Prodigy, "Firestarter"

From 1996, here's Prodigy with "Firestarter."

Enjoy!

Top 20 Albums Of 1983 (Nos. 1-5)

For this week's Ranked!, we compiled our twenty favorite albums released in 1983. Did we get it right? Let us know in the comments!

Here are numbers 1-5:

5. David Bowie, Let's Dance

It's only recently that I discovered there is a lot of loathing of this album among David Bowie fans. We have friends who regularly play Rock Band with us that cringe whenever I choose "Let's Dance" or "Modern Love." Personally, I don't get it. David Bowie's '80s work was different than some of his older stuff--say, "Ziggy Stardust" or "Space Oddity" or "Starman"--all of which are awesome--but I think the songs from Let's Dance stand up well when compared to his earlier work. Let's Dance made me a David Bowie fan and, in spite of the fact that my Bowie tastes are much broader today than they were in 1983, I'm still a big fan of the album.--Dave

Top 20 Albums Of 1983 (Nos. 6-10)

For this week's Ranked!, we compiled our twenty favorite albums released in 1983. Did we get it right? Let us know in the comments!

Here are numbers 6-10:

10. ZZ Top, Eliminator

Without question, the hottest car on the road in 1983 was made 50 years earlier. The iconic 1933 Ford Coupe that graced the cover of Eliminator and served as a chariot for hot women on MTV was easily the coolest thing on wheels and no keychain was complete without a shiny "ZZ" hanging from it. You wouldn't think three dude with Rip Van Winkle beards would become music video celebrities, but you cannot discount the awesome hat trick of "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs." Although those are the songs most people remember best, the rest of the album is all killer and no filler, packed to the brim with stunning Texas boogie like "Dirty Dog," "I Got the Six," and my personal favorite, "You Got Me Under Pressure." I'd still hop in that Ford Coupe if it pulled up in front of my house without hesitation. Wherever it's going is someplace I'd want to be.--CroutonBoy

Top 20 Albums Of 1983 (Nos. 11-15)

For this week's Ranked!, we compiled our twenty favorite albums released in 1983. Did we get it right? Let us know in the comments!

Here are numbers 11-15:

15. U2, War

I resisted U2 for a long time. I never really listened to them when they were college radio stations, and dismissed them as obnoxious posers even after The Joshua Tree made them the Biggest Band In The World. Once I got over myself and started re-examining their music, I found myself drawn to War over and over again as one of the most compelling albums of the decade. This was the album that I think really defined their politics and their sound, kicking off with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and really never slowing down until the majestic closer "40." Both "New Year's Day" and "Two Hearts Beat As One" are iconic, with The Edge's propulsive guitar work setting the pace while Bono offers his trademark wail as a call to arms. It can be a little heavy at times--I can't always tell if "The Refugee" is brilliant or silly, although I love it either way--but I think it's their best work, standing at the pivot point when they first refined and defined their sound and before they swelled into superstars.--CroutonBoy

Top 20 Albums Of 1983 (Nos. 16-20)

For this week's Ranked!, we compiled our twenty favorite albums released in 1983. Did we get it right? Let us know in the comments!

Here are numbers 16-20:

20. Talking Heads, Speaking In Tongues

Let's skip the formalities: this is one of the most influential albums of all time. If you don't own it, your Music 101 education is woefully incomplete and full of holes. Go right that wrong this instant. You can't speak of the year in music without mentioning Speaking In Tongues. It has all the requisite quirky fun that you need and have come to expect from David Byrne and company and all the beautifully written classics that we all now know by heart.--Dufmanno

First Look/Listen: The Darkness, "Everybody Have A Good Time"

This is awesome on so many levels!

First Listen: Muse, "Survival"

Ladies and gentlemen, the official song (theme?) of the London 2012 Olympics! I know we'll all be sick of this song in a few months but for right now...

Damn! How awesome is this?

Tommy Tutone, "867-5309/Jenny"

From 1981, here's Tommy Tutone with "867-5309/Jenny."

Enjoy!

Talking Bigfoot With Danny Bonaduce And Barry Williams

Does anyone ever get tired of Bigfoot? No, and you know why? Because Bigfoot is awesome! And you know what's even more awesome than Bigfoot all on his own? It's Danny Bonaduce (Danny) from The Partridge Family and Barry Williams (Greg) from The Brady Bunch facing off as rivals over Bigfoot! Are you freaking kidding me?! The Syfy Saturday Original Movie about a Bigfoot encounter gone mad premieres this Saturday June 30th at 9 PM. On top of that, Bigfoot also features Bruce Davison, Howard Hesseman, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Sherilyn Fenn, and Andre Royo and that cast alone should have you watching Saturday night.

But let's get real here: we're watching it for Danny and Greg.

I got a chance to sit in on a conference call with Danny Bonaduce and Barry Williams on Tuesday. Despite the movie plot's rivalry, the two had an obvious camaraderie and were extremely funny to boot. They discussed the other cast members, how doing the monster movie was both fun and grueling, and the sudden unexpected snow storm that appeared in the middle of shooting. As you can imagine this movie's premise is a popular one and there was a long queue to ask them questions, but I managed to squeeze in one from us here at Culture Brats:

Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favorite scene or activity that you worked on for this film?
Barry Williams: Top of Mount Rushmore with Danny's character taking a fall and I'm trying to, well I'm just holding... He's dangling over the edge and I'm just holding on and he's holding on to my arm. That was the highlight of the filming.

Danny Bonaduce: I gotta go with me and... oh man, I'm forgetting the guy's name at the moment. Do you remember the name of the guy that played the hunter, Barry? He's in a bunch of stuff. I think his name is Bubbles in a series he was on? Anyway, I was driving with him, I'm on the back of a very high-powered ATV, and we're going to ride out about the distance of two football [fields], turn right and then come around and head straight for the camera. So it's about a, I don't know, a five hundred yard dash. And right before we're about to do it both the general manager, the actor - whose name is going to come to me as soon I'm done with this, sorry about this - and Bruce the director say, "You just tell him where the camera is. You just find the camera for him." Now "find the camera" is an acting expression. Say I'm talking to Barry Williams and I'm at 6:00 o'clock and he's at 12:00 o'clock and the camera is also behind him at 12:00. I gotta lean over, I gotta find the sunlight. "Find the sunlight" is another expression, "find the camera." So he says, "You gotta help this guy find the camera." [Laughs] So I'm doing it but I can't figure out why I'm doing it because he's in the front of the ATV driving really fast; he can see everything I can see. So I'm going, "A little more to the right, a little more to the left. OK, now straight ahead, gun it!" and we start going really fast and I cannot for the life of me figure it out. And I shout, "Put on the brakes!" And he puts on the brakes. Turns out this man is stone blind without his glasses! [He and Barry laugh.] I'm not helping him "find the camera" as the acting expression. He can't see it! And we're going really fast on an ATV with empty but big guns! It was... really... I think that was my favorite; a lot of those things are your favorite scenes when they're over. As it was happening and they said, "Hey do you want to do that one again?" and I said, "NO! I think we're good with that!"

Barry Williams: Yeah.

First Look: Here Comes The Boom

So Kevin James as a teacher turned underground MMA fighter, eh? Totally believable.