Blondie/Giorgio Moroder

Blondie was the top American punk/new wave band of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Led by singer Debbie Harry and her partner, guitarist Chris Stein, the New York-based group mixed a number of genres--including pop, rock, bubblegum, surf, and disco--into a powerful chart mix.

The group had four #1 records during their brief chart lifespan, and this was one of them, the title song to the movie "American Gigolo." The second side is credited to writer/producer Giorgio Moroder, although Blondie can be heard on this song, which is mainly an instrumental.

Although I really like Blondie, I remember opting to buy their albums rather than their singles, because I liked just about every track on their first few LPs.

I bought this particular single because I noticed the two different sleeves. By the way, the one with Richard Gere came first.

Blondie - Call Me.mp3
Giorgio Moroder - Call Me.mp3

Blasters

The Blasters was a neo-rockabilly band from the early 1980s that was led by the Alvin brothers.

Their music was akin to the Stray Cats, but was more authentic, and thus did not attain much commercial success.

Blasters - I'm Shakin'.mp3
Blasters - No Other Girl.mp3

Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar was an MTV darling through the 1980s. This Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York native carved out a sexy yet streetwise niche for herself that made her one of the most successful female vocalists of the era.

Along with her husband and bandmate Neil Geraldo, she was a fixture on the music video channel during that period.

Although in retrospect she had less than 10 top 10 hits in America, and never reached #1 on the singles chart, her videos were among MTV's all-time most popular. Based on that fact, she and Madonna were probably the top female acts of the MTV era.

As far as her picture sleeves, the photography used was pretty striking, but the B sides of the sleeves generally were advertisements for her albums, especially on her early singles.

But this beautiful, talented woman stood out on the sleeves. You just had to look at them and listen to the music inside.

Pat Benatar - Looking For a Stranger.mp3
Pat Benatar - I'll Do It.mp3

Belle Stars

The Belle Stars were a British all-female pop group that had a couple of nice singles in the 1980s. This one borrows its sound heavily from Motown's Supremes (listen and you'll hear strains of "Love Child" in this tune), but for some reason, it wasn't much of a hit in the U.S., peaking at #75 in 1983.

This sleeve is from the British single. In England, the song peaked at #3. The photo of the band in tuxedos is from their video of the song.

Belle Stars - Sign of the Times.mp3
Belle Stars - Madness.mp3

Bee Gees

I have always been a big fan of the Bee Gees. I have lots of their singles and albums, but only two picture sleeves, and these are from their later years.

My interest in the Australian Brothers Gibb's music waned during the disco era, but once they finally got back on their feet in the pop/rock vein, I came back to them. These two singles fall into that category; certainly not their best, but far from their worst.

"One" which is posted here, sounds like a retread of "Jive Talkin'", and it reached #7 in 1989.

Bee Gees - One.mp3
Bee Gees - Wing and a Prayer.mp3

Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart/Jeff Beck and Karen Lawrence

This was a one-off single by the British rock veterans. The cover of the Impressions' song reached #48 in 1985.

The B side was with a lead vocal by Karen Lawrence, and features Jeff Beck on the track, one which he also produced.

Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart - People Get Ready.mp3
Jeff Beck and Karen Lawrence - Back On the Street.mp3

Posting Comments

I know that some of you have tried to post comments but have not been able to.

The process is easier than it appears to be.

Go down to where it says "Comments." That would be directly below the entry.

Click on "Comments" and you will come to an area where you can type your comment.

When you are done and ready to post it, there is an area called "Comment As."

This area gives you a few choices to post your comment as (I don't know why this is part of this process, and it appears that this is what is causing all the trouble).

The choices are:
Google
LiveJournal
WordPress
TypePad
AIM
Open ID

If you have a Google account, simply hit Google and you will be set. If you don't, you can get a Google account, and you don't have to get a Gmail account. I have done that, and my login, by the way, is my Yahoo address!

If you don't choose that option, you can use the others.

If you don't fall under any of those categories, try Open ID.

Then hit "Post Comment" or "Preview," if you want to read over what you have written, and VOILA!, the message should be posted.

If you have tried all the options and continue to have problems posting your thoughts, please let me know.