With the success of the band Incantation and ethnic South American music in 1982-1983, Chris Rea introduced his sixth album, Wired to the Moon, with the track "Bombollini," which was over six minutes of jungle-sounding drums and the haunting sound of pan pipes. The ethnic flavor continued on the second track, "Touché d'Amour," which was reggae in the unashamed style of lovers rock. However, Rea wasn't going to disappoint his fans altogether, small in number though they were in the U.K., having built a career over several albums of soft rock tracks and midtempo ballads with Dire Straits-style guitar breaks, and the rest of the tracks on Wired to the Moon fell easily into this category, especially "Shine, Shine, Shine" and "Holding Out," which were lovely emotive ballads.
Lace and Whiskey is the tenth studio album by Alice Cooper, released in May 1977. After many years of portraying a dark and sinister persona Alice Cooper decided to try something new and donned the persona of a heavy drinking comic PI named "Maurice Escargot" - a fictional character in the same vein as Inspector Clouseau. Cooper is pictured as Escargot on the back cover of Lace and Whiskey, which was still a rock-based album but was stylistically influenced by Cooper’s love for 1940s' and 1950s' movies and music. The album only peaked at #42 in the US and #33 in the UK. The album's lead single, “You and Me”, was an easy listening ballad which provided Cooper with his last US top-ten single for twelve years. “(No More) Love at Your Convenience”, a disco-inspired pop song, was released as the second single – it did not chart in most countries. Music videos were created for both songs, at a time well before the advent of MTV.
On True Colors, Cyndi Lauper began to edge her way into adult contemporary territory, but it was on her third album, A Night to Remember, that she concentrated all of her attention on becoming a self-consciously "mature" singer/songwriter. A Night to Remember doesn't always work, but not because she's incapable of performing polished, well-crafted middle-of-the-road material – "Time After Time" and "True Colors" prove that she could convincingly deliver ballads. Instead, the album bogs down because it assumes that labored arrangements and precisely detailed production are tantamount to musical sophistication. That said, there are some moments – such as the seductive "I Drove All Night" – that make a lasting impression, illustrating what Lauper was attempting to achieve with the record.
Outsider is Uriah Heep's 24th studio album. It follows the untimely passing of their beloved bass player, Trevor Bolder in May 2013. The recording started in late 2013 at Liscombe Park Studios in Buckinghamshire, England and features 11 brand new songs, including some epic additions to the band's huge catalog of rock classics. Uriah Heep debuted in 1970 with the release of one of Hard Rock music's milestones Very 'eavy… Very 'umble (which some rock historians argue contains the very FIRST heavy metal song ever, the classic Gypsy) and have since sold in excess of 30 million albums worldwide.
Dancing with Strangers is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1987. It became Rea's first major success in UK, peaking at #2, behind Michael Jackson's Bad, and spent 46 weeks in the charts, achieving Platinum accreditation. It reached the Top 10 in six other European countries, while in New Zealand it became a number one album. "Let's Dance" was released as the first single and, like the album, became a major hit for Rea in UK, peaking at #12. In tone with the success of the album, "Let's Dance" became a major hit in New Zealand as well, peaking at #2. The other singles released from this album were "Loving You Again" (UK #47), "Joys of Christmas" (UK #67) and "Que Sera" (UK #73).
Heart was pretty much considered washed up when they released Heart in 1985. They learned a few important things while they had taken a short sabbatical – they knew that hooks were important and they knew they could play up their looks for MTV. So, they delivered both with Heart, giving their audience anthemic hooks and tightly corseted bosoms, leading to the most popular album they ever had. This doesn't mean it's the best, since its calculated mainstream bent may disarm some long-term fans, but it is true that they do this better than many of their peers, not just because they have good polished material from professional songwriters but because they can deliver this material professionally themselves.
A Classic Case is an album by Jethro Tull, playing with the London Symphony Orchestra, released in 1985. The music was arranged and conducted by David Palmer, who had been a member of the group from 1976 to 1980. The album features band members Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, Dave Pegg and Peter-John Vettese. The album was recorded during the summer of 1984 at the CBS Studios in London. It was released on 31 December 1985 in the United States, where it reached #93 in the charts.
Reckless is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Released on 5 November 1984 through A&M Records, the album was co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, and it was arguably Adams' most successful solo album. The album was a huge international hit, selling over five million units in the United States alone and twelve million worldwide. It was the first Canadian album to sell more than one million units within Canada. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 and reached high positions on album charts worldwide.
Trouble or Nothin' is a 1989 album by female artist Robin Beck. It was produced by Desmond Child and recorded and mixed by Sir Arthur Payson. Robin Beck is an American singer. She topped the singles chart in the United Kingdom in 1988, and Germany in 1989, with her single "First Time", which had come to the public's attention via its use in a Coca-Cola commercial. Other well-known songs of hers are "Save Up All Your Tears", "In My Heart to Stay", "Tears in the Rain" and "Close to You". Also, "First Time" was successfully covered or sampled many times, the most recent was made by Sunblock in 2006, peaking at number nine on the UK Singles Chart. Beck also performed it with German pop star Helene Fischer.
With a career that spans nearly 25 years, IQ remains one of the biggest names in the world of Progressive Rock. Getting their start in Southhampton England back in 1981, IQ was often compared to two other great Prog bands from the UK, Marillion and Genesis. For years the band struggled to create their own identity. And they did so by outlasting the glory days of Fishs Marillion and Gabriels Genesis. Here again is IQ with their classic line-up of Peter Nicholls, Martin Orford, Mike Holmes, John Jowitt and Paul Cook. Originally released in 1989, Are You Sitting Comfortably? features Paul Menel on vocals, coalescing in Britain's foremost prog rock groups since the '80s. There is not a bad track on this album; lush soundscapes, thought provoking lyrics, brilliant musicianship, it's all here. Take a chance on this one, it is a classic and well worth investing in!