Posts Tagged ‘38 Special’

  
Monday, August 17th, 2009

Death by Power Ballad: Jim Peterik, “Above the Storm”

by Rob Smith

This is the final entry in our DbPB salute to Jim Peterik, and it is, I admit, an odd choice for a conclusion. “Above the Storm” is not Peterik’s best ballad; truth be told, I’m not all that fond of it, certainly not as fond as I am of Survivor’s “Desperate Dreams” or their unreleased “The Love We Never Made”  demo, or of Pride of Lions‘ “Faithful Heart,” or .38 Special’s “Changed by Love,” or a score of other Peterik ballads I could have selected.

Why, then, choose “Above the Storm”? Indulge me, for a moment:

A week from tomorrow, I will have been a parent for ten years. That milestone and a recent event in my extended family got me thinking about perfectionism and parenthood, and how the twain never, ever meet. Oh, sure, I’ve had my moments. Like the time when Dylan was small and suffering from an ear infection, when I rocked him to sleep and, with that sleep, provided him some modicum of relief. I also felt pretty good recently, when he proudly showed off his new copy of the Guinness Book of World Records by showing me the entry for the woman with the world’s biggest breasts. He did this in front of his aftercare attendant, who proceeded to give him no small amount of grief before I took her aside and explained to her that the only thing funnier to a nine-year-old than boobs are farts, and if the Guinness Book of World Records could have passed gas, that’s what he would have shown me.

Truth of the matter is, I’ve screwed up, many times. All parents do. I’m going to do it again, probably as soon as I leave my office, and if not then, certainly in the next 24 hours. I’ve yelled when I should have been calm; chastised when I should have instructed; turned down an activity when I should have participated; let him down in several small ways that only occur to a parent after the fact. (more…)

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Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Death by Power Ballad: Jimi Jamison, “As Is”

by Rob Smith

The next few DbPB installments will feature the work of a man who, to these ears, has contributed as much as if not more than any other artist to the power ballad arts and the melodic rock genre in general—Jim Peterik.  Many know him as the voice and driving force (no pun intended.  Okay, maybe I intended it) behind “Vehicle,” the great 1970 single by Ides of March.  Many more know him as the bespectacled keyboard player and chief songwriter (along with Frankie Sullivan ) in Survivor.  Yeah, that guy.  “Eye of the Tiger.”  “I Can’t Hold Back.” “High on You.” “The Search Is Over.”

Ah, “The Search Is Over.”  How many makeout sessions/couple skates/lonely nights of the soul in ‘84-’85 had that one as their soundtrack?  Survivor contributed many other fine, powerful ballads—“Man Against the World,” “Everlasting,” “Ever Since the World Began” (read about my personal relationship with that song here)—but none had all the weapons that made “Search” such a killer—the developing tension, the underlying power chords, the dramatic chorus and bridge, plea for redemption, the key change at the end.  The voice.

The voice is so important.  Peterik co-wrote a Survivor track called “It’s the Singer Not the Song”—a sentiment I do not share—in part to focus attention on the band’s new singer at that time, Jimi Jamison.  While Survivor’s first vocalist, Dave Bickler, possessed a monster of an instrument—akin to a Paul Rodgers or a Steve Marriott—Jamison’s baritone was tailor-made for the commercial rock for which Survivor was best known in the mid-’80s.  He had strength to spare and could tackle a rough-hewn rock song, but was also versatile enough to lighten up when the music slowed down.  The Peterik/Sullivan ballads on Vital Signs, When Seconds Count, and Too Hot to Sleep were the perfect canvases on which Jamison could apply all the colors of his voice. (more…)

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Friday, May 8th, 2009

CHART ATTACK!: 5/13/89

by Jason Hare

Hey, hey, hey! It’s Friday, and you know what that (sometimes) means! That’s right, it’s time to take a look at another Billboard Top 10 from ages past, and today we’re heading back a full 20 years to see what the charts were like on May 13, 1989!

