Special Sub-Topic: Cryptic 70s and 80s Bands Click Here To Play: Cryptic 70s and 80s Bands

A 21st century lady’s man.

Player. Probably recognized by their only number one hit from 1978 “Baby Come Back”, Player was formed in 1977. The original members were Peter Beckett, J.C. Crowley and Ronn Moss. They were signed to the RSO label shortly after adding John Friesen to their lineup. “Baby Come Back” from the band’s not-so-originally titled album “Player” was at the top of the charts for the weeks of January 14, 21 and 28, 1978.

A bird’s appendages.

Wings. Another permutation of Paul McCartney’s semi-solo career, Wings scored a number one with “With a Little Luck” on May 20, 1978, where it remained for the following week. The album “London Town” would be the last for this particular nomenclature. Forming in 1971 after Paul’s second solo album “Ram”, Wings would release eight albums before changing its name again to Paul McCartney and Wings. Denny Laine (formerly of the Moody Blues), Denny Siewell and Henry McCullough, along with Paul and Linda McCartney made Wings complete.

An epicurean sampling of a bee’s handy-work.

A Taste of Honey. Best known for their disco hit “Boogie, Oogie, Oogie” which topped the charts for three weeks in September of 1978, A Taste of Honey also had a number four charting hit with a remake of Kyu Sakamoto’s chart topper from 1963 “Sukiyaki”. Janice Marie Johnson and Perry Kimble decided to start a band in LA in 1971. Later, Hazel Payne joined them along with Fonce and Larry Mizell. The band soon signed with Capitol Records and their first album “A Taste of Honey” went to number six on the Pop Album Chart.

A staff or pole, and Jimmy, star of “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

Rod Stewart. Rod Stewart had been part of such notable bands as the Jeff Beck Group and the Small Faces (who later changed their name to the Faces) before launching his solo career.

Georgia’s state fruits with a sprinkling of parsley or oregano.

Peaches and Herb. Francine “Peaches” Hurd Baker and Herb Feemster united quite by accident when producer Van McCoy, while separately recording the Sweet Things (Peaches’ band) and Herb Fame (the stage name used by Herb Feemster as a solo artist), put the two together to use up some spare time in the recording studio. While having several top ten hits on the Black Singles and Pop Singles charts, the duo is best remembered for their chart topper “Reunited” which became their first and only number one.

Something you’ve got really got the hang of.

The Knack. In 1978 Doug Fieger, Burton Averre, Prescott Niles and Bruce Gary joined to form The Knack. In 1979 the band had their first charting hit “Good Girls Don’t” that peaked at number 11. Later that same year their biggest hit “My Sharona” came along climbing all the way to number one. Thanks to the movie “Reality Bites”, it’s hard to walk through a 7-11 without the easily recognizable “My Sharona” coming to mind.

What your scuba tank gives you.

Air Supply. With at least eight top ten hits to their name, Air Supply, Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell have had a fair share of radio air time. The two founding members of the group met while performing in “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Sydney, Australia.

An organization of several groups of Homo Sapiens.

Human League. When Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh joined forces in Sheffield, England in 1977 Human League was “born”. With three top 40 titles to their name, the band is probably best known for their only chart topper “Don’t You Want Me” which reached the top in 1982.

A reality series hosted by Jeff Probst.

Survivor. Survivor was formed by Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik, former lead singer of Ides of March whose song “Vehicle” made it to number two in 1970. The duo then recruited Dave Bickler. After recording their first album they added Stephen Ellis and Marc Doubray to their lineup. “Eye of the Tiger” is probably the groups best known hit rising up the charts to number one in 1982 and also winning a Grammy for Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Their song “The Moment of Truth” was featured in the movie “Karate Kid” and, as we all know “Eye of the Tiger” was the theme for the “Rocky” movies.

A sign you are likely to see on the side of the road while it is under construction.

Men at Work. Men at Work’s debut album “Business as Usual” skyrocketed to the top of the charts and had the distinction, at the time, for the most weeks a debut album spent at the top, 15 weeks. Of the five albums the band produced, two made it to the top five and they even won a Grammy for Best New Artist. The band had five Top 40 hits with “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now?” rising to number one. Band and artist information taken from http://www.allmusic.com