Hair Band Friday - 9/29/23

1.  "Don't Treat Me Bad" by FireHouse

2.  "Dancing Girls" by Whitesnake

3.  "Little Caesar" by KISS

4.  "Good Love" by Poison

5.  "In the Fire" by Hurricane

6.  "Danger On the Track" (live) by Europe

7.  "Rock Me" by Great White

8.  "Wait For You" by Bonham

9.  "Enough is Enough" by Ratt

10.  "Walking on the Edge" by Scorpions

Hair Band Friday - 9/22/23

1.  "Estranged" by Guns N' Roses

2.  "Beautiful Girls" by Van Halen

3.  "Bump and Grind (Cuanto Frenesi)" by David Lee Roth

4.  "Groove Tube" by Jetboy

5.  "Can't Stop" by Tesla

6.  "Coast to Coast" (live) by Scorpions

7.  "Easier Said Than Done" by Keel

8.  "I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi

9.  "I Can Hardly Wait" by Nelson

10.  "Devil's Child" by Judas Priest

Retro Video of the Week: "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters

In just about exactly 24 hours, I'll be seeing Foo Fighters at Riot Fest.  It's the first time they've played Chicago since Taylor Hawkins died, and also the first time I will have seen them since he died.  Things may get a little misty down in Douglass Park.

In honor of this holy occasion, this week's Retro Video of the Week is "Monkey Wrench," off of the band's fantastic sophomore album, 1997's The Colour and The Shape.  This might be my favorite Foo Fighters song, and the video was the first to feature Hawkins (even though Dave Grohl played the drums on the track itself, as it was recorded before Hawkins joined the band).

Hair Band Friday - 9/8/23

1.  "Midnite Maniac" by Krokus

2.  "Lethal Lover" by Giuffria

3.  "I'll Cry for You" by Y&T

4.  "Warsong" by White Lion

5.  "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" by Whitesnake

6.  "Seven Doors Hotel" by Europe

7.  "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC

8.  "I'll Wait" by Van Halen

9.  "Don't Go" by Judas Priest

10.  "Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?" by Kane Roberts

Retro Video of the Week: "Then The Morning Comes" by Smash Mouth

As you likely know, this last weekend was a rough one for pop singers, as Jimmy Buffett, Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell, and "Dream Weaver" singer Gary Wright all died.  Harwell was the youngest of the bunch, at 56.

Smash Mouth had a few good years in the late '90s and early '00s, highlighted by their triple-platinum 1999 album Astro Lounge, which reached #6 on the Billboard album chart.  The album produced three of their most memorable songs:  "Can't Get Enough Of You" (which was featured in the fil Can't Hardly Wait), "All Star" (their biggest hit, which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100), and "Then The Morning Comes" (which went to #11).

Despite being the band's second-highest charting song, "Then The Morning Comes" kind of gets lost in the mix when you think of Smash Mouth songs, but it might be my favorite song by the band.  The verses are very psychedelic and in a minor key, and then the chorus switches to a major key and makes you feel happy.

The video features Harwell having nightmares about embarrassing himself in front of a beautiful lady -- 1995 Playboy Playmate of the Year Stacy Sanches -- but then in the last dream, they're wearing the same polka-dotted pajama pants in a bar.  Then the morning comes, and he wakes up next to -- get this -- 1995 Playboy Playmate of the Year Stacy Sanches!

Hair Band Friday - 9/1/23

1.  "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger

2.  "Mr. Big" by Mr. Big

3.  "Breakin' Out" by King Kobra

4.  "Autoblast" by Black 'N Blue

5.  "Change of a Season" by Bonham

6.  "Scarborough Fair" by Queensrÿche

7.  "Why Can't This Be Love" by Van Halen

8.  "Superstitious" by Europe

9.  "Lady Luck" by Tesla

10.  "Live to Rock, Rock to Live" by Dokken