Dokken released Back For The Attack on this day in 1987 and Burning Like a Flame was the highest charting single. The album reached #13 on the album charts and sold over 3 million copies. The video has some fun animation and a skeleton guitar that comes to life in a Tim Burton movie sort of way. Pay attention to the squid on Jeff Pilson’s base. It looks very similar to the corporate logo of Squidoo.

WATN? Dokken released Lightning Strikes Again in May of this year. The album was it’s highest charting CD since 1995.

Trivia: Current guitarist Jon Levin was the attorney for the band.

Rating:

We had to give this video a guitar just for the dog wearing sunglasses alone! Throw in Valerie Day (who we here at Pound Note had a major crush on in the 80’s) as well as some cool special effects and you have one of the better videos of the 80’s.  The song itself hit #3 in the U.S. in June of 1986. The following year they were nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Artist Catagory (they lost to Bruce Hornsby).

WATN? After 2 albums Nu Shooz took a long hiatus. Happily, they are back as the Nu Shooz Orchestra. They’ve remade their early music with horns, strings, etc.  Look for a new disc soon.

Rating:

Living on a Prayer was voted best song of the 80’s in an online poll by VH1.  The 2nd single from Slippery When Wet, it was released in late 1986. The song hit #1 on the U.S. charts in February of ‘87 and stayed there for 4 weeks.  The album spent 94 weeks on the Billboard album chart, including 8 weeks at #1.

Looking back, the video isn’t that remarkable. But, it’s a great look back at the hair band era from one of the few acts to actually survive and thrive post 80’s.  And yes, I did see this tour. Twice. Feels good getting that off my chest. Seriously though, Bon Jovi was a great show for the money (and probably still is) and that’s what Rock N Roll is all about.

WATN? Still making records and touring. They released Lost Highway last year.

Trivia: Jon Bon Jovi is co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League.

Rating:

This was truly one of my favorite songs of the 80’s, but the video never lived up to the song. Still not sure why the stalker chick is carrying a picture frame or why the egg has an eyeball in it. But, somebody had an artistic vision and this is the tragic result. The Church deserved better.

Under the Milky Way was from the album Starfish, released in 1988. The song was once voted Best Australian Song of the past 2 decades by readers of a Melbourne newspaper. Considering rock icons ACDC and INXS were in the running, that’s a pretty strong statement.

WATN? The Church have continued to tour and release albums throughout the 90’s and this decade. American chart success has eluded them, but they still have a significant following worldwide.

Trivia: Since the release of Starfish, the Church have refused to issue lyrics with their albums. They believe lyrics should be heard and not read.

Rating:

The lads released their landmark documentary, This is Spinal Tap, in 1984, and the American “mockumentary” was born! This video was in regular rotation on MTV and many people didn’t realize they weren’t really a band! This team went on to create the comedy classics Waiting for Guffman, Might Wind, Best in Show, and For Your Consideration.

WATN? David St. Hubbins achieved immortality by uttering the following,

“Well, I don’t really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It’s like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how – what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what’s stopping it, and what’s behind what’s stopping it? So, what’s the end, you know, is my question to you.”

Trivia: The butler in the video is the same butler from Ratt’s Round and Round video.

Rating:

This video looks like it was shot in a smoke filled club for about $10 -which was probably what it cost to see the BoDeans in 1986. However, it was one of our first glimpses of the group that would be named Best New American Band by a Rolling Stone Reader Poll in January 1987.  The BoDeans videos, much like their shows, never included a lot of special effects or frills, just straight forward Americana rock.

WATN? The BoDeans released Still earlier this year and continue to tour. Update: The BoDeans released Live Acoustic in October. It is available exclusively through their website.

Trivia: The album title Love, Hope, Sex & Dreams comes from the Rolling Stones song Shattered.

Rating:

Update: Michael Jackson’s people got YouTube to take away the embedding feature from all his videos. Nice! You would think after living in exile, he could use the publicity. Anyway, we’re revoking his groundbreaking video status. Wankers!

Billie Jean by Michael Jackson was the Jackie Robinson of music videos. It was the first hit video by a black artist on MTV.  Although it was just the beginning of his dominance of early MTV, he had already made a ton of money from his first solo album and with the Jackson 5. So, there’s really no reason he couldn’t afford pants that fit. I do like the steps that light up when he dance/walks upstairs at the hotel. I’m thinking of installing some in my house.

This video has everything -Marylin Monroe, a catchy tune, chicks in a cage, and even the drummer has both arms.  Photograph was the breakthrough single for Def Leppard, reaching #1 on the rock charts in 1983.

An odd spotlight seems to be circling the stage in the performance scenes and is a little distracting. I’m thinking the roadie might have burned a fatty before the shoot and was fascinated by the pattern it made on the floor. Also, out of nowhere, some chicks in a cage appear to the right of the stage. They really don’t add anything to the video, but it’s nice to know that the lads were giving NOW something to bitch about all those years ago.

WATN? Def Leppard continues to tour and make music. They released Songs from the Sparkle Lounge earlier this year.

Rating:

Welcome to the birth of our new website: WriteItOnAPoundNote.com.  This site is dedicated to 80’s music and the videos that have since disappeared from MTV’s and VH1’s programming.  We will try to post a new video daily with some commentary and “where are they now” type info.  If you love 80’s music, please suggest a video or tell your friends.

Our first video is dedicated to the man that inspired the name of the site. In 1982, Adam Ant’s Goody Two Shoes hit #1 in the U.K. and #12 in the United States. It was from the Friend or Foe album, his first solo effort after the breakup of Adam and the Ants.

Long before Johnny Depp or the “Puffy Shirt” from Seinfeld, Adam Ant perfected the Pirate Chic look.  The video is a bit self indulgent, but we give it 3 guitars.

“If the words unspoken, get stuck in your throat. Send a treasure token, token. Write it on a pound note, pound note.”

Trivia: The song is featured in the movie Hot Fuzz. The butler in the video, Graham Stark, appeared in three different Pink Panther movies.

WATN? - Ant turned to acting in he late eighties/early nineties. A couple of forgettable albums later, he released Wonderful in 1995. It was his last studio album.  A live recording entitled Live at the Bloomsbury is scheduled for release later this year.

Rating: