Bradley's Buzz

bub86 Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (1983; May 8, 2007)
She's So Unusual hit the record stores in very late 1983 and with the help of the lead single "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", the album pretty much took over 1984. I love this album, with Cyndi's crazy antics in full mode for such hiccupy new wave tracks as "I'll Kiss You" and "Yeah Yeah", both of which could be new wave anthems, plus the hit single "She Bop", the album is infectious from beginning to end.. and what a beginning... We open with "Money Changes Everything" a straight up rock/pop song about leaving your lover cause you got money, the video was done as part of a Cyndi live concert and the performance is incredible - when I lived in Idaho, I had the VHS Twelve Deadly Cyns video and I can't tell you how many times groups of people were at my house watching the tape and how impressive it was seeing Cyndi belt out the number while being flown across the audience in a little barrell - the recorded number isn't quite as intense but it is really superb (note I did include that awesome live performance as a bonus track, as did the original CBS Records CD) and one of only a handful of songs to feature a hooter (the instrument and the band members), a cover of Prince's "When You Were Mine" is yet another highlight particurlarly in the fact she doesn't change the lyrics from the orginal so when she sings, "I know you're with another guy..." it adds a whole new dimension. The song is dirty and fun and Cyndi does it brilliantly. Then we head into the other extreme with the second single and Cyndi's first number one "Time After Time" which still stands up today as one of the best ballads of all pop music. "All Through The Night" is yet another single that hit big but the remaining album tracks are just as good, though they are a tad more eccentric including "Witness" which is a song she wrote with John Turi for her previous band Blue Angel and with its synthy waves and little electronics eclectics, it's totally 1983 fun plus it's kind of bitchy and I love that. The hilarious 1920's Betty Boop-ish "He's So Unusual" breaks into "Yeah Yeah" with Cyndi singing one line and her Betty Boop persona speaking strange little notes behind it ("Sushi! I love sushi!") and it reminds me of a conversation with Lisa though I'm not sure why.

For bonus tracks we did what CBS should've done, included the excellant new wave stomp of "Right Track Wrong Train" the b-side from the "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" single, plus the 12" versions of "Girls" and "She Bop." Plus the 1985 single "Goonies R Good Enough" from the film The Goonies which hit the top 10 that summer and is a surprisingly insightful song. I had forgotten the lyrics after all these years and the song is really quite impressive and should not be overlooked just because of its association with the film - though anyone in my age group knows the movie is a classic. The other song she contributed to the soundtrack, another John Turi co write "What A Thrill" is also included. To round out the bonus tracks we have the 12" version of "Goonies R Good Enough" plus from the CBS release the live versions of "All Through The Night" and "Money Changes Everything." Put it all together and this is the definitive She's So Unusual and a superb way to be introduced to the greatness that is Cyndi Lauper, and particurlarly her fun girly side.

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (bub86)Track List:
01. Money Changes Everything 02. Girls Just Want To Have Fun 03. When You Were Mine 04. Time After Time 05. She Bop 06. All Through The Night 07. Witness 08. I'll Kiss You 09. He's So Unusual 10. Yeah Yeah
Bonus Tracks 11. Right Track Wrong Train 12. Goonies 'R' Good Enough 13. What A Thrill 14. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Extended) 15. She Bop (Special Dance Mix) 16. Goonies 'R' Good Enough (Dance Remix) 17. All Through The Night (Live) 18. Money Changes Everything (Live)

bub87 Cyndi Lauper - True Colors (1986; May 8, 2007)
After conquering every pop chart and touring extensively for two years, Cyndi finally had her next album in the can by the fall of 1986, surprisingly not suffering from the sophomore slump, she instead chalked up another #1 single and a few top tens to boot. True Colors was led off by the super intense title single which hit #1, set to a small drum and some strings, its Cyndi's voice that is the eternal character in the song, speaking from the heart for understanding and self proclamation its a song she continues to cherish just as much as her fans do, now if only she could stop people from covering it we'd all be better off, but alas she didn't write it, she just made it her own. The album actually opens not with the first single but with the second single, the slightly bitter (which means I love it) "Change Of Heart" complete with The Bangles doing harmony vocals, it's one of my all time favorite Cyndi songs perhaps due to the more rock orientated sound. "Maybe He'll Know" is one of the bounciest songs Cyndi has done and in fact she is actually covering herself on this one, the original was released as a single and on the Blue Angel album from 1980, and she opted to take it to a whole new level on the True Colors version incorporating even bouncier rhtyhms and the back up doo wop vocals of Billy Joel. It's excellant, just try not to bounce along to it. Another proclomation of understanding is done on "Boy Blue" which is another example of touching lyrics from our girl - 'When she sent you on your own/ it may have stolen your innocence/ but not, no not your soul' - One of my all time favorite songs is the album cut "Calm Inside The Storm" which is essentially straight up pop in both music and lyrics, talking about trying to connect with a loved one, "I want to say something to you but I don't know what to say", but it's so bouncy and fun, I love it. Cyndi's cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" is one of the few instances where someone actually pulls off making a 60's anti-war song sound real and effective in the 80's format, and with what's happening in the world today, it fits quite effectively into 2007, and of course it gave her yet another hit, and then fading into "Iko Iko" a great little jungle thumping song from the 60's which found new revival after True Colors when the Blue Belles put it on the Rain Man soundtrack, to me it's Cyndi's version that is the best version, plus when paired with "What's Going On" you realize the political ramifications and allusions in the song. True Colors then throws us into some She's So Unusual type of new wavey pop/rock with the one, two, three hit of "The Faraway Nearby" with Til Tuesday's Aimee Mann lending her vocals, "911" a hilarious send up of love gone bad with Pee Wee Herman bopping in at the end to give a shout out to the gal who sang his TV show's theme song, and it ends with "One Track Mind" which is one of the rare instances where Cyndi seems to really being trying to hit the pop princess mode, with its synthy back beat and fairly standard lyrics about sex and relationships. True Colors was another success for Cyndi, though I think critics and fans weren't as in love with it as they were with the debut, but hey, our girl was moving forward and she wasn't going to be stuck in the thrift store hiccup all of her life.

For bonus cuts we added "Heading To The Moon" a great little ditty that was the B-side to the "True Colors" single, and one of my all time favorite singles by Cyndi, "Hole In My Heart" (I've gotta hole in my heart all the way to china/ you gotta fill it up with love before I fall inside of..) from her movie debut in Vibes (which is a much better movie than some may remember), and the 12" version of "What's Going On" and ending the album where it began, the 12" version of "Change Of Heart."

Cyndi Lauper - True Colors (bub87) Track List:
01. Change Of Heart 02. Maybe He'll Know 03. Boy Blue 04. True Colors 05. Calm Inside The Storm 06. What's Going On 07. Iko Iko 08. The Faraway Nearby 09. 911 10. One Track Mind
Bonus Tracks - 11. Heading For The Moon 12. Hole In My Heart 13. What's Going On (Club Version) 14. Change Of Heart (Extended Version)