K-Tel: Wow! That's What I Call Music! The 8th Verse

According to HERC's perfect photographic photogenic elephant-like faulty memory, Hit Explosion may be the only time that Ronco and K-Tel issued an album with the exact same title - Ronco struck first in 1977 with 18 tracks and then K-Tel in 1983 with 14 tracks. 

Don't get too excited - this post isn't about the Ronco version - none of those songs will be contained in the playlist.  In an effort to make it up to you, HERC is going to double down on this week's klassic K-Tel rekreation (too much?) playlist by featuring 1983's Hit Explosion and 1983's Dancing Madness in a single post and a twice-as-nice playlist. 

The inspiration came to HERC when he passed out from dust inhalation discovered a cassette tape similar to the one pictured above in the Hideaway Audio Archives with both albums on it, one on each side of the 90 minute TDK SA 90 that he used to buy in bulk bricks from the warehouse store. There are hundreds of such tapes loose, in stacks, cases and boxes throughout the Archives including the entire 100+ tape collection that HERC wooed Mrs. HERC with. Maybe for Valentine's Week...

Dancing Madness is kind of an off the wall mix of new wave, reggae, pop, and R&B songs - but that's why we love those old K-Tel collections isn't it, the diversity? Sadly, Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue" remains a no-show on Spotify.

The standout track for HERC on Dancing Madness is actually a cover version of a Burt Bachrach-Hal David standard: "Always Something There To Remind Me" by UK duo Naked Eyes. The song is insanely catchy and the entire recorded performance is nearly perfect, with vocalist Rob Byrne's part reportedly recorded in one take. 

Over on the Hit Explosion portion of the playlist, just one of the fourteen tracks remains currently unavailable through Spotify (unless you have it in your Local Files which you probably do): Joan Jett's rollicking cover of "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" though you can stomp, shout, and clap along with the video below:

HERC knows what you're probably thinking: Just what is his favorite track on Hit Explosion? It is the bouncy beat and compelling story of Billy and Patty in Rod Stewart's "Young Turks". 

Yes, that is (Elizabeth) E.G. Dailey as "Patty" - she was recently mentioned on the Streets Of Fire post here on the Hideaway. Good catch. Nothing gets by you guys.