WINGS OF SOUND [1980]

In many ways, Wings Of Sound (1980) is a typical K-Tel album. It probably came out early in 1980, despite its catalog number as all the songs on it are from 1979. Upon closer inspection, two things immediately stand out about the album's fifteen-song tracklist:

1. The album both opens and closes with Number One songs from Michael Jackson
2. There is a freakin' Bob Dylan song - "Gotta Serve Somebody" - on the album

Granted, the same two Michael Jackson cuts have already been featured on the Hitline album, but according to my research, this marks the only time a Bob Dylan song graced a K-tel album. Quite a coup for the fellas on K-Tel Drive in Minnetonka. The Grammy-winning song features Mark Knopfler on guitar and, to date, is the last of Dylan's dozen Top 40 hits.

Another K-Tel album chock full of my favorite songs, who knew?  In fact, the only track on Wings Of Sound I never need to hear again is the Dylan track I made such a fuss about because it was Dylan. On a K-tel album. (That is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, people.) Blondie's "Dreaming" is my all-time favorite Blondie track, and it kicks off my favorite Blondie album. "Gold" and "Driver's Seat" are road trip warriors appearing on many mixtapes, CD mixes and playlists throughout the years. Because I love these songs, I hope they were all Top 10s. But based on my high chart hopes for other songs I love from other albums, I'm gonna be realistic and say I hope they are all Top 20 songs, and I will be content if Wings Of Sound scores a 30 on the K-tel Scale. If it makes the Top 10 with a score higher than 32.65, I am buying every single one of you reading this a copy of the album itself to celebrate. We can all put it on and listen to it at the same time, all across the world! Cross your fingers!

WINGS OF SOUND [1980]		K-tel Scale:				30.97
		Billboard Top 40s
		Pop	R&B	Disco	AC	CB	WLS
Rock With You	Michael Jackson	1	1	2	21	1	38
Ladies Night	Kool & the Gang	8	1	5		4	8
Dreaming	Blondie	27				20	23
Cruel To Be Kind	Nick Lowe	12			36	12	15
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'	Journey	16				15	2
Gold	John Stewart	5			(42)	6	12
Lonesome Loser	Little River Band	6			15	7	6
This Is It	Kenny Loggins	11	19		17	8	6
Escape (The Pina Colada Song)	Rupert Holmes	1			8	1	2
Please Don't Go	KC & the Sunshine Band	1			27	3	5
Chiquitita	ABBA	29			15	36
Gotta Serve Somebody	Bob Dylan	24				37
Come To Me	France Joli	15	36	1	(47)	15	18
Driver's Seat	Sniff n the Tears	15				15	21
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough	Michael Jackson	1	1	2		1	7

Man oh man, we were this close to a global listening party! How was ABBA's Latin-tinged sing-along not a Top 10 hit? How was "Dreaming" not a Top 5 smash? Only three songs missed the Top 20, but less than half the songs in total cracked the Top 10, though there were four Number Ones on the Pop chart. Not much chart crossover except over on the AC chart, and even then, two of the songs missed the Top 40, and only one made the Top 10. Overall, Wings Of Sound is a huge disappointment on the K-Tel Scale, narrowly missing a score of 31.

For those of you who collect such formats, Wings Of Sound can also be found on cassette and 8-track tape, the latter of which features a rearranged tracklist to make more efficient use of the media. By balancing out the length of each of the four programs in an eight-track tape, a minimal length of tape can be used, and there will be a minimal amount of silence at the end of each program. Copies of the vinyl, cassette, and 8-track are easily had with the going rate around $2, though 8-track tapes seem to command a slight premium.

Pop music fans north of the border or near the border with Canada were treated to a sixteen-song version of Wings Of Sound that shared just five songs with its cousin from down south. I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say that the Canadian Wings Of Sound is nearly the equivalent joyful listen that its fifteen-track doppelganger is - it has sixteen tracks and still the only one I'd skip would be that same damn Dylan track, and now I feel like such a ninnie for making such a big deal about its inclusion. Instead of two Michael Jackson jams, we get two Cheap Trick rockers: the second At Budokan single "Ain't That A Shame" and the title track from Dream Police. There are also a few AC #1s and a dollop of disco deliciousness in the middle of Side Two. In fact, this one almost eclipsed its American counterpart on the K-Tel Scale. Check it:

WINGS OF SOUND [1980] CAN		K-tel Scale:				30.84
		Billboard Top 40s
		Pop	R&B	Disco	AC	CB	WLS
Lead Me On	Maxine Nightingale	5	37		1	5	11
Still	Commodores	1	1		6	1	5
You're Only Lonely	J.D. Souther	7			1	7	12
Hold On	Ian Gomm	18			10	25
You Take My Breath Away	Rex Smith	10			11	7	7
Gotta Serve Somebody	Bob Dylan	24				37
Just When I Needed You Most	Randy Vanwarmer	4			1	5	12
Please Don't Go	KC & the Sunshine Band	1			27	3	5
Escape (The Pina Colada Song)	Rupert Holmes	1			8	1	2
Ain't That A Shame [live]	Cheap Trick	35				35
Born To Be Alive	Patrick Hernandez	16		1		17
Ring My Bell	Anita Ward	1	1	1		1	1
Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now	McFadden & Whitehead	13	1	10		12	20
Cruel To Be Kind	Nick Lowe	12			36	12	15
Dream Police	Cheap Trick	26				27	8
This Is It	Kenny Loggins	11	19		17	8	6

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