Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another journey through decades of music and genres.

1969: True soul-funk by Sly and the Family Stone

1973: Little Feat was one of the only bands you could listen with joy in pre-punk days.

1978: Steely Dan was the only old school band I listened to when punk arrived.

1967: A highlight of British blues-rock by Eric Burdon and the Animals when he told us tales from his younger days.

1996: Foo Fighters released a superb example of alternative power pop.

1984: A very fine song by R.E.M. from their excellent second album.

1977: Blondie appeared on the scene with one of her best songs.

1975: Rubber Bullets by 10cc was one of the earliest singles I ever bought.

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another journey through releases of songs that made me fun listening again.

1970: Detroit rock and blues band Rare Earth released a cover version of Temptations hit Get Ready. Although the single is pretty good I prefer their long version.

1981: Vince Clarke prepared the sound of electronic pop music with Depeche Mode. I Just Can't Enough was the first of many upcoming melodic hymns.

1987: Prince released his best album for me with a statement of what was going on these days.

1991: REM release Losing My Religion, not their best song but the one that made them super stars.

1984: Bananarama was probably the first British girl band that brought us in the 80'sna lot of classic pop songs like this.

1980: Squeeze should be named if someone asks for a band formed in the post-punk days and later turned into pop-rock hymns.

1973: Bruce Springsteen released his debut and Blinded By The Light was one of his early highlights of the great storyteller.

1979: From the ashes of the latest pub-rock band The Motors Bram Tchaikovsky showed how great power-pop could be.

1979: It takes a lot of chutzpah to record cover versions of soul classics at a time when music was in upheaval. But the two comedians Aykroyd and Belushi did it very well.

1980: Atomic by Blondie is too good to remain unmentioned here.

I'm Your Fan

 

I am not a huge fan of tribute albums because many of them are well-intentioned but seldom better that the originals. One of those which are worth to be listened was the 1991 compilation I Am Your Fan where various artists covered the songs of Leonard Cohen. He was a Canadian singer-songwriter and he was famous in the late 60's/early 70's. In his musical work, existential questions about love, friendship, sense of life, human suffering, death and spirituality are addressed. Most of the songs were meagerly instrumented with acoustic guitars and lead by his somber voice. On this tribute a lot of artists showed their tributes in the way they used to write their songs. And this showed how great this songs were because they work even in the style the artists wrote songs in their very own style.

James - So Long Marianne

Lloyd Cole - Chelsea Hotel

The House of Love - Who By Fire

REM - First We Take Manhattan

How The West Was Won

The post's title has nothing to do with the REM and their song with the same title. It's more about history and present times. Most of you will know The Only Ones, one of the first bands that worked on the musical field of pub rock, power pop and punk. Their song Another Girl, Another Planet is still heard in my house. So I was surprised that Peter Perrett, former singer by The Only Ones, announced his first solo album after more than 35 years after the band disbanded. Back from his days in the twilight of heroin and crack he surprised me with this song. A sweet Jane-like riff decorated with a ghostly slide guitar opens the song and then Perrett sings with his nasal Souuh London drawl. He didn't lost his cynicism when these words come out The Indians and the Mexicans are the first to feel the rope. One of the best new songs during the last weeks.

What Happened To Power Pop # 6

The dB's were an American power-pop band that released their first two records in the early 1980s. They played a fine combination of classic rock with a heavy influence of early power-pop. Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, their main songwriters, were found later after their break up as solol artists and on tour with REM or as producers. Their legacy was some real good power-pop songs.

The dB's - Amplifier