The Brief: Let’s state the obvious first: Regina’s “Baby Love” sounds a lot like a Madonna song. There’s a good reason for that. Regina co-wrote “Baby Love” with frequent 80s-era Madonna collaborator Stephen Bray, who also produced the song. Rumor has it that the Material Girl was originally supposed to record the song, but turned [...]
Posted in FWV, Regina 
Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Atlantic Records, JG Hargreaves, Michael Hutchinson, Pop, Promo, Stephen Bray 
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The Brief: In 1983 and 1985, Talking Heads released ‘Speaking In Tongues’ and ‘Little Creatures’, two great albums from start to finish that attained sales of over a million copies each. ‘Creatures’ was certified Double Platinum noting sales of over 2 million copies. In 1986, a David Byrne film entitled True Stories was released and a [...]
The Brief: Our final Midnight Star record of the week is the title track from the 1986 ‘Headlines’ LP. ‘Headlines’ was the third album in a row for the band that was certified Gold, following the double Platinum success of ‘No Parking On The Dance Floor’ and the Gold certification of ‘Planetary Invasion’. It would, [...]
The Brief: The last appearance on Billboard’s Hot 100 that Midnight Star made was in 1986 with this single, “Midas Touch”. It was from the LP ‘Headlines’ which was the last album from the group with Reggie and Vincent Calloway as members. The song just missed the Top 40 in the US but did reach [...]
The Brief: One more Bar-Kays connected record to close out a week of Uptown Music. I’m not really sure who all the members of Focus were but, Bar-Kays alumni are all over the credits of this record. The song was written by Mark Bynum and Howard Redmond, Jr, both were members of the band in the 80s. [...]
The Brief: This promo 12″ contains remixes not issued on the commercial platter (note to self: find a copy of the commercial 12″). This was the third and final single released from Robbie’s debut album. Which is kind of surprising considering that considering that Robbie hit #2, #14 and #10 in that order. How do [...]
Posted in FWV, Robbie Nevil Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Gail “Sky” King, Keith Cohen, Manhattan Records, Pop 4 Comments »
The Brief: If you are a parent of young children or ‘tweeners, I think they call them, you have probably heard a lot of Robbie Nevil’s recent work. With collaborator Matthew Gerrard, Robbie has been writing for Disney projects The Cheetah Girls, High School Musical, and Hannah Montana. Before he was behind the scenes on [...]
Posted in FWV, Robbie Nevil Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Arthur Baker, Latin Rascals, Manhattan Records, Pop 2 Comments »
The Brief: In 1986, Chaka Khan released the LP ‘Destiny’ as the follow up to her 1984 multi-platinum smash ‘I Feel For You’. Today’s 12″ was the third single released from that album. “Earth To Mickey” features quite a few recognizable names in the credits: Sandra St. Victor on backing vocals, Reggie Griffin on various instruments [...]
The Brief: In June of 1986, the movie Running Scared hit big screens across the US to moderate success, taking in over $38 million during its run. The movie boasted a soundtrack featuring numerous artists favored by Fun With Vinyl including Klymaxx, Ready For The World, New Edition and Patti LaBelle. The most successful single [...]
Posted in FWV, Michael McDonald Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Bruce Swedien, Louil Silas Jr, MCA Records, Pop 14 Comments »
The Brief: Guest Blogger: Marc from Nova Scotia Not unlike that sad little Christmas tree Charlie Brown picked out for the nativity play, the title track from 1986’s ‘True Blue’ album doesn’t exactly stand out amongst Madonna’s defining musical moments. Overshadowed by flashier, more provocative recordings, this harmless piece of ear candy always sounded to [...]
The Brief: Well, of course, we couldn’t tackle “Two Of Hearts” without touching on her follow up Top 40 hit “We Connect”. We rejoin the former Dance Theater of Orange County dancer, Disneyland entertainer, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus showgirl and on-air radio sound-alike/impersonator. That’s quite a resume for just the first 20 [...]
The Brief: OK, so, I kind of stared at the screen for a bit thinking about what there was to write about Stacey Q that hasn’t already been regurgitated over and over online. And, I probably have not come up with anything original but, I’m going to forge ahead anyway. Stacey’s first foray into the [...]
The Brief: Guest Blogger: RockSteady This is the promotional 12″ for the first single from da Krash, released 1988 alongside Ta Mara and the Seen’s ‘Blueberry Gossip’ and writer/ producer Jesse Johnson’s own ‘Every Shade of Love’. da Krash’s sound was an extension of Johnson’s ‘Shockadelica’ album as it bore the same heavy rock funk [...]
Posted in da Krash, FWV Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Capitol Records, Gail “Sky” King, MPLS, Promo, R&B No Comments »
The Brief: 52nd Street were a British band formed in Manchester in late 1980, they gigged around Manchester while recording demo tapes in local studios looking for their big break. The band enjoyed sporadic success in the UK and the US over the years while undergoing numerous lineup changes. Their most well-known and best selling [...]
Posted in 52nd Street, FWV Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, MCA Records, Morales and Munzibai, Nick Martinelli, Promo, R&B 17 Comments »
The Brief: OK, to close out the week, here’s an S.O.S. Band song that I got numerous requests for, “The Finest”. It’s kind of neat to look at the chart data and see how R&B radio and the dance clubs got on this song early and helped push it into the pop charts. Not quite [...]
Posted in Alexander O'Neal, Cherrelle, FWV, The SOS Band Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Flyte Tyme Productions, R&B, Tabu Records 18 Comments »
The Brief: I think the theme of the rest of this week will be, “hey, why didn’t you post…?” Back in April of 2011 I posted a string of Club Nouveau records with the exception of this one. It has since been added to the collection and now the Club Nouveau ‘Life, Love And Pain’ [...]
Posted in Club Nouveau, FWV Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Morales and Munzibai, R&B, Tommy Boy Records 7 Comments »
The A Side: Stroke (LP Version) 4:30 The B Side: Stroke (Edit) 4:06 The Brief: “Stroke” is the last of three singles from the debut album by ‘Mazarati’. The song was written, arranged and produced by Brown Mark. No chart success at all for this single release. Side A is the LP Version and Side [...]
7″: A I Need A Prince (Radio Edit) 3:58 B I Need A Prince (Radio Edit) 3:58 Label: Epic Records Catalog#: 34-06582 Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM Country: US Released: 1986 12″: A I Need A Prince (Extended Radio Mix) 5:15 I Need A Prince (Radio Edit) 4:11 B I Need A Prince (Club Mix) [...]
The A Side: Looking For A New Love (Extended Club Version) 7:28 The B Side: Looking For A New Love (Radio Edit) 5:06 Looking For A New Love (Instrumental) 7:28 Looking For A New Love (A Cappella) 5:06 Looking For A New Love (Bonus Beats) 4:33 The Brief: A Grammy Award Winner as Best New [...]
The A Side: Nail It To The Wall (12″ Version) 6:10 The B Side: Nail It To The Wall (12″ Instrumental) 4:46 Nail It To The Wall (Edit of 12″ Vocal) 3:54 The Brief: Stacy Lattisaw recorded her first album for Cotillion Records at the age of 12 in 1979, under the direction of record [...]
Posted in FWV, Stacy Lattisaw Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Jellybean Benitez, Michael Hutchinson, Motown Records, R&B 3 Comments »
The A Side: I Want To Make The World Turn Around (Extended Version) 6:26 I Want To Make The World Turn Around (Dub Version) 2:55 The B Side: I Want To Make The World Turn Around (Video Edit) 4:23 Slinky 2:40 The Brief: How do you know that the 12” single and dance music in [...]
Posted in FWV, Steve Miller Band Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Capitol Records, David Cole, Rock 5 Comments »
The A Side: Once Bitten Twice Shy (Extended Version) 6:01 The B Side: Once Bitten Twice Shy (Dub Version) 3:41 Once Bitten Twice Shy (A Cappella Version) 3:56 The Brief: “Once Bitten Twice Shy” is the first single from Vesta Williams’ debut album ‘Vesta’. It was the first of 6 Top 10 hits for Vesta [...]
Posted in FWV, Vesta Williams Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, A&M Records, Flyte Tyme Productions, John McClain, R&B, Steve Hodge 16 Comments »
The A Side: Imagination (Hot Dance Remix) 6:00 The B Side: Private Joy (Extended Dance Bonus Track) 7:20 Imagination (Dub Mix) 5:30 The Brief: La Toya Jackson is the fifth of the nine famous Jackson family children. She is the younger sister of Rebbie and Janet’s older sister, the “middle child” of the three girls. [...]
Posted in FWV, La Toya Jackson Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Amir Bayyan, CBS Associated Records, R&B, Rick Gianatos 2 Comments »
The A Side: Under The Influence 5:08 Manhunt 4:08 Romantic Voyage 4:50 Confidential 4:20 The B Side: Animals 4:46 Skin On Skin 4:11 Gun Shy 3:44 Ouch 4:17 In The Jungle 5:24 The Brief: For her second solo outing, Vanity enlisted Skip Drinkwater to handle production. Drinkwater was best known for working with jazz artistis, [...]
The A Side: Sexappeal (Edit Version) 4:30 The B Side: Sexappeal (Instrumental) 4:25 The Brief: In February 2011, I posted the remix 12” of “Sexappeal” here. Today, we have basically the same 12”, minus the remix. It’s the title song from Georgio’s debut LP released by Motown in 1987. The Charts: Chart Debuted Debut Pos. [...]
The A Side: Pee-Wee’s Dance (Vocal/Long Version) 4:29 The B Side: Pee-Wee’s Dance (Acappella Beat) 2:56 Pee-Wee’s Dance (Instrumental) 4:23 The Brief: “Pee-Wee’s Dance by Joeski Love was the selected as Best Rap Single at the 1987 Soul Train Music Awards. The song is a homage to Pee-Wee Herman’s dance moves over a pumped up [...]
The A Side: Get It Girl (Club Remix Vocal) 6:22 The B Side: Get It Girl (Club Remix Instrumental) 6:22 Cut It Up (Vocal) 3:38 The Brief: In 1986 I turned 21 years old. Not quite the big deal then as it is now because I was of legal drinking age when I turned 19. [...]
The A Side: I’m A Trip (Total Trip Mix) 6:15 I’m A Trip (Radio Edit) 4:45 Trippin In The Studio The B Side: Square Dance Rap (Power Mix) 6:00 I Want A Freak 5:20 My Studio 5:05 The Brief: Before “Baby Got Back” blew up and made Sir Mix-A-Lot a household name, the rapper was [...]
The A Side: Facts Of Love (Actuality Mix) 6:47 The B Side: Facts Of Love (Reality Dub) 6:00 Sand Castles 5:34 The Brief: Karyn White, the former Mrs. Terry Lewis, sang lead vocals on the first 3 tracks of Jeff Lorber’s 1986 ‘Private Passion’ LP. The first track on that album, “Facts Of Love” was [...]
Posted in FWV, Jeff Lorber, Karyn White Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Jazz, Larry Levan, Pop, Warner Brothers Records 12 Comments »
The A Side: No Lies (Special Version) 6:02 The B Side: No Lies (12″ Dub) 5:06 The Brief: “No Lies” is the fourth and final single from the ‘Sands of Time’ album. Once again, the only singles released from the LP were Jam and Lewis contributions. The Billboard Charts: Chart Debuted Debut Pos. Peak Pos. [...]
Posted in FWV, The SOS Band Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Dave Ogrin, Flyte Tyme Productions, R&B, Tabu Records 8 Comments »
The A Side: Borrowed Love (Extended Version 7:30) / (Acapella 2:52) The B Side: Weekend Girl 6:21 The Brief: 1986 saw the release of The S.O.S. Band’s sixth album. It also marked the final time the band would work with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who produced and wrote seven of the nine tracks on [...]
Posted in FWV, The SOS Band Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Flyte Tyme Productions, R&B, Tabu Records 8 Comments »
The A Side: Ceramic Girl (Extended Version) 8:48 The B Side: Ceramic Girl (Radio Edit) 4:17 Ceramic Girl (Instrumental) 8:48 Ceramic Girl (A Cappella) 3:35 Ceramic Girl (Bonus Beats) 4:22 The Brief: Almost one year after its release, the self-titled debut LP from Ready For The World began losing steam on the charts, one last [...]
Posted in FWV, Ready For The World Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Louil Silas Jr, MCA Records, R&B 4 Comments »
The A Side: Anotherloverholenyohead The B Side: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Edit) The Brief: “Anotherloverholenyohead” is Prince‘s third single released in North America from the ‘Parade’ LP. In the UK and Europe it was the fourth single. It was the first single from ‘Parade’ not to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot [...]
