College Parties 1978

Clockwise: The Ramones; Meat Loaf; Cheap Trick; and The Talking Heads.

Now while I cannot speak with any authority of what was being played at the on-campus parties throughout the entire country, I can speak to what was playing at many parties on the college campus of Albright College, in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the Fall of 1978, and the Spring of 1979. I was just beginning my adventure in higher education, and meeting all kinds of new people. During this prescribed period, much music came and went, but there were certain songs that seemed to be played at each and every party I went to, once we were well-into the event. Yes, that would mean that the college freshmen and the others in attendance would have already digested whatever controlled substance of choice, either sipped or smoked, and these songs would inevitably be playing, usually quite loudly. It would also often involved many air guitars, and plenty of off-key singing. I guess you could think of it as the early karaoke forefathers, in the late 1970s. I will start with a song that was certainly a part of the festivities back then, by a punk band out of Queens. And although none of them were actually related, they all adopted the same last name to forge a new family unit. With the speed of a jack rabbit, The Ramones came on the scene with a gusto and sense of humor few had seen before. Their songs tended to be short and to hit you like a train, That could be said for "I Wanna Be Sedated", off the album 'Road To Ruin'.

It would not be hard to imagine why a group of inebriated and/or stoned college kids away from home for the first time would be listening to Meat Load's 'Bat Out Of Hell', even if it was released the year before. There was just something so freeing about the collection of Jim Steinman's bombastic anthems, especially when you are 18 or 19 years old. And since I immediately began to hang around with fellow theater geeks, it was certainly not unusual to see this song acted out by any number of kids. So, without further ado, I offer you Meat Loaf, with a capable assist from Ellen Foley, on "Paradise By The Dashboard Lights".

And if Meat Loaf appealed to our dramatic side, the Talking Heads spoke to our very soul. They lead the charge of American New Wave bands in the mid 1970s, the darlings of the college kids and critics. Once away at college, I was introduced to the band through there great album 'Talking Heads: 77'. I was instantly enamoured, like so many of my classmates. And when the party was going strong, it seems as though that album came out, and we all listened to, or danced to the great song, "Psycho Killer", letting loose are bad French with David Byrne.

Now, it might just be the faulty memory cards that are 35 years old, but I would also be hard-pressed to think of too many parties when someone didn't pull out the double album 'Cheap Trick at Budokan', and play at least one of the songs. While it most certainly could have been the big hits, either "I Want You To Want Me" or 'Surrender', it might very well have been a cover song Cheap Trick put their own very special spin on. "Ain't That A Shame" was written by Antoine Domino and Dave Bartholomew, and released in 1955. Antoine was better known by his nickname, 'Fats' Domino. Cheap Trick took that doo-wop hit and retooled it for a rock audience, and making for a rockin' good time.

Now these songs are bringing back some great memories for me...how about for you?

Saturday Rock with Cheap Trick

They had all the makings of a rock superstars: the pretty, slightly androgynous singer/guitarist, Robin Zander; handsome and sexy bassist, Tom Petersson; kooky yet charming guitarist in schoolboy attire, Rick Nielsen; and amazing drummer, Bun E. Carlos. It was the 70s, and they blended pop and rock with a bit of an edge provided by a heavy guitar sound. They released an eponymous label debut in 1977, which was met by critical praise, but less than impressive chart and sales numbers in the US. They followed it up quickly with 2 more albums, with the same response. The music was catching on in Asia, so they lined up a concert in Tokyo, Japan in the Spring of '78. It was recorded live, and became known by the name of the arena, Live at Budokan. The album was released in Japan in '78, but there was such demand for it, it was released in the US 1979, and Cheap Trick became a household name in no time. Actually, the live tracks were already being played on the radio, setting up the demand. Video was also taken at the show, supplying ready-made music videos with tons of screaming fans adoring the band. The album went to #4 on the Top 200 album chart, going on to triple platinum certification in sales. It started with the introduction and their first song, Hello There.



The biggest hit off the album was the first single, I Want You To Want Me. It zoomed to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart. The song was from the second album, and had made no significant impact prior to the live album. But the live version was heard everywhere, and established the album as a must have in your collection. I know I bought it my freshman year of college.



As Zander says in the introduction, Surrender was the first track on the band's third album, Heaven Tonight. As I had already said, the sales were quite unimpressive at first. However, college radio picked up on the polished rock songs like Surrender, and with the strength of the live album, both Heaven Tonight and In Color, the 2nd album, took off, making it to platinum in sales.



