September 1981. This month, a group of Welsh women set up a peace camp at Greenham Common Royal Air Force Base in Berkshire to protest nuclear weapons. The camp would remain for nearly twenty years. I regret to tell you that a lot of the songs I'm about to tell you about lack such staying power. But see for yourself.
40 - "I Love Music," Enigma
Not the Romanian guy who gave us the gothy dance hits "Sadeness" and "Return to Innocence" in the 90s. but rather a British disco group with a medley of other people's hits. Read the second half of that sentence and you'll get a recurring theme of this list.
39 - "Back to the Sixties," Tight Fit
Speaking of which, here's another bunch with a disco medley of a bunch of hits from two decades earlier. There's Stones, there's Kinks, there's Motown, there's other stuff, all done by reasonable soundalikes. No reason at all to go back and find this instead of listening to the originals.
38 - "Classical Muddly," Porstmouth Sinfonia
Another one, but this is a little more interesting. This group was formed at the Portsmouth School of Art in 1970, and they invited anyone with little or no musical training to pick an instrument, do their best to learn how to play, and then play together. The results were charmingly amateurish, and they achieved some fame and performed frequently until disbanding in 1979. But two years later, coinciding with the medley trend, they put together some of their takes at various familiar pieces, set them to a beat, and released a single that scraped into the Top 40. It's pretty fun, and makes stuff we think of as stuffy a lot more relatable. I like it a lot, and I also give it this chart's Uneasy Rider.
37 - "Everlasting Love," Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet
Only Brit hit for him, second for her. They take on this oft-covered song originated by Robert Knight in 1967. He belts overwroughtly, she goes for rock sultriness. They goof around and pretend to get married in the video. It's charmingly cheesy.
36 - "Wunderbar," Tenpole Tudor
Founded by Londoner Edward Tudor-Pole, this band first gained notice in the post-breakup Sex Pistols film The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle. They would pick up their only two Top 40s this year, the second being this weird little punk rocker/beer hall singalong about how life is bad but good anyway. Or something like that. A cool little tune.
35 - "Seasons of Gold," Gidea Park
Named for a London neighborhood, this is another disco group doing a medley, this one of the Four Seasons. The producer and main singer, Adrian Baker, does a pretty good Frankie Valli. Otherwise, nothing to hear here.
34 - "Happy Birthday," Stevie Wonder
Wonder wrote this song to make the case that there should be a U.S. national holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Though it hit #2 here, it barely charted at home, but it still contributed to King's birthday being established as a holiday, and Wonder performed the song on January 20, 1986, at a celebration of the first official MLK Day. Just another fact that proves that Stevie is the man.
33 - "Stars on 45 (Volume 3)," Starsound
Yet another medley, this one by the Dutch group that really made these things popular. This one is mostly instrumental, consisting of the opening parts of songs ranging from the themes of Star Wars, M*A*S*H, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, to pop and rock hits including "Layla," "Y.M.C.A.,"
"All Right Now," and even "Ma Baker." It gets some extra credit for that last one, but otherwise, it's completely irrelevant now.
32 - "Green Door," Shakin' Stevens
Stevens' second #1 was this cover of a 1956 Jim Lowe hit about a wild yet inaccessible party. Solid retro-rockabilly. Whether you liked what he did or not, he did it well.
31 - "Hooked on Classics," The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The dance medley featuring Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, and many more went to #2 here and #10 in the U.S. I guess this would work if you want to work out but be cultured at the same time. I don't know why else this exists.
30 - "Under Your Thumb," Godley and Creme
In the States the ex-10cc duo only hit with 1985's "Cry," but at home they had two hits before that, the first being this haunting synthpop song about a man on a train encountering the ghost of a woman who had committed suicide by throwing herself from that very train. Another cool discovery, and something to slip onto any Halloween mix you might make.
29 - "Passionate Friend," The Teardrop Explodes
From Liverpool, this New Wave band's third and final U.K. Top 40 was this tune about the end of a love affair. Decent pop, but nothing that grabs me as much as the band's name.
28 - "Holliedaze," The Hollies
Another medley, this one stringing together a bunch of hits from the Manchester British Invasion vets. Useful because a few of the songs included weren't U.S. hits, but otherwise, listen to the originals in full, ferfucksake.
27 - "Girls on Film," Duran Duran
The Duranies third home hit (and first Top Ten) was this grooving pop-rocker about the exploitation of models, which ironically was marketed with a Godley and Creme-directed video containing sex and nudity. Irony abounds. But still, one of their better songs.
26 - "Chemistry," The Nolans
Born in Ireland but raised in Blackpool, sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Colleen Nolan got their start as regulars on a Cliff Richard variety show, then broke through in 1979 with "I'm in the Mood for Dancing. which not only made the U.K. Top Five but also hit #1 in Japan. Their seventh of eight British Top 40s was this disco tune about clicking with someone. Sprightly, but forgettable. I didn't feel the spark.
25 - "Birdie Song," The Tweets
What this is is record producer Henry Hadaway's version of a song composed by Swiss accordionist Werner Thomas to accompany what anyone who has been to a wedding in the last thirty years knows as "The Chicken Dance." You know it. It's in your head now. You're fighting the temptation to start doing it, aren't you? I'm sorry.
24 - "Hand Held in Black and White," Dollar
Our second encounter with this Anglo-Canadian duo. I really have no idea what it's about. It mentions Tokyo and flying and graffiti. Otherwise, it's sevriceable synth-pop. More like a quarter than a dollar.
