45 REVELATIONS

45 REVELATIONS

BY KEN BARNES

Swift kicks in the year-end (1986 in review):

1986 may have been the year I finally, after 26 years of devoted listening, started to sour on Top 40 radio. I’m sure it’s temporary—I still had plenty of CHR faves last year, and ’86s’ roster of hits is far superior to the entire decade of the 70s. But when I looked for inspiring music, I went to black/urban or country radio instead.

Not that B/U was without irritating traits and trends: increasingly tedious raps, slushy ballads, and dance records constructed from a kit (some assembly required). But the best records were probably the class of ’86. For me, although RunDMC’s “Walk This Way” was sociologically significant (putting the commercial seal of approval on the rap/metal fusion), Timex Social Club’s “Rumors” was musicologically significant (a melodic escape route for raps in a rut), and both were industrially significant (actual Top 10 CHR hits from independent labels), there were four standouts.

Janet Jackson’s “Nasty” was the production record of the year, an influential text for years to come. Oran “Juice” Jones’s “The Rain” boasted both a ludicrously icy rap and a great tune. Gwen Guthrie’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But The Rent” was instant sociology and had the year’s toughest guitar lick. And Cameo’s “Word Up” had the bad attitude award sewn up, waving its hands on the air like it didn’t care and making an exuberant spectacle of itself.

Country didn’t really make any aesthetic breakthroughs in 1986 (forget commercial/crossover breakthroughs, though maybe ’87—or ’88—will pan out). Rockflavored records pop listeners could be comfortable with have been materializing for at least all this decade and probably before. Country’s watershed LP, in my mind at least, Rosanne Cash’s Rhythm And Romance, came out in 1985, and it was an advancement, but by no means a quantum leap, over what she’d done before.

What made 1986 a banner country year for me, with the format drawing 40-50 percent of my total listening, was its consistency—the sheer number of quality records. Best-evers for veterans Alabama and Janie Fricke (sorry, Frick/e) and solid performances from Waylon Jennings and Eddie Rabbitt, more top-notch stuff from relative newcomers like the Judds and the Forester Sisters, and the emergence of Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis, Southern Pacific, all with multiple crowdpleasers— lots happening.

I’ve rambled at length in previous columns about the classic rock ’n’ roll elements pervading modern country, the electrifying guitar work, the taste and economy of the records, etc. Now I’m beginning to think country may be the last refuge of an endangered species: the great white vocalist. Thanks to the predominance of Bowie-style crooning, Ferry-style bleating, and metallurgical bellowing, pop/rock, with dangerously few exceptions, is no longer a hospitable environment—but country’s a flourishing habitat.

Anyway, I managed to narrow my favorite singles of 1986 to a manageable clump, mainly by eliminating most of the independent and obscure foreign records that I never had much of a chance to hear repeatedly, unlike the bulk of the TiM relatively radioactive isotopes ^ isolated below. In alphabetical order then, with asterisks denoting former Singles of the Month that survived the cut, the briefly annotated 45 Revelations Singles of 1986:

ALABAMA, “She And I”: A bold raw rock move that (temporarily) alienated segments of the country audience but delighted me.

BANGLES, “Manic Monday”; “If She Knew What She Wants”; “Walk Like An Egyptian”: 1) Prince at the peak of his flowery powers admirably interpreted; 2) Harmony showcase extraordinaire; 3) The year’s hippest dance novelty.

BILLY BRAGG, “Levi Stubbs’ Tears”: Not a hit but as effective a solo singer/songwriter performance as heard last year.

CAMEO, “Word Up”*: See comments above, but the title says it all.

ROSANNE CASH, “Hold On”; “Second To No One/Never Alone”: “Hold On” was routinely superb; the latter 45 showcased country’s supreme stylist’s balladic and rocking skills in top form.

JULIAN COPE, “World Shut Your Mouth”: Maybe a 1987 U.S. hit, presuming justice prevails; garage rock with contemporary relevance; cult status assured.

RANDY CRAWFORD, “Can’t Stand The Pain”*: Subtle, understated, emotionally wracking smooth soul.

LACY J. DALTON, “Over You”*; “Up With The Wind”: Both B-sides, neither truly hit material, but both sumptuous folkflavored country triumphs.

