Sunday Showcase June 22, 1980

Our time travel journey this week is the June 22 - 28, 1980 Tennessean Sunday Showcase. I was so hoping I could find the Debby Boone special on YouTube, but I came up empty. 

Check out who is opening for Ted Nugent on July 2, 1980 at Municipal: The Scorpions who are great, but even better is Def Leppard who were on their first tour of America that year. The Nuge was still riding high with Scream Dream being released this very month in 1980. It featured the instant classic cut "Wango Tango."

Def Leppard from earlier in 1980 when they opened for Pat Travers

Scorpions live in Paris April 1980

"Wango Tango" live on The Midnight Special 1980

The Tennessee Theater was bringing Johnny Winter to town on July 8th with the then basically unknown Billy Squier opening. So, if you saw both of these rock concerts you were ahead of the pack when it came to Def Leppard (who would be opening for Billy in a few years) and Billy Squier. Johnny Winter is one of those rare rock and roll artists who didn't receive much radio airplay, but always was out playing blistering music live to an appreciative audience. I regret not getting to see him in person.

Billy Squier - You Should Be High

I couldn't find a 1980 video so how about this 1974 appearance

Time to pause this review for an ad for Judy Judy Judy's which I believe was once just plain old Judy's which was a blatant copy of Wendy's. There was one located in Murfreesboro and the kids in my neighborhood liked to run bicycles over the drive-in cord repeatedly. The teenagers working there must have hated us. 

The ever funky and smooth Isley Brothers would be playing Municipal with The Gap Band and S.O.S. (which stood for Sounds of Success) on July 3rd. That would have been an awesome night of music. 

S.O.S. Band Take Your Time (Do It Right)

Oops Upside Your Head

Here We Go Again live at Bearsville Studio 1980

John Denver was coming to Municipal Auditorium on July 12th. I think by this time in his career he was beginning to be thought of more as an actor and television personality than a singer/songwriter, but he was still a huge music star. I couldn't find a good 1980 solo performance so I'm posting a tune from his 1979 appearance on The Muppet Show. 

talking plants!

I bet a good portion of the John Denver concert was probably taking these macramé classes at the 100 Oaks and Rivergate Mall's JC Penney stores. Didn't they notice the Eighties had arrived? 

Earth shoes always come back - the natural heel boomerang of a shoe. I post these Earth shoe ads for one reason only: I always wanted a pair when I was a child and my parents sensibly never bought me any. 

I don't know if Earth shoes would have been too cool at Phrank and Stein club where the nascent Nashville punk rock alternative music scene was coalescing. 

Placid Fury

Cloverbottom

The Ratz

Capitol Records was giving "The Gambler" songwriter Don Schlitz a huge push. We're talking a full page advertisement. You can't tell it with the black and white, but the lion's eyes are the same blue color of the background. 

I can't find out anything about The Tenderrifics, but they look smooth. I wonder if they played yacht rock. 

I had a really great joke written about this movie, but I think I'll keep it to myself. The movie probably doesn't need any more abuse.

This movie launched the 80's?

The Top 10 Records this week is a great mixed bag with many of these tunes being staples at the roller skating rink. "Funky Town" and "Cars" always filled the floor. My other favorites from this list would be "Coming Up", "Call Me", and the super awesome "Brass In Pocket" by the Pretenders. 

You want a love to last forever...

Gotta move to a town that's right for me

Here in my car I feel safest of all

Been driving Detroit leaning no reason

Sunday Showcase January 10, 1988

Let's check out what was happening 32 years ago with this week's Sunday Showcase review. 

The biggest local music happening was the Nashville Music Extravaganza with 20 bands showcasing during the 3 day weekend. Notice how the Nashville skyline has changed with the cover photo. I was a fan of many of the bands spotlighted that weekend, but wasn't a fan of the NME itself. It seemed like a local copy of the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, but Austin's South By Southwest only began in 1987 and it's still one of the major music events every year, so what did I know back then. If the cards had fallen right the NME might still be going strong. 