10. Wind Beneath My Wings — Bette Midler Amazon iTunes
9. Patience — Guns n’ Roses Amazon iTunes
8. Rock On — Michael Damian Amazon iTunes
7. Second Chance — 38 Special Amazon iTunes
6. After All — Cher and Peter Cetera Amazon iTunes
5. Soldier of Love — Donny Osmond Amazon iTunes
4. Forever Your Girl — Paula Abdul Amazon iTunes
3. Real Love — Jody Watley Amazon iTunes
2. Like a Prayer — Madonna Amazon iTunes
1. I’ll Be There for You — Bon Jovi Amazon iTunes

10. Wind Beneath My Wings — Bette Midler

I try to stay away from directly quoting Wikipedia entries, but this sentence is just perfect: “Because of the song’s soaring imagery and the extreme earnestness of Midler’s iconic performance, the song has become ripe for parody.” I mean, that’s totally it, isn’t it? It doesn’t really get any more earnest than this, unless you count “From a Distance,” which was totally Midler’s (successful) attempt to repeat her newfound success as an inspirational singer. Midler didn’t actually care for the song when she first heard it — she was convinced to do it by Marc Shaiman, her long-time musical director (as well as the genius behind the songs in the Broadway version of Hairspray and a million other movies, including South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police). The song won Grammy awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, but strangely lost the Earworm of the Year award to “Love Shack.”

Although the song will always be tied to Bette Midler, she was far from the first person to record it. The song was written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley, and was first rejected by Kenny Rogers and Barry Manilow. (When Barry Manilow is turning down your sappy song, you know you’re in trouble.) Artists who recorded the song before Midler include Roger Whittaker, Sheena Easton, Lou Rawls, Lee Greenwood, B.J. Thomas, Gladys Knight (her version was called “Hero”) and Gary Morris, who recorded a country version, much to the chagrin of Silbar and Henley…until it won Song of the Year at the Country Music Awards. Apparently when Morris performs it, he often says “Bette is free to sing this however she wants, but personally, I think she butchered it.” Har!

My favorite version, however, is the duet between Midler and Krusty.

9. Patience — Guns n’ Roses

Written by Izzy Stradlin, “Patience” peaked at #4 on the charts and, recorded in a single session with three acoustic guitars, clearly showed a different side of the band. It very clearly said to audiences that Guns n’ Roses wasn’t just happy getting with teenage girls backstage. They wanted their mothers, too. Even my Lionel Richie-lovin’ mother liked this song…until the end when Axl started that “awful screaming” (which is kind of my favorite part of the song). By the way, I wish people would take that specific vocal section into account before they decide to sing this song at karaoke. It’s always painful.

8. Rock On — Michael Damian (download)

What’s sadder: the fact that I hadn’t heard “Rock On” before Damian’s version, or that I can immediately tell you that this was on the soundtrack to Dream a Little Dream, the movie starring Corey Feldman and Corey Haim? Both are pretty sad, don’t you think? I agree. (I’m sure Kelly Stitzel is with me on this one.)

You may be thinking what I’m thinking: Michael Damian, “Rock On,” total one-hit wonder, right? Actually, it turns out that he’s had two other hits in the Top 40, both in 1989: “Was It Nothing At All” made it all the way to #24, and “Cover of Love” reached #31. Damian had recorded “Rock On” a couple of years earlier in his garage with his two brothers, but it was rejected by most record labels. Dream a Little Dream director Mark Rocco asked Damian’s brothers if they could write some music for the soundtrack, and they brought him “Rock On.” The track reached #1 in early June and surpassed the original, a #5 for David Essex in ‘74.

Apart from “Rock On,” Damian’s had numerous successes: he played a lead role on The Young and the Restless for 18 years, appeared in the revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (and earned a Grammy nomination), and even won the BMI Songwriting Award for “Was It Nothing At All.” Furthermore, he’s directed two award-winning independent films! So there’s no mocking Damian here, folks. This guy hasn’t really done anything to…aw, Jesus. Wait a second.

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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

The Seventeeth Day of Mellowmas: Mellowmas Goes South

by Jeff Giles and Jason Hare

Well, folks, every year, we come across a song or two that we imagine will be truly, truly terrible — and we’re surprised to find out that they’re actually not half-bad. Take a trip with us down south and see if you agree!

Lynyrd Skynyrd — Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’ (download)

From Christmas Time Again Amazon iTunes

Jason: Ungh! OOOOH! ROCK!

Jeff: This is unusual for a Mellowmas track.

Jason: You mean that it actually has some balls behind it?

Jeff: It sounds…hairy. Smells like Natural Light.

Jason: Or Milwaukee’s Best.

Jeff: Santa Claus wants some lovin’! It’s time for Santa to make his midnight greet!

Jason: Say it again! Santa Claus wants some lovin’!

Jeff: Oh, wait, that’s “creep.” As in, “this song is creeping me the fuck out.”

“Now I been trying to fix this old bicycle
Can’t seem to find my pliers
Halfway watchin’ Mama for that sleep in her eyes cause
Santa Claus wants some lovin’.”

Does that mean what I think it means?

Jason: I’m afraid so.

Jeff: Is he waiting for her to fall asleep?

Jason: I think so. I don’t know what it has to do with the old bicycle though.

Jeff: Or the pliers. shudder

“I don’t want no turkey
Don’t care about no cake
I want you to come here Mama ‘fore the children wake cause
Santa Claus wants some lovin’.”

I want to vomit.

Jason: See, this is a case where I think the music is just fine, but the lyrics are terrible.

Jeff: Shit, for all I know, this music is from another Skynyrd song.

Jason: I mean, the music isn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not horrible.

Jeff: “Come make your Papa happy.” Spoken like a true man of the south!

Jason: Oh, no. That’s awful.

Jeff: “Daddy, get off me, you’re crushin’ my cigarettes!”

Jason: Hey, do you think Santa Claus wants some lovin’? Because they haven’t mentioned it about 300 times.

Jeff: Ssshh. I’m enjoying the solos. I’m finally having some fun this Mellowmas.

Jason: This isn’t going to go on until tomorrow like “Freebird,” is it?

Jeff: And they fucking faded it out! Assholes! Come back here and make your papa happy, dammit!

Jason: They probably faded out because the guitarist was drugged up and didn’t open his eyes for another 10 minutes. They didn’t want to disturb his groove.

Jeff: Or maybe another one of the Skynyrds was on the run from the law.

Jason: Actually, for all we know, that guitarist may still be playing. Maybe they faded it out, mixed it, pressed it and released it, all while he was noodling.

Jeff: Well, I feel unfulfilled. We were just starting to rock a little, and those dicks ruined it. I’ve sat through Al Jarreau, Barry Manilow, and worse.

Jason: Jarreau, Manilow and…Skynyrd. I smell a tour!

Jeff: I smell what happens when you mix together too many brands of toilet cleaner!

Jason: Ha ha ha!

Jeff: Stand back!

Jason: So now what?

Jeff: Well, we’re down South.

Jason: Uh oh. You have something else up your sleeve, I know it.

Jeff: And I’m in the mood for some more guitar.

Jason: Can’t I just send you a Tommy Emmanuel track?

Jeff: I have something caught in my beard.

Jason: Is it yesterday’s yogurt?

Jeff: Oh, would you look at that? It’s 38 Special!

Jason: slams head on desk

Jeff: Santa Claus needs a second chance, Jason. He knows he was wro-ooooooong, and he wants you back where you belong.

Jason: Great. Now “Second Chance” is in my head.

Jeff: Are you ready to have a wild-eyed Christmas night?

Jason: Does it even matter anymore?

Jeff: Absolutely not.

So listen, before we listen to this song, I want everyone to just sit and stare at the cover artwork for a minute.

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Jeff: Do you see that?

I repeat. DO YOU FUCKING SEE THAT?

Jason: I’m trying not to look at it! It makes my stomach feel all funny!

Jeff: What says “Christmas” like eyeballs hanging from a tree?

Jason: Yeah, that cover is almost as creepy as the Lee Greenwood cover.

Jeff: As if it wasn’t weird enough that 38 Special was making a Christmas album in the first place.

Jason: Well, let’s listen to the track. And see if it’s as creepy as the cover.

Jeff: I can only hope.

38 Special — A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night (download)

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From Wild-Eyed Christmas Night Amazon iTunes

Jeff: Real drums! It’s a Mellowmas miracle!

Jason: Yeah! “All right, let’s do it!”

Jeff: When you hear that, you know no one’s going to do it.

Jason: Huh. Jeff, this…this isn’t that bad.

Jeff: You know, I think I may have to agree with you. I mean, okay, it’s hokey as hell.

Jason: Yeah, but most Christmas songs are.

Jeff: And there’s nothing Christmasy about it. And they namecheck themselves in the chorus. Which is terrible.

Jason: WHOOOOOOOOOOOO! Wild-eyed Christmas night!

Jeff: But all things considered, this could be much, much worse.

Jason: Well, the lyrics are Christmasy, you gotta give them that. They’re talking about mistletoe and other shit.

Jeff: It…actually sort of rocks.

