"Justified and Ancient" by The KLF and Tammy Wynette

   “They’re justified, and they’re ancient… and they like to roam the land…”

   Tonight… on Kyle’s Radio Dial… A very British amalgam of electronica, hard rock, country, and tribal chants which could not have existed at any other era in pop music history except for the time of it’s release… the early ‘90s. Because that’s what The KLF is about… Also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, furthermore knows as the JAMS. Get ready, and get on the dance floor as the Dial turns it’s receivers to pick up a signal containing The KLF and Tammy Wynette’s “Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMS)”.

   The KLF (typically explained as standing for “Kopyright Liberation Front”) was officially only two Londoners, musician and producer Bill Drummond (formerly of punk band Big in Japan) and guitarist Jimmy Cauty (formerly of Brilliant). “Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMS)”, a UK #2 and US #11 hit, was a reworking of a track found on their 1991 LP The White Room. The song’s chorus features a sample of Jimmy Hendrix’s 1968 psychedelic rock classic “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”, and a rap from frequent musical colleague Ricardo da Force. The lyrics are unquestionably about the group itself, as they mention their various monikers and tell their detractors not to stop them “because they’re coming through”. This creates a glorious and wacky tune of self promotion, yet also ties into their mythical philosophy of “Mu Mu Land”, a recurring theme throughout The KLF’s output.

   Now let’s talk about Tammy... Wynette that is. Billed on the label as “The First Lady of Country Music”, (and who would argue that?) Tammy charted an impressive twenty-nine top 10 country hits during the ‘60s and ‘70s, of which 1968’s “Stand by Your Man” (her signature song) stood at the top of the country singles charts for three weeks and crossed over to US #19 pop, her highest position on the Hot 100. Wynette’s last significant solo hit was 1982’s “Another Chance” which hit US country #8.

   Her KLF collaboration returned Tammy to the top 40 pop charts for the first time since “Stand by your Man” twenty-three years earlier. There is even a lyrical shout out to her signature song when she sings…

   “They called me up in Tennessee, they said ‘Tammy… Stand by the JAMS’”

   This really was an amazing and out of left field collaboration. It would be like if Diplo dropped an EDM single tomorrow that featured ‘90’s country sweetheart Jo Dee Messina singing the verses. Actually in today’s musical landscape, where nearly every song has at least two or three “featured artists”, and there is a tremendous amount of genre cross-pollination, maybe the Diplo/Jo Dee track wouldn’t be all THAT weird, but you get the idea.

   Another worthwhile cut from The KLF that I recommend is “Last Train to Transcentral”, a UK #2 rockin’ dance cut that featured a cool music video with a flying police car and a model train shrouded in fog and smoke. Last Train never charted in the states, but I watched the video frequently as an employee of Waldorf, Maryland’s Square Circle record store, via an in-store VHS tape of music videos that we played for several months to promote new artists. Plus, train songs are cool. Don’t shake your head, you know I’m right.

   When researching Justified, I saw that an earlier single by the band, “3 A.M. Eternal” hit US #5 in 1991 and was their biggest US hit, so I figured I should check it out as well. Oddly enough I don’t recall that song at all. Not from the radio, not from MTV, not from those Square Circle video tapes either… somehow I completely missed their biggest hit. Not sure how the hell that happened exactly.

   The KLF were a truly weird group who are worth researching and reading about. Basically, their goal was to subvert the music industry, which earned them a reputation as “pranksters”. They wrote a book entitled “The Manual (How to have a Number One the Easy Way)” – which is exactly what it sounds like it is. They also created stunts involving burning one million quid, destroying copies of their first LP, and firing blanks into an assembled crowd for the 1992 BRIT awards, among numerous other crazy acts. Drummond and Cauty dissolved their musical partnership in 1992, only five years after they formed, but they left a legacy that continues to shape dance, techno, house, and electronica to this day.

