Let’s dive right in, shall we?

First, I have an e-mail from a very reliable source (try Pete Byrne, the co-founder and lead singer!) that Naked Eyes are touring the U.S.! Check out the dates at the official Naked Eyes website. I know I’ll be at the August 27th show in Anaheim for sure, since they’re sharing the bill with none other than ABC! Anyone care to make it an L.A. area “Lost in the ‘80s” outing?

E-mail #2:
Remember my plaintive plea for Billy Rankin’s “Baby Come Back?” Well, good and faithful reader Victor C. not only answered my call, but answered it twice, after all my recent files were lost in a horrific hard drive failure a month or so ago. Back up your files, people…I used to think it was a myth, much like the unicorn or a good Mariah Carey song. If not for a recently purchased external hard drive, I would have been in fucked up city, population me. Victor, you rock.

E-mail #3:
My Southern California Edison electric bill is ready for viewing.

E-mail #4:
Confidential to SPB – thanks again for the kind words! They hold weight coming from your background. Now fling a couple assignments this way.

E-mail #5:
Rami B. writes –
I just wanted to say thank you for your work at "Lost In the 80's". I've really enjoyed the lost gems that you've managed to pull out of obscurity. Your website is always a good read and a great nostalgic listen to these ears.

Hey, I wanted to know if you have or remember the song "Modern Day Delilah" by a band called Van Stephenson in 1983 maybe? I think it charted in the Billboard's top 100 and for some reason I can't get the memory of it out of my head.

Also, in the 80's I was a big fan of breakdancing music. Nowadays you hardly see or hear a reference to the magic of this genre and I was wondering if you would mind posting a few classics.

Oh, Rami. I sure do remember “Modern Day Delilah”. How can I not, since MTV played it nearly every hour on the friggin’ hour back in the day? God, I hated that song. But with some distance, I kinda dig it now! Did you know Van went on to join country combo Blackhawk? You do now. Unfortunately, Van was later diagnosed with skin cancer and passed away in 2001. But hey, here’s the wacky video! Camp, camp, camp!

And I hear ya about breakin' and early hip-hop. That's an area that's been sorely unrepresented here thus far, but stayed tuned...that'll be addressed in the next few weeks.

Download “Baby Come Back” by Billy Rankin.
Download “Modern Day Delilah” by Van Stephenson.

”Baby Come Back” peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.
“Modern Day Delilah” peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year.