FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Every Friday we set the Hot Tub Time Machine to one year in rock history and give you the best (and worst) music from that year, all day long beginning at 1:00 AM EST and running for 24 hours on Jivewired Radio powered by Live365.
This week: 1985
Next week: 1994
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Album art from 1985 - Click album cover to purchase at Amazon.com
1985 Album I Wish I Owned: Hard Line by The Blasters
1985 Album I'd Give Back If I Could: Empire Burlesque by Bob Dylan
1985 Most Underrated Song: Life And How To Live It by R.E.M.
1985 Most Overrated Song: Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen
1985 Most Memorable Song: Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
1985 Most Significant Song: We Are The World by U.S.A. For Africa
1985 Most Forgotten Song: The Big Heat by Stan Ridgway
1985 Fan's Choice For Most Popular Song: Careless Whisper by Wham!
1985 Please Don't Play Anymore Song: I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner
1985 Song That I Like More than I Actually Should: One Night In Bangkok by Murray Head
Absolute Worst Song of 1985 That I Will Always Love: Superbowl Shuffle by The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew
Overplayed In 1985: Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp
Not Played Enough In 1985: The Jesus & Mary Chain
Greatest Single Chart Re-Entry from 1985: My Lover's Arms by Otis Redding
Best Cover Song Of 1985: Suspicious Minds by Fine Young Cannibals
An unheralded great album from 1985: Tim by The Replacements
An unheralded great single from 1985: I Got Loaded by Los Lobos
Best Soundtrack of 1985: The Breakfast Club
Our Top Five Songs Of The Year
01.
Life And How To Live It by R.E.M.
02.
Can't Get There From Here by R.E.M.
03.
Inside Me by The Jesus & Mary Chain
04.
In Between Days by The Cure
05.
Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears
Our Top Five Albums Of The Year
01.
Psychocandy by The Jesus & Mary Chain
02.
Fables Of The Reconstruction by R.E.M.
03.
Tim by The Replacements
04.
Little Creatures by The Talking Heads
05.
The Head On The Door by The Cure
Thanks largely in part to MTV and it's ability to reach worldwide audiences, 1985 was the year that the alleged second British Invasion reached its pinnacle -- and then began a precipitous decline, as the new romantic wave in music suddenly lost much of its glitter. The revolution in music created by the music video had spurned a backlash as well. Knowledgeable consumers realized that those bands that looked so great on film didn't translate very well to the turntable and especially to live performance. There was entirely too much style that was desperately lacking musical substance. Discerning audiences sensed that hearing, and not seeing, was believing. Anyone who could press a single key on a synthesizer or program a drum machine could manufacture a hit, and it seemed that nearly everyone was doing so. Even legendary and masterful artists like Eric Clapton ("Behind The Sun"), Jefferson Starship ("Knee Deep In The Hoopla") and The Rolling Stones ("Dirty Work", released in 1986) employed studio treachery to create the sound that seemed to answer more the demands of MTV than the desires of their fans.
In an article from 2008 by Peter Brewis from his
The Week That Was project in Uncut Magazine, Brewis proclaims that
"There's long been a critical consensus that the worst ever year for pop was 1985". I had to think about that for a bit, mainly because 1985 was indeed one of the worst years for modern music. That being said, it was the reasons Brewis gave that didn't sit well with me. Crap is crap, and there was a lot of it in 1985 no doubt, but 1985 wasn't horrendous simply because post-punk fizzled out, indie had yet to start shambling and house music wasn't yet jacked up. How about Glenn Frey solo music, the formation of Mike & The Mechanics, a horrible album from Bob Dylan, Robert Plant's Honeydrippers project, over-saturation of Born In The U.S.A. and the overuse of synthesized music, just for starters? Oh yeah.....Phil Collins too.
It was later revealed in the article that Brewis' bold statement was merely a lead-in, as with most articles by Brewis, to a one-note, shock-and-awe statement: that any great, contemporary band is ultimately influenced by (apparently) uncool music. Brewis' reply?
"1985? But that was the year Hounds of Love by Kate Bush came out!".
Much has been made of the Brewis brothers and their love for uncool music. They certainly reveal the neophilic and fad-obsessed nature of the alternative music press that adheres to the premise that something out of current fashion is so uncool and so must-avoid that you actually need to embrace it. It's a completely narcissistic and short-sighted way to view music and the reason why a band such as The Smiths probably became more popular than they may have been entitled to. Good? Yes. Great? Debatable.
