September 2018 – Page 3 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Dave Edmunds – I Hear You Knocking

This song is stripped down rock at it’s best. Dave Edmunds released this song in 1970 and it peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100, #1 on the UK charts for 6 weeks and #3 in Canada. It sold over 3 million copies.

Dave had more tracks added to the song but changed his mind and stripped it down and released it.

John Lennon liked the song…he quoted when it was out “I always liked simple rock. There’s a great one in England now, ‘I Hear You Knocking”.

It was written by Dave Bartholomew and Earl King and released by Smiley Lewis in 1955 and it went to #2 on the R and B Charts.

I Hear You Knocking

You went away and left me long time ago
Now you’re knocking on my door
I hear you knocking, but you can’t come in
I hear you knocking, go back where you been

I begged you not to go but you said goodbye
And now you’re telling me all your lies
I hear you knocking, but you can’t come in
I hear you knocking, go back where you been, oh yeah

You better get back to your used-to-be
‘Cause you’re kinda love ain’t good for me
I hear you knocking, but you can’t come in
I hear you knocking, go back where you been

I told you way back in Fifty-two
That I would never go with you
I hear you knocking but you can’t come in
I hear you knocking, go back where you been

Dave Edmunds – Slipping Away

Dave Edmunds released this song in 1983. I remember hearing it and something about it reminded me of ELO…there is a reason for that. Jeff Lynn produced and wrote the song. It peaked at #39 in the Billboard 100.

It got a lot of airplay in my region at the time so I was surprised it only went to #29. Very different from his 1970 hit “I hear You Knocking.” I haven’t heard it in years.

From Songfacts.
Edmunds had produced his own material to this point, and decided to try something different by using an outside producer. His first choice was Phil Collins, but Collins didn’t have the time. “Then I thought of Jeff Lynne, because he was Mr. Techno back then and he used to make great-sounding records,” Edmunds said in his 2015 Songfacts interview. “Although now I listen to them and they sound a bit dated. I’m a bit puzzled why I was so enamored with Jeff, but he is very creative in the studio. He can go in with nothing and right on the spot make a record. I was taken with that.”This being 1983, synthesizers were coming into vogue, especially in Edmunds’ native UK. For Jeff Lynne, this was a natural progression, but for Edmunds, it was out of step with his sound – he specialized in rock guitar and simplified productions (he had recently produced the Stray Cats first album). So when “Slipping Away” emerged, featuring a prominent synth played by Lynne, many of Edmunds’ fans were nonplussed.

Edmunds did more work with Lynne on his next album, Riff Raff, but soon returned to his rock roots.

Slipping Away

I can feel you slipping away from me
A little bit further now every day
I’m holding on, but I can’t believe
This is how you want it to be
Oh, you’re slipping away
Oh, you’re slipping away
It feels like walking down a long, dark road
You never talk to me the way you did before
You ride through the city with your head held high
And all I can do is watch you go by
Oh, you’re slipping away
Oh, you’re slipping away
I’m gonna give it all I’ve got to give
I’ve got to hold on, see what tomorrow brings
You’re slipping away, but give me one more try
One more chance to wipe these tears from my eyes
You’re slipping away
Oh, you’re slipping away

That Elusive 70’s House

As anyone who has read this blog knows, I like the 60s and 70s. I collect things from that era and even looked for a house in that era…I just didn’t know how many houses we would visit.

In 2004 my wife and I thought it was time to move from our starter home. We were learning to jump from the hall to living room to kitchen because we were getting crowded with our small home with a 4-year-old son, a mutt and a Saint Bernard running about.

We didn’t know what we wanted and were totally naive about house hunting. We only had so much money when we bought our starter home so it was easy…the second house we saw we bought. This time we had options and wanted to find our final house…THAT house… We found an agent and she said: “I’ll show you 6 houses but you need to pick one of them and that will be it.” We didn’t like any of the houses she showed us that weekend.

We told the agent to forget it and started to freelance and ended up looking at 11 more by just going around and making appointments to visit houses. Ok, we are up to 17 now. But by this time we knew what we wanted. We wanted a 1970s style house…split level if possible. An open floor plan with some land…and some room. My wife would not go for shag carpet (dang it) or an avocado refrigerator but she did like the older designs.

