Song#: 0860
Date: 12/26/1981
Debut: 91
Peak: 89
Weeks: 5
Genre: R&B, Funk
Pop Bits: While disco was on the outs in the US, other forms of the genre were still popular in Europe. One post-disco sound mainly came from Italian artists who took disco and moved it into the 80s by incorporating more electronic instruments while singing in English. Italo-disco proved to be popular in Europe and Kano was an Italian group who was having some success. A few of their songs crossed the pond and ended up on the R&B and Dance charts in the US, but with the disco backlash still going, their songs were not getting very far. Their best pop effort was this single from their second album "New York Cake." Both the single and the album spent a few weeks circling the bottom of the charts becoming their only song/LP to do so. The group would issue a total of three albums and then call it a day.
ReduxReview: It's odd that a lot of their album tracks fall into the electro-disco sound but their lone pop chart entry is a straight ahead R&B/funk tune. Maybe that is why it hit since disco was on the outs. The song is better than what I expected as well. It's not outstanding, but it grooves along quite well and is a notch above the standard R&B songs that reach the pop chart.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Their first self-titled album featured song "I'm Ready," which got on the US R&B chart reaching #21. The song has been sampled many times with its opening synth line getting used in the 1993 #2 hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team. That song hit #1 on the R&B chart.
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Saturday, May 24, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
"Somewhere Down the Road" by Barry Manilow
Song#: 0859
Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 76
Peak: 21
Weeks: 15
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: His pop chart days were quieting down, but Manilow still ruled the AC airwaves. This second single from his "If I Should Love Again" album just missed out on the pop Top 20, but it became his 12th #1 song at AC.
ReduxReview: He was still in classic Manilow mode and this was another choice epic ballad from him. I'd probably consider this the last blast single of his heyday. His output after this would be a bit strange as he tried to keep up with the changing sounds and it didn't work very well. Soon he would end up doing projects that would suit him better without worrying about singles and he did quite well. But this song was almost like a goodbye in a way even though he and we as listeners didn't realize it at the time. I miss him already!
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: This song was hand-picked by Clive Davis for Manilow. It was written by Tom Snow and Cynthia Weil. Weil wrote many hits with her husband Barry Mann. Together, they wrote the rock standards "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," both by The Righteous Brothers, along with hits like "Here You Come Again" (Dolly Parton), "On Broadway" (The Drifters/George Benson), and around this time period, "Just Once" (Quincy Jones and James Ingram).
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Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 76
Peak: 21
Weeks: 15
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: His pop chart days were quieting down, but Manilow still ruled the AC airwaves. This second single from his "If I Should Love Again" album just missed out on the pop Top 20, but it became his 12th #1 song at AC.
ReduxReview: He was still in classic Manilow mode and this was another choice epic ballad from him. I'd probably consider this the last blast single of his heyday. His output after this would be a bit strange as he tried to keep up with the changing sounds and it didn't work very well. Soon he would end up doing projects that would suit him better without worrying about singles and he did quite well. But this song was almost like a goodbye in a way even though he and we as listeners didn't realize it at the time. I miss him already!
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: This song was hand-picked by Clive Davis for Manilow. It was written by Tom Snow and Cynthia Weil. Weil wrote many hits with her husband Barry Mann. Together, they wrote the rock standards "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," both by The Righteous Brothers, along with hits like "Here You Come Again" (Dolly Parton), "On Broadway" (The Drifters/George Benson), and around this time period, "Just Once" (Quincy Jones and James Ingram).
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Thursday, May 22, 2014
"Feel Like a Number" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Song#: 0858
Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 79
Peak: 48
Weeks: 8
Genre: Rock, Arena Rock
Pop Bits: Seger's live album "Nine Tonight" offered up the #5 remake of "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You." For the second single, he reached back into his catalog for a song that originally appeared on his 1978 album "Stranger in Town." That studio version was not issued as a single but did serve as the b-side to his hit "Still the Same" (#4, 1978). Represented in a live version, this time around it was an a-side that just peaked inside the top half of the chart.
ReduxReview: I had to include the studio version above as the one from "Nine Tonight" was not available. It's not that different. Add some crowd noises and a slightly exaggerated ending and that pretty much sums it up. Anyone who follows this blog knows I'm not a fan of live recordings. I'd rather be there. So while this is a solid song in the Seger catalog, the live version doesn't add much to the original. (Just FYI if it is not clear, the rating would apply to the live version - I'd rate the above studio version higher if that was the one that hit the chart.)
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Seger's first live album, 1976's "Live Bullet," featured only one single - a remake of Ike and Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" that reached #65. However, it was another track from the LP became a rock radio standard. The live version of "Turn the Page," while never issued as a single, proved to be hugely popular and got lots of airplay - and still does. The original studio version from Seger's "Back in '72" album was released as a single in 1972, but failed to chart.
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Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 79
Peak: 48
Weeks: 8
Genre: Rock, Arena Rock
Pop Bits: Seger's live album "Nine Tonight" offered up the #5 remake of "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You." For the second single, he reached back into his catalog for a song that originally appeared on his 1978 album "Stranger in Town." That studio version was not issued as a single but did serve as the b-side to his hit "Still the Same" (#4, 1978). Represented in a live version, this time around it was an a-side that just peaked inside the top half of the chart.
ReduxReview: I had to include the studio version above as the one from "Nine Tonight" was not available. It's not that different. Add some crowd noises and a slightly exaggerated ending and that pretty much sums it up. Anyone who follows this blog knows I'm not a fan of live recordings. I'd rather be there. So while this is a solid song in the Seger catalog, the live version doesn't add much to the original. (Just FYI if it is not clear, the rating would apply to the live version - I'd rate the above studio version higher if that was the one that hit the chart.)
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Seger's first live album, 1976's "Live Bullet," featured only one single - a remake of Ike and Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" that reached #65. However, it was another track from the LP became a rock radio standard. The live version of "Turn the Page," while never issued as a single, proved to be hugely popular and got lots of airplay - and still does. The original studio version from Seger's "Back in '72" album was released as a single in 1972, but failed to chart.
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"Those Good Old Dreams" by Carpenters
Song#: 0857
Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 82
Peak: 63
Weeks: 6
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Although the Carpenters' sound was not fitting in well to the 80s musical landscape, they were still having some success with their album "Made in America." The first single "Touch Me When We're Dancing" reached #16 while hitting #1 at AC and the album was a hit in the UK where it reached #11. This third single got on the pop chart for a few weeks and peaked at #21 at AC.
ReduxReview: As much as I love the Carpenters, they did have some saccharine clunkers along the way that I could do without. This is one of those songs. Karen's voice and the harmonies are always lovely to hear, but this song is so...well...cheez whizzy. You can spread it on a dry cracker and the first couple of bites may taste okay, but too much doesn't settle well. The duo has churned out far, far better cheese than this.
ReduxRating: 3/10
Trivia: Before the duo signed with A&M Records, they had two other previous deals that went nowhere. Karen, who sang and played drums, was signed to the small Magic Lamp label and issued a single in 1966. It went nowhere and the label folded. Then, after they won a major Battle of the Bands contest at the Hollywood Bowl as a trio (with Wes Jacobs), they got hooked up with RCA and did a few recordings. The results did not impress the heads of the label and the recordings were scraped with the trio being let go from their contract. Reduced to a duo, the Carpenters caught a break when their demos got to Herb Alpert. He fell in love with Karen's voice and the duo's sound and signed them in 1969. The following year they were on the pop chart for the first time with an interesting cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride," which reached #54. But their next single, "(They Long to Be) Close to You," soared to #1 making stars out of the brother and sister duo.
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Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 82
Peak: 63
Weeks: 6
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Although the Carpenters' sound was not fitting in well to the 80s musical landscape, they were still having some success with their album "Made in America." The first single "Touch Me When We're Dancing" reached #16 while hitting #1 at AC and the album was a hit in the UK where it reached #11. This third single got on the pop chart for a few weeks and peaked at #21 at AC.
ReduxReview: As much as I love the Carpenters, they did have some saccharine clunkers along the way that I could do without. This is one of those songs. Karen's voice and the harmonies are always lovely to hear, but this song is so...well...cheez whizzy. You can spread it on a dry cracker and the first couple of bites may taste okay, but too much doesn't settle well. The duo has churned out far, far better cheese than this.
ReduxRating: 3/10
Trivia: Before the duo signed with A&M Records, they had two other previous deals that went nowhere. Karen, who sang and played drums, was signed to the small Magic Lamp label and issued a single in 1966. It went nowhere and the label folded. Then, after they won a major Battle of the Bands contest at the Hollywood Bowl as a trio (with Wes Jacobs), they got hooked up with RCA and did a few recordings. The results did not impress the heads of the label and the recordings were scraped with the trio being let go from their contract. Reduced to a duo, the Carpenters caught a break when their demos got to Herb Alpert. He fell in love with Karen's voice and the duo's sound and signed them in 1969. The following year they were on the pop chart for the first time with an interesting cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride," which reached #54. But their next single, "(They Long to Be) Close to You," soared to #1 making stars out of the brother and sister duo.
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014
"One Hundred Ways" by Quincy Jones with James Ingram
Grammy Alert!
Song#: 0856 Date: 12/19/1981
Debut: 83
Peak: 14
Weeks: 21
Genre: Adult Contemporary, R&B
Pop Bits: Jones and Ingram scored a #17 hit with "Just Once," which also got Ingram a Grammy nod. This follow-up, and third single from Jones' "The Dude" LP, did slightly better on the chart and this time won Ingram a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance. The song reached #10 on the R&B chart.
ReduxReview: This mid-tempo ballad is another good selection from the album, but I far prefer "Just Once," which I think has had a longer life span at AC radio. Ingram sings the crap out of this song and that is pretty much what makes it. Otherwise, I think it is just an average tune. If a basic singer took this on, the song would be boring. Luckily, Ingram has the chops to make something tasty from very little ingredients.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: There was one more single issued from "The Dude," but it did not make the pop chart. "Razzamatazz" featured the vocals of Patti Austin and it hit #17 on the R&B chart. However, in the UK it went to #11 making it Jones' best showing on the chart in that country.
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