Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Robert Palmer would have celebrated birthday #75 this year. Born January 19, 1949 in England, the incredibly gifted soul singer who oozed suave sophistication and elegance in his bespoke suits, honed his craft listening to blues, jazz and soul music while living in Malta during his father’s service in the British Naval Intelligence Division.

After his tenure in the jazz-rock fusion band, Dada, Palmer was signed as a solo act for Island Records in 1974. His early hits included 1979’s “Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” and 1980’s “Looking For Clues”. In 1984 he joined forces with drummer Tony Thompson of Chic, guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist John Taylor-the brothers from Duran Duran-to form the supergroup, The Power Station. The quartet’s self-titled debut album was released nearly 40 years ago in March 1985 and peaked at #6 a month later on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.

That record set the stage for Palmer’s solo breakthrough with his album, Riptide, released in November 1985. It peaked at #8 on the US Billboard 200 chart in May 1986, the same month he hit #1 with “Addicted To Love” (also made memorable thanks to its striking video featuring an all girl rock band). He also had a #2 hit with “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On” in November of the same year. In June 1988 he released the album, Heavy Nova, which produced another #2 hit with “Simply Irresistible” in September 1988. Palmer died of a heart attack in September 2003 at the very young age of 54.

Top: The Power Station circa 1985 (L-R): Tony Thompson, John Taylor, Robert Palmer and Andy Taylor. Middle: Palmer & his all girl band from the “Addicted To Love” video. Bottom: Palmer circa 1990. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

On August 12, 1964 The Beatles first movie was released in the United States. “A Hard Day’s Night”, which opened in the U.K. a month earlier, introduced us to more of their incredible music, capitalized on their enormous popularity and showcased the comedic side to The Fab Four. And it was hilarious.

The U.K. soundtrack album was released at the same time the movie opened there, but the U.S. soundtrack was released in June 1964. It featured a different cover picture and several different song selections than the U.K. version, most notably instrumental versions of “I Should Have Known Better”, “And I Love Her”, “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy)” and the title track.

Top: The U.S. soundtrack album for the movie along with the UK version (middle). Bottom: The movie poster. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Robert Palmer: “Every Kind Of People” (1978, written by Andy Fraser).

The Power Station: “Some Like It Hot” (1985, written by Robert Palmer, Andy Taylor and John Taylor).

The Beatles: “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

Stay safe & well.