I found this guy on Jamendo. By the way, I don’t know if any of my readers have used Jamendo before; but in the beginning I used to find some awesome music. Now, their artists are sending really, really horrible music!!! It’s become harder and harder to find good stuff there (even with the breakdown of genres). That’s a shame. Looks like I’m going to drop Jamendo from my list of resources. Anyway…….
I’m Going To Drop Jamendo
Thankfully I did find someone I liked. His name is Volodymyr Gavrylyuk, and he is from the Ukraine. He produced a really nice reggae instrumental called “Happy Reggae Riddim” a couple of years ago. It’s one of those medleys you’d hear in one of those airline commercials to the Bahamas. Really nice tho… He also produced another laid back instrumental I like called “Positive Acid Jazz,” released as a single in 2017. Of course, there’s hardly any information on Volodymyr Gavrylyuk, however, he does have a Facebook page.
Damn! I forgot about these guys!! Recently, I was watching some old music videos on cable and A-Ha popped up! Man! I remember watching them on MTV, when MTV was just starting out!! I still have the 45rpm somewhere at home. Their song “Take On Me,” was released in 1985, and became their only #1 hit in their career. It was an extremely popular & catchy pop song. I think their song was the first pop record I ever purchased (I think). According to The Billboards, there was another song they produced that reached #20, but I personally didn’t like it. I don’t know, maybe some of my readers remember it. The song is called “The Sun Always Shines On T.V.“
Wow! When I tell you this band was HUGE! I do mean HUGE! Another forgotten band that is worthy of remembering, especially if you’re a fan of funk music. In fact, in my opinion they were the kings of funk; their music was similar to Parliament. Although the Ohio Players had many more hits. In addition to probably being most remembered for their risque album covers; they’re also remembered for one of their biggest hits of their career. The song is called “Fire,” released in 1975. “Fire” hit #1 and stayed there for one week. I saw a lot of my family’s friends had this very album in their collection!
Another huge Ohio Players hit was “Love Rollercoaster,” this song also hit #1 and stayed there for an entire week, and it too was released in 1975. This became one of those barbecue/cook out songs back in the day. Oh, I can’t forget about “Skin Tight,” released in 1974, and reached #13th on the charts. There’s one last song I want you guys to listen to, the song is called “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” from their “Observation In Time” album, released in 1969. I really loved this song, and I was quite surprised not to see it in the charts. Interesting that this was more of a soul album, and it appeared when they changed to their iconic funk sound, their career exploded.
You know, I’m still trying to get a sense of what their music is all about. Their music is kind of all over the place. Mind you, I feel these are very talented guys! I guys what it really is, is that the entire band is eccentric, and you’re left feeling like you’re not sure where to place them. When I like an artist or band, it’s still kind of important for me to figure out what style of music they represent. Kind of heart to talk about them to other music lovers, if you don’t have a concrete description of their music. If I demanded that I give you an explanation of what category the fell under, the best and closest description would probably be what I would call “Hillbilly Blues.” But, Some of their songs isn’t really that either. You’ll have to check them out for yourself.
Tearing At The Seams
The song that really caught my attention is “Tearing At The Seams.” This song is so different from all their other pieces I’ve heard. I almost want to put Nathaniel in the category of “blue eyed soul.” When I heard this song, it immediately reminded me of the kinds of music that Otis Redding would have sung if he were still alive. I must say, whatever negative perceptions you may have drawn from look of his photograph (musically speaking), don’t let that fool you! Because this man can sing! Really really sing. In 2015, he released a song called “Howling At Nothing.” Another great song that throws me back to the days of Sam Cooke almost. Check out Nathaniel and his band’s website. Looks like a lot of people follow his music.
Ever since Valarie Simpson met Nick Ashford in 1963, they were inseparable. Together they’ve made some really massively remember-able hits; such as “Solid,” “Is It Still Good To Ya,” and “Street Corner,” just to name a fraction of their great works together. But, did you know that in addition to Valerie being an awesome singer, she was and still is a phenomenal songwriter in her own right? I happened to listen to an internet radio station that played TV jingles 24/7; and on that radio station, I’ve learned that Valerie written a lot of songs for commercials! I didn’t realize this at all.
