The Hustle

Ian Burden was a key member of the revolutionary new wave band the Human League during their imperial 80s period. Philip Oakey was desperate to find band members during the lead-up to the creation of 1981's game-changing album Dare! and called upon Burden to bring his musicianship to the group, which lead to classic singles like "The Sound of the Crowd," "Love Action," and "Mirror Man." After the unpleasant experience of recording 1986's Crash with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Ian decided to leave the group and a music career. Yet, out of nowhere, last year he put out his first solo album Hey Hey Ho Hum, which sounds exactly like the album a former Human League member should make. In this chat we discuss all of it - the albums, the hits, the ups, the downs and the motivations for a solo album at this stage. What an honor to hear from him! 

http://www.ianburden.uk/

Once again Jon teams up with Noel Fogelman from Reliving My Youth for another music-related topic close to his heart: Top 10 soundtrack songs from the 80s! We discuss our lists and defend our picks. But, we ask you, dear listener, who wins? 

Good news - no metronome this time! 

Look for a Part 2 in the near future. 

After building a devoted fanbase in their native Michigan in the early 90s, the Verve Pipe struck gold in 1996 when a song they'd been playing for years called "The Freshman" totally changed the game, catapulting their third album (first on a major label) Villains into platinum territory. The world was their oyster. Unfortunately, the follow-up tanked on an epic level and they never quite regained their footing. Since then their songcraft has only improved over the years, including 2017's excellent Parachute. Along the way, frontman Brian Vander Ark did his very best to stay afloat with solo albums and revolutionizing the house concert. In this chat we discuss all of it including working with producers like Jerry Harrison, Adam Schlesinger, and Bill Szymczyk, what he purchased when he finally hit it big and the impact of constantly being confused for UK band The Verve. Brian's about as down to earth as it gets and the Verve Pipe are currently on tour so catch them while you can! 

http://www.thevervepipe.com/

Jon and Jan recap the episodes from November and December and countdown their top 10 episodes of the year, as well as the listener's top 5. We also answer some listener questions AND we announce a new sidecast for 2019 that listeners should really love. 2018 turned out to be a great year for us thanks to all of you. Hopefully we can keep it going! 

It’s time to set the record straight.  Liberty DeVitto is not merely the former drummer for Billy Joel.  He is a collaborator in the sounds that shaped popular music in the latter 20th century.  Here we not only touch on his complicated relationship with the Piano Man; moreover, we showcase “Lib’s” immense talent on tunes that weren’t necessarily the hits.

Things to listen for: 

* The song that contains percussion played on Billy’s bare chest.

*The timeless classic that cemented its place on "The Stranger" only after Linda Ronstadt & Phoebe Snow guaranteed it would help the band get girls. 

*The “Glass Houses” simplistic ditty that’s covered by other artists more than any in Billy’s oeuvre. 

*And finally, a never before told story about these Liberty imagined lyrics for the hit “My Life” that, once heard,  can NEVER be unheard!

PS: Check out Liberty’s current gig with The Slim Kings.  It’s young, fresh and far from a tired tribute band.  

https://www.slimkings.com/

Tower of Power have been one of the landmark r&b outfits for 50 years now. From humble beginnings in the East Bay of Northern California, co-founders and sax players Emilio Castillo and Doc Kupka started something very special that carries on today, arguably better than ever. In fact, TOP put out one of their best albums ever in 2018 called Soul Side of Town. While there have been ups and downs and stops and starts along the way (not to mention too many band members to count!) the quality has never waned and the power has never diminished. In this conversation, Emilio and I discuss all of it including his getting sober, hanging out with Sly and the Family Stone back in the day, his many 80s collaborations, and his spiritual life. We also discuss his relationship with his controversial former band member, Victor Conte. Few have ever done what they do better than TOP. They're national treasures. 

https://towerofpower.com/

City Boy was a band that was almost impossible to classify. Imagine if ELO, Queen and Yes got together and decided to get weird and you're in the ballpark. They did manage to hit the pop charts once when the epic "5705" off their third album Book Early reached #27 in the states in 1978. Unfortunately, that was it in terms of the charts, but then again chart success was never the highest priority. This week we talk to bassist Chris Dunn about what fueled their quirky creativity, as well as what it was like having a young, up-and-coming producer named Mutt Lange produce their first five albums. Chris also brings a unique perspective to the show because once the music career ended, he started a successful music equipment rental business that supplied studios and producers with the exact keyboards, mics, compressors, what have you, they needed. Get to know a congenial guy with some great stories and rediscover City Boy!

Canadian rockers Honeymoon Suite might be the most undervalued melodic rock band of the 80s. Though always maintaining a profile up north, the band deserved more attention in the states and around the rest of the world. Hits like "New Girl Now," "What Does It Take" and "Feel It Again" from their 1986 masterpiece The Big Prize (produced by Bruce Fairbairn) are perfect examples of the very best that genre had to offer. Like most 80s rock bands, the 90s weren't kind to HMS and the spotlight moved on, but guitarist and primary songwriter Derry Grehan explains that today they are able to continue to tour around their native Canada. We also discuss the songs they've had in movies, working with luminaries like Bruce, Bob Rock, and Ted Templeman, and last year's excellent return to form Hands Up. Please rediscover this excellent band!

http://honeymoonsuiteband.com/

Jeffrey Osborne is one of the greatest balladeers in r&b history. Who can ever forget his amazing performance on 80s standards like "On the Wings of Love," "We're Going All the Way," and "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)." After leaving his first band L.T.D. he teamed with the legendary producer George Duke to become one of the most successful singer of the 80s with additional hits like "Stay With Me Tonight" and "The Borderlines." By the 90s he took a step back, but has never gone away and even released a new album this year called Worth It All. We discuss the stories behind many of his biggest hits, what it was like working with George, why he became a vegan, and what he's up to today. He's one of the best there's ever been!

Kevin Armstrong has been a go-to guitarist for some of the greatest artists of the last 35 years. After first tasting success playing with Thomas Dolby during the Golden Age of Wireless era, Kevin went on to partner with David Bowie for several years, including backing him at Live Aid and being the "unofficial" 5th member of Tin Machine. This also lead to a partnership with Iggy Pop, which continues to this day. We talk about several other artists he met along the way including Morrissey, Peter Murphy, Propaganda, Sinead O'Connor and Prefab Sprout. He was even asked to replace Johnny Marr in the Smiths at one point! He's seen and done a lot and continues to work with the best around. Also, he has a solo album coming out next month, so follow Kevin Armstrong Guitar X on facebook for details.