Easy Listening
Another guy that didn’t fit the stereotype at first glance! Once again, we can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Even myself. As diverse as my taste in music is, even I have to be reminded sometimes. Then again, I grew at a time where there was no music streaming. You had to either buy a whole album, or hoped and prayed that a friend had the same album so you can listen to it. Or better yet, ask your friend to make a cassette tape for you! ?? But seriously though. He looked something like my 4th grade math teacher.
No way did I perceive Rupert Holmes as a singer! Never in my wildest of dreams would I have thought that Rupert would produce one of the most popular pop songs to end the 70s with. In 1979, Rupert wrote and recorded a song called “Escape (The Pina Colada Song).” A song pretty much about a guy who’s bored with his girl, and decides to hook up with a stranger. This song not only shot up to #1 on the Top 100 Charts, it stayed #1 for 3 weeks! That was huge in the vinyl era. It almost seemed like he written this song while he was on a tropical vacation or something! He had another song called “Him” that peaked at #6. I wasn’t impressed, but people liked it. The only other song I liked from Rupert was “Get Outta Yourself.” Unfortunately, it appears that song did not register on the Billboard Charts. Shame.
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This very talented gentlemen is jazz musician David Garfield (man… He has a strong Steven Seagal look about him, doesn’t he?). I wasn’t really familiar with his work to be honest. I recently discovered him sometime early this year. He released an absolutely amazing jazz cover of The Police’s 1978 “Roxanne.” Wow! Wow! I love it! This reinterpretation is amazing in so many ways. First, I think when you redo a song that was incredibly popular and successful, people subconsciously expect that song to somewhat sound close to the original (in my opinion). I just think that’s something inherent in most humans.
Second, he just didn’t cover the song, he changed the way our minds interprets the song entirely. David basically took his version of “Roxanne,” a song that was in essence about a man in love with a hooker, and made that song sexy with his jazz style. I think that’s deep ?. Now, it appears he’s a pure instrumentalist, so I’m not really sure who exactly the lead singer of this song. There were several people involved on this single release. If I find out, I’ll update this post. Now, I have to be honest, other than his Roxanne cover, I wasn’t too impressed with his music. That’s not to say he isn’t talented, he is.. It’s just not enough to cause me to save in a playlist (other than Roxanne).
Oh, my goodness! How’s this for back in the day nostalgia? I love me some Kenny G. It’s funny, if I didn’t know who Kenny was, and I was blindly looking for a good instrumental album to purchase, judging from this album cover I don’t think I would have picked up this one. Which always reminds me of that ol’ saying, “never judge a book by it’s cover.” This same album happens to have one of my favorite Kenny G pieces called “Silhouette (1988).” Kenny seems to have this strange and unique ability, to almost make his instruments romantically sing to you! If that make sense.
Another great tune from this same album is called “All In One Night (1988).” In my opinion, Kenny G is one of the very few instrumental artists that not only managed to break through mainstream music, but continued to keep the interest of a wide range of music lovers. That’s pretty impressive, considering that most people today are very picky with their musical tastes.
Kenny’s musical writing, and performing style is like no other.I think my ultimate favorite came from his first or second album. The piece was called “Songbird (1986).” Do you guys remember this one? Tell me this is not one of the most romantic saxophone sounds you’ve ever heard? Songbird hit #4 on the Top 100 Charts. Another beautiful piece I recommend you should check out is “Forever In Love (1992).” Absolutely a beautiful (in my opinion). This is a perfect song to have dinner with someone special. Definitely! Kenny has been around a long time, since ’73 to be exact, and he’s still performing all around the world. Even if we don’t hear his music anymore, he’s still a very accomplished musician.
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Hey guys! Today I want to write about the phenomenal Linda Ronstadt. You know, not because I love Linda’s music tremendously, sometimes I still don’t think the music industry acknowledges her contribution enough. I mean, this may sound a bit negative (I’m open to being wrong), but I really don’t recall her being acknowledge for any lifetime achievements until just before or just after it was confirmed that she has Parkinson’s disease. Unfortunately, because of her illness, she had to retire from performing. I put together an awesome playlist that contains 19 of my most favorite Ronstadt songs!
In my opinion, Linda is one of many artists that should always be celebrated. Why? Not only is she Mexican decent, she’s bilingual. Not only is she bilingual, I’ve heard her perform just about every single genre (except rap) ?. I’m not kidding. From Mariachi, country, pop, folk, sang on movie soundtracks, you name it, Linda has done it! She’s also probably one of the few artists, that has done more covers of other people’s music and struck gold (with most, if not all of them).
