"Snowbound" by Donald Fagen

     Hello friends! Come celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Radio Dial blog with a wintery tune by a pioneer of rock/jazz fusion, which just so happens to feature a really cool (pun intended) music video. Get yourself a nice cup of hot chocolate and maybe a cinnamon churro to go along with it, wrap up in your favorite blanket, and listen to Steely Dan founder Donald Fagen, and his track "Snowbound"!

"At nervous time, we roll downtown… we’ve got scenes to crash…
We’re gonna trick and trash… we’re gonna find some fun."

"Snowbound" is an album cut from the 1993 LP Kamakiriad, a concept album that follows Fagen’s narrator as he goes cruising in a futuristic car, all the while commenting on his experiences as a middle aged gentleman. The album is considered to be the central installment of a larger trilogy beginning with the 1982 LP The Nightfly (containing fantasies from Fagen’s youth), continuing through the middle age observations of Kamakiriad, and followed by 2006’s Morph the Cat, Donald’s reflections of old age.

The song itself is about enjoying the nightlife of the city despite a blizzard hitting the town. At least that’s what it appears to be about on the surface. I suspect it actually exists as a metaphor for enjoying what little youth remains as one enters the "blizzard" of middle age. I’ll reach out to Donald and see what message he was trying to convey with his lyrics. Hopefully he’ll check back with me soon.

It was not issued as a single, so it had no chance to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but given the dance pop, hip hop, and alt rock heavy musical landscape of the time, I suspect it wouldn’t have reached the top 40 at all, even though it truly deserved to. It was probably way too mellow (and cerebral) to achieve full pop chart success. In fact, the only charting single from the Kamakiriad LP was "Tomorrow’s Girls", which peaked at US #32 AC, and US #20 Mainstream Rock Charts, but again, no Hot 100 appearance.

"Let’s stop off at the Metroplex, that little dancer’s got some style…
Yes she’s the one I’ll be waiting for… at the stage door."

Despite all his "street cred" from his prolific hit making days as a member of Steely Dan, Fagen as a solo artist has only achieved one top 40 single, the brilliant "I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)", a look back on the optimism of the late 1950s, which peaked at US #26 pop, and US #8 AC in 1982.

And speaking of Steely Dan, "Snowbound" was produced, co-written, and featured bass and guitar by the late, great Walter Becker, (I wish you much peace in the next life, Walter), making this tune essentially a Steely Dan reunion track. Fagen and Becker even toured as Steely Dan in support of the LP, which Becker produced for his former bandmate.

"We sail our icecats on the frozen river… some loser fires off a flare, amen.
For seven seconds, it’s like Christmas Day… and then it’s dark again."

Now let’s discuss that awesome stop motion music video, shall we?

Despite the obscurity of the tune, a rather memorable video was produced featuring "auto people" that resemble sentient versions of bobble head dolls crossed with Fisher-Price "Little People" cars. These little characters are seen going about their lives in the wintery city, waking up, driving, reporting to work in a factory, and visiting a club, where they watch a video of a dancing cowgirl, who pops up periodically throughout the clip.

Donald Fagen himself also appears as an auto-person living in a control tower, and appearing on TV screens as a "Big Brother" type figure. He doesn’t care for it much if you sleep on the job! But keep watching through the end, as the tables are turned on his overlord like persona.

Directed by French film director Michel Gondry (Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers of the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Gondry has also directed memorable videos for Bjork’s "Human Behavior" (teddy bear!), White Stripes’ "Fell In Love with A Girl" (LEGOs!), Foo Fighters’ "Everlong" (The Evil Dead!), and Daft Punk's "Around the World" (Androids! Skeletons! Weirdness!)

So check it out, and don’t be surprised if Fagen’s tune inspires you to sleep-in the next time you see the chilly white stuff falling from the sky!

"Snowbound! Let’s sleep in today… Wake me up… when the wolves come out to play"

The Dial is taking January off, but I’m already working on articles for 2018, including a quirky new wave entry from Thomas Dolby, a romantic soul ballad from DeBarge, and a hip hop classic by The D.O.C., produced by none other than Dr. Dre! The Dial will return triumphantly in February!

