Music In My Shoes
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Music In My Shoes
E84 The Blues Brothers, Emotional Rescue, and Little Creatures: The Soundtrack of Growing Up
Jim and Jimmy reflect on some of the iconic music from the summer of 1980, exploring how these cultural touchstones shaped friendships and created lasting memories during a transformative time.
• The summer of 1980 wasn't just hot—it was transformative. As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Blues Brothers film, we dive deep into why this musical comedy masterpiece continues to captivate audiences decades later. From the extraordinary lineup of musical legends (James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway) to the spectacular car chases through Chicago's streets, this film represents a perfect convergence of comedy, music, and cultural history.
• Paul McCartney's "Coming Up" hitting #1 on Billboard Hot 100 in June 1980, sparking new friendships through shared musical experiences
• The Clash's "London Calling" making an impact on American radio with its apocalyptic sound and provocative lyrics
• Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" album release combining rock with disco influences
• REM's "Fables of the Reconstruction" and Talking Heads' "Little Creatures" marking significant 1985 album releases
• Listener feedback on past episodes discussing favorite cover songs and musical memories
• And yes—Jimmy finally watched The Goonies! His verdict? "A great movie with fantastic acting from those kids." Sometimes peer pressure works for good!
“Music In My Shoes" where music and memories intertwine.
Learn Something New or
Remember Something Old
Please like and follow the Music in my Shoes Facebook and Instagram pages Contact us at musicinmyshoes@gmail.com
He's got the feeling in his toe-toe.
Speaker 2:He's got the feeling and it's out there growing. Hey everybody, this is Jim Boge, and you're listening to Music In my Shoes. That was Vic Thrill kicking off episode 84. As always, I'm thrilled to be here with you. Let's learn something new or remember something old. So, jimmy, the Blues Brothers movie was released on June 20th 1980, 45 years ago. I really like this movie, and I like it for multiple reasons, and when you take all those reasons and put them together, it just equals me really liking it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't blame you, it's a good movie.
Speaker 2:So Jake and Elwood Blues, otherwise known as John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and I'm not going to tell the whole story here, but you know the premise is that they visit their orphanage that they grew up in when they were young, and they find out there's some back taxes owed I think it's about five grand or so and they decide that they're going to get the band back together. Now they had a band, they did blues songs, but Jake went to prison.
Speaker 1:Juliet, if I recall.
Speaker 2:I think you're right. Yeah, and he goes to prison and everybody moves on with their life and they realize, you know, they've got to do stuff to make money and take care of their own. I guess you would say Right. So they, they decide to get the band back together. And that's where the whole adventure begins, of trying to convince people to get the band back together. And dealing with people that are like I've got a job, I don't want to do this. Dealing with people's girlfriends or spouses and and the whole nine yards right, and it makes it fun, as well as the hijinks of them running into the law and different you know groups and all kinds of stuff. That makes this movie just fun. I mean, it's got music, car wrecks, celebrity guests, and to me that's a win, win, win. I can't go wrong with that. Like I can handle that. That's something that I enjoy.
Speaker 1:And it has John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
Speaker 2:Who are funny, yeah, but at the same time they do a great straight-laced person. You know, in the movie when they kind of had to be serious about different things. I thought they worked well together. I think it was really good. I really liked the movie. I still like the movie Now. I did not watch this movie recently. Now a lot of times we'll talk about a movie. It will be something I've seen. I've seen it a hundred times, probably Not recently. I just love it, love the, the soundtrack. I think it's fantastic. But the other thing is is that you can't go wrong when you have people starring in the movie with them that are james brown, cab calloway. I mean the scene with Cab Calloway when he does the hidey, hidey ho thing.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, so like.
Speaker 2:I could just watch that scene. I could just watch that over and over. It is just so much fun. And to to think what it must have been like to be an extra. Hey, you got to come down to this place in Chicago, fill this theater up and watch like, wow, no, don't make me do that. You know Like I really would be like wow, you know, ray Charles was in it. It had Steve Cropper, donald Duck Dunn those were the guys that were with Booker T and the MGs. You know just a ton of people.
Speaker 1:Did you mention Aretha Franklin?
