Over
the last couple of weeks, I decided to do a feature for the Sunday Jukebox where I took a look at some artists who were huge in the 1980s, but
seemed to have dropped out of sight in recent years. I was interested in finding out whatever became of some of these
artists, and in my research I have found some interesting information. Who knew that Kim Wilde found a passion for
gardening, or that the music group Expose reformed twenty years after they
originally broke up? It's all quite
fascinating.
Well,
it's fascinating to me, anyway.
This
time around, I thought that I would switch things up a smidgen. The first two artists I focused on were
female, so this week, I'll put a male artist in the spotlight. And this time around, I think I will pick a
guy who is Canadian.
And
certainly in Canada, he made a huge impact on the charts. Sure, in the United States, he had a couple
of hits - but in Canada, he really knew how to come onto the music scene with a
"BANG". Three of his
thirty-five singles in Canada reached the top spot on the Canadian charts (in
comparison, his highest ranking single only reached #3 in the USA). And he is one of those rare artists that was
big in the 1980s, went away for a while, and had a career renaissance during a
time in which the Macarena was the top song in North America.
However,
right around the time of the new millennium, the hits stopped coming, and many
of us were left in the dark as to what happened to him. In fact, we were so in the dark that it felt
as though we were all wearing sunglasses at night.
Funny...that
just happens to be the title of his very first hit.
ARTIST: Corey Hart
SONG: Sunglasses at Night
ALBUM:First Offense DATE RELEASED: January 21,
1984
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #7
In
the 1980s, it was definitely good to be a Corey. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman had the movie scene covered...and as
far as music went, you had Montreal-born singer Corey Hart taking the
stage. Interestingly enough,
"Sunglasses at Night" is one of the only songs that actually did
better in the United States than it did here in Canada. The song was a Top 40 hit, but stalled at
#24.
But
as I mentioned before, Corey Hart had a LOT more hits here in Canada. And, while "Sunglasses at Night"
was his legitimate first offense from "First Offense", a total of
three singles were released - the slow jam "It Ain't Enough" and
"She's Got The Radio". It was
definitely a great way to start, but his sophomore album "Boy in the
Box" would become an even bigger smash.
After
all, the song "Never Surrender" exploded in popularity in the year
1985, and gave Corey his first #1 hit in Canada. That single alone reached Platinum Status in Canada, and was
instrumental in earning Corey his first Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of
the Grammy Awards) in the summer of 1985 for Single of the Year. Ironically enough, this song did not make
Corey Hart surrender...if anything, it gave him the strength and the power to
make a mark on the Canadian music industry.
I
mentioned before that "Never Surrender" was his first #1 hit. His other two were "Everything in My
Heart", released the same year as "Never Surrender", as well as
a cover of an Elvis Presley tune "Can't Help Falling in Love"
released in 1986.
And
between 1984 and 1992, Corey Hart released a total of six albums. Some albums were immediate successes such as
1986's "Fields of Fire", while others were largely forgettable, such
as 1992's "Attitude & Virtue".
But one thing you could say about Corey Hart was the fact that he didn't
really seem afraid to sing any type of song.
He was just as skilled with heavy rock songs like 1985's "Never
Surrender" and 1990's "A Little Love", as he was with powerful
ballads such as "Everything in My Heart" and "I Am By Your
Side" from 1986. He was definite a
versatile artist, but by the time the 1990s rolled around, rock music was
fading out of popularity to make way for grunge, Hi-NRG, and dance music, and
for a few years, Corey faded into obscurity.
At
least, that was the case until 1996 when he came back onto the music scene with
a self-titled album that I would readily call his most mature work that he has
ever released. I actually owned this
album once upon a time, and can honestly say that I love every single song from
it. You had the catchy single
"Tell Me", which got your toes tapping the minute it came on the
radio, as well as the powerful love song "Third of June", which was a
Top 20 hit here in Canada.
But my favourite track off that album?
It has to be this one.
When
"Black Cloud Rain" was first released in 1996, I initially didn't
believe that it was Corey Hart singing it until I saw the music video for the
single. This is definitely one awesome
song - one that might make my list for one of my most favourite songs
ever. This song also sparked a renewed
interest in Corey Hart, as the single just missed becoming Corey's fourth #1
single, peaking at #2.
Unfortunately,
that renewed interest was short-lived.
Despite releasing one more album entitled "Jade" in 1998,
Canadians moved on to other artists, and Corey's final single,
"La-Bas" (a duet that he recorded with the woman who would become his
future wife, Julie Masse) did not chart.
So,
whatever happened to Corey Hart?
Well, after marrying Masse in 2000, he would become the father of four
children, and the family would end up leaving Canada to start a new life in the
Bahamas. And for the most part, Corey
has put music on the backburner as he decided to focus most of his time to
raising his family.
But
that's not to say that he has given up on music entirely.
Thanks
to the advent of social media websites like Facebook, Corey is frequently
updating his fans on what he is working on, and is probably one of the few
artists out there who openly answers questions from fans right on his website
and Facebook page (which you can find HERE).
Corey
also collaborated on a single in 2012 with DJ 1Love entitled "Truth Will
Set You Free", which became a sort of anthem for the LGBTQ community, and
in 2014 released an album "Ten Thousand Horses" exclusively through
iTunes.
And
if you're interested in reading more about the life and times of Corey Hart,
his autobiography, "Chasing the Sun: My Life in Music" was released
in 2014 - thirty years after "Sunglasses at Night" first hit the
charts.
So now you know the story of Corey Hart - a man
who lived the dream of being a singer, and continues to dabble in the craft
even now. A guy who never once
surrendered.
Previously onJem Reviewed, the girls auditioned for and won roles in a
Broadway musical because this show hasn't suspended reality enough!
What
adventures will the girls get into this week?
Let's find out.
This isEpisode 17: In Search of the
Stolen Album.
We're
at a recording studio that presumably is owned by Starlight Records, as the
building has the same logo. Inside, Jem
and the Holograms are putting the finishing touches on a new track, and are
rehearsing their latest hit. Aja is so
into the recording of the song that she continues to sing fifteen seconds after
Jem stops production due to the track not sounding right. Jem proceeds to blame Aja for the mess up,
and Aja defends herself by saying that she has nice shoes. I'm not lying either. It's...so...strange.
Even
stranger still is the fact that the girls mention that this is their debut
album. Okay, wait a minute. You mean to tell me that they filmed a full
length motion picture, performed at a benefit concert for Haven House, won a
fashion contest, shot a fashion book, and performed in a Broadway musical
BEFORE releasing an album? Sigh...let's
continue to distort reality some more, shall we?
It
seems as though the fortunes of Eric Raymond and the Misfits have taken a turn
for the worse as well. The Misfits open
up the front door of a building that probably should have been condemned years
earlier and are greeted by a gigantic rat scurrying out the door!
And,
no...it's not Eric. It's a genuine rat.
Eric's
been holed up inside the building and he is looking rough. He explains that ever since he was thrown
out of Misfits Music, he's had it bad.
What I'm wondering is...WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? Misfits Music was established in Episode 13. Four episodes ago. And in four episodes, he screwed up so badly that he was thrown
out? Again, this makes NO SENSE.
The
only thing I can come up with for an explanation is that this episode aired out
of order. It should have aired after
the Battle of the Bands, but before the girls started filming Starbright. After all, there was a six month window in
between those two episodes. It's plenty
of time to cut an album. And maybe
instead of Misfits Music, Eric could have been talking about Starlight
Music. See, THAT would have made much
more sense.
But
whatever. The Misfits still have a
recording studio that is part owned by Pizzazz's father, so their plan is to
make an album themselves. Sounds simple
enough.
We're
treated to a boring set of clips featuring Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana
doing actual work at Starlight Music. I
won't bother recapping it as it seems like a filler scene. The only highlight to mention is that Kimber
spends the whole time snoozing on the couch while the other three are working,
and then complains that her life is so hard.
Having worked with people who have the same work ethic as Kimber, I
admit to wondering how the other three can put up with her! But, I guess when you're related to the lead
singer of the group, anything can be possible.
The
next day, the Holograms are back at work recording more songs for the
album. And, I want to you pay very
special attention to this song, as well as the song the Misfits will release in
this episode.
First,
the song "There's a Melody Playing".
It's a song that personifies Jem and the Holograms best...it's a
danceable love song filled with happiness, rainbows, and pixie dust that would
almost be forgettable if not for the fact that Britta Phillips hits not one but
two high notes flawlessly. I think
those notes save the song from being completely forgettable.
But
my opinion means nothing. The Holograms
think it's the best thing they've ever recorded and are looking forward to
putting the finishing touches on the album the next day.
But
while the girls are celebrating their success, Eric is planning a very nasty
scheme. Naturally, Zipper is there for
the ride because when you really want to count on someone screwing up your
plans, Zipper is the guy to call.
