Monthly Archives: October 2011

1982, Artists, Music, One-Hit Wonders

One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: 1982 – Aldo Nova

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“Fantasy” by Aldo Nova

Aldo Nova, a Canadian rock musician, get off to a great start. In 1981, he released his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova. “Fantasy” was the first single from that album, and climbed up to #3 on the Mainstream rock chart, and peaked at #23 on the Billboard chart on May 29, 1982.
Unfortunately, his solo career faded away. Nova did work with Jon Bon Jovi in the early and late ’80s, and produced some early Céline Dion albums.

In 1991, Nova sought the help of Bon Jovi to revive his solo career on his release Blood on the Bricks, but it still only managed to chart at number 124.

As a songwriter, Nova’s recent hits include Clay Aiken’s “This is the Night” (co-written with Chris Braide and Gary Burr), which in the US was a number one hit and the best selling single of 2003.

But, let’s go back to his rock roots, and listen to #78 of VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s: Aldo Nova’s “Fantasy”:

Daily Trivia (Formerly Trivia Tuesday), Movies

Daily Trivia – 10/31/11

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I know this isn’t ’80s, but we’ll grandfather it in for today…

Question: In Halloween, how did Michael Myers escape from the hospital, at the beginning of the movie?

A. He posed as a hospital guard
B. He organized an inmate riot
C. He dug a tunnel out
D. He stole Loomis’s hospital car

Last Question: In Poltergeist, what do the ghosts use in order to talk to Carol-Anne?

Answer: The Television

“They’re here.”

Carol Anne awakens one night and begins conversing with the family’s television set, which has started transmitting static following a sign-off. She calls the people that she talks to the “T.V. people”. The following night, while the Freelings are sleeping, Carol Anne becomes fixated on the television set as it transmits static again. Suddenly, an apparition emerges from the television screen and vanishes into the wall, creating a violent earthquake within the house in the process, to which Carol Anne announces “They’re here.”:

Here is the movie trailer:

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song? – 10/31/11

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Can you name the artist and song and complete the lyrics:

You hear the door slam
And realize there’s _______ ____ __ ___

Last Song: “Nature Trail to Hell” by Weird Al Yankovic:

There’s a homicidal maniac who finds a cub-scout troop
and he hacks up two or three in every scene.

1982, Artists, Music, One-Hit Wonders

One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: 1982 – Charlene

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“I’ve Never Been to Me” by Charlene

1328297In 1973, Charlene signed with Motown under the name “Charlene Duncan”, and released her first (and unsuccessful) single “All That Love Went to Waste” in January 1974. Three years later, she released a second album, It Ain’t Easy Comin’ Down, on Motown’s Prodigal label. It had the single, “I’ve Never Been to Me”, and the song reached #97 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

In 1982, Tampa, Florida disc jockey Scott Shannon, then at WRBQ, started playing the song at the behest of a girlfriend. At the time, Charlene had lost her recording contract, and moved to England. The song caught on with audiences, and made the charts once again, this time it reached all the way to #3 on May 22, 1982.

In a attempt to capitalize on the song’s success, the following year, Charlene released another song, “Used to Be“, a duet with Stevie Wonder that was written by the writers of “I’ve Never Been to Me”, which did not reach the pop top 40 chart and only reaching #46 on the pop charts. She never again reached the charts.
This year, Charlene launched her official web site.

Here is her hit song, “I’ve Never Been to Me”:

 

Daily Trivia (Formerly Trivia Tuesday), Movies

Daily Trivia – 10/28/11

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Question: In Poltergeist, what do the ghosts use in order to talk to Carol-Anne?

Last Question: How did Jennifer die in Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3″?

A. An asthma attack
B. Sliced and diced
C. Freddy put her head through a tv
D. She was blown up

Answer: C. Freddy put her head through a tv

In A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Jennifer Caulfield (played by Penelope Sudrow) was an aspiring actress. That is until she fell asleep. She approaches the wall-mounted TV in the hospital after it begins to display strange images, unaware she is dreaming, and as she neared, the TV sprouts arms and Freddy’s head. The arms restrain and lift her from the ground before slamming her head into the TV screen, electrocuting her to death. This gave Freddy one of his most popular “killing lines”, “This is it Jennifer, your big break in TV, welcome prime time, BITCH!!”. Here is the scene:

The 1987 movie was one of my favorite of the franchise. It didn’t hurt that it hadf an awesome song – “Dream Warriors” by Dokken:

1982, Artists, Music, One-Hit Wonders

One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: 1982 – Vangelis

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“Chariots of Fire” by Vangelis

In 1981, Vangelis wrote the score for the film Chariots of Fire, set at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
The song has been synonymous with sporting events – especially the Olympics – ever since. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Vangelis won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score. The opening theme of the film was released as a single in 1982, topping the American Billboard chart for one week – May 8, 1982 – after climbing steadily for five months. On the movie soundtrack album, the song is called “Titles” because of its use in the movie’s opening titles sequence, but it became known as “Chariots of Fire”.

In a career spanning 50 years, writing and composing more than 52 albums, Vangelis is regarded by some music critics as one of the greatest living composers of electronic music. However, “Chariots of Fire” was his only U.S. Billboard hit:

Daily Trivia (Formerly Trivia Tuesday), Movies

Daily Trivia – 10/27/11

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Question: How did Jennifer die in Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3″?

A. An asthma attack
B. Sliced and diced
C. Freddy put her head through a tv
D. She was blown up

Last Question: Whose long-dead corpse, stabbed repeatedly by a fencepost, is reanimated by a lucky lightening bolt, in a 1986 movie?

Answer: Jason’s

Jason was brought back to life in the 1986 movie Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Tommy Jarvis, who survived parts IV and V went to the cemetery with his friend so they could cremate Jason’s body. After they exhumed the body, Tommy went nuts and stabbed the body with a steel fence post. Apparently he didn’t think this through very well, as there was a lightning storm going on while he was doing this. Of course, the fence post acted as a conductor when lightning hit the post, and brought Jason back to life a-la Frankenstein.
Of course, Jason would go on to another killing rampage through this and 5 more movies (including Freddy vs. Jason), before the Friday the 13th franchise itself got brought back to life in 2009 with a reboot.

Here is the scene with Jason being brought back to life. This is graphic and contains bad language:

If that is too graphic for you, here is the movie trailer instead:

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song? – 10/27/11

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Can you name the artist and song:

Here come the woman
With the look in her eye
Raised on leather
With flesh on her mind

Last Song” “Nightmare On My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince:

Look, I’ll be honest man, this team won’t work.
The girls won’t be on you, Fred your face is all burnt!”

1982, Artists, Music, One-Hit Wonders

One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: 1982 – David Lasley

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“If I Had My Wish Tonight” by David Lasley

David Lasley is a singer/songwriter, who has been around for many years. In the mid-70s, Lasley was one of the busiest and most successful backup singers in the music business. He performed the backing vocals in hundreds of songs, including Chic’s “Le Freak” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”.

In 1977, Lasley began touring and recording with James Taylor, and that association is still going on today.
He has also performed the backing vocals on many Bonnie Raitt albums.
Lasley began performing as a solo artist in 1981, and in 1982, he came into his own with the critically acclaimed album, Missin’ Twenty Grand. Off of that album came his only top 40 hit – “If I Had My Wish Tonight” which peaked at #36 on May 1, 1982. It should be noted that after performing backup on many Bonnie Raitt songs, she returned the favor, and performed backup on this one: