A Different Approach to the Music of the 1980's

* Discovered?
Sure they were signed, but who knew?

* Going Solo, Going Nowhere!
The restless one's who leave behind their bandmates to briefly go it alone.

* Long forgotten one-hit wonders

* What is local?
Checking in on unsigned talent.

Friday, October 17, 2008

"Here We Go Again...," Looking back at THE LOOK

This time around, the year is 1984.
Fantasy Records, famous for playing host to rock Icon's Creedence Clearwater Revival signs Detroit rocker's, The Look. Everybody's Acting is the band's third release and features an altogether different sound from what the Michigan based group was known for.
This little tidbit comes once again via The Internet, to which I humbly say thank you again, Mr. Gore.

It was only recently that I had spent a few hours of exhaustive research to find out these guys had been around since 1977, and are still making music today! I'll dispense with the factual information at this point and get on to the Morty part of the story.
My first look at The Look (couldn't resist the quick pun) dates back of course to my college radio days at WNYT; the radio station of Old Westbury's New York Institute of Technology. By the golden year of Orwell's 1984, I was now comfortable in my role as a college radio personality. Musically of course, I was still relatively clueless. The rock and roll format as laid out by the programming department was loose enough to the point that air staff could more or less cater a show to their own tastes. With enough well known artists in the rotation, it was always a pleasant experience for me. When it came time to play something in the "new music" category, I was always a little wary. This part of the programming hour was reserved for up and comer's, new artists that had yet to make it to mainstream radio. College radio was always a great proving ground for testing such waters. Usually for me as an on-air jock, this often meant a roll of the dice, heads or tails, eenie, meenie, minee, mo. The Look was the winner during one such hour. Taking a cue from the brief notes left by the music department, I chose to spin their updated version of the Motown classic, "The Way You Do the Things You Do." I can say with some degree of confidence here that I had never heard of the song. The light pop sensibility of this remake played right into my musical tastes at the time. The rest, as they say is history. The radio station always had a few extra copies of records lying around, so I helped myself to one, took it home and became an East Coast fan of The Look for a short period of time. Twenty-four years have elapsed since that afternoon, and now I find myself a fan of these guys all over again. That said, I now invite you to hit the play button below, close your eyes and take a trip with me back to the good old days. Don't forget to post a comment, then tell your friends to drop in as well. There's lots more Unknown 80's to explore!