What bands did I like the most on the Extravaganza list back in 1988? The Claimstakers were sort of the rock band equivalent of a sequel to the White Animals with Steve Boyd and Rich Parks carrying on together after the WA's broke up. I liked their alternative pop/country sound, but they didn't have the excitement of the White Animals. Dig Mandrakes were a good rocking combo with future renowned producer Brad Jones at the helm. Hocus Pocus were the renamed Lust which was discussed in last week's Sunday Showcase review. 

I loved Mr. Zero who were slightly ahead of their time with their rock and rap hybrid. I talked about them before in my profile on Nashville local legend Lee A. Carr. The Questionnaires were another favorite of mine and I guess Tom Littlefield's tune "Boomtown" was 3 decades ahead of its time. Tom was the person who turned me on to the Flamin' Groovies. I saw Rumble Circus often for some reason, but never could get into them. The Dusters were amazing to see live with their blues rock trio onslaught. 

I used to see Eleven 59 quite a bit in Murfreesboro since they were at M.T.S.U. with me. I bought one of their cassettes walking to class once. The Boilers were a power poppish group. Clockhammer seemed to open for everybody back in those days and I dug their Black Sabbath/prog metal sound. I didn't really dig Jet Black Factory too much back then, but really do now. The best of the bunch from this Extravaganza though is Raging Fire. Raging Fire were and still are one of my most beloved groups. They reunited a few years back and even put out a new album These Teeth Are Sharp which turned out to be really rocking. 

The Circle Jerks would be in town on this Sunday January 10th with an afternoon all-ages matinee and a 21 and up show later that night at the Exit/In. I believe local punks Tommyrot opened both shows. I did see the Jerks at the Exit/In at some point, but don't think it was this show. I had seen them in 1986 play Cantrells and it was a blast. No footage of this show, but there's a great video from a 1988 San Diego show to share.

Another other big show on the horizon is Def Leppard playing in the round at Municipal Auditorium with Tesla opening for them. I was a big fan of Def Leppard in the High 'n' Dry and Pyromania era, but Hysteria was much too pop and silly for me at the time. That said, the tune I ended up liking the best was the title song ballad so I'm posting a video from their Denver performance in 1988. A friend of mine got to be their guide on a tour stop in Nashville during the 90's and he said they were really cool cats, although he does really love puns so maybe he was just being punny. 

The Vienna Choir Boys would be at TPAC on January 17, 1988. Which sounded odd to me....perhaps a Mandela effect as I had always remembered them being called the Vienna Boys Choir. A little research shows they go by either name. 

If going to a concert was not enough maybe you could go cruise the Cumberland River and get some live music, food, and riverside scenery too. The Belle Carol had you covered no matter what age you were. Remember: Anytime Is Funtime!

An antique show was coming to Hickory Hollow Mall from the 14th through the 17th. 

January 13, 1988 saw auditions for a bluegrass quartet wanted for Tokyo Disneyland. Wow! That would have been a heck of a seasonal job!

These Sunday Showcase reviews are usually happy look backs to the past, but this week it gets dark. As in dark humor and death. First, one of the upcoming events is Sam Kinison live. He would be at TPAC the week after the Vienna Choir Boys. I loved Sam Kinison even if I sometimes found his jokes went much too far. Saturday Night Live is now an institution, but I think that his appearances on the 1985/86 season kept that show afloat. He had only 4 years left on this mortal coil when he came to town for this gig. I wish he was still here as it would be very interesting what he would say about 2020. 

The darkness continues as we look at the Top 10 selling pop records from the previous week in Nashville. No, it's not the malevolent presence of Debbie Gibson (later to record with the Circle Jerks) in the Top 10 that's dark. Just kidding about Debbie's malevolence. She's managed to escape this Top 10's curse for as of 1-12-2020 five of the artists on this list have died. Whitney Houston, George Michael, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, and Michael Hutchence all gone much too young. 

That's all for this week. Next week we're going to bounce back to somewhere in the Seventies. Before you leave enjoy this mega hit from the Top 10. I was working at Mazzio's Pizza in Murfreesboro and we'd get off very early in the AM (around 1 or 2AM), grab some beers and hang out with my co-workers at their apartment watching MTV and this tune was in high rotation back when they played videos. Good times.