Day 87

  • My friend Steven has always been a HUGE fan of Whitney Houston.  He remains the only person I know who bought her self-titled debut album within a week or two of its release and gushed about it nonstop from aboard the Naval aircraft carrier he was stationed on at the time.  Every letter he wrote, he somehow managed to work in a pitch for Whitney's album, like he was part of her street team.  I had been unimpressed with her first two singles as I wasn't into romantic music much in 1985 but her third single, the upbeat "How Will I Know" caught my ear and when I saw her album had finally become available through Columbia House, I ordered it.  I believe I played it three or four times and might have pulled it out to make a few mixtapes but other than that, it never got much play.
  • As a follow-up to Let's Dance, Bowie's Tonight album did not impress me much.  But lawdy, the ladies sure loved it.  Bought a copy of my own to satisfy mixtape requests.  Later picked up the "Blue Jean" 12" with a decent remix and the 45 cause it is on blue vinyl.
  • I was never in the same league as my clubbin' friend Martin but like him I fully appreciated the dance floor riots that the all-girl funk band Klymaxx started with their twin jams "Meeting in The Ladies Room" and "The Men All Pause".  To go with those party monsters, the girls also released the terrific slow jam "I Miss You".
  • Girl said she liked Gang Of Four.  I had no Gang Of Four albums.  Ordered Gang Of Four's Hard.  My relationship with the girl and the group both later became non-existent.  Pretty sure I got rid of this album at first opportunity.  The apartment I was living in at the time was on second floor.  We could stand on small balcony and see dumpster just across the parking lot.  With a really good throw, you could frisbee an album right into the dumpster.  Not saying that is what happened to this particular album but it is highly probable.
  • Producer Narada Michael Walden wrote the two big hits from the album "Freeway Of Love" and the title track but it wasn't until the duet with the Eurythmics ("Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves") that I felt the need to own Who's Zoomin' Who?
Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston (1985)
Tonight - David Bowie (1984)
Meeting In The Ladies Room - Klymaxx (1985)
Hard -Gang Of Four (1983)
Who's Zoomin' Who? - Aretha Franklin (1985)

Of today's five possibilities, only that original Whitney Houston album still sits on the Vinyl Wall.  And I still have that blue 45.


Only ten more posts til the end of the Odyssey...
Day 88 will be November 14th.

1 comment:

  1. I like Tonight better than most people (maybe that's why the ladies love me). Sure it's no Let's Dance, but what is?

    ReplyDelete

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