During my spare time as a new househusband and all around unemployed crazy, I did finally work on some new Bubbatunes so I thought it was about time I started uploading them.
For years, I wanted to do Olivia Newton-John's first two US albums on Bubbatunes. They were essentially compliations of her Australian and UK albums but for most of us, these were the albums we remember seeing and they are the ones I have on vinyl. First up, here is LET ME BE THERE from 1974; complete with my liner notes:
bub145 OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - LET ME BE THERE [US VERSION](January 24, 2012)
Track List: 01. LET ME BE THERE 02. ME & BOBBY McGEE 03. BANKS OF THE OHIO 04. LOVE SONG 05. IF NOT FOR YOU 06. TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS 07. ANGEL OF THE MORNING 08. IF I COULD READ YOUR MIND 09. HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT 10. JUST A LITTLE TOO MUCH
Bonus Tracks 11. THE BIGGEST CLOWN (Bside to If Not For You) 12. IT'S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE (Bside to Banks of the Ohio US) 13. SAIL INTO TOMORROW (Bside to Take Me Home Country Roads) 14. MAYBE THEN I'LL THINK OF YOU (Bside to Let Me Be There)
I know it sounds like my life is full of endless partying and living loose but it's all glam and damn in my La La world, in fact most of my nights are spent having dinner with the hubby and watching endless TV shows.
Tuesday with the Leivas consisted of back to back Shotime shows, with "Nurse Jackie" and "The United States Of Tara" - which if you aren't watching you really should. "Nurse Jackie" is kind of a crap shoot with me, I love love some of the characters and practically loathe some of the others - Jackie's husband has turned into a jackass and her pharmacist boyfriend is crazy and dirty.. but her pal Dr. O'Hara kicks ass and I love her.
"The United States Of Tara" stars Toni Collette as a mother and wife with disassociate order and the last episode kicked ass culimating with her teenage gay son actually standing up and telling everyone what he thinks of them - he, it would appear, is the most normal of the bunch. But Toni Collette knocked it out of the ball park as usual.
Then it was a new episode of "Lost" which I won't spoil but let's just say I am PISSED! I cried and cried and then got pissed some more... only a few episodes left and it is good but boy did they make me sad and mad...
then a new "Glee" with special guest star Olivia Newton-John. Anyone who knows me knows I hold Miss ONJ in the highest regard but bitch should not mess with her face. She looks like she stepped out of Rodeo Drive with her new LA Face. It's not becoming at all. But at least she can still sing and she was pretty hilarious listing off all of her accomplishments. Plus her new version of "Physical" with Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) auto tuned beyond any possible recognition was still cool. Plus the "Run Joey Run" song and of course one of my all time favs "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" were cool. Too bad the storytelling is getting so horrid.. I am pretty close to givien up on it.
And that my friends was my Tuesday - what'd you do?
Oh my gawd - so on Saturday the Leivas and I headed to the Director's Guild for Outfest who were showing the first two episodes of Sordid Lives - The Series which debuts on July 23rd on Logo.
Now Sordid Lives is one of my all time favorite movies so I was a tad worried they wouldn't be able to recapture the gloriousness of the movie onto the small screen. Luckily, most of the cast is still in tact - with of course my Livvie, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, Ann Walker - plus they've added Rue McClanahan as Peggy. Caroline Rhea takes over for Delta Burke and I have to say she's actually pretty hilarious - I'm beginning to really like that gal. The series is a prequel so Peggy is very much alive - the movie, you may recall takes place just as Peggy has died...
Anyhoos it, first of all there was a slew of would be celebrities there including Margaret Cho and her pal who was in the show Sensuous Woman but whose name completely escapes me - in fact she is also friends with MY friend Luther - who wasn't there or I probs could've hung with Cho! Anyway, Canyce Cayne of Dirty Sexy Money was also there as well as James Cameron Mitchell and just about everyone involved with the show - sans the importants of Olivia, Rue, Leslie and Caroline Rhea who all apparantly had more important things to do - though they did film a cute little short video to say "Hey" to all of us 'mos.
Let me just say that both episodes were frickin' hilarious and everyone is so good it's hard to pick a favorite though you know Leslie Jordan takes every scene he's in to new heights... and not to give too much away, the series begins with a two parter that takes place on the day Tammy Wynette dies... I'll just leave it at that and you HAVE to watch on Logo.
Meanwhile, Olivia did about five new songs for the series and there's a promo video for the song "Slow Burn" - and I feel I must share it with you..
The brand new Xanadu DVD I talked about yesterday comes with the added bonus of having the soundtrack on CD - but alas it still isn't the Xanadu soundtrack that needs to be released. Where is "Fool Country"? Where is "Drum Dreams" with all those Xanadu claps and roller skating stomps? Oh I know - they're on a blast from the bubbatunes past - So let's revisit my ultimate Xanadu soundtrack - The Mount Olympus Special Edition!
bub33R Xanadu Soundtrack - The Mount Olympus Special Edition(1980; June 12, 2007)
Way back years ago, around the time of bub33, our 33rd CD, I decided I wanted a special version of the Xanadu Soundtrack. The original album is available on CD and in fact it was even remastered in a special import edition, however neither of those releases contained the songs that weren't included in the original soundtrack. Most highly missed was Olivia Newton-John's "Fool Country" a rock/country hybrid that she sings at the end of the flick, the song was released as a B-side to the single "Magic" in the US and the single "Xanadu" in the UK and it finally made it onto a remastered Olivia collection a few years ago but it's never been offered on the Xanadu soundtrack. So I added it back in 2004 when I did the original bubbatunes version, also on that version were too completely lame remixes of the title track sung not by Olivia but by some wanna be disco diva.
Then something surprising happened, actually two surprising things happened. 1. They, they being the powers that be decided to turn the great cheez fest known as Xanadu the film into a Broadway play and 2. One of the all time Xanadu fans on a my space group I belong to made his version of the Ultimate Xanadu Soundtrack which not only included "Fool Country" but also included "Drum Dreams" by ELO which is the song that has all the hand claps and the "Xanadu" chants in it, he also found a different version of ELO tracks "Don't Walk Away" and "The Fall" and a Jeff Lynne sung version of the title track.
He also included dialogue from the film into his soundtrack. The most impressive thing he did was take the whole 11 minute segment from the end of the film and put it on the soundtrack - that segment begins with the 'drum dreams' before breaking into "Xanadu" then a tap dance by Olivia, which moves into "Fool Country" then another rousing ending version of "Xanadu" before Olivia as Kira the Muse disappears into a neon glow back up into the Heavens. It's awesome and I wanted it. So I went to his limited download sight and got the songs I didn't have including another Olivia song that never made it to the soundtrack, her version of "You Made Me Love You" which she sings in a flashback part the Danny (Gene Kelly) character is having.
I decided to put together my own version of an ultimate Xanadu soundtrack using cues from this big fan. I included those rare songs that weren't included, put together my own version of the Xanadu Montage (by using the remastered versions of the original songs rather than the somewhat sketchy sound from the film) and voila! we came up with the new edition of the Xanadu soundtrack. To make it even more appealing, I took the songs that are put together with dialogue and the Xanadu Montage and put them in their original individual parts as bonus tracks, plus the whole thing actually goes in order as the movie presents them so by the ending credits (Closing Fanfare) you feel like you just watched the flcik. So with all that crap in your head and under your roller skates, I give you the track list to bub33R Xanadu - The Mount Olympus Special Edition.
