IdRatherBeSkiing's Top 20 (Sunday, June 21st, 2020 version)

sadchild said:
I'd heard of April Wine as a kid, but don't think I ever actually heard them. I only know "Between You And Me", and that's only because it pops up on the VJ Big 40 once in a while. And I only learned of Prism over the past few years thanks to the VJ playing their top 40 hit Don't Let Him Know. Never had heard of Trooper.

Armageddon is good. Definitely has that turn-of-the-decade-rock sound that I don't normally get into, but I definitely do dig this one. If I can try to be a lil funny-yet-honest, the chorus bass line sounds like something from a Donkey Kong/Mario video game though. And if I can be curious, I wonder what the line "Ain't got time to lose U-boats off New England" is about? Me, being a New Englandah an all.
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Nobody up here has figured out the lyrics either. u-boats were WWII German boats and the rest is about WWIII type weapons. When asked, the singer (now dead) said that it was just a "fun little song".
 
sadchild said:
I'd heard of April Wine as a kid, but don't think I ever actually heard them. I only know "Between You And Me", and that's only because it pops up on the VJ Big 40 once in a while. And I only learned of Prism over the past few years thanks to the VJ playing their top 40 hit Don't Let Him Know.
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Don't Let Him Know was in what most Prism fans consider their sell out years. Not a bad song but written entirely with the intent of breaking into the US market. Another blatant attempt:


You will notice neither is on my list.
 
Today I am going to take a break from artist top 10s and share an old mix tape (as they are as a playlist in my iPhone now). I will likely alternate with top 10s. Today is Cassette A. The first tape I made from real records. I had some tapes off the radio before then. It was made around 1980 on my Lloyds $400 entertainment unit (including 8 track + 8 track recorder). That unit btw had a powerful AM/FM radio (we had no FM in Regina at the time). At night I could listen to Chicago or Vancouver AM stations if the conditions were right. At the bottom after Side 1 & 2 on a lot of these cassettes/playlists there is an Extras list. These songs were not included on the original tape but I felt the need to add when I made the playlist. Sometimes like this tape, I have no explanation why they were not included.

Cassette A
Side 1:
Good Girls Don't - The Knack
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
I Don't Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats
Under My Thumb - Streetheart
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra
Romeo's Tune - Steve Forbert
I'm the Man - Joe Jackson
Confusion - Electric Light Orchestra
Dream Police - Cheap Trick
The Long Run - Eagles
Third Time Lucky (First Time I was A Fool) - Foghat

Side 2:
Last Train to London - Electric Light Orchestra
Money - The Flying Lizards
Don't Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson
An American Dream - The Dirt Band (as they were then but Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on iTunes)
Paradise Skies - Max Webster
Lonely Eyes - Robert John
Why Me - Styx
Him - Rupert Holmes
Refugee - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Volcano - Jimmy Buffet
Never Say Never - Styx
commercial from CJME radio where they announced I had won the Rush Rock Ride to Winnipeg (this was the tape in the deck when it was recorded)
Find Your Way - Surrender
(this was the original song on cassette A. But it was recorded over for the commercial. There was no space left to include it back so I replaced it with "You're So Square". This was a remake of the Presley/Buddy Holly tune but by an artist which was not them. Was a more punkish sound. Unfortunately I only have the song name and the artist is not apparent so for my playlist I went back to the original song.)

Extras:
Shine a Little Love - Electric Light Orchestra
Heartache Tonight - Eagles
 
Today 2 top 10s. Again, some Canadian artists. Suspect you have heard of Chilliwack not Streetheart. The later was made up of guys from Regina, SK so always got lots of airplay on the radio.

Chilliwack (only 7 songs):
7. Watcha Gonna Do
6. Communication Breakdown
5. Crazy Talk
4. Lonesome Mary
3. My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone) *
2. Fly At Night *
1. Arms of Mary *




Streetheart:
10. Drugstore Dancer
9. Look in Your Eyes
8. One More Time
7. Have It Your Way
6. Hollywood
5. Snow White
4. What Kind of Love Is This
3. Under My Thumb (stones remake) *


2. Tin Soldier
1. Here Comes the Night *


I have marked with * songs that still get airplay today.
 
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Just curious, are most of those songs familiar to most rock fans in Canada at the time, like lots of airplay, or did you know them more from buying the albums?
 
Aaron said:
Just curious, are most of those songs familiar to most rock fans in Canada at the time, like lots of airplay, or did you know them more from buying the albums?
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All these songs were on the radio in the day. CRTC regs say all radio stations must play 1/3 of the songs they play are Canadian. Of those songs I would say 1/4 still get airplay on radio stations covering 70s/80s hits. I will go mark the ones that still get play with a *.
 
I only know Chilliwack from the "Gone" song they play on the VJ. "Arms Of Mary" sounds pretty good.

Didn't know Streetheart (as predicted). "Here Comes The Night" kinda reminds me of Petty "Here Comes My Girl" (not just the name but the tempo and chorus melody too).
 
