Return with no Return

Comebacks, Reunions and remakes all played an integral part of the fabric of the 1980's. Early on in the decade we saw the return of 50's and 60's icons including Chubby Checker, Del Shannon, and Gary U.S. Bonds, all of whom returned with new albums filled with original material. Then there were the established bands of the 80's who elected to re-visit the music of their youth, before it became somewhat of the norm. Van Halen's 1982 release, Diver Down is a perfect example. The band struck gold for the second time in their career with a monster rendition of a 1960's classic. Following the earlier success of You Really Got Me, along came an unforgettable rendition of Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman. The album featured five cover tunes and only seven originals. Whether or not VH purists embraced the record was of no consequence, as it propelled this band beyond popularity and into the realm of super-stardom. Burgeoning artist or mainstream performer, there was big money to be made in remakes; a substantial return on a return to the past. Billy Idol exploded on to the early 80's scene with the Tommy James and the Shondell's classic, Mony Mony. Who can forget Naked Eyes hitting it big with There's Always Something There to Remind Me; a semi-forgettable Burt Bacharach penned tune. Cheap Trick stayed current with a memorable version of the Elvis Presley fave, Don't Be Cruel. David Lee Roth on his solo outing continued to hit with cover tunes including the Beach Boys California Girls, and the flamboyant Just a Gigolo/Ain't Got Nobody. The medley version dated back to the mid 1950's, but the individual tunes go back to the early 1900's! Equally unlikely was the resurfacing of a 1929 Irving Berlin classic made popular by Fred Astaire. Taco's Puttin' on the Ritz put him on the map in 1982. There are certainly many more both worthy of mention, and probably quite a few that were not so worthy. This month I will take you back to 1985, 1983, and 1984 respectively. The possibility exists that some of these tunes are indeed not unknown, but most certainly have been forgotten. As curator, of an 80's museum in my mind, I felt it time to dust off the vinyl, and bring these classic tunes back from the grave to hopefully gain a small bit of notoriety, or at the very least a smile or two. I am assuming by now that all of you know the drill, however should this be your first time here, I urge you to hit the play button below, close your eyes, and journey back with me once more into the land of the Unknown 80's.

Morty!

June 2009