I have a ton of ScrapFest! stuff to do, but it’s Tuesday (for a couple hours anyway) and Anna Bess requested an ’80’s hair bands “where are they now” post.  Never liked hairbands, but I’ll do my best.

Where to start?  I found a website http://www.ilovethe80s.com which lists the bands A-Z, but no extra info, so let’s see what we can come up with.

We’ll start with letter B.  Bad English was a group who named themselves after something to do with pool, but I wouldn’t know anything about that.  They had a big hit that I actually remember, “When I See You Smile,” which was written by Dianne Warren.  the band’s drummer. Deen Castronovo, later went on to join a reformed Journey with singer Steve Augeri, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, and Ross Valory. Bad English played a couple of reunion concerts this past March.

C is for Cinderella.  Did you know Bon Jovi discovered the group Cinderella in 1985?  Kind of neat.  Cinderella’s big song was power ballad “Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone)” and they released a greatest hits cd in 2005.  They had planned a tour this summer, but the singer’s vocal chord hemorrhaged (ouch) and they’re hoping to tour this fall.  The album cover I clipped cracks me up.  I know it was the ’80’s, but Lord, that’s a lot of look as Tim Gunn says.

D is for Def Leppard.  They named their band Def Leppard instead of “Deaf Leopard” as a homage to Led Zeppelin.  Maybe they should have went with Badd Spelin.  Anywhoodle, they’re still around.  In fact, their  new album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, was released worldwide on April 28, 2008.  The album debuted at #5 on The Billboard 200.   Country singer Tim McGraw co-wrote the the first single is “Nine Lives.”

E is for Europe, which is a band from Sweden and I wonder why they didn’t just call themselves Sweden or  something, but whatev.  They’re still rockin’ and are going back to the studio this fall to record.  This album cover is scary.  It’s blue.  The guy on the bottom right looks a little like Emilio Estevez’s Swedish bro.  They aren’t very pretty, are they?

I’m skipping down the alphabet ’cause I’m bored.

I remember liking the band Living Colour and I had a good friend in college who super liked them.  They were the only all African-American heavy metal band that I know of.  Please correct me if I’m wrong.  Living Colour sang “Cult of Personality,” and broke up in ’95 and have gotten back together, planning to release a new cd next year.  BTW, lead singer, Corey Glover (no relation to Danny Glover) is on tour with Jesus Christ Superstar in the role of Judas.  No, I’m not making that up.  You think he still has the dreads?

Metallica just released a new cd last week called Death Magnetic.

All of Motley Crue’s original members have come back to record and tour.  They released Saints of Los Angeles in June and a film adaptation of their band autobiography The Dirt, is due to be released sometime in 2009.  They’re saying Christopher Walken may play David Lee Roth and Val Kilmer may play David Lee Roth and that’s enough to make me want to see it.  That’s hilarious.  You think Pam Anderson will play herself?

After doing a couple of reality shows, (CC DeVille in the Surreal Life and Bret Michaels’ Rock of Love with Bret Michaels) Poison is touring again with their original line-up.  In all of my life, I’ve never worn as much makeup as those chicks are wearing.  The pursed lips are killing me.  I like how the brunette has an understated look.  I think 80’s hairbands spawned a lot of the drag queens working today.  I can’t look at this anymore.  I have an urge to pick up the hairspray and a teasing comb (if I had one).  It’s sad that CC DeVille is prettier on this album cover than I’ve ever been, even on my wedding day.  I’m going to go cry into my makeup bag now.  Hope my mascara doesn’t run.

Had the iPod on in the car yesterday and “Too Late for Goodbyes” by Julian Lennon came on. I so love that  song and started wondering, what’s happened to some of the artists I like and haven’t heard anything by in a while.

So, here’s the report.  Julian Lennon is working on an album now, should be out this year.  His website is under construction and I just added him as a friend on MySpace.  I’ve never done anything with my MySpace, but I’d like to be friends with Julian.  We could hang out, go to the Corn Dog 7 in the mall and play Pole Position in the arcade.  I bet Julian’s a vegetarian.  Oh, well, we could get those orange cheesy nachos and share some M&M’s.  Oh, and Icee’s.  And after we could go to the music store, stand in the section with Lennon and see if anyone recognizes him.  I bet some artists do that.  You know A-ha does that.  And the “My Sharona” guy.  And probably the Flock of Seagulls singer.  Just for fun, I give you Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls.  That do is the reason I’m scared of birds.  Seriously.