Speaker 2:I did not mention Aretha Franklin. She did the scene where I think she sang Think when it was their turn to try and convince her man to get back with the band and so forth. Yeah, you know, Carrie Fisher was in it. John Candy, Twiggy so Twiggy's someone that was popular I guess in the 60s or 70s kind of was a model and so forth. She was in the movie John Lee Hooker, Steve Lawrence. I mean, this is an action-packed comedy film with some of the top names from one point in time.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah.
Speaker 2:I guess from different points in time, but just put all together in one movie. I mean just a ton of people. And I'm telling you I could watch it over and over again. And I know that we've talked about other movies maybe you haven't seen, and so forth. For anyone out there, if you like music and you like all different types of music, you like the blues, you like a little Cab Calloway from back in the day, this is a movie to watch. It's good, it's not hokey, it's not hokey at all, it's not cheesy. I think it's put together really well. Now, they spent a whole lot more money than what they thought they were going to spend.
Speaker 1:Did they?
Speaker 2:Yes, when they started adding all of the car chases, the police car, like, think about how many cars were wrecked, you know, in some of those scenes.
Speaker 1:But I love movies. It's kind of the era of Smokey and the Bandit and everything it's like hey, if you're going to do some car chases, you better wreck some of them.
Speaker 2:That's correct. I agree with you, and I love movies that they're filming, you know, on site. They're filming in Chicago and they're going through and you know I've been to Chicago several times, so familiar with some of the streets there and it's just cool to see the action happening around real things. You know, I like that so much more than when they film in Hollywood and it's just kind of like a fake thing or it's supposed to be this or whatever. But man, I can't say enough about this movie. I really do like it. It's hard to believe it's 45 years later that it came out.
Speaker 1:You know, as a fake address in the movie. They did, they did and I took that page from the Blues Brothers when the internet came around and you'd have to fill out things and put your address, but you didn't really trust the person Right. I put 755 Hank Aaron Drive, which is the address of Turner Field in Atlanta.
Speaker 2:Where the Braves used to play, where the Braves used to play. Did you really do that? Yeah?
Speaker 1:Apparently, the stadium now has a 755 address as well.
Speaker 2:Does it really? Yeah, so at one point and I don't remember, but somebody actually was it the police who actually goes there in the movie?
Speaker 1:I can't remember but somebody it's got to be the police.
Speaker 2:They're parked right in front of Wrigley. That was funny. Yeah, it's a good movie. I really do like it. So, anyway, if you're into it you haven't seen it, you want to revisit it. I highly recommend it. I really do. It's just one of those movies. It definitely stands the test of time and it's also a snapshot. Like I said earlier, it's a snapshot of different periods of time all put into one, with a lot of cool people that are guesting in it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, those guys really loved that earlier era of music, yeah. And like Cab Calloway, he wasn't really blues, he was kind of like a jazz band leader really, but they loved it right. So they made it all work together band leader really, but they loved it right.
Speaker 2:So they made it all work together. Hey, if I could have Cab Calloway in a film with me, regardless of what kind of music I was in, I would definitely do it. It's a win right there. So we talked about that being June 20th 1980. Eight days later, june 28th 1980, coming becomes the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.
Speaker 1:I know we talked about that a few episodes Talked about the music video.
Speaker 2:Yes, we talked about the music video. So the song actually plays a role in new friendships for me and my whole musical experience of taking in so many new bands and songs and albums and maybe not necessarily new, but new to me, and 1980 was just this pivotal year. I really loved being able to talk about different things. So I learned about New York City radio station WPLJ 95.5, a big rock station back then, really kind of in 1980, and listened to all this different stuff Paul McCartney they were playing Coming Up live on there.
Speaker 2:Well, the last day of school I was in eighth grade and I'm about to walk home and I see a guy you know I had friends that you were friends with in school but you never hung out with outside of school yeah you had your outside of school friends and then all of a sudden school started, boom, hey, you're right back talking to these people and we were talking on, a mic coming up and you know he was a Beatles fan and we're talking about it and it all was, you know, circling around, coming up, the song coming up, and you know kind of comparing the studio version versus the live version and so glad Paul McCartney's doing something new, and blah, blah, blah, blah. Hey, will he come play? Or you know just things that you talk about. And it just was a cool time because it ended up the guy lived not that far from me. I didn't know that. So he ends up walking by you know my house, because then he can kind of continue to go home, can buy you know my house, because that then he can kind of continue to go home.
