TBone 2020- Huey Lewis & The News: Fore(1986)

Welcome Folk’s to another installment of Tbone 2020 where I examine my good Pal Tbone on some of his music purchases in the 1980s as the question has to be asked Why? or at times What!!

Huey Lewis in the mid-80s was big News! Even big news in our neighborhood. Everyone had Huey’s previous album Sports(1983) well almost every one as I didn’t but Tbone ever the slider at times would try and sneak some releases in his 200 Cassette tape holder.

I would occasionally take a look-see to see what Tbone had come across in his solo travels.  Sports was in the pile of alphabetical tapes and that was a decent pick as Huey had that goofy I Want A New Drug which was quirky cool.

So in 1986 Huey makes some more News and releases ‘Fore’ which for the cool title Tbone took up golfing around that time so maybe that was a connection. Maybe and I hope I’m wrong here but maybe he dug that track Doing It All For My Baby that was all over MuchMusic at the time.

Huey knew the fine art of commercial catchy rock so between Doing It All For My Baby and Stuck On You both had that sappy go happy catchy chorus that is one of those things that sticks in the noggin for hours on end.

Holy Cow Batman send out the Bat-Signal. Tbone loves the sappy hook!

Could it be Tbone was falling into the trap that Huey had set for him in regards to bending his ear into this swamp of goo?

Maybe, but Tbone always loved a good single. If you recall from my Lick It Up review Tbone got onboard with KISS with the title track and without prodding him Tbone bought the followup Animalize with Heavens on Fire.  “Feel My Heat…”

Y’all get the drift right?

Kinda funny as when Tbone went off on his own without me to the record shops and buy this stuff. Maybe he felt pressured as I would have chirped him about said purchase. Perhaps Tbone was wanting to expand his listening sonics without me.

Fair Game. Tbone testing the waters.

So as I sit here in early 2020 thanks to Youtube I listened to Fore, 34 years after its initial release. As I listened to it I was reading a bunch of links and reviews of this album.

The one thing that stands out is the out of the 10 tracks 4  are tunes written by outside writers which if The News were a metal band back in 86 they would have got roasted by the Metal Masses for so many song doctors yet Huey and The News got away with it.

Not even on this album but if you look at the previous album Sports as well. Out of the 9 tracks, 4 are songs by outside writers as well. (for the record I picked up Sports on Vinyl a few years back for $4. It’s a decent spin than again 60-70% of the songs Sports were singles. (that were all over radio/video)

The opening track on Fore, Jacobs Ladder is a great track actually as it builds from the verses into the chorus which is the money shot. This is the best song on the album. Ok, Hip To Be Square I liked as it was quirky and these guys were a little quirky.

Course you had the two biggie tracks (Doing It All For My Baby and Stuck On You) ok 3 big tracks as Hip To Be Square was massive as well. The rest of the album is decent. it’s not bad it sounds like 1986 to my years like a Mutt Lange crisp n clear production but it’s not touched by Mutt but by Huey and the News as I guess they knew what Fore needed to sound like.

The rest of Fore is half-filled with mid-tempo rock. There’s no cocaine infused power rock here whatsoever but a mish-mash of tunes and they even do an acapella tune (Naturally) which is kinda cool.

Overall in 2020, not a bad listen. Maybe Tbone should have spoken up about Fore back in 1986 but maybe, well, let’s think about this for a second.

Fore came out in August of 1986. Y&T released Down For The Count in November 1986. We all know the fallout from Y&T right? If not don’t worry that one will be reexamined in its entirety at a later date.

So perhaps Tbone was keeping a lid on things as he even knew that deep down these were out of the box purchases. Whatever his reasoning It sure is fun to kick the tires on this now in 2020.

Come to think of it Tbone has never mentioned this album at all. Maybe he will now. Come out of his self imposed Huey Exile. Heck with guys like Tbone snapping up Fore, this album went 5 times Platinum in Canada alone!

Huey Tbone and The News.

dEke’s Score of Fore in 2020- 5/10- Huey I get it now in 2020 as it was about hits. So good on him keeping that money machine pushing forward. I could listen to this album again sure, but to own it maybe if I score Fore at a decent price. ($4)

dEke’s Score of Fore in 1986 -4/10. Would have been a 5 but Tbone kept this one buried in his tapes and hidden so I docked a point.

 

 

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