastern Bloc version is one of the standouts on the album. I am jumping ahead of myself a bit, but I'll leave that there as it may be important later ... or not. I'm as curious as you are now to see if I end up connecting th...

Lonesome Jubilee introduced the world to John Mellencamp ... no more John Cougar, or John Cougar Mellencamp ... it was John Mellencamp thank you very much. John's transformation into a full-fledged folk rock (Americana is the term that would later be applied, but at the time this is just roots rock) hero was complete. While John had maintained his multi-platinum run in the States, here in Canada he would find his greatest commercial success with Lonesome Jubilee . His previous three releases, American Fool , Uh-Huh , and Scarecrow all sold in excess of 500,000 copies. That's the equivalent of an RIAA gold album from a population literally ten times smaller than our neighbours to the south. With Lonesome Jubilee he moved over 600,000, and this would be the peak of his popularity, at least in terms of commercial album sales. He's never stopped creating music and has released another sixteen albums, the last being Orpheus Descending (2023). However, for me, this was reall...

I remember seeing the cover for Shabooh Shoobah in the early '80s and trying to work out how to say the band's name. Without radio or video I just assumed it was pronounced inks . The band would slowly start to build here in Canada and "Original Sin" got quite a bit of airplay, and then came "What You Need" which was a pretty big song. I thought they were good, but there were a lot of good bands and I only had so much money. Kick was one of those albums that managed to connect with people in a big way. Fronted by Michael Hutchence, who was simply mesmerizing, and backed by an incredibly tight band, INXS delivered a near perfect album. The timing could not have been better and the album would go on to move over 20,000,000 copies, almost ten times more than their previous record, and it would be the band's high-water mark. At the time I had no idea this was as big as it was. I knew who the band was before Kick came out, and while I knew it was a popular...

A decade after Heart released Little Queen , they dropped Bad Animals . To say they were back was a bit of an understatement. Heart was enjoying a career resurgence and were bigger than they'd ever been. Case in point, both albums went triple platinum in the States, while here at home Bad Animals would sell 400,000 copies, doubling what they did on Little Queen. I had no idea at the time it was this big a deal. I knew "Alone" (from their self-titled comeback in '85) was a huge power ballad, but honestly when I think of classic Heart albums, I don't think of Bad Animals . Time is a cruel mistress that way. Now to be fair, I didn't have the classic albums when I was younger, although I did have Passionworks back in '83 because I liked the guitar solo on "How Can I Refuse?" a song that unfortunately stalled for the band. Of course I thought the big hits were cool, and "Barracuda" is right up there with my favourite songs growing up. Tho...

It was early '83 that I discovered Oingo Boingo. I bought the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack and heard their song, "Goodbye, Goodbye," and I was blown away. I then started looking for and buying the band's albums and I really got a kick out of how dark and bouncy the band was. I still get a wicked grin when I think of "Only a Lad," and although I didn't really think the movie was that funny, I thought the song "Weird Science" was good, but "Dead Man's Party" was better - but I'm getting ahead of myself. For whatever reason the quirky lads just couldn't seem to catch a break with their first few albums and A&M dropped the band, and things seemed to be over. Then in the fall of '84 Danny Elfman appeared as a solo artist with the song "Gratitude" that was in regular rotation on MuchMusic. While I don't remember much aside from that one track I still think of it as a good album. An album that fe...

Another one of those, "I wonder what this sounds like" albums I found in a bin. It was still shrink-wrapped, which is always fun. The cover didn't yield a release date, but this looked mid-'80s and the guys looked like they were going to sound like ABC or Depeche Mode ... or worst case Duran Duran, or worster case, they'd be a boy band. You know what they say about judging a book by its cover. Well, in this case I got more or less what I was hoping for. From the opening notes of "Let Her Fall" this was that dreamy blend of rock and synth-pop. It had a lot of guitars, and there were times I got hints of INXS and Simple Minds ... of course I could have easily said it sounded like a-ha and Pseudo Echo and I'd still be right. First (The Sound of Music) was the band's debut, and it came out in '87. By this time the '80s had developed a sound and Then Jerico knew what they were doing. Now, as much as I'd like to write a love letter to the ...

