Bruce Hornsby concert review, and a little something extra! 8/24/18

     Hey friends! This is a Radio Dial impromptu special report on my experience at yesterday's Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers' concert in downtown Columbus Ohio!

The show began at 8 pm promptly on August 25th at the Columbus Commons outdoor venue. The weather was perfect, high 70s for the temps, light breeze, partly cloudly.

Throughout the show Bruce joked around with his bandmates (the Noisemakers), and bantered with the audience about movies he's scored, touring with Crowded House, and writing songs with Robbie Robertson of The Band.

He dropped some of his deeper cuts into his set, like "On the Western Skyline", "M.I.A. in M.I.A.M.I.", "Rainbow's Cadillac", "Place Under the Sun", and the Clockers soundtrack extraction "Love Me Still", all woven into what largely seemed like an extended jam session between Bruce and his band, which included not only traditional instruments like piano, bass, drums, and lead guitar, but also dulcimers, and spoons on a washboard!

As expected, he played his hit singles... "Mandolin Rain", "A Night on the Town", "Every Little Kiss", "The Valley Road", and of course, his signature song, the 1986 chart topper "The Way it Is". (Which also featured some whimsical piano noodling during the intro).

Bruce also performed a haunting rendition of the Grateful Dead's "Black Muddy River", and he even snuck in a few lines of Gale Garnett's "We'll Sing in the Sunshine", and The Young Rascals' "Lonely Too Long" in the middle of his own tunes.

But the best was yet to come. I attended the concert with my friend Steve, whom is quite experienced in meeting musical celebrities. So, shortly before Bruce concluded his two hour set, we located his tour bus, and hung out nearby along with two other autograph seekers that Steve had known from other concerts.

All four of us had brought items to be signed... vinyl albums, 45 single picture sleeves, and CD inserts.

After we waited a while, Mr. Hornsby appeared, and said he'd be happy to autograph! He was very gracious and good natured, and bantered with all of us about his music, and even his role in the Robin Williams film "World's Best Dad". He is a truly cool guy, and it was an honor to meet him!

So to commemorate this awesome night, below is a picture of yours truly with the man himself, Mr. Bruce Hornsby, and of my autographed CD of his second LP "Scenes from the Southside".

And it's true, CDs sound better when they are signed! It's a scientific fact!

 

 

 



"Sincerely Yours" by Sweet Sensation

      Howz it goin’, friends? Thanks ever so much for checking out Kyle’s Radio Dial, the blog that dusts off your musical memories from years gone by! Tonight, the Dial transmits a signal containing a late ‘80s freestyle classic, a story of unrequited love and danceable beats. Straight from The Bronx, New York, it’s Sweet Sensation, with "Sincerely Yours"!

"Dear, I write you this letter… to show you how much your love means to me…"

A Latin dance pop trio, Sweet Sensation comprised of lead vocalist Betty "Dee" LeBron, and backing singers (and sisters) Margie and Mari Fernandez. Later incarnations of the group would feature different backing vocalists, but Betty always received the main spotlight.

Peaking at US #14 on the hot 100, and #30 on the Hot Dance/Club Play chart, "Sincerely Yours" was extracted from the ladies’ 1988 debut album Take it While It’s Hot, and features a fresh (and dope) rap break courtesy of Romeo J.D. of hip hop trio The Boogie Boys, best known for their 1985 US R&B #6 hit "A Fly Girl".

For a while "Sincerely…" was the girls’ biggest hit, that is, until 1990 when their cover of The Supremes’ 1968 classic "Love Child" climbed one notch higher on the charts, reaching US #13.

But it would actually prove to be the follow up to "Love Child" which would take the honors as the group’s biggest breakthrough hit, their signature ballad "If Wishes Came True", which topped the US Pop singles charts, and became the ladies’ only top 10 entry.

"I wish we could be together… I need you in my life, oh can’t you see."

"Sincerely" follows a young lady’s lament that she’s met a great guy and has fallen hopelessly in love with him, but they are separated by some degree of distance and cannot be together. She writes him letters every day, but has yet to receive a reply, so she is starting to second guess the whole romance. Has he played her for a fool? Why hasn’t this poor lovesick lass received a response from this marvelous fellow? During Romeo J.D.’s rap, he explains his frustration in that he HAS been writing letters, but she hasn’t been receiving them. He explains…

"Every night I write without fail… and your Pops just dissed my mail… But if ever this letter should reach your doors, you’ll find it signed, Sincerely Yours."

Betty responds…

"Now I know we’ll be together… ‘cause you just answered my letter!"

So clearly, the young lady’s father (a.k.a. "Pops") doesn’t approve of the budding romance and is intercepting these love notes. However, one appeared to have snuck through, (unless Dad had a change of heart…), and now she knows that her beau feels as strongly about her as she does for him.

I’ve always thought this tune possesses a genuine innocence and sweetness about it. This girl is pouring her heart out as she believes to have been abandoned by her guy. Once it is revealed that he’s been writing back the whole time, she becomes elated and you can feel the youthful exuberance and energy in her voice.

Sure, it’s clearly an immature "first-love" styled-romance, likely between young teenagers, because why else would the father be intercepting the girl’s mail, and why can they not simply meet somewhere to get around Dad’s meddling? Because they can’t drive yet, more than likely… but the two vocal leads really sell their character’s affections for one another, and are rather convincing as a young romantic couple.

It’s also a nice time capsule, as in today’s insane world of social media, texting, and emails, the idea of a couple writing actual letters to each other – yes, by putting pen to paper – is rather charming, and harkens back to a simpler time that really wasn’t all that long ago.

Simply put, I just dig it. I hope you do too.

Give it a listen below, and drop me a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to keep tuning back into the Dial for more forgotten tunes from the past! Kyle’s Radio Dial… the MORE you listen, the MORE you remember!

"Oh, oh, I’m sincerely yours, the one my heart beats for, the one I adore… Oh, oh, I’m sincerely yours, the love that you gave I’ve never felt before."

 

 



TWO FER TUESDAY: Late 90s dance: Fun Factory and Crush

     HowYOUdoin, friends? Today, the Dial brings you a "Two Fer Tuesday" post, but instead of checking out two tunes by the same act, we are instead reviewing a pair of songs that belong to the same overall genre and era of music. As an added bonus, it’s a musical style we don’t often cover. So, without further ado, it’s time to dip our toes in the collective pool of ‘90s Eurodance, with Fun Factory’s "I Wanna B With U", and Crush’s "Jellyhead"!

Fun Factory, a Hamburg, Germany based dance pop group, can easily draw comparison to Swedish pop stars Ace of Base. Both acts feature a blend of female vocalists and male rappers, and the output of both groups is excessively pop radio-friendly. Fun Factory comprises of French vocalist Marie-Anett Mey, American rapper Rodney "Rod D." Hardison, and native Germans and record producers Toni "Smooth T." Cottura, and Stephan "Steve" Browarczyk.

Extracted from the group’s 1995 "Fun-Tastic" album, "I Wanna…" opens with a simple melody played using bells (or perhaps samples of bells), which lends the tune a light-hearted nursery rhyme feel. Once Mey sings the chorus for the first time, the song’s vibe then morphs into that of pop-reggae, and leads into a back and forth between a young couple who are declaring their romantic intent with one another. Overall, "I Wanna" successfully captures a very summery feel, which in turn is reinforced by the backyard barbecue setting of the music video.

Fun Factory just missed dancing into the US top 40 with "I Wanna…", as it peaked at #45 on the Hot 100, however, it ended up scoring much higher on the US Dance charts at #10. This was not the only track that they nearly placed into the top 40... two years prior in 1993, their single "Close To You", hit US #46 pop, and US #22 dance.

Also of note, is the group’s 1995 cover of Manfred Mann’s 1964 hit "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (the title of which was altered to "Doh Wah Diddy" for the remake), which peaked at #6 in Germany on the GfK Entertainment Charts (their own version of the Billboard singles chart), but the cover tune was not released as a single here in the states.

And despite the very Prince-influenced spelling of the title, it appears that the late purple one had nothing whatsoever to do with this song. No matter, it’s still a bouncy, easy going pop tune that deserved to break through greater on the charts.

"I wanna be with you, ‘cause my love is true… there’s so many things that I wanna do… I wanna be with you every night and day… Oh baby, oh baby please stay…"



    Next, we hop a flight across the Strait of Dover from Germany to England to check out the second half of this "Two Fer", "Jellyhead" by UK based Crush.

Crush is a dance pop duo consisting of Jayni Hoy and Donna Air, and was a spin-off of an earlier girl group called Byker Grooove. That act was itself a spin-off of a British TV series, a teenage soap opera entitled "Byker Grove" which aired from 1989 to 2006 on the BBC, and featured Hoy, Air, and fellow cast member Vicky Taylor. Taylor left the trio, and Jayni and Donna continued on under the name Crush.

Byker Grove, was not aired in the states (despite being quite popular across the pond), so it’s rather interesting that Crush was promoted to American radio at all, given that the ladies in the group are relative unknowns over here. The best that "Jellyhead" could manage was a #72 pop showing, which was their only appearance on the US hot 100. Surprisingly, it didn’t set the airwaves on fire in the UK either, and reached only UK #50.

"Jellyhead" appeared twice on the ladies’ 1996 debut LP "Teenage Kicks"; a pop/alt rock version, and the "Motive8 Pumphouse Remix", (which is the one that tended to get airplay), and is also the version I’ve posted at the end of the review.

Even though the lyrics are rather simple, I originally thought that "Jellyhead" was being sung by a girl who was berating another girl for dumping her boyfriend unfairly. Although now that I’m really listening to the lyrics, it’s clear my first impression was incorrect, and the narrator is simply dumping her own guy, as he is total clod. A "Jellyhead", if you will. So I overthunk it. That’s what I do.

(Although I assume that not this much thought went into the lyrics when it was written… this is a song to get people shakin’ it on the dance floor after all…)

And what of the unusual opening line "So what if your jeans are torn… they’ve been torn since BRATS were cool"? What do these girls have against German sausages, anyway?

Turns out the actual line is "since Bros were cool", and "Bros" were a UK based pop trio who scored many hits in Europe from ‘87 – ‘91. So Crush was taking a dig at an earlier pop act, but interestingly enough, they also celebrate a contemporary one in the same song with the line…      "I want The Prodigy really loud". Could Jayni and Donna be Firestarters?

"Over and over I feel it… boyfriend, you’re alone… you must be out of your mind… Jellyhead. You’ve really blown it."



I was about to call these songs guilty pleasures, but what do I have to feel guilty about? Both Fun Factory and Crush have created playful, upbeat dance numbers here, which although they certainly aren’t the most sophisticated or meaningful pieces of music ever recorded, both tunes possess a carefree youthful vibe that just exudes fun. And in today’s stress filled word, what’s wrong with a song or two that’s pure fun? Nothing, that’s what!

Every now and again, "Mrs. Radio Dial" will pull up pop and dance music videos on our WiiU (typically songs from the ‘90s) for our kids to bounce around to as a "dance party", frequently featuring tunes like Aqua’s "Barbie Girl", the Vengaboys’ "We like to Party", Real McCoy’s "Another Night", "Steal my Sunshine" by Len, etc. Methinks I’ll have to sneak Fun Factory and Crush into the playlist the next time around. Perhaps you’ll add them to your playlist as well.

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