SHRIEKBACK - "My Spine (Is The Bass Line)" (1982)

 

I don't think the music of the 80's is given nearly enough credit. A lot of musicians were doing new and incredibly fun music, especially in the UK.

This 1982 single by Shriekback is a really fine example; it's funky and it's different, and you can still dance to it.

Hailing from Kentish Town, London, this trio really knew how to get people moving! 

For optimum enjoyment, turn it up!! 

SHRIEKBACK - "My Spine (Is The Bass Line)"

ARKANSAW MAN - "Every Job" (1983)

 

So where did all the art-punk bands go? Seems like this is a genre of music that should have been explored much further.

This band from San Francisco named Arkansaw Man didn't get anywhere past one EP in 1982, and this single in 1983.

Unfortunately, they probably needed jobs! 

ARKANSAW MAN - "Every Job" 

BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY - "Girl of My Dreams" (1979)

 

Rich here. You remember the Seventies -- the Decade that was hard to define, musically speaking? Genre-wise, it was all over the map. There was country rock and jazz-fusion, prog and disco, heavy metal and punk, as well as several more genres I'm leaving out. All of them had their day in the sun.

 

And I dabbled in most of them to some extent. Maybe you did, too. 

 

However, by the end of the Seventies, I was kind of bored. I was missing the kind of guitar-driven, hook-filled melodies and harmonies that had thrilled me so much as a teenager in the Sixties when it seemed that every new single to hit the charts offered a new level of excitement.

 

But starting in the last couple of years of the '70's, a bunch of records came out that seemed to borrow some of the excitement of those groundbreaking Sixties singles. They were aggressively melodic songs filled with hooky harmonies and catchy guitar riffs. They reveled in a marriage of the energy of punk with pop melodic sensibilities of the British Invasion. Some called it New Wave. Some called it Power Pop. Some called it Alternative. 

 

But I called it rock 'n' roll, and "Girl of My Dreams" by the unwieldy-named band Bram Tchaikovsky was one of my faves from that period.

BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY - "Girl of My Dreams"

SHEL SILVERSTEIN - "Inside Folk Songs" (1966)

 

There have been lots of cool and unique albums made over the years, and this the one by Shel Silverstein titled "Inside Folk Songs" made in 1966, is one of them.

Shel Silverstein was one of a kind, and it was a sad day in 1999 when he left the world, because Shel was one of the funniest guys ever!

This record is full of great songs, and here's just one of them! 

SHEL SILVERSTEIN - "Beans Taste Fine" 

JUNGLE NAUSEA - "Sympathy" (1982)

 

I only found out about the band Jungle Nausea when I bought this various artists compilation album decades ago in Davis, Calironia. What really drew me to this album was that there was a band named A Rancid Vat on it, and also a band named Smegma. I mean how could a person go wrong with a lineup like that? 

It's about as surreal as 80's music can get, and it's all in one package for your listening pleasure!

JUNGLE NAUSEA - "Sympathy" 

PETER GREEN SPLINTER GROUP - "Time Traders" (2001)

 

I was listening to some random music this morning, and a song from this 2001 LP titled "Time Traders" by the Peter Green Splinter Group started playing, and I swear I thought that it was a song by James Blood Ulmer, because it was just that cool.

 

 

I was really surprised to find out it was by one of my favorite guitarists, Peter Green.

I should have known since it starts as a moody slow instrumental, then transitions to a nice blues tune before changing into a perfect rock song, and then goes back again to the bluesier section.

This is a great song!! 

PETER GREEN SPLINTER GROUP - "Time Keeps Slipping Away" 

THE MOLESTERS - "End Of Civilisation" (1979)

 

The Molesters were a punk band from Brighton, England. Their recording career was a short one with only a couple of singles being released in 1979.

This one has been a long time fave of mine, and says it all! 

THE MOLESTERS - "End Of Civilisation"

THE SUGAR BEARS - "Presenting The Sugar Bears" (1971)

 

Valentine's Day follows Friday The 13th this year, and that seems pretty ominous to me, but here's a sugar laden tune for all you lovers that has a fairly interesting story to it.

