Playlist for 4/30

Philadelphia International Records Deep Cuts  (Spotify Playlist)

Women of R&B: Philly Soul (PIR Spotify Playlist)

Message In The Music (PIR Spotify Playlist)

Top 50 Philadelphia International Songs (Billboard Playlist)

Julien Baker - Little Oblivions

Willie Nelson - That's Life

Dale Watson - Presents: The Memphians

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

Jim Steinman - Greatest Hits (Spotify)

Predictions: 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Finally, the Rock Hall gets more women on the ballot.  That's the headline for the 2021 nominees.  And they've given us the most racially diverse list in over a decade. Good for John Sykes, who in his first year as Hall chairman definitely shook up the ballot. Seven is the most female nominees ever.  Pure elation! Now the tough part.  Getting more than a couple inducted.  Four names on this ballot were easy to pick.  After that it gets harder.  The Hall usually inducts 6, but in 2019 inducted 7.  So, for this year I'm predicting a robust 7 inductees.  I also noticed that of the 7 names chosen, 5 are first time nominees.  That seems too much, but we'll see.  Voters tend to like new nominees. 

Inductees

Carole King - Most people don't know that as a performer she was nominated once before in 1989.  Then in 1990 the Hall put her in with Gerry Goffin.  Regardless, she's going to coast in now.  Also, this is the 50th anniversary of Tapestry. 2nd nomination. 

Dionne Warwick - Ok, I’ve probably bought into her newfound Twitter popularity too much. But she's as much an icon as Tina, Patti, Gladys, Aretha. And has been eligible for decades now.  Her 1st nomination. 

Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana work may not be loved by most critics, but Grohl himself is well-liked by more than enough to get them in right away.  1st nomination. 

Go-Go's - A name that got mentioned often as an 80's snub finally appears on the ballot.  Not a sure thing, but a recent documentary has brought their name back in the public eye. 

Jay-Z - Some Rap acts are too big to ignore.  Add Jay-Z to that list which includes Run DMC, Tupac, Biggie. 1st nomination. 

Tina Turner - It took until 2021 for the NomCom to understand that Tina's comeback deserved her own award.  1st nomination. 

Bonus Pick 

Rage Against the Machine - Like Dave Grohl, Tom Morello is a well-respected member of the Rock community.  So, maybe this year he picks up some of Grohl's voters?  3rd nomination. 

The Rest

Chaka Khan - Her 7th nomination, 4 with Rufus and 3 solo. She's got the hits, has sang with many current Rock Hallers and too be honest, I have no idea what more she has to do.

Devo - Cult favorites with one big hit, who may still be seen as too much of a cult favorite to get inducted.  2nd nomination.

Fela Kuti - An afro-pop pioneer. Many voters might not know much about him, which never bodes well for induction. One could make the case for a Musical Excellence pick. But I like Joe Kwaczala's idea of an International category to put in Fela and others. First nomination.

Iron Maiden - If Judas Priest couldn't get in right away, I can't see Iron Maiden doing it either. But they will do well with the "Rock" electorate that has grown over the years.  First nomination.

Kate Bush - Her first nomination in 2018 was a surprise.  A big success in the U.K., but that's never a guarantee for a Rock Hall induction. Which might keep her out again. 

LL Cool J - His 6th nomination, and I'll say it again.  The reason he keeps getting bypassed is that most voters see him more as an actor/celebrity than as the biggest male Rap star from the mid-80's to early-90's.  

Mary J. Blige - 2021's most curious nomination. The "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" is definitely a surprise nominee.  Especially when you consider that Mariah Carey has never been nominated.  1st nomination.

New York Dolls - Their 2nd nomination and first in 20 years.  Again, could do well with voters who are starving for some good old "Rock and Roll" to vote for.

Todd Rundgren - If the Performer category doesn't want him, he would be a prime Musical Excellence pick. He's got all the credentials:  Producer, solo performer, Utopia, Nazz, Music Video pioneer.  3rd nomination in a row so he's either close in the vote or someone on the NomCom really loves him. 

Also: My Personal Picks for the 2021 Rock Hall are here.

An Album/Song A Week: Carpenters - "Rainy Days and Mondays"

You had to be there, and I was.  AM Top 40 radio was a beautiful thing in the early 70's.  The playlists were diverse and whatever was charting got played.  Of course, "serious" Rock critics despised most of what got played on there.  Too soft, too Pop.  Oh, the rockism!  And that attitude earned most of the early 70's Pop artists a critical beating.  At least until those of us who loved that music grew up.  So, I never apologize for my love of Barry Manilow, Bread, John Denver or the Carpenters.

