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27
The lyrics to "The Boys Of Summer" inspired a game. We're always on the lookout for a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac, whether on the road or in a parking lot, and we've only seen a handful of them. We always park as far out in the parking lot as possible so we maximize our steps and have ample opportunity to case look at all the parked vehicles. Other things we look for: Dodge Journey's parked next to Ford Escape's or Nissan Frontier's, pink Cadillacs and little red Corvettes, which seem to be the easiest to find. Henley's "The Boys Of Summer" has always struck a good chord with us and we've never tired of hearing it. Our favorite-sounding version of "The Boys Of Summer" is the digital download of the 2024 mastering of Building The Perfect Beast.
189
Sure, "Jam On It" is a novelty but we gotta give props to Newcleus. First, the sounds they made were fresh and new, created by them and not cribbed from others records through samples or interpolations. Second, they performed live in concert, playing their synths and drum machines when nearly every other hip-hop group was performing to tape. We will say that a little Newcleus goes a long way because those Chipmunks-sounding vocals get grating quickly. Still, on any any decent sounding system, "Jam On It" sounds mighty fine. The best-sounding version of Newcleus's "Jam On It" in our collection is the full-length twelve-inch mix on the 2002 U.K. compilation Electro Breakdance 2 (The Essential Old School Revival).
24
As it originally appeared on the Seven and the Ragged Tiger album as the opening track in late 1983, "The Reflex" just laid there like a tossed dirty shirt that missed the hamper. There was none of that shimmer and sparkle that define Duran Duran hit singles. But then the boys reached out to Nile Rodgers whose production on INXS's "Original Sin" had impressed them and he worked out a remix that brought the shimmer and sparkle. The 6:35 dance mix was our jam for a hot minute around our 18th birthday. As DJPaulT and others have noted, the import U.K. twelve-inch was the one to get because it was pressed at 45RPM rather than 33 and a third RPM like the U.S. single so it sounded bigger, fatter and better. However, our favorite-sounding version of the dance mix of "The Reflex" is on the 1999 Duran Duran compilation Strange Behaviour.
167
"Breakin'...There's No Stopping Us" is one of two songs on the 1984 Hideaway 200 from the Breakin' soundrack. The song has a positive uplifiting message delivered over a relentlessly rhythmic backing track. Several of our friends would rate it much higher than we have. We prefer the 3:40 single edit to the longer album cut or even longer Club Mix. The best-sounding single-edit of "Breakin'...There's No Stopping Us" here in the HERChives is on the 2018 U.K. four-disc compilation Driven By The 80s (100 Essential Driving Songs).
44
Our introduction to
Cashmere's "Can I" was over the system at Loco Records one night in February 1985 and it sounded amazing. We added the group's self-titled album to the short stack of records we were purchasing that night. We've always considered "Can I" our little secret as we have only ever met a couple of folks who have ever heard this bouncy R&B song with amazing vocals from Dwight Dukes. Our favorite-sounding version of "Can I" is the full-length album version on the 1996 U.S. pressing of the Can I compact disc.
107
When we first heard "Black Cars" on KLPX, it stopped us in our tracks. It sounded quite a bit different than Gino Vannelli's previous soft rock hits "Living Inside Myself" and "I Just Wanna Stop". One of our friends lent us their copy of the Black Cars album during Christmas break and we dubbed it on a tape which took up residence in my girlfriend's (navy blue) car. Six months later, we picked up the 12" single of "Black Cars" with a pretty cool remix. Our favorite remix of "Black Cars" is the nearly ten-minute Overdrive Mix by Greg Lee. The best-sounding album version of Gino Vannelli's "Black Cars" is on a 1997 double-disc Dutch compilation Greatest Hits and More.
71
We liked Howard Jones's first album Human's Lib plenty. It served to flesh out the New Song EP with more of his melodic synth work. One of the album's tracks that immediately caught our ear was "Pearl In The Shell". Decades later, we discovered the 8:55 Remix Version of "Pearl In The Shell" and it immediately became our favorite version of the song. In addition to the 12" U.S. promo disc, the remix appears on a few compact discs. Our favorite-sounding version of the Harvey Goldberg and Mark Kamins Remix Version is on the 2017 U.K. triple-disc compilation 12 Inch Dance: 80s Remix.
87
After getting our attention with their 1983 album Fantastic and a few energetic singles, Wham! got everyone's attention with Make It Big the following year. Monster track "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is just a irrepressibly fun song. Its got that perky retro-pop sound like Tracey Ullman was going for with a lot more energy and production that imbues the song with an intensity that few pure pop songs possess. The best-sounding version of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" to our ears appears on these three compact discs:
- Make It Big (1984 Japan pressing for Europe 32•8P-60)
- Make It Big (undated Austria pressing for Europe EPC 465576 2)
- Make It Big (1990 U.S. pressing CK 39595)
58
From 1984 through 1990, Whitesnake was a KLPX staple, beginning with the group's 1984 album Slide It In which had been given a sonic tune-up via a so-called U.S. remix. The two singles we loved hearing on the station, especially later at night after closing up shop, were "Slow an' Easy" and "Love Ain't No Stranger". Both songs start off as ballads before erupting into hard-rockin' anthems with David Coverdale purring, whining and growling as he lists his troubles and confesses his sins. Our favorite-sounding version of the U.S. remix of "Love Ain't No Stranger" is on the 1989 U.S. promo only sampler Snake Bites.
14
We loved "Talk Talk" by Talk Talk the first time we heard it in 1982 but to our ears in 1984, the follow-up "It's My Life" was annoying to listen to. That bird sound beginning at about five seconds in and reappearing throughout the track was the culprit and as a result, we gave the album away, ordered another one and didn't give much play to the It's My Life album for about twenty years. Then our teenage daughter started talking about this awesome new song by No Doubt. We finally heard it and immediately went into "music was better back in our day" mode, digging out It's My Life so she could hear for herself. Then we just kept on listening to It's My Life and in no time we were hooked on the title track. That bird sound that used to annoy us was no longer an irritant. Mark Hollis's vocals still sound like the missing link between Bryan Ferry and Paul Buchanan (Blue Nile). To our ears in 2024, the best-sounding version of "It's My Life" is on the 1984 Austria pressing for the U.K. double-disc compilation Now That's What I Call Music! 18.
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We're 55% through the 1984 Hideaway 200 with only 90 songs to go. Those viewers playing along at home, check your cards with those below to make sure you're up to date.
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