Oft considered the 'Stairway to Heaven' of the New Wave era, this synthpop classic from the Essex, UK quartet Modern English remains the quintessential, post-punk dance track. Although branded a 'one-hit wonder' the band did have a string of smaller hits including 'Hands across the Sea' and 'Ink and Paper'.
The song was WLIR's 'Screamer of the Week' on August 4th, 1982. It was also prominently featured in the 80's teen flick 'Valley Girl' (starring Nicolas Cage).
So, the novel idea here is to combine two of my favorite things: 80's New Wave and Summer. Let's see if I can actually deliver 80 straight posts. With some luck, by the end of the summer you'll have built yourself a bitchin' playlist.
Day 1: Blue-eyed funk from Scotland' apb. A slight departure from the signature slap-bass sound featured on their earlier releases, This guitar heavy hit was WLIR's 'Screamer of the Week' on July 2, 1985. Shades of Eddie Van Halen courtesy of the multi-talented Ian Slater.
In a deal struck with a Texas prosecutor to avoid potential jail time in association with his pot bust last November, outlaw legend Willie Nelson will play one of his signature tunes, 'Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain' in open court.
On this day in in 1967, The Turtles' Happy Together became the No.1 song in the country.
The southern California pop group founded in 1965 by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (later known as Flo and Eddie) rode the musical wave of the hippie movement with this saccharin-sweet diddy in the spring of 1967. That wave would later crest in the Summer of Love.
Not unlike the Byrds, The Turtles initial claim to fame was derived from a Bob Dylan song. A few years earlier, their cover of It Ain't Me Babe reached the Top Ten.
Happy Together was written for the band by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon. The duo also penned minor hits for The Lovin' Spoonfuls, Petula Clark and Three Dog Night, but none would achieve the status of Happy Together.
It's interesting to note that this song knocked The Beatles Penny Lane out of the top slot and remained there for three weeks. It was the Turtles only No. 1 hit.
Happy Together- The Turtles (Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, 1967)
It was 20 years ago today, Peter Hosapple taught the band to play.
On this day in 1991, R.E.M. released it's breakthrough, cross-over 'Out of Time'. From that point forward, for better or worse, things would never be the same for the quartet from Athens, GA.
Their seventh studio release, OOT was recorded at an eclectic mix of facilities including Bearsville Studios (Woodstock, NY) and Paisley Park (Prince's digs in Minnesota). It was the third collaboration between R.E.M and über-producer Scott Litt.
Interesting sidebar on Litt's association with the band: He had previously worked with the db's in 1982 which included none other than R.E.M's 'unofficial 5th member', Peter Hosapple. Litt first worked with R.E.M on Romance for the soundtrack of the 1987 film 'Made in Heaven'. He would go on to produce six of their most successful albums including: 'Document','Green', 'Out of Time','Automatic for the People','Monster' and 'New Adventures in Hi-Fi'. No surprise that after Litt's departure (along with Bill Berry) in 1997, the band released the dismal 'Up'. But we'll leave that critique for another time.
'Out of Time' continued a distinctive evolutionary period for the band and their music, which had commenced with 1988's 'Green'. Through their own volition, a bevy of talented session players and guidance from Litt, they explored and utilized a variety of different instrumentation in the recording of the album. Several tracks featured mandolin, violin and cello prominently while a touch of flugelhorn was thrown in for good measure. Buck's arpeggio playing technique married seamlessly with these lush new arrangements, and as a result their music became much more deeply textured. Stipe also employed a novel approach to his vocals. You could actually hear and understand all the words in the songs he was singing. Go figure.
The band already had cred among it's throngs of loyal followers and had gained altitude into the rarefied air that few 'college bands' had before, yet hovered just under the stratosphere of cross-over success. They were poised to breakthrough at some point, but it was the unlikely radio-friendly hit Losing My Religion that got them there. A mandolin solo on a Top 10 record? As if? The song was certified gold for the band. It reached No. 1 on Billboard's 'Mainstream' and 'Modern' Rock charts and No. 4 on the Hot 100. If that weren't enough, the multi-platinum album went on to earn the band three Grammys in 1992. Indie darlings turned AOR darlings virtually overnight.
For once, it seemed possible that 'college music' was fit for the masses. Specifically the slow, southern drawl of melodies and bucolic musings that had been R.E.M's SOP. They had honed their craft for over a decade and 'Out of Time' was deliberate in it's attempt to showcase these different sounds with a distinct southern twang attached. A few standouts from the album include: Belong, Half a World Away, Low, Mike Mills' Texarkana and the Stipe/Kate Pierson duet Me in Honey.
Oddly enough, the album was their first to feature a few throwaways. The ill-conceived attempt rap/pop mashup, Radio Song (featuring KRS-1) and the still-to-this-day awful Shiny Happy People. Stipe may have been coming out of his shell during this period, but he over-stepped it on this syrupy sweet nonsense. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was destined a Karaoke fate.
