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Billboard 200 Top 1985 Part Deux   Picking up on the #1 albums of 1985 (no one ever left alive in Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five will ever do)…we’ve already discussed the first 7 albums…and now the final 7 from the 2nd half of the year. Each of these albums had a #1 single except for surprisingly (for the time) one from Prince.   1. Prince and the Revolution followed up the masterpiece of “Purple Rain” with AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY.  It’s been many many years since I listened to this album in full, and I did this past week.  For me, it’s an album that has a lot of layers but honestly doesn’t do much for me.  The perfection pop of “Raspberry Beret” hit the top 10 as did “Pop Life”.  AROUND THE WORLD spent 3 weeks on top. Here they are in their Around the World psychedelic gear and look: https://youtu.be/l7vRSu_wsNc   2. Put a banana in your tailpipe.  The first soundtrack album to hit #1 in 1985 The BEVERLY HILLS COP Soundtrack is filled with songs that became hits from the biggest box office movie of 1984.  Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude” hit #17 (#3 on the R&B) and her “Stir it Up” hit #5 on the R&B charts, the Pointer Sister’s “Neutron Dance” got to #6, Glenn Frey’s “Heat is On” went to #2, and Tom will discuss another song from this album.  This album was #1 for 2 weeks.   3. I’ll let it all out…Tears for Fears’ SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR spent 5 non-consecutive weeks at the top.  It includes today’s #1 and perhaps more…   4. In the summer of ’69….oops…The summer of ’85, Canada’s newest favorite son, Bryan Adams’ RECKLESS got to the top and it’s still a staple of classic rock radio and anything 80s.  “Run to You” reached #6, the never-off-the-radio “Summer of ‘69” hit #5, “Somebody” went to #11, and one other song hit #1.    5. Technology changes things…and Dire Straits’ BROTHERS IN ARMS made tech history, as one of the first albums directed at the CD Market. It was the 1st album to sell 1,000,000 CD copies as well as the first time the CD version outsold it’s vinyl version.  A future #1 single, plus the top ten “Walk of Life” and the top 20, “So Far Away”.  All the sales kept it at the top of the album charts for 9 Strait (get it?) weeks.  :)   6. I believe this is the first #1 album from a TV show…let me know if I’m wrong.  The soundtrack to the MIAMI VICE TV show is as ‘80s as it gets.  The show merged MTV and the BuddyCop Formula into a feast for the eyes and the ears.  Former Eagles member, Glenn Frey continues his hot year with the #12 “Smugglers Blues” and “You Belong to the City” which peaked at #2.  Plus a #1.  Crockett and Tubbs and their pet alligator, Elvis would be proud.  8 weeks on top in 1985, and 3 more in 1986.   7. The cover of the eponymous album HEART shocked anyone holding this record.  The hard rocking band Heart now of long flowing hair was now hairsprayed & teased.  This was the same Wilson-sisters-led-band from the late 1970s.  But the Billboard results were better than they ever had before.  4 songs hit the top ten. “What About Love” (#10), “Nothin’ At All” (#10) & “Never” (#4), plus a Tommy-tune-to-review.  It was a #1 album for a solitary week. Do You have a favorite among these 7?

PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR TODAY’S #1 “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” Songwriters: Roland Orzbal, Ian Stanley, Chris Hughes Producers: Chris Hughes Label: Mercury               ((Select Personnel)) Tears for Fears:  Roland – guitar, vocals; Curt Smith – bass guitar, lead vocals; Ian Stanley – keyboards; Manny Elias – drums, Nick Taylor –2nd  guitar solo RIP EDDIE VAN HALEN - He definitely RULED THE ‘best of both’ WORLDs.

i don’t think it was recognized till he passed. that’s my recollection.

mt58, i agree but then i see this is just an 18 or 19 year old. just out of primary school. He’s got his first job and making ok money for a working class guy. He was just trying to get her to dance with him (careless whisper or Wake me up...) and they were having fun. They got married because fun lust and passion sometimes overshadow it. Now he’s trapped. He can “man up” but perhaps he doesn’t know how to. He’s saddled himself l with a wife and a baby and it happened so quickly. And obviously she’s not a partner in this. She just expects him to work hard while she enjoys her own life and keeps demanding more of him since he’s born good enough. perhaps. One day he’ll explode.

