From New Wave to the 'NOW', experience the thrill of NEW WAVE from it's beginnings in the late '70s to the modern bands so obviously influenced by it! So, if you grew up in the '80s and still enjoy discovering new sounds as well as rediscovering old favorites, then read on!
PUNK! POWER POP! SYNTH POP! NEW WAVE! POST-PUNK!
“So what does a star do after it quits shining?” I ask myself. “Maybe it dies.” “Oh no,” a voice in my head says. “A star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life.” I like that thought, the last one I have before my eyes close. With a smile, I melt back into the music myself.
I grew up listening to music. It was always around and was most definitely my first love. Well, platonic love, I guess.
I was barely six months old when the Beatles infiltrated the U.S. market in 1964, but I don't remember that too well.
When The Monkees first started airing in 1966, I was three and my folks later said that they could put my brother and I in front of the TV and that was the only half-hour of the week when we'd behave ourselves. I don't believe them. I'm sure we caused some kind of ruckus during the commercials!
The first band that I totally latched onto as my very own was The Jackson 5. I think I was six at the time. Sure, I loved all the stuff my folks played and I loved the songs blasting from the AM radio, but out of all the music I heard on a day to day basis, it was The Jackson 5 that fascinated me the most. Perhaps it was because there was an honest to goodness real kid singing the songs? Or it could have been that I loved things like "ABC", "I Want You Back" and "The Love You Save".... In any case, I loved 'em.
One day, I was watching the J5 perform on TV and they did a song called "Going Back To Indiana" and I loved it! I was seven years old and asked my mom for their album (also called Going Back To Indiana) as a present for my forthcoming eighth birthday. That was their latest album at the time and I REALLY wanted it.
Well, I didn't get it for my birthday that year (1971). Was I bummed? I don't think so. I was eight and there were probably plenty of cool toys to play with, so I probably just forgot.
BUT a few days later, my mom says that my Aunt Wendie was going to come over and wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday. I suddenly remember that I didn't get the Going Back To Indiana album by the Jackson 5 so I asked for that, excitedly.
Wendie shows up the next day with an LP sized gift and I was overjoyed! I quickly opened it up and, there it was, the Jackson 5's Maybe Tomorrow album! YIPPEE! HOORAY!
Wait just a minute, there, bucko! Did I see that correctly?
Maybe Tomorrow?
Maybe Tomorrow?????
BUT I WANTED GOING BACK TO INDIANA!!!!!
But me being the good kid that I am, I didn't say it was the wrong record. In fact, I gladly accepted it and ran into my room to play it. And it was a great record! I must have worn the grooves out on that one. I know that I played it at least 100 times over the next few years. So, thank you, Aunt Wendie! (I discovered years later that Maybe Tomorrow was their newest album at the time, being released shortly before my birthday. I guess the Going Back To Indiana album was old news by then, being six months old!)
A few years later, I took great pride in the fact that my man, Michael Jackson, sang the theme song to the movie Ben. My brother and I were big fans of the movie Willard, so we were super excited about the sequel, Ben. And since we were kids, we loved the movie. And, oh my goodness, that theme song was perfect for the ending of that movie! Or so I though when I was 9 or 10. I guess I still do now, but I have to pretend that I don't in order to uphold my macho appearance.
I've followed Michael's career since then, but I never reconnected with him and his brothers like I did when I was a kid. I don't regret that at all because I know that gazillions of other people were there to pick up the slack!
So today, when I think of Michael Jackson, I don't think of anything sad (as you can probably tell by the tone of this blog post). I don't think about the scandals. I don't think about the controversy.
Today, I celebrate the music he leaves behind. I celebrate that music that helped me to appreciate diversity. I celebrate the memories. Thanks, Mikey!
You know, I never did get that Going Back To Indiana album!
the performer often referred to as "The King Of Pop" and one of the most successful musical artists in history, has died at the age of 50.
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Michael Jackson, the onetime “King of Pop” who in later years was acquitted of child molestation and plagued by financial woes, died Thursday, according to the Los Angeles coroner’s office. Jackson was 50. Jackson, under cardiac arrest, was taken by paramedics to UCLA Medical Center under cardiac arrest where he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. (5:26 EST), said Lt. Fred Corral of the coroner’s office. Corral said an autopsy will be performed Friday to determine a cause of death. Results are expected Friday afternoon. Brian Oxman, spokesman for the Jackson family, told CNN that three Jackson siblings — Randy, Jermaine and La Toya — were at the hospital. He said Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, was on his way from Las Vegas. “Everyone is rather speechless,” Oxman said. “I cried with them and I am just stunned. The atmosphere here is so very sad.” At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying. Some of Jackson’s music was being played, said Oxman. The sounds of “Thriller” and “Beat It” bounced off the walls. “It is one of the most unbelievable, surreal scenes I have ever experienced,” Oxman said. A large crowd was gathering outside the hospital, according to video footage. Producer Quincy Jones, who helped Michael Jackson craft such hit albums as “Off the Wall” and “Thriller,” said, “I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news.” “For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” Jones added in a statement. Jones said Jackson’s music continues to be heard throughout the world “because he had it all — talent, grace, professionalism and dedication.” He called Jackson the consummate entertainer whose legacy will be felt around the world. “I’ve lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him,” Jones said. Jackson’s former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said she was “shocked and saddened” by Jackson’s death. “My heart goes out to his children and his family,” she said. Outside of Jackson’s Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home.
There are two things I thought of when British Pop vocalist Kim Wilde scored her first U.S. hit in 1981 with "Kids In America":
1. Hey, this is a cool song!
2. What a total babe!
Yes, in that order. I've always been a music geek and I have a tendency to listen to the TUNE before even paying attention to what the lyrics are or what the artist looks like. And remember, back in '81, you didn't have easy access to videos and such. Sure, MTV launched in August of that year, but not many folks had cable at that time.
So, the only real option I had was to concentrate on the music, which is the most important thing, right?
(But I gotta admit that Kim was second only to Debbie Harry in the 'rockin' sex kitten' category!)
Though Kim's reign in the upper regions of the U.S. charts only lasted for that one glorious single, she continued to release some fine POP singles and albums in the UK, Europe, Japan and beyond and all of them are worthy additions to any of you looking to build up your Power Pop, New Wave, Pop/Rock, Girl Pop or '80s collections.
Nearly 30 years after she debuted, the fine folks at Cherry Pop have released digitally remastered and expanded editions of Kim's first three albums and they look and sound great! Each release has an extensive booklet featuring info, lyrics, song comments from Marty and Ricky Wilde (Kim's dad and brother, who wrote most of the tunes), pictures of single sleeves and more. The packaging is wonderful, to be honest: nothing extravagant, mind you, but very tasteful and informative. Certainly worth the price of replacing your old vinyl LPs!
Released in 1981, KIM WILDE is the album most music fans are familiar with, mainly because it contains the aforementioned hit "Kids In America". While much of the album tends to lean heavily towards the same musical formula that made that song a hit, there are a few songs that break away from the early Blondie influences of "Kids...".
"Everything We Know" has a lovely melody that glides upon a Police-like Reggae rhythm while the playful "26580" ups the Reggae BPM to a Ska beat, adding a horn section and an instantly catchy chorus.
"Tuning In Tuning On" is New Wave for Acid lovers, it's Psychedelic swirls spinning around Kim's seemingly innocently coos.
"Chequered Love" takes the "Kids... " formula and adds equally catchy hooks throughout, making it equally delightful as the hit, if not more so.
"You'll Never Be So Wrong" is an absolutely wonderful Pop song that doesn't stray too far from the formula, but stands out as a great lost gem.
As for the bonus tracks, "Shane" and "Boys" are just as good as anything on the album (especially the latter). The Single Edit of "Water On Glass" is not that different from the album version, but is a welcome addition for us completists!
After the success of the Kim Wilde album, there were were only two directions that the Wilde clan could go: either record a carbon copy of the debut album or take Kim forward, embracing modern technology and wrap her Pop tunes in synthesized clothing. Thankfully, they chose the latter since they'd already taken the "Kids..." formula as far as it could go without it becoming boring and cliche-ridden.
With Select, Kim Wilde jumped head first into the future without losing any of the charm that made her self titled album such a success. While still upbeat and energetic, electronic keyboards dominate the album and the the guitar presence is toned down. Retaining the use of live drums and bass, the songs bounce along with glee, and while the production is a bit dated, it stands out as an under appreciated gem in the annals of New Wave music.
