Tag: 1985

Feature LP

Monday 3/28/22 9am ET: Feature LP: Tears For Fears – Songs from the Big Chair (1985)

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on February 25, 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US and Canada, becoming a multi-platinum seller in all three countries. It also reached number one in Germany and the Netherlands and Top 10 positions in various other countries including Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand and Italy. It spawned the international hit singles “Mothers Talk”, “Shout”, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, “Head over Heels”, and “I Believe”. It remains their best-selling album to date.

A companion video documentary entitled Scenes from the Big Chair was released in late 1985. Once the band had finished a lengthy touring and promotion schedule for the album, they took an extended hiatus from the music industry.

1. “Shout” 6:31
2. “The Working Hour” 6:29
3. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” 4:09
4. “Mothers Talk” 5:04
5. “I Believe” 4:54
6. “Broken” 2:38
7. “Head over Heels” 5:02
8. “Listen” 6:54

Feature LP

Friday 12am ET: Feature LP: Daryl Hall & John Oates – Live At The Apollo With With David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks (1985)

Live at the Apollo is an album by Daryl Hall & John Oates released on September 30,1985, recorded live at the Apollo Theater in New York. It is subtitled “With David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks”, of The Temptations-fame. The album is a mixture of their classics and some then-current songs by Hall & Oates. A VHS video of this concert with a different running order was released in 1987.

On July 13, 1985, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin appeared together at Live Aid, two months before this album was released.

“Apollo Medley: Get Ready/Ain’t Too Proud To Beg/The Way You Do the Things You Do/My Girl” 12:49
“When Something Is Wrong with My Baby” 4:44
“Everytime You Go Away” 7:07
“I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” 7:58
“One on One” 5:50
“Possession Obsession” 5:54
“Adult Education” 6:34

Max20th Century

Friday 6pm: Max 20th Century – 1985 (Part 3)

A story published in The New York Times declares that country music is “dead.” However, a number of new acts – Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam among them – are working behind the scenes to change the trend.

The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Music Video of the Year. The first recipient was Hank Williams Jr.’s video for “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.”

Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid cofounds the Black Rock Coalition, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the creative freedom and works of black musicians interested in playing rock music.

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider testifies at The Parents Music Resource Center Senate hearings on rock censorship at Washington D.C. on September 19, 1985.

David Lee Roth releases his solo debut (EP) Crazy from the Heat in January 1985. With it comes the announcement he has permanently left Van Halen.

Black Sabbath reunites at Live Aid with Ozzy Osbourne.

Led Zeppelin reunites at Live Aid with Phil Collins replacing deceased drummer John Bonham.

Kam Lee leaves Death and Chuck Schuldiner becomes the vocalist.

Uriah Heep’s former lead singer, David Byron dies on February 28, due to alcohol complications.

Welcome to Venice compilation is released, featuring Suicidal Tendencies, Beowulf, and others, showing the growing crossover trend among the Venice Beach hardcore and metal scenes.

Newly formed bands
Aria
Carcass
David Lee Roth
Deliverance
Dream Theater (under the name “Majesty”)
Exhorder
Extreme
Guns N’ Roses
Iced Earth (known as “Purgatory” until 1988)
Jane’s Addiction
King Diamond
MX Machine
Neurosis
Macabre
Mr. Bungle
Racer X
Realm
Sanctuary
Tarot (under the name “Purgatory” until record deal)
White Zombie

Max20th Century

Wednesday 6pm: Max 20th Century – 1985 (Part 2)

