Scandal was a rock band fronted by vocal powerhouse Patty Smyth that formed in the early 80s. They released an EP in 1982 that produced two chart hits: "Goodbye To You" and "Love's Got A Line On You," which went to #65 and #59, respectively. Not a bad start at all, but both deserved much better in my opinion. The band's first and only full-length studio record would follow in 1984 and gave the band their breakout hit, "The Warrior," which soared to #7 and can be heard on 80s radio everywhere. Two additional lesser-known singles followed, "Hands Tied" and "Beat Of A Heart," both of which stalled at #41. By this time, tensions within the band and with their label led to their abrupt demise, paving the way for a solo career for Patty Smyth.
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."
Drummer and vocalist for the Eagles, Don Henley has also enjoyed a successful solo career. His first charting single as a "lone eagle" wasn't completely solo, as it was a duet with the great Stevie Nicks. "Leather and Lace" went all the way to #6 in 1981. Henley would have another massive duet with Patty Smyth in 1992 when "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" spent 6 weeks at #2 - the biggest hit of his solo career. After scoring with "Leather and Lace," Henley put out his first proper single from his debut solo record, "I Can't Stand Still." The peppy "Johnny Can't Read" stalled at #42, but Henley's next single, "Dirty Laundry," made out much better, spending 3 weeks at #3 in 1982. When the title track stalled at #48, we heard nothing more from this album make its way onto the chart. Henley's second record was more successful, yielding four top 40 hits including one of his most well-known classics, "The Boys of Summer," which peaked at #5. Henley's third album continued a hot streak, producing the landmark song co-written with Bruce Hornsby, "The End of the Innocence" (#8). Four more charting singles would follow from the album of the same name. After taking time out for most of the 90s to enjoy a hugely successful reunion with the Eagles, Henley's last appearance as a solo artist came in 2000, when "Taking You Home" reached #58. "You Can't Make Love" is yet another terrific cut from his sophomore effort, "Building The Perfect Beast." Arguably his best record, this one also contains the underrated song "Not Enough Love In The World," which surprisingly only reached #34.
"Kilroy Was Here" sealed the fate of the original lineup of the legendary AOR band Styx in 1983. Tommy Shaw left to pursue a solo career and ultimately form the supergroup Damn Yankees. Dennis DeYoung also released several solo albums through the rest of the decade. Meanwhile, a singer/songwriter from New Jersey was rocking his way onto the music scene. Glen Burtnik (who also went by Glen Burtnick at times) made his first chart appearance (and only one as a solo artist) in 1987 with the excellent "Follow You" from his sophomore album, "Heroes & Zeros". The single only went to #65 on the Billboard Top 100 but brought him attention that led to songwriting opportunities, including the huge smash "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough", which Patty Smyth and Don Henley took all the way to #2 in 1992. And it brought him a great opportunity to bring Styx back. Styx reformed in 1989, but with Burtnik as their lead guitarist instead of Tommy Shaw. They released "Edge Of The Century" in 1990, which muscled its way to #63 on the album chart. The album also contained several tunes written by Burtnik, most notably the single "Love Is A Ritual", which originally appeared on his debut album. "Love Is A Ritual" did not chart in 1986, but Styx took it to #80 in 1990. Burtnik stayed with Styx until 2003 and then returned to his solo career.
