Showing posts with label Disco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disco. Show all posts

Sunday, October 21, 2018

MONSTERS - 70s VINYL RECORD MYSTERY



A well-meaning co-worker gave this to me. I can’t find any information on who these guys really are. All I know is Hugo & Luigi we’re executive producers. It is not very good. Some of the original songs are mediocre at best. The covers are horrible. Especially the version of “Monster Mash”. Below is one of the original numbers entitled "Transylvania Disco Hustle." The whole LP is on You Tube.


Sunday, July 2, 2017

WE'RE GONNA CHANGE IT UP A BIT - COVER SONGS THAT WERE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE ORIGINAL


Let's face it, most cover songs sound pretty close to the original. The Beatles version of "Twist and Shout" sounds like the Isley Brothers version, Smash Mouth's version of "I'm a Believer" sounds almost identical to The Monkees version, and even the Jeff Beck Group's version of "Love Is Blue" sounds like Paul Mauriat's "Love is Blue." These are called "faithful" cover versions.

However, there artist that take things in a totally different direction. This blog post (and podcast) will celebrate those great cover versions that "changed it up a bit."

Since I'm using the podcast for illustration, I won't go into very much detail. However, I will point out the inspiration for this post. The Bluebelles' 1984 British hit "Young At Heart" was the subject of a lawsuit by former Fabulous Poodles' fiddle player Bobby Valentino, who played on the record. He said that he should get a credit and some compensation, because his fiddle playing contributed to the success of The Bluebelles recording. It was originally recorded by Bananarama the previous year with a typical bouncy, synthesizer pop song that Bananarama was known for. The judge agreed that his country pop fiddle made the remake a big hit.

I got to thinking about other cover songs that seem to be unrecognizable from the original. Vanilla Fudge's headbanging psychedelic version of The Supremes hit "You Keep Me Hanging On" came to mind, along with Peggy Lee's smoldering, beatnikish version of Little Willie John's bumpin blues "Fever."

I once heard an interview where Screaming Jay Hawkins said he liked Nina Simone's version of "I Put a Spell On You" better than his. On the other hand, I had a co-worker in radio, who would become visibly angry at the very mention of James Taylor's version of the Jimmy Jones hit "Handy Man." Personally, I never cared for Donna Summer's version of "MacArthur Park" and I like most of Donna Summer's hits.

Everyone has covered "Do You Want To Dance?" and "Money," but Bette Midler and the Flying Lizards did those songs different than any other act.

Many of theses are either, rocker becomes ballad, soft rock becomes heavy metal or disco, even a psychedelic pop song turned into a bluegrass song and a bluegrass song from a 60's rural sitcom turned into a Celtic dirge. Even a British rock band doing a goofy Perry Como song about mannequin lust. So lets take a listen.

NOTE: I realize the sound is bad on this. I'm using "borrowed" equipment, so I don't have control of the sound quality. My apologies. I also used a "guest announcer" for this podcast.

"Young At Heart" The Bluebelles 1984 (Original recording by Bananarama 1983)
"For Once In My Life" Stevie Wonder 1968 (Original hit Tony Bennett in 1967)
"Summertime Blues" Blue Cheer 1967 (Original hit by Eddie Cochran 1958)
"Do You Want To Dance?" Bette Midler 1972 (Original hit by Bobby Freeman 1958)
"Love Buzz" Nirvana 1989 (Original recording by Shocking Blue 1969)

"Hooked On a Feeling" Blue Suede 1974 (Original hit by B.J Thomas)
"I Put a Spell On You" Nina Simone 1965 (Original hit by Screaming Jay Hawkins 1955)
"There Is a Time" Solas 2008 (Original recording by The Dillards with Maggie Peterson 1964)
"Fever" Peggy Lee 1958 (Original recording by Little Willie John 1956)
"Diamonds & Rust" Judas Priest 1977  (Original hit by Joan Baez 1975)
"Careless Whispers" Seether 2009 (Original hit by Wham 1984)
"Handy Man" James Taylor 1978 (Original hit by Jimmy Jones 1960)
"The Locomotion" Grand Funk Railroad 1974 (Original hit by Little Eva 1962)
"Bette Davis Eyes" Kim Carnes 1981 (Original recording by Jackie DeShannon 1975)
"Money" The Flying Lizards 1980 (Barrett Strong 1959)
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)" Marilyn Manson 1994 (Original hit for The Eurythmics 1983)
"Satisfaction" Devo 1980 (Original hit for The Rolling Stones 1965)
"Fox On the Run" Tom T. Hall 1976 (Original hit by Manfred Mann 1969)
"Summertime" Billy Stewart 1966 (Written in 1937, first rock era version by Sam Cooke 1957)
"Never Gonna Say Goodbye" Gloria Gaynor 1974 (Original hit by the Jackson Five 1972)
"You Keep Me Hanging On" Vanilla Fudge 1968 (Original hit by The Supremes 1966)
"MacArthur Park" Donna Summer 1980 (Original hit by Richard Harris 1968)
"Woodstock" Mathews Southern Comfort fall 1970 (Original hit by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young March 1970)
"With a Little Help From My Friends" Joe Cocker 1968 (Originally recorded by The Beatles in 1967)
"Walk On By" The Stranglers 1980 (Original hit for Dionne Warwick 1962)
"Proud Mary" Ike & Tina Turner 1971 (Original hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969)
"Light My Fire" Jose Feliciano 1968 (Original hit by The Doors 1967)
"Knock On Wood" Amii Stewart 1979  (Original hit by Eddie Floyd 1966)
"I'm a Man" The Yardbirds 1965 (Original hit by Bo Diddley 1955)
"House of the Rising Sun"  Frygid Pink 1970 (Original hit by The Animals 1964)
"Hey Joe"  Jimi Hendrix 1967 (Original hit by The Leaves 1965)
"Glendora" The Downliners Sect 1966 (Original hit by Perry Como 1956)
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Diana Ross 1970 (Original hit for Marvin Gaye & Tami Terrell 1967)

And last but not least:

"Blinded By The Light," "For You" and "Spirits In the Night" Manfred Mann's Earth Band 1976-1980 (Original recordings by Bruce Springsteen 1973).

P. S: Before you say "You left off The Cowboy Junkies version of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane." It is different than the version of the Loaded LP." True, but the Cowboy Junkies version is identical to the version The Velvet Underground performs on the Live 1969 LP. So it doesn't count.



Sunday, January 24, 2016

THAT SEX EDUCATION TV SPECIAL FILMED IN MY HOMETOWN


I post many videos on this blog that I hope will evoke some memories of the past for readers. This one is a little more personal. This video, that I found on YouTube, is a personal trip back in time for me. This is The Body Human: Facts for Girls. Why would a TV special explaining puberty to girls be like a time machine to me? The reason is it was filmed in my hometown of Lebanon, Missouri.

In the late 70s and early 80s, CBS would run a health/science documentaries called The Body Human. Most of these were very technical and deep programs narrated by a Shakespearean actor named Alexander Scourby.

In 1980, CBS decided to make some episodes devoted to puberty. I'm not sure how our town or how the girls featured in the show were chosen, but it was a big deal.  Originally, it was announced that Ken Howard, star of The White Shadow, would be filming a "Facts for Boys" episode in Lebanon at the same time as Marlo Thomas was filming the "Facts for Girls." Turns out the "Facts for Boys" episode was filmed in Oregon and only the "Facts for Girls" was filmed in Lebanon.

Watching this video, for me, was a time machine back to my youth. I see what the Sonic, McDonalds and Wendys used to looked like in 1980. I see businesses that are no longer around like that convenience store on next to Sonic with the large neon sing that said "GAS,"  IGA and the old Star Theater (which was always behind on showing movies - Electric Horseman was already a year old). Also houses and buildings that are long gone, like that abandoned Candy Store across from the junior high.

I recognize many people I attended school with and many of them I still see when I'm in Lebanon, so I won't make jokes about anything they do in this video. Although I will say if those girls at the slumber party were so excited about boys, why didn't any of them look me up (I'm still available). It is jarring to think that we were so young.

This doesn't not have as much awkward stuff in it as the "Facts for Boys," which included a boy having way too much fun with his dog and a wiener roast (in a sex ed documentary for boys - think about it).

I question why the producers used two songs from the 50s in this, although the rest of it has Bee Gees and Donna Summer, which was contemporary at the time. Also the graphic used to explain menstruation is accompanied by some cool, electronic prog rock. I didn't know menstruation sounded like a Yes song (or King Crimson?)


Something I will say about this, while looking back: PHIL DONAHUE IS ONE OF THE LUCKIEST MEN ALIVE. This was filmed shortly after his marriage to Marlo Thomas. She is gorgeous in this, even while talking about puberty to girls. The one moment that has been burned in my memory, from the first time I saw this , was Marlo Thomas sitting in the grassy center of the track at Lebanon High School (which was fairly new at the time), wearing a nice, white athletic suit and telling the three girls, "I started my period today." Now that is what I call a great moment in television.

