Fair readers, I'm going to be in Bavaria and a good portion of Benelux next week, so this will be my last non-Hair Band Friday post of the month. But don't fret because upon my return, it will be the best month of the year, Rocktober.
Friday marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Billy Joel's eighth studio album, The Nylon Curtain, which was one of the first albums that was digitally recorded, mixed, and mastered. Even though it was his first album since 1976 that didn't reach #1 or #2 on the Billboard album chart, it was still another hit for Joel, reaching #7 on the Billboard album charts and eventually going double platinum in the U.S.
Among the singles from the album was "Pressure," which went to #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's kind of a snarly synth-heavy rock track about coming to grips with the responsibilities of adulthood. The bridge is very Beatlesque. The video is kind of a weird, kind of horror-inspired little thing. Enjoy!
Today is the 35th anniversary of the release of British group T'Pau's debut album, which was called Bridge of Spies everywhere other than in the U.S., where it was an eponymous release. No matter what it was called, it was an instant success for the band, both at home and abroad. It topped the album charts in the UK and Norway, was Top 10 on the album charts in Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland, and went to #31 on the Billboard album chart.
The album also spawned five Top 25 hits on the UK pop chart, including three Top 10s and one #1: "China In Your Hand" (#1), "Heart and Soul" (#4), "Valentine" (#9), "I Will Be With You" (#14), and "Sex Talk" (#23). In the U.S., they were a one-hit wonder, with "Heart and Soul" -- which was their first single released from the album -- reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the singles chart in Canada and was Top 10 on the pop charts in Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the aforementioned UK.
"Heart and Soul" is a great '80s pop song, synthy and bombastic at the same time. The chorus explodes and, as the song says, makes you beg for more. Until today, I had always assumed T'Pau had two female singers because of this song, but it turns out lead singer Carol Decker recorded all the vocal track and was basically dueting with herself -- an oxymoron if there ever was one.
As you may have heard, last week, Queen Elizabeth II, Great Britain's longest-reigning monarch died at the ripe age of 96. She led a long and extraordinary life, ruling from the early '50s -- as the UK was still pulling itself up after WWII and when many of our parents were still toddlers or in elementary school -- through parts of eight decades.
So it seems appropriate to have a Tuesday Top Ten in her honor the only way I know how: through music. Below are my favorite songs with the word "queen" or any derivation thereof in the title. Like QE2's reign, the list traverses decades, and it features songs in various genres. Until I made this list, I didn't realize how many great "queen" songs I have in my collection. In fact, I made myself a playlist of "queen" songs thanks to this little exercise. The list is in no particular order, other than reverse alphabetical order by last letter of the artist.
1. "Little Queenie" by Chuck Berry
This one is one of many Chuck Berry classics, and if you recognize the opening riff, it's because he reused that when he recorded the holiday staple "Run Rudolph Run."
2. "Ghuleh / Zombie Queen" by Ghost
I love Ghost, and this one is from Papa Emeritums and the Nameless Ghouls' sophomore album, 2013's Infestissumam. It's been on my Halloween mix pretty much since then. It starts out slow and creepy, with lyrics about a succubus named presumably named Ghuleh, and then the second half of the song kicks into gear for the "Zombie Queen" portion.
3. "Gypsy Queen" by Riot
New York's Riot is an underrated hard rock and metal band that started out in the late '70s (and continues to play to this day!), and their 1977 debut album Rock City is a bit of a hidden gem, with a cadre of catchy hard rock/metal tunes, including this one.
4. "Queens of Noise" by The Runaways
The title track from pioneering rockers The Runaways' 1977 second album, "Queens of Noise" is a gritty rock song, featuring Joan Jett on vocals, allegedly because Cherie Currie was recovering from an abortion, though Jett sings lead on half the songs on the album, so who knows. Either way, it's a great song.
5. "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols famously played this song while riding on a boat down the Thames during Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, promptly leading to the arrest of nearly everyone on the boat. The song was about working class frustrations with the state of England at the time, and it's one of the most important punk songs ever.
