Features

     The early 1980s marked a drastic shift in iconic record label Casablanca’s legacy and future. Neil Bogart, American music executive and founder of Casablanca, was pushed out in 1980 as a result of the label’s overspending and accounting irregularities. Meanwhile, the labels most prominent talents began to pursue other homes, like Donna Summers departing to Geffen Records due to creative direction disagreements. Although the label continued to represent talent, it never fully reached the peak of its disco glory days.

     Although Bebe Buell’s legacy is mostly defined by her tumultuous love affairs, intimacy with the rock legends of her time, and daring modeling era, one must not cast her musical talents to the sidelines. Often thrust out of the limelight by an overly obsessed pop culture, Bebe asserted to host Lyndsey Parker on the latest episode of the podcast, that the public eye “will try to define you by who’s on your arm” how “they don’t do that to men” and her wish that her music defined her persona more so than her boyfriends. 

Genesis’ 1977 live album Seconds Out is an underrated gem – one of the finest concert documents of the decade, if you are a fan of progressive (or “prog”) rock and its layers of complexity, the instrumental prowess of its players, and the imagination at play in its songwriting.

“This is Jake: I command you to...GET...IN...SHAPE!”

These are the first words uttered on Body by Jake: Don’t Quit – Music from the Original Video Soundtrack, and never before have a mere ten words served as more definitive proof of an album’s status as an artifact of its time. Originally released in 1984, the album’s title aptly sets the stage for its contents – it’s the soundtrack to the VHS tape released by noted celebrity trainer Jake Steinfeld – but it’s notable for being the first original soundtrack to a workout album.

When it comes to hit songwriters of the ‘80s, it’s fair to say that there are plenty of big names who dominated the charts over the course of the decade, but if you had to pick one that particularly dominated the world of soundtrack singles, Giorgio Moroder would definitely be a major contender. Although Moroder was perhaps best known for dance music prior to the ‘80s, he definitely found a strong foothold in the world of rock during the ‘80s, as you’ll see from the below list.

Though he had spent more than a decade and a half as the drummer in Genesis, by 1985 Phil Collins was at the top of his game as a solo artist, having scored big with songs like “In the Air Tonight,” “Against All Odds,” and “One More Night.” The latter two were keyboard-driven ballads, equally at home on pop and adult contemporary radio, a streak he continued in 1985 with his hit duet with Marilyn Martin, “Separate Lives.”

Who says time goes by so slowly? It was 17 years ago this week that Madonna landed atop the UK Albums chart for the ninth time in her career, an achievement which occurred while she was also kicking off her second week at the top of the UK Singles chart for the 11^th time.

Amazon might have mortally wounded the local shopping mall, but those of a certain age doubtless remember the important role malls played in American life, particularly during the ‘80s. Malls weren’t just enclosed spots to get your shopping done; they were meeting places, concert and fashion show venues, restaurants and movie houses, and the place where budding relationships could … well, bud, away from the watching eyes of parents.

Frank Zappa was many things – musician, composer, cultural commenter, businessman (though in a Zappa-esque way), husband, and father. Perhaps above all else, he was a workaholic. And when Zappa was at work – usually writing and/or recording music in his home studio, at all hours of the day and night – his family knew he was not to be disturbed.

Halloween and the 1980’s seem synonymous.