23 - "The Caribbean Disco Show," Lobo
This is not the American 70s star behind "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo," but rather a Dutchman who had a hit with a calypso medley highlighted by "The Banana Boat Song," and a song about a woman named Judy who drowned. This medley thing is even worse than the current Hollywood trend of remaking old hit movies. This may have been the rock bottom of British pop.
22 - "In and Out of Love," Imagination
The second of nine Top 40s for this London funk band was this midtempo ballad about a tumultuous relationship. Silkily soulful. Plus bonus points for the way singer Leee John spells his name. The triple e is genius.
21 - "Rainy Night in Georgia," Randy Crawford
The Georgia soulstress's fourth U.K hit was a cover of Brook Benton's 1970 hit about percipitation in Crawford's home state. She nails the lonely, hopeless vibe. Britain had it right in making her the pop star she wasn't at home.
In Part Two: barriers, holdups, and fairy tales.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
GATW: UKT40 September 10, 1977
Closing out '77
20 - "Spanish Stroll," Mink DeVille
Formed in San Francisco in 1974, this group relocated to New York a year later and became one of the house bands at the legendary punk club CBGB, even though their sound was more bluesy and traditional than many of their peers. Their first and only hit in Britain was this cool rock strut with lyrics about street characters in the City. Pretty damn great. The band would accumulate lots of acclaim but little sales until their breakup in 1985, then singer Willy DeVille would begin a solo career that peaked when he wrote and sung "Storybook Love," the Oscar-nominated closing theme to the film The Princess Bride, and continued until his death from cancer in 2009. This definitely has me interested in exploring more Mink DeVille at the very least.
19 - "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," The Adverts
This London punk band burst onto the scene with this topical, controversial single. In January of 1977, convicted murderer became the first person to suffer the death penalty in the United States in over ten years when he was executed by firing squad in Utah. It was revealed that Gilmore asked that his organs be donated for transplant, including his corneas, and so this song imagines a hospital patient waking up to realize that his new eyes originally belonged to the infamous criminal, because somehow the imprint of Gilmore's crimes can be detected by the eyes' new host. I'm not sure if that's how things work scientifically, but it's an interesting thought in a shock/sci-fi sense, and this angle definitely makes this otherwise boilerplate punk song interesting. Interesting enough to win this chart's Uneasy Rider.
18 - "We're All Alone," Rita Coolidge
She's boring af, as the kids say. I've said this repeatedly. Moving on...
17 - "Looking After Number One," The Boomtown Rats
This Irish New Wave group just missed the Top Ten with their first single, this punk blast about being selfish and getting by any way one can. Good, as dumb rebellion goes. Their later stuff got more interesting, peaking with the classic "I Don't Like Mondays." And of course, Bob Geldof is best known for Live Aid. Given how he made his first public impression, that's pretty ironic.
16 - "Telephone Man," Meri Wilson
The Atlanta one-hit wonder's novelty about making a "connection" with a phone installer. Reach out and touch someone, indeed.
15 - "Tulane," The Steve Gibbons Band
After spending the 60s in a bunch of minor British bands. Birmingham's Gibbons found his biggest success with this cover of a Chuck Berry song about two guys who run afoul of the law because their "novelty shop" is a cover for their traffic in some sort of illegal substance. It sounds like British dudes covering Chuck Berry. Not much more to it than that.
14 - "Dancing in the Moonlight," Thin Lizzy
The fifth U.K. hit for this Irish band is not a cover of the King Harvest song, but rather a Springsteenish strut about being young and free and out after dark. Phil Lynott is definitely one of the great voices of a certain kind of rock n' roll cool.
13 - "The Crunch," The RAH Band
From Teesside, Richard Anthony Hewson was a prolific producer who also scored two #6 hits nine years apart with a non-existent "band" named for his initials. The first of these was this instrumental that sounds as if it was created with synthesizers but was in fact performed on standard guitars and keyboard with the use of effects pedals. It's a fun little song that sounds like it should have been the theme for a sitcom about police or something like that.
12 - "You Got What it Takes," Showaddywaddy
Our second encounter with these Leicester retro-rockers was this cover of a 1959 Marv Johnson about a lady who has that certain je ne sais quoi. They do what they do well enough, but it doesn't really move me.
11 - "Do Anything You Wanna Do," The Rods
This pub-rock group from Essex started as in 1975 as Eddie and the Hot Rods, even though there was no one named Eddie in the band. ("Eddie" was a dummy they had on stage with them at early gigs but quickly abandoned.) Their biggest hit was this tune about not conforming and making your own way. The usual stuff, catchily delivered.
10 - "Nobody Does it Better," Carly Simon
The hit theme from the 007 film The Spy Who Loved Me. I can think of at least three artists who did superior Bond themes, but still, Top Five ain't bad. Don't be so vain, Carly.
9 - "That's What Friends are For," Deneice Williams
Another, "no, it's not that song" songs. The American soul singer's second U.K. Top Ten isn't the one Dionne, Stevie et al recorded, but rather a midtempo ballad about a "friendship" that sounds like it's a little more than that. I really appreciate her voice on this one. I stil don't care for "Let's Hear it for the Boy," though.
8 - "Silver Lady," David Soul
The Starsky and Hutch star's Top 40 reign ended at home with the transatlantic #1 "Don't Give Up on Us," but it continued here with four more hits, including a second charttopper in the form of this disco-popper about returning home to a true love after having wild but fulfilling adventures. Unspectacular, but performed with conviction.
