Bradley's Buzz

New Bubbatunes

It's been awhile since our latest Bubbatune addition, but this week we have two brand new compilations to add to that endless list of glorious music forgotten and left behind, so let's take a look at what I came up with this time...

CARLY SIMON - With A Vengeance (bub61)
You knew this was coming, I've been talking about her for the past three weeks and with the addition of Spy and Playing Possum finally in my CD collection, I was able to come up with the Carly Simon compilation I wanted. From her very first hit to the early 90s, I have all my favorites and what I think should be yours too.

Compiled in a mish mash of song order, I decided I might get weary by the end if I went in chronological order - so instead we begin with one of her biggest hits "Anticipation" - a little ditty she wrote while waiting for Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date ("these are the good old days"), then the 1990 single "Better Not Tell Her" which shows even in her late 40s Carly could still keep a sexy edge about her; then a new ditty I discovered from 1975 "More & More" featuring harmonies by the likes of Carole King & James Taylor and Dr. John on piano.. onto the biggest hit of her career, the still obscure (as in who is it really about) "You're So Vain" and my Leivas' favorite Carly song "Jesse" from 1980 and onto her late 80s comeback pop stuff with "Give Me All Night" which I have suddenly fell in love with, as she tells her man she won't take half of anything, in fact if you can't give me all of you, give it to me anyways.. I love that.

One of her best songs from the early 70s, "Legend In Your Own Time" follows, full of bitchy commentary, it's sort of a precuror to "You're So Vain" which came out a year later, the song tells the tale of a boy who was bound for big things but got lost when he heard the radio and sang with the singer in the band, and though he's a legend in his own time, he's just a lonely boy when he goes home alone.

And then there's "Vengeance" - my new fav and old fav once I remembered it. I won't go into every song on the compilation but will tell you this is probably the best compilation of her work as it's the songs I deem her best including the James Bond theme "Nobody Does It Better" where Carly really rises to the occasion and a new found classic "You Belong To Me" from 1978 which I remember but never really cared for until I listened in the head phones and really listened to her lyrics.

Of course Carly's brilliance is in her lyrics and the talent is loud and clear on songs like her first single "That's The Way I've Always Thought It Should Be" where her man wants to marry our girl and love her forever but she sees the heartache and turmoil of marriage through her parents silent marriage, her college friends who are all married with kids who hate them for what they're not while they hate themselves for what they are. In the end, Carly kicking and screaming the whole way gives in and marries the man, for that is the way she always heard it should be.

The great lyrics continue on "We Have No Secrets" from 1972, where Carly and her man share everything but with every open honest relationship there are often times she wishes she didn't know some of those secrets of his, including a beach fling, as "you answer all my questions but they don't always answer my prayers."

There's also the two singles from 1985's Spoiled Girl album which never appear on any Carly compilations - "Tired Of Being Blonde" and "My New Boyfriend" two synthesized rockers with similar tones - in "Blonde" a sex goddess leaves her kept life not because she's angry but because she's tired of playing the role, so she leaves her man's credit cards on the counter, the keys to the Porsche in the den and she takes off in the old Dodge that drove her in; it's a tad interesting to find out Carly didn't write "Tired Of Being Blonde" but the whole concept and the lyrics are so her vein, I'm not surprised to see she recorded it - in "My New Boyfriend" Carly goes through synth heaven telling all about her new boyfriend who isn't just some baby and isn't just some kid, in fact he loves her more than "you ever did."
Like I've been saying I am now totally in love with Carly and think she's brilliant...

Full Track List:

1. Anticipation
2. Better Not Tell Her
3. More And More
4. You're So Vain
5. Jesse
6. Give Me All Night
7. Legend In Your Own Time
8. Vengeance
9. Haven't Got Time For The Pain
10. Coming Around Again
11. Attitude Dancing
12. The Right Thing To Do
13. Let The River Run
14. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be
15. Mockingbird (w/ James Taylor)
16. Tired Of Being Blonde
17. Nobody Does It Better
18. We Have No Secrets
19. You Belong To Me
20. My New Boyfriend
    
    
    SHEENA EASTON - So Far So Good (bub62)
    She was a modern girl who would take the morning train to work 9 to 5 so she could strut her sugar walls for our eyes only. Yes, the diva in training who turned into a funk goddess Miss Sheena Easton and a little comp I call So Far So Good.

For some reason, Sheena seems to be one of those artists who appears to be a balladeer but when you look through her hits you realize most of her songs are upbeat pop numbers and then moved onto the funky dance diva she became around 1984 with songs like Strut, Sugar Walls, Swear, The Lover In Me - excellant little ditties you have to remember and then listen to again and again.

Since this is a bubbatunes compilation, this is a comp of MY favorite Sheena songs and though most of her singles are here there are a few obscurities like "Hard To Say It's Over" a little ballad from her A Private Heaven (1984) album that is sweet and sing songy and a really sad little ballad called "Summer's Over" which was only a B-side to 1981's single "Modern Girl." The song tells the sad tale of a woman who spends her days looking out at the water dreaming of those hot boys of summer since "Nobody told her that the summer's over"

Since we are on the topic of ballads, most of her really great ballad singles are here "You Could Have Been With Me", "I Wouldn't Beg For Water" (but I'd get down on my knees for you..I love it!), "Almost Over You" and the James Bond "For Your Eyes Only" but for me it's the great fast songs that get me in an Easton mood -

The pop fun began with her first single "Morning Train", then "Modern Girl" , "Just Another Broken Heart" (completely overlooked single only released in UK) then an awesome little ditty called "Machinery" with a strange little sax blowing through and even stranger lyrics, it's her most overlooked single I think, "Telefone", "Devil In A Fast Car", and then she moved on from her silky sweet image to go all funk on our ass with "Strut", the Prince penned "Sugar Walls", a great funky number half spoken, half sung "Swear" (Put five fingers to your heart, S-W-E-A-R, don't lie!), and then she hooked up with Nile Rodgers for "Do It For Love" and the unique pop funky style of Narada Michael (Whitney's "How Will I Know", Aretha's "Freeway Of Love") Walden for "So Far So Good" from the film About Last Night .. and then became full on dance diva with "The Lover In Me."

I didn't have room for everything that would incorporate a full on Sheena career compilation but I think I did fairly well, and I know I enjoy the walk through Sheena's sugar walls quite a bit.

Track List

1. Just Another Broken Heart
2. Modern Girl
3. For Your Eyes Only
4. Do It For Love
5. Summer's Over
6. Machinery
7. Swear
8. Almost Over You
9. So Far So Good
10. Devil In A Fast Car
11. We've Got Tonight (w/ Kenny Rogers)
12. Strut
13. I Wouldn't Beg For Water
14. Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)
15. Jimmy Mack
16. The Lover In Me
17. You Could Have Been With Me
18. Sugar Walls
19. Morning Train (9 To 5)
20. Hard To Say It's Over

posted by swivek @ 8:57 AM