Saturday, 11 June 2011
Midnight creeps so slowly into hearts of men who need more than they get. Daylight deals a bad hand to a woman that has laid too many bets
Pick of the Week
“Boogie Wonderland”, Earth Wind and Fire (1979)
A disco staple tonight.
You may not like disco, but EWF’s music - this was well-crafted. It blended an underlying funk with Latin, African, & R&B, added a horn section and produced a very big sound that was perfect to dance to. Nothing too deep lyrically, which was typical of disco, but that is not what disco was after. It was about dancing.
Steve Dahl was a DJ in Chicago. He hated disco and even made a parody of Rod Stewart’s “Do You Think I’m Sexy”, he called “Do You Think I’m Disco”.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Well, your friends with their fancy persuasions don't admit that it's part of a scheme, but I can't help but have my suspicions 'cause I ain't quite as dumb as I seem.
Quick Hit
“How Long”, Ace (1974)
From it’s funky opening bass, it’s great keyboards and smooth vocals, this is pop/funk at its best.
This British group formed in 1972 was the training ground for singer Paul Carrack who would go on to sing lead in many popular groups.
Originally the band was called “'Ace Flash and the Dynamos”, but quickly shortened to just “Ace”. The first album they release was “Five-A-Side”, with the single “How Long” which did very well in the U.K. and went to #3 in the U.S. in 1974.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
It never felt so good It never felt so right And we were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
70's Pick of the Week
“Paradise by the Dashboard Light”, Meatloaf (1977)
The twins had this album first. I was over there shooting pool and drinking beer. It seems like that was long ago and far away now. The older I got, the more I realized this album had an impact on a lot of people’s lives. Everybody can think of some melodrama around it, at least it sure seems like it...
This was not new or groundbreaking. “Rocky Horror Picture Show” had done it already in terms of being a glam-Rock Opera. Rock Operas themselves were not new: The U.K. band the ‘Pretty Things’ did the brilliant “S.F. Sorrow” (1968), The Who did “Tommy” (1969) and “Quadrophenia” (1973). David Bowie did “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (1972). Bizarrely the first reference to the term “Rock Opera” seems to have been in RPM magazine (published in Toronto) in 1966, noting that Bruce Cockburn and William Hawkins, were working on a ‘Rock opera” which they did not seem to complete.
This is music that had a time and a place. The relevance now, or to us now, is limited. It did for a small window in time give us a soundtrack for what was the teenage soap-opera of our lives. Now it stands as a bit of a curious time piece for those that were not around for it.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Rain, Rain, Go away...
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| Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones |
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| Ray Charles - Blues Before Sunrise |
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| Sade - Soldier of Love |
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| The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow |
We sing about beauty and we sing about truth at ten thousand dollars a show
Songs Everyone Should Know
“The Cover of the Rolling Stone” by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show (1973)
Whenever I hear Terry Jacks “Seasons in Sun” or “Cover of the Rolling Stone”, I always think of my friend Brad, who died of a brain tumor when we were 15 years old. He liked Dr. Hook and liked to sing this song.
Brad played guitar a bit and tried to show me, but I really did not have the patience for it yet, (although I would later, and his influence was definitely at work there). He liked country-influenced music mostly, like Gordon Lightfoot, Murray McLachlan, the Eagles, and Stompin’ Tom Connors. He was the one that decided that faded jean jackets looked better and that the way we would ‘fade them’ was to put our jackets in a big mud puddle in the alley and ride our motorcycles over them till they were ‘good’. It actually worked, once your disgusted Mom washed them; well except for a couple of crooked buttons.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Oh I was born 6-gun in my hand Behind a gun I'll make my final stand That's why they call me Bad company
Double Shot for a Monday
“Alright Now”, Free (1970)
“Bad Company”, Bad Company (1974)
I thought we needed 2 shots to get us going this morning - Paul Rodgers at two stages of his career: Early on with ‘Free’, and later in his career with ‘Bad Company’. His voice is still awesome.
Written by Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the word ‘quintessential’ comes to mind when I think of “Alright Now”. It was an anthem waving in an era of mainstream rock and roll - testosterone-rich hard-driving power chord magic. Paul Rodger’s voice was the envy of any teenage boy in the ‘70’s; versatile, powerful, and with a remarkable range. Released in 1970, “Alright Now” went to number 2 on the British Pop charts, and number 1 in many countries. By 2006 it had been played more than 3 million times on U.S. radio alone.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
And then just like Greta Garbo You stare like there’s no tomorrow And you’ll know what I’m thinking of Right before your eyes I fall in love with you
Sappy Song Department
"Right Before Your Eyes", Ian Thomas (1977)
There is a certain innocence/loneliness about Ian Thomas’ brilliant song writing. He seems to have somehow been overlooked, and yet his lyrics with their objective sensitivity, and heartfelt delivery, have a way of making you identify with what he is talking about. Why wasn’t he more popular?
I had many 45s of his including some of my favourites: “Mother Earth”, “Pilot”,”Liars” and “Painted Ladies” - they were staples of the Canadian music landscape in the 70’s. Some of the biggest names in music have done covers of his songs including Chicago, Santana, Manfred Mann, and Bette Midler.
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