7 - "Nights on Broadway," Candi Staton
The second and last Top Ten for this American soul singer was a cover of the 1975 Bee Gees hit. That's my favorite of theirs, as you may know, but Staton gives it a nice soulful touch that sells me on it. Love it.
6 - "Angelo," Brotherhood of Man
The second of three #1s for this two-man, two woman group was this mumber about a Mexican shepherd boy running off with a rich girl. Like ABBA without the depth.
5 - "Down Deep Inside," Donna Summer
Sultry disco from the underwater thriller The Deep, produced and arranged by Bond composer John Barry. Don't quite understand how it didn't chart in America,
4 - "Oxygene IV," Jean-Michel Jarre
The son of prominent film composer Maurice Jarre, Jean-Michel became a worldwide sensation with the release of his electronic instrumental album Oxygene. The hypnotic fourth track became a major hit and uas been used in multiple media ever since. It's hypnotic and intriguiung, and definitely one of the touchstones of the emerging electronic scene.
3 - "Float On," The Floaters
You don't get much more 70s than this soul ballad where the individual members of this Detroit group list off their Zodiac signs and the qualities they like in women. It's an audio leisure suit.
2 - "Magic Fly," Space
Not to be confused with the English band we encountered in the 90s, this is a French electronic duo whose biggest hit was this Moroder-esque dance instrumental. It doesn't sound dated at all. I would absolutely accept this as, say, a new Daft Punk track.
And on top 39 years ago, we found...
1 - "Way Down," Elvis Presley
Just weeks after his shocking death, the King scored his first U.K. #1 in seven years with this rockabilly number about the effects of love. A very boisterous performance that promised a potential artistic revival that, unfortunately, would not be realized.
More soon. Thanks for listening.
20 - "Spanish Stroll," Mink DeVille
Formed in San Francisco in 1974, this group relocated to New York a year later and became one of the house bands at the legendary punk club CBGB, even though their sound was more bluesy and traditional than many of their peers. Their first and only hit in Britain was this cool rock strut with lyrics about street characters in the City. Pretty damn great. The band would accumulate lots of acclaim but little sales until their breakup in 1985, then singer Willy DeVille would begin a solo career that peaked when he wrote and sung "Storybook Love," the Oscar-nominated closing theme to the film The Princess Bride, and continued until his death from cancer in 2009. This definitely has me interested in exploring more Mink DeVille at the very least.
19 - "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," The Adverts
This London punk band burst onto the scene with this topical, controversial single. In January of 1977, convicted murderer became the first person to suffer the death penalty in the United States in over ten years when he was executed by firing squad in Utah. It was revealed that Gilmore asked that his organs be donated for transplant, including his corneas, and so this song imagines a hospital patient waking up to realize that his new eyes originally belonged to the infamous criminal, because somehow the imprint of Gilmore's crimes can be detected by the eyes' new host. I'm not sure if that's how things work scientifically, but it's an interesting thought in a shock/sci-fi sense, and this angle definitely makes this otherwise boilerplate punk song interesting. Interesting enough to win this chart's Uneasy Rider.
18 - "We're All Alone," Rita Coolidge
She's boring af, as the kids say. I've said this repeatedly. Moving on...
17 - "Looking After Number One," The Boomtown Rats
This Irish New Wave group just missed the Top Ten with their first single, this punk blast about being selfish and getting by any way one can. Good, as dumb rebellion goes. Their later stuff got more interesting, peaking with the classic "I Don't Like Mondays." And of course, Bob Geldof is best known for Live Aid. Given how he made his first public impression, that's pretty ironic.
16 - "Telephone Man," Meri Wilson
The Atlanta one-hit wonder's novelty about making a "connection" with a phone installer. Reach out and touch someone, indeed.
15 - "Tulane," The Steve Gibbons Band
After spending the 60s in a bunch of minor British bands. Birmingham's Gibbons found his biggest success with this cover of a Chuck Berry song about two guys who run afoul of the law because their "novelty shop" is a cover for their traffic in some sort of illegal substance. It sounds like British dudes covering Chuck Berry. Not much more to it than that.
14 - "Dancing in the Moonlight," Thin Lizzy
The fifth U.K. hit for this Irish band is not a cover of the King Harvest song, but rather a Springsteenish strut about being young and free and out after dark. Phil Lynott is definitely one of the great voices of a certain kind of rock n' roll cool.
13 - "The Crunch," The RAH Band
From Teesside, Richard Anthony Hewson was a prolific producer who also scored two #6 hits nine years apart with a non-existent "band" named for his initials. The first of these was this instrumental that sounds as if it was created with synthesizers but was in fact performed on standard guitars and keyboard with the use of effects pedals. It's a fun little song that sounds like it should have been the theme for a sitcom about police or something like that.
12 - "You Got What it Takes," Showaddywaddy
Our second encounter with these Leicester retro-rockers was this cover of a 1959 Marv Johnson about a lady who has that certain je ne sais quoi. They do what they do well enough, but it doesn't really move me.
11 - "Do Anything You Wanna Do," The Rods
This pub-rock group from Essex started as in 1975 as Eddie and the Hot Rods, even though there was no one named Eddie in the band. ("Eddie" was a dummy they had on stage with them at early gigs but quickly abandoned.) Their biggest hit was this tune about not conforming and making your own way. The usual stuff, catchily delivered.
10 - "Nobody Does it Better," Carly Simon
The hit theme from the 007 film The Spy Who Loved Me. I can think of at least three artists who did superior Bond themes, but still, Top Five ain't bad. Don't be so vain, Carly.
