Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones (35th anniversary)

Today (February 28th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of the self-titled debut album from Rickie Lee Jones.

You can click here to read my full review of Rickie Lee Jones.

U2 - War (30th anniversary)

Today (February 28th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of War, the third studio album from Irish rock band U2.

For my complete track by track review of this 80's classic, please click here.

Styx - Kilroy Was Here

This week (February 28th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Kilroy Was Here, the eleventh studio album from American rock band Styx. The title of this Platinum seller comes from a famous piece of graffiti from World War II. The record charted at number 67 in the UK, number 6 in Sweden, and number 3 in both Norway and on the US Billboard Hot 200.

The band members each took on a persona for this concept album. Keyboardist/vocalist Dennis DeYoung was Kilroy, bassist Chuck Panozzo was Lt. Vanish, drummer John Panozzo was Colonel Hyde, guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw was Jonathan Chance, and guitarist/vocalist James Young was Dr. Righteous. The group was also backed by a five man horn section.

Ramones - Subterranean Jungle

This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Subterranean Jungle, the seventh studio album by the American punk band the Ramones. Hitting stores on February 28th, 1982, this one peaked at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

This was the fourth album with the line-up that consisted of Joey Ramone (Jeffry Hyman) on lead, Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) on guitar, Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) on bass and vocals, and Marky Ramone (Marc Bell) on drums. This configuration of the band returned again for 1989’s Brain Drain.

Hank Williams, Jr. - Strong Stuff

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Strong Stuff, the thirty-fifth studio album from American country singer Hank Williams, Jr. The Gold selling album reached number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 7 on the US Billboard Country charts.

Thank God It's Friday (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

Continuing on with my birthday weekend celebration, I thought I would dig back into the movie music vaults for another disco classic. This time, we are looking at the soundtrack to the film Thank God It’s Friday which hit the theaters on May 19th, 1978.

The movie tells several intertwining stories of the patrons and staff at a fictional Los Angeles disco club called the Zoo (a real LA club called Osko's on South La Cienega Blvd. was used for the set). It starred Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, Valerie Landsburg (who would later star on the TV show Fame), Terri Nunn (of Berlin), and singers Paul Jabara and Donna Summer.

Bee Gees - Spirits Having Flown

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday. Today also happens to be my birthday so I thought I would review one of my favorite albums from the end of that decade.

On February 5th of 1979 (just a few weeks prior to my fourteenth birthday), the brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb released Spirits Having Flown, their fifteenth studio album. The album was certified Platinum in both the US and the UK. Chart-wise, it went to number 1 in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. In the US, it peaked at number 9 on the Billboard R&B charts and number 1 on the Billboard Hot 200.

Journey - Frontiers

Today (February 22nd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Frontiers, the eighth studio album from the American rock band Journey. Lead singer Steve Perry, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, guitarist Neal Schon, drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory delivered another multi-Platinum album that has sold over 8 million copies world-wide. This was a follow up to 1981’s Escape (click here for that review).

Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex

After their self-titled 1982 EP release (click here for that review), Sonic Youth returned in February of 1983 with Confusion Is Sex, their second studio album. On this album, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo were joined by Jim Sclavunos on drums; he left the group during the recording process so Bob Bert filled in on two tracks.

Today we will give this one a listen in honor of its thirtieth anniversary.

Carl Wilson - Youngblood

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Youngblood, the second and final solo studio album from Carl Wilson.

A number of musicians joined Wilson on this one. Guitarists on the tracks included Jeff Baxter, John Daly, Billy Hinsche, Elliott Randall and Trevor Veitch. Gerald Johnson and Neil Stubenhaus played bass on the record. Drummers included Vince Colaiuta, Ed Greene and Alan Krigger. Four saxophonists - Bryan Cummings, Jerry Peterson, Lon Price and Ron Viola - also worked on the record.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Somewhere in Afrika

Yesterday (February 18th) marked the thirtieth anniversary of Somewhere in Afrika, the eleventh studio album from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. The release peaked at number 87 in the UK, number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 200, and number 8 in both Germany and Norway.

