A deep dive into 1991 Pro Set SuperStars MusiCards and the music that shaped my life.
Monday, April 10, 2023
#63 Huey Lewis (and The News)
Huey Lewis (#63) seems to be one of the more popular cards in the overproduced 1st series of 1991 Pro Set MusiCards. Like, you could legitimately argue it's a key card in the set. If you open a random pack of MusiCards and get one, it's a good pull. (--Not that it's worth more than a few cents, of course!)
Odd that they kept it as a solo subject rather than make it a card of Huey Lewis & The News despite bits of them in the background of the photo. This same card is reprised in the UK edition of the set, though there the logo box is moved to the lower right corner, revealing more of the News.
Huey's reign as a top rock star of the day didn't really stretch into the 90s, but back in the mid 80s? You couldn't avoid the guy if you tried. The back gives you a big-picture overview of his band's accomplishments and mentions he's from the Bay Area.
I like the hits of Huey Lewis and the News as much as the next guy, though he was just a bit before my time, with me not really "getting into music" until the late 80s when he was yesterday's news, as it were.
My favorite song of his/theirs would probably be "The Power of Love", which is not only a sleek slab of toe-tapping pop rock & roll, but also has the association with Back to the Future further bolstering its pop culture status and nostalgic foothold with people around my age.
Last I heard, Huey is semi-retired and losing his hearing from decades of rocking out. Wishing him the best.
I might as well right a wrong and use this opportunity to design a MusiCard-that-never-was that squeezes in more of the neglected News.
Pop off in the comments if you've got anything to say about Huey Lewis and/or the News. If you're a fan, any hidden gem deep cuts you'd recommend giving a listen?
Next up is a band I'm not familiar with, but the post will have a big Custom Corner to make up for it. Stay tuned.
You couldn't avoid Huey & The News in 1984, it was one song after another and MTV played the videos constantly. I liked them enough but there were a few songs just too bland for me. ... My brother, I think, had Sports, but I never bought an album of theirs so I don't know any deep cuts.
Yeah, to me Huey Lewis rarely rises above "pleasant". He does have good taste in cover versions ("Buzz Buzz Buzz", "It's All Right") but the originals are better. I guess "Bad Is Bad" is pretty good.
I'm not the biggest Huey Lewis and the News fan... but I really like Do You Believe in Love. If This Is It and Jacob's Ladder are distant 2nd and 3rd favorites... but they're so far down I don't even have them on any active playlist.
Sports was one of the few current albums that my household owned back when I was a young kid, and we had just got cable TV for the first time in 1984 so they instantly became one of my favorites. Every time one of their videos came on, I was on another planet. Of course, I already started to lose interest by the time their next album came out (middle school, sheesh.) Part of me does wish I had seen them live at some point as an adult, but there's always YouTube if I want to go down that rabbit hole.
I liked Huey Lewis then and now. One of my favorite songs is Walking on a Thin Line. I saw them in concert at Memorial Coliseum years ago, was 84 or 85. Huey, the News and the Tower of Power horns. Really good show.
I've never owned in of their music, but I've enjoyed most of the Huey songs that I've heard over the years, and certainly won't change the station if one comes on. And for what it's worth, I am of the opinion that your custom is far superior to the original :)
Weird Al's parody "I want a new Duck" is so much better than the original. As is usually the case, actually.
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't avoid Huey & The News in 1984, it was one song after another and MTV played the videos constantly. I liked them enough but there were a few songs just too bland for me. ... My brother, I think, had Sports, but I never bought an album of theirs so I don't know any deep cuts.
ReplyDeleteYeah, to me Huey Lewis rarely rises above "pleasant". He does have good taste in cover versions ("Buzz Buzz Buzz", "It's All Right") but the originals are better. I guess "Bad Is Bad" is pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the biggest Huey Lewis and the News fan... but I really like Do You Believe in Love. If This Is It and Jacob's Ladder are distant 2nd and 3rd favorites... but they're so far down I don't even have them on any active playlist.
ReplyDeleteSweet custom!
DeleteSports was one of the few current albums that my household owned back when I was a young kid, and we had just got cable TV for the first time in 1984 so they instantly became one of my favorites. Every time one of their videos came on, I was on another planet. Of course, I already started to lose interest by the time their next album came out (middle school, sheesh.) Part of me does wish I had seen them live at some point as an adult, but there's always YouTube if I want to go down that rabbit hole.
ReplyDeleteI liked Huey Lewis then and now. One of my favorite songs is Walking on a Thin Line. I saw them in concert at Memorial Coliseum years ago, was 84 or 85. Huey, the News and the Tower of Power horns. Really good show.
ReplyDeleteI liked their music back in the day, but wouldn't consider myself a fan. That being said, I do own "Sports" on vinyl.
ReplyDeleteI've never owned in of their music, but I've enjoyed most of the Huey songs that I've heard over the years, and certainly won't change the station if one comes on. And for what it's worth, I am of the opinion that your custom is far superior to the original :)
ReplyDelete