Fleetwood Mac

For over 30 years I have declared that I don't like Fleetwood Mac. I probably said it on this blog. I think my dislike was based on the album Tango In The Night and that bloody song, Everywhere. I still want to pull my eyelashes out if I hear it. Also Big Love, such an irritating song. Tweeness.

Anyway, I like to think I am big enough to admit when I am wrong. Sort of. I still dislike those two songs but something odd happened to me. I started thinking, I fancy listening to some Fleetwood Mac. And boom, about 40+ years after everyone else, I discovered Rumours. It's a bit embarrassing. A few months ago, a friend's 15 year old son sat me down and explained who Drake and Stormzy was as I blinked at him. And there's me now all like, yeah man I've discovered Fleetwood Mac.

God help me. Anyway, if you're interested, I am enjoying The Chain (a work of genius), Dreams (although thunder doesn't only happen when it's raining - annoying), Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way and I quite like Little Lies. As usual, nothing earth shattering here.

I still think Stevie Nicks is a pain in the arse.

Hair in movies

An important topic that we've not discussed is hair in movies. I am specifically talking about female hair because it's hard to care about men's hair unless it's truly dire. I rarely think, wow, that actor has great/terrible hair. But I often think it about women.

Jennifer Aniston is the queen of covetable hair. She has her own haircare range for heaven's sake. Yes, I have bought it and love it. Living Proof. You won't look back, I promise. I think her hair is a little overstated, it's very nice and all but it's not hair I covet.

Our envy for hair can usually be found in our formative youth and for me, that means Meg Ryan.

Let's break this down. No way in a million years would I want her Sally hair now but at the time, I thought it was the bees knees. It's a perm for goodness sake but perfect ringlets! And I liked her wardrobe in When Harry Met Sally too. And basically I wanted to be Meg Ryan, hair and all. Sleepless in Seattle is more complicated. The point here is the lustrousness of her hair. It looks all thick and heavy, like a rope. I used to want that. Now both look very dated and quite cute for that.

The worst film for hair is Working Girl. There is no debate on this matter. Look at the evidence.

I actually don't think anybody had hair like this in the 80s. Come on! It's beyond a joke. They'd go in flames near a naked flame. At least Melanie gets a makeover but Joan's character gets married with that hair. Just say no.

You know how much I dislike Andi but her hair in Four Weddings and a Funeral is really nice and crucially, that hairstyle would work now. Hair envy happening over here. I have straight hair with an annoying kink. It's never going to look like that. Oh well.

Katherine Ross is gorgeous. She is gorgeous both in The Graduate and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. My hair could feasibly do this (in my dreams) and so she is my real hair crush.

Well, after Grace of course.

Utter perfection. Even now.

Now That's What I Call Music

Thirty years ago this album was released. Obviously I had it in vinyl. I still can't listen to You Can't Hurry Love without expecting Duran Duran's Is There Something I Should Know immediately after it. I was reminded of this album because I heard The Safety Dance on an episode of The Carrie Diaries. The track listing for the original Now album makes my heart sing. It's like a history lesson in 80s pop. Let's explore.

It opens with Phil Collins. I mean, why? And he is covering a Supremes song. It's like the worst of the 80s right off the bat. Then we move to one of the worst Duran Duran songs. Then another cover with UB40's Red Red Wine which I can't even discuss I hate it so much. Then, wait for it, Limahl. Anyone sane would give up but no, what's this? Heaven 17's Temptation. A classic of our time indeed. Things are looking up.

KC and the Sunshine Band with Give It Up follows which I love. I had forgotten how much I loved this and I am just listening to it now. It's going on my workout playlist. Double Dutch by Malcolm McClaren and the mighty Bonnie closes side one.

Side two and we have Karma Chameleon. I bloody hate this song. I feel I should like it being an 80s kid but god it's awful isn't it? The only people who like this are those who are too young to remember it the first time round. Culture Club did some good songs but this wasn't one of them. The magnificent Safety Dance follows and what is this video about? Bonkers.

Mike Oldfield bores us and then we come to Down Under. Possibly one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Not much else to say about side two except to ponder how Paul Young was ever successful.

Side three and New Edition hit us up with Candy Girl. Bobby Brown!

Limahl left Kajagoogoo and they decided to press on without him. To the regret of all of us. This is the worst of the 80s. Another cover with Tina Turner's Let's Stay Together. Al Green did it better. But we have Human League to save us. (Keep Feeling) Fascination with a great use of 80s brackets there. And Howard Jones with New Song - love, love, love it. More UB40, there is no explanation. Peabo and Roberta close side three with Tonight I Sellotape My Glove To You as my sister likes to call it.

