Harnessing the Horror of the Peanut

We interrupt the 80s Music A-Z countdown to bring you this public service announcement! 

 

We have a cannibalistic cult leader on our airwaves and we need to stop it before it goes too far. 

For many years, we have had to watch as poor, depressed, deluded foodstuffs have attempted to end their lives in sacrifice for the betterment of mankind. In other words, there have been anthropomorphic, animated chicken, pigs, fish, and such trying to have themselves eaten by smiling humans that seem to have no problem with having their meals suddenly break into song or doing their best to convince them why they are worthy of being devoured.

It may have gone on for much longer, but the first time I noticed this was with Charlie Tuna. Charlie appeared pretty happy-go-lucky, for the most part, as he would try his best to convince the canners of Star-Kist tuna that he had good taste. They would inevitably send down a note, alerting Charlie that they were looking for tuna that taste good, not ones that had good taste. Now, this could be chalked up to a misunderstanding on Charlie's part. Perhaps he didn't realize that if he were to be chosen, he would be chopped into millions of pieces and combined with boiled noodles and cheese. As evidence of that particular theory, I present:

Notice in the above video that Charlie doesn't necessarily realize what fate awaits were he to be picked. His yellow, goggle-eyed companion, however, seems pretty aware. But, Charlie is probably too stubborn to listen to reason. Lucky for Charlie, he never will develop the correct ratio of "great taste/ tastes great" that gets him the hook.

The California Raisins didn't wait around for some nebulous corporation to pick them to become a healthier alternative to Cheetos. As you can see from the clip below, they just happily dance their way to their deaths.

More recent suicidal edible items are the Kellogg's Mini-Wheats. Though, they may just be oblivious idiots. As seen in this video, they are content with lazing about in a bowl of warm milk, either unaware that they're about to be breakfast for the devious child, or they know and just don't care. Either way, a bit creepy.

Speaking of creepy, the no-longer-providing-new-updates website Suicide Food, features examples of the types of mascots that I'm talking about from all over. Mostly mascots from restaurants and such. Be warned, however, many of these are pretty disturbing.

But, now we are seeing the next step in the evolution of these disturbing little aberrations  - the cult leader that encourages such behavior.

I'm speaking, of course, of Mr. Peanut. That monocled maniac is now on television in commercials where he is actively encouraging humans to gorge themselves on his legume-y brethren. And we're not sure if the peanuts in question gave themselves up voluntarily, a la California Raisins, or has Mr. P committed mass murder. Regardless, the tiny top-hatted fiend has to be stopped.  First, it's his gullible goober brothers, next it's the humans whom he has plied with their salty goodness. Look at how they play right into his micro-gloved hands. It's only a matter of time.

Besides, we have to know that he's a fraud. I mean he wears a monocle, a top hat, gloves, and a vest. The stereotypical depiction of posh British aristocracy, yet he talks in the voice of  Bill Hader. That's right. Mr. Peanut is secretly Stefon.
 Come on, people. Don't give in.  Refuse the legume!

80s Music A-Z: F

Okay, you know what this one is going to be, right?
After using the haircuts as a main reason for featuring a couple of the other letters, it has to be the one band whose name has become synonymous with 80s pop culture and music. That band of course, is Flock of Seagulls. I mean, come on, look at these guys.

They epitomize the 80s so much that when Samuel L. Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction called another character by the name of the band, everyone knew exactly what he meant. (WARNING. The clip in the link contains Samuel L. Jackson. In a movie that is not The Avengers. And it was rated R. I trust that you get the point. Go to the 1:57 mark to see the above mentioned reference.)

So, it has to be Flock of Seagulls.

But it isn't.

Hey, nothing against them, but they're a bit obvious. They're the first band you thought of, right?

So, other 80s acts starting with F. There's Fine Young Cannibals, who everyone may have been driven crazy by their song "She Drives Me Crazy". They also have a connection to another prominent 80s band as members David Steele and Andy Cox were also in the English Beat (or The Beat, depending on where you live. See the letter B for more on that.) But, I don't want to drive anyone crazy, so no.

Which brings us to The Fixx.

The Fixx formed in 1979, but didn't release their first album until 1982. Shuttered Room contained several hits for the band, including "Stand Or Fall" and "Red Skies". But it was the album Reach the Beach, released the following year which put The Fixx in the 80s pop culture pantheon.  It became their biggest selling album, and remains so today. The songs "Saved By Zero" and "One Thing Leads to Another" were big hits for them. The latter actually reaching #4 on the US charts.

