Donald Fagen and Walter Becker scored a string of popular hits through the 70s and early 80s as Steely Dan. Blending soft rock, jazz, and salsa music, they teamed with ace studio musicians to create genre-bending music that sometimes had irresistible pop hooks. One of their early incarnations including comedian Chevy Chase on drums. Their first score was "Do It Again" in 1973, which sailed to #6. Their follow-up single, "Reeling In The Years," nearly broke the Top 10 again, peaking at #11. The two scored big again when "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" peaked at #4 in 1974, becoming their biggest hit. Another single from 1978, "Peg," stopped at #11 (Michael McDonald sang backing vocals on this crowd favorite). Steely Dan would get back to the Top 10 one more time in 1981 when "Hey Nineteen" reached #10. The follow-up single, "Time Out Of Mind," got to #22 and became their last chart appearance. The group broke up after that and Fagen pursued a solo career through the 80s. His best known song as a solo artist was 1982's "I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World)," which went to #26. Steely Dan resumed working together in 1992 and released new material until Becker's death in 2007. Their 2000 "comeback" record, "Two Against Nature" did not put them back on the charts, but did earn them a Grammy for Album of the Year. "Dirty Work" is a terrific track from their early days in 1972 that never charted. It was covered by the Pointer Sisters in 1978 for their album, "Energy."
It was really difficult to avoid going disco in the late 70s, even if you cut your teeth being a soft rock singer. The prolific Carly Simon scored an impressive array of hits before the advent of disco, including classics like "You're So Vain" (featuring Mick Jagger on backing vocals, #1 for 3 weeks), "Mockingbird" (with James Taylor, her husband from 1972-1983, #5), "Nobody Does It Better" (#2), and "You Belong To Me" (written with Michael McDonald and featuring James Taylor again, #6). She won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1971 and her constant presence at radio made her the #39th most successful chart artist of the 70s. From the same 1978 album that spawned "You Belong To Me" comes a disco song from out of nowhere called "Tranquillo (Melt My Heart)". And it ain't half bad! Actually grows on you pretty quickly. But thankfully, Simon didn't linger in disco long. She returned to her roots and scored a #11 hit in 1980 with "Jessie." The magic began to wear off by 1987, and "Coming Around Again," which peaked at #18, become her last Top 40 appearance.
Bonnie Raitt has been a mainstay on the charts across three decades, beginning in 1977 when her cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway," which featured Michael McDonald on backing vocals, landed at #57. Another duet, 1995's "Rock Steady" with Bryan Adams, became her final chart appearance. In the intervening years, Raitt scored numerous hits, her biggest being "Something To Talk About," which went to #5 in 1991. Others include "I Can't Make You Love Me" (#18) and "Love Sneakin' Up On You" (#19). Her popular song from 1989, a cover of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love," which Hiatt sings on, surprisingly did not crack the Top 100. Her successes led to her induction in the R&R Hall of Fame in 2000. There's plenty of other good stuff in Raitt's catalogue to enjoy. Her 1982 effort, "Green Light," kicks off with this pleasant number called "Keep This Heart In Mind."
Kenny Loggins is best known as king of 80s film soundtracks. They helped earn him a #1 hit for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Footloose," but also gave him "I'm Alright" (#7, theme from Caddyshack), "I'm Free" (#22, another one from Footloose), "Danger Zone" (#2) and "Playing With The Boys" (#60, both from Top Gun), "Double Or Nothing" (a duet with Gladys Knight from Rocky IV), "Meet Me Half Way" (#11, from Over The Top), and "Nobody's Fool" (#8, from Caddyshack II). Loggins would have one more soundtrack hit in 1997 from the movie One Fine Day with "For The First Time," which reached #60, was nominated for an Oscar, and became his last chart appearance to date. But films are not the only reason why Loggins is ranked the 30th most successful artist of the 80s. Loggins has an amazing voice with stunning range. He is a diverse singer/songwriter, writing songs for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (including "House At Pooh Corner," #53 in 1971) and earning more chart achievements as Loggins and Messina in the early 70s. Through the years, Loggins has done everything from rock, pop, adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul, country, children's music, holiday music, and more. Several of his songs were written for his children. After going solo, he made a habit of working with lots of different people. His first big solo hit was actually a duet with Stevie Nicks: "Whenever I Call You Friend," co-written with Melissa Manchester, hit #5 in 1978. His longtime collaborator, Michael McDonald, co-wrote the song "This Is It," which went to #11 and earned Loggins a Grammy for Pop Male Vocal. Eddie Money contributed backing vocals on "I'm Alright" and Mickey Thomas did so for his 1988 ballad, "I'm Gonna Miss You," which stalled at #82. Richard Marx and Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket) co-wrote and sang tunes on his 2003 release, "It's About Time." Finally, there is the famous anthem "Don't Fight It," his 1982 duet with Journey's Steve Perry, which hit #17. With his 13th album in 2007, Loggins seemed poised for a comeback. The title track to this excellent record, "How About Now" should have restored his presence on the charts, but it fell on deaf ears. Maybe if it were featured on a soundtrack...
The Doobie Brothers were among the top 30 bands of the 70s, scoring major classic hits like "Listen To The Music" (#11 in 1972), "Long Train Runnin'" (#8 in 1973), "Black Water" (#1 in 1974), and "What A Fool Believes" (#1 in 1979). After they hit the top 10 again in 1980 with the #5 song "Real Love", the band struggled to get back to the upper end of the charts and disbanded in 1983. Some members of the band reformed by 1989 and released a comeback record called "Cycles". "Cycles" proved that people were still hungry for new music by the Doobies, scoring a #17 position on the chart. The first single, "The Doctor", also put the band back into the top 10 (#9) one last time. "Time Is Here And Gone" is an underrated little ditty from their comeback record. Incidentally, there is no one named Doobie in the band, nor are any of the members brothers.
