My Top 20 Lists that I compiled as a kid 1973-1990

[Catfish]

January 1983 List
----------------------
1. Styx (No change)
2. Neil Young (No change)
3. Journey (No change)
4. Kansas (+1)
5. Foreigner (-1)
6. Loverboy (New)
7. Police (-1)
8. Led Zeppelin (-1)
9. Rush (-1)
10. Pat Benetar (+3)
11. Fleetwood Mac (-2)
12. Bob Seger (-2)
13. Asia (-2)
14. Boston (-2)
15. Jefferson Starship (+2)
16. Christopher Cross (-1)
17. Dire Straits (-1)
18. Cars (-4)
19. Men at Work (-1)
20. Go Go's (New)

Loverboy- . Another good band from Canada, and it seems like the early '80's were the Canuck hay day. April Wine, among others. Hard rock with great hooks and best played loud. According to wiki, they charted 12 singles in the U.S. in the Top 40 in 6 years and 4 albums. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Lots to choose from, I'll pick this one

The Go Go's-. A lot of people thought the Go Go's were a gimmick band. No all girl band had really been taken seriously since the Runaways. But honestly, they weren't that bad. Carlisle had a great voice, and she ended up with the most success with a solo career.

I know the songwriting was a tad weak, but they put together a few good songs that got a whole lot of air play. They had a new wave tint, at the time the style was starting to wane. They only made 3 albums, so I was really pissed that they were inducted in the HOF in '21, when so many older greater more epic and prolific bands have been overlooked. No knock on thei talents, but.......

For a sample, I'll go with the biggest hit on their second album........ Wanna a clue of how near amateur some of their members were? When a rock drummer has to count candence on fills, you get the picture.


https://www.youtube.com/wa

 

[Catfish]

February 1983 List
----------------------
1. Styx (No change)
2. Neil Young (No change)
3. Journey (No change)
4. Kansas (No change)
5. Foreigner (No change)
6. Pat Benetar (+5)
7. Led Zeppelin (+1)
8. Loverboy (-2)
9. Police (-2)
10. Rush (-1)
11. Bob Seger (+1)
12. Toto (New)
13. Asia (No change)
14. Boston (No change)
15. Fleetwood Mac (-4)
16. Little River Band (New)
17. Jefferson Starship (-2)
18. Men at Work (+1)
19. Christopher Cross (-3)
20. Dire Straits (-3)

Little River Band- Aussie pop rock band, for when you are in the mood. Pretty bland in retrospect, but still some solid Top 40 fodder.... again, if you are in the mood. If I have to add a sample....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szlqFlG4DL

 

[TACdtf]

April 1982 List
-------------------------
Joan Jett- She was a sexy rock star, and milked it well on stage.
Concert- April 5, 1982 Rigg and Rush- Price on stub- $10.50.- This by far was the

I've never found Joan Jett sexy in any way. Or that good, for that matter...

Jealous of that Rush show for sure!

September 1982 List
Toronto- I'll just leave it at that. I do remember they did play their one hit. And it was pretty good.

Intrigued by the Toronto mention. Checked the video. I very extremely vaguely remember this video. I think.

May 1982 List
Concert- May 31, 1982, UFO, Grand Funk Railroad, and Jim Dandy- Price on stub- $8.50

For starts, UFO came out for good short set.... played their known hits.... Over.

Yeah, UFO were on fumes at that point. One of the last US shows they would play at that point.

 

[Catfish]

March 1983 List
----------------------
1. Styx (No change)
2. Neil Young (No change)
3. Christopher Cross (+16-WTF?)
4. Kansas (No change)
5. Journey (-2)
6. Foreigner (-1)
7. Pat Benetar (-1)
8. Bob Seger (+3)
9. Led Zeppelin (-2)
10. Loverboy (-2)
11. Police (-2)
12. Rush (-2)
13. Toto (-1)
14. Asia (-1)
15. Boston (-1)
16. Fleetwood Mac (-1)
17. Jefferson Starship (No change)
18. Men at Work (No change)
19. Little River Band (-3)
20. Dire Straits (No change)

The 16 level jump for Christopher Cross is unexplainable. Listening to the likes of fluff like Cross and Little River Band must have been a counter to the coninual depressing stuff I was listening to with Neil Young.