That being said, after exhaustive research and sifting through a lot of bad music, turns out 1985 had a number of gems as well. Releases by R.E.M. ("Fables Of The Reconstruction"), The Cure ("The Head On The Door"), The Replacements ("Tim"), The Talking Heads ("Little Creatures"), The Jesus & Mary Chain ("Psychocandy"), U2 ("Wide Awake In America"), Lloyd Cole & The Commotions ("Easy Pieces"), Camper Van Beethoven ("Telephone Free Landslide Victory") and Dire Straits ("Brothers In Arms") have remained relevant for over 25 years now, making them timeless classics. In fact, "Brothers In Arms" became the first LP to reach one million in sales in the CD format, making them pioneers of the new digital age.
And though not a gem (but a personal favorite), 1985 gave the world "The Super Bowl Shuffle." In 1985, the Chicago Bears had their most amazing season ever and the video and subsequent national radio hit was actually nominated for a Grammy Award.
As fans, our foray into digital music was in its "baby steps" phase. Worldwide, record and cassette sales were up 14% from the previous year, with cassettes outselling albums for the first time ever. The number of albums certified platinum in the U.S. increased by 46% over the previous year. Though compact discs only accounted for 21 million of the 643 million total units sold, this was a huge increase of 250% versus 1984.
On the legal front, songwriter Willie Dixon filed a complaint alleging that Led Zeppelin's big 1970 hit "Whole Lotta Love" was plagiarized from his song "You Need Love," which was recorded in 1962 by Muddy Waters. Spandau Ballet alleged that Chrysalis Records had mismanaged their affairs and requested termination of their contract. Jefferson Starship lost its court battle to retain the "Jefferson" prefix. Elton John and Bernie Taupin lost a six-month court battle to recover the copyright to 169 songs published by DJM Music; however, the court ordered Dick James to cough up millions in unpaid royalties he owed the pair. Michael Jackson hit the mother of all home runs, purchasing the rights to the entire ATC Music catalog, which included 5,000 songs, including all of the Beatles' songs that were penned as a collaborative effort by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, for $40 million dollars.
1985 was also the year that charity hit rock and roll as music reacquired it's collective conscience. Parlaying the success of Band-Aid's charitable Christmas song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", a galaxy of stars joined together under the name USA For Africa to sing "We Are The World." Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, the song was at #1 worldwide in four weeks and sold four million copies, making it the biggest selling and most significant single of the decade. Proceeds were used to fight famine in Africa. Furthermore, "We Are The World" set the bar for the artists-giving-back movement.
The Live Aid concerts, held in in London and Philadelphia captured 1.6 billion television viewers in 170 countries and raised $80 million for famine relief. Organized by Bob Geldof, performers included Geldof wth Midge Ure, Sting, Queen, Madonna, U2, Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Duran Duran and many others.
Artists United Against Apartheid recorded "Sun City" to protest South Africa's racist policies; the 36 artists involved included Hall and Oates, Bruce Springsteen, Bono and Peter Gabriel.
Finally, Farm Aid, featuring Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp raised $10 million to help distressed American farmers. Additionally, Bruce Springsteen wore himself and the E Street Band out with a year-long tour that netted millions and millions of dollars; Springsteen personally made massive donations to food banks and homeless shelters at each stop on his tour.
Nevertheless, 1985 is more about memories than classic music. And that's okay. Good or bad, music always has a way of connecting us to the past. Though it may skew our opinions of what is actually good and what is really bad, music is and always has been a constant placeholder in our personal historic timelines. And if that's the best we can say about 1985, it's still saying a lot.
Wait, what do we do with all of these videos from Hall & Oates?
On January 1, 1985, the newest music video channel, VH-1, debuted on American cable. Owned by Viacom, which also owned MTV, VH-1 was aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, meaning all those videos by Hall & Oates, Chris Isaak, Toto, Fleetwood Mac and Phil Collins finally had a home. Oh yeah, and "That's What Friends Are For" as well. Yeah, I just mentioned that song. Sorry if it's stuck in your head now.
Like MTV however, VH-1 eventually started phasing out the video music concept.
Though VH-1 still occasionally plays music videos and it's Top 20 Video Countdown today, its more recent claim to fame has been in the area of music-related reality programming, such as Behind the Music, the I Love the... series, the Celebreality block of programming, and the channel's overall focus on popular culture. So, instead of music we get to see how far Hall & Oates and Phil Collins have fallen since VH-1 stopped playing their videos and their music subsequently stopped selling. How nice.
