Duets from across the decades (& centuries!) with 1st-time reactions by music writers separated by an ocean, a native language, and 40 years! Kryze'n'Kyle listen to Cuts, Both Ways!
Love the set-up here, with your mutual love of music strong enough, I'm sure, to bridge the generational/genre gap. At 61, I guess that puts me firmly in Brad's camp, and I certainly lean towards a similar hankering for a good melody and strong verse/chorus structure, but I agree there's plenty of new music that ticks all those boxes every bit as well as the old stuff.
I look forward to seeing how this develops, and https://challenge69.substack.com is certainly up for the 'challenge' once you're ready to invite in more players.
PS. Ben has already signed up to read my music themed novel, so come on Brad, given you're from 'My Generation' surely you should be joining him (at the link above, it's free!) Tim
Thanks, Tim! Feel free to hit up myself or Ben to play a round of "C,BW"! As you and I are in the same general generation camp, spinning the roulette wheel of tunes with Ben supplying you the lead-off song might be the way to go!🎵👍
Thanks, Jo! Share the kudos with Ben Kryze, though (he writes Small Ears @ https://smallears.substack.com/), who asked me, originally, to collab with him...and, here you have it! I'm hoping we can keep the collab going...it's gotten positive buzz! As for that song, I wasn't familiar with it, either, and I'd been a Rick fan for a decade!
He came into my record store in Glendale about 2 months before his "Working Class Dog" album (and "Jessie's Girl" smash) was released in early '81! I'm guessing his ability to roam around the Valley after "Jessie" went to #1 dwindled greatly!
BTW, Jo, as a musician, I know you'd dig the adventures of Stephen Michael Schwartz, a fellow singer/songwriter/guitarist, who recorded an album for RCA Records at age 20 in 1974. He's telling his story with behind-the-scenes peeks into the rock'n'pop Hollywood '70s right here at FR&B!
Stephen, in fact, entered Rick's orbit briefly in '81, just as Rick was hitting the top. Here are Stephen's words from his account of "The Music Shoppe," the '81 sitcom for which he wrote, played and sang the theme song (accessible here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/sticking-to-script-amid-1981-cable)....
Stephen: "Helping me produce and mix [Stephen's re-write of his own theme song composition] was a good friend at the time, Joey Viara, who was working at Sound City Studios, and was connected to Joe Gottfried (Rick Springfield’s manager, and co-founder with Tom Skeeter of Sound City in 1969).
"Joey thought Gottfried would see me as his next Rick Springfield, and wanted me to record some songs to present to Gottfried.
"Gottfried and I did some work together for a short time, but I knew I was not his focus, and was put in the backseat while Springfield was in the driver’s seat."
If you want to start the fascinating (and historical....you'll see!) story of Stephen's rock'n'pop journey, it all started in 1975 when I interviewed David Cassidy....and, Stephen's name actually came up! It's here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/in-a-houston-penthouse-with-david
Oct 26, 2022·edited Oct 26, 2022Liked by Brad Kyle
Ok, I just played the two songs. Brad, I pretty much agree with your observations on "Balcony"--sounds processed, which is ok but not my thing. It's very much the current thing in pop--light, breezy, a little jazz/funk noodling but nothing technical except the post-production. They seem to have nice voices but I want to hear them raw, and I just need music to be more ambitious. The Springfield song I had never heard before, but it is smack dab 80's ballad. In that era I was listening more to fusion and new wave, or I assume I would have heard this! By the way, both songs are very lyrics-driven, as Kryze implicitly pointed out, and I tend not to pay too much attention to lyrics--otherwise I would have a hard time with all these Japanese bands!
Believe it or don't, I don't recall ever hearing THAT Springfield song, either (and I've been a fan since his early '70s days on Capitol and Columbia)!
I just dialed up rock M-F duos, and one of the only ballad-y songs that came up was this one! And, you and I, too, are in the same boat, lyric-wise! Which is why I'm glad Ben covered 'em like Aunt Jemima on a buttermilk stack!🥞(Mmmmmmm....pancakes)
You probably know this one. Suzie Quatro was huge across the ocean and down under, but her only U.S. hit was this pop duet with Chris Norman, where she traded in the leather and the snarl for satin and lipstick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1PcY59AX2Q
Yeah, that woulda been a good one to run by Ben, but he did a bang-up job with the Rick'n'Randy tune! Suzi and Chris actually were introduced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (aka Chinnichap), longtime '70s Brit songwriters/producers who wrote "Stumblin' In," Chris's first solo effort after a few years with the band Smokie.
I was a bit of an Anglophile back in the day, buying UK rock rags like Sounds, NME, and Melody Maker from the early '70s thru late '70s (a week later--arriving by air--at Bellaire News in SW Houston)! That's how I'd get all the news on Genesis, Bowie, Roxy, Bolan, et al! And, that's on top of grabbing all the domestic mags like Creem, Crawdaddy, Hit Parader, Circus, PRM, etc! It's a wonder homework ever got done!
They also covered acts who never had records released in the states, like Showaddywaddy, Mud, Alvin Stardust, and early Smokie. One had to get their albums in the import section at record stores....assuming they A) had an import section, and B) they would or could order it if you asked them!
Chinnichap actually tried to talk Smokie into performing in leather, like Suzi, but they refused, opting for a nondescript mix of jeans and wide collars! Some of that may have also informed Suzi's image change from leathers to a softer, more "girlie" look for the duet! Fun stuff!🎸🎶
Trust you to have the back-story! That is hilarious, but actually, from a modern perspective, it would have been even hotter to do it Suzi style. I have a column in the works about her, and I found out one person actually wrote a PhD thesis about her. If you have sources, I'd love to tap them.
I'll see what I can dig up on Suzi.....between World Series games, of course! If I can use her in one of my sideline projects (Inside Tracks or GROW BIGGER EARS....can't see doing an Audio Autopsy on her), we could cross ref each other when both are released, linking to each's articles!
Short of that, I'll see if I can dig up info you might not get from Ye Olde 'Nette and/or your Dr. Quatro source!
Hey, this is a great concept! I haven't had the chance to read and play through, but will certainly do so! Brad, I haven't followed baseball since I was a kid, but I believe congratulations are in order on the Astros heading for the World Series. I'm confused though, I thought they were in the National league...?
Thanks! Ben (Kryze) and I are proud of it! He wanted to collab, and I took what was unique to each of us and capitalized on it! Together we had a sack full of differences, so we took our similarities (loving music and writing on the 'Stack!), and used THEM to whelp a new track!
It looks like it'll have legs, so I look forward to more! Holler (now that you've seen the premise) if you think you'd like a stab at it with me (or him, for that matter)!
The 'Stros were strong-armed (I think $$ was involved...ya think?!) to switch leagues in '13. It then made each division in each league equal with 5 teams apiece. Which makes this World Series the first in history to involve two teams who once used to be in the same league! AND, played each other in the LCS....1980's NLCS.
As the web says, "Astros vs. Phillies in NLCS was one of the greatest matchups in MLB history. Four of the five games went into extra innings and featured legends like Astros Nolan Ryan and Joe Niekro and Phillies Pete Rose, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt." Astros didn't appear in a WS until 2005 against the White Sox, so we know who won '80s NLCS!
Thanks, too, for the congrats! My plan is to drop an article on Saturday morning about the making of a World Series Championship ring, using the 'Stros' 2017 bling as an example of seeing how Josten's went about designing (with front office guidance, of course) and crafting the hardware each winning player is awarded the following spring by the Commish! Stay tuned!😁
From what I've seen, the guiding principle in designing sports championship rings is, the more over-the-top, the better 😉!
Thanks for the suggestion and invitation. I'm flattered, but I should give you time to get your collaboration with Kryze on firm footing, and I also have a lot on my plate right now with work, but I love the idea. By the way, I read some of your review (still haven't played the link) and one thing we share is a love of strongly melody-driven music (without autotune). One of the reasons I have ended up so interested in bands from Europe and Japan is that many of them still compose melody-driven songs. Don't get me wrong, I am fascinated by prog metal and some of the modern classical composers, but euphony is still a real thing.
Love the set-up here, with your mutual love of music strong enough, I'm sure, to bridge the generational/genre gap. At 61, I guess that puts me firmly in Brad's camp, and I certainly lean towards a similar hankering for a good melody and strong verse/chorus structure, but I agree there's plenty of new music that ticks all those boxes every bit as well as the old stuff.
I look forward to seeing how this develops, and https://challenge69.substack.com is certainly up for the 'challenge' once you're ready to invite in more players.
PS. Ben has already signed up to read my music themed novel, so come on Brad, given you're from 'My Generation' surely you should be joining him (at the link above, it's free!) Tim
Thanks, Tim! Feel free to hit up myself or Ben to play a round of "C,BW"! As you and I are in the same general generation camp, spinning the roulette wheel of tunes with Ben supplying you the lead-off song might be the way to go!🎵👍
This is a great read, Brad!
i don't remember hearing that song by Rick ,though...
Thanks, Jo! Share the kudos with Ben Kryze, though (he writes Small Ears @ https://smallears.substack.com/), who asked me, originally, to collab with him...and, here you have it! I'm hoping we can keep the collab going...it's gotten positive buzz! As for that song, I wasn't familiar with it, either, and I'd been a Rick fan for a decade!
He came into my record store in Glendale about 2 months before his "Working Class Dog" album (and "Jessie's Girl" smash) was released in early '81! I'm guessing his ability to roam around the Valley after "Jessie" went to #1 dwindled greatly!
BTW, Jo, as a musician, I know you'd dig the adventures of Stephen Michael Schwartz, a fellow singer/songwriter/guitarist, who recorded an album for RCA Records at age 20 in 1974. He's telling his story with behind-the-scenes peeks into the rock'n'pop Hollywood '70s right here at FR&B!
Stephen, in fact, entered Rick's orbit briefly in '81, just as Rick was hitting the top. Here are Stephen's words from his account of "The Music Shoppe," the '81 sitcom for which he wrote, played and sang the theme song (accessible here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/sticking-to-script-amid-1981-cable)....
Stephen: "Helping me produce and mix [Stephen's re-write of his own theme song composition] was a good friend at the time, Joey Viara, who was working at Sound City Studios, and was connected to Joe Gottfried (Rick Springfield’s manager, and co-founder with Tom Skeeter of Sound City in 1969).
"Joey thought Gottfried would see me as his next Rick Springfield, and wanted me to record some songs to present to Gottfried.
"Gottfried and I did some work together for a short time, but I knew I was not his focus, and was put in the backseat while Springfield was in the driver’s seat."
If you want to start the fascinating (and historical....you'll see!) story of Stephen's rock'n'pop journey, it all started in 1975 when I interviewed David Cassidy....and, Stephen's name actually came up! It's here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/in-a-houston-penthouse-with-david
Enjoy, and again, thanks for joining us!
Ok, I just played the two songs. Brad, I pretty much agree with your observations on "Balcony"--sounds processed, which is ok but not my thing. It's very much the current thing in pop--light, breezy, a little jazz/funk noodling but nothing technical except the post-production. They seem to have nice voices but I want to hear them raw, and I just need music to be more ambitious. The Springfield song I had never heard before, but it is smack dab 80's ballad. In that era I was listening more to fusion and new wave, or I assume I would have heard this! By the way, both songs are very lyrics-driven, as Kryze implicitly pointed out, and I tend not to pay too much attention to lyrics--otherwise I would have a hard time with all these Japanese bands!
Believe it or don't, I don't recall ever hearing THAT Springfield song, either (and I've been a fan since his early '70s days on Capitol and Columbia)!
I just dialed up rock M-F duos, and one of the only ballad-y songs that came up was this one! And, you and I, too, are in the same boat, lyric-wise! Which is why I'm glad Ben covered 'em like Aunt Jemima on a buttermilk stack!🥞(Mmmmmmm....pancakes)
You probably know this one. Suzie Quatro was huge across the ocean and down under, but her only U.S. hit was this pop duet with Chris Norman, where she traded in the leather and the snarl for satin and lipstick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1PcY59AX2Q
Yeah, that woulda been a good one to run by Ben, but he did a bang-up job with the Rick'n'Randy tune! Suzi and Chris actually were introduced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (aka Chinnichap), longtime '70s Brit songwriters/producers who wrote "Stumblin' In," Chris's first solo effort after a few years with the band Smokie.
