Why Does It Hurt So Bad? - Whitney Houston - Legend - Dies

Whitney Houston, one of the greatest singers in the history of recorded music, has passed away.  Formulating those words is tough for me because as a fan I truly loved Whitney Houston. When the great Don Cornelius died a few days ago, I was compelled not to blog about it only because I felt my blog was starting to look like a music obit. But for Whitney, I must write.

Whitney burst onto the music scene and into our hearts in the mid 1980s. Her self titled debut album produced the hits "Saving All My Love For You" and "You Give Good Love". It also contained the smash hit "The Greatest Love of All", which many people still think she recorded first but George Benson was the original singer; Whitney just "owned" it - LOL. That song quickly became the #1 choice of aspiring singers at talent shows all around the globe in the mid to late 80s. When I heard Whitney back then, I knew she was special because she was so clearly better than any of the female contemporary singers of the time. I felt the breath from her belly as she hit notes that most singers could only dream of hitting. She made the hairs on your body stand and demanded your attention and she wielded her craft.

I have been a fan of Whitney's since day one. When she really started to become an international superstar after her second album "Whitney" took off, it bothered me some when folks started criticizing her for going "pop".  That condemnation of her may have been some of the dumbest stuff I've ever heard. Crossing over is not always a bad thing. It opened more doors for her to expose her talents, like to do the movies "The Bodyguard", "The Preacher's Wife and "Waiting to Exhale". It gave her an opportunity to give us that mesmorizing performance of America's National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV and the great "One Moment Time" song for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. It strengthened her brand.

Whitney's relative absence from the music scene for 15 years or so left a huge void. When she stopped releasing music consistently and stopped charting we were left with a lot of mediocre garbage. The vacuum left by her swept in a lot subpar performers. There has always been a part of me that HOPED she would make a big successful comeback and rule the industry again. That part of me never died until tonight (news of her passing); it wasn't meant to be. But Whitney, I'll never stop playing your music and I'll never stop talking about how great you was. You'll always be near the top of my charts. I hope you are at peace.

Christmas Time Is Here!!!

Christmas music is probably the thing I love most about the holiday season (aside from giving that perfect gift to someone). I have a long tradition of waiting until the night of Thanksgiving to play a couple of my favorite Christmas songs before going full steam ahead on playing all of the music the next day. I usually don't listen to any other kind of music between Black Friday & Christmas; I used to really savor playing it during this period because I couldn't listen to it throughout the year. I remember my mother wouldn't let me play Christmas music when it wasn't the holiday season when I was kid. I used to think that if you put a Christmas album on a record player, lets say in July, the record would not spin because it wasn't Christmas - LOL (did I just say album & record player - whoa, you youngins' go ask your parents about that!). As I grew up and became an adult, I continued the tradition of not playing holiday music during the year until 2009, when Michael Jackson passed away (long story that maybe I'll get into another time). Now if a Christmas song pops up on my MP3 player as I randomly go through my music I usually will let it play (and I know it will play - knowledge is power - LOL).

I grew up listening to traditional Christmas music so I do like the classics, even when they have been done a million times. The three albums that I played to death as a kid was The Jackson Five's "Christmas Album", Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" and Johnny Mathis' "Christmas with Johnny Mathis" (I also had Cole's & Mathis' albums on 8 track - youngins' don't bother asking! - LOL). My absolute favorite Christmas song of all time is "Give Love On Christmas Day", which I learned from the J5 Christmas album. I didn't hear many other versions of it after the J5 recorded it (just New Edition's & Johnny Gill's separate versions) until recently. In 2008, most notably, Ledisi released a great version of it on her Christmas CD "It's Christmas". But The Jackson Five's version is the staple. In 2009, Motown released an updated version of the original Jackson Five's "Christmas Album" titled "Ultimate Christmas Collection". This CD contains the original 10 songs remastered along with a couple of remixes and individual Christmas greetings that was recorded by the brothers. There is also an a cappela version of "Give Love on Christmas Day" which really allows you to hear Michael's great lead vocal along with Jermaine, Tito, Jackie & Marlon's tight harmony.

