Regina - Regina Richards And Red Hot (1981) & Curiosity (1986)

Isle visitor Luvsong just mentioned in my C-Box that they were surprised that I had not yet featured Regina, the "one hit wonder" and "Madonna wannabe" of the 1980s. Well, I have a policy not to post any album that I can find easily on the web or that has been posted on my affiliate blogs. That used to be the case with this album, but currently it is hard to find on the internet. I did manage to find one obscure download of it however, so here we are! Regina did indeed only have one major hit, "Baby Love", that managed to hit the Billboard Top 10, and the song was produced by Madonna regular Stephen Bray. In fact, Regina wrote the song with Bray with Madonna in mind, but Madge passed, so they recorded it. Her vocals were very Madonna-esque, and the comparisons were inevitable. But Regina had in fact recorded an album many years before Madonna in 1981 on A&M, Regina Richards And Red Hot. It was produced by Richard Gottehrer, who had produced the likes of the Go-Gos and Blondie, and the sound was very much like those groups. They released three singles - "Don't Want You Back", "Tyger" and "Ton Of Bricks".  After Regina Richards And Red Hot failed to hit, Regina decided she wanted to concentrate on songwriting, but once Madonna rejected "Baby Love", Regina was again thrust in the spotlight. There is no denying that "Baby Love" hit because of the Madonna comparison (I, like many, though it WAS Madonna the first time I heard it), and even Regina herself must have realized it. Her vocals on the album are very similar to Madonna's, but weren't so much on the Regina Richards And Red Hot album. The rest of the album is also very Madonna-esque, though it was produced by Leslie Ming, formerly of disco group B.T. Express (and I must confess, I was always pretty indifferent to it, but listening to it now, it's quite good!). Alas, neither of her follow-up singles, "Beat Of Love" and "Head On", got any attention. Undeterred, Regina began work on a second album for Atlantic, and concentrated on a new, more alternative sound. Atlantic wasn't having it and she was dropped, but not before the single "Extraordinary Love" made a dent on the Billboard dance charts in 1988. She made one more independent freestyle single, "Track You Down", and then apparently left the record industry to concentrate on being a mom and is now known as Regina Lee. With the whole 80s revival still going on, however, she should definitely make a comeback. (Oh, and I just realized my dear Bunny also featured her on his blog HERE. Please check it out!)

Download Regina Richards And Red Hot

1 Ton Of Bricks
2 Company Girl
3 Tyger
4 Don't Want You Back
5 Daytime Dream
6 Jealous
7 You Better Go
8 Main Chick
9 Shoulda Done Something
10 Tug Of War

Video for Baby Love

Live performance of Beat Of Love

Download Curiosity

1		Sentimental Love
2		Beat Of Love
3		Say Goodbye
4		Baby Love
5		Head On
6		Love Time
7		Bring Me All Your Love
8		Curiosity
9		Just Like You