So I am going to play every 45 in my collection.......(Part 3!!)

Kool and the Gang
Fresh/In the Heart
Love it!
This reached #9 USA and #11 UK in 1984. The picture sleeve features the Emergency album cover and this album would be HUGE for the band, going double platinum and spawning 3 top ten hits. The bass/synth groove dominates this song and it is a monster. There are other little flourishes that take this track to the next level....the little keyboard fill after"exciting" and the hallmark falsetto backing vocals. The word "fresh" was on everybody's tongue around this time and this song just took its usage up a notch.

I always thought it was cool that most of the ladies in Kool's songs were mysterious.

 

Yet, another single edit i'll have to track down somehow. This song is kind of a return to the kind of basic jams they did in the 70s.

 

Still sick of it. Boring song, too.

 

It has the same groove as "Street Kids". It's OK...

 

Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! I like it ok but I was a bit surprised it was a #2 hit. It doesn't have a great chorus and as you mentioned, it goes nowhere.

 

We are now in the phase where every Kool & The Gang hit had a one-word title.

 

Oooh, no "Misled"? That's still my favorite song from the Emergency album. I saw them on this tour with the Dazz Band opening. Great memory, great show.

 

Great point! That is very funny!

 

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"Misled" is coming up next! Very jealous.....that must have been an amazing show!!!

 

I liked a girl named Joanna my junior year of high school. That was late-1986 -- almost three years after this song was a hit, but it was still played on the radio constantly. Nowadays, I tune it out -- it's a prime example of background music from a "lite" radio station playing in an office or waiting room somewhere.

"Tonight," on the other hand, is fantastic and has held up well. I got the 45 (with a bunch of other early-80s hits) around 2004. It was my first time hearing it probably since it was a hit and it still sounded great. (Interesting that this was paired with "Joanna" for the UK release...)

 

Our janitor at work was just blasting this over his phone last week while doing his cleaning rounds. Hadn't heard it in years and thought, "What timing! Juggs will be covering it any day now!!"

Nice observation about the "mysterious ladies" in the Kool songs -- never noticed that...

 

In my neck of the woods Joanna and Stephanie were very popular names!

 

Maybe I was doing a little moonlighting at your office on the side!

 

I thought that guy looked familiar!!

 

Along with Lisa, Kelly and Melissa not far behind!

 

So any guess if those 'mysterious girls' in the lyrics are put there deliberately?

 

Maybe if Joanna had a bit more mystery to her the song would have been better?
Perhaps the lyric writer in the band had some bad luck with women? Its interesting for sure!

 

So Joanna would go: "Mysterious Girl, I love you..."

 

K&TG could have backed up Billy Ocean on "Mystery Lady."

 

Now THAT would have been huge!

 

Kool and the Gang
Misled/Rollin'
This might be my favorite Kool song. It rocks, JT brings it, and the lyrics (about a mysterious lady) tell a cool story. I wore out several copies of this over the years.

This reached #10 USA and #28 UK in 1984. The lyrics to the tale of a woman (Miss Led?) who has our storyteller well within her clutches. It features some great lead guitar and a brief, but nifty bridge (I got this feeling and its blocking my way....). A nasty groove for a nasty woman.

 

Kool and the Gang
Cherish/Celebration
UK Issue
This ballad made it to #2 USA and #4 UK in 1985.

I prefer the 12" version with the sax parts as opposed to these two single versions. The UK single is the album mix... No seagulls, no intro guitars and a very sparse arrangement throughout.

For a huge hit, it addresses some interesting spiritual themes...namely receiving "your calling" and living multiple lives. I liked it in 1985 and I still like it but it is a bit sappy.

 

Kool and the Gang
Emergency/You Are the One
This hit #18 USA and #50 UK in 1985. I don't recall hearing this on the radio a lot but I bought it right away! Its another up tempo rocker and its a lot of fun. At times it feels like two separate songs when it shifts from rock to straight pop. I love all of the vocal parts on this track..."Give it to me!!!!"

 

My copy hasn't survived well. I wanted to make a needledrop and it was badly distorted.