Of the names I mentioned, the Carpenters stock has risen the most over the years.  Even Indie/Alternative artists, who no doubt are around my age now, have professed their love for them.  It wasn't Rock, nor did they ever pretend to be.  But the Carpenters crafted some of the best AM radio hits of the early 70's.

"Rainy Days and Mondays", released in 1971 was my favorite.  With "We've Only Just Begun" and "Superstar" right behind.  But "Rainy Days and Mondays" reminds me of moving to Germany in the Summer of '71.  That's when it peaked on the charts and I heard it often.  But I also loved the sadness of the song.  The imagery jumped out at me even at the age of seven.  The song comes from the same pen as "We've Only Just Begun", Paul Williams and Roger Nichols.  Karen Carpenter's vocals are sublimely beautiful.  She was also living many of the sad songs she was singing.  But at their peak no one noticed her personal problems.  And we can look back and feel her loneliness on a Carpenters song like the one.

"Rainy Days and Mondays" ended up peaking at #2.  It's proof that many Rock critics got it wrong in the early 70's.  I will never apologize for liking the most uncool artists of that era.   

Playlist for 4/24

Hold Steady - Open Door Policy

Steven Wilson - Future Bites

Weather Station - Ignorance

Carly Pearce - 29

Serge Gainsbourg - Historie de Melody Nelson

Mr. Soul (2020 Documentary)

Framing Britney Spears (2021 Documentary)

2021 ACM Awards

AM Radio In The Mid-70's (Spotify Playlist)

One thing I always tell people when I mention how much love I have for 70's AM Radio is, "guess you had to be there."  When you grow up with a certain kind of music, one tends to get defensive about any sort of slight.  While many older folks were flocking to FM radio expanding AOR stations, College radio Rock or anything else that was not Top 40, I was still tuned in to AM radio. The first time I became aware that an FM station was playing Top 40 music was in early 1976.  But there were no DJ's.  It was the first automated station I heard. I soon started to like the clarity of FM better than AM.  But the AM stations still zipped by faster than the FM ones.  Which still appealed to my teenage self.  Yet by the end of the decade, even I had to admit that things sounded better on the FM dial.  By the beginning of 1980, that's where most Top 40 stations ended up.  I've tried to figure out when this occurred.  From my own personal recollections, it was sometime in 1979 that my local Top 40 stations ditched AM completely for FM.  I think I bailed on AM Top 40 by 1977.  The Country stations did the same thing, but went with a dual AM/FM broadcast.  If you weren't into Top 40, AM still had advantages.  In the early 80's, I found Classic Country and Pop oldies channels were still better suited for AM than FM.  This still held true into the 90's. 

For my new Spotify playlist I decided to salute AM Top 40's final years, and called it You Had To Be There: AM Top 40 Radio 1974-78.  

The songs I picked all needed to do one thing: bring back memories of hearing them on an AM Radio channel from 74-78.  If I heard them in that time period, they qualified. Only new songs from that time period qualified. It's a long playlist, but then again I listened to a lot of radio back in the 70's.  So, if you like Barry Manilow, Olivia Newton-John, KC & The Sunshine Band, "Play That Funky Music", "Sad Sweet Dreamer",  and many other like I do, then give the playlist a listen. 

Prince 5 Years Later (25 Overlooked Songs Update)

After Prince died, I figured most people would post their favorite Prince songs, so I've decided to take another route and post 25 of my top, overlooked Prince cuts.  Most of these are from his peak years 80's/90's.

Adore

America

Anotherloverholeinyohead
Ballad of Dorothy Parker
Baltimore

Bambi
Call My Name

Condition of the Heart
Courtin' Time

Dirty Mind

Dolphin
4 The Tears In Your Eyes

Free
Gold
Head
Hot Thing
Housequake
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
Sister
Soft and Wet
Starfish and Coffee
Strollin'
There Is Lonely
When 2 R In Love
Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad

Playlist for 4/19

Ruff Ryder - DMX

Fela Kuti - Best of the Black President 2

Chick Corea - In Memoriam (NPR Playlist)

Band - Stage Fright (Deluxe)

Robin Thicke - On Earth, and in Heaven

Kings of Leon - When You See Yourself

Florida Georgia Line - Life Rolls On

Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music (TV Special)

It's What's Happening Baby (1965 TV Show)

CMT Crossroads: Nathaniel Rateliff & Margo Price (TV Special)

An Album/Song A Week: Super Hits of the 70's: Have A Nice Day Vol. 1-25

 By 1991 Rhino Records was the premiere reissue label in the land.  Artist anthologies, compilations.  All done first rate.  And their rise coincided with the arrival of CD's in the mid-80's.  Suddenly all our old records sounded pristine again.  Rhino was able to market Greatest Hits sets on artists that sorely needed one or needed an update to an inferior catalog item.  Throw in informative liner notes and it was easy for me to buy whatever Rhino was putting out.  And they curated compilations on genres that sorely were missing in the canon or needed an update:  Rockabilly, New Orleans, Girl Groups, Old School R&B, Disco and 70's AM Top 40 one (or two) hit wonders.  

