REPLAY AMERICA – The Ultimate 80s Festival
May 21, 2014 What if you could go to one concert this summer? Just one. I would of course want it to be a band from the 80s that I love . . . . like . . . The Go-Go’s! What if along with that one great 80s band (like The Go-Go’s) you could see FOUR other great bands from the 80s to rock you back to your junior year of high school? Like Martha Davis and The Motels? Patty Smyth of Scandal? How about a little Cutting Crew? And round it...
Solid Gold
By Lori Ferraro There are several television shows of my youth that, when mentioned, I can’t help but go flying back in time, plopped on the couch in front of our big, boxy, wood-grained TV set. Like I will replay a scene from The Love Boat (with guest star Charro) in my head, or silently sing The Facts of Life theme song. And you can’t even bring up The Cosby Show without me dancing like a fool a la the opening credits. Speaking of...
“Jump” Hits #1 30 Years Ago this Month
(and its role in the ongoing Van Halen / Van Hagar debate) February 1, 2014 By Mark Dursin It has been one of the most divisive issues of the past thirty years. A controversy that has inspired rancorous debate, has pit brother against brother, and has spawned heroes on both sides, with neither side claiming victory. I’m talking, of course, about the Van Halen vs. Van Hagar debate. Folks have bizarrely strong opinions regarding which...
Van Halen’s 1984 Thirty Years On
If you weren’t fetching chips from the kitchen or taking a bathroom break during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII (the Raiders killed the Redskins that year), you saw the famous Apple commercial that introduced the Macintosh computer. The tagline at the end read, in part, “[y]ou’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984’.” With respect to the late Steve Jobs, the release of Van Halen’s 1984 was, for me, why the year was not one of...
1983 Is the BEST Year in Music
By Mark Dursin Before 2013 comes to a close, perhaps we all should all pause and try to locate our inner Kajagoogoo. Thirty years ago, in 1983, the One-Hit Wonder Wizards known as Kajagoogoo took their song “Too Shy” all the way to Number 5 on the U.S. Billboard charts. It was a glorious time, 1983—when the charts were jam-packed with amazing acts such as Michael Jackson, The Police, Styx, Journey, Dexys Midnight Runners, and, yes,...
