The goal of the Guilty Pleasure: Music Edition exercise is to review music once viewed as inane for some new level of worthiness we may have overlooked and are now able to appreciate. Yet even with an open mind and optimistic view, sometimes it's hard to understand why a certain artist enjoyed the level of the popularity they accomplished.
Two words: Christopher Cross.
As a singer/song writer from San Antonio, Texas, his vocal styling was limited at best, his lyrics were light-weight ("It's not that far to Never-Never Land"..?), and his song (over)-production seemed tailored to the early 80s "light-rock-less-talk" format. Man, did that ever work out nicely.
His debut album won him 5 Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and sold 5 million copies! After some success with singing the theme from the movie "Arthur" (written by Burt Bacharach ), it seemed Christopher Cross would suffer from what I call "Citizen Kane Syndrome", i.e. producing your masterpiece as your first work and never being able to repeat that kind of lightning-in-a-bottle success again.
Sure, "Sailing" is loaded with lots more schmaltzy-guilt, but "Ride Like The Wind" had all the dance band guitar players begging their band mates to cover the tune so they could take that solo at the end of the song.
Get busy with that air-guitar!
-KO
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
"Loser" by Beck
The things you can learn listening to teen-age radio...
Back in the day when I was driving the kids to high school and would put on their radio station, most of it provided no relief to the rambling discussions coming from the backseat that I couldn't participate in (tried being cool a few times by interjecting some funny quips - insert crickets sound effect here), but there were a few songs songs that stood out for me: "What's My Age Again" by Blink-182, "Man In A Box" by Alice in Chains, and "Loser" by Beck.
Since I am posting a song by an artist I know nothing about, a look at his Wikipedia page was required and proved very interesting; seems "Loser" was his breakout hit that had record companies scrambling to sign him. I can see why: great lyrics just weird enough that your brain can digest them and still not be sure why you liked them, delivered in a rap style that feels more frustrated than angry, over a funk groove with samples. Extremely creative, and very cool.
The guilt is arguable: good music is supposed to span the generations, but is there anyway a 50 year old father can like his teenagers music without being creepy?
Have a great weekend, and don't forget to "get crazy with the cheese-whiz".
-KO
Back in the day when I was driving the kids to high school and would put on their radio station, most of it provided no relief to the rambling discussions coming from the backseat that I couldn't participate in (tried being cool a few times by interjecting some funny quips - insert crickets sound effect here), but there were a few songs songs that stood out for me: "What's My Age Again" by Blink-182, "Man In A Box" by Alice in Chains, and "Loser" by Beck.
Since I am posting a song by an artist I know nothing about, a look at his Wikipedia page was required and proved very interesting; seems "Loser" was his breakout hit that had record companies scrambling to sign him. I can see why: great lyrics just weird enough that your brain can digest them and still not be sure why you liked them, delivered in a rap style that feels more frustrated than angry, over a funk groove with samples. Extremely creative, and very cool.
The guilt is arguable: good music is supposed to span the generations, but is there anyway a 50 year old father can like his teenagers music without being creepy?
Have a great weekend, and don't forget to "get crazy with the cheese-whiz".
-KO
Friday, August 12, 2011
"Can't Get Used To Losing You" by Andy Williams
Andy Williams? Really?
Yes, really.
In an era of crooners in tuxedos that took their job as entertainers seriously, with a field of stars that included Frank, Dean, Sammy, Bobby Darin, and countless others, this guy held his own and, according to his Wikipedia page, had more nicknames than hits ("The Emperor of Easy" gets my vote!) and that's saying something!
The arrangement on this song is fantastic: the full Capital Records orchestra with those great rhythm pizzicato strings (imagine the song without them and you get a different tune, and hey, isn't that how you'd play it on a rock-and-roll guitar?), the doubled lead vocal that goes in and out of a blended harmony vocal (thank you, Les Paul), the rock-and-roll "teen beat" over the chorus, and no wonder you didn't mind hearing this song on your parents radio station (go ahead, admit it).
The guilt? Like I said; Andy Williams ('nuff said).
Sure, "Moon River" is his gold standard, and "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Hawaiian Wedding Song" are great recordings of his wonderful voice, but "Can't Get Used To Losing You" will always be the cross-generational hit that got lost under the radar.
Swoon away.
-KO
Yes, really.
In an era of crooners in tuxedos that took their job as entertainers seriously, with a field of stars that included Frank, Dean, Sammy, Bobby Darin, and countless others, this guy held his own and, according to his Wikipedia page, had more nicknames than hits ("The Emperor of Easy" gets my vote!) and that's saying something!
The arrangement on this song is fantastic: the full Capital Records orchestra with those great rhythm pizzicato strings (imagine the song without them and you get a different tune, and hey, isn't that how you'd play it on a rock-and-roll guitar?), the doubled lead vocal that goes in and out of a blended harmony vocal (thank you, Les Paul), the rock-and-roll "teen beat" over the chorus, and no wonder you didn't mind hearing this song on your parents radio station (go ahead, admit it).
The guilt? Like I said; Andy Williams ('nuff said).
Sure, "Moon River" is his gold standard, and "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Hawaiian Wedding Song" are great recordings of his wonderful voice, but "Can't Get Used To Losing You" will always be the cross-generational hit that got lost under the radar.
Swoon away.
-KO
Friday, June 17, 2011
"Africa" by Toto
The Beatles are the most famous example of a music group that, after years of endless touring, grows tired of the life on the road and retreats to the studio to make albums and never tour again. Steely Dan's main collaborators Walter Becker and Donald Fagan were also known for producing amazing studio records with stellar session musicians and frustrating their record label by never touring to promote the product.
However, sometimes the story goes the other way: successful session musicians, known only to their record labels and the producers who hire them, get tired of making millions for other artists and decide to form a band to make some real dough for themselves. Such is the story of the group Toto.
With a who's-who of 5-star L.A. session players in their various lineups including Steve and Jeff Pocaro and guitarist Steve Lukather (who played on some Steely Dan records!), Toto enjoyed a successful debut album with enough hit power to gather a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of 1979 (only to lose to the disco group A Taste of Honey!). Though this level of success lasted only a short while after that, their Wikipedia page has them still touring and very popular in Europe, and they've sold 35 million albums!
I really have no idea why I like singing along to the chorus of "I trust the rains down in Africa" - I have no idea what the hell that means! - but I always do (admit it; you do too). Sure, there is guilt in liking a record that uses African mbira and pan flute samples from a keyboard to produce an Americanized 3rd-world pop tune for soccer mommies, but hey, "Africa" by Toto has a great chorus and is still a fine single.
Geniet! (Enjoy!)
-KO
However, sometimes the story goes the other way: successful session musicians, known only to their record labels and the producers who hire them, get tired of making millions for other artists and decide to form a band to make some real dough for themselves. Such is the story of the group Toto.
With a who's-who of 5-star L.A. session players in their various lineups including Steve and Jeff Pocaro and guitarist Steve Lukather (who played on some Steely Dan records!), Toto enjoyed a successful debut album with enough hit power to gather a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of 1979 (only to lose to the disco group A Taste of Honey!). Though this level of success lasted only a short while after that, their Wikipedia page has them still touring and very popular in Europe, and they've sold 35 million albums!
I really have no idea why I like singing along to the chorus of "I trust the rains down in Africa" - I have no idea what the hell that means! - but I always do (admit it; you do too). Sure, there is guilt in liking a record that uses African mbira and pan flute samples from a keyboard to produce an Americanized 3rd-world pop tune for soccer mommies, but hey, "Africa" by Toto has a great chorus and is still a fine single.
Geniet! (Enjoy!)
-KO
Friday, June 3, 2011
"How Long" by Ace
It's 1974. You best friend just picked you up in his new (used) car that cost him $500.00. Problem was it only had an AM radio (he was saving his money for an cassette player). So, let the channel flipping begin.
And one of the only songs I remember trying to find was "How Long" by Ace.
Even with vocals from the talented Paul Carrack, who would later join groups such as Squeeze, Mike and The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, Ace could never match their success of "How Long" (#3 in the U.S.)
and disbanded as a one-hit wonder.
The guilt? Wanting to turn off the song as soon as that wonderfully under-stated, over-effected guitar solo was done.
There was a transitional period in the early 70s when bands were trying to write rock tunes that could get played on both AM (3-minute songs) and FM (less format and content restrictive) stations, thus creating the "soft rock" genre in the process - Ambrosia's "How Much I Feel" and Player's "Baby Come Back" are some examples - but "How Long" by Ace feels like the first (and last) song of the genre that had any spine to it. Not singing about new love, or lost love, but pissed-off love.
That's my kind of love song.
-KO
And one of the only songs I remember trying to find was "How Long" by Ace.
Even with vocals from the talented Paul Carrack, who would later join groups such as Squeeze, Mike and The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, Ace could never match their success of "How Long" (#3 in the U.S.)
and disbanded as a one-hit wonder.
The guilt? Wanting to turn off the song as soon as that wonderfully under-stated, over-effected guitar solo was done.
There was a transitional period in the early 70s when bands were trying to write rock tunes that could get played on both AM (3-minute songs) and FM (less format and content restrictive) stations, thus creating the "soft rock" genre in the process - Ambrosia's "How Much I Feel" and Player's "Baby Come Back" are some examples - but "How Long" by Ace feels like the first (and last) song of the genre that had any spine to it. Not singing about new love, or lost love, but pissed-off love.
That's my kind of love song.
-KO
Friday, May 13, 2011
"Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis and The News
The mere mention of Pop music from the 1980s seems to automatically raise the tiny hairs on the back of people's neck.
While new idioms like Punk (I can't play but I'm angry so fuck off) and New Wave (I can play a little as long as I don't get hair mousse on my synthesizer) were trying to kill Disco (I cant play but my cousin has a drum machine we could use), standard rock and roll fare was in a tenuous state. With rock groups like Journey, ZZ Top, and Foreigner crafting their songs and performances for large arena rock concerts, the 4 minute pop tune seemed headed for extinction.
Enter Huey Lewis and the News, a hit machine of well polished vocal pop-rock tunes. They looked good AND they could play while carrying the craft of the pop single though most of the 80s single-handed.
If you were in a cover band playing clubs, wedding receptions, or corporate parties in the 80s, you could appreciate it when a rock and roll band - from Marin County, no less! - could produce an average of three top ten hits per album; it was like someone else doing your homework for you. All you had to do was spend a night in the garage with your boys learning that latest hit, and if you got it close, you'd be the hit of the event and hopefully be invited to the after-party (where, years later, we realized we never should have gone). Let's face it; these boys kept us all working for a quite a while. Not rocket science (Rush) or pretending to like caviar (Styx, Kansas), just catchy pop tunes accessible by performer and listener alike. Perfect.
I will always make the argument that Huey Lewis and The News was one of the best rock and roll groups that the Bay Area has ever produced (100 million copies of their album "Sports" can't be denied), and it all started with "Do You Believe In Love".
Thanks for all that heavy lifting, boys.
KO
While new idioms like Punk (I can't play but I'm angry so fuck off) and New Wave (I can play a little as long as I don't get hair mousse on my synthesizer) were trying to kill Disco (I cant play but my cousin has a drum machine we could use), standard rock and roll fare was in a tenuous state. With rock groups like Journey, ZZ Top, and Foreigner crafting their songs and performances for large arena rock concerts, the 4 minute pop tune seemed headed for extinction.
Enter Huey Lewis and the News, a hit machine of well polished vocal pop-rock tunes. They looked good AND they could play while carrying the craft of the pop single though most of the 80s single-handed.
If you were in a cover band playing clubs, wedding receptions, or corporate parties in the 80s, you could appreciate it when a rock and roll band - from Marin County, no less! - could produce an average of three top ten hits per album; it was like someone else doing your homework for you. All you had to do was spend a night in the garage with your boys learning that latest hit, and if you got it close, you'd be the hit of the event and hopefully be invited to the after-party (where, years later, we realized we never should have gone). Let's face it; these boys kept us all working for a quite a while. Not rocket science (Rush) or pretending to like caviar (Styx, Kansas), just catchy pop tunes accessible by performer and listener alike. Perfect.
I will always make the argument that Huey Lewis and The News was one of the best rock and roll groups that the Bay Area has ever produced (100 million copies of their album "Sports" can't be denied), and it all started with "Do You Believe In Love".
Thanks for all that heavy lifting, boys.
KO
Friday, April 8, 2011
"The Green Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones
Thanks again to all my friends who sent along their well-wishes for my recover from a recent incident on the dog trail. Seems it is still, quite literally, a dog-eat-dog world out there.
You can blame Paul Olguin if this week's selection causes you undue grief (I don't see how it could, but I was wrong once before) as Paul brought up the Tom Jones vs Engelbert Humperdink debate a few weeks back. I think Engelbert had a tough career path to travel following TJ around, not an easy thing. But when you review their respective catalogs of work, Paul is right, you have to give the nod to the great one, Tom Jones.