6. "Rocket Queen" by Guns N' Roses
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This was, is, and will always be my favorite Guns N' Roses song. It was the last track on the greatest debut album in rock history, and it kicks ass from the first pop of Steven Adler's drums to the audio of Axl Rose having sex with Adler's girlfriend in the studio to the song's last line, a message of love ("All I ever wanted was for you to know that I care").
7. "California Queen" by Wolfmother
I love me some Wolfmother, and this one is a blistering, wailing, driving rocker from their 2009 Cosmic Egg album. It makes you want to get in a car and drive faster than the posted speed limit.
8. "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain
One of the great proto-metal songs from one of the great proto-metal bands, "Mississippi Queen" is Leslie West's most famous song. His riff is just killer, followed up by his impassioned vocals. If you're like me -- and you better pray to Ghuleh you're not -- you learned that Vicksburg is in Mississippi because of this song.
9. "The March of the Black Queen" by Queen
I couldn't have a list of "queen" songs without a song by Queen, and while they had several songs with "queen" in the title, this one from 1974's Queen II album is my favorite.
10. "Queen Bitch" by David Bowie
This is one of my favorite Bowie songs. It's 3:18 of frantic energy, with acoustic and electric guitars complementing each other. I don't know the exact circumstances of how the narrator came to find himself in this position. He's up on the 11th floor, watching the cruisers below, talking about, not just any bitch, but the queen bitch, who teases the boys even though she doesn't make false claims, and then he throws some other dude's bags down a hotel hall after spending some time staring at a wall in his room. I listen intently each time I hear the song, so that maybe I can figure something else out. I have my theories.
Honorable mention:"Death Valley Queen" by Flogging Molly; "Mistreating Queen" by Radio Moscow; "God Killed the Queen" by Louis XIV; "Little Queen" by Heart; "Queen of the Nile" by Dangerous Toys; "Rock & Roll Queen" by The Subways; "Queen Wasp" by The Misfits; "Queen of the Highway" by The Doors; "Backstage Queen" by Scorpions; "Mammas Queen" by Black Joe Lewis; "Railroad Queen" by Taddy Porter; "Gypsy Queen" by Van Morrison; "Little Queen of Spades' by Robert Johnson; "Killer Queen" by Queen; "The Good, The Bad and The Queen" by The Good, The Bad & The Queen; "Queen Jane Approximately" by Bob Dylan; "Caribbean Queen" by Billy Ocean; "Señor and The Queen" by The Gaslight Anthem; "The Queen of Lower Chelsea" by The Gaslight Anthem; "Forever My Queen" by Pentagram; "Kings and Queens" by Aerosmith; "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" by April Wine; "Little Queen of New Orleans" by Low Cut Connie; "Little Queen" by St. Jude; "Pearly Queen" by Traffic; "Hairspray Queen" by Nirvana; "Cover Queen" by Tesla; "Dancing Queen" by ABBA
Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the release of Ugly Kid Joe's debut album, America's Least Wanted. The band kind of straddled the line between the outgoing hair band era and the new grunge revolution, and they did it quite well. The album reached #27 on the Billboard album chart and eventually went double platinum in the U.S., behind the strength of two Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. "Everything About You" reached #9, while their cover of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" went to #6.
"Everything About You" is just a great rock song, and it was perfect for that era, when hating things was en vogue (and, on an unrelated note, En Vogue was also en vogue). There is a lovely juxtaposition between the cheery hard rock music and the lyrics about hating everything about a presumed ex-girlfriend. And a shout-out to the drummer for wearing a Mickey's t-shirt in the video.
I've been hellishly busy this week, so I haven't had time to post anything yet, but with the news a couple days ago of Mikhail Gorbachev's death and the fact that I'm seeing the Scorpions in concert tonight, I can think of no more appropriate Retro Video of the Week than "Wind of Change" -- the anthem of glasnost, perestroika, and the democratization of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Bloc that Gorby helped usher in.
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