Considered a horrific musical drought, the period between 1976 and 1980 didn’t yield many significant records. It’s as if the music world was holding its collective breath for the Lennon assassination and the onset of MTV.
At any rate, the songs from the era now sound dated (see the Police, or rather hear them on stations like The Mountain, which for some reason won’t let them die). Likewise, the fashions of the era now look ridiculous to anyone besides Quentin Tarantino.
Ah, but the winds of nostalgia blow stronger than ever, and several of the artists from what I like to call the Mauve Years—for no other reason than my parents had a purple-ish wood-paneled station wagon at the time—have pulled together whatever members they could locate in an effort to relive the glory days one more time. Here’s a guide to some who’ll visit this week:
| The Romantics | Peter Frampton | Earth, Wind & Fire | |
| 1. Helped Launch the: | New Wave | Arena-rock sound | Slick R&B/funk sound |
| 2. Defining Record and Hits: | The Romantics (1980), “That’s What I Like About You” | Frampton Comes Alive! (1975), “Show Me the Way,” “Baby I Love Your Way” | Greatest Hits (1978), “Shining Star,” “Boogie Wonderland,” “September” |
| 3. Defining Fashion Statement: | Leather suits, skinny ties | Fringe! | Traditional African garb meets disco |
| 4. Most Embarrassing Moment: | Leather suits, skinny ties | Frampton Is Alive! (1986); Frampton Comes Alive II (1995) | Funky drummer-vocalist Philip Bailey records duet with soulless drummer- vocalist Phil Collins (1984’s “Easy Lover”) |
| 5. Last Seen: | Probably on some VH-1 special | Parodying himself on The Simpsons’ Hullaballooza episode | Getting exploited by Wyclef Jean |
| 6. When/Where: | Ballard Firehouse, Sat 8/14 | The Pier, Thu 8/12 | The Pier, Wed 8/18 and Thu 8/19 |