At the 18th house we looked at, we found an agent as crazy as we were named Naomi. She was new at being a real estate agent and said she would stick with us through the complete process. We kept going when we could and the number kept rising. I then got laid off my job in May of 2006…and it slowed us down but in July I was working again and the adventure continued.

Naomi could not understand why we would want an older house. She would try to dissuade us. She would try to slip in a new townhouse…we would arrive and say no…but she said she had to try. We looked in multiple counties to see if we could find what we wanted. We found nothing that was remotely close to my work.

We found many houses that we wanted. But it never failed that something would happen. The house would fail inspection, someone would beat us and sign first, at one house someone paid cash and got the house, or they would not take a contingent contract on our house selling…one time the owners changed their minds.

The total kept climbing but Naomi stayed with us…and we reached the 50s…We became really good friends with her and still are to this day. She still invites us over every year to her July 4th party. Namoi was learning with us and enjoyed looking at houses and actually started to appreciate the older houses.

Then it happened in 2007…We found a house (insert angels singing here)…the 55th house we looked at! We got there and drove down the driveway… I knew this was the one… the driveway was shadowed by the top of the trees hanging over it. It was an A-frame (with a 60s vibe) with five bedrooms and surrounded by green everywhere…trees and woods…For some odd reason “Uncle John’s Band” kept playing in my mind. We got there and found out it was built in 1992. We were shocked… We thought it was older.

We talked to the man and wife who owned it. They were two public attorneys (Jim and Diane) and both were so nice. They talked with us a little and said the house was not on the market yet but Diane said we had good “Karma” …and if we wanted it…it was ours.

She bought the house when it was a 900 square foot A-frame on three acres. She then met her husband Jim and had a child…they built a wing and garage on one side…had more kids and built another wing on the other side. It is one of a kind with an open floor plan…and we bought it for under market value because they wanted to live near their work in Nashville and had already bought another house. They were offered more money by someone else but stuck with us…I was surprised but our “karma” must have won out. The inspection passed with flying colors…and nothing went wrong.

So we moved in…The Wife, the son, the Mutt and our Saint…and me of course…The irony of it all? We had searched all over for 3 years and even 60-100 miles away…and this house was 2 miles from where we were living. It’s hidden from the road and we had never laid our eyes on it.

After we bought the house Jim and Diane invited us to dinner at their new home. Turns out Jim knew Bob Jackson…if you don’t know Bob Jackson, he was in Badfinger right before Pete Ham passed away (see I tied pop culture into this). He had some interesting stories and they are great people.

The house has been a great investment…it’s climbed in value but we want to stay here till the end. I don’t have another search left in me…

By the way…We made it up to Naomi…we referred her to two of our friends who bought and sold their houses through her as the agent. She still calls us asking us if we want to go with her at times and visit houses. She said she misses going to see houses with us.

Since it wasn’t a seventies house I thought I would bring the seventies to it… the corner of my music room where I read.

I still hear Uncle Johns Band when I come down my drive…it doesn’t get better than that

Greg Kihn Band – The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)

The Breakup song was released in 1981 and peaked at #15 on the Billboard 100. Greg Kihn would later have a top hit ten hit “Jeopardy” when it reached #2 in 1983. Kihn had 7 songs in total in the top 100.

The song was off of the album RocKihnRoll.

This is an interview with Greg Kihn in 2011 about writing the song.

Oh, yeah. There are times in your life that the way is clear. I remember coming home from a gig with the guys. We were in a van, and we pulled up to where I used to live. All of my stuff was piled up on the lawn, and it was raining.

I thought, “Oh, God. My first wife had done it.” We pulled up to the house, and I remember Steve, the bass player, looked at me and just went, “Well, you might as well just keep on going. You’re not going in there.”

There was a Japanese restaurant. I went up there with Stevie, and we were pounding down hot sake. I didn’t know where else to go. It was a cold, rainy night, and we were getting toasted. There was an old Japanese dude there at the sake bar, and he kept saying, “They don’t write ‘em like that anymore.” I thought, Yeah, damn. They don’t, do they? So we got the idea, we wrote that song probably in 15 minutes. All of the great songs are written quickly, by the way.

