Obscure 80's

T'Pau
"Heart and Soul"
Great opener for an entire disc of obscure tunes from the 80's! Don't be fooled, this one is a rocker. It's just maquerading as innocuous pop. Dig the snooty, upper-class girl rap. 

Cutting Crew
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms"
Brooding. Stalking the wet city streets like a pirate-shirt clad panther. Those aren't the lyrics, but they should be. The screeching guitars are vague and distant. It's like listening to something that actually rocks... under water. Love and angst for the new-wave easy listening audience. The emo of its day!

ELP
"Touch and Go"
Now, don't let this one mess you up like it did me. I was searching all over the friggin' place for a track called "Touch and Go" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I couldn't find anything by those guys past '79 and was ready to bust my man Jay out. Alas, this is not Emerson, Lake and Palmer at all! It is Emerson, Lake and Powell. Released in 1986 this is prog-rock goes pop in the vein of the whole "Kilroy" thing that Styx did. Magnificently cheezy.

Lita Ford
"Kiss Me Deadly"
You gots to have one for the masses. I mean, they can't all be totally forgotten gems, or you'll lose your audience. With that in mind, we offer this scorching rocker from the only lady that mattered in the world of 80s rock. I owned this tape (not cd) back in the day!

Thompson Twins
"King for a Day"
Thompson Twins are one of those bands that get grouped into the "one hit wonder" category when they don't really deserve it. Sure, "Hold Me Now," is the song that comes to mind when you hear the name of the band, but I bet you also know the words to "Lies," "Doctor! Doctor!," and this classic.

Loverboy
"Lovin' Every Minute of It"
"Touch that dial, turn me on. Start me like a motor, make me run!" Oh we loves our lame metaphors, but we loves 'em best when they're of the mixed variety. It's sing-a-long hard rock anthem  for the Trans-Am set. Can you feel the phantom pain from your long lost mullet? I thought so.

Murray Head
"One Night In Bangkok"
Here's a weird one. As this track was only vaguely familiar to me, I had to look into where this nugget came from. As it turns out, it's from a musical called "Chess" (hence the lyrics) that was cranked out by the folks behind the Swedish megastars, Abba. Hmmm... how'd this one even get on the American charts... let alone become a hit?

Taco
"Puttin' on The Ritz"
This is one of those songs that make you say, "Holy crap! Why haven't I already downloaded this one!?!?" Who'd a thunk a synth take on a 30s standard, performed by an Indonesian named after a Mexican dietary staple would take off like this? Hey! That reminds me. Does anyone else remember that 80s, lip-synch battle show, "Puttin' On the Hits?" I watched that religiously. Paging Allen Fawcett!

Quarterflash
"Harden My Heart"
Quarterflash is from Oregon, but the smoky sax in this rock/synth amalgam screams southern blues. This is greatest hit that Heart never recorded.

Double
"Captain of Her Heart"
Hailing from Switzerland, Double rocked out gawky synth/jazz albums that fit very comfortably next to your Air Supply and their ilk. Think of it as the official soundtrack to shopping at Sears.

About the Artwork:
"I believe Donkey Kong is the greatest video game ever."