I should mention this aired locally on KOLR and was highly promoted. Unfortunatly, I didn't see it when it first aired. It aired at 3:30 p.m. and I didn't get home from school until 4 p.m. This was during the Dark Ages before VCRs or TiVo, so I didn't get to see it until it was shown to our P.E. class in 7th grade. Handy to show something made local for sex education.

Even if you all ready know the "Facts for Girls" enjoy looking at small town kids in 1980. The music, clothes and life.


      

   

Saturday, October 17, 2015

DESDINOVA'S HALLOWEEN PODCAST 2

Here it is! Halloween podcast number 2 with more creepy musical favorites including:
  • Til The Following Night- Lord Sutch
  • Voodoo Walk-  Cindy & Misty with Sonny Richard's Panics
  • Mr. Ghost Goes To Town - The 5 Jones Boys
  • Soul Dracula - Hot Blood
  • Frankenstein's Den - The Hollywood Flames
  • Season of the Witch - Donovan
  • Bark At The Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
  • The Munsters Theme - The Comateens



Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't/The Night That Dracula Saved The World

Click to enlarge ad

I'm glad I found this video. I've been looking for it to post here during the Countdown to Halloween. I remember watching this as a child and liking it, because of the monsters. I also thought it seemed more mature and intelligent than the other kid's Halloween specials.

It has references to the monster kid phenomenon, disco, TV commercials, and even a reference to the movie, Young Frankenstein. Judd Hirsch is great as Dracula. He not only sounds like Lugosi, but looks like him. John Schuck was so good as Frankenstein's monster that later, in the 80s, he played Herman on a short lived revival of The Munsters. Mariette Hartley, who was spokes person for Polaroid cameras at the time, tries to sound like Margarete Hamilton. However, many people on YouTube said that when they were kids they thought it was Cher playing the witch. Enjoy this seldom seen TV special of the 70s.

BTW, I found the TV Guide ad on Pinterest and, lo and behold, it is from the Southwest Missouri edition.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

ELF ON THE SHELF - DISCO ERA


The "Elf On The Shelf" has never been a stranger to me or at least the image of the elf has never been a stranger. The "Elf" was a part of my childhood before there was a story or name. My sister has an "Elf" from her childhood that looks identicle to the one in the The Elf On the Shelf book.

My mother bought this one and a whole box of smaller ones in the early 70s. They either came from the Ace Hardware or Matinglys in Lebanon, MO (We can't remember which one it was). This one is obviously wearing his disco clothes. Silver lame suit trimmed in fur and a gold foil bow-tie with a gigantic bell on his cap. Nothing says Christmas like a styling 70s elf. He doesn't move around like the one in the story, but I did prop him up to take this photo with my phone (I may try to retake this with a real camera). Note: the "Elf" is sitting on a DVD of the Filmation The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger cartoons from the 80s.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

LOOSE ENDS FROM PAST POST

I've debated just updating some of my post which I left something out of or create a new post. Since I haven't created many original post lately, I decide on a special "loose ends post."

Earlier this year I gave you a post entitled "People Guilty of Interrupting TV Shows," a look at some of the actors and actresses who portrayed famous advertising characters. I realized early on that I left off a few and the names of the people who created the role. Part of the problem was with Bloggers ability to load multiple photos on a post. I got very frustrated with that post, so once I got it half way decent looking, I gave up, but chose to make a separate post with the actual names of the people who portrayed these iconic characters.

"I'm so lonely."



"Time...to...make...the donuts."



Two people I left off were actors Jesse White (top), who was the first Maytag Repairman, and Michael Vale (bottom), who played the Dunkin Donuts maker.

Then there was "Disco Shock or I Can't Believe They Made a Disco Record." This was a list of artist that nobody thought would make a record that was even close to being disco, but they did. After it was completed, local KTXR radio personality Wayne Glenn ("The Old Record Collector") mentioned Frankie Avalon recorded a "disco" version of his 50s hit "Venus." I also discovered this week that the late Richie Havens recorded a disco song in 1980 called "Going Back To My Roots."

 

Friday, March 1, 2013

DISCO SHOCK OR I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY MADE A DISCO RECORD


I've been searching for photos of generic disco compilations for these Ipod playlist post, but (pardon the pun) this cover not only is a great cover but (pardon the pun again) has the perfect title for this playlist.

Disco's popularity caused some well established mainstream performers to try their hand at disco. Most of these not only were great records by the artist, but some of the best hits of the disco era. On the other hand, these artist made enemies with some hardcore disco haters (Rod Stewart took the most flak of these artist). Some of these may not have intended to be disco records per say, they just were embraced by the disco crowd and the club DJs.

For the most part, people have forgiven these artist for going disco.

