Popdose: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 74
DavidMedsker
· 1 month ago
Love, love, love "Dirty Water," but you're right, that video is just odd.
rockymtranger
· 1 month ago
I kind of remember the Robey track, although I think I heard it well after it hit the chart. I'm surprised you're not more familiar with Cliff, given his duet with ON-J on "Suddenly", although I know him more for "We Don't Talk Anymore".
steed
· 1 month ago
I'm sure when I started collecting that I was a little prejudice against those artists that had been around for decades already since I'm not a big fan of anything before the '80s really - so I'm sure that played into it. And then I got so much that I loved, that I never had time to go back.
David_E
· 1 month ago
I also have a soft spot for "Dirty Water," and figured these guys might've had another hit or three in them.
And boy, do the Rings sound like they were chasing early Ric Ocasek, or what?
The Man I Used to Be
· 1 month ago
You are just finding the Replacements, but you have three songs on the iPod called "Teacher, Teacher"? Know thy roots young man. I'd advise you spend some serious time with the Big Star box-set now too.
pete12
· 1 month ago
I cannot wait for next week, simply put because you are going to have Ronnies Rap by Ron and the DC Crew. I have been looking for that one for a long time now.
Loved this installment, can't wait for next week.
zeke
· 1 month ago
One other detail about "One Night in Bangkok" by Robey. She also starred in the "Friday the 13th" television series from 1987-1990.
jamesballenger
· 1 month ago
That's what I was going to ask, is this HOW she got on Friday the 13th?
Nasty G
· 1 month ago
Find out all you need to know about Robey here. ;)
Regarding Mr. Richard, I think Rik from "The Young Ones" said it best:
"Oh, Cliff! Sometimes it must be difficult not to feel as if You really ARE a cliff When fascists keep trying to push you over it. Are they the lemmings? Or are you, Cliff? Or ARE you, Cliff?"
kingofgrief
· 1 month ago
My best friend was down from Iowa this past weekend for his class reunion. He brought with him an early Christmas present: the newly-published 12th edition of Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles. As he leafed through it, he commented that he didn't know Burt Reynolds had a Hot 100 entry. I made the observation that it should be popping up on Bottom Feeders this week. And here it is, right outta the gate! (BTW, Steed, this new edition should rank up there with the aforementioned Big Star box in your letter to Santa.)
For Sir Cliff in the 80s, I recommend the extended mix of his 1987 single "Some People" (not a Belouis Some cover). The only Stateside release I've seen is its appearance on this compilation. It's a little out of place, as it's not a Hi-NRG track by any means, but it's still good to have.
I'm digging the Turley Richards. I see myself coming back to it often. Can't say the same for Robey. Give me Hea...er, Murray any day.
Kudos to the Rockets for getting 1:10 into "Desire" before rhyming the title with "fire".
steed
· 1 month ago
Oh, a new Joel Whitburn book. But, well - unless the '80s somehow changed, that's low on Santa's list. Higher than the Big Star box (sorry folks - I can't possibly imagine that it would interest me enough to be worth the listen. I will live with that shame)
I keep reading that Robey paragraph over and I certainly say "head" alot - don't I? I personally would rather have the Murray Head version as well - but to my ears, other than the obvious male/female thing - they are almost interchangable. His has a little more flair to it though.
In a weird coincidence that I didn't notice until right now - next week at exactly 1:10 into a song, "Desire" will be rhymed with "Fire" as well. Now that's kind of odd.
kingofgrief
· 1 month ago
Have a look at the new features; Mr. Whitburn's tweaked the layout and the data he offers (all Bubbling Under titles now included!): https://www.recordresearch.com/pop/top_pop_singles_1955_2008.php One feature that's not listed here is the placement of band members' solo hits listed under their own names rather than their parent band. For example, Loz Netto's entry lists the info for "Fade Away" rather than "See Sniff 'n' the Tears".
As for Big Star, I'll stop twisting your arm...for now, anyway. I've only got a download sampler of the box but should be getting the full thing in the next few weeks. *smacks lips*
kingofgrief
· 1 month ago
One more thing, Steed...since it's mentioned in the Top 40 Only roll call, what's your take on Roachford's "Cuddly Toy (Feel for Me)"? That seems like a tune up your alley. (And it provides another Paul Hyde connection as their drummer, Chris Taylor, was a member of the Payola$.)
steed
· 1 month ago
"Cuddly Toy" is one of my favorites of the decade. I was disappointed when it didn't make it here. Making the Top 40 did nothing to keep it in retro rotation. You need to fit it in at some point.
