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August 09, 2006

Mudge's Favorite 134 Songs of the 80s: The Great Front Man Group

In this grouping of five, you get a few of the best front men in the history of rock music.

50. Need You Tonight, INXS I've already raved about Michael Hutchence's power and charisma as a front man, so there's no need to revisit that meme. I'll just say that this song was the one that got me into INXS. And if we're ever out at a karaoke bar, I'll knock your socks (or more) off doing a version of this song. Hutchence manages to nail the seductive low growl and the full-voiced upper parts of the register in the same song; it's deceptively not an easy song to sing. As for the video... god, mullets were and remain awful things. Check it out here (and you even get "Mediate," with its Dylanesque sign flipping, at no extra cost).

49. Purple Rain, Prince I know that Marquette Hoops will argue that this one should have been in the top 10, and I might be inclined to agree with him on some days. If you haven't listened to Purple Rain in a while, you'll be amazed at how well it's held up, and what a great song this still is. Mournful, sad, and triumphant all at once, it is Prince at his absolute best, atop his game with the song that absolutely deserved to be the title song to the movie and album. His bluesy guitar solo at the end is one of the most majestic in the entire history of rock and roll. In short, there's nothing not to fall in love with in this song. And if I had this list to make over, or if I'd allowed myself "re-thinks" after making the initial compilation, I'd have put this one higher. Great song by one of the most incredibly talented artists of his generation... or any other -- and this song reminds you of just how great he was.Check the video here.

48. Radio Ga-Ga, Queen I liked this song when it came out. Liked, but didn't love. But that all changed on one day: July 13, 1985. Because at Live Aid, at Wembley Stadium in London, Freddie Mercury put on a clinic -- the most classic demostration of what it is to be a front man ever in rock history. I'm serious, I'm calling this one out: the single greatest live performance by a singer in the history of rock and roll was Freddie Mercury leading Queen and 90,000 other people in "Radio Ga-Ga." It's been written somewhere that Freddie could have ordered that crowd to march to Africa and feed the people in person, and they would have followed. I agree.

Watch him; watch how he owns his stage, the confidence, the god-ness of the man on the stage that day...the expert way that he plays them, plays to them, takes them from the palm of his hand to the depth of his heart to the soaring heights of their souls, all in five minutes... he had control of his body, his voice... and he reached out and took control of 90,000 more, all wanting to be part of the moment, part of him, it inspires at every viewing... and the image during the final chorus, with Freddie standing on stage, his right arm outstretched to the audience, almost massaging them and manipulating them to his will, and 90,000 sets of hands moving in unison at his feet, is one of the most iconic in all rock and roll. Not just of that day; I'm talking ever.

Every kid, and I mean every kid who ever wants to be a lead singer should have to watch this clip to see how it's supposed to be done -- and how none of us will ever do it ... because Freddie was one of a kind, and we'll not see his like again. Solely on the strength of the performance below, Radio Ga-Ga comes in at #48 on my countdown.

47. New Sensation, INXS Danceable rock and roll... the best of both 80s worlds. INXS in the opera house... Hutchence's voice is great again here, and the guitar riff is both catchy and fun. This is another one I'll rock you with at karaoke some night... INXS's last of three entries in this countdown, "New Sensation" comes in at #47. Check the video here.

46. Round and Round, Ratt Okay, back to the pop metal that I've been gravitating toward as the countdown goes on. I was never a huge fan of Ratt, but this -- their first single -- was a classic and one of the decade's best debut efforts. It didn't hurt that their manager's uncle was Milton Berle, and they managed to get him to do the video -- guaranteeing heavy MTV rotation -- but this song would have been a hit on its own, even without the hit video. Catchy hook, a great rocking rhythm riff, a head banging solo in the middle... and this song takes me back to 1984, and parties at a friend's friend's basement... amazing how songs that felt so rebellious and bad-ass when you were 15 or 16 now sound like power pop, huh? The video's here.... though I am sure that Steven Pearcy (the singer) is wishing to God he'd never worn that outfit.

Posted by Christopher on August 9, 2006 11:25 PM

Comments

Posted by: A Disturbingly Cynical College Student at August 10, 2006 10:45 AM

Posted by: Marquette Hoops at August 10, 2006 12:07 PM

Posted by: Jill at August 10, 2006 02:49 PM