 "I Was Made For Loving You" Kiss
“Heart of Glass” Blondie
“(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” The Kinks
“Copacabana” Barry Manilow
 “Alive Again” Chicago
“Here Comes the Night” Beach Boys
“Do You Think I’m Sexy” Rod Stewart
“Mama Can't Buy Your Love” Elton John (You could also count "Philadelphia Freedom" as disco too)
"Miss You" Rolling Stones
"Young Americans" David Bowie
"December 1963 (Oh What a Night)" Four Seasons
"Another One Bites the Dust" Queen
"Goodnight Tonight" Paul McCartney
"Shakedown Street" Grateful Dead
"Clones" Alice Cooper
"All Over The World" Electric Light Orchestra (From the movie, Xanadu)
"Volarie" Al Martino
"Don't Stop The Music" Bay City Rollers
"Right Behind The Rain" Brenda Lee (I heard an interview with Brenda Lee where she mentioned making a disco record that she felt was a mistake. This song, from 1980, is the closest thing to disco by Brenda Lee that I could find. If you know of a better example tell me.)

  

DESDINOVA'S 40 FAVORITE DISCO SONGS


Before I hear any snide remarks about me posting a disco Ipod playlist, let me explain something. I realize it is considered "uncool" for a guy my age to like disco. Some idiots will tell you that a man who likes disco is "gay." Truth is, I used to think the same way when I was younger.

What changed my opinion of disco? A few years back, a radio station here in Springfield was bought out by another company. As a stunt, for the first week or two, they ran nothing but disco hits. I would listen and found there were many of these songs brought back pleasant memories of my childhood. The radio station eventually unveiled there format would be "classic rock without the loud heavy metal" (This slogan was part of a bad trend at the time, which someone in the radio industry once said was like "making love without all that unsanitary kissing"). They "vowed never to play disco again." They have have lived up to that, although they tweaked the format a few years back and added Aerosmith, Ozzy, Deep Purple and AC/DC to there playlist.

After that, I became nostalgic for the disco music that filled the airwaves during my elementary school years. Besides I can enjoy disco where as I CANNOT STAND COUNTRY MUSIC!!!

I have broken this into two list, one for standard disco and the other for those artist that we thought would "never stoop so low as to make a disco record" and wound up making some of the best disco songs ever.

A message to guys of my age: Don't worry, I'm planing a "heavy metal/hair band" playlist filled with testosterone, adrenaline and alcohol.

"Staying Alive" Bee Gees
"Hot Stuff" Donna Summer
“Fifth of Beethoven” Walter Murphy
“I Will Survive” Gloria Gaynor
“Dancing Queen” ABBA
“Last Dance” Donna Summer
“I’m On Fire” 5000 Volts
“Making It” David Naughton
“Ladies Night” Kool & the Gang
“Pop Muizk” M
“Voulez Vous” ABBA
“You Sexy Thing” Hot Chocolate
“(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty” K.C. & the Sunshine Band
"Funkytown" Lipps, Inc.
"TSOP (Sound of Philadelphia)" M.F.S.B
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" McFadden & Whitehead
"Upside Down" Diana Ross
“That's The Way (I Like)” K.C. & the Sunshine Band
“Y.M.C.A” Village People
“Kiss In The Dark” Pink Lady
“Cupid/I’ve Loved You For a Long Time” The Spinners
“Disco Inferno” The Trammps
“Love Is In The Air” John Paul Jones
“Heaven Knows" Donna Summer
“Fly Robin Fly” Silver Connection
“La Freak” Chic
"Don't Let Go" Issac Hayes
"Bad Girls" Donna Summer
"Take Your Time (Do It Right)" S.O.S. Band
"You Should Be Dancing" Bee Gees
"All Night Thing" The Invisible Man's Band
“Rock The Boat” Hues Corporation
"I Love The Nightlife" Alicia Bridges
“The Hustle” Van McCoy
"Livin It Up (Friday Night)" Bell & James
"If I Can't Have You" Yvonne Ulliman
"Dancing Machine" The Jackson 5
"Soul Dracula" Hot Blood
"Night Fever" Bee Gees
"Boogie Nights" Heatwave  

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI LIKED DISCO IN 1979

You may have noticed that at the top of the blog, among the clutter in the masthead, is a Springfield magazine about disco. The issue is from July 1979. The article says there are three discos in Springfield: Wicker Works at the Sheraton Inn, Merlins's at the Hilton Inn and Lucy's at the Holiday Inn. You may not believe it, but I remember the names of these places from my childhood. Of course, they are no longer in existence.

