Maybe not as popular as Modern Talking, German-based multinational pop trio Bad Boys Blue was a staple of our DJ playlists in mid-80’s. The two contemporary outfits are curiously forever linked in my mind. My very first own cassette tape was meant to contain The First Album by MT in…
I’ve already offered a glimpse of Modern Talking in the retrospection of my musical affinities (and also posted this clip in other people’s blogs). But it is high time that I paid my respects to the German duo directly. For some period of time in high school, I was a…
My first recollection of ABBA is linked with the song Happy New Year, likely because of that song having had a key part in some televised celebration that got etched in my memory. But this being a wrong season and all, I’ll put up the song that must have been…
I’ve been a bit preoccupied at work this week – moving on to a different role, frantically extricating myself from the responsibilities of the old one, thank you for asking! – to find time for a full-bodied post. I’m leaving you with another of those YouTube’d memories instead. My memory…
I’m not sure why I remember this song or what’s so great about it, but it was a famous European hit that got some playtime on the likes of Утренняя Почта (translated as The Morning Post, it was a Sunday staple of Soviet television). Which is why I remember it,…
When I answered the “favorite song” question in the Photobucket meme (see #9), I actually chose my number two song. I think it is called “the familiarity effect” in cognitive psychology – I listen to my CD compilation of favorite Beatles’ songs occasionally, while I don’t even have a CD…
Warning: Despite English narration, majority of the clips used in this post are in Russian. Three other European languages, besides English, are also present. I hope my English-language audience will still enjoy the music. My kid brother did me one better and created a meme of his own. While he…
This song was my introduction to Billy Joel, whose groundbreaking USSR tour in 1987 paved the road for many other Western acts. By the whim of some Soviet culture ministry functionary – or was it a random selection? – A Matter Of Trust has gotten the lion’s share of exposure…
Here is one of the less obscure favorites from my youth, which even reached #8 on the US charts in 1986. Having never been a fan of the “harder” rock genre, the entire attraction of this song to me is in the opening sequence. It has always sounded… stirring, I…
I had to go through a periodic upgrade of some of the out-of-the-box components on my website, and it all went suspiciously smoothly today. I can’t find any ill side-effects, but if anyone comes across one, I’d be much obliged if you let me know. Meantime, here is another one…
This song was hugely popular in Russia when it came out, for obvious propagandist reasons of exposing the truth about the mortal enemy. Ironically, the end of the Cold War and the thaw in the relationship between the USA and the USSR was right around the corner… I was surprised…
I remember when this video came out, how amazed we were with what then seemed a pinnacle of CGI wizardry. Compare it with what you see in an average movie these days, and it’s downright primitivist. It still evokes tons of memories, though, and the Knopfler fans among us can…
YouTube is such a trip down history lane. This one has been one of my favorites for cool twenty years or so. And did you know that Robin Williams is in this video? I had no idea until I watched it again for the first time since probably 1991… …