Even Hershey’s Almond Joy
Even more surprising to me was that one of them (I considered to be) was one of the biggest ad campaigns of it’s time. She written and performed jingles for many companies such as “Canada Dry,” & Hershey’s “Almond Joy,” “because sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don’t.” ??? I absolutely had no idea! But then again, even today, songwriters are not acknowledged and given much credit. You really have to dig and search for them nowadays. I found a tribute to Valerie on YouTube, singing some of her most famous jingles and themes. I’ll give you another tidbit… Did you know that Valerie co-wrote, along with her late husband Ashford, the lyrics to The Supremes’ hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough?” Now, that I knew! ? Homage to all the songwriters out there!!!
You know, I don’t know why, but I used to have a slight crush on John Cougar Melloncamp, now known as just John Melloncamp. There was a couple of songs I liked throughout his career believe it or not. One of them was a called “Jack & Diane,” released in 1982. I loved how the background music was composed. How the string instruments started off very dramatic, and then eased almost immediately, with Cougar’s soft vocal tones. This is a perfect song to listen to while on country road trips if you ask me. I think this was your typical “young and in H.S.” songs, doing the kinds of things most kids did that age (when your hormones are raging). But, what I liked about this song is that Cougar was very clever in his lyrics; and made the song sound innocent at the first listen. But, I also liked that he was literally telling a story in song. Another favorite is a song called “Hurt So Good,” remember that one? I used to like to dance to that song.
Do you guys remember this crazy performer? Her name is Blu Cantrell. What a name! I wonder if that’s fictitious, like Niki Minaj? Anyway, she had a huge dance it in the ’00s called “Blu Cantrell: Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” released in 2003. I actually liked this song! It was a fun song, VERY catchy tune, and yet it had serious lyrics to it. Her singing style was unlike I’ve ever heard from a (then) new hip hop artists. It was almost like listening to a younger version of the late Ethel Mermen, trying to prove she could sing hip hop. ? Now, it’s a shame that this was her only hit song, because my opinion is she’s a talented performer, she just needed better writers.
Rushed In To Production
The song hit #2 on the Top 100 Charts, and stayed relevant for about 34 weeks. That’s pretty awesome. From the looks of it, people still remember her for this song, because she’s gotten over 34+ million plays on Spotify alone. She also did a song with Sean Paul called “Breathe,” from the same album. “Breathe” peaked at the 70th position on the Billboards. I loved the beat, but I wasn’t impressed with the overall song. It seemed like one of those songs that was rushed in to production. I would have loved to see her try and do another album. Maybe have somebody like Babyface work with her.
I discovered this group while searching for another recently. I really like their song “Better Days” released this year. The song was written by Fabio Puglisi & Jason Harden. Soul Basement is actually not a group, but Fabio Puglisi’s stage name (right). He produces a lot of Italian jazz, hip hop jazz, and beats. He has actually been around for a while, since about 2004 actually. First off, I have to say this art made Fabio look like Andrew Zimmern from the food channel! I couldn’t help it, that’s all I kept thinking ?? Now, the song comes from his new album called “Oneness,” and the song features I guy named “Jay Nemor” (left). Although I’ve enjoyed this song very much, I’m not sure how I feel about Jay’s voice throughout the rest of this album (and his other albums for that matter). I’m just going to come out and say it. His voice doesn’t sound genuinely his. What I mean by that is, I get the strong impression he’s trying hard to copy another famous artist’s style. When I listen to “Better Days,” it almost sounds like I’m listening to Sly Stone. Other music I hear from him, he sounds like he’s trying hard to mimic Lou Rawls. Believe me, I’ve listened very carefully, and I can usually tell the difference when an artist naturally sounds like someone else; and when someone tries to literally mimic another artist verbatim. That is usually a turn off for me. But….. I don’t know, maybe you guys may feel differently. Listen to the album and judge for yourself. Again, I did enjoy the song “Better Days.” To learn more about Jay Nemor. Also, if you’d like to learn more on Soul Basement, he has a website, or you can just search on Spotify.
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” was one of my favorite female songs of the 60s. The song was written by Carole King and Gerald Goffin. This song was so huge, it was crazy how many people covered this song! However, The Shirelles were the first honored to record this massive hit. The song hit #1 on the Top 100 Charts, #2 on the R&B charts, and #4 on the UK charts! These girls was not playing around at all! But you know what, even if there were no words to this piece, the melody was beautifully composed. The Shirelles were credited in making “girl groups” accepted in the music industry, predating Motown. Out of all the different covers of this song, I think the Shirelles’ version and Carole King’s version are my most favorites. IMDB has a really tiny bio on them
This is a really nice playlist I put together few months ago. Wanna know who’s in it? Well… How about, Everything I Own by Ken Booth; Get Ready Cos Here I com by Delroy Wilson; Moonlight Lover by Joya Landis; A Whiter Shade Of Pale by Pat Kelly; Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely by Freddie McGregor; and many more. You’re gonna love this playlist! Don’t say I didn’t tell ya! Wanna know who else is in here? Well, see for yourself on Spotify.
I am sure I’m not wrong about this…. But….. Yes…… I do believe that singer/songwriter Larry Graham is among the many great forgotten artists. As far as I can remember, he only had two major hit songs of his career, and they were in 1980 and then in 1981. This man had a sexy *ss voice! He had what we used to call “bedroom voices.” There were very few men that had those types of voices, off the top of my head, Teddy Pendergrass, Barry White, & Luther Vandross. The first hit he released was in 1980 “One In A Million You,” grown women went bananas over that song. The song hit #1 on the U.S. R&B charts. With the exception of some college radio stations, I don’t think there were any stations that wasn’t playing this song. Growing up, almost every woman wanted this song played for their wedding. That’s how serious it was ?? I’m not joking about that either ?. When people heard this song on the radio back in the day, people would literally stop what they were doing to sing along until the song was finished.
The second huge hit of his career is a song called “Just Be My Lady,” released in 1981. The song peaked at #4 on the R&B Charts. This was another highly requested song for weddings. There was a song he recorded in 1975 that did ok on the Top 100 Charts, the song was called “Your Love.” Graham recorded the song along with a group he put together called the “Graham Central Station.” The song peaked at the 38th position on the Top 100, however, I couldn’t find anything on the R&B Chart. It probably didn’t do well enough to get on the chart’s radar.
Another classic photo from my scrapbook!! Janet Jackson, present for the American Music Awards! I am pretty confident that this was in 1983. Janet was enjoying the success of her hit song “Young Love.” Although “Young Love” only reached #64th position on the Top 100 Charts, it shot up to #6 on the R&B category.
This remix of Chic’s “Le Freak” by Oliver Heldens is freak’n’ awesome!!This is absolutely the best Chic club remix since I can remember. I am stunned, talk about coming out of left field? This is the kind of intense club music I remember growing up in the 80s. You just don’t hear great club music like this anymore, at all. However, It seems as thought this is the only mix I like from him. I found out he’s a well known DJ, but he mostly does EDM music. Rarely have I heard EDM music I like. Call it getting old, I don’t care.. ? But……. Yo, this Chic remix is hot I think.
I absolutely LOVE this reggae classic! My only problem is I wish it was longer than 2 minutes and 15 seconds. That is definitely not enough time for a reggae groove like this one! But, then again, two and a half minutes was about the average time for most songs back then. “Enter The Dragon,” was from an album called “Kung Fu Meets the Dragon,” by (then) called “The Mighty Upsetter.” This particular album was a special project inspired by martial arts; I found this very interesting and yet odd at the same time. Because in terms of people from Jamaica, West-Indies, etc; reggae music was still very highly political in the 70s, we just didn’t witness these types of albums (at least here in the states anyway). Although reggae musicians were inspired to sing about damn near anything, this album came out of left field for me ?
The album was practically all instrumental, and if you ask me, I think this project was some of his best work I ever heard! The album “Dubstrumentals,” was digitally released in 2005, and it includes all of the musical works from “Kung Fu Meets The Dragon,” plus a lot of additional dubs I know you’re going to like. Just about all the music in “Dubstrumental” are smooth ska music. I recommend checking out a piece called ” Samurai Swordsman.”
Believe it or not, I actually like this new song “Figure It Out,” by Lucas Estrada and Pawl. You know what? If Drake actually tried to sing, he’d probably sound like Lucas! ? When I listen to the rhythm of this song, it reminds me A LOT of Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster (1980)” for some reason. Remember that song? You know, for a very young artist, I hear a lot of soul in his voice. I think this is a very nice track.
Wow! When Ray, Goodman, & Brown (formally known as The Moments) came out with this slow jam right here, I couldn’t stop listening to it. I remembered hearing this song all the time on the radio, especially stations like Lite FM. This song was so popular, I don’t know how many times I used to wake up with this song already playing on the radio. “Special Lady,” released in 1980 was #1 on the R&B Charts, and #5 on the Top 100 Charts. The Moments where best known for songs like “Love On A Two Way Street,” and “Sexy Mama.” Almost all the original members of The Moments have past on, including Al Goodman recently in 2012 @ the age of 67. Larry Winfree steps in place of Goodman. One of the last legends of the era of good music!
Once upon a time, a very young female singer and actress named Irene Cara was burning up both the music and movie scene in the eighties. Today, people barely know who she is, yet alone the massive hits she has produced. This inspired me to create a new category, to celebrate not just the forgotten artists, but the artists who made history with their music. Irene Cara deserves to be the first to be added to this new category. Unfortunately, because of licensing, Spotify doesn’t have her most important hits (originally recorded that is). So, I must enlist the help of YouTube and SoundCloud for this article.
Out of all of Irene’s massive hits, she is probably best known for her iconic theme song “Fame,” from the original movie “Fame (1980),” which Irene also co-starred in. This was at the height of the dance movie craze. Irene belted out another massive hit that immortalized her forever in music history; the song was called “What A Feeling,” from the original movie “Flashdance (1983),” starring Jenifer Beals. On the same album called “What A Feeling,” Irene had a hit few people remember. It’s called “Breakdance,” the song was significant during the breakdance era. I always found it interesting that she had a hit called “Breakdance,” yet, she never actually breakdanced. Another dance favorite was “Why Me,” which was released in 1983. Lastly, I want to share a simple SoundCloud playlist of some of my most favorite Irene Cara club remixes. Irene has put together her own group called “Hot Caramel.” Aaaahhmmmm, yeah….. I’m not impressed. They don’t sound bad, but… I just wasn’t moved enough to save it in my collection. I think this was Irene’s last album in 2011.
I think it would be extremely rare that anybody under 30 years of age would know anything about this Quartet. “Take Five,” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, was (and still is) my top favorite jazz piece. The piece was originally recorded with instrumentals in 1959; but Dave also written lyrics to his masterpiece, and it was rerecorded in 1961 with Carmen Mcrae on vocal. However, I much prefer the versions with out the vocals. It is my understanding that a couple of years after its first release, “Take Five” became the biggest selling jazz hit single ever made at the time. It was also used in many movie soundtracks.
If you love “Take Five” like I do, there are a few re-interpretations that I think are worthy of your ear! Starting with the late legendary Tito Puente’s version of “Take Five.” Once known as “The King Of Latin Music,” Tito had the gift of literally turning any kind of music into something everybody wants to dance to. Next is a reggae version of “Take Five,” by a group called the “New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble.” I really love this version, I don’t hear reggae musicians make good classic instrumentals anymore. Next is Chet Atkins. Chet has done a wonderful guitar version of “Take Five.” Very smooth and relaxing. Lastly, a group that calls themselves “The String Cheese Incident,” has performed a really nice version of “Take Five.” Those guys know how to pick a guitar let me tell you! So, I recommend that you take a listen. I don’t think you’d be disappointing.