Speaking of staple, Nat King Cole's version of "The Christmas Song" may be THE staple song of all Christmas songs. It is the epitome of classic; it stands the test of time. And as many times as this song has been recorded (it has to be one of the most recorded & most known Christmas songs) no one has done it better than Mr. Cole. The song was written by Mel Torme and Robert Wells but Nat King Cole owns this song (figuratively). "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire......" ahhh just awesome! The rest of his Christmas collection is great as well and surprising short - 14 songs totalling about 32 minutes. Not only is the title track a Christmas staple, I'd have to say the whole album is a staple - you won't find many better and it is the ultimate classic Christmas listen.

Johnny Mathis over the many years has become synonymous with Christmas. His Christmas songs have played in many different homes, malls & office buildings all around the world. One of my favorites by him which appears on the "Christmas with Johnny Mathis" (Columbia) album is "The Secret of Christmas". It is a song that I have never heard anyone else perform. The song is a witty ballad, that preaches that the secret of Christmas is "not the things you do at Christmas time but the Christmas things you do all year through". It is a great, poignant message that really hit home with me at a very young age and to this day I think is a message that many of us need to heed to. From the calming flutes intro to the crescendo of Johnny's voice and violins at the end this song, it is a must listen for any one who loves music.

Even though I love traditional Christmas music, I do love the contemporary tuneups (to the classics) and songs as well. I must say though that the only Christmas rap song that I like was done by RunDMC, a cut titled "Christmas Is" - the chorus goes like this: "give up the dough, give up the dough, give up the dough on Christmas yo, give up the dough, give up the dough, give up the dough here we go, here we go" Ok, now if any one was nervous about those lyrics please don't be; Joesph and Darryl was just instructing folks to buy gifts (give up the dough) for your loved ones and even strangers. Some other artist have done a great job of making older Christmas songs sound very modern and in most cases, added original Christmas songs to their projects as well.. I think the best contemporary projects are the ones that balance the contemporary sound while still giving you a traditional Christmas feel. Will Downing's "Christmas, Love and You" CD is a great example of this.

I would like to just briefly mention a couple of pop Christmas songs that I really enjoy. The first is the collaborative effort done by some of the best selling British and Irish artist of the 80's (as well as some from the United States like, Jody Watley and Kool & The Gang), such as Duran Duran, Sting, Paul Young, George Michael, Bono, Boy George and many others. Collectively they called themselves Band Aid and they recorded a song titled "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 which was written by Bob Geldof. The proceeds from the sale of this song was to benefit famished children in Africa. I recently heard that Geldof thought that the song was terrible and I guess he wasn't artistically proud of it. Hey, lyrically it may not be the best song ever written but where the motivation came from to write it, and the awareness that it created, more than made up for it. And I really like the song anyway. This song I believe was also the inspiration for the extremely popular, U.S. star-studded song "We Are The World" written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. Another of my pop Christmas favorites came from Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Crosby and Bowie did a "remix" if you will, of "The Little Drummer Boy" on a Crosby Christmas TV special in 1977. From what I understand, Bowie was reluctant to do the standard "The Little Drummer Boy" but was willing to sing with Crosby when writers added the infamous "Peace on Earth" part to it. This ended up being an amazing Christmas duet!!! By the way, what ever happened to the musical Christmas shows that used to come on every year?

I truly can go on and on and on about Christmas music but there is only so much time in the day. Below I am going to list a few Christmas CD's (albums) that I would recommend folks to pick up. I've seen some of these in record stores and online for great prices as well. Most of these CD's are by R&B artist:



All-4-One "An All-4-One Christmas"
Babyface "Christmas With Babyface"
BeBe & CeCe Winans "First Christmas"
BeBe Winans "My Christmas Prayer"
Boyz II Men "Christmas Interpretations"
Brian McKnight "Bethlehem
Brian McKnight "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
Dianne Reeves "Christmas Time Is Here"
The Jackson Five "Ultimate Christmas Collection"
Jeffrey Osborne "Something Warm For Christmas"
Joe Williams "That Holiday Feelin'"
Johnny Mathis "Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis"
Johnny Mathis "Christmas with Johnny Mathis" (Columbia)
Johnny Mathis "Christmas with Johnny Mathis" (Import) - {this is a different set of songs than Columbia}
Kirk Franklin & The Family "Christmas"
Ledisi "It's Christmas"
Luther Vandross "This Is Christmas"
Nat King Cole "The Christmas Song"
O'Jays "Home For Christmas"
Peabo Bryson "Christmas With You"
Toni Braxton "Snowflakes"
Vanessa Williams "Star Bright"
Will Downing "Christmas, Love & You"
Yolanda Adams "Christmas With Yolanda Adams"



There are so many other songs and albums that are worthy of some kind of mention but it'll be summer if I don't rap this up now. All right, one more! We can't forget "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway right?? Totally a classic now and many artist are recording it. That's it! Have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy some holiday music!!!!

