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.🌊💿💽
This was so good. What a way with words you have, Brad, putting the story together, crafting the narrative. It never fails to amaze me.
I love Kal’s work and I always look forward to his posts on Fridays. I already knew he knew his stuff, but this has just added a whole new layer of respect. All that technical information whilst never losing sight of the tunes’ vibe and overall feel. This is what music writing is all about, and you both are masters at it.
I particularly enjoyed all the chart/numerical data you both gave, and the two perspectives across the pond. Brilliant work.
Thanks so much, Andy! Kal, take a 🎀....and a bow! I only discovered, part-way in, that he was in the UK! Maybe I'm like a fender after a minor accident: a little dents. And, as we've both found, Andy, those different-country POVs are fun and invaluable!
Martin Mull is my palabra guru, Andy. He still is, even after discovering, just now, that 'twas Steve Martin, apparently, who's given credit for this quote: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/541557923931184069/
Maybe I heard Martin say it once....they did share a radio show once, "The Steve Martin Mull Show," so maybe that's the cause of my confusion.
And, Daddy.....what a word magician HE was!
I look forward to catching up on Kal's work, and welcome his addition to the Music Stack reading room! I, too, was impressed by the keen and knowledgeable arrows he was pulling out of his qureative quiver!
Loved this TT. Many of my all-time faves in this one, and a few I did not know at all. Had never seen that live "Whisper to a Scream" EC video before. Very strange bit about giving the kid the roadie jacket. And that Squeeze performance was also stellar. Oh, those days when MTV was airing smart programming....long gone.
I was happy to see Kal start it all off with Julian Cope. It took until song #3 to break away from the UK pop of the '80s. I was unfamiliar with Dean Friedman. I can't say I'm going to look into his discography. I also was a big Ryan Adams fan about the time of Gold (and before that too) and it's still the pinnacle of his career. He's been releasing albums like hotcakes the last few years -- I believe 3 of them last year. There's actually some good stuff on them, but he has lost his editor muscle. Maybe it's because he has so much more time now, since he can't go around abusing women anymore.
Thanks, Steve! That Elvis video was new to me, too, and I tried to make sure, in the day, to catch all of his! I loved the shot of that lad twiddling the sound board knobs! And, that D&T "unplugged" segment was really cool and unexpected!
Dean was def a one-hit wonder with his "Ariel," and I didn't find the rest of his album that fascinating. I will say that one song, much like "Magic" by Pilot, "Shannon" by Henry Gross, and a couple others that escape me at the moment, is such a unique approach to songwriting and singing! These are also the things that tend to make these artists "one-hit wonders"! It's tough to replicate these lightning strikes, and they'd be unwise to even try!
As a kid growing up in the '70s whose love for music was fostered via 'Kiss Alive!;' I always thought that 'Creatures of the Night' was the band's way to try and work its way into the burgeoning metal scene of the 80s. They have that chameleon ability to test the waters - everything for a hit or, in Gene's case, for a buck. It's definitely one of their heavier albums, but by 12, I had moved fully into the New Wave of British metal camp. My favorite member was also Ace, and when it came out, I think I had read he wasn't involved.
Thanks, Michael! 'Twas fun bringing Kal aboard and joining the ever-bulging guest list at this year's Tune Tag Holiday Party (which I certainly hope to see you at)! As for Kiss testing the waters (or diving for dollars...I see you, Gene!), many point to Paul's disco song about checks, "I Was Made for Cashin' You" to be their jump-the-shark moment.
While released in '75, I remember a small army of 12-year-olds marching in and buying "Alive" by the armloads by the time I hit retail (at Houston's Cactus Records) in about '77. I know I remember their simultaneous solo albums....we ended up creating new divider cards for each, while also placing a couple of each in our KISS section!
Yeah, we had a brief mention, in this Tag, of Ace not playing on the album, but nevertheless pictured on the cover to "reassure fans" as I think the label/band narrative spin went! Thanks again!
My first concert was Kiss in 1979 on their 'Dynasty' tour. The writing was on the wall, for sure. I think "Beth" also did a lot (for better or worse) for their image. I mean, watching a sinister and young Gene Simmons interview on the Mike Douglas show in 1974 and then two years later, the band releasing the highly orchestrated "Beth" was quite the change. But their popularity also exploded with young kids like myself! In my 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade class photos, I am front and center wearing Kiss t-shirts, and by '77 I was officially registered in the Kiss Army!
It's great to hear first-hand '70s memories from someone besides me! With things like "Beth" and "I Was Made...", I wonder what the in-band scuttlebutt was....I mean, those radical genre/arrangement twists had to have been discussed within! While they (like most) certainly wanted to milk what's worked, they (like many) dare not kill the golden goose....Bogart (or someone in their orbit) had to have been hinting to branch out, and expand their already-massive audience (like Genesis grabbing gals in the '80s with Phil's solo and group ballads, etc)! "Beth," for instance, had to bring in the ladies to an Army already brimming with testosterone!
As for Mike Douglas, he was the most "progressive" and rock-forward of the then-talk show hosts (even....especially being on in the afternoon)! He had John and Yoko, and I forgot he had a '74 Gene in early Kiss-days! Did you know, Michael, that the Kiss doods and the New York Dolls were good friends? They shared (alternately) rehearsal space at NYC's Mercer Arts Center. Curious how their careers went in wildly different directions!
I knew Ace was a big fan of the Dolls, but I didn't know they shared rehearsal space. Back then, I was too young to understand or enjoy bands like the Dolls or the Stooges. I discovered both bands later as a teen. Cheers for pointing me in the direction of your Dolls article! I look forward to reading it.
The live videos for the Squeeze and Elvis Costello songs are both charming (and, random thought, amusing that the Squeeze performance was from 1989 and Ryan Adams covered _1989_).
I didn't know what you meant, at first....then, I looked up "Ryan Adams" and "1989"......oh, now I get it! Again, clearly I'm as unaware of Ryan as he is of me! One of the many coincidental things I've noticed about TTs.....the unintended alignment of certain songs, dates, etc.....like my "unofficial" entry of the '82 Rosetta Stone/Bryan Adams cover (I just brought it up because it was a Bryan cover of the same song, and I had their album in the day!) is right next door to Kal's mention of the '82 Kiss song, "War Machine," when one had nothing whatsoever to do with the other...but, BAM, there's that year!
Yes, it is mostly just a chronological / numerological coincidence. But it's also a reminder that music in 1989 wasn't only the synth-pop that the Taylor Swift album references (wikipedia says she was inspired by Annie Lennox and Peter Gabriel).
I am happy to see Squeeze represented (I also misidentified the song at first glance-- I saw the title and was thinking of, "Is That Love"; a different song with a similar title).
Squeeze is definitely a favorite around the FR&B offices, ain't gwine-a-lie, Nick! Todd Rundgren's "Izzat Love" would've been a perfect follow-up, too (is that what you were thinking of?)! THAT song is scheduled to make an appearance in an upcoming "Yacht Pop Anchors" segment!
I thought that too Nick. I love Is That Love and at first thought Brad had just given the wrong title. But then I remembered this other great Squeeze track.
This was so good. What a way with words you have, Brad, putting the story together, crafting the narrative. It never fails to amaze me.
I love Kal’s work and I always look forward to his posts on Fridays. I already knew he knew his stuff, but this has just added a whole new layer of respect. All that technical information whilst never losing sight of the tunes’ vibe and overall feel. This is what music writing is all about, and you both are masters at it.
I particularly enjoyed all the chart/numerical data you both gave, and the two perspectives across the pond. Brilliant work.
Thanks so much, Andy! Kal, take a 🎀....and a bow! I only discovered, part-way in, that he was in the UK! Maybe I'm like a fender after a minor accident: a little dents. And, as we've both found, Andy, those different-country POVs are fun and invaluable!
Martin Mull is my palabra guru, Andy. He still is, even after discovering, just now, that 'twas Steve Martin, apparently, who's given credit for this quote: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/541557923931184069/
Maybe I heard Martin say it once....they did share a radio show once, "The Steve Martin Mull Show," so maybe that's the cause of my confusion.
And, Daddy.....what a word magician HE was!
I look forward to catching up on Kal's work, and welcome his addition to the Music Stack reading room! I, too, was impressed by the keen and knowledgeable arrows he was pulling out of his qureative quiver!
Thanks so much again, Andy!
Lol that quote 🤣🤣
Thank YOU, my friend, for always raising the bar! Keeping us all on our toes! 😊
I knew you'd like that! Thx!😁
Loved this TT. Many of my all-time faves in this one, and a few I did not know at all. Had never seen that live "Whisper to a Scream" EC video before. Very strange bit about giving the kid the roadie jacket. And that Squeeze performance was also stellar. Oh, those days when MTV was airing smart programming....long gone.
I was happy to see Kal start it all off with Julian Cope. It took until song #3 to break away from the UK pop of the '80s. I was unfamiliar with Dean Friedman. I can't say I'm going to look into his discography. I also was a big Ryan Adams fan about the time of Gold (and before that too) and it's still the pinnacle of his career. He's been releasing albums like hotcakes the last few years -- I believe 3 of them last year. There's actually some good stuff on them, but he has lost his editor muscle. Maybe it's because he has so much more time now, since he can't go around abusing women anymore.
Thanks, Steve! That Elvis video was new to me, too, and I tried to make sure, in the day, to catch all of his! I loved the shot of that lad twiddling the sound board knobs! And, that D&T "unplugged" segment was really cool and unexpected!
Dean was def a one-hit wonder with his "Ariel," and I didn't find the rest of his album that fascinating. I will say that one song, much like "Magic" by Pilot, "Shannon" by Henry Gross, and a couple others that escape me at the moment, is such a unique approach to songwriting and singing! These are also the things that tend to make these artists "one-hit wonders"! It's tough to replicate these lightning strikes, and they'd be unwise to even try!
