Sports (Remastered / Expanded)

• Fore

Cheers.

Huey Lewis rode the 80's wave with a throwback sound all their own, much like Brian Setzer and his Stray Cats. Sports is a toe-tappin, sing along album that can be listened the whole way through without touching the FF>> button. Rock on Huey.

My question is, how could you not enjoy this anthem-like, arena-ready album? It's got something for everybody, whether you're a sports fan or not. Most of the album is highly pop, but there's just enough of a rock edge to give the album some genuine flair. Each song is meticulously crafted and extremely catchy. In fact, "Sports" by Huey and the gang is so incredibly song-driven, you almost hope for a mistake somewhere along the way. I disagree strongly with the added live tracks and session tracks that have been tacked on to the latest remastered version of this album, since it takes away from the '80s classicism one originally heard: just 8 quick songs and that was it. Of course, nowadays record companies must include all sorts of bells and whistles to get people buying, but back in the '80s, man, all we needed were the tunes!

Well, what else can I say? Huey writes surprisingly in-depth lyrics that speak to everybody. And, Huey's band is known for liking the blues, as is evident on the eighth and final track (or at least it was the final track until Huey's record company messed with the album). At any rate, "Sports" by Huey is a sure-fire hole-in-one. No doubt about it, Huey and the boys racked up a spectacular touchdown with this record, scored a 3-point bucket with mere seconds left on the clock, ran back a 85-yard touchback to tie the game, pitched a no-hitter, won the match in straight sets, ran the 400-meter race in record time...

I think almost every song was either a hit or on the radio. "Heart of Rock & Roll" is a catchy, slightly R&B based upbeat rocker, talking about different cities and how rock and roll is still around. Strangely enough, this sentiment may have been ahead of its time. The keyboard fused, somewhat heavy arena rock of "Heart and Soul" and "I Want A New Drug" were some of Huey's slightly harder-rocking songs that don't get quite as much airplay now. They're probably too hard for MOR stations and too pop for modern AOR. "Bad Is Bad" is a more driving bluesy song with a steady beat and humorous lyrics. The biggest hit, however, which is still very famous is the mid tempo, slightly power ballad themed "If This Is It". This song has a fun, summertime feeling to it, but maybe it's just because the video is stuck in my head.

As for the other songs, they could have easily been big too. "Walking On A Thin Line" is a lighter, yet edgy melodic rocker with a tiny bit of a seriousness, about Vietnam Vets. "Finally Found A Home" is a harder, AOR sounding song. I love the lyrics talking about growing up and going to school, and being in a band. I thought this would be the perfect song for Marty to sing at the dance. He & Doc could've jammed on it at his lab, before he blew up the amp! "You Crack Me Up" is probably the fastest rocker here, telling of a girl who won't grow up. My least favorite is the cover of "Honky Tonk Blues" which although is still a nice little sing along tune, it just sounds a little out of place.

Even if these songs aren't as cool today as in 1983, I think one reason it's survived is that it's not all techno keyboard laced New Wave or anything else so reminiscent of the time period. Even though it has some traces of the time, it's just simple rock music that could probably be hits today with a different artist (maybe Nine Days, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, etc). I know people who don't even listen to 80s music who like this.

• Styles > Pop
• Styles > Classic Rock
• Styles > Rock

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