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

Debbie Harry-Sweet and Low (remix)/Lovelight
UK ISSUE
This track, produced by Chris Stein, reached #57 in the UK in 1990. This track kind of sounds like any generic dance track from 1990....albeit it with a chorus that will grow on you pretty quick.

 

Corey Hart- Sunglasses at Night/At the Dance
This pulsing synth rock track reached #7 in the USA in 1984. I dont really know what the neck Corey is singing about but lyrics really don't matter when you have an instrumental track as catchy as this. As tasty as the synth line is bouncing back and forth across the speakers, the song really comes alive when the guitar kicks in. It reminds me a bit of Lukather's work on "Running With the Night".

 

Corey Hart- It Ain't Enough/Araby

This remixed version of the single hit #17 in the USA in 1984. I honestly forget about this song until I go looking through the 45's. A slower tempo track, it has a cool groove and a nice sax break. Hart has such a distinctive voice. I dig it although I some people find it a bit stilted.

 

Corey Hart-Never Surrender/Water From the Moon
Poster Sleeve
This lead single from the Boy in the Box LP hit #3 in the USA in 1985. Love the sax on this tune. A well crafted and well produced pop song.

 

Corey Hart- Everything in My Heart/Sunny Place, Shady People
This tune reached #30 in the USA in 1985. Another mid tempo track...I wish Corey had had more success with out and out rockers like "Sunglasses at Night". That being said, he does this genre well and this no exception. Catchy chorus and a good melody.

 

Corey Hart- Can't Help Falling in Love/Broken Arrow
This oft covered Elvis tune hit #24 in the USA in 1986. The UB40 cover ruined this song for me...several girls I dated when that was popular just played it to death! And I never loved UB40 to begin with. Corey's version is a restrained ballad rendition and it works ok.

 

Freddie Hart- If You Can't Feel It/Skid Row Street
Freddie enjoyed a ton of country chart success but not a lot on the pop charts. This 45 is no exception. A pretty decent tune although I wish Freddie sang the song straight instead of lightening up,on the chorus.

 

I listened to a bunch of his stuff recently. His third, fourth, and fifth albums are nowhere to be found digitally; luckily, I found each of them on CD for a buck a piece at a local used store recently. I had all of these at one time but there was a point back in the late '00s where I had to unload a bunch of my stuff...long story...anyway, I've been slowly piecing the collection back together over time and it's good to have these back.

I didn't like Corey when he first hit - something about him bugged me; not sure what. That carried over to the second album at first, but then I saw him in '85 on the Boy In The Box tour (girlfriend at the time wanted to see him) and I was very impressed with the show. I realized he was a true artist and not just some singer put together by a record company. I went back, dug into the albums, and realized that not only were they good, but there weren't mere "pop" records.

Read his interview with Songfacts; he talks about "Sunglasses At Night" and much more: Corey Hart : Songwriter Interviews

For his cover of "Can't Help Falling In Love" - if I remember correctly, I think I read an interview back then where he said he had a jukebox in his house. He recorded this song just so he could have a version of it on that jukebox, but then somehow - perhaps the label heard it - the song ended up being on the Fields Of Fire album, and the second single (after "I Am By Your Side"). If you're into movie trivia/screw-ups, take a look at the scene in That Thing You Do! (set in the '60s) where the band is being interviewed in a radio station. There's a stack of albums in the studio, and the first record you see is the back cover of Fields Of Fire. So much for consistency!

Other songs of his that I really like include "In Your Soul" and "A Little Love."

 

Great stuff there @Surly! Corey always seemed to be a bit more than a golden goose of pop hits. Like a Canadian Nik Kershaw a bit. Great stories!!

 

Just revisiting your comments on the various DOA singles. Since this post, I ditched the various compilations I owned and picked up the Sophisticated Boom Box from Edsel: 17 discs plus 2 DVDs! A bit much for most fans (and even I don't need the one disc dedicated to a ton of mixes of "You Spin Me...") but overall, I love it. Glad I waited a while to get it because the first run had a ton of errors. It has everything I could possibly want; oddly enough, the biggest "score" for me is finally having the US 7" edit of "Something In My House" on CD. It's not much different from the UK single (just omits howling wolves and thunder at the beginning) but I just like having singles the way I remembered them from back in the day. The 2 DVDs are the real treat - pretty much all of the music videos (although missing the the standard version of "Brand New Lover"; this package only has the extended video) plus the Rip It Up concert and a bunch of TV appearances. Also, I had never owned later albums like Fan The Flame or Nukleopatra and I was pleasantly surprised by these works.

I also love that Pete was involved in the project and wrote some great liner notes. Just sad that he passed before it was released.

