Again, very tempted to just cut and paste some stuff I already wrote about Adult Contemporary, but that would be cheating. I have integrity dammit. I care about the comments I make even if no one else sometimes does. I know it is not important in the grand scheme of things, but that is how I feel. This is a truly awful song with putrid production. People usually talk about (or they used to before The Lonely Island got him some cred back) Michael Bolton or Richard Marx as far as terrible soft rock artists go, but Peter Cetera puts them all to shame in my mind. He is a walking, singing charisma vacuum who sucks all joy and happiness out of the air and replaces it with hate and suffering. The man ruined Chicago which I feel the need to rep for as a resident of the state, but his solo work is so much worse. If being in love if even close to what is portrayed in this track, then I hope that I never feel it in my lifetime. 0/10.

Hey, all my styles were derivative!

This is definitely a point where Tom and I part company as well. I agree with him on Clapton- almost nothing the man did after “Layla” has ever interested me- and I see what he’s getting at, but Winwood’s best 80s stuff, including this, was infectious and joyful. Not sure I want to know how he’d rate “Valerie,” one of my favorites of the whole decade.

I know Tom gave “while you see a chance” a “3”.
perhaps Tom never listened to this song after going out to clubs or bars, then after striking out, sitting in your car or on a train going home, then this song comes on and lifts you up. And then you have the fortitude to go out another day and try again.

As soon as I saw Tom give “While You See A Chance” a 3, I knew today was going to be a problem.

Peaking at #3 below Peter Cetera was a radiant Belinda Carlisle and her debut solo single “Mad About You.” That one gets a 10.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmdtJWmR9zQ

Well, Tom and I don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on this one…

“Higher Love” is one of my favorite songs of 1986, and Back In The High Life is perhaps my favorite album from that year. I still listen to the album sometimes, and still think that it doesn’t have a weak track on it.

Speaking of not seeing eye-to-eye with today’s column, I was taken by Steve Winwood’s ‘look’ in the “Higher Love” video, to the point that I started trying to emulate it. My hair was already pretty much the same length and had the same waviness quotient as his, and I had a similar build. So, I started wearing similar clothing, specifically the jacket with an open collar shirt, and on other days the solid-color shirt (with sleeves rolled up) and solid tie. I don’t know how well I actually pulled it off, but I certainly did try.

Hmmm. That’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to a Brigit-level discussion of (my attempted) sartorial style, derivative such as it was!

classic white man overbite example:

Just crushed. An incomparable talent.

The 2020 Year-End Sidebar:

Spinning the wheel of thanks: five expressions of gratitude at the end of a unique year:

1:
Thanks to Tom and Scott for their implicit approval of our oddish little reverie. They are the reason that we have a place to meet and talk, keep company, laugh and support each other. Otherwise, I guess we’d probably be in some random Facebook group, competing for bandwidth with Aunt Linda. She’s sweet and all, but this is definitely more stimulating than her never-ending cat memes.

2:
In junior high, I had maybe one or two friends that I could talk with about records, Casey’s AT40 show, the Billboard charts, etc. Most of the others in school didn’t care much about it, and thought that those of us that did were a little bit weird. When it comes to compiling and tracking music, I’ve always felt like an outlier. And then, amazingly, what happens at my advanced age? Along comes youze guys and gals. Thanks for the validation for all of it, especially when I crack wise with my dumb “Backstabbers” joke, for like, the eleventy-ninth time.

3:
The TNOCS Against Malaria 2020 Fundraiser ends tomorrow… and you did it: over $1100 raised in just three weeks, resulting in over 500 mosquito nets provided to those in need! It’s just incredible. I am very grateful to you for letting me promote this worthy cause.

4:
Whenever I think about coming up with a bit, a song, videomash, graphic, or video for our squad, I am very mindful that the extra content is not everyone’s cup of tea. So thanks for your tolerance and for being such good sports, as you patiently put up with my stuff.

4a:
Speaking of that: your generous and kind words about the Christmas video were very thoughtful – and very moving. I appreciated every comment. (i-bear: you put me away – I was a certified puddle of soup.)

5:
I could go on and on about the great fun that we’ve had here in 2020, with four dozen examples of times that you all made me laugh out loud, silently cry, think, learn, and perhaps best of all: try to be a better person. I think about all of you as a group of good friends who I miss when we’re offline. I wonder a lot about how all of you are coping in these difficult times, and I look forward to meeting up with you here three times a week, just to make sure that you’re OK.

And just when I thought that I’d never be able to sum it all up, to put a finger on what this place does for many of us… well, along comes LakeshoreLil last Wednesday…

And, that’s it, right there. You matter. You’re seen, heard, and respected. Not a bad thing to know when your head finally hits the pillow, at the end of your long day.

Happy New Year to you all, and have a great weekend. Onward to 2021! And, 1987! Please be careful, take good care of yourselves and each other, and, this time…

… I’m betting that you won’t need to buy a vowel.

If Winwood’s not appropriating black r&b singing then what the hell is it? Tom’s not condemning the appropriation but it’s lame variety.

MF DRUGOVERDOSE maybe the title for the inevitable posthumous album?

Well a lot of terrorists are muslim so is it really that weird that some movie has muslim terrorists in it? Is it racist to say that muslim terrorism exists?

Someone bought a candy apple red taylor and an alternative rock song chord book in June of pandemic year eh? This is so cringey and cheesedick I expected Chance to pop out at the end like “Ay yo, KB what up, I’m a creeeeep, but I love my wife, ungh, yeah”.

the actual definition of creep is a celebrity musician covering a song for goats

the year and a half period where he released Take Me To Your Leader, Vaudeville Villain, Madvillainy, and Mm.. Food might go down in history as the most fruitful two year period in history. unquestionably the best to ever do it.