Old Enough to Forget

The year was 1980, and disco was dead, but there was Xanadu shambling around groaning and looking for brains. The good thing about Xanadu was it was the head shot needed to finally put things right with the universe. The soundtrack was a big hit - and the movie, the swansong for the late Gene Kelly, was a hit spelled with an "S" at the front. I have a copy the movie and I'll likely watch it a month or two after digesting the soundtrack so I can try to emulate the experience of those that first found themselves exposed to the magic of Olivia Newton-John's latest movie. "Why get this if you're just going to dump all over it?" I'll tell you why. Because when I was 13 the cover for her 1976 album Come on Over was enchanting, and the picture from her 1974 release If You Love Me, Let Me Know was enthralling. It's embarrassing to think about now, but at the time I would sing along to the radio belting out "I Honestly Love you" and would wond...

My first exposure to The Tubes came with "Talk to Ya Later" a song so good even Gil Fisher, The Fishin' Musician had them up to Scuttlebut Lodge to play it for his television viewing audience. It was at that moment I realized The Tubes weren't like most other bands as they opted to play "Sushi Girl" and not the big hit - that to me was cool. The Completion Backward Principle was the band's first release on Capitol, and was produced by David Foster, who wasn't yet known as the king of schmaltz, also co-wrote some of the best songs on the album. Those being "Talk to Ya Later" and the incredible "Don't Want to Wait Anymore" a song so good it's mind boggling that it was a massive hit - Bill Spooner took lead vocals on that one, and absolutely killed it - no small feat as I consider Fee Waybill one of rock's greatest vocalists. No, I'm not kidding. This was where I started with the band, so like any starting point i...