In 1975, The Who issued their seventh studio LP, “The Who by Numbers.” Two singles were subsequently released in the US: “Squeeze Box” and “Slip Kid.” While “Slip Kid” failed to chart in any country except with a dismal showing at #72 in France, “Squeeze Box” did much better with a showing at #16 in the US, #10 in the UK, and at number one in Canada. Pete Townshend really shows his talents on guitar, piano, banjo, and squeeze box. Specifically, I love his guitar and banjo work on this number.
Fast forward to London in 1997 and Sheryl Crow pays homage to The Who by performing “Squeeze Box” live. Now Crow is very talented and can play every instrument that Townshend plays (but not as bombastic); however, she chose the accordion as her weapon of choice to attack this Who classic. The band is tight as well with the lead guitar and mandolin being standout instrumentalists.
It is a pity that Crow hasn’t released a studio version of this song.
Having formed in Los Angeles in 1969, the band Smith had no members who bore the most popular English language surname. Having been discovered in 1969 by Del Shannon, he brought Smith to ABC/Dunhill, a label to which he had been signed earlier in the same year. Although the group released four singles and two albums before they disbanded, a remake of the Shirelles’ classic “Baby it’s You” was their first single and their only hit record.
It has been said that Shannon came up with the new arrangement of the composition penned by Burt Bacharach, Mack David, and Luther Dixon (under the name of Barney Williams). Lyricist Mack David was the older brother of Bacharach’s frequent songwriting partner Hal David. The sha-la-la vocals from the original and The Beatles version were replaced by an organ riff from Larry Moss. With the heavier arrangement, Smith’s version was perfect for 1969 and beyond. Joel Sill and Dunhill staffer Steve Barri produced the recording.
“Baby it’s You” appeared on the album “A Group Called Smith” and peaked as a single in November 1969 at #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. “Baby it’s You” showcases the incredible talent of Gayle McCormick and its sad that she never ever was to reprise her career as she had the pipes. Just listening to where she screams “Baby!!!” near the end of the song sends chills up and down my spine. After Smith, McCormick released three solo albums and several singles, but none achieved the acclaim of her first single with Smith. McCormick died earlier this year on March 1 from cancer.
In the late 1970s, Linda Ronstadt was the female vocalist of the era. Beginning in 1975 with the #1 “You’re No Good,” she effortlessly charted with hit after hit. Besides that, she was easy on the eyes, and that is always a plus for a talented performer of any gender. Her triple platinum, eighth studio album, “Simple Dreams,” produced a number of hit records that were covers of other artists’ material. Beginning in 1977, she charted with Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” (#3), Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy” (#5), and Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” (#31).
In 1978, Asylum decided to release two separate promo singles E45479-A “Tumblin’ Dice” and E45479-B “I Never Will Marry” to different radio audiences. Although the traditional “I Never Will Marry” is often erroneously reported as the A-side, the song is clearly identified as the B side in the numbering of both the promotional and commercial singles.
While “I Never Will Marry” didn’t place on the pop charts (and why would it?), this ballad hit #30 on the Adult Contemporary side and made it to the Top Ten on the country charts where it peaked at #8. The actual “A” side, “Tumblin’ Dice,” was the choice of Top 40 radio.
Her remake of this Rolling Stones’ classic garnered airplay and peaked at #32 on the Hot 100. Six years earlier, The Stones had a Top Ten hit with “Tumblin’ Dice” and took this first single from “Exile on Main Street” all the way to #7. In addition to the single’s success in America, Ronstadt’s version charted in Canada at #35. A live version also made it to the soundtrack to the 1978 film “FM.” It is the only cover song in our “Rolling Clones” feature that charted.
According to Ronstadt, Mick Jagger suggested that she add some heavier songs to her repertoire. Since her band was already playing “Tumblin’ Dice” as an instrumental for sound checks, she asked Mick to supply the words and the rest, as they say, is history.
