The 1981 Listening Post - Greg Kihn Band - RocKihnRoll

Greg Kihn Band - RocKihnRoll 

#289

By Brian San Marco

Greg Kihn Band

RocKihnRoll

Genre: Boy-band Pop Rock before it was a thing that sounded like a different thing

Allen’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Brian’s Rating: 3 out of 5

Highlights: 

Valerie

The Breakup Song

Womankind

Greg Kihn writes some songs that I like .  Ah ah a ah ah a ah ah ah

He also writes some that I don’t.  Ah ah a ah ah a ah ah ah

It all seems pretty ordinary to me, but it’s not.  It’s extraordinary.  In the era of the male pop-rock star, Greg Kihn is like the science geek who decided he could out-perform the studs: Rick Springfield, Billy Squier, and Bryan Adams to name a few.  These guys did it well, but Greg writes ALL his songs, with his band.  He is like the Joe Jackson of the Joe Jackson era.  Unfortunately for Greg, we have Joe Jackson and maybe Joe does it a little better? I can’t tell.  Maybe teenie-boppers had Greg posters on their walls next to Rick.  I don’t know. Probably not.  Dah Dah.  They just don’t write them like this anymore.

He finally achieves status with “The Break Up Song”, but then his nerd sensibilities poke through on songs like “Womankind”.  That word itself isn’t a word you use when you don’t want a second date.  But still, most of the tracks are at least a little catchy if not over simple relying on the words and melody, which can be quite trite at times. Ah ah a ah ah a ah ah ah

I’d definitely listen to this at a party that takes place at Ridgemont High while wishing I had Jesse’s Girl. Ah ah a ah ah a ah ah ah

https://open.spotify.com/album/3kTUIz5PEmQzn5WA1NGRoF?si=jKN_QCX6SPuN3KTV0NB01Q