Redartz: Greetings, everyone! Awhile
back I did a post discussing favorite comic book stories that may
have been overlooked by many. In his comment, our friend Martinex1
posited revisiting this topic, only using music as the subject. I couldn't let a great suggestion like that go to waste;and so here we go...
As before, our topic today
is to throw out some recommendations for great tunes and artists
which we may be a bit less familiar with ( and there are plenty this writer is
sadly ignorant of). Therefore, as much as I love the Beatles, ABBA
and Bowie, they probably won't qualify* (note the unsubtle nod to BAB
there...) . You might bring up a singer, a band, an album,
or a beloved obscure single ( or 45, for most of us).
*a caveat here- you may be
aware of an obscure recording from some such artist, which certainly
would be fair game...
And so, with no further
nonsensical babbling , I present three submissions for your
consideration; one artist, one album, and one forgotten single. Billboard chart positions courtesy of "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits" by Joel Whitburn- a treasure trove of info for music trivia buffs, and a great shopping list for I-Tunes...
- Ian Gomm - Formerly a guitarist with English pub rock group Brinsley Schwarz, Gomm went solo in the late 70's, releasing some excellent pop rock on albums such as “Gomm With the Wind” and “What a Blow”. Here's a clip of Ian performing “Hold On” (Billboard Hot 100 peak at 18) from 1979:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kfe9EF8ArY
- Madness - “One Step
Beyond” - Perhaps most famous on this side of the Atlantic for
their big hit in 1983, “Our House”. Madness' debut album
featured many terrific cuts, including the title track,
“Tarzan's Nuts” (the coolest version of the Tarzan theme you'll
ever hear) and a rocking take on “Swan Lake”. For your
enjoyment, a clip of one of my favorite cuts from this album, “Night
Boat to Cairo”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSTHMxBttlU
3. Dickie Goodman- “
Energy Crisis '74”- Richard “Dickie” Goodman was a record
producer who made numerous novelty recordings between the late 50's
and late 70's. A common feature of his recordings was the use of
clips from popular songs of the era, edited together with Goodman's
narration to form a humorous story or parody. Many may recall his
song “Mr. Jaws”, released in 1975 following the big splash
(sorry) made by the famed shark movie. Less commonly heard is this
cut from early 1974, addressing the fuel shortages then in the news.
This peaked briefly on Billboard's Hot Hundred at 33. As a sucker
for humor, and a true follower of Dr. Demento, this song really
appealed to me. Here it is, thanks again to youtube:
Okay, now let's hear from you. Dust off that vinyl, untangle that cassette, crack open that jewel cd case and let us know what audio gems you have hidden...