Posts Tagged ‘Kenny Loggins’

  
Friday, October 9th, 2009

CHART ATTACK!: 10/11/80

by Jason Hare

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Hi everyone! It’s Friday and it’s time to look back at another Billboard Top 10 from — holy crap, this is from 29 years ago. Anybody else feel really old? Thankfully, I think this is a pretty good week for the charts: good variety, strong songs all around, and some really fantastic videos. Join me, won’t you, as we take a stab at October 11, 1980!

10. Give Me the Night — George Benson null
9. Real Love — The Doobie Brothers null
8. Xanadu — Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra null
7. I’m Alright — Kenny Loggins null
6. Late in the Evening — Paul Simon null
5. Drivin’ My Life Away — Eddie Rabbitt null
4. All Out of Love — Air Supply null
3. Upside Down — Diana Ross null
2. Woman in Love — Barbra Streisand null
1. Another One Bites the Dust — Queen null

10. Give Me the Night — George Benson (download)

George Benson on roller skates, y’all. Does it get any better?

If you feel like this song’s groove sounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably because it was written by Rod Temperton, former keyboardist for Heatwave, and the man behind much of Off the Wall (and, later, Thriller). Every time I hear a Rod Temperton jam, I’m once again astounded that sounds like this came from a white guy. “Give Me the Night” peaked at #4, making it Benson’s most successful hit, with the awesome, awesome “Turn Your Love Around” right behind it, peaking at #5 in 1981. I’m disappointed that “Lady Love Me (One More Time) only made it to #30. I don’t have much more to say about this song — I’m too busy groovin’.

9. Real Love — The Doobie Brothers

If you buy the Michael McDonald: The Ultimate Collection CD (and you should!) and you import it into iTunes, there’s a good chance that the song titles for the Doobie Brothers tracks will come up like this: “Real Love (ft. The Doobie Brothers).” Now, on one hand, that’s incorrect: these tracks, and others like it, were released under “The Doobie Brothers,” and changing it is akin to changing “Lennon/McCartney” to “McCartney/Lennon.” (Okay, it’s nothing like that, but I just wanted to compare the Doobies to the Beatles for a second.) But in all honesty, these are Michael McDonald tracks featuring the Doobie Brothers. Other than keeping the album as a consistent “Michael McDonald” album, I’m not sure what the reason was for this alteration, other than McD just trying to find one more way to piss off Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. And if that’s the case — bravo, McD! I thought you ran out of ways to irritate Skunk a long time ago. Of course, Baxter was out of the band by the time both this song — and its accompanying album, One Step Closer — were released, and the band was nearing dissolution anyway due to the increased friction that came from essentially being McD’s backing band. Still, “Real Love” is a great song from this era of the Doobies. It’s no “What a Fool Believes” or “Minute By Minute,” but it’s got plenty of soul and a typically great vocal by McD.

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Friday, September 25th, 2009

CHART ATTACK!: 9/24/88

by Jason Hare

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Hi everybody! It’s CHART ATTACK! time once again, and this week’s pretty solid, if I do say so myself. (And I do.) This week, we bid a fond (okay, maybe not-so-fond) farewell to three artists who had a slew of Top 10 hits in the ’80s but came to a dead halt within a few weeks of this chart. One day, someone will write a requiem for Loggins, Lewis and Palmer (sounds like a really bad supergroup), but until then, we’ll just have to pay tribute to them here, as we look back to September 24, 1988!