RIP Heavy D

Wow. This was truly sudden and a big blow. Mount Vernon's finest Heavy D has left us at the age of 44. Dwight Myers (aka Heavy D) was a star in hip hop's Golden Era and he was unique; there definitely was no one else like him. Heav was also a real genuine dude. I used to work in the same building where Heavy's label Uptown Records had their headquarters. I ran into Heav quite frequently as I did many other artist on that label. No one was more down to earth than Heavy D; he always spoke and always engaged. The fame certainly didn't go to his head.

Heavy D will be remembered for his cool and suave demeanor. He made it cool to be a big fella. He wore the "overweight lover" moniker proudly. Not many could have pulled it off like he did. I think he helped make it easier for big guys like Notorious B.I.G. to gain acceptance.  I will always remember his hits like "Somebody For Me", "We Got Our Own Thing", "The Overweight Lover's In The House" and "Black Coffee". I'll always get jacked and rhyme the lyrics to the intro to "In Living Color" as I did back when that show was a smash hit. I'll remember the live shows I saw him at, where he did most of the dance moves his partners G-Whiz and the late Trouble T-Roy did. Big fella could get down!!! But mostly, I will remember that he was a good dude. Peace my brother, you will be missed.

Conrad Murray Found Guilty; Michael Jackson Still Gone Too Soon

Guilty. Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the criminal court case involving the death of music superstar Michael Jackson. I have been a lifelong fan of Michael’s and his music as many of you have. I really wasn’t paying very close attention to the Murray trial at all, though it was difficult not to hear about some of the proceedings since it was such a high profile case. I did hear the verdict as it read and while many of his fans worldwide rejoiced, I felt pretty much nothing.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Michael’s family got some justice and I hope it eases their pain some. But my thing is Michael is gone and the proceedings in that court room was not going to bring him back. 

I didn’t know Michael personally but I had a lot of awesome memories of him. I was fortunate enough to see him perform live on a few occasions.  I have, like millions, enjoyed his records and videos over the years. He (and his brothers) was one the few people in life that I didn’t know that still had a positive influence on me.  Not only was the artistry brilliant but the dedication, the imagination, the determination was unmatched.

I was bothered to see so many folks tear him down over the years, it was downright embarrassing.  I recall so-called professional music critics starting to bash him with the “Bad” album and it progressively got worse after that. Just hearing or reading some of the critiques right away let me know that a lot of these so-called critics didn’t even really listen to the music. It was all about him being weird and how he would never match the “Thriller” album success. Unfortunately a lot of the public started doing the same.  His changes in his personal appearance didn’t help matters and the allegations of him being a child molester really tarnished his name. But folks weren’t listening to the music; people who weren’t his loyal fans just discarded him. When he passed away a lot folks changed their tune and they showed an outpouring of love for the music. As his music blared everywhere for a couple of weeks after his death, people rediscovered the old jams of his that they loved. I also heard a lot of people say how didn’t realize how good the full “Dangerous” “HIStory” and “Invincible” albums were; after he passed and there was nothing left but the music, they finally took time to listen.  Some people even keenly observed how some of his lyrics showed how connected to the world he was; his messages of healing the people of the world, healing the earth and other words about greed and despair has hit many folks close to home now.

I really wish I would have had the chance to meet Michael. I wish I could have had time to chat with him; there are so many questions I would have liked to ask him regarding the music, the performances, the family dynamic (as it pertains to the performing) and more.  My thoughts of him since his death have always been bittersweet. I’m appreciative of what joy I did receive from his work and still marvel and shake my head when I see the genius. But I’m saddened to know that we won’t get to hear anything new from him or see him again. I suspect I will always feel that way.  Murray being convicted and possibly going to prison for, at the max four years, didn’t change the feeling one iota.

