"Home by the Sea" by Genesis

   “Creeping up the blind side...shinning up the wall.. stealing through the dark of night.”

   Welcome back to Kyle's Radio Dial, friends! The blog that unearths forgotten musical memories from the recesses of your mind, one at a time. 

   It’s getting cooler outside, the leaves are turning colors, and pumpkin spice everything is EVERWHERE! Soon, black cats, skeletons, ghosts, and witches will be decorating homes and businesses across the country. Stores have already begun stocking jumbo bags of candy, and costumes have appeared on displays so the kiddos and grown ups alike can masquerade as their favorite horror or fantasy personalities! (and jeez, after the horrible year that continues to be 2020, we all can use some Halloween escapism right now! AMIRIGHT?)

  So, in honor of the spooky season, the Dial is reaching back to 1983 to bring you a spectral cut by one of the most charismatic and beloved pop rock acts of the MTV era. A song, that while it was not a major hit on radio, has remained one of the group’s most popular tracks in concert performances. So prepare yourself for an intrusion INTO the other world, as Genesis spins their tale of the “Home By the Sea”.

   At this time in their band’s evolution, Genesis had long since pared down to the now iconic trio of Phil Collins on drums and vocals, Mike Rutherford providing bass and guitar, and Tony Banks on keyboards. The departure of early members Peter Gabriel in 1975 and Steve Hackett in ‘77, reshaped their style from progressive art rock, to a much more commercial pop influenced sound as the ‘80s began.

   Appearing on their self titled 1983 LP, (the one with “Perfection” game pieces on the album cover), Genesis’ tune is actually a suite consisting of two sections: the namesake “Home by the Sea” and “Second Home by the Sea”. The first section essentially follows the standard pop song structure of verses, bridges, and choruses, while the second portion begins at a little after the five minute mark, and is entirely instrumental, recalling elements of their ‘70s prog rock days. The tune culminates in a brief vocal reprise that drives the anguish of the characters in the song home.

   So what's the deal with this tune? Why is this my selection for Halloween 2020?

   Well, you see, Tony Banks' lyrics tell the tale of a burglar who breaks into a haunted waterfront home, and is subsequently confronted by the spirits that reside there. Before the criminal can flee, the ghosts capture him, and force him to be their audience as they recount stories of their lives. For the rest of his life. His ultimate fate is left up to the listener to decide.

   This raises some questions… Is this an abandoned, derelict home that the burglar should have dismissed entirely before even attempting to break in? Or did the house appear lived in and in good shape from the outside, and thus, perfectly normal?

   Also, we know the house is haunted, but is it possible that it also has folks living there as well? Perhaps the homeowners went out for the night, leaving the burglar to think their valuables were easy pickings, only for him to encounter the specters.

   And if the house is occupied, do the homeowners have a symbiotic relationship with the spirits? Perhaps the ghosts agree to keep the house safe, in exchange for “story time” with the homeowners every now and again.

   I imagine some of the spirits’ stories would be rather interesting. Perhaps one of the spirits was a wild west outlaw, or a turn of the century railroad conductor. Maybe one of them was a politician from the early days of the country, an actress from the era of silent films, or a celebrated artist revered by the elite of their day.

   Personally, it sounds to me like the ghosts are simply lonely, and just want to experience a little of their own humanity once more. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy telling stories about their own lives?

   However, the ghosts DO capture the crook, and inform him that he’ll stay there for the rest of his life… which is undoubtedly ominous and terrifying, even if they are just lonely. Maybe they should be less aggressive, and just ask for an hour of the burglar’s time, then send him on his way? I’m sure I’m over thinking this… but hey, it’s what I do.

   Musically, this is ranks among Genesis’ best work. That opening with the distorted keyboard and powerful drum crash lets you know that this will not be a happy go-lucky pop song. Phil’s delivery of the lines “Help us someone, let us out of here”, and “let us relive our lives in what we tell you” makes you sympathetic to the loneliness of the spirits. And that instrumental... especially around the 9:10 mark – those synth and guitar flourishes seem to be created by the specters as they swirl in and out of the physical realm in front of our hapless criminal. Awesome.

   Incredibly, “Home by the Sea” did not chart at all on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did manage to reach #24 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Even weirder is that it didn’t chart in the UK – Genesis’ native homeland! In fact, the only place the tune charted highly was in New Zealand where it hit #4… yeah, that’s random. Kudos to the Kiwis for showing excellent musical taste!

   So, this Halloween season, in between the decorating, watching scary movies, and picking out costumes, be sure to set aside some time for Phil, Mike, and Tony’s story of a brazen intruder who gets much more than he bargained for. And as always, stay tuned to the Dial for more overlooked and underplayed tunes of the past!

   Happy Halloween!

http://www.genesis-music.com/

"The NeverEnding Story" by Limahl

   “Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds… and there upon a rainbow is the answer to a never ending story.”