I wasn't listening to much bubblegum music back in 1971, but preferred music a little harder like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Argent, Traffic, and The Stones, but a good friend recently told me about this record by The Sugar Bears, so I had to give it a listen.

 

The Sugar Bears were another one of those groups who were a bunch of studio musicians. 

Honey Bear was the voice of Kim Carnes who would go on to have the monster hit "Bette Davis Eyes" ten years later in 1981. "Bette Davis Eyes" was number one on the charts for nine weeks, and was the song of the year, so I guess it was worth the wait for her.

The other members were vocalist Errol Sober, and songwriters Baker Knight and Mike Settle.

This record by The Sugar Bears was available on cereal boxes of Post's Super Sugar Crisp cereal

The fidelity wasn't that good but the kids didn't care, and this song actually made it to number 51.

THE SUGAR BEARS - "You Are The One"

Cathy Mills - "Monster Hop"

 

It's Friday the 13th so here's a scary song for you. This song was pretty difficult to find out anything about it, but I do know it's available at this SUNNYBOY66 website on this "Ghouls With Attitude" 2004 release with an amazing array of other strange and odd 'various artists' compilation albums.

They also host a ton of their music on youTube that you can check out! 

This song was most likely recorded in the late 50's or early 60's, and it's chilling.

CATHY MILLS - "Monster Hop" 

MARK KNOPFLER - "Going Home: Theme from Local Hero" (1983)

 

Rich here. You were probably introduced to Mark Knopfler at the same time I was in the late '70s when "Sultans of Swing" started getting airplay on FM stations. Like me, you may have thought: "Whoa! Bob Dylan's getting hipper than he's been in years -- and, damn! who's that fabulous guitar player in his band?!"

 

Well, as we discovered, it wasn't Bob Dylan at all, but the leader of the new British band Dire Straits, who had a knack for literary lyrics delivered with a bit of that Dylanesque droll cache. And in addition, he was the most exciting new guitarist around -- a player with a slinky, melodic sound that didn't rely on flash as much as on seduction. 

 

For the first couple years afterwards, we still continued to think of Mark Knopfler as a rock guitarist, but then the low-budget UK indie film "Local Hero" came out and was a surprise hit -- and the Scotch/Irish authenticity of the soundtrack seduced us as much as the movie did. And it was written and arranged by Mark Knopfler. No Dylanesque lyrics. No singing at all. Just moody, melodic guitar music with splashes of synths and Scottish folk instruments.

 

And that's when we learned that Mark Knopfler was far, far more than a Dylan imitator. He could play and write anything.

 MARK KNOPFLER - "Going Home: Theme Of The Local Hero"

THE TEEN BEATS - "Big Bad Boss Beat" (1964)

 

The Teen Beats was one of those Los Angeles 60's music studio projects. Not really a band, just musicians trying to make a buck on whatever the current craze was, which at the time, was surf music.

This 45 was produced by Art LaBoe and released on his "Original Sound" label that he started in 1959.

Art Laboe is the Disc Jockey who is credited for coming up with the term "Oldies But Goodies."

So here you go....from 1964....As much fun as any person should be allowed to have in one minute and fifty-five seconds.

THE TEEN BEATS - "Big Bad Boss Beat" 

CAFE TACUBA - "Cuatro Caminos" (2003)

 

Straight outta Naucalpan, Mexico, Cafe Tacuba is one very interesting group of musicians. This release from 2003 titled "Cuatro Caminos" or "Four Paths" or "Four Roads" for you non-Spanish speaking folks, is killer.

 

I like music that is eclectic and unpredictable, but still good, and these guys are every bit of that.

Vamos a gozar!

CAFE TACUBA - "Camino Y Vereda"

TIMES 5 - "Is Your Radio-active" (1980)

 

Times 5 were from San Francisco, and I think this song from 1980 was their only recorded material.

 

I only know about them because back in the 80's I bought this compilation album of various artists that they were on called "415 Music."

This album was called "415" music because that was The California Penal Code for disturbing the peace.

It's also the name of the record label.

