Huey Lewis and The News

Fore!

Huey Lewis & the News, one of the best from the 80's!

Review Score:

(10/10)
I first came across Huey Lewis & the News after listening to "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" on the hit movie "Back to the Future". After taking an immediate liking to their music, I knew I had to find their album. So I picked up "Huey Lewis & the News: Fore!" and I will never part with it! The 80's have certainly had a great number of music artists and bands, including one of my favorites, "The Bangles".

Originally was called "American Express", the band played at a Marin County bar. The members were Huey Lewis (main vocals, harmonica), Sean Hopper (keyboards, vocals), Mario Cipollina (bass), Johnny Colla (saxophone, guitar) and Bill Gibson (drums). In 1980, lead guitarist Chris Hayes was added to the group and the band was offered a contract by Chrsalis. When requested that the band change their name, that was when the members chose the name of "Huey Lewis & the News". Their debut album was recieved with little attention but it was their second album, "Picture This" in 1982 which began to get some notice with songs "Do You Believe in Love" (top 10 single) and minor hits "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do" and "Workin' for a Livin'".
Sports, the group's third album, was released in 1983 and became a multi-platinum success. "Heart and Soul" (number eight, 1983), "I Want a New Drug" (number six, 1984), "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (number six, 1984) and "If This Is It" (number six, 1984) all became Top Ten hits, and Sports climbed to number one in 1984. Later on it would eventually sell over seven million copies. Their first number one single was "The Power of Love" (1985) from the soundtrack of "Back to the Future".
Then came in 1986 their album Fore! which became number with five Top Ten singles "Stuck With You" (#1, 1986), "Hip to Be Square" (#3, 1986), "Jacob's Ladder" (#1, 1987), "I Know What I Like" (#9, 1987), and "Doing It All for My Baby" (#6, 1987). But after such a huge success, the band never really afterwards made any hits. Huey Lewis did appear in a few movies though, including very small parts ("Sphere"), uncredited parts ("Back to the Future"), and major roles ("Duets").

Here's my song by song review:
1) *JACOB'S LADDER* - A steady rock song, the beat is very cool, especially the bass. The lead guitar is something to listen to, too. (9/10 points)
2) *STUCK WITH YOU* - All together a pretty slow rock song, easy listening and great for slow dancing. I really like the background harmonized vocals! (9/10 points)
3) *WHOLE LOTTA LOVIN'* - Don't be a bit put off by the beginning, I assure the song picks up in a bit. Again some pretty nice background vocals and Huey Lewis can certainly play the harmonica! Groovin' music! (10/10 points)
4) *DOING IT ALL FOR MY BABY - Nice brass and keyboard work. A relatively slower song. ~doing it all for my baby!~ (8/10 points)
5) *HIP TO BE SQUARE* - Definitely my FAVORITE song on this album! Cool beginning to an incredibly cool, funky, hip, and groovy song! GREAT sax! I guarantee, you won't be able to stop from starting to dance! Didn't you know?... it's hip to be square! (10/10 points)
6) *I KNOW WHAT I LIKE* - Leaning towards heavy rock, I love the guitar work in this song. (9/10 points)
7) *I NEVER WALK ALONE* - Another of my favorite songs. The synthesizer is light and blends in great with the beat. The chorus is fun and the harmonizing is perfect! (10/10 points).
8) *POWER OF LOVE* - The hit song from the movie "Back to the Future", another of my favorites. ~that's the power of love!~ (10/10 points)
9) *FOREST FOR THE TREES* - A song for easy listening, the harmonizing is very pretty, the best part of the song. (10/10 points)
10) *NATURALLY* - A bit different from the rest of the songs on the album. I must admit the vocals are terrific, the effect is great since no instruments are used. But the song is just isn't my cup of tea. (7/10 points)
11) *SIMPLE AS THAT* - An ok song, very light with a minimum amount of instruments, some drums, guitar, and synthesizer are lightly played. (8/10 points)

So, if you're a fan of good 80's music, check out "Huey Lewis & the News". I guarantee you'll love them! "Huey Lewis & the News" have also made a few music videos including "Bad is Bad", "Hip to Be Square", and "Couple Days Off". The music video "Cruisin'" from the movie "Duet" is also great, with Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow doing a beautiful duet.

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