Songs »Ce Garcon

ce garcon les surfsI found the song Ce Garcons from a RC link Marcus wrote up about the lost art of the Scopitone. As he informed us:

“The Scopitone was a sort of ?ideo jukebox' that was first started in France during the 60s then slowly made there way to the US for a short time (there were about 5-600 in the States until the 70s, maybe killed by cable and the beginnings of MTV?). It had a 26″ screen on which a special 16mm music film were displayed.?It operated very similar to a jukebox so I sort of envision a moppy haired mass of teens crowding around it in some bar or coffee house.?Checking out scopitones.com, looks indeed like the French really elevated this art form.?Sort of makes one wants to dig up an old film camera and start a fake band.?Who's with me?”

As for the adorable Les Surfs themselves, I have very little information. The only wikipedia entry is in French and no par lay voo. But the pint sized band also covered Be My Baby.

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Posted on September 28, 2009

Songs »If I Had No Loot

While the vintage quality of the vocal stylings of Raphael Saadiq's solo career were a new discovery (and a wonderful one), this feel-good song by Tony Toni Tone (the band which Saadiq fronted) has been a favorite of mine for years and years.

I was a fifteen year old sophomore when it came out and was probably watching Dazed and Confused, eating cake batter, and hanging out with my girlfriends in one of their basements while listening to it.

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Posted on September 21, 2009

Songs »I Think Of You

renaissance i think of youThe band Renaissance had their own Renaissance when the birdlike voice of Ann Haslam took center stage. While I haven't been swept away by the entire Turn of the Cards album yet, the lovely ballad I Think of You has become a favorite.?

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Posted on September 14, 2009

Songs »Angela (The Taxi Theme Song)

Bob James's huge success with the album Touchdown officially confirmed that the men and women of 1978 wanted their music to rock them about as hard as a Holly Hobbie rag doll.

It's not inspiring per se, but Angela (The Theme to TAXI) does have a soothing, muzaky quality that takes my mind back to pediatricians' waiting rooms, where I can remember playing with Monkeys in a Barrel; the album's cover reminds of the basement rec rooms of friends' dads.

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Posted on September 7, 2009

Songs »What You Won’t Do For Love

what you won't do for love bobby caldwellOh, AM golden goodness roll over me! What You Won't Do For Love makes me feel like I'm being seduced by penthouse views while wearing Harem pants and accepting a glass of sparkling wine.

The song may sound familiar to you from the many, many songs that sample it. This jazzy number was surely the biggest of his career in the US, but I learned from wikipedia that he has a lasting and devoted fan base in Japan. ?br/>

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Posted on August 31, 2009

Songs »Anger Is My Apple Tree

all torn up!Grace graciously invited me to the inner heart of the local mid afternoon socio-political angry punk metal scene last weekend to a All Torn Up! show at ABC No Rio. Lead singer/writer/screamer Chris Waller is a welcome addition to my personal parties and it was invigorating to see him lashing out with his music.

He plays often and you are guaranteed to smell the memorable scent of young boy sweat (which brought me right back to high school) and a woman that looks like a unicorn in human form if you attend one of their shows (the drummers lovely wife is the unicorn).

Our favorite song, especially in title is Anger is My Apple Tree. It comes from their self titled album and its about being angry.

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Posted on August 24, 2009

Songs »If You Were Here

sixteen candles if you were hereSigh. There are few songs that can evoke such deep and romantic emotions as If You Were Here by the Thompson Twins. Of course the impact of the song comes from it's inclusion in the iconic, most sigh inducing scene probably ever put to screen for girls that love to kiss cute boys. My little girl dreams were never the same after it.

Make a wish? It already came true. Thanks John Hughes!

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Posted on August 17, 2009

Songs »For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only, a song on the strange four track release Cherry Bomb: Cherie Currie of the Runaways, sounds a like leather clad, big haired, lady-rock B-side from 1989 though interestingly enough, it was released only a couple of years ago – but I can't find any information on whether the recording itself is new or only just released… But I'd like to think it's a new recording and that Currie just felt compelled to do a brief 2007 recording session between giant chainsaw sculptures (her current passion).

Even though this is pretty an obscure track, it is available on iTunes.

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Posted on August 10, 2009

Songs »Make it Easy on Yourself

The dramatic, sweeping Make It Easy On Yourself could only be the child of Burt Bacharach, the Walker Brothers and a full orchestra under the inspiration of Phil Spector.

Exclaiming that breaking up is so very hard to do, Scott and pals made it to number one in the UK with this one and a none to shabby #16 in the US. The Brothers (who are not really brothers), who hail from LA always got more love and attention from the Brits.

Here's an adorable polite and lovable Gary Walker explaining the song choice “we thought it would be good all around” and a performance from 1965.

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Posted on August 3, 2009

Songs »Somebody Loves You

crystal gale somebody loves youThe genre my friend labeled as “pharmacy rock” (the middle of the road radio music that pumps through rite aids the world over) rarely has me exclaiming “I love this song!” But Crystal Gayle's heartfelt romantic rendition of Somebody Loves You is a beautiful exception. It's the kind of song you imagine really good Midwestern or southern girls putting on their plastic pink record players in frothy bedrooms as they wait for their boys to get back to town.

The song was rerecorded by the queen of rasp, Marianne Faithfull in the Brix Picks album Dreamin My Dreams years later.

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Posted on July 27, 2009