Continuing my 80's theme with, "The Sound Of The Crowd" by the British Human League which became the band's commercial breakthrough, reaching #12 on the UK singles chart in May 1981.
Written jointly by lead singer Phil Oakey and keyboard player Ian Burden, the song was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios, Reading, in March 1981. Originally released as a stand-alone single in April 1981, it was subsequently re-recorded and incorporated into the studio album Dare, later in the year.
"The Sound Of The Crowd" was the first Human League song to feature female vocals, from new band members Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, which was one of the main reason's I liked the song!!
This was one of the first records I bought, can't possibly tell you what the first one was, its just too embarrassing??
Fight for your right was in my top ten 80's tracks that I'd planned to post, but with the sad death of Adam Yauch, I posted this earlier than expected. I've never been a fan of Rap music, but now and again you just get a great song, which this is one. I first heard this on my brothers stereo, back in 1987, I didn't like it at first but it soon won me over and I bought the album, Licence to Ill.
Fight for your right reached UK No 11 and US No 7.
Back to the 80's again for this classic bit of Post Punk Pop! The song has just been re-released as its included in the new film from Aardman, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. I took my two youngest to see the film last week, and much to their delight and embarrassment, sang along to the song.
Tenpole Tudor released their third single, "The Swords Of A Thousand Men" in 1981. It was backed by "Love And Food". The A side appeared on their debut album, Eddie, Old Bob, Dick And Gary . The B side was a non-LP track that was added as a bonus track on a later CD re-release. The single reached the #6 spot on the U.K. singles chart. The London punk band broke up in 1982 after two albums and several singles. Eddie Tenpole (also known as Eddie Tudor-Pole and Eddie Tenpole Tudor) went solo and the rest of the band became The Tudors. Neither new act was long-lasting. Tenpole Tudor, itself, has re-united many a time since.
No 3 of my 80's favourites...
Centerfold was a single released by The J. Geils Band from their album Freeze Frame. The song is about a man who is shocked to discover that his high school crush appeared in a centerfold spread for a men's magazine.
It was released in autumn 1981, and eventually went to Number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982, and stayed there for six weeks. It was the first single released from the album Freeze Frame and was an early staple on MTV.
In February 1983, a year after the song hit #1 in the US, Centerfold peaked at number 3 in the UK Top 40, earning The J. Geils Band their only major hit single in the UK, although follow-up Freeze-Frame was a minor hit.
The song lists at #52 on Billboard's All Time Top Songs.
Another 80's classic for today's post, Town Called Malice was a double A-side single release featuring Precious as the flip side. Released as the first single from their new album The Gift, on 29 January 1982, it entered the chart at number one in the UK music charts, staying at the top for three weeks. It was the band's third number-one single in the UK. It was the band's sole chart entry onto any American chart (although this single and "Start!" both appeared in the low-rungs of the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts) when it hit #31 on the Rock Chart in 1982.
I Can't believe this song is 30 years old this year, back in 1982 when Story of the Blues was released I was 14 and still at school. I think this has got to be my all time favourite 80's track. So for my next few posts I'll be showing a few more of my favourite 80's tracks.
Story of the Blues reached No3 in the UK chart. I was going to post the actual video for the song, but it bought back too many bad memories of bad 80's fashion!
Firstly I want to say thanks to D4 for introducing me to this fantastic group!! He only put this song up on his blog last week, but I just had to post it too!!!
Taking the music industry by storm, Carolina Chocolate Drops is an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina. Their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number nine in fRoots magazine's top 10 albums of 2010. Last year also saw Carolina Chocolate Drops play to sell-out audiences and festival crowds across the UK. As The Times remarked in one live review, 'In the end, a standing ovation was the only possible response. Anything, you sense, is possible now'.
The group is one of the few remaining African American string bands. Carolina Chocolate Drops have their feet firmly planted in the legacy of African-American musical history and can deliver an amazing live performance - shifting from gospel to blues and jazz to a more rural-based old-timey sound. Their music doesn't attempt to replicate the past but rather to absorb it and regenerate the music as something alive in today's world.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins. The band formed after founding members Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson met at the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, NC in 2005. All three trained in the Piedmont banjo and fiddle musical tradition under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, who, at age 90, is believed to be the last living performer from the Piedmont string band heyday. Multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins joined the group in early 2011, as Justin Robinson departed to take up new challenges.
