Tune Tag #31 with Kal Hodgson of Kalowski's Substack, Pt. 1: Squeeze, Ryan Adams, Kiss, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Julian Cope

A new record for your collection? Music from across the Atlantic and specific: Oceans of sound, in fact, wash ashore revealing more the similarities than the differences. Sea for your shelf.🌊💿💽

Yo, #94! Tag, You’re It!

Tune Tag Welcomes #94…..uh, I mean, Kal Hodgson!

“A mathematician and teacher by day in South Manchester, UK, I wanted something to exercise my thinking, my writing and my love of music. My “Kalowski’s Substack” is simply designed to write about my personal experiences with music.

“I have found much of my writing is steeped in nostalgia, memory and anecdote, but I don't aim for that - I write organically, just see what emerges. So for the last ten months I have written about a range of artists, and I aim to continue to do that, weekly, at Friday 5pm (GMT) for as long as I can.”

Kal’s Song #1 sent to Brad: Julian Cope, “Sunspots,” 1984

Kal’s rationale: Taken from his second solo album, Fried, released in 1984, I chose this because it is a perfect example of the ‘80s revival of psychedelia, with remarkable guitar sounds from the late Steve Lovell (who also produced this track), Donald Ross Skinner and “Brother Jonno” Johnson.

A commercial disaster, both as a single and the accompanying album, it’s a song that Cope-heads absolutely love, and is a great reminder of just how wonderful Julian can be. Sadly, Polygram disagreed, and dropped him from its Mercury affiliate after the album peaked at #85 in the UK. [Brad, with the American POV: Curiously, the album wasn’t initially released in the U.S., but eventually found its way in 1990, via CD re-issue on domestic Mercury/Polygram.]

Brad’s response: I’ve only ever known the name, Julian Cope (and the existence of his previous musical romp in the “post-punk neo-psych” Teardrop Explodes out of Liverpool).

By 1983, I was out of “the biz,” and embarking on a return to college, at 28, to pursue an entirely different professional route. So, Cope’s music, for me, has gone unheard! While one would wonder why Master Cope would pose naked on the cover of Fried, clad only in a tortoise shell, it only served to inspire my Tune-Tagged reply to Kal’s first song, without even hearing “Sunspots”!

I’ve since heard it, and I really appreciate Kal’s pinpoint-accurate depiction of the song’s psychedelic essence, as well as the guitar work. With Cope currently at 66, I wonder if this film ever came about:

From a 2010 UK Independent article I found: “Now the curious story of Julian Cope, former Smash Hits cover star, practicing druid, and great British eccentric, is set to be turned into a feature film.”🤷‍♂️

Shell If I Know!🐢

Brad’s Song #1 sent to Kal: Squeeze, “If It’s Love,” 1989

Kal’s response: Ah, how I love Squeeze. Great choice. I think this was chosen because they were dropped by their record label after the release, in fact, whilst they were touring the album. Difford and Tilbrook are one of the great songwriting partnerships. [Brad: Truer words were never spoken, Kal, as readers can affirm here]:

Audio Autopsy, 1984: The Difford & Tilbrook Duo LP, Labelled With Squeeze

Brad’s rationale: Is there anyone here who’d like to join me in asserting that the Frank album jacket (shown above on Spotify link) is a subtle “dig” or gentle nod to Julian and his similarly-titled Fried album title, 5 years later? Thankfully, Difford and/or Tilbrook chose not to pose on the cover with a turtle shell…with or without clothing!

As the Squeeze dudes learned, apparently, nothing signals so clearly to the label execs you’ve got your personal act together than lifting the home off a Testudine reptile for your meeting with an art director! Let Jules be Jules should be our musical mantra!✊

Kal’s Song #2: Elvis Costello, “From a Whisper to a Scream,” 1981

Brad’s response: As the live studio taping of the Jim’ll Fix It UK TV show depicts, Squeeze-er Tilbrook joins Elvis on this 1981 single, the second from Costello’s Trust album (F-Beat Records/UK). Interestingly, the song was not released in the U.S. as a single, but it nevertheless, received airplay on various AOR and college stations. In fact, the song got to #46 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, marking the first time an EC song made the Top 100 of any U.S. chart, according to Treblezine.com.

Guitar was added, in the studio recording, by ex-Graham Parker and the Rumour guitarist, Martin Belmont. Nick Lowe and Roger Béchirian produced. More Elvis:

Wholly "Toledo"! My Long Drive To Find the 1998 Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach Classic

Kal’s rationale: Chosen simply because Glenn Tilbrook contributes vocal to the song. I utterly love Elvis Costello, especially his work from the late-‘70s to the late-’80s.  There was a strong link between Squeeze and Costello throughout the ‘80s. Elvis produced and sang a line on Squeeze’s 1981 “Tempted,” for example. Apparently Costello met Tilbrook and Difford at a bar and they went on to “forge a lifelong friendship,” with Squeeze supporting Costello on his 1980 tour.

Brad’s Song #2: Difford & Tilbrook, “You Can’t Hurt the Girl,” 1984

Kal’s response: This is Squeeze in all but name, and continues the Tilbrook connection through each song. It’s not a song I know well, and it’s interesting to hear those mid-‘80s synth sounds but just perfect synchronicity between their vocals, as usual. It’s a great song, really reflective of that Beatles-like partnership they had.

Brad’s rationale: So many places to go from this one! Tilbrook guested, of course, on the Elvis song, so it made sense to add another piece to Glenn’s career puzzle in this Tune Tag!

In contrast to Kal’s “not knowing the song well,” the D&T “solo” album (produced by Tony Visconti) was one of just a couple of cassettes I took with me to Camp Perkins in Ketchum, Idaho in the summer of ‘84. I was Assistant Camp Director and a counselor, and daily breaks would find me lying on my cabin’s bed playing this album incessantly (and happily) on a portable cassette player! Know it well?✅

Kal’s Song #3: Little Anthony & the Imperials, “Tears On My Pillow,” 1958

The group on the The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show, January 2, 1960:

Brad’s response: Is Kal choosing this Little Anthony & The Imperials (2009 Rock Hall of Fame inductees) song because Difford & Tilbrook recorded a song called “Tears for Attention”? If so, that’s a sly and clever TT curve connection; I like it!

Kal’s rationale: The last line of the Difford and Tilbrook song, “You Can’t Hurt the Girl,” ends with “You can’t hurt the girl without tears on her pillow.” That made me think of this wonderful slice of ‘50s doo-wop: It’s a perfect example of the genre, with Little Anthony’s echoing vocals just icily sweet and peerless. I could listen to stuff like this all day.

Brad’s reply: Well, I was close! At least I guessed a song on the album! And, Kal’s new to the Tune Tag arena; TT veterans will know that lyrics and awareness of them is not exactly my strong point! I got the “tears” reference…close enough for jazz!

Brad’s Song #3: Dean Friedman, “Ariel,” 1977

Dean Friedman, at 63, performs “Ariel” before an intimate audience in 2018:

Kal’s response: I guess you chose this because “Tears On My Pillow” is referenced in this one. A one-hit wonder in the U.S., but not one that got much airplay in the UK. I didn’t know this one, but it’s very of its time - real ‘70s singer-songwriter pop. I used to hate stuff like this but as I’ve got older, I’ve warmed to what I think of as “kooky” ‘50s-influenced pop that’s slickly-produced and full of sheen. And charm.

Brad’s rationale: Dean name-checks Sylvester Bradford’s (music) and lyricist Al Lewis’s “Tears on My Pillow” in his 1977 “Ariel,” produced by Rob Stevens from Freidman’s self-titled debut. After 22 weeks on the U.S. Billboard pop chart, it topped out at #26. Born and raised in Paramus, NJ in 1955, Dean was 9 when he took his bag of saved quarters to famed Manny’s Music in New York City to buy his first guitar, and began writing songs.

The year was 1964, and while I can’t find confirmation, it’s likely Dean saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of that year. That landmark performance inspired many to pick up guitars and start playing and writing!

The Beatles Diaries: Celebrating 60 Years and The Feb 9, 1964 Appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"

Up’n’Adams!

Kal’s Song #4: Ryan Adams, “Sylvia Plath,” 2001

Brad’s response: Plath, a poet (who advanced “confessional poetry”) and novelist who died in ‘63 at 33, suffered from depression; did Kal send this after all our pillow tears?

If so, (and hoping against hope that she might’ve recorded a song called, “Ryan Adams”), I guess I could easily follow this with…

Kal’s rationale: From one singer-songwriter to another, I can’t hear the title, “Ariel,” without thinking of Sylvia Plath. I think we’ve all had to reflect on Ryan Adams following the revelations he’d been so horrible to so many women, but when I can manage to separate the art from the artist, I have to say I always loved the album, Gold, and this song is a lovely example of the pretentious but enjoyable work he could produce.