Brenda May - Desdinova's favorite teacher

One thing I noticed in this article was that you could take free lessons on "how to disco dance" on Tuesday nights at Wicker Works from Brenda May. This caught my attention because Brenda May was not only my drama and speech teacher in 10th and 11th grade at Lebanon High School, but she was one of my all time favorite teachers. She gave me confidence when nobody else would by telling me to go to college and follow my dream of a media career. A few years back, I tracked her down via the Internet and sent her an e-mail, thanking her for her encouragement and kindness. She was also the sexiest teacher I ever had.

Another name mentioned in this article is Ruthann Schwenn, who was public relations and marketing for Wicker Works. I have several Springfield magazines from this era and they contain several photos of Ms. Schwenn. She was very attractive. I would be interested in knowing what became of her.

The article was written by Katie Dark, who is now know as Katie Hilton of the Lebanon Daily Record. This article is very informative and well written. Luckily it is not filled with the disgusting Republican propaganda that fills her column in the Sunday edition of  The Lebanon Daily Record (I could eat a can of alphabet soup and barf up a better column than she writes now).

The thing that this article says to me indirectly, some 34 years later, is that at one time Springfield was interested in new things and new trends. In the past few years, local media has given us the impression that Springfield isn't interested in anything modern and contemporary. They present the views of a few fun-hating, anti-entertainment idiots as the majority view point of everyone in the Ozarks. It was nice to know that at least one media outlet in the Ozarks (Sadly, no longer published) didn't view national entertainment trends as a threat to "our quality of life" in the Ozarks.

BTW: You realize that I'm now going to have to post an disco Ipod playlist.  



Thursday, August 23, 2012

FORMER KY3/KBUG CO-OWNER LARRY DIXON DIES

Larry Dixon is the one in the middle.
Former KY3 personality Larry Dixon dies

I realize people outside the Springfield/Ozarks area will not see the point in this post, but I wanted to mention the passing of Larry Dixon. Larry was a pioneer broadcaster here in Springfield, MO. He was one of the first anchormen on KYTV, was co-owner of KBUG radio in Springfield in the 70s and early 80s, worked in publishing and advertising too. The good thing about Larry was he was a media person, who had a working knowledge of each medium's strengths and weaknesses. He was not an interloper from another business that hated the media and blamed the media for everything that was wrong, but felt he had a right to be apart of it to get some sort of revenge or satisfy something in his ego. I believe Larry was in media because he loved it and wanted to promote it, not promote himself.

The other good thing about Larry Dixon was he was always upbeat and optimistic. I linked to the story by KYTV's Steve Grant and in it Larry is described as "cheerful." That sums Larry up very well.

I wanted to repost a fun magazine ad from an 1980 Springfield magazine for KBUG, the radio station Larry co-owned. Larry may have came up with the idea for this ad, which was aimed at advertisers. It portrays a microcosm of the Springfield radio market in 1980. The news format came after their short-lived disco format. You have to give credit to Larry Dixon for taking chances.


Click to enlarge



Friday, June 8, 2012

I AM NOT ASHAMED PART 2


I couldn't wait. I needed to post a second volume of guilty pleasures  music "I am not ashamed" to like. I hope to update the Amazon store at the left of the blog with these songs or I may link them to Amazon's downloads.

DESDINOVA'S "I AM NOT ASHAMED" GUILTY PLEASURES PLAYLIST:

Amy Holland - "How Do I Survive"
Jennifer Page - "Crush"
The Equals - "Baby Come Back" (Early Eddy Grant)
The Bluenotes - "I Don't Know What It Is" (Cheesy 50s rock & roll love song)
Bob Seger and the Last Heard - "East Side Story" (His first record)
Vanilla Fudge - "You Keep Me Hanging On"
Karla Bonoff - "Personally"
Kate Bush - "Hammer Horror"
Tanya Tucker - "Can I See You Tonight?" (Remember the poster of her in a black leather jumpsuit holding T.N.T?)
Mama Cass - "California Earthquake" (She had a lot of courage to sing the line, "They tell me the fault-line runs right through here." Just saying.)
The Kingston Trio - "M.T.A"
Lindsfarne - "Lady Elenore"
Earl Grant - "House of Bamboo" (A cool song from an organist who sounded like Nat King Cole)
Kim Wilde - "Love Blonde" (The video sold me on this song. Kim Wilde is sssoooo sexy!)
Glen Campbell - "Wichita Lineman" (Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell-sunshine pop/country masterpiece with a synthesizer. I also like this because my father was a lineman at the time this was popular.)
Peter Murphy - "Cuts You Up" (Former Bauhaus singer with a Goth rock hit from my early days in radio)
Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield - "What Have I Done To Deserve This?"
Argent - "Hold Your Head Up"
Labelle - "Lady Marmalade"
Boys Don't Cry - "I Want To Be a Cowboy"
Middle of the Road - "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"
Katy Perry - "I Kissed a Girl"
James & Bobby Purify - "I'm Your Puppet"
Michael Cox - "Angela Jones" (Another cover better than the original. A Joe Meek production.)
The Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star" (Actually it was stupid, greedy people in management.)
Nik Kershaw - "Wouldn't It Be Good" 
Dean Friedman - "Ariel" (At the time this came out, people mistakenly thought this song was by Billy Joel.)
Roseanne Cash - "Seven Year Ache" (I always wanted to be the guy she is singing about.)
Canned Heat - "Going Up The Country" (I also like the song they did with the Chipmunks.)
Depeche Mode - "People Are People"
Daniel Boone - "Beautiful Sunday"
Fever Tree - "San Francisco Girls" (Is there a bad record containing fuzztone guitar and feedback?)
Olivia Newton-John - "Physical" (A big number one hit that radio stations don't play today.)
Marcy Playground - "Sex and Candy"
The Barbarians - "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" (A mid-60s garage band making fun of homophobic jerks. The band's drummer, Moultly, had a prosthetic hook for a hand.)
Focus - "Hocus Pocus" (70s Prog/metal with a yodeler)
Four Seasons - "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)"
The Blow Monkeys - "Digging Your Scene" (I'd like anything from a group called The Blow Monkeys.)
The Bay City Rollers - "You Made Me Believe Magic"
Circus Maximus - "The Wind" (Jazzy/folk/psychedelic group with Jerry Jeff Walker)
Bananarama - "Cruel Summer"   

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

I AM NOT ASHAMED or DESDINOVA'S MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURES


This post has two titles, because websites call what I'm about to post by another name and people looking for such will no doubt Google the more common phrase. This is a list of songs I like that many bloggers and pop culture websites refer to as "guilty pleasures." However, I have a different view point than most people (Don't I always) on this. I will turn 43 later this year and I have two college degrees...I WILL LIKE WHATEVER I WANT AN NOT APOLOGIZE FOR IT!

I have gotten flak about the music I like ever since I was in elementary school. Rednecks who tell you that the only music you should like is Hank Junior or people, who  tell you that the music you like is affiliated with the Satanic/Leftist/drug culture. I thought being in radio, I would meet people that liked as many various kinds of music as I did. WRONG! The problem with radio is there are people who only like what is popular at that moment or hate everything that is popular. Of course, the morons in the talk radio area HATE pop music of any kind and want it all banned from radio.If you mention that you like a certain pop song around these people they frequently tell you "The only song I like is the Star Spangle Banner." These people also claim to carry a copy of the Constitution with them everywhere.

On a personal note, I have always made fun of people who like country music and I tell people that I hate country music. Truth is there are a few songs on here that are country songs that I cannot live without.

So I have decided to swipe a phrase from the types of people, who usually criticize my musical taste, use in their little cut-and-paste postings on Facebook.. This is not so much a guilty pleasures list but the "I AM NOT ASHAMED" list. This is only the start of this. I plan to do follow up list.

DESDINOVA'S GUILTY PLEASURES "I AM NOT ASHAMED" PLAYLIST LIST
(In no particular order)