The roster of the band at this time included Manfred Mann (keyboards and synthesizers), Matt Irving (bass), Shona Laing (vocals), John Lingwood (drums and percussion), Trevor Rabin (guitar), Chris Thompson (vocals) and Steve Waller (vocals and guitar).

Thompson Twins - Side Kicks (30th anniversary)

Today (February 18th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Side Kicks, the second US release by the Thompson Twins. Over in the UK, it was released a month prior under the title of Quick Step and Side Kick.

This is another of my favorite albums from the early 80's. Click here for the complete review of this album.

Willie Nelson - Tougher Than Leather

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Tougher Than Leather, the thirty-first studio album from American country singer/songwriter Willie Nelson. This 1983 record went to number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 48 on the Canadian charts, and number 4 on the US Billboard Country charts.

Nelson’s band for this release included Paul English (drums), Johnny Gimble (fiddle and mandolin), Grady Martin (guitar), Bobby Nelson (piano), Jody Payne (guitar), Mickey Raphael (harmonica) and Bee Spears (bass).

The overall theme of the record is reincarnation, which ties together a number of the tracks into an overall narrative about an Old West gunfighter who comes back in modern times to face karma.

Suzi Quatro - If You Knew Suzi…

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

On February 22nd of 1979, Suzi Quatro’s sixth studio album If You Knew Suzi… was released in the United States where it peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Album chart. It had come out in late 1978 in the UK with a slight different song line up.

The band line-up at the time included Quatro (lead vocals, bass and congas), Mike Deacon (keyboards and backing vocals), Dave Neal (drums and backing vocals) and Len Tuckey (lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals). Australia’s Mike Chapman, who was also working with Blondie and the Knack at the time, was the producer of the album and also co-wrote a number of the tracks.

Rufus - Seal In Red

It's Friday and that always meant going out dancing for me back in my college days.

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Seal in Red, the eleventh and final studio album from the R&B/funk band Rufus. It charted at number 49 on the US Billboard R&B charts.

Kenny G - G Force

Following his self-titled 1982 release (click here for that review), Kenny G hit the charts again in February of 1983 with his second studio album G Force. This one went to number 56 in the UK, number 62 on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 17 on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 6 on the US Billboard Jazz chart.

As with his first album, the vinyl release and the CD release of this one had differing cover art. Trying to keep things here on the blog as old-school as possible, I opted to use the original vinyl release artwork for this post. In my opinion, it has a more 80's feel to it.

UFO - Making Contact

The English heavy metal rock band UFO, which has been active since 1969, has been ranked at number 84 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock list. In February of 1983, they released Making Contact, their eleventh studio album. It charted at number 153 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 32 in the UK. The line-up of the band at this point was Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Chapman (guitar and bass), Neil Carter (keyboards, guitar, bass and vocals) and Andy Parker (drums).

Today, we shall give this record a listen to mark its thirtieth anniversary.

Fun Boy Three - Waiting

After their self-titled debut album in 1982 (click here for that review), the English pop trio Fun Boy Three (Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding) followed up a year later with Waiting. This second album from February of 1983, produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads, would also be the group's last. It charted at number 104 in the US, number 47 in the Netherlands, number 14 in the UK and number in New Zealand.

The US vinyl release differed in the order of the tracks, most notably by flipping the sides and then swapping around the final tracks on each side. For this review to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, I will look at the songs in the US order.

Marty Balin - Lucky

American born musician Marty Balin was part of Jefferson Airplane in the 1970's before embarking on a solo career in the early 80's.

Today (February 11th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Lucky, his second solo studio album. It peaked at number 156 on the US Billboard Hot 200 chart. Balin provided the vocals on the record while being joined by Steve Goldstein (keyboards and synthesizers), Louis Biancaniello (synthesizers), Waddy Wachtel (guitar), Kevin McCormick (bass) and Rick Marotta (drums).

Van Halen - Van Halen (35th anniversary)

Today (February 10th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of the self-titled debut album from Van Halen.

If you have not read it already, please click here to check out my review of this rocking release.