When you've become a caricature of yourself and no one notices, go solo...
....and massacre a Beach Boys hit and a Louis Prima classic.
After months of squabbling, David Lee Roth left Van Halen to begin a solo career. It has been widely rumored that not one member of the band tried to stop him from leaving. Unfortunately, Van Halen was more cognizant of Mr. Roth's lack of talent and range as well as his tiring schtick than Roth was himself.
Roth characterized Van Halen's music just before his departure as "morose". He had wished to record an album quickly, tour, and then shoot a movie (the latter never coming to fruition). So he decided to go solo. And we have terrible versions of "Just A Gigolo" and "California Girls" to thank as well as a guest appearance on the reality show "I Want To Be A Hilton" and a VH-1 episode of "Where Are They Now" plus countless numbers of annual Van Halen reunion rumors that Roth starts himself. I guess some dreams do come true.
When you're too proud to blame your parenting, blame the music.....
Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shot themselves two days before Christmas 1985, one fatally, after listening to the band's records. A lawsuit was brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music.
Lawyers for the families of Raymond Belknap and James Vance argued that the musicians had placed subliminal messages in several recordings, including the album "Stained Class," thereby inciting the two troubled young men to try to kill themselves. Both the group and its record label were charged in a civil suit with the liability arising from the manufacture and marketing of a faulty product, as well as negligence and intentional and reckless misconduct.
The essential facts of the case were not in dispute. After smoking marijuana and drinking beer while listening to songs from several Judas Priest albums, Mr. Belknap and Mr. Vance agreed to a suicide pact, went to a nearby church playground, and shot themselves in their heads using a 12-gauge shotgun.
Mr. Belknap, 18 years old at the time, died instantly. Mr. Vance, then aged 20, destroyed most of his face but survived, underwent several painful and costly reconstructive surgical operations, became a born-again Christian, lapsed back into drug consumption, and died late in 1988.
Both young men were high school dropouts with criminal records and both had problems holding jobs. Each also came from a family with a history of domestic violence and child abuse and had received counseling.
It's a sad story certainly. I am not buying into the fact that the music was responsible. The verdict absolved the British heavy metal quintet and their record company, CBS Records, from responsibility for the suicide attempts of the two boys.
Go forth, for you are the future of rock & roll.....
The following bands all formed in 1985: Radiohead, Poi Dog Pondering, Guns 'N' Roses, Erasure, Screaming Trees, White Zombie, Crowded House, Stabbing Westward and Salt-n-Pepa. On the flipside, 1985 also gave us Lisa Lisa & The Cut Jam, Swing Out Sister and Gang Starr.
Playlist For Friday Flashback 1985:
001.
Obsession by Animotion
002.
Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody by David Lee Roth
003.
I Got Loaded by Los Lobos
004.
I Feel For You by Chaka Khan
005.
Jungle Love by Morris Day & The Time
006.
Everything She Wants by Wham
007.
How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths
008.
Shake The Disease by Depeche Mode
009.
California Girls by David Lee Roth
010.
How Will The Wolf Survive? by Los Lobos
011.
Border Ska by Camper Van Beethoven
012.
I Got A Woman by The Honeydrippers
013.
Shout by Tears For Fears
014.
The Whole Of The Moon by The Waterboys
015.
Sanctify Yourself by Simple Minds
016.
Minutes To Memories by John Mellencamp
017.
I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner
018.
Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
019.
So Far Away by Dire Straits
020.
Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen
021.
You're Not Drinking Enough by Don Henley
022.
Easy Street by David Lee Roth
023.
Method Of Modern Love by Hall & Oates
024.
Left Of The Dial by The Replacements
025.
In & Out Of Love by Bon Jovi
026.
Lost Weekend by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
027.
Election Day by Arcadia
028.
Dirty Old Town by The Pogues
029.
Road To Nowhere by The Talking Heads
030.
A View To A Kill by Duran Duran
031.
Forever Man by Eric Clapton
032.
Inside Me by The Jesus & Mary Chain
033.
Take Me Home by Phil Collins
034.
Life & How To Live It by R.E.M.
035.
Talk To Me by Stevie Nicks
036.
One Night In Bangkok by Murray Head
037.
Part-Time Lover by Stevie Wonder
038.
Raspberry Beret by Prince & The Revolution
039.
Hiding Out by Pete Townshend
040.
Rockin' At Midnight by The Honeydrippers
041.
Look At Little Sister by Stevie Ray Vaughan
042.
Cut Dead by The Jesus & Mary Chain
043.