Xanadu Soundtrack - The Mount Olympus Special Edition (bub33R) Track List: 01. Opening Fanfare/I'm Alive (Barry DeVorzon/ELO) 02. dialogue - 'hey it's that crazy girl' 03. Magic (Olivia) 04. dialogue - 'hey clarinet' 05. You Made Me Love You (Olivia)06. Whenever You're Away From Me (Gene Kelly & Olivia) 07. Suddenly (Cliff Richard & Olivia) 08. Dancin' (Olivia & The Tubes) 09. dialogue - 'a little pizzazz' 10. All Over The World (ELO) 11. Don't Walk Away (ELO) 12. dialogue - 'kissed by a muse'/ The Fall (ELO) 13. Suspended In Time (Olivia) 14. Xanadu Montage: I - dialogue 'maybe just one moment' II - Drum Dreams (ELO) III - Xanadu (Olivia & ELO) IV - Tap Dance Interlude V - Fool Country (Olivia) VI - Xanadu (Reprise) (Olivia & ELO)/ Kira's Ascent 15. dialogue - 'oh miss' / Closing Fanfare (Barry DeVorzon) Bonus Tracks: 16. I'm Alive (ELO) 17. Don't Walk Away (Alternate) (ELO) 18. The Fall (Demo) (ELO) 19. Xanadu (Jeff Lynne) 20. Fool Country (Olivia) 21. Drum Dreams (ELO) 22. Xanadu (Olivia & ELO)
Yeah I know it's Wednesday but I meant to blog about this yesterday and besides Xanatuesday sounds so much better than Xananesday or does it???
Either way, I can't believe this has been re-released but as of yesterday there is an all new digitally remastered version of Xandau - the glorious out of this world roller disco Greek mythology flick from 1980 starring my favorite muse (and yours) Miss ONJ -
The new two disc set includes a new documentary and a few other things, and it has new artwork. A few years ago they did a Xanadu sing along for the 25th anniversary at a theater and you bet your sweep roller wheels I was there... so this is very exciting for me.
However, because I'm so beaucoup busy I haven't actually made it to the store to buy it - but never fear, I've already used my CC and went through Amazon - so there will be a full review coming soon..
meanwhile, I saw some dude wearing this at Gay Pride and just about blocked my bloomers - I so want one, I just can't decide what color to get??? What matches my crazy ass wit and need for attention? Would that be blue?
Looks like I'm on a roll this week and actually have some posts - you know things to talk about - and since most of what I do is listen to tunes and most of what I talk about is music - here is the return of the random CDs. A little post and semi-review of what I've been bee bop buzzing around to. CYNDI LAUPER - BRING YA TO THE BRINK (2008) It's actally kind of a clash of divas this week as some big shots came out with some new albums recently including Miss C - the deadly Cyn and her dance album Bring Ya To The Brink. I'm not the hugest fan of dance music but there are times you just want to bop, plus most of today's new dance music is just a throw back to 80's pop it seems and plus it's frickin' Cyndi and she can sing the phone book over a couple drum machines and it would probably make me happy. I say probably because on first listen this album didn't jab me the way every previous album by Cyndi has done. Opening with some guitar loops and a little thump "High & Mighty" is just too repetive but then comes the new single "Into The Nightlife" and once she hits the chorus I'm back in love, "pitter patter doesn't matter" she tells me and she's so right. Plus the great thing about Cyndi is most of her lyrics are always pretty upbeat - she wants people to feel good, particurlarly good about themselves and it comes shining through one the whole second half of the album. Cyndi never fully flies onto the dance floor like say Vadge Ciccone but Cyndi has always had more soul and to me relevance and so this little dance album just ups the ante in my eyes. Best cuts: "Into The Nightlife", the fun and bitchy "Same Ol Story", "Lay Me Down", "Set Your Heart" and just about everything else has moments of her glory - her voice is awesome. DONNA SUMMER - CRAYONS (2008) Where Cyndi's dance album relies heavily on synth beats and more subtle tones, our next diva declares not only in song but on the promo sheets as well "THE QUEEN IS BACK" and she ain't messin' with you. Donna Summer returned last month with her first album of new material since 1993! Crayons and its black and colored (and very much airbrushed cover photo) completely stands out and deserves to have reached #17 the week it came it out - her biggest in a long long time. Donna has a ton of collaborators on this very High NRG piece and it opens on a strong beat, practically throwing you onto the floor with "Stamp Your Feet", also highly infectious and pushy is the aforementioned "The Queen Is Back" with such clever lyrics as "so many years ago/ on the radio/ she loved to love you..." Gee who could she be talking about? Donna's voice is superb (as always) and each song is catchy as hell - my ultimate two favs are actually where she takes a break from the dance mode for a few moments - the title track is a duet with Ziggy Marley so it of course has a reggae-ish beat and the subject matter is every getting along despite color lines which makes it all that more enjoyable to me. I love it. I also love her poppy ballad "The Sand On My Feet" which could totally me my wedding song and a hit on pop radio for sure. With Crayons I think Donna has made one of her best albums yet and I can't stop frickin' listening to it. So buy it! Best cuts:"Crayons", "Sand On My Feet", "The Queen Is Back", "Stamp Your Feet"
DONNA SUMMER - ONCE UPON A TIME (1977) Listening to Crayons got me so excited I decided it was time to bring out other classic Donna and just a few weeks ago I was at Amoeba when I stumbled across her 1977 set Once Upon A Time and luckily I bought that sucker up. I don't think anyone has ever given her enough credit. What a complex little world Miss S lived in – “once upon a time there was a girl..” a girl and two boys actually who knew how to throw down grooves – be it pop standards, disco or electronica. Released in 1977 this was the first of four double albums released by Donna – all of which were huge hits which in itself is terribly unheard of.
Anyhoos, the whole concept and yes there is a concept here is that of a fairytale love – opening with the disco swinging title track we follow our heroine through her journey to find love only to see her stumble through life (the excellent and some what rock ish “Faster and Faster To Nowhere”), having to work the midnight shift, finding a love, losing the love and in the end having it all come around again.
It’s completely brilliant and Donna’s voice is of course amazing but it’s the whole ‘fairy tale’ concept that keeps this thing going through all these songs. Plus Donna with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte came up with everything – there’s voice overs, there’s strings, horns, super cool electronics.
For some reason the album didn’t lend itself to singles very well as the only two singles released were “I Love You” and “Rumour Has It” – both of which are at the tale end of the album (i.e. once true love has come) but that doesn’t make this a loss at all – in fact it just makes it a stronger album.
Between Crayons and Once Upon A Time I am on a Summer kick. I just went to Amazon and got A Love Trilogy and Four Seasons Of Love – two albums with I Remember Yesterday – were the albums that preceded Once Upon A Time… I’m going to have me a fairy tale life too.
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Totally Hot (1978) After seeing Miss ONJ live in the flesh singing her songs for the very first time I swear I was beyond ecstatic - I had forgotten that I didn't even pee in the last 15 minutes and almost wet myself a little in excitement. So the following day when I had to walk to work I decided I needed a litle OnJ to kickstart my day. Luckily being the fan I am, I have them on remastered CD - thank you the land down under for your faboo imports.
Totally Hot was the first post-Grease album our girl released and she didn't pull out any stops - lookin' sizzlin' and totally hot on the album sleeve she decided to amp up the pop/rock a little bit and came out with two of her best singles, "A Little More Love" and "Deeper Than The Night" but the brilliance of that which is Olivia is everywhere. Opening with a piano/bass/almost dance song "Please Don't Keep Me Waitin'" turns into Olivia as an instrument - she is shrieking and scatting at the end and you can't tell if it's a synthesizer or her voice - it's one of the oh so many reasons I love her.
As anyone who knows our girl knows - she loves her ballads and she loves her country music so we have both in "Dancin' Round And Round" which isn't nearly as stimulating as her other two ballads - "Boats Against The Current" and my ultimate fav "Borrowed Time" which has super trouper Olivia vocal overdubs. Plus she rocks out a little (in pop style) with a cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'" and the excellant title track. You must have this you simply must. Best Tracks:"A Little More Love", "Totally Hot", "Deeper Than The Night", "Borrowed Time" - oh who am I fooling they're all great!
Next week there’ll be more and more CDs to talk about as I’ve been on another buying spree – so stay tuned because you know my opinion is oh so important in these matters and besides I know you’re itching to find out what I’m listening to.
What a frickin' weekend - I am finally climbing out from the rubble that was my hang over - which was no small feat let me tell ya as I started drinking around 5:30 pm on Friday and stopped sometime around Sunday at 11.
In between I prided myself out and spent many a moment at the beer tent and saw a few shows, you know the cool of the cool - Shitting Glitter and Olivia Newton-John. Stay tuned for pictures (I know I say that all the time but I mean it)
Then it all ended with having to work yesterday - ugh! I hate that. The Leivas took the day off but it does take him a bit longer to get over drinking - as he is way way older than I am - I am but a measely trophy wife.
Our big gay life was filled last night with watching the New Now Next Awards (ugh! though Cyndi Lauper did perform) and watching Juno which I've had from Netflix since it came out on DVD sometime last year. All to which I have to say, the movie was all right but highly, highly overrated.
Tonight we will resume with another in our line of Bubbatunes for Bubbatunesday so stay tuned..
Every year the Christopher Street West LA Gay Pride takes place in West Hollywood Park, just two blocks away from my house and I frickin' love it. Sure, it's all about showing off your pride, celebrating the trials and tribulations we've gone through but it's also all day drinking in the hot California sun - music by local and famous bands - lots of half nude hotties - and port a potties galore for those of us with dainty bladders.
In the past few years I've met such notables as Elvira - where I even set up an interview with her; Julie Brown, - the cool one not that downtown beatch, and performers have included Josie Cotton,The Motels, Berlin, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne and Deborah Harry... and now comes the announcement of this years performers - and on Sunday night for the first time ever in my life I get to see frickin' Olivia Newton-John! Could you die? Could you ever be mellow again? Could you just get physical? I know I'm having a heart attack and there's no recovery for I honestly love that woman. So be there with me on June 7th! I'll be the drunk blonde wandering aimlessly trying to give Olivia my headband.
Hopefully, she'll sing this little ditty and bring all the performers from the video with her!
Here is some music news I know you won't read anywhere else - how do I know that? Well because I'm the only one who knows it - You see Swivek has been busy as a busy busy bee working the computers and loops of Hancock Studios. For the past few months I've been writing and singing and arranging and came up with 7 brand new tunes for a new album to be released this fall.. and then it sort of just stopped. I hadn't any real inspiration when after only one glass of Captain & Coke I worked up two new tracks last night! An instrumental I really liked suddenly inspired me to write lyrics and some old lyrics suddenly inspired me to write a new instrumental, so voila! we now have two more songs in the works for what I hope will become Into The Blue.
I won't give too much away but the song titles are going to be leaked right now - so far we have "Heartbeat", "Love Me To The Bone", "Not A Love Song", "Nothing And No One", "Fabulous", "She Is Peace", "Happy Happy Happy", "Smallest Impressions" and "Beauty Fades." I am going to also include "Deep Inside" which was released on the Flirt single last month because it works so well with everything and may even include a different version of "Flirt" but you know the details are still up in the air.
As for the latest Swivek single, I certainly hope you have downloaded it! If not run right over to Flexible Records and download it - the reviews are coming in "Flirt is genius" says one fan, "Deep Inside is the best Swivek song ever, and I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass," says another fan. So download here!
In other oldies music, you know the faboo 80's, I have revisited the Top 100 Singles Of the 1980s on my Bradley My Space Blog so if you feel the need to relive those 100 classics, I just posted numbers 70-66 with video links! Check it out here.
and finally, I just happened to stumble upon on this and let me tell you it is something to see!
Check out this strange video performance of Olivia Newton-John and "Physical"with a group of football players - keep watching to the end cause it gets pretty hawt! I don't know where it came from but I swear it was inspired by a porn movie I saw.. or was that a dream?
I've been meaning to make this post for awhile, ever since I got one of those My Space bulletins about it. I thought "what a perfect blog post".. so I hope whoever started this doesn't think I'm a complete thief but I had to add my two cents and so should you.
As for me, my 5 are a bit on the odd side, but considering whose writing this piece it will come as no big shocker. First and foremost I have to say my gamut of music really stretches all across the universe so I thought it might be hard to come up with the music that actually CHANGED my life and had some big effect on me but after a few minutes of deliberation I came up with my list - and they are only in order of release, so I guess they are in order of when they affected me. Also note that these are albums that affected me upon their release, there are plenty of important albums that I wasn't fortunate enough to hear upon their initial release and thus I had already been affected by these 5:
Grease Original Soundtrack(1978; RSO Records) - I know you really lost all your respect but hey I was a tee weeny little boy and the soundtrack and the film were the first real adult type of fare that I came across which actually affected me in any way. The film was so exciting to me I made every relative I had take me to see it claiming I had never seen it before. My Aunt Sarah and I listened to it on my Grandma's big record player in the living room - one of those things that look like a cabinet but actually house a record player and in Grandma Ferlie's case an 8 track player. Then I made my mom buy me the 8-track for myself. I sang every song as if it were my own and as if I knew what half the words meant. "Summer Nights", "You're The One That I Want", "Greased Lightning" - not to mention the 1,2 punch of sassy pants Rizzo with her teaser "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee" and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", plus the Sha Na Na whole middle of 50's dance music, and the Cindy Bullens sung "It's Raining On Prom Night", "Freddy My Love" and "Mooning" from the original play (which I didn't even know existed at the time). The soundtrack to Grease made me grow up and to this day I still sucked in to both the flick and the soundtrack and it made me a life long Livvie fan.
Blondie - Parallel Lines - (1978; Chrysalis) Anyone who has ever heard this album from start to finish should be affected by it as well. Opening with telephone buzz and breaking into the punky new wave "Hanging On The Telephone" through 12 songs of neon nuances, organ bounces, sultry cooing and downright new wave genius this is arguably one of the best albums released ever, and that comes from other real critics and not just my blonde head. When I first saw Debbie Harry on TV singing I was transfixed. I had to know who she was, what she was, where she was. Once again Aunt Sarah stepped in by having the Parallel Lines album since they had done a cheerleading routine to "Heart Of Glass", I stole that record from her and I've never looked back. The rocking jaunt of "One Way Or Another", the 60's popness in "Sunday Girl", the gloomy "Fade Away And Radiate", "11:59", "Will Anything Happen?", "I'm Gonna Love You Too" - there isn't a bad song on this bunch. In fact, I used to act out the entire album from beginning to end in my room. There was also one of Smokey and Evelyn's neices who bought the album and brought it to the Smokey home where I insisted I knew all the words - they laughed at me until they started following along on the lyric sheet while I sang. That's how cool of a kid I was! Just listen to some of the amazing lyrics and the incredible music and you'll be hooked too - "Your mouth is permanently entrenched where a molar should be" - how frickin' cool! Parallel Lines made me want to be a singer, it made me want to write songs, it made me proud to be blonde, and it made such an effect on me I can't go without it for more than a few months without pulling it out and playing it from start to finish all over again.
Pat Benatar - In The Heat Of The Night - (1979; Chrysalis) Thanks to a different Aunt, I got my little child paws on a copy of this ingenius moody piece of pop/rock when Aunt Carol came over one day to give me an extra copy she had got from Columbia House Records. My cousin Paula and I ran up to my beat up little Robin Hood record player, pulled the Parallel Lines album off of it and heard the thunderous pulse of "Heartbreaker" and once again I thought I was in Heaven. From there came the sass of "I Need A Lover" and the one two mood swings of city runaway life in "If You Think You Know How To Love Me" and "In The Heat Of The Night." While Debbie was cool and aloof, full of irony and things above my head, Pat was straight forward and bitchy, she wasn't taking shit from anyone and she was going to warn you before you even tried. I loved it and I loved her. The strange yet alluring "My Clone Sleeps Alone", the new wavey "We Live For Love" & "Rated X" - the romantic overblowing "Don't Let It Show" - straight up balls rock of "No You Don't" and the closer "So Sincere" - it has lasted beyond all my dreams; due I'm sure to the fact that Pat can sing the crap out of anything - from one growl to a high octave it all sounds so effortless. Since I got the album sometime in the summer months of 1980, her next release Crimes Of Passion was right around the corner, and with the one two shot of those, I knew I had to be some kind of singer. I was going to be Pat or Debbie or one of them was going to be my adopted mother, I didn't care how it was going to work. All I knew was they lived through thier lives through my stereo and I lived my life through their songs.
