In our last get together of Singles Going Steady, we scraped the bottom of the Davenport Salvation Army finds. Since then, except a few Dubuque Goodwill finds nobody has given up their 45s. And perhaps for the better of it, since everybody is hoarding them. You won't believe the dry spell I have at Half Price Books in town. I'm sure Madison has a better selection but it's winter and Madison is snowy colder than here. Maybe on the next World Naked Bike Ride Day I'll venture up there.
This time out, somebody did drop off a bunch of picture sleeve 45s and while some were overpriced (4.99 for a Led Zeppelin one) most were 49 cents and somehow managed to slip underneath the watchful eye of the HPB buyer. I did pay 5 dollars for a 45 of note but only at a antiques store.
Since Record World has been enjoying over 100 views for over a month I thought it was high time to make myself known again and let you all know I'm still alive, unlike Nat Hentoff who left us last week at age 91. One of the best jazz critics out there I bought a few jazz albums under his recommendations. But on these collection, not a jazz record to be found. It's more New Wave and 80s rock which brings images of MTV and Music Theater on Satellite Station 1 many many eons ago. I saved the Culture Club and Men At Work picture 45s for somebody else but did find songs that made more sense to me. Maybe you too. (but not U2)
1) I Like Them Big And Stupid-Julie Brown (Bulletz BR 767-7) 1983
There were two Julie Browns that was part of the MTV 80s culture, one was Downtown Julie Brown, the Club MTV host and Miss Julie Brown, the comedian who also recorded an EP for Rhino and then a full album on Sire to which this song was re recorded I think. Miss Julie Brown seemed to be the more fun of the two and while I'm sure Seymour Stein had vision of another Madonna hit making machine, Brown was more interested in being more than anything else. Another fun song was Because I'm A Blond. She later starred in the TV version of Clueless to which I tried to watch on the crappy CW channel for a week before the show was replaced by infocommercials. She might be in her late 50s but I still find her to be sexy and fun to be with. If only. http://www.juliebrown.com/
2) I Got You-Split Enz (A&M 2252) #53 1980
For a number 53 hit, it still gets played on oldies radio or KDAT when they go 80s but in all fairness, this was one of the early songs I bought by seeing their video. While A&M was good to them, this was their only top 100 song, which is a shame, but for early new wave rock and roll, I Got You remains a golden treasure.
3) New Romance (It's A Mystery)-Spider (Dreamland DL-100) #39 1980
Mike Chapman was a hot shot producer that scored hits with Blondie and The Knack and managed to convince Polygram to give him his own label. This band featured Holly Knight, which was the link between Dale Bozzio and Pat Benetar as well as Anton Fig (Ace Freheley) playing drums. You really don't hear this song all that much anymore and while I found the 45, it reminded me that it sounded a lot better back in 1980 than in 2017. But then again a few other songs from the past have sounded dated, but still I remember them and New Romance better than any of the crap on top forty radio. At least this song has a hook to remember it by.
4) Ways To Be Wicked-Lone Justice (Geffen 7-29093) #71 1985
Very much hyped in 1985 and even Tom Petty wrote them this song. I suspect Lone Justice was in the pioneering Americana rock field from the likes of Jason And The Scorchers, Green On Red, Rank And File and so forth but Geffen Records really went out of their way to promote Maria McKee and band. While McKee turned out to be a very good singer songwriter, the Lone Justice albums have fallen out of print and easily can be found in the dollar bins. I used to have them all but was not that sold on them like I was with the Long Ryders or Jason and so forth. If need be I know where to find them just in case I want to revisit Lone Justice.
5) Stars-Hear 'n Aid (Mercury 884-004-7) 1985
Here ya go, Metal's answer to We Are The World and a much better song, written by Ronnie James Dio and having a all star cast to record the whole thing. Geoff Tate, Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Don Dokken, Vince Neil, even Derek St Hibbins of Spinal Tap fame. 40 hard rock and metal musicians all came together to record this song for the folks in Africa. Certainly it's good enough to be included on a Dio album is needed to, but Dio donated the song away. Once in a while you'll hear it on Ozzy's Boneyard. Sometimes Rock 108, but not very often.
6) Ten Men Workin'-Neil Young And The Bluenotes (Reprise 7-27908) 1988
Neil's wilderness years I guess. After the fallacy that was his Geffen period, Neil return to the other side of Warner Music back to Reprise, where he's been ever since but he was still throwing weirdness into the wind, with the album This Note's For You, to which Neil was forming his own Blues Brothers revue it seems. Power swing he calls it. The record is uneven as well as this song. B side I'm Goin, is a Neil Young throwaway.
7) Ten Years Of This-Gary Stewart (RCA PB-10957) #16 Country 1977
He was considered to be one of the latter day better honky tonk country singers of that time and he did score some hits (She's Acting Single, I'm Drinking Doubles, Out Of Hand) on the country side. He later recorded for High Tone once the RCA hits dried up. Once he lost his wife of many years due to illness, he gave up living and killed himself in 2003. But we still have his music. Which I should check out once I find his albums. B Side is I Ain't Living Long Like This, later made into a hit by Waylon Jennings and covered by Foghat and Dream Syndicate.
8) I'll Be There-Stan Gunn (Sugar Hill SH-007) 1970
Early rockabilly star, later went on to a supperclub country music career, recorded for Jack O Diamonds and Sugar Hill. So so Nashville song that didn't do much on the charts.
9) Jump Into The Fire-Nilsson (RCA 74-0673) #27 1971
Had this on 45 years ago, but too many games of Frisbee left about three giant scratches across the playing surface making it useless to play, still I thought highly of this edited version enough to buy a better copy of it for 50 cents. Herbie Flowers plays a mean bass on this. Alas, on the single version you miss out of Jim Gordon's drum solo which KCRG played the long version one night, which may have been the reason why the 45 got scratched up. Where's the drum solo at?
10) Get Back-The Beatles (Apple 2490) #1 1969
So ends this edition of SGS, the number 1 hit single from the Fab Four and the 45 that I got for 5 dollars at BDW Records this week. The BDW folks haven't had much in terms of 45s and between this and Day Tripper, I chose this 45, since it was in better shape and I like Get Back better. I always like the single version rather the Let It Be finale to which John Lennon thanked everybody and hope they passed the audition. Yes you have lads, yes you have. Now get Billy back on keyboards and jam on one more time.
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