The Analog Kid

“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!

 

Something really weird happened in 1986: all of a sudden, progressive rock was somehow cool. Madonna and Whitney Houston may have been dominating the charts, but some prog-rock “dinosaurs” managed to do pretty damn well for themselves. Consider the following:

-On July 19, Genesis’ “Invisible Touch” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

-That same week, the #2 song in the U.S.A. was Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer.”

-Emerson, Lake & Powell had a #2 Mainstream Rock hit with “Touch And Go.”

-ELO had their first Top 20 hit in years with “Calling America.”

-Kansas hit #19 on the Hot 100 with “All I Wanted.”

What caused this seemingly-out-of-nowhere explosion of chart success for these so-called progressive rock bands? I have a theory, but I won’t discuss it in detail because it would force me to mention (and therefore post) a certain song from a certain band that I think just might be the worst song of all time. The song I will not mention was a huge #1 smash in 1985, and I think that song’s success may have inspired some of these bands to modernize their sound in search of a hit.

OK, OK, I’ll say it: Starship’s “We Built This City” may have induced migraines for me (and countless other listeners) throughout 1985, but in the end it really helped out the careers of some long-existing bands who really needed a kick in the ass. Perhaps it wasn’t really the modernization of sound that led these groups to success, but just a very simple realization instead: “If that piece of shit can hit #1, why can’t we?”

One new band that fed off the “dinosaur” resurgence in 1986 was GTR. Legendary guitarists Steve Howe (Yes, Asia) and Steve Hackett (Genesis) combined forces to create the new supergroup, and their first (and only) album was an instant success. “When The Heart Rules The Mind” reached #14 on the Hot 100 and was an MTV staple, and the follow-up single “The Hunter” was also a big rock radio hit. “The Hunter” was written by Buggles/Yes/Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes, who also produced the GTR album.

Despite the success of the record (GTR peaked at #11 on the album charts), Hackett left the band in 1987 and GTR was no more. The GTR album has been out of print for years, and isn’t even available as a digital download. Knee Deep In The Hoopla, of course, is still readily available for purchase. Ugh.

 

GTR: GTR

Arista Records, 1986

1. “When The Heart Rules The Mind” (Hackett/Howe)

When The Heart Rules The Mind

2. “The Hunter” (Downes)

The Hunter

3. “Here I Wait” (Hackett/Howe)

Here I Wait

4. “Sketches In The Sun” (Howe)

Sketches In The Sun

5. “Jekyll And Hyde” (Hackett/Howe/Bacon)

Jekyll And Hyde

6. “You Can Still Get Through” (Hackett/Howe)

You Can Still Get Through

7. “Reach Out (Never Say No)” (Hackett/Howe/Spalding)

Reach Out (Never Say No)

8. “Toe The Line” (Hackett/Howe)

Toe The Line

9. “Hackett To Bits” (Hackett)

Hackett To Bits

10. “Imagining” (Hackett/Howe/Mover)

Imagining

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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.

Genesis: “Invisible Touch [Special Remix Version]” (Banks/Rutherford/Collins)

From the 12″ single Invisible Touch

Atlantic Records, 1986

Invisible Touch [Special Remix Version]

Peter Gabriel: “Sledgehammer [Extended Dance Remix]” (Gabriel)

From the 12″ single Sledgehammer

Geffen Records, 1986

Sledgehammer [Extended Dance Remix]

Emerson, Lake & Powell: “Touch And Go” (Emerson/Lake)

From the album Emerson, Lake & Powell

Polydor Records, 1986

Touch And Go

Electric Light Orchestra: “Calling America” (Lynne)

From the album Balance Of Power

Epic Records, 1986

Calling America

Kansas: “All I Wanted” (Morse/Walsh/Goodrum)

From the album Power

MCA Records, 1986

All I Wanted

Genesis: “Horizons” (Hackett/Banks/Collins/Gabriel/Rutherford)

From the album Foxtrot

Charisma Records, 1972

Horizons

Yes: “The Clap” (Howe)

From the album The Yes Album

Atlantic Records, 1971

The Clap

Asia: “The Hunter” (Downes)

From the album Anthology

Snapper Music, 1997

The Hunter

Starship: “We Built This City” (Taupin/Page/Lambert/Wolf)

From the album Knee Deep In The Hoopla

Grunt/RCA Records, 1985

We Built This City