Today (September 5, 2010) would've been the 64th birthday of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. We lost him far too early when he died in 1991 from AIDS. Queen biggest 80s hit was 1980's "Another One Bites The Dust" and 1981's "Under Pressure" with David Bowie is one of my all time favorite songs.
Many people know, but many people also do not know that between 1981 and 1983 Freddie Mercury recorded several tracks with none other than Michael Jackson. None of these collaborations were ever officially released, although bootleg recordings luckily do exist. One of these duets that I like quite a bit is called "There Must Be More To Life Than This" and you can listen to the demo recording from 1983 right here...
Mercury would later include a solo version of that song on his Mr. Bad Guy album (1985). Another song that Mercury and Jackson collaborated on was "State of Shock." The song was written by Michael Jackson and guitarist Randy Hansen. The song would eventually be recorded by The Jacksons with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger (instead of Mercurcy) and released on the Victory album in 1984. No explanation was ever given to why Mercury was replaced. There is a demo recording version of the original "State of Shock" and you can listen to it right here...
As I said, the song was released with Jackson singing with Jagger and the song was a big success reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #14 on the UK Singles Chart. Whether it was with Mercury or with Jagger, it is pretty incredible to see these music icons collaborate on a song. I don't remember loving this song when it first came out, but it has grown on me more over the years. It does rank on my Top 80s Duets list (which coincidentally is topped by "Under Pressure"). There is not an official video for the song that I could find, but you can hear the Jackson/Jagger final version of "State of Shock" right here...
One more interesting note on the song "State of Shock" is that Mick Jagger performed a version of it at 1985's Live Aid with another music icon, Tina Turner. You can watch this legendary performance of "State of Shock" from Live Aid right here...
With both Freddie Mercury and, more recently, Michael Jackson gone, I find it more intriguing to hear these demo recordings from the early 80s. Michael Jackson was just about to become the King of Pop and Mercury was already "one of the most dynamic and charismatic frontmen in rock history." It is incredible that these legendary icons performed together even if the results were never officially released. They certainly don't make them like that anymore and, yep, you guessed it, it happened back in the 80s.
That's all for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.
Check this out: One of my most popular issues here at Kickin' it Old School is my Top Dancing Scenes from 80s Movies list. I just came across this video which includes a few of those scenes (though it does include a lot of scenes from non-80s movies too). It is appropriately set to "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins. Enjoy...
Quote of the day: "If you don't risk anything, you risk even more." - Erica Jong, Novelist and poet
This is the 32nd official issue of my 80s Movie Trailer of the Week feature I call "Preview Review." As usual, these issues (like the Flashback Videos) will not include the customary "Check this out" or "Quote of the day" sections at the end like normal issues of Kickin' it Old School usually do.
Today (August 29, 2010) is the 71st birthday of director & screenwriter Joel Schumacher. He wrote the screenplay for 1976's Car Wash and the movie adaptation for 1978's The Wiz. His film directorial debut was 1981's The Incredible Shrinking Woman starring Lily Tomlin. He co-wrote and directed 1985's St. Elmo's Fire and directed 1987's The Lost Boys. You would think this issue would be about one of those iconic teen films, but I have already done The Lost Boys and I will save St. Elmo's Fire for another time.
This issue is on another film directed and co-written by Schumacher, the much less popular and much less iconic 1983 ensemble comedy D.C. Cab. The ensemble includes Mr. T, Max Gail (of Barney Miller fame), Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey, Bill Maher, Paul Rodriguez and Marsha Warfield among many others. They all are a motley group of misfit cab drivers who, despite many different personalities, come together for a common purpose in the end. Here's an original trailer for D.C. Cab...
This movie does have its moments, but don't get me wrong, it is by no means a good movie. I think it left an impression on me because I saw it when it first came out on video in 1984 (when I was just 11 years old) despite it being rated R. I was a big fan of Mr. T after his role as "Clubber Lang" in Rocky III and his role as "B.A. Baracus" on The A-Team. At that time, I would've have watched anything that Mr. T did. In fact, this made the film controversial at the time since it used Mr. T heavily in promotion and his popularity with children did not seem appropriate for an R-rated film. Either way, I have seen this movie more times than I would like to admit.
