FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION !

     Hello friends! Today, I welcome you to a very special entry of the blog, the FIVE YEAR anniversary of Kyle’s Radio Dial, my modest little home on the interwebs!

Way back on December 27, 2011, I created a Facebook page entitled Kyle’s Radio Dial, in order to spotlight older songs that have been forgotten by radio, or were never played over the airwaves in the first place. My first entry was Mike Oldfield’s “Moonlight Shadow”, a 1983 UK top ten hit that never got the push it deserved here in the states, despite being a major hit nearly everywhere else.

Then, in March of 2012, I decided to graduate the Dial to this very blog, and I’ve touched on an average of 25 songs per year since then. This includes Lush’s “Ladykillers”, a ‘90s alt rocker that pokes fun at celebrity ex-boyfriends, Dan Seals’ “Bop”, a mid ‘80s country pop number in which an older gentleman implores his lady to join him on the dance floor as when they were younger, and “Romeo’s Tune” by Steve Forbert, a poetic early ‘80s soft rock hit from a singer that was considered to be the “next Dylan”. All of these tunes held the honor as the most viewed song on the blog for a period of time.

Other fun tracks include the video game tribute/parody “Space Invaders” by Uncle Vic, Al Stewart’s prog rock account of a haunted submarine entitled “Life in Dark Water”, Donna Summer’s new wave album cut “Highway Runner”, and cover tunes “You’re Only Lonely”, “Inside and Out”, and “Gimme Little Sign” as recorded by Schuler Fisk, Feist, and Danielle Brisebois, respectively.

For this article, I’ve pulled five songs that are probably my most favorite from that first year worth of blog entries. All of them were originally released in the ‘80s, the best decade for music ever! I’ll also provide a link to the original blog entry for your perusal, in addition to a YouTube window for listening and watching the tune, as always.

So without further ado, let the reminiscing begin!

RACHEL SWEET “VOODOO” (originally posted 5/19/12)

“VooDoo” could essentially be the “poster child” for the Dial, as I return to this track via my personal playlists more than any other song I’ve blogged about. Rachel’s tune has it all… it’s a catchy pop/rocker, it didn’t get a lot of airplay when it was new, and has pretty much been forgotten since its release.

I heard “VooDoo” on the radio once or twice back in ‘82, then it just disappeared until I rediscovered it in the early 2000s. I still cannot comprehend how this wasn’t a top 10 hit. It has a great Stevie Nicks style-vibe, a sexy chorus, and it doesn’t hurt that Ms. Sweet looks amazing in the music video… yet it was only a #72 hit. Criminal.

http://kylesradiodial.blogspot.com/2012/05/voo-doo-by-rachel-sweet.html



WHITNEY HOUSTON “MOMENT OF TRUTH” (originally posted 2/12/12)

This sweet mid-tempo love song from one of the greatest voices from the ‘80s was released as the B side to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me”, and received modest radio airplay in certain markets (as in my home market of Washington DC), yet never charted on the hot 100 on its own. Curiously, Whitney’s 1987-1988 tour was named after the track, despite its non-hit status.

The song is quite obscure now, though it was released a second time on the B-side to Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” single in 1995. I think this would be a perfect tune for a young pop or soul singer to cover, and I’m surprised it hasn’t happened by now.

http://kylesradiodial.blogspot.com/2012/03/moment-of-truth-by-whitney-houston.html

THE MONKEES “HEART AND SOUL” (originally posted 3/25/12)

Hot on the heels of the Monkees’ unexpected MTV fueled revival in the mid ‘80s is this comeback single, which stalled at #87 in 1987 (funny how that worked out). Sure, it’s no “Last Train to Clarksville” or “Daydream Believer”, and it does lack the efforts of one Mike “wool hat” Nesmith, but it’s definitely a nice retro-ish slice of upbeat ‘80s pop rock with a touch of ‘60s style about it that should have charted higher.

And the music video, in which Davy, Micky, and Peter are frozen solid in the ‘60s, thaw out, and desperately try to get jobs as musicians in the ‘80s, is pretty amusing as well. It would have been interesting to hear the guys re-record this using a straight up 1960s arrangement like their more familiar material, but I’m sure this will never happen this late in the game.

http://kylesradiodial.blogspot.com/2012/03/normal-0-intribute-to-recently-departed.html





KURTIS BLOW “I’M CHILLIN’” (originally posted 6/24/12)

One of the few hip hop songs covered on the dial, this old school rap track features fun boasting lyrics and one of the earliest pro-female hip hop rhymes… “TO diss a female is a low down shame, but you suckers make the records ‘cuz you wanna get fame.” and a chorus that awesomely borrows The Transformers theme jingle.

Hardly any early hip hop tracks crossed over to the hot 100 back then (even Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s pioneering “The Message” only peaked at US #62 in ’82), and Kurtis’ 1986 go-go influenced jam is no different, achieving no hot 100 position at all! I listened to this one on the school bus through my Walkman quite a lot back in the day as well. You know, ‘cuz I was chillin’.

http://kylesradiodial.blogspot.com/2012/06/im-chillin-by-kurtis-blow.html



BANANARAMA “A TRICK OF THE NIGHT” (originally posted 11/1/12)

Bananarama had an interesting chart history in the states… Three top tens (“Cruel Summer” #9 / ‘84, “Venus” #1 / ‘86, and “I Heard A Rumour” #4 / ‘87), but their other ten U.S. released singles faltered outside the top 40. This was one of those that didn’t scale the charts, landing at a weak #76 in 1987.