"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" Culture Club - (Boy George is the most underated singers of all time).
"Lonely Boy" - Andrew Gold (I hated this song when I was younger, until I noticed it kind of rocks).
"May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" - Little Jimmy Dickens
"Just Like Heaven" - The Cure
"Fancy" - Bobbie Gentry
"Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula" - The Diamonds (If I ever meet a horror movie loving girl like the one in this song, I will marry her on the spot).
"Click Click" - Dicky Doo & the Donts
"Green Slime" - The Green Slime
"Dress You Up" - Madonna
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" - Edison Lighthouse
"Grazing In the Grass" - Friends of Distinction
"Rock & Roll Waltz" - Kay Starr
"Goodbye Earl" - The Dixie Chicks
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" - Bauhaus
"You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" - David Frizzell & Shelly West
"Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)" - Boyce & Hart
"Take On Me" - A-Ha
"Eloise" - The Damned (One of the few remakes that is better than the original).
"She-Bop" - Cyndi Lauper
"Point of No Return" - Expose
"Mmmbop" - Hanson
"Batman's Theme" - The Markets
"How About Us" - Champagne
"Let It All Hang Out" - The Hombres (Some people have called this a bad Bob Dylan imitation. I believe it is a really good imitation of Roger Miller).
"Della and the Dealer" - Hoyt Axton
"Gotta Get Away" - Jackie Trent & Tony Hatch (This song is in the pilot episode of the TV 70s show The Persuaders).
"Come Softly To Me" - Jane Olivor (Another remake that is better than the original).
"Pop Muzik" - M (This song bridged the gap between the disco era of the late 70s and the new wave era of the early 80s).
"Stop & Get A Ticket" - The Clefts of Lavender Hill
"I Can Make It With You" - Pozo-Seco Singers (Another underated singer, Don Willaims, before he was a major star).
"Psilocybe" - The Mad Violets (80s psychedelia)
"If I Can't Have You" - Yvonne Elliman
"Give It Up" - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
"Bad Time" - Grand Funk Railroad (This is as close as Grand Funk came to a power ballad - ignorred by classic rock radio).
"In The Year 2525" - Zager & Evans (The greatest one-hit wonder of the rock and roll era. It was number one the day we walked on the moon and the day I was born).
"Goody Goody Gumdrops" - 1910 Fruitgum Company
"Seventeen" - Winger
"I'd Love To Change the World" - Ten Years After
"Pretty Blue Eyes" - Steve Lawrence
"Rock Me Gently" - Andy Kim
"Unbelievable"  - EMF
"Experiments With Mice" - Johnny Dawkworth Orchestra
"Radioactive" - The Firm
"125" - The Haunted
"Yankee Rose" - David Lee Roth
"Don't Stop Believin" - Journey
"Walk Away Renee" - The Left Banke
"If You Seek Amy" - Britney Spears
"Rio" - Duran Duran
"Dust In the Wind" - Kansas
"Cherry Hill Park" - Billy Joe Royal
"King of Wishful Thinking" - Go West
"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell
"Bubblegum Factory" - Redd Kross
"Indian Reservation" - The Raiders
"Bend Me, Shape Me" - The American Breed
"Windy" - The Association
"Laid' - James
"My Special Angel" - Bobby Helms
"Butterflies Are Free" - The Free Design
"Who Do You Love (I Want To Know) - The Sapphires (One of the great lost R & B classics. Why oldies radio stations don't play it anymore is beyond me).
"Naughty Naughty" - John Parr
"Lotta Love" - Nicolette Larson
  

Friday, May 25, 2012

WHAT IS YOUR MUSICAL FLASHPOINT?

Click on image to enlarge
Some of the recent passings in the music world got me to thinking about this. KTXR radio personality Wayne Glenn has put forth a theory an his radio show that pretty much holds water. Nothing involving scientific research but just a general observation from talking to listeners and taking request from them. Wayne Glenn has observed that people seem to gravitate toward the music that was popular when they were between the ages of 9 to 12. This is when most people first become interested in music.

I call this the "musical flashpoint." My musical flashpoint would be 1978 since I was nine years old at the time. That summer, the tube on our TV went out and my parents didn't fix it for along time. This may have been responsible for my discovering pop music and radio in general. During that summer, I noticed that the Springfield Leader and Press (Now the News Leader) published the Billboard Top 10 in the Sunday edition. I would flip around the dial to the see if I could find these songs being played on the local radio stations. I even started keeping a chart that tracked how often these songs were played and on what radio station (This is how boring my life was at age nine).

In those days, you could find more "popular hits" on the radio. In those days, most radio stations felt that you had to play what was popular especially if you were the only radio station in town. Many small town radio stations had what was called a split format. Usually, they played country from sign on through the early morning for dairy farmers, easy listening during the midday for housewives and rock/pop from the afternoon until sign off. The horrific plague of "we-can-only-have-country-or-talk-in-the-Ozarks" only came about in the 90s.

I found a chart on ARSA to use as an illustration of that summer's great music. I look down the list and notice many of my favorite songs:  Gerry Rafferty "Baker Street," Eddie Money "Baby Hold On," The Sweet "Love Is Like Oxygen," Rolling Stones "Miss You," Jefferson Starship "Runaway," Patti Smith Group "Because The Night," Foreigner "Hot Blooded," Donna Summer "Last Dance,"   Meat Loaf  "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad," Bob Seger "Still The Same," Styx "Fooling Yourself," Pablo Cruise "Love Will Find A Way" Abba "Take A Chance On Me," and The O'Jays "Use Ta Be My Girl" are there, as well as the guilty pleasures like Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing," Chuck Mangione "Feels So Good," Steve Martin "King Tut," The Trammps "Disco Inferno," Bonnie Tyler "It's A Heartache," Yvonne Elliman "If I Can't Have You," Frankie Valli "Grease," England Dan & John Ford Coley "We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again," Barry Manilow  "Copacabana"  (the only Barry Manilow song I have ever really liked).

