TWO-FER TUESDAY - Basia

It’s that time again, Dialophiles! That very special time in which the Radio Dial brings you two songs, linked by a common bond, both in one fun-filled, musically enlightening transmission. Tonight, please enjoy these selections from Polish songstress Basia, “Time and Tide”, and “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)”. 

It’s hard for me to stop my heart, love never knows when the time is right… I don’t want to hurt anybody, but can’t help loving you. 

Releasing her solo material under her first name only, Basia Trzetrzelewska (pronounced… Basha T’she t’she levska) joined UK based pop/jazz band Matt Bianco in 1983, and charted several hit singles across Europe with the group, beginning with “Get Out Of Your Lazy Bed” which peaked at UK #15 in 1984.

After the band’s debut LP, “Whose Side Are You On?”, Basia and Danny White (her Matt Bianco bandmate, keyboardist, and songwriter) left the group to focus on Trzetrzelewska’s solo career, culminating in her first debut solo LP, 1987’s “Time and Tide”.

The title track was issued as a single, charting respectably at US #26, and also #19 on the US adult contemporary chart. However, it peaked surprisingly low in the UK, managing only a position of #64.

An upbeat, yet smooth serenade, “Time and Tide” is a celebratory declaration of Basia’s love for her beau, and her undying confidence that the future holds nothing but positive things for the two of them. Listen for the soulful inflection she gives the final note at the end of the third verse. 

Time and tide, nothing and no one can stop us now, for better for worse, this time, I’m sure, it’s gonna last. Gonna last forever! 

Basia’s playful video shows her song invigorating the employees of a dinner club, as they prepare the location for the nighttime’s festivities. Though the club manager initially (and amusingly) mispronounces her name as “Basie”, she and Danny delight employees and customers alike with her jazz-pop masterpiece. As the third verse begins, time leaps forward to the evening, showing a packed house and subdued lighting, as Basia sings to the crowd complete with saxophone accompaniment. Basia also tackles a dual role here, not just as the lead singer for the club’s band, but also as one of her own backing singers! 

We got time, oh baby, there’s no rush, gonna be a better day for us. Hang on, and I will wait for you, our love will always stay as good as new.

 

By 1989, Basia had developed a strong following in the pop and jazz communities, so it would stand to reason that her second LP, “London Warsaw New York” was released with great expectation in the fall of that year. It would prove not to disappoint. Featuring the hits “Cruising for Bruising” (US #29 pop, and #5 US A.C.), and “Baby You’re Mine” (#18 US A.C.), the LP also featured Basia’s first recorded cover tune.

A classic track about the various lengths that a jilted lover will endure in order to prove to their devotion to their former partner, “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” was released as the third single, but did not chart in the hot 100, though it did place at #33 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts. 

Though you don’t call anymore, I sit and wait… in vain. I guess I’ll rap on your door, tap on your window pane. 

Written by Stevie Wonder alongside Motown songwriters Morris Broadnax and Clarence Paul, the best known (and biggest hit) version was released by The Queen of Soul herself, Miss Aretha Franklin, whose rendition hit #3 on the hot 100 and topped the R&B singles chart in 1974. Basia’s treatment of this classic soul track adds a muted hip-hop beat, piano, strings, and that certain elegance befitting Miss Trzetrzelewska.

A nice touch is provided in the track’s opening seconds, in which we are treated to the sound of an orchestra warming up. At about the 18 second mark the conductor raps his baton, starting the piano, followed by the beat, then Basia’s lovely vocals glide in to begin the song proper. 

Why did you have to decide, you had to set me free? I’m gonna swallow my pride, I’m gonna beg you to please… baby please see me. 

Basia’s music is typically classified as “sophisti-pop”, a smooth and classy UK based blend of soft rock, jazz, soul, and occasional new wave elements, which charted many pop hits in America (and worldwide) beginning in the mid-80s. Artists like Sade, Level 42, Swing out Sister, Johnny Hates Jazz, and one hit wonder acts like Double (1986’s “The Captain of Her Heart”), and When in Rome (‘88s “The Promise”) insured that sophisti-pop’s smooth sounds provided a welcome relaxing antidote to the hair metal, teen dance pop, and early hip hop that was beginning to dominate the top 40 format.

Only a few Basia tracks were pushed to U.S. radio, but whenever they were played, we here at the Radio Dial always perked up our receivers. Give these two tracks a spin, and see if you don’t also become a fan of Basia’s smooth, classy brand of pop. 

Living for you my dear, is like living in a world of constant fear… In my plea, I’ve got to make you see, that our love is dying.

"No Money Down" by Lou Reed

Hey Dialophiles! 

Tonight, the Dial shines its reverent spotlight on a forgotten track from an unquestionable rock legend. This mid ‘80s single deserved to be a much larger hit, especially given that it sported a truly weird and memorable video. So check it out, it don’t you cost nuthin’! Ladies and Gentlemen, we present Mr. Lou Reed and “No Money Down”.

"I know you're disappointed in the way I handled things... you're thinking I misread the times and acted cowardly..."

Best known as a founding member and the lead singer of ‘60s psychedelic rockers The Velvet Underground (the Andy Warhol produced The Velvet Underground & Nico LP, among several other albums), and for his iconic 1972 solo #16 hit “Walk on the Wild Side”, Reed released a series of albums over his career that ranged from straight on classic rock (1974’s Rock & Roll Animal, ‘82’s The Blue Mask), David Bowie inspired glam (1972’s Transformer from which Wild Side is derived) to avant-garde, largely inaccessible experimental music (‘75’s Metal Machine Music).

