Great Rock Albums of 1989: Tina Turner- Foreign Affair

What intrigues me about Tina Turner’s 1989 album, “Foreign Affair,” after reading the background behind the album is the fact that it only managed to go gold in her native US but multi-platinum everywhere else in the world. I can’t figure out why this phenomenon occurred but if anyone else has a clue, I’m all ears. But I don’t think it’s because all white Americans are racist because they are not! Sorry, that’s a stereotype I’ve had to endure from a few ignorant Brits during the 37 years I’ve lived in the country.

While Tina had several singles from the album, the one which has endured for over thirty years is “The Best.” This song proves that pop and rock can go together in the same song and achieve a mass acceptance. This track is one of those roll down the window and blast out of the car stereo while driving on a summer’s day. Of course, you can listen to it anytime of the year and it still sounds great.

Wikipedia might call the album pop-rock and they would be right but I think the album takes Tina back to her Southern swamp music style. Some songs bring back memories of the classic “Nutbush City Limits” and I hear traces of CCR in songs as well. One hidden gem is more of a blues number, the hint is in the title, “Undercover Agent for the Blues” which is a smoky blues number and that brings me to my next point. Not taking anything away from Tina, (I wouldn’t dare), but another hidden gem and it’s not a song but a musician. Tony Joe White only plays lead guitar on four songs, including the one just mentioned, but he really shines with his guitar on each and every one. So, today’s question is: Why wasn’t he more known?

“Foreign Affair” has everything which can appeal to everyone. Sure, there are the singles which brought Tina great success in the charts with the album. Opener, “Steamy Windows” earned her a Grammy nomination but I liked it for the CCR sounding intro. There is the tender ballad “Look Me in the Heart” followed on immediately by the power ballad, “Be Tender With Me Baby,” which reached 28 in the UK charts. I do like the power chords on this one and another unknown, Gene Black, plays a cool guitar solo. Then there is the funky, “You Can’t Stop Me Loving You” where again, Gene gives his all on the lead guitar. He also lays down a cool rock rhythm on the rock tune “Ask Me How I Feel.” There’s a cool sax solo on it. Still, there is something for everyone on this album.

Track Listing:

1. Steamy Windows
2. The Best
3. You Know Who (Is Doing You Know What)
4. Undercover Agent for the Blues
5. Look Me in the Heart
6. Be Tender With Me Baby
7. You Can’t Stop Me Loving You
8. Ask Me How I Feel
9. Falling Like Rain
10. I Don’t Wanna Lose You
11. Not Enough Romance
12. Foreign Affair

Tina Turner

Tina Turner- lead and backing vocals

If I were to list all of the musicians who played on this album, I would be here forever, therefore, I will simply highlight some of the more prominent ones.

Tony Joe White- lead guitar on tracks 1, 3, 4, 12

Gene Black- lead guitar on tracks 6 & 7, rhythm guitar track 8

Dan Hartman- electric piano, organ, acoustic guitar

Rupert Hine- keyboards, bass, backing vocals on track 9

Mark Knopfler- guitar on track 12

Edgar Winter- sax solo on track 2

Carmine Rojas- bass on tracks 1, 4 and 5

In short, Tina Turner put out at a great album with “Foreign Affair.” It’s a shame that it was so ignored in her own country. Kind of makes me embarrassed to say I’m American. (Patriots do your worst.) However, the rest of the world can attest to what a fine album this is.

Next post: Alannah Myles

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Rest in Peace Terry Funk

Terry Funk as NWA Champion in 1976

It is my sad duty to announce the death of long time wrestler Terry Funk. Terry had a wrestling career which spanned over four decades, his greatest achievement was winning the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) Championship in 1976 and holding the title for 14 months. In the mid 1980s, he came to the then WWF where he was best known for scalding his defeated opponents with a branding iron.

Another great icon is lost this year and I’m sure Terry will be joining his contemporaries in Wrestling Heaven.

Rest in Peace Terry!