The book is interesting. I guess that would make my Bubbling Under book obsolete then.
kingofgrief
· 1 month ago
I have the "Cuddly Toy" 12" with 2 or 3 mixes, one of which has been digitized. I've been meaning to work it into the Club Hour. Maybe in two weeks (doing a Halloween mix for the next show).
If you have the same Bubbling Under book I do, I'd hang on to it if the album section is of any use to you. Flipping through at random, I see that Nile Rodgers' B-Movie Matinee (featuring "Let's Go Out Tonight") peaked at #206.
brettalan
· 1 month ago
I certainly wouldn't expect you to launch right into a box set, but I have a hard time believing that anyone who loves Rockpile wouldn't find listening to Big Star at least somewhat worthwhile. They're both smack in the middle of that thing we call power pop. (See my site for a list of the defining power pop songs..."Teacher Teacher" just makes the cut.)
(Is there a reason why I can't paste here, or is it my browser? Hope I got the URL just right.)
Well, I don't see the URL, so I'll just put it here:
Hard to believe that I love Rockpile and Technical Death Metal too - my tastes are weird, I'm fully aware of that at least.
That said, I won't fight it. I'll give it a shot. Tomorrow, I'll listen to Third/Sister Lovers and try it out. I have to admit though that I'm not anticipating this as much as I was with the Replacements. We'll see I guess.
Jack Feerick
· 1 month ago
I was trying to scare up that Rock & Hyde track for my the song retains the name mixtape a couple of months ago, but couldn't find it anywhere by fair means or foul. A day late and a dollar short, I guess.
stephenbierce
· 1 month ago
I thought the Burt Reynolds song was from "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". *shrug*
slappyfrog
· 1 month ago
Am I the only one who "hears" Robey smirking through the song?
Don Karnage
· 1 month ago
Robey's version always just sounded unfinished to me. It sounds like a well-polished demo. The singing on the chorus can politely be called "slight", and the fade at the end screams "we'll figure out something cool to do in this part later".
Cliff Richard supposedly said one of my favorite on-stage patter bits ever. "Every once in a great while, a truly beautiful song comes along. And until one does, I'd like to do this one..."
...and I sincerely hope I'm the only one who already owns "Ronnie's Rapp". (The extra P is for extra...?) Not counting you, Sir Steed.
steed
· 1 month ago
Is the extra P sort of like another way to call a cat a kitten?
DDay1971
· 1 month ago
You Might Need Somebody.... Jeez, never knew this song other than this 90s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swgfp17kkk (did that version cross over the ocean?) Once more, thx for opening eyes (hadn't heard of Robey either) :-D
Oh, and Sir Cliff... Don't dig too deep. Lots of schmaltz might come your way.
steed
· 1 month ago
Thanks for the link, I had no idea someone covered this. I should check youtube out for every song I post - I can't imagine how many covers are out there that I don't know about.
I've never heard of Shola Ama before and nothing of her's charted in the US.
George
· 1 month ago
I didn't know Rockwell had 2 top 40 hits? Never heard of "Obscene Phone Caller."
eddie_w
· 1 month ago
Oh yeah...I don't think it got very high in the top 40, but I remember that one. In fact, for some reason, I think I was actually a pretty big fan of that song back then.
yeah, imagine that - a second Rockwell song hit the Top 40. 38 or 36 or something like that I think. I kind of like the track - it was a good follow up to "Somebody's Watching Me". (And how happy is Rockwell right now?)
drcastrato
· 1 month ago
are you referring to those geico commercials? ugh.
steed
· 1 month ago
Certainly - I mean, not saying the commercials are good - but I'm sure he's making a pretty penny off them (and probably saving 15% by switching to Geico)
kingofgrief
· 1 month ago
He also bubbled under at #108 in '85 with "He's a Cobra" (see, Steed? All this information in one handy volume!). I've never heard it, but I remember another invasion-of-privacy-themed single called "Peeping Tom". I foresee an edition of You Again? involving a song about spam texting.
steed
· 1 month ago
Ha. I haven't honestly cracked the Bubbled Under book open in ages. When I first got it I realized that I had the vast majority of stuff in it - so I rarely go back to look - so I didn't realize "He's A Cobra" was even a single. I thought "Peeping Tom" was the first one from Captured - turns out it wasn't.
Trust me, you don't need to hear it. Or anything else from Rockwell for that matter. I've taken the time to listen to Somebody's Watching Me, Captured and Genie so you don't have to. I've suffered enough.
steed
· 1 month ago
On another Rockwell note - I just went to his Wikipedia page and saw two more albums listed - Rockwell Bloody Rockwell and a 2010 record called Seriously, Get These Kids off my Lawn.