Here is a video of some of the movie's highlights set to the soundtrack song "The Dream (Hold On To Your Dream)" by Irene Cara, who also appears in the film herself...
The main character is "Albert Hockenberry" played by Adam Baldwin who I remember first as "Ricky Linderman" in 1980's My Bodyguard. In his role as "Dell," Gary Busey shows the initial signs of the craziness that seemed to have become part of his real personality. One of my favorite characters, the role of "Tyrone" was played by Charlie Barnett. He seemed like a funny dude, but other than a recurring role on Miami Vice as "Noogie" he never really did much else. Back in 1980, it is rumored that he almost was chosen to be part of the cast of Saturday Night Live but lost his spot to none other than Eddie Murphy. I was sad to find out that Barnett died of AIDS in 1996. D.C. Cab is funny in sort of a Police Academy kind of way (which I also enjoy), but a step below (if that is possible). It is worth watching if you never have, but be sure to keep your expectations low. It might not be one of Joel Schumacher's proudest achievments.
Schumacher would go on to direct Flatliners (1990), Falling Down (1993), two Grisham novel adaptations in The Client (1994) & A Time To Kill (1996), and take over the Batman franchise with Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). He continues to direct and produce films today, though to me his most memorable movies were from the 80s.
That's all for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the original 1984 film The Karate Kid. I am only a little embarrassed to say that it is not only a guilty pleasure movie for me, but truly one of my favorites. It just has so many wonderful qualities to it and, now, a little 80s nostalgia for me as well. Even esteemed film critic Roger Ebert back in 1984 called the The Karate Kid one of the year's best, gave it four stars out of four, and described it as an "exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time."
That is why I was excited to watch the original rehearsal videos from The Karate Kid edited back together in the same order as the film. These were posted recently on YouTube by director John Avildsen. There are 13 parts and if you have seen the movie as many times as I have, it is very cool to see how the rehearsal happened. Even if you do not watch all 13 parts, it is interesting to see. If you are a fan, you'll really love it...
Thank you so much Mr. Avildsen for sharing this unique perspective on the creative process for one of my all time favorite movies. Yes, I openly admit it, The Karate Kid is one of my all time favorite movies... and yep, it was from the 80s.
That'll wrap up this short issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.
Check this out: I always like to share signs that make me chuckle and/or scratch my head. I hate to think of the reason why this sign became necessary...
Quote of the day: "First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine." - "Mr. Miyagi" played by the late Pat Morita in The Karate Kid
This is the 45th official issue of my 80s Video of the Week which I call "Flashback Videos." As a reminder, these issues will not include the usual "Check this out" or "Quote of the day" sections at the end like normal issues of Kickin' it Old School usually do.
Today (August 16, 2010) is the 57th birthday of James "J.T." Taylor. He was the lead singer of the band Kool & The Gang from 1979 to 1988 (not to be confused with the folk singer of the same name). Though he was the lead singer, he is not actually "Kool"; that would be Robert "Kool" Bell who is the bass player and founding member. The band had 70s hits like "Jungle Boogie," "Open Sesame" and "Ladies Night" before hitting it big with 1980's "Celebration." That song would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1981, dominate the radio that entire year and has been played at nearly every wedding reception since. This song's success and J.T. taking over lead vocals are not a coincidence and it marked a change to more of a pop R&B sound for the group in the 80s.
In 1983, they would release the single "Joanna" which would reach #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranks on my Top 80s Songs with Girl Names in the Title list. I really liked that ballad, but the album I remember best is 1984's Emergency! which yielded four top-20 singles. I remember two of those especially well. The first is "Fresh" which would peak at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached #1 on both the Billboard Dance as well as R&B charts in May 1985. This week's first flashback video is "Fresh" by Kool & The Gang...
The other single from that album that stands out is "Cherish" which would get all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1985 staying there for 3 straight weeks. This song, like "Joanna," is a bit of a cheesy love ballad, but J.T.'s smooth voice makes them work. This week's second flashback video is "Cherish" by Kool & The Gang...