   Saturday Night Fever. Urban Cowboy. The Breakfast Club. Back to the Future. Top Gun. Pretty Woman. The Bodyguard. Singles. Titanic. All of these iconic films produced equally iconic songs and top selling soundtracks. The music associated with these movies was all over the radio and MTV, and served as exceptional marketing tools for the motion pictures themselves.

   Today, the Dial turns it’s receivers to movie theaters of the past to spotlight a motion picture theme that has slipped into relative obscurity, even though it’s associated with a well loved fantasy film. Ladies and gentlemen, Rock biters and Night hobs, let me present “The NeverEnding Story” by Limahl.

   Coining his stage name from an anagram of his last name, Limahl, (born Christopher Hamill of Lancashire, England), has the unique claim of being a one hit wonder twice... well, at least in the U.S. he’s a two time one hit wonder... he’s had other hits overseas. Wait, how is it possible to be a one hit wonder TWICE??? Well, you may recall a popular ditty called “Too Shy” (#5/‘83) recorded by new wave group Kajagoogoo. Limahl was the lead singer of that band. Shortly after that hit, he embarked on a solo career, which led to his one hit as a solo act… the theme to the 1984 film “The NeverEnding Story”. So, he’s been a one hit wonder as the frontman of a group, and also as a soloist. Cool, huh?

   Peaking at #17 on the U.S. Hot 100, and #6 on the U.S. adult contemporary charts, “The NeverEnding Story” charted much higher in the UK at #4, and topped the respective singles charts of Norway and Sweden.

   The lyrics broadly reference the events of the film, in particular, the character of the Childlike Empress, and the final grain of sand from Fantasia… “In her face, the mirror of your dreams”, and “in your hand the birth of a new day”. It also incorporates general fantasy story tropes, by mentioning stars, clouds, and rainbows, and featuring the sound effects of wind layered into the music.

   However, when I separate the song from the film, I see “The NeverEnding Story” theme as a parallel to falling in love. The aforementioned line about seeing your dreams mirrored in her face… perhaps that means love at first sight. Isn’t it true that upon falling in love, a person becomes filled with a euphoria and a great feeling of well being that could indeed be symbolized with rainbows, stars, clouds, unicorns, dolphins, and anything else associated with Lisa Frank notebooks? The best, all encompassing love, can make a person feel like they are floating above the world.

   So maybe this seemingly simple movie theme actually exists on two levels… that to link to the narrative of the film, and that to describe a burgeoning romance. And because of that, the two interpretations of the song are intertwined, much like the two snakes featured on the film’s Auryn amulet worn by the warrior Atreyu? (Yeah, I love this movie – just let me geek out here…)

   A clever feature of the song is that it fades in from silence at the beginning (as opposed to just beginning with the opening notes), and fades out at the end, giving the listener the idea that the song is truly never ending. The effect is that it’s always playing somewhere in the breeze at some time, and we just happen to catch a few moments of it each time before it fades off to places unknown once more. I think this tune is much more of a masterpiece than I originally gave it credit for!

   And, why wouldn’t it be a masterpiece, when Georgio Moroder and Keith Forsey put their production abilities behind it? Between the two of them, they’ve significantly contributed to works by Donna Summer, Billy Idol, Irene Cara, Berlin, Blondie and many others.

   The music video is quite simple, with just two people on a very basic set, and feels much like Broadway performance. Interestingly, there are no movie clips featured here, and I’m not sure why. I can’t imagine it was due to licensing issues. Perhaps the record label (EMI) tried to keep the cost of the video down by only featuring Limahl and his duet partner (more on her in a moment), to avoid paying any actors that would appear via movie clips they may have used. Actually, I respect that there are no film clips here because many movie theme music videos feature awkwardly shoehorned movie clips that break up the flow of the visuals of the video. I like that they kept it uncluttered for this one.

   The female vocalist that Limahl duets with here (even though she is uncredited on the label), is Beth Anderson, but in the video Limahl’s backing singer Mandy Newton convincingly lip syncs to Anderson’s vocals. This is because Beth was not available to film any scenes for the video, (given that she is based in Kentucky, and the video was filmed in the UK), though Limahl and Anderson did perform the song together on American Bandstand and Solid Gold.

   As recently as 2019, the memory of this soundtrack cut crossed my mind, but I immediately dismissed it as not worthy of being revisited without even listening to it. Seriously… shame on me. But the unbelievable events of this year which have drastically changed our lives and our world have had me looking for any positivity wherever I could find it.

   So, last month I watched the title film for first time in at least 30 years, and found myself still enthralled by it’s themes of childlike wonder, innocence, and overall message of hope for the future, even when things seem their most bleak, and man, can we identify with THAT nowadays! Afterwards, the theme song stayed firmly lodged in my mind… much like it was… well… “never ending”. I knew then I was wrong to have dismissed it.