I don’t think this was a Vixon. She’s someone who wants to be taken care of and she uses her feminine ways to get everything she wants. she’s not leaving him unless he can’t provide anymore.

lol. pregnant pause. I like this song. and the essential moment for me is the “now you tell me you’re having my baby...” stanza. You can here how overwhelmed he is. He’s a working class joe who just wanted to have fun but he’s with a materialistic girl who wants to be pampered and taken care of... and now he’s going to be a father. This couple needs serious help and i feel for the baby to be. What a serious song with a danceable groove.

I think sometimes it’s too close and you can’t separate the song from the overwhelming PR. George Michaels just wasn’t recognized how great of a so songwriter performer and producer. I’ll say the same as Madonna. Performer yes but not songwriter. The hair, the videos, their public personalities etc overshadow the talent.

PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR TODAY’S #1   “Everything She Wants” Songwriters: George Michael (3rd as songwriter) Producers: George Michael (3rd as producer) Label: Columbia               ((Select Personnel)) Deon Estus – 2nd #1 on bass   Tommy Eyre – 2nd on keyboards.  Tommy’s keyboard playing can best be heard on Joe Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” especially that very distinctive organ introduction.  (I’ve queued up the intro…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_RJkItUy3k&feature=youtu.be&t=6

btw, this song has obviously resonated with each new generation because of the movie, but let’s also not forget the ending the “pitch perfect“ which hits his penultimate zenith with the a cappella version of DY (FAM). Everyone has seen it and it is another connection to Gen X and Gen Z

only if you are chimpanzee :)

i knew this one had to be up there but it’s not the song i suspected at first. That one will have Tom talking about in less than 4 weeks from today, and partly written by today’s birthday boy. I love your choice better

love love the style council

accidentally downvoted. sorry.

Absolutely a fantastic choice Barnable. A great song from a great movie. Just like anything 1980s any song has to have a great visual associated with it. And this certainly does. Nicely ranked. and now we only have 6 left.

PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR TODAY’S #1 “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”   Songwriters: Steve Schiff (his 1st) and as Tom mentioned Keith Forsey (his 3rd #1 after co-writing Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” & “Flashdance…What a Feeling”).  He’s also written “The Heat is On” for Glenn Frey, “Stir it Up” for Patti LaBelle (both on the Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack), and the theme song for “The Never Ending Story”   Producers: Keith Forsey (as a producer, Forsey produced songs like “White Wedding”,”Dancing with myself”, “Rebel Yell” for Billy Idol) Label: A&M               ((Select Personnel)) SIMPLE MINDS: Jim Kerr – Lead vocals, Charlie Burchill – Guitar, Mick MacNeil – Keyboards, Derek Forbes and John Giblin – Bass, Kenny Hyslop, Mel Gaynor and Mike Ogletree – drums and percussions.

i learned the names and history of three oboe players today. that’s got to be a record of some weird kind.

toolclub, welcome to the club.

it’s a 10/10. has anyone given Tom a $1000 to get a backstabbers write up?

virgindog. please note: today’s number one is the last song on the vision quest album. :)

thanks Link. I didn’t know Mounsey’s name before the Phil Collins song. He’s been on a lot of things. I learned more about the oboe and oboe players in pop music then ever before

it’s oboe mania. lol great suggestion. while not a number one, i checked and the oboe for “For All We Know” was played by Earl Dumler. so who is Earl? Dumler has played on a bazillions pieces of music for artists and for film. But it seems Earl’s greatest contribution was playing the “human keyboard“ which was really an OBOE (who knew!) for John Williams masterpiece: Close Encounters of the Third Kind. https://youtu.be/S4PYI6TzqYk The Tuba which represented the Alien Mothership was played Tommy Johnson. Tommy’s tuba also spoke for approaching shark in Jaws https://youtu.be/DSJEfHWv7fQ

neither did I! I’m learning a lot about all the people who don’t have any name recognition and where they all fit in the process. I wanted to start this in the 70s but the personnel credits weren’t individualized at the time. Even on a song like today’s the drummer and guitarist are not listed on the records liner notes. And Madonna’s next number ones has a whole new cast of characters as she takes much more control over her brand and product.

52nd street is by far my favorite Billy Joel album. lots of different sounds and lyrics.

i need to find and read that book. I love that we connected Madonna and Sonny Bono in an instant. Besides both being Italian.

