Liberty Silver - Private Property (1988)

Thanks again to the indispensable Adriana, I have another rare gem for you that she gave me permission to share. I first posted Liberty Silver's double-sided single from this album on Lost Pop Treasures. Some people then requested the album, but I didn't hold out any hope of getting my hands on it until Adriana was kind of enough to send it to me. Liberty has had a very long career in Canada, about which you can read in detail from several sources on the internet, including her Myspace page. In brief, she was born in 1962 in Detroit, Michigan, but moved to Canada as a child. When she was just 12 she auditioned for a reggae band and was whisked away as part of the opening act for Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden. She remained in the Canadian music industry after that, and released many singles over the years, including several in 1980 on the independent Scorpio label, most of which were remakes, including two Blondie tunes. In 1985 she won two Juno Awards (Canada's Grammys) and was asked to be part of Canada's version of USA For Africa, Northern Lights, on the song "Tears Are Not Enough", where she sang a part with Loverboy's Mike Reno. This was my first introduction to Liberty, but I didn't hear anything more from her until her videos for "Private Property" and "I Do Love You" were aired on TV in 1988. There was virtually no R&B scene in Canada at the time (at least not known to the general public) and I am ashamed to say that I ignored Liberty for the most part as I was biased towards American R&B, even though I liked her two singles. That was my mistake, as the album is solid. I had never heard it in full until now. It's a funky pop album, very of the time, and a cut above a lot of similar albums released at the time. She released two more singles from the album, a remake of The Shirelles "Baby It's You" and the ballad "Let It Begin Tonight". Although following this she didn't stay in the pop spotlight, she remained a fixture in the Canadian music scene and has been nominated and won many awards since. She has also continued to release albums, focusing mostly on jazz. In 2005 she took a five year hiatus in which she dealt with family issues, but is now releasing an old school soul album. It's a welcome return from a very powerful vocalist who should be heard. Try her out!

Download Private Property

1		I Do Love You
2		Private Property
3		Let It Begin Tonight
4		Oh No
5		On My Way
6		Baby It's You
7		Can't Get Over You
8		It's You
9		Crazy Love For You
10		I Knew It Was You

Michelle Goulet - Michelle Goulet (1986)

Awhile back I posted the maxi-single of Michelle Goulet's version of "Stop & Think" on my sister blog, Lost Pop Treasures, and I hinted that I would love to get my hands on the album. Well, thanks to the awesome Adriana, my wish has come true!! Thanks again A! Michelle is another of those mystery '80s pop ladies that released one album on a major label, in this case Island Records, had a couple dance hits and then seemingly disappeared. The little I can find on her reveals that she was a session singer until she was discovered and signed by the head of Island, Chris Blackwell. Her first single was "Stop & Think", but it was also released by another act, Fire On Blonde, the same year. The two similar versions sort of cancelled each other out on the charts, though they both were played in dance clubs, and both acts lost any momentum they may have had. Michelle released a second single, the ballad "I'm In Love", which highlighted her very powerful pipes and Mariah-esque high notes (practically squeals!), years before Mariah appeared. After this, she released one more single in 1988, the new track "Over And Over And Over", which was produced by freestyle and hi-NRG master Ish (the man behind acts like Company B and Shana). Even though the song was a substantial dance hit, the label apparently dropped her. Although I have this album on cassette, I never listened to it properly. Listening to it now, I am surprised Island didn't give her a second chance or another label didn't snap her up. She has a very powerful and soulful voice, especially on the ballads, and the faster tracks are quite fun and danceable. Since the 80s she remained active in music, again as a session singer and as a member of the Detroit wedding band Mel Ball And Colours. (As an added bonus, I tracked down and included "Over And Over And Over", which was not on the album. Enjoy!)

Download Michelle Goulet

1		Stop & Think
2		I'm In Love
3		All The Other Boys
4		It's Gonna Take A Miracle
5		Slow Down
6		(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
7		So Satisfied
8		Other Side Of The World

9 Over And Over And Over

Big Trouble - Big Trouble (1988)

Big Trouble is a girl band that I had never heard of until recently, thanks to one of my fave weekly blog features on Popdose, Bottom Feeders: The Ass End Of The '80s, which features songs from the 1980s that made it into the Billboard Top 100 but not the Top 40. I've discovered many 'deserted' pop stars through that, so thanks Dave! Big Trouble was formed by TV exec Fred Silverman, who had also created TV sensations The Monkees. Obviously wanting to make a modern, female version of the Monkees, Fred did a country-wide search and finally chose Bobbie Eakes (lead vocals - and former Miss America finalist), Julia Farey (bass and background vocals), Rebecca Ryan (keyboards and background vocals) and Suzy Zarow (drums and background vocals). They were fortunate enough to get hooked up with the legendary Giorgio Moroder, who produced the whole album with assistance from various other producers. This gave them a dance-pop sound with a rock edge, reminiscent of Giorgio's work with acts like Berlin. Luckily for the girls, his talents helped them score a minor hit in 1987 with their first single, "Crazy World", which reached #71 on the Billboard Top 100. Coasting on this fame, their manager got them a gig as the house band for a comedy sketch show, Comedy Break, where they also occasionally performed in the skits. Yet, despite a 'hit', extensive touring, and television exposure, their second single, "When The Love Is Good", failed to chart and they broke up soon after. Though they likely all continued to perform, none but Farey, who joined all-female hard rock group Precious Metal, managed to get another high profile gig. In music, that is. Bobbie Eakes enjoyed her acting experience on Comedy Break so much that she decided to pursue acting, and in 1989 she joined the cast of soap opera The Bold And The Beautiful as Macy Alexander. She stayed in the role, off and on, until 2003, and then joined the cast of another soap opera, All My Children, as Krystal Carey, where she still appears. Through the years she also continued to sing, releasing an album of duets in 1994 with B&B love interest Jeff Trachta, which went double-platinum in Europe. She also recorded a successful country duet, "Tired Of Loving This Way", with Collin Raye in 2000, and released two solo albums - Here And Now in 1998 and Something Beautiful in 2005. She has even hosted country music shows on cable network Great American Country. Busy lady indeed! (Note: Major credit must be given to Isle fan Jason who graciously sent me the album after seeing it on my wanted list. Thanks so much again!!!!)

Video for Crazy World

Download Big Trouble

1		When The Love Is Good
2		Say Yes
3		One More Arrow
4		Cool Jerk
5		What About You And Me
6		Dangerous
7		Crazy World
8		Trains And Boats And Planes
9		I Like It
10		Lipstick

Maria Vidal - Maria Vidal (1987)

I recently bought the vinyl of this for $1 and was going to rip it, but luckily I managed to find a copy of the Venezuelan CD release, so the quality is that much better. Born in 1960, Maria Vidal's first taste of the musical limelight was in 1973, when she joined prolific producer and songwriter Desmond Child's girl group Rouge in Miami (though she would have only been 13...). The group moved to New York soon after and released two well-received albums as Desmond Child & Rouge in the late 1970's. Their sound was a blend of rock and disco, and they had a disco hit with "Our Love Is Insane". After the group broke up, Maria kept herself busy doing backing vocals for other artists and dabbling in songwriting. Luckily, in 1984, she was tapped to record the theme song to the Lorenzo Lamas movie Body Rock. Though the movie was a bomb, the song was an instant hit, reaching the top ten of the Billboard dance charts and almost making it into the Billboard Top 40. The song is considered a dance classic. However, the album she began working on with Jellybean was shelved, so Maria went back to session work and songwriting, contributing to songs by Stevie Nicks and John Waite, among others. Then, in 1987, A&M Records decided to sign her on for an album deal. Her self-titled album remained in the vein of her work with Desmond Child & Rouge, mixing rock and dance music to create a pop sound. Child even produced the album's first single, "Do Me Right". The song wasn't a hit, and a second promo single was released, "House Of Love". It too did not hit, and her deal with A&M was over. But she retained close ties with Child and her other producers, Robbie Seidman and Rick Nowels (who she later married). With their help, Maria once again went back to session singing with even greater success, appearing on albums by acts as diverse as Cher, Bette Midler, Celine Dion, The Smithereens, Seal, Clay Aiken, Kiss and Real McCoy. She also continued to write songs, and was responsible for Belinda Carlisle's hit "Summer Rain" and Ace Of Base's "Everytime It Rains". Thankfully Maria recently headed back to the studio to record music of her own again, and in 2009 she released the album Living In Radical Radiance, which is available through her website. But her 1987 debut also remains a pleasure. I had never heard it in full until recently, and it just keeps growing on me. And there were two surprises for me on it. First, the song "House Of Love" would be covered by two acts in 1989 - Animotion and French-Canadian singer Veronique Beliveau. It was Veronique's first English single, and has always remained a fave of mine. I had no idea Maria did a version of it first. And even better, the song "Angel", which was co-written by Maria, was also remade, this time by Exposé on their final album in 1992. It has always been my favourite Exposé song, and I had no idea it was a cover either. This album is worth it just for these two songs alone! And luckily the Venezuelan version of the CD includes Body Rock and it's dance mix, which were not on the original release! Enjoy!

Video for Do Me Right

Video for Body Rock

Download Maria Vidal

1		Angel
2		Soul Love
3		Sleep Won't Come
4		Make Believe
5		Life On The Train
6		Bridges Of Innocence
7		The Real Feel
8		Do Me Right
9		I Am A Girl In Spain
10		House Of Love
11		Body Rock (Version Radio Edit)
12		Body Rock (Version Disco)