Life In A Northern Town by The Dream Academy
044.
Dancin' by Chris Isaak
045.
And She Was by The Talking Heads
046.
Money For Nothing by Dire Straits
047.
Take On Me by A-Ha
048.
What You Need? by INXS
049.
Bobby Jean by Bruce Springsteen
050.
Walls Come Tumbling Down! by The Style Council
051.
Don't Come Around Here No More by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
052.
The Boys Of Summer by Don Henley
053.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears
054.
Moon Over Bourbon Street by Sting
055.
Sea Of Love by The Honeydrippers
056.
Holding Back The Years by Simply Red
057.
Television Man by The Talking Heads
058.
Sun City by Artists United Against Apartheid
059.
Broken Wings by Mr. Mister
060.
Can't Get There From Here by R.E.M.
061.
Bad Times by Michael McDonald
062.
Darlington County by Bruce Springsteen
063.
Lay Your Hands On Me by The Thompson Twins
064.
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free by Sting
065.
Every Time You Go Away by Paul Young
066.
Marlene On The Wall by Suzanne Vega
067.
Listen Like Thieves by INXS
068.
Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams
069.
E=MC2 by Big Audio Dynamite
070.
Sweet Freedom by Michael McDonald
071.
White City Fighting by Pete Townshend
072.
Shout To The Top by The Style Council
073.
Smuggler's Blues by Glenn Frey
074.
Love Is The Seventh Wave by Sting
075.
Stay Up Late by The Talking Heads
076.
Close To Me by The Cure
077.
Centerfield by John Fogerty
078.
One More Night by Phil Collins
079.
The Perfect Kiss by New Order
080.
All You Zombies by The Hooters
081.
Love Comes Tumbling by U2
082.
Smooth Operator by Sade
083.
King Of Rock by Run-D.M.C.
084.
These Dreams by Heart
085.
Into The Groove by Madonna
086.
I Can't Wait by Stevie Nicks
087.
Suspicious Minds by Fine Young Cannibals
088.
Tangled In Love by Eric Clapton
089.
Better Be Good To Me by Tina Turner
090.
Lonely Old Night by John Mellencamp
091.
The Big Heat by Stan Ridgway
092.
You Belong To The City by Glenn Frey
093.
She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult
094.
Kohoutek by R.E.M.
095.
A Private Future by Love & Rockets
096.
Things Can Only Get Better by Howard Jones
097.
West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys
098.
Johnny Come Home by Fine Young Cannibals
099.
Would I Lie To You? by Eurythmics
100.
Voices Carry by Til Tuesday
101.
Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
102.
My Hometown by Bruce Springsteen
103.
Slave To Love by Bryan Ferry
104.
In Between Days by The Cure
105.
Too Late For Goodbyes by Juian Lennon
106.
We're All Crazy In Chicago by Johnny & The Leisure Suits
107.
Crazy For You by Madonna
108.
The Superbowl Shuffle by The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew
109.
Everything She Wants by Wham!
110.
Head Over Heels/Broken by Tears For Fears
111.
The One You Love by Glen Frey
112.
Some Like It Hot by The Power Station
113.
Bad (Live) by U2
114.
One Vision by Queen
115.
We Are The World by U.S.A. For Africa
116.
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush
117.
Goodbye by Night Ranger
118.
Invincible by Pat Benatar
119.
A Pair Of Brown Eyes by The Pogues
120.
No Lookin' Back by Michael McDonald
121.
You Spin Me Right Round by Dead Or Alive
122.
Only The Young by Journey
123.
Cannonball by Supertramp
124.
Just Another Night by Mick Jagger
125.
Tonight She Comes by The Cars
126.
Tarzan Boy by Baltimora
127.
Kyrie by Mr. Mister
128.
Driver 8 by R.E.M.
129.
Pretty Girls Don't Cry by Chris Isaak
130.
Like A Virgin by Madonna
131.
Alive & Kicking by Simple Minds
132.
Swingin' Party by The Replacements
133.
Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves
134.
Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven
135.
A Sort Of Homecoming (Live) by U2
136.
We Said Hello Goodbye by Phil Collins
137.
Don't Stop The Dance by Bryan Ferry
138.
The Edge Of Forever by The Dream Academy
139.
Don't Break My Heart by UB40
140.
Wendell Gee by R.E.M.
141.
Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen
142.
Something About You by Level 42
143.
Small Town by John Mellencamp
144.
I Got You Babe by UB40 feat. Chrissie Hynde
145.
Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder
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