6 Rollicking Tracks from The Greg Kihn Band

During his five decades in rock ‘n roll, American singer and guitarist Greg Kihn, both solo and with the Greg Kihn Band, delivered catchy, no frills rock ‘ roll. While certainly known to Gen Xers for the peppy power-pop anthem “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” (a Top-20 hit) and the funky, slow grooving No. 2 Billboard smash “Jeopardy”—which was famously parodied by Weird Al Yankovic—Kihn and his Bay Area bandmates generated a far deeper catalog. It spans blues-rock, ballads, and some rollicking power pop and rock numbers like the ones in the following list. Kihn left us this past week at the age of 75, but these tunes and others will live on.

“Museum” from Next of Kihn (1978)

This high energy track from Kihn’s third solo album (the last before things shifted to The Greg Kihn Band) has a bit of Meat Loaf raucousness to it, from the revved-up guitars to the galloping snare work. The Greg Kihn Band serve up solid vocal harmonies, which get a nice workout here.

“Castaway” from Glass House Rock (1980)

The chorus of the opening track to this Greg Kihn Band album effectively combines Kihn’s soaring singing with angsty guitar arpeggios and a flurry of snare rolls. While the lyrics chronicle the struggles of a literal desert island survivor whose friends, family, and spouse have forgotten him until he finally returns to society, it could easily apply to other isolated situations in one’s life.

“Happy Man” from Kihntinued (1982)

Here’s a song for a simple man with a simple goal—pursuing a great life with the one he loves. This tune and album came out at that turning point between ‘70s and ‘80s rock where things were still somewhat no frills and the production was not quite as slick. This resides right in that inviting nook.

“Curious” from Kihnspiracy (1983)

This bright, perky rocker is driven by nimble bass work that keeps things grooving all the way through. It’s a positive anthem about a dejected guy who gets excited by an alluring new love. And he wants to know all about her family history going back to her great-great-great-granddaddy. That’s commitment!

“Reunited” from Kihntagious (1984)

While the ‘80s sound was in full swing, this track retained the flavor of past Greg Kihn Band releases with updated production. The lyrics feel similar to “Curious” in that the main dude is elated over a reigniting a failed flame, and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. The video is actually a sequel to “Jeopardy,” with the two wedding day castaways getting caught up in a Wizard of Oz tale.

“Worst Job I Ever Had” from Love and Rock and Roll (1986)

Giving ‘70s blues-rock an ‘80s studio facelift, this solo release from Greg Kihn threw in a wild card: a young Joe Satriani on lead guitar! While Satch would be no stranger to bluesy tracks in his solo work, this is something a bit closer to (but not as heavy as) his Chickenfoot work with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony that was still two decades away. An interesting curio.

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