CoronaVinyl Day 269 (J): Thick As a Brick by Jethro Tull

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "J," and the only "J" albums I have left are all by artists I've already featured, but they're all good ones, so you should feel some modicum of relief.  Today's selection is Jethro Tull's fifth studio album, 1972's Thick As a Brick.

With Thick As a Brick, Jethro Tull decided to do something that seems like it only could have been done in the '70s.  They made a parody of a concept album, apparently about a fictional eight-year-old boy named Gerald Bostock, who is featured in the large phot on the album cover.  As you can see, the album packaging is pretty fantastic.  It folds down to open up like a 12'x16' newspaper, with 12 pages of fake newspaper copy.  For some reason, the third phot above is upside down, but I dare not fix it.

The album is only one song on each side, "Thick As a Brick, Part I," and "Thick As a Brick, Part II," so I'm not going to pick a favorite song on each album.  A trimmed down version of the first side has been a popular FM/AOR/classic rock song, but didn't chart on any of the major countries' charts.

Even without a hit single, the album was a huge success across the world, reaching #1 on the Billboard album chart and on the album charts in Australia, Canada, and Denmark, as well as the Top 5 on the album charts in Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, and The UK.  It would be the first of two #1 albums in a row on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the second of five consecutive Top 10 studio albums for the band in the U.S.

The Spotify version of the album has two bonus tracks, a live version of Part I and an interview with the band.

CoronaVinyl Day 268 (I): It's Your Night by James Ingram

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "I," and we've been on a pretty good run of albums from the early '80s over the last week, so fuck it, let's keep it rollin' with James Ingram's debut album, 1983's It's Your Night.

Like Michael McDonald -- who himself makes an appearance on this album -- James Ingram is one of those singers and songwriters that seemed to have his hand in everything for a few years.  In 1975, his band Revelation Funk made an appearance in the legendary blaxploitation film Dolemite.  In 1981, he sang two songs on Quincy Jones's album The Dude (not that goldbricking millionaire) -- "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways" -- earning Ingram three Grammy nods, including a win for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "One Hundred Ways."  Both songs were Top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  The next year, he had a #1 hit with his soulful duet with Patti Austin, "Baby, Come To Me."  And he also wrote songs for a variety of artists, including "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" from Michael Jackson's Thriller.

It's Your Night went to #46 on the Billboard album chart and #10 on the Billboard R&B album chart, his highest-charting album on both charts.  I expected it to be all early '80s soul/R&B, and while there is plenty of that, there are also some peppier and poppier songs.  It produced three charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100:  "Yah Mo B There," a duet with the aforementioned McDonald, which reached #19, "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?," another duet with Patti Austin, which went to #45, and "There's No Easy Way" (#58).  The album garnered Ingram another four Grammy nominations, and "Yah Mo B There" won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1985.

Ingram was one of the artists who sang on USA For Africa's "We Are The World" in 1985.  All told, he was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards and won twice, he had eight Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (including duets and collaborations), including three Top 10s and two #1s (the previously mentioned "Baby, Come To Me" in 1982 and "I Don't Have the Heart in 1990).  While he's no Kenny Loggins, Ingram seemed to have a knack for making songs for films, including his #2 hit duet with Linda Ronstadt for 1986's American Tail, "Somewhere Out There."  He was also  nominated twice for Academy Awards and Golden Globes -- in 1994 for the song "The Day I Fall in Love" from Beethoven's 2nd and in 1995 for the song "Look What Love Has Done" from Junior.

Sadly, he died in 2019 at age 66 from brain cancer.

Favorite song on Side 1:  "Party Animal"
The album kicks off with a bang, with this fun-loving funky pop song that seems like it could have been featured during an '80s comedy party scene.

Favorite song on Side 2:  "One More Rhythm"
This is definitely the peppiest and jazziest song on the second side, which is generally more soul-focused.

CoronaVinyl Day 267 (H): Standing Hampton by Sammy Hagar

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "H," and we're going with another one of my recent pickups from my neighbor, Sammy Hagar's sixth solo studio album, 1982's Standing Hampton.

In between his stint as lead singer of Montrose and replacing David Lee Roth as the lead singer in Van Halen, Sammy Hagar was making some of his own fine rock and roll.  Standing Hampton -- which is a Cockney slang euphemism for a boner -- was Hagar's first solo album to go platinum in the U.S., and it reached #28 on the Billboard album chart.