On to one of my faves, Michael Penn.  Penn put out a compilation last year of some of his best.  Can’t find any info on if he’s working on something currently, but how can you not love a guy who writes lyrics like these, “I’m between the poles and the Equator / Don’t send no private investigator to find me please / Lest he speaks Chinese / And can dance like Astaire overseas”.  That’s from “No Myth” — I could listen to that 10 times a day.  Michael is the brother of Sean Penn, Madonna’s ex and star of one of my favorite movies, “I am Sam” — if you don’t have that soundtrack, stop reading and go get it off iTunes or Amazon.  It’s all brilliant Beatles covers.  Michael sings “Two of Us” with his lovely wife Aimee Mann (great musician herself — former singer in ’til Tuesday).

Y’all know I love Natalie Merchant.  She’s working on a children’s album.  No word on a release date.

“Goody Two Shoes” (my theme song) singer Adam Ant is also currently working on an album, said to release in 2008.

My go-to for somber tunes, The Cure is about to debut their 13th studio release.  The band also has a 2008 tour in the works. Who wants to go when they come close to New Orleans?  I’m in.  I’ll bring the mascara and red lipstick.

The Smith’s frontman Morrissey released “All You Need is Me” a few months ago and his greatest hits album comes out in November.  And on a side note, this is the cover of his latest album.  Now I don’t know, but I saw Morrissey on something a couple of years ago and he looked a little rough.  Either he’s had a little visit to the plastic surgeon or he has in fact found the fountain of youth.  Does this man look 49?  That’s the age Wikipedia has, but he looks 30.  Maybe 35, tops.  I just noticed he’s sitting in water.  Maybe he’s sitting in the fountain of youth.  He’s just rubbing it in our faces now.  Damn fountain.

Tears for Fears’ site hasn’t been updated since 2005, when their last album was released.

Depeche Mode released a best-of last year and their last album of new music came out in ’05.   I missed that one. You know, sometimes it’s best bands have their heyday and go onto something else.  I don’t know, maybe real estate, or maybe freelance band-name-maker-uppers.  On second thought, I want that job.

What time is it?  It’s Morris Day and the mother effin’ Time, fool.  Hope y’all get the Jay and Silent Bob reference.  Morris, Jerome, and company reunited recently for a couple of performances.  Here’s hoping they get in the recording studio and make some music.  I want to see Prince and Morris Day and the Time make an album together.  Prince can get top billing.  Sign up Shelia E, but I never liked that Apollonia, so don’t invite her Purple Rain self in the reunion.  I just wrote that Apollonia.  First, like there’s another Apollonia out there and B, when did I start talking like my grandmother?  That Apolloina.  Good grief it’s late, I’d better let the dog in and call it a night.  After I watch “The Bird” video on YouTube.  Man, that never gets old.  Hold on now, this song ain’t for everybody, just the sexy people.

I’ll check out any bands y’all want to know about.  Just leave it in the comments.

Ok, so the comment from this morning made me not want to write anything else today, but hey, it’s Tunes you need Tuesday.  Here’s one essential album any REM fan needs: Dead Letter Office.

There’s a good chance you haven’t heard this cd, it’s a great collection of b-sides, covers, and outtakes from the band’s early years.  It’s a fitting title — in case you didn’t know, when your mail gets lost or you goofed up the address and don’t put your return address on the envelope, your mail goes to the dead letter office.  Well, that’s what they used to be called.  Now they’re referred to as Mail Recovery Centers, which sounds like letter rehab.  Anywhoodle.

The covers on Dead Letter Office are great.  I love REM’s version of “There She Goes Again” by Velvet Underground, it’s one of my favorite songs of all time.  The cover of Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic” is a fun song, something I always find strange that REM recorded.