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Out of 34 songs that registered on the Top 100 Charts, Ronstadt managed to acquire one #1 hit, and 10 Top Tens. However, she also had a lot of Latin hits that were not on the chart (which I’ve included in this playlist). One of my top favorites is a song she sang with the late James Ingram, for the movie “An American Tail (1986),” and the song is called “Somewhere Out There.” Another great song, originally sung by Dee Dee Warwick is “You’re No Good (1964).” The composition of this song is badass! I loved this song so much, I’ve always wished for an instrumental version. On the Latin side, there are a couple of great songs she has on her album called “Conciones de mi Padre (1987).” I actually remembered when she was promoting this album on one of the night time talk shows. Can’t remember who it was, maybe it was David Letterman. Anyway, a famous cover she sang I love is “La Cigarra.” I believe it was originally sung by Lola Beltran. I love both versions. Oh my goodness, they both ripped this song to shreds! One more fun classic “La Charreada.” I absolutely loved when she sang those very long notes. She had a strong and powerful voice. Check out more of her amazing hits here.
You know, at first impression, looking at a photo of these two guys I’d bet most people don’t think much. You’d probably think that these were the typical 70s men who loved to go to bars and drink all night. However, England Dan & John Ford Coley are musicians who managed to produce one of the most popular romantic songs of the 70s! I can’t exactly call them a “one hit wonder,” but, unfortunately, there was only one song I liked, and it became one of my most favorite easy listening songs!
That song was called “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight (1976),” which shot up to #2 on the Top 100 Charts. Now, as I’ve said, they’ve managed to produce several other hits such as, “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again (1978),” and “Love Is The Answer (1979).” But, hands don’t “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” is what they’re remembered for (at least those of us who are old enough to remember). England Dan passed away at the age of 61.
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I guess it’s safe to say that the late Bob Welch’s music has fill in to the obscure category by now. I don’t think anybody listens to him anymore, that includes myself. The last time I heard anything from him was when I was a teenager. Welch only had one major hit in his career, which happened to be my only favorite from him. The song was called “Sentimental Lady (1977),” off his album “French Kiss.” Listening to this song was almost like listening to a mellow version of the Beach Boys (in my opinion). It was a nice song though.
You couldn’t get more easy listening than this song. It reached #8 on The Billboard Charts, and as far as I can tell, it was the biggest hit of his career. His second popular song from the same album was “Ebony Eyes.” I didn’t particularly care for this song, but a lot of people liked it. Before Welch took off on his solo career, he was a former member of the legendary band Fleetwood Mac as a guitarist/vocalist from 1971-1974. Sadly, at the age of 66, Welch died from a self inflicted gunshot.
Alright! This is probably the shortest blog post I’ve ever written ?. Yesterday, I’ve discovered an artist by the name of Joey Quinones. It appears that he only released one single this year, it’s called “Don’t Tell Me (2019).” I absolutely LOVE this song! I love the classic feel of the song, I love his falsetto, and I love the classic art he chose for the album cover. Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about him. He doesn’t even appear to be on Bandcamp. Sucks! But check this song out tho, the sh*t is boss!!
The one thing Donna Summer fans can’t complain about, is the fact that Donna left us with more 12 inch singles, remixes, mega-mixes, and more redos we could ever handle. There was a reason why we called her the disco dance queen! She certainly earned that title! The above 12 inch single is probably one of my most favorite Donna Summer dance albums. This is actually a double hit album. Side B has my favorite “Winter Melody (1976).” This was from her “Four Seasons Of Love” Album. However, this extended mix with additional lyrics was not published as a single 12 inch until about a year later (if I’m correct). Unfortunately, because I didn’t own the original album I’m really not sure, it’s an assumption.
You know, Winter Melody was such a mellow “easy listening,” song that sometimes it’s hard for me to still perceive it as disco music. This song always reminds me of just how diverse music is. there are sub genes upon sub genres. On side A of this 12 inch album was a song called “Spring Affair (1976).” This is actually a great disco to do moderate exorcise with. Both these songs was recorded as a combo on American Billboard. I’m guessing this is the actual album I’m writing about, apposed to what was on the original commercial album. They both only peaked at #43. Great songs tho.