The album is a solid early '80s hard rock album that features some of Hagar's most enduring solo songs.  "There's Only One Way to Rock" -- which only reached #31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart -- is one of his signature solo songs.  "I'll Fall in Love Again" -- which was featured on the soundtrack of the best high school wrestling movie of all time, Vision Quest -- was Hagar's highest-charting solo song on the Billboard Hot 100 up to that point, going to #43 (as well as #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart).  "Heavy Metal" was co-written by Survivor's Jim Peterik and was featured the previous year in the animated movie of the same name.  His cover of "Piece of My Heart" (#73 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Baby's On Fire" (#35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart), and "Can't Get Loose" (#49 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart) also charted.

Of course, Hagar went onto become Van Halen's lead singer a few years later, he's one of rock's best front men ever (even if I like the DLR era of VH better), and he played a part in popularizing both mountain bikes and tequila in America.  And if you get a chance to read his autobiography, Red, I highly recommend it.

Favorite song on Side 1:  "There's Only One Way to Rock"
There's a reason this song became one of Hagar's most beloved songs.  It kicks ass.  Uptempo, great riff, memorable sing-along chorus.  Checks all the boxes!

Favorite song on Side 2:  "Sweet Hitchhiker"
Not to be confused with the CCR song of the same name, this is another hard-driving rock song, and it has a great guitar solo.

CoronaVinyl Day 266 (G): Breakaway by Art Garfunkel

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "G," and included in my recent acquisitions from my neighbor were two Art Garfunkel solo albums.  I'm going with his second solo studio album, 1975's Breakaway.

Of course, along with Paul Simon, Garfunkel was part of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo Simon & Garfunkel.  After the two split in 1970 to pursue solo careers, Garfunkel took a few years off from music, focusing on acting.  He had roles in 1970's Catch-22 and 1971's Carnal Knowledge.  Garfunkel, who also managed to get an MA in Mathematics from Columbia in 1967 while signing in Simon & Garfunkel, also taught math at a high school in Connecticut for a couple years.

In 1973, he got back into music and released his first solo album, Angel Clare.  Breakaway followed two years later, and it did pretty well, reaching #7 on the Billboard album chart, as well as #6 in Canada and #7 in the UK.  It eventually became Garfunkel's only solo album to go platinum in the U.S.

The album is what you'd expect from Garfunkel -- a folksy soft pop/rock album.  There are a few covers, and all of the songs are written by other artists (including several who helped record the album).  Garfunkel had contributions from a ton of big-name artists, including his old pal Simon, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille, Steve Cropper of Booker T. & The MGs, singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop, Rolling Stones sideman Nicky Hopkins, Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys, veteran session drummer and Beatles solo collaborator Jim Keltner, Van Morrison's drummer Rick Schloss, Derek & The Dominos drummer Jim Gordon, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section members Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, and David Hood, Wings drummer Denny Siewell, Wrecking Crew members Larry Knechtel and Joe Osborn, Beatles friend and collaborator Klaus Voorman, and Little Feat pianist Bill Payne, among others.

The two women on the album cover are, on the left, actress Helena Kallianiotes, and on the right, actress Laurie Bird, with whom Garfunkel had a relationship from 1974 to 1979, when she committed suicide in their New York apartment by overdosing on Valium.

Breakaway produced three Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  "My Little Town" -- a duet with Simon -- went to #9, his cover of The Flamingos' 1959 hit "I Only Have Eyes For You" went to #18, and "Break Away" went to #39.  All three hit #1 on the Billboard Easy Listening (now Adult Contemporary) chart, and "I Only Have Eyes For You" went to #1 on the UK pop chart.

Favorite song on Side 1:  "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)"
First Peter Frampton got me with this song back in December, and today, Garfunkel did it to me again.  It's the first song on the album, and as it started, I again thought to myself Oh, I recognize this one.  I didn't realize this was an Art Garfunkel song.  Oh shit, it happened again.  It's a Stevie Wonder cover.  I'm a sucker for this song, no matter who sings it.  Garfunkel's cover is pretty faithful.

Favorite song on Side 2:  "My Little Town"
There's something soothing about hearing Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel harmonize.  This one sounds like it could have been on one of their classic albums.

Hair Band Friday - 5/7/21

1.  "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne

2.  "Breaking Away" by Y&T

3.  "Statutory Date" by Twisted Sister

4.  "Piece of My Heart" by Sammy Hagar

5.  "Valley of the Kings" by Blue Murder

6.  "Holiday" (live) by Scorpions

7.  "Don't Walk Away" by Bonham

8.  "A Apolitical Blues" by Van Halen

9.  "Simple Man" by Junkyard

10.  "Stay" by Giant

CoronaVinyl Day 265 (F): Firefall by Firefall

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "F," and I do, in fact, have two albums by late '70s/early '80s soft rockers Firefall.  Let's go with their 1976 self-titled debut album.

