Song Of The Day 9/9/2014: Steel Breeze - "Lost In the 80's"

Let's Go Sacramento!: And with this, dozens of '80s ladies barely hanging onto hazy memories of Dep Hair Gel and items of red leather just felt their tickers skip a click. Steel Breeze, actually named after a line in Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," was Sacramento's great hope for the pop charts of 1982. They were signed to RCA Victor with a surefire, sleek and, if you will, steely portion of hooks and articulation called "You Don't Want Me Anymore" chomping at the bit near the top of DJ promo stacks across the U.S.A.

The Sacramento Bee did articles about them. The pop-oriented rock stations played them to the hilt. Even the beards at classic rock KZAP gave them some attention, sensing a vague Journey vibe in their attack of synthesized brass, hyperactive lead guitar and contractual earnestness. Then there was the Steel Breeze debut album, delivered in sheaths of cobalt and pink, kind of looking like a map of the northernmost parts of Canada, but that's okay. Everyone in Sacramento was whipped into a tizzy over the commercial prospects of Steel Breeze during the age of Frogger, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and a still-likable Mel Gibson.

It turned out okay. Better than it has for many of us. "You Don't Want Me Anymore" hit #16 on the Billboard charts. The more power-pop single "Dreamin' Is Easy" snuck up to #30. Then they were bounced off RCA, went on their own, tried to get something going with a cover of the Grass Roots' "Temptation Eyes." Lead singers changed. Accommodations were more bring-your-own. But surprisingly, Steel Breeze is still around. Mainly they're a high-end touring cover band these days. Lots of mixed-use festivals and corporate events in their lives, but dammit, they're still doing it, and I'm sitting at home on a Saturday night just writing about it. They have a side project called "Flock of 80z," a name I love, so today's song seemed to fit the general sense of longing I tried to create. Hope it worked.