Infamously Odd Mr. Parker

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Although I have heard ABC’s ‘Be Near Me’ before, I wrote it off as a fluffy pop tune.  After YouTube’s algorithm suggested the video a few days ago, I thought I’d give it a whirl.  The video in many ways mirrors the sweet and charming nature of the song.  I think I have a new ABC favorite.  Although some people despise the somewhat simplistic nature of 80s music videos, I adore many of them for not being overly pretentious.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Somehow Jack and I got on the subject of Gary Numan, and it reminded me of how blown away I was after seeing video footage of him in concert.  Back in the days before the internet I got my hands on a VHS video titled “Urgh! A Music War”.  It was a compilation of US and UK bands and musicians; some of which had little media exposure on the other side of the Atlantic.  It was this video that started a long-term reverence of Gary Numan and Toyah Willcox for me. I was awestruck by the uniqueness of their music; combining rock elements with synthesizers to create larger-than-life SCI-FI rock.   

Ironically, Gary Numan was an accidental pioneer.  When in the studio to record his debut album with Tubeway Army, he happened upon a Minimoog that someone had left behind.  The label Beggars Banquet had given him an advance to produce a punk rock album, in line with the band’s music at the time.  Gary couldn’t resist to siren song and the rest is history.  

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Another band I recently discovered thank to Scott Davies and his label Rubellan Remasters is SPK.  SPK formed in Australia 1978 as an industrial music band.  They achieved an underground following, but were relatively unknown until their 1983 indie chart hit ‘Metal Dance’.  The bands’ early music was acclaimed by some critics and likened to bands like Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle, but commercially unsuccessful.  Starting around 1983 the bandmember, composer, and producer Graeme Revell recruited signer Sinan Leong and began polishing the bands music into something more palatable for mainstream consumption, causing a rift in the band. However, it is likely the band would have faded into obscurity had Revell not forced change.  The band continued with minimal mainstream success until disbanding in 1988.  Their “Machine Age Voodoo” and “Digitalis Ambigua” albums are personal favorites.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Awhile ago I discovered Righeira, an Italian EDM band that had a string of hits primarily in continental Europe during the 80s.  Oddly, their two biggest hits where sung in Spanish at a time when most Italo-disco acts were singing in English.  Their #1 single "Vamos A La Playa" was originally much darker musically, as the lyric refer to a nuclear detonation while visiting the beach. Correlating the radiation from sunbathing to that of a nuclear explosion. However, the bands producers felt the song need to be more upbeat to get attention and reworked the song. Their follow-up single "No Tengo Dinero" was just as repetitive and catchy, but did not match the success of its predecessor.  What really makes the song memorable is it's artistically animated music video.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

I remember the first time I heard “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)” being quite taken by the song, despite not being too keen on angel lore. Some may know that this unusual love song features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. It was the Eurythmics’ third #1 internationally, after “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Would I Lie to You”. It topped the charts in 4 countries, and was top-ten in an additional 10. I rather think that music video cleverly mixes Christian themes with classical imagery.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Been on a Yazoo kick lately.  Many of their songs are somewhat minimalist, yet so beautiful.  "In My Room" seems more like a poem set to music, still very powerful.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Thomas Dolby, some of his music is poignant and atmospheric. Hit songs such as “She Blinded Me with Science” and “Hyperactive” are quite different than a majority of his work. He’s admitted that they are Trojan Horses, used to draw listeners into discovering his more experimental material. For me, words can not begin to describe the beauty of songs such as “The Flat Earth”, “Screen Kiss”, “Airwaves”, and “Budapest by Blimp”. Typically, I avoid listening to “I Love You Goodbye” because it is a profound song about loss, that typically gets me misty-eyed.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

Cette chanson que j’adore. There is something magical about it. Brian Moss’s nonchalant French vocals, Josephine Warden’s sultry whisper-like singing, the typical “bouncy” new wave beat, and the dreamy backing vocals that transmute during the course of the song to sounding quite eerie. The songs may seem simplistic to some people, but there is complexity beneath the surface. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Kjn20gk7g

[famouslyoddmrparker]

I love that YouTube suggests music by your searches. I've discovered a lot of new musicians and songs this way. I find it odd that this song (Fascinated by Company B) was a #1 hit on the US dance charts (for four straight weeks) and #21 on the mainstream US Billboard chart... and I never heard it played on the radio back in 1987. It makes me wonder how much influence DJs had back in the day?