FM (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In April of 1978, Universal Pictures released a film about radio station QSKY, where corporate management enacts an advertising push that the station manager and on-air personalities do not buy in on. The protest quickly escalates when the deejays use the airwaves to stir up the listeners to join in the conflict. The cast of the film included Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras, Cleavon Little and Cassie Yates.

While many might not remember the film FM itself, they would certainly be familiar with the songs that appear on the accompanying two-disk soundtrack album. The tracks read like a who’s who of artists that were appearing on album-oriented rock stations at the time. This soundtrack album peaked in the top five of the US Billboard Hot 200, was certified Platinum by the summer of 1978, and won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Carole King - Music

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday. Today (February 9th) we wish a very happy seventy-first birthday to American singer, songwriter and pianist Carole King.

Not resting idle after the release of her smash album Tapestry in February of 1971 (click here for that review), King followed it up in December of that same year with Music, her third studio album. It climbed all the way to the number 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 200 by New Years Day of 1972, spending three consecutive weeks at that spot, and eventually achieved Platinum sales. It also went to number 28 in Japan, number 18 in the UK, number 10 in Norway and number 2 in Canada.

Happy Birthday, Vince Neil

Happy fifty-second birthday today (February 8th) to American rock guitarist and singer Vince Neil Wharton.

The Hollywood born native started with his first band Rock Candy in 1980 and then joined high school friend Tommy Lee in Mötley Crüe in 1981. Neil became the group's lead vocalist.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Powerlight

After a strong 1981 release Raise! (click here for that review), the R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire followed it up in 1983 with Powerlight, their twelfth studio album. Today (February 7th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of that release. Though it only charted at number 82 in Australia, it reached number 24 in Canada, number 22 in the UK, number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 200, and number 4 on the US Billboard R&B chart.

Kenny Rogers - We've Got Tonight

In 1982, American country singer Kenny Rogers had success with Love Will Turn You Around (click here for that review).

February of 1983 saw the release of We've Got Tonight, his eleventh solo studio album. It was also his final album on the Liberty Records label before moving over to RCA Records. The Platinum seller went to number 19 in Canada, number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 3 on the Billboard Country charts. Today, we will take a look at this album as part of its thirtieth anniversary celebration.

Bow Wow Wow - When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Following their 1982 EP Last of the Mohicans (click here for that review), the English new-wave band Bow Wow Wow released their third and final studio album. Today we will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the release of 1983’s When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going, a record which peaked at number 82 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

Echo & the Bunnymen - Porcupine (30th anniverary)

Today (February 4th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Porcupine, the third studio album from English band Echo & the Bunnymen.

My first listen to this album happened a little less than two years ago as part of my blog. You can click here to read my full track by track review.

Greg Kihn Band - Kihnspiracy

Today (February 3rd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Kihnspiracy, the eighth studio album from the Greg Kihn Band. Thanks to a big top 10 hit single, the album climbed all the way to number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 200 charts.

Assisting Kihn on the record was Greg Douglass (guitar), Gary Phillips (keyboards), Steve Wright (bass) and Larry Lynch (drums).

Heaven 17 - Heaven 17

In September of 1981, the British synth pop band Heaven 17 (the trio of Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware) released their debut album Penthouse and Pavement. The record went all the way to number 14 on the UK charts and became a Gold seller.

In early 1983, a remixed version of that album called Heaven 17 was released in the US, where it climbed all the way to number 68 on the Billboard Hot 200. This happens to be one of my favorite albums from the 80’s, so today I thought I would give an in-depth look at it to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

Eric Clapton - Money and Cigarettes

Today (February 1st) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Money and Cigarettes, the eighth solo studio album from British guitar legend Eric Clapton. This 1983 album went to number 20 in Australia, number 16 in the Netherlands and on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 13 in the UK, number 11 in New Zealand, number 9 in Japan, number 5 in Sweden and number 3 in Norway.

Assisting Clapton on the record were Ry Cooder (guitar), Albert Lee (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Donald “Duck” Dunn (bass), and Roger Hawkins (drums). Backing vocals were also provided by Chuck Kirkpatrick and John Sambataro.