Posts Tagged ‘Patti LaBelle’

  
Monday, June 8th, 2009

Popdose Interview: Sharon Robinson, The Leonard Cohen Collaborator Not Everybody Knows

by Jon Cummings

As Leonard Cohen’s marathon world tour completed its final North American leg last week, Sharon Robinson –Cohen’s frequent songwriting partner, occasional producer and currently his full-time backing vocalist – says she’s looking forward to her upcoming vacation, and to its end. “I’m gonna cram as much of nothing as I can into the next three weeks,” she told me as she prepared to leave her Boston hotel room for an afternoon of pre-concert sightseeing. “It’s not that long a break before we leave for Europe, but nobody cares. We all know we’re part of something special here, and everyone’s enjoying themselves.”

The sultry-voiced Robinson has been pulling double duty for much of the last year, appearing nightly on the 74-year-old Cohen’s tour while promoting her first solo album. Titled Everybody Knows, after the now-classic song she co-wrote with Cohen nearly two decades ago, the gorgeous album of jazzy soul blends new originals like the first single, “Invisible Tattoo,” with titles familiar to the legendary singer’s fans. (The title track is one of Cohen’s most familiar songs of the last two decades, but Robinson’s version features a compelling new arrangement and a revamped melody.) She self-released the CD last year, and recently picked up a distribution deal for the UK and Europe with Freeworld Records; the album has sold nicely at Cohen’s concerts, spurred no doubt by her nightly spotlight turn on the percolating “Boogie Street.”

That tune debuted on Cohen’s 2001 album Ten New Songs, which Robinson produced. She had first worked with the Canadian legend on his memorable Field Commander Cohen tour in 1979, and her career has woven in and out of his ever since. (Among her other projects: co-writing the Patti LaBelle hit “New Attitude” and earning a Grammy along with other contributors to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.) Additionally, a song she co-wrote with Cohen, “Summertime,” was a highlight of Diana Ross’ Red Hot Rhythm & Blues album; Robinson finally recorded it herself for Everybody Knows.


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Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 52

by Dave Steed

feeders52

Judging solely by the comments in the last few weeks, it seems like you thought the letter K wasn’t quite as killer as some other letters of the alphabet. I mean, if Chris X can’t find anything worth talking about two weeks in a row, I know I have some problems. But hey, that’s the way the letter bounces, or something like that. A quick glance at the 12th letter of the alphabet shows four weeks’ worth of songs to pick back up where K ran Bottom Feeders into the ground.

And hey, did you notice the number of this post? Fifty-two! That means one full year of Bottom Feeders! Now, if you want to get technical and point out that I reached my first anniversary at Popdose at the beginning of April (the site’s December “furlough,” a 2008 recap, and a week off prevented me from reaching #52 sooner), you could — but why take away from my fun?

Why is this such a big deal to me? After all, most of the writers contribute much more than I do and, frankly, know way more about music than I do. But see, here’s the thing — unbeknownst to our loving editor-in-chief, Jeff, I start projects like this all the time, get six weeks in, and run out of steam. I always think I’m going to enjoy talking about my passion, but then I realize I don’t have the time or the energy to keep going.

But there are two things that are totally different this time. The first is that you actually comment! That’s a big driving factor, of course. But the real reason I think I’ve been able to not just hold on but enjoy this so much is that it’s a fucking cool thing, isn’t it?

I mean, who the hell does this shit? What sane person says, “Sure, I’ll take two and a half years out of my life to write about the ass end of one of the worst decades of music in history”? Everyone talks about “Welcome to the Jungle,” but no one mentions Lorenzo Lamas’s music career, and for good reason. But everyone needs a purpose, right?

God, I hope this isn’t my only purpose in this world.

Anyway, off my ego-trippin’ soapbox I go, but first a big thanks to those reading and/or commenting who’ve kept me motivated. Now, on to the letter L, as we check out the songs that charted no higher than #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1980s.