 

That box looks awesome! The DVD's almost got me to pull the trigger on it but at the time I opted to shell out for some other box sets like the Marc Almond set. I still may have to pick this up at some point! I really should spin the few LP's I have of DOA and see if they resonate with me like the singles do.

 

Dan Hartman-Relight My Fire/Vertigo
This was a huge Dance Chart hit in the USA in 1980 but it failed to crack the Top 100 chart. The B-Side Vertigo is sometimes included as a prelude to the main track. Dan knew his way around a disco/pop/rock hook! I love his contributions to David Johansen's "In Style" LP!! A classic! As for this song, it comes flying right out of the gate. It sounds like Jamiroquai listened to this track over and over....his "Canned Heat" sounds like a sequel of sorts! This track features some great vocals courtesy of Loleatta Holloway....always a welcome addition!

 

Dan Hartman-I Can Dream About You
This cracking pop/soul tune hit #6 USA and #12 UK in 1985. This catchy number has quite the history....originally written for Hall and Oates, they never got around to recording it until years later, it was then included in the movie Streets of Fire starting Diane Lane. In the movie, the fictional band The Sorels sang the song using a session singer who Did not appear in the film. Dan Hartman then managed to get his own lead vocal utilized for the version of the tune that was featured on the soundtrack and released as a single. Got that? The version of the video I remember had Dan's vocal overdubbed onto footage of The Sorels singing it in the movie. Apparently a new video was shot after this featuring Dan and Joyce Hyser from Just One of the Guys. Wow....Dan wrote it so I guess he deserved to reap the rewards. I didn't know until much later that the group portrayed in the video did not in fact sing the song. Great interplay between the piano and keyboard on the intro. Great groove too....Jimmy Iovine's production is spot on.

 

It's a good song, but it wore out its welcome with me. Overexposure isn't a good thing.

Dan Hartman was sure versitile, though. First he was a member of White Trash (Edgar Winter's band), then he did the horrible disco record "Instant Replay", and then this excellent R&B number.

 

Dan Hartman- We Are the Young PROMO
This #1 Dance hit also reached #25 on the pop charts in the USA in 1985. Co-Writren by Charlie Midnight (Living in America, The Doctor), this a very catchy tune that easily could have charted higher. I should probably pull out this LP more often.

 

I agree on burning out on it. I really enjoyed spinning it a few times today though. Great mix and production...even some cool guitar fills I never paid attention to before.

 

I never burned out on "I Can Dream About You." It's still a favorite of mine.

 

I really never appreciated it until a few years ago. Kudos to you for being in on the tune from day one.

 

I love this song. Probably my favorite by him. Although, as I've noted in another thread, I never understood the middle of the song where he sings something like "When you need to ROCK! AND! ROLL!" - instead of going into a screaming guitar solo, as one would expect when explaining the need to, ahem, rock and roll, the song....slows down and goes into a very understated synth progression. "Second Nature" was the third single from the album, and that's a fun song, too.

My copy of this song is in a picture sleeve:

 

I just watched the video on YouTube. It sticks out now (thanks). It sounds as though they forgot to pull up he fader for the guitar solo and than thought: ah, what the hell, let's keep it this way.

 

Cool graffiti sleeve!

 

Donny Hathaway-This Christmas
RSD Red/Green vinyl
This festive tune as performed by the incredible Donny is a real treat to hear in September! Donny sounds great and the backing band shines brightly. Ceelo Green performs it on the B Side....meh.

 

Sophie B. Hawkins-Damn I Wish I Was Your Love/Don't Stop Swaying
This track hit #5 in the USA and #14 in the UK in 1992. Sophie has a killer voice. Love the title of the track too. The keyboards lay down a soft bed for Sophie to jump on with abandon once the chorus kicks in. Great percussion (It samples When the Levee Breaks) and I dig the lyrics. My wife is a fan and we saw her last year in a tiny bar on Long Island and she freakin killed it. Eccentric for sure....but supremely talented. I was very impressed.

 

Colin Hay-Hold Me PROMO
Is it just me or do those shades make him look like he should be on the cover of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap?
This track is from the former Men at Work leader and it's the first track on his 1987 LP Looking For Jack. It begins with some tribal chanting (which features heavily) before reverting into a world music pop song. It's a catchy tune and I love almost all of Hay's work....both with Men and solo. If you ever have a chance to see him live...do it! He is a masterful performer and storyteller. A true artist.

 

Colin Hay- Can I Hold You? PROMO
The second track from Looking for Jack, this tune is a straight ahead pop tune and a good one at that. Some nice acoustic guitar and Hay always has a way with a vocal melody. I love when he sings both the high and low parts himself...almost two completely different voices.