And from the entire Radio Dial family, we wish you Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and any other positive holiday related greeting that may apply to you and your life! (And above all, have an awesome Festivus for the rest of us!)

I’d also like to extend my sincerest thanks for your interest and support over the past six years as I sort through my music collection, and deliver my musing and ramblings on the songs that I find worthwhile. This blog and my readers mean a lot to me, and your comments and views are quite appreciated!

Keep checking in with the Dial into the New Year, and be sure to tell your friends to check us out!

Kyle's Radio Dial... The more you listen, the more you REMEMBER!

   



A RADIO DIAL EXTRA: "Let's Start" by Haley Reinhart

   Hey friends, in an unusual turn of events, the Dial’s receiver has tuned in a current song which has caught our fancy. When this happens, we bring it to you by way of what we call a Radio Dial Extra! Let’s start this review with a look see (and a listen to) of “Let’s Start” by Miss Haley Reinhart!

“I feel so lost until you’re near me… you take me places that I never knew existed…”

If when listening, you get the feeling that you may have heard this tune in the distant past, then Haley has achieved her intended result. You see, “Let’s Start” is the third single pulled from her 2017 What’s that Sound LP, a loving tribute to the pop styles and sounds of the 1960s. Mainly consisting of Haley’s renditions of classics like Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, The Turtles’ “You Showed Me” and “Baby It’s You” (drawing mainly from the hard rock/blues version by Smith, not the girl group original by The Shirelles), the album also contain three original tunes co-written by Haley in a 1960s style, “Let’s Start” being one of those three.

A deliciously upbeat pop confection, “Let’s Start” melds sunshine pop and psychedelic bubblegum influences, sounding much like a lost track by Spanky & Our Gang or The Association crossed with The Lemon Pipers or Strawberry Alarm Clock.

In addition, that incredibly catchy sing along chorus of “Bah-bah-bah-BAH-bah” reminds me a lot of the opening to The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You”, even though the Partridges’ hit came a couple of years after Haley’s inspirations chronologically.

And that authentic 1960’s sound? That’s no accident… the entire What’s That Sound LP was recorded to tape using vintage instruments and analog recording to give it a period authentic sound for that “Summer of Love” vibe.

Also known for her incredible work with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox musician collective, Haley specializes in sultry jazz renditions of alternative rock classics - check out her amazing versions of Radiohead’s “Creep”, Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and the White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” for some of her best vocal work. Check them out on YouTube or http://postmodernjukebox.com/.

Final thought… Haley finished third in American Idol season 10 – how did she NOT win? She could sing proofs from a calculus textbook and still have my heart…

“Carry me swiftly… up to the mountain baby… to see us at our peak… just don’t forget to breathe… ahhhhh”

 



"Piece of My Heart" by Faith Hill

    Hi everyone, thanks for checking out the Radio Dial today, the first day of December! The featured track that we are cueing up on our CD Walkman right now is a mid ‘90s country rendition of a classic blues rock tune, which served as one of the first hits for a future superstar of her genre. It’s time to put on your cowboy boots and leather fringe jackets for Faith Hill and “Piece of my Heart”!

“Didn’t I make you feel… like you were the only man…”

Most famously associated with Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joplin’s screaming blues version from 1968 hit US #12 on the pop charts and has gone on to be recognized as a highly influential classic. What many folks don’t realize though, is how many times the song has charted in the US by different artists of disparate genres.

The original was recorded by soul singer Erma Franklin (Aretha’s sister) and predated Joplin’s hit by one year in 1967, peaking at #62 pop and #10 R&B.

Then as the years rolled on, additional artists followed Erma and Janis attempting to strike gold with the track. This included Etta James’ 1978 soulful take, followed by Sammy “The Red Rocker” Hagar in 1982 (whom hit #73 on the hot 100 with his hard rock interpretation), “mall reggae” artist Shaggy’s 1997 version, and the most recent version, a live medley coupled with Joplin’s “Cry Baby”, as recorded by Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone, a US #32 in 2005.

“Each time I tell myself I think I’ve had enough… well I’m gonna show you baby that a woman can be tough.”

But the most successful modern version following Janis came courtesy of Miss Faith Hill! Taken from her 1993 debut Take Me as I Am, the album introduced us to the sweet angelic nature of this “Mississippi Girl” (see what I did there?), and the future Mrs. Tim McGraw. Faith scored four top 40 country hits from this debut LP, including “Piece”, and “Wild One”, both of which topped the country singles charts, though neither track crossed over to pop. Faith would experience her much deserved pop breakthrough with 1998’s “This Kiss”, a US Pop #7, US Country #1, and even a UK #13, a rare feat for an American country artist to chart that highly in the UK.

I had always wished that “Piece...” would've been pushed to top 40 radio, provided that it received more of a pop radio remix, of course. Country crossover was really starting to come back into vogue then (Shania was on the verge of hitting it big), and maybe if done right, “Piece…” could have been the song to kickstart Faith’s pop music career.

“You’re out on the street lookin’ good… baby deep down in your heart you know that it ain’t right.”

The music video shows Faith catching her boyfriend flirting with another girl, causing her and her friends to leave angrily, only to frequently cross paths at various locals with the boyfriend and his douchey pals. Especially that jerk with the baseball cap. What a dillweed. You'll see what I mean. You’ll hate him too.

Eventually this leads to a confrontation where Faith stands up to the guy, seemingly asserting her frustration to him, although at this point in the song, she is actually telling him to break another little piece of her heart, because in the words of the song… “you know you got it, if it makes you feel good.”

Seems like mixed signals to me. Is she mad, and fed up with his behavior, finally giving him an ultimatum that his loyalties better stay with her, or else? Or is she resigned to her fate of staying with this jerk, but is dealing with it light-heartedly as best she can? Perhaps she isn’t sure herself… Faith… why are you so conflicted????

Now, it’s a little unfair to compare her sunny version of the tune to the legendary earlier versions. Faith’s rendition doesn't have Erma's pained soulful delivery, or Janis' bluesy gut wrenching grit... but it is a worthwhile cover that interprets a more playful lean into the lyrics (with just a hint of bubblegum pop), which fits quite nicely with Faith's style.

“Each time I tell myself that I can’t stand the pain… you hold me in your arms and I start singin’ once again”

So click on the video below and settle in for a very different take on an old classic. We have Faith (yeah, I know…) that you’ll be bopping along by the time the second verse begins. But…it’s okay if you want to smack "baseball cap guy". I understand.

“So come on… come on… come on and take it.

Take another little piece of my heart now baby.”



"Dream A Little Dream" by Mickey Thomas

    Hello friends! A Jefferson Starship vocalist, two teen idols with the same first name, and a modern cover of a pop standard that should have been a top 10 hit, yet never was released as a single. That’s the recipe for today’s spotlighted tune, Mickey Thomas’ 1989 soundtrack contribution “Dream a Little Dream”.

“Stars shining bright above you… night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’…”

“Dream a Little Dream” (the movie), starring the two Coreys (Haim and Feldman…like you didn’t know that), the beauteous Meredith Salenger, and Hollywood icons Harry Dean Stanton and Jason Robards, was one of many teen comedies of the ‘80s involving people swapping bodies. This is to mean that person A’s personality was transferred to person B’s body, and vice versa. In fact, “Vice Versa” was another movie of this genre, along with “Freaky Friday”, “Like Father, Like Son”, and “18 Again”!

“Dream a Little Dream” (the song), is an American pop standard written in 1931 by Gus Kahn, Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt, possessing sweet, poetic lyrics which harken back to a classier time which placed greater emphasis on etiquette and romance than in today’s often crass society. The first version of this timeless tune appeared in the same year as its composure as recorded by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra, with Ozzie being best known to folks of my generation through repeats of the classic sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” – thanks Disney Channel!

The only charting versions to date were a pair of competing recordings released in 1950 by Frankie Laine, and Jack Owens (whom hit #18, and #14, respectively), and then by the oddly credited “Mama Cass with the Mamas & the Papas” (when it was actually a true M&P group recording), which hit #12 in 1968.