9 - "That's What Friends are For," Deneice Williams
Another, "no, it's not that song" songs. The American soul singer's second U.K. Top Ten isn't the one Dionne, Stevie et al recorded, but rather a midtempo ballad about a "friendship" that sounds like it's a little more than that. I really appreciate her voice on this one. I stil don't care for "Let's Hear it for the Boy," though.
8 - "Silver Lady," David Soul
The Starsky and Hutch star's Top 40 reign ended at home with the transatlantic #1 "Don't Give Up on Us," but it continued here with four more hits, including a second charttopper in the form of this disco-popper about returning home to a true love after having wild but fulfilling adventures. Unspectacular, but performed with conviction.
7 - "Nights on Broadway," Candi Staton
The second and last Top Ten for this American soul singer was a cover of the 1975 Bee Gees hit. That's my favorite of theirs, as you may know, but Staton gives it a nice soulful touch that sells me on it. Love it.
6 - "Angelo," Brotherhood of Man
The second of three #1s for this two-man, two woman group was this mumber about a Mexican shepherd boy running off with a rich girl. Like ABBA without the depth.
5 - "Down Deep Inside," Donna Summer
Sultry disco from the underwater thriller The Deep, produced and arranged by Bond composer John Barry. Don't quite understand how it didn't chart in America,
4 - "Oxygene IV," Jean-Michel Jarre
The son of prominent film composer Maurice Jarre, Jean-Michel became a worldwide sensation with the release of his electronic instrumental album Oxygene. The hypnotic fourth track became a major hit and uas been used in multiple media ever since. It's hypnotic and intriguiung, and definitely one of the touchstones of the emerging electronic scene.
3 - "Float On," The Floaters
You don't get much more 70s than this soul ballad where the individual members of this Detroit group list off their Zodiac signs and the qualities they like in women. It's an audio leisure suit.
2 - "Magic Fly," Space
Not to be confused with the English band we encountered in the 90s, this is a French electronic duo whose biggest hit was this Moroder-esque dance instrumental. It doesn't sound dated at all. I would absolutely accept this as, say, a new Daft Punk track.
And on top 39 years ago, we found...
1 - "Way Down," Elvis Presley
Just weeks after his shocking death, the King scored his first U.K. #1 in seven years with this rockabilly number about the effects of love. A very boisterous performance that promised a potential artistic revival that, unfortunately, would not be realized.
More soon. Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
GATW: UKT40 September 10, 1977
September 1977. That month, it was revealed that foreign-built cars were outselling British-made vehicles for the first time ever. Six days after the date of this chart, T. Rex's Marc Bolan died in a London car crash. The car, for the record, was a domestic Mini 1275GT. Meanwhile, on the charts...
40 - "I Got to Sing," The J.A.L.N. Band
Our second encounter with this Birmingham funk band. Jazzy disco about the need to vocalize musically. Okay.
39 - "Thunder in My Heart," Leo Sayer
The Sussex man with the magnificent white Afro had his eight Top 40 with this urgent dance rocker about passionate love. I like it more than I thought I would. It only hit #22, but 19 years later a remix would go to #1. It was pretty much the same, just with modern beats, but it gave the song a more justified outcome.
38 - "It's Your Life," Smokie
More from these guys, this time a reggaeish rock tune addressing a girl who goes out with a guy beneath her where she really should be with the guy singing the song. This is probably the best I've heard from them so far.
37 - "Black Betty," Ram Jam
The Leadbelly cover by the one-hit wonder band that sounded Southern but were from New York. Bam-a-lam indeed.
36 - "All Around the World," The Jam
The Jam session continues with the second hit by the Surrey mod-punks. It's a two-and-a-half-minute "youth explosion." A bracing blast to this day.
35 - "Down the Hall," The Four Seasons
The Jersey boys' last U.K. hit to date was this piano-driven uptempo love song that sounds like an attempt to ape Billy Joel, right down to Frankie Valli's vocals. A very odd decision. Frankie's voice is pretty distinct, and the band's major selling point. This is just off in every way.
34 - "Let's Clean Up the Ghetto," Philadelphia International All Stars
Led by producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the Philadelphia International label was a force in 70s soul, giving the world The O'Jays, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, and many others. Several of the label's acts combined for this socially aware single urging African-Americans to take action to improve their neighborhoods. From the smooth spoken-word opening by Lou Rawls onward, it's funky and awesome, like a late-70s extension of the conscious soul produced by the Temptations, Curtis Mayfield, and others in the first half of the decade. Another great hidden gem.
33 - "Pipeline," Bruce Johnston
The only taste of solo recording success this Beach Boy ever got was when this single reached this peak here. It's a disco cover of The Chantays classic 1962 surf instrumental. Yes, I like my covers to differ from the originals, but everything about this is just wrong on every level. I didn't need this song interpreted with disco strings and female "da da da" vocals. A big time wipeout. Bruce was better off sticking to writing songs like, well, "I Write the Songs."
32 - "Roadrunner," Jonathan Richman
Massachussets native Richman was one of the early innovators of punk with his band The Modern Lovers, but he achieved chart success in Britain as a solo artist. His first hit was a solo recording of a Modern Lovers song about cruising and listening to rock n'roll on the AM car radio. Nothing but joy and fun and beauty and awesome.
31 - "Another Star," Stevie Wonder
This single from Songs in the Key of Life was only a minor hit on both sides of the pond, but its Latin-flavored funk pop is unquestionably sublime. The man is a master.