Speaker 2:And I want to say we probably hung out six out of seven days of the week the entire summer after that day, after talking about coming up, and you know then meeting some people that I also knew from school, that he was friends with, that he hung out with, and just this whole big thing. Now what I will say is that one of the girls that we were hanging out with at the time. She would take in stray cats and she would have not the band. She didn't take the band in all right Legit stray cats and she got a cat one time shortly after I started hanging out, shortly after coming up by. Paul McCartney was number one and she's like I don't know what the name of the cat I'm like. Name it Paul McCartney. So she named the cat Paul McCartney. A little stupid trivia there.
Speaker 1:Or you could have done Paul McCartney. Oh, there you go.
Speaker 2:I like that too. If I go back in time someday, maybe I'll use that.
Speaker 1:You never know. I mean the Bill and Ted machine might get invented.
Speaker 2:There you go, but it was really a cool time for me and while April of 1980, there was a lot of discovery of stuff by myself listening to WPLJ in, you know, the end of June and going into the beginning of July, through August we didn't go back to school until the day after Labor Day back then and just all of the music. It was just amazing that I was able to grasp of the music. It was just amazing that I was able to grasp. And I think 1980, if you look at it, I learned more about music, more about bands, more about everything you know that year than any other year of my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and eighth grade is a great time for that too. You know, it's a really transformative time in most people's life and sometimes it can be a really bad year for people because there's so much change. But it sounds like you found some new friends. I did find some new friends and new music.
Speaker 2:And new music and it was great. And some of the new music that I found okay was listening to my stereo, not my stereo, my parents' stereo, let me clarify that. All right, they had a much better stereo than what I had, so our stereo was in a back room that used to be my old bedroom and my brother and I shared it and then my dad finished the upstairs. When my town was built they only built and finished the first floor and the upstairs was not finished. You could go up it. It kind of almost had like a swing door controlled by like a weight, almost like a dungeon door, but in reverse.
Speaker 1:How weird, oh weird.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really it was very bizarre. Anyway, he finishes it off and you know they move upstairs, we move upstairs and the stereo was by a window so we could bring the speakers outside. That was we did that all the time. We always bring the speakers out and my dad got like the longest speaker cable that you'd ever seen in your life. You know how you get in and it's like six feet, 10 feet. We could put it anywhere in my yard, anywhere and it was just super cool. Sometimes we would take it all the way to the back and turn the speakers towards the house and just put that volume on 10, you know, and just you know you're like the, the max L ad.
Speaker 1:You remember that yes.
Speaker 2:Really, it's true. So it just was super cool that we were able to do that, cause other people were like yeah, yeah, I can't, you know I can't move the speakers more than this this is were like yeah, yeah, I can't, you know, I can't move the speakers more than this this is. We were like you know we were ready, you know, we were ready. So one day I have WPLJ on and this song with these heavy chords and drums it comes on and then killer bass and I was like this doesn't sound like any song that I've heard on this radio station. Now I've only been listening to it for a few months, but nothing like anything I've heard and it almost sounds like Armageddon. And I know that's tough. Like how does a song sound like Armageddon? All right, london calling to the faraway towns Now war is declared and battle come down. London calling to the underworld Come out of the cupboard, your boys and girls.
Speaker 2:My 13-year-old ears are like wow, what is this? This is unbelievable. I had known Train in Vain, okay, which is very different, very, very different. Mick Jones sings that, where you have Joe Strummer on this and then the lines London Calling now don't look to us, phony, beatlemania has bitten the dust. And then I'm like whoa, what did he just say? Did he say phony Beatlemania?
Speaker 2:Because, I think that's what he said and I'm like, I like this song. But how could he say phony Beatlemania?
Speaker 1:Well, because some people were phony fans, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get it, but you know what, when you're 13, you're digesting it, but you're not. You're digesting it the best that you can. So I went the whole summer. I would sing the song, but I wouldn't say phony, beatlemania, that's fitting the dust. I would just not sing the one line. It's silly, I know, but that's very you though.
Speaker 2:It is me. You're right. So it was released in the US. It was the B-side of Train and Bane, because in different countries they released it different ways. This was definitely not my parents' rock and roll Very cool video that they shot for it. It was cool, love it. The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in, meltdown expected, the weed is growing thin. So June 23, 1980, the Rolling Stones' Emotional Rescue album is released. I mean all this music, all this stuff, because the Blues Brothers movie is music.