I've also figured out that even if I didn't hear the song or group in 1978, I usually like anything made at that time. An example of this would be a big British hit by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley called "If I Had Words." Sure it is a sappy bubble gum/reggae song based on a song by Saint-Saens "Symphony No. 3," but I like it, because it has an energy and playful nature like many of the songs of that era. I really didn't hear the Sex Pistols until sometime in the early 80's (although I knew of them back then), but they immediately became one of my all-time favorite bands. I don't think I heard Pousette-Dart Band until college, unless they weren't identified on radio (the late 70s was the beginning of that bad trend in radio).

There, of course, are other singers and bands that were popular in 1978 that were not on that particular radio survey that I cannot live with out. Groups like Kiss, the Eagles, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Van Halen, the Cars, Bruce Springsteen, the Bee Gees, Kenny Rogers,  the Jacksons, Kansas, Earth, Wind and Fire and...I could go on and on.

Now, if you are waiting for me to trash today's popular artist, you can keep on waiting. I like most popular music and enjoy listening to it, as a matter of fact I'm madly in love with Katy Perry (Okay, okay,  I HATE COUNTRY MUSIC, but I admit it). I'm not be one of those old guys who sit around complaining about what younger people do, because I never liked for older people to say disrespectful things about the music I liked. Also, I have more friends who are younger. I wonder what year was their musical flashpoint?  

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Robin Gibb Passes On

Robin Gibb Passes On | AllAccess.com

I thought people would want to see a photo of Robin at the height of the Bee Gees popularity, rather than another photo where he looks like Charles Hawtrey of the Carry On films.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

WHY DID WE WEAR SONG TITLES IN RAINBOW GLITTER ON OUR T-SHIRTS IN THE 70s?





This post is sort of for my own sanity. When I was about seven or eight, I had a yellow t-shirt which bore the words "New Kid in Town" in rainbow, glitter lettering. I also remember that there were several t-shirts like this around this time. They all had one thing in common, instead of baring the name of a popular rock band, they had a popular rock song on the front in rainbow, glitter writing. These said things like "Stayin Alive," "You Light Up My Life," "Undercover Angel," "You Don't Have to Be a Star To Be In My Show," "Calling Dr. Love," "Lonely Boy," "Dancing Queen," "Afternoon Delight" and "Play that Funky Music." You get the picture.

It must have been a short lived phase, because I don't remember these t-shirts being popular much past one or two years. My family doesn't even remember me having this t-shirt. The only photos I could find of these shirts is an ad for other rainbow, glitter t-shirts offering a "Tonight's the Night" t-shirt (I rather have a "Do You Think I'm Sexy" t-shirt myself) and a vintage t-shirt on E-bay that sports the title, "Dancing Machine." I mentioned this to some co-workers and they didn't remember this fad either. However, it has stuck with me since childhood.

I think what strikes me about his now is how goofy this was. It almost makes no sense to wear a song title on your shirt, because if the person isn't familiar with the song it seems like a random, off-the-wall statement. Why would I say this? Because I know from experience. As I mentioned above, the t-shirt I had said "New Kid In Town." I had older people and redneck types in Lebanon say things to me like, "Git that shirt off! You ain't no new kid it town!" Not wanting to open up some typical Ozarker "That-is-what-is-wrong-with-our-country-it-going-to-Hell-in-a-handbag" discussion, but there is a delightful awkwardness about a seven or eight year old girl wearing a t-shirt that says "Afternoon Delight" or "Undercover Angel."

I think I know a little bit of the reasoning behind these t-shirts. Rainbow, glitter graphics on t-shirts was the new hot thing in the late 70s, as mentioned in the above t-shirt ad. I'm guessing the graphics were limited in the way they could be used, so they either had to be a small, simple picture or words.

Why just song title? My guess is that a t-shirt manufacture could get away with just the song title, where as band's names would require permission and probably a hefty licensing fee. Also bands in that era had special logos, which might not work with the rainbow, glitter graphics. Note that in the ads above, the company is selling shirts that say "Eagles" and "Kiss," but it is not there usual logos. I don't believe the "Angel" and "Rainbow" t-shirts have anything to do with the heavy metal bands Angel and Rainbow, it is just coincidence. Matter of fact, if you look closely, it is just the words "Eagles" and "Kiss." Sneaky, huh?
I was beginning to wonder if these t-shirts were just in my imagination. I looked through old magazines and comic books for photos or ads for these t-shirts. I looked on the Internet for photos of them. Sadly, I discoverred some very disgusting racist t-shirts being sold on-line (Klanwear?). Finally, found the pictures I used above. So my reasoning is this trend didn't go over. Maybe everyone was like me and realized it was kind of goofy.
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