“Ages of You” is a song that could have been big, or at least I think so.  I love a lot of REM’s music from before they really refined their sound.  Here’s a fab line from the song, “the horses just don’t gossip anymore.”  I never trusted horses, especially those haughty Clydesdales.

My fun, “try to sing along” song on the album has to be “Voice of Harold.”  Michael Stipe used the liner notes to a gospel album (“The Joy of Knowing Jesus”, by the Revelaires) in the studio during the recording of Reckoning with the same backing music track as “7 Chinese Brothers.”  I’m sure there was some drinking going on in the studio that night.   Finally, the mucho grande fun track of the album is a liqoured-up version of Roger Miller’s “King of the Road.”  You can almost smell the booze on Stipe’s breath when you hear it.  Seriously.  Here’s what guitarist Peter Buck had to say in the liner notes about “King of the Road”:  I suppose if we had any shame we would have never allowed this little gem to see the light of day. This was recorded at the very end of a long alcohol soaked day, and I can barely remember cutting it. This first part was an attempt at writing a commercial for Walter’s Bar-B-Q. The second part is King of the Road, kind of. If there was any justice in the world, Roger Miller should be able to sue for what we did to this song.

So, there it is.  Go to Amazon and get your copy of Dead Letter Office.  It’s $7, I checked it out for you.  I didn’t check iTunes this time, but you know how to find it.  Oh, I didn’t mention that when the cd was released, they tacked on the EP, Chronic Town, to DLO, so you’ll get the lovely song “Gardening at Night” as a little bonus.  I’ve had the cd for years and years, and I pop in it in to play for a fun drive a lot.  The cd came out in 1987, before Document and Green, when REM was still pretty much considered a college band and they broke out big.  Do yourself a favor and go get all those cds.  I have the newer compilations and the old cds — you can’t beat the old ones.  There a lots of gems off those older cds that never saw the light of day.  Ok, so this Tunes you need Tuesday turned into REM you need Tuesday.

Promise I’ll put up layouts from Scrap ‘n on the River soon.  Still haven’t unpacked the car.  What?  You think I unpacked anything, save for my Vera Bradley Miller bag in Java Blue?  Ha.  You’re so funny, I thought you knew me by now.  I wouldn’t have  unpacked that bag, but I needed my toiletries.  A girl’s gotta have her hair products, now.   Be good.

So, y’all know I’m big on Counting Crows, so of course I read Down the Rabbit Hole, Adam Duritz’s online magazine for fun and to check out bands he recommends.  A while back he wrote about The Negro Problem, a band with a politically incorrect name and great music.  Later they changed their name to Stew, their lead singer’s name and they just got better.  They have a big Beatles influence with ’60’s pop melodies and horns, strings, and funky lyrics.  You just won’t believe the song “Ahmnot Madatcha” — it’s just plain great.  Love the title.  “Come Down Now” is pretty perfect.  If you take a listen, you’ll immediately hear the difference between current music and what Stew is doing.  It’s night and day.  So, when the band changed their name to Stew, they put out an album you’ve probably never heard of called Guest Host, which was named album of the year in 2000 by Entertainment Weekly.  I defy you to listen to “C’mon Everybody” and not want to get up and dance.  It’s fab, just fun — love that song.  Stew is poppy, but socially conscience, if that makes sense.  You’ll find lyrics about race, Ken doll’s lack of anatomy, rehab, and more.  If you’d like to listen to The Negro Problem and Stew, check out my link to Down the Rabbit Hole, and you’ll be happy to know you can get their stuff on iTunes, ’cause Lord knows you won’t find them in your local record store.  Do people still call them record stores?  Music store?  I have no idea.  I’ve ordered online for so long, I wouldn’t know.  Anywhoodle, you’ll be glad you checked them out.

Oh, did you get my pick from last week yet?  Be sure to listen to Retroverb on iTunes as well — you’ll like them and if you’re in the Shreveport area this weekend you can catch them live Little Joe’s on King’s Hwy.  Bring a lighter or cell phone to wave back and forth, like you’re at a Journey concert and say hi to Will for me.  And ask him to play “Here Comes the Sun” for old times, while you’re at it.

Here I go to pick up my Town & Country fresh from getting an oil change and tires rotated.  Yea me!  Be good.