Speaker 1:Right, it's a musical really.
Speaker 2:I bought the cassette and I don't know why, but I bought the cassette for Emotional Rescue. It comes out. I buy the cassette and many days after my parents would leave for work like 7.30 in the morning, something like that I'd go to the front of my house, open up the window and I had that radio cassette combo. It wasn't a boom box but it was just like the one speaker. You know what I'm talking about. Yes, all right, and I put it by the front window and blast the song Emotional Rescue, joining Mick Jagger and singing in that high falsetto, which I cannot do now. I've been practicing and it doesn't work. I'm not saying that I could do it good back then, but I can't do it now.
Speaker 2:I don't know if your voice had changed by then it had, but my voice definitely was a lot higher, I would say, than it is now Now trying to do it. It almost hurts to try and do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't do falsetto stuff either.
Speaker 2:Is there anything I can say? Nothing I can do. Change your mind. I'm so in love with you. And that's the beginning of the song. It was a summer hit. It peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100, september 6th of 1980. You know, eventually Mick Jagger returns to his normal voice. Yes, you could be mine. Tonight and every night I will be your knight in shining armor coming to your emotional rescue.
Speaker 2:Second single, she so Cold, peaked at number 26 on Billboard Hot 100 in November of 80. And I remember a guy, alan, who would sing this song or he'd play it on his tape thing. You know I can't remember everything, but because a girl, debbie, she didn't even she wouldn't date him or she broke up with him and so he would, you know, be like oh, you know, she's so cold, I'm so hot for her. And you know, he and again, I don't remember all the details with them because it wasn't me, so it doesn't matter all that much, but I just remember him playing this over and over and over and over and the album's similar to a lot of other 1980 rock albums by having a tinge of a disco beat to it at times.
Speaker 2:We've talked about that, you know, for the last few months. You know a bunch of episodes about these different bands that would have a song. You know that had this disco, even though disco by 1980 was really kind of dead on the way out, for sure you know it was kind of over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it was still kind of embedded into people's brains so it sounded normal still to have like Emotional Rescue. The song has kind of that disco drum kind of thing going on.
Speaker 2:Right and a lot of the people that were releasing these songs, rock bands. A lot of them were hanging out at Studio 54, which were playing all of the disco music.
Speaker 1:So, anyway.
Speaker 2:So you know the title track, Emotional Rescue. It's got the disco beat, the opening song on the album Dance part one. Imagine that having a disco beat the opening song on the album Dance part one. Imagine that having a disco beat. Then there's Summer Romance Let Me Go, let Me Go, great song. That's a great song when the Boys Go a bluesy down in the hole. I appreciate that a lot more now than I did when the album came out. It's a good album. The second in what I call the trifecta, 1978, some Girls, emotional Rescue, and then 1981's Tattoo you. They're all combined and Tattoo you actually has a bunch of songs that didn't make Emotional Rescue.
Speaker 2:It was easy to make the Tattoo you album because they had a bunch of songs ready, all ready to go already. So that's a little bit of summer 1980, all wrapped up in a nice little box with a bow, from movies and music, to new friends, to all kinds of songs. It was just fun. I love it. So june 23rd 1990, 10 years later, I'm living in atlanta. We talked a few episodes ago how I moved down here and I go to see fleetwood mac and squeeze at lakewood Amphitheater, first concert that I go to in Atlanta.
Speaker 2:I went to it by myself and it seemed like an odd billing at the time. Back then they didn't put a lot of bands together that weren't kind of like the same, like the same group of people where today they do it. It's not a big deal. People accept that because they just want to see the different bands and I don't think many of Fleetwood Mac's fans knew or really cared about Squeeze. To be quite honest with you, no, I'm sure they didn't.
