Hidden Treasures - 1985

[Scott]

1985 Year in music...

• January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
• January 11 One of the biggest music festivals in the world begins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Rock in Rio, had a public of 1.5 million people at all, including artists like Iron Maiden, Nina Hagen, The B52's, Go Go's, Queen, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, AC/DC, and many more. National artists such as Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho, Barão Vermelho and Paralamas do Sucesso also perform.
• January 28 – Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Tina Turner, Sheila E., Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Dionne Warwick, Waylon Jennings, Bob Geldof and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are the World".
• April 1 – After months of squabbling, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.
• July 13 – The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK and Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment.
• September 6 – Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, whom he is bidding against.
• September 19 – The Parents Music Resource Center's (P.M.R.C.) United States Senate hearing on rock censorship begin in Washington, D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testify against the P.M.R.C.
• September 22 – The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.
• December 23 - Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shoot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's records. A lawsuit is brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music.
• Also - Metal Edge magazine is launched.

 

My Top 5 albums...

1. Accept - Metal Heart (This needs to be remastered!!)
2. Roger Daltrey - Under A Raging Moon
3. Heart - Heart
4. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
5. Ratt - Invasion of Your Privacy (The single best 80's riff can be found on this release)

 

Side Note: So far 1985 is turning out to be the most poppy year yet. Its becoming clear the issues that plagued 80's music. I once was blind, but now I see... Indeed!

 

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1pm693j

	Pat Benatar Seven The Hard Way 1 - Sex As A Weapon In November 1985, she released her sixth studio album, Seven the Hard Way. Benatar would hit the US Top 10 with the Grammy nominated single, "Invincible" (the theme from the movie The Legend of Billie Jean) which was written by Holly Knight (Love Is a Battlefield) and Simon Climie in 1985, three full months before the album was released. Her other Grammy nominated single, "Sex As a Weapon" would climb as high as #28 in January 1986, and "Le Bel Age" (#54) in February. The album Seven the Hard Way peaked at #26, earning an RIAA Gold certification (import cd). In Canada, it was her seventh consecutive platinum certified album and it peaked at 36 on the albums sales chart. In Benatar's autobiography, Between A Heart and A Rock Place, she said, "Out of all the albums, Seven the Hard Way cost the most to make and sold the least." The album sold approximately 600,000 US copies.
	Cheap Trick Standing On The Edge 2 - Tonight Its You Cheap Trick's LP Standing on the Edge, which peaked at number #35 on Billboard's Hot 100 LP chart in 1985, saw the band return to their standard hard-rocking sound with this album. The album was produced by Jack Douglas, who produced the band's eponymous debut album as well as the Found All The Parts EP. The original plans for the album called for band to return to the rough sound of their first album. However, Douglas backed out of mixing process due to legal issues he was having with Yoko Ono. Mixer Tony Platt was called in, and as a result, the album's production featured keyboards and electronic drums more prominently than the band and Douglas had intended. The album's most successful single "Tonight It's You", is the most well-known track from the album and also appears on numerous greatest hits compilations. Two promotional music videos were made for the song and both clips received much airplay on MTV.
	John Mellencamp Scarecrow 3 - Rumbleseat Scarecrow is the eighth album by John Mellencamp. Released in November of 1985, it peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts. The remastered version was released May 24, 2005 on Mercury/Island/UMe and includes one bonus track. This album contained three Top 10 hits, a record for a Mellencamp album: "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," which peaked at #2 in the U.S.; "Lonely Ol' Night," which peaked at #6; and "Small Town," which also peaked at #6. "Lonely Ol' Night" also peaked at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his second chart-topping single on this chart. In 1989, it was ranked #95 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, saying: "Scarecrow consolidated the band's rugged, roots-rock thrash and the ongoing maturation of Mellencamp's lyrics."
	Supertramp Brother Where You Bound 4 - Cannonball Allmusic's review was resoundingly positive, noting that the album's thematic exploration of Cold War tensions "is dated and hasn't aged very well... but the music is a pleasure." They particularly praise the "crystalline sound", the strong performances of the guest musicians, and the complexity of the compositions. They also praised the band for being "gutsy" enough to "re-embrace its progressive-rock roots" while improving their pop songcraft at the same time. The album's sixteen-and-a-half-minute title track featured Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham on rhythm guitar and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on the guitar solos. Also, the track had readings from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. A demo for the song was recorded prior to Roger Hodgson's departure from the band, for potential inclusion on ...Famous Last Words..., but the band ultimately felt it was too densely progressive rock to be appropriate, and decided against recording the album. At the time of the demo, the song was only ten minutes long.
	Roger Daltrey Under A Raging Moon 5 - After The Fire Under a Raging Moon is Roger Daltrey's sixth solo album issued in September 1985. The album reached No. 42 on the US charts, and the single "After the Fire", written by Pete Townshend, reached No. 48. It includes a drummers tribute to Keith Moon, former drummer of The Who, who died in 1978, on the track "Under a Raging Moon". The album was produced by Alan Shacklock, recorded at RAK Recording Studios and Odyssey Studios, London, and released on Atlantic Records in the US. Later the album was also released on CD in the US, including the bonus track "Love Me Like You Do". The song "Under a Raging Moon" is a song written by John Parr (from St Elmos Fire fame) and Julia Downes the track is a tribute to The Who's former drummer Keith Moon who died in 1978. It was said that John Entwistle had wanted to play this song instead of Won't Get Fooled Again at Live Aid in 1985 with The Who but Pete Townshend disagreed so Entwistle decided to record his own version on his live solo album 'Left for Live' instead as a tribute to Moon.