STEVE EARLE, “Guitar Town”; “Hillbilly Highway”: I’ll take this stuff, especially “Guitar Town,” over nine-tenths of the original ’50s rockabilly I’ve heard.

EURYTHMICS, “Thorn In My Side”: The long-awaited (by me, anyway) Searchers/girl group marriage consummated at last.

FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS, “Tuff Enuff”: Again, the title says it all.

FORCE MD’S, “Tender Love”: A matched pair with “Human,” R&B candy floss anyone could cotton to.

GRAPES OF WRATH, “Misunderstanding”: Should be paired with Tom Cochrane & Red Rider’s “The Untouchable One”; he produced the Grapes and both are great Canadian guitar tapestries. The Grapes get the nod for more rapid eye movement.

GWEN GUTHRIE, “Ain’t Nothin’^Goin’ On But The Rent”: A fly girl like she deserves celebrity.

HUMAN LEAGUE, “Human”*: If Jam & Lewis did this for the Human League, don’t write off their proposed Pia Zadora project just yet.

JANET JACKSON, “Nasty”: But “Don’t call me bimbo; my name is Pia; Miss Zadora if you’re nasty” doesn’t have quite the right ring to it.

WAYLON JENNINGS, “Will The Wolf Survive”: One of a trio of solid singles, this merits recognition for the adventurous introduction of Los Lobos to a country audience.

JETS, “Private Number”*: ’60s bubblegum was never quite this delectable or (J5 aside) danceable.

ORAN “JUICE” JONES, “The Rain”: He chilled.

JUDDS, “Cry Myself To Sleep”: A mournful new brand of country blues.

NICOLETTE LARSON, “Let Me Be The First”: Gorgeous Deborah Allen ballad.

MADONNA, “Live To Tell”; “Papa Don’t Preach”; “Open Your Heart”: 1) The year’s best ballad 2) Lyrics aside, a masterful pop record 3) Vintage, quintessential Madonna (more on it next month).

MAGAZINE 60, “Don Quichotte”: Delightfully dumb record of the year. Came in three stylish languages: English, Spanish, and gibberish.

JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP, “Rain On The Scarecrow”*: With Springsteen, message record of the year—and a production masterpiece as well.

SCOTT MERRITT, “Overworked & Underprivileged”: Underexposed and overwrought Canadian neo folkie record that fascinated me all year.

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EDDIE MONEY, “Take Me Home Tonight”: ’60s homage that paid off; as imaginative a record as hit Top 5 CHR last year.

NICOLE, "Don’t You Want My Love”: Powerful dance growler that earned Aldo Nova his disco composer stripes.

NU SHOOZ, “I Can’t Wait”; “Point Of No Return”*: Distilled dance-pop perfection.

READY FOR THE WORLD, “Love You Down”: Emerging as a ballad beauty in a Prince vein the purple pose-master rarely taps these days.

R.E.M., “Fall On Me”; “Superman”: Serious and lighthearted sides of one of America’s finest, both marvelous.

ROLLING STONES, “One Hit (To The Body)”: Whether testament to their continuing vitality or a freakish last stroke of brilliance, this was an undervalued stunner.

BARBARA ROY, “Gotta See You Tonight”: Almost as tough as Gwen, but words failed it.

SLY FOX, “Let’s Go All The Way”: The Walrus was they.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “War”*: if you’re going to be a rock icon, use it for something.

MARTY STUART, “Honky Tonker”: With Eddie Rabbitt’s “Gotta Have You,” best Bo Diddley of the year.

’TIL TUESDAY, “What About Love/Will She Just Fall Down”: If you ever wanted the Pretenders and the Merry Go-Round on one 7-inch disk, you came to the right place.

TANYA TUCKER, “One Love At A Time”: Country comeback of the year.

STEVE WARINER w/ CAROL CHASE, “You Make It Feel So Right”: Country duet of the year, lowdown and rockin’.

WILD CHOIR, “Next Time”: Spinetingling harmonies and bouncy pop melody from the band who’d fight it out with Steve Earle for my country album of the year award: check the ’80s Everlys exquisiteness of non-single “Safe In The Arms Of Love.”

HANK WILLIAMS, JR., et al.: “Mind Your Own Business”: Anti-theocratic credo of the year, and an attitude adjustment we can all get behind, even guest vocalists Tom Petty, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, and Reverend Ike (?!). E