The first 15 volumes of Super Hits of the 70's landed in 1990 to much fanfare.  The series begins in 1969 with 1969's #12 hit "More Today Than Yesterday" by Spiral Staircase.  And if that song rings a bell then you have an idea of what the rest of the series was about.  One maybe two or three Pop, maybe Country one-hit wonders.  All sounding perfect on an AM Top 40 radio station in the 70's.  Informative, sometimes humorous liner notes tell the story.  Sure, not everything here clicks.  But taken as a whole you'll learn to get along with the New Seekers or Wayne Newton.

In 1993 Rhino expanded the series to 22 volumes.  In 1996 the last three volumes came out.  The series ends with the Rockets' 1979 #30 cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well".  Again, if you remember that one then you'll love the whole series.  

BTW- Rhino's equally excellent R&B equivalent to this series was Soul Hits of the 70's: Didn't It Blow 

Your Mind.  It topped out at 20 volumes and was released in 91/95. 

Personal Picks: 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Kudos to John Sykes in his first year as Rock Hall Chairman, for steering the NomCom to their most female-centric ballot ever.  7/16 women nominated, the most ever.  Should have been more. But I will give a thumbs up to this year's ballot with the hope that next year the trend continues.  Now the tough part.  Getting more than a couple women inducted.  A reminder of my all-Women ballots that appeared in 2020 and 2019.  Also,  this is the most racially diverse ballot in over a decade.

Below are my Personal picks, listed in alphabetical order.  Most of the 16 nominees could get a Yes vote from me in other years.

Can only vote for 5, which has always been an impossible task.  The Hall usually inducts 6, but in 2019 inducted 7, so they could do that again.  As I do every year, I added two bonus picks after my Top 5.

With each of my 7 picks, I recommend some of their best recordings.

Again, these are my Personal choices, not predictions.  

Top 5

Carole King - Yes, she's in with Gerry Goffin (1990) as a non-performer.  But that's selling her influence short.  Tapestry is a landmark album.  And she had other hits afterwards.  2nd nomination (last in 1989).

1. Tapestry

2. Legendary Demos

3. Essential 

Chaka Khan
No other way to say this: but Chaka Khan has one of the most powerful voices you'll ever hear.  And with and without Rufus she put out a bunch of classic hits.  (7th nomination: 4 w/Rufus, 3 as solo)

1.  Very Best of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
2.  Best of Chaka Khan (solo)
3.  Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

Dionne Warwick - Her glorious run of 1960's hits with Bacharach/David (who should be in as Songwriters) was one of Pop music's most classic pairings ever.  First time nominated. 

1. Her All-Time Greatest Hits (1962-70)

2. Definitive Collection

3. Here I Am 

Go-Go's - Some of the best New Wave Pop/Rock of the 80's.  An inspiration to many future female singers and bands.  First nomination. 

1. Beauty and the Beat

2. Talk Show

3. Greatest

Tina Turner - No, being in with Ike (1991) is not enough.  Tina pulled off music's greatest comeback.  First solo nomination. 

1. Private Dancer

2. What's Love Got To Do With It (album)

3. All the Best

Bonus Picks 

LL Cool J - My all-time favorite male rapper.  Now on his 6th nomination. 

 
1.  Mama Said Knock You Out
2.  All World: Greatest Hits

3.  MTV Unplugged 1991 Performance of "Mama Said Knock You Out"  

                                               

New York Dolls - Their 2nd nomination, but first in 20 years. Punk Rock pioneers who mixed in glam-rock, Stones/Faces era Rock.  Their first two albums are indeed classics.

1. New York Dolls

2. In Too Much Too Soon

3. One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This

The Rest

Devo - They had the look and the sound that was just perfect for the burgeoning New Wave/Music Video movement of the late 70's/early 80's.  2nd nomination. 

Fela Kuti - Afro-Pop pioneer and an exciting performer whose catalog is one of the biggest of all the performers nominated.  Go explore and be amazed.  First nomination.

Foo Fighters - No. 