“Say ‘Good Night’ and kiss me… just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me…”

“Dream a Little Dream” (the soundtrack), featured two versions of this classic tune, the first recorded by (Jefferson) Starship vocalist Mickey Thomas as a solo recording, and the other as a duet between Thomas and swing jazz legend Mel Torme, a.k.a. “The Velvet Fog”. The solo Thomas version sounds much like his Starship material of the time... minus vocals from Grace Slick that is. The duet version is taken at a slightly slower tempo, and has more of a jazz influence befitting Torme, though it is still unquestionably a pop/rock rendition contemporary with late 80s pop sounds.

Given that pop radio was very receptive to remakes in the late 80s, (remember big hits like Simply Red’s “If you Don’t Know Me By Now”, The Bangles “Hazy Shade of Winter”, Cheap Trick’s “Don’t Be Cruel”, and Poison’s “Your Momma Don’t Dance”), and the fact that the soundtrack already produced a #1 hit single in Michael Damian’s cover of David Essex’s 1973 hit “Rock On”, “Dream” should have been a natural choice for a follow up single. A missed opportunity by the record label to be sure.

Had “Dream” been issued a single, and amassed some decent chart success, it would have joined the ranks of Falco's "Puttin’ on the Ritz", and David Lee Roth's "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" as classic pre-rock era songs that become hits again in the ‘80s. But alas, ‘twas not to be.

“Stars fading, but I linger on, dear… still craving your kiss.”

Below I’ve posted both versions so you can decide for yourself which one would have had a better shot at top 40 success. For now, we’ll just have to enjoy them here, and wonder what could have been.

And from all of us here at the Radio Dial, Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for checking in on our little parcel on the internet from time to time, we really appreciate YOU! And save a little bit of the cranberry sauce for us… that stuff is killer!

“Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you… sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you…

But in your dreams whatever they be... dream a little dream of me!"

  

 

 

 

 

 





"Eyes without a Face" by Billy Idol

   Happy November, friends! Today, the Dial turns its receiver to capture a signal containing a huge hit from one of the ‘80s most dynamic rockers, a song that seems to have been forgotten by current radio programmers, at least in my personal experience. Turn the calendars back to 1984 for William Michael Albert Broad (we know him as Billy Idol), and his “Eyes without a Face”!

“I’m all out of hope… one more bad dream, could bring a fall…”

“Eyes” was the highest charting single extracted from Idol’s third LP, 1984’s Rebel Yell, reaching US #4 pop, US #5 rock, and UK #18. It would also prove to be Billy’s third biggest hit in the US overall, following 1987’s live rendition of “Mony Mony”, and 1990’s “Cradle of Love”, #1 and #2 pop hits, respectively.

With lyrics concerning a collapsing romance, “Eyes” introduces the listener to a man whom is accusing his lady of being deceitful. He admits he is still in love with the woman he used to know (and that she used to be), even as he acknowledges that the love has gone from her eyes. Even still, the woman continues to have a kind of mental and emotional hold over him.

Eventually, he snaps, and makes some very questionable choices, involving robbery, car theft, drinking and using drugs, and reading what he terms to be “murder books” (!!!), which culminates in him threatening the woman by repeating the line “Say your prayers…” ominously. And all of that happens in the bridge section of the song! *shudder*

“When I’m far from home… don’t call me on the phone… to tell me you’re alone.”

Billy’s expert blend of synthpop and hard rock possesses a brooding and mysterious tone, which is echoed in Idol’s resigned delivery, and a spooky call and response section in the chorus from Perri Lister, Idol’s girlfriend of the time.

In fact, concerning that call and response… Perri is singing a line in French, “Les Yeux Sans Visage”, which is the exact translation of “Eyes without a Face”.

However, for years, I misheard the line as this English sentence…

“Last year’s all we’ve got.”

Since I didn’t own the album, or the lyrics sheet, nor did I hear any disc jockeys mention that the woman was singing in French, my ears interpreted the French words into an English line that seemed to fit the content of the song.

I was sure this meant the woman was trying to let Billy’s character down easy by stating that their time as a couple was in the past, and that they have no future together. Even now, when I listen to “Eyes”, I still hear the line as my original interpretation… old habits die hard, I suppose.