Great Rock Albums of 1989: T’Pau- Rage

Keeping with tradition, I will begin the tour of the new year with albums which came out the previous year but didn’t come to my attention until the new year. Cue the second album by T’Pau, “Rage.” Their debut album, “Bridge of Spies” was a big hit all over the UK and from what I learned from my North American readers, made them one hit wonders across the Atlantic. Therefore, there was a lot of expectation on them when “Rage” was released.

I would very much have loved to say that T’Pau survived the sophmore jinx but unfortunately, it’s not the case. It seems that with this album, they were determined to make more of a pop album and it just didn’t work. Not with me nor it seems many fans. While the debut featured six singles, this one had only three. The perfect example of what I mean comes with the opening song, “Arms of Love.” After an enticing intro, I expected some hard guitars to kick in but instead, we get a more 80s pop sound.

Enough with the negative, while “Rage” doesn’t live up to the expectations set by its predecessor, it’s not that bad an album. They do rock on some songs, “Running Away” is prime example of that. You get some power chords and a half decent guitar solo. Likewise, “Between the Lines” is a credible power ballad with some intricate guitar work in places and some power chords, although it lacks a guitar solo which would have made it better. “Taking Time Out” is pretty good and Hollywood missed out because it sounds perfect for a 1980s film soundtrack. “Secret Garden” has a cool vibe to it as well.

One element which is consistent with both albums is the voice of Carol Decker. Whether the song rocks, pops or is a ballad, like “Road To Our Dream,” it’s her voice with carries the song through. On “Island,” Carol does a spoken part at the beginning, similar to the big hit of “Bridge of Spies, “Heart and Soul,” and though she is excellent on the song, unlike that big hit, it doesn’t rock like it. Carol basically carries several of the tracks almost singlehanded.

Track Listing:

1. Arms of Love
2. Only the Lonely
3. Running Away
4. Between the Lines
5. Road to Our Dream
6. Island
7. Heaven
8. Taking Time Out
9. Secret Garden
10. Time Will Tell
11. This Girl (Was only available on CD)

T’Pau

Carol Decker- lead and backing vocals

Dean Howard- guitar

Ronnie Rogers- guitar

Michael Chetwood- keyboards

Paul Jackson- bass

Tim Burgess- drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Gary Barnacle- saxophone

Pete Thoms- trombone

Simon Gardener, John Thirkell- trumpet

A critic said that this was more of a Carol Decker solo album. After all, she did write the majority of the songs and co-produced the album. Maybe that was the problem. While “Rage” is still a good album, it doesn’t rock like the previous one.

Next post: Tina Turner- Foreign Affair

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1989: The Final Year of the Golden Decade

The problem with golden ages is that they eventually come to an end. Although heavy metal continues to live on and flourish, 1989 would be the final year of what many people call the golden age of heavy metal. Saying that, the golden decade did go out with a very loud bang, which I will demonstrate when I visit many of the great albums which came out in that year. I reckon, I got at least a year’s worth of albums and events and I will probably discover more as I go on.

As I mentioned before, my fanaticism for music was declining as I had adult responsibilities. While 1989 might have been another great year for music, it wasn’t the biggest even in my life. For me, the biggest event in 1989 was becoming a father for the first time when my son Jake was born.

Me with baby Jake. Yes, I sported a mullet back in the 1980s.

So, there’s nothing further to do and start the journey through 1989 with the next post. In case you missed it, after 1989 is completed, I will move on to 1990.

Next post: T’Pau- Rage

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France’s Best Kept Secret- Indochine

Indochine

When I made my historic trip to Paris back in January to visit Jim Morrison’s grave, I also included another discovery made during that weekend. When watching a show about albums on French TV, I came across a very interesting band I had never heard before, Indochine, pronounced Ondo-sheen. In the video, they were playing to a packed out arena with a lot of fans, mostly female, screaming their appreciation of the band. I came to the conclusion they were a huge sensation in their native country, which my good buddy, The Vintage Toy Adviser, has since confirmed. The video for “Station 13” will confirm it even more.