Speaker 2:So some songs they played were Footprints, hourglass, black Coffee in Bed, another Nail in my Heart Take Me, I'm Yours, tempted. You know a lot of the hits. It was great, loved it, really did. It was a night of normalcy for me after moving, like I was at the show and it just felt like it was a normal night, because after moving, you move, you don't know anybody, you can't do the things that you normally do, but I was able to do that. Fleetwood Mac seemed to play hit after hit, including Say you Love Me, the Chain Dreams. Oh Well, rhiannon Gold, dust Woman, little Lies. Stevie Nicks did her solo. Stand Back. You Make Lovin' Fun. Go your Own Way, don't Stop. I mean, it's just hit after hit, like I said you know, when you're Fleetwood Mac, you can do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you definitely can. I'm not Fleetwood Mac, but you know what, jimmy? It's music in my shoes, mailbag time.
Speaker 1:Music in my shoes mailbag.
Speaker 2:So, Jimmy, I've been hearing a lot from listeners lately. Episode 80, Billboard hits of June 1980, Take Me to Funky Town. That was the episode name.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Ingrid from Olympia Washington says that Casablanca label brings back memories. She says this because Funky Town was released on Casablanca. James from New York comments memories. She says this because funky town was released on casablanca. James from new york comments yeah, frank sinatra performing new york new york could hear that song at the end of new york yankees wins. Same for ringing in the new year at times square. Right, you know, it is one of the songs for the new year at times square and the yankees do play it. When they used to play it after every game. I think now they only play it if they win. Not 100%, sure, but I think that's what happened.
Speaker 2:And Tom, I love this one, jimmy Tom, who lists his profession on social media as the mayor of Funkytown and his profile pic says Mayor of Funkytown. And his profile pic says Mayor of Funkytown writes as the mayor of Funkytown. I'm incredibly proud of this song. I mean, how can you not laugh? That is great, mr Mayor. I am sure you are as you should be.
Speaker 2:Yes, episode 81, the Goonies A Psychedelic Rolls and Wooly Bully A listener message. Hey, you guys, which is one of the lines from the Goonies? Oh, okay, there you go, jimmy. One day you'll watch it and you'll come in here and be like hey, you guys, great episode. I have so much to say. I love the Goonies. I agree with you about the theme song a cute song for the movie but otherwise horrible.
Speaker 2:By the way, cyndi Lauper also sang the theme song to Pee Wee's Playhouse, which I don't think you know a lot of people knew at the time. I didn't know at the time, but I think she was trying to keep her world separate at the time, you know, because that wasn't something that was looked upon as well as it became and as it is today, if that makes sense. Sure Listener says I'm with Jimmy. The Cowboy Junkies version of Sweet Jane is top notch. Yeah, john, in Arizona I've seen John Lennon's car in person on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum back in the 80s. So I looked it up because I think that's pretty cool that he got to see it. It was located well, it is located in Indiana, the museum the car's not there anymore, but the museum, because I'm thinking he must have been in like Germany or somewhere with a museum name like that it sounded.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's a mouthful.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Episode 82, music Midtown 2005 and David Lowry Live in Asheville. Review. Lucas says, in reference to David Lowry I like to pull low out when I'm playing a set. Obviously, a musician, I'm a bit of a jammy guy, so I toss in a two to eight minute solo after the second verse, depending on how I'm feeling. Okay, that's pretty cool. I like that. We haven't had anyone tell us before that they play and blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:We like it Keep it coming.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and regarding our last episode, Sue writes I love the Beach Boys. Their songs just lend themselves to be covered. Jimmy is right about Amy Winehouse and Valerie. It's definitely a song associated with her, and I can't tell you how many people have said how do you not know Valerie? And it's funny, I mean, I heard it today. People that just listened to the episode. They're like how can you not know that song? Yeah, it's really surprising. So I've listened to the song multiple times and no matter how many times I listen to it, I still don't know it. I've never heard it before, Right?
Speaker 1:But I mean, you remember just hearing it the last time you listened to it, right? It's not like you have face blindness or something. No, no, no.
Speaker 2:Yes, I just put it on again. Just let me. Let me give this another go. But the amount of people and I don't have enough time to go through the list of people that have reached out to me like I'm crazy for not knowing this song.
Speaker 1:Well, it was a little shocking. It's probably the most shocked I've ever been on the show.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:Don't you think my reaction was a little over the top?
Speaker 2:I thought it was over the top. You had no idea either. You were trying to make fun of me, but at the same time you were feeling the same way. But that was not the case whatsoever.
Speaker 1:That was not the case.
