Rest in peace, Anita Pointer...

Happy New Year, everybody...  As usual, we've had a few celebrity deaths in the waning days of 2022.  One person who died yesterday was Anita Pointer, who was one of the Pointer Sisters.  I always enjoyed their music back in the days when I was a wee lass growing up.  Anita, who was suffering from cancer and was 74 years old, was the fourth of six children born to parents, Elton and Sarah Pointer.  Anita was born in California, but her parents came from Arkansas, and they were very strict, as Elton Pointer was a minister.  Anita was their fourth child of six.

Reverend and Mrs. Pointer were very much against what they called "the devil's music", which basically seemed to include any type of music that wasn't religious, especially rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and the blues.  Nevertheless, the pull of pop music was too strong to resist, and the sisters came together to make their own, special brand of music.  

In 1969, Anita and her sisters, June and Bonnie, who are both now deceased, formed their very successful trio, The Pointer Sisters.  In 1972, their sister Ruth, also joined.  Ruth is the oldest, and is still living. She is the only member of the current incarnation of the Pointer Sisters who was in the original line up.  Her daughter, Issa, and granddaughter, Sadako, are also in the group today.

I always really enjoyed the Pointer Sisters when they were in their prime.  I remember a lot of their songs, which were always impeccably harmonized and had broad, commercial appeal.  They also covered songs by artists who sang different styles.  For instance, they famously covered the song "Fire" by Bruce Springsteen.  I love Bruce's version, but I always think of theirs first.

A news item about Anita Pointer's death.

Anyway, below are a few songs by The Pointer Sisters...  I don't think they make 'em like this anymore...

"Slow Hand"

"Fire"

"I'm So Excited"

"Jump For My Love"

"Automatic"

And here's "Overnight Success", a solo song by Anita Pointer.

Wherever Anita is now, I hope she's resting in eternal peace!

Danny Bonaduce wants to be your magician...

I discovered this truly cringe inducing song yesterday...

Here's Danny Bonaduce, who was probably at puberty when this was recorded...

As we all know, Danny Bonaduce played Danny Partridge on The Partridge Family, which was a huge hit back in the early 1970s.  Danny Bonaduce can't sing, but he is a gifted and natural comedian and he was playing a role on a TV show about a family band.  So, I guess the powers that be wanted to harness his moneymaking abilities for as long as possible, and they had Danny make some pretty crappy music.

This song is kind of catchy and it has some hilarious sound effects.  But the lyrics are disturbingly suggestive for a boy his age.  Consider these words:

I'll be your magician,

Touch you softly with my magic wand.

And like a puff of smoke,

your resistance will be gone

I'll be your magician,

Gonna conjure up a lover's groove.

And once you're under my spell, Honey,

I'll make love to you...

The rest of the lyrics as well as handy guitar tabs can be found here.  

I have heard that Danny Bonaduce was sexually active from a very young age, but it still seems kind of wrong that a kid his age was singing a song like this.  I wonder who decided this was appropriate?  I'm sure the decision was all about making money, and perhaps it was also influenced by drugs.  Still, it's just a dreadful song that is unfortunately very catchy.  I now have it ringing in my head.

I've seen other videos by Danny Bonaduce in the 70s... it was smack dab in the middle of his awkward teen years.  I give him props for surviving and later using that mortifying time to further his comedy career.  

He's a comedian, not a singer.

I hate this song enough when it's done by Simon and Garfunkel, let alone Danny Bonaduce.

I miss the 70s... probably because I didn't have any sense during that decade and this kind of stuff went right over my head.

Classic Roberta Flack...

When I was very young, my dad used to play Roberta Flack's 1973 album, Killing Me Softly.  I've always loved the title track, of course, but there was another song I remembered from those days.  A couple of weeks ago, that song inexplicably popped into my head and I ended up downloading Killing Me Softly.

I was just a baby when this album was released, but I swear 46 years later, it still sounds very fresh.  Roberta Flack's voice is so serene, gentle, and smooth... it reminds me of brown silk.

This is the song that inspired me to buy this album... It does make me smile!

And of course, this is probably my favorite of her songs.  It doesn't age.

I really miss the 70s sometimes.  There was a lot of crappy music back then, but there was just as much if not more amazing stuff.  I don't think we still get a lot of genuine talent anymore.  A lot of a person's success in music depends on luck, imagine, and how they look on video.  Roberta Flack has always seemed amazingly normal, and yet extraordinary.

I need to get more of her stuff.  She's very underrated.

Ah... the great love theme.  Of course, having been a child of the 80s, when I hear this, I am reminded of Oil of Olay commercials.  It wasn't until I was much older that I realized what a truly gorgeous song this is.

And, of course, I can't forget her turn with Michael Jackson on Free to Be You and Me.

This post marks my 500th post on this blog...  I don't know if I should keep it going for another 500.  I only post when I'm inspired by something from the past.  The lucky thing is that with every passing day, there's more past to be inspired by.

A little Dutch p...

Okay, not really.  But I have to admit that I was a bit taken aback when I saw this video by the 70s era Dutch pop group, Luv.

At first, it looked like these women were not wearing anything under their skimpy tops.

Upon closer examination, I see they're wearing nude body suits.  Listening to them, I hear them totally channeling ABBA, which was also big during that time period.

I tried another video, again with them looking all sexified...  And then I was suddenly reminded of a song I haven't heard in years!

Yes, I remember this was a hit.  No, I hadn't thought of it in years!

I had to share this with a few friends and my friend Joann found another video of Luv singing "You're the Greatest Lover".  

This band seems to be a mix of ABBA and Silver Convention, which was a girl group from Germany that was popular at about the same time.

It's funny, because when I was a kid in the 80s, I used to think girl bands were rare.  Now I know they weren't, but it does seem like a lot of them consisted of sexy women singing and dancing to vapid music.  This kind of stuff doesn't have a lot of staying power, even if it can be faddish or fun...  especially when the women get older and less fetching.

I can see why this was popular in Europe, though.  The music is festive and catchy and the girls are pretty.

The 70s was chock full of chicks like this, doing their thing...  I kind of miss it.  I guess it takes talent and beauty to pull off this particular act, but really, it's just entertaining for a different reason... perhaps because they seem to shock the audiences!

Fly Robin Fly

For some reason, this song is stuck in my head this morning.

Nothing like a little disco from 1975 in the morning...  On another note, these women need a new choreographer.

Fly Robin Fly by Silver Convention is certainly a catchy tune.  Some might even say it's uplifting with its lilting strings, striking bass, and thudding percussion.  Based on the video, I'm wondering if this dance was something done at clubs.  It looks a little like the "Electric Slide".

Here's another mindlessly catchy number by the same group... more heavy bass, percussion, and strings.

These songs are definitely not for mental giants.  On the positive side, at least it's hard to forget the words, right?  Maybe these songs are mostly instrumental because Silver Convention was a German Euro disco band.

This song is flat out idiotic.  At least they don't have camel toes in the video.  They seem to be channeling ABBA a little.

Based on YouTube, I can see that these ladies had a career that endured awhile.  I read they were considered "new and fresh" in the 70s.  I dunno.  I was new and fresh myself in the 70s.  I do think this is one group whose music wears thin after about ten minutes, though.  I'm going to be singing this shit all day.

Horrible song by one of the girls... AAAAGGGGGHHHH!  And check out the moronic dance moves... especially from the chick in plaid.  Gadzooks!

Bob Seger...

Wow, have I really been running this blog for three years and never made a post about Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band?  Shame on me!

It's no lie.  I love me some Bob Seger.  I love his soulful vocals, edgy guitars, and poignant lyrics.  When we lived in Germany last time, we took more than one trip to the Czech Republic and I listened to a Bob Seger CD for a good portion of the ride.  Now, when I hear Stranger In Town, it reminds me of the Czech Republic and the great time we had there on my birthday in 2008.

"Still The Same"... great song from 1978!  Always takes me back!

And "Her Strut", a hit from 1980... this one oozes lust!

I like a lot of Bob Seger's music, but some of it I could do without.  Like, I probably don't need to hear "Turn The Page" again.  It's not a bad song; I've just heard it too many times poorly done by wannabe karaoke singers.  And when I say "wannabe", I mean people who can't sing at all.  For some reason, these folks want to wail on Bob Seger's music.  I guess it does lend itself to some wailing, though...

"Hollywood Nights"... the audience is loving this!

And Bob Seger on Ellen....

I wish we had more legends like Bob Seger these days.  Unfortunately, music has gotten to be more about what the masses will buy, rather than what's really good.  People bought Bob Seger's music and loved it.  I still love it. 

Ronnie Milsap...

If you were around in the 70s and 80s, you have no doubt heard of Ronnie Milsap.  If you listened to pop or country music, you have heard his distinctive voice and piano playing.  Ronnie Milsap also has a couple of things in common with Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.  Aside from being a great piano player who sings, he is also blind.

"Smokey Mountain Rain" was a hit in the 80s...  and sounds it.  I love it anyway.

Speaking of Ray Charles... here he is joining Ronnie on stage.

I think I started thinking about Ronnie again because he came up on Song Pop.  I was reminded how much I liked his music, even if it is a bit dated nowadays.  There's no denying the man is talented.  He comes from North Carolina, too.

I always liked this song... "No Gettin' Over Me."

And probably my favorite of the Milsap hits, "It Was Almost Like A Song"...

I miss the days when musicians made it based on luck and talent.  Ronnie Milsap is one of those artists who is imbued with musical gifts.

It looks like Ronnie may be on the verge of retirement... which perhaps may not be a bad idea.

  

America...

Over the past couple of days, I've been listening to songs by America.  America was formed in 1970 by a trio of musicians: Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley.  They met in London and were popular for their light folk sound and tight harmonies, which was a well-liked style at the time.  Peek stayed with the band until 1977, then left amicably when the band's fortunes began to dwindle.  He died in 2011.

America still tours today and I still enjoy their music very much, even though they haven't had a "hit" since 1982.  1982 was also the year The Last Unicorn was released and America was responsible for its magical soundtrack.  I bought that soundtrack in 1999 when I was broke because I loved the music... it's a German import.  Apparently, it was more popular here in Germany than it was in the United States.

America's song, "Tin Man"...

"Horse With No Name"...

"Ventura Highway"...

"Sister Golden Hair"

"I Need You"...

An updated version of "The Last Unicorn"...

It's so nice to listen to America in Germany.  I miss these kinds of bands with really tight harmonies and acoustic instruments.  I'm getting to be such an old hag.    

John Denver...

It surprises me that I'm only now writing about John Denver.  He is much loved in Germany if only for his song, "Take Me Home Country Roads".  You can't go to a fest in these parts and not hear drunken renditions of that song.  Having come from the mountains of Virginia myself, I kind of relate to it.  Sure, Virginia and West Virginia are different states, but they share some of the same scenery-- the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River in particular.  The imagery works.

John Denver sings "Country Roads" live...

Not for nothing, but John Denver had a really beautiful, clear voice.  He wasn't the most gorgeous guy around, but he had some serious musical chops.  

John Denver sings "Annie's Song", a perennial favorite at 70s era weddings.

I think my favorite song by John Denver is "Rocky Mountain High".  There's something very stately and beautiful about that song.  It reminds me a little of Jim Croce's "I Got A Name", which is another favorite of mine.

"Rocky Mountain High"

John didn't mind cutting loose sometimes, though... Like on "Thank God I'm a Country Boy".

John Denver lets his hair down with "Country Boy"...

In October 1997, John Denver died too young in a plane crash, which adds him to a list of musical legends who have died while flying.  While the idea of crashing is scary, I don't know that it's scarier than dying slowly of a progressive illness that causes a gradual loss of function.  Still, I was sad when he passed away.

"Sunshine On My Shoulders"...  I wonder if he felt it as he took his last breaths.

Maybe today I'll record a couple of John Denver's songs.  

Neil Sedaka!

For some reason, this song popped into my head this morning.

Elton John and Neil Sedaka teamed up for this hit from 1975...

Whenever I hear Neil Sedaka, I'm reminded of England.  He was popular during the years we lived there.  I was a little kid in those days.  It seems like so long ago, yet it also doesn't seem like that much time has passed.  I think of what life was like in the 1970s.  Of course it would be different for me back then because I was a small child.  At the same time, it doesn't seem so long ago that I was a child.  

Neil Sedaka is well know for his hit, "Breakin' Up Is Hard to Do"...  He had a fast version and a slow one.

His slower version...

"Breakin' Up Is Hard to Do" was also covered by The Carpenters.

I like what Karen and Richard did with this.

Neil Sedaka used to open concerts for The Carpenters, but apparently Richard fired him for being "too good" and stealing their show.  He also allegedly introduced Tom Jones, who was at a Carpenters concert, as a special guest.  Richard was supposedly upset about that because it's customary for headlining acts to introduce special guests.  I read about the incident in Ray Coleman's 1994 book The Carpenters: The Untold Story, which was an authorized biography.  You can also read about it on Wikipedia.  

Despite the firing, Karen and Richard went on to record Sedaka's "Solitaire".  It's one of my favorite songs by them.  I also like what Neil did with it.

Neil Sedaka sings "Solitaire".

"Calendar Girl" is another one of Sedaka's best known songs.  Every time I hear it, I'm reminded of commercials.  There was a time in the 70s and 80s when it was used in jingles.

Of course, being a child of the 70s and 80s, "Laughter In The Rain" was a part of the soundtrack of my youth.  I actually really like this song.

"Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" always reminds me of the show Rags to Riches, which aired on NBC in the late 80s and was set in the 60s.  The girls on that show sang this song.

The pilot for Rags to Riches.

Neil and Dara Sedaka sing "Should've Never Let You Go".  Dara is Neil's daughter.

It's been a long time since I last thought about Neil Sedaka.  He was quite the star back in the 60s and 70s.  

My dad had this album.  Apparently, it was released on Elton John's label.  Listen to this song and you'll hear 70s era Elton all over it.  

Gino Vannelli...

I have always enjoyed Gino Vannelli's elegant brand of adult contemporary music.  Born in Montreal, Quebec, Mr. Vannelli injects a sophisticated jazzy mood into his sound that has aged well over the years.

Gino Vanelli's 1978 hit, "I Just Wanna Stop"...

Not just a singer, Gino Vannelli learned percussion as a young boy.  As a teenager, he became a songwriter.  As a young man, he once waited outside Herb Alpert's locked gate for an audition.  Alpert was his last chance at making a go of a music career.  Fortunately, Herb Alpert liked what he heard and signed Vannelli to A&M Records...

An updated orchestral version of "Living Inside Myself"...

"People Gotta Move"

Gino Vannelli's music reminds me a little of Boz Scaggs' style.  It's definitely influenced by jazz and funk, but is right at home on an adult contemporary radio station.

"Appaloosa"

 
I may need to pull out my Gino Vannelli collection and give it another spin.  

Two book reviews about Karen Carpenter's life...

Saving these book reviews before they fade into oblivion!  People are interested in The Carpenters, so I'm reposting these Epinions reviews before they go poof!

Karen Carpenter's life and death...

 Jun 22, 2010 (Updated Aug 30, 2010)
Review by knotheadusc   in Books

Rated a Very Helpful Review

Pros:Well written and comprehensive. Up to date. New perspectives.

Cons:Relies heavily on Ray Coleman's work.

The Bottom Line:I would rate this higher if I felt the work were more original.

It's hard to believe that Karen Carpenter, who had one of the most recognizable voices of the 1970s and early 80s, has now been dead for 27 years. I remember quite clearly the day she died, February 4, 1983. I was ten years old and riding in a car with my dad to visit my sister, who was at that time a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University. An announcer came on the air and said that Karen Carpenter had died that morning. I asked my dad what had killed her and he said "Starvation." He didn't elaborate, but it wasn't much longer before I first heard about anorexia nervosa, the eating disorder that plagued Karen Carpenter's final years and eventually led to her sudden death at age 32.

Karen Carpenter was, of course, part of the brother-sister pop duo the Carpenters. The other half of that duo was her older brother, Richard. While Karen had that magical voice that made their music so appealing to so many listeners, it was Richard who was known as the "brains" behind the outfit. He wrote and arranged songs, occasionally sang, and played piano like a genius. And in their very close-knit family, Richard was apparently the most important child, especially to their mother, Agnes Carpenter.

Author Randy Schmidt has just published Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter (2010). I happened to find it two days ago, while playing with the Kindle my husband Bill just gave me for my birthday. Karen Carpenter's story has always fascinated me and I do enjoy the Carpenters' music, saccharine as it often is. I downloaded it and managed to finish it within several hours of dedicated reading. Considering the fact that this book is well over 300 pages long, that was quite a feat and a testament to my interest in the book.

Overlapping biographies

Back in 1994, the late author Ray Coleman wrote The Carpenters: The Untold Story. Coleman was a well known biographer of rock worthies as well as the editor-in-chief of Melody Maker magazine. Coleman's book about the Carpenters was very comprehensive, so I was somewhat surprised to find Schmidt's new book. Having read Little Girl Blue, however, I did notice that Schmidt had consulted many of Coleman's works in Melody Maker and Coleman's biography of the Carpenters in order to write this book. In fact, I even recognized a couple of paragraphs that appeared to come verbatim from Coleman's book, which I have read several times since 1994. Coleman's biography of the Carpenters, which Schmidt does list in a very comprehensive bibliography, obviously served as a major source for Schmidt's Little Girl Blue. Why, then, if Ray Coleman had already written the Carpenters' story, did Randy Schmidt need to write another book specifically about Karen Carpenter?

What I think Little Girl Blue offers...

What sets Little Girl Blue apart from The Carpenters: The Untold Story is that Schmidt managed to get information from sources other than those approved by Richard Carpenter. In particular, Randy Schmidt interviewed Karen Carpenter's close friends, Frenda Franklin, Olivia Newton-John, and Karen Ramone. Karen Ramone was also interviewed for Coleman's book, but from what I gathered in Little Girl Blue, Schmidt got more details, particularly about the time period when Karen Carpenter was in New York City in 1979-80, recording her one and only solo album, Karen Carpenter, with Karen Ramone's husband, Phil Ramone.

Schmidt also updates Carpenters fans on things that have happened since Coleman's book was published. For one thing, Karen Carpenter's solo album, which had been shelved back when it was created, was finally released in 1996. For another thing, Richard Carpenter has become the father of five children-- only three of them had been born when Coleman's book was published. Schmidt also writes about why the Carpenters' remains have been relocated from their original resting place at Forest Lawn in Cypress to Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.

What's good about Little Girl Blue...

