Tune Tag #87 with Mark Edward Randall, Pt. 2: Stephen Michael Schwartz, ABBA, Grace Jones, Brenda Russell, Bourgeois Tagg, Dusty Springfield, Rita Jean Bodine
Mark drops by unannounced, but brings a coffee cake and a sack full of bangin' tunes, and we certainly know what to do with both! Pull up a wing chair, and settle in. This is gonna be good!
Welcome to Tub Tag! No? OK….TAG, You’re IT, Mark!
Tune Tag is proud to welcome back of Musings of a Broken Record for his 2nd go-’round!
Mark: I graduated from a Print Journalism/Communication Arts course at Lethbridge Polytechnic (then Lethbridge College) in 2007. During my time in college, I worked as one of two entertainment editors on the college paper. It was definitely an eye-opener.
I’ve since been working in retail for nearly two decades. Last year, with the dread of my 40th birthday approaching, I decided to start writing again. It’s been a challenge; the stuff I write is fairly niche. Despite being a lifelong music fan, I’ve only ever been to a handful of concerts. Unlike most #MusicStackers, I came out of nowhere. My following is fairly small, but I love interacting with my subscribers and getting to know them.
I’ve been collecting vinyl since the late 1990’s. As mentioned in the past, it was a cheap way for me to acquire the older music I loved at the time. I also enjoy reading about popular culture and am a sponge with absorbing useless music information. Though my favourite time period for music is the late 1960’s through to the 1990’s, I also do like some newer music. Chappell Roan is slowly becoming a favourite of mine.
I’ve worked on a number of collaborations with Brad and was really excited when he asked me to take part in another Tune Tag. It’s definitely an honor if you’re part of #MusicStack!
‘Twas last July when Mark made his first trip to Tag-land:
Last week, we were graced by the presence of of Best Music of All Time:
Next week, join us for the first Tune Tag appearance by singer/songwriter/musician, !
Mark’s song #1 sent to Brad: ABBA, “The Name of the Game,” 1977
Mark’s rationale: I told myself ages ago that if Brad ever asked me to do another Tune Tag, I’d pick an ABBA song. I’ve been a huge fan of theirs since I was a child. Several readers have heard my oft-told story about my parents randomly sticking an 8-track player in my room as a kid. It’s how I discovered Olivia Newton-John, Tanya Tucker, and ABBA. I moved on from Tanya Tucker not long after, but ONJ and ABBA have remained a constant.
“The Name Of The Game” is my favourite ABBA song. The lyrics resonate with me, the song structure is perfect, and the harmonizing in the middle seals the deal. It’s easily one of the best things ABBA has recorded, and they have recorded a lot of really amazing stuff.
Brad’s response: I was stunned to find this cover in this week’s Tune Tag travels! A band I discovered when they initially dropped (on a major label, anyway), and one I hope I’m introducing to Mark!
Wiki, take it away! “Any Trouble are a British rock band, originating from Crewe, England, best known for their early 1980s recordings. In 1980, UK’s rock tabloid, Melody Maker, stated that Any Trouble were ‘the most exciting new rock‘n’roll group since The Pretenders.’
“Any Trouble’s founding members, Clive Gregson (guitar), Tom Jackson (vocals) and Chris Parks (guitar), met at Crewe and Alsager Teacher Training College in 1974. Soon after, Mel Harley (drums) and Phil Barnes (bass) completed the line up.
“Initially, Any Trouble were a covers band, playing anything they liked [which would explain their ability and affinity to tackle ABBA, and do a credible and respectful take on it, as well], including songs by Bob Dylan, The Band and a selection of American rock and roll numbers.
“With the advent of punk rock and then new wave, Clive Gregson realised they needed a change of material and started taking songwriting seriously. He explained in a 1999 interview, ‘We were like a human jukebox, and it was obvious to me, then [that] if we wanted to get anywhere, we needed original songs. I started to take it a bit more seriously then.”
After some major-label wooing by the likes of British WEA, Chrysalis, and EMI, Stiff Records came calling, after they heard the band’s debut indie single, “Yesterday’s Love” (their Stiff re-record). Turning down the bigs, the band elected to sign with Stiff, “because they were our kind of people.” Any Trouble with their ABBA cover:
Mark covers ABBA, also, in this “Bubbling Under” from October (click here).
Brad’s song #1 sent to Mark: Bourgeois Tagg, “Best of All Possible Worlds,” 1987
Mark’s response: I had two possible routes lined up depending on where Brad took things. He went somewhere completely unexpected, which I liked.
For some reason I always mistake Bourgeois Tagg for a Canadian band and assumed that’s why Brad picked them. I’m not sure why I always think that. This one stumped me. I’d never heard of any connection between Bourgeois Tagg/ABBA. Googling that turned up nothing, of course.
I’m not sure why Brad picked this. It has a similar opening riff, so perhaps it’s that. I noticed Todd Rundgren produced this, but I wanted to go down a different road with my next pick.
Brad’s rationale: That ABBA song title again? The name of the game? Tune Tag! And, for those who love it, it’s the best of all possible (musical) worlds! Seedless to nay, I’m hoping Mark follows with the (obligatory) Todd song!
As for Brent Bourgeois and Larry Tagg, they formed the band in Sacramento, CA, in 1984, with guitarist Lyle Workman, drummer Michael Urbano, and keyboardist Scott Moon. Bourgeois played keyboards, Tagg played bass (and wrote this song), and both shared lead vocal duties.
Yoyo (with “Best of All Possible Worlds” its lead-off track) was produced by Todd Rundgren. The album’s first single, “I Don’t Mind at All,” peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #35 in the UK Chart. Here’s the duo, from 1987, performing “I Don’t Mind at All” on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson:
Mark’s song #2: Grace Jones, “Slave to the Rhythm,” 1985
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