Fun Fun is an acquired taste for me: in the Eighties I hated their simple dance tunes, now there's a bit of nostalgia and the realization that much of today's music is much worse than that.
Jaki Graham had her first chart hit when she recorded the duet 'Could it be I'm falling in love' with David Grant in 1985. She followed up that single with 'Round and around', a track from her debut album 'Heaven knows'.
So what happened in December 1963? The song was originally about the end of prohibition - the period from 1920-1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally in the USA - with the title 'December 5th, 1933', but the lyric was changed at the urgings of Frankie Valli and lyricist Judy Parker. Instead, the song became a nostalgic remembrance of a young man's 'first time' with a woman.
Diana Ross released the album 'Swept away' in 1984. Four singles were drawn from the album: 'All of you' (a duet with Julio Iglesias), 'Swept away', 'Missing you' and 'Touch by touch'. The last one reached number 47 in the UK singles chart and number 10 in the Dutch Top 40.
The album 'Going through the motions' was released in 1979. It was a departure for Hot Chocolate in that it found the band making a conscious effort to appeal to Euro-disco audiences. The band's previous albums might have had the occasional Euro-disco track, but this time, the style is dominant.
Phil Sterman, Phil Wilde and A. Larson wrote 'Laat je gaan' / 'Just let go' and recorded it with vocalist Petra de Steur. It was the end of the Eighties and repetitive techno and house tracks were all the rage. The single was released in the autumn of 1989 and became a hit in Belgium and the Netherlands.
After John Foxx left his group Ultravox, he embarked on a solo career in 1980. He achieved his first solo success with the single 'Underpass', which he followed up with this single, 'No-one driving'. While 'Underpass' reached number 31 in the UK singles chart, this single reached number 32.
Perhaps the most striking feature of this single is the sleeve, being all white with punched out letters on it. It was the third single from David Sylvian's debut solo album 'Brilliant trees'.
Ben Liebrand has made some very interesting - and commercial successful - remixes in the Eighties, but by 1990 it seemed like he was moving more and more towards the house and techno movement. This remix of Ryan Paris's 'Dolce vita' is an example of how bad it really was: all the original music was removed and a rapper was added for instant aggravation.
Ryan Paris was born as Fabio Roscioli in Rome, Italy on 12 March 12, 1953. He gained international popularity in the summer of 1983 for the worldwide hit single, 'Dolce vita'. It was written and produced by Pierluigi Giombini. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.
'No! To abolition of the GLC & the local councils. Yes! To a nuclear free world. Yes! To the Bengali Workers Association. Yes! To the thrill of the romp. Yes! To all involved in animal rights. Yes! To fanzines. Yes! To belief'. This statement can be read on the back of the sleeve of this single, released by the Style Council in 1984. It was at the height of the Conservative Party's reign of terror in the UK, and the Style Council were offering some hope to all the people who had become jobless and hopeless in the country. It's quite ironic that the song was heavily featured at the 2009 Conservative Party UK Annual Conference in Manchester last year.
On January 13 this year, Teddy Pendergrass died as a result of colon cancer. He had a successful career in music throughout the Seventies and Eighties. He was originally a drummer for the Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. His first solo album was released in 1977.
In 1986, old soul tracks had become a familiar sound on television, thanks to ad campaigns shamelessly using nostalgic feelings of the consumer. Levi's jeans advertised with a series of old songs, which in turn were re-released as a single and stormed up the charts. Sam Cooke's 'Wonderful world' was (mis)used for the Levi's 501, and subsequently reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.
Gilla was discovered by German producer Frank Farian who got her signed to Hansa Records in 1974. At first he tried to launch her as a German artist, singing songs in her native language only. Although she had some hits in Germany, her career started to fail pretty quickly.
Amanda Lear released her second studio album 'Sweet revenge' in 1978. She proclaimed in the liner notes: 'This album is the story of a girl who sold her soul to the Devil and won. A lonely child, disenchanted by the society she lives in, she has no friends until the day she listens to the tempting offer of the Devil who promises her anything she wants ('Follow Me'). Her first wish is for riches ('Gold'), and then for fame. After turning to her mother for help ('Mother look what they've done to me'), she runs away ('Run baby run') and retires into solitude and memories. Renouncing her selfish need, she offers her love to a man who really needs her, her sweet revenge over the Devil's offer...'
'I remember yesterday' is the title track from Donna Summer's 1977 album. The song uses a 1940s-influenced sound (with both melody and instruments) and combines this with the disco sound that Summer had become associated with.
La Bionda was formed by Carmelo and Michelangelo La Bionda in the early Seventies. They had their biggest successes in the second half of the Seventies, at the height of the disco craze. 'One for you, one for me' was released in the summer of 1978 and reached number 6 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 54 in the UK singles chart.
Foxy was formed in 1976 in Miami, Florida by Ish 'Angel' Ledesma, Richard Puente, Charlie Murciano, Arnold Paseiro and Joe Galdo. Carl Driggs contributed vocals/percussion and shared songwriting credits on the band's second album, Get Off.
'Rumour has it' was a single from Donna Summer's 1977 album 'Once upon a time', a concept album that tells the 'fairytale' story of a girl who goes from rags to riches. This song was included towards the end of the album, when the main character hears that someone is 'looking for a girl like me' and hopes that the man in question is someone she has liked for some time.
'Lady of the night' was the first album by American singer Donna Summer. The album, which was produced by Pete Bellotte, was released in 1974 only in The Netherlands, and spawned the minor European hit singles 'The hostage' and 'Lady of the night'.