As a kid growing up in the '70s whose love for music was fostered via 'Kiss Alive!;' I always thought that 'Creatures of the Night' was the band's way to try and work its way into the burgeoning metal scene of the 80s. They have that chameleon ability to test the waters - everything for a hit or, in Gene's case, for a buck. It's definitely one of their heavier albums, but by 12, I had moved fully into the New Wave of British metal camp. My favorite member was also Ace, and when it came out, I think I had read he wasn't involved.
Nice variety in this tag, as always!
Thanks, Michael! 'Twas fun bringing Kal aboard and joining the ever-bulging guest list at this year's Tune Tag Holiday Party (which I certainly hope to see you at)! As for Kiss testing the waters (or diving for dollars...I see you, Gene!), many point to Paul's disco song about checks, "I Was Made for Cashin' You" to be their jump-the-shark moment.
While released in '75, I remember a small army of 12-year-olds marching in and buying "Alive" by the armloads by the time I hit retail (at Houston's Cactus Records) in about '77. I know I remember their simultaneous solo albums....we ended up creating new divider cards for each, while also placing a couple of each in our KISS section!
Yeah, we had a brief mention, in this Tag, of Ace not playing on the album, but nevertheless pictured on the cover to "reassure fans" as I think the label/band narrative spin went! Thanks again!
My first concert was Kiss in 1979 on their 'Dynasty' tour. The writing was on the wall, for sure. I think "Beth" also did a lot (for better or worse) for their image. I mean, watching a sinister and young Gene Simmons interview on the Mike Douglas show in 1974 and then two years later, the band releasing the highly orchestrated "Beth" was quite the change. But their popularity also exploded with young kids like myself! In my 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade class photos, I am front and center wearing Kiss t-shirts, and by '77 I was officially registered in the Kiss Army!
It's great to hear first-hand '70s memories from someone besides me! With things like "Beth" and "I Was Made...", I wonder what the in-band scuttlebutt was....I mean, those radical genre/arrangement twists had to have been discussed within! While they (like most) certainly wanted to milk what's worked, they (like many) dare not kill the golden goose....Bogart (or someone in their orbit) had to have been hinting to branch out, and expand their already-massive audience (like Genesis grabbing gals in the '80s with Phil's solo and group ballads, etc)! "Beth," for instance, had to bring in the ladies to an Army already brimming with testosterone!
As for Mike Douglas, he was the most "progressive" and rock-forward of the then-talk show hosts (even....especially being on in the afternoon)! He had John and Yoko, and I forgot he had a '74 Gene in early Kiss-days! Did you know, Michael, that the Kiss doods and the New York Dolls were good friends? They shared (alternately) rehearsal space at NYC's Mercer Arts Center. Curious how their careers went in wildly different directions!
ICYMI, Michael....my two '73 weekends with the Dolls: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/into-the-doll-house-with-todd-rundgren-fb6/comments
I knew Ace was a big fan of the Dolls, but I didn't know they shared rehearsal space. Back then, I was too young to understand or enjoy bands like the Dolls or the Stooges. I discovered both bands later as a teen. Cheers for pointing me in the direction of your Dolls article! I look forward to reading it.
All were New Yawkers, so they had to pull together! Hope you dig my Doll exploits!
The live videos for the Squeeze and Elvis Costello songs are both charming (and, random thought, amusing that the Squeeze performance was from 1989 and Ryan Adams covered _1989_).
I didn't know what you meant, at first....then, I looked up "Ryan Adams" and "1989"......oh, now I get it! Again, clearly I'm as unaware of Ryan as he is of me! One of the many coincidental things I've noticed about TTs.....the unintended alignment of certain songs, dates, etc.....like my "unofficial" entry of the '82 Rosetta Stone/Bryan Adams cover (I just brought it up because it was a Bryan cover of the same song, and I had their album in the day!) is right next door to Kal's mention of the '82 Kiss song, "War Machine," when one had nothing whatsoever to do with the other...but, BAM, there's that year!
Yes, it is mostly just a chronological / numerological coincidence. But it's also a reminder that music in 1989 wasn't only the synth-pop that the Taylor Swift album references (wikipedia says she was inspired by Annie Lennox and Peter Gabriel).
I am happy to see Squeeze represented (I also misidentified the song at first glance-- I saw the title and was thinking of, "Is That Love"; a different song with a similar title).
Squeeze is definitely a favorite around the FR&B offices, ain't gwine-a-lie, Nick! Todd Rundgren's "Izzat Love" would've been a perfect follow-up, too (is that what you were thinking of?)! THAT song is scheduled to make an appearance in an upcoming "Yacht Pop Anchors" segment!
I was thinking of the Squeeze song: https://genius.com/Squeeze-is-that-love-lyrics
I haven't heard of that Rundgren song but will look it up.
Another great Squeeze song! Here's the Todd/"Izzat Love"?👇https://open.spotify.com/track/5hb92JsDZjB3PuysBhwTAS?si=0ca1da5d66874058
I thought that too Nick. I love Is That Love and at first thought Brad had just given the wrong title. But then I remembered this other great Squeeze track.