Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Huey Lewis & the News - Sports - 1983

The third album I ever got, and the first one I got on cassette.  I got it for my 13th or 14th birthday, I can't remember.  Good, old-fashioned, American Rock & Roll.

One that didn't make me nervous, wondering what to do. One that made me feel like I felt when I was with my right hand, all alone....

Falling into that category with Bryan Adams and John Cougar Mellancamp, Huey was your standard rock, avoiding the pratfalls of New Wave or Synthpop.  They gave us solid tunes that although somewhat dated, can still be played with confidence today without getting weird looks.  You know what I mean.

Imagine, me being 14 with nothing more than a boombox playing Business As Usual, Thriller, Seven & the Ragged Tiger and THIS album, Sports, over and over and over and over and over.  Yeah, I got fucking sick of it, but that was my musical library (aside from a handful of 7-inch 45s).  But, it still hits my top 100 albums of my own life. 

Too bad they didn't include more of his tracks on the Duets Soundtrack...  That may be one of the soundtracks I post in January, I'm not sure.

Found a couple mixes, which is good, plus a couple sessions.  The cover was a classic, so I didn't want to fuck with a masterpiece. It's times like this I wish I had a way to 3D scan/print vinyl, as that would be the best way to appreciate this one.... 

Too bad that they only lasted one more album before they turned to shit.  I'll post Fore! and Picture This, their only other good albums later.  Just enjoy this one now...

7 comments:

  1. -= Martin L. Gore =-October 11, 2016 at 5:57 PM

    He was great in Back To The Future!!! This is great 80s Pop-Rock like Kenny Loggins. They just had great talent for writing catchy hooks!

    Thanks for the remixes!!

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  2. I forgot about KL. He fits right in with that group...

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  3. Love this album. Their version of "Walking on a Thin Line" (although a cover) is one of my top 20 songs of all time.

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  4. I love this album, though I have to admit that "Picture This" is my favorite. And you're right -- after "Fore," they went to hell in a handbasket. But at least their first four albums were great 80s pop!

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  5. First cassette tape I ever bought at 12 yrs old. Thanks for the remixes!

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  6. when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.

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  7. I was wondering if anyone knew the name of the group who had Vince De Milo's pic on their 1983 album cover

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