So boring. I’m sure the Laura Brannigan version is better but I have no recollection of it: I do remember feeling like it was an old song when it came out. He has a good voice. Fór sure but I’m not sure I think his style delivers melody the way I want it too. This is a well written song that could be moving…but it’s blandness renders it so boring it’s difficult to get through and I don’t believe I have ever listened to the whole thing.
Bolton was 36 in 1989. His "balding mullet" made him seem older! I found his vocals more annoying than Marx's because Bolton always sounded constipated...
Michael Bolton - How Am I Supposed to Live Without You I had completely forgotten this guy was about to come up and be featured in this thread. I bet anything he'll dominate for a while, I just get that feeling. As I said back on the Bad English entry, I'm a huge Journey fan and I remember back in 1987 for Bolton's The Hunger album there was a lot of talk about the Journey guys being involved with this "new" singer. Not as a replacement for Perry or anything, just working on his album. I specifically remember his cover of (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay and feeling like I was supposed to like it, since it was 1986 Journey minus Perry, but there was something...wrong with it. Something didn't sit right with me, and I genuinely felt this at the time. I didn't know the original and I'd never even heard of Otis Redding at that point (I was 11, don't give me grief) so it wasn't like I was comparing. I just knew it was on the radio, had Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Randy Jackson and Mike Baird playing on it with some dude. It didn't work for me, though. Forward to a couple years later and I remember the dude's name and here comes...Soul Provider. Not good at all. Then comes this song. It's a ballad, so of course it has to start off with the weak, twinkling keyboards. As soon as he starts singing, it's all over for me. I hear a voice like that and I immediately want to change the station. It's painful for me. This over-wrought, over-singing gloop. This music isn't for me and it never will be. I don't care if he technically has a good voice. I think it sucks and I f***ing hate it. The only even remotely good thing I'll give any points for is in the (not good) guitar solo, the upcoming obvious key change actually happens IN the solo rather than right after. So he gets one point for that as songwriter. Otherwise it's 99 points against it. I would rather listen to Milli Vanilli, no lie.
GREAT choice! I love Rome; what a fantastic song. I've grown to appreciate Love Shack over the years, but I loved Rome from the first time I heard it.
Hot Shots! Part Deux has many jokes hidden away in the end credits. During the song credits it says "'I got a lot of hair for a bald guy and if I wear it this way maybe no one will notice' by Michael Bolton.
The funny thing about Bolton is that he eventually chopped off his signature mullet and suddenly had a full head of hair on the top of his head
It was easy to hate Michael Bolton when he was only known for overwrought soccer-mom music but I'd say he's more than redeemed himself: It's funny to think that he once had enough rawk cred to work with Tom Dowd: Blackjack "In 1977, Foreigner became the rock 'n roll group of the year...and I'm telling you that in 1979 Blackjack will become the rock 'n roll group on Polydor Records!"
Kenny G is on the same boat (no pun intended), now that we're three decades removed from him being a million selling superstar, its easier to see he comes off as a really nice likable guy whose in in the joke. Compare those two to Richard Marx who comes off unbearable on Twitter (and will probably send me a DM here because he does that when he detects people shading him on social media. He went off on a friend who actually LIKED him)
Prior to his mid 80s bid at hair metal, he had a minor hot 100 appearance with an AOR track that fits in with the early 80scand also is better than his more successful material
I remember this well. In fact whe he returned with his cover of 'Dock of The Bay' it was up to me to locate a copy od this so my station could roll it on "Double Shot Wednesday"
Michael Bolton - Couldn't stand him in 1989, can't stand him now. Sometimes with acts I don't like, I can at least see the appeal. Not here.
We really should have had more time to wrap up 1989 and the 1980s as a whole before moving on to the next song. Could have been a fascinating discussion. Now we're talking about Michael Bolton who is the anthesis of fascinating.
Just looking at the still above of 'Hard Rock' Michael Bolton. Oh dear....just sad!!!!!! 1990's. time for the Guru.....
Before we get to far into 1990, I wanted to plug one of my favorite singles of 1989 - “The Mayor of Simpleton” by XTC. Although it failed to crack the Top 40, it did hit #1 on the Billboard Alternative Rock charts. XTC’s Oranges and Lemons album was one of my favorites of 1989. Loved the video too…an homage to the 1960s TV series “The Avengers”
By the way, was just looking back over the thread, and I posted my rundown of the #1 hits of 1979 back on September 9th, 2019, page 1034 of the thread. So it took us 2 years and a little over 4 months to get thru the '80s. September of 2019 seems like a lifetime ago...