TIMES 5 - "Is Your Radio-active" 

STEPPENWOLF - "Monster" (1969)

 

Fifty-seven years ago Steppenwolf came out with an album titled "Monster" that expresses feelings that are still and/or as pertinent today as they were back then.

The lead song tells the whole story, and we still haven't learned a damn thing.

Even worse, and I really hate sounding like a broken record, but how in the Hell are Steppenwolf not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? 

Something just doesn't make sense.

So, listen to this song, and then tell me that it doesn't sound like it was written in the present day instead of the ancient past!

STEPPENWOLF - "Monster" 

CAKE - "Motorcade Of Generosity (1994)

 

Cake is one of the bands that I had an opportunity to see live, but missed out on, and I have been sorrowful ever since.

This Cake LP from 1994 titled "Motorcade Of Generosity," is just great, and here's a song that is probably about as insightful as any song ever created. 

What's right, following orders, or following your heart?

Either way, we don't know whether we're going to live or die, and Cake makes that very clear.

CAKE - "I Bombed Korea" 

THE TURTLES - "Present The Battle Of The Bands" (1968)

 

Now here's a real head scratcher for you, despite numerous hits like "Happy Together," "Elenore," "She'd Rather Be With Me, and "You Baby," The Turtles are not in The & Roll Hall Of Fame.

The song "Happy Together" was the biggest selling single of 1967 and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and is considered to be the key musical moment in the movie "Shrek."

Incredulous! 

Their fourth album titled "The Turtles Present The Battle Of The Bands," is chock full of fun music.

Here's a song that's more Byrds than it is Turtles, and shows how divergent their musical talent really was. 

THE TURTLES - "Chicken Little Was Right" 

Songs Named After Cities, Part 2 - "L.A., L.A." (Translator, 1983)

 

Rich here to follow up on my previous post about songs named after cities. We've recalled "Kansas City," "Chicago," "New York, New York," and even "Seattle," and we've featured Lonnie Mack's fabulous instrumental version of "Memphis." 

 

Now, Los Angeles has had a number of songs written about it over the years, and it seems to bring out a bit of oddball and quirky observations, such as Randy Newman's video of "I Love L.A." But my favorite Los Angeles-themed song may be by the criminally underknown new wave guitar band Translator, who occasionally swerve off into white boy rap territory to comment on their love of "L.A., L.A."

TRANSLATOR - "L.A., L.A." 

HUEY "PIANO" SMITH & THE CLOWNS - "Don't You Just Know It" (1960)

 

What a title!

"Havin' Fun With Huey "Piano" Smith And The Clowns." 

What the Hell could be more fun than that in 1960? This infectious song spread like the plague, and made it all the way to #9 on The Billboard Charts, and #4 on The R&B Charts that year, and deservedly so!

It was a musical circus, and one of the best 'call & response' songs ever.

HUEY "PIANO" SMITH & THE CLOWNS - "Don't You Just Know It" 

EDGAR "JONES" JONES - "Gettin' A Little Help... From... "The JoNeSeS"

 

Edgar Jones was the lead singer and bass player in The Stairs when he was going by the name Edgar Summertyme, and after The Stairs broke up in 1994, he formed other bands like The Isrites, and The Big Kids, before coming up with Edgar Jones And The Joneses.

A lot of Edgar's music is very eclectic. It's also very good, and deserves a lot more than eight views in five years like this song. That's just shameful!

I think you'll agree.

EDGAR "JONES" JONES & THE JONESES - "She Don't Know Me"

THE STAIRS - "Mexican R'n'B" (1992)

The Stairs were the best 1960's band of 1992 in my humble opinion, and their CD titled "Mexican R'n'B" proves it.

Coming across like a rockin' mixture of The Stones, The Chocolate Watch Band, and The Music Machine, this is nearly a perfect album, and here's a sample song for the eternities. 

THE STAIRS - "Mary Joanna" 

THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS - "Reverberation" (1966)

 

Anybody who knows anything about the history of Rock & Roll would probably agree that The 13th Floor Elevators should be in The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, that is, everybody except the bozos running the show in that institution.

This self-titled album put out in 1966 was groundbreaking, and full of cool songs.

Here's just one of many! 

THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS - "Reverberation"