Published on Aug 11, 1997
How fickle is the finger of popularity in the rock world. In
1984, San Francisco-based Huey Lewis & The News were riding the
crest of hipdom with their third release
Sports, sharing the spotlight with such artists as Michael
Jackson, Prince and Bruce Springsteen. Nowadays, Jackson holds onto
the dream he is still the “King Of Pop,” there technically is no
more Prince (having changed his name to the symbol), Springsteen no
longer is a mega star and has turned into the Dylan of the ’90s.
But while the sales may no longer be there, Huey Lewis & The
News have basically stayed the same.
What was it about these guys who worshipped the doo-wop style of
the ’50s? What made them top the airwaves with cuts like “I Want A
New Drug,” “The Heart Of Rock & Roll” and “Heart And Soul”?
Simple: they took a no-bullshit, no Spandex-and-leather approach to
their music and presented it the way it should be. Most of all,
they believed in it – something I don’t think you can say many
bands do these days.
And though it peaked 14 years ago,
Sports still maintains a fresh sound – the tunes have hardly
aged, and are still enjoyable to listen to.
(Editor’s note: Since this review was written, a re-mastered
version with bonus tracks has been released.)
Having first cut his teeth with the local band Clover (trivia:
what band did Lewis back up in the late ’70s? Answer: Thin Lizzy),
Lewis was an experienced veteran of the rock scene.After The News’
debut album met with consumer apathy, they came back strong to get
the public’s attention with
Picture This (spawning two hits, “Workin’ For A Livin'” and
“Do You Believe In Love”).The band was obviously primed to hit big
– and they smashed into the mainstream with the first single from
Sports, “Heart And Soul.”
But this wasn’t your typical rock band. While they had a
competent guitarist in Chris Hayes, the solos often went to
saxophonist Johnny Colla – “The Heart Of Rock & Roll” showed
off his talents on the reeds. With a backbone of Mario Cipollina on
bass, Bill Gibson on drums and Sean Hopper on keyboards, Lewis was
freed up to be not only the frontman of the group but also the
personality of the band. His roles in videos from this album, such
as for that of “I Want A New Drug,” were in no small part a main
reason why this band did so well. With MTV still in its infancy,
the group was ready to take advantage of the new medium and use it
to their advantage. And, truth be told, Lewis was very much a
“pretty boy,” though this worked to the advantage of the band. Here
was a “ladies’ man” who could actually do more than pose – kind of
like the antithesis of Lucky Vanous.
But if the music wasn’t as strong as it is, this band would have
been another trivia question on the lines of Rockwell. You still
occasionally hear “The Heart Of Rock & Roll” and “Heart And
Soul” on the radio. Their doo-wop tribute, “If This Is It,” stays
true to the style of the artists of the past, while “Walking On A
Thin Line” has The News carving out their own style and sound
unlike anything they had done prior. However, other attempts, such
as “Finally Found A Home” and “You Crack Me Up,” fail to hit the
mark. Their two efforts at blues, “Bad Is Bad” and “Honky Tonk
Blues,” are not bad efforts, though the latter is more of a
shuffle.
Despite the fact this album stayed on the charts for three
years, it’s hard to believe that none of the singles made it to the
coveted number one slot. (That honor came courtesy of an appearance
on the
Back To The Future soundtrack, “The Power Of Love.”) The
band also found themselves on the delivery end of a lawsuit – word
of advice, don’t invite Lewis and Ray Parker, Jr. to the same
party. ‘Nuff said.
I still believe that
Sports was the swansong of this band – how do you top an
album this good? To their credit, their follow-up
Fore! continued their good-luck streak. And while the hits
began to dry up in the late ’80s, Huey Lewis And The News have
continued to slug it out on their own terms.
It’s a little harder to find this album these days (though I
found a vinyl copy for a dollar in the bins of my local haunt
earlier Sunday afternoon), but the search is very much worth it.
While many groups of the MTV-era rock world have come and gone,
Sports is excellent proof that something good came out of
that time period.