The second single from the live album was their cover of a 1955 Fats Domino classic, Ain't that a Shame. OF course, they updated the sound with the electric guitars and bombastic rock they were known for, and the song made it on to the Top 40 charts. It was an encore for the show, paired with their original tune, Clock Strikes 10. The first song was off the Heaven Tonight album, the later off In Color, again helping to bolster the sales of the studio albums.



Cheap Trick's most recent studio album was released in 2009, aptly called The Latest. It went to #78 on the Billboard album chart, quite nice for a band that had formed a couple of decades before. The band is still recording and touring together, 33 years after their debut. recently, however, drummer Bun E Carlos decided to forgo to touring, and he was replaced with Nielsen's son, Daxx. For more about Cheap Trick, you can check out their official website here.

Billboard Top 5 - 1988

It is about time I get back to these Billboard posts, cause they make me happy. They will remind me of music I haven't listened to in a while, and some times I haven't thought about. Like, for instance, 1988. I was on my own, living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and doing freelance work in Manhattan. Mainly my work was based out of Chelsea, with a company named Zink Communications. It was here I met some great friends, men I still keep in touch with. I worked with Mal and Brian, and in a while, James. We worked on 'How To' videotapes, and other projects. Actually, I had met Mal working at the Circle Repertory Theatre Company [damn, back in 1983, I think], but continued on with him for many years on non-theater projects. Although they often had their fair share of drama. Between the clients, who were corporate in nature, and the company paying us free-lancers, there were plenty of great people, and plenty of those who might have lacked a bit of charm. But that is life, right?

This was also back in the day when I had long, curly/wavy hair that was well below my shoulders, my John Lennon round metal glasses, and was wont to wear my shorts and flip-flops to work. Or wear all-black. Or show up to a meeting with the clients and have my hair held up with a pencil. Yeah, that always impressed the clients like AT&T, Northern Telecom, and IBM. It was also the place where one Christmas party, many of the employees had too much to drink, although many of us free-lancers were fairly sober, cause we had work to do. And one of the women in scheduling not only gave me a full-on 'Christmas' kiss on the lips, she also tried to slip me some tongue. I was a bit shocked, as I was not particularly closeted at all, and she was married. I decided to blame the alcohol and ignore the situation, and it was never brought up again. Such is life.

But it is impossible for me to think about 1988 without coming up with the #5 song of the year, Wild, Wild West by the Escape Club. The song was fun, and the boys were sexy, a combination that means only good. I loved the band, and bought the album right away. In fact, I covered them in a post over a year ago, here. So, without further ado, here is the video.



The #4 song on the list is somewhat of an oddity, not only because it tore up the charts and was played at every conceivable chance, but also because of the way it was produced. Bobby McFerrin's Don't Worry Be Happy was kinda magical, but also, there was no instrumentation on it. The incredibly talented McFerrin created all the sound himself, using his voice and a gifted imagination. In many ways, you could consider McFerrin the earliest beat-boxer there was.



I have to be honest with you, when I read the name of the #3 song, I didn't have a clue. When I think of Cheap Trick, I think of rockers from the Live A Budokan album. When I read The Flame, I was like, WTF? Then I found the video and immediately knew the song, cause it was played all the time. It is a good power ballead, but when push comes to shove, I'll take I Want You To Want Me any day of the week.



Billy Ocean had a bit of a spree in the late 80s, scoring several hits, often affiliated with movies. The #2 song was not tied into a film, but it was part of an album that went platinum, helped no doubt bu the big hit Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car. The international Pop sound that Ocean had was natural, as he was born in Trinidad, and lived much of his life in England.



In the 80s and 90s, singer Gloria Estafan ruled the airwaves. Truthfully, I thought, and still think, she has a beautiful voice, rich and full. She started out as the singer for the Miami Sound Machine, and in 1988 was fronting the band, now billed as Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. With top billing, Gloria had the #1 song of the year according to Billboard with Anything For You. The song was a worldwide hit, topping the charts on both the Pop and Adult Contemporary side.



I have another admission I need to make. Not only was I a fan of Gloria Estefan, I liked this song way better in Spanish, despite the fact I didn't, and still don't, speak or understand the language. (I think Gloria was setting me up for my fascination with all things Ricky Martin. Damn you, Gloria!] And because I am just in that kind of mood, I want to offer up my favorite version of the song, so give it a try should you so desire.



There you have it, the Top 5 songs of 1988 according to the folks at Billboard. Another strong group, well worth listening to. Especially if you have great memories attached, something I am very guilty of. Enjoy.