April 4, 2014

Lost In The Flood: Hard-To-Find ’70s Albums (Elton John’s “A Single Man”)

The Analog Kid blog has been featuring out-of-print ’80s albums on “The Lost Boys” series for quite a while, and now it’s time for the ’70s to join the party! “Lost In The Flood: Hard-To-Find ’70s Albums” will give you the chance to listen to some great music from the ’70s that can no longer be easily acquired on-line or at your local record store (especially since many of you probably no longer even HAVE a local record store!).

 

A Single Man began a new chapter in Elton John’s career. The 1978 album was his first without longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin (the early 1978 stand-alone single “Ego” was their last work together for a couple of years), and it was also Elton’s first record without producer Gus Dudgeon behind the board. A Single Man went platinum, but it didn’t yield any substantial hits in the U.S. (“Part-Time Love” reached #21). Perhaps the album would have fared better if MCA had released the gorgeous “Song For Guy” as the lead single– “Song For Guy” was a Top 5 hit in England, but didn’t even crack the Top 100 when released in America months later.

Elton wrote “Song For Guy” on the same day that Guy Burchett, a 17-year-old messenger for Elton’s Rocket Records, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Elton was not aware of his death at the time he wrote the song– he found out about the accident the next day, and immediately christened the beautiful new composition in Guy’s memory. “Song For Guy” is also notable as one of the few Elton John hits written entirely by Elton himself.

A Single Man is currently one of the very few Elton John albums that is out of print. The album may not be an Elton classic, but it blows the Analog Kid’s mind that you can buy 1986’s Leather Jackets on CD but have to scrounge to find a song as stunning as “Song For Guy.”

 

A Single Man 1

Elton John: A Single Man

MCA Records, 1978

 

1. “Shine On Through” (John/Osborne)

Shine On Through

2. “Return To Paradise” (John/Osborne)

Return To Paradise

3. “I Don’t Care” (John/Osborne)

I Don’t Care

4. “Big Dipper” (John/Osborne)

Big Dipper

5. “It Ain’t Gonna Be Easy” (John/Osborne)

It Ain’t Gonna Be Easy

6. “Part-Time Love” (John/Osborne)

Part Time Love

7. “Georgia” (John/Osborne)

Georgia

8. “Shooting Star” (John/Osborne)

Shooting Star

9. “Madness” (John/Osborne)

Madness

10. “Reverie” (John)

Reverie

11. “Song For Guy” (John)

Song For Guy

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Elton John_ Singles & B-Sides 1

Elton John: “Ego” (John/Taupin)

MCA Records, 1978

Ego

 

Leather Jackets

Elton John: “Heartache All Over The World” (John/Taupin)

From the album Leather Jackets

Geffen Records, 1986

Heartache All Over The World

Posted by on April 4, 2014 in Pop, Rock and tagged , , , , , , .

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April 3, 2014

Billboard Top 5: February 19, 1972

This was quite a week: the California Supreme Court abolished the death penalty, President Nixon left for China, Grease opened on Broadway, and John & Yoko co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show. Too bad I was only four years old at the time…

#5:

Harmony

Three Dog Night: “Never Been To Spain” (Axton)

From the album Harmony

Dunhill Records, 1971

Note to Danny Hutton and the rest of the guys in Three Dog Night: I have also been to Oklahoma, and if heaven means 3.2 beer and hundreds of thousands of Sooner fans, I’ll take my chances in hell.

#4:

Climax

Climax: “Precious And Few” (Nims)

From the album Climax Featuring Sonny Geraci

Rocky Road Records, 1972

BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD

“Heh heh…heh heh…climax…heh heh…heh heh.”

#3:

A Song For You

The Carpenters: “Hurting Each Other” (Geld/Udell)

From the album A Song For You

A&M Records, 1972

In 1994, A&M Records released a Carpenters tribute album entitled If I Were A Carpenter. To promote the CD, the label held a concert at the Main Bar in Dallas with local alternative bands performing Carpenters songs. I wasn’t actually in a band at the time, but my friend Dave worked for Polygram and got us on the bill anyways. We put together a group using a bunch of our friends, and we bashed our way through some fun versions of “Help,” “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft,” and “Hurting Each Other.” My friend Simon “sang” lead on “Hurting Each Other,” and I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to Richard Carpenter, the estate of Karen Carpenter, the city of Dallas, A&M Records, the music industry as a whole, and God for what Simon unleashed that night.

#2:

Let's Stay Together

Al Green: “Let’s Stay Together” (Green/Mitchell/Jackson, Jr.)

From the album Let’s Stay Together

Hi Records, 1972

“Let’s Stay Together” had reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 a week earlier, and it remains Al Green’s only #1 hit. The song was recorded on a Friday, released the next Monday, and was officially on the charts by Thursday.

Tina Turner released her own version of “Let’s Stay Together” in late 1983, and its success (it peaked at #26 on the Hot 100) paved the way for the massive Private Dancer comeback album a few months later.

#1:

Nilsson Schmilsson

Nilsson: “Without You” (Ham/Evans)

From the album Nilsson Schmilsson

RCA Records, 1971

Badfinger’s original version of “Without You” is very good, but Harry Nilsson’s epic vocal makes his take the definitive version of the song. It might just be my favorite vocal performance of all time.

About ten years ago, I was in a bar with in Venice Beach with my brother-in-law Dano. We settled into a booth and knocked back a couple of beers, and then Dano pointed to a small framed photo on the wall behind me. It was a picture of Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon– and they were sitting in the exact same spot that we were currently occupying. My butt still tingles whenever I think about it.

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Passage

The Carpenters: “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetery Craft” (Carpenter)

From the album Passage

A&M Records, 1977

Close To You

The Carpenters: “Help” (Lennon/McCartney)

From the album Close To You

A&M Records, 1970

Tina Turner_ Singles & B-Sides

Tina Turner: “Let’s Stay Together” [Single Version] (Green/Mitchell/Jackson, Jr.)

Full-length version from the album Private Dancer

Capitol Records, 1983

No Dice

Badfinger: “Without You” (Ham/Evans)

From the album No Dice

Apple Records, 1970

Posted by on April 3, 2014 in Pop, Rock, Soul/R&B and tagged , , , , , , .

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April 2, 2014

EP-iphnaies: “The Only Flame In Town” By Elvis Costello & The Attractions

As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to  or 33⅓ or 45!

Elvis Costello is the king of the Analog Kid’s digital music collection. There are currently a ridiculous 1,292 Costello songs in my library, due in large part to the fact that his records have been reissued on CD in multiple varying formats over the years. Take This Year’s Model, for example: I own the original Columbia CD, the 1993 Rykodisc reissue, and the 2002 Rhino two-disc set. Each CD has different track listings with multiple bonus track differences, so all are essential to an Elvis nut like me.

Despite all of these reissues and repackages, there are still a few Costello tracks that have never seen the light of day on an official CD release. Two of these tracks are on The Only Flame In Town 12″ single, released domestically by Columbia Records in 1984. The “Special Mix” of “The Only Flame In Town” highlights the great guest vocal appearance from Daryl Hall, and of course manages to throw in some wonderfully dated ’80s remix cliches as well. The b-side “Baby It’s You” (with guest vocals from Nick Lowe) appears on the Out Of Our Idiot compilation as well as both the Rykodisc and Rhino reissues of Goodbye Cruel World, but the “1984 Monster Mix” of “Pump It Up” is also unique to this hard-to-find 12″.

In his liner notes to the Rhino reissue of Goodbye Cruel World, Elvis has this to say about “The Only Flame In Town:”

This was one of two tracks that were given the concentrated production approach and, like many cuts on the record, makes excessive use of the new DX7 synthesizer, the tone of which might as well date-stamp the album to an exact week in 1984. It is not a sound that has improved with age.

That may be true, but “The Only Flame In Town” is still a lot of fun to listen to. It doesn’t really sound like anything else in Elvis’ vast catalog, and this special 12″ remix only adds to its charms.

The Only Flame In Town 1

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: The Only Flame In Town

Columbia Records, 1984

Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

1. “The Only Flame In Town” [Special Mix] (Costello)

2. “Baby It’s You” (Bacharach/David/Williams)

3. “Pump It Up” [1984 Monster Mix] (Costello)

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: “The Only Flame In Town” (Costello)

Promotional video, 1984

TurningTheTownRed

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: “Turning The Town Red” (Costello)

B-side of the 7″ single The Only Flame In Town

Columbia Records, 1984

Baby It's You

The Shirelles: “Baby It’s You” (Bacharach/David/Williams)

From the album Baby It’s You

Scepter Records, 1962

Baby It's You

The Beatles: “Baby It’s You” (Bacharach/David/Williams)

From the album Live At The BBC

Capitol Records, 1995

Posted by on April 2, 2014 in Alternative, New Wave, Pop, Rock, Soul/R&B and tagged , , , , , , .

