Chase The Kangaroo

D.M.Z.  ~Resurrection Band | Then and Now I have fond memories of listening to  D.M.Z.   In my opinion, this was Resurrection Band's best.   Colours  and  Mommy Doesn't Love Daddy Anymore  easily stand on their own, but both efforts led up the musical moment of  D.M.Z. The album opens with the blistering, "Military Man", one of the band's most popular songs, even to this day.  If you were a fan of Van Halen, then you will love this record. Though they experimented with a little more keyboard and synthesizers on D.M.Z., it in no way takes away from how much this album rocks.  At the time, it fit right in. Lyrically, Resurrection Band stay true to bringing the Gospel down to the individual level, as they have always done.  The obvious theme to D.M.Z. was war and the threat of war, with "Military Man, "White Noise", "The Prisoner" and "Babylon". Take a listen and step back into 1982 and hear some of the best rock n' ...

MUSIC REVIEW SERIES:   LOOKING BACK ON THE 80’S MUSIC  | 1981 THEN AND NOW Moving Pictures  ~Rush | Then and Now Moving Pictures  was Rush's 8th studio effort and continued to blaze the band into stardom. Three of my all time Rush songs are found on this record, "Limelight", "Red Barchetta" and "Tom Sawyer".  I've always felt that combining the hits from  Permanent Waves  and Moving Pictures would have made the ultimate album. Listening to  Moving Pictures  today, you can't get away from the dated aspect of the album, but you don't really care.  When you give this album a spin, you know are going back to hear some great songs.  Alex Lifeson's guitar solo on, "Limelight" alone is worth the travel back to 1981.  And speaking of, Lifeson claimed that solo was his favorite to play live.   Moving Pictures  ~Rush Released:  February 12, 1981 Genres:  Progressive rock, hard rock Producer:  Rush, ...

MUSIC REVIEW SERIES:   LOOKING BACK ON THE 80’S MUSIC  | 1981 THEN AND NOW Talk Talk Talk  ~Psychedelic Furs | Then and Now Like Echo and the Bunnymen and others, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to the Furs during my younger years.  I became more familiar with them later on.  Of course, in 1986, everyone became more familiar with the Psychedelic Furs.  None of us had a choice.  You can thank or blame John Hughes and Molly Ringwald.  I'm curious to know if the re-issue of their iconic, "Pretty In Pink" gained them more commercial success than all of their previous hits and sales. Chances are, you didn't know there was a re-issue of the song, "Pretty In Pink".  They re-recorded it for the movie.  The original recording first showed up on,  Talk Talk Talk.   It was much grittier and slightly less poppy then the 1986 recording.  In fact, the Furs do a good job of balancing post-punk grit with the right amo...

MUSIC REVIEW SERIES:   LOOKING BACK ON THE 80’S MUSIC  | 1981 THEN AND NOW Mommy Doesn't Love Daddy Anymore ~Resurrection Band | Then and Now Sometime in '81, Resurrection Band released their sixth album,  Mommy Doesn't Love Daddy Anymore .  The title alone showed that the Chicago-based rockers weren't afraid to address the realities of a painful world (which is something most Christian musicians are still afraid of doing).  As the title suggests, they tackled the topic of divorce, as well as, materialism, society and the disabled, and spiritual struggles.  One of the great things about this band was that they truly believed that, " Jesus brings the light into every situation " (from, "Elevator Muzik").  Regardless of how ugly or painful the topic, these guys knew Jesus was at the heart of the answer to any problem and there wasn't any issue His healing power couldn't redeem.  They thrived on meeting people where they were The album...

Music Review Series:   Looking Back On The 80's Music  | 1981 Then and Now Ghost In The Machine  ~The Police | Then and Now The Ghost In The Machine  came with significant changes when compared to The Police's previous 3 albums.  The obvious change was in the name.  Their producer, Nigel Gray was missing from the controls.  Which led to the notable change in sound.  Keyboards (piano and synth) made an appearance, along with horns.  These additions took a bit away from the grit and edge The Police were known for.  As an unsurprising result, Andy Summers recollected, "I have to say I was getting disappointed with the musical direction around the time of Ghost in the Machine. With the horns and synth coming in, the fantastic raw-trio feel—all the really creative and dynamic stuff—was being lost.  We were ending up backing a singer doing his pop songs." In retrospect, it is still The Police.  They still produced great mu...

The Joshua Tree  ~U2 | Then and Now Today marks the 30th anniversary of U2's,  The Joshua Tree .  The anniversary will be celebrated with a full-blown  North American and European tour . I remember when this album came out.  There was much to be anticipated and it seemed like it took forever to be released after their amazing breakaway,  The Unforgettable Fire .  Where were they going to go?  What was next?  The earnest and post-punk days had come to an apparent end with  The Unforgettable Fire .  How would  The Joshua Tree  be different? The Joshua Tree was yet another breakaway for a band who had just broken free from their first three records.  As a listener, I didn't know what to think upon first hearing it.  The further they moved from  War , I found I was resistant to the change.   War  was my first real introduction to U2, so I found myself judging everything thru that lens. ...

The Turning  ~Leslie (Sam) Phillips | Then and Now This year marks the 30th anniversary of,  The Turning .  The Turning , is perfectly titled for Phillip's career in 1987.  Up to this point, Phillip's was in the throes of Contemporary Christian Music-dom. She had busted on the scene with true rock and pop-rock tunes that reflected the sound of the day, but still fit perfectly into CCM's radio format. With the release of,  The Turning , everything changed.  As Wikipedia puts it, " The Turning  stands out as a turning point in Phillips' career as a singer and songwriter; on one side, the cheerful, upbeat pop-rock albums that she recorded in the early 1980s, and, on the other, the quirky 60's music influenced rock and folk albums, with a much darker and more poetic tone lyrically."  A lot of that came with producer, T Bone Burnett, who she would marry shortly after the release.  You can clearly hear Burnett's musical influence all...

Music Review Series:  Looking Back On The 80's Music  | 1981 Then and Now October  ~U2 | Now and Then "Gloria In te domine Gloria Exultate Gloria Gloria Oh, Lord, loosen my lips." "Gloria" is hands down the reason I bought this album.  Early on, U2 recognized the value of  grabbing the listener's attention out of the gate with each album. Like "I Will Follow" on  Boy , "Gloria" doesn't disappoint.  "Gloria" also sets the tone for  October , not only musically, but lyrically. "Gloria In te domine Gloria Exultate Oh, Lord, if I had anything, anything at all I'd give it to you." U2's faith arises time and time again throughout the years, but on  October , it takes center stage. This is a bold move considering both the success of  Boy  and this being their second studio album. Just look to songs like, "Rejoice", "Tomorrow", "With A Shout (Jerusalem)", "...