Classic Compilation – Exposed: A Cheap Peek At Today’s Provocative New Rock (1981)

When you see the word “Exposed,” large, and brightly colored, while flipping through used vinyl, it’s an attention grabber. What exactly is about to be exposed here, and for that matter, what’s the “provocative new rock” the title also boasts about?

The answer to those questions lies in the 22 tracks of this double LP that was created by CBS Records in 1981 as a way to push 11 of the artists on their roster.

The hope, on CBS’s part, was that listeners would pick the compilation for the reduced price of just $2.98, and wind up inspired to then buy the full length albums of some of the artists.

Every artist on Exposed was given equal play – two songs each – and the lineup was jam packed with notable names, and voices (you can find the full track listing here).

I’ve chosen eight of my favorite songs to highlight.

Loverboy – The Kid is Hot Tonight

Exposed starts out with a bang with this pre “Working for the Weekend” Loverboy song off the band’s self-titled debut album. Even though the decade was just beginning, “The Kid is Hot Tonight” is pure ‘80s rock.

As a very random aside, the chorus – “The kid is hot tonight, so hot tonight, but where will he be tomorrow” – immediately makes me think of my beloved Mets bullpen.

Ellen Foley – Phases of Travel

You know Ellen Foley’s voice, because she’s Meat Loaf’s female counterpart on the classic “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” You may not recognize her face, however, because she wasn’t in the video. Karla DeVito was hired to lip sync Foley’s part.

“Phases of Travel,” off Foley’s second studio album, Spirit of St. Louis, shows off her fantastic vocals, and the backing band is pretty good, too, perhaps you’ve heard of them, they went by the name The Clash. Yeah, THAT Clash. Foley was dating Mick Jones at the time, and the band recorded with Foley at the same time they were recording their Sandinista! album.

It doesn’t get much better than that!

Adam and the Ants – Killer in the Home

Before he went solo as Adam Ant, there was Adam and the Ants, and “Killer in the Home” is an absolute gem from that era. It was never released as a single, but it should’ve been, because it’s fantastic. Instead, it’s left for us to discover as a deep album cut, or on a compilation album like this one.

Roseanne Cash – Baby, Better Start Turnin’ Em Down

Proving sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Roseanne Cash sounds fantastic on this cover of “Baby, Better Start Turnin’ Em Down.” Toeing the line between country and pop well before Taylor Swift was born, Cash had some serious crossover appeal here.

The Romantics – 21 and Over

“21 and Over” is about the perils of growing up, but the music makes you want to dance around like you’re young again.

A high energy tune that features a ska / reggae influence, there’s also a little surf guitar thrown in for good measure. Basically, everything about “21 and Over” compels you to move.

The Romantics were already a known commodity at this point thanks to their 1979 hit “What I Like About You,” although they were still a few years away from “Talking in Your Sleep” putting them back into heavy rotation on Top 40 radio. Perhaps “21 and Over” wasn’t a radio tune, but it’s still a damned good song worth discovering.

Judas Priest – Breaking The Law

If you are of a certain age the only thing you can think of when you hear Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law” is Beavis and Butt-Head singing Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law,” and I am of that certain age. You know what?

The dynamic duo were right, it’s a great f*cking song!

Sorrows – Christabelle

Based on the two songs of theirs featured on Exposed, Sorrows is a band that deserved a better fate. The NYC-based pop band had two albums released in their heyday, and while they didn’t produce any hits, songs like “Christabelle” show there was some damned good music in their repertoire.

Their third album finally saw the light of day just last year after being shelved for over four decades!

Sorrows is a band you discover on a compilation like this, and start digging into, because you need to know more.

The Boomtown Rats – Keep It Up

You remember how at the beginning of this review I asked what was being exposed on Exposed, and what is this “provocative new rock”?

Well, there’s a chance The Boomtown Rats’ “Keep It Up” may be about sex.

It’s also as catchy as it is unsubtle, making it a heck of a tune.

One thing I’ll definitely keep doing is dropping the needle on Exposed, which is a heck of a compilation with zero skips.