Today back to cassettes. 2 today since once is a concert + filler.

Cassette B
Side 1:
Rush concert recorded from radio on 1980/03/30 2 days before I saw them in Winnipeg, MB.

Side 2:
Conclusion of the Rush concert
Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2
Bust The TV - The Pumps
Don't Ya Hide It - Stonebolt
Holiday - Nazareth

Cassette C
Side 1:
The Spirit of Radio - Rush
Freewill - Rush
Just Can't Wait - J. Geils Band
Come Back - K. Geils Band
Even It Up - Heart
Rated X - Pat Benatar
Back On My Feet Again - The Babys
How Do I Make You - Linda Ronstadt
Moments Like This - Aerial
Making Plans for Nigel - XTC
Rock Lobster - The B-52's

Side 2:
Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar
Entre Nous - Rush
Under My Thumb - Streetheart
Love Stinks - J. Geils Band
Tryin' Not to Think About It - J. Geils Band
Call Me - Blondie
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Too Bad - Doug and the Slugs
Doin It Right - The Powder Blues Bland
Think About Me - Fleetwood Mac
Was It You - Stonebolt
 
Rush concert recorded from radio on 1980/03/30 2 days before I saw them in Winnipeg, MB.
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That's pretty awesome! I have some videos I've ripped from YouTube of concerts I've been to, and then burnt to DVD. Like Faith No More's 2010 reunion show in NYC.
 
Today a top 10. Billy Joel. There are probably 10 songs not on this list which could be. His Innocent Man album was fabulous. That along with most of his 80s stuff did not make the cut. Although I like Billy the balladeer, I prefer Billy the rocker which is reflected in the top 10. 3 albums really sang to me: The Stranger, 52nd Street and Glass Houses.

Here is the top 10:
10. Sometimes A Fantasy (Glass Houses)
9. Don't Ask Me Why (Glass Houses)
8. We Didn't Start the Fire
7. Big Shot (52nd Street)
6. Piano Man
5. It's Still Rock & Roll to Me (Glass Houses)
4. Only the Good Die Young (The Stranger)
3. Movin' Our (Anthony's Song) (The Stranger)
2. You May Be Right (Glass Houses)
1. My Life (52nd Street)
 
Ok, I'll bite....

10. We Didn't Start the Fire
9. Sometimes a Fantasy
8. Movin' Out
7. Piano Man
6. Say Goodbye to Hollywood
5. New York State of Mind
4. Uptown Girl
3. Pressure
2. You May be Right
1. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.
 
"Sometimes a Fantasy" - on all three lists above and, man, what a lost hit! I hadn't heard it since the 80s until a recent VJ. I wish good songs wouldn't go into obscurity for decades while I have to hear 2/3rds of Pearl Jam's Ten twice a day. Not that Ten is a bad album, but some balance please!
 
Today a cassette.

Cassette D
Side 1
Dragging You Down - Streetheart
We Live For Love - Pat Benatar
Automobile - Hansie
Hurt So Good - John Mellencamp
Queen of the Night - Stonebolt
Armageddon - Prism
I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars
Cuts Like a Knife - Bryan Adams
Lady - Little River Band
Touch and Go - The Cars

Side 2
Shine a Little Love - Electric Light Orchestra
All of My Heart - ABC
Breakup Song - The Greg Kihn Band
Do You Believe In Love - Huey Lewis & The News
Let's Go - The Cars
I've Got a Rock 'N' Roll Heart - Eric Clapton
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
We Two - Little River Band
Cover Girl - Prism
Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe It or Not) - Joey Scarbury
Outrun The Sun - Stonebolt
 
For each cassette you post, I wish my old ones from 83 would magically appear. I was, however, reminded yesterday at the end of "On The Dark Side" playing that the next song my "taped off the radio" mix was VH "Eruption/You Really Got Me". And my recording of Def Lep "Photograph" from vinyl had a skip in it.
 
sadchild said:
For each cassette you post, I wish my old ones from 83 would magically appear. I was, however, reminded yesterday at the end of "On The Dark Side" playing that the next song my "taped off the radio" mix was VH "Eruption/You Really Got Me". And my recording of Def Lep "Photograph" from vinyl had a skip in it.
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My rip of "Come Dancing" by the Kinks has a skip in it as well. When the CD reader had a brain fart. Just a peculiarity of the recording. If I find the CD again I could re-rip it.
 
For a few years after I stopped listening to my "taped-from-the-radio" mixtapes, whenever I heard "Photograph", it sounded weird to not have the skip, LOL. Same happened in '89 with Red Hot Chili Peppers "Special Secret Song Inside" (aka "Party On Your Pussy"). When I made a cassette from the vinyl, that song had a skip in it. But since they used to do weird things in their music anyway (like the weirdness in "Good Time Boys" and the reversed intro to "Taste The Pain"), I just figured it was on purpose. Then later I heard it without the skip, and went "Huh?!"
 
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