MTV in the 80s Song of the Day

[KevShmev]

Speaking of Y&T...

Y&T - Contagious

While not much of a hit, IIRC, I do remember it getting quite a bit of airplay on MTV in 1987, and it was a fun song and video, so I think it qualifies for this thread.  I never liked anything else I heard by this band, which admittedly wasn't much, but I still have a nostalgic liking for this tune.

[bosk1]

Speaking of Y&T...

Y&T - Contagious

While not much of a hit, IIRC, I do remember it getting quite a bit of airplay on MTV in 1987, and it was a fun song and video, so I think it qualifies for this thread.  I never liked anything else I heard by this band, which admittedly wasn't much, but I still have a nostalgic liking for this tune.

Well, if you're going to mention Y&T, you automatically have my attention. 

Interesting song choice, though.  That video was bad. But then again, it was 1987, so...  The high school where they filmed parts of it is still there.  It's a bad part of town now, but still there.  I know you said you never really got into any of their other stuff, but it bears mentioning that Rob Halford called this song the ultimate metal anthem.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I listened to both of those.  Forever is an excellent tune as well, but there is something about the inherent cheese factor of Contagious that obviously appeals to me.  The solo is really damned cool!

[bosk1]

Well, Coz, if you like the cheese factor, combined with some fun and goofy guitar acrobatics, here's another one from the Contagious album:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa7BQ3P9vJU

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Great guitar ALL over that song, but holy hell, the vocals might be too much cheese for even me.

[KevShmev]

OMG, the singers sounds just like Sammy Hagar in parts of that song.

[Jaq]

OMG, the singers sounds just like Sammy Hagar in parts of that song on most of Y&T's albums.

Fixed that for you. 

I love Y&T. One of the most underrated hard rock/metal bands ever. Contagious is a really good album and song but both are pretty low on my Y&T list, they were that damn good.

[bosk1]

Great guitar ALL over that song, but holy hell, the vocals might be too much cheese for even me.

  Yeah...  But if it's intentional, is that a bad thing?  Incidentally, Jimmy DiGrasso came up with the drum groove for that song, and Dave wrote the guitar and vocals around Jimmy's drums rather than the more typical pattern of writing a song based on the guitar or vocal melody.

OMG, the singers sounds just like Sammy Hagar in parts of that song.

That's not a coincidence, actually.  In the early-mid '70s, the "big three" heavy rock bands in Northern California were Journey, Yesterday & Today (Y&T), and Montrose (which was then fronted by Hagar).  These three gigged and toured together extensively in the early days, and you will find lots of overlap in styles, as they basically learned rock and roll from one another.

[bosk1]

OMG, the singers sounds just like Sammy Hagar in parts of that song on most of Y&T's albums.

Fixed that for you. 

I love Y&T. One of the most underrated hard rock/metal bands ever. Contagious is a really good album and song but both are pretty low on my Y&T list, they were that damn good.

Here's how I'd rank the studio albums (not including the Unearthed series):
1.  In Rock We Trust (from start to finish, probably the strongest, most consistent album they've ever done)
2.  Endangered Species (probably blasphemy to most fans to rank this above "the trilogy," but while it may not have such anthems as Forever, Rescue Me, Meanstreak, etc., again, it is consistent and doesn't have anything that feels like filler)
3.  Black Tiger (okay, is all forgiven now? Perhaps the "quintessential Y&T album")
4.  Earthshaker
5.  Meanstreak (of course has a special place in my heart)
6.  Ten
7.  Contagious
8.  Down For The Count
9.  Musically Incorrect
10.  Struck Down
11.  Yesterday & Today
12.  Facemelter

Sorry for the temporary derail.  But if you open the Y&T door with me in the room, you know I'm gonna walk right through it. 

[King Postwhore]

Man, I forgot about Contagious.  You know the guitar sounds a little like Bon Jovi's  You Give Love a Bad Name.

[wolfking]

Love Y&T.  Such an underrated band with so much talent.  I liked Contagious a lot, but some of the tracks on the album were hit and miss.  I think with Ten they did the commercial thing a lot better.  These guys should have been a lot more successful than what they were.

[jingle.boy]

Ya know, for some reason, Y&T was a band I was never exposed to, or got any radio time (that I can remember) in these here parts.  I've heard a few tracks of there's, and generally liked them, but never gone out of my way to find them.

[jjrock88]

awesome band, awesome song!

[KevShmev]

U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name

Easily the best of the three videos from The Joshua Tree, and while the least successful of the three Joshua Tree hits (while still pretty darn successful at the time), time has shown it to be their best and most beastly live tune.  If seeing this performed live doesn't get you going, there is simply wrong with you. But the video back in '87 was very cool, a takeoff of what the Beatles had done, performing on a rooftop in public to fans on the street below, and them getting busted by the cops, which was exaggerated but actually happened, just makes the video that much cooler.  This song is, simply put, an absolute beast.

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qairkoPEUQ

[Ravenheart]

I've always dug U2's singles. Where the Streets Have No Name is good stuff.

[King Postwhore]

The classic Edge sound.  I assume Kev you've seen the making of The Joshua Tree (Classic Album Series).  What a sound and style The Edge forged.

[splent]

My favorite thing about this was the pop up video version of this

[KevShmev]

  I assume Kev you've seen the making of The Joshua Tree (Classic Album Series).  What a sound and style The Edge forged.

I actually have not, but I need to.  I love in the U2 By U2 book where The Edge talks about how he wrote the music to Streets one night when he was by himself, and how his intention was to write the ultimate live U2 song.  I'd say he was pretty damn successful!

[King Postwhore]

You would loose it watching them peel back the layers of guitars. I love when they are at the board and they separate the different guitar tracks.

[Lowdz]

OMG, the singers sounds just like Sammy Hagar in parts of that song on most of Y&T's albums.

Fixed that for you. 

I love Y&T. One of the most underrated hard rock/metal bands ever. Contagious is a really good album and song but both are pretty low on my Y&T list, they were that damn good.

Here's how I'd rank the studio albums (not including the Unearthed series):
1.  In Rock We Trust (from start to finish, probably the strongest, most consistent album they've ever done)
2.  Endangered Species (probably blasphemy to most fans to rank this above "the trilogy," but while it may not have such anthems as Forever, Rescue Me, Meanstreak, etc., again, it is consistent and doesn't have anything that feels like filler)
3.  Black Tiger (okay, is all forgiven now? Perhaps the "quintessential Y&T album")
4.  Earthshaker
5.  Meanstreak (of course has a special place in my heart)
6.  Ten
7.  Contagious
8.  Down For The Count
9.  Musically Incorrect
10.  Struck Down
11.  Yesterday & Today
12.  Facemelter

Sorry for the temporary derail.  But if you open the Y&T door with me in the room, you know I'm gonna walk right through it. 

Always loved Y&T, since hearing Earthshaker back in the day. Saw them at Donington in 84 and in Manchester 4-5 years ago and they were still awesome. It was the hottest, sweatiest gig I've ever been to, but one of the best.
Saying that, Contagious is a poor album and this song about as good as it gets (with Armed & Dangerous). Now Summertime Girls was a good video.

I would rate The Almighty Trio, Ten (probably my number 1), DFTC, IRWT as top drawer. The rest doesn't get played much chez Lowdz.

[KevShmev]

You would loose it watching them peel back the layers of guitars. I love when they are at the board and they separate the different guitar tracks.

I checked some of it out on youtube; pretty neat for sure!

[KevShmev]

Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time of My Life

It probably goes without saying that if you like Dirty Dancing, you probably like this song, and vice versa.  Personally, I've always thought the movie was highly enjoyable, and the song is good fun.  Nobody's puts Baby in a corner.

[Orbert]

Ugh, I'm sorry but this song makes me change the station/channel as fast as any other song I can think of.  The sentiment is nice, and the song is catchy, so it was fine the first time I heard it.  But hearing it once is like hearing it five times, because it's literally the same thing over and over (and over and over and over) so I was already sick of it by time I heard it a second time.  Does it even have verses?  All I can think of is that chorus ad infinitum.

I've never seen the movie.  I've seen parts of it, but I never thought Jennifer Grey was that cute, and sleazy dancing doesn't do anything for me.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

My grandparents were extras in a couple of scenes in this movie, so I've seen it more times than I care to.  It's a decent movie, the first few times.  After that, I've had enough.  The song is decent, but again, I've had too much of it. 