 They had some success with their next album, Phantoms, which had the songs "Are We Ourselves" and "Sunshine In the Shade." And they've gone on to release 7 more albums since then! The latest, Beautiful Friction, just last year. They still sound pretty good. Click here for the first single from that album, "Anyone Else."

Although much of The Fixx's catalog is great, and any of the tunes from that era would be representative, I chose "One Thing Leads to Another" as the featured song. The reason. Cy Curnin's weird semaphoric gyrations. He flails about like he's swatting flies through half the video.I couldn't resist sharing.  If someone knows how to translate the "sign language" that he's using, please let me know.

 
Coming up next, the letter G. But, I guess you knew that. Check back to see who it'll be. 
And, of course, thanks for playing. 

80s Music A-Z: E

The candidates for the letter E all released their first albums in the early 80s, as opposed to the late 70s, as many of the previous entries have done.

The first candidate is one of those bands that everyone has heard, whether they realize it or not. The English Beat released the song "Save It For Later" , from the album Special Beat Service, hit the airwaves in 1982. If you heard it now, you'd recognize it. If that one didn't ring any bells, then this one would. The problem there is that that song, "Tenderness", is actually by General Public.It featured the lead vocalists of The English Beat, Dave Wakeling, and Ranking Roger, so it obviously doesn't really qualify, but you did recognize it, right? Thought so.
The real reason for disqualifying The English Beat as the letter E, is that they aren't really The English Beat. No, they had to go by that name in the US to avoid confusion with an American band called The Beat. They're called The British Beat in Austrailia.
The Beat (American version) had a catchy song that I had on a compilation album, and I remember, but I don't think they made much of a splash here in the states. They were called Paul Collin's Beat in the UK. And to confuse things even more, both bands toured together in a tour called "Two Beats Hearting as One". So, okay, that leaves them out.

The next candidate is one of those bands that everyone has heard, and they KNOW that they've heard them. The Eurythmics were a pop duo that released their first album, In the Garden, in 1981, but really hit it big with their second one in 1983. It was called Sweet Dreams( Are Made of This ) and the song of the same name was a HUGE hit for them, reaching number 1 in the US and Canada. If the name of the song isn't familiar (and how could it not be?), you probably remember the video, in which lead singer Annie Lennox sported a suit and tie and a short-short bright red haircut.
They had a string of hits in the 80s, like "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Would I Lie To You."
But, ultimately, Eurythmics is not our representative for the letter E because, let's face it, as great as those songs are, you're probably a bit tired of them. In fact you probably heard it on the radio today during the 80s Lunch Break, or whatever they're calling it. (Seriously, guys, there were more than 20 songs that were recorded during the 80s).

Echo and the Bunnymen is our letter E. Who?, you may ask. I don't know them, you may say. Yes, you do. They became famous in the US when their song "Bring On the Dancing Horses" was featured in the film Pretty In Pink in 1986.  You probably know "Lips Like Sugar", too, although neither song really did much on the charts here, it's probably a safe bet that you know at least those songs.
So, why have these guys as the illustrious letter E?
Look at the haircuts! Like the entry for C, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen scream 80s, with attitude, sound, and look.
For the featured song from them, I'm going with "Seven Seas" from 1984. Not only is it a great song, but it features lead singer Ian McCulloch dressed a girl. How could I not show that one?

So, representing the letter E is Echo and the Bunnymen and the song "Seven Seas."

Letter F is next. Will it be the obvious? C'mon, you know who I mean. Check back to see.
And as always, thanks for playing.

80s Music A-Z: D

We come to the letter D, and yet another quandary, of sorts. See, I didn't use The Cars or Elvis Costello in the post for the letter C because they came into prominence in the late 70s instead of the 80s. Well, today's band did the same. So, I'm either not going to use them, or I'm going to have to come up with some reason for going against the precedent I've set for myself. You'll which path I chose in a moment.

I said in the last post that you may be surprised with this entry. Let's see, it's a post about 80s music. What song is on EVERY. SINGLE. COMPILATION. of 80s music? Why," Come On, Eileen", by Dexy's Midnight Runners, of course. So, I have to feature that one, right?
Wrong.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love this song. And where else are you going to see a bunch of grown-ups who aren't on a tractor ,or shoveling hay, wearing overalls as unselfconsciously as in the video for the song? But, as I said, that was probably what you expected to see. And, I don't want to be too predictable. So, no hobo-looking- scruffy-bandana-wearing too-rye-ayers today. (Although, re-watching the video and seeing the little lethargic jig the band did almost...almost made me change my mind.) Bye the way, like many of the bands that you'll see during this list, these guys are still around. Although, they've shortened their name to Dexys. Go figure.

