Olivia Newton-John Single by Single Thread

Thank you for posting that as I didn't have that review.

 

As i stated earlier, I like "Toughen Up" and I do think it was the next strongest thing on the album after the title track but this flew so far under the radar that I never even knew it had been released as a single until years later. None of my local pop or AC stations played it and I never saw the video on VH-1. I thought that she and MCA just dumped doing anything for the project since Chloe was born right before this was released. I did see the next singles video quite frequently that summer so I figured they just scrapped the whips/dominatrix Livvy for the more adult white bread one shown in the Foster collaboration.

I know a lot of fans love Moth To A Flame and think that would have saved the era but there's liberal use of those high notes and shreaks here like on Landslide and Please Don't Keep Me Waiting that I think remain an acquired taste to casual fans. Emotional Tangle was too clunky a metaphor lyrically to work and I think its mixed poorly. I stick to my prior comments that everything else was too aggressive or bland to work as a radio single.

 

It's nice that they made a 12" single LP for each of these singles, Soul Kiss and Toughen Up. I like hearing the instrumental mix versions of the singles as they give you a greater appreciation for all the vocal work that Olivia puts into the track and they have larger artwork

 

Hmm... I liked "Toughen Up" better than "Soul Kiss," but I still didn't think it was a very good song. The whole Soul Kiss album lacked "single" material, but the ones chosen as the singles seemed particularly weak. I'm with @Zaragon in that I feel "Moth to a Flame" might have been the best single choice from the album. I certainly like it better than "Toughen Up."

"Driving Music" is definitely more to my liking than "Toughen Up," too. It's more fun, more upbeat. Personally, I would have switched the a- and b-sides to this single, but I'm not sure it would have made much difference. This material wasn't going to take Olivia to the top of the charts in 1985. Perhaps no material would have. The era of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna was upon us.

Here's the extended remix of "Toughen Up," for those who might not have heard it:

 

Toughen Up was better than Soul Kiss in terms of single quality. I really like the extended version, but then I love most of Jellybean's remix work. I'd like to hear his 7" edit, as there will be one. Might have improved on the album version.

Again though, it just wasn't strong enough for an artist of Olivia's calibre at the time. To me, it sounded like a really strong album track rather than a single.

I wonder if anyone ever suggested she record Love Stealer, a Cliff song from a couple of years previous, for this album. That one could have been a hit for her and fit her image.

 

Great idea! It was a great song for Cliff, and I agree that it would have suited Olivia just as well.

 

I think instead of releasing Soul Kiss, it might have been interesting if Olivia had released an whole album of duets with other artists. I mean was this even popular then? She could have set a trend back then for this, she was already known for quite a few duets at that point and another famous one we are about to get to on the next single later tonight.

An album full of duets with other artists in 85' may have been a different direction that kept her in the public eye and on radio.

I wonder how she feels about Soul Kiss now in her life any regrets making that album?

 

Duets were huge back then. I'm not the biggest fan of them. I'm surprised she didn't do one with Kenny Rogers since he seemed to have chased every popular female vocalist to sing with him. The one thing I really wished was that it had been Olivia singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Elton. That would have made me very happy.

 

There is something else about Soul Kiss that I wanted to mention, while the material and songwriting was not the greatest, her vocals are unbelievable on this album, as I mentioned she does some stuff with her vocals that shows how strong she was vocally, that is what I love most about this album. I know some people that lyrics to songs don't matter to them, it's the melody or how does the song grab you, touch you inside. So does it matter to Olivia fans what the lyrics are in her songs whether you embrace them or not or it the melody, beat or arrangement of the track that get you. I guess for me it's a combination of both, although with Soul Kiss, it doesn't matter to me that she singing about a 3 some living together in Culture Shock, I still love the arrangement of the song, the lyrics are 2nd to me, that song moves me inside and I like it, not because of the content of the song or the lyrics. Does that make sense?

 

Lyrics matter to me. The threesome song Culture Shock isn't shocking but laughable, even then. It should have been more subtle and smart. The lyrics to You Were Great were terrible to me. What a waste of a duet. They should have worked harder on a killer song for them.

 

My gut feel about the whole Soul Kiss era is though that in reality, she'd been gone too long. 4 years between proper albums in the 80s was far too long. At best she may have got a top 10 with a really great song, but too many other acts were now filling the charts. Same thing happened to Diana Ross in 1985, although she'd been a bit more consistent in the 80s releasing material, because she had to deliver an album every 12 months contractually.

 

It makes sense what you are saying, and is a good idea for a new thread: the elements in a song that attracts you.

 

I love the vocals on the album too, for me the best are Culture Shock, Queen of the Publication, Overnight Observation & The Right Moment. After this album she never recorded much using the vocal style she'd developed since Totally Hot. In fact the few occassions she did standout in memory as Not Gonna Give In To It (and perhaps I Need Love and Not Gonna Be The One).

 

It's a shame they could not have done more with the extended mix as in more of her vocals or backing vocals. This song has a very reggae feel and the 12" adds more of that flavor to me.

 

I always skip this song, it does nothing for me. Here we have Olivia referencing again "go down myself" I mean it's to direct nothing is left to the imagination, we already heard something similar in the song Soul Kiss. The song is about something you might think but never ask, you were great how was I? What were they thinking with this duet? It just didn't click for me.

 

Well it was 1985 not 1955, people were now more upfront about what went on between the sheets. It is very tame compared to what say Madonna was doing at the same time.
Olivia was just trying to change her image a little as she probably realised that she was by now looking kind of old fashioned and a little dated. Most pop stars with a long career do this at some point.

 

It was 1985. And now it's 2016 and they still censor music. I don't get that. Movies can be frank but music can't. Crazy. All the same, it was a crappy song then, would be in 1955 and still is now.

I should add, I wished Olivia did pay more attention to Madonna. She was current, provocative and creating great music. I don't think Olivia had a strong vision. Loved her voice and beauty. She needed better guidance.

 

Regressing a bit but I just watched the blu Ray of Xanadu tonight. It wasn't nearly as bad as I remember. Such a shame the full soundtrack remains unreleased on CD. Must be because of the whole MCA/Jet thing. I think Sony own Jet now.

 

I'm heartbroken that there's never been a serious update to the Xanadu soundtrack. The album was big with several hits. The movie is cheesy fun despite itself.
I started a thread a while back on the soundtrack here:
Part 1: Xanadu soundtrack on CD »
Part 2: Xanadu soundtrack on CD (pt2) »

 

Thanks I will read through!

 

An expanded Xanadu set has been pitched several times to Universal over the past decade (for the 30th and to cross promote the musical) but the higher ups don't see it as a big seller. Hopefully they will eventually cave in even if its a digital only release...

 

Kenny did chase her. It was just for a trio. She was the original choice along with Lionel Richie for "What About Me." It would have made a nice stop gap hit between TOAK & Soul Kiss eras...

 

It's important to note the next single Olivia recorded, a duet with David Foster in 1986, it appeared on David Foster's self titled album on Atlantic Records. There was also a promo 45 issued, I only have the standard 45 and sleeve listed below. The 45 rpm is the album version. The credits for this duet are shown to be written by David Foster, Jeremy Lubbock and Richard Marx.

May 1986
The Best Of Me
Saje (instrumental b side)

 

Gavin Report The Best Of Me Single Review May 09, 1986



Billboard The Best Of Me Single Review May 17, 1986

 

Gavin Report The Best Of Me Promo Ad May 09, 1986



Billboard The Best Of Me Promo Ad May 24, 1986