If we choose to validate a song's merit by the number of artists that cover it, then this simple country ballad would rank very high with versions by Elvis, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Nana Mouskouri, Trini Lopez, and Gram Parsons, while the Wikipedia page lists translated hit versions in Korean, Portuguese, Japanese, Serbian, and Swedish, to name just a few.
With a theme everyone can relate to (homesickness), a simple story with a sad twist for an ending, and a melody that fits easily enough in your back pocket on the way to the Karaoke bar, "The Green Green Grass of Home" is a great song, and the version by Tom Jones is a wonderful performance. Let's face it; any song that can be sung in a rhinestone suit (Porter Wagner) or a tuxedo (Tom Jones) has got to be a great one.
Enjoy.
-KO
You can blame Paul Olguin if this week's selection causes you undue grief (I don't see how it could, but I was wrong once before) as Paul brought up the Tom Jones vs Engelbert Humperdink debate a few weeks back. I think Engelbert had a tough career path to travel following TJ around, not an easy thing. But when you review their respective catalogs of work, Paul is right, you have to give the nod to the great one, Tom Jones.
If we choose to validate a song's merit by the number of artists that cover it, then this simple country ballad would rank very high with versions by Elvis, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Nana Mouskouri, Trini Lopez, and Gram Parsons, while the Wikipedia page lists translated hit versions in Korean, Portuguese, Japanese, Serbian, and Swedish, to name just a few.
With a theme everyone can relate to (homesickness), a simple story with a sad twist for an ending, and a melody that fits easily enough in your back pocket on the way to the Karaoke bar, "The Green Green Grass of Home" is a great song, and the version by Tom Jones is a wonderful performance. Let's face it; any song that can be sung in a rhinestone suit (Porter Wagner) or a tuxedo (Tom Jones) has got to be a great one.
Enjoy.
-KO
Friday, April 1, 2011
"I'm Gonna Buy Me A Dog" by The Monkees
Considering recent personal events, the topic for this week's selection was pretty easy; selecting the right song took some thought.
Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window" might be the most famous doggie tune but a little too saccharin for some Friday fun, and I don't know anyone that would make it through a complete listening of "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by The Baha Men (but I sure wish I wrote it). I'm leaving out many good doggie tune candidates (and I'm sure the Guilty Pleasure fans will let me know them), but this one is the first that popped into my mind and seems like an obvious winner: "I'm Gonna Buy Me A Dog" by The Monkees
Friends and neighbors, the best thing you can do for your dog is to be the Pack Leader they expect you to be by giving them a healthy controlled walk to the dog park where they can practice their social skills with other dogs. And if you are thinking of getting a dog, do yourself and the dog a favor with some research on what the breed will need in the way of exercise and attention.
"Here's sniffing at you, kid."
-KO
Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window" might be the most famous doggie tune but a little too saccharin for some Friday fun, and I don't know anyone that would make it through a complete listening of "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by The Baha Men (but I sure wish I wrote it). I'm leaving out many good doggie tune candidates (and I'm sure the Guilty Pleasure fans will let me know them), but this one is the first that popped into my mind and seems like an obvious winner: "I'm Gonna Buy Me A Dog" by The Monkees
Friends and neighbors, the best thing you can do for your dog is to be the Pack Leader they expect you to be by giving them a healthy controlled walk to the dog park where they can practice their social skills with other dogs. And if you are thinking of getting a dog, do yourself and the dog a favor with some research on what the breed will need in the way of exercise and attention.
"Here's sniffing at you, kid."
-KO
Friday, March 25, 2011
"Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdink
As we all dog-paddle like mad to keep afloat in a sea of Facebook postings, I seemed to have lost the energy and inspiration to post my Guilty Pleasures: The Music Edition of late. Truth be told, I wasn't really sure of the value-add in providing a weekly vehicle to let Michele and Maurice point out the lack of any redeeming quality, musically and lyrically, in my picks that Angela wasn't old enough to remember, but I did miss the history lesson Paul would give on the rhythm section of each recording. Really, I always enjoyed the feedback from everyone, and I'm thick-skinned (and thick-headed) enough to handle the heat. So, I've decide to pick up the musical torch again in an effort to validate (or not) past musical guilt and post something every Friday. That's right friends, Friday is now Guilty Pleasures Day until further notice (or until Michele's head explodes). ;-)
And this one may just do it.
