80's rock Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Andy Taylor “Thunder”

sfilzen — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:14:59 +0000

Andy Taylor “Thunder” 1987. Today, February 16th, is Andy Taylor’s 65th birthday (b. 1961). Thunder is the former, then not, then former again Duran Duran guitarist’s debut solo LP and it is basically nothing like Duran Duran – hard rock with metal shreds (Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones helps Andy out on guitar but I’m not entirely sure which of the two is responsible for those solos). Always-Duranie’s like myself were always aware that Andy really just wanted to rock but was restrained by the new wave/synthpop (in the 80’s at least) of Duran Duran’s sound. He totally lets loose of all that pent up energy on Thunder. It’s got big 80’s hair metal oozing everywhere, including the ubiquitous cheesy metal ballad (“Life Goes On“). While now out of print, the record did pretty OK upon its release in ’87, going to #46 in the US and to #61 in the UK (though I imagine at least two-thirds of the purchases were by rapid Duranies who were mightily disappointed – not necessarily expecting Duran but at least a Power Station vibe, which they did not get on Thunder). As much as I love Andy, I do not really care for Thunder (but will absolutely keep in our collection). The title track is formulaic 80’s hard rock: “Thunder” is fine but sounds like about 10 other songs released between ’86-’88, same with tracks like “Night Train” with their kinda forced anthemic vibe that could be by Whitesnake, Bon Jovi or any other harder edged 80’s rock band. The singles released, which include “I Might Lie” (US Rock chart #17)” the aforementioned “Life Goes On” (which only charted in Italy), and “Don’t Let Me Die Young.” That last one went to #36 on the rock chart and Steve Jones shares songwriting credits with Taylor. There is a lot of shredding on it and the video has the requisite 80’s ripped jeans and big big big hair.

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“WAPL Apple Cellar Tapes”

sfilzen — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 17:10:21 +0000

“WAPL Apple Cellar Tapes” 1982. Pacer Productions. Various artists compilation. “Six of the most exciting bands in the WAPL listening area as voted by the audiences and the ‘Apple’ staff during three nights of the ‘Rock Battle of the Bands.'” WAPL is an AOR/classic rock station in Appleton, Wisconsin that I listened to growing up and tune into when we head up there for visits to our families. Their playlist hasn’t changed much since 1986, which honestly makes my heart glow a little bit. We’re guaranteed to hear Rush, Van Halen, Pink Floyd or RATT at least once. So when Joe brought this home from the Exclusive Company (a regional chain record store that started up in the Fox Valley and will be shutting down all of its locations soon), I grabbed it and headed into the depths of the internet to figure out what it was. Apple Cellar Tapes is proggy and 80’s hard rock by a few different Northeast Wisconsin bands: Yazz, Adam Trask, Stormbringer, Magician, High Flyer and Fracture – this album is the only recorded appearance for each band. Not surprisingly, there isn’t much info about it other than the release date (’82) and a brief review of each track by some metalhead on his blog. It’s mostly cock rock: lots of overblown guitar solos, peacock posturing keyboard riffs and big, crashing 80’s drumming. I do kind of like Yazz’s “All Night Long” which has some serious funk; their other song “Go” is decent as well. “Fight” by Stormbringer has a rockin’ beat and plenty of rough swagger and “Can’t Do Without You” by Magician is pretty much a direct ripoff of Ozzy. “Emily” by Adam Trask is a truly painful power ballad and their other song “Cat Lady” isn’t much better. “Changing of the Guardian” by Fracture is “proggy pomp rock” (as quoted by metalhead’s blog). This is not my kind of music but I am rather delighting in the sounds of my hometown from 40 years ago. Cruisin’ the ave (College Avenue in downtown Appleton) was a favorite pastime of teens in the 80’s and I can picture any of the tracks blaring out of Firebird Trans Ams and Mustangs on a summer Saturday night.

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The Pretenders “Get Close”

sfilzen — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 16:57:56 +0000

The Pretenders “Get Close” 1986. Today, September 7th, is Chrissie Hynde’s 70th birthday (b. 1951). Get Close, released just about 35 years ago in Oct. ‘86, was The Pretenders’ fourth LP. Hynde was the only consistent member of the band during the album’s recording (there were deaths, firings…a fair bit of drama) and she wrote the majority of material. There are two cover songs, one by Carlos Alomar, “Light of the Moon,” and one by Jimi Hendrix, “Room Full of Mirrors.” Hydne’s friend Meg Keene wrote “Hymn to Her,” a power ballad released as a single in the UK where it hit #8. Two other singles were released as well, “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” which went to #10 in the US and the UK, and “My Baby” which reached #64 on the US Billboard chart (though went to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart) and #84 in the UK. It’s an OK album overall but definitely not as strong or as catchy as their earlier releases, most likely because of the personnel drama mentioned above.

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Pretenders “Pretenders II”

sfilzen — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 18:56:43 +0000

Pretenders “Pretenders II” released 40 years ago today, August 15th, 1981. Pretenders II is the Pretenders second LP. It hit no. 7 in the UK and went to no. 10 in the US. It includes the previously UK-release singles “Talk of the Town” from 1980 and “Message of Love” (one of my favorite Pretenders songs) from early ‘81; those two songs were also on the March ‘81 EP Extended Play. Other singles from Pretenders II were “Day After Day” (a UK-only single), “Louie Louie” (a US-only single and NOT a cover song), and “I Go to Sleep.” “I Go to Sleep” was written by Ray Davies in ‘67 – Chrissie Hynde was dating him at the time. Pretenders’ version went to #7 in the US; Davies never recorded it with The Kinks but an unreleased version does exist here.

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AC/DC “Back In Black”

sfilzen — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 17:30:22 +0000

AC/DC “Back In Black” released on this date, July 25th 1980. AC/DC’s 7th studio LP and their first with singer Brian Johnson; the band began recording Back In Black just before original singer Bon Scott died in February ‘80, the death officially deemed from “acute alcoholic poisoning and death by misadventure.” Back In Black is beyond iconic hard rock; its anthemic riff-driven rock-n-roll is etched into the collective consciousness of those who listened to basically any kind of music in the 80′s. It has become one of the highest selling albums in history, reaching #1 on the UK album charts and #4 in the US and remained in the Top 200 for 131 weeks. It subsequently has reentered the charts over the years, in 2010 and then again in 2014. As of today, July 25th 2017, it is at #184.

AC/DC released four singles from Back In Black: “You Shook Me All Night Long” (which will forever remind me of my good friend Rhonda who, back in the 80′s, sang – and epitomized – the lyrics “She was a fast machine/She kept her motor clean/She was the best damn woman I had ever seen/She had the sightless eyes/Telling me no lies/Knockin’ me out with those American thighs”); “Hells Bells;” the title track “Back In Black” which has the most quintessential hard rocking opener ever; and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution,” which was released in spring of ‘81. These singles continue, almost 40 years later, to be staples on classic hard rock radio – I’m pretty much guaranteed at least one AC/DC song when I turn on the radio back in my hometown (WAPL in Appleton) and I always crank it up and sing along.

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