10. Don’t Be Cruel — Bobby Brown Amazon iTunes
9. Nobody’s Fool — Kenny Loggins Amazon iTunes
8. If It Isn’t Love — New Edition Amazon iTunes
7. One Good Woman — Peter Cetera Amazon iTunes
6. Perfect World — Huey Lewis & the News Amazon iTunes
5. Love Bites — Def Leppard Amazon iTunes
4. Simply Irresistible — Robert Palmer Amazon iTunes
3. I’ll Always Love You — Taylor Dayne Amazon iTunes
2. Sweet Child O’ Mine — Guns N’ Roses Amazon iTunes
1. Don’t Worry, Be Happy — Bobby McFerrin Amazon iTunes

10. Don’t Be Cruel — Bobby Brown

Whenever I’m feeling down in the dumps, I like to present myself with some perspective. I always used to think about the Blues Traveler line “It won’t mean a thing in a hundred years,” but I think I’m switching to “hey, you could be Bobby Brown.” Because I don’t know if anybody is such a great example of having everything and then flushing it right down the toilet. He’s even worse than Andy Gibb. I mean, Bobby Brown is so universally hated that even Whitney’s Oprah interview can’t bring her back to the top. You only need to spend a few minutes with Bobby Brown to know that it’s generally a bad idea (case in point? Glenn Medeiros); Whitney spent what, five years with this tool? Maybe if she could still sing, we’d take her back, but this is all besides the point. The point is that no matter how bad you think you’ve screwed up, or how much you think you’ll never be able to get back to a better place, remember: hey, you could be Bobby Brown.

Bobby’s first solo album King of Stage didn’t do so well on the charts (quite possibly because was not the king of the stage). Not so with Don’t Be Cruel, both the album and the single. This was the lead-off single, and though it took a couple of months, it eventually peaked at #8 and paved the way for the other hits from the album. “Don’t Be Cruel” is a pretty sweet R&B song; dare I say it deserved to chart higher, or at least higher than “Humpin’ Around.” My only criticism of the song, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, is that it ends too abruptly. Bobby does a nifty lil’ rap, and then there’s a fade-out. I seriously want more.

9. Nobody’s Fool — Kenny Loggins

As we’ve said before, Kenny Loggins was the undisputed King of the Soundtrack Songs in the ’80s. You can’t deny the awesome montage/we’re-gonna-make-it-after-all power of “I’m Alright,” “Footloose,” “Danger Zone,” and “Meet Me Half Way.” Kenny would agree; they’re included on his 1997 greatest hits collection. “Nobody’s Fool,” however, isn’t on there. Seems odd, right? The song did reach #8, certainly higher than other included songs like “Forever” (#40), “Conviction of the Heart” (#65) and “The Real Thing” (#∞).

So why isn’t it included? I’m going to guess that perhaps it’s because the song was the “Theme From Caddyshack II,” which was a terrible, terrible movie. And because it actually includes the line “Back to the shack,” which just reeks of desperation. Take a look at the video, which — of course — includes numerous clips from the movie itself. When you’re competing with Jackie Mason for screen time, you know you’re in serious, serious trouble.

“Nobody’s Fool” was Loggins’ final appearance not only in the Top 10, but in the Top 40. That might be another reason why the song isn’t included. It’s actually a shame, because the chorus is pretty damn good. You can read more about the song and its video at Gavin Edwards’ Rule 42 blog. (more…)

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Friday, June 19th, 2009

CHART ATTACK!: 7/19/86

by Jason Hare

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Hello again, folks! Last time we met, we reviewed a pretty awesome chart from June of 1975. Well, since I choose these charts pretty much at random, you had to know it was inevitable that our luck might not hold out. Or did it? I’ll be interested in hearing what you think — let’s take a look at the pop-filled chart for the week ending July 19, 1986!

10. Love Touch — Rod Stewart Amazon iTunes
9. Your Wildest Dreams — The Moody Blues Amazon iTunes
8. There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) — Billy Ocean Amazon iTunes
7. Glory of Love — Peter Cetera Amazon iTunes
6. Who’s Johnny — El DeBarge Amazon iTunes
5. Holding Back the Years — Simply Red Amazon iTunes
4. Danger Zone — Kenny Loggins Amazon iTunes
3. Nasty — Janet Jackson Amazon iTunes
2. Sledgehammer — Peter Gabriel Amazon iTunes
1. Invisible Touch — Genesis Amazon iTunes

10. Love Touch — Rod Stewart

Even in 1986, how did Rod Stewart keep a straight face when singing the line “I’m gonna give you my love touch”? No, even worse, let’s look at the middle of the song, where Rod actually sings “Oooh, you’re gonna get a/oooh, you’re gonna get a big love touch.” That’s the worst of the bunch. “A big love touch”? Shame on you, Rod. I’d even take you making love to the camera a la “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” over this dreck. And who had the idea for steel drums? What a terrible idea! Although I think it’d be fun to go to the Bahamas and ask a traditional steel drum band if they know “Love Touch.” (C’mon, do we really need to hear them play Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” yet again?)

All this being said…for some inexplicable reason, I like the chorus of this song. (Well, up until he says the words “love” and “touch,” anyway.) I specifically love the line “Just gimme a chance!” because of the way he pronounces “chance.” It sounds like Harry Caray.

This is the first of four songs on this week’s chart taken from a movie soundtrack. This one in particular is from Legal Eagles, and some brilliant director decided to set the (awful) video in a courtroom, inserting scenes from the movie featuring Robert Redford, Debra Winger and Daryl Hannah. Fortunately, all three actors had the good sense to not make themselves available for the video, unlike another certain movie star…well, you’ll see.


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Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 54

by Dave Steed

feeders52

So, I took the readers’ challenge (sort of) last week. I said that I knew nothing from Gordon Lightfoot except for the song I posted — “Baby Step Back” — and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” On Thursday of last week, I borrowed The Complete Greatest Hits, a 2002 Rhino collection of tunes from Mr. Lightfoot, and listened from start to finish.

The first thing I can say is that Gordon really isn’t that bad. It’s not really my type of music, and I doubt I’d ever go back to it again, but that guy is a pretty smooth and mellow cat. I was told specifically that I had to know both “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown.” Well, you got me halfway, at least. I had never heard “If You Could Read My Mind” before. I’m sure of that. “Sundown,” on the other hand, you were correct about — I definitely recognize that tune. I guess I had never heard Gordon’s name with it, because by title alone, it didn’t mean anything to me. The other 16 tunes were completely foreign to me, including the other ’80s track, “Stay Loose.” All in all, I knew 3 songs out of the 20 on the greatest-hits disc, so apparently I still can’t enter Canada.

And now, back to the ’80s — enjoy the 20 songs below that charted no higher than #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 during that decade.

lisa-lisaLisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force)
“Can You Feel the Beat” — 1985, #69 (download)
“Someone to Love Me for Me” — 1987, #78 (download)

These are two of the weaker tracks from Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam compared to megahits “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion.” I think I’ve always been a bit confused as to what role Cult Jam played in the success of the group. I mean, the two guys that make up Cult Jam played the music, but the reality of it is that the six-member posse of Full Force wrote and produced all the material. Since they were artists in their own right, I’m not quite sure why Cult Jam was even necessary. In fact, despite not having any Hot 100 hits of their own, Full Force was actually pretty damn good. Their second album, Full Force Get Busy 1 Time!, is better than any Lisa Lisa album. Either way, there were lots of hands in the mix on all of Lisa Lisa’s music.

Little Richard
“Great Gosh A’mighty” — 1986, #42 (download)

This was Little Richard’s shot at a comeback. Macon, Georgia’s self-proclaimed inventor of rock ‘n’ roll was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the first class when it opened in 1986. He then hooked up with Billy Preston to help him write this song, which was produced by Dan Hartman and ended up on the Down and Out in Beverly Hills soundtrack. While it wasn’t exactly the comeback he was looking for, he still woooos and yeeeeahs to packed houses all over the world.

