On a dark, desert highway...

Looking back at the music of the individual Beatles members last week AND having spent the past week in southern California got me thinking about the band that I’ve always considered the nearest American equivalent of the Fab Four – namely The Eagles.

Having formed as Linda Ronstadt’s backing band in the early seventies, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon & Randy Meisner became a band in their own right in 1971 and hit the charts with their first single, the Jackson Browne/Glenn Frey-penned “Take It Easy”.  Seven years & seven albums later, the band (which, by then, consisted of Frey, Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh & Timothy B. Schmidt) had racked up sixteen Top 40 hits (including five #1's) on their way to becoming the best-selling American band of all time before calling it quits as the decade came to a close.

However, the individual Eagles members (much like their former-Beatles counterparts) were anything but quiet during the eighties, recording some of the most innovative music of their careers before reforming in the early nineties.  Here are the best solo Eagles songs of the eighties:

1.  Don Henley – “The Boys of Summer”

Henley wails wistfully at the top of his range over a haunting guitar riff on this Top 5 hit from his second solo album.  It’s one of the eighties’ best anthems.

2.  Don Henley – “Dirty Laundry”

Don’s first solo single was a damning look at the media that is as relevant today as it was almost 35 years ago…and that groove was nasty.  It hit the #3 in 1982.

3.  Glenn Frey – “Smuggler’s Blues”

The best song from Frey’s second solo album probably wouldn’t even have been a single had it not been used in an episode of “Miami Vice” a year after the previous single from “The Allnighter” had already fallen off the Hot 100.  It perfectly encapsulated the vibe of the show and even earned Glenn a guest starring role on an episode.

4.  Glenn Frey – “You Belong to the City”

Glenn’s other “Miami Vice” song was a darker, more ominous “ode to the streets”.  It made it all the way to #2 in early 1986.

5.  Don Henley – “All She Wants to Do is Dance”

Though no Henley song ever appeared on a “Miami Vice” soundtrack, this one certainly could have.  It reached the Top 10 in 1985.

6.  Glenn Frey – “The Heat is On”

Glenn had a lot of success singing about drug dealers in the eighties and this song from the “Beverly Hills Cop” soundtrack was the one that started it all.  It hit #2 in 1985.

7.  Don Henley – “The End of the Innocence”

Don’s last album of the eighties was named after this piano-driven “coming of age” song that was co-penned by Bruce Hornsby.  It hit the Top 10 in 1989.

8.  Glenn Frey – “The One You Love”

Glenn’s best solo ballad appeared on his first solo album and hit the Top 20 in 1981.  It almost sounds like a Timothy B. Schmidt song.

9.  Glenn Frey – “Sexy Girl”

One of Glenn’s more Eagles-sounding solo hits, this soulful song hit the Top 20 in 1984.

10.  Timothy B. Schmidt – “Boys Night Out”

Schmidt’s lone Top 40 solo hit was a low-key, but sinister party song that fell just shy of the Top 20 in 1987.

HONORABLE MENTION:  Joe Walsh – “Life’s Been Good”

Walsh’s distinctive voice and signature guitar chops make him a bit of a one-trick pony, but the trick just never seems to get old.  Is there a better song about being a rock star than this #12 hit that pre-dated the eighties by a couple of years?

I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

Recently, I made a startling discovery about myself:  I DON’T LIKE THE BEATLES.  Yep, you read that right.  I don’t like them.  I never did.  At least, I don’t think I ever did.  It’s hard to be sure because, let’s face it, you’re supposed to like The Beatles.  That’s why I was in denial for so many years.  Granted, they were before my time, but I’ve been familiar with their music for most of my life.  There was even a time when I thought I liked “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude”, “Yesterday” and “Penny Lane”.  Well okay, I still like “Penny Lane”.  I also kinda like “Michelle”, but that’s mainly because of the line “Sunday monkey play piano song”.  That is what he says, right?

Anyway, the point is that I don’t like The Beatles.  Now, that’s not to say that I don’t like John Lennon and Paul McCartney and George Harrison and, yeah, Ringo, too.  In fact, that’s probably the reason it took me so long to realize that I didn’t like The Beatles.  You see, I was a HUGE fan of the music The Beatles made in the eighties.  One of my first favorite songs in the eighties was “Ebony & Ivory” by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder.  Even today, I think that chorus lyric is brilliant and I sing at the top of my lungs every time I hear it.  Honestly, Paul was probably my favorite Beatle, although it would have been a toss-up between him & John if not for the latter’s political tendencies.  I’ve never been a fan of blatant politics in music.

