Showing posts with label Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Records. 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.


Thursday, March 16, 2017

TEN ANNOYING, SHORT-LIVED, POP MUSIC GENRES



This post started off as a comparison of two sub genres of rock music. The problem was, as I tried to do some research on the subject, I found very little information or music on-line about it. So I just decided to mix it into a post about several other genres.

If you are on social media, you would assume, from reading all those stupid memes that your un-hip friends post, that Millennials listen to the worst music ever made. In doing some research for this, I found that the hipsters and Millennials are actually into some very interesting and technical, experimental music.

Also, I've noticed these memes usually come from one of three places 1) a country radio station or redneck humor Facebook site, 2) a classic rock - AOR radio station Facebook site or a 3) right-wing political - talk radio Facebook website. All three have an agenda.

Let's look back at the history of rock and roll and see if we can find any trends, that those who criticize the current music scene, bought into that could be scene as vomit inducing.



10. Rural Norwegian/Scandinavian accent novelty songs (70s - 80s): The Wurzels, Da Yoopers and the Bananas at Large. It started in the 50s with a comedian named Harry Stewart, who recorded under the name Yogi Yorgenson. His stuff was kind of fun. Then, in the 60s, came Stan Boreson and Doug Stetterberg doing parodies of popular songs with some rural Norwegian/Scandinavian humor, still okay. That was all. Then, the rural Norwegian/Scandinavian, sort of was revived by a group from England called the Wurzels, who did recorded a parody of "Brand New Key" as "Combine Harvester." Technically, their music was a British rural variation, but the elements were there such as beer and farm implements. In the 80s, some groups out of Minnesota and Wisconsin, began recording original songs, most of these were about two subjects: deer hunting and farting. The redneck crowd like these songs and, if you are in country radio you get request these songs. Ugh.


9. Acapella - Doo Wop Revival (80s - 90s): The Nylons, Take 6, 4 P.M, All-4-One, Boyz 2 Men, New Edition. It started with the Nylons and their covers of Steam's "Kiss Him Goodbye (Na Na Na Hey Hey)" and The Turtles' "Happy Together." It didn't immediately take off, but then New Edition gave us a cover of "Earth Angel," to coincide with its use in Back To the Future. From then on, all boy band (really they are vocal groups not bands, but that is what people call them) had to do some acapella variation of a doo wop, oldies hit or country hit. Even when they covered a song, with musical backing, there would be at least a few bars of acapella. I think Boyz 2 Men had a whole acapella CD. The last hurrah (and best song of this trend) was The Straight No Chaser version of the "Twelve Days of Christmas."  


8.  American Ska - Punk (90s): Save Ferris, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Real Big Fish. In the early 80s, the Ska - Punk movement came out of England with bands like The Specials, The Untouchables, English Beat and Madness had some great songs. In the 90s, some American bands tried to revive the sound. The problem with these bands were their songs were usually too fast or just bad. Save Ferris (great name for a band) committed the ultimate sin by doing a cover of a song from the 80s that I HATE, "Come On Eileen." I also thought Reel Big Fish's "Sell Out" was one of the worst songs ever.


7. Big Band - Timeless Standards Revival (90s - Present): Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Michael Bubble, Puppini Sisters. This can be blamed on the short lived popularity of swing-dance. There has always seemed to be a push to bring back the Big Band era and the music of the pre-rock and roll era ever few years, but in the late 90s and early 2000's it almost succeeded. The groups doing original songs were on Alternative radio, where they sounded out of place. The more Timeless stuff helped kill off light AC and, when given its own radio format, it was the same songs over and over. Worse was how major stars (Rod Stewart, Michael Bolton, Bobby Caldwell, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon) recorded CDs of the "Timeless songs" and became un-cool.

6. American Blues Revival (Late 80s - early 90s): Omar & the Howlers, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jeff Healy Band. This is the subject that has caused me not to post in a while. I was going to compare the music of the late 60s British blues revival with the American blues revival of the late 80s. When I was in college, the local AOR station seemed to play a huge glut of these American blues revival bands. Out of all of the stuff being played, I only liked about three songs, "Bad To the Bone" & "Who Do You Love" by George Thorogood and "Smoking Gun" by The Robert Cray Band. There was also a tone of local blues bands around. I always preferred the late 60s British blues of Led Zepellin, Cream, Fleetwood Mac and Ten Years After. There was something made their interpretations of the blues different. Maybe it was help from acid, pot, Alistair Crowley and that person Robert Johnson met at the crossroads, but their blues was like atomic thunder from outer space. A new generation discovers it every year. The American blues revival of the 80s has largely become the in-house music of chain barbecue restaurants like Rib Crib and Famous Dave's. Here is the thing that caused my lengthy lack of post. Doing research on those bands was impossible, because I could find very little information about them on the Internet. I could track down very little of the music. I looked in an old Gold Disc AOR catalog from the 90s at work and only found a few names I remembered. Most of the groups had names like Jimmy Fudbucker and the Skillet Lickers. The only thing I found was a comment on the message board that summed up why these groups didn't have the impact of the British groups of the 60s. This person said "It lacked the feeling and soul that the blues is supposed to have. They made the blues bland and boring." 
 

5. Mummers String Bands (50s): Ferko String Band, Nu-Tornados, Quaker City Boys. If you wondered what in the world that photo at the top of this post represented, here it is. Sadly, I have to blame this one on one of my broadcasting media heroes: Dick Clark. The Mummers Parade has been a New Years Day tradition for over a century in Philadelphia. In the 50s, it was aired live on TV. This was also when American Bandstand was broadcast from Philadelphia.  The oddly dressed marchers and bands in the parade can only use string and percussion instruments. Some how they wound up catching the nations attention. Ferko String Band performed mainly instrumentals on records, but they had a hit. A vocal group, with a Mummers sanctioned banjo and glockenspiel, called The Quaker City Boys gave us "Teasin." 



The Nu-Tornados, on the other hand, gave us the dorkiest hit of the early days of rock & roll. A song called "Philadelphia U.S.A."It makes "Pink Shoe Laces" look like "Blowin In the Wind." The trend lasted roughly a year and thankful stayed in Philly after that.


4. Nostalgia - Camp (60s): New Vaudeville Band, Ian Whitcomb, Rainy Daze, Purple Gang, Bonzo Dog Band.  The Pop Art movement of the 60s lead to nostalgia for the pop culture of the past. In some circles, it was known as camp. Starting in about 1965, British Invasion artist Ian Whitcomb, known for his breathless hit "You Turn Me On," started reviving old ragtime songs like "Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday On Saturday Night?" The next year, British composer Geoff Stephens, wrote a song called "Winchester Cathedral." He had it recorded by a studio group with a vocal by John Carter, the former lead singer of the Ivy League, singing through a megaphone, like singers of the 1920s. Using the name The New Vaudeville Band, the song became an unexpected hit and spawned some other records with that sound. Several older artist (Rudy Vallee, Guy Lombardo, Lawrence Welk, George Burns and Tony Randall) and easy listening acts recorded cover versions, as well as bringing back more old songs from the 20s. It also spawn two bad copies that were blatant drug references. A band out of Denver used the nostalgia sound for their sledgehammer subtle minor hit "Accapolco Gold" and a British group called the Purple Gang recorded "Granny Takes a Trip." One group who started out doing the nostalgia sound revival act but left it behind was The Bonzo Dog Band. Here is one of those nostalgia tunes they recorded.


    



3. Death Songs (50s - 60s): "Teen Angel," "The Leader of the Pack," "Tell Laura I Love Her," "Last Kiss." This is one of those trends that have for years caused people to ask "WHY?". What caused the teenagers of the late 50s until the British Invasion to love such morbid songs. Many trace the beginning of this to be early 1959 and the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valence and Big Bopper.  First came Mark Dining's "Teen Angel" and soon the Top 40 was filled with car wrecks (Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Love Her" J. Frank Wilson "Last Kiss"), drownings (Jody Reynolds "Endless Sleep"), suicides (Pat Boone "Moody River", ghost girls ("Laurie"), a football team in a bus crash ("The Hero"), a girl eaten by a shark ("The Water Was Red") and a biker who may have hit a truck ("The Leader of the Pack"). This phase started to fade with the death of President Kennedy. Teens turned to the happy music of the British Invasion and Motown acts. The nail in the coffin (pardon the pun) may have been "I Want My Baby Back" by Jimmy Cross. It was a parody that took things a little too far. Jimmy misses his dead girlfriend so much that he digs up he coffin and crawls inside with her. Of all of these songs, my favorite is "Johnny Remember Me" by Johnny Leyton. He never says what happened to the girl or really if she is dead or not, but, thanks to production from Joe Meek, she is a spooky as a Roger Corman Poe movie.


  

2. Spoken Word Recitations: (60s): "A Open Letter To My Teenage Son,""I.O.U," "Grover Henson Feels Forgotten," "History Repeats Itself," "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)," "Gallant Men." This may get me into trouble. Before there was talk radio and memes on Facebook, there were the spoken word recitations. Don't get me wrong, not all were preachy tirades. Some spoken word recitations were stories with a musical background, such as "Old Rivers" by Walter Brennan, "Ringo" by Lorne Greene, "Phantom 309" by Red Sovine, and "The Shifting Whispering Sands" by Billy Vaughan with Ken Nordine. The others give us lectures against burning our draft card and respecting our elders, the similarities between President Lincoln and President Kennedy, how Europeans and "smug self-righteous Canadians" need to respect Americans, the true meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance, how kids need positive role models and how much your mother has done for you. 75 percent of these records used an instrumental version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" for a background. After the 60s, these type of recordings fell out of fashion because they don't gel well with the rest of the programing on music stations.  Imagine if you were listening to the radio today and between the latest hit by Beyonce and the latest hit by Katy Perry, the radio station played a cranky, old, white griping about how today's teenagers are stupid, people on welfare or illegal aliens . You understand. I will admit I do have two favorites that actually came along after the boom of these records in the mid to late 60s. One is 1999's "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)", which was credited to producer Baz Luhrmann, but the reading is by actor Lee Perry. The other is 1971's "Desiderata (Child of the Universe)" by talk show host Les Crane. What I like about these are the upbeat music and positive, affirmative tone.


    



1.  Answer Songs (50s - 60s): "He'll Have To Stay," "I'm the Girl From Wolverton Mountain," "I'll Save The Last Dance For You," "Tell Tommy I Miss Him," "I'm the Duchess of Earl," "Oh Neil," "Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight," "Gary, Don't Sell My Diamond Ring," and "I'm Glad They Took You Away Ha-Ha!" The most ridiculous of all of these trends I mentioned has to be the answer song trend of the 60s. It's roots were planted in the early 50s on the rhythm and blues side when Hank Ballard & the Midnighters released "Work With Me, Annie" and on the country side with Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life." Etta James fired back at Ballard with "Roll With Me, Henry" and Kitty Wells snapped back at Thompson with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." For some reason the peak began in 1960 and lasted until the British Invasion hit (Let's face it, the British Invasion groups can be thanked for getting rid of awful stuff). Every time a male artist or group had a hit, another record company would release a bad re-write of the song with a female singer or group and visa versa. You can tell from the above titles that much of this was pure dreck (although "Oh Neil" was by Carole King, who Neil Sedaka wrote "Oh, Carol" about, so there was a point to that one).  The only ones that worked are Jan Bradley's "Mama Didn't Lie," an answer to The Shirelles hit "Mama Said There Would Be Days Like This," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," which was an answer to Jay-Z "Empire State of Mind" and, the grand daddy of all answer songs, "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard, which was an answer to Neil Young's "Southern Man" and "Alabama." The reason these work is they are original songs that sound different than the songs they are an answer to not a carbon copy with the gender of the singer changed.
     
Some will, of course, holler "What about disco? What about rap? What about hair bands? What about psychedelic music? What about punk?" Those genres and styles had staying power, whether you like them or not. These are brief flash in the pans. Lucky for us they were brief.
 

Monday, May 2, 2016

A TRIBUTE TO K-TEL RECORDS


Canadian businessman Philip Kives died this past week. He was 87 years old. The name may not ring a bell, but the company he founded will. Kives was the "K" in K-tel Records. Before the Now That Is What I Call Music CD series, K-tel gave people a chance to own 20 of their the top hits on one record or tape.

Before K-tel released their first record in 1966, compilation records contained only songs by that label or company's artist. Kives managed to create records which featured major hits, from competing labels, side by side. Then, he sold them at a budget price in chains stores like Woolworths, Wallgrens, Ben Franklins, T. G. & Y, and K-Mart (no relation) with the aid of flashy TV commercials.

Granted, K-tel's records were cheesy in the beginning. The first one was country music, followed by a polka record and then came the many Top 40 hit compilations. Originally, the covers were black and white with tiny photos of the artist on them.

In the early 70s, the record covers were usually multicolored with small, color photos of the artist and an over abundance of text that listed the names of every artist on the record. These records featured about twenty hits, some of which were shortened for time. Some would maybe feature fifteen hits, but would pad with early recordings by major hit artist, such as "Love You Til Tuesday" by David Bowie, "It Might as Well Rain until September" by Carole King, "Bless You" by Tony Orlando and "I Can See For Miles" by The Who.

By the late 70s, K-tel began putting together some two record sets, which allowed for longer versions of the songs. The artwork improved quite a bit, including a cover featuring Robby the Robot and one featuring a sexy blond singer named Kerry Ciardelli, who was later married to the inventor in Rollerblades.

About this time the Canadian produced comedy TV show began featuring a character named Harvey Ktel (like Harvey Keitel), a fast-talking, loud announcer, who specialized in voice-overs for record commercials, such as Stairways To Heaven. The character was played by Dave Thomas.



The 80s saw the records become more focused on, sometimes on one genre of music, such as new wave and heavy metal. These probably took a cue from the success of records devoted to country, soul (SUPER BAD) and novelty songs (GOOFY GREATS). The cover design was the biggest improvements. During this time, they released what many believe to be their best compilation, Rock 80, which contained a mix of new wave and power pop.

K-tel even had a hit LP. Kives saw the success of the Stars On's disco oldies medleys and decided to try apply the same formula, only with classical music. Hooked On Classic was a big hit.

Sadly, that was the last hurrah for K-tel. In the late 80s, the filed for bankruptcy, just missing the CD boom. Part of their problems were attributed to a controversy in America surrounding a collection of music from a popular British kids show called Mini Pops, which featured kids dressed as Madonna, Boy George and Prince singing their hits. Cranky American parents felt it was "immoral."

I wanted to do a post about K-tel, because I collect K-tel Records. Most collectors don't want them. I like the kitschish nature, as well as the musical nostalgia held within the cover and grooves.

I've created a Ipod playlist for a non-existent K-tel record of the 70s called "Make Believe - 22 original hits by the original artist" and an 80s K-tel record "Make Believe Two - Today's magical hits."

1. "Little Willy" - The Sweet
2. "Back Stabbers" - The O'Jays
3. "How Do You Do?" - Mouth & MacNeal
4. "Brandy" - The Looking Glass
5. "Don't Pull Your Love" - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
6. "Why Can't We Live Together" - Timmy Thomas
7. "Cum On Feel The Noize" - Slade
8. "I Am Pegasus" - Ross Ryan
9.  "Beach Baby" - First Class
10. "Dancing In the Moonlight" - King Harvest
11. "Rock The Boat" - Hughes Corporation
12. "Heartbeat It's a Love Beat" - The DeFranco Family
13. "Love You Til Tuesday" - David Bowie
14.  "Beautiful Sunday" - Daniel Boone
15.  "Bang Bang" - Cher
16.  "Smoke Gets In your Eyes" - Blue Haze
17.  "Who Do You Think You Are" - Candlewick Green
18.  "Treat Her Like Lady" - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
19.  "Look In My Eyes Pretty Woman" - Dawn
20.  "Hooked On a Feeling" - Blue Swede
21.  "Jolene" - Dolly Parton
22.  "Armed & Extremely Dangerous" - First Choice

1. "Sweet Dreams" - Air Supply
2. "Turn Your Love Around" - George Benson
3. "Going Down" - Greg Guidry
4. "Take It Easy On Me" - Little River Band
5. "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone) - Chilliwack
6. "Easy For You To Say" - Linda Ronstadt
7. "Trouble" - Lindsey Buckingham
8. "Is It You?" - Lee Ritenour
9. "Don't Talk To Strangers" - Rick Springfield
10. "One Hundred Ways" - James Ingram
11. "Run Home Girl" - Sad Cafe
12. "Waiting For a Girl Like You" - Foreigner

Sunday, November 22, 2015

90 COUNTRY SONGS THAT I ACTUALLY LIKE (An Ipod Playlist)


Okay, Okay! If you read the post about my concept for "glam country," you probably figured out that I hate country music. You must understand, in Missouri, there are more country radio stations on the air than any format. It bombards you from all directions. Also country fans in Missouri are so self-righteous about being country fans (actually Missourians are self-righteous about EVERYTHING). They say "You should listen to country music. It is better for you."

Something I don't discuss much is the fact that I have worked in country radio, usually against my will. There were a few songs that I liked during my days in radio purgatory. I began thinking about the country songs that I like.  I looked through my Itunes and put the songs I liked into a playlist. Let me say that the complaint against "bro-country" is it is too pop and not traditional country is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Most of the country music I did like from my formative years doesn't sound like what you would call "real country." Many of these artist were accused of not being "real country." Much of this wouldn't get played on a country radio station today, because it doesn't fit the format or it isn't considered country.

Here is a list of country songs that I can actually stomach.

  • "I Fell In Love" - Carlene Carter
  • "Amarillo By Morning" - George Strait
  • "Anybody Going To San Antone?" Charlie Pride
  • "When You're Hot, You're Hot" - Jerry Reed
  • "Tight Fitting Jeans" - Conway Twitty
  • "Skip a Rope" - Henson Cargill
  • "Elvia" - Oak Ridge Boys
  • "Lyin Eyes" - The Eagles
  • "No News" - Lonestar
  • "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" - The Mavericks
  • "Don't It Make Brown Eyes Blue" - Crystal Gale
  • "It Must Be Love" - Don Williams
  • "The Gambler" - Kenny Rogers
  • "Flowers On The Wall" - The Statler Brothers
  • "Six White Horse" - Tommy Cash
  • "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Glen Campbell
  • "The Whispering Wind (Blows On By)" - Mandy Barnett
  • "Gentle On My Mind" - Glen Campbell
  • "Queen of Hearts" - Juice Newton
  • "Joanne" - Mike Nesmith
  • "El Paso" - Marty Robbins
  • "Made In Japan" - Buck Owens
  • "Bobbie Sue" - The Oak Ridge Boys
  • "Garden Party" - Rick Nelson
  • "Love's Been Little Bit Hard Me" - Juice Newton
  • "Della & The Dealer" - Hoyt Axton
  • "The Closer You Get" - Alabama
  • "Why Have You Left The One You Left Me For?" - Crystal Gale
  • "Wichita Lineman" - Glen Campbell
  • "King of the Road" - Roger Miller
  • "Maria" - Ray Vega
  • "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" - Willie Nelson
  • "Goodbye Earl" - The Dixie Chicks
  • "There Is a Time" - The Dillards (Technically this is bluegrass)
  • "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry" - Jerry Wallace (The Tune in Dan's Cafe from Night Gallery)
  • "He's So Fine" - Jody Miller
  • "Make The World Go Away" - Eddy Arnold
  • "Broken Lady" - Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
  • "You Ain't Going Nowhere" - The Byrds
  • "Seven Year Ache" - Roseanne Cash
  • "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma" - David Frizzell & Shelly West
  • "Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel" - Townes Van Zandt
  • "Chug A-Lug" - Roger Miller
  • "Bop" - Dan Seals
  • "Amanda" - Don Williams
  • "Old Dogs, Children & Watermelon Wine" - Tom T. Hall
  • "Early Morning Rain" - George Hamilton IV
  • "Angel of the Morning" - Juice Newton
  • "Galveston" - Glen Campbell
  • "What Is Truth" - Johnny Cash
  • "Ode to Billy Joe" - Bobbie Gentry
  • "Let You Love Flow" - Bellamy Brothers
  • "Highway Patrol" - Junior Brown
  • "Nobody" - Sylvia
  • "Christine's Tune (Devil In Disguise)" - Flying Burrito Brothers
  • "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" - Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
  • "Love In the First Degree" - Alabama
  • "Oh Lonesome Me" - Don Gibson
  • "Kansas City Lights" - Steve Warner
  • "Achy Breaky Heart" - Billy Ray Cyrus
  • "Fancy" - Bobbie Gentry
  • "Seminole Wind" - John Anderson
  • "Has Anybody Seen Amy?" - John & Audrey Wiggins
  • "Saginaw, Michigan" - Lefty Frizzell
  • "Rose Garden" - Lynn Anderson
  • "Why Lady Why" - Alabama
  • "Looking For Love" - Johnny Lee
  • "Jolene" - Dolly Parton
  • "Cherry Hill Park" - Billy Joe Royal
  • "Can I See You Tonight?" - Tanya Tucker
  • "Silver Threads & Golden Needles" - Linda Ronstadt
  • "Stranger in My House" - Ronnie Milsap
  • "Girl From The North Country" - Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash
  • "Some of Shelly's Blues" - Mike Nesmith
  • "Ring of Fire" - Johnny Cash
  • "The Highwayman" - The Highwaymen (Willie, Kris, Waylon, Johnny)
  • "Most Beautiful Girl" - Charlie Rich
  • "Cincinnati Ohio" - Connie Smith
  • "Diggy Diggy Lo" - Doug Kershaw
  • "Streets of Bakersfield" - Buck Owens
  • "Lay Lay Lay" - Bob Dylan
  • "Lucille" - Kenny Rogers
  • "Here You Come Again" - Dolly Parton
  • "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune" - The Dillards
  • "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile" - David Allen Coe
  • "Takin It Easy" - Lacy J. Dalton
  • "Whose Gonna Mow Your Grass?" - Buck Owens
  • "All The Gold In California" - Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers  

  

Sunday, August 9, 2015

THE LIVE VERSION WAS THE HIT VERSION


Many people believe rock and roll is best when it is live. I've actually been to very few concerts. I prefer studio recording because of the controlled atmosphere. There have been many instances in which the studio version bombed when first released or a song wasn't released on 45. The record company or another record company (after the group or artist left their original label) released a live version on 45 which took off. Of the 17 songs listed here, radio went back and began playing the original studio version on five of them.

"Ridin the Storm Out" REO Speedwagon (Studio version didn't chart in 1973. Live version went to #94 in 1977. Radio still plays live version because the lead singer is different and the tempo on the live version is faster.)

"Rock & Roll All Night" Kiss (Studio version went to #68 in 1975. Live version went #12 in 1976. Radio plays the studio version.)

"I Want You To Want Me" Cheap Trick (Studio version didn't chart when it was released in 1977. The much faster live version went to #7 in 1979. Radio plays the live version because of the faster pace.)

"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" Billy Joel (Studio version on 1976 LP Turnstiles. Live version went to #17 in 1981. Radio plays the live version.)

"I Do" J. Geils Band (Originally a track on the Atlantic LP Monkey Island in 1977.  The live single version was released in 1982 on EMI America and went to #24. Radio plays the live version, if they play it.)
 

"Show Me the Way", "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Do You Feel Like I Do" Peter Frampton (Studio versions didn't chart. Radio plays the live versions.)

"I Just Want to Make Love to You" Foghat (Studio version only made it to #83 on the chart in 1972. Radio plays the studio version.)

"Conquistador" Procol Harum (Studio version was the first track on their 1967 debut LP. Live version, recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra went to #16 in 1972. Radio plays the liver version.)

"Turn the Page", "Katmandu" & "Beautiful Loser" Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (The studio version of "Turn The Page" didn't chart in 1972. "Beautiful Loser" made it to #103 and "Katmandu" made it to #43 in 1975. The live version did not chart, but became staples on radio.)

"Reelin & Rockin" Chuck Berry (Released as the flip side of "Sweet Little Sixteen." Recorded in London in 1972. Radio station play the original.)

"Folsom Prison Blues" Johnny Cash (Recorded on Sun in the 50s. Live version recorded at the real Folsom Prison in 1968. Radio stations usually play the original Sun recording.)

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" John Denver (Studio version was a track on the 1974 Back Home Again LP. Radio plays the live version.)

"Maybe I'm Amazed" Paul McCartney and Wings (Studio version was on McCartney's first solo LP in 1970. Radio plays the studio version.)

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

R. I. P STAN FREBERG


Wow! I did not know this existed. I'm going to have to look into the origin of this stop-motion animation version of  Stan Freberg's "St. George." At any rate, the audio is the original Capitol record. I hope to dedicate a whole post to Freberg in the future.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

David Letterman Christmas Record Collection

Since I'm upsetting cranky Ozarkers today, I thought I would give everyone a clip of David Letterman and his Christmas records. Supposedly, Ozarkers hate David Letterman.

Friday, December 12, 2014

A CHEESY GIVEAWAY XMAS LP IPOD PLAYLIST (Compliments of your local Desdinova blogger)

It is one of those retro pop culture artifacts that is pretty much worthless, except for extreme collectors. Not that there aren't those who collect them, but they are not a high value item. They are complimentary, premium or free giveaway Christmas music compilation LPs.

Sometime in the early 60s, a record company marketing consultant thought up the idea of having a "sampler" of his companies Christmas LPs given away by a major retail chain. The only one interested was Goodyear Tire dealers. If you got your tires rotated or bought a new set of tires, you got a free Christmas LP. Even if you did buy tires, you could buy the LP at a modest price (usually a dollar). It was an immediate success. Naturally, Goodyear's competitor, Firestone, decided they had to do the same thing. By the end of the decade, the complimentary, premium or giveaway Christmas LP was everywhere, from banks, insurance companies, restaurants, pharmacies, supermarkets, department and hardware stores.

However, the premium Christmas LP died out by the mid 70s. Christmas LPs fell out of vogue and premium LPs were hurt by the rising price of records in general. The Christmas premium compilations came back in the form of CDs and as recording artist began recording Christmas albums again. Granted, unlike the original LP of the 60s, the CDs were rarely free but were cheaper than most new CDs (usually $4).

Looking at the performers featured on these LPs, it becomes clear that they were aimed an older audience. These LPs are a who's who of MOR/easy listening radio artist of the 60s and early 70s. Always included was about two or three classical/opera artist or large choirs doing a sacred Christmas carols. Although the LPs of the 70s interspersed the MOR performers with country music stars and a few bubble-gum teen idols, they were mainly MOR artist on these LPs.

Another thing that bugged me as a child, was how these LPs never featured that version of the song that you heard on the radio or TV. Part of this was due to the fact that one record label was contracted to produce these LPs. In those days, the record labels were all different companies, not owned by one or two big conglomerates. The kids who have grown up with the NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS CDs will never know the frustration of your parents owning a Christmas LP with Hank Locklin or Sandler & Young singing "Rudolph the Red Nose Raindeer" instead of Gene Autry or Burl Ives.