Firefall was formed in 1974 by former members of The Flying Burrito Brothers (guitarist Rick Roberts and drummer Michael Clarke), Spirit (bassist Mark Andes), Zephyr (guitarist Jock Bartley), and guitarist Larry Burnett.

I'd describe their music as a mixture of soft rock, country rock, and folk rock, with a smidgen of southern rock.  It's kind of like a mixture of The Eagles, America, CSN, and Neil Young.  Frankly, it's better and a little harder rocking than I thought it would be.

Their self-titled debut did pretty decently, going to #26 on the Billboard album chart.  It was, at the time, the quickest record to go gold in Atlantic Records history, and it has since gone platinum in the U.S.  The album spawned the group's biggest hit, "You Are The Woman," which is decidedly yacht rocky (and is a staple on SiriusXM's Yacht Rock Radio) and went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.  In addition, "Cinderella" went to #34 and "Livin' Ain't Livin'" went to #42.

The band's next two albums both went to #11 on the Billboard album chart, and the band had four more Top 40 hits, including two that went to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Eleven was apparently their number, which makes sense if you consider that the two els at the end of Firefall look like an eleven.

Anywho, as tends to happen in rock and roll, the band had various lineup changes over the years, their style of music lost favor in the early '80s, and they broke up in the late '80s.  They reformed in the mid '90s and released an album, but then didn't release another album until 2007 (a Beatles tribute album) and then didn't release another album until 2020.  Bartley has been the only constant member of the band for the last four plus decades.

Favorite song on Side 1:  "No Way Out"
I don't know how to describe this song other than country disco funk rock.  Whatever it is, I like it.

Favorite song on Side 2:  "Mexico"
This is another of the more rocking songs on the album, with a nice interplay between the electric and acoustic guitars, including a solid solo.

Retro Video of the Week: "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz

It's hard to believe that a mere 35 years ago today, Nu Shooz released their third studio album, Poolside, which peaked at #27 on the Billboard album chart.  Their only two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 were from that album:  "I Can't Wait," which went to #3, and "Point of No Return," which reached #28.  Both went to #1 on the Billboard Dance Club singles chart.

"I Can't Wait" is one of those songs that you would never be able to name, but you recognize it immediately, with it's synth bass riff and "oh-oh oh oh oh oh-oh" vocal riff.  It was an international smash, not only going to #3 in the U.S., but going to #1 in Canada and to the Top 10 in seven other countries.  Nu Shooz's fortunes would soon fade, but hey man, this song's all about a lady not being able to wait to get a dude alone, implicitly for carnal reasons.  As a man whose been married for nearly 16 years, such a thought is but a distant -- albeit pleasant -- memory.

CoronaVinyl Day 264 (E): Sheena Easton by Sheena Easton

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "E," and we're keeping it in the early '80s with Sheena Easton's self-titled 1981 debut album.  And my version of the album still has the shrink wrap on it, so you can see my reflection in the photo above.

If you're like me -- and you better pray to Nessie you're not -- you mixed up Sheena Easton and Sheila E. when you were a kid, maybe because both were loosely associated with Prince.  They are not the same person.  One lived the glamourous life.  One took the morning train.  But anyway, Sheena Easton was a Scottish pop singer who was quite popular in the '80s.

Her self-titled debut as it was known in the U.S. and Canada was known as Take My Time in the UK.  It was a pleasant example of early '80s pop, reaching #24 on the Billboard album chart and producing two Top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the kitschy "Morning Train (Nine to Five)," which went to #1, and "Modern Girl," which went to #18.

Between 1980 and 1991, Easton had 15 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including 8 Top 10 hits.

The Spotify version of the album is the UK Take My Time playlist order, and it also contains some extra tracks.

Favorite song on Side 1:  "Morning Train (Nine to Five)"
Whenever I hear this song, I think about Kramer taking the subway, so it makes me happy.

Favorite song on Side 2:  "One Man Woman"
This is a synthy early '80s pop song about not being a tramp. 

CoronaVinyl Day 263 (D): Blinded by Science by Thomas Dolby

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "D," and let's go with some new wave -- Thomas Dolby's 1983 EP Blinded By Science.

