"Cold Beverage" by G.Love and Special Sauce

    “Summertime is cool… the heat is getting old… yeah I’ll get a beverage, just make sure it’s cold”

    As I began to write this entry (May 27), the A/C unit at the Radio Dial home office has gone kaput. It was over twenty years old, so we knew this day would come sooner than later. Problem is, this happened during a very hot and humid weekend (at least for central Ohio), with temps in the upper 80s, and 90% humidity, and minimal wind. Let’s just say that we were miserable.

    However, one activity that was getting the Radio Dial family and I through the heat wave was enjoying frequent chilled drinks. Ice water, iced tea, lemonade, soda pop, juice, and beer (just the Mrs. and I for that last one of course), have been instrumental in keeping us at least reasonably comfortable, along with frequent spins of today’s spotlighted song, which is perfect for these hot summer days. So let’s give it up for G. Love and Special Sauce’s ode to quenching your thirst… the aptly named “Cold Beverage”.

    Hailing from “The City of Brotherly Love” (Philadelphia, of course!), G. Love and Special Sauce formed in 1993 by Garrett Dutton (the ubiquitous “G. Love” himself), drummer Jeffrey “Houseman” Clemens, and Jim “Jimi Jazz” Prescott on string bass. “Cold Beverage” was the first single from their 1994 debut self-titled LP. It became quite popular on college rock stations and also made an appearance on MTV’s Beavis & Butt-Head (wish I could find a clip of that!) However, it did not make an appearance on any Billboard singles chart.

    Classified as “alternative hip hop”, G. Love’s sound is firmly rooted in the blues, with sprinklings of classic soul, rap, and alternative rock blended throughout. Garrett’s brisk blues-rap delivery mentions an impressive menu of mouth watering drinks that are sure to make anyone thirsty by the song’s conclusion. Lemonade appears to be the band’s beverage of choice, as it is mentioned quite a few times, and appears as a tattoo in the opening seconds of the music video. The drink list continues with Sprite, iced tea, A&W, milk shakes, egg creams, orange juice, and various adult libations. There is even a line about how watermelon is basically a drink, so it’s cool with them if you serve ‘em up a large slice.

    There’s also some helpful advice in the guise of this insanely catchy chant, mid-way through the song…

    “Stick it in the fridge… stick it in the fridge… if you like something cold to swig, man... stick it in the fridge” 

    (Zoey, the Radio Dial Daughter, absolutely LOVES this part!)

    My only gripe about the tune is that it is difficult to follow along with Garrett’s lyrics, mainly due to his vocals being “buried in the mix” during the verses. At least that’s how it sounds to my ears. I’m not an audio engineer, so maybe there’s something else at play here. Still, “Cold Beverage”, with it’s cool groove, is a tasty thirst quenching track that should be on everybody’s summertime playlist.

    Has G.Love had any major hits? Well, the band’s biggest single to date was 2008’s “Peace, Love, and Happiness”, which hit #15 on the US Adult Alternative chart, and they’ve made a chart appearance as recently as 2019’s “Go Crazy”, recorded with modern blues legend Keb’ Mo, which hit #30 on that same chart. But the boys of Special Sauce have yet to score a crossover single that has gotten them anywhere on the Billboard Hot 100. However, I get the feeling that they are perfectly fine with that. They’ve continued to record and tour for over 25 years, and that is some incredible longevity!

    So, in case you were wondering… on June 3rd, we replaced our air conditioning unit. Seven thousand big ones. Ugh. But it needed to be done. What’s important is the Radio Dial home office is cool and comfortable once more. However, you can bet that the family will continue to enjoy cold beverages and “Cold Beverage” throughout the summer. Grab your favorite thirst quencher from the fridge, take a swig, check out the video, and tell me...what are some of your favorite summertime songs? Post a comment below! 

https://philadelphonic.com/

"No Time for Talk" by Christopher Cross

   “Well, I read it in town in the melancholy news… The front page story is our love is through.”

