Shady Train - Ep. 16: Atomic NRG!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER:

Shady Train...

the hippest trip in America!

60 nonstop minutes across the

tracks of your mind into the

exciting world of Soul!

And now, here's your host...

Don Cornelius!

Hi there and

welcome aboard.

You're right on time for another slick trip

on the Shady Train. If the sight and sound

of soul is your pleasure and what you

treasure, and if you need some funk

to put some junk in your trunk,

then you can bet your bottom

we got 'em, baby.

And we are excited and delighted to have with us to start the show

the mighty Temptations, the Motown super group that recently

returned to the label that made them famous and embarked on

a reunion tour. As they join us to do the hot single from their

new album appropriately entitled Reunion, a song written,

produced and featuring the great Rick James, let's put some

hands together for The Temps featuring badboy Rick and

a biggin everybody's diggin'-- "Standing On The Top!"

"Standing On The Top Part 1" - The Temptations Ft. Rick James
(May/June 1982, highest chart pos. #6 R&B/#66 Hot 100)

And these three extraordinary canaries

are the talk of the town and the buzz of

the business thanks to a string of hits

that spans more than a decade. As

they join us to do their latest hit

single on the Planet/RCA label

entitled "Neutron Dance" from

the soundtrack of the new Eddie

Murphy movie Beverly Hills Cop,

a rousing welcome please, gang,

for the fabulous-- Pointer Sisters!

"Neutron Dance" - The Pointer Sisters

(Jan./Feb. 1985, highest chart pos. #6 Hot 100/#13 R&B,

from OST of Dec. 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop)

And the Godfather of Soul is rackin'

'em back and that's no fiction, baby,

it's a natural fact. We are extremely

pleased to have him aboard the train

to do his latest single on the Polydor

label entitled "The Payback," a funky

number that is currently perched atop

the R&B chart. Let's do it real good,

gang, for Mr. Dynamite, Soul Brother

Number One-- Mr. James Brown!

"The Payback" - James Brown

(Apr./May 1974, highest chart pos. #1 R&B/#26 Hot 100)

And let's welcome aboard the Shady

Train a lovely and talented lady who

will long be remembered as one of

the most important artists of 1976,

primarily as a result of a sensa-

tional album and single on the

Casablanca label entitled

"Love To Love You Baby."

Her name is-- Donna Summer!

"Love To Love You Baby"
 - Donna Summer (Jan./Feb. 1976,
h.c.p. #2 Hot 100/#3 R&B)

There are many stars in the sky, but this

man is the moon. His charisma, we feel,

is unmatched by any other performer in

the business. As he joins us to lay his

soul on the line doing his smash hit

single for Hi Records entitled "I'm

So Tired Of Being Alone," a great

big Shady Train welcome, please,

gang for the fantastic-- Al Green!

"Tired Of Being Alone" - Al Green

(Aug./Sept. 1971, highest chart
pos. #7 R&B/#11 Hot 100)

As a teenager in the 50s our next

guest formed The Parliaments,

a doo-wop group that went on

to success in the 60s as a soul

R&B act. In the 70s the group

evolved into the funk bands

Parliament and Funkadelic.

Now in the 80s, as a solo artist,

he continues to preside over his

P-Funk collective and build upon

his reputation as one of the most

influential singers, songwriters

and producers in the business.

His latest release on the Capitol label spent half a year on the R&B

chart and four weeks at #1. It's a lowdown ditty called "Atomic Dog"

and this crazy cat's name is-- George Clinton!

"Atomic Dog" - George Clinton

(Mar. - May 1983, highest chart pos.
#1 R&B, #101 Bubbling Under)

And look out now, don't hurt yourself.

It's the Shady Train gang, and they're

workin' it out to the latest single by

those brothers from Dayton, Ohio,

The Zapp Band. This one's funkier

than a mosquito's tweeter, a chart-

topper that's one of the baddest

sounds around, a little thing

called-- Dance Floor!

"Dance Floor (Part 1)" - Zapp

(July/Aug. 1982, highest cht. pos.
#1 R&B/#101 Bubbling Under)

And if that doesn't do it for you nothing

ever will. We invite you to hustle back

and get into it with us again next time

when we pop open a six pack and toss

in another cool one for good measure.

You can bet your last money, it's all

gonna be a stone gas, honey. I'm Don

Cornelius, and as always in parting,

we wish you love...peace...and soul!

Shady's Eighties Greaties Vol. 4: Backfired Situation!

"The Guy Under the Seats"

Hello there, Shady. I'm sure you never thought you'd

be seeing me again. I'll bet you were hoping I'd stay

hidden away in my little cubby-hole forever so that

you could sit up there in your ivory tower as the

self proclamed ruler of the blog world. 

Let me ask you this, Shady. Do you happen to know how long

it's been since you ran an Eighties Greaties post? I'll tell you

how long. The last post ran in 2012. Do the math. That's

something like 20 years ago. Tell me, Shady, how does

it feel to play God year after year, foisting heavy metal

thunder, sugar-coated disco ditties and your granddaddy's

lame Hit Parade tunes from the 50s upon your readers?

 Well I'm back and things are gonna change around here pronto. You see, Shady,

the vast silent majority of my fellow Americans agree with me that the 80s

was the last great decade for music. Therefore, I am staging a coup.

 Effective immediately, I am taking over as host of your sorely neglected

Eighties Greaties. My first order of business will be to change the name

of the series to... Jennifer Jason Leigh Bridget Fonda Phoebe Cates

Christie Brinkley Bo Derek Morgan Fairchild Heather Locklear...

and, try as you may, there is absolutely nothing you can do

to stop me, mister smarty pants!

 DEBBIE HARRY 

Debbie Harry will turn age 74 this year, folks. Anybody feeling old?

In 1981, after a highly successful five year run as front woman of

the new wave band Blondie, Debbie began a solo career. Her debut

single, "Backfired," from her debut solo album KooKoo, backfired.

It didn't exactly burn up the charts in the U.S. or the UK. Blondie
fans were surprised and perhaps a little put off when they saw
the transformation in Debbie's appearance in the music video.
Check out her darker hair and sci-fi inspired look.

"Backfired" - Debbie Harry
(Sept. 1981, highest chart pos. #43 Hot 100,
#39 Cash Box, #32 UK, from July 1981 album KooKoo)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 25 SEC. MARK!

 EDDIE MURPHY 

In the early 80s actor and comedian Eddie Murphy began to try his luck as a
recording artist with varying degrees of success ever since. In 1985 Murphy
entered the Buffalo, New York, home studio of record producer Rick James
and recorded "Party All The Time," a danceworthy single that features
Rick on backing vocals. Eddie's party platter spent three weeks at #2,
bumping its head on Lionel Richie's chart-topper "Say You, Say Me."

Watch and listen as Eddie Murphy and Rick James lay down the
sound on their collaborative hit-- "Party All The Time!"

"Party All The Time" - Eddie Murphy

(Dec. 1985, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100/#8 R&B)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 45 SEC. MARK!

 CATHY DENNIS 

Since the mid 1990s, Britain's Cathy Dennis has enjoyed a very successful career

as a songwriter. Cathy has penned hit songs for Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue and

Britney Spears. Cathy's greatest success came in 2008 as co-writer of Katy Perry's

monster international hit "I Kissed a Girl", one of the best-selling digital singles

in history. In the late 80s, before she started focusing primarily on songwriting,

Cathy made a name for herself as a pop/dance recording artist. In November

1989, Cathy's dance single "Just Another Dream" was released in the UK

 but failed to chart. In the year that followed, the record was re-issued in

the UK and reached #13. The slab was also released in the U.S. where,

in the early weeks of 1991, it caught fire, finishing in the top 10

on the pop chart and top 3 on the dance chart. Here now is 

Cathy Dennis on Oprah with "Just Another Dream."

"Just Another Dream" - Cathy Dennis

(first released Nov. 1989, charted in U.S. Jan. 1991,

highest chart pos. #9 Hot 100/#2 Dance Club/#13 UK)

 TEARS FOR FEARS 

In 1985 the English new wave pop rock band Tears For Fears achieved
back-to-back #1 hits in the U.S. with "Shout" and "Everybody Wants
To Rule The World." That same year Tears For Fears extended their
American winning streak with a third single, "Head Over Heels,"
which cracked the top 3 that summer and turned up in
the soundtrack of the 2001 sci-fi film Donnie Darko.

"Head over Heels" - Tears For Fears
(Oct./Nov. 1985, highest chart pos. #3,
from Feb. 1985 album Songs from the Big Chair)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 30 SEC. MARK!

 YAZOO 

Yazoo (known as Yaz in North America because lawyers say so) was an English

synthpop duo, consisting of vocalist Alison Moyet and former Depeche Mode

keyboardist Vince Clarke. Yazoo enjoyed worldwide success in the New Wave

80s and their songs have been used in numerous movies and television shows.

In March 1982 the song "Situation" was released in the UK on the B side of

Yazoo's debut single "Only You" and therefore failed to chart. It was a much

different story stateside where "Situation" made the Hot 100 and topped

the Dance Club chart for four weeks. In this cool clip, Yaz performs their
U.S. club hit "Situation," better known to some as-- "Move Out!"

"Situation" - Yazoo aka Yaz

(Aug 1982, highest chart pos. #1 Hot Dance Club Play)

 FUN BOY THREE 

Fun Boy Three was an English New Wave pop group made up of Terry Hall and

two other vocalists who broke off from the popular late 70s British ska revival

band The Specials. Hall, together with Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, penned

"Our Lips Are Sealed" which became a hit for Jane's girl group in 1981 and

was named by Rolling Stone mag as one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs

Of All Time. In 1983 Fun Boy Three released their own rendition of

"Our Lips Are Sealed" and it made the top 10 in the UK. I like
this version better than the Go-Go's original! 

"Our Lips Are Sealed" - Fun Boy Three
(April 1983, highest chart position #7 UK,
live perf. on Top of the Pops)

Well Shady, I hope you got your jollies sitting on the side-

lines contemplating your navel while I hosted my new series

Eighties Greaties Jennifer Jason Leigh Bridget Fonda Phoebe

Cates Christie Brinkley Bo Derek Morgan Fairchild Heather

Locklear. Tell me, Shady... how does it feel to be cut down

to size? How does it feel to have somebody else up here

on your throne while you're way down there groveling

in he dirt and crying like a little girl? Knowing you, it

wouldn't surprise me one little bit if you pulled the

plug on this series just to get rid of me. 

Do what you must, my friend, but remember, what goes around

comes around. One of these days, instant karma's gonna get you,

gonna knock you off your feet, better get yourself together,

darlin'.. Billy Bob Thornton you're gonna meet.

But, until that day, I'm gonna be right here

making your life... a living HELL!