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Not sure if many of my blog fans remember an old group called “The New Birth?” (Not to be confused with “New Birth Brass Band”) They were a funk & R&B band from Detroit. This was a gigantic band back in the day. They probably were about the same size (in numbers) if not larger than Earth Wind & Fire. Ha! Those days of big bands and BoysIIMen performers are gone. Your group would have to be pretty spectacular for any label to sign a group of equal size.
I have to say that although I was not turned on by most of their music, that’s not to say that they weren’t a talented group. I wouldn’t hold them under the same candle as Earth, Wind, & Fire, but they were good! They’ve made more than several albums throughout their career, and managed to produce 3 top 10 hits. Their first song to hit #1 was a song called “Dream Merchant (1975).” #4th position was “I Can Understand It (1975).” Their 3rd top 10 hit was ok “It’s Been A Long Time (1974),” which peaked at #9. Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly drawn to those songs despite being huge hits.
However, that changed when I heard a cover they did of one of my absolute favorite songs by Perry Como, “It’s Impossible.” It’s Impossible only reached #12 on the Hot R&B Charts in 1971. You know, even if you didn’t like that kind of music, the lyrics to this song is absolutely the sweetest I’ve ever heard. Also check out their cover of Michael Jackson’s “Never Can Say Goodbye (1971).” Lastly, listen to their cover of Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds’s classic “Fallin’ In Love (1976).” I guess it appears that all the songs I love from them, were all covers.
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From an art perspective, I absolutely love this album cover. It’s extremely simple, and yet the photo suggests a man who is very mysterious. When I first saw this album cover, it reminded me of the movie Dark Man (1990). You guys remember that movie? Starring Liam Neeson? Great movie.
My pick for today is an 80s artist named John Waite. Now, I don’t think that I can say with certainty that John is a “one hit wonder,” simply because he’s from England, and like in America, we have all these different kinds of billboard categories that sometimes make it difficult to measure artists’ popularity or even success.
However, after sifting throw some charts I get a sense John only had one massive hit across the board (which happens to be my favorite). The song is called “Missing You (1984).” “Missing You” reached #1 in both Canada and the United States. In the UK the song peaked at #9. This one song made him a memorable music legend. Before his solo success, he was in a British rock band called “The Babys.”
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I laugh every time I see this album cover. I don’t know why but, they remind me of one of those Sy-Fy movies where the alien is disguised as a human, just waiting for the right time to eat your brains while no one is looking! LOLOL. Even their music was sort of space-aged. The attitude these guys are giving in this photo is liken to that of “Men In Black (1997).” No doubt a dated photo ?. The group I’m writing about to day is called “Soft Cell.”
No Doubt, This Group Was An Acquired Taste.
They were a really popular, and yet awkward 80s group. Marc Almond & David Balls both are from the UK, and they mostly perform synth-pop and new wave music. Well, let me tell ya, no matter how hard they’ve tried, no one seemed to like their music, with the exception of one song that became an explosive hit! It’s really a shame that the public did not take to their music (including myself), because I think Marc had a really nice voice. Maybe his voice just didn’t fit with the kind of music David was putting together.
Record sales were so low that their record label wanted to break the group’s contract early. However, both the label and the group agreed on one last try. The decided to do a cover of an old 1965 song by Gloria Jones called “Tainted Love (1982).” The moment the recording was released, it shot up to #8 on the Top 100 Charts. The song turned out to be the one and only final hit of their career. They’ve tried create that similar formula in their later albums; but their albums never took to music fans. In fact, it was probably their “final nail in the coffin,” as every other album after their hit sounded too much alike. Here is the original 1965 classic from Gloria Jones “Tainted Love.”
I wouldn’t say that Eddie’s 1973 self-titled album was an outstanding album. However, it is his most memorable album because it includes his greatest #1 hit of his career. The song is called “Keep On Truckin’ (1973).” This song was boss back in the day. It stayed number one for two consecutive weeks! Every Black and Pro Black radio station was playing this song! In fact, I remembered the song being so popular, it seemed as though they played it with the same frequency as the commercials.
The late Eddie Kendricks was once a talented member of a legendary group called The Temptations! However, I don’t recall Eddie singing lead on too many songs. Well, I only remembered the couple of huge hits he sang, such as “Get Ready (1966),” “Just My Imagination (1971),” and “The Way You Do The Things You Do (1964).” Despite the climbing success of The Temptations, Both Eddie (and Jimmy Ruffin as well) wanted to pursue a solo career. When Eddie finally left the group, he had a very difficult time. Because as The Temptations continued to spill out hit after hit, Eddie didn’t even make the top ten list, barely Top 40.
