Thunderbolt

Column 1, Row 7: Echo & The Bunnymen, Echo & The Bunnymen The latter part of the 1980s saw several of the founding bands of what would become know as alternative achieve mainstream success. U2 and INXS were the prime winners of the race, but The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Simple Minds and R.E.M. all had significant radio hits between 1986 and 1989. I could include Depeche Mode, but I feel that their crossover popularity really happened after their 1990 smash, Violator . Echo & The Bunnymen seemed poised for their own breakthrough, as well. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" from their singles collection, Songs to Learn & Sing, was included in the John Hughes produced hit film, Pretty in Pink , and their cover of the Doors' "People Are Strange" from The Lost Boys soundtrack gained them AOR traction. 1987 should have been their year. One listen to Songs to Learn & Sing and you'll hear that this was a band ahead of its time both in melodic and ly...

Column 1, Row 6: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Up Your Alley In 1988, hair metal was on the rise and straight forward rock and roll was losing radio airplay. If the music wasn't a little slick and the mix didn't sound like the record was recorded in a sports arena, there was little chance of getting heard. There were exceptions, of course (Tracy Chapman comes to mind), but for the most part, loud and echoey was the sound of the day. At that time, Joan Jett and her latest version of the Blackhearts had been together for a few years and were clicking. The band members were Ricky Byrd on lead guitar and vocals, Kasim Sulton on bass and vocals, and Thommy Price on drums. Jett was coming off of co-starring with Michael J. Fox in Paul Schrader's film, Light of Day . Although the film wasn't a hit, it was high profile enough to bring the rock legend back into the public eye after years working the road and trying to rebuild the success of her early 80s albums, including the s...