30 - "Black is Black," La Belle Epoque
Three French girls do a disco cover of Los Bravos 1966 hit. It's campy. Are you surprised?
29 - "Gimme Dat Banana," Black Gorilla
Couldn't find much about the band, nor the lyrics of a song. From a performance clip, they look like at least an eight-piece band. The song is funk-pop nonsense about simians and fruit. Not much to it, but catchy enough that I see why it was a hit.
28 - "Something Better Change/Straighten Out," The Stranglers
The Surrey band's second Top Ten was this double-sider. The A is a straight-ahead rock song that also serves as an announcement of punk's arrival to the masses ("Something's happening and it's happening right now, you're too blind to see it."). The B is a fast cry of frustration with the British establishment. Both are great.
27 - "Best of My Love," The Emotions
The Earth Wind and Fire powered transatlantic #1 by the Hutchinson sisters of Chicago. No way anyone can use this to build their "disco sucks" case.
26 - "I Feel Love," Donna Summer
Speaking of disco, this was the Queen's only U.K. #1. It sounded like the future then, and it hasn't really dated. Peak Summer, and peak Giorgio Moroder for that matter.
25 - "Dreamer." The Jacksons
The second Top 40 for the brothers post-Motown (and Jermaine) was this Michael-led ballad about pining for an unattainable love. He was starting to show the mature assuredness that would propel him to the stratosphere. I can imagine him throwing it into one of the concerts he gave at his peak (or maybe on the brothers' '84 Victory tour) and having most of the crowd not know it but blowing them all away by the end.
24 - "Ma Baker," Boney M.
The Milli Vanilli precursors' biggest U.K. hit to that point (it hit #2) was this discofied, loose retelling of the tale of Arizona "Ma" Barker, who led her four sons on a robbery spree in the United States in the 20s and 30s. It's as fantastic a slice of danceable fractured history as "Rasputin." Boney M. are both ridiculously wonderful and wonderfully ridiculous.
23 - "I Can't Get You Out of My Mind," Yvonne Elliman
The Hawaiian's third U.K. Top 40 was this ballad about cheating with your best friend's man. Okay material sung well. The mighty "If I Can't Have You" was just around the corner, but I'm disappointed to find that it only made #4 here. You disappoint me, Britain.
22 - "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love With You," The Dooleys
The first of six hits by the Essex family group comprised mostly of six siblings (three brothers, three sisters) was this limp disco effort. No soul, no funk, just going through the motions because this is what was commercial at the time. This may be even worse that my default worst disco hit ever, "Makin' It."
21 - "Sunshine After the Rain," Elkie Brooks
Our latest encounter with this lady is her second hit, a soul ballad about trying to recover from a breakup that was written by Brill Building stalwart Ellie Greenwich. So far everything I've heard from this lady makes me wish she would have broken through on this side of the ocean.
In Part Two: killer organs, successful rodents, and an enchanted insect.
40 - "I Got to Sing," The J.A.L.N. Band
Our second encounter with this Birmingham funk band. Jazzy disco about the need to vocalize musically. Okay.
39 - "Thunder in My Heart," Leo Sayer
The Sussex man with the magnificent white Afro had his eight Top 40 with this urgent dance rocker about passionate love. I like it more than I thought I would. It only hit #22, but 19 years later a remix would go to #1. It was pretty much the same, just with modern beats, but it gave the song a more justified outcome.
38 - "It's Your Life," Smokie
More from these guys, this time a reggaeish rock tune addressing a girl who goes out with a guy beneath her where she really should be with the guy singing the song. This is probably the best I've heard from them so far.
37 - "Black Betty," Ram Jam
The Leadbelly cover by the one-hit wonder band that sounded Southern but were from New York. Bam-a-lam indeed.
36 - "All Around the World," The Jam
The Jam session continues with the second hit by the Surrey mod-punks. It's a two-and-a-half-minute "youth explosion." A bracing blast to this day.
35 - "Down the Hall," The Four Seasons
The Jersey boys' last U.K. hit to date was this piano-driven uptempo love song that sounds like an attempt to ape Billy Joel, right down to Frankie Valli's vocals. A very odd decision. Frankie's voice is pretty distinct, and the band's major selling point. This is just off in every way.
34 - "Let's Clean Up the Ghetto," Philadelphia International All Stars
Led by producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the Philadelphia International label was a force in 70s soul, giving the world The O'Jays, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, and many others. Several of the label's acts combined for this socially aware single urging African-Americans to take action to improve their neighborhoods. From the smooth spoken-word opening by Lou Rawls onward, it's funky and awesome, like a late-70s extension of the conscious soul produced by the Temptations, Curtis Mayfield, and others in the first half of the decade. Another great hidden gem.
33 - "Pipeline," Bruce Johnston
The only taste of solo recording success this Beach Boy ever got was when this single reached this peak here. It's a disco cover of The Chantays classic 1962 surf instrumental. Yes, I like my covers to differ from the originals, but everything about this is just wrong on every level. I didn't need this song interpreted with disco strings and female "da da da" vocals. A big time wipeout. Bruce was better off sticking to writing songs like, well, "I Write the Songs."
32 - "Roadrunner," Jonathan Richman
Massachussets native Richman was one of the early innovators of punk with his band The Modern Lovers, but he achieved chart success in Britain as a solo artist. His first hit was a solo recording of a Modern Lovers song about cruising and listening to rock n'roll on the AM car radio. Nothing but joy and fun and beauty and awesome.