[Jon]

I agree!

[RJhog (Admin)]

Yep, 'cause all the music that you ladies listen to is sooooooooooooo great.

[Niels (Mod)]

Damn, I forgot about Mr.Mister. That is one great album. I have to change my top 5 list:

In 1985 my top 5 would had been:

1. Simple Minds - Once Upon A Time

2. John Mellemcamp - Scarecrow

3. Night Ranger - Seven Wishes

4. Dokken - Under Lock and Key

5. Mr. Mister - Welcome to the real world 

Now it wouldn't be that much different:

1. Simple Minds - OUAT

2. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

3. Mr. Mister - Welcome to the real world

4. John Mellencamp - Scarecrow

5. ehhh....I don't know..

[Jon]

Then:

1. Alcatrazz--Disturbing The Peace

2. Tears For Fears--Songs From The Big Chair

3. Helix--Long Way To Heaven

4. Supertramp--Brother Where You Bound?

5. Prince--Around The World In A Day

Now:

1. Alcatrazz--Disturbing The Peace

2. Tears For Fears--Songs From The Big Chair

3. Supertramp--Brother Where You Bound

4. Celtic Frost--To Mega Therion

5. Prince--Around The World In A Day

So it really hasn't changed much, except for Helix. Why did I like that album?

There were quite a few '85 albums outside my top five that have remained favorites of mine:

Aerosmith--Done With Mirrors

Accept--Metal Heart

Cheap Trick--Standing On The Edge

AC/DC--Fly On The Wall (especially side two!)

John Fogerty--Centerfield

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers--Southern Accents

Power Station--Power Station (the geetarist from Duran Duran could rock out? who knew!)

The Hooters--Nervous Nights (probably because one of the songs mentions zombies?)

Megadeth--Killling Is My Business...And Business Is Good!

Joe Walsh--The Confessor

Marillion--Misplaced Childhood

Talking Heads--Little Creatures

Asia--Astra

BOC--Club Ninja (not as bad as some think)

 

[Jon]

What sucks is that I got new computer speakers and they absolutely suck. Tinny. No bass. Have to go back to the old speakers and deal with the short or whatever is causing the issue. SUCKS!

Anyway, if this was my SHT list, these are the songs I would have played from the albums:

Pat Benater--Le Bel Age

Cheap Trick--Rock All Night (tough one since every song on this album is awesome, but I do like the shoutout to hendrix on the geetar solo)

John Cougary Mellenheadcamp--Rain On The Scarecrow

Supertramp--Brother Where You Bound (awesome song, mayde even more awesomer by Gilmour)

Roger Daltrey--Under A Raging Moon (just because it rocks!)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Benatar - Can't say I ever liked this track.  I do not own this album.

Trick - Love it.  This song put them back on my map.  I do own this album and it's good from start to finish.  My favorite album track is Love Comes, but Little Sister, Standing On The Edge or This Time Around would have been great picks as well.

Camp - I think this was the overall best album released in '85.  It's strong from start to finish.  I do own it and I would have picked Minutes To Memories.  That's my favorite JCM track.

Tramp - I've bought several of this band's albums.  I can't remember if this is one of them, but I think it is.  I wanna like them, but other than their few hits, I just find them, in the word's of the Great Dane Niels Flintrup, this is boring.

Daltrey - Awesome.  I own this one.  It was sort of lost/forgotten for me until a few years ago.  I believe I reconnected with it with some help from SG.  And I'd never pick a song other than this one, it's fantastic.

Good post brother.

[Mike Pell]

Scott,

I was nearing the time I stopped listening to music around this time.

Great to hear the Cheap Trick song.

Far better than great with the Roger Daltrey one!

Damn, I forgot that existed...and I LOVE it when that happens!
Thanks for the memory.

Mike