Old Guy Radio for October 2020 - Born in 1957
Since October is the month of Halloween, I had been planning to create a playlist around Murder and Death. In fact, I did create it, including the Buoys’ great HIT song about cannibalism, “Timothy” (written by Rupert Holmes, the same guy who wrote the Pina Colada Song). But 2020 seems to have enough murder and death and general stress right now. So I decided to go in a different direction. And since October is also my birth month, let’s have a list of music by artists born in my birth year. There’s some punk, and a lot of what could generally be described as post-punk. Most artists tend to “make the big time” in their twenties. So for folks born in 1957, we’re talking late 70s to late 80s. By the way, some of these artists, my contemporaries, are no longer with us.
There are quite a few artists here that are discoveries for me. I’ll go out on a limb and say there will be some revelations for you as well.
You can find these songs on Spotify. As always, my profile name is pearsons3and2. Or just use the links that follow the write up.
The long list (which is almost 4 hours long) has additional selections from the short list artists as well as tracks from Enigma (Michael Cretu), UB40 (Earl Falconer), The Fall (Mark Smith), Scandal (Patty Smyth), Squeeze (Glenn Tillbrook), Paul Hardcastle, World Party (Karl Wallinger), Julian Cope, and others I’ve forgotten.
Frankly, I loaded these on the fly into a Spotify playlist as I thought of them. It actually sounds pretty cool (to me) in the order presented.
Oh Bondage Up Yours! - X-Ray Spex (Poly Styrene). Poly Styrene (Marianne Elliot-Said) saw the Sex Pistols perform live and knew she wanted to be in a punk band. That band ended up being X-Ray Spex, with Elliot-Said as the frontwoman. X-Ray Spex only put out a few singles and one album, but they are some of the most electric, raw punk ever put on vinyl. And I listened to it all so you don’t have to. The sacrifices I make. Actually, I kind of like them. Here is their debut single.
Elvis is Everywhere - Mojo Nixon. Prior to putting this list together, I was aware that there was a recording artist named Mojo Nixon (Neill McMillan), but I was unfamiliar with his oeuvre. Generally classified as “pyschobilly” music, his songs tend to have a lot of offbeat humor in them. This is probably one of his best known songs, if that phrase actually has any meaning.
Red Right Hand - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Nick Cave). I started listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds when I made the 2018 Tribute list (the expanded Spotify version). And I like them. Often atmospheric and creepy. The albums “Henry’s Dream” and “Murder Ballads” are really good. This is from Cave’s 1994 album “Let Love In”. Apparently, this is also the theme song to “Peaky Blinders”?
We Got the Beat - The Go-Go’s (Gina Schock). Since Schock was the drummer, I had to pick this one, right?
Der Kommissar - Falco. Falco (Johann Hölzel) became best known for the preposterous hit song “Rock Me Amadeus”, but I like this one much better. Later covered in English (but not in translation), by After the Fire.
Anarchy in the UK - Sex Pistols (Sid Vicious). Sid Vicious (Simon Ritchie) was famously (or more correctly, infamously) the bass player for the punk band Sex Pistols. The irony (if I’m using that term correctly) is that, except for one song, he doesn’t play bass on their one and only album. To put it mildly, he wasn’t a very good, or even competent, bass player. But that didn’t matter too much to the Sex Pistols. They were all about spectacle and swagger, sneering and spitting. So here you have their first single (guitarist Steve Jones plays bass).
Running in the Family - Level 42 (Phil Gould). Wasn’t familiar with Level 42 either. Although described as sort of a jazz funk band, all their best known songs (according to Spotify) are rather innocuous 80’s pop. Not too bad, but not especially interesting either. Hope this does not offend the Level 42 fans out there.
The Wicker Man - Iron Maiden (Janick Gers & Adrian Smith). In order to get both Gers and Smith in the lineup you can’t start any earlier than “Brave New World” in 2000. This is the lead single from that album, and a pretty good one at that. Iron Maiden, everybody! The metal band with not one, not two, but three lead guitar players!
She’s No Lady - Lyle Lovett. Lovett is generally considered a country artist, but his music often includes swing, blues, and jazz. Like this one. He is also a part time actor, having appeared in several Robert Altman films. Not much else to say about Lovett, except to mention his brief marriage to Julia Roberts.
Lullaby - Cure (Porl Thompson). This is from the album of remixes “Mixed Up”. Delightfully creepy.
In a Big Country - Big Country (Tony Butler). Probably their best known song, at least here in the states, since it was on heavy rotation on MTV. As I listened to a LOT of their music in the preparation of this playlist, I would have to say this song is not exactly typical of their music, which strikes me as significantly more Scottish, if that makes sense, incorporating traditional instruments and using a device called an e-bow which can produce a bagpipe-like sound from a guitar.
52 Girls - B-52’s (Cindy Wilson). Wilson is probably most remembered for the improvised line in “Love Shack”, “Tin roof, rusted!”. The youngest of the B-52’s, she and her brother Ricky founded the band in 1976 with Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, and Keith Strickland.
Hold the Line - Toto (Steve Lukather). Guitarist (and occasional vocalist) for Toto, Lukather is also a very successful and well-travelled session man. Might have to come up with a third Session Man playlist for him.
Happy House - Siouxsie and the Banshees (Siouxsie Sioux & Budgie). Two playlists in a row with Siouxsie and the Banshees. Who woulda thunk it?
Sooner Than You Think - New Order (Stephen Morris). I actually bought this album back in the 80’s. I was trying albums at random, trying to find something new and different. New Order were both. Sort of a post-punk synth-pop band.
She’s Gone Away - King’s X (Jerry Gaskill). Gaskill, the drummer for King’s X, is sort of the middle child of the trio. Bass player Doug Pinnick is 70, and guitar player Ty Tabor is only 59. From their 2000 album “Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous”.
If I Should Fall from Grace with God - The Pogues (Shane MacGowan & Phil Chevron). I never expected to have the Pogues on two playlists in one year, but here you go.
Puppy Love - Donny Osmond. Written and originally recorded by Paul Anka in 1960, this is about his love affair with Annette Funicello, the former Mouseketeer. Anka’s version reached No. 2 on the Hot 100. Osmond’s version, which he recorded when he was FOURTEEN, only made it up to No. 3 in 1972. Still, when I was 14 in 1972, I was a freshman in high school, specializing in getting detentions and hitch-hiking home. For the record, I hate this song, and have always hated it. I never did like bubblegum pop. In 1972, I was still into CSNY, the Moody Blues, Chicago, ex-Beatle solo albums, that kind of stuff. I had not yet been infected by the progressive virus. But that came soon enough.
The short list:
The longer one: