Flashback #1: Dokken, named after lead singer Don Dokken, was formed at the end of the 70s but started releasing records, and charting hits, in 1983. "Just Don't Lie to Me" was released with their 1985 album, Under Lock and Key, and it probably represents the high point (commercially) of their career. Under Lock and Key wa...s their 2nd highest charting album and it was certified platinum in the US (out of their 10 studio albums, only 3 went platinum). These guys really wanted to be a classic hard rock band, but their melodic vocals and slick production has forever relegated them to the strange land between hair metal and 80s rock. On a personal note, I would say that this song particularly represented my own attitude during my junior year of high school.
Flashback #2: Our second song is a rather timely choice considering the 9-11 anniversary tomorrow. On paper, Time Zone just shouldn't work. The lead singer of the Sex Pistols teaming with a founding member of a Bronx street gang? Ridiculous! A punk rock icon with a pioneer of hip-hop? Blasphemy! Ah, but in the studio, it was like capturing lightning in a bottle! "World Destruction" (and its many remixes) captured the energy and angst of a generation coming out from under the clouds of the cold war, but still very aware of their conflict-ridden world. Over ten years later, it still strikes chord with me.
Flashback #3: "Mr. Blue" is one of the best examples of Vincent Clarke's simple, airy arrangements being buoyed by the ever-expressive voice of Alison Moyet. Yaz (as they were known in the US due to legal issues preventing them from using their UK name of Yazoo), were the premier electro-pop duo that no one knew. Well, hardly anyone knew them outside of big metro or college radio markets. Was their modest commercial success the reason they released only two albums together? It took only seven years for their debut, Upstairs at Eric's, to achieve platinum status (and that was six years after they broke up).
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