'Out of Time' holds many personal memories for me. It was R.E.M.'s second release while I was going to college and played as a perfect soundtrack for this awkward, young hipster who was trying to make a go of it in art school. Yet even for this die hard fan, OOT was nowhere near as earth-shattering as, let's say 'Reckoning' was. They were clearly my favorite band at the time and when I graduated school a few years later and set out cross-country on my bike, Athens was one of my first stops. I had to see where it all happened.
OOT might not be their best album, but it remains their most important. If only for the fact that it got them tons of exposure, commercial success, a fat contract with Warner and was the beginning of the path that led them to 'Automatic For The People'.
This was the album whose songs I would hear wherever I'd go. It was the one that further solidified and justified my appreciation of them. It was the record that other people heard on the radio and I'd say," Yeah, that's R.E.M, that band I've been telling you about for the last 10 years. Now you understand what I was talking about?" Finally, they delivered an album that enabled them to belong.
Although the band did not tour to support the album, they did record one of, if not the best MTV's 'Unplugged' sessions ever in April of that year. If you don't already have it, you can get it here.
I'm not sure if time caught up with the band or they just went to the well one too many times, but unfortunately it ran dry about 15 years ago. 'Collapse Into Now', their latest release, coincidentally scheduled to drop today, is a far cry from 'Out of Time'. After a recent string of lackluster albums, if I were in the band, I'd be weary of using terms like 'collapse' and 'now' in the title of anything I released, but maybe that's just me. With their contract with Warner expiring, I have a feeling that they are poised to become an indie band once again. I haven't listened to the new record enough yet, so I'll reserve judgment. But I think R.E.M. has been out of time for quite a long time.
Lately I have been listening to two of my favorite performers. Willy and Lemmy. Although musically they may seem worlds apart, they actually have a lot in common, namely: successful careers spanning decades.
Upon further inspection the similarities become more apparent: • Both are easily recognizable by just one name • Both are true renegades in their respective styles of music • Neither can be easily labeled • Both have spent the majority of their professional career on the road • Both are Grammy winners (like that really matters) • Both seem to enjoy certain substances, whether liquid or otherwise • Both could be mistaken for homeless drifters • Neither seem ready to stop touring or making music
I could probably find more similarities, but you get the idea. Most important of all the qualities they may share, these two legends have always remained true to themselves and their music.
Wille Nelson & Family- Whiskey River (Live, 1974)
Motorhead- Ace of Spades (The Young Ones, BBC 1984)
Wille Nelson & Family- Angel Flying To Close To The Ground- (Honeysuckle Rose, 1980)
Motorhead- Stay Clean (Live, 1983?)
Willie Nelson- Night Life (Later w/ Jools Holland, 1996)
Tis the season. Well at least it used to be. Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the true spirit of Christmas has somehow been lost, pushed to the back shelf behind the fruitcake that no one will buy. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to keep Christ in Christmas. To this end, I've decided to dedicate some megabytes to Our Lord and some classic tunes inspired by and dedicated to him.
We begin with one of my all time favorites, Neil Diamond's 'Holly Holy'. Hands down one of the most spiritual rock anthems ever created. Heavily influenced by gospel, Diamond released the song in October of 1969, It went on to reached #6 on the pop charts.
Ladies and Gentleman, without further adieu, one of Brooklyn golden throats.
As the mercury approaches 90+ yet again, AM features another summer scorcher from days past. What I believe to be her best song, Madonna's Borderline. The final single released from her self-titled debut, this song and accompanying video really helped put her over the top. There wasn't a boom box or Blaupunkt that wasn't blasting this song in the summer of '84, and her lucky star, which had been rising was beginning to go supernova.
Written by Grammy winning writer/produce Reggie Lucas and mixed by Madonna's then boy- toy, John 'Jellybean' Benitez, the song was released as a single in the US on February 15, 1984 and slowly made it's way up the charts, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard's Hot 100, becoming her first top ten single.
About a week ago, while down in the Village and suffering another 100+ degree Manhattan summer day, I was reminded of the summer classic by the all girl, brit-pop trio Bananarama, 1982's Cruel Summer.
The video was filmed in and around Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side, back when it was sleazy, dangerous and fun (and gas was $1.48 a gallon).
In a deal struck with a Texas prosecutor to avoid potential jail time in association with his pot bust last November, outlaw legend Willie Nelson will play one of his signature tunes, 'Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain' in open court.
On this day in in 1967, The Turtles' Happy Together became the No.1 song in the country.
did not tour to support the album, they did record one of, if not the best MTV's 'Unplugged' sessions ever in April of that year. If you don't already have it, you can get it here.
As the mercury approaches 90+ yet again, AM features another summer scorcher from days past. What I believe to be her best song, Madonna's Borderline. The final single released from her self-titled debut, this song and accompanying video really helped put her over the top. There wasn't a boom box or Blaupunkt that wasn't blasting this song in the summer of '84, and her lucky star, which had been rising was beginning to go supernova.