31 - "Another Star," Stevie Wonder
This single from Songs in the Key of Life was only a minor hit on both sides of the pond, but its Latin-flavored funk pop is unquestionably sublime. The man is a master.
30 - "Black is Black," La Belle Epoque
Three French girls do a disco cover of Los Bravos 1966 hit. It's campy. Are you surprised?
29 - "Gimme Dat Banana," Black Gorilla
Couldn't find much about the band, nor the lyrics of a song. From a performance clip, they look like at least an eight-piece band. The song is funk-pop nonsense about simians and fruit. Not much to it, but catchy enough that I see why it was a hit.
28 - "Something Better Change/Straighten Out," The Stranglers
The Surrey band's second Top Ten was this double-sider. The A is a straight-ahead rock song that also serves as an announcement of punk's arrival to the masses ("Something's happening and it's happening right now, you're too blind to see it."). The B is a fast cry of frustration with the British establishment. Both are great.
27 - "Best of My Love," The Emotions
The Earth Wind and Fire powered transatlantic #1 by the Hutchinson sisters of Chicago. No way anyone can use this to build their "disco sucks" case.
26 - "I Feel Love," Donna Summer
Speaking of disco, this was the Queen's only U.K. #1. It sounded like the future then, and it hasn't really dated. Peak Summer, and peak Giorgio Moroder for that matter.
25 - "Dreamer." The Jacksons
The second Top 40 for the brothers post-Motown (and Jermaine) was this Michael-led ballad about pining for an unattainable love. He was starting to show the mature assuredness that would propel him to the stratosphere. I can imagine him throwing it into one of the concerts he gave at his peak (or maybe on the brothers' '84 Victory tour) and having most of the crowd not know it but blowing them all away by the end.
24 - "Ma Baker," Boney M.
The Milli Vanilli precursors' biggest U.K. hit to that point (it hit #2) was this discofied, loose retelling of the tale of Arizona "Ma" Barker, who led her four sons on a robbery spree in the United States in the 20s and 30s. It's as fantastic a slice of danceable fractured history as "Rasputin." Boney M. are both ridiculously wonderful and wonderfully ridiculous.
23 - "I Can't Get You Out of My Mind," Yvonne Elliman
The Hawaiian's third U.K. Top 40 was this ballad about cheating with your best friend's man. Okay material sung well. The mighty "If I Can't Have You" was just around the corner, but I'm disappointed to find that it only made #4 here. You disappoint me, Britain.
22 - "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love With You," The Dooleys
The first of six hits by the Essex family group comprised mostly of six siblings (three brothers, three sisters) was this limp disco effort. No soul, no funk, just going through the motions because this is what was commercial at the time. This may be even worse that my default worst disco hit ever, "Makin' It."
21 - "Sunshine After the Rain," Elkie Brooks
Our latest encounter with this lady is her second hit, a soul ballad about trying to recover from a breakup that was written by Brill Building stalwart Ellie Greenwich. So far everything I've heard from this lady makes me wish she would have broken through on this side of the ocean.
In Part Two: killer organs, successful rodents, and an enchanted insect.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
GATW: UKT40 August 26, 1995
Completing the countdown to Popageddon...
20 - "Alright," Supergrass
The first of two #2s for this Oxford band is this piano-driven slice of summer rock sunshine. A pop classic in any country. Just fantastic.
19 - "Come and Get Your Love," Real McCoy
German dance group covers Redbone's 1974 hit, adds superfluous rapping. Yeah, sure.
18 - "Boom Boom Boom," The Outhere Brothers
The Chicago dance duo of Keith Mayberry and Lamar Malone picked up two U.K. Number Ones, the second and most famous being this house-rap track. Dumb fun background party music. Everybody say way-oh (way-oh).
17 - "So Good," Boyzone
The third #1 for these Irish boys was this "we're made for each other" dance pop bit o'business. Boy band product epitomized.
16 - "I'm Only Sleeping/Off on Holiday," Suggs
The A side of the Madness frontman's first solo hit was a jaunty ska cover of a track from the Beatles' Revolver LP. I like that it's different, but the peppiness kind of negates the lyric. The B is a calypsoish portratit of a family vacation that reminds me a bit of "Our House" in tone. I definitely like the B better.
15 - "Happy Just to Be With You," Michelle Gayle
Londoner Gayle first found fame acting on the popular soap EastEnders in the early 90s, then left to return to her original passion, music. She scored seven Top 40 singles, the fifth being this bit of hip-hop soul featuring samples from Chic's "Good Times." Fairly decent.
14 - "Move Your Body," Xpansions '95
The dance duo of Phil Drummond and Sally Ann Marsh with a remix of their 1990 hit. House stuff for, um, body moving. Functional.
13 - "On the Bible," Deuce
Third of four hits for two guys and two girls. A dance-pop love pledge, with a video appropriately set at a wedding. The hard rock guitar opening catches attention, but otherwise it's just more plastic pop.
12 - "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over," The Charlatans
Tenth Top 40 for the West Midlands outfit. Danceable rock about returning to an old flame. I appreciate them more now then I did then when I would hear them occasionally on CFNY.
11 - "Shy Guy," Diana King
Biggest international hit for this Jamaican reggae singer. Dancehall about the appeal of quiet men. Don't understand all the patois lyrics, but still, a very good radio single.
10 - "Try Me Out," Corona
Third and last Top Ten for an Italian dance group. A bleepy house come-on. Better than most.