Stiff Records have always catered to a different type of artist and Lene Lovich certainly fits that mold – if there can be a mold for being unique. While Lovich never had a large following in the US, her songs generally got club play and placed her on the dance charts. She had greater success in her adopted home of the UK than in the land of her birth – the US.
Our feature today is the unusual but captivating 1982 recording “It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz).” Mein Schmerz can be translated as “my pain” – can you beat that for a pet name – probably. I remember this release probably from the equally unique video on MTV.
Speaking of the video, the uniform of the soldier has me baffled. It appears to be in the style of the West German Army to some extent. The badge at the top of the soldier’s breast with the crown is definitely British, but it is too difficult to discern which unit or service to which it belongs. The first medal is the Russian Cross of St. George. The second medal appears also to be in the Soviet style, but I could not find a corresponding medal to the one he is wearing. There is also a decidingly Spanish theme in the dress of Lovich’s two characters. Sorry to go off on a tangent, but I typically look for such things in movies and videos. It’s a blessing and curse to be obsessed with the minutia.
OK, back to the minutia of this tune. While Lovich did better in the UK than in the US, “It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz)” appeared on two US charts – her only tune to do so. It placed at #25 on the dance chart and unusually so on the rock (AOR) chart at #51. This is not a song you would typically find being played on album radio, but apparently the MTV play influenced a handful of influential stations to add this song. It charted at #68 in the UK on the pop charts.
One thing I like about this tune is the campy synthesizer hook that sounds strangely like the ocarina part from the “The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly” – only faster. Mein Schmerz.
Today, we feature a song by husband and wife team Leon and Mary Russell. I selected “Love’s Supposed to be that Way,” as it is the only cut on their 1976 “Wedding Album” that was co-written by the couple. As far as the back story, Leon Russell began dating singer Mary McCreary in 1974 and they were married the following year. This is the first of two collaborations before they divorced in 1980. In addition, the couple produced two children.
As for McCreary, she began her career singing in a gospel group, The Heavenly Tomes. This group widened their horizons and styles and became known as Little Sister in the late 1960s. They took the name because one of its members, Vaetta Stewart, was the sister of Sylvester (Stone) and Freddie Stewart of Sly and the Family Stone. Little Sister performed as back-up singers for Sly Stone’s entourage and later recorded a couple of singles on their own for Sly’s Stone Flower Records label.
In 1972, McCreary left Little Sister to focus on a solo career. It was sometime after this that Russell made her acquaintance, and the rest they say is history. The “Wedding Album” was the first release for Russell’s new label, Paradise Records. Earlier that year, Russell and his longtime partner in Shelter Records, Denny Cordell, had irreconcilable differences, and Cordell took sole ownership of the label.
Although it was not a colossal success, the “Wedding Album” did moderately well as it peaked at #34 on the Top 200 Albums chart. This was considerably better than Leon and Mary’s follow-up LP, as “Make Love to the Music” only made it to the 142nd slot. “Love’s Supposed to be that Way” was issued as a flip side of the couple’s single “Rainbow in your Eyes.” Although both songs captured the changes in the music scene of the mid 1970s, neither side charted.
When Betty Everrett first heard “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” she was unenthused about it, as she thought was childish; however, it was one the bigger records of her career. It was only eclipsed by one other recording: her duet with Jerry Butler on “Let it be Me.” “The Shoop Shoop Song” peaked on Billboard’s Hot 100 at #6, but was a #1 R&B record according to Cashbox.
One of several Vee-Jay label versions in use in 1964.This one used a black Tollie label blank,
The song is reminiscent of the girl groups that had grown in popularity since 1962. Everett was backed by the Chicago group the Opals who performed on a number of Vee-Jay recordings. Although she had the most popular version of the tune in the 1960s, Everett was not the first to record the song.
Merry Clayton’s Original
A year earlier, Capitol Records released the song first recording of the tune by Merry Clayton who was backed by The Blossoms. The legendary Jack Nitzsche wrote the arrangement for Clayton.
While Clayton’s and Everett’s vocal arrangements are similar, the instrumental treatments are quite different. Later, Clayton would best be known as a backup vocalist for The Rolling Stones.
Ramona King’s Version
Released a week before Everett’s single in February 1964, Ramona King’s version on Warner Brothers stood to provide the most competition for Vee-Jay. This particular version was quite different from Clayton’s original and Everett’s treatment – it is almost Spectoresque in its arrangement and production.
King, who was formerly of the Fairlanes had previously recorded several sides for Lee Hazelwood’s Eden Records, was relatively unknown both then and now.
To combat any confusion with King’s release, Vee-Jay made the bold move to alter the song’s name. Both Clayton’ and King’s singles were issued with the original name Rudy Clark’s song: “It’s in His Kiss.” Vee-Jay decided to make the actual title parenthetical and accentuate the back-ups vocals of the Opals by calling the record “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss).”
While neither Clayton’s nor King’s version charted, Betty Everett put “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” on the musical map. While Clayton and Everett both had stronger voices than King’s, Vee-Jay’s arrangement of the song was far superior to the two previous renditions of the song. The instrumental punctuation, the horns reminiscent of Perez Prado’s orchestra, and the clever use of a xylophone as a lead instrument make Everett’s version a standout recording.
It was during the Thanksgiving break of 2005 that I decided that I’d restring my tenor guitar and fool with it some. I hadn’t had it out of the case in years and it was time to get interested once again in this four-stringed marvel. I had been tuning the guitar like a tenor ukulele (G-C-E-A), as I thought this was not only the popular but proper tuning of the instrument.
During some of my free time that weekend, I started searching the web for information regarding the instrument and found TenorGuitar.com as well as the tenor guitar list. I joined it that weekend and am still a member. I also learned that since the tenor guitar was originally devised for tenor banjoists, that the original tuning (but certainly not the only tuning) was C-G-D-A).
Since I played mandolin, also tuned in fifths, the transition to this tuning was easy; however, I tend to think that I am playing the mandolin chords by name rather than the actual chord names. For instance, when I played what I knew as a G chord it really was fifth lower as a C on the tenor guitar.
This still messes with my mind and I suppose I could tune it like an octave mandolin and be done with it – but I have a bouzouki and an octave mandolin – so I need something with a slightly different sound – and I really like how the C-G-D-A tuning rings.
During that weekend, I immersed myself in tenor guitar logic, lore, and the legends of the instrument. One of those modern day TG legends is Neko Case. Unfortunately, I had never heard her music before that fateful weekend, and I really missed an opportunity to fully experience this redheaded Siren.
Her hypnotic voice would lure the most experienced mariners to her island of song. Although influenced by many genres of music, Neko’s penchant for folk and country shines brightly like a searchlight across the dark murky waters of oblivion.
Today’s feature, “Behind the House,” has Case playing her 1960s folk-era vintage Gibson TG-0 – which was her first tenor. She was drawn to the instrument because she has small hands and the tenor was easier for her to play than a standard six string guitar – but she plays it as well. As for tuning preference, it appears from this recording that Neko tunes it like a baritone ukulele/guitar as D-G-B-E.
Besides the TG-0, she has a plethora of tenor guitars that include a Martin, a Gretsch, Nationals, and several Gibson electrics in a variety of configurations. Back in 2005, there was a photo online with her tenor and vintage amp collection at that time. I wish I could find it, so I could post it here. “Behind the House” was performed live in Austin, Texas in 2006.
Well, it’s our birthday – well anniversary really – for Reading Between the Grooves. Five years ago today, I came up with the idea to pass along my passion for recorded music to the masses and it has been a great ride. Nearly 160 thousand people have stumbled onto this blog since that rainy Saturday in 2009. Currently, I’ve penned 1,524 posts. Since I recently elaborated on the blog’s stats for our 1500th post, I won’t do that here. See me on the 1600th post after the first of the year.
For our Fourth Week Label feature and Feminine Fridays, I present a cut from the diminutive diva of rock: Ms. Pat Benatar. “Heartbreaker,” her first major single release, was issued during the fall of 1979. It was Benatar’s third single and her second release from her debut album “In the Heat of the Night.”