Of course, Paul had the most chart success in the eighties with ten Top 40 hits, seven of which made it into the Top 10.  His biggest hits of the decade were duets, two of which were with Michael Jackson.

Lennon, on the other hand, garnered four Top 10 hits during the eighties, although he would likely have given McCartney a run for his money had his life not been cut short.

Harrison hit the U.S. Top 40 three times during the decade with one chart-topper and another reaching #2.  Interestingly, two of his three solo eighties hits were about his days as a member of The Beatles.  He would also enjoy a degree of success in the late-eighties and early-nineties as a member of The Traveling Wilburys.

Finally, Ringo’s hitmaking days were pretty much over by the dawn of the eighties, even though he had enjoyed a surprising amount of solo success throughout the seventies.  He hit the U.S. Top 40 once and the Country Top 40 once during the eighties.

The following is a list of the best solo Beatles songs of the eighties:

1.  John Lennon - (Just Like) Starting Over

Released in October, 1980 followed by the “Double Fantasy” album a month later, this song was a rare but welcome pop song that marked something of a comeback for Lennon.  Unfortunately, his comeback would be cut short when he was shot to death on December 8 of that same year.  Three weeks later, the song would reach #1.

2.  John Lennon - Nobody Told Me

Recorded during the “Double Fantasy” sessions but included on the posthumous “Milk & Honey” album four years later, this song was a catchy “state of the world” address musically akin to (Just Like) Starting Over.  The lyric, however, is much less heavy-handed than most of Lennon’s political songs.

3.  Paul McCartney/Stevie Wonder - Ebony & Ivory

A brilliant lyric set to a beautiful melody, this song featured an unlikely pairing of two legendary voices.  It reached #1 in 1982.

4.  George Harrison - All Those Years Ago

Having already recorded the music for the song prior to John Lennon’s death, George rewrote the lyric as a celebratory tribute to his friend.  It would also be the closest thing to a new Beatles song in a decade with Ringo playing drums and Paul contributing backing vocals.

5.  Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson - Say Say Say

While “The Girl is Mine” was probably the weakest song on “Thriller”, the second duet from Macca & MJ was a haunting piece of ear candy that bested its #2 predecessor by reaching #1 in 1983.

6.  John Lennon - Woman

A beautifully crafted love song with a chorus that washes over you like, well…milk & honey.  No, wait…this was on “Double Fantasy”.  Nevertheless…

7.  Paul McCartney - My Brave Face

With much of his eighties output being dismissed as “bubblegum”, Paul got back to basics with 1989’s “Flowers in the Dirt”.  Collaborating with Elvis Costello, McCartney produced one of his best singles of the decade.

8.  Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights

Undoubtedly, the best thing about Paul’s “Give My Regards to Broad Street” film, this silly love song reached #6 in 1984.

9.  Paul McCartney - Spies Like Us

Paul had a lot of success with movie soundtracks and this song continued the streak.  The theme from the Chevy Chase/Dan Akroyd film of the same name is nothing but big, dumb fun.  It reached #7 in 1985.

10.  George Harrison - Got My Mind Set on You

Written by Rudy Clark and recorded by James Ray in 1962, this song would become the final song by a Beatle to reach #1 in the U.S.  It also broke a three-way tie between George, Paul and John for most solo #1’s.  George wins with three.

Honorable Mention:

Buck Owens/Ringo Starr - Act Naturally

I simply could not put this in the top ten, but I had to include it.  Enjoy.  :-)

Like sands through the hourglass...

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to talk about something a lot of guys might find a little…embarrassing – namely, soap operas.  That’s right.  I watch soap operas.  Okay, I don’t really watch them that much anymore.  There was a time, though, beginning in the early eighties when I watched one or more of them religiously.

It all started in 1983.  A cousin of mine who was also one of my best friends was addicted to “Days of Our Lives”.  She would come over and hang out every afternoon after school under the condition that she could watch the show before we did anything else.  I reluctantly gave in.  As I waited impatiently each day for the stupid thing to be over, I found myself being drawn into the storylines.  Turns out, these shows weren’t just about kissing and stuff – there were spies and serial killers and some evil guy who kept coming back to life every time they would kill him.  His name was Stefano Dimera and they called him The Phoenix.