Lisa Hartman - Letterock(1982; RCA) - This was a tough one to include, not because I knew so many people would make fun of me but I had to find a way to describe how exactly this album did have its effect on me. For most of the people in the world, at the time and now, no one even knew this album existed but I did. But with the album and Lisa's appearance on the album I became a fan, but with her also appearing on Knots Landing every week, she became something more to me. It seemed like you could put all of your talents into your work, if you wanted to do TV, you could, if you wanted to sing, well go ahead and make a record. It all seemed so easy because of Lisa Hartman. Plus she seemed like a damn nice person. She didn't appear to be trying to be anything other than herself. She had a bit of the Benatar-esque attitude on some of her songs but then would turn into a Linda Ronstadt crooner. The album is the opitome of 1982 pop music with just a hint of Urban Cowboy-ness coming through on one or two of the songs. Letterock was certainly a product of its time but unlike the later 80's where the processed drum machine makes everything so dated, this album still sounds refreshing - at least to me. Plus I sing along with everything on here, she made everything so easy for me as a kid. I loved looking at that insane cover of her in the lingerie and listening to song after song and then playing it over again. I used to put Letterock on the player before going to sleep. I would dream of living somewhere else and being a big time singer - you realize of course it all reverts back to the TV show she was singing her songs on - Knots Landing. I first saw Lisa while my mother had the TV on for background noise, and I sat watching the show. Suddenly there she was singing a Rick Springfield song "Hole In My Heart" and wearing a small mini dress, I thought she was the coolest thing in the world. When I found out there really was a Lisa Hartman record out there, I made my mother run me up to Camelot Music. Lisa Hartman and Letterock (she sang songs off the album on most of her time on the show including "If Love Must Go", "Games", "Hole In My Heart" and the most popular "New Romance (It's A Mystery))In fact if it weren't for her singing on the show, I probably never would've watched it to begin with. Today, I still listen to Letterock all the time, I still watch Knots Landing with my pal Jen, and I still love Lisa Hartman and have followed her career through out these years and without Knots Landing I don't know how boring all those Thursday nights would've been in my youth and would I have ever really written Carlton Heights - or anything else for that matter had I not first seen Lisa and started playing her record? Without Letterock, I would've had no Lisa Hartman, no Knots Landing and then no Carlton Heights - Now think about that for a minute!
Nirvana - Nevermind(1991; Geffen) - It's hard to believe a record didn't affect me again for over ten years but in all fairness there wasn't all that much greatness after the beginning of the 80's - by the time I had worn out most of my vinyl from the early 80's I was mulletized, wearing name brand acid washed jeans and trying to hang with the cool kids of the Def Leppard crowd. Of course I never fit in with them but that's probably because I'd run home, watch the Aqua Net out of my hair and put on my Lisa Hartman album. But by 1991 we had all had enough of hair bands and constant sexual innuendo. Sure, Lita Ford got me through some fits but come on I needed more, so along came a new Messiah and his name was Kurt. He didn't care if you liked him, looked at him or hit him, just as long as you heard him. And we did. But this goes beyond just affecting me with the thrilling moments of angst found on the album, Nirvana brought about a whole movement - I tore those labels off my jeans, I put on the thrift store cords and boots, the flannel and the big ratty sweaters, I let my hair grow. I have to admit though I never went so far as to only bathe by Pachouli but come on I was raised right. In essence, Nevermind became a voice for people of my inner angst - my age, my outsider status, everything I thought was on the sidelines was suddenly there in front of me. The music had anger, the music had depth, the passion was there in the lyrics and in the performances, and it changed my whole life. I was finally in a place I wanted to be. My own style changed, my writing, my poetry and stories, my lyrics all took on new meaning and I was no longer afraid to write how I really felt - warts and all. It made me an artist - an unpaid artist sure but if you create art and no one's there to pay attention you're still an artist aren't you? Sure you are and so am I - thanks to the life altering album Nevermind.
And there's my list how about you guys - and just in case you can't really believe what you just read - yes the 5 albums that changed my life are the Grease Soundtrack, Blondie's Parallel Lines, Pat Benatar's In The Heat Of The Night, Lisa Hartman's Letterock and Nirvana's Nevermind. Now what are the 5 albums that changed your life?
(P.S. for the youngsters out there - an album is a CD as well just not a single - I don't care how important the CD single of "My Humps" is to you - unless a whole Fergie album affected you I don't think it counts)
Today's bubbatunes are two rare gems of soundtracks - they are related in the fact they both require lacing up some skates and doing a roller skating boogie to the tunes of 70's and 80's classic cuts. Our first delve into the roller skating craze comes with the CD release of the soundtrack to 1979'sRoller Boogiestarring Linda Blair and a feather mopped hottie known as Jim Bray who got the job only because he was hired as the roller skating stunt man but was well just too hot to pass up and our second is a brand new version of an old favorite - we have gone back to the neon drawing board and came up with an all new Xanadu Soundtrack - the Mount Olympus Edition, so strap up your laces and let's hit the roller skating floor...
bub92 Roller Boogie - Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack(1979; June 12, 2007) If you like your disco thumping and your rock in that 70's vein than this soundtrack is for you. Personally I love both the movie and the soundtrack, having even seen the film at the movie theater when it came out in late 1979. The plot of a rich Beverly Hills girl who just wants to leave her stifling role as a musician genius and head to Venice Beach to skate her cares away and her unlikely pairing with the hottie poor boy who lives on the beach, rents skates for a living and gets the whole town of Venice into a roller skating congo line is really something everyone should see, and when I get around to my top 100 Films According to Bradley you can bet your sweet skates this one is on there.
As for the soundtrack, anything that opens with Cher's throaty vibrato talking about being hell on wheels, well you've got me sucked in. Cher's 1979 single and actually almost everything on the Roller Boogie is co-written and produced by Bob Esty who had his hands in a lot of that 70's disco/rock hybrids running amock on the radio including working on a number of Donna Summer's excellant 70's output. "Hell On Wheels" is no exception in the forumla he perfected with Cher declaring if there's something she wants you better know she's gonna get it.
Bob Esty himself does vocals for what I think may be the one and only time as he contributes a number of songs on the soundtrack - the ballad "Summer Love" is the quisessential ballad all these film soundtracks have to have, the somewhat electronica induced "Elektronix (Roller Dancin')" and the goofy yet alluring "The Roller Boogie" (I used to hate to skate/ now I can't wait), "Rollin' Up The Storm" is one of the rare instances on the album that goes more into rock than actually dance disco music, while the excellant "Love Fire" is a duet with his writing partner Michele Aller. He also does the instrumental "Cunga" which is exactly what you would think it would be - a congo line of roller skating heaven.
A few other unknowns pop up on the Bob Esty written songs including a man named Johnnie Coolrock who gives us the one and only real rocker "Good Girls" which is an excellant song of the 1979/80 rock vibe, Ron Green offers up two songs and Cheeks gives us the duet with Bob on "Elektronix" and "Top Jammer" another great little dance disco song while Mavis Vegas Davis gives you the disco triumph "All For One, One For All" and the equally impressive "Evil Man", Bob returns for an awesome ballad, the Supertramp cover "Lord Is It Mine", we also get the bonus cut "Night Dancer" by the Donna Summer sound alike Jeanne Shy which was released as a 12" single on its own accord and hit the dance club charts, it appears in the film Roller Boogie but never actually made it onto the original double soundtrack album.