Dolby had a hit the year before with "She Blinded Me With Science," which went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 in Canada, and #7 in New Zealand.  The Blinded By Science EP contained extended versions of four songs on Dolby's 1982 album The Golden Age of Wireless, plus the full-length version of "Airwaves," as the album version in the U.S. only had the shorter single version.  

Like "She Blinded Me With Science," the other songs are all very angular, electronic synth pop.  What struck me is the the difference between these songs and the Christopher Cross album I listened to yesterday, which was released only a few years prior.  This sounds like it's music from the future compared to the smooth soft rock of Cross.  A spaceship versus a yacht.  Blinded By Science went to #20 on the Billboard album chart.

Dolby himself is an interesting guy.  In addition to being a session keyboardist on some pretty massive albums in the '80s -- like Foreigner's 4 and Def Leppard's Pyromania -- he has scored films (including Howard the Duck!), founded his own software company that dabbled in virtual reality and helped pioneer ringtones for cell phones, was the musical director for the TED Conference for 11 years, and is a professor at Johns Hopkins University.  Not too shabby.

Since the EP is only five songs, I'm not going to choose a favorite from each side.  Spotify didn't have the EP, but YouTube did, so that's embedded below.

CoronaVinyl Day 262 (C): Christopher Cross by Christopher Cross

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "C," and with the humid weather the last day here in Chicago, it feels like a yacht rock kind of day, so let's go with one of the quintessential albums from the genre:  Christopher Cross's self-titled 1979 debut album.

Cross was a relative unknown when he released his debut album, but man did that change.  With his smooth voice and soft rock songwriting prowess, Cross quickly became one of pop's biggest stars.  This album was huge.  It went to #6 on the Billboard album chart, eventually went 5x platinum in the U.S.  Cross won Best New Artist at the 1981 Grammy Awards, and the album netted him another four Grammy Awards.  He became the first artist in Grammy  Awards history to Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist at the same Grammy Awards (last year Billie Eilish became the second to do so).

The album is a late '70s/early '80s soft rock gem.  Sure, it's cheesy in some parts, but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate the songwriting or the pop sensibilities.  The album yielded four Top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  The inimitable syrupy yacht rock anthem "Sailing" went to #1, "Ride Like the Wind" went to #2, "Never Be The Same" went to #15, and "Say You'll Be Mine" went to #20.

Produced by Michael Omartian -- whose last name I read as a describing Irish being from Mars -- the album was one of the first to be recorded digitally, and Cross had contributions from some great musicians.  Among others, Michael McDonald -- who seemed to have his hand in all things yacht rock (even if that term wasn't coined for another 25 years) -- Don Henley, pop singer Nicolette Larson, pop singer Valerie Carter, and Eagles collaborator J.D. Souther contributed backing vocals on several tracks, Toto percussionist Lenny Castro provided percussion on all but two songs, veteran session guitarist Jay Graydon and blues guitarist Eric Johnson contributed a few guitar solos, and Omartian (a seasoned studio musician in his own right) played piano and synthesizers.

But almost as quickly as he shot into superstardom, Cross came hurtling back towards Earth.  Along with co-writers Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen, Cross won an Oscar in 1981 for "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)," which was, as the title implies, the theme song to the Dudley Moore romper Arthur (and Cross's second #1 song).  He didn't release another single or his second album, Another Page, until 1983.  It did decently (#11 on the Billboard album chart) and produced three Top 40 hits, including the Top 10 "Think of Laura."  But with the dawn of MTV and its emphasis on, well, good looking people, and the shift in musical tastes away from soft rock, Cross's time in the limelight was up.  He didn't have another Top 40 hit after "Think of Laura," although the following year, he did release "A Chance for Heaven," which was the swimming theme song for the 1984 Summer Olympics and is about as 1984 as it gets.

Favorite song on Side 1:  "Say You'll Be Mine"
The album kicks off with a poppy, Fleetwood Mac-esque song with Larson on backing vocals, along with a nice little guitar solo.

Favorite song on Side 2:  "Ride Like The Wind"
With backing vocals by McDonald (parodied fantastically by Rick Moranis), this is a yacht rock classic.  Cross wrote the song during an acid trip, and he dedicated the song to Little Feat front man Lowell George, who died from a cocaine overdose in July 1979.  The song is about a criminal who is trying to make it to the Mexican border to avoid the gallows.  What I find fascinating is that the song has been covered by the eclectic likes of New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts Saxon, Italian dance group East Sdie Beat, and Belgian DJ Laurent Wéry.