Speaker 2:Not the case. So our last Music in my Shoes mailbag piece Hi, mims, I like it. Music in my Shoes. They have abbreviated it to Mims. Last episode you all talked about some of your favorite covers of songs and I thought I'd share some of mine. Number one Summer Breeze. Typo negative covering Seals and Crofts. Summer Breeze plays in the opening scene of I Know what you Did Last Summer and is a scene I watch on YouTube often, as the music and opening shot of the California coast perfectly set the tone for the thriller. For me, music can truly enhance the scene and I think this scene in particular is a great example of that. That's pretty cool yeah.
Speaker 1:I like that. I gotta listen to that. I haven't heard that.
Speaker 2:I've heard it before. It's pretty cool. I looked up Type O Negative just in case people were wondering what kind of music it was listed as doom rock.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:I just thought, you know.
Speaker 1:So it's not a Seals and Croft.
Speaker 2:No, it's so different because, you know, I think it was like metal. Doom rock, like I don't know of many bands that have been listed as doom rock, um. Number two, smooth criminal, alien ant farm covering michael jackson. Number three, wild horses, the rolling stone song done by the sundays. I really like that, really slowed it down. Good, good song.
Speaker 2:The sundays version is 33 years old. Can Can you believe that? No, you know, we talk about the 80s, it's no problem. We've talked about this before, that 40-something. But when you talk about the 90s being 30-something, wow, yeah. Number four, dear Prudence, suzy and the Banshees covering the Beatles. And number five Can't Take my Eyes Off of you the Frankie Valli song done by Lauryn Hill. I've never heard Lauryn Hill's version. I haven't either. I didn't know that she had one, so I'll have to take a listen to this and see if it's anything like Valerie by Amy Winehouse. You know, I don't know. So this is from Jessica in Texas and actually, just to be transparent here, jessica in Texas also happens to be my daughter. All right, so thank you, jess. We appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Music in my shoes mailbag.
Speaker 2:Tick, tick, tick. It's Minute with Jimmy. It's time for Minute with Jimmy. Minute with Jimmy. Minute with Jimmy. It's time for Minute with Jimmyimmy. With jimmy, with jimmy. It's time for a minute with jimmy with jimmy.
Speaker 1:Well, surprise, surprise, I watched a little movie from 1985 called the goonies, and watched it with my wife and my son, alec, who's 20, almost 24.
Speaker 2:Had either of them seen it.
Speaker 1:Neither one of them had ever seen it, and so we watched it and we all really enjoyed it. It was a good movie, really good acting from those kids oh yeah, you know and a fun story. Of course it's fantasy. It's like, you know, you don't expect it to be too realistic, but it has that slapstick, almost like Marx Brothers or Three Stooges or Looney Tunes kind of vibe, the way the kids interact with each other and it's really fun. I liked the bad guys too. You know everybody did a great job, so really fun movie.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm really glad that you watched it. That's very good to hear and your family liked it as well.
Speaker 1:Yes, everybody loved it.
Speaker 2:Awesome.
Speaker 1:So thanks for goading me into watching it, jim, and to the listener that wrote in to prompt me.
Speaker 2:Well, it worked. I like it Awesome. That was a fantastic Minute with worked. I like it Awesome. That was a fantastic Minute with Jimmy, minute with Jimmy. Let's revisit some more good music, because what would be better than revisiting more good music?
Speaker 1:It's literally in the name of the podcast.
Speaker 2:There you go. I feel the music in my shoes Now. I'm feeling it come out of my mouth as I speak about it. Rem Fables of the Reconstruction, released on June 10th 1985. A couple episodes ago, jimmy spoke about the song Life and how to Live it during his Minute with Jimmy. I'm not a big fan of the album. All right, jimmy, you and I have talked a little bit about that. All right, jimmy, you and I have talked a little bit about that. I did like the first two singles. I dig those. Can't Get there From here sounds like REM kind of going in a new direction. And Driver 8, which sounds like it's a song from the past, like I always think it's actually from, you know, reckoning or something like that. Like it just sounds like a little bit older song. Love it though I mean I really do. So what do you think about the album?