In this case, Zipper actually comes through for Eric. He successfully breaks into the Starlight Recording Studio, and
snatches the master tape of Jem's album.
Of course, when you label the tape case "JEM'S MASTER TAPE",
well...they kind of made his job even easier.
Jem
and the Holograms are absolutely crestfallen that their master tape has been
stolen right out from under them and they immediately try to come up with a way
to fix the situation. If their album
was stolen, it's not like they could re-record it. Zipper stole all of their songbooks as well.
Meanwhile,
presumably miles from Los Angeles, Eric Raymond and the rest of the Misfits are
relaxing at a poolside resort. I'm
thinking that Eric arranged the vacation so that they would have plenty of time
to hide Jem's master tape and work on their own album without having the police
come and arrest them for theft. But
while they are talking, Pizzazz comes up with an idea to have a little bit of
fun with Jem and the Holograms. The
idea? Take the girls on a scavenger
hunt with a surprise at the end. Do I
even want to know what the surprise is?
Knowing Pizzazz, she'll have a sniper ready to gun them all down!
That
will be a project that will have to wait.
It's time to hear what the Misfits have to sing.
So,
do you notice anything about "There Ain't Nobody Better" in comparison
to "There's a Melody Playing?"
Well, the backing music is exactly the same, which means that the
Misfits plan on recording an album via plagiarism. But even more noticeable is the fact that both groups ended up
releasing almost an identical music video concept! To me, this is unfortunate because I don't even think the Misfits
needed to even resort to plagiarizing Jem and the Holograms. They can come up with decent songs on their
own. Although, I do admit...I kind of
like their version better.
Jerrica,
Kimber, Aja, and Shana arrive home to see a note pinned to the front door of
Starlight Mansion. It's arranged in the
form of a ransom note and it reads that they have kidnapped Ashley, Deirdre,
and Krissie, and that they need to give them a trillion dollars if they want to
see them again.
Just
kidding. Here's the real message. When the Holograms read the message, they
say the word TUNES instead of TIMES.
So, apparently, the girls can't read.
Nice.
They
do figure out that the note offers subtle clues about where they need to
go. Kimber seems to think that they
need to go to an underground club in the seedy part of town - which kind of
makes me wonder how Kimber would even know about the club in the first
place. Somebody's been sneaking out
past curfew! Whatever the case, the
girls decide that this club is worth checking out - after all, the clue does
elude to the fact that the person who wrote the note also has the master tape.
After
driving around for what seems like hours, the girls find the place they're
looking for. It's a club on the top
floor of an abandoned building, and judging from the crowd that is inside, I am
guessing that it is a place filled with drugs, sex, and really bad dye jobs. In fact, I would probably hazard a guess
that we may very well see the biological parents of a couple of the Starlight
Girls in this very club! But that's
merely speculation.
To nobody's surprise, the crowd inside isn't very helpful. When the girls keep asking random strangers
who the "Chubette" is in the note, they tell them to go away or
threaten them with random acts of violence.
Kimber actually seems upset when one of the guys in the club tell her
she isn't his type! Who knew this crowd
had standards?
Eventually,
one man - who has one scary laugh - introduces the girls to Chubette...the
Coca-Cola machine in the middle of the club.
Aja is so upset that she kicks the machine hard! There go Aja's new shoes.
The
kick dislodges a can of Coke from the machine, and Jerrica is happy that they
at least got a free soda. But given how
dirty the place is, I'd reckon that soda's best before date is 1981.
It's
all good though. They aren't here to
drink. They're here for their next clue
which is taped to the outside of the can.
It says something about mirages and garages as well as a dented fender,
but it's too late for them to think about what it means now. They decide to head home and disinfect
themselves.
But
as they arrive at the Rockin' Roadster, they notice that someone has smashed
their fender in. Guess the note they
received was accurate. But when they
turn to leave, they realize that an angry mob from the club have come to put
dents in all of them before robbing them of all their stuff. What a warm and fuzzy neighbourhood this is
turning out to be! The girls are all
trapped, and Shana remarks that not even Synergy can help them out.
To
which Jerrica responds with "Bitch, please", and uses Synergy to
create an illusion of them burning to death the moment one of them throws a
rock at their car. That's...a little
harsh! But it works, as the men all
scurry back to their run-down homes.
Even Shana has to admit that she underestimated Synergy's importance and
Jerrica actually tells Shana that she'll forgive her even though Synergy is a
computer and shouldn't feel any emotion whatsoever.
The
next day, the girls discover what the clue means. There's a place in the middle of nowhere called the "Mirage
Garage". It's a gas station that
happens to boast one of the tallest tire piles in all of Southern
California. I don't know whether that's
something to be proud of or ashamed of.
Now,
here is the exact moment where Jem and the Holograms really annoy the hell out
of me. There aren't many, so believe
me, I will point them out whenever I see it.
They introduce themselves to the owner of the Mirage Garage - the
charming Southerner named Bubba. And while Jerrica shows the dented fender to Bubba - who exclaims
that he can fix it - the other girls go searching through his things to find
the next clue to the hunt. Wow, way to
go through his stuff without asking permission, ladies!
To
make matters worse, in the haste to find the clue, Kimber, Aja, and Shana
disturb the giant pile of tires which come crashing through the roof of the
garage! Oh, great, so now they're
adding vandalism to the mix.
And
even more disgusting...when the girls find the next note underneath the tire
pile, Jerrica exclaims that they can get the fender fixed in town, and so they
speed off leaving Bubba alone to fix his tire pile and roof. I feel like Jerrica has somehow switched
bodies with Pizzazz. That's the only
way I can even justify the Holograms' horrible behaviour. You know, I almost hope they DON'T find
their master tape.
But
since every episode of Jem has to reward Jem in some way, we can only assume
that the next clue will lead them closer to where the tape is hidden. And it looks as though the next clue takes
them to the beach where a place called the Blue Wave surf shop is located.
Once
again, Jerrica and the girls barge into someone's place of business and ransack
the place trying to find what they are looking for. What is this? "The
Amazing Race"? I bet they won't
give our extremely laid-back sales employee an apology either for tossing
wetsuits and surfboard wax all over the floor either. Those jerks.
Thankfully
for the Holograms - and every business owner in Southern California, the girls
get their final clue - which points them towards a net where a group of people
are playing volleyball. So help me, if
those girls upset that volleyball game in any way, I would reckon that they
deserve to be bumped, set, and spiked out of there.
Fortunately,
the girls decide that they do want to showcase their manners, and they safely
dig up a tape case without interfering with the game. So, it's fine to destroy a person's business, but heaven forbid
they interrupt a group of people playing sports. Talk about priorities.
To
nobody's surprise, the Misfits have left them with a blank tape. While I would consider it karma for the way
the Holograms behaved, I know that this ending would not really cut it, so
Jerrica comes up with the idea to have Synergy analyze the notes so that they
can figure out what the next step is.
My question...why didn't they just come up with that idea before going
all around town destroying things? This
episode makes my brain hurt.
Synergy
does provide them with information that confirms that the Misfits were behind
the theft. The club was a place where
the Misfits performed. The gas station
is on property owned by Pizzazz's dad.
Pizzazz made a purchase at the surf shop using her credit card. Again, this is nice information, but it
doesn't tell them where the tape is.
Until
Synergy points out that the Misfits made one fatal error in one of their clues
when they talked about flashy music.
Turns out that the recording studio where the Misfits record their music
is named Flash Recording Studios, which is partly owned by Pizzazz's father. Connecting the dots like Pee-Wee Herman, the
girls deduce that their tape is being held at Flash Studios. But they will never be allowed inside.
Never
fear, for Synergy is here! As Aja
drives away in the Roadster, Jerrica, Shana, and Kimber use Synergy to
transform into holograms of Pizzazz, Roxy, and Stormer. Synergy does such a good job in disguising
them that they even sound like the characters!
Once
inside the recording studio, they split up to try and find the tape. It seems as though the Misfits are just as
stupid as the Holograms, as they make no effort to disguise the tape at
all. If I were them, I'd have put a
fake label over top of the original one, claiming that the tape holds Polka's
Greatest Hits or something like that.
Now that the tape is safely in the hands of the Holograms, they leave -
but not before they leave the Misfits with one final surprise.
At
a press conference announcing the Misfits new album, Eric Raymond is schmoozing
over the guests while the Misfits are standing around looking pretty. In short, it's a typical Friday.
So
imagine their surprise when Eric plays the tape and it turns out to be a
Rosetta Stone tape of French lessons!
Quel dommage! It appears as
though la presse is quite ennui about the tape, and they vamoose out of there
faster than you can say "Vive les Misfits!". As for pauvre Pizzazz, she burns hot with
anger faster than Joan of Arc is burned at the stake, and she takes the tape
and destroys it with her bare hands right in the middle of the room. Yeah, that's mature, Pizzazz. At least Roxy and Stormer are showing some
restraint!
