Songs of 1986 That Should Have Been Bigger Hits

[DaveWollenberg]

RIP, Andrew Gold.

[DaveWollenberg]

Was 'Eddie' John's last, or, middle name? If his middle, what was his last name?

[nccvball]

@DaveWollenberg

No reference book or website I have seen has listed an alternative last name for John. "Eddie" does not sound like a standard last name but it could be real.

BTW, John is releasing a new CD in February 2012.

[upfrontbear74]

The Device album is fantastic, only found out about them by buying the single on 7 inch here in the UK.

[KeMoniito]

You've got to understand that in the 80's there was just so much talent everywhere , that it was practically impossible to make all music that was coming a #1 hit or be in the top 10 list... the 80's was the decade that produced more quality music year per year, month per month , than any other decade and that's just a fact.

[nccvball]

@KeMoniito

I would argue that the 70's were the most talented decade musically, but you are correct. There is a definitely a right place, right time formula for new music.

[KeMoniito]

@nccvball .. I agree with you. the 70's where the decade with the BEST talent musically ever. I was talking about the 80's having the most number of talent competing, much of which came from the 70's .

[cabmandu]

As others mentioned "Live is Life" was a huge a hit in places other than the U.S. It could not be escaped in Europe.

Another worldwide hit that missed the U.S. was Falco's " Jeanny."

[jsc1215]

I apologize if I am late in sharing this, but Andrew Gold passed away in June of this year.  His songs will be remembered.

[lurch321]

Just thought of 2 more that aren't on your list: One Step Closer by Gavin Christopher and No More I Love You's by The Lover Speaks.

[lurch321]

Juliana Hatfield name drops the Del Fuegos in her song My Sister.......................i­n the song, she says it was the first concert she's been to.

[larrystarstruck]

I had forgotten about that KBC song. That was great.

[MidAtlanticGal]

Don Quichotte was put on a disco CD compilation called "The Disco Years." I own several of these and that's how I first heard the song.

[rickv404]

Love "Out of Mind, Out of Sight". Never would have got that record if not for MTV, because I never heard it on the radio.

[nccvball]

@rickv404

MTV definitely served a very useful purpose in its early days. Unfortunately, I think it became a monster of its success. Back in the early 1990's, there was a plan to split MTV into three or more music channels, not the "reality" programming they have today.

[lynx002ca]

That Feargal Sharkey song was pretty big here in Canada. Also forgotten in this year are Mothers Talk by Tears for Fears. Also, I never understood why Pretty in Pink by the Psychedelic Furs couldn't crack the Top 40, talk about having everything going for it...

[TheViralSBK]

A good heart and Life is life are still played on oldies radios in Italy

[feelingcrafty]

OMG, I used to love the first song!!! Now... about Opus, that song was played to DEATH in South America, where I'm from. So it was a big hit there, despite it being one of the crappiest songs of all time. :-)

[MrSavoy63]

loved Feargal Sharkey

[HitsTownUSA]

This was one of the few TSR Record releases to get airplay on big city Top 40's, I have the Magazine 60 12" single on TSR sub-label Baja. Great post!

[The096757]

parts of love in siberia sound really good like 1:25 to the end of the song

[ALucas73]

On Aha - "The Sun Always Shines On TV" was a hit in New Zealand plus the video followed on from the end of the Take On Me video.

[TammiWayKewl]

Others that deserved better include "Shelter" by Lone Justice, and "Blood And Roses" by The Smithereens.

[tgear77]

@TammiWayKewl Why "Blood and Roses" wasn't a huge hit is one of life's great mysteries. That bass line rocks!

[JPChristian]

I agree on Device. Holly was such a prolific songwriter back then

[nccvball]

@JPChristian

Yes, she wrote many Top 10 and #1 hits throughout the mid 80's through the mid 90's. Not many music fans know the sheer volume of her work.

[RareLostMusic]

@JPChristian I agree also, I thought it should have gotten much longer airplay...

[rrvio]

@nccvball Yes I agree with you considering A-Ha as a popular group but sometimes just by "Take on Me". They had here another hit "You are the One" and most people doesn't know other songs, only fans. In my case, It was difficult to me to know the title of "Maybe Maybe", which is the 3rd most popular here and rarely played on peruvian FM radios. There was a local big selling 45 rpm vinyl on 87 containing "Take on Me" and "Maybe Maybe" published for SouthAmerican market (Argentina,Bolivia,Peru)

[rrvio]

Live is life and right between the eyes are still now aired on a 80's hits peruvian radio. I thought they were bigger hits on US Chart. Even more, the Opus' song is between the most popular from 80s, accoridng to peruvian fans.