You have to take a lesson that the stuff that’s real, it’s in you and it’s got to come out like that song. I’d really broken up that very day. It wasn’t like I was trying to feel like what’s a guy like when he’s broken up. I was living it. When things are real, they’re always better than when they’re fiction, if you can dig what I’m saying.

The Breakup Song

We had broken up for good just an hour before
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
And now I’m staring at the bodies as they’re dancing ‘cross the floor
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
And then the band slowed the tempo and the music took me down
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
It was the same old song, with a melancholy sound
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah

They don’t write ’em like that anymore
They just don’t write ’em like that anymore

We’d been living together for a million years
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
But now it feels so strange out in the atmospheres
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
And then the jukebox plays a song I used to know
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
And now I’m staring at the bodies as they’re dancing so slow
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah

They don’t write ’em like that anymore
They don’t write ’em like that anymore
Oh

Hey
Now I wind up staring at an empty glass
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
‘Cause it’s so easy to say that you’ll forget your past
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah

They don’t write ’em like that anymore, no
They just don’t write ’em like that anymore
They don’t write ’em like that anymore
They just don’t write ’em like that anymore
They just don’t, no, they don’t
No, no, uh-uh

Sextette 1978

This movie is bad…I mean turn your head away bad. I’m not sure if it passes for so bad it’s good… Once you see this movie… you want to un-see it. I cannot believe the powers to be thought it would be a good idea to portray an 85-year-old Mae West as the sex symbol Marlo Manners. I’m not knocking Mae West because she made some good films in her career…this was not one of them. I’m in no way knocking Mae West…but this movie should not have been filmed.

Mae looked fine for being 85…but acting like she was in her twenties or thirties… was not a good idea. It was like someone doing a bad Mae West impersonation. Playing her soon to be husband in the movie was the pre-Bond Timothy Dalton.

To pour on some more badness…it was a musical! I won’t go there but you can imagine.

The movie did have star power. I will give it that. The cast included

Timothy Dalton, Alice Cooper, Tony Curtis, Dom Deluise, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, George Hamilton, Rona Barrett, and Regis Philbin.

For me, the only bright spot is two small appearances by Keith Moon who plays a dress designer. He is refreshing and goes wonderfully over the top in his small scenes. He could have been a decent character actor.

I would hate to see the movies that were passed over for this one to be made. I usually like bad 70s movies but you just feel embarrassed for Mae West in this one.

If you want to see a good Mae West film watch “My Little Chickadee.”

I found this line from a review… “Bad comedies are painful, bad musicals are worse, and combining the two, then adding in liberal sexual innuendo involving a woman who is eighty-four or eighty-five years old is agony. “

Keith Moon in Sextette

Ricky Nelson – Garden Party

Songs like Hello Mary Lou, Lonesome Town, and Traveling Man from the fifties and sixties still sound good today.

He was playing in a Rock and Roll revival show in 1971 at Madison Square Gardens with other artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Bobby Rydell. Ricky was releasing new music and he did not look the way he did in the 50s. He had long hair and dressed modern. He started off with some of his old songs the fans responded enthusiastically but then he played “Country Honk” a country version of the Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women.” That is when it went south.

He started to hear booing and eventually left the stage. There are mixed reports about the booing. Some say there was a disturbance in the crowd with policemen escorting people out and that is what the booing was aimed at… not Ricky. Either way, he got a great song out of it.

He wrote the song about what happened with some references to ex- Beatles, Yoko. Elvis and Chuck Berry.

These references are from Wikipedia

A garden party – October 15, 1971’s Rock ‘n Roll Revival concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City
My old friends – fellow performers at the concert Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Bobby Rydell
Yoko – Yoko Ono
Yoko’s walrus – John Lennon
Mr. Hughes – George Harrison
(Mr. Hughes) hid in Dylan’s shoes – Harrison’s planned (but later abandoned) album of Bob Dylan covers
I said hello to Mary Lou, she belongs to me – Nelson’s song “Hello Mary Lou”, which he played at the concert; also a reference to “She Belongs to Me”, a Bob Dylan song covered by Nelson
I sang a song about a Honky-Tonk – The Rolling Stones song “Country Honk”, the song that allegedly caused the booing
And it was time to leave – Nelson’s subsequent departure
Out stepped Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry’s song “Johnny B. Goode”
Playing guitar like a-ringing a bell – the line in “Johnny B. Goode”, “he could play guitar just like a-ringing a bell”
I’d rather drive a truck – Elvis Presley worked for a time as a truck driver, having famously been told after several failed auditions to “stick to truck driving because you’re never going to make it as a singer”

The song peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100 and #44 in the Country Charts.

Ricky Nelson had 44 songs in the top 100, 2 number 1’s and 14 top ten hits. This song was Ricky’s last top 40 hit.

“Garden Party”
I went to a garden party
To reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
And play our songs again
When I got to the garden party
They all knew my name
No one recognized me
I didn’t look the same

But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see, ya can’t please everyone
So ya got to please yourself

People came from miles around
Everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus
There was magic in the air
‘N’ over in the corner
Much to my surprise
Mr Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes
Wearing his disguise

But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see, ya can’t please everyone
So ya got to please yourself

Lott-in-dah-dah
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Played them all the old songs
Thought that’s why they came
No one heard the music
We didn’t look the same
I said hello to “Mary Lou”
She belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk
It was time to leave

But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see, ya can’t please everyone
So ya got to please yourself

Lot-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
Lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Someone opened up a closet door
And out stepped Johnny B Goode
Playing guitar
Like a-ringin’ a bell
And lookin’ like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties
I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang
I rather drive a truck

But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see, ya can’t please everyone
So ya got to please yourself

Lot-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
Lot-in-dah-dah-dah

‘N’ it’s all right now
Learned my lesson well
You see, ya can’t please everyone
So you got to please yourself

A Quick Word on The WHO

The Who started off as the Detours and had a drummer named Doug Sandom. After an argument with Pete, Doug quit the band. Keith Moon then joined and the sound and the band took off. They found the member to complete one of the best bands to emerge from the sixties. They were the band of the Mods and wore British Flags, target shirts, and other Pop Art attire.

Controlled chaos is the best way I know how to describe the Who’s early singles. My favorite rhythm section in Rock and Roll… John Entwistle and Keith Moon were all over the place but they were all over the place together. What John and Keith gave musically cannot be underestimated. They were the engine that made The Who go…Pete Townshend coined the phrase “power pop” and they were the ultimate power pop band. Roger Daltrey was transformed from a good blues singer to a rock god. They released several classic albums… Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Tommy, and Live at Leeds., The Who Sell Out…

The Who along with the Kinks were the forerunners of Punk. The Who’s early singles were raw and driving Can’t Explain, My Generation, Substitute, The Kids Are Alright, Pictures of Lily, I’m a Boy, and I Can See For Miles…

They moved from those early raw songs and released albums with songs such as Won’t Get Fooled Again, Baba O’Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, Love Reign O’er Me, Who Are You, Bargain. The Real Me, We’re Not Going to Take It, and 5:15

Pete took the rock concept album to an art form.

When they were at their performing peak they were untouchable. Check out the album or DVD of Live at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Their peer at that time had a great rhythm section, a great guitarist and a dynamic lead singer…Led Zeppelin. The Who were not as popular and they didn’t sell as many records as Led Zeppelin but The Who were fun… they more inviting.

They were the complete package. They had a good songwriter (Entwistle) in the band…and a great one (Pete). If you look at lists and influences… 10 ten rock drummers, top ten rock bassists etc..all of the Who come up in their respective category.

Led Zeppelin made the right choice in not replacing John Bonham. The Who decided to go on without Moon and were never the same again without Moon. Some of their songs were good afterward but they did not have the drive and spirit that Moon gave them and they were not complete without him.

I’ve never found a band other than the Beatles that moved me as much. Pete’s songs are high energy with a dash of spirituality.

I will revisit the Who again and coming up soon I’m going to attempt to rank the Who albums.

Feeling Like A Pop Star

I was on a stage playing bass beside my bandmates. We were playing on a large stage that known acts had played before. There were 2000-3000 screaming females in the audience. We couldn’t do anything wrong. Then we played the only song I sang at the time…Brown Eyed Girl. Again the place went nuts and I was being singled out by a few. shouts of “Hey blue pants (I had just bought some blue pants at Chess King…give me a break…it was the 80s), look over here!”

I never heard an audience that loud before while performing in my short 6 years of playing in front of people. We were an 80s band that didn’t play 80s music…We played Summertime Blues, Under My Thumb, Jumping Jack Flash, Roadrunner and kept going…we slipped in an original song and they kept screaming. I could barely hear myself play. I thought to myself…wow so this is what it’s like…We played around 15 songs in all.

Before I go on I will tell how and why this happened. Was I dreaming the whole thing? No, I was not dreaming. I was actually playing and soaking this up. I was 22 and I enjoyed every second of it. I thought any guy could get used to this…

I had been playing bass with a guitar friend of mine named Ronald since we were thirteen. He and I played in a backwoods bar when we were 16 with a drummer and a singer. This band we were in now was not the one we started with but it was talented… but not this talented!

No, we had a gig at a Women’s prison. They wanted to be entertained and they were very appreciative. Bless all of them because they made us feel on top of the world. In the next few days, we thought we were better than what we were (the meaning of believing your own press)…our band broke up soon after…I joined a new one not long after that.

I kept playing for a few more years on weekends in bars, clubs, theaters, and parties. We even recorded in an old studio. I’ve played in front of big crowds again but never again with that much excitement. I had great times and met some great people but for that one day, that brief time, I was a pop star…or rather I felt like a pop star. I got to see what it was like for a brief amount of time and I won’t lie…it was a great but fleeting feeling.

Fleetwood Mac – Monday Morning

One of my favorites of Fleetwood Mac and I was surprised to find out that is was the B side to “Say You Love Me” and did not chart. I love the bouncy guitar and catchy verse and chorus. This song was written by Lindsey Buckingham and intended for the follow up to the Buckingham Nicks album that never came. Instead, it was the song that kicked off the new Fleetwood Mac album in 1975.

From Songfacts.

This was written by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. He and his girlfriend at the time Stevie Nicks were recording as the duo Buckingham-Nicks and had released one album when they were asked to join Fleetwood Mac. This song was written for a second Buckingham-Nicks album, but when they joined Fleetwood Mac they brought this with them along with “Landslide” and “Rhiannon.” These songs helped make Fleetwood Mac a force in the pop music world and establish a strong radio presence for the band.

Monday Morning

Monday morning you sure look fine
Friday I got travelin’ on my mind
First you love me and then you fade away
I can’t go on believin’ this way
I got nothing but love for you
Tell me what you really want to do
First you love me, then you get on down the line
But I don’t mind, I don’t mind, yeah

I’ll be there if you want me to
No one else that could ever do
Got to get some peace in my mind

Monday morning you sure look fine
Friday I got travelin’ on my mind
First you love me and then you say it’s wrong
You know I can’t go on believing for long

But you know it’s true
You only want me when I get over you
First you love me, then you get on down the line
But I don’t mind, no, I don’t mind, yeah

I’ll be there if you want me to
No one else that could ever do
Got to get some peace in my mind

But you know it’s true
You know you only want me when I get over you
First you love me, then you get on down the line
But I don’t mind, no, I don’t mind, yeah

I’ll be there if you want me to
No one else that could ever do
Got to get some peace in my mind

Peter and Gordon – I Go to Pieces

This song was written by Del Shannon…Peter and Gordon (Peter Asher and Gordon Waller) took it to #9 in the Billboard 100 and #21 in Canada. This was a nice British Invasion song by the duo. Peter Asher is the brother of Jane Asher and became a very successful producer. See the bottom of the post for his producer credits.

You can also see a little “Austin Powers” in Peter Asher.

