Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

This week are less songs to remember but those who appear today are still worth a listen.

1975: Bruce Springsteen

1979: The Jam

1986: Bruce Hornsby T The Range

1968: Mary Hopkin

1967: The Who

1969: Elvis Presley

1996: Sublime

1959: Buddy Holly

1975: Aerosmith (I prefer the version by Run DMC)

1964: The Supremes

1990: Cocteau Twins

1964: Roy Orbison

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Another week another journey through decades of music. Today some well known and some tracks we might have forgotten.

1966: The Four Tops

1968: The Rascals

1997: Foo Fighters

1983: The Motels

1965: The McCoys

1965: The Barbarians

1965: Barry McGuire

1971: The Doors

1979: Bob Dylan

1982: Africa Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force

1984: Depeche Mode

´1961: The Dovells

1967: Sam and Dave

1971: Janis Joplin

1976: The Stills-Young Band

1984: Sade

1978: The Jam

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

Enjoy this week's selection of a ride through various genres.

1958: Big Bopper

1970: Chicago

1978: Human League

1972: Seals & Croft

1991: Pearl Jam

1965: The Yardbirds

1978: Donna Summer

1958: Bo Diddley

1982: The Jam

1966: The Lovin' Spoonful

1969: John Lennon

1976: Blue Oyster Cult

1986: Run DMC

1989: Public Enemy

1974: Dobi Gray

1974: Stevie Wonder

1979: The B-52's

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

Saturday Three

 A guest posting by The (New) Vinyl Villain

1. Come Saturday – The Pains Of The Being Pure At Heart

Come Saturday

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart are from NYC, forming in 2007, breaking up in 2019 and then

announcing late last year that they were getting back together again. I’m off to see them when they

hit Glasgow this coming November.

This single, from 2009, is a wonderfully catchy number and I defy anyone to listen and not want to

start dancing.

2. The Saturday Boy – Billy Bragg

The Saturday Boy

If anyone ever mentions that they don’t like Billy cos he is a one-trick pony only capable of singing

protest songs then this is my way of coming back at them. A stunning tale of love and rejection. And

a reminder of what exactly la la la la la la la la la la means when used in a song (most of the time

anyway).

3. Saturday’s Kids – The Jam

Saturday's Kids

It’s now a ridiculous 46 years since The Jam released ‘Setting Sons’. A song about growing up in a

working-class community that resonated with me so much back then….I may have moved onwards

and upwards (and I can hardly claim these days to be working-class!) but that part of the lyric about

hating the system still resonates.

Walter adds: Thank you JC for your excellent contribution to this little series

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

A broad review of notable publications without a contextual link.

1967 - Buffalo Springfield released their only chart success. For What It's Worth became an anthem of the opponents of the Vietnam war.

1977 - Boz Scaggs is an musician which has never been mentioned in this blog before. He is well known in America but he was never the big thing with his honest rhythm & blues. His album Silk Degrees reached the top ten at the time, was pleasant to listen to and very similar to the sound of Graham Parker.

1986 - Simply one of the best pop songs from this year and one that made The Bangles everybody's darlings.

1978 - American Girl was the last song on Tom Petty's debut album and shows his ability to write catchy songs that have lost none of their class even after decades.

1965 - Martha Reeves & the Vandellas are one example, why you should dive into 60's soul from time to time.

1982 - ABC released their their debut album The Lexicon Of Love. One that you can either hate or love, because their completely arranged songs are very close to kitsch. But there are some damn good songs on the album.

1956 - Hard to believe that this song by Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps is almost 70 years old. For me is this song more rock and roll than from other artists of this era.

1981 - The Jam. Just another great song from them.

When Power Pop Met Punk

 

I am not the one looking for samplers about an era - especially when it is about the time music turned from pub rock met punk. But another Kids On The Street another superb compilation by Cherry Red records is one of them you can listen to and bringing back memories from ages ago. I don't have to tell much of the artists, so just enjoy these songs once again.

Wah! Heat - Don't Stop The Cracks  

The Records - Girl

Echo and the Bunnymen -Do It Clean

The Membranes - The Sound Of The Suburbs

The Jam - Boy About Town

XTC - Towers Of London

Boomtown Rats - Diamond Smiles

Indie Scene 1977

I made many thoughts during the last days how to replace the foreign correspondent series. Then I found the CD-collection Indie-Scene: The story of British Independent Musc in my archive recently. When I have read all the titles on the backside of the cover I have to admit that this was a golden era of music. It's music Dirk presents on with his superb series of girls tapes . So I will start a series about these era, the music we listened to these days and maybe reflecting these days.

At that time in 1977 the charts are filled with pop songs by ABBA, David Soul, The Eagles, Leo Sayer and dreadfully bad songs like Baccara with 'Yes Sir, I can boogie' and 'Mull of Kintyre' by The Wings. Punk and New Wave started to appear in this year and new bands paved the way to new music. American bands like The Ramones, Johnny Thunders and New York Dolls brought their music that was raw, fast and full of energy to London. And very fast kids adapted this music and created a very own scene. Punk was born. In Kings Road, London Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood established their boutique selling S/M-accessory to the kids. Everything was possible in these days. For me it was a rather new experience listening to different kind of music my friends used to listen to. Anyway, this was the dawning of a new era in music and this CD's are a good overview what happened in this 10 years.

The Heartbreakers - Born to loose
The Ramones - Sheena is a punk rocker

And one of my all-time favorites:

Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World

Some other remarkable bands/songs from this year are:

What Happened To Power Pop # 5

In the late 70s a mod revival started in Great Britain. Suddenly it was hip to wear raincoats, suits and Fred Perry-shirt and driving customized scooters again. The musicians reminded the bands of the 60s like The Who. It would be easy to name The Jam in this connection but I remember a band which existed only a few years but made a few great songs. The Chords were a London based band formed in the late 70s and got a little success in progress with the mod-revival. Some people may say that they were clones and jumped on the train to hitsville and sounded just like a lot of bands these days. Anyway - they did some good stuff.

Enjoy and have a good weekend.

"In The End It Took Me A Dictionary To Find Out The Meaning Of 'Unrequited' ..."

One of the few German followers on my blog, Dirk from Sexyloser, posted a contribution (seldom enough but when then with high quality) that made me smile and my thoughts drifted back into the my very younger days. It depends to the nature of menkind all negative experiences they were made to fade out and to store in the very back corner of the brain. It is like a hidden chamber you normally don't want to enter. But sometimes like in this case you get your key and open this chamber.

While reading Dirks post I also had to think back to the time when I came to the puberty. It was the time in which one wanted (you know what I mean) and still had no plan to get it. Of course there were some guys they knew how to get it but it was impossible to copy them. Either they were better in sports or they looked much smarter (that's exactly what The Jam described in David Watts). Anyway, you had to go your own way and check out what makes you unique.

Okay, now back to my story: It was at the time when I started my education. Beside the real education in the company we had to visit for the theoretical education twice a week the trade school. One of my deficiencies at that time was, that I mostly have come too late to appointments. As usual I came also too late to the first teaching hour in trade school. There was only one free seat in the first row. So I sat down and I introduced me to the girl beside me. As far as I can remember her name was Doris. She was a pretty girl with shoulder-length brown hair and blue-green eyes. In the course of the next weeks we have made friends and have also arranged to meet several times. In the times before mobile phones and computers we sent us some letters and of course I made some tapes for her. Although she gave me with her smile some hope but it happened nothing more than some shy kisses. If I forced my intentions I always get stopped and don't know why. I got no explanation from her to my questions. I got the explanation a few days later when I saw her holding hands with another guy. That's a lesson I learned: don't have too much expectations into your aims. Of course I changed the seat in trade school.

I also didn't see her again after finishing my education. And I also don't know what happened to the tapes I made for her (and others). Presumably they were already thrown in the garbage but if not I would like to know if these persons will still listen to it.

Billy Bragg made a song in which he chanted exactly about these experiences.

Billy Bragg - Walk Away Renee

She said it was just a figment of speech

And I said, "You mean figure?"

And she said, "No, figment"

Because she could never imagine it happening

But it did.

When we first met I played the shy boy

And when she spoke to me for the first time

My nose began to bleed

She guessed the rest

The next day we went on a bus ride to the ferry

And when nobody came to collect our fares

Well, I knew then this was something special

I couldn't stop thinking about her

And every time I switched on the radio

There was somebody else singing a song about the two of us

It was just like being on a fast ride at the funfair

The sort you wanna get off because it?s scary

And then as soon as you?re off

You wanna get straight back on again

But our love is strange

And you have to take the crunchy with the smooth I s'pose

She began going out with Mr Potato Head

It was when I saw her in the car park

With his coat around her shoulders that I realized

I went home and thought about the two of them together

Until the bath water went cold around me

I thought about her eyes and the curve of her breasts

And about the point where their bodies met

I confronted her about it.

I said, "I?m the most illegible bachelor in town."

And she said, "Yea, that's why I can never understand

Any of those silly letters you send me."

