Is The Warrior by Scandal a True Unsung Classic? - 375

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We're back after a fairly shambolic three weeks in our lives (redundancy sure does suck) with this slice of fried gold from the 1980s.

You've almost certainly heard the lead single from this record. In fact, the question as to who the singer is of the song "The Warrior" has quite likely come up on a pub quiz at some point, and you've quite likely got the answer wrong. The answer is not, as you may think, Pat Benetar. It's Patty Smyth.

The single this album is named after was an 80s hit, and penned by the legendary Holly Knight. We won't go into a huge amount of detail on her here, but suffice to say we think she's criminally underrated given some of the ginormous tunes she penned in the 80s. Indeed, we cover that in extensive detail in our episode on her short-lived band Device.

Scandal imploded soon after this record was released, and members of the band, Patty included, went on to have varying degrees of success in the late 80s and early 90s. Patty Smyth's story itself is a fascinating one, so fascinating in fact that we actually forgot to talk all about her marriage to Television's Richard Hell. That one glaring omission aside, we do a pretty deep dive into Scandal and her career afterwards.

HIGHLIGHTS:

00:00 Introduction and Pub Quiz Banter

00:35 Scandal and Patty Smyth: The Early Days

01:22 The Warrior and MTV Success

03:29 Classic Bands and Radio Challenges

05:03 Band Dynamics and Touring

07:24 Patty Smyth's Solo Career and Label Issues

18:31 Declining Van Halen and Family Priorities

21:19 Reunions and Later Years

27:12 Unreleased Tracks and MTV Hits

27:25 Goodbye to You and Other Hits

28:46 Fun Facts and Jimmy Fallon Appearance

29:39 Brian Adams Cover and Other Tracks

31:53 Christmas Album and Charity Work

33:22 The Warrior Album Review

34:44 Songwriting and Collaborations

38:40 The Warrior Music Video

43:12 Journey Song and Album Critique

45:10 Legacy and Final Thoughts