Northern Wish

7. Men Without Hats - Rhythm Of Youth
That’s right Rhythm Of Youth. Men. Without. Hats. Why? I’m not really sure at this point. I think when I actually received the original email from Bob Mersereau I was listening to this album. I grew up in the 80s, was in high school from 1983-1987 so I was pretty heavily influenced by New Wave. What is now retro is musical comfort food to me. Like Arias And Symphonies, The Hurting, Falling and Rio, Rhythm Of Youth was a pretty influential album to me back in my High School daze. I was and still am a big fan of Men Without Hats and I don’t really care what anyone has to say about it. This album is an amazing New Wave album. Not as good as Arias And Symphonies and if I was voting today I would probably have Falling or Radio Silence by Blue Peter here over this one but as I mentioned at the beginning of this 10 part entry, it was what I felt on January 27 2007. Every other day since them and proceeding it would have produced an entirely different list as it probably would for most people. It totally depends on your mood at the time.

Unlike Arias and Symphonies, Rhythm Of Youth sounds exactly of the time it was created. It is safely etched in 1983 and there ain’t no way it came from any other time. That doesn’t deminish it’s qualities, however, as it fully represents the New Wave sound. And while it does sound “dated” it is not in a way that many other albums of the time are “dated”. Some albums are dated and do not sound relevant as they age. I don’t think that is the case for this album. I’m sure many would disagree so I’ll just leave it there.

Ban The Game, Living In China, The Great Ones Remember, I Got The Message, Cocoricci (Le Tango Des Voleurs), The Safety Dance, Ideas For Walls, Things In My Life, I Like, The Great Ones Remember (Reprise). It is all great. My original tape also had Antarctica which made me feel special.

I suppose this is my guilty pleasure pick. It makes me happy when I listen to it and it takes me back to my youth. I guess it is the Rhythm Of my Youth in some ways.

Here is the video for Safety Dance. Maybe you have heard the song before.

And here is I Like.

And here is a live version of I Got The Message

Rhythm Of Youth did not chart in Bob Mersereau’s book The Top 100 Canadian Albums. I guess I can’t really argue with that, but I don’t feel guilty voting for it either.