Even stranger was when an artist known for a particular Christmas song was one the LP, but not singing THAT song they were famous for. A perfect example of this is Bing Crosby. He would appear on these LPs, but NOT singing "White Christmas." Maybe Tony Bennett or Andy Williams would sing that, but not Bing. Speaking of Andy Williams, he won't be singing "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" on these, but Robert Goulet or Jim Nabors might. Sometimes the liner notes (if there were any) would try to smooth things over with a comment like "Millions have fallen in love with "The Christmas Shoes" by NewSong. On this LP, we have included a version by Ted Nugent."

Some artist were staples of these LPs: The Three Suns, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, The Ray Conniff Singers, the Robert Shaw Corale, the Hollyridge Strings, Robert Goulet, Jerry Vale, Kate Smith, Mitch Miller, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, John Gary, Norman Luboff Choir, Andre Kostelanetz and Tennessee Ernie Ford. 

According to friends who are record collectors, these LPs are not worth anything except for sentimental value on the record collecting market. The reason is they were inexpensive and abundant and only played one time a year. Also most of the songs have been reissued on CD. According to some websites there is a cult of collectors and fans of these Christmas LPs.

So, I have decided to give you an Ipod playlist in the style of the old premium/giveaway Christmas LPs. This is compliments of your local Desdinova blogger. Merry Christmas from all of us and thank you for your patronage. 

 
We Wish You A Merry Christmas-André Kostelanetz & His Orchestra
Silver Bells-Andy Williams
Winter Wonderland-Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra
Frosty The Snowman-Billy Idol
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree-Brenda Lee
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer-Dean Martin
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Doris Day
Sleigh Ride-Ferrante & Teicher
White Christmas-Frank Sinatra With The Bobby Tucker Singers
The Little Drummer Boy-Harry Simeone Chorale
Jingle Bells-The Hollyridge Strings
Blue Christmas-Jerry Vale
Joy to the World-Jim Nabors
Get Lost Jack Frost-The John Barry Seven
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas-Johnny Mathis
Do You Hear What I Hear-Kate Smith
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing-The Lennon Sisters
The Christmas Song-Linda Ronstadt
O Come All Ye Faithful-Luther Vandross
O Holy Night-Mahalia Jackson
Here Comes Santa Claus-The Mills Brothers
Hooray For Santa Claus-Milton Delugg Orchestra
Deck The Halls-Mitch Miller & The Gang
What Child Is This-The Moody Blues
The Christmas Waltz-Nancy Wilson
All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)-Nat King Cole
The Twelve Days Of Christmas-The Norman Luboff Choir
Happy Holiday-Peggy Lee
We Need a Little Christmas-Percy Faith
The First Noel-Plácido Domingo & Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Christmas Trumpets-Ray Anthony
Here We Come A-Caroling-Ray Conniff Singers
Medley - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow / Count Your Blessings / We Wish You A Merry Christmas-Ray Conniff Singers
Christmas Day-Robert Goulet
Away In A Manger-The Starlight Orchestra & Singers
Carol Of The Bells-The Starlight Orchestra & Singers
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town-Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
Silent Night-The Temptations
O' Tannenbaum (Christmas Tree)-The Three Suns
My Favorite Things-Tony Bennett
I'll Be Home For Christmas-Tony Bennett & The Count Basie Big Band
Jingle Bell Rock-Wayne Newton
      

Thursday, November 20, 2014

DID NICHOLS & MAY RECORD A SUPERMAN ROUTINE?


Every media outlet has mentioned the passing of Mike Nichols. Most focused on his work as a movie director, but only mentioned his comedy LPs with Elaine May. In their time, they were extremely popular, even appearing in commercials for General Electric. Above is a cover from a Lois Lane comic book from that era. I'm wondering if there was in fact a Nichols & May comedy record featuring a Superman routine. Several comedians did Superman routines, notably Bob Newhart and Bill Cosby. I cannot find a verification of this existing. Maybe someone at DC comics thought this would be a funny idea for a story (For some of the crazy stories in Lois Lane comics, check out this post on Flashbak by Yeoman Lowbrow).


Saturday, November 1, 2014

THE THINGS THAT CAME FROM DESDINOVA'S LAIR

Trying out an new camera by taking photos of some things in my apartment for Halloween/monster kids.
When the batteries were good, this little guy would say, "Boo! Did I scare you?"

An original Shadow novel from the 30s.







Speaking of shadows, an original copy of the Dark Shadows soundtrack LP with the poster included.

The Eerie 1972 Annual

This is a mangled library copy of the Crestwood Frankenstein book. I bought this at a Friends of the Library sale. I believe it was in the Springfield R-12 Public Schools library system. To answer you Seinfeld fans out there, there were no "pee-pees or wee-wee" drawn on the monster, but I believe one page is missing. Below is what the book looked like in good condition.






And I leave you with a selfie of me.







 

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

IT WASN'T A DREAM...IT WAS REAL!





Did you ever have a memory from childhood or your past of something that you were unable to confirm existed? For quite sometime, there were some things that I remembered from my childhood that none of the people around me seemed to remember. Over the years I had searched the Internet for information on this stuff and had turned up dead ends. Only recently have I had these vague memories verified as real.



1. Batman had a large friend that dressed like him named Fatman.  This story first appeared in Batman #113, but I probably saw it when it was reprinted in the 70s in Batman Family #4. Fatman was actually a circus clown, who performed in a Batman costume. He wound up saving Batman and Robin after gangsters locked them in a horse stable. Nobody believed me when I mentioned this character, but now I have proof.



2. The late 70s version of "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette" that featured impressions of Gomer Pyle, Archie Bunker, President Carter, Paul Lynde and others. I for along time was under the false belief this was the hit single version by Sammy Davis Jr. from that era. The reason I believed that was because it was a hit and Sammy often did impressions as part of his act. When I finally heard the Sammy Davis Jr. version, I was disappointed that there were no impressions. Early in the spring, KTXR's Wayne Glenn played on his Remember When radio show a 1978 version by a singer named Thom Bresh, whose father, Merle Travis, wrote the song "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette." That was it! Hearing it now, I realize the impressions are not great, but it is still fun to hear.


Cosmic Crystal from Paul Falcone on Vimeo.

3. There was a school kid made a sci-fi movie called The Comic Crystal that was shown on PBS and the TV show Zoom.  This was the one I really wanted to find out about. I was beginning to believe it might have been a strange dream I had during a high fever. A sci-fi movie made by a kid about another kid who finds a "cosmic crystal." He is attacked by zombies and saved by a cute, blonde, haired girl superhero in a yellow sweatshirt. This film also "borrowed" the sound effects from Star Trek. I thought they showed part of this on Zoom and there was a full version that aired once on the local PBS station as filler between programs. I had Googled it several times and came up with nothing. I tried again recently and found it. It was made by a guy name Paul Falcone and he recently posted it on the site Vimeo. Not only does it feature Star Trek's sound effects, but it features music by Pink Floyd (which I wasn't aware of when I saw this in elementary school). I can't believe how well this holds up today. I would love to hear from this guy. Paul, if you are reading this contact me at d4windsbar@yahoo.com.