Back
at Starlight Records, Jem and the Holograms are celebrating the fact that
because they acted like the Misfits, their album is number one in the
country. Oh, yeah...great moral to
teach kids there, ladies. If something
doesn't go your way, get revenge on them.
That may work in some cases, but in most others, it just makes the
situation worse.
And
so ends what I believe to be one of the more frustrating episodes of Jem so
far. I mean, the idea of the Misfits
stealing Jem's album probably looked great on paper. But the execution of it was horrendous...and so was the way that
Jem and the others treated people during their quest. I sure hope this is a side we don't see too often, because it's
really ugly.
Before I close this off, I'll post some Jem Trivia. It's right around this episode that Jem decided to add some PSA's
to the end of each show, telling people that if they do the right thing,
they'll end up being a superstar - despite the fact that the girls didn't do
any superstar behaviour in this episode.
I believe a total of nine PSA's aired...and if you click on the video
below, you can watch them all. They're
like "One To Grow On"...but cheesier!
Next week, both bands compete in a Battle of the Music Stars event...in
Hawaii! And Kimber falls in love. Again. But before I end this piece off, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Nice, France, whose Bastille Day celebrations ended in tragedy. I wish I could do more for you, but know that the entire world is feeling your pain at this time.
Welcome
to another summer edition of the Tuesday
Timeline
entry. Today is the 12th of July, and
today's subject is very musical, to say the least.
I'll
get to what I mean in a moment. But
first, we have a little bit of other things to take care of first. Let's have a look at what happened
throughout history on this date.
1493 - Hartmann Schedel's "Nuremberg
Chronicle" is published
1561 - St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is
consecrated
1690 - The Battle of the Boyne takes place
1776 - Captain James Cook embarks on his third
voyage
1789 - Journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a
speech in response to the dismissal of French finance minister Jacques Necker -
that speech would be the catalyst for the storming of the Bastille just two
days later
1804 - Alexander Hamilton succumbs to a gunshot
wound one day after being shot in a duel
1862 - The Medal of Honor is authorized by U.S.
Congress
1908 - Actor/comedian Milton Berle (d. 2002) is
born in New York City
1918 - Over six hundred are killed when an Imperial
Japanese naval battleship, "Kawachi", explodes near western Honshu
1920 - The Soviet-Lithuanian peace treaty is
signed
1950 - Kiss drummer Eric Carr (d. 1991) is born in
Brooklyn, New York
1962 - The Rolling Stones perform their very
first concert at London's Marquee Club
1963 - 16-year-old Pauline Reade disappears on
her way to a dance in Gorton, England; she becomes the first of many victims of
serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
1967 - Riots begin place in Newark, New Jersey
over civil rights and liberties - the riots would last a period of six days and
would leave 26 dead
1970 - The home of composer Geirr Tveitt is
destroyed by fire - along with 90% of his output and works
1973 - At least one-third of all American
military personnel files are wiped out when a fire guts the entire sixth floor
of the National Personnel Records Center
1979 - Singer Minnie Riperton dies of cancer,
aged just 31
1986 - Simply Red scores their first #1 hit
single with the song "Holding Back The Years"
1996 - Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan
Melvoin dies of a drug overdose at the age of 34
2003 - Beyonce scores her first #1 solo hit with
"Crazy in Love"
2007 - Airstrikes are performed in Baghdad, Iraq
by American army Apache helicopters
2011 - Sherwood Schwartz - the creator of
"The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's Island", dies at the age
of 94
And
for celebrity birthdays, the following faces are blowing out candles on their
cakes today; Frank Windsor, Irene Sutcliffe, Roy Barraclough, Bill Cosby, Christine McVie, Delia Ephron, Walter Egan, Richard Simmons, Gilles Meloche, Brian Grazer, Cheryl Ladd, Jamey Sheridan, Mel Harris, Dave Semenko, Tonya Lee Williams, Dan Murphy, Robin Wilson, Annabel Croft, Richard Herring, Lady Saw, Lisa Nicole Carson, Loni Love, Kristi Yamaguchi, Dan Boyle, Anna Friel, Tracie Spencer, Steve Howey, Claire Chitham, Topher Grace, Michelle Rodriguez, Tara Kirk, Natalie Martinez, Phoebe Tonkin, Dexter Roberts, and Eoghan Quigg.
Okay,
so what's the date that we will be looking at this week?
