Memories Fade...

Clockwise: featuring the music of Tears For Fears; Marshall Crenshaw; Barbra Streisand; and Bronski Beat.

When thinking of what to post about tonight, a flood of memories came to me. You know, the musical kind. Songs began began to play, in a random way. And that is when it occurred to me, I should post about memories. You see, so many of our memories are anchored in music. The songs and artists you were listening to at any point in your life begin to play, and you are brought back to a time, to a place, surrounded by the people you knew. How would I apply this to a blog post? I went into my iTunes, and typed in 'memory' and 'memories' and settled on four songs that fit that bill. One of those that did was by Tears For Fears off their 1983 debut, 'The Hurting'. I loved that album, with the dark and brooding music it contained. That could definitely be said about the song "Memories Fade", written by Roland Orzabal, who also took on the lead vocals.

I remember listening to a lot of music by Marshall Crenshaw, brought to me by my sister Kim. Together, we saw him playing live a couple of times, and enjoyed him. I think my personal favorite album was his 1985 release, 'Downtown', a slightly darker collection, with a bit of a raw edge. It also included a wonderful song written by Crendshaw, "Like A Vague Memory".

It was in the early 1980s that I started by love affair with Jimmy Somerville, then singing with the Bronski Beat. I loved every measure of music on their debut album, 'Age Of Consent', one of my favorite albums of 1984. And while many of those songs immediately invoke memories of an apartment in Brooklyn, or going out to a club in the Village, I love it all. So I decided to go by the rules here, and include a song that was included in the reissue of the album. This is the beautiful "Memories", which I swear has mystic qualities. It was written by Jimmy Somerville, Larry Steinbachek and Steve Bronski. I might add that the Bronski Beat and Somerville were the first openly gay musicians I remember listening to, and following. I still follow Jimmy's music today.

And, finally, I decided to bread the rules just a bit, for this song really is all about memories. In fact, the first that is the first lyric of the song. I am, of course, talking about the great song with lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman and music by Marvin Hamlisch, "The Way We Were". It was sung impeccably by Barbra Streisand, the theme song to her 1973 movie of the same name. It is amazing, for it not only discusses how memories are strewn like scattered snapshots in our brain, but it also engages so many memories of listening to that song, when my heart was broken. It was always one of those songs I went to when a relationship ended.

Do you have songs that being back your favorite memories?

Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair

As tough as it is for me to believe or even admit it, Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears was released 26 years ago, in 1985. This was the second album from the band, who had some early success with songs from 1983's release, The Hurting, which I discussed here. I had scooped up that first album at my import store in the West Village, and loved it. I doubt any of the success of the earlier work could have prepared Curt Smith, Roland Orzibal, Ian Stanley and Manny Elias for what was about to come. If The Hurting was music's Another Country for the 80s, with brooding British schoolboys pouting their way through self-awareness, then Songs From The Big Chair was truly a coming of age, Rock with a degree in Social Welfare, whether it is in a more traditional sense of Freudian study in Mother's Talk, or a stab at Primal Scream therapy in Shout.

The first release in the US is one that would firmly plant the band in the annals of music history. Everybody Wants To Rule The World was a step back, the soothing deep breath you take when you want to relax. From the opening riff of the guitar to the sweet tone of Curt's voice, the song charmed with a sweetness not heard from the band before. It was written by Roland, Ian and producer Chris Hughes.



The next to hit the airwaves was the ode to venting, Shout, also written by Orzabal and Stanley. The album title was derived from the Sally Field TV movie Sybil, for it was only in the "big chair" in the doctor's office where Sybil felt safe. So it should come as no surprise when the band delves into Primal Scream Therapy for inspiration. But what might have been surprising was that the song zoomed up the charts, giving the band their first #1 in the US.



The next release was the delightful Head Over Heels, written by Orzabal and Curt Smith. The video was a wonderful attempt to use Roland's awkwardness to it's best advantage. As Curt, Manny, Ian and a monkey work in the library, geeky Roland reveals his crush on the librarian. I think there are moments when we almost get a smile from Roland...



For the video of the next release, I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording), I only recently found the video. And will all his layers and baggy sweaters, who the hell knew Roland had that body? Even more surprising, that he was willing to show it off! I might have to rethink my primary crush on keyboardist Ian Stanley. The song, written by Roland, was not released in the US, which might explain why I didn't know about the video. But I do now!



The first single released in the UK was Mother's Talk, in fall of 1984, prior to the album. It was not released in the US until April of 1986. It was written by Orzabal and Stanley, and was a departure from the brooding dramas of the earlier release. The energy level was torqued up a notch, the sound more aggressive. The song made it to the Top 30 on the US Billboard Pop chart.



For more about Tears For Fears, you can check them out on the web here. You can purchase their music on iTunes here, and on Amazon.com here. You can find the sexy I Believe video on iTunes here. The band is still active and tours, although Curt and Roland do live in different countries, with Smith settled in California and Orzabal still in the UK. Wile Roland shies away from anything resembling social media, Curt is really quite active. You can find his official webpage here, and his very active Twitter account here. He is a great follow if you are on Twitter. You can find some of Curt's solo work on iTunes too. Click here for a great single, All Is Love featuring Zoe Keating.