This, is a badass bitch right here!! I LOVE her new single!! She is one of the very few vocally talented, young, and up and coming musicians I’ve heard in a really really long time!!! Her name is Grace Carter, and the name of her song is called “Why Her Not Me.” Damn! Her voice is on point!! You know what? After listening to this song so many times, I realize her voice reminds me a little of Adele’s . Now, after I got over the awesomeness of her voice, I started focusing on the lyrics. I hated the story line of the lyrics. Her voice projects a powerful woman, yet she let herself to be brought down by a dude that obviously didn’t deserve her time and love. It was almost as tho her voice should not have been singing this song. Yet… She laid that performance down like she owned our ears. You have to check out her remix, the beat is kicking… “Why Her Not Me – Channel Tres Remix.”
Marva Whitney was a funk legend back in the day. She was a protege of the late James Brown. Actually James Brown had many proteges, however, vocally speaking, she was the best female performer he ever took under his wing (in my opinion). Her voice was truly a force to be recon with. Not to say that other female performers such as Lyn Collins did not kick-ass; but let’s put it this way, when you hear Marva perform she’s almost like an alpha female on stage! She means business when she sings, and she expects you to listen with urgency ? He biggest hit “It’s My Thing,” released in 1969 was so popular, I was stunned to learn it only reached #82 on the Top 100 Charts. Actually, more than stunned. Marva was so fierce, they used to call her “Soul Sister Number One.” Many artists like DJ Kool used to sample her music. Unfortunately, Marva died in 2012 as a result of complications with pneumonia.
Hey guys,
On my old blog (VintageNewscast) I’ve touched on some important subject matters that I feel are still relevant today. So I brought some of those articles back. Articles such as, “Important Tips You MUST Know About Spotify.” So many people misunderstand Spotify, and if you want to get the best out of Spotify, you need to invest time to really learn it first before making any quick assumptions. The next important article is “Legal Streaming vs. Torrents: The Dawn Of A New File Sharing Era!” I know that this is a very long article I’ve written, however, if you want to understand how important legal music streaming is, it is worth the read. “The Future Of Classic Music Culture,” is an article I’ve written on my detailed concerns of our classic music culture disappearing. “Where To Find Old School Classics?” These are some ideas I came up with on where you can find even more classic music to re-discover in the digital age.
Ok, ok.You can pick yourself from off the floor now from laughter! Yes, I do love some of Dolly Parton’s earlier country music. That’s why I’m a blogger; because my tastes are eclectic; and you can rediscover music history on my blog. Now, Dolly has one of those rare unique voices that requires writers that understands her voice. Having said that, I’m not going to lie, there are specific Dolly songs that I love (over the rest of them). I’ve listened to a lot of her music, and a huge chunk of her music made me feel like I was listening to children’s songs (regardless what the lyrics were). However, I guess that doesn’t really matter because millions of people still love her music today.
Proof of that is her 1980’s song “9To5,” from the movie “9To5 (1980),” which she also co-starred with Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin (Ringy Dingy). Now, keep in mind that in 1980, there was no Spotify, having said that, as of today, Dolly’s 9To5 as reached over 92+ million plays. That’s a lot of change that song made. Spotify didn’t come to the U.S. until about 2009; so that gives you an idea of her fan base.
Now, I don’t think I remember the full story, but I think it goes something like this. There were two versions of the song 9To5. There was Dolly’s version, and then there was Sheena Easton’s version. Only one could be on the soundtrack, so they chose Dolly’s version. However, the record labels still liked Sheena’s version; so they waited about a year after Dolly’s version was released; renamed Sheena’s song to “Midnight Train (Nine To Five),” so that there was no confusion with the movie 9To5; then released it in 1981. Both became successful hits! Dolly’s hit #1 for two weeks; and Sheena’s version also hit #1 for two weeks!
I know I’ve written more than I planned, but before I close I do want you to check out Dolly’s “Hard Candy (1982).” Dolly said this was her first song she ever written as a child (if I remember correctly) during the xmas season. When I listen to it, I don’t perceive it to be about xmas at all, but someone who just gone through a lot of things, and just trying to pick up the pieces. It’s a beautiful song I think.