It should have been a much bigger hit with those classy three voice harmonies, smoky jazz club vibe, and lyrics regarding a man who seeks fortune in the big city, only to run into some hard times. Considering that “Trick…” closely followed the release of the aforementioned smash “Venus”, it’s amazing that this follow up single didn’t become more popular.

 

http://kylesradiodial.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-trick-of-night-by-bananarama.html

Of course, ALL of the songs that have earned the Dial’s spotlight are worth another listen, even if they aren’t directly addressed here. I invite you to peruse the back archives when you get a chance (from the “Blog History” heading on the right hand side of the main page), and maybe you’ll rediscover your new favorite song!

I’ll be taking January off for a much deserved New Year’s rest, but The Dial will return in February, with an article about the evolution of the “oldies radio” format as I interpret it. I’ll also be featuring three songs that were considered “oldies” back when I was a kid; a late ‘50s pop number, a ‘60s folk rocker, and an early ‘70s soul classic. Just reaching back a little further into the archive than I typically do, in order to mix things up a bit.

So, from all of us here at the Dial, Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and any joyous Holiday salutation that applies to you, including having an incredible Festivus for the rest of us! We wish you happiness, prosperity, and the discovery of great music in the new year!

Kyle’s Radio Dial… The more you listen, the more you REMEMBER! 



"Downtown Venus" by P.M. Dawn

   Hello friends, I’m proud to say that this review is a bit of milestone – it’s my one hundred and fiftieth blog entry! Yep, 150! Thanks for allowing me to take you on this musical journey as I root around in my song collection, bouncing around genres and years, spotlighting tracks that I enjoy. Hopefully a few of the tunes I’ve reviewed have become favorites of yours as well.

Tonight’s addition to the Kyle’s Radio Dial canon is a mid ‘90’s pop/hip hop track, which, at its root, is a late ‘60s hard rock classic. Get ready for “Downtown Venus” by P.M. Dawn!

“I’m Downtown Venus… and I’m trying to be by myself…
Habitual dreamers… and no one dreams enough to get me home…”

P. M. Dawn, the duo of brothers Attrel “Prince Be”, and Jarrett “DJ Minute Mix” Cordes, is a group that is hard to pigeonhole. They are typically categorized as a hip hop group, but they are so much more, drawing from influences ranging from soul to jazz, rock to dance, new wave to new age, psychedelia to folk. Probably the best term I’ve heard applied to them is “alternative hip hop”, as they were among the groups that were an alternative to the Gangsta Rap, East vs West coast, Parental Advisory label hip hop crowd that dominated the genre for so long.

The Cordes brothers are best remembered for their top 10 hits “Looking Through Patient Eyes”, “I’d Die Without You”, and “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss”, the latter of which topped the US Pop charts in ’91, and featured a notable sample of Spandau Ballet’s 1983 hit “True”.

“Downtown Venus” was the lead single from P.M. Dawn’s 1995 Jesus Wept album, peaking at #48 on the US Hot 100. Interestingly, it also made a modest showing on the US Billboard Modern Rock tracks, at number 39, but no appearance on the R&B chart.

“I’m Downtown Venus… and they’re trying to divine myself…
And they keep saying… You could be into you, but you don’t know what you’re like…”

Based around an instantly recognizable sample of Deep Purple’s 1968 rock classic “Hush”, “Downtown Venus” presents a story of a female character whom is suffering from depression, low self-esteem, and quite possibly multiple personality disorder (“I’m failing to entertain all of myselves.”).

“Venus” notes that those who try to help and enlighten her say that the first step toward improving her circumstance is to recognize her own self-worth. (“They keep saying… you could be into you, but you don’t know what you’re like”). My suspicion is that “Venus” is a prostitute, as she mentions having misdemeanors, and the name “Downtown Venus” certainly lends itself to a lady of the night.

But then again, maybe my interpretation is off, as I have to consider that a male vocalist is singing these lyrics. Sure, he could simply be providing the voice for this downtrodden woman, but perhaps if HE really IS the Downtown Venus as he states, then maybe the character is actually a transgendered individual, stuck between what he wants to be and what society expects of him. Wow, this song is deeper than I thought!

The music video doesn’t seem to offer many clues, being largely a band performance on an elaborate futuristic set, but there are several cut away scenes involving an angel-like woman in outer space, lots of infinity symbols, and a few moments in which it’s not quite clear what the participants are actually engaging in… so who knows? I imagine this is one of those songs that is best left to the individual listener’s interpretation.

“I could be into me, but I don’t know what I’m like…”

On a side note, The Jesus Wept LP also contains a very interesting cover medley entitled “Fantasia’s Confidential Ghetto”. This musical cornucopia begins with Prince’s “1999”, then melts into the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime”, and ends up at Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut”. Clever samples of Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come” and “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla” (from the pronoun sequence of School House Rock!) are woven throughout the piece for a true musical melting pot of pop influences!

Sadly, Prince Be passed away on June 17, 2016 due to kidney disease. He was young, only 46. Another musical talent lost this year. I won’t list those who have left us in 2016, as there’s been lots of attention given to this topic already elsewhere on the net… let’s just say that I hope that 2017 isn’t as somber a year for the music industry and fans alike.

Coming up for the next entry on the Dial, I’ll hand pick and re-spotlight some of my favorite cuts from the very first year of my blog postings!

Kyle’s Radio Dial… the MORE you listen… the MORE you remember!