Worth Another Listen - Tears For Fears

In 1981, a couple of school buddies decided to get their own band together. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were inspired by some of the great rock artists of the time, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and the Talking Heads, and embarked on a career as Tears For Fears, along with Ian Stanley and Manny Elias. By 1983, they released their first album, The Hurting, which is how I first discovered them. I think you could argue it was one of the best albums of the early 80s, although the sales figures compared to the follow-up, Songs From The Big Chair, can't compare. The first time I saw and heard the video for Change, I knew I was going to be a longtime fan. It just made my little New Wave heart a tad more joyous.



But in case anyone would think I was listening to a perky band, they need only to give a listen to Mad World to know differently. This was actually the first single released for the album, although I didn't find it until later. In the video, Roland and Curt are looking like moody British schoolboys, the 'modern' equivalent of the boys from the great movie Another Country. Jacob and Katie, my nephew and niece, just love the video, and are surprisingly fond of the band, sing they are both pre-teens. The song has gone on to be much covered, as there was the amazing version of Gary Jules, and a fine job by Adam Lambert a few Idol seasons ago. Here is the original.



One of my favorite songs from the album was the beautiful Memories Fade. There is a dreamy quality to it, as well as a tremendous amount of raw emotion.



Another fantastic song was called Pale Shelter, which was another hypnotic song, filled with imagery pulled from any psychiatrists office.



As I said before, the next album, 1985's Songs From The Big Chair, which just tour up the charts with song after song. From Everybody Wants To Rule The World to Head Over Heals, that record seemed unstoppable. So did the band, which proved not to be true in the long run. In 1991, the band called it a day, with Smith and Orzabal going their separate ways. But they could not stay mad forever, as they were working together again in 2000. They maintain homes on different continents, as Smith and his family live in California, while Orzabal remains in their hometown, Bath, England. Curt and Roland still tour as Tears For Fears, and are, in fact, getting ready to kick off a new tour. You can check out new dates on Curt Smith's website, here.

Worth Another Listen - Oleta Adams

While some might consider Oleta Adams to be a one-hit-wonder, she had, in fact, two songs make to on the American charts. Her soul and jazz-influenced vocals are quite distinctive, and she has often been heralded by critics as a voice that should be heard. She also has a more interesting story than many who have hit the charts. Legend has it that Ms. Adams was playing at a hotel bar in Kansas City, Missouri, when the band Tears For Fears was on an American tour in 1985. Both Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith thought she was very talented, and when recording their next album, contacted her and had Oleta join them in the studio. In support of the album The Seeds Of Love, she also toured with them. The single, Woman In Chains, was released in 1989 and made it to #36 on the US Billboard Hot 100, her first single.



Her next step was to get signed and to record her own music. In 1990, she released Circle of One, which had moderate success in sales until she released Get Here in 1991. That pushed the sales to the certified Gold level, and made it to #5 on the Billboard Pop chart. The song was written by singer/songwriter Brenda Russell, who later went on to write the music for the Broadway musical The Color Purple. She had previously record Get Here, but it was Oleta Adams who had the most success with the track.



Adams also had some success in the UK with a version of Elton John's Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me at the end of 1991. Two years later, she released I Just Had To Hear Your Voice, which also scored well with the British audience.



For more about Oleta Adams, check out her official website here. Adams released her latest album, Let's Stay Here, in 2009, once again receiving great praise for her work.

Billboard Top 5 - 1985

25 years ago, I was living in Brooklyn, working Off-Broadway theater in Greenwich Village, a poor, but happy camper. While working at the theater, the radio was often on, so I knew all three of these songs well, although only one or two was really a part of my record collection at that point. And, I am sorry to say, it wasn't the song that was in fifth place, We Built This City by Starship. I apologize because I loved Jefferson Airplane, and thought Grace Slick truly rocked. I might have tolerated the move to become Jefferson Starship, but when they went only by Starship, I had written them off. Listen to Grace and the boys sing this song, and tell me you don't think they are capable of way better...



There is some Pop music you just have to accept at face value - it is what it is. Huey Lewis and the News is one of those - a band that created catchy hooks and fun music, but it wasn't really gonna be breaking any boundary, or moving you with insightful reflection. Don't get me wrong, some music has to be like that, and Huey and the boys did it well. Here is the #4 song of the year, The Power of Love. If I am not mistaken, it was the theme song to one of the Back To The Future movies.



I will admit to having a weird fascination for the # 3 song, Mr. Mister's Broken Wing. Well, truthfully, I had a much greater interest in the song Kyrie, which was released immediately following this one, but liked this one, too. Partially, it was my interest in Richard Page's vocals, as well as the nicely structured musical accompaniment. Could be the beautifully photographed videos that went with the band, but you never know for sure. Just know I liked them, and these songs found their way into my listening rotation.



OK, I was already a fan of Tears For Fears since the first album, 1983s The Hurting. The complex music aligned with the introspective lyrics made the band a perfect brooding English schoolboy-like crush, and I was there. Songs From The Big Chair was released in 1985, and was a great follow-up to the debut, with more polish while still keeping the elements. Here is the #2 song of 1985, the primal Shout.



On one hand, how can you not like REO Speedwagon? I mean, they are a classic American rock band, and don't think they ever released anything as embarrassing as J. Geils Band's Centerfold song. On the other hand, I don't really remember many of their songs when I think of them, more like just a thought of a fun band. When I heard this, I knew the song instantly, but if someone had asked me what was their top song of 1985, I don't know if I would have had an answer. Anyway, this is Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. Enjoy!