9 - "Kiss From a Rose," Seal
The biggest hit from Heidi Klum's ex was this big ballad that had flopped when released a year earlier but then became a smash when it was used in Batman Forever. Kind of like "Every Breath You Take," in that the lyrics aren't as romantic as people think. Which makes sense, because a kiss from a rose would probably result in painful thorn punctures, you would think. It's a song that annoyed the hell out of me when it was huge, but I can hear goodness in it now. It's no "Crazy," though.
8 - "Human Nature," Madonna
I counted 78 U.K. Top 40s for Madge, and this was #38. It's funky pop on which she rails against media criticism of her speaking her mind. "I'm not your bitch, don't hang your shit on me," she declares. It's one of her more underrated hits, as far as I'm concerned.
7 - "Son of a Gun," JX
First of three hits for Brighton DJ Jake Williams. Thumpa-thumpa woah woah dance music. I'm not saying this stuff is bad or doesn't require any craft, but it just all blurs together in my mind. There are standout songs, but I don't find this to be one of them.
6 - "Everybody,"Clock
Third Top Ten from a group referred to as the British equivalent of 2 Unlimited. It stands out a little, in that the groove is hypnotic and the soulful singing is male. But I'm not intrigued enough to look up more, like, say, their cover of "Whoomp! There it Is." I'm just puzzled that a cover of "Whoomp! There it Is" actually exists. And was a hit.
5 - "Waterfalls," TLC
The Atlanta trio's first of two U.K. Top Fives was this cautionary tale about the dangers of drug dealing and unprotected sex. Social messages delivered in a pop song, but not in an awkward way. A fine achievement in hitcraft.
4 - "Never Forget," Take That
Although Robbie Williams had departed the band over drug issues two months earlier, the decade's dominant British boy band was still riding high, scoring their seventh Number One with this midtempo number about the fleeting nature of success and fame ("Someday this will all be someone else's dream"). Pretty good as fluff-pop goes.
3 - "I Luv U Baby," The Original
The only major hit by this American dance group was this house track. Some good singing, which distinguishes it from the massive cluster of Eurodance. Forgive me if I sound like a closed-minded old man when I talk about these 90s dance tracks, but I just feel like so many of them are interchangeable. Maybe it's just harder to make the same machines sound distinct, I don't know. All I can say is how I feel. If you disagree, that's great. I'm not going to deny anyone their pleasure.
And so we have arrived at the battleground. Two bands at the forefront of a growing movement called "Britpop," who were very different from each other. On one side were Oasis, the boys from Manchester led by brawling brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, who were portrayed as Beatles-worshipping, working-class blokes who loved beer and football, and who had broken through the previous year with the fastest-selling British debut album to date, Definitely Maybe. On the other were Blur, a group formed at a London university, who were seen as more literate and posh and Kinks-influenced, and who had seen their own 1994 breakthrough with their third album Parklife, which led to them dominating the subsequent Brit Awards. In early 1995, both bands seemed to see each other as their main obstacle to being Britain's biggest band, and a rivalry developed to the point where both bands released singles from their forthcoming albums on the same day, creating a sort of unofficial referendum on which of them really was the top group in the U.K. The "Battle of Britpop" became a media sensation, and the act of going to buy a particular cassette or CD was portrayed as being as monumental as casting a vote in a national election. So who won? Well, since we count down here, we'll start by revealing the runner-up, which was...
2 - "Roll With It," Oasis
The band sold 216,000 copies of this track on that week, but it wasn't enough. The song is an energetic rocker about being yourself and perservering. Not their greatest song, but a fine distillation of what the band was: upfront, all out, take-us-or-leave-us-but-we're-gonna-party-either-way rock n' roll.
So that means, of course, that the battle was won by...
1 - "Country House," Blur
The song that prevailed with sales of 272,000 was this jaunty tune about a man who escapes to the countryside to avoid the pressures of modern urban life. It's catchy and pointed, with lyrics about analysts, herbal baths, and Prozac. Certainly the more stereotypically British (down to the Benny Hill homages in the video) of the two songs, and to my ears the better one. But the war, as it turned out, would be won by Oasis, whose What's the Story, Morning Glory would sell five times as many copies as Blur's The Great Escape, and would also go multiplatinum in America while Blur's album barely charted there. But both bands are still well-remembered as lynchpins of an exciting era in British music, and the hysteria their "battle" created will likely never be replicated.
So that's that. Next one will come in time. See ya then.
20 - "Alright," Supergrass
The first of two #2s for this Oxford band is this piano-driven slice of summer rock sunshine. A pop classic in any country. Just fantastic.
19 - "Come and Get Your Love," Real McCoy
German dance group covers Redbone's 1974 hit, adds superfluous rapping. Yeah, sure.
18 - "Boom Boom Boom," The Outhere Brothers
The Chicago dance duo of Keith Mayberry and Lamar Malone picked up two U.K. Number Ones, the second and most famous being this house-rap track. Dumb fun background party music. Everybody say way-oh (way-oh).
17 - "So Good," Boyzone
The third #1 for these Irish boys was this "we're made for each other" dance pop bit o'business. Boy band product epitomized.
16 - "I'm Only Sleeping/Off on Holiday," Suggs
The A side of the Madness frontman's first solo hit was a jaunty ska cover of a track from the Beatles' Revolver LP. I like that it's different, but the peppiness kind of negates the lyric. The B is a calypsoish portratit of a family vacation that reminds me a bit of "Our House" in tone. I definitely like the B better.
