Song#: 1766
Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 88
Peak: 68
Weeks: 5
Genre: Rockabilly
Pop Bits: The Cats' album Rant N' Rave with the Stray Cats was another success (#14), but it would only manage gold certification, which was a dip from their #2 platinum LP Build for Speed. It seemed that folks were already tiring of their rockabilly revival sound and they were quickly becoming a passing fad. This third single from Rant didn't help turn things around and it disappeared after a few short weeks. It would end up being the Cats' final Pop chart single.
ReduxReview: After a nice stop over in doo-wop land with "I Won't Stand in Your Way," the Cats add a little swing sound to their rockabilly with this tune. It sounds good and the horn section is a nice add, but the song itself is kind of basic. There's not much here to make it stand apart from other rock-swing songs. It's a fun listen, but ultimately it will quickly fade from my mind.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Following their Rant N' Rave LP, the Cats basically broke up. Members of the trio went on to do their own projects - Brian Setzer went solo while Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker formed the band Phantom, Rocker & Slick. They would reunite for the 1986 album Rock Therapy, but it did very little business. After another break, the trio got together for 1989's Blast Off! A song from that album, "Bring It Back Again," got to #35 on the Rock chart, yet that did nothing for the album and it disappeared quickly. They would get together for four more albums over the years, but none would chart. Setzer would end up having the most success outside of the Cats with his swing revival band The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Beginning with a self-titled album in 1994, Setzer and his band would release a string of well-received albums and their tours have been highly successful.
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016
"Vitamin L" by B.E. Taylor Group
Song#: 1765
Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 89
Peak: 66
Weeks: 8
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Pennsylvania native B.E. Taylor and his band had been gained a solid following around the Pittsburgh area since the late 70s. For a period of time he joined forces and did shows with Pittsburgh rocker Donnie Iris, who had scored a #2 hit ("The Rapper") in 1970 with his band The Jaggerz. Iris signed on with MCA and began a successful solo career, which ended up helping Taylor. He and his group signed on with MCA and with Iris and Mark Avsec producing, recorded and released a debut album titled Innermission. One track from the LP, "Never Hold Back," was a local hit and did well enough to reach #54 on the national Rock chart. It wasn't a huge hit, but it was enough for MCA to spring for another album. Love Won the Fight would feature this single that found its way onto the Pop chart to become the band's biggest success.
ReduxReview: I'm a bit on the fence with this one. When I first started to listen, I though it was a tad too kooky and almost bordered on novelty. But as the song went on, I kind of started to dig it. Iris and Avsec's hands are all over this one as it sounds like an outtake from an Iris session. It also has a little J. Geils below the surface too. I've played it a couple of times and still can't decide whether I actually like it or find it annoying. So I guess I'll split the diff.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: B.E. Taylor was born William Edward Taylor. When he was growing up, his mother called him Billy Eddie. Eventually that was shortened to simply B.E. Sadly, just two weeks prior to me writing this post, Taylor passed away. Apparently he had an inoperable brain tumor and issues surrounding that condition took its toll.
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Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 89
Peak: 66
Weeks: 8
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Pennsylvania native B.E. Taylor and his band had been gained a solid following around the Pittsburgh area since the late 70s. For a period of time he joined forces and did shows with Pittsburgh rocker Donnie Iris, who had scored a #2 hit ("The Rapper") in 1970 with his band The Jaggerz. Iris signed on with MCA and began a successful solo career, which ended up helping Taylor. He and his group signed on with MCA and with Iris and Mark Avsec producing, recorded and released a debut album titled Innermission. One track from the LP, "Never Hold Back," was a local hit and did well enough to reach #54 on the national Rock chart. It wasn't a huge hit, but it was enough for MCA to spring for another album. Love Won the Fight would feature this single that found its way onto the Pop chart to become the band's biggest success.
ReduxReview: I'm a bit on the fence with this one. When I first started to listen, I though it was a tad too kooky and almost bordered on novelty. But as the song went on, I kind of started to dig it. Iris and Avsec's hands are all over this one as it sounds like an outtake from an Iris session. It also has a little J. Geils below the surface too. I've played it a couple of times and still can't decide whether I actually like it or find it annoying. So I guess I'll split the diff.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: B.E. Taylor was born William Edward Taylor. When he was growing up, his mother called him Billy Eddie. Eventually that was shortened to simply B.E. Sadly, just two weeks prior to me writing this post, Taylor passed away. Apparently he had an inoperable brain tumor and issues surrounding that condition took its toll.
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Monday, August 29, 2016
"Remember What You Like" by Jenny Burton
Song#: 1764
Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 93
Peak: 81
Weeks: 6
Genre: Dance, R&B
Pop Bits: Burton's career started to pick up after she scored a #5 Dance hit in 1983 called "One More Shot." Although the song was credited to C-Bank, Burton served as the lead vocalist. She parlayed that hit into a solo deal with Atlantic and along with C-Bank's writer/producer John Robie, they recorded Burton's debut LP In Black and White. This song was selected to be the first single and it was a hit at Dance reaching #10. R&B responded well and sent the song to #21. The attention was enough for it to cross over to Pop for a few weeks.
ReduxReview: This song borrows a bit from the Shannon sound ("Let the Music Play"), but it's just not quite as slick. The production is not as good and it doesn't sound as full and deep as Shannon's hit. There's a lot of sounds and effect going on which kind of overwhelm the song. There are certain aspects about it that are interesting, but overall it is a bit tinny and chaotic.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Although it didn't fully translate into a career at the time, Burton did have a single reach the Dance chart back in 1975. Apparently, Burton was working as a receptionist at a record company and one day a producer needed a vocalist for his project. Burton stepped up to lend a hand. It got her signed to the small Cotton label who released the single "(Nobody Loves Me) Like You Do Do." The song got a little action in the clubs and reached #17 on the Dance chart. However, it didn't do a whole lot for her career at the time and she'd have to wait nearly ten years before she got a major label break.
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Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 93
Peak: 81
Weeks: 6
Genre: Dance, R&B
Pop Bits: Burton's career started to pick up after she scored a #5 Dance hit in 1983 called "One More Shot." Although the song was credited to C-Bank, Burton served as the lead vocalist. She parlayed that hit into a solo deal with Atlantic and along with C-Bank's writer/producer John Robie, they recorded Burton's debut LP In Black and White. This song was selected to be the first single and it was a hit at Dance reaching #10. R&B responded well and sent the song to #21. The attention was enough for it to cross over to Pop for a few weeks.
ReduxReview: This song borrows a bit from the Shannon sound ("Let the Music Play"), but it's just not quite as slick. The production is not as good and it doesn't sound as full and deep as Shannon's hit. There's a lot of sounds and effect going on which kind of overwhelm the song. There are certain aspects about it that are interesting, but overall it is a bit tinny and chaotic.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Although it didn't fully translate into a career at the time, Burton did have a single reach the Dance chart back in 1975. Apparently, Burton was working as a receptionist at a record company and one day a producer needed a vocalist for his project. Burton stepped up to lend a hand. It got her signed to the small Cotton label who released the single "(Nobody Loves Me) Like You Do Do." The song got a little action in the clubs and reached #17 on the Dance chart. However, it didn't do a whole lot for her career at the time and she'd have to wait nearly ten years before she got a major label break.
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"Tender Years" by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band
Song#: 1763
Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 94
Peak: 78
Weeks: 5
Genre: Rock, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: The film Eddie & the Cruisers featured a soundtrack that was performed by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band with Cafferty supplying some of the original songs. However, the first single from the album, "On the Dark Side," was credited to Eddie & the Cruisers, the movie's fictional band. That initial release of the single didn't do great and it topped out at #64. Still, the record company decided to push a second single and this song was issued. This time around, Cafferty and his band got proper billing. Unfortunately, the tune couldn't make any headway and it disappeared after a few weeks. Both singles would get a second life later in the year.
ReduxReview: Yeah, the comparison to Springsteen is even more apparent on this song, especially with the Clarence Clemons-ish sax on the intro. It's a pretty good knock-off, but it really can't compare to the real Springsteen and I think that's the problem and why the band couldn't get signed. It's great to be influenced by another artist and even incorporate some of their style or sound, but I'm not sure what possessed Cafferty to push so hard to sound like Springsteen and the E Street Band. In doing so, they never really had their own identity and that ultimately killed their career. That doesn't mean they weren't a solid band. They were and this single showed they could actually hang with the Boss.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Cafferty wrote and recorded this song a few years earlier in 1980. At the time the group was just known as Beaver Brown and they signed on to Coastline Records for a single. The a-side was titled "Wild Summer Nights" while this song served as the b-side. The single was a success on the upper east coast, but the band's Springsteen-esqe sound scared off major labels - after all, there was already a Springsteen. After the band was discovered and offered the work on the Eddie & the Cruisers, both songs were revived and used for the soundtrack. Oddly, when the 1990 CD reissue of the soundtrack was released, both of these songs were replaced with two remakes. One can only assume that legal/rights issues kept the songs off that specific reissue.
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Date: 01/28/1984
Debut: 94
Peak: 78
Weeks: 5
Genre: Rock, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: The film Eddie & the Cruisers featured a soundtrack that was performed by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band with Cafferty supplying some of the original songs. However, the first single from the album, "On the Dark Side," was credited to Eddie & the Cruisers, the movie's fictional band. That initial release of the single didn't do great and it topped out at #64. Still, the record company decided to push a second single and this song was issued. This time around, Cafferty and his band got proper billing. Unfortunately, the tune couldn't make any headway and it disappeared after a few weeks. Both singles would get a second life later in the year.
ReduxReview: Yeah, the comparison to Springsteen is even more apparent on this song, especially with the Clarence Clemons-ish sax on the intro. It's a pretty good knock-off, but it really can't compare to the real Springsteen and I think that's the problem and why the band couldn't get signed. It's great to be influenced by another artist and even incorporate some of their style or sound, but I'm not sure what possessed Cafferty to push so hard to sound like Springsteen and the E Street Band. In doing so, they never really had their own identity and that ultimately killed their career. That doesn't mean they weren't a solid band. They were and this single showed they could actually hang with the Boss.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Cafferty wrote and recorded this song a few years earlier in 1980. At the time the group was just known as Beaver Brown and they signed on to Coastline Records for a single. The a-side was titled "Wild Summer Nights" while this song served as the b-side. The single was a success on the upper east coast, but the band's Springsteen-esqe sound scared off major labels - after all, there was already a Springsteen. After the band was discovered and offered the work on the Eddie & the Cruisers, both songs were revived and used for the soundtrack. Oddly, when the 1990 CD reissue of the soundtrack was released, both of these songs were replaced with two remakes. One can only assume that legal/rights issues kept the songs off that specific reissue.
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Sunday, August 28, 2016
"Nobody Told Me" by John Lennon
Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 1762 Date: 01/21/1984
Debut: 36
Peak: 5
Weeks: 14
Genre: Soft Rock
Pop Bits: Prior to his death in December 1980, Lennon and Yoko Ono had been working on music for the follow-up to their Grammy-winning #1 LP Double Fantasy. Although the songs were not fully finished, there was enough recorded that could be fleshed out into completed tracks. Nearly three years after Lennon's death, Ono returned to the studio to complete the songs. In similar fashion to Double Fantasy, half of the new album's tracks would be by John Lennon while the other half would be by Ono. Once completed, it was titled Milk and Honey and this first single was issued. Interest in the song was high, which helped the song debut within the Pop Top 40. It would peak at #5 at Pop, #2 at Rock, and #11 AC. The song would be Lennon's final Pop Top 40 entry.
ReduxReview: Not being a big Lennon fan (I'm more McCartney-ish...), I didn't much care for this song when it was released. I specifically didn't like the barely melodic chorus. I actually enjoy the song much more now and like the verse and the transitions. Lennon almost yelling "nobody told me there'd be days like these" still irritates me a bit, but the rest of the song makes up for it. I don't think it ranks among his best, but it was a sunny head-bopper that played quite well as a non-morose posthumous release.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Lennon made a rough recording of this song in 1980 prior to his death. The intention was for Ringo Starr to record the song for his upcoming album (which ended up being 1981's Stop and Smell the Roses). A recording session for the song was scheduled in January 1981, but that was cancelled following Lennon's death. Starr resumed work on his album early in 1981, but he just couldn't bring himself to record this song. Starr was also unable to do another song Lennon had written for him called "Life Begins at 40."
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