8 of the 80s: 10/23/14 (1981)

It's throwback Thursday time again, and this week's 80s helping is eight more nuggets from 1981, the year the Police released their Ghost In The Machine album (one of the first albums I ever bought myself)...

Kim Carnes - "Bette Davis Eyes"
from the album Mistaken Identity (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Jackie DeShannon, Donna Weiss

Kylie Minogue recorded a pretty respectable version of this 80s classic this year: if only she would've used it on her tour. In the States. For real.

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Rod Stewart - "Passion"
from the album Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriters: Phil Chen, Jim Cregan, Gary Grainger, Kevin Savinger, Rod Stewart

Rod co-wrote this eerie new-wave track with his band, and ended up one of his more respectable songs from that scattershot era of his.

The Police - "Don't Stand So Close To Me"
from the album Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10
Songwriter: Sting

Sting, a former teacher, had the biggest single in Britain in 1980 with this tale of canoodling with an underage student.

Phil Collins - "In The Air Tonight"
from the album Face Value (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19
Songwriter: Phil Collins

Another one of my first album purchases was the debut solo set from the Genesis drummer, whose spooky rocker way outlived its moderate chart success.


The Jacksons - "Heartbreak Hotel"
from the album Triumph (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22
Songwriter: Michael Jackson

I still don't know why the Jacksons awesome Epic Records work isn't on YouTube. This one (here on their Victory tour) is the highlight from their underrated Triumph album.

Atlanta Rhythm Section - "Alien"
from the album Quinella (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29
Songwriters: Buddy Buie, Randy Lewis, Steve McRay

The southern soft-rock band (from Doraville, not Atlanta) switched record companies and scored their final hit with this sci-fi dream.

Gino Vannelli - "Nightwalker"
from the album Nightwalker (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41
Songwriter: Gino Vannelli

The Canadian adult-contemporary singer steps out for the evening for this rather dark number (for him)...

Triumph - "Magic Power"
from the album Allied Forces (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #51
Songwriters: Rik Emmett, Mike Levine, Gil Moore

This reminds me, I need a Triumph tour t-shirt. Pronto.