Talking about my Post New Romanticism loves the other day left me wanting more, so you’re going to get a video entry to show ’em off!
– Go West/”Call Me” – While the likes of Duran Duran and Culture Club were at the peak of their popularity, there were other groups that were putting out music with less fanfare, but still of note. I loved Go West from their debut single “We Close Our Eyes” (#41), but “Call Me” (#54) sealed the deal for me. Unlike many of the groups that followed, Go West had some longevity, and evolved their sound as they went along. While some may not be as crazy about their more commercial sound in later years, I thought Indian Summer was a great album, and really enjoyed their remake of “What You Won’t Do For Love” (#55).
– Danny Wilson/”Mary’s Prayer” – One of several US one-hit wonders on this list, Danny Wilson released “Mary’s Prayer” (#23) in 1987, and the song slowly grew into a modest hit. Named after the title of a Frank Sinatra movie, the band consisted of brothers Gary and Kit Clark, along with Ged Grimes. Honestly, I don’t even remember if I had the full-length on this one, but “Mary’s” really holds up well over 20 years later.
– T’Pau/”China In Your Hand” – One of my all-time favorite songs. I remember watching T’Pau perform this on the US version of “Top of the Pops” in 1987, which really just recycled the British performances and inserted a few US-only tracks to make it more authentic. I would have bet money that this would have been a #1 record, but the song never even charted here, and T’Pau remains a one-hit wonder in the US. It wasn’t the first time my instincts were wrong, and it sure wasn’t the last. Of course, the song went straight to #1 in the UK.
– Johnny Hates Jazz/”Shattered Dreams” – If you measure a record’s potential by the impact of the single that preceded it, you would have hoped that Johnny Hates Jazz would have been more popular, but as often is the case, you would have also been wrong. I remember “Shattered Dreams” tearing up the airwaves in 1988, and it peaked at #2. The follow-up, “I Don’t Wanna Be a Hero”, only made it to #31, while “Turn Back the Clock” (a personal favorite of mine), only charted on the Adult Contemporary chart. As was often the case, there’s a US version of the video, but I actually prefer the UK version (not that either of them are epics).
– Climie Fischer/”Love Changes (Everything)” – I was obsessed with this song for months for some reason, and to this day, it remains one of those records that just goes to show that I am a music and chart geek. Released originally in 1987 and considered a flop, it took “Rise to the Occasion” becoming a hit in multiple territories to give “Love” a second chance. The re-issue was a remixed version, and ended up at #10 in the UK, and #23 in the US.
– Post-New Romanticism – I don’t know if this is an actual term, but it fits what I’m looking for here. As groups like Duran Duran and Culture Club lost some sway with the public, they were replaced by pop groups with an even smoother style, which bordered on Adult Contemporary. Groups like Johnny Hates Jazz and Danny Wilson were big in ’87-’88, and I ate it all up. I wore out the cassette tape of T’Pau’s Bridge of Spies, which only spawned one Top 40 hit here in the US with “Heart and Soul” (#4 Hot 100, #13 Club Play). My favorite song from this period, though, was “China in Your Hands”, which was #1 in the UK, but never charted here. One more nail in the coffin of Americans having good taste in their pop music.
– Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me – Ah, Robert Smith. How I wanted to be you in 1987. I had just gotten caught up with Staring at the Sea when Kiss Me came into view. Despite only having one minor Top 40 hit (“Just Like Heaven”, #40), this is the album that really started the momentum moving in their direction here in the US. “Heaven” was by far the deepest, most romantic record I had ever loved (I was 18, ‘nuff said), and I subsequently experienced a couple of firsts with that album playing in the background. It was DEEP, folks! [Somewhere along the line, I will have to pen my ode to Disintegration.]
– R&B and Rap – I went through three majors in one year at school, and the only consistent thing in my academic life was working at the radio station on campus. I threw myself into that venture with every free minute of my time. While I may have been pop and alternative elsewhere, at the station I was R&B and rap. High on rotation that year was Keith Sweat, whose Make It Last Forever was far and away the most played album on the R&B shows at the station. While the seeds for my crossover to rap had been planted years ago, 1987 was the year that they took root and grew. Teena Marie (“Ooh La La La”), 3rd Bass, Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, and New Edition (“Can You Stand the Rain” was the JAM!) all made a big impact.