Thank You Steve Jobs

There are so many positive things that can be said and will be said about Steve Jobs the former CEO and founder of Apple who unfortunately lost his battle with cancer. He truly defined the words innovator and visionary with his company Apple and because of him, the world will never be the same. All you need to do is take a short walk somewhere, or take look around your office, or even peer around your own house and you will find a product he has had a hand in creating. And if you don't use an Apple product, you surely use a product that has been influenced by Apple. Do you think the tablet market would be as robust as it without Ipads? What about smartphones? Certainly Iphones have raised the stakes in the cell phone industry. And Mac computers have always won the praises of its loyal users because of its intuitiveness, something that other brands of computers have tried but have yet to be able to match.

I personally have been a fan of the Apple Ipod. Being an avid music lover, Ipods make it so easy to organize, store and play your favorite tunes. I remember the first advertisement I ever saw for Ipod; I was ready to drop everything I was doing and go purchase it right then and there. Well, at least that was my feeling since I wasn't able to get one right away because of compatibility issues (with Ipod and my computer). Eventually, I did get one and have been a fan ever since. When you love music the way I do, it is cool to have something like an Ipod that is small enough to carry but the storage is big enough for you choose from a variety of artist and genres in a flash. Wherever my mood or memory takes me, my Ipod satisfies my musical desire in an instant. Just a few years ago I would of had to carry around 200 or more cassette tapes just to come close to that satisfaction.

It is indeed sad to see someone pass away at such a young age but for the short time that Jobs was here he made a global difference; not many of us will be able to have that said of us when we go. Though I did not know him I would be one of legions that would like to thank him for his innovations. Through his work, Jobs has made life a little easier.

RIP Amy Winehouse - Tragic Ending - Gone Too Soon

British singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home this past Saturday. At this time, an autopsy and a toxicology report has been performed but it is too early to determine her actual cause of death. This certainly hasn't stop public speculation as to what killed her. Unfortunately before her death, Winehouse's name had already become synonymous with drug abuse, so the assumption is she overdosed on something. Her struggles with drug addiction had been well documented.  Her name seemed to appear more in the press for rehab stints, fights and arrests than it did for record releases, concerts and awards. The last thing that garnered attention in the media for Winehouse was merely a month ago when she appeared to be under the influence on stage at a concert in Belgrade, Serbia. She mumbled, stumbled, and forgot lyrics as her band struggled to help her get through the set. Winehouse had a soulless look in her eyes and she constantly kept embracing herself. It was truly, truly sad; she looked and sounded absolutely awful. That may have been the worse thing I have ever seen on stage at a concert. Sadly and ironically, it was her very last concert appearance.

Winehouse rose to international superstar status in 2007 with her multi-platinum, multi-award winning soul album "Back To Black". In 2007 and 2008, Winehouse was debatably the biggest artist in the world. I honestly must say I wasn't totally sold on her. From the singles she released, I thought she was good but I couldn't understand the big fuss. I finally bought "Back To Black" after getting recommendations from several people who music taste I trust.  Along with that album, I also bought her first studio album "Frank".  I personally thought "Frank" was a much better project that "Back to Black". On "Frank" I saw her potential and things that I guess others saw on "Back To Black". "Frank" is what really made me respect her as an artist. Though the talent was definitely there, it was hard to ignore her bouts with alcohol and drugs; especially when her signature song is titled "Rehab" and part of the hook of the song is her insistence that she's not going ("no, no, no") to go get help.

I didn't personally know Amy Winehouse but I was saddened to hear about her passing. Just absolutely tragic. No one that young should ever die. She didn't come close to experiencing life.  Frankly I am a bit sick of seeing artist continuing to wreck their careers and lives with drugs. It has been happening for decades and it really needs to be addressed (pressures, highs & lows, isolation, etc). The reputation of drugs and alcohol being associated with being cool (ie "drug, sex & rock & roll") needs to be frowned upon as well. But as long as drugs persist in society it will in the entertainment business too. Drugs destroy lives of "every day" people everyday. No matter how many people try to help addicts, nothing will change until they are ready. Addicts make choices to indulge and it's only when they make the serious choice to stop can they begin to recover. Unfortunately for many, like Amy, they never get a chance to make that choice.

Best Decade of Music???

