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.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment