Wednesday, January 31, 2018

"Dreams Of Ordinary Men" by Hunter

In the 80s, there was an Australian/New Zealand band named Dragon that had a lone chart hit in the US with "Rain." By the late 80s, the band, which featured the Hunter brothers and none other than guitar extraordinaire Tommy Emmanuel, released records in the US under the name Hunter. It didn't help get them back on the chart.

But "Dreams Of Ordinary Men," the title track from their 1987 effort, should have put the band back on the radio in the US. Produced by Todd Rundgren, this album contains plenty of pop rockers that should have been popular back in the day.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

"Mirror Man" by The Human League

The Human League was an English co-ed pop trio that scored a handful of hits in the 80s that are now classics, like the #1 smashes "Don't You Want Me" and "Human," and "(Keep Feeling) Fascination," which landed at #8.

I never quite understood why "Mirror Man" stalled at #30 in 1983. That is a respectable performance, but this catchy new-wave tune, which incorporates a Motown sound, should have been huge.

Monday, January 29, 2018

"Beg, Borrow Or Steal" by Hughes-Thrall

Hughes/Thrall was a rock duo formed in 1982 by Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and Pat Thrall (Asia).  They released a single self-titled record that is beloved by many fans of 80s AOR. The record yielded only a single charting song, "Beg, Borrow Or Steal," which only reached #79. It's a great rock synth tune and deserved to perform much better.

Friday, January 26, 2018

"Love Corporation" by Hues Corporation

Named after Howard Hughes, the Hues Corporation are best known for their breakout disco hit, "Rock The Boat," which topped the charts at #1 in 1974. The only other top 40 hit the group had was the follow-up single, "Rockin' Soul," which went to #18.

In 1975, Hues Corporation released what should have been a smash, but "Love Corporation" fizzled at #62 instead. After "I Caught Your Act" stalled at #92 in 1977, the band finished its run on the charts.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

"Wait" by Huffamoose

If you were living in Philly in the 90s, you probably heard of the band Huffamoose. Touted by many in their town to be the next big thing, Huffamoose was on the verge. After an acclaimed self-titled release in 1993, they took their time to craft what was hoped to be a breakthrough sophomore record, 1997's "We've Been Had Again." Aptly named, the record got little support and went nowhere and the band remained obscure.

"We've Been Had Again" remains one of my favorite records for a rainy Sunday. "Wait" is one of the best tracks, and got plenty of airplay in Philly and a bit beyond...just not enough to break the band.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

"I'm Back" by Brian Howe

Brian Howe took over vocal duties after Paul Rodgers left Bad Company in 1986. After a string of hits in 70s, Bad Company was losing steam and Brian Howe breathed new life into the band with his raspy vocals and melodic songwriting. Previously, in 1983, Howe sang on the Ted Nugent record "Penetrator."

After four successful albums with Bad Company, Howe left in 1994 and pursued a solo career. He released "Tangled In Blue" in 1997, a marked turn towards more adult contemporary fare that went nowhere. In 2010, Howe returned to melodic rock and released "Circus Bar," which is one of the most enjoyable records from the genre that year.

Kicking off the record is the aptly named "I'm Back," and it showcases how Howe's powerful vocals hadn't changed a bit. I wish this record would have given Howe the comeback he deserved.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

"Middle Of Nowhere" by House of Schock

After the break-up of The Go-Go's, their drummer Gina Schock formed a band of her own with Vance DeGeneres, the older brother of Ellen. Stepping up to the mic, Gina proved she had what it takes to front a pop rock band. In 1988, House of Schock released their one and only record (self-titled).

Schockingly, the record was a flop and generated no charting singles. Quite a shame, as there are several catchy tunes on here that seem perfect for 1980s radio. In addition to "Middle of Nowhere," check out "Never Be Enough" and "This Time."

The Go-Go's got back together in 1990 and Gina has stayed with them ever since.

Monday, January 22, 2018

"I Don't Know Why I Love You" by The House Of Love

Who doesn't know someone they'd like to dedicate this song to? "I Don't Know Why I Love You" was the near-breakthrough single this UK band had in the US. It comes from their self-titled 1990 record, which also features other greats cuts like "Shine On" and "The Beatles And The Stones."

Drowned out by the glam and hard rock at the time, House Of Love probably would have fared better as a post-grunge outfit. Wrong place, wrong time, lads.

Friday, January 19, 2018

"Heart On The Line" by House of Lords

Gregg Giuffria - is he blessed or cursed? This talented musician got his start in the 70s rock band Angel, which was discovered by none other than Gene Simmons of Kiss. After a couple minor hits, the band dissolved and Giuffria started a solo band he named after himself. He scored another couple minor hits under the Giuffria banner in the early 80s, but big time commercial success remained evasive.

In 1987, Giuffria started a third project that would become House of Lords. And once again it was Gene Simmons who picked up the band on his own record label. James Christian was brought on board as the powerhouse vocalist (he's married to Robin Beck, for those keeping score). The band's debut self-titled album arrived in 1988 and landed a minor hit with "I Want To Be Loved," which reached #58 in 1989.

In 1991, the band followed-up with "Sahara," an album that yielded their only other charting single, "Remember My Name," which got to #72 in 1991. "Sahara" should have performed better, especially with outstanding cuts like "Heart On The Line." Do you hear Cheap Trick in this tune? That's because Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick wrote it and Robin Zander contributed backing vocals. Other guests on this overlooked record include Mike Tramp of White Lion and Steve Plunkett of Autograph. Also on this record is an excellent cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home."

Nearly 30 years later, Cheap Trick recorded their own version of this song for their album, "Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello."

House of Lords quickly fell off the mainstream map, like many hard rock acts in the 90s. Too bad the third time wasn't quite the charm for Gregg Giuffria, but he's got plenty to be proud of in his music career.

House of Lords has continued to serve up many more hard rock releases over the years, most recently with 2017's "Saint Of The Lost Souls."

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

"The Wild Frontier" by Bruce Hornsby & The Range

The piano man from Virginia, Bruce Hornsby, had a streak of big hits in the 80s beginning with his signature song, "The Way It Is," which soared to #1 in 1986. It was the title track from his smash debut album, which also spawned "Mandolin Rain" (#4), and "Every Little Kiss" (#14). On the heels of this success, he won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1986.

He rode this wave of popularity for a while longer, scoring with follow-up hits from his sophomore record like "The Valley Road" (#5) and "Look Out Any Window" (#35). He'd score one more top 40 single in 1990 with "Across The River," which reached #18, before vanishing from the charts as quickly as he came. Hornsby continued to release new music that incorporated his jazz and bluegrass influences; great stuff, just not radio-friendly.

Hornsby has also co-written hits by others, most notably "Jacob's Ladder," which Huey Lewis & The News took to #1 in 1987 and "The End Of The Innocence," which Don Henley took to #8 in 1989.

"The Wild Frontier" goes back to his wonderful debut record. It could have been a fourth charting single in my opinion.

Monday, January 15, 2018

"Only Lonely" by Hootie & The Blowfish

You could not have been alive in the 90s and not heard of Hootie & The Blowfish, the pop rock band from South Carolina that burst onto the scene in 1994 to offer an alternative to alternative. 

"Hold My Hand," which featured David Crosby on backing vocals, soared to #10 and was followed by three more successful singles: "Let Her Cry" (#9 and a Grammy winner), "Only Wanna Be With You" (#6, their biggest hit), and "Time" (#14). I've no doubt part of band's phenomenal success is due to the fact that people loved saying their name.

The band quickly followed up their hit debut record in 1996, before they had a chance to cool off. "Fairweather Johnson" was a clunker, but still gave the band two additional top 40 hits. If this were a stronger record, the band might have stayed on everyone's radar for a longer period of time. But by 1998's "Musical Chairs," which was a much better album, people had become a little disenchanted. The lead off single, "I Will Wait," performed respectively at #18, but it would be their last chart hit.

"Musical Chairs" has several other tunes that got lost in the mix. "Only Lonely" is very much in the vein of "Let Her Cry" and remains one of my favorite Hootie non-hits. Also worthy of mention is "Home Again" and "Wishing." The band released a couple more albums before Darius Rucker embarked on a successful solo career in country music.

Friday, January 12, 2018

"Give The Music Back" by The Hooters

Led by vocalists Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, Philadelphia musicians The Hooters rose to fame in the mid-80s with their breakthrough smash record, "Nervous Night," which spawned two staples of 80s radio: "And We Danced" (#21) and "Day By Day" (#18).

It always surprised me that The Hooters weren't bigger than they were. "Nervous Night" could have been mined for better singles than "All You Zombies" and "Where Do The Children Go," (that's Patty Smyth on backing vocals, by the way) which landed at #58 and #38, respectively. The title track, "Hanging On A Heartbeat," and "South Ferry Road" were favorites of mine.

The band dropped the ball in a big way with their follow-up record, "One Way Home." I blame this record for why the band never saw the top 40 again. The record alienated fans and certainly failed to capture new ones with the lumbering songs that meandered on and on as if searching for a hook.

But they went back to basics in 1989 and "Zig Zag" was filled with a bunch of great tunes that rival those on "Nervous Night." Day late, dollar short. And they released a stinker as a single. Despite backing vocals from Peter, Paul, & Mary, "500 Miles" couldn't get past #97, leaving greater tunes like "Brother Don't You Walk Away," "You Never Know Who Your Friends Are," and "Beat Up Guitar" to go unheard.

I particularly love the prescient song, "Give The Music Back." Purists at their core, The Hooters prided themselves on raw talent and the use of authentic instruments over machines and processing. The song quite accurately predicted the demise of real talent in music.

More trivia: they're not named after what you might think. Hooter is the nickname of Hyman's keyboard-harmonica. Bazilian and Hyman collaborated on some of Cyndi Lauper's big hits, and Bazilian wrote Joan Osborne's huge 1995 hit, "One Of Us."


Thursday, January 11, 2018

"Forty Days & Forty Nights" by Ellis Hooks

I came to know this wonderful singer/songwriter from Alabama when I heard his 2004 record, "Uncomplicated." It is actually Ellis Hooks's third record, but the title emphasizes his style: no-nonsense songs played with integrity and heart. Hooks has a voice like Sam Cooke but writes a bit like James Taylor. Hugely underrated, but raw talent usually is.

"Forty Days & Forty Nights" captures the essence of his sound - if you dig it, also check out "Gonna Take Some Time," "It's A Hassle," and the title track.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

"You Open My Eyes" by Hoodoo Gurus

What a travesty that Australian band Hoodoo Gurus never found mainstream success in the US. The band had a string of stellar records in the 80s and 90s and started to create a buzz with their early work like "Bittersweet" and "Like Wow/Wipeout" (and the often overlooked gem, "Death Defying") from their 1985 record, "Mars Needs Guitars!"

The band started out a little quirky, but their next album was a consistent offering of radio-friendly pop rock. In 1987, "What's My Scene?" went into the top 3 in Australia, but couldn't gain traction here in the US. Other greats from the album "Blow Your Cool" include "I Was The One" and "Out That Door." Not even having the trademark harmonies of The Bangles helped get "Good Times" onto the radio.

A few more notable singles poked their heads up through the years, like "Come Anytime" and "Miss Freelove '69," but still no dice. In 1994, the band released their 6th record, "Crank," which continued to impress. It rocked more than previous efforts, but never lost sight of smart melodies and harmonies. "You Open My Eyes" is one of the best songs of the 90s in my opinion.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

"My Turn" by Hoobastank

Hoobastank is a hard rock band from California that got a lot of airplay in the 2000s. They stormed onto the scene in 2002 when "Crawling In The Dark" reached #68, followed by the next single, "Running Away," going to #44.

Their next record arrived in 2004 and gave them their biggest but final chart hit when the power ballad "The Reason" soared all the way to #2. The band continued to make some excellent records, but radio was no longer paying attention for some reason.

In 2009, my favorite Hoobastank record arrived, called "For(N)ever." Filled with some of their most diverse yet radio-friendly material, the record still failed to put the band back on the Top 100. In addition to the rocking anthem, "My Turn," there's another killer ballad in "You're The One" and a terrific mid-tempo track called "Tears Of Yesterday."

Monday, January 8, 2018

"What Does It Take" by Honeymoon Suite

Many fans of 80s rock have wondered why Canadian band Honeymoon Suite didn't have more chart success in the US along with similar acts like Foreigner and Survivor. The band got off to a promising start when their first single "New Girl Now" went to #57 in 1984. They followed this up in 1986 with their best chart hit, "Feel It Again," which reached #34.

Despite being featured in the John Cusack film, One Crazy Summer, the soaring ballad "What Does It Take" stalled at #52. The track also appears on their 1985 record, "The Big Prize," which also yielded "Feel It Again."

The group would have one more minor hit in 1988 when "Love Changes Everything" got to #91. The band has stayed true to their AOR style and continues to put out new records every now and then to this day.