I Go To Pieces

When I see her comin’ down the street
I get so shaky and I feel so weak
I tell my eyes look the other way
But they don’t seem to hear a word I say
And I, go to pieces and I want to hide
Go to pieces and I almost die
Every time my baby passes by
I tell my arms they’ll hold someone new
Another love that will be true
But they don’t listen, they don’t seem to care
They reach for her but she’s not there
And I, go to pieces and I want to hide
Go to pieces and I almost die
Every time my baby passes by
I remember what she said when she said
“Goodbye baby. We’ll meet again soon maybe.”
“But until we do, all my best to you.”
I’m so lonely, I think about her only
I go to places we used to go
But I know she’ll never show
She hurt me so much inside
Now I hope she’s satisfied
And I, go to pieces and I want to hide
Go to pieces and I almost die
Every time my baby passes by
Go to pieces and I cry
Every time my baby passes by
Go to pieces and I cry

From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Asher

Peter Asher Producer’s Credits

Year	Album	Artist
1968	James Taylor	James Taylor
1969	Barbara Keith	Barbara Keith
1970	Jo Mama	Jo Mama
1970	Sweet Baby James	James Taylor
1971	Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon	James Taylor
1971	Sister Kate	Kate Taylor
1971	Tony Joe White	Tony Joe White
1971	Bad Girl Songs	Tony Kosinec
1972	One Man Dog	James Taylor
1973	Don’t Cry Now	Linda Ronstadt
1974	Heart Like a Wheel	Linda Ronstadt
1975	Prisoner in Disguise	Linda Ronstadt
1975	Black Rose	J.D. Souther
1976	Hasten Down the Wind	Linda Ronstadt
1976	Love Songs	David Sanborn
1976	What’s Wrong with This Picture?	Andrew Gold
1977	JT	James Taylor
1977	Simple Dreams	Linda Ronstadt
1978	Living in the USA	Linda Ronstadt
1979	Flag	James Taylor
1979	The Glow	Bonnie Raitt
1980	Mad Love	Linda Ronstadt
1981	Dad Loves His Work	James Taylor
1982	Get Closer	Linda Ronstadt
1983	Reelin’ in the Years, Vol. 1	various artists
1983	What’s New	Linda Ronstadt
1984	Lush Life	Linda Ronstadt
1984	Moonlighting	(Original TV soundtrack)
1985	That’s Why I’m Here	James Taylor
1986	An American Tail	(Original soundtrack)
1986	For Sentimental Reasons	Linda Ronstadt
1987	Canciones De Mi Padre	Linda Ronstadt
1987	Cher	Cher
1987	In My Tribe	10,000 Maniacs
1987	Storytellers: Singers and Songwriters	various artists
1988	The Land Before Time	(Original soundtrack)
1989	Blind Man’s Zoo	10,000 Maniacs
1989	Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind	Linda Ronstadt
1989	Heart of Stone	Cher
1989	You Happy Puppet	10,000 Maniacs
1990	Mermaids	(Original soundtrack)
1991	Force Behind the Power	Diana Ross
1991	Live in Rio	James Taylor
1991	Love Hurts	Cher
1991	Lovescape	Neil Diamond
1991	Mambo Kings	(Original soundtrack)
1991	Swept	Julia Fordham
1991	Williams Brothers	The Williams Brothers
1992	American Standard	Mary’s Danish
1992	Back to Basics	Olivia Newton-John
1992	Christmas Album	Neil Diamond
1992	Olivia	Olivia Newton-John
1992	Time Takes Time	Ringo Starr
1993	Made in America	(Original soundtrack)
1993	Robin Zander	Robin Zander
1993	Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building	Neil Diamond
1994	Christmas Album, Vol. 2	Neil Diamond
1994	Randy Newman’s Faust: Words and Music	various artists
1995	Don’t Ask	Tina Arena
1995	EP Collection	Peter and Gordon
1995	Faust	Randy Newman
1996	It Takes Two	various artists
1996	One Fine Day	(Original soundtrack)
1996	Show Me Heaven	Tina Arena
1997	Most Beautiful Soul Album on Earth	various artists
1997	Superstar Christmas	various artists
1997	Under These Rocks and Stones	Chantal Kreviazuk
1998	Armageddon	(Original soundtrack)
1998	As I Came of Age	Sarah Brightman
1998	December	Kenny Loggins
1998	Motown 40 Forever	various artists
1999	All Time Greatest Movie Songs	various artists
1999	Best Party Megamix in the World Ever	various artists
1999	Collection	Julia Fordham
1999	Runaway Bride	(Original soundtrack)
1999	When the Going Gets Tough	Boyzone
2000	Gift of Love	Diana Ross
2000	More Songs from Pooh Corner	Kenny Loggins
2000	Tigger Movie: Songs and Story	various artists
2001	Everything I Am	Anna Vissi
2001	Motown Anthology	Diana Ross
2001	Three Chord Opera	Neil Diamond
2001	Ultimate Peter and Gordon	Peter and Gordon
2002	Capitol Records 1942–2002	various artists
2002	Everybody’s Got a Story	Amanda Marshall
2002	Freedom: A History of Us	(Original soundtrack)
2002	Live 2002	Robin Williams
2002	Providence	(Original TV soundtrack)
2002	Sweet Is the Melody	Aselin Debison
2003	Best of the Definitive American Songbook, Vol. 2: I-Z	various artists
2003	Cafeteria: Hear	various artists
2003	Earth Rider – The Essential John Stewart 1964–1979	John Stewart
2003	Singers and Songwriters Christmas Songs	various artists
2004	California	Wilson Phillips
2004	Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings	10,000 Maniacs
2004	De-Lovely	(Original soundtrack)
2004	Intermission	Amanda Marshall
2004	Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow	(Original soundtrack)
2004	Taking a Chance on Love	Jane Monheit
2005	Live at Earls Court	Morrissey
2005	Goodies, Vol. 1	various artists
2005	Souvenirs	Tina Arena
2006	You’re Only Lonely	Raul Malo
2007	Siren	Sasha and Shawna
2006	I Love You	Diana Ross
2010	Live at the Troubadour	Carole King and James Taylor
2011	Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party	Various Artists – Producer and Host
2013	Love Has Come for You	Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
2013	When Will You Come Home (EP)	The Webb Sisters

