Sunshine Radio: Eighties Pop, Soul & Yacht

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Pexels
Enjoy the radio sound of the 1980s! Because of the warm weather in the Netherlands lately, I uploaded a bonus episode of Sunshine Radio this week😎 The track by Ava Max is some kind of mash-up I did with Michael Sembello’s Maniac. The two songs are quite similar in a way. 

The incredible guitar solo on Running With The Night by Lionel Richie was played by Steve Lukather, one of the founding members of Toto. Lukather sat down in the studio and the engineer played the basic parts of the song, for him to hear for the first time, so he could plan his solo. As the music played, he jammed along on his guitar. At the end of the track, he said to the engineer, "Okay, I'm ready for a take." Producer James Anthony Carmichael then replied, "That was a take." They'd been recording his warm up, and that's what you hear on the record. Richard Marx was one of the backing vocalists and Jeff Porcaro (Toto) played drums on the track.

In the late summer of 1987 the only two remaining members of ABC, Martin Fry and Mark White released the album Alphabet City, after a long break. A few months prior the single When Smokey Sings saw the light of day. The song was a major success on the charts, reaching number 5 in the United States and number 11 in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Their tribute to Motown legend Smokey Robinson would become their biggest hit ever. Singer and main composer Martin Fry still performs as ABC on retro festivals and will start his Lexicon Of Love Orchestral Tour in October.

Tracklist:

Lionel Richie – Running With The Night (1984)
Carole King ‎– City Streets (1989)
Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now (1987)
The Outfield – Your Love (1986)
Colin Hay – Can I Hold You? (1987)
Marilyn Scott – Turn On The Moon (1991)
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Everything Your Heart Desires (1988)
Finis Henderson – Lovers (1983)
Quarterflash – Harden My Heart (1981)
Chicago – You’re The Inspiration (1984)
Patti Austin – Do You Love Me? (1981)
Ava Max ‎– Wet Hot American Dream (2025)
Irene Cara – Why Me? (1983)
Paul Young – Love Of The Common People  (1983)
Go West – One Way Street (1985)
Sugarcane – What You Do To Me (1980)
Boy Meets Girl ‎– Waiting For A Star To Fall (1988)
Michael McDonald ‎– No Lookin' Back (1985)
ABC – When Smokey Sings (1987)

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