Liz Phair became an indie-rock sensation in the early 90s with her frank lyrics and lo-fi sound. Her debut album, "Exile in Guyville," was one of the most critically acclaimed records of the decade and positioned Phair to be a new voice for the 90s. Her sophomore record, "Whip-Smart," continued this trend, and delivered her first chart hit when the rocking "Supernova" landed at #78 in 1994. But her subsequent singles and albums didn't gain any traction and she was fading from the scene. In 2003, Phair retooled her sound and released a more radio-friendly record that was self-titled. Containing songs co-written and performed with Michael Penn, and perhaps influenced by her friend Sheryl Crow (Phair sings wonderful backing vocals on Crow's hit, "Soak Up The Sun"), the songs featured more pop hooks and slicker production. Despite besting her first chart appearance with "Why Can't I?", which reached #32, the album and new direction were largely panned by critics. Phair's subsequent releases retreated back to her indie rock sound. The title track from "Whip-Smart" remains one of my favorite tunes by Phair. A sweet little ditty about her son, this delightful song rings with slacker sincerity and has a brilliant chorus you'll be singing for days.
Tom Petty had an illustrious career that ended unexpectedly in 2017 after he passed away at the age of 66, likely due to excessive pain medications for a broken hip. The Florida native began his recording career in the 70s with a band called Mudcrutch, which would soon evolve into the Heartbreakers, the group that became nearly synonymous with Tom Petty. Petty and the Heartbreakers first crept onto the chart in 1977 when "Breakdown" peaked at #40, but they significantly raised their profile in 1980 when "Don't Do Me Like That" hit #10. The hits kept coming, and Petty began to rack up a number of classics that were absent from the charts. Petty's biggest hit would be "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," one of several duets he performed with Stevie Nicks. The song went to #3 in 1981. Petty would score plenty of top 40 hits, but didn't see the top 10 again until Jeff Lynne (E.L.O.) teamed up with Petty for his landmark "solo" album without the Heartbreakers, 1989's "Full Moon Fever." "Free Fallin'," the third single from that record," reached #7. Petty got to know Lynne from their supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys, which formed a year earlier. Petty had additional collaborations with his Wilbury friends. Before their formation, Bob Dylan co-wrote "Jammin' Me," which reached #18 in 1987. Another Wilbury friend, George Harrison, provided backing vocals and guitar on Petty's #12 hit from 1989, "I Won't Back Down." "Kings Highway" was a terrific track on his 1991 reunion record with the Heartbreakers, "Into The Great Wide Open" that did not chart.
Mike Peters is synonymous with The Alarm, and his solo career is just as criminally ignored as his band. His solo work doesn't sound remarkably different than The Alarm, so you may not even be able to distinguish one from the other when listening. On his third outing as a solo artist, 1998's "Rise," Peters released what I consider to be one of the best albums of that year. I still go back for it today to enjoy standouts like "Transcendental," "Ground Zero," "The Wasting Land," and this one...co-written with Billy Duffy of The Cult. There's no trace of it online that I could find, so here is a version performed with The Alarm.
Jim Peterik is a god in AOR circles, but most people don't know his name. He's been a driving force in hitmakers The Ides of March and Survivor, and written hit songs for other artists including .38 Special, Henry Paul Band, and Cheap Trick, yet he's never scored a chart appearance as a solo artist. Partly because he has released very few solo records. Even then, he usually has big name collaborators, as in the case of his World Stage records. The first record he released with this rotating all-star band was back in 2000, and Peterik is slated to release another long-awaited World Stage record this year (2019). Peterik's collaboration runs strong with Cheap Trick, who lent a hand to write and perform this truly great rocker called "Zig Zag" from the first World Stage record. Punching it up even more are backing vocals from Tom Keifer of Cinderella.
Taking Journey to new heights in the 80s, the majestic voice of Steve Perry helped define the decade. He released his first solo record, "Street Talk," in 1984, two years after hitting #17 in a duet with Kenny Loggins, "Don't Fight It." "Street Talk" gave Perry his only top 10 hit as a solo artist: "Oh Sherrie" reached #3. Follow-up singles also did well, including "She's Mine" (#21), "Strung Out" (#40), and "Foolish Heart" (#18). After leaving Journey in 1987, Perry waited until 1994 to release his second solo effort, "For The Love of Strange Medicine." It produced his final top 40 appearance when "You Better Wait" peaked at #29. Perry's slick AOR sound no longer seemed suited to radio at the time. Perry then took a long break from music but made a surprising return in 2018 with a new album, "Traces." None of the singles charted, but "Traces" gave Perry his first top 10 record, reaching #6. "I Believe" is a cool throwback to the Motown sound that is often overlooked on "Street Talk."
You can't get anymore groovy than The Peppermint Rainbow, a band fronted by two sisters out of Baltimore, Maryland. They scored two charting hits in 1969, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday" and "Don't Wake Me Up In The Morning, Michael," which reached #32 and #54, respectively. That is where the pot of gold ended. Subsequent singles couldn't get any traction, and the group quickly broke up.
Pensive is an indie rock band from San Diego that mixes powerpop with a bit of the modern punk sound characteristic of the aughts. They remind me of Hoobastank. In 2007, they released an album called "Artifacts." "Live Fast" is one of the best tracks featured on the record from this bright and energetic band.