Indochine in the early days

Indochine formed in 1981 and by 1983 were considered the hottest new wave band in France. Throughout, the 1980s, they would release four successful studio albums and maintain a steady lineup. However, that would change in the 1990s with what seemed to be a revolving door of drummers and guitarists. Fortunately, the new millennium would bring renewed success and the band continues to ride on that wave. For their full history, click this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochine_(band)#Discography

Here’s further evidence I could be mellowing with age. If I had heard of the band back in the mid 1980s, I most likely would not have been interested in them as they were not metal. Fortunately, these days I am more opened minded and I was very impressed with what I had heard on that TV show and that has led me to explore them further and become even more impressed with this band. Their brand of new wave is definitely unique, if I were to try to make a comparison to another band, the closest would be Simple Minds but I still prefer Indochine.

Now for the big question: Why aren’t Indochine bigger outside of France? True, they are known on Continental Europe and have played in Montreal and are even considered huge in Peru. Why haven’t they made a dent in the US or UK? I can hear some people shouting out that if they sang in English, then they would be huge. My response is, Why should that matter? Okay, I know their fellow countrymen, Gojira, sing in English and have conquered the heavy metal world. Well you know what? I would still love Gojira if they sang in French because their music is that good. No artist should have to sing in another language just to make it. It’s a given that music transcends language barriers. Furthermore, Indochine get my respect for not doing so, I get the feeling that if they tried to sing in English, it would sound out of place. But don’t take my word for it, have a listen and tell me what you think.

Indochine’s current lineup

Nicola Sirkis- vocals, guitar, synthesizerm harmonica

Marc Eliard- bass

Boris Jadel- lead guitar

oLi dE SaT (Olivier Gerard)- keyboards, rhythm guitar

Ludwig Dalberg- drums

Note: Dimitri Bodiansky played saxophone with the band 1981-89

So there it is, Indochine is France’s best kept secret. Hopefully after this post, they won’t be such a secret anymore.

Next post: 1989- The Final Year of the Golden Decade

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Original vs. Cover: Aerosmith vs. Testament

Aerosmith

Testament

Again, I would like to thank all of you for your suggestions and support as to what I should do once the tour of heavy metal’s golden decade is complete. I have made one decision. Looking at 1990, I’ve realized that there are too many great albums from that year to ignore. Therefore, the tour of metal history will carry on into 1990. After all, many of the great albums from the 1980s set the tone for many of those great albums which would come out in that year.

Now onto today’s post. When I posted about Testament’s album, “The New Order,” I stated that the band added a cover of Aerosmith’s “Nobody’s Fault” in order to fulfill their contractual obligation over album length. I said then it was worth an Original vs. Cover post but then Mike Ladano informed me that Testament also covered another Aerosmith classic, “Draw the Line.” So, you’re getting two sets of songs in the Original vs. Cover category as Aerosmith and Testament go head to head.

Round 1- Nobody’s Fault

Testament bring in the song with some weird sound before coming in with some wild power chords and a short but noticeable guitar solo. The band remain tight throughout the song supporting Chuck Billy’s vocals, which fit this song like a glove. Alex makes his guitar skills known at other parts of the song, especially at the end.

The noises which bring in Aerosmith’s version are more noticeable and Joe cranks a cool solo to usher the song in. Like with Testament, Steve’s vocals fit the song very well and the song has lots of swagger.

My verdict: It’s the power chords which beat out the swagger on this one and while I would love to see Joe Perry and Alex Skolnick trade off guitar solos, it doesn’t sway my decision. It’s the power chords and Chuck’s straight to the point vocals which seal it for me. Round one goes to the cover by Testament.

Round 2- Draw the Line

Testament brings in the power chords and as soon as things kick in, I find myself looking for a mosh pit. The cover is a little faster than the original, which is not a bad thing, While it doesn’t vary too much from the original, Testament definitely put their own stamp. This would definitely be in my top five for great rock songs covered by thrash bands.