I’ve read that The Temptations publicly taunted Eddie as a result of his mediocre success. In fact, The Temptations produced a song called “Superstar (Remember How You Got To Where You Are) (1971),” as a direct response to both Eddie’s departure, and the firing of Ruffin. In the end, everything worked out for both of them (despite the bad blood).
Boogie Down, Was Eddie’s Second Biggest Hit
The second biggest hit of Eddie’s career was a song called “Boogie Down (1974),” which reached #2 on the Top 100 Charts. Let me tell you, I heard soooooo many different LP versions of this song back in the day, it wasn’t even funny. I loved this song though. It was almost like listening to a revamped disco version of the late Curtis Mayfield’s “Super Fly.” Eddie had a very distinct falsetto, and was one of the very few people who could put his falsetto to dance music. Eddie died early in his 50s of lung cancer.
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I wasn’t really sure if I should write about today’s artist because music really wasn’t his “calling.” Well, at least when we look at his movie roster, clearly he was meant to be more of an actor than a singer. The late, legendary Patrick Swayze, was a phenomenally talented actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, and I think choreographer too. Although I can’t find anything confirming that he was a choreographer; somehow, something tells me that he was a huge influence in the movie “Dirty Dancing (1987).” About the beginning of the 1990s, People Magazine voted Patrick “The Most Sexiest Man Alive.”
Patrick has had a pretty successful acting career. Playing in very popular and successful movies such as Ghost (1990), Roadhouse (1989), To Wong Foo (1995), and of course, Dirty Dancing (1987). You may not like all his movies, however, it is very clear he was a phenomenal actor in his own right. He was a rare breed in that, he was one of the very few that could say he was talented in every aspect of the entertainment business.
I estimate between 2007 & 2009, Swayze, confirmed to his fans that he indeed was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was heartbreaking seeing this once incredibly handsome man, have the life literally sucked out of him by cancer. Pancreatic cancer is no joke at all. Like many artists who learn they are terminally ill, they continue working. Around the time of his diagnosis, he was working on the first season of a new TV cop show called “The Beast (2009).” That same year in 2009, after the first season was complete, Patrick passed away.
As far as I can tell, when it comes to music, Patrick has only released one song in his entire career. That one song hit #3 on the Top 100 Charts. It was from the “Dirty Dancing” and it’s called “She’s Like The Wind (1987).” Now, this song is probably way too mellow for most people today. However, it’s a beautiful love song that thrusts you right back to the eighties! I really would have loved to hear more songs from Patrick. I think he would have had a huge music career, just as much as his acting.
Today I’d like to talk about the late legendary Bobby Womack; who is arguably one of the hardest working men in show-business. I say arguably because I think originally the late James Brown earned that phrase. In fact, the music industry used that phrase so much that it literally became James Brown’s slogan. You didn’t even have to mention Mr. Brown’s name, people already knew who they meant. Now, depending on who you talk to, Womack may not have worked as hard as James (comparatively speaking), however, Womack has certainly paid his dues to the industry.
Mr. Womack Was A Secret History Maker!
Womack was one of those secret history makers. The average Womack fan has no idea how much he helped to change history. For instance, did you know Womack wrote and performed a song called “It’s All Over Now (1964)” with his group called The Valentinos; which eventually became The Rolling Stones first number one hit in the UK? Not impressed? Well how about this tidbit… Did you know who originally discovered Bobby Womack and his family? It was the late Sam Cooke! Yup! After Sam saw what the Womack family can do musically, Sam damn near signed Bobby’s entire family to his record label, which was called SAR back then.
Wow, I never realized till today just how much Bobby resembled Lou Rawls. Bobby’s life’s work payed off in a huge way, as he was inducted in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Throughout Bobby’s career, he has worked with some huge names in the business. Many include Sly & The Family Stone, Janis Japlin, and George Benson to name a few. After reading some of the things Bobby has gone through, including the murder of one of his brothers (in Bobby’s home) by a jealous girl friend, noway would I have thought that after all that trauma, he would have had the frame of mind to still be musically creative. This man went through a slot of sh*t. But then again, he had the support that most artists didn’t in his era.