July 13 – The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment. The former venue, however, becomes the more notable of the two over the years, in part due to the high acclaim of Queen’s performance of “Radio Ga Ga”, which serves as the band’s comeback in the United Kingdom (Queen would still remain a pariah in the United States in the wake of Hot Space until after Freddie Mercury’s death six years later). With a little help from the British Concorde jet, singer Phil Collins manages to perform at both venues.
September 6 – Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles’ music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, against whom he is bidding.
September 19 – The Parents Music Resource Center’s (P.M.R.C.) United States Senate hearing on rock censorship begin in Washington, D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testify against the P.M.R.C.
September 22
The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Massimo Bogianckino, general manager of the Paris Opera and former head of both the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and La Scala, is elected mayor of Florence.
December 5 – The first fully digital reggae single, Wayne Smith’s “(Under Me) Sleng Teng”, is recorded at Prince Jammy’s studio; it is the beginning of ragga style reggae.
December 23 – Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shoot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band’s records. A lawsuit is brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music.
December 31 – The fourteenth annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special is aired on ABC television, with appearances by Four Tops, The Judds, Barry Manilow, The Motels, Tears for Fears and The Temptations.

Also in 1985

Several hundreds of thousands of US dollars in publishing royalties are released to the surviving members, and families of the deceased members, of the British music group, Badfinger. Two band members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, previously committed suicide due to financial problems.
Metal Edge magazine is launched.
Roger Waters announces his intention to leave Pink Floyd; describing the band as “a spent force creatively,” he would spend the next two years in a legal battle with his now-former bandmates over the rights to the “Pink Floyd” name and other associated assets.

Max20th Century

Monday 6pm: Max 20th Century – 1985 (Part 1)

January 1 – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
January 11
One of the biggest music festivals in the world begins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Rock in Rio, had a public of 1.5 million people at all, including artists like Iron Maiden, Nina Hagen, The B52’s, Go Go’s, Queen, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, AC/DC, and many more. National artists such as Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho, Barão Vermelho and Paralamas do Sucesso also perform.
Willie Dixon sues Led Zeppelin over the song “Whole Lotta Love”, on the grounds that it contains too many similarities to his own song “You Need Love”. The lawsuit is settled out of court.[citation needed]
January 28 – Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Tina Turner, Sheila E., Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Dionne Warwick, Waylon Jennings, Bob Geldof and Stevie Wonder, record the song “We Are the World”, written by Jackson and Ritchie.
February – Just months after the compact disc release of his sixteenth and most recent studio album, Tonight, and nearly two years after the initial CD release of its predecessor, Let’s Dance, RCA Records reissues David Bowie’s previous fourteen studio albums plus four greatest hits albums on the format. Consequently, Bowie becomes the first major artist to have his entire catalog converted to CD.
February 22
Whitney Houston releases her debut album.
The “One Night with Blue Note” concert, celebrating the relaunch of Blue Note Records and featuring over 30 jazz greats, is held at The Town Hall in New York. Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, McCoy Tyner and Grover Washington, Jr. are just a few of the performers.
March 27 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation bans Stevie Wonder’s music in response to Wonder dedicating the Oscar he had won the night before to Nelson Mandela.
March 28 – A wax likeness of Michael Jackson is unveiled at Madame Tussaud’s in London, UK
April 1 – After months of squabbling, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.[4]
April 7 – Wham! becomes the first Western pop group to perform in China when they play a concert in Beijing’s Workers Stadium during an historic 10-day visit.
April 10 – Madonna begins her very first tour, The Virgin Tour (named after her Like a Virgin album) in Seattle, Washington, USA.
May – Russian singer Valery Leontiev starts his 10-date tour “Alone with all” and it become an instant hit. Queues for tickets blocked the traffic on a few central streets of Leningrad.
May 4 – With “La det swinge” by Bobbysocks!, Norway scores its first win at the Eurovision Song Contest, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
May 13 – Dire Straits release their fifth studio album, Brothers in Arms. The album becomes highly successful in part because of its unusually high sound quality, the result of it being recorded entirely digitally as opposed to with standard analog magnetic tape. The album additionally serves as a killer app for the compact disc format, becoming the first album to sell more copies on CD than on phonograph record, and goes on to become the highest selling album of the 1980’s in the UK.
June 11 – Madonna ends The Virgin Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA.