“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!
1984’s Kihntagious was the last album credited to the Greg Kihn Band, a staple of early ’80s album rock radio. Kihn and his bandmates had been crafting superb power pop songs for years, and finally had their breakthrough Top 10 single with 1983’s “Jeopardy” (they had come close in 1981 with “The Breakup Song,” which peaked at #15). A classic video helped propel “Jeopardy” all the way to #2– a little song called “Beat It” likely kept the band from reaching the top slot.
Kihntagious didn’t spawn any massive hits, but it did contain my personal favorite song from the band: the ultra-contagious “Reunited.” I’m still not sure why “Reunited” fizzled on the pop charts, but it did get all the way to #9 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
After the release of Kihntagious, the long-running band called it quits. Kihn went on to a successful solo career, and eventually became a very popular DJ and author. Kihn is also one of the select few rock stars who follow The Analog Kid Blog on Twitter, so clearly he is a man of exquisite taste.
Kihntagious was briefly available on CD in Germany in the late ’80s, but even The Analog Kid has never seen an actual copy. Instead, I have crafted this lovingly-restored 320 kbps rip from my original vinyl. They don’t make ’em like that anymore…
Greg Kihn Band: Kihntagious
Beserkley Records, 1983
320 kbps vinyl rip courtesy of The Analog Kid
1. “Reunited” (Kihn/Wright/Phillips)
2. “Rock” (Kihn/Wright)
3. “Make Up” (Kihn/Wright)
4. “Stand Together” (Kihn/Wright/Douglass)
5. “Confrontation Music” (Kihn/Douglass)
6. “One Thing About Love” (Kihn/Wright/Phillips/Lynch/Douglass)
7. “Worst That Could Happen” (Kihn/Phillips)
8. “Trouble With The Girl” (Kihn/Wright/Phillips)
9. “Cheri Baby” (Wilson/Brown)
10. “Hard Times” (Kihn/Wright/Lynch)
11. “Work, Work, Work” (Kihn)
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Greg Kihn Band: “Jeopardy [Dance Mix]” (Kihn/Wright)
From the U.S. 12″ single Jeopardy
Beserkley Records, 1983
Vinyl rip courtesy of The Analog Kid
Greg Kihn Band: “The Breakup Song” (Kihn/Wright/Phillips)
From the album Rockihnroll
Beserkley Records, 1981
The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)
Michael Jackson: “Beat It” (Jackson)
From the album Thriller
Epic Records, 1982
Nice post, thank you!