And then one day it happened

She cut 'er hair and I stopped lovin' 'er

40 Records In 40 Years (20/40 - 1993)

In the review I must confess that in 1993 another year has been with many stamping changes. The slightest one was that we have bought ourselves a domestic animal. A small West-Highland terrier. Never had a pet before but I loved him from the first day we got him - not knowing that he will accompany me for 16 years. The really drastic event was the birth of our daughter. She was planned and we and we have brought the months of the pregnancy like millions more different behind ourselves. What I will never forget, nevertheless, in my life is the birth of my daughter. The most moving moment in my present life was when I might hold her for the first time in my hands. At this moment I was indescribably happy and tears of the joy are running down my cheeks. I was so happy that I could take the world in my arms. Of course, you are not able to sleep after this emotional birth so I went to my mates to celebrate the birth of my daughter. My god, was I hammered. A few month later we finished the renovation in our house so we could move into it before the winter comes.

Another thing I remember this year was the World Championship in Athletics that was held in Stuttgart. I'm into football but me and my mates have decided to watch the games at one day. I can remember that Thursday when we arrived at the competition site. It was warm and a clear sky and full of visitors. We had good seats to watch the pole vault and the men and women short sprint as well. It was also the first day of the men's decathlon. I've never been to a crowded place where thousands of people are happy and peaceful watching the competitions. Simply said, it was fantastic.

Didn't found much new music this year and when I look back I remember this ones:

• Cypress Hill - Black Sunday: Dope reggae
• Iggy Pop - American Caesar: The old man is back as good as ever
• Penelope Houston - The Whole World: Hit me with a flower - San Fransisco calling
• Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzi: Laid back songs from the American underground
• Jamiroquai - Emergency On Planet Earth: Brought us back to dancefloor
• Guru - Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. I: Fantastic sounds with this crossover 
• Donald Fagen- Kamakiriad: Another great record from the former Steely Dan member
• V.A. - Judgement Nights: If it should be loud - it should be in this way
• Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Live Seeds: Great document of his tour I was able to see him

Here are just a few songs from this year:

Yes, we had the time to watch some movies as well:

• The Fugitive: Great parts by Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford
• Schindler's List: Excellent drama about a true story
• Sleepless In Seattle: If you were engaged at this time you had to watch it
• Philadelphia: Very good drama about to be HIV positive
• In The Line Of Fire: Clint Eastwood gets even better the older he gets
• Sommersby: Fine story / great actors
• The Piano: Excellent movie with fantastic pictures
• Groundhog Day: Every day is the same
• Falling Down: It could happen if everything gets too much
• True Romance: Excellent road movie, written by Quentin Tarantino
• Grumpy Old Men: Just funny to watch real actors

In the Sri Lankan Civil War 100 people were killed by the navy in Jaffna Lagoon // A Liberian-registered oil tanker runs aground off close to Shetland, causing a massive oil spill // 900 Muslims and Hindus die during the Bombay riots // Bill Clinton succeeds George Bush as the 42nd President of the United States // Vaclav Havel is elected President of the Czech Republik // WTC bombed by a van bomb // The enclave Srebrenica is declared as a UN-protected 'safe area' // Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia // Large protests erupt against the regime of Slobodan Misosevic in Belgrade - opposition leader Vuk Draskovic and his wife Danica are arrestet //  GSG 9 troopers arrest Birgit Hogefeld and kill Wolfgang Grams, two Red Army Faction terrorists, in a train station in Germany // Handshake between Arafat and Rabin in Washington after signing a peace accord // The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union // Manchester United win the inaugural English Premier League title (their first league title in 26 years) and Bobby Moore dies // World Championship in Athletics held in Stuttgart

I followed Paul Weller from the start with The Jam over to The Style Council. With every band he wrote history in modern music. Starting with The Jam to reanimate the mod era he gave us a lot of songs that were monumental. With The Style Council he slipped into another sound. Now we could here more soul and jazz in his music. On their records are a lot of songs as well I played again and again all over the years. In the early 1990s he decided to start a career under his own name. His second record by his name is Wild Wood. Weller finds the on Wild Wood his own personal sound. In rock history only a few artists found their own sound - to me occur only Neil Young and partly Jimi Hendrix. Let me formulate it in this way: earthy, crashing guitar sounds, broken and aggressively. And over the sound his fantastic voice: smoky, furious and emotionally loaded. I can't imagine that someone else could sing this songs like he did. And finally his superb lyrics.  I think this is his masterpiece.

Paul Weller - Sunflower
Paul Weller - Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)
Paul Weller - Wild Wood
Paul Weller - Shadow Of The Sun
Paul Weller - Wild Wood - Shared Wood (Portishead Remix)