"Rocket 2 U" by The Jets

            What's up everybody! Thanks for tuning in to the latest installment of the blog which makes your memory jog! Tonight, we fine tune our signal for the utmost clarity to bring you a true guilty pop pleasure, The Jets with “Rocket 2 U” !

“Baby, baby, when I called you on the phone today… you sounded frantic when you said ‘Come over right away' “

Hailing from the South Pacific island of Tonga, (by way of Minneapolis, Minnesota), The Jets comprised of eight siblings of the Wolfgramm family; Elizabeth, Haini, Moana, Eddie, Rudy, Kathi, LeRoy, and Eugene. Founding member Eugene appeared on early albums with the group, but left before the release of “R2U” (and its 1987 parent LP Magic), to form the R&B group Boys Club, best known for “I Remember Holding You” (US #8, ’89).

The Jets were interesting in that they traded lead vocals among themselves, however, most listeners considered Elizabeth to be the family ensemble's true lead because of her gentle and sweet voice on their biggest hits, the memorable ballads “You Got It All” (US #3 ’86), and “Make It Real” (US #4 ’88).

However, brother Haini (real name Heinrich, also The Jets bass guitarist) took the lead on “R2U”, giving a the group their only top 10 pop hit (US #6, early '88) sung from a male point of view. It also earned the group high marks on the R&B singles chart (#5), and the Hot Dance Music chart (#3). Not too shabby.

“Don’t call me when your car just won’t go into second gear… or when your kitchen sink is shooting water in your ear…”

“R2U” is a dance floor stomper with a dash of funk and a quirky sense of humor, as Haini's character rejects a young woman's constant requests to perform appliance maintenance. This girl has issues with her TV, her sink, her car, her radio... either she just has the worst luck with... well, everything, or she's making it all up just to get Haini over to her place for some ulterior motive. But nobody would be that deceitful just to earn romance, would they? Nahhh... even in a pop song, that would never happen.

If that is her “M.O.”, it seems Heine sees right through it, as he asserts he's of no use as a handyman, but he can serve nicely as her lover.

“I’m not the one to call when you need a handy man… unless whatever needs fixing girl, is you.”

“R2U” is so unquestionably tied to the era from which it came, and as such, it feels like a blueprint for 80s r&b dance pop, especially as it highlights all the influences (and cliches) of the genre. 

Tongue-in-cheek sexual euphamism in the chorus... CHECK.

Rap break...CHECK.

Synthesizers... CHECK.

Name dropping a then-current cultural phenom (TV's “All My Children”)... CHECK.

Wacky sound in place of a word (“bubbling” effect for her busted shower)... CHECK.

Deep voice effect saying “RAWK IT” (think of the outtro on Prince's “1999”)... CHECK

Closing the song acapella style... CHECK.

There's also a Michael Jackson-like “whooo” near the end adlibs, and the whole production suggests a funkier DeBarge, as if Rick James had produced their work. There's also the Prince-styled spelling of the title that acts as the cherry on top of this pop sundae.

Yep, the whole thing is a guilty pleasure, to be sure. But it's one that is sure to get your feet moving and maybe provide a chuckle at the self-aware campiness of the whole affair. Blow off those chores and give it a spin!

“Baby, I can rocket 2 U… honey, the only thing I can do… baby, I can rocket all night… one thing I know I can do.”

“Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes” by Paul Anka

      Don't you find it true that we all can use a little down time these days? Just a moment to step away from the craziness of life, take a deep breath, and relax. Some may enjoy reading a chapter of a favorite book, others may like to leisurely sip a favorite beverage. Here at the Radio Dial, we prefer to listen to songs that have slipped out of the playlists of most radio stations years ago. We invite you to share one of these relaxing moments with us, as we listen to (and review) Paul Anka’s 1983 minor hit ballad, “Hold Me ‘Til the Mornin’ Comes”.

“Two broken hearts… neither one knows what to say… both falling from love, but not quite all the way”

Written by Anka and legendary songsmith David Foster, and featuring Chicago frontman Peter Cetera on the chorus, “Hold Me...” is a plaintive tune concerning a man attempting to reconcile with his lady love after a regretful breakup. Anka's character is remorseful, yet reserved, as he lays his emotions on the line to the girl he pushed aside.

A #40 pop and US #2 AC hit single taken from his ’83 LP “Walk A Fine Line”, “Hold Me...” would be the final top 40 entry for Paul, who first charted on the Hot 100 26 years earlier with 1957’s US #2 “Diana”.

His hits continued with the pop standards “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (US #2, 1959), and “Puppy Love”, (US #2, 1960) and the 70’s cheesefest “You’re Having My Baby” (US #1 ’74). He also authored the lyrics to Frank Sinatra’s soul-stirring inspirational classic “My Way”. (It amuses me that Anka was responsible for these last two songs in particular, as they are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of respectability.)

“Hold Me…” experienced an indirect revival of sorts in the late 90s as the music in the bridge section was sampled in KC and JoJo's 1998 #1 smash ballad “All My Life”, though personally, I find Paul's recording to be a much better song. It’s more melodic and genuinely romantic, unlike the whiny and manufactured vibe I get from KC and JoJo's concoction. Though since Anka is listed as a co-writer for the later hit (due to the sample), and that single far outsold the 1983 original, I'm sure he didn't complain when he cashed those royalty checks! (I know I wouldn't have!)

“Where shall we start… a tender word that we can share… and if we believe… in time we will get there.”

Back in the 80s, and because of the Peter Cetera vocal, I always assumed I was hearing a Chicago track, with verses sung by a Chicago member that didn't ordinarily handle lead vocal, leaving Peter to sing the chorus. I was only recently reunited this year with “Hold Me...” when I caught it on a local AM station, and upon rehearing it after all that time, I still initially misidentified it as a now obscure Chicago ballad. Imagine my surprise when I looked it up, and found it was Paul “You’re Having My Baby” Anka!

"Hold Me..." was among the first group of songs I came to know under the term “Adult Contemporary”, along with Sergio Mendez's “Never Gonna Let You Go” (#4, ’83), and Patti Austin and James Ingram's “Baby, Come To Me” (#1, ’83), pleasant melodic hits informed by soul techniques and jazz smoothness. Of course, as the years went on, this sub-genre of pop often came under ridicule and derision, being accused of saccharine lyrics and an overall banality. But I think this is unfair. If you're looking for a relaxing vibe you can't get much better than AC tracks, especially from this era. And anything to help reduce stress in this crazy world is a good thing.

“Would you still love me in the mornin’? Would you still be there in the mornin’? Or would you leave without a warnin’? Say you love me too…” 

Anka's ballad also joins the ranks of other great tunes that peaked at the last position of the top 40 like Paul Simon's “Still Crazy After All These Years” ('75), The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio Star” ('79), Alice Cooper's “Clones (We're All)” ('80), Blue Oyster Cult's “Burnin' For You” ('81), and “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure ('88). Give it a listen too, and see if you agree that a #40 peak is way too low for a ballad this smooth and classy.

“Darlin’, hold me til’ the mornin’ comes… until I see you smile… take all the sadness from your eyes…”

"Gemini Dream" by The Moody Blues

Good evening, friends! 

It’s that time again, when the Dial locks onto a signal from decades past, fine tunes it to crystal clarity, and presents to you for your listening pleasure. Sit back and enjoy The Moody Blues and “Gemini Dream”!

“Long time, no see… short time for you and me… so fine… so good… we’re on the road, like you knew we would.”

A Billboard US #12 single extracted from their 1981 Long Distance Voyager LP, (which also produced the US #15 hit “The Voice”), “Gemini Dream” is a curious and infectious melding of prog rock, new wave, and post-disco dance music. Consisting at the time of four-fifths of their classic late '60s line-up, the Moody Blues in '81 were, Justin Hayward (electric guitar, vocals), John Lodge (bass guitar, vocals), Ray Thomas (backing vocals), Graeme Edge (drums, percussion), and newcomer Patrick Moraz on keyboards, whom replaced original member Mike Pinder before the recording of this LP.

The Moodies were among a special class of 1960s “survivors” including The Rolling Stones, The Who, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Steve Winwood, and Paul McCartney, whom all enjoyed continued chart and radio success with contemporary hits into the MTV era.

“First night, so long… state of mind, what can go wrong? We’re here, the time is right, to rock n roll, right through the n-n-n-n-night”

I never understood what exactly the lyrics meant as a kid, but looking back on it now, I believe the tune can be taken in two different ways. My first conclusion is that “Gemini Dream” is a story of two lovers reconciling after a period of time, and the resulting anxiety over reclaiming the love that was lost. The interesting thing here is how this romantic reunification is told using musical terminology as a clever metaphor. There's “stage fright” (anxiety of starting the relationship again), “lights go up” (the moment of truth when the couple reconciles), and the rather obvious “rock n roll”, which means just what you think it means!

But then I started thinking that maybe the tune is more literal, and it REALLY IS about musicians. Perhaps it's about a band or a musical duo re-uniting after years apart in order to play another show. But what about the frequent references to love in the lyrics? Maybe that's not love in the romantic sense, but instead is the love felt from the audience when a musician plays to an appreciative crowd.

You could even make the argument that it's a little of both – reuniting musicians that were lovers as well, reigniting their passion for each other as they play to the audience one last time.

And what of the title... the “Gemini Dream” itself? Whether you agree with the lovers, or musicians angle, the Gemini Dream is clearly a mutually shared goal between two people.

“Turned round, to see… where we’ve been and what we believe… in life… love… take a chance, see it through, you’ll be glad that you came too.”

This was the first Moody Blues song I was aware of, no doubt because it was current in 1981, after I had already fallen in love with everything about top 40 radio. I remember being quite surprised later on, when I discovered that “Gemini” came from the same guys that did the brooding “Nights in White Satin”, and sophisticated “Tuesday Afternoon”, songs I knew and loved from listening to my parents’ favorite oldies station. Those late 60s hits didn't sound to my ears like they could have been recorded by the same group that did “Gemini”, which is clearly a testament to how creative and versatile these English gentlemen really are.

Give it a spin, why don't ya?

“There’s a place… a gemini dream… there’s no escaping from the love we have seen… so come with me, turn night into day… you’re gonna wake up, you know you’re gonna wake up in a Gemini Dream”