Anyway, I consider “Eyes without a Face” to be Idol’s greatest single, but I rarely catch it on the radio, hence the Radio Dial spotlight. However, I've noticed that it is starting to pick back up on my local Columbus Ohio classic hits and classic rock radio stations. It's still not a common song to hear, but it's nice that it's added back into the playlists.

“Now I close my eyes and I wonder why… I don’t despise…
Now all I can do, is love what was once, so alive in you."

So, take a flashback to one of the more unique sounding top 10 hits of ’84, and click the video below. And while you watch that, consider this… reportedly due to the harsh conditions of the music video shoot, Billy’s contact lenses fused to his eyeballs (!!!!), which necessitated surgery to remove them! This left his eyes bandaged for three days, creating an easy joke regarding how “Eyes without a Face” resulted in a “Face without Eyes”… but I shall take the high road here. (Except I really didn’t… Sorry.)

Anyway, stay tuned to the Dial later this month for a contemporary pop treatment of a 1930’s American standard, featured as the theme song to a late ‘80s teen movie!

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

“Eyes without a face… got no human grace… your eyes without a face.”

 

   

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hangar 18" by Megadeth

   Hello, all! As the hauntingly horrifying Halloween season descends upon us, The Dial drops a selection  into your trick or treat bag that may frighten and disturb some, yet will likely cause many others to raise the “sign of the horns” high in the air and bang their head enthusiastically. From 1990, it’s thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and their ode to visitors from the stars… “Hangar 18”.

“Welcome to our fortress tall… Take some time to show you around.”

Thrash metal is a genre I dabble in very rarely. I’ve never been much of a metal head, but I definitely appreciate the technical mastery of metal musicians. However, this single, pulled from Megadeth’s 1990 Rust in Peace LP, really blew me away. It didn’t hurt that the subject of the song is something I’ve been interested in for a while, the idea that the US Government has sequestered a wrecked spacecraft and alien bodies since the 1940s at either “Area 51” at Edwards Air Force Base in California, or Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio, which actually does have a Hangar 18 on site. The video is appropriate Halloween viewing as the aggressive music and rough vocals are coupled with scenes of alien creatures being captured and tortured… and clearly not enjoying it.

“Foreign life forms inventory… suspended state of cryogenics…”

Now, this is far from George Lucas or Steven Spielberg stuff here – it’s a lower budget music video with a lot of quick cuts of aliens struggling against military personnel, and ominous views of the inside of the hangar and the equipment within. But even still, it impresses me for the atmosphere it creates. Check out the disturbing scenes involving the short hairy alien with the huge proboscis nose, the half-naked cyborg woman, the sawblade “surgery”, and the cute baby like alien who suffers the receiving end of a needle probe while still alive. Warning, this video is not for the squeamish.

There’s also a curious opening sequence in which Megadeth’s band mascot Vic Rattlehead (the skeletal ghoul that appears on many of the band’s LP covers) barks orders to the soldiers at Hangar 18 to capture the aliens from the crashed spacecraft. Does this mean that he is actually a high ranking military or government official? That would explain why he’s giving the orders.

Additionally, at the end of the clip, the Megadeth band members are frozen in canisters, to be locked up in a deep freeze with the extraterrestrials. This raises the question – are the band members themselves actually aliens? Or are they being frozen because they’ve seen too much, given that they were rockin’ out in the hangar as the aliens were being brought in?

And why were there multiple disparate alien species in this spacecraft? Was it an intergalactic Noah’s Ark? That would be like if we sent a spacecraft to another planet containing people, cows, hawks, gorillas, kangaroos, flamingos, and alligators.

So. Many. Questions.  But I love it.

“The military intelligence… two words combined that can’t make sense.”

Thrash metal has always been a tough sell on top 40 radio, and Megadeth’s music never quite made the pop mainstream. In fact, the only hot 100 entry for the metal pioneers was 1992’s “Symphony of Destruction” which peaked at US #71 pop. Hangar 18 did not chart in the US, though it did make UK #26.

