WINGS OF SOUND [1980]

In many ways, Wings Of Sound (1980) is a typical K-Tel album.  It probably came out early in 1980 depsite it's 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 performed song graced a K-tel album.  Quite a coup for the fellas on K-Tel Drive in Minnetonka.  Dylan was originally from Minnesota so maybe someone worked that angle.  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 quite possibly most definitely my all-time favorite Blondie track and it kicks off my favorite Blondie album.  "Gold" and "Driver's Seats" are road trip warriors appearing on many mixtapes, CD mixes and playlist 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
PopR&BDiscoACCBWLS
Rock With YouMichael Jackson11221138
Ladies NightKool & the Gang81548
DreamingBlondie272023
Cruel To Be KindNick Lowe12361215
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'Journey16152
GoldJohn Stewart5(42)612
Lonesome LoserLittle River Band61576
This Is ItKenny Loggins11191786
Escape (The Pina Colada Song)Rupert Holmes1812
Please Don't GoKC & the Sunshine Band12735
ChiquititaABBA291536
Gotta Serve SomebodyBob Dylan2437
Come To MeFrance Joli15361(47)1518
Driver's SeatSniff n the Tears151521
Don't Stop Til You Get EnoughMichael Jackson11217

Man oh man, we were this close to a global listening party!  How was ABBA's Latin-tinged sing-a-long 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 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's also a few AC #1s and a dollop of disco deliciousness in the middle of Side Two.  In fact, this one almost eclipsed it's American counterpart on the K-Tel Scale.  Check it:

WINGS OF SOUND [1980] CAN
K-tel Scale:
30.84
Billboard Top 40s
PopR&BDiscoACCBWLS
Lead Me OnMaxine Nightingale5371511
StillCommodores11615
You're Only LonelyJ.D. Souther71712
Hold OnIan Gomm181025
You Take My Breath AwayRex Smith101177
Gotta Serve SomebodyBob Dylan2437
Just When I Needed You MostRandy Vanwarmer41512
Please Don't GoKC & the Sunshine Band12735
Escape (The Pina Colada Song)Rupert Holmes1812
Ain't That A Shame [live]Cheap Trick3535
Born To Be AlivePatrick Hernandez16117
Ring My BellAnita Ward11111
Ain't No Stoppin' Us NowMcFadden & Whitehead131101220
Cruel To Be KindNick Lowe12361215
Dream PoliceCheap Trick26278
This Is ItKenny Loggins11191786

In addition to my Spotify recreation above, I had lined up three ways for you guys to listen to the original Wings Of Sound, direct from vintage vinyl, but The Man has since silenced the first one, which is still presented here as tribute to the work of Brandon Hixson, who ripped and posted his copy of the album in October 2014.  Clicking on the YouTube player below will get you fifty-four minutes and fifty seconds of copyright enforced silence.  But you can always check out the other two Mixcloud links: click on Show N K-tel to hear Adrian Qitana play a super clean copy of the album "from the top of the A side to the bottom of the B side" with a minimum of interruptions or click on Vinyl Voyage Radio to hear Bruce Janu play a scratchy copy of the album and share all sorts of music and movie trivia.  The fourth option below is a 27 song CAN-AM Spotify playlist that combines the tracklists of the U.S. and Canadian versions of Wings Of Sound.










Join us next time as we feature Rock 80:

2 comments:

  1. Ah, memories of this vinyl release. Had it, loved it! Save me from buying a number of 45's instead. Good stuff, K-Tel, good stuff.

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  2. I had this one too. I was only 9 when it came out but I listened to it over and over and even "choreographed" a couple dances to "Rock With You" and "Escape." Hilarious. Still great songs. I was looking for the track list so I could add these to my Favorite 70's songs playlist. Thanks for the lovely post and information about it.

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