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April 1, 2014

Groovy Tuesday: Samantha Sang’s “Emotion”

Every Tuesday, the Analog Kid blog goes back in time and features some groovy R&B/soul songs from a specific year. Sometimes you’ll hear songs from individual artists, and other times you’ll get an entire full-length classic LP ripped directly from the Analog Kid’s vast vinyl vault. Warning: by R&B/soul, I also mean disco. I could go all Weather Girls on your ass at any given moment, so just be ready!

 

I just told my wife that I was blogging about Samantha Sang’s “Emotion” today, and she said, “Who?” So I sang her the chorus (in a pathetic wanna-be-Barry-Gibb falsetto, of course), and she exclaimed, “That’s NOT the Bee Gees?”

I imagine a lot of people felt that same confusion back in the spring of 1978. “Emotion” sure sounds like a classic Bee Gees song, which makes perfect sense when you consider the following:

a) It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb.

b) Barry’s unmistakable falsetto carries the chorus. (Anyone else find it a bit odd that a singer named “Samantha Sang” barely even sings on the chorus of her only real hit?)

c) “Emotion” was co-produced by Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, the team responsible for producing all of the Bee Gees’ hits from Saturday Night Fever.

“Emotion” reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 18, 1978. The two songs ahead of it? “Night Fever” and “Stayin’ Alive.” Andy Gibb’s “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (also co-written by Barry and produced by Galuten/Richardson) was at #5 on the chart as well, meaning the Bee Gees were responsible for four of the top five songs in America that week. Anyone care to guess what the non-Bee-Gees song at #4 was that week? If so, put your guesses in the comments section below (hint: the song does actually have a couple of ties to Saturday Night Fever if you dig deep enough!). The first person to get it right wins my undying respect, along with an imaginary voucher for an Analog Kid Blog t-shirt (redeemable if/when I ever manage to get off my butt and make them, which is probably not going to happen anytime soon).

The Emotion album peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and to my knowledge has never been released on a stand-alone CD. The album contains two more songs written by Barry and Robin, along with a cover of the Delfonics’ “La La (Means I Love You).” Samantha Sang released one more album in 1979, and then retired to her native Melbourne. The Bee Gees finally released their own version of “Emotion” on the 2001 compilation The Record: Their Greatest Hits.

 

Emotion 1

Samantha Sang: Emotion

Private Stock Records, 1978

Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

1. “You Keep Me Dancing” (Randell/Linzer)

2. “Charade” (Gibb/Gibb)

3. “Emotion” (Gibb/Gibb)

4. “Change Of Heart” (Carmen)

5. “Living Without Your Love” (Wolfert/Nelson)

6. “La La La I Love You” (Bell/Hart)

7. “But If She Moves You” (Simon)

8. “When Love Is Gone” (Wells/Lai/Evans)

9. “I Don’t Wanna Go” (Roberts/Sager)

10. “The Love Of A Woman” (Gibb/Gibb)

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

The Record_ Their Greatest Hits [Disc 2]

Bee Gees: “Emotion” (Gibb/Gibb)

From the album Their Greatest Hits: The Record

UTV Records, 2001 [“Emotion” recorded in 1994]

Bee Gees_ Singles & B-Sides

Bee Gees: “Stayin’ Alive” (Barry, Robin, & Maurice Gibb)

From the album Saturday Night Fever

RSO Records, 1977

Night Fever

Bee Gees: “Night Fever” (Barry, Robin, & Maurice Gibb)

From the album Saturday Night Fever

RSO Records, 1977

Flowing Rivers

Andy Gibb: “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (Barry & Andy Gibb)

From the album Flowing Rivers

RSO Records, 1977

La La Means I Love You

The Delfonics: “La-La (Means I Love You)” (Bell/Hart)

From the album La La Means I Love You

Philly Groove Records, 1968

 

Posted by on April 1, 2014 in Disco, Pop, Soul/R&B and tagged , , , , , , , .

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March 31, 2014

From Walla Walla, Washington To Kalamazoo…

Today is Opening Day, and the Analog Kid will be spending it in Section 32 at Globe Life Park (I really hated typing that) watching the Rangers and the Phillies. The Rangers may be my favorite team now, but I grew up a Dodgers fan and nothing in baseball is as sacred to me as Vin Scully. My grandfather engineered his radio broadcasts before I was even born, and yet Vin is still going strong. The man is a national treasure.

VinScully

When I was a kid, I always had my transistor radio tuned in to Vin and his partner, Jerry Doggett. Every broadcast opened with “It’s A Beautiful Day For A Ballgame,” and I can’t think of a more appropriate way to start off the season.

Play ball!

The Harry Simeone Songsters: “It’s A Beautiful Day For A Ball Game”

1960

Posted by on March 31, 2014 in Pop and tagged , , , , , .

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