Well, I think we'll go back in time thirty-seven years ago today - which makes
our Tuesday Timeline date July 12, 1979.
Now,
as mentioned earlier, singer Minnie Riperton passed away on this date, and
while she isn't the main subject of today's blog, I do want to acknowledge the
contributions she made to the music industry - in particular with this single
from 1975.
ARTIST: Minnie Riperton SONG: Lovin' You ALBUM: Perfect
Angel DATE RELEASED: January 13,
1975
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 1 week
The
two things that I can definitively say about this single is that first, it is a
beautifully written love song. And
secondly, Minnie Riperton sure knew how to hit a high note! Interestingly enough, the song provided a
smidgen of controversy when some disc jockeys would purposely fade the song out
because they felt she was singing a Mayan chant at the end. But she was actually repeating the name
"Maya" - the name of her then two and a half year old daughter.
The
Maya in question by the way? Actress
and comedienne Maya Rudolph.
Sadly,
in 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer, and while she fought the
disease for three and a half years, it ended up taking her life thirty-seven
years ago today.
May
she forever rest in peace.
But,
July 12, 1979 also marked a day in which a demonstration changed the face of
the music industry forever.
But
before we talk about that incident, here's a little background information to
get us into the mood.
Now,
as I mentioned before, in 1975, Minnie Riperton had a #1 hit with "Lovin'
You" - and 1975 was a year in which singer-songwriters dominated the
charts. By the following year however,
a new style of music was slowly making its way onto the scene.
Disco.
Likely
catapulted by the movie "Saturday Night Fever", disco became dominant
during the late 1970s. Disco clubs with
flashing lights and mirror balls sprung up in every major city from Los Angeles
to New York, Studio 54 was the hot spot for everything disco, and artists such
as The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, and KC and the Sunshine Band soared in
popularity. The disco scene was
definitely the place to slip on your platform shoes, feather your hair like
Farrah Fawcett-Majors, and do the Hustle without anybody judging you.
In
the early part of 1979, it seemed as though disco was set to become the style
of music that everyone would have to become accustomed to. Have a look at the #1 hits on the Billboard
Chart of the year 1979 prior to July 12, 1979...
12/31/78
to 01/19/79 - Too Much Heaven/THE BEE GEES
01/20/79
to 02/09/79 - Le Freak/CHIC
02/10/79 to 03/09/79 - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?/ROD STEWART
03/10/79 to 03/23/79 - I Will Survive/GLORIA GAYNOR
03/24/79 to 04/06/79 - Tragedy/THE BEE GEES
04/07/79 to 04/13/79 - I Will Survive/GLORIA GAYNOR
04/14/79 to 04/20/79 - What a Fool Believes/THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
04/21/79 to 04/27/79 - Knock on Wood/AMII STEWART
04/28/79 to 05/04/79 - Heart of Glass/BLONDIE
05/05/79 to 06/01/79 - Reunited/PEACHES & HERB
06/02/79 to 06/08/79 - Hot Stuff/DONNA SUMMER
06/09/79 to 06/15/79 - Love You Inside Out/THE BEE GEES
06/16/79 to 06/29/79 - Hot Stuff/DONNA SUMMER
06/30/79 to 07/13/79 - Ring My Bell/ANITA WARD
Notice
a pattern here? Aside from the slow jam
"Reunited", every single one of these songs was recorded by a disco
artist, or was a single that had some disco flavour (such as the case with the
Rod Stewart and Blondie singles).
That's a lot of disco.
Some
might have said that it was too much disco.
And
this brings us to July 12, 1979. The
location was Chicago's Comiskey Park.
And the event was something that came to be known as "DISCO
DEMOLITION NIGHT".
The
event was put together by disc jockey and anti-disco activist Steve Dahl, who I
have to admit had a good reason for disliking the genre. You would too if you were fired from the
rock station you were working at on Christmas Eve, 1978 because the station
decided that they would switch formats from rock to disco.
Fortunately,
Dahl was quickly hired by a competing radio station, but he never forgot just
how terrible he was treated at his former station, and how disco caused him to
be unemployed, so throughout the first part of 1979, he and his broadcast
partner launched an all out war against disco music, and it is rumoured that it
was they who coined the "Disco Sucks" phrase that was heard
throughout the last part of the year and early 1980s.
It
all came to a head at Comiskey Park.
Dahl planned for the Disco Demolition Night to take place there as part
of a radio promotion. That night a
doubleheader was scheduled between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit
Tigers, and Comiskey Park was already having a promotion that night where any
teenager who purchased a ticket to see the game would get in for half
price. Well, Dahl sweetened the deal
(with assistance from White Sox owner Bill Veeck and Veeck's son Mike) offering
tickets to the game for 98 cents - provided that they enter the game with a
disco record of their choice. Because
Dahl promised that after the conclusion of the first game but before the second
game was set to begin, he would blow up a whole crate of disco records outside
of the baseball diamond! Bill Veeck
went along with the cross-promotion as he felt as though it would be a great
excuse to bring fans back to the stands.
At
8:40pm, Dahl, dressed in army fatigues, engaged the crowd in a rousing chorus
of "DISCO SUCKS" before pressing the button that would cause the
explosives inside the crate to explode.
The explosion was so huge that not only did it destroy every record
inside of the crate, but it left a huge hole right in the middle of the
outfield.
And
that's when things really started to disintegrate into an uncontrollable mess.
While
security outside of the stadium was tight...the security INSIDE the stadium was
nonexistent. Players of both teams hid
as a crowd of approximately 5,000-7,000 people stormed the infield to cause
some more demolition that wasn't limited to disco records. The infield was completely destroyed as
people were setting records on fire and ripping out grass. The batting cage was transformed into a
twisted piece of metal. Even the bases
on the field were stolen. And I don't
mean by players...I mean they were physically stolen!
By
9:08pm, the police - dressed in full riot gear - descended onto the field, and
the crowd dispersed. In the end,
thirty-nine people were arrested, and Comiskey Park was so destroyed that the
second game could not be played at all.
It was a forfeit in favour of the Detroit Tigers, as the White Sox
failed to maintain safety conditions, and as of now, the July 12, 1979 game
remains the last one to end in a forfeit.
But
here's the interesting footnote at the end of this failed promotion. Ultimately, the Disco Demolition Night ended
in complete failure, it damaged the credibility of the Chicago White Sox, it
made Bill and Mike Veeck laughing stocks, and it even caused some people to
believe that the demonstration was one that seemed to promote discrimination
against people of colour, or people that were a part of the LGBTQ community. However, despite all the negativity
associated with that promotion...the crazy part was that it actually
WORKED! Have a look at the #1 songs of
1979 AFTER July 12, 1979 to notice the huge shift in music styles...
07/14/79 to 08/17/79 - Bad Girls/DONNA SUMMER
08/18/79 to 08/24/79 - Good Times/CHIC
08/25/79 to 10/05/79 - My Sharona/THE KNACK
10/06/79 to 10/12/79 - Sad Eyes/ROBERT JOHN
10/13/79 to 10/19/79 - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough/MICHAEL JACKSON
10/20/79 to 11/02/79 - Rise/HERB ALPERT
11/03/79 to 11/09/79 - Pop Musik/M
11/10/79 to 11/16/79 - Heartache Tonight/THE EAGLES
11/17/79 to 11/23/79 - Still/THE COMMODORES
11/24/79 to 12/07/79 - No More Tears/BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER
12/08/79 to 12/21/79 - Babe/STYX
12/22/79 to 01/04/80 - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)/RUPERT HOLMES
Okay,
so by the time I finish this Sunday Jukebox entry, Sunday will pretty
much be almost over. However, I still
want to write one because I had such a good response with the Kim Wilde one I
wrote last week. So, I came to the
decision that I would do the same thing for every Sunday in July. Take a look at a singer or band who hasn't
released new music in a while, and find out what they're doing now.
This
time around, we're going to take a look at a band that went through many
different looks and phases. When this
freestyle girl group first appeared on the scene in 1984, they were just
starting out and had recorded a couple of singles. By 1986, the three original members had all been replaced by
three new female singers and they dominated the charts during the late
1980s. And when the 1990s came, one of
those members was sidelined due to an illness and was replaced with yet another
member! You almost needed a score card
to keep up with the changes!
Such is the story of the group known as Exposé.
Now,
back in 1984, freestyle music was just starting to be played in music
clubs. And in case you don't know what
freestyle music is, it is essentially group that relies heavily on keyboard
riffs, catchy lyrics, and drum machines.
It was quite popular in the 1980s, and was the genre that included such
groups as The Cover Girls, Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam, Sweet Sensation, and
Seduction.
But
one could say that Exposé was the band that kicked off the freestyle movement. The early beginnings of the band started in
1984 when a Miami disc jockey named Lewis Martineé wanted to form a band made up of three girls
that could sing.