Kim's voice, while not having a huge range, is very distinctive and her vocals dominate all of her albums, so no matter what instruments you lay down, it's always going to sound like a KIM WILDE record! And from the moment she starts singing on album opener "Ego", Select is definitely a Kim Wilde record!
Though the album has fewer outstanding singles than her debut, Select is actually a better album as a whole. The hooks are more subtle and the album, overall, has a more confident quality to it.
"View From A Bridge" is most certainly a product of the '80s, but has a simplistic chorus that sticks in your head.
"Ego" sounds like Midge Ure-era Ultravox if they had been influenced by '60s girl groups.
"Words Fell Down", "Can You Come Over" and "Chaos At The Airport"sound like they could have been written for her debut but reworked into perfect little synth pop nuggets.
"Just A Feeling" is an elegant electronic pop gem that vaguely recalls some of 10cc's late '70s/early '80s recordings.
The album's centerpiece is most definitely "Cambodia", a 7+ minute opus that is broken into two halves: the moody and melodic Part One and the pulsating mostly instrumental Part Two (Reprise). It was a daring song then, yet it still sounds wonderful 25+ years later.
Of the five bonus tracks, they are all worthwhile Pop tunes although the chorus of "Bitter Is Better" sounds like a rewrite of "Kids In America". The single version of "Cambodia" is included, which is essentially Part One of the full length album version.
With even more electronics, Catch As Catch Can finds Kim Wilde and company at a crossroads: should we make a Pop album or a Dance album? The end result was a mixture of both, and would serve as a transitional album for the Pop vixen. Moving even further into the electronic realm, the live drums were replaced by programmed drums and keyboards had kicked the guitar to the curb and had taken over. Still, Kim's voice sounds more passionate and confident on the album, as if she was finally comfortable in being Kim Wilde, the Pop vocalist. "Love Blonde" is a cheeky '80s rewrite of the Peggy Lee classic "Fever" and Kim feels comfortable biting into this lighthearted slice of Pop. "Dream Sequence" is a nice slice of Psychedelic synth pop that would have fit as the album's opener with it's long, atmospheric opening. "Dancing In The Dark" (NOT the Springsteen tune) and "Shoot To Disable" are, to be honest, worth skipping. The less said, the better. The original album's three closing songs ("Can You Hear It", "Sparks" and "Sing It Out For Love" are the three best tracks on the album, which is strange since they seem to be buried at the end! What's up wid dat? Of the five bonus tracks, "Back Street Driver" is a great Pop tune that recalls the spirit and vibe of the first two albums and is practically worth the price of this CD alone. There are also two bonus versions of "Love Blonde" and....er.... "Dancing In The Dark". Overall, Catch As Catch Can is certainly a worthwhile release that deserves your attention, but is made even sweeter by the bonus tracks. Shame about three versions of "Dancing In The Dark", though! Well, I must admit that the Nile Rodgers remix is certainly better than the album version!
So, there you have it: three more reasons why Cherry Pop is a labels that you need to start collecting right away! And for you Kim Wilde fans out there, if you don't have these, buy them now. Not tomorrow, not next Friday... NOW!
In the '90s, while Britpop was ruling the airwaves, many folks outside the UK were too busy paying attention to the often boring albums released by all the BIG names of the genre including Oasis, Blur, Pulp and others. Sure, these bands put out some amazing records, but their immense fame enabled them to lose touch with reality and, worst of all, their fanbase.
While these band fought a decent fight to stay in the charts, there was one band who may not have captured your attention initially, but were far more deserving of your time and well-earned money: MY LIFE STORY.
The band was led by singer/songwriter JAKE SHILLINGFORD, who had a musical vision that far exceeded anyone else's imagination at the time. Shillingford was able to successfully mix the drama of a Bond theme with the bombast of ABC's Lexicon Of Love album mixed with the emotional fragility of solo Marc Almond and the suave and sexy moodiness of Scott Walker, creating a sound that recalled the aforementioned influences but retained it's own unique qualities.
My Life Story released three albums (Mornington Crescent, A Golden Mile and Joined Up Talking) and a slew of great singles in their relatively short career (1995-2000). Although they achieved Top 40 success in the UK, Shillingford's musical vision came to an end before they could even release a note of music in the U.S.!
