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Written by Gregg Shapiro, Staff writer
Jun 17, 2010
Santana performs at Summerfest July 1.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran arrived on the frilly coattails of the new romantic movement (see early Spandau Ballet, Classix Nouveau, Visage) at the beginning of the 1980s, but shortly thereafter morphed into something else entirely. You can hear the roots of the group’s sound on the expanded Capitol reissue of its 1981 self-titled debut. The original disc included the hits “Planet Earth,” “Careless Memories” and, of course, “Girls On Film.” The special edition includes a second disc of demos, alternate versions and a BBC Radio 1 Peter Powell Session, as well as a DVD featuring eight TV performances and “promo” music videos. By the time that 1983’s “Seven & The Ragged Tiger” (newly reissued and expanded on Capitol) was released, Duran Duran was a full-fledged success. The disc pumped out more hit singles (“The Reflex,” “New Moon on Monday,” “Union of the Snake”), but the cracks were beginning to show. In 1985, three of the Durans released “So Red The Rose” (also just reissued and expanded on Capitol) as side-project Arcadia.
Big Audio Dynamite
Duran² wasn’t the only 1980s band that worked the dance floor. Following the mid-1980s break-up of his groundbreaking band the Clash, co-founder Mick Jones wasted little time forming Big Audio Dynamite. The dance beats with which Jones and the Clash had been experimenting bloomed completely on 1985’s “This Is Big Audio Dynamite” (Columbia/Legacy). The double-disc reissue contains the original album, featuring such dance-oriented cuts as “Sony,” “The Bottom Line,” “Sudden Impact!” and “Stone Thames” (with its period AIDS-scare message).
Santana
The 1980s weren’t an especially good period for (Carlos) Santana, who was a dominant force in the 1960s and 1970s. But he remedied all of that in 1999 with the release of his comeback album “Supernatural” (Arista/Legacy). Still showcasing his mad guitar skills (check out opener “(Da Le) Yaleo”), “Supernatural” also broadly expanded the rock god’s reach by pairing him up with such hot musicians of the time as Dave Matthews (“Love of My Life”), Everlast (“Put Your Lights On”), Rob Thomas (“Smooth”) and Lauryn Hill & Cee-Lo (“Do You Like The Way”). A second disc includes previously unreleased material, club and dance mixes and more.
David Bowie
For David Bowie, the 1980s started with the release of his masterwork “Scary Monster” and then led to his greatest commercial breakthrough with “Let’s Dance.” But more than 20 years earlier, the David Bowie of his eponymous 1967 debut was another story altogether, a cup of the era’s steaming Brit-pop. The deluxe edition reissue features the original stereo and mono album mixes on the first disc. In addition to single versions of some of the album’s cuts, it also includes songs such as “The London Boys,” “The Gospel According to Tony Day,” “Karma Man” and “London Bye Ta-Ta,” which provide clues for what was yet to come.
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop, David Bowie’s late-1970s partner in crime, went through an uneven period during the 1980s before rallying in the 1990s. Before his solo career, Iggy made his name as the outrageous front-man of The Stooges. The two-disc reissue of Iggy and The Stooges’ 1973 savagely bombastic album “Raw Power” (Columbia/Legacy) features, on the first disc, the original David Bowie mix of the eight-track album, including such legendary cuts as “Search And Destroy,” “Shake Appeal,” “Death Trip” and the title track. The second disc “Georgia Peaches” was recorded live in Atlanta in 1973 and includes a pair of bonus studio tracks.
Public Enemy
The 1980s was the decade in which rap and hip-hop flourished. Beginning in 1984, Def Jam had one of the most impressive rosters of any hip-hop label, with acts including the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. The double-disc set “Def Jam 25: DJ Bring That Back” (Def Jam) celebrates the label’s 25th anniversary with vintage tracks by LL (“I Need A Beat,” “I Need Love”), Slick Rick (“Children’s Story”) and R&B vocalist Oran “Juice” Jones (“The Rain”). The label continued with its distinctive brand of talent through the 1990s with Public Enemy (“911 Is A Joke”), 3rd Bass (“Pop Goes The Weasel”), Method Man (“Bring The Pain”), Redman (“Whateva Man”) and Jay-Z (“Money Ain’t A Thing”). The label continues today with Kanye West and Rihanna, both of whom are included here.
Huey Lewis & The News
Huey Lewis & The News was one of the most popular bands of the 1980s, ruling the airwaves and MTV for about half of the decade. Hailing from San Francisco, Lewis was a sensation with his suburban spike haircut, cleft chin and blue-eyed soul delivery. The band had a serious string of hits that have been collected on the 21-track “Greatest Hits” compilation, available on iTunes and CD. Among the retro classics are “The Heart of Rock & Roll,” “I Want A New Drug,” “The Power of Love,” “Stuck With You,” “If This Is It,” “Do You Believe In Love,” “Workin’ For A Livin’,” “Hip To Be Square,” “Back In Time” and others.