Besides the fact that Schmidt updates fans on all things Carpenters, this book includes some photos-- a few of which I had not seen before in Coleman's book. Schmidt writes well and I appreciated the fact that he spoke to a lot of different people in order to give readers a less whitewashed version of events. Schmidt provides more details about Karen Carpenter's ultimately doomed marriage to Tom Burris, making him out to be an enormous gold-digger.  If what Schmidt writes about Burris is completely true, it's tragically ironic that she married him.  One of Karen Carpenter's biggest fears was, allegedly, marrying a man who was a gold-digger.

Schmidt also makes Karen Carpenter's mother out to be an extreme control freak, who refused to let either of her children grow up and be normal adults. Schmidt even interviewed actors Mitchell Anderson and Cynthia Gibb, who famously played Richard and Karen Carpenter in a 1989 movie of the week called The Karen Carpenter Story, which played on CBS on January 1, 1989.

What's not so good about Little Girl Blue...

Like I mentioned before, Ray Coleman had already written a superior biography about the Carpenters. I am very familiar with Coleman's book, which is unfortunately now out of print. I do think there's room for two biographies about the Carpenters-- but-- it was pretty clear to me that Randy Schmidt leaned on Ray Coleman's work quite heavily. In fact, there were a couple of instances in which it appeared to me that he'd actually copied some paragraphs or at least paraphrased them to the point at which I knew I had read them several times before. I didn't have Ray Coleman's book next to me as I read Schmidt's efforts on my Kindle, but I feel pretty confident that I'd be able to find the text in question. Reading Schmidt's work pretty much felt, to me, like the literary equivalent of a re-run.

Should you read Little Girl Blue?

If you are a diehard fan of the Carpenters' music, you may already know a lot of the information Randy Schmidt reveals in his biography, especially if you've already read Coleman's work. However, if you missed Coleman's book and can't get a copy of it, Little Girl Blue is definitely worth reading. Personally, I think I liked Coleman's book better, though Schmidt does offers some new information, particularly on things that have happened since 1994. And I do think his interviews with Frenda Franklin give this book a perspective that is lacking in Coleman's book. I do wish, however, that I didn't feel like I had already read parts of Little Girl Blue.

For more information: http://www.karencarpenterbiography.com/

The almost complete Carpenters story...

 Feb 22, 2007 (Updated Jul 30, 2007)
Review by knotheadusc  

Rated a Very Helpful Review

Pros:Very comprehensive, well-written accounting of the Carpenters' career.

Cons:May be hard to find and a bit outdated.

The Bottom Line:This is a great source of information for Carpenters' fans.

For years I've enjoyed listening to music by Richard and the late Karen Carpenter, popularly known as The Carpenters. The Carpenters will forever be known for their ability to create and cover 70s era pop confections like "Top Of The World", "Close To You", and "Superstar". Richard Carpenter provided his considerable arranging talents and piano playing. Karen Carpenter contributed her unforgettable voice. Together, the Carpenters were a musical force who reached fame and fortune while they were still in their 20s.

In April 1994, the late Ray Coleman published an authorized biography called The Carpenters: The Untold Story. I was quick to purchase a hardcover copy of this book and I've read it several times. Unfortunately, it seems that Coleman's very comprehensive and informative biography is no longer in print. Nevertheless, I think it's a must read for anyone who is interested in the Carpenters' careers.

Coleman includes brief information about Karen and Richard Carpenters' ancestry and childhood, as well as information about the time they spent in New Haven, Connecticut before they moved to Downey, California to pursue their music careers. The biography continues with the story of how the Carpenters were discovered, their meteoric rise to fame, and Karen's and Richard's legendary demons. Karen Carpenter was, of course, afflicted with anorexia nervosa, whereas Richard developed a drug addiction which led to a stay at the Meninger Clinic in Kansas. There are two photo sections with pictures of the Carpenters as kids and adults. There's even a copy of an essay Karen Carpenter wrote for school.

The Carpenters' story has been told and retold by different sources. The television movie The Karen Carpenter Story was shown for the first time in 1989. There is also an independent unauthorized film called Superstar available, which was made with Barbie dolls. Check out YouTube and you'll find plenty of news and interview clips documenting the rise and fall of the Carpenters. In my mind, Coleman's book is the only source that really provides a glimpse into who Karen and Richard Carpenter were as people. Although this book was written with the Carpenter family's cooperation, it doesn't cast the family in a perfect light. Though Karen had the voice of an angel, she didn't always behave like one, especially when it came to Richard's love life. And Richard Carpenter, talented as he is, also comes across as a bit stodgy and demanding.

This is not a short book, but I always enjoy reading it; Ray Coleman had a way with words. The only drawbacks I can think of are that this book is not as easy to find as it once was and the story ends in 1994. Richard Carpenter is still around, having married his cousin Mary Rudolph (she was the adopted daughter of his aunt) in 1984 and fathered five children. He still performs and he's always tweaking the Carpenters' sound and repackaging their music. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants the lowdown on the Carpenters' career.

Welcome back to the skating rink...

This is my most lucrative Epinions music review, ever…  It made over $388.  I think I paid $15 for it.  I wrote it on April 12, 2008.



I recently acquired 80's Soul: Gold, a two disc compilation made by Hip-O records. When I spotted this collection on BMG Music's Web site, I knew I had to have it. You see, these songs are practically a soundtrack from my childhood. I grew up mostly in the 1980s and have lots of memories attached to this music. As I was listening to them, it occurred to me that a lot of the memories I have of this music stem from my childhood hobby of roller skating.

Anyway, 80's Soul: Gold consists of thirty old school songs from that decadent decade. The songs are set up like a retrospective should be, starting from 1980 and running until 1989. It's interesting to note how so-called soul changed its style over the course of ten years.

Come on... you know you used to hang out at the rink too. So what are you waiting for? Lace up your skates and join me for a few spins around the rink with this double set chock full of songs you can dance to... and make out to! Let's get this party started, shall we? Uhh... okay, that was a little joke. Still, I can't help but think of Friday nights at the rink when I listen to 80's Soul: Gold.

Disc One

I'm Coming Out- Diana Ross- The collection kicks off with the mother of all roller skating songs, Diana Ross' heady, giddy, exciting "I'm Coming Out". She teamed up with Nile Rogers and the late Bernard Edwards of Chic to create a song that practically invites a party. I've always liked this song for its energy and sense of fun.

She's A Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)- Carl Carlton- What can I say about Carl Carlton's ode to "stacked women"? Again, I like this song for its energy-- it's sort of an 80s version of "Brick House" by the Commodores-- although I don't think Carl Carlton quite matched the Commodores' funk quotient.

Super Freak- Rick James- "Super Freak" is another roller skating anthem... I know, I should appreciate this song for its funky brilliance, but all I ever do whenever I listen to it is recall endless trips around the rink. Still, it's great fun.

Being With You- Smokey Robinson- Leave it to Smokey Robinson to mellow things out with his super smooth hit, "Being With You". According to the liner notes, Smokey originally wrote this song for Kim Carnes, but she said it was too good to give away. I can't imagine anyone else but Smokey singing this cool, sexy song. I'm glad he kept it for himself.

With You I'm Born Again- Billy Preston & Syreeta- I know this song is a bit of a sappy love song, but I've always enjoyed "Born Again". Billy Preston sounds a little like Johnny Mathis and Syreeta, who was Stevie Wonder's first wife, offers a nice vocal match for him. This song is a bit flowery and overly sentimental, but I still think it's a special kind of beautiful as only a schmaltzy 1980s era love song can be.

When She Was My Girl- The Four Tops- I love this old song by The Four Tops. This song brings The Four Tops squarely into the 1980s with its use of electronic keyboards and electric guitars. But the harmonies are awesome and I've always loved this song's wistful, longing mood.

Let It Whip- Dazz Band- "Let It Whip" is another one of those roller skating rink perennials. With its space aged sound (circa 1982, anyway), this song is definitely one you can dance to.

Early In The Morning- The Gap Band- I've always liked The Gap Band's version of "Early In The Morning", a song that was also covered by the late Robert Palmer. I much prefer The Gap Band's version. From the very first crowing of the rooster at this song's beginning, I can tell it's one of those songs that just might get me out of bed early in the morning.

Cutie Pie- One Way- "Cutie Pie" is one of those songs I don't really remember from the 80s. I guess I blocked it out. Still, I appreciate this song's very funky vibe.

All This Love- DeBarge- I've always liked DeBarge, a family act from Michigan that bears a pretty strong resemblance to the Jacksons. "All This Love" has sort of a dreamy romanticism about it. El Debarge does sound a bit like Michael Jackson, but this song doesn't really sound that much like anything the Jacksons would have recorded.

Don't Look Any Further- Dennis Edwards featuring Seidah Garrett- I had totally forgotten about this song until I played this album for the first time. This song has a steamy sensual vibe. Seidah Garrett was a demo singer who took Chaka Khan's place when she was unable to join Edwards on this song. Maybe it's a good thing Seidah Garrett took the part. She and Edwards have pretty good vocal chemistry.

Treat Her Like A Lady- The Temptations- This is another song I don't remember... and to be honest, while I like a lot of The Temptations' stuff, I don't like this song that much. Still, if you like impressive falsetto singing, this upbeat number is a pretty good bet.