[nccvball]

@rrvio

Thanks for the info.

I know Opus and especially Wax are better remembered globally than they are in the US. Occasionally, you may hear "Live is Life" as a lost 80's tune or a "where are they now" segment but Wax is not played on any US terrestrial radio stations that I know of. Only VH1 Classic plays their video on occasion.

[rrvio]

@nccvball Thanks too for your info. Yes. I used to watch VH1 Classic, here is broadcasted at Midnight. Wax was for me a "One wonder hit" band. Listening to Opus reminds me the end of the Berlin Wall, I was 5. As a comment another song from 1986 is a bigger hit here (South America) than any other place, I'm refering to Maybe Maybe from A-Ha This song is sometimes underrated by european/american fans. What you think about?

[nccvball]

@rrvio

A-Ha is a group I loved while growing up. 99% of the American music buying public believe A-Ha was a one-hit wonder. When, in fact, A-Ha was a very popular group for over a decade with hits around the world. They do have a small devoted following in the US but most people only know them from "Take on Me".

[RecordWarped]

They should have been biggest hits, indeed, but to me, these were THE hits of 1986. "Right Between the Eyes" was one of my favorite songs of the year, and I have that one on LP, 12-inch and CD.

Thanks for the relatively recent trip down memory lane.

[nccvball]

@RecordWarped

My pleasure. Not to make you feel older but these songs are nearly 25 years old.

[elc1960]

"Out of Mind Out of Sight" was very popular on MTV but never cracked the US Top 40 charts; I was always surprised by that because the song had the sound MTV was pushing very heavily at the time and sounded like it was tailor-made for them. The one by John Eddie was very surprising because I always thought it did make the Top 40.

[nccvball]

@elc1960

I agree with you. Models (not "The Models", as I have been told) have a heavily produced sound with the horns, synth, lots of reverb. It's still catchy 24+ years later.

I get the sense from reading John Eddie's website that the label he was recording for back in the 1986 was trying to sculpt him into something he was not. He still performs up and down the East Coast.

[recordman64]

DUH...I clicked on this link thinking it was 1966! I'm drunk, what do you expect?

[nccvball]

@recordman64

Not to fear. 1966 is on the way... but there are a few more videos ahead of that one.

[600keith]

JOHN EDDIE!!!!! wow! i bought his cd [still have it] jungle boy is sooo good...but i love the follow-up [which apparently went nowhere, but i remember the video clip] called stranded. and opus...live is life, another all time 80's fave. feargal sharkey had a single, in addition to the one you mention, called you little thief...thanks for bringing him to my attention again. i love your clips!! fun!

[nccvball]

@600keith

Glad you liked it. John is still performing, he has busy schedule of road gigs on the East Coast for the summer of 2010.

John also has a website where he explains what happened back in 80's and what he is working on now.

I caught Opus on one of those syndicated music video show back in the 80's and they did a nice little interview with host.

More videos are on the way.

[SPECTRE1961]

Wax - Right Between the Eyes ...

Here in Brazil/Rio de Janeiro

This song was the Top One for 6 months in 1986,

And now ... 2010,

This song ... still playing in many Shopping Malls in Brazil/ambient music

[nccvball]

@SPECTRE1961

That's funny. I remember shopping at a Woolworth's back in the 1990's and they would have "Fresh Air" by the Quicksilver Messenger Service as background music. I do not believe they listened to the lyrics.

[elc1960]

@nccvball Better to have "Fresh Air" than "What About Me" with its heavy anti-establishment lyrics (especially the line about "I smoke marijuana but I can't get behind your wars"). THAT would have been weird to hear while perusing the Toy Dept. at Woolworth's.

[nccvball]

@elc1960

LOL The company that supplied Woolworth's with their musak had some bizarre choices for light background music. The tapes were typically a mix of instrumental versions of oldies but QMS is not something you would find on your typical oldies station.

[francis1971]

Great to hear The Models here, one of the best bands in my homeland. They still are around today, whilst one member does talkback radio in my home city of Sydney.

Good to see Feargal Sharkey here as well.

[nccvball]

@francis1971

Models definitely took on an INXS-like sound right around this time. It is surprising to me that this was their only hit in the US.

Feargal is doing quite well in the British music industry and government, Wired magazine listed him as one of the Top 100 influential people in music.