I'm glad all of this has been cleared up. I was beginning to think that I was insane.   

Thursday, March 27, 2014

THE AGE OF TELEVISION ON LP

Let's take a break from the female comic strip character films for a quick post about an LP I found at a record collector's show in Springfield over the weekend. I cannot find any substantial background information on the origins of it's content. It is called The Age of Television. It features the voices of Hugh Downs, Milton Berle, Arlene Francis and Sylvester "Pat" Weaver.

My guess is this was a television special of the early 70s. The LP was released in 1972 on RCA. You are probably saying, "Why would a TV special be released on a record album?" The answer is that this was before VHS, DVD or You Tube. This was common before home video. There was a Tonight Show anniversary special released on LP (I believe I have that somewhere). There were LPs made containing one episode of Saturday Night  Live, the Smothers Brothers, Donny and Marie and Dean Martin shows. I can't find a date on when this show aired or what network, although I'm guessing NBC because of Pat Weaver and Hugh Downs involvement and it was released on RCA (NBC and RCA were part of the same company back then).

If this was a TV special, I would love to see it. This LP is filled with great audio clips from both TV and radio shows. The LP is produced in true stereo so you can hear different clips on different speakers. I want to listen to this with headphones some time. It does come with a booklet of photos, that are a kind of psychedelic collage.

This must not be a real rare LP. Several websites have unopened copies for about $20 (I gave $5 for mine). I wish I could find information on whether this is audio from a TV special or was produced solely for this record. It is a great relic from the 50s nostalgia craze of the 70s.    

Thursday, October 17, 2013

SELECTIONS FROM THE HAUNTED HOUSE AND OTHER SPOOKY POEMS AND TALES

A co-worker gave me this Scholastic Records EP from 1970 entitled Selections from the Haunted House and Other Spooky Poems and Tales. The stories and poems are read by Paul Hecht and Carol Danell.
The back cover list the selections on the record.
Someone has uploaded both sides to You Tube. "The Velvet Ribbon" is my favorite.


Saturday, July 27, 2013

SECRET LOVE - MOST ANNOYING RECORD COMMERCIAL EVER


As a child, I always liked commercials for records. They usually featured bombastic announcers rattling off the names of the songs on the records, a Chyron graphic vertical scroll of the titles of the songs on the record, usually accompanied by photos of the artist or some related photos (i.e. boys and girls dancing at prom or bikers cruising down Route 66. One even featured a NASA rocket launch). Most of these records were offered by a company called Sessions (although they were produced by major companies such as Warner Brothers, RCA or Columbia).

It was around my senior year in high school (Maybe my first year of college - this commercial ran forever) that I saw what I thought was the worst record commercial ever featuring what, at the time, I considered some of the worst songs in the world. The commercial was for a 4 LP, 3 cassette collection called Secret Love. I might be wrong, but I think this is the first TV record ad to offer a compact disc version. I hated this commercial.

First off, it probably aired more than any record commercial in history. It seemed like it was on every commercial break.

Second, this record was loaded with songs I hated. In the commercial there were only two songs that I liked, "Nights In White Satin" by the Moody Blues and "Waiting For a Girl Like You" by Foreigner. However, seeing the complete track listings there were a few others I like ("Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright and "Strange Way" by Firefall). These were those wimpy songs that radio stations here in the Ozarks were beating to death. These were also the songs favored by the snooty popular girls, who wouldn't go out with me. They were also on student council, so they picked the music for the school dances. it was usually this stuff.

Third, had to do with the format of this ad. Unlike the previous records ads that I mentioned above, this ad must have been the first to feature on-screen spokes people or characters. This one featured an ANNOYING PREPPY COUPLE IN CABLE-KNIT SWEATERS SITTING BY A FIREPLACE IN AN UPSCALE HOME.  I could not stand those two people! They were the little goody-goody, overachiever types that were the bane of my existence in high school (I still run in to a few of these people through work). I would see this commercial and ask myself, "What does that beautiful girl see in that preppy dork???" Notice: The clothes are the same as on the record cover above, but different model/actors.



At the time this aired, I was into mainly heavy metal (hair bands), college rock (alternative and punk to young folks) and classic rock/oldies. I thought it would be great if they made a set of the music I liked. There wasn't a metal or college rock set, but there was a classic rock/oldies set with great songs on it entitled Freedom Rock. Unfortunately, the commercial featured two idiots dressed as hippies sitting by a VW Micro-bus doing a bad Cheech & Chong imitation.

While I still dislike preppies, I have come to accept and even enjoy old soft/light rock of the 70s and 80s. As a matter of fact, readers of this blog may remember that I have proposed a revamped version of the soft/light AC/rock radio format that removes the "Little Miss Pris-Delilah-Mommy Blogger" attitude that made these radio station unbearable to listen to since the early 90s. The music and romantic or mellow mood would be the focus, instead of discussions about "soda-being-bad-for-you" or "girls-wear-too-sexy-dresses-to-prom." As Gilligan at Retrospace would say, it would be "Music for making pancakes."

Maybe in some crazy way, the Secret Love commercial spawned that idea, because "This music brings out the animal in people."   

      

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I AM NOT ASHAMED PLAYLIST 6

This is the first I AM NOT ASHAMED playlist of 2013. I started this last summer after I read on some other websites where people had made playlist of "Guilty pleasures" in their Ipod and Itunes. These were songs they liked but were ashamed to admit it. My thought, contrary to what the liners of a radio station here in Springfield, Missouri says,  is that you shouldn't have to be "guilty" or "ashamed" of the music you like. WHAT MUSIC YOU LIKE IS YOUR BUSINESS AND NONE OF THE BUSINESS OF YOUR SNOOTY, SELF-RIGHTEOUS CO-WORKERS, GRANDMA OR JERK IN THE CAR NEXT TO YOU.

So here is a list of songs in my Ipod that some would say are un-cool or upset them in some way. Crank it up and tell people "IF IT IS TOO LOUD, YOU ARE TOO OLD!"

