ALBUM REVIEWS 1983

Kim Carnes - Café Racers This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Café Racers, the eighth studio album from Kim Carnes. This one peaked at number 97 on the US Billboard Album chart. Dionne Warwick - How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye, the twenty-fourth studio album from Dionne Warwick. Following on the heels of her 1982 smash Heartbreaker (click here for that review), this 1983 release went to number 60 in the UK, number 57 on the US Billboard Album chart, and number 19 on the US Billboard R&B chart. Luther Vandross was the record’s producer and writer of half of the tracks as well. This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Colour By Numbers, the second studio album from Culture Club. This 1983 release followed up their hit debut album Kissing to Be Clever (click here for that review). In October of 1983, Boy George and the guys from Culture Club released their second studio album. Colour by Numbers was an international best-seller, with over one million copies sold in their native UK alone and more than ten million copies worldwide. It reached number 6 in Germany, number 4 in France, and number 2 in Norway and on the US Billboard Album chart. It Also went to number 1 in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The record was ranked number 96 in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980’s, and it also appears on the list of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Side one opens with “Karma Chameleon”, the second single from the record and the band‘s first and only single to reach number 1 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and on the US Billboard charts. The opening on this one is a favorite of mine. The combination of the guitar, drums and harmonica is a classic. The song is about how someone changes their moods/emotions like a chameleon, leading to confusion for their lover. The video is memorable too - taking place on a big riverboat with the band members mostly dressed as gamblers from the 1800’s. “It’s a Miracle” was the fifth and final single from the album. It peaked at number 41 in Germany, number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 5 in Canada, number 4 in the UK and number 2 in Ireland. Originally, the lyrics and title were “It’s America”, a commentary on the band’s first tour of the US for the first album. They changed the lyrics slightly before recording the track. It too has another memorable opening, very bouncy and energetic. Next up is “Black Money”, a song that questions the love of another and wonders if their affections are really just a scam. The musical composition on this one is beautiful, and Helen Terry’s backing vocals on this one (as well as other tracks on the record) are amazing. It has a classic Motown soul sound to it. “Changing Every Day” features some pleasant piano playing by Julian Stewart Lindsay. It has an intimate dinner club feel to it. “That’s the Way (I’m Only Trying to Help You)” rounds out the first side. Once again, Boy George’s soul side comes to the forefront with more beautiful piano work by Lindsay and backing vocals by Terry. Combined they infuse the song with powerful emotion. Side two takes us to the “Church of the Poison Mind”, the first single released from the album. In the UK, it was denied the number one spot on the chart thanks to David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”. In the US, it reached the number 10 spot on the Billboard charts. This one was a popular dance club song that year, with a bouncy beat that instantly gets you moving. “Miss Me Blind” was released as a single world-wide, except in the UK. It was a top-ten hit in the US, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is my favorite track from the record, a four-star rated tune. I really enjoy the dance beat on this one. The syncopated guitar Mikey Craig and Roy Hay has a classic disco feel to it, much like Nile Rodgers from Chic. Jermaine Stewart also provides some of the backing vocals on this one. Next up is “Mister Man”. This one has a Ska feel to it, evoking the image of a tropical island. “Stormkeeper” slows things down a little bit. This calypso-like tune features the saxophone playing of Steve Grainger. “Victims”, the final track on the vinyl release, was also put out as a single but it only did well in the UK (number 3), Ireland (number 2) and Australia (number 4). It was not released in the US, Canada or Japan because the record label felt it was too depressing of a song. The piano and vocals create a very vivid mood. The song is very autobiographical; the lyrics seem to reflect the relationship between George and drummer Jon Moss. In 2003, a CD version with five additional bonus tracks was released. “Man-Shake” and “Mystery Boy” both appeared as B-sides to “Karma Chameleon” (depending upon the market). The former showcases Moss’ percussion with a steady, tribal beat. The later has a strong rhythm guitar line to it that makes for a good dance track. “Melting Pot” is a live track that appeared as the B-side to “It‘s a Miracle“. It is a song that celebrates the bringing together of diverse cultures to create one shared human race. “Colour by Numbers” was originally released as the B-side to “Victims”. “Romance Revisited” is an instrumental version of the song “Victims”. Coulour by Numbers was released in the fall of my freshmen year of college. By the holidays, I had a copy of it on vinyl. I had already become a fan of the group with their first album and this record just further cemented that. I played it quite often during my college years as it was one of my favorite releases from that year. It is an amazing pop record that blends a number of musical styles seamlessly. I appreciate it as much today as I did twenty eight years ago. It is one of those stand-bys that I enjoy from beginning to end. Posted by Martin Maenza at 5:21 AM Today (September 29th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of Nicolette, the debut album from American songstress Nicolette Larson. Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday. Yesterday (September 28th) marked the thirtieth anniversary of the release of The Big Chill, a dramatic-comedy about baby boomer college friends coming together, after fifteen years apart, for the funeral of a friend hit the theatres. This smart, funny and engaging film featured an all-star cast. The Big Chill soundtrack album was pretty all-star too. It featured a who's who of Motown artists and more that perfectly spoke to the baby boomer generation. Click here for my complete review of this record. Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday. In the fall of 1983, a dramatic-comedy about baby boomer college friends coming together, after fifteen years apart, for the funeral of a friend hit the theatres. The all-star cast featured Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly and JoBeth Williams. This smart, funny and engaging film did very well at the box office, pulling in over $56 million dollars. The Big Chill soundtrack album featured a who's who of Motown artists and more that perfectly spoke to the baby boomer generation. The album went gold within the first few months on the charts and then Platinum in early 1984. It reached number 17 on the US Billboard 200 album charts. It did so well that a second album The Big Chill: More Songs from the Original Soundtrack was released a year later. Today I will just focus on that first record. Side one opens with Marvin Gaye's 1968 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". Gaye recorded the song first, but Gladys Knight and the Pips' version was released before his. Hers went to number 2 on the Billboard pop charts for three weeks and number 1 on the R&B charts for six. His went to number 1 on the pop charts for seven weeks and number 1 on the R&B charts for seven. I like the contrast of the deep percussion and Gaye’s soaring high vocals. The Temptations are next with "My Girl" from 1965. The song was a number 1 hit on both the Billboard pop and R&B charts; in fact, it was number 1 on the R&B charts on the day I was born. Those iconic guitar chords get me swaying right from the start and keep me going the entire time. From 1966 come the Young Rascals and their number 1 hit "Good Lovin'". This song has an infectious rhythm that goes right to my core and the high energy picks me up every time. I like Felix Cavaliere’s organ solo too. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles provide "The Tracks of My Tears" from 1965. This song, which reached number 16 on the Billboard pop charts and number 2 on the R&B charts, is one of the group's best sellers. The song has also been covered by numerous artists over the decades from the Jackson 5 in 1968 to UB40 in 2010. The lead vocals by Robinson are like sweet honey. Three Dog Night proclaims "Joy to the World" on their 1971 number 1 hit (it spent six weeks at the top of the charts). This is one of those songs I can vividly remember singing a lot as an elementary school kid in the 70’s - the first verse and the chorus. I really love how the many vocal layers blend on the chorus especially. The Temptations return with "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" from 1966. Though it only made it to number 13 on the Billboard pop charts, it did spend eight non-consecutive weeks at number 1 on the R&B charts. This song is used in a memorable scene in the film: it is the morning after the funeral and the friends are all pitching in to make breakfast in the kitchen, dancing around to this tune on the radio. It is hard to sit still when this one is playing; my feet naturally start to shuffle. Aretha Franklin's anthem "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" closes the first side. The track reached number 8 on the Billboard charts in 1968. The Queen of Soul is perfectly in her element on this one, her voice singing through like a beacon. When I hear this song, I can’t help but think of actress Candice Bergen in her title role of the sitcom Murphy Brown singing the background sha-doops. Side two opens with the return of Smokey and the Miracles with their 1967 hit "I Second That Emotion". It spent three weeks at number 4 on the US Billboard charts, behind the Beatle's "Hello Goodbye" at number 3. Next are the British band Procol Harum and their 1967 track "A Whiter Shade of Pale". This debut single spent six weeks at number 1 on the UK charts; it went to number 5 on the US Billboard charts. The slower melody of the song is based on Bach’s cantata “Sleepers Awake”. This one puts me in a very mellow mood, almost a complete contrast from the rest of the songs on the album. It makes it stand out because of that. The oldest track on the record is from 1963 and the Exciters. "Tell Him" reached number 4 on the Billboard charts and spent two weeks at the number 1 spot on the French charts. This one always makes me thinking of Ally McBeal as it was one of her therapy songs in the early seasons when she was trying to deal with her feelings for her childhood sweetheart Billy. I actually have four versions of this song in my music library, including this original and the one Vonda Sheppard did for the TV show. The Four Tops are up with "It's the Same Old Song" from 1965, a track that went to number 5 on the Billboard charts and number 2 on the R&B charts. I love the harmonies of this Detroit quartet. Martha and the Vandellas get us "Dancing in the Street" with their 1964 smash. The song originally went to number 2 on the Billboard charts, stopped short by the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”. I have five versions of this song by various artists in my music library, including this original. It is another of those good-mood tunes. Marvin Gaye returns with his 1971 hit "What's Going On". The song about anti-war protests went to number 2 on the Billboard charts, denied the top honors ironically by the earlier track “Joy To The World”. Closing out the record is the Marvelettes and their 1964 track "Too Many Fish in the Sea". The song went to number 25 on the Billboard charts. When the Big Chill came out in 1983, I had just started my freshman year of college. I do remember seeing this film in theatres with friends of mine - it might have been when I was home on Thanksgiving break that November with my friends from high school. Though the film was about a generation removed from my own, I still could relate to the subject matter and sentiments in a way. Maybe it was just the wondering if my friends and I would still be close another fifteen years in the future. When my wife and I got our first DVD player in the later half of the 90's, this was one of the first films I remember we bought. As for the soundtrack, I had this one on vinyl and played it a lot. I was very familiar with many of these songs from listening to AM radio growing up in the 70's and from watching many a TV variety show. I thought it was a great music sampler with a large number of classics and thus perfect to have in my music library. I would supplement it early in 1984 with a two disk Motown collection that came out to celebrate the label's 25 anniversary. 1960's music was very big at college parties, no doubt spurred on thanks to the renewed interest thanks to the film. Of course, both those vinyl sets ended up with my brother in the late 90's. By that point I had picked up a boxed set of Motown music on CD. The songs are timeless and never go out of style.