[bosk1]

Awhile back, I had to spend a few days in the back room of a large bridal attire client of ours.  Think about it.  They primarily sell wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses.  Now think about the fact that their PA plays a constant loop of generic, happy, sappy "wedding hits" over, and over, and over, and over...  During that few days, I heard The Time of My Life perhaps more than during the rest of my life combined.  I'm honestly perfectly okay with NEVER hearing it again.  Ever.

[KevShmev]

Speaking of movie soundtrack hits...

Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

This video is symbolic about how much fun videos could be when the song was from a movie, as you'd see clips from the movie interspersed with clips of the band.  Always a cool effect, and was done a lot in the 80s.  Fans of the old Jefferson Airplane probably cringe at this song, but hey, at least it was a lot better than the objectionally wretched We Built This City.

[bosk1]

Fans of the old Jefferson Airplane probably cringe at this song, but hey, at least it was a lot better than the objectionally wretched We Built This City.

In all fairness, that is only one of many reasons people cringe at this song.

[King Postwhore]

There wasn't a day at work where they played soft rock that I didn't hear (I've Had) The Time of My Life about 5 times in an 8 hour period.  I've had enough.


I'd rather listen to We Built This City than Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now.  Saw them back up Night Ranger on that tour.

[KevShmev]

The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed

Simply put, a dynamite pop song, and the video is just tons of fun, climaxing with the girls splashing around in the water of a fountain at the end.  I think anyone who knew this song at the time will testify that it was played non-stop by MTV in its earliest days.  Back to the song for a minute, I always like how Jane Wiedlin, the writer of the song, sings the bridge in the middle of the song, and then continues singing a background vocal as the songs goes back into the final chorus.  Those two lines she sings at that juncture just sound beautiful, despite her having an oddball voice (from 1:54 to 2:05 in the video).

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3kQlzOi27M

[Orbert]

Yeah, Belinda Carlisle did most of the lead vocals, but Jane's voice was good enough for the occassional lead, plus she was the cutest one, and in the video age, that matters (more than it should).

I had trouble taking anything seriously by this band, but they did write and play their own material, and a band full of not-unattractive females is never a bad thing, so sure, I'll watch the video, but I probably wouldn't listen to the song otherwise.

[King Postwhore]

Orbert, you ever see the video of them backstage partying like men.  you'd have a totally different opinion of them after that.

Good tune Kev.  Never bought it but it is catchy as all hell.  I do like better Head over Heels.

[Orbert]

Orbert, you ever see the video of them backstage partying like men.  you'd have a totally different opinion of them after that.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this.  If the makeup comes off and they're pretty hideous underneath, yeah, that would be disappointing.  If clothes come off, then we have a different situation entirely.  Otherwise, I know they're rockers, and I've partied with some pretty hard-core female rockers in my time, so probably nothing too shocking.  Probably.

[King Postwhore]

Orbert, you ever see the video of them backstage partying like men.  you'd have a totally different opinion of them after that.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this.  If the makeup comes off and they're pretty hideous underneath, yeah, that would be disappointing.  If clothes come off, then we have a different situation entirely.  Otherwise, I know they're rockers, and I've partied with some pretty hard-core female rockers in my time, so probably nothing too shocking.  Probably.

No they we drinking hard and talking about groupies and what they'd do to them.  You'd really like it.  I did!

[Cool Chris]

I love this song. I love it. It totally sounds like it is an 80s song, but sounds fresh and lively intead of cliche and dated like so many other songs do now fromt he 80s. Cool bass line too.

Wasn't this the song that Jane wrote that originally had a more somber/moody feel to it that was ultimately turned in to a poppier, upbeat song by the label and/or rest of the band? I swear I recall that about one of their songs and thought it was this one.

[KevShmev]

Wasn't this the song that Jane wrote that originally had a more somber/moody feel to it that was ultimately turned in to a poppier, upbeat song by the label and/or rest of the band? I swear I recall that about one of their songs and thought it was this one.

I think so, yes.  I remember the Behind The Music on them briefly playing the demo Wiedlin had done of the song when she wrote it, and it was very mellow and somber, but you could hear the melody that ended up being very prevalent in the finished song.