   Hey there friends, let’s mellow out. It’s time to put on our captains hats, put an extra splash of rum in our pina coladas, and catch a deep breath of that salty sea air, as the Dial brings you an overlooked single from the patron saint of “Yacht Rock”, Texas native Christopher Cross and his 1983 near-hit “No Time For Talk”!

   Cross smoothly sailed into pop music stardom with his Grammy winning self-titled album in late 1979. Blending a foundation of soft rock with elements of smooth jazz and blue-eyed soul, the Christopher Cross LP helped popularize the introspective escapism of what was then known as the West Coast Sound, but which became known in later years as Yacht Rock.

   Best remembered for sophisticated top 40 smashes like “Ride Like the Wind” (a #2 hit in 1980), in addition to “Sailing”, and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” (chart toppers in ‘80 and ‘81, respectively), “No Time For Talk” is a rather atypical song from Cross, as it features a few musical ideas that set it apart from the bulk of his oeuvre.

   A story of a romance on the decline, musically, “No Time…” initially seems a little disjointed and experimental, especially when compared to Christopher’s earlier hits. It opens with strong, slightly ominous tones that would not sound out of place on the score of a horror or science fiction film of the era. Then additional keyboard flourishes blend in, softening the vibe of the tune. Once Chris starts singing, the verses and chorus sections fall in line with his standard sound, and images of palm trees and his trademark pink flamingos will undoubtedly pop to mind.

   There’s also a rather interesting bridge section that leads off with a jazzy piano and saxophone melody, and wraps up with an almost new-age-derived keyboard passage. Following this, “No Time…” returns to Cross’ signature soft rock stylings. The tune is a veritable hodge-podge, a gumbo, if you will, of musical elements. But that’s exactly why I find it interesting, and unique among his discography.

   Like much of Christopher’s hits, “No Time…” features frequent collaborator and Doobie Brother Michael McDonald on backing vocals. Mike and Jeff Porcaro of Toto contribute to bass and drums, and Tom Scott of the Blues Brothers band provides that sweet sax solo.

   Peaking at US #33, the lowest showing of all his top 40 entries, “No Time…” was the second single pulled from his 1983 LP Another Page, following the lead single, the #12 hit "All Right", an upbeat pop/rock number. “No Time…” was followed in turn by the #9 "Think of Laura" - a heartfelt ballad tribute to his friend Laura Carter who was killed accidentally during gang violence. This was to be Christopher’s final top 40 hit.

   Despite his star falling rather quickly due to rapidly changing musical trends, and the difficulty in marketing Cross to the MTV generation, the smooth Texan has continued to release albums and tour throughout the decades. His smash hits have been mainstays of adult contemporary stations since their release, but “No Time…” has been largely abandoned since it’s original chart run.

   In current times, Christopher has unfortunately been one of a number of celebrities that was stricken with the Covid-19 virus. As I write this, May 19, 2020, Chris did not suffer any respiratory complications, but battling the virus left him temporarily paralyzed in his legs.

   Still, it is reported that the icon of soft rock is optimistic, and doctors expect him to make a full recovery, at which point he plans to embark on his 40^th anniversary tour, celebrating the very album that launched his career. I wonder if he will dust off “No Time for Talk” for the set list? I hope he makes a stop in Columbus Ohio, I’d love to check him out.

   So won’t you make time for “No Time”? Click the link below, and listen to this overlooked almost hit from an icon of early 80s pop. Do you think “No Time” deserved to be a bigger hit? What are some of your favorite songs of the yacht rock genre? Drop me a comment and let’s chat!

https://www.christophercross.com/

"Edge of A Broken Heart" by Vixen

   “I can’t believe I could’ve been so blind, but love is strange…”

   Hello again friends, and thanks for tuning into Kyle’s Radio Dial! Tonight, we head back to the late ‘80s, an era in which hard rock and pop metal dominated the hot 100 singles chart. But instead of taking a look at Poison, the Scorpions, or Bon Jovi, the Dial has fine tuned a frequency containing a quartet of lovely ladies that know their way around a catchy hook and a tasty riff. In short, these gals ROCK!

   Spray on some Aqua Net, and slip into those leather pants, as we check out “Edge of a Broken Heart” by Vixen!

   Hailing from St. Paul Minnesota, Vixen was formed in 1986 by lead guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, and lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Janet Gardner. Soon bassist Share Ross, and drummer Roxy Petrucci joined the group, creating what is now recognized as the “classic lineup”.

   “Edge” tells the story of a female protagonist giving the kiss off to a controlling boyfriend. He wasn’t treating her the way she deserved, so she takes control of the situation, ends the relationship, and begins her search for somebody new, but not before reminding the guy that he’ll be sorry “when it’s over”.

   Peaking at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Edge” was Vixen’s top 40 chart breakthrough. Personally, I assumed it charted much higher, based on the frequency on which I heard it on Q107 out of Washington DC back then. Usually, rock songs that don’t peak rather high on the top 40 score much higher on the US Mainstream Rock singles chart, but surprisingly, “Edge” only got to #24 there. Vixen’s immediate follow up “Cryin’” did a little bit better by reaching #22 on both of the aforementioned charts, but neither song was the blockbuster the ladies deserved. Both singles were pulled from their 1988 eponymous debut.

   The late ‘80s was definitely the peak era for pop metal. Though Vixen definitely had a unique angle with being an all female hard rock band, they were still playing in a crowded field overall. They were fighting for record sales and airplay spins against Def Leppard, Whitesnake, White Lion, Guns N Roses, Skid Row, Cinderella, etc, not to mention the “harder” metal groups that barely got radio airplay, yet sold tons of albums and had legions of devoted fans like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Judas Priest.

   Certainly, there weren’t that many ladies that dabbled in hard rock back then. You had Joan Jett and Lita Ford, mega successful solo artists who both began as members of The Runaways in the ‘70s, and Tina Turner, Cher, and Janet Jackson each recorded a hard rock flavored song here and there, but the genre was always male dominated. There were a few all girl groups like The Bangles and Bananarama, and of course The Go-Gos several years before them, but none of them were metal or even close to hard rock.

   Simply put, Vixen should have been bigger. I think if the hard rock field had been less bloated, they could have stood out more and earned a greater popularity. Unfortunately, the ‘90s were right around the corner with the “one-two death punch” of hip-hop and grunge which effectively crushed the dominance of pop metal and hard rock on the singles charts.

   Now here’s a fun fact. “Edge” was written by Fee Waybill and Richard Marx! Yes THAT Richard Marx, the ‘80s hitmaker that brought us “Don’t Mean Nothing”, “Endless Summer Nights”, “Angelia”, and several other hits from ‘88-’91. Fee Waybill, while not a household name, is best known as a member of The Tubes, who hit the top 10 in 1983 with “She’s a Beauty”. Watch the music video to spot a quick cameo by Marx, and a couple of visual shout outs to Cher and Poison, which are fun to catch.

   Vixen’s tune is not to be confused with an identically titled single from the previous year by aforementioned rockers Bon Jovi. This OTHER “Edge of a Broken Heart” (a different song altogether) was released in 1987 for the soundtrack of the movie “Disordelies”, however, since no commercial single was produced, it was not eligible to chart on the hot 100. However, it did manage a showing of #38 on the US Hot 100 Airplay chart (which measures only the airplay of songs, not the sales of singles).

   Sadly, Jan Kuehnemund passed away on October 10, 2013 at the age of 59 after losing her battle with cancer. The band has persevered, and still features Share and Roxy on bass and drums, though Janet left the group in 2019 to focus on her family. Newcomers Britt Lightning (assuming the lead guitarist role) and Lorraine Lewis (as lead singer) complete the current line-up.

   Give these ladies a listen below, and let me know… do you think Vixen deserved to be bigger? What are some of your favorite pop metal/hard rock tunes that got overlooked? Drop me a comment and start the conversation!

https://vixenofficial.com/