Old Enough to Forget

Good Lord, here we go. Hang on, Strap in, and put in your mouth guard. Ted Nugent - Weekend Warriors (1978) Gerry Rafferty - North & South (1988) Visage - Visage (EP) (1981) Greg Kihn Band - Kihnspiracy (1983) Johnny Winter - Captured Live! (1976) Ted Nugent - Weekend Warriors (1978) This was long one of the albums I wanted, but never bought. The cover was vintage ted, and the cover was absolutely captivating. This was Ted in a single frame. Sitting here listening this is all new to me. The first pass through I didn't have any credits other than what was on the back cover. I still tend to lean on Double Live Gonzo! as Ted's high water mark, and while over the years I've filled in some of his earlier studio albums, I really never became a true blue fan. I was a pretty solid casual, and still consider myself a fan of his music. Considering Weekend Warriors came hot on the heals of Double Live Gonzo in the fall of '78 I sort of expected more of the same. Which is w...

The song "Fade to Grey" I always figured came out in the mid '80s and it was one of those rare example of a nearly perfect balance of new wave and techno elements. It wasn't until fairly recently that I found out this was actually recorded back in 1979 and released in 1980. I'm guessing the band waited just to have their album come out in the new decade. To add to my pile of trivia both Midge Ure and Billy Currie would go on to join a resurrected Ultravox. Oddly though Midge wasn't the front man here, it was Steve Strange who sang lead. I know I keep repeating myself when writing about this era of new wave, but I have always loved the integration of organic and synthesized instrumentation. The presence of acoustic drums along with early drum machines, and guitar and bass is a wonderful blending to two worlds. The results have always had more tension and energy than much of the later techno work that was to come. I can't say it isn't dated, but it has a...