Wow! That's What I Call Music! Chapter 6

scan from Amazon user Stacy Gingerich

Maybe you noticed the slight change in this weekly post's title or maybe you didn't - either way, welcome back!

Today's title is a groovy little Eighties dance collection issued by Sessions Records by way of Warner Special Products entitled Night Beat. Unlike K-Tel collections, Sessions Records sets were strictly marketed via television advertising and "Not Sold In Stores".  Their commercials were longer and their sets were often three, four or even six records featuring 36 or more tracks.

The selection of songs on Night Beat is a little narrower than the typical K-Tel pop, rock and soul collection - almost all of the 40 songs are early to mid Eighties pop and dance hits.  There are exceptions, songs that pop up when listening to the CDs that make you go hmmmmmm...

The first odd choice is Free's classic rock hit from 1970, "All Right Now".  It is a great track and the live performance in the video is fun to watch but why is it included on a collection of Eighties dance tracks?

The second odd track on Night Beat is from the same period as the first - it is 1971's "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" by T-Rex with a special appearance by Elton John, very early in his own career.  Sure, it's a lip-synched performance but it's still incredible to watch.  This one is particularly odd because there is a glaringly obvious choice for this collection, the 1985 cover version of this song by Power Station!

The next odd track goes back even further - it's 1966's "Good Lovin' " by the Young Rascals.  Great song, wrong collection.

A rockin' song that fits nicely with "All Right Now" and "Get It On", Foreigner's "Double Vision" does not belong with the other songs on the collection because it is from 1978 and it ROCKS!

HERC loves videos that just show records playing, spinning on the turntable. How about you? This song is from 1962!  It was covered by Grand Funk in 1974 and again by Kylie Minogue in 1988 - that version might have fit better. <HERC listens to it> No, no it wouldn't.

Again, another great song out of it's time.  Again, another more contemporary cover version would have worked nicely - this time, it's Billy Idol!  In denim!

His version of the song was re-released as a live version 1987 but HERC kinda likes this 1981 clip from "Solid Gold" TV show.  Is it Idol's performance or the Solid Gold dancers?  He'll never tell.  <It's the dancers!>

Music Explosion's "Little Bit Of Soul" (1967) along with the Tommy James, Young Rascals and Little Eva tracks would make a good start to a Sixties dance party collection.  But as an Eighties dance club song?  Not so much.

The last odd inclusion on Night Beat is Bobby Darrin's fun mish-mash "Splish Splash" from way back in 1958.  Nineteen fifty freakin' eight!  That's almost thirty years before the rest of the songs included on Night Beat that HERC hasn't already singled out.

So to make a long post longer, even if you like the songs singled out above, Night Beat might be a rough listen for you.  On the other hand, it just might be the best collection of songs you have heard up til now.  But wait, there's more...

The song that made HERC pick Night Beat to be today's post, the first one of Prince Week here at the Hideaway in honor of Prince's 54th Birthday.  Is it "Kiss"?  No, no, no, no.  Is it "Raspberry Beret"? No, no, no, no.  Is it "When Doves Cry"?  No, no, no, no.  It is "1999"!  Watch it while you can because Prince videos don't stay up long on YouTube!

Prince also wrote the song "Manic Monday" by The Bangles which is included on Night Beat as well.  He originally recorded it as a duet with Apollonia, his Purple Rain co-star yet never released it.  Two years later, he offered it to The Bangles and it became their first big hit.  Their first little hit, a favorite of both HERC and (reportedly) Prince, is "Hero Takes A Fall".

 

For your listening pleasure, HERC has gathered up 38 of the 40 songs included on Night Beat and compiled a Spotify playlist recreating the running order as it appears on the 2 disc set.  The two missing songs are "Alibis" by Sergio Mendes and "All I Need Is A Miracle" by Mike + the Mechanics.

Did you click on the "no, no, no, no" links above?  Scroll on back up there, just above the video for "1999", and give them a try.  And tell HERC you want that "Fridays" post sooner rather than later.