Okay, so the next candidate for the letter D were formed before the 80s. (I'm sensing a trend here.) In fact, they were practically a late 60s band. Formed in 1972, Devo were to music what Andy Warhol was to art. They played with conventions and twisted them into their own warped mondo-movie inspired world view. They combined satire, political savvy, and flat-out weirdness to create something that the world had never seen. (And to be frank, may not have been ready for.)
I remember seeing them on SNL in their first appearance, back in 1978. They had a lot of people talking after that, for sure, with their bizarre robotic movements and identical radiation suits.
But, they didn't really make a splash, nationally until a couple of years later, with the song "Whip It", from the album Freedom of Choice. And, like Dexys Midnight Runners, this is the song that is included on EVERY. SINGLE. COMPILATION.  of 80s music. So, I'm not featuring it either.

Now it comes to the actual featured act. As stated above, this band formed in the 70s. In fact, they actually had a pretty big hit in 1978. So, why am I going to feature them? Because their GIANT hit didn't come out until 1985. That song was "Money For Nothing" and the band is Dire Straits. The video for this song was the very first one played on MTV Europe a couple of years later, because of its impact. It's the one that has Sting singing "I want my MTV" in it. So, I know you've heard it.
It was in heavy, heavy rotation for a long time. (I mean, why wouldn't MTV want to run it. It was practically a commercial for them, no matter that the lyrics were satirical, and not necessarily that flattering for them.)

So, D is for Dire Straits, "Money For Nothing".

E is for Elephant. But I don't think there was an 80s band by that name, so tune in next time to see who turns up.
Thanks for playing.

80s Music A-Z: C

The letter C creates a bit of a quandary. Two of my favorite acts from the 80s start with the letter C- The Cars, and Elvis Costello (Obviously, I'm ignoring the article and the first name, here.) But both of them started in the latter part of the 70s. Granted, they both had their biggest hits in the 80s; The Cars with "Drive" in 1984, and Costello with "Everyday I Write the Book" in 1983 and "Veronica" in 1989, (I suppose it should be noted that I'm basing this on the US charts.) but it just doesn't feel right to include them on this list. Maybe if I ever have a sequel, or if I create a list of My Favorite Music I'll put them in.
So, for the letter C, who shall it be? Who represents the 80s esthetic more than the above acts?
After due deliberation, I decided that the band that begins with C that screams 80s (attitude, sound, and maybe most important, hairstyles) is ...The Cure.
Now, I realize that The Cure  actually formed in the early 70s, but they didn't release their first album until 1979. And didn't really make an impact on these shores (see the caveat, above) until smack in the middle of the decade, 1985, with the album The Head On the Door.  That's the album that our selection today if from.
So, without further ado, here's The Cure, with one of my favorites of theirs. "Close To Me."

See what I mean? Kinda screams 80s, huh?

What act will represent the letter D?  Check back soon for the answer. It may surprise you

80s Music A-Z: B

We continue with the 80s A-Z with the letter B. There were quite a few choices with this letter: Bangles, Bow Wow Wow, B-52s, etc. But I decided to go with a one that had a unique sound imbued with Scottish folk sounds. I speak, of course, of Big Country. Here is the most famous song from Big Country. I was unable to find the original video, so this is from Top of the Pops. It appears that the band may actually be lip-synching, but I decided to use it anyway, as you can hear the recorded version (at least most of it) of the song with the band "performing" it. 
Big Country reunited in 2007, with original member Tony Butler replacing Stuart Adamson as lead vocalist. ( Adamson had committed suicide in 2001.) They currently still tour, having brought in former members of The Alarm, but without Adamson, they just aren't the same. 

C is for Cookie, of course, but it's also for our next featured artist. Check back to see who that may be. 

And as always, Thanks for playing. 
 

80s Music A-Z : A

80s music is hot! Don't try to deny it. It's all over the radio with new bands galore channeling bands from what may have been the greatest era of pop music.

With that in mind, I thought I'd take you back to that time and give you a primer of the bands and acts that inspired these crazy kids today. What better way to start than with 

ABC- The Look of Love

Even though I could cheat and call this the first three letters, I'm not going to do that. Can you guess who will be the letter B? 

Any suggestions for the rest of the alphabet? 

Let me know in the comments. 

Thanks for playing. 

See you soon.