Mr. Telephone Man- New Edition- Ah yes... New Edition, a boy band from the early 1980s featuring Whitney Houston's ex husband Bobby Brown, among others. Once again, when I listen to these guys sing, I'm reminded an awful lot of Michael Jackson. It's fun to listen to this bubbly lovesick confection again, even though I remember getting pretty sick of it when it was on the radio.

Somebody's Watching Me- Rockwell- Speaking of the Jacksons, Rockwell persuaded his former brother-in-law Jermaine Jackson and Michael to sing backup on "Somebody's Watching Me", a song about paranoia. Given what eventually happened to Michael Jackson and his career, this song is weirdly prophetic. Wonder whatever happened to Rockwell, anyway...

Meeting In The Ladies Room- Klymaxx- Here's a fun girl group song that sounds custom made for the skating rink. Of course, by the time this song came out, skating rinks were starting to go out of style. I like this song for its heavy bass matched by its heavy attitude.

Disc Two

Nightshift- Commodores- I've always liked "Nightshift", a musical ode to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. This song, which garnered The Commodores their only Grammy, features lead singer J.D. Nicholas, who stepped in after Lionel Richie went solo.

Cherish- Kool & The Gang- "Cherish" is a nice, lush, gentle love song. I can appreciate this pretty ballad more now than I could twenty years ago, when it got played to death on the radio.

Oh Sheila- Ready For The World- Here's a funky number by Michigan based Ready For The World. I was in 8th grade when this song was hot and that was around the time Prince was really making waves. This song sounds like it was heavily influenced by his royal purpleness himself.

Secret Lovers- Atlantic Starr- Atlantic Starr had a big hit with the cheating inspired "Secret Lovers", featuring new lead singer circa 1984 Barbara Weathers.

Your Smile- Rene & Angela- "Your Smile" is another song I seem to have missed from the 1980s. This song features lots and lots of keyboards and luscious vocals by Rene Moore and Angela Winbush.

I Have Learned To Respect The Power of Love- Stephanie Mills "I Have Learned To Respect The Power of Love" is another smokey ballad. When I listen to Mills' trilly soprano, I'm reminded an awful lot of Patti LaBelle.

You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)- Jeffrey Osborne- Jeffrey Osborne's "You Should Be Mine" from 1986 is supposedly his biggest solo hit, which surprises me. I would have guessed "On The Wings of Love" would have beat this song. Anyway, this song, with its almost Caribbean beat, sounds like it's from the mid 1980s.

Ain't Nothing Going On But The Rent- Gwen Guthrie- The late Gwen Guthrie's very danceable hit "Ain't Nothing Going On But The Rent" very firmly sends the unapologetic message that having money can be of key importance in a relationship.

Candy- Cameo- I've always liked Cameo's songs, which put more of a rock edge to R&B. This song is notable for its use of hard edged electric guitars and staccato percussion.

Looking For A New Love- Jody Watley- Oh my God, I got so sick of "Looking For A New Love" when I was in the 9th grade. Now that I'm an old lady in my mid 30s, I can appreciate this song for its splashy synthesizers and Watley's saucy vocals about ditching a worthless boyfriend. This song, with Watley's disdainful "Hasta la vista, baby", remains quotable even twenty years later.

Mercedes Boy- Pebbles- I have to confess that I still really enjoy "Mercedes Boy" by Pebbles. This song has a carefree, energetic spirit. When I listen to it, I picture myself driving around on a summer day in a very sexy Mercedes convertible with some guy who's impressed by foreign cars. Alas, while I do get to ride in a foreign car, it's not a convertible. (ETA: That all changed for me in 2009, when I bought a Mini Cooper S Convertible!)

Little Walter- Tony! Toni! Tone!- Now this is an interesting song... it incorporates the old spiritual "Wade In The Water", then becomes a strictly late 80s style soul number.

The Right Stuff- Vanessa Williams- Ex beauty queen turned movie and recording star Vanessa Williams contributes the surprisingly funky number "The Right Stuff". I like Vanessa Williams' slower stuff, but this song does have sort of an infectious sense of fun about it. If I were still roller skating in the mid 80s, I'm sure I would have enjoyed turning the rink to this song... at least until Vanessa starts to rap.

My Prerogative- Bobby Brown- Oh boy, this song brings back bad memories from the late 80s. Still, it does have sort of a recklessness about it that was appealing... in a rebellious adolescent kind of way. I like the way Bobby Brown tells everyone he can do what he wants to do... including going to jail for snorting cocaine.

I Like- Guy- Guy's "I Like" ends this compilation on a flirtatious note. I think by the time this song was popular, I had pretty much stopped listening to the radio. I don't really remember it from its heyday back in February 1989, but I like it today.

