Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 41

Bryan Ferry - "Slave to Love"



(Single Release: April 1985)
I don't often use the word 'sensuous.' However, in this case, that word is more than apropos. "Slave to Love" is a sultry, late night, piano bar seduction, in the very best way.How sultry and sensuous? Well, it's famous for appearing in the soundtrack for 9 1/2 Weeks, the erotic Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger film. I was never exposed much to Roxy Music. I only found their music afterward, but I knew that I loved Bryan Ferry's voice from his solo work. That means I was never aware of a harder edged version of Ferry, only the throwback, crooning, honey-voiced rake. It made for quite an interesting surprise, like if someone heard P.I.L. before the Sex Pistols, not that it's a perfect analogy, but you get the picture. Though Ferry's solo career is dotted with covers, it is important to know that he wrote a vast majority of Roxy Music's songs as well as his own solo material, including "Slave to Love." That being said, it almost sounds like it could be a cover, a modernized version of an old 30s romantic tune. Ferry writes some intriguing and poetic lyrics, including in the opening verse, where he makes a metaphor in which love is like losing everything, "To need a woman / You've got to know / How the strong get weak / And the rich get poor." But, I am more impressed, and always happy to hear, the later lines, "We're too young to reason / Too grown up to dream." I would venture to say that this feeling is universal. These lines were echoed years later in Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should Have Come Over," when he sings, "Too young to hold on / And too old to just break free and run." Looking at this video, Ferry also preceded George Michael by five years in presenting female models singing his lyrics. Ok, so maybe Ferry didn't blow up artifacts from Roxy Music or have it directed by David Fincher, but it's still a great video. Aside from 9 1/2 Weeks, "Slave to Love" is also briefly seen in poster form, an advertisement for the 12" single, on Ferris Beuller's wall. You can also see a Bryan Ferry album leaning against his stereo. These facts are neither here, nor there, but they are stuck in my head and part of the reason for this blog is to get all that useless trivia out.

Highlights from My Vinyl Collection, Part 12

This is the twelfth installment of "Highlights from My Vinyl Collection," an appreciation of great music, not necessarily rare finds or expensive imports. This is not about "deleted Smiths singles and original, not rereleased - underlined - Frank Zappa albums," as Rob Gordon so eloquently put it, though a small few select gems might appear every now and again.



Ernie & Other Sesame Street Characters - Ernie's Hits

Here it is. Though this is not the oldest album in my collection, it has spent the longest time in my possession. I have had this album since its release in 1974. Those who know me will automatically understand why this album is so important to me. I grew up with Sesame Street and subsequently with other Jim Henson projects that seemed to perfectly line up with my maturation process. After Sesame Streetcame The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and then the later films, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, not to mention the original trilogy of Muppet movies. The Muppets embody everything I value today: education, friendship, humor, a celebration of diversity, and a camaraderie that exhibits all the best aspects of socialism. Sesame Street was and is a utopia in my mind, a place in which we can all aspire to live. Though I loved all the Muppets, Ernie was always my favorite, to the point of choosing to memorialize him (and thus my hero, Jim Henson) in a tattoo. Why Ernie? One simple reason is that he is hilarious. The tracks on Ernie's Hits, which include sketches as well as songs, exemplify his humor. Entries such as the classic "Would You Like to Buy an O?" "Ernie Dusts the Shelf," and "The Wrong Patient" crack me up even today. On top of it all, there are the great songs, "Imagination," "The Drawing Song," and the ultimate Ernie song, "Rubber Duckie." The only thing missing is a song that appeared four years later, "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon." The other reason is that he has a boundless heart. When his ol' buddy Bert is sick, Ernie takes care of him. Though he is silly and sometimes immature, he always rises to challenges when necessary. My own personality is more like Bert's. I tend to obsess over things, just like Bert with pigeons, oatmeal, and his bottlecap collection. I get quite serious about things, and even annoyed and testy when things don't go my way. I am easily frustrated. But, every morning, I look in the mirror and see Ernie. I am reminded to set aside the little problems and enjoy the silly and beautiful things in life.