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Monday, February 2nd, 2009

Unsolicited Career Advice for… Michael Jackson

by Rob Smith

Seems Uncle Donnie has recently taken a shine to the King of Pop; this particular missive was near the top of the Skwatzenschitz archive.  MJ could do worse than follow some of the advice therein; then again, he could also almost assuredly do better. —RS

TO: Michael Jackson
FROM: Don Skwatzenschitz
RE: Career advice

Mike, I gotta tell ya, Mitzi and I were at this party up in the Berkshires last weekend (the weather was gorgeous, and the place we stayed had a slide that emptied out into a hot tub.  Amazing.  You should consider it sometime—the kids would love it), and the damnedest thing happened.  It was pretty quiet—you know, little hors d’oeuvres, sparkly drinks, polite conversation, and the like—until somebody had the khutspe to ask the string quartet to play “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” You should have seen it, Mike.  Eighty-year-old women and their grandkids, bustin’ moves all over the place—and this is without a backbeat!  It was a skirt-hikin’ good time.

Got me to thinking how perfect the timing is now for you to make a comeback.  All the legal shit is behind you by a couple years, and the memory (not to mention the attention span) of the public is notoriously short.  The kids who bought Thriller have kids of their own now, so your audience is at least two generations deep, and most of them never heard Invincible when it was out, so the stink of that one probably won’t cling to you.  Here are some things I think you should do:

  • Stay away from the following things: children, Elizabeth Taylor, Saudi princes, monkeys, hyperbaric sleep chambers, your brothers (Jermaine is jer-messed up, Mike.  Well, somebody had to tell you), boy bands, British press, 60 Minutes, the LAPD, Liza Minnelli, Lisa Marie, any giant likenesses of yourself, antique stores, and Debbie Rowe.  These things always seem to get you into trouble, Mike. (more…)

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Thursday, December 18th, 2008

The Eighteenth Day of Mellowmas: The Unimaginable Mellowmas

by Jeff Giles and Jason Hare

Jason: Before we play this track –  “December” by Kenny Loggins — we should acknowledge that this was one of the only Mellowmas suggestions we received this whole season.

Jeff: Mainly so people know who to blame.This one wasn’t our fault! We knew about this album — oh yes, we knew. But we avoided it.

Jason: Robert Smith, everybody. Blame Robert Smith. And no, not from The Cure. Robert Smith who wrote that awesome CHART ATTACK! earlier this year.

Jeff: Man, I wish The Cure would record a Christmas album.

Jason: You know why I avoided this track, specifically?

Jeff: Why, specifically?

Jason: Because it was released in 1998.

Jeff: Deep in the heart of Kenny’s “Enema Period.”

Jason: YES.

Jeff: I know what you mean.

Jason: When everybody was FORCED to know about his undying love for his wife. When we had to know all the details of their Unimaginable Life.

Jeff: Please, don’t talk about it.

Jason: I bought the CD for my mom. One day, I was bored and read the liner notes. Let’s just say that my eyes can’t unsee all that they have seen. It’s…unimaginable.

Jeff: Dude, I bought the BOOK for my mom.

Jason: Wow.

Jeff: I wish I could un-unimagine it.

Jason: This is the first time you’ve seemed like more of a mama’s boy than me.

Jeff: I think I probably paid less for the book than you did for the CD, so we might be even.

Jason: It’s not about money, and you know it. You wanted your mom to have an unimaginable life! And of course, at the time, you couldn’t have possibly imagined I would have been banging her, so there you go. I guess it was a worthwhile purchase.

Jeff: Ha! How about the penicillin? Was that worthwhile?

Jason: She took care of the co-pay, that was nice of her, at least.

Jeff: Anyway, point is, neither one of us has ever bothered listening to Kenny’s Christmas album. WE knew better.

Jason: Right.

Jeff: And we’ve listened to some heinous shit.

Jason: HEINOUS. Unimaginable, even.

Jeff: But Robert Smith suggested — begged us, even! — to include this song.

Jason: I have to admit, when he mentioned it, as well as the lyrics, I was intrigued.

Jeff: The lyrics are…intriguing.

Jason: Let’s share with all, shall we?

Jeff: Let’s.

Jason: Just remember, everybody. Robert’s to blame.

Kenny Loggins — On Christmas Morning (download)

From December Amazon iTunes

Jason: Piano! Ugh! Old December’s here at last! Time for Kenny to slur his words!

Jeff: This synth setting is the musical equivalent of a tramp stamp tattooed on the space right above a girl’s ass. You know everything you need to know as soon as you see it.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha! That’s the best thing you’ve written, ever.

Jeff: Ha!

Jason: Kenny’s talking about a Christmas scene, but I feel like the gross stuff is coming. The stuff about his wife.

Jeff: You know what’s funny about this song already? I think Kenny Loggins lives in Santa Barbara.

Jason: He believes! He believes in love!

Jeff: Oops, here it is.

Jason:

On Christmas morning you awaken with a smile.
You hold me in your arms.
We watch the snowflakes fly.

Jeff: And then you love me!

Jason: We have tantric sex.

Jeff: Grrooooooooooooosssssss!

Coming back again this year!

Jason: You shave my beard and feed me oatmeal.

Jeff: Is it technically “feeding” when she put it in his butt?

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: Silently they watched the seasons change, Jason. I wonder if that’s because she kept Kenny in a ball gag.

Jason: On Christmas morning you awaken with a smile. You hold me in your arms.

Jeff: Notice how she’s the one doing all the work here?

Jason: We watch the snowflakes fly. You clip my toenails and pick your teeth with the shavings.

Jeff: She awakens. She holds him. She “loves” him.

Jason: Ugh, key change.

Jeff: We knew it was coming. There had to be at least one in here.

Jason: Yeah, we did, didn’t we? He realizes how sweet a life can be!

Jeff: Notice how Kenny’s using his soulful voice on this one?

Jason: Well, of course, Jeff. His love was nothing if not soulful. Gee, I wonder who produced this.

Jeff: Walter Afanasieff?

Jason: Let me check the ID3 tag.

Jeff: James Newton Howard?

Jason: Hey, look who composed it! David Foster!

Jeff: Oh no!

Jason: Oh YES!

Jeff: David Foster wrote this? The lyrics, too?

Jason: I don’t know! Ugh, does that mean Kenny and Julia had a threesome?
UGH UGH UGH UGH. Was David Foster part of their unimaginable life?

Jeff: It burns!

Jason: I don’t want to imagine it, Jeff! Make it stop!

Jeff: I’ll tell you one thing. I’m going to use “and then you love me” on my wife at every possible opportunity.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha! Use it as a persuasive tool. Like, when you want booty, you can just look at her sternly and be like, “and then you LOVE ME.”

Jeff: “Goodnight, honey. And just remember: You awaken with a smile.”

Jason: “You stick a Q-Tip in my ear. You clean the lint from my navel.”

Jeff: Doesn’t it make you laugh to listen to this shit and think about back in the ’80s, when we were all willing to pretend Kenny Loggins could rock?

Jason: I thought he did a decent job in the ’80s.

Jeff: Remember when he was on the Top Gun soundtrack? Kenny Loggins, singing about fighter pilots.

Jason: About highways.

Jeff: And…danger zones. WAIT A MINUTE…

Jason: Oh, I see where you’re going. Go on.

Jeff: Oh, I’m not spelling that out. The readers will have to make their own conclusions about Kenny’s “danger zone.”

Jason: Remember when he was alright, and he didn’t need nobody to worry about him?

Jeff: Yes, except I think he was wearing a red jumpsuit at the time, which meant he was technically not all right. Or alright, even.

Jason: I took my mom to see him in concert maybe two summers ago. It was…not good. He looked like he had taken waaaaaaaay too many drugs. Like, he was just…slow.

Jeff: Maybe it had been awhile since his last enema.

Jason: I’m trying to think of how I can describe this. Brian Wilson on speed, maybe.

Jeff: Wow.

Jason: Like, energetic, but still not all there.

Jeff: Well, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Kenny’s had a rough few years. His wife/analrapist left him. His records don’t sell anymore.

Jason: Well, neither do Richard Marx’s records, but I’ll defend his current rocking abilities to the ends of the earth. But yes, we should note that Kenny’s unimaginable life ended poorly.

Jeff: Richard Marx, much as I love to make fun of him, has never recorded anything as terribly sappy as The Unimaginable Life. That record — all of it — makes “Right Here Waiting” sound like “Start Me Up.”

Jason: Well, the problem is, if you record an album like The Unimaginable Life, you’re pretty much bragging, “Hey, my marriage is amazing and unstoppable, and here’s how you can have it, too.” I mean, that’s what the book said, right? Don’t pretend your mom didn’t read it to you. I know she read it to me.

Jeff: I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE BOOK SAID. But yes, that is the problem with that album. And also the fact that he was NAKED ON THE COVER.

Jason: Yes! But you gotta give him at least this — once his marriage broke up, he wrote an angry divorce record.

Jeff: Heh. Blood on the Tracks, it ain’t.

Jason: That may be true.

Jeff: But yes, I know the record you’re talking about. Instead of a freshly waxed vagina, it has teeny-tiny little balls.

Jason: How About Now, with songs like “I’m a Free Man Now” and “I Don’t Wanna Hate You Anymore.” And “One Last Goodbye Song,” which pissed me off because it’s clearly not true.

Jeff: You were hoping Kenny was saying goodbye to us?

Jason: A little.

Jeff: I understand.

Jason: Oh! You know what this whole thing reminds me of?

Jeff: 1987?

Jason: You remember the SNL sketch with Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch where they were college professors talking about what activities they partake in as “lovahs”? And it was all old, gross stuff?

Jeff: Yes! This is equally squirm-inducing!

Jason: Yes! This is the musical manifestation of that sketch! Oh, wow! I feel like I’ve been carrying that association in my head for years and only put it together just now. Thanks, Rob!

Jeff: I will not be thanking you for anything, Rob. Just so you know.

Jason: Well, I feel significantly unclean at this point, how about you?

Jeff: I’m just looking for a way to contact Kenny on Rob’s behalf.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha!

Jeff: But yes, I do feel significantly unclean, although after 18 days of Mellowmas, it’s hard to tell.

Jason: Merry Mellowmas, Rob! Hope an unimaginable life is headed your way!

Jeff: Hey, at the Kenny Loggins Web Store, you can purchase Kenny Loggins ringtones! I wonder if they have one for this song.

Jason: If not, we could easily make one and send it to Robert.

Jeff: Autographed tour poster: $40!

Jason: Forget it. I want to punish Rob, but not $40 punish him.

Jeff: I keep looking for a Wing-style option to have Kenny call the person of your choice, but sadly, Kenny appears not to care about his fans as much as Wing.

Jason: Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Looks like Rob got off lucky this time. THIS TIME.

Jeff: But Rob, I swear to God, if you recommend anything else for Mellowmas…

Jason: …we’ll send you a copy of The Unimaginable Life. Both the book AND the CD. You have been warned!

Jeff: As for the rest of you, well, maybe an enema will help settle your stomachs.

Jason: Good luck, everyone!

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Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Into the Ear of Madness: Week 16 — Caught in the Middle of McD’s Rhodes and Foster’s Acoustic Grand

by Terje Fjelde

Logo

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

Today’s entry is dedicated in its entirety to a genuine soft rock classic, a formidable milestone which embodies just about everything I love about this kind of music. It’s more or less a re-post of an entry I did for my own blog a couple of year ago, but no one read it then and I can’t think of a better way to describe it, so here we go:

Kenny Loggins – “Heart to Heart,” from High Adventure (1982)

Kenny Loggins was never the one who kicked you in the ass with his no-nonsense musical attitude. He’s more like the musical equivalent of a friendly pat on the shoulder – and yes, he’s frequently nonsensical. But that doesn’t really bother me. He’s had a couple of magical moments in his career, and this is one of them. As far as I’m concerned, “Heart to Heart” is the definition of smooth music – and I mean that in a good way. It was co-written by Loggins with Michael McDonald and David Foster.

The song is firmly rooted in 1982. There’s a synth ambiance, but it’s tasteful and discrete. It has a warm and analogue feel. Had he recorded this a year later, the acoustic piano riffs would’ve been “Jump”-style synth riffs fronting a static synth bass and drum machines. A couple of years earlier, and he’d surely have vocoded the background vocals to a disco beat or something like that. Thank God for 1982.

From the three opening chords you can tell this is going to be done just right. On the one hand you’ve got Michael McDonald starting up his groove on the Fender Rhodes, on the other you’ve got David Foster syncopating away on his acoustic piano. Enter two percussionists (Lenny Castro and Paulinho Da Costa), a drummer (Tris Imboden – the guy who replaced Danny Seraphine in Chicago) and some excellent thumb bass fills (courtesy of Derek Jackson), and we’re off.

This is it. (more…)

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Friday, August 29th, 2008

The Friday Mixtape: 8/29/08

by Robert Cass

Michael Jackson turns 50 today. Fifty! Jacko is five-oh!

Hard to believe, probably because the man hasn’t acted his age — or looked his age, for that matter — in years, but ever since he was a preteen he’s created timeless music, first with his brothers in the Jackson 5, then on his own as the biggest pop star of the ’80s. If you don’t own Off the Wall or Thriller, buy them right this instant. (Seriously, Jackson could probably use the royalty checks these days.) The former is a perfect combination of pop, soul, and disco, every track a winner, while the latter lives up to its title, a greatest-hits factory that cranked out one monster smash after another.

Below is a mix of singles, album cuts, and demos by Jackson, plus covers by other artists, hip-hop songs that sample his work, a pair of songs that employ his backing vocals, and a remix/update that lights a fire under the one weak track from Thriller. There’s even a special birthday wish from a 1991 Simpsons episode that featured the Gloved One’s speaking voice but not his singing voice: due to contractual red tape or something of the sort, MJ-style vocals were provided by singer Kipp Lennon.

Michael Jackson – Christmas Greeting From Michael Jackson, from A Motown Christmas Carol (1995)
The Jackson 5 – Stand! (1969), from Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5/ABC (2001)
The Jackson 5 – 2-4-6-8 (1970), from Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5/ABC
Michael Jackson – I Wanna Be Where You Are (1972), from The Ultimate Collection (2004)
The Jacksons – All Night Dancin’, from Destiny (1978)
Michael Jackson – I Can’t Help It, from Off the Wall (1979)
De La Soul – Breakadawn, from Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
Michael Jackson – Burn This Disco Out, from Off the Wall
Robin Danar featuring Julian Coryell – Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, from Altered States (2008)
Kenny Loggins – Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong, from Keep the Fire (1979)
Dave Mason – Save Me, from Old Crest on a New Wave (1980)
Michael Jackson – Baby Be Mine, from Thriller (1982)
Michael Jackson with Will.i.am – The Girl Is Mine 2008, from Thriller’s 25th-anniversary edition (2008)
SWV – Right Here/Human Nature [Human Nature Radio Mix] (1993), from Platinum & Gold Collection (2003)
David Mead – Human Nature, from Indiana (2004)
Michael Jackson – Sunset Driver [Demo] (1982), from The Ultimate Collection
Michael Jackson – Carousel (a.k.a. Circus Girl) [Demo] (1982), from the Thriller sessions
Michael Jackson – Bad (1987), from The Essential Michael Jackson (2005)
Michael Jackson – Remember the Time (1991), from The Essential Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson – You Rock My World (2001), from The Essential Michael Jackson
Leon Kompowski & Bart Simpson – Happy Birthday, Lisa (1991), from Songs in the Key of Springfield (1997)

(more…)

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