Despite the lack of support by radio, Hangar 18 has rightfully become one of Megadeth’s signature tunes, and even inspired a 2001 sequel entitled “Return to Hangar”, in which the aliens kill all the military personnel and scientists in the hangar before escaping.

So crank it up, and prepare yourself for thrash legends Megadeth (guitarist Marty Friedman, bassist David Ellefson, drummer Nick Menza, and of course, snarling vocals from Dave Mustaine) as they relate a story of extra-terrestrial visitors who come to regret their Earthly stop.

And from all of us here, (Mrs. Radio Dial, the Radio Dial kids, and of course, your host – me... Kyle !) have a happy, spooky, and safe Halloween!

“Possibly I’ve seen too much… Hangar 18… I know too much.”

 

 

 



Nancy Wilson's autograph!

Hey friends!

Here’s a completely different style of post on the Radio Dial, just to switch things up a little bit.

A few weeks ago, my friend and fellow music aficionado Steve got a chance to meet Nancy Wilson of Heart at Used Kids Records in Columbus Ohio, where she stopped in support of her side project Roadcase Royale.

Even though I was unable to go, Steve brought along my Heart Greatest Hits CD booklet that Nancy was kind enough to sign!

This is my first rock star celebrity autograph, and I hope there are more to come… maybe I’ll manage to get Ann’s signature on this CD as well sometime!

Anyway, enjoy the autograph, and feel free to revisit my “Two For Tuesday” article from 10/17/15 which features two songs by Heart, 1980’s “Tell It Like It Is”, and 1987’s “There’s the Girl”, the latter of which features lead vocals from Nancy!

http://kylesradiodial.blogspot.com/2015/10/tell-it-like-it-is-and-theres-girl-by.html?m=1

"Jammin' Me" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

   Hello everyone, thanks for checking out the Dial today for our special coverage of an underplayed hit from one of the most interesting and beloved rockers of the modern era. Give it up for Mr. Tom Petty and his ’87 hit “Jammin’ Me”.

“You got me in a corner… You got me against the wall...

I got nowhere to go... I got nowhere to fall"

The lead single from 1987’s “Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)” LP, “Jammin’ Me” only reached #18 on the Top 40, but proudly sat at #1 on the mainstream rock singles chart for 4 weeks straight! Three other singles were extracted from the LP, “Runaway Trains”, “Think about Me”, and “All Mixed Up”, none of which reached the hot 100, but all of which charted respectably at mainstream rock.

Written with rock legend (and fellow “Traveling Wilbury”) Bob Dylan, alongside Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, Jammin’ Me is about a man reaching his breaking point in regards to media onslaughts of news reports, celebrity gossip, misinformation, and commercials. He views all of this as overwhelming noise and distraction, and he just wants to make some sense of the world around him.

Hence his angry chant… Quit jammin’ me.

And keep in mind, this song was written 30 years ago, before social media, reality TV, constant celebrity scandals, 24 hour news channels, and all the other current worry and bother in today’s society. As a result, Jammin’ Me resonates even more now than it did then.

“Take back your angry slander… Take back your pension plan...

Take back your ups and downs of life... in raisin-land."

The music video is a lot of fun to watch, as a flashing chaotic collage of newspaper headlines, advertisements, and horoscopes serve as a backdrop to Petty and his band mates.

Additionally, images of wartime, 1950’s nuclear war safety videos, and contemporary news footage is interspersed with pop culture goodies like Thundercats toy commercial snippets and a few seconds of Atari’s Marble Madness arcade game to create a blend that can go from grim and troubling to fun and lighthearted in a split second.

There’s also wackiness to be had with lots of close ups of Tom and his Heartbreakers mugging for the camera, singing along, and a crazy effect where their faces are scrambled together. I also dig the effect where Tom reaches into a TV and pulls “static goo” out of the screen while calling out Vanessa Redgrave, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. Not sure what he has against these particular folks, or if he’s naming them just because they were rather popular at the time. I wonder if Piscopo and Murphy participated in an SNL skit that angered Tom? The lyrics also contain a reference to Steve Jobs which is slightly more veiled.