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 40

U2 - "Love Comes Tumbling"



(B-side Single Release: April 1985)
In 1985, I was about as big of a U2 fan as you could find. While that may be hyperbole, as surely there were U2 fans more fervent than me, I was definitely entranced by every song they performed. Toward the end of 1984, U2 had released the stellar The Unforgettable Fire. With songs such as "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Bad," and "A Sort of Homecoming," U2 (guided along by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno), built upon an already solid reputation built on three albums and ten singles. MTV had made U2 superstars thanks to being supporters of the Live at Red Rocks version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Here in the states, we were often deprived of b-sides that would appear on UK singles. That's why the EP of Wide Awake in America, which compiled two live tracks with two b-sides from the single, "The Unforgettable Fire," was such a treasure to me. (By the way, it is mere coincidence that my post yesterday found Paul Weller singing about "Walls Come Tumbling Down," and its protest of Thatcher-era politics and today Bono sings about "Love Comes Tumbling" about some of the ugly realities of love and deception). I love the sedated feel of this track as opposed to the usual U2 fare of big, boisterous, anthemic rock songs. Not much is ever written about "Love Comes Tumbling," and I'm not sure why. Maybe it is precisely because of its sedated quality, its languorousness, and understated feel. The Edge's hypnotic guitars are at their ambient best, while I am actually noticing Adam Clayton's bassline as more prominent than in most other U2 tracks. The harmonies, I'm guessing supplied by the Edge, as is usual, are gorgeous, as the two sing "All roads lead to where you are." Whoever mashed up the song with scenes from Control, Anton Corbijn's film about Ian Curtis and Joy Division, was inspired. Corbijn, of course, also shot many U2 videos and photos, including the now famous cover of what would become U2's biggest accomplishment, The Joshua Tree. Though it would seem like forever until that album hit the shelves in 1987, a full three years after their previous album, I would be comforted by this track and play it again and again, which is likely how it became one of my favorites. (And by the way, one more aside, I did not plan this to be the 40th in this series, making it an allusion to the band's song from War, "40." It was pure happy coincidence.)

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 39

The Style Council - "Walls Come Tumbling Down



(Single Release: April 1985)
Paul Weller is the one of the coolest dudes ever. 'Nuff said.

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 38

Tom Petty - "Don't Come Around Here No More"



(Single Release: February 1985)
Is it just me, or has Tom Petty always sounded like "classic rock," even as he was creating it? I had always respected Tom Petty, but as a teenager, I wasn't his biggest fan. The same can be said for Bruce, Dylan, and other like minded artists who some would peg as more "adult oriented." With the latter two, it merely took a little bit of time and wisdom to find seats at their vast tables. With Petty, I found access through "Don't Come Around Here No More" (and frankly, a single from three years earlier, "You Got Lucky"). The story behind "Don't Come Around Here No More" may not be as famous, as enigmatic, or even as apocryphal as other hit songs, such as Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," but it is nothing if not interesting. Co-writer of the song, Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics), had a purported fling with Stevie Nicks just after she had broken up with yet another member of the Eagles. Maybe she thought if she dated two of them, she could get a third for free. I'm just kidding. Most of this humor is out of sheer jealousy as I've always crushed on Nicks. Anyway, Stewart woke up the morning after a drug-filled party at Nicks' house to find her changing her signature Victorian era clothing and then saying to him the now famous line of the title. Thus, the eastern elements of the song, the mystical nature of it, and the Alice in Wonderland video all speak to that incident and its strangeness. Even more odd, apparently Stevie herself sings backup on the track, maybe as repayment for her 1981 hit, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Stevie Nicks: queen of the five word title. Other information I've gleaned from the writing of this song seems specious, and the timeline doesn't fit, so I'll ignore it. I used to have this album, Southern Accentson vinyl, but it seems to have gone mysteriously missing. So, it won't be appearing anytime soon in my vinyl highlights. One last thing: it is also in a proud tradition of getting audiences to shout "Hey!" numerous times, later done by the Pixies ("Hey!") and Arcade Fire ("No Cars Go").

Highlights from My Vinyl Collection, Part 11

This is the eleventh installment of "Highlights from My Vinyl Collection," an appreciation of great music, not necessarily rare finds or expensive imports. This is not about "deleted Smiths singles and original, not rereleased - underlined - Frank Zappa albums," as Rob Gordon so eloquently put it, though a small few select gems might appear every now and again.



New Order - Temptation (12" Single)

I'll be honest. I have no idea whether this record belongs to me or my brother. Growing up with many of the same tastes in music meant that we liked each other's records and would tend to buy similar albums and singles. There are some records that I definitely know are mine. I remember where I bought them and the sights, sounds, and smells of that particular day in the record store. But, other memories elude me. As such, this one might point to it belonging to my brother. As of right now, there are nine New Order records in my possession; this is one my favorites. "Temptation" is among a large group of great New Order songs. A shared trait of many popular songs is at least one memorable hook. "Temptation" has at least four, arguably five. From the opening childlike chant of "Oh you've got green eyes / Oh you've got blue eyes / Oh you've got grey eyes," to the chorus of "Up, down, turn around / Please don't let me hit the ground / Tonight, I think I'll walk alone / I'll find my soul as I go home," "Temptation" reels in listeners with hook after hook. With typically ambiguous lyrics, Bernard Sumner leads the group in their early phoenix-like years of the early 80s, displaying a stylistic change from fairly moody and ethereal first three post-Joy Division singles into a more upbeat, dance direction, one that would last up until their eventual demise some 20+ years later. Gone were the fairly funereal synths, replaced by a poppier version of said instrument. Gone was Sumner's mumbly drone, substituted with a voice-cracking, more emotionally open romantic. The song even transcends interpretation, with some believing it to be about drugs, and others thinking it more of a surface level look at first love. Though Sumner has said it is about "long lost love," it doesn't seem to matter. Plus, that itself is interpretable. The b-side, "Hurt," is equally fascinating, with Sumner's voice sounding the most off-key it's ever been, and most likely on purpose. There are punk elements as well as dance elements, while holding onto some of that earlier moody atmosphere. Less than a year later, New Order would release "Blue Monday," one of their biggest worldwide hits, and a dance anthem that would play in clubs ad infinitum. There are shades of "Blue Monday" in "Hurt," almost as if it were rehearsal for their big dance debut. I love this record; not only the music, but the Peter Saville minimalist design record cover, complete with embossed title, and the fact that each track lasts over eight minutes. There used to be a day when extended versions and remixes were more in both quality and quantity. New Order's singles were certainly indicative of that, "Temptation" a stellar example of such.

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 37

Run-D.M.C. - "King of Rock"



(Single Release: January 1985)
There are certain recognized years as being important for hip-hop. 1994 is certainly one of them, with that zeitgeist well captured in the film, The Wackness. 1979 could certainly be one of those years, after Kool Herc's block parties had become legendary and Sugarhill Gang released their single, "Rapper's Delight." However, I'd say that 1985 deserves to be recognized as a watershed year in hip-hop. I've already mentioned LL Cool J. But Doug E. Fresh, Schooly D, Kurtis Blow, and Whodini also featured in what was then considered the New School. The leaders of that school had to be Run-D.M.C. With one album already under their belts, this trio (with Jam-Master Jay, R.I.P.) inserted themselves into popular consciousness with their album and single, King of Rock. It both typified the direction that hip-hop was going and defied convention by spitting in the face of those who said that rap wasn't rock. Everything about this track is a bold statement, a thesis paper, if you will, asserting that rap was just another version of rock and roll and should be respected as such. Even the video supports this thesis, with the group taking over a rock and roll museum and rapping while being surrounded by artifacts that recall the Sex Pistols, Elvis, Elton John, and the Beatles. The heavy metal guitar of Eddie Martinez was a radical departure to the traditional sound of hip-hop's simple breakbeats. That sound would later lead to the mash-up hit, "Walk This Way," and the Rick Rubin / Beastie Boys style of sampling Zeppelin tracks on Licensed to Ill. But more than that, "King of Rock" is heralded as the first ever hip-hop video aired on MTV (yeah, we're not counting Blondie's "Rapture," or the local TV show rip of "Rapper's Delight."). There is no doubt in my mind that this was no small feat in bringing hip-hop to the masses. Without it, Beastie Boys might never have achieved the first #1 record in hip-hop a short time later. I think eventually all of this could have happened without "King of Rock." You can't curb or harness such a powerful genre. Run-D.M.C. proved, more than anything, that hip-hop was versatile, firing the first salvo into the theory that it was merely a fad. "King of Rock" and certainly their album from the next year, Raising Hell, proved that rap could be rock, that it could be enjoyed and taken seriously at the same time, and that the mainstream could "get it." Yes, yes y'all.