Released in 2006, Sex & Violins: The Best Of My Life Story is an absolutely perfect introduction to the band. It includes some of the finest Pop singles you're likely to hear in your lifetime including "Sparkle", "Strumpet", "If You Can't Live Without Me Then Why Aren't You Dead Yet?", "Empire Line", "12 Reasons Why I Love Her" and many others. Not a dull moment here folks. This is pretty much what great Pop music is all about: big, bombastic, dramatic, fun, emotional and fantastic!
If you dig this, you might want to check out the two CD rarities and b-sides collection Megaphone Theology, which contains 40 more great tracks including demos, b-sides and more.
After laying My Life Story to rest, Shillingford formed the Electronic band Exile Inside, releasing two albums: Ei034 and Ei060.
In 2008, Shillingford then released his debut solo album, Written Large, which contains Jake accompanied by acoustic guitar and piano, revisiting songs from his catalog as well as brand new material. The album is perhaps the prettiest thing he's released yet.
Let's hope Shillingford continued to release music. If he does, then I'll always be there to listen... and tell YOU about it!
Back in '79, PUNK ROCK had seemingly run it's course but certainly had made a huge impact on the charts. There were still plenty of worthy Punk bands from all over the world (and still are) but, although the Punk scene had kick-started the indie label scene, the major labels tended to avoid all but the most melodic of the Punk breed (The Clash, The Jam, 999, Buzzccocks, The Stranglers, etc.).
Slowly but surely, the musicians that were energized by the whole movement began creating a new sound that retained the energy of Punk but added melodic hooks and a clean, commercial polish. This sound was called NEW WAVE and it became one of the biggest musical movements since... well, Punk! The New Wave sound was a lot easier to promote and had a better chance of chart action, so the major labels began snapping up any band capable of writing a catchy hook.
One of New Wave's most respected 'sub-categories' was Power Pop. Power Pop was certainly not new, since early '70s bands like Raspberries and Badfinger had achieved great success years earlier but the scene was re-energized when The Knack became the first Power Pop superstars of the New Wave generation. In 1979, their single "My Sharona" and the album Get The Knack became major hits and practically every label started searching the underground New Wave nightclubs for 'the next Knack'.
Thankfully, there were plenty of worthy bands to sign including 20/20, The Plimsouls, The Beat (AKA Paul Collins' Beat) and many many others. Even quirky outfits like Jules & The Polar Bears (fronted by Jules Shear) became part of this burgeoning scene. In no time, L.A. became THE place to find the perfect Power Pop band.
Great Buildings were a quartet with roots stretching back to the mid-'70s. Vocalist Danny Wilde and bassist Ian Ainsworth had been members of the Sparks-inspired band TheQuick, who had released their Mondo Deco album in 1976. The Quick actually ended up spawning some of L.A.'s finest: drummer Danny Benair, went on to help form The Three O'clock while guitarist Steven Hufsteter played in bands like The Dickies before forming The Cruzados.
But anyway, back to Great Buildings...
A while after The Quick split, Wilde and Ainsworth joined forces with guitarist Phil Solem and drummer Richard Sandford in a quartet they christened Great Buildings. Though they weren't immediately caught up in the Power Pop scene in '79, within a year, the labels came sniffing around and the band were eventually signed, releasing their debut album, Apart From The Crowd, in 1981.
And thanks to Wounded Bird, we get to experience this fab platter in all it's glory... ON CD!
Apart From The Crowd is about as perfect as a Power Pop album gets. Hell, it's a perfect Rock album and a perfect New Wave album, too! The melodies are infectious, the production is timeless and the harmonies are heavenly. The album's lead track (and single) "Hold On To Something", should have made these guys stars. It's catchy as sin and the arrangement is flawless. The energy and joy that leaps from the speakers during the song's 3 minutes and 47 seconds makes you want to go back and hear it again. And again. And again!
Thankfully, "Hold On To Something" is just the beginning of an exceptional album that definitely has stood the test of time (has it really been 28 years since this gem was released?). "One Way Out", "...And The Light Goes On", "Combat Zone" and "Love Goes Blind" are filled with all the same ingredients and also beg for repeated listenings. In fact, before you know it, 40 minutes after you push play, the album is over and you'll find yourself leaping up to start it all over again!
Robert Palmer must have felt this way since he ended up covering the track "Maybe It's You" on his Maybe It's Live release!
If you're hip to what Power Pop is all about, then this is essential listening. If you want to know what Power Pop is all about, then this is essential listening. If you just want to hear some great songs to cruise along to, then this is essential listening. If you're not picking up what I'm laying down, then let me spell it out: E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L!
Sadly, this is the band's sole release. They recorded a second album but it was never released and it languishes in the vaults.
Solem and Ainsworth eventually left the band, leaving Wilde and Sandford to carry on. They continued using the Great Buildings name for a few years, but the momentum was gone and they quietly split. Sadly, Sandford died a few years later.
Danny Wilde later signed a solo deal with Island, recruited Solem into his band and recorded the Great Buildings-like album The Boyfriend. Solem split again and Wilde continued as a solo artist. In 1990, Wilde and Solem reappeared on the music scene as The Rembrandts, scoring a hit with "That's Just The Way It Is Baby" and then, in 1995, hit paydirt with "I'll Be There For You", the theme song from the hit TV show, Friends!
Thus ends our lesson for today! There will be a quiz at the end of the week, so don't forget to study!
When DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS' 1980 album Searching For The Young Soul Rebels was a huge success, long-brewing tensions amongst band members and leader Kevin Rowland caused a major rift and the band split.
Rowland was left with the Dexys name while most of the band formed a similar sounding Soul-influenced outfit called The Bureau.
Kevin 'Al' Archer, who was Rowland's main musical partner in Dexys, left to form a new band that would head in a slightly different direction: The Blue Ox Babes. Archer's idea was to blend the Soul influences of Dexys with a Gaelic Folk sound, complete with fiddles and other traditional instruments. He even adapted a new look for his band: a less than fashionable raggletaggle gypsy fashion that was completely out of step with the early '80s. After a few demos were laid down and Archer felt the band was ready to make their debut, his former Dexys sparring partner Rowland caught wind of this new look and sound and fell in love with it. Before Archer even had the chance to make a name for his band, Rowland and the 'new' Dexys Midnight Runners released "Come On Eileen" and the rest is history. Rowland even had the nerve to 'borrow' Helen O'Hara, the fiddle player from The Blue Ox Babes demos, and add her to his new line-up (eventually marrying her!). Needless to say, this was a crushing blow to Archer and his musical vision and he decided to pack it in before the Babes even released a note. (To his credit, Rowland eventually fessed up in the '90s and gave Archer all the credit he was due... but a decade too late!)
Dexys released the Too Rye Aye album in 1982 to great success, but Rowland eventually lost all credibility when he changed musical direction again and released the truly awful Don't Stand Me Down album in 1985 (The album was reissued in the '90s to great acclaim, with many critics falling over themselves, praising it a decade after they panned it. But to be honest, the album was and still is a total piece of shit!)
Archer reactivated The Blue Ox Babes in the late '80s, bringing in some former Dexys members and giving the music business another shot. After a few semi-successful singles, The Babes were set to release their debut album, Apples And Oranges, in 1988 when fate stepped in yet again: their label, Go-Discs, decided not to release the album at all and dropped the band from their roster!
Now, 21 years later, the album FINALLY gets an official release on Cherry Red complete with NINE bonus tracks and what a release it is! Apples And Oranges is everything you would expect a Dexys-related album to sound like... only better! Archer's voice recalls both Rowland and Liverpool legend Pete Wylie (with a little Marc Bolan quiver thrown in), while the band are accomplished and energetic. The production is top notch and the songs are FANTASTIC! I hate to compare them, but this would have been a great follow-up to Too Rye Aye! It makes you wonder why a label would choose not to release an album this strong, but it must not have fit into the then-current musical climate.
Stand out tracks include "It Could Have Been Love", "Walking On This Line", the instrumental bonus track "The Last Detail" and "There's No Deceiving You". The cover of "Take Me To The River" is a bit awkward, but the rest of the album more than makes up for it.
If you are a Dexys fan or just dig great timeless music, then this is a treat worth investing in.
Oh, and you are more than welcome to throw away your copy of Don't Stand Me Down! I did!