Side four and Tracey Ullman with They Don't Know. A contender for one of my favourite 80s songs this, I adore it. The bells! Then Will Powers Kissing with Confidence, another fave. Skipping over Genesis to The Love Cats. This is totally perfect pop from a band that didn't really do pop. Then we have Simple Minds with a song nobody remembers, Waterfront? Anyone? The tedious Madness follow and we close with yes, just what we all wanted, another Culture Club song, Victims.

I am puzzled. I loved this album, I listened to it a great deal because I was 12 and hadn't built up a large collection of music and had not discovered my parents Beatles albums yet. I had remembered it being brilliant. It's clearly not. It has about 8 good songs on it and then bad songs by bands that weren't even that good to start with. I mean, Kajagoogoo? But the good songs really are properly good, we have Bonnie, The Cure, Tracey (although I admit it might just be me that loves this), Men at Work and the mighty Men Without Hats. Men did us proud in 1983.

I wish I'd kept my original vinyls but alas, they have long gone. Looking at the cover takes me back to fluro socks, Frinton-on-sea and poring over Smash Hits. Bliss.

Working Girl

Working Girl is a film I've pretty much ignored because of my intense dislike of Melanie Griffith. However, thanks to Netflix, I watched this last night and it was a hoot. I don't think I've seen a film that simply has one song they play over and over again, in this case Carly Simon's Let The River Run. They really wanted to make that a hit. Other observations:

• Sigourney Weaver is fantastic in this and wears red to great effect.
• Joan Cusack is someone you'd like as your best friend.
• It has Kevin Spacey in it!
• And Alec Baldwin looking so young. And thin.
• David Duchovny is an extra!
• Oliver Platt!
• It's a six degrees of separation dream of a film.
• Melanie Griffith is obliged to wear horrible underwear in many shots.
• Harrison Ford is dreamy.

However, TeenBoy and I were mainly distracted by the hair.

I repeat, the hair:

Look, I lived through the 80s and I really don't think anybody had hair like this. I'm not saying it was a good decade for hair but really? TeenBoy was transfixed and asked me "how would anyone get their hair to do that?" Awwwwww, I love how men know so little about the wonders of back combing, perming and hairspray.

Anyway, in conclusion this is thoroughly entertaining and well worth another viewing. When you all get Netflix.

Celebrity couples, part 2

After part 1, my sister pointed out some I had missed and since that included Demi Moore, I feel the need to revisit the topic. Also, Rhea and Danny De Vito are back together - HOORAY! There is some justice.

Demi Moore, how could I forget you? First there was Emilio.

Demi has always been ambitious, I think she mistook Emilio for a rising star. She reached her peak by marrying Bruce Willis.

Like Madonna and Sean, I don't think there is a better match and I feel they've been searching for perfection ever since. I love this photo by the way.

I wasn't going to mention the embarrassment that is Demi and Ashton but I found this picture.

How could such a match last when you decide to get married looking like this? It's so trashy and awful. I wonder who she'll date next? I think she might go for a politician.

Speaking of Emilio, I always though he was perfect with Paula Abdul.

Continuing the theme of beautiful couples, Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. Oh my. This photo does them no justice as they seem to be heavily in the dreadlock phase.

But trust me, these two were gorgeous and again, I don't think they'll do better.

Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. I do love Cameron, she always looks like she is having fun. Here is more evidence.

Justin is a dick though. Where once he was quite sweet, now he is just arrogant. Although let's face it, him and Britney were another perfect couple!

Awwwwwww. Never mind Brit.

Bee Gees

I thought I had blogged about The Bee Gees because why wouldn't I have done? I am really never going to run out of things to post about on this blog when after nearly eight months I still haven't got around to something as fundamental to life as Bee Gees.

Where to start? The early years? Disco? Their collaborations? I feel people forget how talented the brothers Gibbs are and it bothers me. Have you sung with Barbra Streisand? Written a world-class hit for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers? Penned a multi-million selling soundtrack? Had big hair both on your head and on your chest? I thought not.

This picture above has always been my favourite picture of them, it's so iconic. It makes me want to go and wear some gold pants immediately. I love most of their songs although I could have done without Immortality thanks. They have a gift for melody and are inimitable. How many bands can say that? So enough Bee Gee bashing, they are fabulous.