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  - "Woodstock"
Glen Campbell - "Rhinestone Cowboy"
The Rising Storm - "Frozen Laughter" (Spooky psychedelic masterpiece that opens with a woman saying, "Honey, is that you.")
Wham! - "Wake Me Up Before You Go-go"
Glen Shorrock - "Dream Lover"(A great cover of the Bobby Darin hit by the lead singer of Little River Band)
 Ian Hunter - "Ships" (Ian's original and much superior version of the song that would later be a hit for Barry Manilow)
The Sandford-Townsend Band - "Smoke From a Distance Fire" (One of the greatest one-hit wonders ever)
Barenaked Ladies - "One Week"
Jimmy Castor Bunch - "Troglodyte" (Her name was Bertha - Bertha Butt-one of the Butt Sisters)
Monifah - "Touch It"
Billy Abbott and the Jewles - "Hey Good Lookin!" (An upbeat R&B-Doo Wop version of a Hank Willaims song)
Brian Hyland - "Gypsy Woman"
Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl"
First Class - "Beach Baby" (British studio group doing a killer Beach Boys imitation)
T. Rex - "Ride The White Swan" (Many old T-40 radio stations playlist played this, but it didn't make the Billboard Top 40. An upbeat radio-friendly rocker from 1970.)
Pink Lady - "Kiss In The Dark" (Great disco hit from a sexy female duo from Japan..Yes, I watched their short lived TV variety show when i was a little kid.)  
Cycle V - "Blood From a Stone" (Great song from the soundtrack of the 80s rerelease of Metropolis.)
The Cyrkle - "Turn Down Day" (Summer-sunshine pop)
Elton John - "Mama Can't Buy Your Love"
Clarence Clemmons (w/Jackson Browne) - "You Are a Friend of Mine"
Asia - "Only Time Will Tell"
The Fuzztones - "Charlotte's Remains" (Late 80s-Paiseley Underground-Garage Band song about murdering a wicked chick)
Albert Hammond - "It Never Rains In Southern California"
Little Anthony & The Imperials - "Shimmy Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop"
Nick Gilder - "Hot Child in The City"
The Dillards - "There Is a Time" (Folk-bluegrass group from Salem, Mo, who played The Darling boys on the Andy Griffith Show. This song has been covered by several Goth bands.)
Roger Miller - "My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died"
Episode Six - "Love Hate Revenge" (Ian Gillian and Roger Glover of Deep Purple were in this group)
Pilot - "Just a Smile" (From the group who gave us "Magic")
Blondie - "Rapture" (This was the first rap song many of us white kids in the Midwest heard-Not the best Blondie song, but fun to listen to.)
Sniff n The Tears - "Driver's Seat"
    

Saturday, January 19, 2013

REEVALUATING THE BOSSTOWN SOUND


The first time I knew of "the Bosstown Sound" was through a collection of old Scholastic Co-Ed magazines that my sister had bought when she was in junior high in the late 60s. I liked to look at these because they contained the things I were interested in the most when I was in junior: photos of girls and information on music of the 60s (then it was the current music scene).

I remember this article saying that the coolest music was coming no longer coming from San Francisco or London, but Boston. The article told about these band, but even with my limited knowledge of the music of that era at the time (I was only beginning my exhaustive studies) I knew I had never heard of any of these bands. Although one band name stuck with me because I thought it was so cool: The Ultimate Spinach (pictured above).

Skip forward to my college years when I would do a monthly segment during my KSMU airshift a called the Psychedelic Limits. I found a copy of Ultimate Spinach's second LP, Behold and See. I began using a song from the LP called "Mind Flowers" on the Psychedelic Limits.

Recently, I found an abundance of psychedelic music on iTunes and Amazon and began downloading it like crazy. I found that many of the songs that I were not familiar with were by bands from "the Bosstown sound." In recent years I had read that "the Bosstown Sound" was a huge flop in the music industry. it is even mentioned in Dave Marsh's Book of Rock List. Why did it flop?

Part of the problem was the fact that most of the bands were all on MGM Records. This was almost an "all-your-eggs-in-one-basket" situation as much as Columbia Records went overboard with jazz horn rock bands about the same time, with the main difference being that the jazz horn rock bands at Columbia were huge sales success with wide spread airplay (many of those songs are still radio staples), where as the Bosstown Sound didn't make enough money in sales to cover the amount of promotion and very little airplay.

Another problem was the hype surrounding the Bosstown Sound. Co-Ed was not the only magazine promoting the Bosstown Sound as the next big thing. 16 and Seventeen did too. The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Life and even Playboy ran positive articles about it. On the other hand, a relatively new magazine called Rolling Stone trashed the Bosstown Sound an article. It took MGM and the mainstream media to task for trying to steal the thunder of the San Francisco music scene. Of course, Rolling Stone was based in San Francisco.

While we are on the subject of the Rolling Stone article, I should mention the other problem with the Bosstown Sound was lack of support at the top of the records company. Shortly after the marketing started for the Bosstown Sound, MGM Records appointed Mike Curb as president. Curb was quoted in the Rolling Stone article as saying "Boston shucks" and calling the music "a bunch of junk." Curb later used his controversial "Dump the Dopers" campaign as a way to get rid of the Bosstown Sound bands. He claimed the Orpheus love ballad "I've Never Seen a Love Like This" was "a drug song." It should also be noted that Curb had MGM drop Frank Zappa, but kept Judy Garland and Hank Williams Junior (Mike Curb's sunshine pop choir, the Mike Curb Congregation backed Hank Junior on some of his MGM hits). It was later found that most of the acts dropped were groups whose contracts were ending. To add insult to injury, Bosstown Sound producer and creator Alan Lorber says Mike Curb asked him why the Bosstown groups hadn't provided any new material. This was after Curb had bragged to the press about dropping these "junk" groups. I should note that not all of the Bosstown bands were at MGM, some were on a smaller label called Mainstreet.

As I said earlier, I've been downloading music by these bands various Bosstown bands and I have noticed that there is another reason these groups seem forgotten. Unlike many of the San Francisco groups and the British bands of the late 60s, the Bosstown groups sound dated, like a stereotype of 60s music. To me that is not a bad thing, but consider the mundane nature of classic rock radio. The songs that have become staples on classic rock radio by Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, the Rolling Stones, the Who and Led Zeppelin, sound as if they could be recorded by any current band or even in the 70s or 80s.

The Bosstown groups have an overly psychedelic sound to them. All the psychedelic bells and whistles show up on these groups LPs. There is an abundance of slowed down voices, vibes, chimes, backwards taped instrumentation, and lyrics about "sounds," "bright colors," "pretty flowers" and "beautiful girls with hypnotic eyes." However, before we say that Mike Curb was right about these groups, it should be pointed out that one thing that hurt them among the underground press was that many songs have a negative view of the drug culture, such as Beacon Street Union's "Speed Kills."

On a whole, the Bosstown groups were more mellow. They were sort of a mix of "sunshine pop" and smooth jazz rather than bluesy like the British and West Coast acts. Not real heavy, but kind of light.

So what happened to the people of the Bosstown Sound. Many of the musicians continued performing various other acts. Of the acts from the Bosstown boom years, there are three names you would recognize. Ultimate Spinach produced future Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. A group called The Chain Reaction only recorded one single, but that group featured future Aerosmith lead singer/ American Idol judge Steven Tyler. The most surprising future star in a Bosstown band was the drummer of Chamelon Church. He would leave music for comedy and make people laugh on TV's Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update anchor and on the big screen as hapless father figure Clark Griswold. Yes, the drummer of Chameleon Church was Chevy Chase.