Besides being chock full of old hits from the 1980s, 80's Soul: Gold also has fairly generous liner notes, with an informative article by Amy Linden, a full listing of each track including the personnel, and lots and lots of very cheesy pictures. Each act has a photo in the notes and some of them are good reminders why image has, unfortunately, become so important in the music industry.

As a child of the 80s, I'm glad I invested in 80's Soul: Gold. It's fun to listen to these old songs, some of which still sound pretty fresh today. Of course, a side effect of reminiscing about this stuff is that it reminds me both of how old I've become and how fast time goes by. But if you like 80s era soul/R&B/funk, you'd do well to pick up this collection. It's practically a party all by itself.

Turned on my 70s mix today...

Since the TV is still messed up, I've been listening to a lot of music over the past couple of days.  Yesterday, I played my "comforting" playlist.  Today, I turned on my 70s mix.  As I've listened to tunes for the past few hours, one thing has become very clear to me...  The 70s had some great music.  And the 70s also had some really goofy music.

Goofy music is, in a large part, what this blog is all about.  I love really cheesy music from my childhood.  Yes, a lot of it is mediocre.  Some of it even makes me cringe.  It always reminds me of a simpler time, though.  The 70s were a good time to be born, in my very humble opinion.  Being a 70s baby means you're not that old... yet.  But you were around at a time when people weren't so paranoid about everything.  You could go outside and play without someone calling CPS on your parents.  You didn't have the lure of a personal computer or a cell phone to occupy your attention.  And the music was fun.

Here are just a few songs from that time I've heard on iTunes today...

Boris the Spider by The Who

Dance, Dance, Dance by Chic

Black Water by The Doobie Brothers

On the Road Again by Willie Nelson

Hole In My Life by The Police

Pretty Maids All in A Row by The Eagles

And the ever popular Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet...

Not bad.  Actually, listening to Buffet makes me wish I was on my way to Key West.  I could use some beach time.  I thought was going to get some in Greece and Italy, but I was mistaken.  

The 70s rocked for rock songs...   And now that it's Thursday, I wouldn't mind taking a trip to "Margaritaville".

The Little River Band...

As I sit here on a Sunday afternoon, a song from my youth has just popped up on my iPod...

About five or so years ago, I bought a greatest hits compilation by this Aussie band and was surprised by how versatile their sound was.  Seriously, there were songs on that CD that I never would have guessed were by this band.  Of course, the songs that made it on the radio in the late 70s and early 80s had a very mainstream sound...

"Reminiscing" has always reminded me of being like 6 or 7 years old, living near Washington, DC.  That was a relatively nice time in my life, even though my dad was trying to gets used to being a civilian again.

When I was older, they came out with "Lonesome Loser", which was pretty yucky...

And the somewhat creepy song, "Night Owl"...

"Happy Anniversary" is a pretty good song.

And so was "Take It Easy On Me"...

Australia was a relatively fertile ground for pop stars back in my day.  Sometimes it's nice to hear from these guys, even though they haven't been big hit makers in some time...    

70s era Billy Joel...

I like Billy Joel.  I think he's amazingly talented and he's written some classic songs that will stay with us forever.  That being said, I think I enjoy his 70s era music more than his 80s and 90s stuff.  There are songs he did in the 70s that just take me back...  After 1980 or so, his sound went a lot more pop/top 40 and became a lot more polished and mainstream.  His "Piano Man" era was over and it was time for songs like "An Innocent Man"...

Don't get me wrong.  He did some songs in the 80s that I did like a lot.  Some of them were even as epic as his 70s era stuff.  But given a choice, I'd rather listen to the stuff he did before he became a superstar.

Obviously, "Piano Man" is his signature song...

But I think "Honesty" might be the first song he ever did that I really loved.  I was about six years old when this was popular and it fit right in with the whole Movie of the Week genre that was around at the time.  It was a serious, somber song with a deep message and an emotional melody in a minor key... Listen to this and try not to catch the gravity of this song...

It took some time before I realized what a beautiful love song "Just The Way You Are" is.  When I was younger, it seemed kind of schlocky and contrived.  Now it means something to me...

in contrast to the fun of "Only the Good Die Young"...

I've always enjoyed the festive sound of "Don't Ask Me Why"...

and the harder edged sound of "You May Be Right"...

This is a lovely ode to a complicated woman... and a very thoughtful song indeed...

"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" always takes me back to the summer of 1978, when we had just moved back from England.

And "Stiletto" is another great song... a deeper cut from 52nd Street.  It always reminds me of the 1979 film, All That Jazz.

I haven't seen Billy Joel in concert, though I know he and Elton John have teamed up successfully.  I've heard Billy has become more of a classical composer, which is admirable I guess.  But this is a man with an insane amount of musical talent.  I have a lot of admiration for him, though he can't be considered one of my favorite artists.  If I liked Billy's more recent stuff more, though, he'd definitely be in the running.