Which decade featured the best 10 years of music? Depending on how you answer this question, and who may hear your answer, you may get into a heated debate. Heck, you might even come to blows with some folks!!!  I certainly do not advocate violence and would not recommend coming to blows with anyone, but I do understand the passion that people have for their music. That's right, I said their music because even though music lovers may have never penned a song in their life, they will with no shame claim a song as their own. Songs that, when played, evoke the irresistible sensation for them to shout out "THAT'S MY SH_T!!!!" and will usually give a finger snap or a foot tap or a hand clap (hopefully you won't get the singing, 'cause God knows we all can't be Whitney Houston in her prime).

There may be nothing more dynamic in life than music. It is truly the universal language of the world. You can take a person from the United States, a person from Japan, and put them in France with another person from Germany. These three individuals may not be able to communicate verbally to each other effectively, but let one of Michael Jackson's greatest hits play within their earshot; chances are all three would be able to sing it together! But music is also extremely subjective. People often refer to songs or albums that are "the soundtrack of their lives". Folks have an emotional bond to these songs, especially the ones that were the soundtrack to their youth. Whether it's a midtempo a person remembers being played at every family cookout as a kid, a ballad that reminds one of their high school love or a jam that someone used to kill on the dance floor in their clubbing days, these songs are held near and dear to their hearts. It is usually somewhere in this time of a person's life that they will deem to be the best decade of music. A lot of folks 30 and up do not prefer today's music and they will laugh at you if you would even suggest the best decade of music was the '00s. But these same folks parents would laugh at them if they were to suggest that the '80s or '90s was the best. See, the older a person gets, the more "wack" the contemporary music sounds. Like it or not old heads, your kids that are now 8 - 25 are going to be swearing by Drake, Rhianna, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, T-Pain, Lil Wayne & Nicki Minaj when they hit your age. Their songs may sound like garbage to you, but to them it'll be their "SH_T".

Let's take a very quick look through the decades (my apologies to anyone who were fans of the '40s or before). The '50s saw the explosion of Rock & Roll (it'll never last......right!), the success of Doo-Wop, Bebop's continuing revolution and great vocal stars like Frank Sinatra. The '60s was signified by the British Invasion (i.e. The Beattles, The Rolling Stones), the Motown sound, Stax, and Hippie music. The '70s was stamped by Funk, Disco, a burgeoning Heavy Metal, the start of Punk Rock, Soft Rock, Contemporary Jazz, and the birth of Hip-Hop (it'll never last......right!! part 2). The '80s was marked by Michael Jackson, MTV (& the explosion of music videos as a marketing tool for music), New Wave, a matured & dominating Heavy Metal, House Music, and the start of the golden age of Hip-Hop & New Jack Swing. The '90s presented the end of the golden age of Hip-Hop, the emergence of Gangsta Rap, the success of Alternative Rock (like Grunge), a new popularity in Boy Bands, Neo-Soul and the crossover appeal of Country Music. The 00's witnessed the absolute dominance by Hip-Hop (it even heavily influenced Pop music at this time), the success of Reggaeton, and the continued strength of Alternative Rock (also music downloading becoming more of a standard purchasing practice). Again these were just very quick overviews; obviously some of the forms of music bled into multiple decades and some got their actual start before the decade I listed them. Also, I didn't list Pop music in every decade but it had an important presence in all of the years listed. And if I missed something, please don't try to come to blows with me; I know how personal you can get with music!! So which one of these decades do you think was the best?? I find that a lot of people I have asked this question, young and old,  insist that the best decade was the '70s. Hey, who can beat a decade that produced a song titled "Boogie Oogie, Oogie"?

I am a huge fan of '70s music myself. Ah, the funk of the '70s!!! James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Ohio Players, Zapp and so on!!! I love Disco too! I can listen to Melba Moore's "You Stepped Into My Life" and Taveras' "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" anytime. And what about the flute in Van McCoy's "The Hustle" - doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot...oops..er er sorry about that! What about the classic "Love Is the Message" by MFSB? An all time favorite of many folks and a song still played in the clubs today. The Jackson Five had a ton of hits in the '70s; the decade started with them as youngsters singing "I'll Be There" (Michael turned 12) on Motown and ended with them as grown men (sans Jermaine and The Jackson 5 title, adding Randy and the new "The Jacksons" name) "Blame(ing) it On The Boogie" on CBS/Epic Records. Plus, the infant stages of Hip-Hop in the late '70s. The beats and the rhymes made it from the rec. centers, clubs and parks to wax. The first big hit of Hip-Hop was "Rappers Delight" in 1979 - "Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn, say if your girl starts acting up....." And you know you just finished that lyric!! Also Heavy Metal took flight in the '70s with legendary metal bands Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath leading the way. All of that was just scratching the surface of the '70s! As great of a decade as it was, I still think the '80s was the best decade of music (Did I just hear someone boo?!?!).

Hip-hop bloomed in the '80s, and at the back end of the decade (and the beginning of the 90's), debatably, the best rap music ever was being produced. It has been dubbed the golden age of Hip-Hop, a time when the lyrics and tracks matured, it still had a real street, underground feel and the music was still largely marketed to its base audience. At that time, artist like Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, KRS-One, MCLyte, EPMD, LLCoolJ, Big Daddy Kane, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Gang Starr (among others) dominated the Hip-Hop scene. Bridging the gap between the infancy of Hip-Hop to the golden age was the legendary RunDMC. RunDMC is the most influential group in Hip-Hop history (OK, I heard that hiss). Not only did they help introduce Hip-Hop to the mainstream with Aerosmith and their hit collaboration "Walk This Way",  they changed the game on so many levels, from their gear to their beats. The early '80s gave us Hip-Hop hits from acts like Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (most notably "The Message"), The Treacherous Three, The Cold Crush Brothers, Kurtis Blow and The Fearless Four. New Jack Swing, which was heavily influenced by street and Hip-Hop sounds (and attitude), swung into clubs and dominated urban radio starting in the mid to late '80s. Music producer extraordinaire Teddy Riley has been credited with molding and shaping this contagious dance genre which flourished with R&B and Hip-Hop artist alike.

The early '80s also observed the MEGA, UBERSTAR emergence of one Michael Jackson. His first solo album with Epic was released in mid-1979 with a lot of his hit singles spilling over into the '80s. The "Off The Wall" album still remains a favorite of many folks. Some say that it was his best album of all time. Then in December of 1982,  his next project "Thriller" was released and as the old saying goes, 'the rest was history". "Thriller" went on the sell the most copies ever in the history of recorded music. Everybody and their grandmama had a copy. His music, his dance moves and his extremely creative music videos, catapulted Michael into another universe. He released one more album in 1987, titled "Bad" which again was a huge success but because it didn't "sell" as many as "Thriller", some foolishly deemed it a failure. "Bad" went on to sell well over 20 million copies worldwide, a figure most artist could not claim as a career sales mark. "Bad" spawned off such hits as "Man in the Mirror", The Way You Make Me Feel" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You".

It's hard to talk about '80s R&B stars that crossed over that decade without mentioning Michael's "rival" Prince. Like Michael, Prince released an album in 1979 that leaked hits into the '80s. And in 1981 and 1982, his "Controversy" and "1999" albums (particularly the title tracks) gave his career some serious momentum. But it was his 1984 "Purple Rain"  soundtrack and movie that thrusted Prince into superstardom. Hits like "Let's Go Crazy", "When Doves Cry" and the title track became signature songs for the talented man from Minneapolis. Prince continued to pump out one project per year (which gave us more hits like "Raspberry Beret", "Pop Life" and "Kiss") after "Purple Rain" ending in 1989 with him doing the soundtrack to "Batman".  The '80s saw the meteoric rise of two of the greatest musicians in the history of recorded music. I just wished that we could have seen Michael and Prince do a project together instead of the media and fans creating a rivalry between the two. On a side note, Lionel Richie had a pretty amazing decade himself; if not for those two, Richie would have had even greater success (Richie & Jackson also wrote the hit "We Are The World" in the '80s,  a song to raise money for famine relief in Africa, which became one of the largest selling singles in recorded music history).

"I love rock n' roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baby! I love rock n' roll, so come and take your time and dance with me! OWW!!"- remember those lyrics from the classic "I Love Rock N' Roll" recorded by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in the early '80s? That song carried the bravado and swagger of Rock music at the time. It contained that punk sound and that edginess that is infectious. The '80s was a great decade for different variations of Rock. Punk Rock rolled in from the '70s and acts like Blondie and The Clash helped to make the sound more mainstream (though hard core punkers will tell you that at that time, both groups sound was diluted with more blended sounds of other genres). Artist like U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Living Colour, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osborne and AC/DC made solid contributions to Rock in the '80s. Heavy Metal also shined in this decade with notable artist like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Pantera, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Slayer and Poison. Rock's "little brothers" New Wave and Pop shared success in the '80s as well. Songs like "Whip It" by Devo, "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" by Human League, "Wild, Wild Life" by Talking Heads and "You Might Think" by The Cars were '80s New Wave staples. And Pop acts like Culture Club, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, Huey Lewis and The News, Billy Idol, Bruce Hornsby and Wham! created multiple hits throughout the decade. In addition, you can't talk about '80s Pop without citing Madonna. She changed and influenced music in so many ways. Her free spirit always came across in her music, in her outfits, as well as in her actions; which in that day was quite scandalous!

One very important lesson was also taught in the 1980s: "Gotta have house music, all night long!, With that house music, you can't go wrong!"  Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)" spoke for all of House music; it was definitely a genre that made you move your body. Never has a song been ever so properly labeled a genre's anthem. House contagious vibes originated in Chicago and became a fixture in clubs across the United States in the mid to late '80s. If you never went to a club and experienced the high that is moving your body to House Music, you have truly been missing out. It was especially hot in its prime in the '80s. House favorites like "Set It Off" by Strafe, "Break 4 Love" by Raze, "Hot Music" by SoHo, "You Used To Hold Me" by Ralphi Rosario f/Xaviera Gold, "Jack Your Body" by Steve "Silk" Hurley, "Bango" by The Todd Terry Project, "Tears" by Frankie Knuckles f/Satoshi Tomiie, "Definition of a Track" by The Back Room, "Can You Party" by Royal House, Do It Properly by 2 Puerto Ricans, A Blackman & A Dominican and "It's All Right" by Sterling Void & Paris Brightledge made a ton of folks sweat profusely from the involuntary high energy dancing up in the clubs. Deodorant was a big seller in some of those club bathrooms!  If you ever talk to anyone who was clubbing during the House Music era of the '80s, listen to how passionate they discuss the music. They may even give you a move or two!

Futhermore, the music video format exploded in the 1980s, and it was used primarily as a marketing tool to sell singles and albums. Music videos was another way for people to "hear" songs by an artist in addition to the traditional radio format. Not only was it important because it allowed record companies to reach larger audiences with their records, but it also gave people an opportunity to visually (and emotionally) connect with an artist. Cable television pioneer MTV was at the forefront of giving people these "visual" singles and a lot of Rock and Pop acts gained star status overnight because of the constant rotation their videos received on that station. By the time the mid 1980's rolled around, it was pretty much mandatory that if a single was going to be released, it had to have a music video. Despite MTV's early reluctance to play videos outside of Rock and Pop, other music genres still benefited from the use of these videos by finding other television outlets. The negative side of the music video was that eventually it caused the "image" of the artist to became more important than the "skill" of the artist. More and more artists were looking more beautiful but sounding less "great". Music fans started to see more "video" behavior seeping into records, where voices were being dubbed in the studio to sound better, and into concerts, where there was more lip syncing and less musicians on the stage. In my opinion, the music video created the tragedy that became Milli Vanilli. In the late '80s these guys burst upon the "music" scene from Germany, with their catchy tunes and visually appealing videos. But it turned out that they never sung a lick on their records and they lip synced to tracks in concert. The truth eventually came out and they fell off the scene as fast as they came on. But they had a lot of people fooled including The Recording Academy who awarded them a Grammy! Though they did give the Grammy back and had the wrath of shame cloaked over them forever, it has not stopped others from doing similiar things. Music videos may be the most important and effective tool ever to be used to promote an artist and their music. But we may one day look back and discover that it was a major catalyst in destroying great musicianship.   

Definitively determining which decade produced the best music would be an impossible task. As I mentioned earlier, the true answer really depends upon who you ask. Objectively speaking (OK, maybe a little subjectively too) I feel the best decade of music was the '80s. It was a huge decade for so many genres. It was also a decade that creatively displayed a blend of different styles of music but at the same time a lot of the genres still remained distinctive. The synergy created with the great music, the different genres and the new music video format lifted the '80s above any other decade. So again I ask, which decade do you think featured the best music?  Please leave me a comment and let me know but if you disagree with me, I'm not going to come to blows with you!