 

[Catfish]

April 1983 List-
----------------------
1. Neil Young (+1)
2. Styx (-1)
3. Kansas (+1)
4. Christopher Cross (-1)
5. Journey (No change)
6. Pat Benetar (+1)
7. Foreigner (-1)
8. Bob Seger (No change)
9. Rush (+3)
10. Duran Duran (New)
11. Led Zeppelin (-2)
12. Loverboy (-2)
13. Tom Petty (New)
14. Police (-3)
15. Toto (-2)
16. Boston (-1)
17. Asia (-3)
18. Fleetwood Mac (-2)
19. Jerfferson Starship (-2)
20. Dire Straits (No change)

Duran Duran- Maybe New Wave's last ghasp. Or maybe the first of the UK Wuss bands. Take your pick. This band is Hooks-a-million", and had great songs at the clubs, and a nice respite when about every other song you heard was by Michael Jackson. When I think of Duran Duran, this tune always first comes to mind... There are others that decent, if you are so inclined to check

Concert- April 11, 1983- The Ramones, Price on stub $7.50

This was by far the most interesting concert experience of my life by far. I want to cover this in another post.

 

[Catfish]

My Ramones Concert Experience- April 11, 1983 at Cardi's.....

Like I mentioned someway, somehow The Ramones were going to perform at my favorite bar in the city I lived in. The day of the show, I collected a group of 3 of my good friends to go. One jokingly called me their Tour Guide into the world of rock and roll. Of course 40 years later, I realize now that that was a back handed insult in jest.

Well, when we got there, it was almost empty, and by the time the it was show time, my group and myself of 4 were among about 40-50 in the bar, and maybe 60 including bar staff. Rut-roh, I thought. I bet they no-show on this turnout. I thought this was going to be a night of disaster.

But... at about the 30 minutes late point, the band and their about 4 roadies show up. I couldn't believe it. I was going to see the Ramones in the most pristine state that could ever be expected. I can still picture the set up.... Pretty small stage, probably no bigger than 800-1000 square feet, looking out over the dance floor. Maybe half the crowd, including myself stood along the wood railing of the dance floor against the stage. The others? Scattered at the bar, and tables.

You know the Ramones, and they were punk pioneers.... 3 chords, loud, and simple. The first set flew by, and then Joey having some fun, challenged the crowd to try to stump them with something from their catalog. The Prize?? If anyone stumps us, you get to buy us a drink at the break. I took that as a personal challenge. I reached deep down in the recesses of my memories, on what might be an obscure enough number that they might have forgotten. After 3 guesses, and losing..... I finally stumped them. I can still picture Joey looking at the other members, and seeing him shake his head. Okay.... You got us. I stll got to hand it to the band. There may have only been a couple of dozen people in the crowd, but they gave the same amount of energy that they would have given to a 15,000 attended venue. I can not explain how many levels above cool this was.

I did buy the band a drink at the break, and one member laughed at said, man... we were kidding, we were going to get 'em free anyway. I did get to shake their hands, and Joey in his best sarcasm said something to the effect .... We never dreamed we would get stumped in this Red Neck Hell Hole. Typical New Yorker I guess. And best of all, Marky gave me a set of his sticks. (Which has an epilogue story of its own). Man if there ever was a need for a sharpie, or even a freakin' camera, that was the moment in my life.

The second set, which was also about an hour, continued the assault... They played stuff that I had never heard on albums, as much as their great songs, and some filler.... In the second set, there was a guy sitting at the bar, who kept yelling "Free Bird". "Free Bird". between songs. The band not amused, and had this in one of their verses of "Beat on the Brat":

Beat on the cat
Beat on the cat
Beat on the cat with a blue baseball cap.....Ohhhh Yeah.....Ohhhh Yeah.

This concert was so memorable, so cool. Nothing like this in music remotely ever happened again.

And to the drum sticks. I suspect my Mother in Law in one of her helping us clean up episodes, disposed of them. Man did that suck....

 

[Catfish]

May 1983 List
--------------------
1. Neil Young (No change)
2. Styx (No change)
3 Christopher Cross (+1)
4. Journey (+1)
5. Kansas (-2)
6. Foreigner (No Change)
7. Bob Seger (+1)
8. Pat Benetar (+1)
9. Rush (No change)
10. Duran Duran
11. Loverboy (+1)
12. Dire straits (+8)
13.Led Zeppelin (-2)
14. Tom Petty (-1)
15. Police (-1)
16. Boston (No change)
17. Toto (-2)
18. Fleetwood Mac (No change)
19. Asia (-2)
20. Jefferson Starship (-1)

 

[Catfish]

June 1983 List
---------------------
1. Neil Young (No change)
2. Styx (No change)
3. Journey (+1)
4. Dire Straits (+8)
5. Christopher Cross (-2)
6. Kansas (-1)
7. Bob Seger (No change)
8. Foreigner (-2)
9. Rush (No change)]
10. Pat Benetar (-2)
11. Loverboy (No change)
12. Duran Duran (-2)
13. Romantics (New)
14. Led Zeppelin (-1)
15. Tom Petty (-1)
16. Police (-1)
17. Boston (-1)
18. Toto (-1)
19. Fleetwood Mac (-1)
20. Jefferson Starship (No change)

Ran across this the other day. The age old argument teens have with their parent about what to do with their life. It's generational thing that has gone on forever. Lucky, some how, some way their was a Canadian Documentary that captured that with Rush's Alex Lifeson and his parents.

 

[Catfish]

July 1983 List
---------------------
1. Neil Young - (No Change)
2. Styx- (No change)
3. Journey (No change)
4. Dire Straits (No change)
5. Kansas (+1)
6. Bob Seger (+1)
7.Christopher Cross (-2)
8. Foreigner (No change)
9. Loverboy (+2)
10. Rush (+1)
11. Pat Benetar (-1)
12. Def Leppard (New)
13. Romantics (No change)
14. Duran Duran (-2)
15. Police (+1)
16. Led Zeppelin (-2)
17. Tom Petty (-2)
18. Boston (-1)
19. Fleetwood Mac (No change)
20.Toto (-2)

Def Leopard- . Fantastic group, straight forward hard rock, with a tinge of pop-Sweet, T-Rexish touch. This group was kind of strange in my thoughts, in that there were finally rock stars who were younger than I was. I recommend the 2nd though 5th album for a sample of when the band was in it's prime. Yeah, they got quite a boost off the video age, but this was a really good band. I like this one for it's nostalgic bend on the late '60's early 70's UK Glam Rock era, and it's good too.

Concert: All Star Blues Reunion featuring Johnny and Edgar Winter- July 9, 1983 Cost on Stub- $10.00. Got to admit, that I do love bluesy rock and roll, but what most call traditional blues? Like it, but not really that familiar with it. I have a feeling that I must have been watching some legends, but I didn't write their names down. I am guessing they were old legends, by how the Winter Brothers were treating them with reverence. Sure wish I had listended better.

Concert: Neil Young- July 16, 1983- Price on Stub - $12.75. I think I had mentioned earlier that this was the worst concert I had ever attended. Young spent the entire concert playing songs off his lame Rockabilly attempt..... Everybody's Rocking. This thing was so bad, the crowd starting booing. Including me.

 

[Catfish]

August 1983 List
----------------------
1. Neil Young (No change)
2. Styx (No change0
3. Journey (No change)
4. Dire Straits (No change)
5. Bob Seger (+1)
6. Kansas (-1)
7. Christopher Cross (No change)
8. Foreigner (No change)
9. Loverboy (No change)
10. Jackson Browne (New)
11. Pat Benetar (No change)
12. Rush (-2)
13. Police (+2)
14. Duran Duran (No change)
15. Def Leppard (-3)
16. Romatics (-3)
17. Led Zeppelin (-1)
18. Boston (No change)
19. Tom Petty (-2)
20. Fleetwood Mac (-1)

Jackson Browne- Jackson Browne was probably the ultimate song writing genius in the singer-songwriter genre. I remember an Eagles documentary when Frey-Henley marveled at Browne's ability to sit down to a piano and almost at will create excellent music/lyrics, almost at a whim. I think his first hit song was written at age 16. He wrote many songs for his bretheren in the S-S genre including the Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rondstatd, among others. Browne had a very strange but interesting projection of a career. He decently charter with several hits from his debut to Running on Empty. Running on Empty propelled him to headliner status. He rode the success until the mid '80's, till it appeared he hit writers block, or for what I think really happened.... the lure and glamor of Hollywood, and environmental activism ruined him. He released 7 albums after the mid '80's, based on reputation alone I guess. And they all pretty much suck.

For a sample, I am going to include one, that is not even on one of his studio albums. This is a great song that has a pop overtone, but it is great, and the one best songs, on what I feel is one of the best Movie soundtracks..... Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Please excuse the Commie hammer and sickle the stupid YT account holder slapped on this video... I don't WTF is up with that, but the video does captures the song and mood of the movie pretty nicely)

Concert: Jackson Browne August 20, 1983, Cost of ticket on stub. $13.75- Great show. Played the hits, and pretty much everything he was supporting on his new album Lawyers in Love. He and his group were not ever great muscians, live or on record, but maybe with the exception of Dylan or Young, had the songwriting chops to plod ahead with massive success. Best of all, this was before his shitty preachy liberal activist schtick, and that was a big plus.