8 of the 80s: 10/2/14 (1988)

Throwback Thursday is here, and I've got eight more nuggets from 1988, the year Senator Lloyd Bentsen declared to Senator Dan Quayle at the vice-presidential debate, "Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. You're no Jack Kennedy." (Of course that potatoe-head dingbat won anyway)

John Cougar Mellencamp - "Rooty Toot Toot"
from the album The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #61
Songwriter: John Mellencamp

One of six top-ten rock radio hits from his 1987 set, this simple groove was a nice road-trip song, as proven in the video...

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


The Fabulous Thunderbirds - "Powerful Stuff"
from the album Powerful Stuff (1989)
Billboard Hot 100 peak; #65
Songwriters: Robert Field, Mike Henderson, Kim Wilson

The band featuring guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan's older brother Jimmie didn't replicate their top-ten pop performance from their Tuff Enuff album, but they still made a mint from this as it was included on the multi-platinum soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film Cocktail.

Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers - "I'm Not Your Man"
from the album Rumble (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #74
Songwriters: Tommy Conwell, Marcy Rauer

The Philly boys topped the rock chart with this bar-band classic, which was big in my neck of the woods.

Robert Cray Band - "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark"
from the album Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #74
Songwriter: Dennis Walker

The first two "blues" albums I ever owned were this one and Cray's breakthrough Strong Persuader before it.

Henry Lee Summer - "Hands On The Radio"
from the album Henry Lee Summer (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #85
Songwriter: Henry Lee Summer

The third single from the breakthrough album from the Indiana rocker that wasn't named Mellencamp.

Paul Carrack - "When You Walk In The Room"
from the album One Good Reason (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #90
Songwriter: Jackie DeShannon

The British piano troubadour scored a minor hit with his cover of the 60s top-10 classic by its writer.

Robert Palmer - "Sweet Lies"
from the album Sweet Lies (Original Soundtrack) (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #94
Songwriters: Frank Blair, Robert Palmer, Dony Wynn

His non-album single following his Riptide triumph stiffed in the States, but went top-10 in France.

Kings Of The Sun - "Black Leather"
from the album Kings Of The Sun (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #98
Songwriters: Cliff and Jeff Hoad

This Australian hard rock band nicked the chart for a couple of weeks with this record before opening for acts like KISS and Guns N' Roses.