Born Arnold George Dorsey, Engelbert Humperdink actually renamed himself after a 19th century composer on the suggestion of his manager to kick-start his languishing career. Good idea, it seems, as he scored his first International hit shortly after that with a single that knocked The Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever" out of the top slot in the charts - no easy feat in 1967. But the best fun-fact from his Wikipedia page is the quote he provided when irked by an interviewer who suggested he was a "crooner", which he took as an insult: "No crooner has the range I have. I can hit notes a bank could not cash." Oh yeah...
Sure, his performance on "After The Lovin'" is the ballad by which all lounge singers are measured, but "Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdink is a single so good that the pop audiences never realized (or didn't care) it was a country ballad, as with his versions of "Am I That Easy To Forget", and "The Last Waltz".
Note: On further review, I must admit the main reason for bringing this song to your attention is to start the ground-swell of support to get the best country singer in San Francisco, Charlie Owen, to sing this at the next El Rio Trainwreck jam. If it isn't in his repertoire all ready, it should be.
Enjoy.
-KO
ps: remember, highlited song titles in the postings are links to the youtube song.
And this one may just do it.
Born Arnold George Dorsey, Engelbert Humperdink actually renamed himself after a 19th century composer on the suggestion of his manager to kick-start his languishing career. Good idea, it seems, as he scored his first International hit shortly after that with a single that knocked The Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever" out of the top slot in the charts - no easy feat in 1967. But the best fun-fact from his Wikipedia page is the quote he provided when irked by an interviewer who suggested he was a "crooner", which he took as an insult: "No crooner has the range I have. I can hit notes a bank could not cash." Oh yeah...
Sure, his performance on "After The Lovin'" is the ballad by which all lounge singers are measured, but "Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdink is a single so good that the pop audiences never realized (or didn't care) it was a country ballad, as with his versions of "Am I That Easy To Forget", and "The Last Waltz".
Note: On further review, I must admit the main reason for bringing this song to your attention is to start the ground-swell of support to get the best country singer in San Francisco, Charlie Owen, to sing this at the next El Rio Trainwreck jam. If it isn't in his repertoire all ready, it should be.
Enjoy.
-KO
ps: remember, highlited song titles in the postings are links to the youtube song.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
"Love Is Alive" by Gary Wright
Well, this ought to get the New Year juices flowing... ;-)
This one has been in the Guilty Pleasure: Music Edition que for a while now; I've just been waiting for the "wright" time (get it?). Some of you may argue that no time is the right time for a 70s pop/rock band with the audacity to not have guitars (!!), but I remember being very impressed when I saw them at a Day On The Green show in Oakland (opening for Peter Frampton?) and doing just fine without a screaming guitar solo for an hour.
You are showing your age if you remember Gary Wright's first popular band Spooky Tooth ("The Mirror" is a great album that is hard to find), and a quick check of his Wiki page says that Gary Wright also added keyboards on George Harrisons album "All Things Must Pass", further validating him as an accomplished keyboardist and singer.
The guilt? Easy: liking a song that was done by a band hanging those heavy synths around their neck while the lead singer wore a silver space outfit complete with space boots! Seemed OK at the time!
Sure, "Dream Weaver" gets all the air play and has become a parody of itself, but "Love Is Alive" proves a good hook can get you club gigs 40 years later and help pay for your rock-and-roll retirement fund.
Rock on, Dream Weaver.
;-)
KO
This one has been in the Guilty Pleasure: Music Edition que for a while now; I've just been waiting for the "wright" time (get it?). Some of you may argue that no time is the right time for a 70s pop/rock band with the audacity to not have guitars (!!), but I remember being very impressed when I saw them at a Day On The Green show in Oakland (opening for Peter Frampton?) and doing just fine without a screaming guitar solo for an hour.
You are showing your age if you remember Gary Wright's first popular band Spooky Tooth ("The Mirror" is a great album that is hard to find), and a quick check of his Wiki page says that Gary Wright also added keyboards on George Harrisons album "All Things Must Pass", further validating him as an accomplished keyboardist and singer.
The guilt? Easy: liking a song that was done by a band hanging those heavy synths around their neck while the lead singer wore a silver space outfit complete with space boots! Seemed OK at the time!
Sure, "Dream Weaver" gets all the air play and has become a parody of itself, but "Love Is Alive" proves a good hook can get you club gigs 40 years later and help pay for your rock-and-roll retirement fund.
Rock on, Dream Weaver.
;-)
KO
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