Well, needless to say, I was hooked.  I couldn't get enough of Bo & Hope and Shane & Kimberly and Steve & Kayla.  I started watching the show even when my cousin wasn’t around.  I rarely missed an episode for over ten years.  I still check in every once in a while to see how the characters are doing.  I even visited real life “Salem” once when I was in Burbank.  I actually walked onto the set and saw several of the stars in person.

Over the years, I would occasionally watch other soaps like “Another World”, “Santa Barbara”, “One Life to Live” and, of course, “General Hospital” which I would consider my second favorite.  “Days of Our Lives” will always be my first love, though.

The following is my “Days of Our Lives” playlist.  It contains several songs that were played frequently on the show and figured prominently into the storylines.  Yes, some of them are love songs.  It is Valentine’s Day, after all.

“Days of Our Lives” Theme

Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out for a Hero

Peabo Bryson/Roberta Flack – Tonight I Celebrate My Love

Mr. Mister – Broken Wings

Phil Collins – I Don’t Care Anymore

James Ingram – Just Once

Phil Collins – Long, Long Way to Go

James Ingram – Whatever We Imagine

Mr. Mister – The Border

A Salvation Army band played...

One of the most intriguing and perplexing bands of the eighties was The Dream Academy.  Regarded by many as a one-hit wonder, Nick Laird-Clowes, Kate St. John & Gilbert Gabriel are best-known for their 1986 hit “Life in a Northern Town”.  The song, which was dedicated to folk singer Nick Drake, peaked at #7 thirty years ago this month.

Of course, they weren’t a one-hit wonder at all (as I love to point out).  Their second (and final) Top 40 hit, “The Love Parade”, made it to #37 in the spring of 1986.

Though they would never hit the Top 40 again anywhere in the world after that, it wasn’t the last we would hear from them.  Their music would show up in some very successful movies beginning with 1986’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.

In addition to “The Edge of Forever”, their instrumental cover of The Smiths’ “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” would also appear in the movie but was not included on any of their albums.

Although “This World” was the other “official” single from the record, I always felt “Movin’ On” or “Bound to Be” would have been better choices.

The follow-up to their debut album was 1987’s “Remembrance Days”.  The lead-off single was co-produced by Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham and bore a striking resemblance to “Life in a Northern Town”.

Despite a fair amount of airplay for the song and video, “Indian Summer” failed to chart.  It was followed by a second single.

“The Lesson of Love” was also unsuccessful, though the band would score another soundtrack appearance with a song from the album in one of the best scenes from 1987’s “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”.

Other highlights from “Remembrance Days” included “Doubleminded” and “In the Hands of Love”.

The Dream Academy’s third and final album was 1990’s “A Different Kind of Weather”.  The first single was a remake of John Lennon’s “Love”.

The follow-up was co-written by David Gilmour.

The lack of chart success for “Love” and “Twelve Eight Angel” was likely the reason a third single wasn’t released, although “Lucy September” would have been a nice choice.

The band officially broke up in 1991 with the individual members going on to write and perform on their own or with various other artists.

It’s hard to say why The Dream Academy weren’t more successful.  Their sound was unique and accessible, as proven by the chart performance of “Life in a Northern Town".  They also ran in some very impressive musical circles.  Their debut album was co-produced by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and featured performances by Gilmour and REM’s Peter Buck, as well as one-time Nine Inch Nails bassist Pino Palladino.  In addition, it was none other than Paul Simon who suggested to Nick Laird-Clowes during a songwriting lesson that “Morning Lasted All Day” was not a good title for their debut hit single.  Gilmour would also co-produce “A Different Kind of Weather” while Lindsey Buckingham co-produced “Remembrance Days”.

Nick, Kate and Gilbert were also very engaging and quite humble in one of their first televised interviews in the U.S.

Perhaps, the band’s sound was so distinctive that it didn’t allow for experimentation or versatility.  They did tend not to stray too far from the vibe of their breakthrough hit.  However, that’s the very thing that I loved about this band. Their albums were less a collection of potential hit singles than a journey through an ethereal soundscape that was both lush and organic at the same time, though maybe not as accessible as their early success would have led one to believe.  Regardless, “Life in a Northern Town” remains one of the most iconic songs of the decade and has been remade, sampled and used in numerous TV shows.