wang

The year was 1986. The most bad ass band on the planet had released Mosaic which featured the massively hugetastic single “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”. That band was Wang Chung and the story doesn’t end with “Everybody…”

Wang Chung‘s story began years before when they were known simply as Huang Chung and unleashed their self-titled debut in March of 1982. A little bit New Wave,  a little bit electro, and a whole lotta rawk, Huang Chung flew under the radar like John Matrix’s airboat towards the end of Commando.

It was Points On The Curve featuring the irresistible “Dance Hall Days” that solidified them (Now going by Wang Chung) as superstars.

 

 

The hits kept coming after that.

I am proud to own a cassette of the To Live And Die In L.A. soundtrack that proved that Jack Hues and Nick Feldman were not only masters of synth-tinged pop-rock but also accomplished composers as heard throughout the modern-day William Friedkin-directed, William Petersen-starring (Yeah, he had a career before C.S.I. everybody) flick. Side A featured such classics as “Wait” and the unforgettable title track while Side B was a completely instrumental score. The 9-minute “City Of The Angels” is a personal favorite of that side.

And then the bomb that is “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” dropped.

 

 

Mosaic was the album that changed everything. If you didn’t know who Wang Chung were yet, you were about to find out. Sparking three singles with “Everybody…”, “Let’s Go!”, and “Hypnotize Me”, Mosaic was a masterpiece from start to finish but ultimately led to the band’s quiet demise following lackluster sales of the follow-up album, The Warmer Side Of Cool.

It’s been 10 years since they left the scene but just as quietly as they left, they’ve quietly reemerged with some shows here and there over the last few years as well as a brand new website and some (gasp!) brand new music. Head over there now and I guarantee “Rent Free” will be stuck in your head as much as “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” was in the ’80’s.