Jason: I know!

Jeff: Solo! See? This is what I wanted.

Jason: This feels…not right, somehow. Not right for Mellowmas. This is kind of like when we covered Paul Carrack last year. We expected awful, and we got…not-awful.

Jeff: This guitar solo is giving me the strength I need to carry on. It’s also making me want to listen to my Gary Hoey Christmas CDs.

Jason: I love the Gary Hoey Christmas CDs! I mean, it’s probably not an awesome song, but in the context of Mellowmas? It’s pretty fucking great.

Jeff: Yeah, it deserves a Mellowmas Grammy of some kind.

Jason: Well, what the hell? Let’s give it to them.

Jeff: And the award for Song Better Than Its Album Artwork goes to 38 Special’s “A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night”!

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! And the award for Band Least Likely To Put Out A Christmas Song That’s Not Adult Contemporary goes to 38 Special’s “Wild-Eyed Christmas Night”! And the award for Band Least Likely to be Able to Afford Real Horns and Drums goes to 38 Special’s “Wild Eyed Christmas Night”!

Jeff: YES! I was hoping they’d win that one!

Jason: How did this happen, Jeff? How did 38 Special wind up being Mellowmas heroes?

Jeff: It’s the magic of the season, my friend.

Jason: This is the question that could be asked in Alan O’Day’s Mellowmas song next year.

Jeff: Good idea — let’s ask Alan if he can write that down.

Jason: How awful to have your Mellowmas season rescued by 38 Special.

Jeff: It seems appropriate, somehow.

Jason: I feel wrong thinking, “Oh, thank God, 38 Special! I never dreamed you’d come!”

Jeff: Well, never let it be said that we don’t give Mellowmas credit where it’s due.

Jason: And there you have it, folks. Mellowmas Redeemed: The Story of 38 Special.

Jeff: If there’s one Mellowmas record you need to buy this year, it’s…38 Special’s Wild-Eyed Christmas Night.

Note: There are no Mellowmas records you need to buy this year.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha!

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Friday, June 20th, 2008

Chartburn: 6/20/08

by The Chartburn Panel

Chartburn Logo


Mainstream Rock: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “The Waiting” (1981) *

Dunphy: It is, on its face, your standard Petty and Heartbreakers tune. Could’ve been “Refugee.” Could’ve been “You Got Lucky.” But you know what? From 1980 to 1985 that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Was this off Southern Accents or Hard Promises? Does it matter? I miss those good ol’ Petty days.

Zack: Is Tom Petty from Denver? Because I’m convinced he must go to the same dentist as John Elway. Does anyone else share my suspicion that Petty’s video director used the leftover set from the Cube Squared video in Tapeheads? Like everything else of Petty’s, this is good stuff, though aside from the chorus, the lyrics are pretty much incomprehensible.

Jason: I wish I could think of something other than the episode of The Simpsons where Homer has to wait five days to purchase a gun (”Five days? But I’m mad now!“) and “The Waiting” plays in a montage over the five-day period. Petty is a big Simpsons fan.

Ken: I’ve always liked this one. Petty’s one of those writers who knows how to put the things a lot of us feel into words.

Matthew: I remember a really lovely (and abbreviated) acoustic version of this song played by Petty on an episode of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. It was the episode where Garry has planned the whole show around his neighbor giving birth, and when she can’t do it on cue Shandling ends up looking for ways to stall. Luckily, his neighbor Tom Petty decides to stop by and drop off Garry’s hedge clippers, which he’d borrowed, and he gets recruited to entertain the audience. Tom ended up appearing a number of times on the show playing a version of himself (this was the first time), but he never sang on the show again.

Darren: Back when a simple video, done with class, could hold your attention. No need to spend 500K and have MTV turn their nose up at it. Of course, this was made before there was an MTV, and the only place you saw it was when Showtime or Cinemax had ten minutes to kill until the next showing of Motel Hell or whatever. I remember not digging “The Waiting” much when it came out. It’s still not one of my absolute favorites.

David: This song seems so quaint now. Love the slide guitar, but … I don’t know. I don’t hate it, not at all. I just … don’t care.

Jeff: One of my favorite Petty tracks. I’m surprised by the number of lukewarm reactions to it — I just assumed this was a universally accepted stone-cold classic of the Petty canon. Every time I listen, disappointed, to a new Petty record, this is what I wish I was hearing instead.

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