That’s awesome Rollerboogie. Great stuff and great catch. Do i did a dive. Sonny Bono used LA’s famous Wrecking Crew on his productions. George Poole is the player on this record playing the oboe and the bassoon. Also looks like he also played the woodwinds on the Harper’s Bizarre version of “59th Street Bridge Song (feeling groovy)”. the instrument arrangement for “I Got You Babe” was provided by Harold Battiste who owned the first African-American record label in the American South, called AFO records. He arranged for Sam Cooke, and he helped discover and produce Dr. John.

in the bonus beats....I’ve seen New Found Glory a few times but since Chad cheated on Hayley I haven’t listened to them. that’s stupid of course. so i should go back

this was added late for Monday’s #1. Just wanted to give these musicians their due PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR The Previous #1 “We Are The World” Songwriters: Michael Jackson (his 4th as a songwriter), Lionel Richie (8th as a songwriter) Producers: Quincy Jones (his 7th previously 1 with Leslie Gore, 4 with MJ, 1 with Patti Austin/James Ighram), Michael Omartian (his 2nd – won a Grammy for “Sailing”) Label: Columbia, CBS   ((Select Personnel)) Guitar: Paul Jackson Jr. – several #1s already with Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Donna Summer Percussion: Paulinho da Costa – this is the 3rd #1 he’s played on Drums: John Robinson – this is the 5th #1 he’s played on Bass (Synth): Louis Johnson- this is the 4th #1 he’s played on Keyboards: Greg Phillinganes – this is the 6th #1 he’s played on Synths: Ian Underwood - #2, Michael Boddicker #5, David Paich - #4

The woodwind is an Oboe. May be the only #1 with a prominent oboe. lol PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR TODAY’S #1 “Crazy For You” Songwriters: Jon Lind (his 1st), John Bettis (his 2nd #1 – “Top of the World”.  Bettis also has written the Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand”, the Carpenters’ “Only Yesterday”, MJ’s “Human Nature”, and the Growing Pains Theme Song!) Producers: John “Jellybean” Benitez (his first) Label: Geffen, CBS               ((Select Personnel)) Madonna does all her backing vocals including the “buh, buh, buh, buh, ahh-haa”s Rob Mounsey – music arrangement (his 2nd – “Against All Odds” another movie song) George Marge OBOE I believe this is his 2nd #1 as he played on “Afternoon Delight”.  George Marge is one of those musicians that has been making money as a session person since 1962 through 2015.  He’s been on 100s of albums (especially George Benson’s) playing any type of woodwind instrument. I took a really deep dive into his career (whom Wikipedia ignores) Other than “Crazy for You”, you can hear George play the sopranino recorder on the solo and outro for Billy Joel’s wonderful “Rosalinda’s Eyes”.  I’ve queued it up for you: https://youtu.be/TvwdPd_0mnM?t=125

PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR The Previous #1 “We Are The World” Songwriters: Michael Jackson (his 4th as a songwriter), Lionel Richie (8th as a songwriter) Producers: Quincy Jones (his 7th previously 1 with Leslie Gore, 4 with MJ, 1 with Patti Austin/James Ighram), Michael Omartian (his 2nd – won a Grammy for “Sailing”) Label: Columbia, CBS   ((Select Personnel)) Guitar: Paul Jackson Jr. – several #1s already with Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Donna Summer Percussion: Paulinho da Costa – this is the 3rd #1 he’s played on Drums: John Robinson – this is the 5th #1 he’s played on Bass (Synth): Louis Johnson- this is the 4th #1 he’s played on Keyboards: Greg Phillinganes – this is the 6th #1 he’s played on Synths: Ian Underwood - #2, Michael Boddicker #5, David Paich - #4

downvoted by accident.

go and find the Leland series. They are informative.

Irishbearaz, at least he had a leather jacket had chains that would jingle. :)

great song. Love “mama” especially in concert

Virgindog... “ I just called to say i love you” was Won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

i remember seeing Phil in 1985 and his “take me home” ended the show. it may have been 20 minutes long. then again “but i don’t re-men-bah-ha”. hehe

that’s very true because the music was the same. Popular music. And pop oldies still play motown as much as the Beatles or Stones or John Denver. But in the 70s rock radio diverged.

thank you Blu_cheez. you too if it applies.

Rock Radio is weird. It’s overwhelmingly white but then again it’s not. Whether it’s Jimi or Sly or Lenny or Gary Clark Jr or Living Colour or sometimes Marvin or Stevie they get okay play. But ask them to play Let’s Go Crazy or 1999 and they won’t do it. Well that’s the state of Corpirate Rock Radio for the last 30 years.

“We” could include the whole “world” but since Prince isn’t in that World, (although soon he’ll be AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY” this world isn’t whole. :)

fishhead is an excellent word too.