[famouslyoddmrparker]

The latest special issue of Classic Pop Magazine inspired me to brush up on my Stock, Aitken & Waterman material. Although a worldwide phenomenon, there are many artists and song I've never heard of until recently. Pete Waterman said their signature sound was inspired by Italo-Disco and Motown (which seems pretty accurate, as most songs sound like a blend of both). Some tracks are gold, some are garbage... I guess you can't win all the time. What a legacy.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

"Venus" seems to get all the attention from the "True Confessions" album, rightfully because of it's success on the charts. I always had a fondness for "More Than Physical", little did I know it was a S.A.W. production also. Always a bit surprised "More Than Physical" didn't chart higher as I believe it is a great track. At least it was a top 10 on the US dance charts. Come to find out, Stock Aitken Waterman produced some of my favorite Bananarama singles (besides the obvious ones from "Wow!").

[famouslyoddmrparker]

I used to wonder what this song was about; I guess a bit oblivious to the undertone of the lyrics. Upon revisiting it recently I felt very aware of the song’s connotation. I still love the track and the music video.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

The first time I heard this song by "Fun Fun" I wrote it off as a trite Euro-dance anthem. However, the more I listened to it, the more I fell in love with it. It seems rather simplistic at first, but musically is more complex than I initially realized. The pulsating percussion weaves in and out of eerie sounding background synths. It all works well with the flawless fine-tuned vocals, to create a masterful Italo-disco track .

[famouslyoddmrparker]

I am smitten with the Italo-Disco band Fun Fun. Flawless vocals, HI-NRG beats, and pop hooks so grand the songs get stuck in my head for days. As some may bemoan, Fun Fun was more of a concept project than an actual band. When the debut song “Happy Station” broke number 1 in Belgium and South Africa, they were asked to perform the track on television. The song’s producers, feeling like the actual singers didn’t have the right look, hired two models to mime the songs for television… and so forth Fun Fun was born. Oddly, Francesca Merola stayed the face of Fun Fun throughout the years, while other models in the duo came and went. On a positive note, one of the actual singers, Ivana Spagna went on to have a very successful solo career, singing in both English and Italian. Fun Fun had several more hits worldwide, even breaking into the top ten of the US dance charts in 1984 with the infectiously “Color My Love”. Apparently, because of the song’s highly synthesized bass and extended intro, American DJs loved remixing the song. “Color My Love” has been released and re-released no less than 33 times and like many of Fun Fun’s singles numerous remixes have hit the open market.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

A Bullshitter's Guide To Italo-Disco

Imagine if somebody made a B-movie of the entire disco genre.

My fascination with a sub-genre Italo-Disco grows. Ironically, it was German record companies that labeled the Italian produced dance music "Italo-Disco" even though it had few similarities to the dance music of the 70s. Italo-Disco was derogatorily nicknamed "spaghetti dance" and was initially influenced by German and British electronic bands like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, New Order, and the Human League. 1983 was the big year for the sub-genre, seeing it breakout internationally throughout Europe and the Americas. As with all good things, it came to an end (by the early 90s). The sub-genre fell out of fashion as it lost its freshness and innovation, house music became the next big thing and mainstream music fell back into love with other more traditional rock genres. That being said, Italo-Disco was partly created out of necessity, Italian DJs of the late 70s loathed the cost of importing dance records from the USA. So they decided that it would be more cost-effective to produce music in small studios in Italy to play in dance halls and clubs. This in itself created a vibrant and varied small music industry. Italo-Disco songs often found more success outside of Italy and spawned other related sub-genres in other countries. Perhaps their popularity in Britain, the USA, Canada, Continental Europe and even Japan shouldn't be too much of a surprise as most of the songs were sung in English. Today the genre is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, and finally getting some attention for being influential in the modern music scene.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

How is it that I'm just discovering "Italo Disco"? Fortunately I stumbled upon this celebrated gem of the sub-genre.

[famouslyoddmrparker]

In my personal opinion, remixes rarely improve on a song.  If the core song isn’t up to snuff, remixing a mediocre song won’t make it shine.  Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Cities in Dust (Extended Version/Eruption Mix)” added a big instrumental chunk into the middle of the song. The blend of Siouxsie’s unique vocals and the evocative instrumental section not only transform the song, but made it distinct.  “Cities in Dust” has become a Banshees classic, and many fans prefer this glorious remix to the original radio edit; so much so that the extended version was added as a bonus track to the CD format in 1986 along with a handful of other amazing songs.