The A Side: Engine No. 9 (Vocal/Extended Remix) 6:48 The B Side: Engine No. 9 (Edit Of Remix) 3:48 Engine No. 9 (Dub Version) 6:59 The Brief: Midnight Star came together in 1976 at Kentucky State University when trumpeter Reggie Calloway, vocalist Belinda Lipscomb, guitarist/vocalist Melvin Gentry, bassist Kenneth Gant, multi-instrumentalist Bill Simmons, keyboard player/vocalist [...]
The A Side: Bye-Bye 7:47 The B Side: Bye-Bye (Instrumental) 7:47 The Brief: As far as finding info on this record by Janice, it seems to be pretty darned obscure. It was released in 1986 on 4th & B’Way Records, written, produced and arranged by Irvin Lee. The song incorporates elements/samples of The Addams Family [...]
The A Side: Sexy (Extended Version) 7:34 The B Side: Sexy (Radio Edit) 6:08 Sexy (Instrumental) 5:56 Sexy (A Cappella) 5:56 Sexy (Bonus Beats) 5:56 The Brief: Klymaxx were Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter, Joyce Irby, Cheryl Cooley, Lynn Malsby and Robbin Grider. Cooper was the driving force behind the band and the chief songwriter. The [...]
The A Side: Dominoes (Extended Vocal Remix) 6:05 Dominoes (Dom Dom Domino Dub) 7:23 The B Side: Neighbors 3:50 The Brief: Before signing a record deal and recording under his own name, Robbie Nevil wrote songs that were recorded by such acts as Pointer Sisters, El DeBarge, and Earth, Wind & Fire. His debut album [...]
Posted in FWV, Robbie Nevil Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Arthur Baker, Junior Vasquez, Manhattan Records, Pop 4 Comments »
The A Side: Turbo Lover (Hi-Octane Mix) 5:33 The B Side: Turbo Lover (Short Version) 3:59 The Brief: “Turbo Lover” comes from the tenth studio LP released by the English band Judas Priest entitled ‘Turbo‘. The single made no noise on the charts but, the LP was a platinum selling Top 20 album on the [...]
Posted in FWV, Judas Priest Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, Columbia Records, Freddy Bastone, Rock 13 Comments »
The A Side: Back And Forth (12″ Club Remix) 6:20 Back And Forth (7″ Version) 3:47 The B Side: Back And Forth (Dub Mix) 6:01 You Can Have The World 4:36 The Brief: Larry Blackmon, a graduate of Julliard, created Cameo in 1974. The group originally consisted of 23 members! By 1986, when the LP [...]
The A Side: You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song) (Extended Version) 6:20 The B Side: You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song) (Dubstrumental) 5:52 Who Would Have Guessed (Duet with Portia Griffin) 5:00 The Brief: Jeffrey Osborne’s fourth solo LP was ‘Emotional’, a Top 5 R&B album from 1986. The record produced [...]
Posted in FWV, Jeffrey Osborne Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, A&M Records, Arthur Baker, Mix Busters, R&B 10 Comments »
The A Side: Baby Let’s Kiss (Extended Version) 7:38 The B Side: Baby Let’s Kiss (7″ Edit) 3:58 Fool’s Paradise 5:23 The Brief: Today’s post is the 12” release of Jesse Johnson’s single “Baby, Let’s Kiss” in an extended version along with the 7” edit and “Fool’s Paradise”. The Billboard Charts: Chart Debuted Debut Pos. [...]
Posted in FWV, Jesse Johnson Tags: 12 Inch, 1986, A&M Records, b-side, Jesse Johnson, MPLS, R&B 5 Comments »
The A Side: Baby Let’s Kiss (Remix) 3:58 The B Side: Fool’s Paradise 5:23 The Brief: Jesse Johnson‘s ‘Shockadelica‘ LP reached #70 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, #15 on the Hot Black Albums chart and sold over 1 million copies worldwide. The third single released from the album was a remix of “Baby Let’s [...]
Posted in FWV, Jesse Johnson Tags: 1986, 7 Inch, A&M Records, b-side, Jesse Johnson, MPLS, R&B 3 Comments »