Although Benatar had a possible future in classical voice, she didn’t pursue this career path. Choosing to rock instead, Chrysalis Records gave her a shot and she became one of the better known female vocalists in the 1980s. Although receiving a great deal of airplay, “Heartbreaker” only charted at #23. Although it wasn’t her best known recording, “Heartbreaker” served to introduce this musical legend to the rest of us.
It’s Feminine Friday and today we honor the voice of k.d. lang an artist who eschews capital letters. I’ve always liked her voice, but really have only one of her CDs. I don’t know why – I just never bought any others and I really should. Today’s feature song came to me as I was listening to “Prairie Home Companion” one Sunday afternoon while waiting on a pizza at Little Caesars.
It was a live version of the song “Thread” that was fantastic – in fact, it was better than the terrific studio version that I am featuring here. That particular rendition, performed live at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on June 6, 2009, utilized a baritone guitar. I was drawn to it as the instrument really made the song more haunting than the strings which are featured on the studio version. This was from an encore presentation that I heard earlier this summer.
The studio version of “Thread” appeared on lang’s 2008 album “Watershed” and was penned by lang and her co-producer and bassist David Piltch. Lang has such an expressive voice that is rarely equaled today. I hope you enjoy both versions as much as I have.
If you would scan the names of the members of The Byrds, you might conclude that the band had two Clark(e)s (Gene Clark & Michael Clarke), two Parsons (Gram & Gene), and two McGuinns (Jim & Roger). None of these people were related to one another except for the two McGuinns who were actually one and the same person. Of those in our list, we turn our eyes (and our ears) to one: Gram Parsons.
Gram Parsons was influential in persuading his fellow Byrds to tackle a complete country album instead of McGuinn’s original intent to do an LP of 20th century American music. He even convinced the band to record the album in Nashville.
The result was the seminal recording of “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.” The album would help shape the sound of The Byrds and led Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons to form The Flying Burrito Brothers. The “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” lineup featuring another new member, Kevin Kelley on drums, lasted only a brief five weeks in 1968.
Probably considered Gram Parsons’ signature song, “Hickory Wind” was penned by Parsons and his former band mate Bob Buchanan. There has been some controversy considering the authorship of the song, as South Carolinian Sylvia Sammons claimed to have penned “Hickory Wind.” Although a cash settlement was reached with Sammons by the song’s publisher in 1969, many believe that it was an authentic Parsons/Buchanan composition.
While many artists have recorded “Hickory Wind,” one of the earliest covers of the tune was recorded in 1969 by Joan Baez. Because Baez’s then husband, David Harris, was going to be sentenced for draft evasion, she recorded an album of country music as her gift to him. Because Harris was a fan of country music, Baez titled the LP as “David’s Album.”
Interesting enough, Baez’s foray into country music did better on the charts than The Byrds despite their contract with a major record label. While others have recorded this tune, Joan’s low voice is stronger than most others who attempted “Hickory Wind” including Parson’s close friend Emmylou Harris. Enjoy.
For Feminine Friday, I once again feature music from the Swedish group Baskery. This is the fifth song since 2009 that I’ve featured of the three Bondesson sisters: Greta, Stella, and Sunniva. Their style is hard to define as they do not easily fit into a single category, but I tend to consider them as punkabilly.
Today’s feature is a live recording of “Throw a Bone,” which was recorded by Audiotree Live less than six weeks ago. Typically Sunniva plays a jumbo sized acoustic guitar, but on “Throw a Bone,” she rocks out on a Fender Telecaster. As always, Stella contributes the low end with her “dog house” bass.
In the previous videos of Baskery that I’ve featured, Greta is playing only one drum – a snare with a foot pedal. She has the foot driven snare, but has expanded her kit with a pedal driven bass drum and a tom. In addition to her rhythmic footwork, Greta plays accents on the bass and a tom as well as keeps time with the drumsticks. As in the past videos, we find her playing slide leads on an amplified 6-string banjo. For only three members, Baskery provides a lot of sound.
Probably best known as the label of The Turtles, White Whale Records hit dire financial straits when their flagship act disbanded in 1970. In an effort to reinvigorate sales, White Whale signed Liz Damon’s Orient Express to the label and licensed their recordings from Makaha Records in Hawaii.
This Hawaiian based band fronted by Liz Damon was making waves on the islands, and White Whale hoped to ride the crest to financial stability. Their single “1900 Yesterday” did quite well, as this relatively unknown band was able to land the #33 slot on the Hot 100 in early 1971.
Liz Damon’s Orient Express’ best response came via easy listening audiences where “1900 Yesterday” charted at #4 on that specialized chart. Unfortunately, the album failed to make a dent, as it only peaked at #190. After only two weeks on the album charts, it drifted into nothingness. A follow-up single, “But for Love”/“You Make Me Feel Like Someone,” failed to chart and did not repeat the performance of “1900 Yesterday.”
The album and the two singles were among the final releases for the label. It was essentially too little, too late for White Whale to capitalize on Liz Damon’s only chart success; the label folded in 1971.
That same year, White Whale owners Ted Feigin and Lee Lasseff began another recording venture with Anthem Records. Distributed by United Artists, Anthem was home for a number of White Whale alumni including Liz Damon’s Orient Express. The band, however, never achieved the success that they experienced with “1900 Yesterday.”
Liz Damon’s Orient Express’ version of “1900 Yesterday” was a cover of the original 1969 recording by Betty Everrett. John Cameron wrote the tune for fellow Chicagoan Everrett; however, her version was relegated to the Uni Records’ flipside of “Maybe.” That particular single only made it to #116.
While I prefer Everrett’s soul tinged version, Liz Damon’s cover is the one that is familiar with most audiences. Damon’s recording became an unexpected gift to Cameron who reaped more benefit from her single than did White Whale Records.
Well today is our nation’s birthday and 238 years ago the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence separating the United States from Great Britain. It is only fitting that we pick a song that mentions America – in fact, its record label, EMI America, has our national identity also in its name.
Interestingly enough, even though Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America” references the US, Wilde is a Brit and EMI Records was a UK owned concern. Released worldwide in 1981 and in the US in 1982, the technopop “Kids in America” did better in other countries than it did in the US.
In fact, the song’s performance in Canada at #34 was worse than its #25 slot in the US. It was a number one hit in Finland and South Africa and a top 5 hit in 10 other countries. I remember playing this on WCIR in Beckley, WV and it produced a lackluster local performance – which was prophetic of its activity across the nation.
Written by Wilde’s brother Ricky and her father Marty, “Kids in America” served as Kim’s introduction to the music scene. Additionally, “Kid’s in America” was remixed and rereleased in 1994, but alas, it failed to chart then as well. In 2006, Wilde rerecorded the song, but did not release it as a single for a third time.
Happy Fourth of July to all the “Kids in America.”
In Britain, they call American R&B releases that never reached mainstream prominence as “Northern Soul” records. One of those Northern Soul artists that recorded for Amy Records in the US was Shirley Matthews. A Canadian by birth, Matthews was discovered in 1963 and was whisked to New York City to record some sides for Atlantic.
While her first single failed to chart in the US, “Big-Town Boy” was a Top 10 hit in Canada. All in all, Matthews released two singles for Atlantic and two for Amy Records. “Is He Really Mine?” is our selected recording today. While not the “A” side, “Is He Really Mine?” was the flip of her first single on Amy: “(He Makes Me Feel) So Pretty.” The single was released in September 1964.
Matthews’ four singles failed to chart in the US, but they remain popular among the UK Northern Soul crowd and the records are often sought after by collectors. Although she won a Juno Award for Artist of the Year of 1964 in Canada, she was little known elsewhere.
Matthews left the music business upon her marriage to Jim Vedder in 1967. She was president and CEO of a chain of racquet and fitness clubs in Canada prior to her 2013 death.
For our Feminine Friday’s feature, we head across the pond to France with a 1962 recording by singer/actress Françoise Hardy. As far as I know, “Le Temps de L'amour” (“The Time for Love”) was not released as a single in the US. In Hardy’s native France, the song was issued as one of four selections on her second EP release.
“Le Temps de L'amour” was released in the UK on Pye Records in 1964 as the flipside of her single “Et Même.” Unfortunately, neither song charted on the British charts. Although recorded in 1962, it has a sound reminiscent of 1964 - as the music had changed by then and it shows that Hardy’s recording was ahead of its time.
Hardy also had the opportunity of being immortalized by Bob Dylan. In his poem “Some Other Kinds of Songs” on the reverse cover of “Another Side of Bob Dylan,” Mr. Zimmerman mentions the young French star by name.
In addition, the photo shoot for the cover of Dylan’s “Bringing it all Back Home” had originally contained her EP “J'suis D'accord” on the floor with other records. Unfortunately when the cover was cropped, her release never made it to the cover. It can be seen, however, in several outtakes from the photo session.
Even having some help by Bob Dylan did not propel the young star onto the US charts and she is better known for her acting in the US than she is for her singing talents.
The lyrics for “Le Temps de L'amour” have been translated into English as follows:
It is the time of love,
The time of friends and adventure.
As the time comes and goes,
One thinks of nothing in spite of one's wounds.
Because the time of love
It's long and it's short,
It lasts forever, one remembers it.
At twenty, we tell ourselves that we rule the world,
And that all the blue sky will be in our eyes forever.
It is the time of love,
The time of friends and adventure.
As the time comes and goes,
We think of nothing in spite of our wounds.
For the time of love
It fills your heart
With so much warmth and happiness.
One fine day it's love and the heart beats faster,
For life follows its course
And one is totally happy to be in love.
It is the time of love,
The time of friends and adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
One thinks of nothing in spite of one's wounds.
For the time of love
It's long and it's short,
It lasts forever, one remembers it.
While I do not usually repeat songs, I will when there are different versions of the same tune even if they were recorded by the same artist. Back in 2010, I featured Emmylou Harris and Mary Black’s live duet of “Green Rolling Hills (of West Virginia).” Since I said it all before, I won’t belabor the point of the song’s history and my attraction to it.
For today’s Feminine Friday feature during our Second Week Special on West Virginia, I go back to Emmylou Harris’ original 1978 recording of the song from her album “Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town.” I bought this LP when I was living in Ashland, KY but attending school and working in West Virginia – just a few short miles away.
One other memory of the song was something an old girlfriend had told me. She had come to West Virginia to work and after a few years left for New England. When she heard this song, she had to return because she missed the “Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia.” I certainly can understand that.
On this version, Fayssoux Starling (now McLean) sang the duet with Emmylou. Different than the acoustic version with Mary Black, Harris’ original recording has a deciding electric country feel; however, that is offset by the fiddles provided by Ricky Skaggs – although one of the fiddles may have been a viola as Skaggs is credited as playing both fiddle and viola on the album.
For our Feminine Friday feature, we turn to the song that put Stevie Nicks on the musical map with the masses. While sometimes referred to as a song about a Welsh witch, Nicks was inspired to write “Rhiannon” after reading Mary Leader’s Triad. Leader’s character Rhiannon was loosely based on the Welsh legend.
On the US singles, the song was titled as “Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win),” but only carried the non-parenthetical title on the LP. “Rhiannon” appears on the second self-titled “Fleetwood Mac” album that was released in 1975.
I remembered that I purchased the album in early 1976 at the Sundry Store in Grayson, KY as they had the cheapest album prices of the three stores that sold records in town. The album charted in the US at #1 and was certified five times platinum. The single peaked at #11 in 1976.
In addition to Stevie Nicks lead vocals, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham sang backup on the choruses. I had the opportunity of seeing Nicks in concert in 1982 and was amazed how many times she changed outfits during the show. She even had a tent set up on stage to accommodate her large wardrobe. It was a good show, but I thought that this detracted from the entire presentation.