   Okay, perhaps the theme hasn’t aged well, it’s very tied to it’s time with it’s synth-heavy orchestration, and I know it could easily be derided as “cheesy”. But the soaring melody and lyrics of fantasy and magic return me to childhood innocence and hit me in the feels.

   I’m also aware that the tune recently enjoyed a huge popularity boost because it was featured in the Netflix series Stranger Things. I haven’t watched ST yet, even though tons of folks have suggested it to me and it certainly sounds like a show that would be right up my alley. One of these days I’ll get to it.

   So take a flight of fantasy with Limahl, and allow the music to sweep you away to places unknown. Do you have any favorite movie music that you think should have been a big hit? Drop me a comment below! And be sure to stay tuned to Kyle’s Radio Dial, where the more you listen, the more you remember!

http://limahl.com/

"Someday" by Glass Tiger

   “When I come home, you telephone… to say you’re waiting for me.”

   Hello friends, I hope your summer is treating you well! Thanks for tuning into to the Dial on this fine August day… evening… wee hours of the morning? Truth be told, I’m not sure exactly when you are reading this, but I am sure that the Dial is bringing you a classic top 10 hit from our friends in the Great White North. Stay tuned, read on and listen up for Glass Tiger and “Someday”.

   Founded in Ontario, Canada, in 1983 and consisting of lead singer Alan Frew, bassist Wayne Parker, guitarist Al Connelly, Sam Reid on keyboards, and Michael Hanson on drums, Glass Tiger released their debut album, The Thin Red Line, in 1986. The first single pulled from that album was the smash hit “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”, which topped the charts in their homeland, and nearly duplicated that feat in America, yet stopped one position short at #2. Quite an impressive debut overall.

   “Someday” was the band’s second American released single, a mid-tempo ballad which was to be their final top 10 hit in the states, reaching #7 on the pop charts. The boys only charted in the U.S. two more times, with “I Will Be There” (#34/’87), and “I’m Still Searching” (#31/’88). However, they had tons of big hits in Canada for several years, including 1991’s “My Town”, which featured Rod Stewart, and was a #8 hit on the Canadian RPM singles chart.

   Written by Frew and Connelly, along with producer Jim Vallance (you may know him as the prolific songwriting partner of Bryan Adams), the song speaks to the frustration of a guy who’s girlfriend is very conflicted regarding their relationship. The couple speak on the phone for the bulk of the song, initially with her saying that she’s waiting for him (while crying...), then later, she says she doesn’t need him, yet she can’t explain why for fear of hurting him. Sounds like she is dealing with some heavy emotional baggage to be sure, but in doing so, she is also stringing this poor guy along. Eventually, he decides he can only take so much.

   The chorus contains the line “Someday I’ll be losing this fear”, indicating that once he reaches the peak of his frustration, he’ll confront her about their relationship. He hasn’t told her yet, but it’s coming soon. Someday.

   Glass Tiger were nominated for a 1986 best new artist Grammy award, but lost that to Bruce Hornsby and the Range. However, back in Canada, the band won multiple Juno awards, including Single of the Year (‘86) for “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”, Album of the Year (‘86) for “The Thin Red Line”, and the Most Promising Group of the Year (again,’86) award. “Someday” won the single of the year award for ‘87, making Glass Tiger one of the few acts (an exclusive club with Terry Jacks, Anne Murray, and Alanis Morissette) that won that same award in two consecutive years.

   I’ve always loved “Someday”. The whole song is just filled with hooks that please my ears. Alan’s blue-eyed soul style of singing, the ascensions in the chorus, that harmonica solo during the bridge, the soulful backup singers. In fact, even though I would classify “Someday” as a ballad, it also doesn’t quite seem to fit the typical interpretation of a ballad to me. Even though the lyrics clearly convey romantic frustration, the easy going mid-tempo melody steers it away from the exhausting melodrama that often plagues many of the best known ballads from the rock era.

   “Someday” fell off of radio playlists rather quickly once it’s chart run ended, (glad I taped it off of Q107 back then!) but I recall hearing it on a light rock station in the mid ‘90s and being reminded of what a great tune it is. Later that year, I got the Air Time: The Best of Glass Tiger compilation CD for either Christmas or my birthday, so I could revisit “Someday” and their other tunes whenever I please. Still, I can count the number of times I’ve actually heard “Someday” on the radio on one hand since it’s original ‘86 chart run, which makes this a lost hit on the airwaves... at least here in the states. (I admit, it may very well be all over the classic hits stations in Canada.)

   And when you watch the music video, remember, it was the mid ‘80s. And besides, real men wear pink.

   So give Glass Tiger’s forgotten hit a spin and see if it jogs any memories for you. Are you familiar with their other hits? Do you think they deserved a longer hit making career in the U.S.? Drop me a message below!

https://glasstiger.ca/