One of my most favorite songs from Womack I can remember, was a cover he did of The Mamas & The Papas’s song “California Dreamin’” in 1969. I actually love both versions. I was blown away Bobby reinterpreted the song inside out. The bass and the rhythm made me feel I was listening to a blaxploitation movie soundtrack. Another favorite of mine is a popular hit called “Across 110th Street (1972),” a story of street life in the ghetto. Also, check out a song called “Lookin’ For A Love (1974).”For some reason, every time I hear him sing “Lookin’ For A Love,” I almost always think of Wilson Pickett.
Unfortunately, although Richard Marx is an incredible performer and talented songwriter, I only really loved one song he recorded (so far in his career). Not that Richard didn’t have hits, he had many. I just only connected with one song. Now, before I reveal my favorite song, allow me to share with you some of his accomplishments. Richard started his career in the early eighties, and performs adult contemporary and pop music for the most part.
Marx collaborated with many artists, including NSYNC and the late Luther Vandross. I haven’t heard anything new by him in like over 2 decades, but homeboy has a lot of faithful fans. I’m pleased to discover that he’s still performing. In fact, he’s playing in Carnegie Hall next week. If he managed to fill-up Carnegie Hall, homeboy has got it goin’ on!
His first self-titled album, released in 1987 I believe, yielded about 3 hits. “Don’t Mean Nothing,” “Endless Summer Nights,” “Hold On To The Nights,” and oh yeah, I guess there was a forth one called “Should’ve Known Better.” Despite these hits, I still wasn’t particularly drawn to his music, until I hard a song from his 1989 “Repeat Offender,” and the song was called “Right Here Waiting.” “Right Here Waiting” is a very romantic soft rock song that hit #1 on the Top 100 Charts, and has been used on many movies and television shows, such as “The Good Place (2018),” and “The Bachelorette (2018).”
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Oh my goodness!!! A true blast from the past!! Do you remember these guys?!?! They seemed to be such an odd couple. I didn’t even know they were dating! I thought they were just together to promote their 1984 hit song “Perfect Combination.” This is the one and only New Edition’s Johnny Gill, and solo artist Stacy Lattisaw! You know, when I looked at Johnny Gill’s young face at the time, I just couldn’t believe that that strong voice came out of a guy that was still pretty much adolescent. “Perfect Combination” reached #10 on the R&B charts; and was released about 2 years BEFORE he was signed on as a new member of the legendary New Edition.
I was flipping through my album collection and thought I’d write about another forgotten composer. The late Herbie Mann was born in Brooklyn NY in the 1930s, and grew up to be a very well known musician/flutist. Herbie has performed many types of music (but mostly classical). However, in my opinion, I think it’s safe to say he is most remembered for some of his disco tunes.
His Music Was Very Popular, But His Billboard Ranks Were Mediocre
It’s kind of weird to explain Herbie’s music, because a lot of his music rankings were mediocre, yet at the same time many of his music were very popular. I guess the only possible explanation for that is his connection to the club & disco scenes. This particular album, “Super Mann,” released in 1978 I feel is his best work. My most favorite song on the album is “Super Mann.” Super Mann is a song with intense flirtatious energy and heavy dance beats. The piece peaked at #26 on the Top 100 Charts.
Another great composition (I think) from the same album is called “Rock Freak.” Both composition are disco infused with a Brazilian influence. Herbie had another hugely popular hit from his “Discotheque” album called “Hi-Jack (1975).” This was my jam back in the day too. This was actually an instrumental cover, taken from the original band called Barrabas. For pure disco fans, I think the works I’ve mentioned in this article will appeal to you the most. Everything else would probably be too mellow for most disco fans. However, if you like instrumental jazz, check out his cover of “Comin’ Home Baby,” written by Ben Tucker, and originally performed by Mel Tormé w/vocals. But it was made popular by a Ray Charles TV performance. I don’t remember if it was a concert or on a variety TV show. I honestly don’t remember hearing Tormé’s original until after I heard Ray sang it. Herbie died while in Mexico c. 2003.
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Harold Faltermeyer is a music composer and record producer born in Munich, Germany. Although I’ve tagged him as being a forgotten artists, technically he’s not depending whether or not we’re talking about the public or the movie industry. Within the movie industry, he is one of the most sought after composers I can think of.
Famous Behind The Scenes
Harold is one of those talented musicians that is famous from behind the scenes. Despite the fact that he has composed scores for some pretty big well known movies, such as “American Gigolo (1980)” starring Richard Gere, and “The Midnight Express (1978),” starring Brad Davis; composers are not given the same notoriety as lead singers to a sound track unfortunately. I’m not quite sure why is that.
I’ve always wondered what is the method of figuring out a truly successful sound track producer? Because it’s not exactly the same thing as your traditional mainstream vocal performer right? Because part of their success is also about the success of the movie, which technically has nothing to do with each other. Someone can make a legitimate argument that people only buy sound tracks when they’re a fan of the movie.
Harold pretty much stayed unknown to most music fans, until his success with “Beverly Hills Cop (1984).” It was so successful, he got a Grammy Award for best original sound track (co-writer) some time in 1986. The composition that blew up the charts was Axel-F. The piece shot to #3 on the Hot 100 Charts. It is probably (as far as I’m concerned) one of the few biggest dance/synth-pop tunes of all times.
OK everybody! Let’s put our hands together for the legendary Regina Belle! You know, I’m not sure if I’m using the word “phenomenal” too much or not. But, sometimes I just can’t think of any other word to describe these very talented artists! I’m also not sure if I can truly say we’ve forgotten about Regina, but certainly, we are not playing her music anymore. Throughout Regina’s career, she didn’t have that many number ones. However, her music is iconic enough to where it’s definitely worth listening to! Especially if you love or are in the mood for mellow/romantic music.
She’s The Queen Of Smooth Jazz
She’s the queen of smooth jazz! Well, this isn’t her official title. However, much of my most favorite music from her has been within that genre. Regina started her career in the mid 80s, and her success landed her the opportunity to perform for former President George W. Bush. After Regina’s scary ordeal with having brain cancer; her loyal fans have never forgotten her, despite not having a #1 hit in decades. I’m going to make the assumption she’s cancer free, since my research alludes she’s still performing.
By the way, I’m pretty concerned with all these celebrities I’m hearing getting all sorts of cancer. This is some scary shit. Anyway, I think the moment I fell in love with Regina’s music, was when I heard her iconic song “Make It Like It Was (1989),” which hit #1 on the R&B Chart, and #5 on the Top 100 Chart. Another favorite is “Baby Come To Me (1989),” which was also number one on the R&B Chart. However, I think the song that really put Regina on the map, was a song called “A Whole New World (Theme From Aladdin) (1992),” a duet with the legendary Peabo Bryson. This song reached #1 in the Adult Contemporary category. From the same album, check out “Quiet Time,” a duet with Barry White. Oh my goodness. Barry had a way of making any song sound sexy as hell.
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You know, Barbra Streisand is one of the very few celebrities where, the mere mention of her name gets a wide variety of responses (depending on the group you’re in). In the gay community, I think it’s safe to say that a significant number of LGBT people (particularly the older group) loves Barbra. However, outside of the gay community is when the responses get really negative.
You Either Hate Her Guts, Or Love Her To Death!
Many people despise Barbra because of her personal political beliefs. Or perhaps more so because she’s a powerful Jewish woman with influence. She’s always been very political ever since I can remember. I guess now that she’s older and has lived an extremely successful career, her outspokenness has become more apparent. In fact, she’s been on Bill Maher’s HBO show called “Politically Incorrect” quite a few times. It shouldn’t be a surprise to people; especially since Barbra has an openly gay son; it’s even more of a reason to fight for equal rights. In fact, her latest album called “Walls (2018),” was inspired by what’s going on within the current Trump administration. As much as I love Barbra, I wasn’t particularly impressed with this album. And judging from the streams, a lot of her fans didn’t like it either.
Some people say she screws her fans, because she charges outrageous prices for her tickets. Well, that may be true. But at the same time, Barbra isn’t just a singer, she’s also a brand. So, if the price of her tickets are the current market value, then it is what it is. The other thing is, I can hear the unique quality of her voice; it’s like no other voice we’ve ever heard. Although I can’t afford her tickets myself, I know there is a value placed on that voice. Which is why she spent her entire life protecting it. Like it or not, she has the voice of a matured, and well trained vocal cords.
They Just Hated Her Music!
I used to hear so many people say, they couldn’t stand hearing Barbra’s music, and they think it’s the worse they’ve ever heard! I was usually taken back by this response/attitude, as if since they say “her music is awful,” then it’s true because it makes sense to them! ?