Iron Maiden -  True story.  And let this be a lesson to anyone who might think they know an artist by only listening to a couple of their records.  I have a friend who plays in a metal band.  One day we were talking about a magazine article on Iron Maiden.  He's a fan, but I was always lukewarm about them. I like Judas Priest more, a group whose catalog I've kept up with over the years.  He asked me what I've heard from Iron Maiden.  I said their self-titled debut, Killers, Number of the Beast and a compilation.  He said I bailed out to early on them. So, he suggested a few more albums from the 80's-2010's.  And over time I began hearing them differently.  Nope, it's never too late to learn about an artist who you might have dismissed outright.  First nomination.

Jay-Z - I almost respect his business savvy even more than his music. But no denying he was a major musical force.  First nomination. 

Kate Bush - Bush's catalog dating back to the late 70's has only grown in stature. Even if she's better known in England than in the U.S.  An inspiration to many female alternative singers.  2nd nomination.

Mary J. Blige - A surprise pick, considering Mariah Carey has never been nominated.  Blige is at the point in her career where it's time to look back on her influence.  First nomination.

Rage Against the Machine - Never really warmed to their revolution.  Like Tom Morello's post-RATM years better.   3rd nomination.

Todd Rundgren - Now on his 3rd nomination in a row. If the voters don't want him, then he would be a perfect Musical Excellence pick. 

An Album/Song A Week: Spinners - Anthology

Outside of the O'Jays, the Spinners were the best R&B vocal group of the 70's.  But it took them a couple of years to reach that pinnacle.  At Motown in the 60's they were journeymen.  Never given the best material, and having enough mid-level R&B chart hits to make it to the next record.  That changed in 1970 when a Stevie Wonder co-write, "It's A Shame" finally gave them a crossover #14 hit.  Two years later they left Motown and signed with Atlantic.  Also new was a co-lead singer named Philippe Wynne.  Bobbie Smith was the other lead singer, and with Wynne, the Spinners getting top notch material from Producer/Songwriter/Arranger Thom Bell, they blossomed into crossover stars.

One Of A Kind Love Affair: Anthology came out in 1991 on Rhino Records and it is a marvelous artifact on Old School Soul.  The liner notes do a terrific job of telling their story but also the tragic fate of Wynne, who died in 1984, on stage at the age of 43.  Wynne left the group in 1977.  

Anthology not only has all (but one) of their crossover hits, but includes album cuts and runs from their first hit in 1961 to 1982. BTW- the crossover hit that is missing? 1980's #4 remake of Sam Cooke's "Cupid".  But it can be found on Rhino's Very Best of the Spinners. This is the compilation that turned me from a Spinners fan to a Spinners mega-fan.  I've been rooting for their Rock Hall induction (Thom Bell's too) since they were first nominated in 2012.  It hasn't happened and probably won't, despite the Spinners getting two more nominations.  The Rock Hall and its voters have little use for R&B vocal groups from the 70's onward.  But I do.  This compilation is now out of print and going for incredible used prices.  If you get lucky, scoop it up.  Once you're in the Spinners spell, you'll be hooked for life too.  

Playlist for 4/9

Tina (Tina Turner Documentary)

Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell (Notorious B.I.G. Documentary)

Billie Eilish: World's A Little Blurry (Documentary) 

For The Good Times - Songs of Kris Kristofferson - Various

Charles Mingus - At Bremen 1964 & 1975

New Orleans Mambo: Cuba to Nola - Various

O'Kanes - s/t

O'Kanes - Tired Of The Runnin'

Aaron Lee Tasjan - Tasjan Tasjan Tasjan

Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs

Isley Brothers vs. EWF (Verzuz TV Special)

An Album/Song A Week: "I Only Have Eyes For You" - Flamingos

Once a month I would drive to Tower Records.  The nearest one was an hour and change away.  I usually did this on a weekend.  One Saturday, I decided to go after work in the evening.  Flipping through the radio dials, I came across Wolfman Jack's Syndicated Oldies station.  One of the songs I heard one night was "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos.  I knew the song.  Remembered it mostly because it appeared in American Graffiti.  But on this night it sounded different.  It was ethereal.  The Flamingos magical harmonies against the night sky made for the perfect late night love ballad.  

The Flamingos were one of the first and best Doo Wop groups.  Their first R&B chart records coming in 1953.  "I Only Have Eyes For You" would turn out to be their biggest hit.  Reaching #11 on the Pop charts and #3 on the R&B one.  They were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2001.  Their catalog contains many gems that should have been bigger hits.  But their masterpiece remains "I Only Have Eyes For You". To this day I tell people that it's the greatest nighttime song ever.  

Playlist for 4/2

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly - Can't Stop The Love

Womack & Womack - Radio M.U.S.I.C. Man

Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight

Matthew Sweet - Catspaw

Rhye - Home

Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams

A.J. Croce - By Request

Dionne Warwick - Here I Am

Dionne Warwick - Sensitive Sound of 

Dionne Warwick - How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye