Growing up overseas has pros and cons to it. One of those pros being the exposure to music you wouldn't hear on radios during the 80's. Though I suppose, we didn't necessarily hear this music on radios either. Instead, we had a fantastic series of records entitled, Springbok Hit Parade and Top Of The Pops. Between the two, Springbok was where we heard most of our music, but not in its original format. Studio musicians and singers were brought in to record hits of the era, which often times included alternate lyrics. Musicians such as Tina Charles and Elton John, to name a couple of the more noteworthy names.
Through these records we heard tracks from ABBA, Queen, Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Police, and so many more. However, these weren't limited to artists just from the USA. We also got exposed to folks such as Monte Video And The Cassettes, Boney M, Goombay Dance Band and Jona Lewie.
Which leads me to today's post on Heart Skips Beat, the 1982 album from Jona Lewie.The album starts out with an almost Beatles type vibe. I really can't explain what I mean. There's just a sound to it that sparks "Beatles" in the back of my mind. Titles such as Cream Jacqueline Strawberry and Rearranging The Deck Chairs On The Titanic don't help but back this feeling up.
Heart Skips Beat gets points for being a rather unique sounding 80's albums. However, it falters by way of not having very memorable tracks. Even, Stop The Calvary hasn't honestly aged all that well with time. I still like it, but more so for the memories it sparks in my head. It takes me back to a great time in my life where my siblings and I would all be together listening to my sister's records in our "play" room.
With that said, if I hadn't heard of Jona Lewie until 2023, he would not be an artist I would want to hear more from. In fact, I may even tell you, "This is everything people not from the 80's hates about that era." Nostalgia wise, however, it's perfect for a glimpse back at 1982. An era that wanted to be so different from the decades before it and succeeded greatly in that regard.
No, Jona Lewie isn't top ten material. Not even close. In fact, if anything, he just makes me want to listen to Springbok records. Still, I appreciate the album for what it is, the era it came from and the style it captures. Personally, I also enjoyed it a little bit. Especially the latter tracks on the album.
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Neat story. I'm going to have to look up the lyrics to Cream Jacqueline Strawberry. Bizarre title.
ReplyDeleteI'll put it on your next Forgotten mix tape...er...CD.
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