Clap Your Hands

 

Welcome to a new series featuring songs that use clapping hands either to emphasize the rhythm or simply because it suits this song. 

Almost exactly 50 years ago, Steve Miller released his masterpiece Fly Like An Eagle, on which he moves between blues rock, country and atmospheric sounds. Take The Money And Run stands out from the rest of the excellent material.

That’s exactly how old Rose Royce’s Car Wash is – a funky disco hit that was played everywhere back in the day. 

John Mellencamp, who was still known as John Cougar at the time, reached the top of the charts with this simple song.

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

This series has been running for a year now, and future posts will be repetitive. Since nothing is worse than repetition, this series will be discontinued shortly. In the coming weeks, I will once again present songs that were not included a year ago, as I kept the selection small. Thank you for your interest and feedback on the respective editions.

1984: Cindy Lauper

1978: ABBA

1997: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

1977: Steve Miller Band

1977: Joan Armatrading

1984: The Smiths

1964: Unit 4 + 2

1985: Commodores

1967: Arthur Conley

1980: The Romantics

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another journey through various decades of music.

1985: David Bowie and Mick Jagger

1971: Joni Mitchell

1976: Steve Miller Band

1962: The Crystals

1976: Nick Lowe

1977: Steely Dan 

1978: The Police

1981: The Go-Go's

1965: Donovan

1975: Bad Company

1966: The Monkees

1963: The Ronettes

1981: Devo

1998: The Rolling Stones (the remix version)

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another round of songs I loved when they were released, I love still or just make fun to listen to them after a long time.

1978: Blondie

1977: Steve Miller Band

1977: The Jam

1983: Fun Boy Three

1991: Marc Cohn

1958: The Coasters

1968: Aretha Franklin

1966: The Temptations

1979: Joe Jackson

1984: Ultravox

1967: Jimi Hendrix

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another sentimental musical journey into times long gone by.

1976: Thin Lizzy

1969: Bob Dylan

1967: Pink Floyd

1969: Simon and Garfunkel

1986: Peter Gabriel

1972: Alice Cooper

1974: Paper Lace

1976: Steve Miller Band

1978: Elvis Costello and the Attractions

1979: Rickie Lee Jones

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another Tuesday and a look back at which singles were released. And, as always, without words, because the songs speak for themselves, even if they only allow a sentimental look at days gone by.

1985: Katrina and the Waves

1977: Steve Miller Band

1982: Roxy Music

1989: Cowboy Junkies

2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers

1985: Eurythmics

1968: Small Faces

1988: The Smithereens

1988: Tracy Chapman

Fly Like An Eagle

 

Steve Miller, a West-Coast blues guitarist from San Francisco released his ninth album Fly Like An Eagle back in 1976 and was one of those albums older friends of mine raved about almost 50 years ago. I remember when I was the first time in a hippie pub in my home town for one of my first pints this album was the soundtrack for more than one hour. I have to admit that I didn't knew the artist and his combination of country blues and psychedelic sounds fascinated and impressed me. This album was one of my first bought long players and I grabbed out a few days ago and the music is still fascinating to me and not only for sentimental moods. Steve Miller was one of these artists late hippies and not born punks could agree. Of course he stole some riffs from British bands like Free from All Right Now on Rocking Me but this doesn't really matter because it sounded like a song by himself.