Ha, that has to be a joke. Both of them.
Don Karnage
· 4 weeks ago
Actually, I quite like his cover of "Taxman". No, it's not stellar enough for me to get in his corner and try to convince people that he's more than a one-hit wonder, but it's still pretty cool. But what was up with his oddball pseudo-British accent? "You dirty little nasty twit!" he chirps at the end of "Obscene Phone Caller", sounding NOTHING like the son of Berry Gordy has any right to sound...
kingofgrief
· 4 weeks ago
I always thought he was trying to emulate Thomas Dolby with that accent. Imagine him saying "I don't beLIEVE it! There she goes aGAIN!" You hear it?
Don Karnage
· 4 weeks ago
Sort of, actually. But it ends up sounding more like Thomas Dolby adopting the stereotypical "gay accent". Were Thomas Dolby to ever say "ooo, get HER!", it'd sound a lot like Rockwell, I think.
Chris X
· 4 weeks ago
is the Bob Rock of Rock and Hyde the same Bob Rock who ruined Metallica? Eek. I hear traces of the Payolas in this stuff, but it's far inferior. Speaking of which; Rings- yeah hi, you're not the Cars.
Definitely prefer the Murray Head version of "Bangkok" although musically, there's a lot of good things going on in the Robey version, but Murray Head owns it vocally.
All Comments
And boy, do the Rings sound like they were chasing early Ric Ocasek, or what?
Loved this installment, can't wait for next week.
http://www.louiserobey.com
"Oh, Cliff!
Sometimes it must be difficult not to feel as if
You really ARE a cliff
When fascists keep trying to push you over it.
Are they the lemmings?
Or are you, Cliff?
Or ARE you, Cliff?"
For Sir Cliff in the 80s, I recommend the extended mix of his 1987 single "Some People" (not a Belouis Some cover). The only Stateside release I've seen is its appearance on this compilation. It's a little out of place, as it's not a Hi-NRG track by any means, but it's still good to have.
I'm digging the Turley Richards. I see myself coming back to it often. Can't say the same for Robey. Give me Hea...er, Murray any day.
Kudos to the Rockets for getting 1:10 into "Desire" before rhyming the title with "fire".
I keep reading that Robey paragraph over and I certainly say "head" alot - don't I? I personally would rather have the Murray Head version as well - but to my ears, other than the obvious male/female thing - they are almost interchangable. His has a little more flair to it though.
In a weird coincidence that I didn't notice until right now - next week at exactly 1:10 into a song, "Desire" will be rhymed with "Fire" as well. Now that's kind of odd.
As for Big Star, I'll stop twisting your arm...for now, anyway. I've only got a download sampler of the box but should be getting the full thing in the next few weeks. *smacks lips*
The book is interesting. I guess that would make my Bubbling Under book obsolete then.
If you have the same Bubbling Under book I do, I'd hang on to it if the album section is of any use to you. Flipping through at random, I see that Nile Rodgers' B-Movie Matinee (featuring "Let's Go Out Tonight") peaked at #206.
(Is there a reason why I can't paste here, or is it my browser? Hope I got the URL just right.)
Well, I don't see the URL, so I'll just put it here:
http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_s...
That said, I won't fight it. I'll give it a shot. Tomorrow, I'll listen to Third/Sister Lovers and try it out. I have to admit though that I'm not anticipating this as much as I was with the Replacements. We'll see I guess.
Cliff Richard supposedly said one of my favorite on-stage patter bits ever. "Every once in a great while, a truly beautiful song comes along. And until one does, I'd like to do this one..."
...and I sincerely hope I'm the only one who already owns "Ronnie's Rapp". (The extra P is for extra...?) Not counting you, Sir Steed.
Once more, thx for opening eyes (hadn't heard of Robey either) :-D
Oh, and Sir Cliff... Don't dig too deep. Lots of schmaltz might come your way.
I've never heard of Shola Ama before and nothing of her's charted in the US.
In case you're interested, here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC12-VMMvpc
Trust me, you don't need to hear it. Or anything else from Rockwell for that matter. I've taken the time to listen to Somebody's Watching Me, Captured and Genie so you don't have to. I've suffered enough.
Ha, that has to be a joke. Both of them.
Definitely prefer the Murray Head version of "Bangkok" although musically, there's a lot of good things going on in the Robey version, but Murray Head owns it vocally.
Otherwise...man, what a sub par week.