DCV Top Bands of the 80's: 30-26

#30: The Connells
It's kind of funny as the Connells are from Raleigh, but I started liking them prior to moving to the Triangle. I vividly remember cranking one of their best tunes 'Stone Cold Yesterday' on a bus trip ("riding the dog" may be a Life Episode some time) back to Chicago from visiting SLU friends ... musical help in a time of displacement. It's sort of odd that a band as popular as R.E.M. wouldn't have any direct imitators, and I don't think the Connells were either, but their first album Boylan Heights certainly has the feel of R.E.M's glory days. Most of the time they were straight ahead rock, especially the 1993 release Ring. Like another American band that we'll see in the Top 5, they were far more popular in Europe than here. Check 'em out.

Best Songs: Slackjawed, Stone Cold Yesterday, Disappointed, Scotty's Lament
Worst Songs: 74-75

#29: Simple Minds
For whatever reason, Dolberry liked all things Scottish in his formative years. Let's see ... I had a crush on Sheena Easton, I liked bagpipe music, I liked wearing plaid, I entered road races under the pseudonym Stuart Adamson (late leader of Big Country), my favorite cross country race was always the Highland Fling at Joe Creason Park ... shoot I even have a brother-in-law named Scott. All that said, I never really liked Simple Minds' music as much as I felt like I should have given their Scottish intangibles, height-challenged nature of their lead singer (Jim Kerr), & their tendency to shoot their videos on picturesque looking cliffs. It probably stemmed from the uber-success of "Don't You Forget About Me" from the Breakfast Club movie. I didn't really like Breakfast Club all that much. It seems like the writers went out of their way to present several high school student stereotypes: the rich girl, the oddball, the jock, the brainy nerd, and the delinquent ... but none of them really spoke to the young Dolberry (i.e., charismatically-charged superhero and friend to all ... who dabbled in countdowns sure ... yes & hung out w/ some brainy nerds ... and ran track ... but still ... hey Molly Ringwald was hot back then.)

Best Songs: Sanctify Yourself, Alive and Kicking
Worst Songs: Don't You Forget About Me (for how often it gets played to this day)

#28 Billy Joel:
This is kind of ironic, because Billy Joel was just in Raleigh last night & our good friends the Jensens went & had a good time. Eyewitness accounts (Seriously, do any other of my rival blogs offer this? Of course, not.) indicate that he now introduces himself at shows as "Billy Joel's father". That's a pretty good line. Kristy & I saw him in the 80's w/ our SLU friends. He put on a good show. I do remember when I quit liking Billy Joel though ... it was when he released that song "Storm Front". If I have anything resembling a pet peeve, it's when people refer to weather in terms of a "storm front". There's simply no such thing.

Best Songs: You May Be Right, Allentown, A Matter of Trust
Worst Songs: Uptown Girl, Storm Front

#27 Hooters:
I've seen 8 of these Top 40 bands in concert. This is the 2nd in a row. Stephen & I saw them open up for Bryan Adams sometime in the 80s. We were there to see the Hooters, not Bryan Adams. I remember it was the day their One Way Home album was released. The Hooters were famous among our SLU crew from a radio station interview with Loverboy in which the interviewer kept questioning Loverboy about the Hooters (who were opening for them at the time). The Loverboy dude kept saying they were a "good band" w/ little emotion other than exasperation about the third time they were brought up.

Best Songs: Day by Day, All You Zombies, And We Danced, South Ferry Road
Worst Songs: Probably something from their Zig Zag album.

#26 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:
Tom Petty has been an amazingly consistent artist for a long time. I think my favorite period of his was during the Southern Accents album, but TP and the HBs were solid from Damn the Torpedoes through the solo-effort Full Moon Fever. One of the earliest complements, the lovely Mrs. Dolberry ever gave me was that I did a good Tom Petty impersonation. At least I think it was a compliment.

Best Songs: The Waiting, Running Down a Dream, Southern Accents, Rebels
Worst Songs: Jammin Me