Extracted from Reed’s 1986 Mistrial LP, “No Money Down” is a rollicking synth-rock jam featuring squealing saxophone accompaniment, and Reed’s deadpan delivery singing cryptic lyrics comparing a stumbling romance to a failing financial transaction. The final verse casts a skeptical eye on the cult of celebrity, stating that those who we identify as “heroes”, aren’t really as special and unique as we want to believe that they actually are.

"They say there's someone for everyone, and for everyone a someone..." 

However, the real star here, (as great as the track itself is), is the bizarre music video, directed by Godley & Creme, creators of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”, Herbie Hancock “Rockit”, and Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”, among many other innovative clips. 

The video introduces a robot version of Reed “singing along” to the vocals, which is mildly interesting, but things really ratchet up at about the 1:35 mark, in which the supposed hands of the “Robot Reed” begin violently tearing its own face apart even as it continues to sing in a “picture in picture” image. Rumor has it, that the destructive hands actually belong to Lou, which certainly seems like something he would do.

I first saw this video on an episode of “Beavis & Butthead” in which the guys were lulled into a false sense of calm by the singing robot, then started freaking out when the hands started tearing it apart. However, by the end, they were encouraging further destruction of the robot, as befits their crude, but hilarious characters.

No Money Down was released as a single, but didn’t place on the Hot 100 at all. Perhaps Lou was considered no longer relevant to the music scene of the mid 80s, and the song wasn’t given the proper push to radio programmers. This is a damn shame, as many other 60s and 70s hitmakers like Eric Carmen, Tina Turner, Cheap Trick, Steve Winwood, and even Donny Osmond had very successful comebacks in the 80s, each after their own periods of dormancy. Had NMD gotten the right push, I think it could’ve at least gone top 30, maybe even top 20. It already had a great music video that would’ve gotten people talking.

"So when push comes to shove, get the Harley revved up... the moon can eclipse even the sun."

Now, in a deviation from the norm here at the Dial, in which we typically post a window into which you can listen to the song or view the video, today we are posting three separate items.

Up first is a still image of the music video, which is followed by a link to view the video on another site, and lastly a familiar embedded window to listen to the song on the Dial, like on all of our previous posts. This is mainly due to the current unavailability of No Money Down’s music video on the typical site we use to embed songs on the blog, but also because the video can be quite freaky and unsettling the first time you see it. So this way, you can see the still image, and decide from that whether you want to click the link to watch the full music video, or just enjoy the song by itself (sans visuals) via the embedded link on the blog.

Sadly, we lost Lou to his battle with liver disease on Sunday, 10/27/13. However, his spirit lives on in the guise of his rich musical output, not to mention the countless bands and musicians he has inspired (count Iggy Pop, the Talking Heads, R.E.M., Nirvana, and the White Stripes among them) and in its own way, this humble Radio Dial nod. Much respect to you Lou, and much peace in the next life.

 
"You’re paying a price when there’s no price to pay, lover’s trust… No Money Down!”

http://www.music.com/video/lou-reed/no-money-down/36166905001  

"Lady Love Me (One More Time)" by George Benson

Good evening Dialophiles! Tonight, the Radio Dial fine tunes a frequency from the man who brought us the first platinum selling jazz LP ever, 1975’s Breezin’! Time to mellow out with George Benson and “Lady Love Me (One More Time)”! 

If you’re askin’ me to say… living life without you girl, is alright… If you really want to know… I’d have to say it’s dangerous, to my mind. 

Taken from George’s 1983 In Your Eyes LP, "Lady Love" peaked at US #30 pop, and #21 R&B, but ended up doing much better across the pond, where it peaked at #11 on the UK Singles chart.

Starting with the #10 pop hit “This Masquerade” from the aforementioned Breezin’ LP, (which was one of the first cover tunes I recall taking notice of as a child, as I was quite familiar with the earlier version by The Carpenters), Benson enjoyed a string of top 40 hits including a live rendition of The Drifters’ classic “On Broadway” (a #7 hit in 1978), and the original compositions “Give Me the Night” (#4, ‘80), and “Turn Your Love Around” (#5, ’81). “Lady Love…” would prove to be Benson’s final US hit to peak within the top 40.

Characterized by a playful and carefree, yet sophisticated “Manhattan” vibe, George’s romantic tale details a man who successfully woos his way back into his estranged lover’s arms and heart. I always looked forward to catching any of Benson’s tracks on the radio, and “Lady Love” was no exception. The track is richly layered with George’s smooth and classy vocal delivery, vulnerable, yet romantic lyrics co-authored by Toto’s David Paich, distinctive “whistle-like” keyboard work, and a mid-song monosyllabic repetition that owes a lot to the tradition of “scat singing” popularized by the likes of legends Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway. 

Yes, I'm askin' you to stay… Remembering it used to be so right… If you're askin' for the truth… I'd have to say I won't believe it’s goodnight. 

Songs like this one contributed greatly to my love of Top 40 radio during my “growing up” years... there was always such a great diversity of music styles on tap. Sure, the format was always dominated by rock and its off-shoots (hard, soft, heartland, folk rock, blues rock), but also swirling around in the mix was soul, dance, new wave, country, novelty ("Stars on 45" and "The Curly Shuffle" spring to mind), and the occasional jazz cross over like Mr. Benson's hit output. There was such a wide cross section of artists and styles, it was almost like attending a music diversity class broadcast over the airwaves.

So keep your frequency locked to the Radio Dial, where we are already hard at work riffling through our extensive archives of vinyl, cassettes, and CDs in order to bring you, the loyal Dialophile, the greatest tracks you’ve forgotten you once loved, or possibly, never even heard the first time out! 

So before you turn and walk away, just let me love you one more time, feel your heartbeat close to mine… Lady, love me all the time, lady love me.