Well, the fact is whether they “know” Barbra’s music stinks, her fans gave her 2 movie Oscar Awards, 14 Academy nominations, 5 number one hits, and 12 Top Tens! It’s a hard pill to swallow when your opinions doesn’t align with true fans of Barbra’s work. My favorites songs are just too many to post them all on this article, so I’ll just give you a few. I loved “The Way We Were (1974),” although I wish the movie script could have been better. “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (1978),” “Enough Is Enough (1979),” “Guilty (1981),” “The Main Event (1979),” “What Kind Of Fool (1981),” and finally “On A Clear Day (1961).”
You know, having Marilyn Monroe here probably seems a little out of place. Most of the time, when we hear or read anything about Marilyn, it’s usually one of three following things. It’s either about her struggles as an actress; her scandalous relationship with Bobby Kennedy; or whether her death was an accidental overdose or murder. However, as strange as it may seem, I chose to write about her because believe it or not, Marilyn was also a talented singer too. Luckily for us, Spotify has a treasure trove of music history hidden in its massive library.
Happy Birthday Mr. President!
Not to sound arrogant or anything, but… I’m willing to wage a bet that for most people, the only singing anybody has ever remembered by Marilyn (if any) was her famous “Happy Birthday Mr. President.” Marilyn sung Happy Birthday to then president John F. Kennedy, for his 45th birthday in 1962. Well, I guess it would make sense, since back in those days, Marilyn was considered a sex goddess. That performance was such a big deal! LOL. She sang to the president in such a way, that it seemed she was trying to seduce the president on stage! ?
Not only the late Marilyn Monroe could sing, she had several albums to prove it. Now, unfortunately it appears I can’t find any chart information for Marilyn, but that doesn’t mean that she did not have any popular music! Especially when it came to her movie soundtracks! One of the most popular songs I remembered growing up was a song called “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” The song was recorded in c. 1953. She performed this song in the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and it became the inspiration for Madonna’s “Material Girl (1984).”
You know, it’s a shame. Marilyn isn’t really spoken of, unless you happen to watch an old documentary about her, or some sort of conspiracy theory episode on one of those “unsolved mysteries” type of shows. But Marilyn had a powerful influence in American culture. From paintings, to fashion, film, photography, and even music performances. One good example is when Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) from “Bewitched,” turns in to her character “Serena.” She was basically a brunette version of Marilyn. Performers such as Madonna; even Donna Summer! It is said that Donna Summer literally channeled Marilyn when she recorded her hit song “Love To Love You Baby,” in 1975.
I was listening to classic internet radio the other day (which happens to be the best kind of radio nowadays), and “Just You ‘N’ Me” by Chicago came on. I haven’t heard this in ages. Chicago is one of my very, very favorite bands. They had a LOT of hits from back in the day. I place them very high on the music bar; alongside The Eagles, and Earth, Wind, & Fire.
Indeed, One Of The Best Bands Of The 70s/80s
The band Chicago is from Chicago Illinois, and was first formed on the year of my birthday in 1967. For the most part, they’re a soft-rock, & pop-rock. Their original name was “Chicago Transit Authority.” Awhile later they decided to shorten it to just “Chicago.” Chicago probably had more employees over the course of their existence than Earth, Wind & Fire. Actually, probably more than any band.
Unfortunately, there are only 3 original members remaining. Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, and James Pankow. I am so amazed and thrilled that they’re still around. You know, from a marketing standpoint, they knew their brand. Has any of my readers who are fans of Chicago took the time to look through Chicago’s album art? Very impressive, and there is no doubt that this played a part in burning this legendary band in to people’s memory.
Only 3 Members Left!
You know what? Large bands like Chicago, EW&F, MFSB, they where one of a kind. Not just because of their music, but I feel that the way the music industry is now, they would never pay for large bands like this anymore. This generation only seems to focus on single artists.
In addition to “Just You ‘N’ Me,” which hit #4 by the way. I’d like to share some more of my very favorite hits. One of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard from any band is “If You Leave Me Now,” this song is so romantic. Apparently other fans thought so too, as the song shot up to #1 in 1976. This is the perfect please forgive me song. ?? “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” #1 on the charts, “Saturday In The Park,” #3 on the charts, “You’re The Inspiration,” also peaked #3 on the charts. I could go on and on. Check out their greatest hits album an walk down memory lane!! Oh yeah, check out their website too. It’s really cool. Thanks for reading.