Released on this date in 1984: I Feel For You, the fourth solo album from former Rufus vocalist Chaka Khan. After leading a solo career while still fronting Rufus, this massively popular record was the first to come after Chaka’s exit from the band. The title track, probably Khan’s best known and most popular single to date, is a cover of an earlier Prince song,Chaka got mentor Stevie Wonder to play harmonica on it and also sampled his early hit “Fingertips.” Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five’s Melle Mel delivered the memorable rapped intro to the song that made it sound completely up to date and timely upon its release. The song was a hit on dance, R&B and pop charts, and it made Chaka Khan an international star. The album also features theR&B and adult contemporary hit ballad, “Through The Fire.”
TOO TOUGH TO DIE
Today in rock history: R.I.P Johnny Ramone
Today in rock history: on this date in 1984, Too Tough To Die by Ramones was released. The band’s eighth album found the band a returning to its harder roots rather than continuing to follow the pop-oriented path the Ramones had taken on prior albums. Featuring a now iconic album cover shot of the band in a New York City subway station, the record was the first to feature drummer Richie Ramone and saw the band dabbling with hardcore punk as evidenced on the Dee Dee Ramone track, “Wart Hog.” Despite its quality, the record was, sadly, another poor performer for the band. At the time, it was the album that had fared the worst on music sales charts for the influential band. A fine record that still sounds great today, this is another great Ramones album that was unfortunately underappreciated upon its release.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1984, U2 released its fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire. Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, the landmark album found the band experimenting with new sounds, textures and recording techniques and resulted in one of the boldest and most important albums of its career. The album was a hit all over the world as was the lead single from it, “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” which remains one of the band’s most loved and revered singles of all time. A pivotal album in the development of the young Irish band that still sounds as fresh and ambitious as it did upon its release.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1982, a year after Steely Dan‘s breakup, the band’s vocalist, Donald Fagan, struck out on his own with his first solo album, The Nightfly. The autobiographical album was met with wide acclaim upon its release and was an instant hit. The platinum-selling album featured the single “I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World)” as as well “New Frontier” which received lots of MTV airplay thanks to the clever, eye-catching animated music video that was created to accompany it. The album blends a variety of genres and sounds and still sounds fresh and contemporary today.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 5, 2018.