Speaker 1:I really like this album. Now, what I've always heard over the years is that REM almost broke up after this album. So I think they were going through some inner band conflict and whatever it was whether it's growing pains of, you know, going from playing the small clubs in athens, georgia, to touring all the time but that it was a big turning point for them, like when they stayed together and then they put out the next. Like several albums were just huge, but but. But this one, it's a darker album. It's it's got a lot Um, I mean, maybe not dark is the right word, but it's it's got a melancholy over it that not necessarily, uh, anything before or after had, and so maybe that's what you're not liking about it. I don't know. To me it just has a lot of really, really great songs on it.
Speaker 1:I love the first track Feeling, Gravity's Pull and Wendell G. I mean, I'm not looking at the titles of the songs on there right now, but a bunch of good songs on this record.
Speaker 2:You know that's. What's good about music is that you can release an album and then eventually, if you put out another album, it has a new direction or the same direction, and you can have opportunities to really like an album or, you know, not like it as much. I don't hate it by any means, it's just not one of my favorite albums by them when you put it together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I would probably agree with that as far as the first. If you look at the first, like five, six, seven REM albums, it's probably in my bottom two of those, but that's a high bar, like to me, I love all the early rem albums. So, yeah, I see what you're saying. Now my wife share loves this record because when she lived in los angeles after high school and you know she was an actress and she would be like driving through like mulholland drive and the hollywood hills and stuff, and she that tape was in her car and she would be like driving through like Mulholland Drive and the Hollywood Hills and stuff, and that tape was in her car and she was always listening to this record. So she just associates it with great memories and you know that's the cool thing about music.
Speaker 2:That is the cool thing about music. Another cool thing is that the same day that that album was released, talking Heads, little Creatures, was released, and it's their first studio album since 1983, speaking in Tongues and I have to be honest, I forgot how much I like this album. And it's not just a couple of songs. I like every single song and I like the way the order that they put them in that you can listen from. Not that it's not related, it's not a concept or anything like that, but it's just a cool order and a cool way to enjoy the album. The lady don't mind. Road to nowhere a crazy video with David Byrne running in place in David Byrne style and he's kind, kind of like inside of a square at the bottom of the video. So while other things are taking place, if you look at the bottom there's David Byrne kind of running like his David Byrne way.
Speaker 2:We're on a road to nowhere. Come on inside Taking that ride to nowhere. We'll take that ride. And she was With another crazy video. It reached number 54 on Billboard in November and it's hard to believe that none of these songs really kind of caught on anywhere, like they just weren't. It is a fantastic album. It really is good.
Speaker 2:Stay Up Late it was a WLIR Screamer of the Week, first week of July 1985. And it's just a song. It's about a baby and I've heard all different things about what it's about, but he's singing about a baby and keeping the baby up all night and looks so good in his cute red suit or whatever. I never thought that I would just like a song where they talk about a baby, you know, but that's what the talking heads do, you know. They have a good beat. Song sounds good and you just are singing along with it. You know, give Me Back my Name. Creatures of Love, perfect World, walk it Down. Television man. Not a bad song. I highly recommend listening to it. If you haven't in a while or if you're looking for something that's new to you, listen to it. Mc Hammer, you Can't Touch this peaked at number eight on Billboard Hot 100 June 16th 1990. Sample Rick James Super Freak and I mean. All I can really say it's that sideways dancing in the video in the Hammer pants. I think watching the video makes the song better.
Speaker 1:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 2:If you just put the song on and you're just kind of like standing there. That's what I think.
Speaker 1:MC Hammer was great. You know, he had those wire-rimmed glasses so he looked kind of studious Uh-huh, and then he had those crazy pants on and he was a great dancer and a great rapper. It was funny.
Speaker 2:I think when he was a kid he was like a ball boy or a bat boy for the Oakland Athletics baseball team. Regardless if he was a bat boy or a ball boy, I know it was for the Oakland Athletics, but regardless of that, you can't touch this. What you can do is reach out to us at musicinmyshoes at gmailcom. Please like and follow the Music in my Shoes Facebook and Instagram pages and share the podcast with your friends. That's it for episode 84 of Music In my Shoes. I'd like to thank Jimmy Guthrie, show producer and owner of Arcade 160 Studios located here in Atlanta, georgia, and Vic Thrill for our podcast music. This is Jim Boge, and I hope you learned something new or remembered something old. We'll meet again on our next episode. Until then, live life and keep the music playing. Thank you.