So we invite you to check out Tom’s rant in the video at the end of this article, and I imagine you’ll agree with his sentiment that we need less media intrusion into our lives… especially nowadays.

“You're jammin' me, you're jammin' me… Quit jammin' me!

Baby you can keep me painted in a corner... you can walk away, but it's not over"

 

Now of course, for the reason for this particular tribute…

By the afternoon of Monday, October 2nd 2017, some news outlets were reporting that Petty had passed, some said he hadn’t, but the common thread was that the news was bleak, and Tom was on life support.

When I came home from work that day, my 12 year old son said…

“Dad, did you hear about Tom Petty, he’s not doing well.”, and he was clearly bummed by the news, as he’s been a Petty fan for years.

Mrs. Radio Dial had dialed up Tom’s music videos on the TV, and my 5 year old daughter was snuggled under her blanket on the couch watching the brilliant Alice in Wonderland inspired clip for “Don’t Come Around Here No More”.

She said: “Daddy, I like Tom, I’m gonna miss him.”

It gave me the feels something fierce.

Tuesday morning came the news that we all expected but didn’t want confirmation on.

Tom Petty was no longer with us at the age of 66.

As my good friend Steve succinctly posted on his Facebook page…

“Breakdown. It’s all right”.

Good night Tom, thanks for your genius, your sense of humor, your unmistakable voice, and your awesome, timeless music. We’ll ALL miss you.

 



 

 

 

 

"Dyslexic Heart" by Paul Westerberg

     Welcome back friends! As we begin the month of October, the Dial tunes in a signal containing a forgotten ‘90s alternative rock hit, recorded by the founder of one of the most popular college rock groups of the ‘80s. Time to jog your memory with Paul Westerberg and his “Dyslexic Heart”!

“You shoot me glances and they’re so hard to read… I misconstrue what you mean…

Slip me a napkin and now that's a start... is this your name or a doctor's eye chart?"

A clever tune about the mixed signals one often receives when dating, Paul details various scenarios encountered during a particular courtship. For instance, after giving him the eye at a bar, the woman in question gives him an undecipherable note on a napkin. Then over dinner, she prefers reading a book instead of making conversation. Finally, she gives mixed physical signals in the bedroom, making him wonder if she is a timid lover or a wild woman. He wonders if she is just playing with him for her own amusement, culminating in the memorable line… “Do I hate you, do I date you?”

Pulled from the soundtrack to the 1992 Gen X classic Singles, “Dyslexic Heart” was a US alt rock #4 hit, but despite the film’s popularity, and the fact that the movie produced two other alt rock hits, (Alice in Chains’ “Would?”, and The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Drown”), Paul’s soundtrack contribution earned no hot 100 crossover success. Adding to the song’s mystique is its exclusivity to the Singles soundtrack, as it has not appeared on a Westerberg LP to date.

“Do I read you correctly, lead me directly… help me with this part.”

Paul Westerberg was a founding member of The Replacements, a college rock band of the ‘80s that met with widespread critical acclaim, but no major success on the pop charts. Their best showing was 1989’s “I’ll Be You”, which topped the US Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, but climbed just halfway up the hot 100 to US #51.

As a solo artist, Paul hit the #4 alt rock position a second time with his 1993 follow up “World Class Fad”, but following that, his only other charting song was the #21 alt rock “Love Untold” from 1996. Paul tends to contribute to movie soundtracks and compilations in between releasing self-published albums these days.

“You keep swayin’… what are you sayin’? Thinkin’ about stayin’?”

I hadn’t thought of “Dyslexic Heart” in at least 20 years until I heard it in my local Kroger on a recent late night grocery run. As soon as I heard the cheeky “Naaa-na-na-na  Na-na-na-NA-na” refrain, I knew I had found the next song for the Radio Dial to spotlight.

On a side note, Kroger’s in-store music playlists are created by someone (or more than likely, many someones) that tend to share similar eclectic musical tastes to yours truly. For every well-known mainstream hit, they’ll play an obscure album cut or lower charting song, and they’ve run the gamut of rock, country, soul, and dance… hmmm… maybe I should see about getting a position with the Kroger in-store radio network!