15 - "Happy Just to Be With You," Michelle Gayle
Londoner Gayle first found fame acting on the popular soap EastEnders in the early 90s, then left to return to her original passion, music. She scored seven Top 40 singles, the fifth being this bit of hip-hop soul featuring samples from Chic's "Good Times." Fairly decent.
14 - "Move Your Body," Xpansions '95
The dance duo of Phil Drummond and Sally Ann Marsh with a remix of their 1990 hit. House stuff for, um, body moving. Functional.
13 - "On the Bible," Deuce
Third of four hits for two guys and two girls. A dance-pop love pledge, with a video appropriately set at a wedding. The hard rock guitar opening catches attention, but otherwise it's just more plastic pop.
12 - "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over," The Charlatans
Tenth Top 40 for the West Midlands outfit. Danceable rock about returning to an old flame. I appreciate them more now then I did then when I would hear them occasionally on CFNY.
11 - "Shy Guy," Diana King
Biggest international hit for this Jamaican reggae singer. Dancehall about the appeal of quiet men. Don't understand all the patois lyrics, but still, a very good radio single.
10 - "Try Me Out," Corona
Third and last Top Ten for an Italian dance group. A bleepy house come-on. Better than most.
9 - "Kiss From a Rose," Seal
The biggest hit from Heidi Klum's ex was this big ballad that had flopped when released a year earlier but then became a smash when it was used in Batman Forever. Kind of like "Every Breath You Take," in that the lyrics aren't as romantic as people think. Which makes sense, because a kiss from a rose would probably result in painful thorn punctures, you would think. It's a song that annoyed the hell out of me when it was huge, but I can hear goodness in it now. It's no "Crazy," though.
8 - "Human Nature," Madonna
I counted 78 U.K. Top 40s for Madge, and this was #38. It's funky pop on which she rails against media criticism of her speaking her mind. "I'm not your bitch, don't hang your shit on me," she declares. It's one of her more underrated hits, as far as I'm concerned.
7 - "Son of a Gun," JX
First of three hits for Brighton DJ Jake Williams. Thumpa-thumpa woah woah dance music. I'm not saying this stuff is bad or doesn't require any craft, but it just all blurs together in my mind. There are standout songs, but I don't find this to be one of them.
6 - "Everybody,"Clock
Third Top Ten from a group referred to as the British equivalent of 2 Unlimited. It stands out a little, in that the groove is hypnotic and the soulful singing is male. But I'm not intrigued enough to look up more, like, say, their cover of "Whoomp! There it Is." I'm just puzzled that a cover of "Whoomp! There it Is" actually exists. And was a hit.
5 - "Waterfalls," TLC
The Atlanta trio's first of two U.K. Top Fives was this cautionary tale about the dangers of drug dealing and unprotected sex. Social messages delivered in a pop song, but not in an awkward way. A fine achievement in hitcraft.
4 - "Never Forget," Take That
Although Robbie Williams had departed the band over drug issues two months earlier, the decade's dominant British boy band was still riding high, scoring their seventh Number One with this midtempo number about the fleeting nature of success and fame ("Someday this will all be someone else's dream"). Pretty good as fluff-pop goes.
3 - "I Luv U Baby," The Original
The only major hit by this American dance group was this house track. Some good singing, which distinguishes it from the massive cluster of Eurodance. Forgive me if I sound like a closed-minded old man when I talk about these 90s dance tracks, but I just feel like so many of them are interchangeable. Maybe it's just harder to make the same machines sound distinct, I don't know. All I can say is how I feel. If you disagree, that's great. I'm not going to deny anyone their pleasure.
And so we have arrived at the battleground. Two bands at the forefront of a growing movement called "Britpop," who were very different from each other. On one side were Oasis, the boys from Manchester led by brawling brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, who were portrayed as Beatles-worshipping, working-class blokes who loved beer and football, and who had broken through the previous year with the fastest-selling British debut album to date, Definitely Maybe. On the other were Blur, a group formed at a London university, who were seen as more literate and posh and Kinks-influenced, and who had seen their own 1994 breakthrough with their third album Parklife, which led to them dominating the subsequent Brit Awards. In early 1995, both bands seemed to see each other as their main obstacle to being Britain's biggest band, and a rivalry developed to the point where both bands released singles from their forthcoming albums on the same day, creating a sort of unofficial referendum on which of them really was the top group in the U.K. The "Battle of Britpop" became a media sensation, and the act of going to buy a particular cassette or CD was portrayed as being as monumental as casting a vote in a national election. So who won? Well, since we count down here, we'll start by revealing the runner-up, which was...
2 - "Roll With It," Oasis
The band sold 216,000 copies of this track on that week, but it wasn't enough. The song is an energetic rocker about being yourself and perservering. Not their greatest song, but a fine distillation of what the band was: upfront, all out, take-us-or-leave-us-but-we're-gonna-party-either-way rock n' roll.
So that means, of course, that the battle was won by...
1 - "Country House," Blur
The song that prevailed with sales of 272,000 was this jaunty tune about a man who escapes to the countryside to avoid the pressures of modern urban life. It's catchy and pointed, with lyrics about analysts, herbal baths, and Prozac. Certainly the more stereotypically British (down to the Benny Hill homages in the video) of the two songs, and to my ears the better one. But the war, as it turned out, would be won by Oasis, whose What's the Story, Morning Glory would sell five times as many copies as Blur's The Great Escape, and would also go multiplatinum in America while Blur's album barely charted there. But both bands are still well-remembered as lynchpins of an exciting era in British music, and the hysteria their "battle" created will likely never be replicated.
So that's that. Next one will come in time. See ya then.
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