Brad’s Song #4: Bryan Adams, “Hidin’ From Love,” 1980

Kal’s response: I’d always heard that Ryan Adams hated it when people joked about Bryan Adams, but when I saw him at Manchester Apollo (shown above) around 2005, he was laughing about it, even singing a portion of “Summer of ‘69.” This shows you how one letter can make a huge difference. I’d much rather listen to Ryan than Bryan!

Let it “B”: While certainly not separated at birth, what are the odds Bryan (r) and the “B”-less Adams (l) could actually be birthday “twins”? Bryan Guy was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on November 5, 1959, while David Ryan drew first breath in Jacksonville, NC on Bryan’s 15th birthday in1974! Again with that pesky extra “B,” the icing on the cake: Rumors persist that the two, instead of exchanging cards each November 5th, prefer to trade cakes. You guessed it: they exchange carbs. While he certainly could, how much would you pay to have Ryan write a song called, “Summer of ‘96”?

Brad’s rationale: Nothing more or other than a cheap (and lazy) one-letter difference in names! As one who’s heard (and had) Bryan’s ‘80 debut album (and no others, I hasten to add), I always wonder if “today’s kids” who are fans of Ryan have even heard of Bryan. Apparently so, now having read Kal’s response! Bryan co-produced his debut album along with Jim Vallance (who we’ll bump into again in just a moment).

In 1982, former Bay City Rollers guitarist, Ian Mitchell and his Rosetta Stone, covered Bryan’s “Hiding From Love” (thoughtfully returning the errant title “g” Bryan saw fit to drop). Rosetta Stone, it should be quickly noted, is not at all to be confused with 2017 Rock Hall of Fame inductee, the Godmother of rock’n’roll, Rosetta Tharpe:

🙀A TUNE TAG FIRST! A BONUS SONG #5!🤯

Kal’s Song #5: Kiss, “War Machine,” 1982

Live from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino during their 2014 residency (sans Vincent):

Brad’s response: We stay in that same year for this one: Bryan Adams co-wrote two songs for this 1982 Creatures of the Night album, “Rock and Roll Hell” and “War Machine” (Gene Simmons co-wrote both, as well, joined by Jim Vallance, Bryan’s co-producer on his ‘80 debut album, and longtime songwriting partner). Simmons and Paul Stanley produced the album.

Kal’s rationale: I can’t think of Bryan Adams without thinking of “War Machine” ever since I discovered he played a part in writing it. As I’ve written on my own Substack, I prefer the early work of Kiss, but there’s something about this big, dumb, riff-heavy track that I can’t ignore! It has my favourite member of Kiss on the cover, Ace Frehley, but he doesn’t feature on the album.

[Brad: As is written on the album’s Discogs page, “By 1982, Ace Frehley had quit the band. His appearance on this album’s cover was purely to reassure fans. Vinnie Vincent co-wrote three tracks and performed on a total of five.”]

Brad’s Song #5: Dan Hartman, “Time and Space,” 1978

Call this 1982 Kiss minus 4, circa 1978: The players on the Dan Hartman “Instant Replay” album and shown on the video below (l-r): Hilly Michaels (drums), Hartman (keys, lead vocals), Vincent Cusano aka Vinnie “Wiz” Vincent (guitar, mustache, no “Egyptian Wizard” persona), Blanche Napoleon (backing vocals on album, does not appear in video), and G.E. Smith, (bass).

Kal’s response: Oh, what a brilliant final tag! What a nice connection, with Vinnie Vincent playing on this as well as my track!

Brad’s rationale: For those who may have thought Mrs. Vincent gave in to lazy naming, his real name is not Vincent Vincent Vincent, but Vinnie Vincent has “Vincent John Cusano” scribbled on his birth certificate. A sigh of relief all around.

Vinnie Vinnie, then, is joined here on the video by his session-mates, Hilly Michaels from Sparks (1976’s Big Beat album and resultant tour) on drums, and eventual Hall & Oates guitarist (1979-1985) and NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live band leader (1985-1995), G.E. Smith on bass. Backing vocalist, Blanche Napoleon did not appear in the video, though her vocals can still be heard (as this is a synch-to-track video).