Thirty songs from 1986 today. Not the year’s 30 best, but a good representation of what was going on in music then.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 11-23-22
Today’s playlist celebrates Thanksgiving and the November 23 birthdays of Miley Cyrus, Marcia Griffiths, Bruce Hornsby, The Kills’ Alison Mosshart, Betty Everett, Johnny Mandel, Shed Seven’s Rick Witter, Manhattan Transfer’s Alan Paul, and Jack Marshall; the November 24 birthdays of The Beatles’ Pete Best, Incredible String Band’s Robin Williamson, The Association’s Jim Yester, Don & Juan’s Claude “Juan” Johnson, and Lee Michaels; and the November 25 birthdays of Percy Sledge, EPMD’s Erick Sermon, Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan, Bob Lind, Inner Life’s Jocelyn Brown, Stacy Lattisaw, and Lighthouse Family’s Tunde Baiyewu.
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Throwback Thursday: 1986
For many years I’ve been saying that 1986 was a crap year for music. I prove myself wrong with this week’s Throwback Thursday playlist. Listen to these gems! How did I get this so wrong until now? My theory is this: In 1986 I was still listening to top 40 radio more than other formats. While there were many great hit songs in ’86 (as evidenced by the playlist below), there was also a lot of garbage songs that were successful on the pop chart. My thoughts of all those garbage songs outweighed my fond memories of all of the good songs. Well, no more, missy! Nineteen eighty-six was a good year for music. The proof is in the pudding (pudding meaning this week’s Throwback Thursday playlist).
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (11-24-20)
Inspired by the November 24 birthdays of The Association’s Jim Yester, Lee Michaels and Don & Juan’s Claude Johnson; and the November 23 birthdays of Miley Cyrus, The Kills’ Alison Mosshart, Betty Everett, Marcia Griffiths, Manhattan Transfer’s Alan Paul, Bruce Hornsby and Jack Marshall.
Throwback Thursday – 1986
By 1986, Aerosmith appeared to have had their best years behind them. Sales of their releases that decade lagged significantly behind their hits in the 1970s, and the group’s members were struggling with drug addictions.
They did have fans, though. One was music producer Rick Rubin. He was working with rap group Run-D.M.C., who were known in hip hop circles and with music critics for incorporating rock guitars and beats in their boastful raps, such as “Rock Box” and “King of Rock.”
Rubin suggested Run-D.M.C. do a remake of Aerosmith’s 1977 hit “Walk This Way,” but the rappers had no interest in doing a cover. However, the group’s DJ, Jam Master Jay, was open to the idea, and Rubin called Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to come into the studio. Perry was familiar with the rappers, as his stepson was a fan. Jam Master Jay convinced Run and D.M.C. to give the remake a shot, seeing as Tyler and Perry were in the studio with Rubin.
The Run-D.M.C./Aerosmith version of “Walk This Way” was not only massively successful, but highly influential as well. It became Run-D.M.C.’s first crossover hit, and the first rap track to make the top ten of Billboard’s Hit 100, peaking at #4, six notches higher than Aerosmith’s original peaked. It opened the door to future song/rap collaborations, something that continues to dominate the charts to this day, not to mention bringing “rock rap” to a wide audience.
Steven Tyler went to rehab in 1986, and the other members of Aerosmith also sought treatment for their drug addictions. On the heels of the success of the “Walk This Way” remake, Aerosmith released the Permanent Vacation album in the late summer of 1987. Its first single, “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” became the group’s first hit single outside the Run-D.M.C. collaboration since 1978’s “Come Together.” They followed that single with a string of big hits over the next few years, including “Love in an Elevator,” “Cryin’,” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” “Livin’ on the Edge,” and “Jaded.”
This week’s Throwback Thursday playlist spotlights the best of 1986, kicking off with the groundbreaking “Walk This Way,” performed by Run-D.M.C. and featuring Aerosmith’s “Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
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Glenn’s Ten (11-18-14)
Greetings, readers! Today we check in with Glenn’s Ten, the list of my ten favorite current songs at this moment.
There are no changes in my top three. For the third week in a row, Tove Lo is at #1 with “Habits,” Banks is at #2 with “Beggin for Thread,” and George Ezra is #3 with “Budapest.” Entering this week’s top ten is Father John Misty’s “Bored in the USA” at #4, Les Sins’ “Bother” at #5, and Belle & Sebastian’s “The Party Line” at #8. This is the first time in Glenn’s Ten for Misty and Les Sins (who also records under the name Toro y Moi). I haven’t published Glenn’s Ten in the blog for a few weeks, so there are a few other songs that will appear to be new entries to those of you keeping score at home.
Here is Glenn’s Ten for this week:
1 – “Habits (Stay High)” – Tove Lo
2 – “Beggin for Thread” – Banks
3 – “Budapest” – George Ezra
4 – “Bored in the U.S.A.” – Father John Misty
5 – “Bother” – Les Sins
6 – “Inside Out” – Spoon
7 – “Let Me Down Easy” – Paolo Nutini
8 – “The Party Line” – Belle & Sebastian
9 – “Cedar Lane” – First Aid Kit
10 – “Low Key” – Tweedy
Today’s playlist are the above ten tracks followed by ten songs that were #1 on this date in Glenn’s Ten history.
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