It was sealed, and it was cheap, and it followed me home so I got to keep it. New Regime, stylized as new:regime, was a relatively short lived '80s new wave tinged rock band who released two albums on RCA, their self titled debut in '85 and The Race , which was released in '87. Me personally, I don't think I'd heard of them and reading through the credits I can't say I recognized any of the main players. I did recognize Neil Chapman's (Pukka Orchestra) name along with Dalbello under the additional musicians section, which did lend a little cred from my perspective. I had been puttering in the basement, so I figured I'd just put this one on and crank it up. Admittedly not the best way to road test a new album, but it is what it is. Musically this sort of hit where I thought it would, which was cool. It was very mid '80s and reminded me a lot of Robbie Nevil (only on the first listen, after that it was harder to hear), but you'd be forgiven if you ...

Obladi obla dah, this won't take long, my how the time has gone. This month has a double shot of The Knack, a band I've gotten into lately. They were so much more than a one hit wonder. I also figured four was enough this time. Just four albums this time out, and that's enough. This was the 17th Stylus over Substance post, and I think this will be the last one. Who knows I may resurrect this format in the future ... or not. Time will tell. Rick Wakeman - Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974) The Knack -  ... But the Little Girls Understand (1980) The Knack - Round Trip (1981) Foreigner - Inside Information (1987) Rick Wakeman - Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974)  I bought this as a curiosity, and it was a curiosity I got. I'd seen so many copies in the dollar bin it just seemed too interesting to pass up. I'll be the first to admit this would have been an astounding show to see live; however, hearing it as a stand-alone experience is a little more dis...

The Silencers. The band that should have been. It's not like they were all over the radio, although I think I've retrofitted a memory of hearing "Painted Moon" on the radio - but I'm pretty sure it was just on a mix tape. It was the cover I found enticing. A simple white jacket with wee little black and white cut outs of the band on the bottom right corner. It looked intriguing, and it was also in a discount bin. Ah, the liquidation bin ... there was a warehouse that specialized in selling off store inventory from failed businesses and one day a couple of very large tables appeared that were full of CDs ... new CDs and they were cheap. Which was good because back in '87 my purchasing habit was insatiable, which was fun for the ears and hard on the wallet. I can't remember how many discs I got from those disorganized tables, but it was a lot ... the only one I truly remember getting is A Letter From St. Paul . Partly because of "Painted Moon" and ...

The Jitters were an odd little band who released two albums during their short career. Their debut dropped in '87 and the single "Last of the Red Hot Fools" was catchy, and I heard it a few times on the radio. A couple of years later they had another minor hit with "'Til the Fever Breaks" and then they were gone. In the early '90s I found both albums on CD, and really enjoyed them - although to be fair, as I sit here I don't really remember much other than the two songs I had heard on the radio way back when. Still, the band left a lasting impression. I was browsing through the bins the other day, and to my surprise I found a sealed copy of the band's self titled album and it was too good to pass up. I'm gonna sit back, relax and revisit an album I've not heard in decades. Ladies and Gentlemen and all points in between, The Jitters. ... a little while later ... Musically, they sounded like Katrina and the Waves and Huey Lewis and the News...

Here we were chugging along into August, and I have to admit that my self imposed schedule of cranking out two of these a month may have been a tad ambitious. It's likely I'll take a step back and go to once a month. I mean, I'm spending a lot of time jotting down my meandering thoughts that frankly for the most part are just on this side of being coherent ... I'll let you pick a side. I have to admit that I was probably a little ambitious when I decided to crank out two of these a month. With everyone home, or the kids parking themselves in the basement, I had to sneak my record playing in when I could. Not that I'm complaining, really. If this is all I have to bitch and moan about, things are pretty good.     Still, I've been grinding my way through my pile of records. Up for grabs this time out are another gaggle of odds and sods and repeat offenders. Let's get right to it ... are you seated comfortably? Chilliwack – Look In, Look Out (1984) Neil Diamond...

Here we go, kids. Hope you're ready as we start the slide into the summer months. January can be a weird month where it's either too hot, too cold, or too boring. I'm still working my way through the records I bought last December, and while I'm still adding to the pile, I'm trying to slow down. Having my favourite record store go tits up was really bad for them, but good for me. Although they do have an auction, and at times that's been a problem, but that's my cross to bear. This time out is another mixed bag of nuts. Some of the albums I had back in the day, and others are new to me. It's always fun to sit down, turn on and turn it up. Rock and Hyde - Under the Volcano (1987) Three Dog Night - Naturally (1970) The Moody Blues - This is The Moody Blues (1974) Carl Perkins and NRBQ - Boppin' the Blues (1970) The Kinks - Give the People What They Want (1981) Rock and Hyde - Under the Volcano (1987) A couple years after Payolas tried and failed t...