I adore the whole of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Stayin' Alive is one of my desert island discs and the introduction of that film is still five minutes that I can watch again and again. I like early Bee Gees too - Massachusetts is a winner. I adore Barry and Barbra singing Guilty. Tragedy is a masterpiece.

Tonight I am in the mood for one of the finest ever love songs, How Deep Is Your Love. It is such a lovely song but YouTube won't let me embed it - boo! Watch it here. And then feast your eyes on this, it's a bit short but it makes me want to move to Brooklyn in gold pants.

Billy Ocean

Have you seen Billy Ocean lately? No, me either. In my head, he still looks like he does above. Prepare yourselves...

This blog educates me daily, I Googled Billy Ocean and imagine my surprise! As always, I was inspired by 80s Groove. Ahhhh Billy Ocean, what a guy. I can't think of a better speaking opener to a song than Caribbean Queen, "she's simply awesome." LOVE it.

This is the man who also gave us When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going) from the marvellous Jewel Of The Nile (yes, a posting about that and Romancin' The Stone will be imminent). And of course, the fabulous Suddenly and Love Really Hurts Without You. Plus, he is called Billy Ocean. The man has it all!

Let's enjoy.

The Bangles

One of the things I love about Gilmore Girls is how much Lorelei loves The Bangles. It's perfect scripting as Lorelei would absolutely love The Bangles. All the cool kids loved them. They had three memorable hits, I don't have a huge amount of time for Eternal Flame but Manic Monday is fantastic. Of course as Prince wrote it I'd expect it to be fabulous. It was one of my mum's favourite songs, she loved the chorus: "I wish it was Sunday, that's my fun day, my I don't have to run day" - so clever and so true.

However, for me, it's all about Walk Like An Egyptian. A novelty record that manages to be completely awesome. I wish I had thought to have this played at my wedding but alas, if I'd had every song I wanted played at my wedding we'd all still be at my wedding. It had one of the best videos of the 80s, it's so cute and endearing. And it will forever win for this lyric: "gold crocodiles, they snap their teeth on a cigarette."

We only wish we could be this cool.

I Know HIm So Well - Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson

Where to start? The hair? The dramatic delivery? The sheer genius of it all? This is a magnificent song from our favourite Abba boys sung by back-combed, hair sprayed divas. Elaine's hair defies belief.

Needless to say I adore it. It's almost more than a power ballad but I am defining it as such. Whatever happened to Barbara Dickson? I loved her voice. Wasn't it good? Wasn't he fine? Isn't it madness he can't be mine!

Summer songs - Summer Night City, Abba

To celebrate the longest day of the year, I bring you Summer Night City. This has long been one of my favourite Abba songs and it's nice to see them doing a happy video, I love Anna's disco dancing! Look how happy they look in this picture. Ahhh Abba, no band does it like you.

I must book a city break to Stockholm...

Summer songs - Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns 'n' Roses

I don't think we've delved into my rock chick side enough. In a parallel universe, I am a rock groupie hanging out in LA with bands like Guns 'n' Roses circa 1987. I love Appetite for Destruction possibly more than words can describe. It's hard to pick a favourite as I adore Paradise City and Welcome to the Jungle but if pushed, it would have to be Sweet Child O' Mine. It took me a lost weekend to master it on Guitar Hero. Which everyone knows is the same as real guitar.

Guns 'n' Roses were the perfect rock band. They looked the part. They had the best band name ever. They did copious amount of drugs and they wrote songs like this. A song that makes you want to throw open all the windows, crank up the volume and move somewhere with 365 days of sunshine and a beach. Somewhere like LA.

When I lived in Albuquerque, this song was on the jukebox all the time in the one and only Joe's Bar (I hear on good authority it is still there). Every time it came on me and my partner in crime would wig out maaaaaaaaaaan. We loved it. Especially if we were playing pinball at the same time. Living the dream baby.

It goes without saying that I had a crush on Slash. Over 18 million views on YouTube and we're allowed to share it. Thank you Axl.

Melrose Place

Melrose Place was the soap fan's soap of the 90s. If you didn't watch this, then I pity you as it was fantastic. A spin-off from Beverly Hills 90210, it was more grown-up and set, funnily enough on Melrose in LA.

