Friday, January 26, 2018

Unknown Song #22 - Out Front

Song - Out Front
Artist(s) - Rick Baker
Released - 1986
Primetime Usage - 1991-97
Featured Highlight - Bears @ Vikings, 1992


*SONG IDENTIFIED* - 2/14/18

Unknown Song #22 is a nice, energetic, rock/orchestral fusion track that I've been asked to identify a few times since I started this blog.  I obviously can't identify it as of now, but I would very much like to.  One irony is that US#22 isn't primarily remembered as a regular NFL Primetime highlight track.  It was used on the show for 7 years, but its use was pretty infrequent.  Instead, it's best remembered as being the accompanying song for Chris Berman's Sunday Night Football halftime highlights (not to be confused with Gladiator, the accompanying song for Monday Night Football's "Fastest 3 Minutes" segment).  It was used for this purpose well after its end on NFL Primetime.

This week's clip is a particularly humiliating one for both Chicago QB Jim Harbaugh & Chicago head coach Mike Ditka.  The Bears led Minnesota 20-0 in the Metrodome, but Harbaugh infamously audibled into a pass play that resulted in a pick-six for the Vikings.  Minnesota came back to win 21-20, scoring all their points in the 4th. quarter.  I've seen this game referred to as "The Audible" at least once online.  This game could also be seen as the beginning of the end for Ditka's stint in Chicago.  They did win 2 straight following the loss, but lost 8 of their last 9 to finish 5-11.  Ditka was subsequently fired.



Friday, January 19, 2018

Unknown Song #21 - Overdrive

Song - Overdrive
Artist(s) - Howard Jones & Tim Shaxson
Released - 1989
Primetime Usage - 1990-92
Contained on -  Amphonic AVF 75CD (Power U.S.A.), (alt. link)
Featured Highlight - Eagles @ Packers, 1991


*SONG IDENTIFIED* - 7/24/20

Unknown Song #21 has more of a hard-rock style than most every other NFL Primetime song from this era.  I guess the producers realized the track's uniqueness in this regard because its use was quite ubiquitous during its 3-year run on the show.  US #21 was even used for two separate highlights for one week in 1992, which is—to my knowledge—the only time that ever happened (not counting the full version vs. underscore splits in 1987).  The Green Bay Packers seemed to be disproportionately featured with this song.

Speaking of the Packers, they're featured in this highlight too.  OK, the clip is really about the Eagles and Green Bay is just their hapless opponent, but still…  At least one statistical analysis claims the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles had the greatest defense in the history of the NFL.  There isn't anything in  this video would cause anyone to disagree, either.  Their offense wasn't too good, however, largely thanks to a season-ending injury to Randall Cunningham that occurred in this game.  Philly still did manage a 10-6 record, but that wasn't enough to make the playoffs in a logjammed NFC (the 49ers missed the playoffs with the same record).



Friday, January 12, 2018

Unknown Song #20 - Forcefields

Song - Forcefields
Artist(s) - John Fiddy & "Sammy Burdson" (Gerhard Narholz)
Released - 1986 (2015 for Remix)
Primetime Usage - 1989
Contained on - SON 246 (Industrial Themes & Underscores, Vol. 5), Remix:  Sonoton Vanguards SCDV 510 (Documentary Enterprise)  
Featured Highlight - Cowboys @ Saints, 1989



 *SONG IDENTIFIED* - 9/22/21

Barring something unexpected, this will be the last highlight I post from the 1980s (there's actually another Unknown Song from 1988 I tried to post, but the video got copyright blocked by the NFL and I have no other clips with that song).  Unknown Song #20 is the only unidentified track from 1989 that I can confirm was used more than once.  It's also one of a very few 1989 music debuts that wasn't either from Sonoton or David Reilly's Success album (UPDATE:  it turns out it was from Sonoton, but from an LP that wasn't ported to a CD initially).  I would really like to find this one, since I think it's one of the best NFL Primetime pieces I haven't identified.

US #20's accompanying highlight wasn't an interesting game on its own merits, but it was an important milestone.  In this game in the Superdome, Jimmy Johnson learned very quickly that he had a total tear-down/rebuild on his hands with the Cowboys.  It was also the first regular-season game in franchise history not coached by Tom Landry.  The Saints, meanwhile, would miss the playoffs with a winning record for the second-straight season (they would ironically go 8-8 and make the playoffs in 1990).



Friday, January 5, 2018

Unknown Song #19 - Constructions

Song - Constructions
Artist(s) - John Fiddy & "Sammy Burdson" (Gerhard Narholz)
Released - 1986
Primetime Usage - 1989
Contained on - SON 246 (Industrial Themes & Underscores, Vol. 5), Sonoton SCD 42 (Corporate Classics)  
Featured Highlight - Browns @ Steelers, 1989



 *SONG IDENTIFIED* - 9/22/21

Here's the other unidentified one-off song from Week 1 of '89.  It's a classical-rock fusion piece, much like Unknown Song #18, but leans a little more toward the edgy rock side.  To accompany Unknown Song #19, I'm posting another Cleveland beatdown of the Steelers.  It's really remarkable the Steelers ended up making the playoffs after this humiliation.  Chuck Noll definitely earned his Coach of the Year award with this team.

As always:  if you can ID this song (or any other Unknown Songs on this blog), don't hesitate to contact me.