Here is a short list of Bosstown Sound tacks:
  • "The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens" Beacon Street Union
  • "Mind Flowers" Ultimate Spinach
  • "Seven Starry Skies (Mystic Magic Oceans)" The Lost
  • "When I Needed You" The Chain Reaction
  • "Images" The Freeborne
  • "I've Never Seen Love Like This" Orpheus
  • "The Red Sox Are Winning" The Earth Opera
  • "My Island" The Fabulous Farquar
  • "Another Day" Phluph (I'm sure that is pronounced Fluff)
  • "Can't You See" The Tangerine Zoo
  • "Goodbye Girl" Eden's Children
  • "Silver Children" Front Page Review
  • "Camillia Is Changing" Chameleon Church
While the Bosstown Sound may be considered a failure, it did paved the way for successful acts from Boston in the 70s such as Aerosmith, Johnathan Richman and Modern Lovers, The Cars, J. Gelies Band and, of course, Boston.  

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

DESDINOVA'S CAMPY 70s HIT PLAYLIST


Yes, once again I'm going to swipe and idea from KYTV newsman Ethan Forhetz. His E-List from last week was about 70s One Hit Wonders.  I kind of wanted to make my own list, however, as I've mentioned before, the term "one-hit wonder" can be open to interpretation. Also I thought about those songs that give you that "only in the 70s" feel, but either were not big hits or were hits from artist who had several hits. Before there is an outcry from fans or haters, let me say some of this is a mix of 'so bad it's good" and things that are great songs, but their style and content scream 70s. As usual, I went overboard on listing songs. I hope that this list could be used as the perfect soundtrack for a 70s party.

"I Am Pegasus" Ross Ryan (I list this obscure 70s hit first because of its opening line has to be one of the goofiest lines of the 70s "I am Pegasus, my name means horse.")
"Kung Fu Fighting" Carl Douglas
"Afternoon Delight" Starland Vocal Band
"Cover of the Rolling Stone" Dr. Hook
"Seasons In The Sun" Terry Jacks
"Heartbeat-It's a Love Beat" The DeFranco Family
"Chevy Van" Sammy Johns
"I Think I Love You" The Partridge Family
"Ride Captain Ride" The Blues Image (The 70s had several "nautical" related songs.)
"Torn Between Two Lovers" Mary MacGregor
"Nice To Be With You" Gallery
"Dancing In the Moonlight" King Harvest
"Fernando" ABBA
"Fly Robin Fly" The Silver Connection
"How Do You Do" Mouth & MacNeal (You got to see this clip of them sing this on a TV show.)
"I Am I Said" Neil Diamond (Runs second to "I Am Pegasus" for the goofy line "And no one heard at all
Not even the chair.")
"Undercover Angel" Alan O Day
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree" Tony Orlando & Dawn
"Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" The Looking Glass (Another nautical/sailor song)
"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" Middle of the Road (A goofy song is always better when sung by a sexy blonde in hot pants.)
"Little Willy" The Sweet (The bad that should be considered the fathers of hair metal.)
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" Elton John & Kiki Dee
"The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" Vicki Lawrence (I love how toward the end of the song she starts singing like Mama Harper.)
"Joy To The World" Three Dog Night
 "Rock The Boat" The Hues Corporation
"Night Chicago Died" Paper Lace (Best historically inaccurate song of all-time.)
"I'd Love To Teach The World To Sing" The New Seekers (Best commercial jingle of the 70s-all-time maybe.))
"That Same Old Feeling" Pickettywitch (This received heavy air-play on Top 40, but didn't make the Top 40.)
"Baby I'm-A Want You" Bread
"Top of the World" The Carpenters
"Garden Party" Rick Nelson
"Spanish Stroll" Mink DeVille (This was considered "punk" in the pre-Sex Pistols era. Not sure what it is, but it is a pretty good song.)
"Billy, Don't Be a Hero" Bo Donaldson and the Haywoods
"Rhinestone Cowboy" Glenn Campbell
"Hooked On a Feeling" The Blue Swede (Oooga-chaka-ooga-chaka!)
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" Edison Lighthouse
"Montego Bay" Bobby Bloom
"Midnight Train To Georgia" Gladys Night & The Pips (If you knew the truth everyone sings along with the Pips on the "Woo-woo" part when this song comes on the radio.)
"Ooh Child" The Five Stairsteps
"Sweet City Woman" The Stampeders (One of the few songs with a banjo I can stand.)
"Down By The Lazy River" The Osmonds
"Macho Man" The Village People
"Love Train" The O'Jays
"Moonlight Feels Right" Starbuck (I like this because the lead singer sound kind of sleazy.)
"Arizona" Mark Lindsay
"Sweet Mary" The Wadsworth Mansion
"Loving You" Minnie Ripperton
"Saturday In The Park" Chicago
"Why Can't We Be Friends" War
"Float On" The Floaters (This one feature an unintentional goofy line, "Cancer and my name is Larry.")
"Muskrat Love" The Captain & Tennille
"Brother Louie" The Stories
"Sugar Baby Love" The Rubiettes
"Disco Lady" Johnny Taylor (A big "disco" hit that isn't real disco)
"Smoke From A Distant Fire' Sandford-Townsend Band (One of the greatest one hit wonders of all-time!)
"Come & Get Your Love" Redbone
"Band of Gold" Freda Payne
"Brand New Key" Melaine
"The Rubberband Man" The Spinners
"Easy The Commodores
"It Never Rains In Southern California" Albert Hammond
"Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" Lobo
"Spirit In The Sky" Norman Greenbaum (Fuzztone guitar and Christianity make of good mix.)
"Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" Cher
"Coconut" Harry Nilsson
"Living Next Door To Alice" Smokie
"Do You Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart (Probably the song by Rod Stewart most people hate-I like it.)
"ABC" The Jackson 5
"Rock Me Gently" Andy Kim (This is one of those songs that was made for Top 40. It still sounds great.)
"Rings" Cymarron
"I Can See Clearly Now" Johnny Nash
"Last Time I Saw Him" Diana Ross
"Bungle In The Jungle" Jethro Tull (Most Jethro Tull songs were deep, dark and philosophical. This is 70s sexy talk.)
"Wigwam" Bob Dylan (In 1965, Dylan went electric. In 1970, Dylan went Trololo on this song.)
"I Am Woman" Helen Reddy
"Squeeze Box" The Who (Only in the 70s and only the Who could pull off a song built around a double entendre about a woman playing an accordion.)
"American Pie" Don McLean (The Greatest Number One hit of the 70s! It sort of sums up the strangeness of the decade.)

I may create a list based on certain genres of 70s music (disco and heavy metal).
 



Thursday, June 7, 2012

Bob Welch, Ex-Fleetwood Mac, Dead - Billboard.com

Bob Welch, Ex-Fleetwood Mac, Dead in Apparent Suicide | Billboard.com#/news/bob-welch-ex-fleetwood-mac-dead-in-apparent-1007263952.story#/news/bob-welch-ex-fleetwood-mac-dead-in-apparent-1007263952.story

Interesting side note: I bought a copy of this LP for my KSMU radio show in the late 80s. The owner of the record store I bought it at in Springfield, Missouri, said, "I met that girl on the LP cover. They sent her on a promotional tour when the record was released." To paraphrase the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, "Worst record store promotion ever."
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