   Now, while I certainly do not agree with Jane Lynch’s comment (as Sue Sylvester) from an episode of Fox’s “Glee” that Justified is “hands down the worst song ever written”, (I tend to think that pretty much the bulk of Flo Rida’s hits should earn that derision) but I do recognize that Justified is empty of any deep social commentary on the human condition, and it’s devoid of any really complex musical structure. But it never set out to be, and above all, who cares? It’s a hoot to listen to, a bizarre slice of pop culture ephemera, and a product of the time. Check it out below, and take your own little trip to Mu Mu Land. 

   And be sure to stay tuned to Kyle's Radio Dial,where the more you listen... the MORE you remember!

(I don't believe the KLF has an official website - so you may Google them at your leisure)

https://tammywynette.com/

"Can't Stop" by After 7

   “Ever since the day that you appeared, I’m telling you you made the difference, now love is so clear”

   Welcome back friends, to the latest transmission from Kyle’s Radio Dial! Today, we are beaming a forgotten former hit from the dawn of the ‘90s to your speakers, to get your week going with a little bit of positivity. And can’t we all use some of that right now? I mean, am I right?

   So, without further ado, I am proud to present After 7, and their hit “Can’t Stop”.  

   After 7… (Which is not to be confused with Nestle’s chocolate mint candy, that was After Eight !) is an Indianapolis based R&B vocal trio comprised of brothers Kevon and Melvin Edmonds, and Keith Mitchell. These gentlemen have music in their backgrounds as Keith sang with Kevon in a group that toured Indianapolis as college students, and the Edmonds brothers are the elder siblings of Babyface, R&B producer extraordinaire. Babyface, along with producing partner L.A. Reid, co-wrote and produced much of the material on After 7’s albums.

   Taken from their 1989 debut self titled LP, “Can’t Stop” followed the singles “Heat of the Moment” (US #19, R&B #5), and their pop breakthrough “Ready or Not”, a US #7, and R&B #1 smash. “Can’t Stop” continued After 7’s hit-making streak by peaking at US #6, and once again topping the R&B singles chart.

   Following this, the trio’s pop chart success dwindled, however they continued scoring R&B hits well into the decade, among which was their 1992 cover of “Baby I’m for Real”, originally recorded in 1969 by The Originals (funny how that worked out), and their 1995 smash “’Til You Do Me Right”, both of which reached R&B #5. The trio even enjoyed a successful comeback in 2016 with their Timeless LP (their first album in 20 years), which reunited them with Babyface, and landed them five top 10 singles on Billboard’s Adult R&B songs chart.

   I’ll never get tired of listening to “Can’t Stop”. It’s just so exuberant and truly romantic. It’s not at all schmaltzy or emotionally overwrought like so many tunes that are considered romantic classics. (“My Heart Will Go On”, “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)”, etc.) “Can’t Stop” successfully captures the euphoria and excitement of falling in love, in which the proverbial sun, moon, and stars revolve around your partner and you can’t wait to spend as much time as possible with them. It’s much like a ‘90s version of the Temptations’ 1964 masterpiece “My Girl”. Actually, that’s a very apt comparison, as like the legendary Motown pioneers, After 7 display pristine soulful harmonies, classy personas, and lyrical content that speaks to us all.

   Plus, I just love the progression of the bridge into the chorus… it’s simply an awesome groove.

   Now, at the time this song was a hit, I was in eleventh grade, and my high school bus driver only played the local urban contemporary station (WPGC-FM for those of you in the Washington DC market). As I was still listening to early to mid 80s top 40 on my Walkman, (Hall & Oates, Duran Duran, The Police – yeah I was retro even then), I tended to crank my cassettes to drown out the bus driver’s musical choice. However, if I heard “Can’t Stop” over the bus radio, you can bet I would put my Walkman on pause and get lost in After 7’s soulful masterpiece.

   On a related note, one of the songs I really disliked hearing on those bus rides back then was The Rude Boys “Written All Over your Face”. Now I don’t mean to offend any readers who may love that song or that group, but I found the vocals to be whiny and nasally, and above all, quite irritating. In fact, for the longest time I thought the lyrics of the chorus was actually... “I really don’t know what to say”… because those nasally vocals just made the words hard to decipher to my ears. But it has been nearly 30 years since I’ve heard it. So, I decided to listen to “Written…” just now for the first time since then to see if my opinion has become more forgiving given the intervening years. And I have to say…

   No. No it hasn’t. Keep in mind that music is very subjective. But my conclusion is The Rude Boys… lame… After 7… classy. There ya go.

   Now to get serious for a moment. Sadly, Melvin Edmonds passed away on May 18, 2019 at the age of 65. After 7 continues his legacy, and Melvin’s son Jason fills in for his father on tours alongside his uncle Kevon and friend Keith, delivering on the promise of classic soulful harmonies began three decades prior. Much love and respect to you Melvin, we’ll see you on the other side.

   So, check out the song below and give After 7 some love. You might even get some love back from them, as you get caught up in their musical celebration of romance and infatuation. And we could all use any additional love these days.

   Stay well everyone, and stay tuned to Kyle’s Radio Dial for more overlooked and forgotten classic tracks from years past!

http://after7music.com/

"Split Decision" by Steve Winwood

   “By the time there’s nothing left to choose, one man puts the fire out, the other lights the fuse.”

   How ya doin’, friends? Welcome back to Kyle’s Radio Dial, the blog where the more you listen, the MORE you remember!

   For today’s musical memory jaunt, we’re taking it back to 1986, the year of Halley’s Comet’s last approach, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and the Fox Television network’s initial launch, in order to present a rock classic from a classic rocker who was in his third decade of recording at that point. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Dial is proud to present Mr. Steve Winwood and “Split Decision”.

   "Split" is an upbeat rock tune with a bit of blues essence which finds Winwood musing on various opposites within the human psyche. There's being certain versus being unsure, or having the symptom versus having the cure (emotionally speaking of course). It’s almost about the duality of man, but the lyrics don’t quite go into that good vs. evil territory. Ultimately, Steve concludes that it’s a fine line… a very fine line… a split decision. The split decision of course, being which way any individual will go in each decision of their life. A rather heady topic for a rock song with pop aspirations, no doubt!

   The third single from Steve’s Grammy winning 1986 comeback LP “Back in the High Life”, “Split” was co-written by Winwood and the Eagles’ Joe Walsh. Steve turns in a fine blue-eyed soul performance with a bit more of a straight rock lean, and Joe totally shreds on this track, especially during the instrumental bridge and final chorus repetitions! Backing vocals are provided by the soulful Jocelyn Brown whom has appeared on tracks by Inner Life, Salsoul Orchestra, Culture Club, Chic, Mick Jagger’s solo work, and many others.

  “Split” reached #3 on the US Mainstream Rock chart in mid ‘86, but amazingly it never made the leap to pop, and thus, the Billboard Hot 100. I sure never heard it on my beloved top 40 stations back then, but I’m certain I would have been rockin’ along with Steve and Joe if I had.

   Winwood first hit big on the US singles chart as a member of the Spencer Davis Group with their hits “Gimme Some Lovin’” (US #7, 1966), and “I’m a Man” (US #10, 1967). Later he was involved in the critically acclaimed groups Blind Faith and Traffic. In 1980, he enjoyed a US #7 solo pop hit with “While You See a Chance”, but had kind of slipped into the background in subsequent years until the release of the “Back in the High Life” album which netted him four top 20 pop singles including the chart topping “Higher Love”.

   Steve belongs to an esteemed class of ‘60s rockers that either through consistent chart success or through a successful comeback, continued to enjoy hit songs into the decade of hot pink leg warmers. And he is in great company alongside Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Cher, Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson… I’m sure I’m forgetting a few, but you get the idea.

   And I’d like to give a shout out and sincere thanks to my buddy Justin, whom last year gave me a 1989 JVC boombox with the “Back in the High Life” cassette along with about 20 other tapes as well. Because of that, I was able to discover and appreciate this killer track that I had never heard before. Give it a listen below, and leave me a comment with your thoughts. Should “Split Decision” have been pushed to top 40 stations? Or was it just too rock leaning to do well on that format? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

https://stevewinwood.com/