I was a bit of an Anglophile back in the day, buying UK rock rags like Sounds, NME, and Melody Maker from the early '70s thru late '70s (a week later--arriving by air--at Bellaire News in SW Houston)! That's how I'd get all the news on Genesis, Bowie, Roxy, Bolan, et al! And, that's on top of grabbing all the domestic mags like Creem, Crawdaddy, Hit Parader, Circus, PRM, etc! It's a wonder homework ever got done!
They also covered acts who never had records released in the states, like Showaddywaddy, Mud, Alvin Stardust, and early Smokie. One had to get their albums in the import section at record stores....assuming they A) had an import section, and B) they would or could order it if you asked them!
Chinnichap actually tried to talk Smokie into performing in leather, like Suzi, but they refused, opting for a nondescript mix of jeans and wide collars! Some of that may have also informed Suzi's image change from leathers to a softer, more "girlie" look for the duet! Fun stuff!🎸🎶
Trust you to have the back-story! That is hilarious, but actually, from a modern perspective, it would have been even hotter to do it Suzi style. I have a column in the works about her, and I found out one person actually wrote a PhD thesis about her. If you have sources, I'd love to tap them.
I'll see what I can dig up on Suzi.....between World Series games, of course! If I can use her in one of my sideline projects (Inside Tracks or GROW BIGGER EARS....can't see doing an Audio Autopsy on her), we could cross ref each other when both are released, linking to each's articles!
Short of that, I'll see if I can dig up info you might not get from Ye Olde 'Nette and/or your Dr. Quatro source!
Hey, this is a great concept! I haven't had the chance to read and play through, but will certainly do so! Brad, I haven't followed baseball since I was a kid, but I believe congratulations are in order on the Astros heading for the World Series. I'm confused though, I thought they were in the National league...?
Thanks! Ben (Kryze) and I are proud of it! He wanted to collab, and I took what was unique to each of us and capitalized on it! Together we had a sack full of differences, so we took our similarities (loving music and writing on the 'Stack!), and used THEM to whelp a new track!
It looks like it'll have legs, so I look forward to more! Holler (now that you've seen the premise) if you think you'd like a stab at it with me (or him, for that matter)!
The 'Stros were strong-armed (I think $$ was involved...ya think?!) to switch leagues in '13. It then made each division in each league equal with 5 teams apiece. Which makes this World Series the first in history to involve two teams who once used to be in the same league! AND, played each other in the LCS....1980's NLCS.
As the web says, "Astros vs. Phillies in NLCS was one of the greatest matchups in MLB history. Four of the five games went into extra innings and featured legends like Astros Nolan Ryan and Joe Niekro and Phillies Pete Rose, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt." Astros didn't appear in a WS until 2005 against the White Sox, so we know who won '80s NLCS!
Thanks, too, for the congrats! My plan is to drop an article on Saturday morning about the making of a World Series Championship ring, using the 'Stros' 2017 bling as an example of seeing how Josten's went about designing (with front office guidance, of course) and crafting the hardware each winning player is awarded the following spring by the Commish! Stay tuned!😁
In case you didn't see this: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/25/sports/baseball/astros-phillies-1980-nlcs.html
From what I've seen, the guiding principle in designing sports championship rings is, the more over-the-top, the better 😉!
Thanks for the suggestion and invitation. I'm flattered, but I should give you time to get your collaboration with Kryze on firm footing, and I also have a lot on my plate right now with work, but I love the idea. By the way, I read some of your review (still haven't played the link) and one thing we share is a love of strongly melody-driven music (without autotune). One of the reasons I have ended up so interested in bands from Europe and Japan is that many of them still compose melody-driven songs. Don't get me wrong, I am fascinated by prog metal and some of the modern classical composers, but euphony is still a real thing.