We’re up to the final episode in my occasional looks at K-tel compilations.
“Final” because K-tel gradually ceased to be a distributor of collections of current hits, even though it continued to compile classics and reissue sets from the ‘70s, often with slightly different line-ups.
At the same time, I was less interested in what K-tel had to offer, mainly because – as a college student in 1983 – I was buying more of the singles and albums that provided the contents of their collections.
Chart Action 83 is a 14-track set that is almost exclusively full of Top 10 hits.
(The five songs that did not go Top 10 nevertheless went Top 30, a much stronger showing than songs on some of the ‘70s collections).
Heartbeat Of The ‘80s has only 10 tracks -unusually low for a K-tel album – but all 10 were Top 10 adult-contemporary hits, and 9 of the 10 hit AT40.
(Ironically, the one that didn’t – Poco’s “Shoot for the Moon” – was the track that convinced me to pick up the album, as I didn’t have either that single or its parent album.)
Both LPs hold up well four decades later.
Chart Action 83 features the recently departed Greg Kihn.
RIP, buddy.
- His “Jeopardy” crossed over to R&B radio.
Other pop/rock/dance hits include:
- Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone,”
- Peter Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey”
- Adam Ant’s “Goody Two Shoes”
- After the Fire’s “Der Kommissar”
- And Frida’s “I Know There’s Something Going On.”
And call me crazy:
But … If I had to pick the song more likely to keep me listening to the entire side, I’d take:
- Rick Springfield’s Side 2 starter, “Affair of the Heart,” any day over:
- The Police’s Side 1 hit, “Every Breath You Take.”
On Heartbeat of the ‘80s:
James Ingram gets back-to-back love via tracks two and three on side one.
- His No. 1 appearance on Patti Austin’s “Baby, Come to Me” precedes his own breakout of a year and a half earlier, “Just Once” (credited to ‘Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram’).
There are four duets on the Heartbeat collection:
- Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle’s “You and I”
- And the comeback hit for bandleader Sergio Mendes, “Never Gonna Let You Go,” which – were it released in the 21st century – would have been credited “Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller.”
I will admit that as much as I’m a fan of AC music, the Heartbeat collection is mellow enough that it could inspire a nap.
So: What if K-tel had moved two of its Chart Action ‘83 tunes to Heartbeat, and created two 12-song compilations?
My recommendation would have been to move the Police as well as Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” to Heartbeat, perhaps as closers.
That would have moved “Come On, Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners to the leadoff spot on Side 1 of Chart Action 83. A win-win!
Top-Shelf:
From Chart Action 83:
- “Come On, Eileen”
- “Sexual Healing”
- “Twilight Zone”
- “Affair of the Heart”
- “Jeopardy”
- “I Know There’s Something Going On”
- “Shock the Monkey”
From Heartbeat of the ‘80s:
- “Just Once”
- “Shoot for the Moon”
- Paul Davis’ “Cool Night”
Decent:
From Chart Action 83:
- “Goody Two Shoes”
- “Der Kommissar”
- Bryan Adams’ “Straight from the Heart”
- Thompson Twins’ “Lies,”
- Kenny Loggins/Steve Perry’s “Don’t Fight It.”
From Heartbeat of the ‘80s:
- “Never Gonna Let You Go”
- “Baby, Come to Me”
- “You and I”
- Dionne Warwick’s“ Heartbreaker”
- And Lionel Richie’s “Truly”
Yuck:
- From Chart Action 83: “Every Breath You Take.”
- None from Heartbeat of the ‘80s.
Question Marks:
While I don’t hate Pat Benatar’s “Little Too Late,” I do think it’s easily the most anonymous of her first dozen hits and the next weakest track to the Police on Chart Action 83.
On Heartbeat of the ‘80s, Tierra’s “Together” will always be an unfortunate piece of timing. I know it’s a remake of a ‘60s hit, but it was on AT40 at the time of John Lennon’s murder, and I winced every time I heard “Together’s” bridge about playing “shoot ‘em up.”
- And it’s hard for me to listen to Stephen Bishop’s “It Might Be You” apart from its movie, Tootsie. In the movie, its sweetness is undercut by the movie’s tartness. On vinyl, it just sounds like musical marshmallow.
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Sergio Mendes without Brasil ’66 or even Brasil ’77 or any remnants of Brazilian music at all just makes me sad.
I don’t totally disagree with your “yuck” even though I was obsessed with The Police in high school and still love them. “Every Breath You Take” may be my least favorite single of theirs. The melody just felt pedestrian to me and the rhymes a bit forced. When they are not rocking out or there are no traces of reggae or ska, I guess they don’t grab me as much.
Chart Action 83 has some bangers: “Shock The Monkey,” “Goody Two Shoes,” “Der Kommissar,” “Twilight Zone.” On the other hand, Heartbeat of the 80s is in need of CPR. I like the way you’ve taken the best of both and reimagined them.
Like rollerboogie, I don’t think “Every Breath You Take” is yuckworthy. Sure, it’s overplayed and misunderstood, but it’s actually a decent song.
As always, great work, Chuck!
Agreed, V-Dog, that “Every Breath You Take” is itself not an awful song. It’s just so badly overplayed that the mere start of it grates on me. (Flashback to https://tnocs.com/chucks-dirty-dozen/)
Chuck, thank you for the wallop of early 80’s nostalgia! So many of these songs soundtracked my childhood — the radio AC because that’s what my parents had playing in the car, and the MTV tracks from my own addiction to music videos. Some of these songs really never left my mind, but a few I have not thought about for decades, and remembering them now is like remembering going to Pizza Hut after a pee-wee league game – a total rush back to being 8 in small town Kentucky. These are the songs that brought me back:
Baby, Come to Me
I Know There’s Something Going On
It Might Be You
Jeopardy
(not mentioned here, but also have to reminisce about Weird Al’s I Lost on Jeopardy)
https://youtu.be/BvUZijEuNDQ?si=EroHq7xU5SgzdO3o
NOW! That’s what I call a great review series!
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I absolutely recognize that Chartbusters album…probably because I eyed it numerous times in the store, but never had the funds to purchase it.
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Oddly…for me, The Police’s EBYT was considered very dull by 13 year old Link, but now I really like the “Oh Can’t You See…” section and also the bombastic bridge. But I used to agree with you.
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But Side 2 beats Side 1 of Chartbusters.
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The ballad-heavy Heartbeat… does well having “You and I”, “Cool Night”, “Heartbreaker”, and I really think “Just Once” is so well done. It comes across so convincing that I have to be ready for it. Sometimes I’m just not emotionally prepared for that song.
I see what you did there.
Several great pop hits! I gotta go re-listen to “Cool Night” now which I have not heard in years.
Confession – until about 5 years ago, I did not realize that Frida was a member of ABBA even though I like the song and like ABBA.
What the what? Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry made a duet for which I have no memory. Stopping work right now and finding that one for a listen…I guess I was already not working reading TNOCS… Hopefully, it is two great voices that taste great together!
I give Tierra props for incorporating the Intruders’ bigger hit, Cowboys to Girls, into their remake of Together. Still, the original is much better to my ears. And After the Fire’s version of Der Kommissar has always been top shelf to me, especially in comparison to Falco’s campier take on it.