8, Wake me up before you go-go Part two in a tribute to 80s music aw By Naomi Ambrose ooking to get down with some Le sounds? Look no further than the decade of mega-teased hair, shoulder pads, neon, and Flocks of Seagulls—the 80s. Last week, I went through my top picks from number 10 to 6, and here are my favourite five songs of the 1980s. 5. A Different Corner By George Michael / WHAM Release date: April 2, 1986 US Hot 100 Billboard number: 7 Beautifully arranged, written, and sung by George Michael, the beauty of this song lies in Michael’s melodious and soothing vocals, as well the chords produced with the keyboard. Simon Bates, a UK disc jockey, first aired A Different Corner on Radiol; he rated the song so highly that he immediately played it again from the beginning. 4. Burning down the House By Talking Heads Release date: 1983 US Hot 100 Billboard number: 9 This song’s popularity increased when it was featured prominently in the movie Revenge of the Nerds. Also, it makes great use of the drums after the famous line “Burning down the House.” The musicians use the electric guitar and the synthesizer brilliantly. Whenever I watch the video, I see myself as one of the group members wearing the white suit with the cool black sunglasses, jamming away to the pulsating effects of these instruments. 3. Bad Boy By Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine Release date: August 1985 (UK) US Hot 100 Billboard number: 8 This is definitely a fun-filled and rhythmic song that Estefan sings with passion and soul. You can hear the fantastic arrangement with the saxophone, electric guitar, drums, and xylophone which sounds rather groovy especially towards the end. “Bad Boy” was also the title track on the film Three Men and a Baby. 2. Hands to Heaven By Breathe Release date: 1987 US Hot 100 Billboard number: 2 This song is a great example of soothing music from the 1980s because of the beautiful and harmonious musical arrangements with the saxophone, drums, and cello. It is also beautifully written. David Glasper, the lead singer, sings with passion and emotion. And of course, I also see the beauty in the arrangement of the facial features of the band’s lead singer. This arrangement definitely adds an ode to my joy! 1. Can’t Stay Away From You By Gloria Estefan Release date: January 1988 US Hot 100 Billboard number: 6 The song is a pensive ballad sung from the perspective of a woman who is in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same, but she is unwilling to walk away from their relationship because she does not want it to end. You can also hear the great arrangement with the keyboard and chimes. Estefan does a great job on lead vocals as she sings with passion and emotion. Keep playing that saxamaphone The Arts at One presents the jazz-based Douglas College Little Night Band By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor ast Thursday’s Arts at One performers took to polishing some brass in the Laura C. Muir Theatre. Performing covers by several artists in multiple styles, the Douglas College Little Night Band brandished some of the finest tunes for (drums), and Chris Pallot (percussion). Throughout the afternoon’s seven-song lineup, each of these talented musicians (and in some cases, Douglas College faculty and alumni) were at one point or another given the spotlight. From the soulful sax solos in the opening swing piece “In Your Mellophone” by Tom Kubis and the “The Little Night Band’s performance was without a doubt one of the best of the semester’s concert series so far.” an afternoon of swing, funk, and fusion jazz. Under the direction of Blair Fisher, this 11-piece jazz ensemble managed to blow away the entire audience one piece right after the other. Even though this is the third performance for the condensed form of what is regularly known as the 18- piece Night Band, the group has been together for a number of years, taking first place in the Open Class at the 1986 Canadian Stage Band Festival, and making appeararices at a number of additional festivals over the years. Of its many members, Thursday’s performance consisted of Bill Runge (alto and soprano sax), Dave Say (tenor sax and flute), Jerry Cook (baritone sax), Garth Balint (trumpet and flugelhorn), Terry Keller (trumpet and flugelhorn), Brian Thompson (trombone), Roy Sluyter (piano), Cameron Hood (bass), Bob Caldwell 6 intense fusion-based “Sunflower” by Mike Crotty, to the blistering drum solo in Jim Cifelli’s Coltrane tribute, “Bullet Trane.” Additional pieces included the amusingly titled “Totally Outta Nowhere, Dude!” by Kubis, and the genre defining showstopper “Salsa Fundamentals” by Gordon Goodwin. The Little Night Band’s performance was without a doubt one of the best of the semester’s concert series so far. Fisher said it best when he stated, “As musicians, we all [share this] in common: we love jazz, and we love to play.” The group fed their eager audience a sheer sense of delighted bliss, something we couldn’t get enough of. All in all, the show was a fantastically fun way to relax in between classes, and I can only hope the Douglas College Little Night Band will soon return to our humble campus’ Muir stage.