Tuesday, February 24, 2009

From the Closet - Huey Lewis and the News


Huey Lewis and the News "Greatest Hits" - I have a confession to make. Most of you know that I am a huge metal fan and that it will always be my true love when it comes to music. However, I must confess I have been on a huge 80's binge lately. I have always loved the cheesy 80's jams but within the last year or so it's like I have been working my way backwards from the tunes I like today. I don't know if its the fact I was born in the 80's, that a lot of my precious childhood memories and photo albums are straight out of a cabbage patch kids commercial, or that I find hilarity in all things 80's. I just know that I have a soft spot in my heart for the era.

To feed my 80's music cravings I have been checking out CD's at the local library. What a treat. Its amazing the things you can find at a local library (including badass metal CD's). My latest pickup was an album I have contemplated buying for a very long time, Huey Lewis and the News greatest hits. I should have heeded the advice "don't wait until tomorrow the things you can do today," and picked this thing up ages ago. This album is a straight beauty! I always knew Huey Lewis kicked ass, but I cannot believe how many instantly recognizable hits these guys had. I think that is the best representation for what 80's music was all about; instant recognition. The 80's jams are the kind of songs that come on in the car and you can stumble your way through the chorus even though you haven't heard the song since the days when MTV actually had videos. I love tunes like that. Maybe its because I listen to such an obscure and unrecognizable genre (metal) that I need the balance of a band like Huey Lewis and the News. Or maybe its the fact that Huey is so cool that Michael J. Fox plays The Power of Love on guitar in the battle of the bands 80's edition during Back to the Future! Classic!

I love Huey's voice as well. This guy has the all American voice. Not to flashy, has a gruff working man's tone to it, and complements the News endless hooks. I saw a behind the music on Huey Lewis and the News a few years back and Huey's story is pretty incredible. What I find most fascinating is that a ton of record labels told Huey he wasn't any good; more specifically that his voice wasn't good enough! Shows you why the music business is in shambles, because those that do the business don't know anything about the music side of things.

Check out this track listing. Even the tunes I didn't recognize by name have the classic Huey charm and become catchy pop classics. Every song is a hit. If you don't believe me go get it! My personal faves are The Power of Love, Do You Believe in Love (classic video!), and Couple Days Off.

This has been another installment of From the Closet. I hope you have enjoyed and if you have any suggestions for future installments I would love to hear them.

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