Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #80 of the top 100 countdown, and starting to really get into it! And the song is...Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'by the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson. Now if you don't know who Michael Jackson (R.I.P.) is than I can't help you out. For those of you who don't know much MJ-trivia, he was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958, and he was 50 years old when he passed away just last year on June 25th (almost a frickin year already!!) in Los Angeles California. You might find it interesting to know that Madonna and Prince both also turned 50 years old last year, officially being the Queen and Prince of Pop during the 80's with recently deceased King M.J.. Now I know that there has been speculation about who will be the next, but as far as I am concerned no one currently can sit in the throne, so its empty until someone who really "has it" comes along. I have heard people say they think that Lady Gaga is making her way as the next Queen of Pop, however I remain skeptical on that one as I reckon you have to be extremely prolific and consistent with pop-hits over an extended period of time to take the throne, not that Lady Gaga isn't capable of this, but it remains to be seen. This discussion has me on a bit of tangent so back to the topic at hand. Wanna Be Startin Somethin, was the first track of Jackson's epic Thriller album which won Jackson a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year, and numbers are uncertain but it has been estimated as having sold approximately 78-110 million copies worldwide as of 2009. Shockingly enough youtube actually allows posting of the actual music video, so enjoy.
...Coca Cola, by Australian indie-rock band Little Red. Little Red are from Melbourne, Australia consisting of Adrian Beltrame (Guitar, Vocals), Dominic Byrne (Guitar, Vocals), Quang Dinh (Bass, Vocals), Tom Hartney (Vocals, tambourine and harmonica) and Taka Honda (Drums). Wikipedia says they have been compared to the Beach Boys in their sound, either way they definitely have an upbeat sound, no depressing grunge here. Coca Cola comes off of their Listen to Little Red album, released in 2008, so yes it is a bit old, but probably new to you, def check it out.
...Bang, Bang, Bang, by English guitarist, music producer, and co-founder of Allido RecordsMark Ronson & the Business INTL (feat. QTIP and MDNR). Mark Ronson is known for working with other artists, primarily as a DJ and producer in producing hit pop-hop and electronica tracks such as his 2003 release"Ooh Wee" (feat. Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg & Trife), which appeared on the Hitch movie soundtrack that year. Mark Ronson has released 3 studio albums, and has won a BRIT Award for Best Male Artist in 2008. Bang, Bang, Bang comes offof his still unreleased Record Collection album, due to come out sometime in this year of 2010. This video is pretty cool, especially the beginning bits with the flashing lights reminiscent of japanese animation and 80's cartoons the likes of Voltron and Thundercats. Don't miss this one, its an instant Summer hit fo sho!
...Light It Up, by British alternative rock duo Blood Red Shoes. Blood Red Shoes come out of Brighton, England consisting of Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter, they formed in late 2004. Light It Up was released in February 2010 and appears on their Fire Like This album. Not much else to say, pues nada...
...blah blah blah, I haven't done a written post here for a few days now. So the Snakers won the Finals, the World Cup Continues as the United States ties yet again with Slovenia this time meaning they must beat Algeria to not be knocked out of the next round) and The Oil continues to spew into the ocean with predictions of an Oil-Hurricane storm on the horizon, Yippee! The world news is always the same isn't it, just a bunch of negativity, but then again I suppose I should try and be more positive about it :-o June is almost over too! craziness, the world keeps on turning, I don't know why I always have this idea that certain events will somehow slow it down or stop time, it never works that way. Lets see here... something interesting to talk about that isn't negative or news-related...I went hiking all day yesterday to a really sacred and not to mention secret spot here in my home-state, and maybe if you ask me nicely I might take you there someday. Ha! But seriously a cool place, lots of wildflowers this time of year, great stuff fo sho! Went and saw "Take Him to the Greek," and "Iron Man 2," both of which are quite entertaining and qualify as proper distractions from real-life. And so also the solstice is coming up, and I have a feeling that all of the death/rebirth that he has predicted for June 26th, 2010 and that much of the death has to do with the oil leak disaster, which it really qualifies as a true disaster of epic proportions (you'll agree with me when you revisit this entry 3 years from now and the oil is still leaking out and turning the see black, and I can't say I am impressed with what any of the parties involved are doing about it, they are all just sort of twiddling their thumbs and having little panels in which they yell at (or in some cases apologize to) the companies involved in the disaster, and fining each other, but who is taking actual steps to stopping the leak?? I figure that the worse it gets perhaps the better, and that the more damage, death, and destruction it causes and the more people that are affected the more likely "True Change," (God-forbid I recommend actual change in people's daily lives) could actually happen in regards to our oil-addicted culture, but probably not. It reminds me of yeast, which during the process of fermentation slowly eat up sugars and produce toxic waste (to the yeast called alcohol) which the yeast eventually drown in and die.... that's right they actually die in their own toxic waste which inevitably halts their consumption...think about it but don't get scared because fear doesn't solve any problems either. Which reminds me to remind you that there is a difference between being fearful (anxious, nervous, unsure, panicked) and cautious (confident, cool, calm, alert) in life's little challenges...blah blah blah blah
...Golden Child, by Aussie Electro-Indie band World's End Press. Now I don't have much data or facts on them except their location and origin. This song starts out with a sort of minor-progression but contains all sorts of goodies, especially the keyboard jam towards the end of the song. The Aussies are producing lots of good music these days. Now, there is only a live version of the song on youtube, which is pretty shiite sound quality, but go to their myspace page and listen a decent quality version of the song. The mp3 is still for free on the triple J free mp3's page here.
Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #81 of the top 100 countdown, and starting to really get into it! And the song is...Under Pressure by artists David Bowie and Queen. Under Pressure was a collaboration between these two outstanding artists, and the first of its kind for David Bowie. The song was recorded in 1981, and was featured on Queen's 1982 album released titled Hot Space. Under Pressure reached #1 on the UK singles chart, and was ranked #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Song's of the 80's. The song started out as a song by Queen called Feel Like, which transformed into Under Pressure after a jam-session with David Bowie took place in Montreux, Switzerland, thus Freddie Mercury was considered the song's primary writer, but all contributed to the work. This song has always been one of my favorites, and many may be surprised its not further towards the top of my Top 100, but we will see why as time goes on. Enjoy #81!
...Skeleton Boy, by English dance-punk band Friendly Fires. Friendly Fires was formed in 2006 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK and they have released 3 EP's and 1 studio album. Skeleton Boy was released in March 2009. In 2009 the band was nominated for Best Breakthrough Award at The South Bank Show Awards and for ‘Best Dancefloor Filler’ at the NME Awards, as well as for the Mercury Music Prize. Their self-titled studio album reached #21 on the UK albums chart. Enjoy!
...Blood, by Australian indie-folk-rock band The Middle East. The Middle East are a musical collective from Townsville, Queensland formed in 2005. The band broke up and then subsequently reconvened according to wikipedia, then to release their EP in the US and Australia. The band has received lots of airtime on Triple J (the National-Radio-Network) and this song came in at #64 on the Hottest 100 countdown. Don't have any other info on them, check out their EP for more.
Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #82 of the top 100 countdown, and starting to really get into it! And the song is...Love Plus One, by British pop and new-wave group Haircut 100. Haircut 100 were formed back in 1980 (a good year), and had 4 UK Top 10 Singles between then and 1982. The band had some lineup changes over time, but the original group was Nick Heyward (guitar, vocals),Les Nemes on bass, Tim Jenkins on guitar and Rob Stroud on drums. Love Plus One was no doubt one of those top 4 UK Singles and came off of their Pelican West album, released in 1982. Anyways, don't have much more info, check wikipedia for more, and note the song is a good dance hit when you play it on a proper system, as you will note with all of these songs I am posting. When played on a massive stereo system, these songs that sound like they wouldn't be great dance-hits on a little bedroom stereo sound great, oh Snap!
...You've Changed, by Australian singer/songwriter Sia (short for Sia Furler). Sia arises out of Adelaide in South Australia, and has been classified by wikipedia as an acid-jazz/pop/trip-hop artist, so she must have quite a range. I personally am not that familiar with her work, but she has also worked with other acts, such as Zero 7 which would classify her in the trippy genre for sure. She has produced 3 studio albums and You've Changed comes off of her We Are Born album, just released this month of June 2010..now where can I get myself one of them panda hats??
Well, the Celtics lead the finals 3-2, the United States Draws with England 1-1, and Australia loses 0-4 to Germany, and yet the world keeps on turning. The sleepy days of summer are just ahead of us which was making me think of drive-in theaters, and how there is still one here in my home town, I suppose I might have to check it out this summer and catch a flick or something. Whilst thinking about this a few weeks ago I had a strange clarity dawn upon me, kind of like a nostalgia but I can't really explain it well, kind of like trying to describe a sunset, so limited by words, oh well...for those of you wondering, yes the 80's top 100 list is already completed by me and has been from the beginning, however it remains fluid as I am open to changing bits and pieces here and there, but the same basic structure remains. Back to my previous topic though, the United States will now take on Slovenia for their next match on June 18. I read in the local paper that there have been large gatherings of US Soccer fans here in the USA, which actually surprised me a bit, seeing that we have always been so...well "domestic" about our sports, so I think it is a positive sign, seeing that most of the US soccer fans are probably under the age of 35, and one a willingness to participate in the world on the global scale, minus the whole attitude, because no matter how "nationalistic" or "patriotic" you are, as a US soccer fan one must maintain humility amongst the soccer-legends from all the other parts of the world. In truth we Yanks are just infants in a global sport that's dominated the rest of the world scene for decades, but do not get me wrong, I am stoked to see young Americans getting excited about the World Cup, and making a stop at your local casino and placing a bet or two always makes the rounds a bit more exciting and personable.
...Beneath the Satellites, by Australian garage rock band, British India. British India formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2004, and comprise of comprising lead guitarist/singer Declan Melia, guitarist Nic Wilson, bassist Will Drummond and drummer Matt O'Gorman. They have released 3 studio albums since 2004 and Beneath the Satellites comes off of their March 2010 release album titled Avalanche. Avalanche reached #10 on the Aussie ARIA album charts. I would recommend this entire album and have yet to check out their previous ones myself. Pues nada.Avalanche