The other two top-20 singles from Emergency! were "Misled" and the title track. Kool & The Gang really seemed to like one-word song titles and, though they had several that qualified, "Celebration" ranks on my Top 80s Songs with One-Word Titles list. The band would have a couple more very minor hits after that, but none to speak of after the 80s. Nonetheless, Kool & The Gang has sold over 90 million albums worldwide.
In 1988, J.T. Taylor separated amicably from Kool & The Gang to pursue a solo career. As a solo artist, Taylor has released four solo albums to date with the last being in 2000. Taylor continues touring worldwide singing both his Kool & The Gang and solo hits. In 2008, he released a single titled "Winner," as an homage to then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Taylor is reportedly currently working on a new album, but no matter what he does as a solo artist, I will always remember him fronting Kool & The Gang back in the 80s.
That's all for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.
Kickin' it Old School - 80s & More
but many people also do not know that between 1981 and 1983 Freddie Mercury recorded several tracks with none other than Michael Jackson. None of these collaborations were ever officially released, although bootleg recordings luckily do exist. One of these duets that I like quite a bit is called "There Must Be More To Life Than This" and you can listen to the demo recording from 1983 right here...
would later include a solo version of that song on his Mr. Bad Guy album (1985). Another song that Mercury and Jackson collaborated on was "State of Shock." The song was written by Michael Jackson and guitarist Randy Hansen. The song would eventually be recorded by The Jacksons with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger (instead of Mercurcy) and released on the Victory album in 1984. No explanation was ever given to why Mercury was replaced. There is a demo recording version of the original "State of Shock" and you can listen to it right here...
the song was released with Jackson singing with Jagger and the song was a big success reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #14 on the UK Singles Chart. 
Whether it was with Mercury or with Jagger, it is pretty incredible to see these music icons collaborate on a song. I don't remember loving this song when it first came out, but it has grown on me more over the years. It does rank on 
interesting note on the song "State of Shock" is that Mick Jagger performed a version of it at 1985's Live Aid with another music icon, Tina Turner. You can watch this legendary performance of "State of Shock" from Live Aid right here...
both Freddie Mercury and, more recently, Michael Jackson gone, I find it more intriguing to hear these demo recordings from the early 80s. Michael Jackson was just about to become the King of Pop and Mercury was already "one of the most dynamic and charismatic frontmen in rock history." It is incredible that these legendary icons performed together even if the results were never officially released. They certainly don't make them like that anymore and, yep, you guessed it, it happened back in the 80s.
director & screenwriter Joel Schumacher. He wrote the screenplay for 1976's Car Wash and the movie adaptation for 1978's The Wiz. His film directorial debut was 1981's The Incredible Shrinking Woman starring Lily Tomlin. He co-wrote and directed 1985's St. Elmo's Fire and directed 1987's The Lost Boys. You would think this issue would be about one of those iconic teen films, but 
I think it left an impression on me because I saw it when it first came out on video in 1984 (when I was just 11 years old) despite it being rated R. I was a big fan of Mr. T after his role as "Clubber Lang" in Rocky III and his role as "B.A. Baracus" on The A-Team. At that time, I would've have watched anything that Mr. T did. In fact, this made the film controversial at the time since it used Mr. T heavily in promotion and his popularity with children did not seem appropriate for an R-rated film. Either way, I have seen this movie more times than I would like to admit.
I am only a little embarrassed to say that it is not only a guilty pleasure movie for me, but truly one of my favorites. It just has so many wonderful qualities to it and, now, a little 80s nostalgia for me as well. Even esteemed film critic Roger Ebert back in 1984 called the The Karate Kid one of the year's best, gave it four stars out of four, and described it as an "exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time." 
Kool & The Gang from 1979 to 1988 (not to be confused with the folk singer of the same name). Though he was the lead singer, he is not actually "Kool"; that would be Robert "Kool" Bell who is the bass player and founding member. The band had 70s hits like "Jungle Boogie," "Open Sesame" and "Ladies Night" before hitting it big with 1980's "Celebration." That song would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1981, dominate the radio that entire year and has been played at nearly every wedding reception since. 
This song's success and J.T. taking over lead vocals are not a coincidence and it marked a change to more of a pop R&B sound for the group in the 80s.
Kool & The Gang really seemed to like one-word song titles and, though they had several that qualified, "Celebration" ranks on 