Somehow Roller Boogie also got the rights and the use of "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth Wind & Fire and The Emotions which in turn actually gives listeners some sense of familiarity with the music. But believe me for a taste of the unknown almost underground disco Roller Boogie soundtrack is really amazing... and kudos and thanx have to go out to the ultimate Roller Boogie fan who runs http://www.rollerboogie.net/ and got me to thinking about adding this gem to my catalog of rare CDRs.
Roller Boogie - Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack(bub92) Track List: 01. Hell on Wheels (Cher) 02. Good Girls (Johnnie Coolrock) 03. All For One, One For All (Mavis Vegas Davis) 04. Boogie Wonderland (Earth Wind & Fire and The Emotions) 05. We Got The Power (Ron Green) 06. Top Jammer (Cheeks) 07. Summer Love (Bob Esty) 08. Takin' Life In My Own Hands (Ron Green) 09. Elektronix (Roller Dancin') (Bob Esty & Cheeks) 10. Cunga (Bob Esty) 11. Evil Man (Mavis Vegas Davis) 12. Lord Is It Mine (Bob Esty) 13. Rollin' Up A Storm (The Eye Of The Hurricane) (Bob Esty) 14. The Roller Boogie (Bob Esty) 15. Love Fire (Bob Esty & Michele Aller) Bonus Track: 16. Night Dancer (Jeanne Shy)
bub33R Xanadu Soundtrack - The Mount Olympus Special Edition(1980; June 12, 2007) Way back years ago, around the time of bub33, our 33rd CD, I decided I wanted a special version of the Xanadu Soundtrack. The original album is available on CD and in fact it was even remastered in a special import edition, however neither of those releases contained the songs that weren't included in the original soundtrack. Most highly missed was Olivia Newton-John's "Fool Country" a rock/country hybrid that she sings at the end of the flick, the song was released as a B-side to the single "Magic" in the US and the single "Xanadu" in the UK and it finally made it onto a remastered Olivia collection a few years ago but it's never been offered on the Xanadu soundtrack. So I added it back in 2004 when I did the original bubbatunes version, also on that version were too completely lame remixes of the title track sung not by Olivia but by some wanna be disco diva.
Then something surprising happened, actually two surprising things happened. 1. They, they being the powers that be decided to turn the great cheez fest known as Xanadu the film into a Broadway play and 2. One of the all time Xanadu fans on a my space group I belong to made his version of the Ultimate Xanadu Soundtrack which not only included "Fool Country" but also included "Drum Dreams" by ELO which is the song that has all the hand claps and the "Xanadu" chants in it, he also found a different version of ELO tracks "Don't Walk Away" and "The Fall" and a Jeff Lynne sung version of the title track. He also included dialogue from the film into his soundtrack. The most impressive thing he did was take the whole 11 minute segment from the end of the film and put it on the soundtrack - that segment begins with the 'drum dreams' before breaking into "Xanadu" then a tap dance by Olivia, which moves into "Fool Country" then another rousing ending version of "Xanadu" before Olivia as Kira the Muse disappears into a neon glow back up into the Heavens. It's awesome and I wanted it. So I went to his limited download sight and got the songs I didn't have including another Olivia song that never made it to the soundtrack, her version of "You Made Me Love You" which she sings in a flashback part the Danny (Gene Kelly) character is having.
I decided to put together my own version of an ultimate Xanadu soundtrack using cues from this big fan. I included those rare songs that weren't included, put together my own version of the Xanadu Montage (by using the remastered versions of the original songs rather than the somewhat sketchy sound from the film) and voila! we came up with the new edition of the Xanadu soundtrack. To make it even more appealing, I took the songs that are put together with dialogue and the Xanadu Montage and put them in their original individual parts as bonus tracks, plus the whole thing actually goes in order as the movie presents them so by the ending credits (Closing Fanfare) you feel like you just watched the flcik. So with all that crap in your head and under your roller skates, I give you the track list to bub33R Xanadu - The Mount Olympus Special Edition.
Xanadu Soundtrack - The Mount Olympus Special Edition (bub33R) Track List: 01. Opening Fanfare/I'm Alive (Barry DeVorzon/ELO) 02. dialogue - 'hey it's that crazy girl' 03. Magic (Olivia) 04. dialogue - 'hey clarinet' 05. You Made Me Love You (Olivia)06. Whenever You're Away From Me (Gene Kelly & Olivia) 07. Suddenly (Cliff Richard & Olivia) 08. Dancin' (Olivia & The Tubes) 09. dialogue - 'a little pizzazz' 10. All Over The World (ELO) 11. Don't Walk Away (ELO) 12. dialogue - 'kissed by a muse'/ The Fall (ELO) 13. Suspended In Time (Olivia) 14. Xanadu Montage: I - dialogue 'maybe just one moment' II - Drum Dreams (ELO) III - Xanadu (Olivia & ELO) IV - Tap Dance Interlude V - Fool Country (Olivia) VI - Xanadu (Reprise) (Olivia & ELO)/ Kira's Ascent 15. dialogue - 'oh miss' / Closing Fanfare (Barry DeVorzon) Bonus Tracks: 16. I'm Alive (ELO) 17. Don't Walk Away (Alternate) (ELO) 18. The Fall (Demo) (ELO) 19. Xanadu (Jeff Lynne) 20. Fool Country (Olivia) 21. Drum Dreams (ELO) 22. Xanadu (Olivia & ELO)
The best and easiest way to get into the entertainment industry has always been by having the fortunate luck of being born to a famous parent. Ask Kate and Oliver Hudson if maybe, just maybe being Goldie Hawn's children helped them out, or perhaps Jordan Ladd got a little push being my gal Cheryl's daughter. Of course there's no doubt that my gal Kelly O would never have made a CD if daddy Ozzy hadn't been there to put her into a TV series. I'm not saying that these kids are talented, I'm just saying they have the lucky push of having a foot firmly entrenched into the door, so it's no surprise when the offspring of famous people decide to launch a career of their own.
Most seem to actually do a good job and I'm talking of miss Kelly O who has made two very excellant albums and I don't want anyone arguing about it until we sit down together and listen to both albums from start to finish... then we can discuss... but I'll bet you'll be swayed...
okay this uber long introduction was basically done just to introduce you all to Chloe Lattanzi, the latest in the celeb offspring to head into their parent's career - Chloe is launching her debut album sometime this year and you may recognize the last name as her daddy is actor/dancer Matt Lattanzi but it's her mama who's the hot ticket named Miss Livvie - that's right Olivia Newton-John's daughter is making her music debut.
And she's not too bad, in fact I really like the music she's doing - it's modern pop but more in the P!nk vein than say Brittney - so check out Chloe's My Space page and definitely listen to "It's Magic" which (yes) uses a sample of her Mama's 1980 hit... it's really good and while you're on My Space go back and listen to Kelly O's "One Word" as it is practically Pop Music Genius...
THE TOP FIVE After what seems likes months and months, we have finally made it into the top 5 singles of the entire decade in the 1970's and as I know you're just itching to find out what my warped little ears picked up on, here they are the top 5 Singles Of The 70's - According To Bradley:
#5 – Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles (Downes/Horn/Wooley) Island single #49114 US / Chart Debut: US Pop 11/10/1979 #40 / UK 09/29/1979 #1 A song about the future, where the future was really only a few months away. Most people know this jumpy little synth track from the early days of MTV, but the song was actually released and a hit two summers before MTV ever even debuted, it’s just that some genius thought of “Video Killed The Radio Star” as the perfect first video to be played on a new medium they hoped would take over radio programming. The boys at MTV got their wish but there was a time when no one thought it would ever work. The song itself is a cool ditty full of metallic synths and overdubs telling the tale of radio star who just can’t get the praise in the video age she used to get in the days of radio. It’s almost creepy how in touch the Buggles seemed to be in determining how music would be shaped. But I’m sure it was just coincidence and they were just trying to make a catchy new wave song. They succeeded for sure because “Video Killed The Radio Star” has to be one of the most clever and memorable songs to come out of the new wave era. With the bee bop girls singing along behind the lead vocals and the different instrumentations and melodies coming in, it really ushered in the age of plastic, just as the title of the album it came from, had announced.
#4 – You’re The One That I Want – Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta (John Farrar) RSO single #891 US / #6 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 04/01/1978 #1 / UK 05/20/1978 #1 When I was but a wee tyke, my mommy took me out to the bar with her and it ended up being the very first time I ever took to the stage. Yes, I was a child protégé, can you even believe it? That night, there was a band playing and they asked the audience if anyone would like to come up and join them in a song, well of course this kid shouted and screamed to get up on stage. When they asked me what I wanted to sing all I could think of was “You’re The One That I Want” from the movie Grease. Actually it wasn’t that hard of a choice since I had already seen the movie about 8 times, having convinced every single relative that came within hearing distance, that I had yet to see the movie, so one by one they all took me to see the film. I instantly fell in love with Olivia and John and Stockard and well, the whole gang. I also ran out and had my mother buy me the soundtrack, on 8 track of course so I could hear it in the car. Anyhoos, the highlight of the film is of course Livvie coming out as “Sandy II” in her tight leather pants and red Candie heels, and as she snubs out her cigarette and kicks Travolta’s chest, the whole world goes wild, and they break into “You’re The One That I Want.” The song is interesting as it wasn’t part of the original Grease play, the song was once again written by John Farrar, Olivia’s main producer and writer, but to show how good and how loved the song is, it’s become synonymous with Grease and I’m sure anyone who put on the play post-film would be a fool not to include the song. I mean even the new reality show where they are trying to find a new Danny and Sandy to play on Broadway is called You’re The One That I Want. As for the reasons the song struck such a chord, I really believe it has a ton to do with the sweet lovable but push over that Olivia was at the time prior to her transformation into Sandy. She goes from sissy to sassy in two minutes and turns the tables on her man defending her actions as a way to make sure he can handle her for all that she is. The fact that John Travolta was huge at the time didn’t hurt either. “You’re The One That I Want” begins with that great John high pitched “I’ve got chills/ they’re multiplyin’/ and I’m looosin’ control…” and the combination of the piano and that jazzy bass beat pump the song through plus the speedy chorus is so catchy everyone sings along with it yet no one can sing it like those two, try it, and you end up sounding like you’re talking and not singing at all. I guess that’s just the talent of Miss O, as for my debut all those years ago, you can bet that little white haired boy nailed it. I mean I didn’t even sing it with someone else, I took a duet and made it all my own. I’m sure I seemed rather schyzo but still I was able to blow them away. I was great and even if I wasn’t, in my memory I remember it being a magical time and I’ll keep it that way forever .
and for a special treat to imagine what I may have looked like at the time I made my big debut here's a little pic to put it into perspective:
#3 – Heart Of Glass – Blondie (Deborah Harry/Chris Stein) Chrysalis single #2295 US / #2275 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 02/17/1979 #1 / UK 01/27/1979 #1
Like so many other people, “Heart Of Glass” was my first taste of Blondie music. I remember being up with my mom one late New Year’s Eve night and seeing Blondie perform the song. I fell in love instantly with Deborah Harry and when my mother informed me that my father liked her I was even more stoked. I thought maybe we’d finally bond over something. As it turns out, we didn’t bond but boy did I bond with Blondie. My aunt had the Parallel Lines album and informed me she had done some cheerleading routine to the song so I stole the album. Psst, don’t tell her. Later, some relatives of our neighbors had the album and were more than impressed to know that I knew every single song back and forth. As for the single itself, “Heart Of Glass” is so often miscast as the band’s disco single it used to drive me nuts. For the record even early renditions of the song was called “The Disco Song” by the band so I suppose it was what they were going for, but if you listen to the music itself, “Heart Of Glass” is so much more than a run of the mill disco song, in fact there’s more of a smooth new wave feel to it than something KC & The Sunshine Band would do. There are the winding synths, the tic tic of the keyboard and the drums, the guitar, and Debbie’s oh so cool passivity in her vocals. The song is one of their most famous and still plays in clubs from here to England. Of course it doesn’t hurt that there are about 100 different versions of the song available. The original single faded out right after Debbie’s fab line, “Once I had a love/ it was a gas/ soon turned out to be a pain in the ass…” but when some radio felt uncomfortable playing it, a second version was released with it fading out before the line, then of course there was the 5:50 ‘disco version’ that showed up on 12” and on most of the pressings of Parallel Lines; and from there it just got remixed and remixed. But it’s the original that stands up the best, I get a thrill from the intro and when Debbie’s bridge comes in you can’t help but sing along, “Lost inside adorable illusion/ and I can’t hide/ I’m the one you’re using/ please don’t push me aside/ we could’ve made a cruisin’ yeah” and the boys “na, na, na, na”’s are an excellent touch until we get to the part that everyone loves, the breakdown and the “oooh wahoh”.“Heart Of Glass” is so full of little things to make it awesome, it’s almost amazing there could be a group of people so talented they could put all of this together. “Heart Of Glass” is a classic single that has definitely stood the test of time.
#2 – Heartbreaker – Pat Benatar (Gill/Wade) Chrysalis single #2395 Chart Debut: US Pop 12/22/1979 #23 If all Pat Benatar had ever offered to us was “Heartbreaker” I would still be a die Benatar fan. From the moment the intense drumbeat begins you are taken into a whole new level of high-energy new wave rock. Then the voice comes in and there’s no turning back, “Your love is like a tidal wave/spinning over my head/ drowning me in your promises/ better left unsaid…” in that now familiar Benatar growl but then she goes up three octaves to give us a bridge, “You’re the right kind of sinner/ to release my inner fantasy/ the invincible winner/ and you know that you were born to be” before growling the chorus, “You’re a heartbreaker/ dream maker/ love taker/ don’t you mess around with me/ no, no, no!” and if you’re smart you wouldn’t mess with the little petite firecracker. After listening to song after song from the 70’s I knew Benatar’s first big single would hit high and to be perfectly honest it was just a hair from being our #1 single of the 70’s, that’s how much I love this song and how much I believe you should love it too. There wasn’t another rocker like Miss Benatar when she hit the scene – there were the hard rocking boys in endless bands, and there were women hitting the scene like my Debs, Chrissie Hynde, Heart and Patti Smith but Pat had more of a gleam to her, she used a boy’s use of sexiness to get her gut wrenched messages across. Not as centerfold in looks in Debbie and not as lyrical as the Blondies, nor as political as Patti or Chrissie or even as hard rock as the Wilson sisters, Pat blended pop and rock with banging guitars on this single being meshed together by a new wave production done by Mike Chapman’s right hand band Peter Coleman. “Heartbreaker” bashes through the supposed prejudice that women can’t rock like men, Pat reestablishes the first verse with the second and then there’s a guitar solo and the drums come pounding back with Pat’s intense bridge only for all the music to fall away and an accapella rendering of the chorus which sounds amazing turned up to almost full volume. The music comes back and as Pat winds up the chorus, her soon to be husband Neil Geraldo creates one of the best guitar solos (almost 30 more seconds of the song) of the entire decade. Of course, the most thrilling part of it all is that voice, you never heard a woman sing like that behind those incredibly hard rock sounds. In fact the radio stations didn’t want to play the song at first as they felt it was too hard of a sound. It would take over 3 months to even move into the top 40 in March of 1980 but would eventually reach the lower 20’s and help put Pat Benatar on the map. Of all of her wonderfully crafted and exciting singles nothing punches like “Heartbreaker”, and the song and its album In The Heat Of The Night made a life time fan out of this little blonde, and that’s why it made it all the way to our number 2 spot. I couldn’t live without this song in my life.
On a side note I don’t think it hurt any that Pat looks smokin’ hot on the record jacket, in the UK, where the song didn’t chart or sell I blame completely on the record jacket issued, I mean it’s just downright goofy. and just to keep things a little on the edge, before we get to the very best single of the 1970's let me give you a little trivia about our list... I love this stuff, even if you don't...
1. Completely coincidentally but so wonderful is the fact that every single year of the 70's has been represented in our list of the top 100. Being a child of the 80's it's probably not terribly surprising that the year with the most entries is 1979, with a total of 25 singles, including 5 of our top 10; 1979 is followed by 1978 (23), a tie between 1977 & 1976 (11), 1970 has 8 singles, 5 singles are a tie between 1971 and 1974 and there are 4 singles from 1972x1973 and 1975, so it looks like a fairly good representation.
2. Blondie (of course) has the most singles entries in our list with 7, followed by Fleetwood Mac with 4 singles, and then third place finds a tie between Donna Summer & Olivia Newton-John each with 3 hits, and the total number of artists with double entries is 11 - Linda Ronstadt, Barry Manilow, Melanie, Billy Joel, Patti Smith Group, Aerosmith, Queen, ABBA, Bee Gees, Carly Simon and our #2 entry winner Pat Benatar, but should you feel that's a lot of songs by repeated artists there are still 61 songs that are by artists with only one entry.
3. Producer Mike Chapman produced the most singles on our countdown with 6 but since he did produce 4 of Blondie's 7 that's not a big surprise but he also produced Benatar's "If You Think You Know How To Love Me" (#34), The Knack's "My Sharona" (#13), Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" (#9) and Nick Gilder's "Hot Child In The City".
4. It's not surprising considering the size and period of time they were in business but Columbia Records has the most chart entries with 11 including Elvis Costello, Billy Joel & Boomtown Rats on their roster. And because of Blondie's prominence on the chart the record label with the second most entries goes to Chrysalis Records but they also had Pat Benatar, Nick Gilder, and Claudja Barry; and the third is another big sized company Capitol Records with 7 entries including Anne Murray, The Knack and Sweet.
now stay tuned for the #1 Single Of The 1970's According To Bradley
The Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - According To Bradley #20-16 Welcome back to the world of yellow, gold and avacado green polka dotted bliss - the 70's - a decade that gave us so many things from the Ford Maverick to the Brady Bunch, and plenty of tunes to listen to including our next batch of the top 70's singles - according to yours truly - the bradley of bradley's buzz.. so let's get on with it man...
#20 – Magic Man – Heart (Ann & Nancy Wilson) Mushroom single #7011 US / Arista single #71 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 07/16/1976 #9 Ann Wilson can sing the paint right off of a house, her energy is incredible and even on their first album the Wilson sisters, with Ann in the front on vocals and Nancy sliding her guitar, were an incredible force. The single “Magic Man” is just one of the many reasons the band deserves a lot more recognition than I think they get. The grinding rock and seduction of Ann’s vocals draws you in from that very first note. Add in the somewhat mystical Stevie Nicks-ish lyrics a classic is born. “Come on home girl, Mama cried on the phone/ too soon to lose my baby and my girl should be at home/oh try to understand/ try to understand/ try, try, try to understand/ he’s a magic man, mama…” I understand it, I have a magic man myself. The song always reminds me of an old pal of mine named Angie Rachenback (the last name was massacered in spelling to protect the innocent) who had this crazed relationship with her man JB and she always felt this was their song.. god I miss those people.
#19 – Paradise By The Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf (Jim Steinman) Cleveland International single #50588 US / CBS single #6673 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 08/12/1978 #39 “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” is an 8 minute opus of raw sex, losing your virginity and teenage boy’s lust dreams – you know rock and roll. Originally conceived as a stage rock opera the Bat Out Of Hell concept by writer Jim Steinman is one that has lasted through out the years. When the team of Steinman and singer Meat Loaf finally secured a record deal in early ’77, no one could’ve been prepared for the storm that followed it. One of the biggest selling albums of all time, Bat Out Of Hell, is actually a very riveting album even all these years later. Of course the single found here is one of those enduring reasons, Meat Loaf’s huge voice beckoning to his girl to do it in the car while Ellen Foley’s breathy sexiness and attitude come in wondering if he’s going to love her forever should she give in. After all the foreplay, fooling around and of course lying, our hero gets the girl while we get a play by play action by a sportscaster then as things are over and done we get the realization that the sexual couple are now linked forever much to Meat’s dismay. A brilliant opus of real life set to a bombastic rock melody that changes into three different songs. Say what you want about the overplayed song but there is a reason it has been so permanently imprinted into our rock and roll minds.
#18 – Time For Me To Fly – REO Speedwagon (Kevin Cronin) Epic single #50582 US only Chart Debut: US Pop 07/22/1978 #56 I love this song. I can’t tell you how loud I start signing it whenever I hear it, and I’m not exactly why the lyrics have attached themselves to permanently into my mind, but it constantly pops up, “I’ve been around for you/ been up and down for you/ but I just can’t get any relief/ I swallowed my pride for you/ lived and lied for you/ but you still make me feel like a thief/ you’ve got me stealing your love away/ cause you never give it…” I tell you I sing it with so much conviction you’d think I actually had been treated this way. A perfect break up/ kick em to the curb song, “Time For Me To Fly” flows effortlessly with great guitar strums and Kevin Cronin’s impassioned vocals, even Dolly Parton’s honky tonk blue grass version of it from her 1989 White Limozeen album couldn’t take away the guts found in the verses.
#17 – A Little More Love – Olivia Newton-John (John Farrar) MCA single #40975 US / EMI single #2879 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 11/25/1978 #3 / UK 12/16/1978 #4 After Grease, our Olivia held onto those tight leather pants and created a whole new image for herself, one of a hot, blonde rock chick who could take a pop single and add sexiness to it while still staying somewhat middle of the road sweet. Her 1978 album Totally Hot and it’s cover said all it needed to but a make over and the success of Grease didn’t necessarily guarantee a huge new career and that’s where the songs had to come in. Luckily, her main songwriter and producer John Farrar was on the same wavelength as Livvie and they created a slew of rocking little pop songs including the guitar laced “A Little More Love.”
The song opens with a rocky little pop guitar hook, “Night is draggin’ her feet” and a guitar kick up comes in, “I wait alone in the heat”, and Olivia’s sexiness begins to shine through, “I know/ know that you’ll have your way/ til you have to go home/ ‘No’s a word I can’t say…” and the song shifts into a catchy pop beat, “Cause it gets me nowhere to tell you ‘no’/ and it gets me nowhere to make you go” before shifting into the real part of the chorus and Livvie’s vocals go higher, “Will a little more love make you start dependin’?/ will a little more love bring a happy ending?/ will a little more love make it right?/ will a little more love make it right?” and of course she throws in some of those off the charts Livvie screeches I so adore, and we end up with a perfect single to introduce the new and improved post-Grease Olivia Newton-John.
#16 – One Way Or Another –Blondie (Deborah Harry/Nigel Harrison) Chrysalis single #2336 US only Chart Debut: US Pop 06/02/1979 #24 Blondie’s final US single from their third album Parallel Lines, “One Way Or Another” is the ultimate stalker song, Debbie grunted through this three and a half minute rock fest, and though it’s been used in endless commercials, the single itself is still a worthy piece of 70’s gloriousness. “One Way Or Another I’m gonna getcha/ getcha/ getcha…” begins the catchy verse before moving into a darker melody and the actual stalking parts, “I will drive past your house/ and if the lights are all down/ I’ll see who’s arouuuwwwwnd…” I love singing this song in karaoke because of the different parts and just the whole nastiness of it all. Of course it turns even cooler when the end of the song turns the whole thing around with Debbie’s interest in her prey completely over with, “One way or another I’m gonna lose you/ I’ll trick ya/ I’ll trick ya…” and once again the song changes melody only this time it turns into a marching band of craziness, “I’ll walk down the mall/ stand over by the wall/ where I can see it all/ I’ll find out who you call/ lead you to the supermarket/ checkout some specials and rat food/ get lost in the crowd…” and the song fades out with Debbie’s voice alternating lines in each speaker. “One Way Or Another” is a masterpiece in musicianship, vocals and Mike Chapman’s superb production. It’s still one of the highlights on the 1978 Parallel Lines album that finally put Blondie into the mainstream.
and there you have it, only 5 more until we hit the top 10 singles of the 70's and if you're like me, you're just twittering in anticipation...
and we're back for more glorious 80s fun with numbers 25-21 of our countdown of the top 100 singles of the 1980s!
#25. LIAR LIAR - Debbie Harry (James Donna) Reprise single #27792 US Released: 1988 US Chart Position: #14 Modern Rock US
The music world can be a complete injustice, this excellant modern pop cover of a 1960s Castaways song should've been HUGE! Laced with modern guitar, Debbie's awesome vocal inflections, and reuiniting her with producer Mike Chapman, why this song didn't take off I'll never know! It didn't even crack the regular pop charts, yet I recall seeing the video on MTV quite a bit. Featured in the equally brilliant and overlooked film Married To The Mob, "Liar Liar" is a new wave cut up with Debbie even screaming in the middle while the synthesizer is up front and Debbie croons, "Liar Liar pants on fire/your nose is longer than a telephone wire..." "Best be leaving while I'm sad/ Been out all night I know you've been bad..." The video featured Debbie in a room full of mob bosses conducting a meeting by intimidating them with what's in her gun case. As it turns out she whips out not a shot gun but a giant sausage while the mob guys look on completely in awe and dancing around. Did I mention one of the mobsters is Grandpa Munster reprising his role from the film? What could've been.... Watch the video here!
#24. FUNKYTOWN - Lipps Inc. (Steven Greensberg) Casablanca single #2233 (US)/ #533 (UK) Chart Debut:April 16, 1980 (US)/ May 17, 1980 Chart Position:#1 US/ #2 UK
Not really disco, not really electronica, not really pop - "Funkytown" transcended most models of popular music, creating instead a hybrid of just about everything available at the time. One of the most recognizeable songs of the ages, and my own list, this song was and still remains a rather huge hit. The very best way to hear all the greatness that flows through this song is to strap on a pair of headphones and turn up the volume. You will be amazed at all the layers in the instrumentation, not to mention the great vocal performance. The album that spawned the single Mouth To Mouth, was actually released in late 1979 after the band scored a record contract with Casablanca, but the song that got them their deal fizzled on the charts so in early 1980, this song was released as the second single and took the airwaves and discos by storm. Incidentally, the town the group is so intent on getting out of is Minneapolis, and after spending a few winters there myself I can completely understand. Watch a rare video of the song here.
#23.JOHNNY ARE YOU QUEER? - Josie Cotton (Bobby & Larson Paine) Bomp single #12133 / Elektra single #42755 (re-release) Released: August 1981 Chart Position: #38 Dance Club Play US
Josie Cotton is one of the most brilliant things to ever come out of the new wave movement in the early 1980s. Just one listen to this song and everybody should be convinced that the girl had her Hammond organ on the right key for the time. Every song Josie did during the 80s should be considered new wave classics. The first time I was introduced to her debut single "Johnny Are You Queer?" was when my cousin Paula recited it to me. I thought she made the whole thing up until a few a while later when I saw one of the BEST movies of all time - Valley Girl. There on the screen in all her new wave glory was Josie performing at the prom. From that movie, the new wave sounds, and the whole Valley Girl movement I knew I had to move to LA - it took a few years and a few musical landscape changes but I finally made it here. "Johnny Are You Queer?" itself was I'm sure quite controversial at the time of its release and its probably no coincidence that the place it got the most play was at the dance clubs. Originally a song the Go Gos did live, Josie got the writers to produce the track for her and what was originally an angry punkish number about a woman whose boyfriend liked the boys better than her, turned into a poppy punchy little new wave number. And luckily for all of us we can all enjoy this song and all of Josie's music which finally got a CD release when the double album of Convertible Music/From The Hip was released by Collectibles Records. If you can find it, you buy it - it'll be one of the smartest purchases you've ever made. Josie also gives a great account of the song on her My Space page. I couldn't find any performance clips but here you can enjoy the song set to a number of still pix of Johnny Knoxville - if you're into that kind of thing.
#22. JESSIE'S GIRL - Rick Springfield(Rick Springfield) RCA Records #12201 (US)/ #76 (UK) Chart Debut: May 9, 1981 US Chart Position: #1 US
Well here he is, my very first celebrity crush. How I loved Rick and his wife beater, his smashing the mirror when he can't get the girl since she belongs to his friend Jessie. This was what the rock of 1980s was all about, melodic layers with lyrics about unrequited love where even the hot guy didn't get the girl. I have a friend who would to this day gladly step in for Jessie's girl if she didn't want Rick, and who could blame her? To this day, just hearing that opening guitar riff makes me long for the days of early MTV and the hot boys of 80s rock. Watch the hottie in action here!
#21.XANADU - Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra (Jeff Lynne) MCA Records single #41285 (US) / Jet #185 (UK) Chart Debut: August 30, 1980 (US)/ June 21, 1980 (UK) Chart Position: #8 US / #1 UK
I've established repeatedly my love for the Livvie and you just had to realize I wasn't about ignore the Xanadu soundtrack in my list. But even I was surprised at how much I really do enjoy this song. From what I've read and heard many people found the film Xanadu to be lacking something - perhaps a storyline, I'm not quite sure. But to me the film was a staple of my early childhood television viewing. We had Cinemax when I was little and I swear the only three movies they played were 9 To 5, Coal Miner's Daughter and Xanadu. Everytime I turned around there it was. But I'm not in any way complaining because I loved it. In fact, I recently went to a special 25th anniversary screening and saw it on the big screen, which in itself was something to sing about. The whole movie is basically a way to mesh old and new musical trends together in a brilliant 1980 way. This song is provided by the two bands who provide most of the work on the soundtrack, Electric Light Orchestra and our Olivia. It's the big moment at the end of the movie and it's the best song on the entire soundtrack. If only the single had the roller skating kids stomping and the chants, "Xanadu" this song would probably be in the top 10. Incidentally, I am going to argue that Madonna is a fan of Xanadu as in her new video for "Sorry" she is rollerskating in a giant circle with a group of Xanadu throw outs. If it isn't a homage to Xanadu then I'm just plain crazy... please don't respond to that... See some hot Xanadu action here!
so now we are on the edge of entering the top 20 - things can only get stranger from here on out for all those big hits of the 80s are probably unlikely to show up on a list created by me, so you will all be on the verge of neon paranoia as we enter the top 20 singles of the 1980s!
Location: West Hollywood, California, United States
SHORT VERSION: Bradley Jacobson is a singer/songwriter, sometime actor, sometime writer, audio engineer and producer, and all around happy dude. He was the singer/songwriter of the electronic trashy punky pop band Swivek, but is now a "solo" artist releasing music under his own name.
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Grease Original Soundtrack (1978; RSO Records) - I know you really lost all your respect but hey I was a tee weeny little boy and the soundtrack and the film were the first real adult type of fare that I came across which actually affected me in any way. The film was so exciting to me I made every relative I had take me to see it claiming I had never seen it before. My Aunt Sarah and I listened to it on my Grandma's big record player in the living room - one of those things that look like a cabinet but actually house a record player and in Grandma Ferlie's case an 8 track player. Then I made my mom buy me the 8-track for myself. I sang every song as if it were my own and as if I knew what half the words meant. "Summer Nights", "You're The One That I Want", "Greased Lightning" - not to mention the 1,2 punch of sassy pants Rizzo with her teaser "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee" and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", plus the Sha Na Na whole middle of 50's dance music, and the Cindy Bullens sung "It's Raining On Prom Night", "Freddy My Love" and "Mooning" from the original play (which I didn't even know existed at the time). The soundtrack to Grease made me grow up and to this day I still sucked in to both the flick and the soundtrack and it made me a life long Livvie fan.