It had a wobbly start because they just made everyone nice and dull so nobody cared. But then Aaron cast Heather Locklear and sexed the whole show up and suddenly it was unmissable. This coincided with a year I spent in the US doing my degree and on Wednesday nights they would show 90210 followed by Melrose. Man alive, were me and my roommates happy! We used to love it. Those were the days.

The storyline all Melrosians (just made that up but we'll go with it) remember fondly is the Kimberly one.  She went from:

to:

to:

OMG! It was the best television at the time! Kimberly was played by Marcia Cross who became a big star in Desperate Housewives. I was really pleased to see her pop up there as I always thought she was excellent in Melrose. Daphne Zuniga was also in this and I believe they brought her in as she was quite hot property having been in The Sure Thing (we'll save that classic 80s movie for another day) and she was good in this but her character was never well written. Heather was as good as she always is (ie brilliant) as the bitchy Amanda. The show was let down for me by the utterly tedious Billy and Alison (played by Courtney Thorne-Thomas - truly a drab actress) but no matter. We had Dr Mancini, Sydney and this show introduced us to Kristen Davies as Brooke.

It was simply the trashiest of television and all the better for it. Back in the days before the internet, it was hard to watch this once I came back to the UK as it was on Sky (and nobody had Sky back then - unimaginable I know!) but again my sister came up trumps as she videoed all the episodes in Sydney (where she lived at the time) and posted them to me. That, my friends, is love!

Classic opening credits, enjoy!

Power Ballads - Here I Go Again, Whitesnake

I've had what can only be described as a hell of a day. It would be all too easy to not update my blog tonight but suddenly Whitesnake popped into my head and I thought, I have to listen to Here I Go Again and before I knew it, I was giggling and forgetting my bad day. This is what a classic power ballad can do for you and really who did them better than Whitesnake?

"Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone" Best power ballad line ever. "I know what it means, to walk along the lonely street of dreams!" Sing it David. Was there ever a more ridiculous rock star? Look at him now.

Good lord. What a mess.

Famous for the ridiculous videos of women in white dresses writhing on top of cars and so on, Whitesnake were really top fun. It's only recently I learned that David Coverdale was in Deep Purple. I know, I know, how could I not have known? I have also just learned that the woman in the videos was actually his wife. I feel bad for judging him now - at least he was married to her.

I also adore 'Is This Love'? I can't embed Here I Go Again so I am leaving you with it. It's basically the same video anyway...

Opening credits - Baywatch

Today was a beautiful day here in London town. Spring has sprung. And so naturally my thoughts turned to warm climes, sunny beaches and Baywatch - one of the best early Saturday evening programmes ever made.

Yet again, David Hasselhoff does us proud. If you were expecting a picture of a buxom blonde up there in a teeny red costume, I am sorry but I am a girl and I don't wish to oblige. Respect to The Hoff. Watching these credits again takes me back to the 90s, the days before the internet when TV really was a unifying force. Everyone watched Baywatch. Marvellously simple in its premise: sexy people run around LA beaches in very little clothing. Who really bothered to care what happened week in and week out? This is the show that gave us the wonderful Chandler line in Friends: "Run Yasmin, run like the wind!"

Ah yes. The show that gave us Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth (what a name!) and Erika Eleniak. I didn't have to look up those names. Oh and Jeremy Jackson...

There's very little I can say about the show itself but plenty about the credits. For starters, it takes them 45 seconds to even get to the first actor, The Hoff. There is so much establishing going on. Sunny beach, hot chicks in bikinis, speedboats. It's hilarious. Then there's the song. I love this song. That drum introduction, the expectation, the drama and then the man wailing away about how he'll be there. It's called I'll Be Ready by Jimmi Jamison by the way. Don't say you don't learn from this blog.

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

Power Ballads - I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner

I want you to shooooooooow meeeeeeeeeee! Ahhhhh, what could be more soothing on a Tuesday morning than this treasure from the 80s? Such an over the top song - it has all the hallmarks of a classic power ballad: earnest lyrics, slow-mo video, big hair.

LOVING it. That album cover: it almost sums up the 80s doesn't it? It looks a bit like a Rubik's Cube.

There isn't much to say about this other than of course, I adore it. It's proper fist clenching, wave the lighters, stadium rock. And it's all the better for it.  Enjoy!

Neighbours

Everybody needs good neighbours. 80s Neighbours was fantastic. Fan-bloody-tastic. It's hard to explain why; the acting wasn't stellar, the sets were notoriously wobbly and god, it didn't even get that sunny on Ramsey Street. What's the point of an Australian soap without sun? But, it was compelling wasn't it? 25 mins a day of bounce, Bouncer and some teen love thrown in. How could it fail?

I know I harp on about there being nothing to do back in the 80s and it's not strictly true, I expect some people climbed trees and hiked miles but I was always an indoor sports kind of gal and Neighbours fitted that home from school/college window very nicely. Cup of tea and a sit down with the Ramseys and Robinsons. Marvellous.

I gave up watching this years ago. I expect it's still entertaining enough but they will never top Des & Daphne (giving birth with tights on!), Mike & Jane, Henry & Bronwyn and, of course, the mighty Scott & Charlene. I never was, and never will be, a Jason Donovan fan but I do have a soft spot for Kylie, even now. Much of it is based on the good will of her performance as Charlene. She acted her little socks off with some truly awful lines and dear god, what a wedding dress. No round up of Neighbours is complete without a reference to The Wedding. Complete with Angry Andersen, here it is. Check out everyone's face! It's priceless. I shall save my thoughts on Home & Away for another day.

Enjoy!

Opening credits - Knight rider

Only in the 80s could a show be made where the star is a talking car. I am on a roll today with my 80s big haired heroes. This is classic saturday tea time entertainment. They don't make shows like this any more as we're all meant to be entranced by The X Factor and other crap like that. It's tragic.

Nothing was as good as this in its prime. Well, possibly The Dukes of Hazzard and The A Team - more on them another day. This show's premise was as thin as gossamer but nevertheless, very entertaining. Michael Knight fights crime with a talking, superhero car. That's it!

Much like John Forsythe in Charlie's Angels, the unsung hero of this was William Daniels, the voice of K.I.T.T. I once heard he didn't need any adjustment to his voice to sound like that and I believe this to be true as it's such a great story. If you don't know who he is, look here. He starred in St Elsewhere which I also loved.

This show introduced us to The Hoff. I love Mr Hoff and any 80s kid feels the same way. Big hair, tight trousers and a huge ego, this is the man that brought us Baywatch and respect is due.

Another contender for best TV theme tune here. Enjoy!

Power Ballads - Every Rose Has A Thorn, Poison

There are some songs that are truly awful but one loves them anyway and this fits squarely into that category. I have always loved this song even though I know it's terrible. I remember buying the album just so I could listen to this song over and over. It was called 'Open up and Say Aaah'. WTF? It really was called that.

Then it was used in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey to such great effect. I still giggle just thinking about the joke. Maybe you had to be there at the time to really appreciate how funny this is but Death in the background just cracks me up. The whole film is hilarious and has Keanu Reeves in it (a major crush - a lifelong crush and a subject of a future post) but anyway, check it out:

I've always had a weakness for a poodle perm power ballad and we will revisit this theme I am sure over the coming weeks and months. But here it is in all its soft rock glory. Take it away boys.

Opening credits - Charlie's Angels

Now then, what is there left to say about Charlie's Angels? Plenty I say. Let's get to it.

For girls growing up in the 70s, there was only one TV show and this was it. I was only a youngster when the Angels hit our TV screens but I have such fond memories of watching this and being totally entranced. The glamour! The hair! The clothes! Three 'little girls' fighting crime and solving cases while tossing their bountiful locks of hair and donning lip gloss. OMG. Seriously, O.M.G.

It was wonderful of course. And much as I like Cheryl Ladd, Farrah was who we all wanted to be. Well actually, this isn't true. I always wanted to be Jacklyn. Even now I covet her hair. But Farrah was cool. Kate was cool. They were all cool. Watch the opening credits and you could be looking at a fashion show from 2011 as all these clothes are back in this season.

A timeless show of pure genius with the voice of Blake Carrington as Charlie. It's hard to imagine needing anything more from a TV show. They just don't make television as entertaining as this nowadays.

These credits are season two as it's hard to find season one online. Enjoy.

Power Ballads - Alone, Heart

Just look at the Wilson sisters and tell me you didn't love Heart. No, I don't believe you. They rawked baby! Alone with Bonnie Tyler, they are the queens of the power ballad. It's hard to pick the ultimate Heart song and I dithered with These Dreams but in the end, it's all about Alone.

This video is genius.

Big hair - check
Exploding pianos - check
Air guitar moments - check
Long sweeping clothes - check

One day I will have a Heart Tribute party as surely they deserve it? In the meantime, enjoy Alone. One of the best sing-along songs ever written.