Eurythmics – Would I Lie To You

This song was released in 1985 and it peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100, #17 on the UK Charts and #2 in Canada. This was out when I graduated and I liked the R&B direction they were going with this song.

From Songfacts.

For Eurythmics third album, Dave Stewart set out to make a “killer R&B riff.” He found it one morning when he was having breakfast with his acoustic guitar on his knee. He took the riff to Annie Lennox, who wasn’t sure about it at first, since it didn’t fit their sound.

As Stewart explained in The Dave Stewart Songbook: “When we started putting it down the song had a lot of energy and inspired Annie to come up with the great lyric, ‘Would I Lie To You” and a melody with very odd answering harmonies, ‘Now, would I say something that wasn’t true.’ These harmonies are very unusual and Annie is a genius at working them out very quickly in her head. The song started to be a fusion between Stax type R&B and Eurythmics.”

Would I Lie To You?
Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn’t true?
I’m asking you sugar
Would I lie to you?

My friends – know what’s in store.
I won’t be here anymore.
I’ve packed my bags
I’ve cleaned the floor.
Watch me walkin’.
Walkin’ out the door.

(Believe me – I’ll make it make it)

Tell you straight – no intervention.
To your face – no deception.
You’re the biggest fake.
That much is true.
Had all I can take.
Now I’m leaving you

(Believe me – I’ll make it make it)

[Chorus repeats]

(Watch me – watch me! Ooh yea)

My Memories of 1977

In 1977 I turned 10 years old. It was the first year I wanted to know what was going on in the world. I started to watch Walter Cronkite reporting the world news. Keywords I remember were Sadat, Middle East, Son of Sam, Concorde, and Inflation. Local news would be Chris Clark on channel 5 an affiliate of CBS…keywords locally… Snow, Ray Blanton (the name would be more popular the next year…in a bad way), and Larry Schmittou…who would bring Nashville minor league baseball the following year with the “Sounds” a Reds farm team.

I missed around 3 weeks of school because of it being either closed or the bus would not run down our rural road because of snow…sledding and exploring time! In Middle Tn… 1 inch of snow will shut down a city.

I remember Star Wars hit the theaters with lines around the corners. I didn’t see it the month it was released but soon afterward. It was everywhere and the talk of the school. We had never seen anything like it before.

I remember Queen releasing News of the World. A friend of mine brought the album to school and we studied every inch of the cover (by Frank Kelly Freas), a giant robot picking up the bodies of the band. We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions played non-stop on the radio. This is when I started to explore other bands that weren’t named The Beatles.

