 Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam Cheesy 80s dance pop for the connoisseur, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam produced a string of great singles that for some reason never get included in the "hilarious" '80s retro shows or '80s nights at "hilarious" clubs. That's a good thing, of course. These songs lack the ridiculousness of perennial "hilarious" classics like "The Safety Dance" or "Abracadabra." Now that I think about it, though, it seems that only a handful of stuff from 1987-89 ever gets featured in situations like that. Sometimes, even "Mony Mony" seems to have been forgotten. Perhaps the world is not ready to see this golden period of pop radio for what it was. These were the days when the likes of Club Nouveau, the Escape Club, and UB40 ruled the day, and despite a sort of implicit "funny" factor to the teen "mall stars" (Tiffany, Debbie G., etc) most people don't seem to want to face this period. I think it may be that this is getting into the era when a lot of the "hilarious" people were in high school, and starting to take music seriously, so they don't feel so free to mock the stuff like they do the songs that were popular when they were in 6th grade. Of course, within a couple of years, everyone was turning en masse to stuff like the Cure and Depeche Mode, bands which are now becoming as uncool as they once were before they became cool, briefly. Yet no one mocks the Cure, really. These white kids take everything so seriously. I enjoy the music from this era, and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam are one of the truly unsung groups that were big in the late mid-'80s. Most people assume they were one-hit wonders until they're reminded of titles like "All Cried Out" (one of the best shameless ballads of all time), "Head to Toe" (a big, cheesy #1 hit), "Lost in Emotion" (pure bliss), "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (dated house that still sounds great anyway), and perhaps the should-have-been-huge "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" (sort of LL's "Sign O' the Times," if you will). The Super Hits collection from Legacy departs from that series' usual M.O. of leaving a couple desirable tracks off—all the big hits are here, plus some key lesser-known tracks, all in full-length versions (the CD is over 52 minutes), and at a bargain price ($9.99, I believe). And all the songs are great, too. It totally spins me back to like '88, that nebulous post-"Breakfast Club," pre-"Say Anything" wonderworld where pop was it, baby. Orchestra hits, "ma-ma-ma-ma-my baby" type vocal sampling, and no real drums to be found within 5,000 miles. Perhaps this era will never "come back." Oh well, it'll always be 1988 in many parts of my brain, at least. This CD runs the gamut from good dance ("Can You Feel the Beat," "I Wonder if I Take U Home") to great pop (the aforementioned). Really, none of the tracks is substandard, although the two tracks that add Full Force to the mix ("U Never Knew How Good U Had It" and "Someone to Love Me For Me") are considerably more cheesy than the others, which mostly succeed in actual goodness. I am glad to now understand the distinction between Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force. The big gem for me is "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star," which shows what the group might have become with a bit more chart success. Lisa Lisa paved the way for Paula Abdul, man. Therefore, she's a pioneer, of, um, something. Most of these songs would still be hits if released today, dated production values and all. Melodies ripped right out of the Supremes. Pop music unabashedly aimed at high school girls and self-styled "tough" dance boys. You can't "beat" this stuff!
Review by Ten Ton Thompson |