– Sign O’ the Times – Given all of the influences that I was feeling that year, it really shouldn’t be any wonder that Prince was the epitome of my musical preferences. The title track was both funky and topical, and “U Got the Look” came out of nowhere to liven up Top 40. For me, the pinnacle of Sign was “Adore”, which I am not afraid to say is the best performance of a love song in the Rock era. I won’t say “best love song”, because lyrically I don’t think it stands up to the true champs. From a delivery standpoint, Prince wins hands down. The phrase is clichéd, but I have no problem in referring to this as a Master Class in how to really deliver a song. You get as much meaning from the delivery as you do from the lyrics. In my opinion, this is Prince’s best album and performance by a mile. 
It’s funny how different groups of friends will ask about different aspects of the London trip. Work folks tend to ask about monuments and sights, family asks about the quality of the trip and whether I enjoyed it, and blogger friends ask about what I bought at the record shops.
While it wasn’t my plan when I went in, I ended up finding CDs for other friends that I was going to give as souvenirs, instead of shot glasses or thimbles. One friend who is a huge ABBA fan is getting an Agnetha CD and a pre-success ABBA CD (“Ring Ring”). Another friend from Indiana will be receiving a Hoosiers CD. Those of you in the US should understand the joke; for those outside of the US, Indiana’s population is referred to as Hoosiers.
I was thinking that me trying to stay away from blogging for a whole week would be difficult, given how music-centric this trip was going to be, but I stayed busy enough that it wasn’t an issue. There will be several posts upcoming that were inspired by the trip, but here are some quick thoughts and observations.
I moved to North Carolina in 1996, attempting to get a fresh start after a career setback that at the time seemed monumental, but now seems silly. This should have been a solo trip, but the guy I was dating at the time accompanied me, also looking for new opportunities. However, after a few months there, he met someone, and I experienced my first broken heart. I was in a strange town, I knew no one, and it was Christmas. Talk about a perfect storm.
Picture it…you’re at a club a couple of months on, and you’re having a good time with a couple of acquaintances. Toni Braxton comes on, and you head to the dancefloor to let your demons go. Suddenly, it’s as if you’re in a music video, with a camera that cuts through the crowd, focusing on two guys dancing slow to the hottest club jam of the moment. It’s your ex and the new guy, and you’re just stunned. Next thing you know, you’re out on the patio, pacing at 80 mph in the February cold, experiencing every emotion available in record time. (My friend Chris must have thought I was Sybil from the way I reacted.)
T-minus 10 days until my departure for London, and I am already partially incapacitated with excitement for the trip. England has always been my #1 destination, and now that I’m approaching the next decade of my life, it’s finally going to happen. I’m trying to leave as much of the planning up in the air as possible, but things are starting to firm up. Of course, I scheduled a trip down to Stonehenge on 12 May (have to get into that habit for a week or so), and then found out today that Paolo Nutini will be playing in London that night as I return. Argh. Would love to see some of the new material live.
I’ve been trying to think of a good venue for doing a more personal perspective on music, and the recent addition of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s State of the Heart to my iTunes gives me a good jumping-off point. Even though I haven’t even listened to the full thing start to finish, it’s already triggered several songs in my head, and where I was at when I first heard them.
Carpenter has had a pretty good career for a country artist, even 
Nothing like spoiling a memory, right? I went back to Virgin this evening after having seen a new sign advertising that the discounts went up. Grabbed a CD (the full-length on the J-Mac Reloaded), a camera case (for the London trip), and this very cool DC superheroes t-shirt, and headed to the register. Turns out that they were putting the signs up for the next day, and they wouldn’t honor the new percentages. Bastards! On top of that, the t-shirt was less than the “at least” percentage that had been listed prior. So not only are the owners of Virgin getting out of the music business because they can make more money as landlords, they also feel the need to resort to deceptive tactics to get folks in the store. Honestly, if you’re closing the doors in 5 days, you would think the percentages would be higher than they are, but it’s their fire sale.
Work, school, weather, life…that’s all I’m gonna say.
Store #1 was 
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 