So take a listen to Paul’s humorous tale of a guy confused by his intended lover (although to be honest, aren’t we all?) and stay tuned to the Dial for more great tracks from radio’s past!

“I try and comprehend you but I got a dyslexic heart... I ain’t dying to offend, you, I got a dyslexic heart.”





"Don't Let Go (Love)" by En Vogue

     Hey friends! Today, the Dial brings you a notable tune from a soulful quartet of lovely ladies who dominated the pop and R&B charts during the first half of the ‘90s. Without further ado, let’s turn the spotlight toward En Vogue and their smash hit "Don’t Let Go (Love)"!

"I often tell myself, that we could be more than just friends…
I know you think that if we move too soon it would all end…"

Originally featured on the soundtrack for the 1996 motion picture Set It Off, and later released on En Vogue’s 1997 EV3 album, Don’t Let Go introduces us to a woman whom is declaring her passion for a male friend by advising him that she’s looking not only for romance, but also marriage, and an intense physical relationship.

Dawn Robinson’s lead vocals possess a palpable weariness, speaking to the fact that she’s been holding her emotions in check for too long, and she’s finally willing to lay it all on the line in an effort to win the guy’s affections.

However, there is an unusual line in the second verse about wanting to wear this fellow's clothes and pretend she was him… and subsequently lose control. What does this mean? Maybe she is just SO MUCH in love that she wants to experience EVERYTHING about the guy, and the comment is largely harmless. On the other hand, maybe she’s becoming dangerously obsessive, possibly due to sequestering her true emotions for so long. Or is she just into role playing? Maybe she’s a drama major. Ultimately, what goes on behind closed doors is her business.

"I live in misery when you’re not around.
And I won’t be satisfied ‘till we’re taking those vows…"

Peaking at #2, this funk ballad holds the honor as En Vogue’s biggest hit on the pop chart, holding at the runner-up position for 4 weeks.

Now, the girls reached the #2 slot before, courtesy of their debut single "Hold On" from 1990, and also 1992’s classic "My Lovin’ (You're Never Gonna Get It)". However, neither of those singles held the position for as long as Don’t Let Go, making this soundtrack extraction their biggest hit. Although they never earned a #1 pop hit, the ladies enjoyed no less than six chart toppers on the US R&B singles chart (including Don’t Let Go), which probably did much to sooth any disappointment from not reaching the top of the pops.

Just this past July I caught "Don’t Let Go" on the radio for the first time since its original release. Hard to believe that as big as the song was in 1995, that it tends to be overlooked by radio programmers nowadays. At least in my part of the world it’s forgotten by radio, but your mileage may vary.

"There’ll be some lovemaking, heart breaking, soul shaking…"

Now, as I’ve referenced periodically over the years, I didn't really "get" much ‘90s R&B. To my ears, most of the popular acts of the era seemed either annoyingly whiny, or obnoxiously aggressive, which dissuaded me from listening to the genre much further.

However, I always dug En Vogue. Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones possess a vocal maturity and class that I didn’t often hear from of most of their contemporaries. Whether they were belting out the awesome hard rock anti-racism anthem "Free Your Mind", duetting with Salt-N-Pepa on the classic jam "Whatta Man", dabbling in neo-soul or classical based tunes, or covering acts as diverse as The Andrews Sisters, Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, and The Beatles, En Vogue’s harmonies were splendid… beautiful… magnificent even. Yes sir, I loves me some En Vogue.

So what’s it gonna be? Are you gonna log off this page and never look back, or are you going to stick around and listen to En Vogue’s classic tune in the window below? We certainly hope you give it a listen and check in with a comment below. The blog deserves that… En Vogue deserves that, and YOU deserve that!

And don’t forget to continue to tune into the Dial for more songs that jog your memory in the weeks to come. On the docket for next time, an early ‘90s alt pop hit from a classic Gen X Cameron Crowe movie!

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

"What’s it gonna be? ‘Cause I can’t pretend…
Don’t you wanna be more than friends…?
Hold me tight and don’t let go… don’t let go…
Have the right to lose control... don't let go."