Last week, we started a new feature: Feminine Fridays in honor of the female voice. As we spotlight Reprise Records this week, there were several notable female artists that recorded for the label; however, I have decided on Maria Muldaur as today’s pick.
Previous to her mainstream fame, Muldaur had recorded with the Even Dozen Jug Band, Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band, and with her former husband Geoff Muldaur. Maria was propelled into the limelight with her remarkable 1973 self-titled album and its hit single, “Midnight at the Oasis.”
Although the song written by film and TV composer David Nichtern is a classic, it took seven months to climb the charts. Reprise released the single in November 1973, but it did not peak at the #6 slot until June 1, 1974. The album, by the way, peaked at #3 and was certified gold during the same spring.
I remember the record well and I heard it for the first time the last time I lived in Eastern Kentucky. It was April 1974 and a friend and I were escorting two young college women to Greenbo Lake when the song came on the radio.
While some would be attracted to the song’s suggestive lyrics or Muldaur’s sultry vocals, I preferred the wonderful guitar work by Amos Garrett. I left Kentucky the last time on February 13, 1981 and it is fitting that I play a song from my original stay in the Commonwealth on this day as I leave a second time.
Dare I change another daily feature? I think it’s about time, as I’ve been doing Friday Flipsides for over two years and I think I’ve played out that feature, so I have decided on a new showcase – Feminine Fridays. Until I move on to something else, we’ll be honoring female vocalists every Friday.
Last night while trying think of a new Friday feature, I stumbled on Sade’s classic hit from 1985: “Smooth Operator” and a new Friday element was born. This song was released during one of the more interesting years of my life. I was at the height of my radio career as the morning guy and program director at WOAY-FM (Y94) in Oak Hill, WV. We had excellent Aribitron ratings and were reporting for Radio & Records, Billboard, and Cashbox. Life was good professionally.
I was also transitioning from playing with The Second Story Band out of Mullens, WV to play with a new dance band, Street Heat, from Oak Hill. Street Heat may have been one of the more popular bands for which I played. The genesis of Street Heat occurred in February, but the final lineup did not materialize until late May. By August, we were playing our first gig. “Smooth Operator” was one of our signature tunes and our lead vocalist Cheryl Jackson belted out the vocals that were reminiscent of Sade Adu.
For a single guy in 1985, life was good. I dated more women (6, I think) that year than I have before or since. I was at the top of my game and perhaps I was living the life of the “Smooth Operator.” It didn’t last, but it was interesting to say the least.
Not only was Sade the lead vocalist, her name was also used for the band. “Smooth Operator’s” jazz stylings were also popular with the record buying public. Not only were the vocals mesmerizing, but the congas, electric piano, bass (and bass lead), and saxophone set the stage for a sophisticated recording from the band’s debut album, “Diamond Life.”
Both the single and album peaked at #5 on their respective charts. I am featuring the extra long 12 inch jazz version. Like the album version, it features Sade’s spoken intro that was edited out of the single. This is one of those great cuts I could listen to over and over. Viva 1985.
Associate Provost and Professor of Mass Communication at Alderson Broaddus University and an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University.
Graduate of Marshall University, West Virginia University, Southern New Hampshire University, Kentucky Christian University and Mountain State University.
Dissertation on institutional rebranding (see newriver.net) was the 2009 international winner of the Alice L. Beeman Dissertation Award for Outstanding Research in Communications and Marketing for Higher Education Advancement and was the 2008 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Outstanding Dissertation Award for Research in Higher Education Administration.
Placed as a winner in five Active Industry Research Contemporary Hit Radio "Pick the Hits" competitions from 1983 through 1987. Each competition had 31 winners. Placed 2nd (1st among radio participants), 6th, 10th (twice), and 21st in the five competitions.
Awarded 14 gold & platinum records and an international sales award from various record companies. Winner of 30 Public Relations awards.