I loved “Draw the Line” when I first heard way back in 1977 and I still love it after all these years. It still remains fresh in my mind and Aerosmith show that they can really rock out when they want to. The irony here is that the album which bears the name of this song was made in order for the band to pay off their dealers. I think the song alone would have raised the cash to accomplish the mission.

My verdict: Testament’s version is great for a thrashing good mosh, however, Aerosmith are just to good on this song. No disrespect to Testament but it would have taken a lot for them to beat the original. Round 2 goes to the original and Aerosmith.

There you have it folks! Each band, original and cover, took a song, one a piece. If anyone knows another Testament cover of an Aerosmith song, then maybe we could have a decider.

Next post: France’s Best Kept Secret

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You’re All Wonderful!

I am truly overwhelmed by the responses and suggestions you have all given me about how to proceed once the tour of the 1980s is over. People I didn’t even know followed me have come forward with suggestions and I am touched. It has all given me lots to think about. Fortunately, I have about a year to do so as there are a lot of albums in 1989 for me to visit.

Again, thank you all for your responses and suggestions!

Go Beyond the 1980s?

When I first began 80smetalman’s Blog way back in 2011, my purpose was to highlight the music from what I called the ‘Golden Age of Heavy Metal,’ also known as the 1980s. The other purpose was to boost sales of my book “Rock and Roll Children,” which hasn’t panned out the way I had originally hoped. In any case, I have had a lot of fun doing so and it has been a learning experience for me as much as many of you.

Now I’m about to enter the final year of the golden decade and decisions have to made. See, it was my original intention that once I have written about the last album of 1989, that my mission would be accomplished, that I would not carry on past the golden decade. Oh, I would still write posts, I have many ideas for top ten lists and other relevant material and I would continue to report on any concerts I go to and other happenings. For example, many of the great rock and metal artists will continue to leave the mortal realm for Rock Heaven but the history tour would be over.

Since I have stated this, some of you out there want me to carry on into the 1990s and beyond. Let me say that I am truly flattered. Part of me wants to carry on but there is a huge part of me that has reservations about it. After the 80s ended, my lust for great music took a back seat as I had what some people might call ‘real responsibilities.’ A wife and newborn child will do that to a person, especially as my then wife told me that I should stop being a prat and grow up, her exact words. As a result, my musical knowledge of the decade isn’t very good. I know there were many good albums, my sister would send me tapes of songs from different bands every Christmas and birthday right up to 1997. Therefore, I could do it.

Let me dispel one myth that many of you don’t know about. Back then, some people wrongly assumed that my seeming lack of interest in music was down to my conversion to the Mormon faith in late 1989. That could be nothing further from the truth. When I was investigating the church, I came right out and asked the missionaries that if I joined, would I be expected to burn all my AC/DC albums. One missionary responded, “No, but if you feel so inclined, you can give them to me.” But that’s all irrelevant. Besides, I went completely off the rails for a little bit when my marriage ended in 2000 and as a result, I was excommunicated.

Therefore, I am asking all of you, my readers, as to what I should do. Shall I keep posting about albums beyond 1989 or shall I just leave it with the great memories of the golden decade? As I try to put out two posts a week, I could cut it down to one post or even three posts every two weeks. That might take some of the pressure off. Again, your input is needed here.

Let me say, that I have always felt welcome here in the blogging community. I have enjoyed reading your posts and gaining new knowledge and insights into music. This is why I am asking your opinions as they do matter to me.

With that note, thanks to Mike Ladano for telling me how I can upload videos I took at concerts, I will leave you with three I took ages ago. I apologize in advance for the poor quality in sound from the two Download videos.

Kreator- Download 2018

Ozzy- Download 2018

Hannah Wicklund, Bristol UK, 2019

Next post: Original vs. Cover- Aerosmith and Testament

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1988: The Beginning of the End

As 1988 was drawing to a close, the winds of change was beginning to blow. Hair metal and thrash might have been at their zenith but other forms of metal were beginning to meta-morph and would eventually change the landscape of heavy metal in general. The lack of radio and MTV airplay would continue to frustrate metal’s legions of followers and would get even worse. However, in spite of one person’s prediction in 1985, metal would never die. However, as I look back in history, although I didn’t see it at the time, there seeds of change were definitely being planted.

There were changes of a different type in my own life at the end of 1988 as my then wife and I were preparing for our first child, who was born six weeks into the new year. At the time, I thought I had ‘grow up’ and music took a back seat in my life. But enough with the gloom and doom, as I hopefully have shown, there was a lot of great music in 1988 which gave music followers a lot to look forward to in 1989.

As we leave the tour of 1988, I leave you with something that was a huge hit in Britain in the year. It comes from the comedy field. Comedian Harry Enfield introduced the country to a very funny character called “Loadsamoney” To me, the character was a dig at the yuppie culture of the late 1980s. Have a look and enjoy.

Next post: I Would Like Your Input

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Great Metal Albums of 1988: Sanctuary- Refuge Denied

By 1988, the metal market had become saturated with so many hair metal and thrash metal and other types of metal bands, which was in no way a bad thing, that it was becoming difficult to hear a band which was totally unique. Then I heard Sanctuary’s debut album, “Refuge Denied.” Even now, they have a distinct sound and I am sure that if someone were to put on a song by Sanctuary, there’s a good chance I could point it out. What some might find even more fascinating is that the album was produced by Megadeath’s Dave Mustaine and while “Refuge Denied” is classed as a thrash album, it’s in no way a Megadeath sound alike. Well done to Dave there.

One very good reason why Sanctuary have such a unique sound is the vocals of Warrell Dane. Side note: I can’t believe it’s been nearly six years since his passing. Some have made comparisons between Warrell and one King Diamond and true, Warrell does do the falsetto vocals but you can still tell it’s him. His vocals are truly unique and one reason why this is such a good album. He really goes for it on “Soldiers of Steel.” Besides, for falsetto vocals, there is only one King Diamond and no, I’m not going to compare and contrast the two because both of their individual vocals styles appeal to me.

Insert cliché statement here: A singer is nothing without a great band behind them and Sanctuary is exactly that. Lenny Rutledge and Sean Blosl are both excellent guitarists and show their mettle all throughout the album. They particularly shine on the track, “Died For My Sins.” I could add another cliche remark but the rhythm section does a top notch job here.

As for the songs, well one song most remembered is their cover of the Jefferson Airplane classic, “White Rabbit.” Sanctuary metalize this song extremely well. My personal favourite is the opener “Battle Angels,” which was featured in an episode of the Netflix series “The OA.” As soon as the opening riffs come in, you know this is going to be something different but very good as well. Here’s the other thing, while the album is considered thrash, I would call the track bearing the band’s name more power metal. The acoustic intro followed with Warrell’s morose vocals at the beginning before the chords kick in and Warrell goes to more familiar vocal style backs up my argument. Additionally, they go more prog metal on “Ascension to Destiny.” However, the true hidden gem on the album is “The Third World War.” It’s cool how the can sing about the end of the world to some great power chords and an amazing bassline.

Track Listing:

1. Battle Angels
2. Termination Force
3. Died For My Sins
4. Soldiers of Steel
5. Sanctuary
6. White Rabbit
7. Ascension to Destiny
8. The Third World War
9. Veil of Disguise

Sanctuary

Warrell Dane- lead vocals

Lenny Rutledge- guitar, backing vocals

Sean Blosl- guitar, backing vocals

Jim Sheppard- bass

Dave Budbill- drums, backing vocals

Reading the history of Sanctuary, I feel somewhat saddened by the fact that they only made two albums in their heyday. They would reunite and put out a third album in 2014. Anyway, the story is best left for another time as we should all enjoy the fruits of this great debut album.

Next post: Summing Up 1988

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