American Pop 1981

Flo & Eddie - Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie (1981) {Epiphany Records ‎EP30006-2 rel 1997}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 255 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb | Full Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1981, 1997 Epiphany Records ‎| EP30006-2
Rocksteady / Reggae / Sunshine Pop / Comedy Rock / Power Pop

An album much in need of an explanation, Prince Flo & Jah Edward I began life as a reggae-lite concept, inspired by the duo's discovery of reggae via the rise of Bob Marley. Like many Americans of the day, the pair was pretty clueless, but unlike most, they had connections. Thus, a record deal was inked with a small Florida independent, and arrangements were made for the two to record at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston under the aegis of co-producer Errol Brown. Flo & Eddie duly turned up at the studio with a list of Jamaican songs and their own numbers ripe for reggae-fying. Brown tossed it in the trash, and gave the pair a crash course in "real" Jamaican music.

Pages was an American pop rock band active during the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Richard Page and Steve George had been working together for years in and around Southern California and had done sessions, backing vocals, written songs, for such as Michael Jackson, Kenny Loggins, Patti LaBelle, Rick Springfield, The Pointer Sisters, Donna Summer etc. Before the well knowed Mr. Mister, they recorded 3 albums for Epic and Capitol Records under the name Pages. The band consisted of Richard Page and Steve George on vocals and keyboards supported by various studio musicians, some of whom from time to time were considered part of the band. Although Pages was highly regarded for its well-crafted pop and jazz-fusion sound, the group did not achieve commercial success, and disbanded after recording three studio albums.

Joey Scarbury - America's Greatest Hero (1981) {Elektra Japan, WPCR-17472, SHM-CD rel 2016}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 226 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 83 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 57 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1981, 2016 Elektra / Warner Japan | WPCR-17472
Pop / Soft Rock / Vocal / Ballad

Even if he had recorded a second album, Joey Scarbury would forever be known as the guy who sang "Theme from Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)." That tune was one of the last great TV themes with a vocal – and a vocal that told a narrative, as well – which would have made it enough of a novelty hit on its own, but it was also one of the great soft rock singles of the early '80s, lushly produced but never grandiose and boasting a killer, anthemic hook on its soaring chorus. It was a song that stuck around in your head for years after you heard it, the kind of song that was so good it would have overshadowed anything else Scarbury attempted to do in its wake.

Men at Work were one of the more surprising success stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the year. With its Police-styled rhythms, catchy guitar hooks, wailing saxophones, and off-kilter sense of humor, the band's debut album, Business as Usual, became an international blockbuster, breaking the American record for the most weeks a debut spent at the top of the charts. Their funny, irreverent videos became MTV favorites, helping send "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under" to number one. Men at Work's momentum sustained them through their second album, 1983's Cargo, before the bottom fell out of the band's popularity. After releasing Two Hearts in 1985, Men at Work broke up, becoming one of the better-remembered phenomena of new wave.

The most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s, the origins of the Swedish superstars ABBA dated back to 1966, when keyboardist and vocalist Benny Andersson, a onetime member of the popular beat outfit the Hep Stars, first teamed with guitarist and vocalist Bjorn Ulvaeus, the leader of the folk-rock unit the Hootenanny Singers…

Marcos Valle was the Renaissance man of Brazilian pop, a singer/songwriter/producer who straddled the country's music world from the early days of the bossa nova craze well into the fusion-soaked sound of '80s MPB. Though his reputation in America never quite compared to contemporaries like Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, or even Tom Ze, Valle is one of the most important and popular performers in the history of Brazilian pop.

Following successful disco excavation from the Caribbean to South Africa, we booked a first class ticket to Narita to bring you the latest release, Tokyo Nights: Female J-Pop Boogie Funk: 1981 to 1988. This compilation presents 12 of the most memorable and sought-after songs of the era recorded by female artists. The music is a reflection of the unbridled optimism, technological achievement, excess and exuberance of Bubble-era Japan. More than catchy melodies and funky baselines, these are reflections of a time when Japan was the center - and future - of the world.