My Amazon Reviews: Huey Lewis and The News "Sports 30th Anniversary Edition"

Good Sports
4 Out of 5 Stars

The album that made Huey Lewis and the News into stars was almost unavoidable from 1984 through '85, when five of these songs became huge hits (and overseas, you could have added "Bad is Bad"). That Huey was Hollywood photogenic didn't hurt during the peak years on MTV, making the videos for the songs fun to see (you can find them on The Greatest Hits CD + DVD Combo), but the band's slick combination of Pop Rock and R'n'B should not be underestimated.

Huey's gruff but lovable voice carries the charm on much of his best work, and that made songs like "Heart of Rock and Roll" and "Heart and Soul" irresistible. They even found themselves in an unwarranted controversy when "I Want a New Drug" rankled the ire of some parent's groups. (And what sells records better?) They also had a great ear for covers, as they do a slick version of Hank William's "Honky Tonk Blues."

Slick is the operative word here. "Sports" was the pinnacle of Huey Lewis and The News' rough and cuddly period, still coming on like a hungry bar band. By Fore!, the band had lost their fight and had become the smooth pop band favored by yuppies everywhere. That is not to say that The News weren't capable of taking a poke at themselves and their new-found status, one of the best hits from "Fore" was "Hip to Be Square." But for sheer party-album thrills, "Sports" was hard to beat in the mid-80's.

For this 30'th Anniversary edition, there's a second "Live Sports" disc filled with live tracks, mainly between '83 and '89, but two from 2012. Yes, Huey and The News still tour regularly. The '88-89 dates are the band at their career peak, so the crowds are enthusiastic and the band is in top form, and the songs follow the original LP's running order. For my money, "Bad Is Bad" remains a News high-point, getting as close to their approximation of frat-rock and real R'n'B as they ever came. Even so, the live disc points out Lewis' strengths; a tight band that has the muscle to play rock like it's an all night party, songs that rocked slickly enough to be fun and nonthreatening, and a singer who you could take home to mom. "Sports" may not be a perfect record, but it still sounds current. Not bad for a 30 year old.