 | Don’t Give UpPeter Gabriel |
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DavesMusicDatabase.com is devoted to ranking, rating, and reviewing music of all genres and eras. The DMDB blog serves up album and song reviews, best-of lists, music history snapshots, and music-related essays.
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Monday, October 27, 1986
Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush “Don’t Give Up” released
XTC Skylarking released
Skylarking |
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Released: October 27, 1986 Peak: 70 US, 90 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave |
Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.
Songs written by Andy Partridge unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 46:50 The Players:
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Rating:  4.276 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)
Quotable: “A pop masterpiece…that has great ambitions and fulfills them with ease.” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: “Working with producer Todd Rundgren didn’t necessarily bring XTC a sense of sonic cohesion – after all, every record since English Settlement followed its own interior logic – but it did help the group sharpen its focus, making Skylarking its tightest record since Drums and Wires.” AMG “Ironically, Skylarking had little to do with new wave and everything to do with the lush, post-psychedelic pop of the Beatles and Beach Boys. Combining the charming pastoral feel of Mummer with the classicist English pop of The Big Express, XTC expand their signature sound by enhancing their intelligently melodic pop with graceful, lyrical arrangements and sweeping, detailed instrumentation.” AMG “Rundgren may have devised the sequencing, helping the record feel like a song cycle even if it doesn’t play like one, but what really impresses is the consistency and depth of Andy Partridge’s and Colin Moulding’s songs. Each song is a small gem, marrying sweet, catchy melodies to decidedly adult lyrical themes, from celebrations of love (Grass) and marriage (Big Day) to skepticism about maturation (Earn Enough for Us) and religion (Dear God).” AMG “Moulding’s songs complement Partridge’s songs better than before, and each writer is at a melodic and lyrical peak, which Rundgren helps convey with his supple production. The result is a pop masterpiece – an album that has great ambitions and fulfills them with ease.” AMG Notes: The original version of Skylarking featured the song “Mermaid Smile,” later replaced by “Dear God,” which was originally the B-side of “Grass.” Some versions of the album feature the original track listing plus “Dear God” tacked on to the end of the album. |
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First posted 3/25/2008; last updated 9/5/2021. |
Saturday, October 25, 1986
Bon Jovi hit #1 with Slippery When Wet
Slippery When Wet |
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Released: August 18, 1986 Peak: 18 US, 6 UK, 18 CN, 16 AU Sales (in millions): 12.0 US, 1.0 UK, 28.0 world (includes US and UK), 53.51 EAS Genre: pop metal/hair band |
Tracks:Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.
Total Running Time: 43:49 The Players:
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Rating:4.256 out of 5.00 (average of 35 ratings)
Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Bon Jovi’s Early DaysBon Jovi formed in 1983 in New Jersey. The rock band consisted of singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, bassist Alec John Such, keyboardist David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres. They released their self-titled debut album in 1984. It reached #43 on the Billboard album chart and eventually went platinum. Their sophomore album, 7800° Fahrenheit, would perform about the same, also reaching platinum status and peaking slightly higher at #37. The two albums charted four songs on the Billboard Hot 100. The highest peak was #39, achieved by “Runaway.”Those albums showcased material that “most obviously drew on 1970s heavy metal.” TB It looked like Bon Jovi might never be more than a second-tier glam-metal hair band lumped in with the likes of Cinderella and White Lion who’d always be a rung below bands like Poison and Mötley Crüe. They would be lucky to be remembered beyond the ‘80s. However, the band’s third album, Slippery When Wet, became a “breakthrough for hair metal” WK1 by turning “heavy metal into a radio-friendly pop format.” WK1 It demonstrated more of an influence from fellow New Jersey artist Bruce Springsteen. TB SongwritingThe band wrote 30 songs for Slippery When Wet. In an effort to make the album as teen-friendly as possible, the group played rough mixes of the songs for youth in New York and New Jersey and assembled the final track listing based on their feedback. TBWhile most of the songs that made the final cut were written by Bon Jovi and Sambora, the band had also opted to collaborate with songwriter Desmond Child in an effort to achieve a more mainstream sound. Child had worked with Cher, Kiss (most notably “I Was Made for Lovin’ You”), Billy Squier, and Bonnie Tyler. Jon Bon Jovi said of working with Desmond that “He hasn’t tried to change what we are, but to refine it slightly; to suggest extra ways that we could wring a bit more out of what we had.” WK1 Four out of the album’s final ten songs were co-written by Child, including the band’s #1 hits “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” that lifted them “from minor-league poodle rockers to global superstars.” AZ Bruce FairbairnIn another move targeted at reaching a wider audience, the group opted for Bruce Fairbairn as the album’s producer. He had worked with Blue Öyster Cult, Honeymoon Suite, Krokus, Prism, and, most notably, Loverboy on their first three multi-platinum albums. Jon Bon Jovi had specifically been drawn to the sound quality of heavy metal band Black ‘n Blue’s 1985 album Without Love, produced by Fairbairn. WK1 Jon Bon Jovi said of working with him, “for the first time, we were allowed to be us in the studio.” WK2 In 2006, Fairbairn said of working with the band: “I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many talents…but Bon Jovi may be the finest. There was record company pressure to deliver the hits, but they were a joy.” WK2The band recorded the album at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver from January to July 1986. WK1 The Title and the CoverOne early version of the album had it called Wanted Dead or Alive and featured a cover of the band dressed as cowboys. WK1 It was later used for the cover of the single for the song of the same name. WK1The band came up with the album title Slippery When Wet after visiting strip clubs in Vancouver where a woman descended from the ceiling on a pole, got in a shower, and soaped herself up. WK1 The first version of the album cover featured a busty, 34DD woman wearing a wet yellow T-shirt. It was replaced with a wet plastic garbage bag with the album title traced in the water. Jon Bon Jovi reportedly didn’t like the pink edges of the cover and record executives were leery that record stores might not carry the album because of its sexist cover. WK1 In Japan, however, most releases used the original cover. WK1 
Becoming a BlockbusterBon Jovi may have “had little more on their minds than girls and rock-as-mythology (even the working-class anthem ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ featured a character who was forced to hock his ‘six string’), but that may only mean they had identified their audience – young white adolescent males – and were targeting it accurately.” AM “From the scantily clad car-wash girls on the inner sleeve to the ‘You lost more than that in my back seat / Yeah!’ lyrics, the album is blissfully untouched by irony and subtlety, which actually adds to its charm.” AZOf course, the album wouldn’t have achieved such massive success if it were only targeted at horny male teenagers. “Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi’s mop of curls and winning smile” AM gave the group a healthy dose of sex appeal from the female front as well. Ultimately, though, the album became a massive success because it “contains its fair share” AZ of “consistently memorable tunes” AZ and “competent contemporary pop/rock from its Eddie Van Halen-inspired guitar solos to the singer’s enthusiastic, husky wail (which owed a lot to Bruce Springsteen).” AM “Slippery When Wet won’t change your world, but it will, undoubtedly, rock it.” AZ “You Give Love a Bad Name”You Give Love a Bad Name was released as the lead single several weeks before the album came out. On October 25, 1986, as the single was still climbing the charts, Slippery When Wet ascended to the pinnacle of the Billboard album chart for one week. “You Give Love a Bad Name” continued to climb, eventually peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending November 29, 1986.
“Livin’ on a Prayer”Slippery When Wet abdicated the throne to Boston’s Third Stage after one week. After that album’s month-long stay on top, Bruce Springsteen grabbed the gold for seven weeks with his Live 1975-1975 box set. By then, Livin’ on a Prayer, the second single from Slippery When Wet, had followed its predecessor to the top of the charts in February 1987. This propelled the album back to the top for an additional seven weeks.The song, which about a working-class couple struggling to make ends meet, is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999. It was the only song in 1987 to spend more than three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. In 2006, VH1 viewers named it the greatest song of the 1980s.
“Wanted Dead or Alive”The band followed their two #1 hits with the power ballad Wanted Dead or Alive. It reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Slippery When Wet the first glam metal album to feature three top-10 hits. The song compares the rock and roll lifestyle to that of cowboys from the Old West. Jon Bon Jovi has said the song was inspired by Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page.”
Notes:An import edition includes bonus tracks. |
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First posted 2/19/2008; last updated 12/7/2024. |
Monday, October 20, 1986
Crowded House released “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
 | Don’t Dream It’s OverCrowded House |
Writer(s): Neil Finn (see lyrics here) Released: October 20, 1986 Peak: 2 US, 3 CB, 3 GR, 3 RR, 9 AC, 11 AR, 1 CO, 25 UK, 1 CN, 8 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.4 UK, 0.4 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 211.3 video, 252.92 streaming |
Awards:Click on award for more details. 
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About the Song:New Zealand-born singer/songwriter Neil Finn got his big break in the late ‘70s when older brother Tim invited him to join his band Split Enz. Over the next few years, Neil assumed co-frontman duties (most notably on 1980’s “I Got You”) and even led the band briefly before its demise when Tim left for a solo career. Neil and the drummer from Split Enz then formed the Mullanes in 1984, which later became Crowded House rounded out by bassist Nick Seymour, whose older brother was Mark, leader of Hunters & Collectors. The trio released their self-titled debut in August 1986. It was preceded by singles “Mean to Me” and “World Where You Live,” which were minor hits in Australia. Third single “Now We’re Getting Somewhere,” sadly, went nowhere and it looked like Crowded House might be nothing more than an afterthought to the more successful Split Enz. However, the fourth single from the album was a hit. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” reached #2 in the U.S. in April 1987. It also went to #1 in New Zealand and Canada. It was a top-10 hit in Australia, Norway, and the Netherlands. Finn said he wrote the “majestic ballad” WK on his brother’s piano and that it was “about, on the one hand feeling kind of lost, and on the other sort of urging myself on.” SF In 2016, he said “I’m super pleased and proud that the song that is almost the most identiable for us is, I think, one of my best songs.” SF Seymour said it was “about not giving up hope and succumbing to the effects of the mass media and consumerism.” WK Naturally it was used in commercials for the New Zealand Tourism Commission. SF The video featured surreal images of household objects floating in the air. Finn plays guitar and walks through the house while his bandmates are doing chores or playing background instruments. At the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, it earned the group a Best New Artist award. It was also nominated for Best Group Video and Best Direction. Resources:Related Links:
First posted 10/23/2020; last updated 12/23/2022. |
Saturday, October 18, 1986
Huey Lewis & the News hit #1 with Fore!
| First posted 11/26/2020. |
Fore! |
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Released: August 20, 1986 Peak: 11 US, 8 UK, 13 CN, 3 AU Sales (in millions): 3 US, 0.6 UK, 4.57 world (includes US and UK) Genre: mainstream pop rock |
Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.
Total Running Time: 41:40 The Players:
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Rating:  3.556 out of 5.00 (average of15 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: Huey Lewis & the News became superstars with their third album, Sports. On the strength of four top-10 hits, the album reached #1 and multi-platinum status. All Music Guide’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted it was “one of the rare mainstream pop/rock albums where everything works – the songs were catch, the sound was inviting, and it all sounded perfect on the radio.” AMG They’d set the bar high for themselves, but if 1985’s #1 hit “The Power of Love” from the Back to the Future was any indication, it looked like they could reach the same lofty heights a second time around. With their aptly named Fore! album, they did – depending on one’s measuring stick. Like its predecessor, it reached the pinnacle of the album chart. It bested Sports by achieving not four, but five, top-10 hits. None of the singles from Sports got above #6, but three of the singles from Fore! did – including the #1 songs Stuck with You and Jacob’s Ladder. Fore! did, however, fall short of Sports was in sales. While both achieved multi-platinum status, Sports topped ten million while Fore! didn’t reach half that. Part of the problem is that “much of Fore! sounds labored” AMG and the songs just weren’t as catchy. In essence, once the band achieve major fame, they could “no longer sound like a working band,” AMG which was much of what drove their appeal with Sports. The song Hip to Be Square garnered a rather odd second dose of fame more than a decade after its release when the main character in American Psycho discusses the song in terms of how it espouses “the pleasures of conformity.” WK While the song is perfectly inoffensive, it becames disturbing to hear a serial killer commending it for its virtues.
Notes: The European, Australian, and Japanese versions added “The Power of Love” to the album. |
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Monday, October 6, 1986
Aha released Scoundrel Days
| First posted 1/18/2009; updated 9/10/2020. |
Scoundrel Days |
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Released: October 6, 1986 Peak: 74 US, 2 UK, -- CN, 17 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.3 UK, 0.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: synth pop |
Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.
Total Running Time: 38:41 The Players:
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Rating:  3.938 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)
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About the Album: “While not quite as strong as the band’s debut, Scoundrel Days is still a-ha succeeding as a marketed ‘pretty boy’ band which can connect musically and lyrically as much as any musical sacred cow. The opening two songs alone make for one of the best one-two opening punches around: the tense edge of the title track, featuring one of Morten Harket’s soaring vocals during the chorus and a crisp, pristine punch in the music, and The Swing of Things, a moody, elegant number with a beautiful synth/guitar arrangement (plus some fine drumming courtesy of studio pro Michael Sturgis) and utterly lovelorn lyrical sentiments that balance on the edge of being overheated without quite going over.” AMG “Although the rest of the disc never quite hits as high as the opening, it comes close more often than not. A definite downturn is the band’s occasional attempts to try and prove themselves as a ‘real’ band by rocking out, as on I’ve Been Losing You; there’s really no need for it, and as a result they sound much more ‘fake,’ ironically enough.” AMG “Other songs can perhaps only be explained by the need to translate lyrics – We’re Looking for the Whales isn’t an environmental anthem, and neither is Cry Wolf, but both also don’t really succeed in using nature as romantic metaphor.” AMG “When a-ha are on, though, they’re on – October snakes along on a cool bass/keyboard arrangement and a whispery vocal from Harket; Maybe Maybe is a quirky little pop number that’s engagingly goofy; while Soft Rains of April captures the band at its most dramatic, with the string synths giving Harket a perfect bed to launch into a lovely vocal, concluding with a sudden, hushed whisper. The ‘80s may be long gone, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then.” AMG |
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