After
a lengthy talent search, the three girls that were hired to form the group that
would come to be known as Exposé were Sandra Casañas, Alejandra Lorenzo, and Laurie Miller - though they weren't
initially known as Exposé at first. At the time the
group was founded, they called themselves X-Posed. And shortly after the group was founded, they released the single
below.
That
song was called "Point of No Return", and it did very well on the
Billboard Hot Dance Play charts in 1985.
A second single, "Exposed to Love" was released later that
year, and anticipation grew as the band was set to cut their first record.
But
as the production of the record began to come together, something very odd
happened. All three original members of
the group were cut from the band and replaced with three new members! Reports vary on what really happened, but
depending on who you believe, it was either that two girls were fired and one
quit, all three were fired, or all three left on their own accord. Add the fact that Arista Records - the
record company that signed the group to a recording contract - felt that the three
original members lacked charisma and star power. Based on that information, I would say that something big must
have happened for a band to change all of its members, yet keep the same band
name!
At
any rate, Sandra Casañas was replaced by California-born Jeanette Jurado. Alejandra Lorenzo was replaced by
Italian-born, Jersey raised Gioia Bruno, and Ann Curless took over Laurie
Miller's spot.
Amusingly,
the group remade the single "Point of No Return" in 1987, and it
peaked at #5 on the Billboard Charts!
But
as sad as it must have been for the original members of the band to be let go,
it did seem like it was the right choice as the new Exposé dominated the charts
throughout the rest of the 1980s.
Between 1987 and 1989, the group released a total of seven consecutive
Top 10 hits on the Billboard Charts, ranging from the freestyle classic
"Come Go With Me" to the sultry "Let Me Be The One" to the
social commentary song "Tell Me Why".
And
of course, the group's biggest hit, peaking at #1 in February 1988.
ARTIST: Exposé
SONG: Seasons Change ALBUM: Exposure DATE RELEASED: November 1987 PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 1 week
Yeah,
there's something about "Seasons Change" that I find very nice. Maybe it has to do with the group's perfect
singing voices. Maybe it has to do with
the bittersweet video. Maybe it has to
do with the killer saxophone solo played by Euge Groove. Whatever the case, with songs like this, I
can see how Exposé
made it big - with the group landing a coveted performing spot on Dick Clark's
Rockin' New Years Eve '90, airing on December 31, 1989.
PERSONAL TRIVIA: Rockin' New Years Eve '90 was the first year I stayed up past
midnight, so I likely watched that performance!
But
little did the band know that just eight months after that performance, the
band would change their line-up yet again, though not as drastically as they
had years earlier.
Sadly,
the reason why was almost a career ender for one of the girls. During Exposé's summer tour, Gioia Bruno had developed
throat problems which made her unable to reach any high notes, and as the
summer progressed, her voice grew hoarser.
It was later determined that Gioia had developed a tumor inside of her
throat, which prevented her from singing.
Luckily, the tumour was benign, but it left Gioia unable to sing a
note, and it caused her to even have difficulty talking. With Gioia's singing voice silenced, she was
forced to leave the band. To replace
Gioia, singer Kelly Moneymaker was brought in to fill the void. And in a way, it turned out to be a good
thing because by 1992, the band was ready to embark in a new direction with
their sound as well.
With
singles such as "I Wish The Phone Would Ring" and "I'll Never
Get Over You (Getting Over Me)", the new Exposé embarked in a
more adult direction, trying to compete with Wilson Phillips. And for a while, the band did well on the
adult contemporary charts. However, by
1995, the group was let go from Arista Records after three albums, and the
members all went their separate ways.
So, whatever happened to Exposé?
Well, as far as the original three members go, they embarked on
solo careers - the most successful being that of Alejandra Lorenzo, who had a
couple of dance hits. Tragically,
Sandra Casañas was found dead
at her home in December 2008 at the age of 46, with the cause of death being
linked to an epileptic seizure.
Jeanette Jurado, Ann Curless, and Kelly Moneymaker each recorded
some solo singles - in the case of Moneymaker, she released two full length
albums - and all three settled down and got married and had children. In the case of Kelly Moneymaker, she fell in
love with former "Days of our Lives" actor Peter Reckell.
And as of 2006, Jurado, Curless, and a fully healed Gioia Bruno
reunited as Exposé and continue
to sing at festivals and clubs all over the world. And, just to show that there were no hard feelings, Moneymaker is
still a part of the band, subbing for Gioia Bruno whenever she cannot perform.