The TV mini-series Roots was huge and historic.

I was watching Gilligans Island and it was interrupted by sad news. Elvis Presley was dead at 42 years old. My mom and other grown-ups around were really upset. I knew his songs and it was sad but I didn’t understand everyone’s reactions for someone they didn’t know. Three years later when I was 13 I understood perfectly clear when John Lennon was murdered. Three days after Elvis died Groucho Marx passed away…In October Bing Crosby passed away.

I paid attention to the inauguration of Jimmy Carter as President in January. I would hear about peanuts, teeth and his brother Billy for the rest of the year…and about one of those keywords again…inflation.

I remember the Son of Sam killings. In August of that year, David Berkowitz was finally apprehended. He killed six people and wounded seven others. I also remember the blackouts in New York in July…

The Concorde was all over the news that year. To a 10-year-old in 1977, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

In March of 1977, I started to follow baseball. I’m not from California but my Dad always rooted for the Dodgers and it was passed down to me. I read from a young age about Babe Ruth, Christy Matheson, and the older players… but this was the first year I followed modern baseball from start to finish. Cey, Lopes, Garvey, Russell, Yeager, Dusty Baker, Reggie Smith, Don Sutton, Tommy John…I loved that team. I still can imitate the batting stance of all of the starters. Ron Cey was my hero and I played 3rd base in Little League because of him.

Our insurance salesman would come to our house every now and then and he knew I was a Dodger fan. He said he went to games in LA and would bring back something for me… I believed him totally. My mom told me not to get my hopes up as he was busy and might forget… A few weeks later…there he was with a Dodger 1977 pennant in his hand to give me…I still have it. I couldn’t believe the pennant in my hand came from the mythical Dodger Stadium where my heroes played.

They had four players with 30 or more home runs that year…Cey, Garvey, Smith, and Baker. They made it to the World Series but broke my heart. They played the Yankees and Reggie Jackson (it still hurts to type his name) hit three home runs in the sixth and deciding game to beat my Dodgers. It took a while to get over that…well I’m still writing about it 41 years later…but it’s always next year.

I’ll close it out on Matchbox and Hot Wheels…I had a huge collection that I carried to friends houses to trade and race.

If only life was that simple again…

The Bangles – If She Knew What She Wants

When I heard this song and saw the video I knew I liked this band. I like the call and answer vocal arrangement and the jangly guitar. This song came out right after the massive hit Manic Monday but I always favored this one.

It peaked at #26 on the Billboard 100 in 1986 and #31 in the UK.

If She Knew What She Wants

If she knew what she wants
(He’d be giving it to her)
If she knew what she needs
(He could give her that too)
If she knew what she wants
(But he can’t see through her)
If she knew what she wants
He’d be giving it to her
Giving it to her

But she wants everything
(He can pretend to give her everything)
Or there’s nothing she wants
(She don’t want to sort it out)
He’s crazy for this girl
(But she don’t know what she’s looking for)
If she knew what she wants
He’d be giving it to her
Giving it to her

I’d say her values are corrupted
But she’s open to change
Then one day she’s satisfied
And the next I’ll find her crying
And it’s nothing she can explain

Some have a style
That they work hard to refine
So they walk a crooked line
But she won’t understand
Why anyone would have to try
To walk a line when they could fly

No sense thinking I could rehabilitate her
When she’s fine, fine, fine
She’s got so many ideas traveling around in her head
She doesn’t need nothing from mine

Lindsey Buckingham – Trouble

This song was released in 1981 and I bought the single. It peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #31 in the UK, #7 in Canada. The song was off of Lindsey’s debut album “Law and Order.

The song is in the movie Just One of the Guys

Trouble

Two, ah-three, ah-four!
Two, ah-three, ah-four!
Two, ah-three, ah-four!

I really should be saying goodnight.
I really shouldn’t stay anymore.
It’s been so long since I held ya.
I’ve forgotten what love is for.

I should run on the double
I think I’m in trouble,
I think I’m in trouble.

So come to me darlin’ and hold me
Let your honey keep you warm
Been so long since I held ya
I’ve forgotten what love is for.

I should run on the double
I think I’m in trouble.