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Friday, March 27th, 2009

CHART ATTACK!: 3/27/76

by Jason Hare

Happy Friday, everybody, and welcome back to another edition of CHART ATTACK! This week’s Top 10 is relatively diverse, with a bunch of artists who stand absolutely no chance of getting anywhere on the charts ever again. There are a few genuinely great songs on this chart, a few I think I’m supposed to hate but don’t, and a few that are seriously terrible. They’re all a part of March 21, 1976!

10.  Money Honey — Bay City Rollers Amazon iTunes
9. Right Back Where We Started From — Maxine Nightingale Amazon iTunes
8. Let Your Love Flow — Bellamy Brothers Amazon iTunes
7. Dream On — Aerosmith Amazon iTunes
6. Sweet Thing — Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan Amazon iTunes
5. Disco Lady — Johnnie Taylor Amazon iTunes
4. All By Myself — Eric Carmen Amazon iTunes
3. Lonely Night (Angel Face) — Captain & Tennille Amazon iTunes
2. Dream Weaver — Gary Wright Amazon iTunes
1. December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) — The Four Seasons Amazon iTunes

10. Money Honey — Bay City Rollers (download)

So here’s one I think I’m supposed to hate. It’s by the Bay City Rollers, right? Why wouldn’t I mock it? Well, honestly, if I didn’t know this song was by the Bay City Rollers, I wouldn’t have any reason to mock it. I’m not offended by it. The song kind of boogies in a rock-ish way, and I think both the music and harmonies are pretty solid.

The Bay City Rollers are often considered one-hit wonders in America because of “Saturday Night” (and okay, that song does kind of suck), but “Money Honey” reached #9, and the band racked up six songs in the Top 40 between ‘75 and ‘77.

I don’t know. Take a listen. What do you think?

9. Right Back Where We Started From — Maxine Nightingale

This song is certainly quite popular — everybody knows it — and has a catchy chorus, but I find it unbelievably annoying. It’s mainly a result of the drums and the handclaps: They continue on and on, never stopping for a second, seemingly determined to drive us nowhere in particular but crazy. The song just goes nowhere. Ugh. And it’s possible Maxine Nightingale felt the same way: according to Wikipedia, when approached to record the song, she agreed to do so only if she could release it under a pseudonym. (It wasn’t released under a pseudonym.) It was her biggest hit, peaking at #2, with “Lead Me On” coming in second in 1979. We’ll be talking about that one in a future Mellow Gold post.

I figured out another reason why this song annoys me: it reminds me of Captain & Tennille. And on another note, can you imagine having to sing backing vocals on this song? I think I’d shoot myself.

8. Let Your Love Flow — Bellamy Brothers

I recently heard someone play a fantastic cover of “Let Your Love Flow,” but I can’t remember who it was or when I heard it. All I remember is that they did a fantastic job on the chorus and “bird on a wing” became much more southern — like “bird on a wang.” Written out, that looks awful, but I think you know what I mean. In any case, I have been all over the Internet for two days trying to track down this cover, and I just can’t do it. I’m pissed that I’m going to lose sleep over a Bellamy Brothers cover.

“Let Your Love Flow” is a really great song, and who do we have to thank for it? Roadies. Not just one roadie, either. David Bellamy’s producer, Phil Gernhard, often hired Neil Diamond’s touring band for studio sessions, and one of Diamond’s roadies, Larry Williams, was also an aspiring singer-songwriter. He presented Gernhard with “Let Your Love Flow,” a song clearly written after one too many spins of “Listen to the Music.” David took a stab at recording it, but the results were unimpressive, and the track was shelved.

That’s roadie #1. Roadie #2 was David’s older brother, Howard, who was working as said roadie for one of the producer’s other acts Jim Stafford (”Spiders and Snakes,” covered in CHART ATTACK! 2/23/74). Gernhard heard Howard’s voice and somehow determined that he was the missing ingredient in “Let Your Love Flow.” (I think this part of the story is bullshit, but that’s just me.) Anyhoo, the Bellamy Brothers re-recorded the song, and the rest is history. The track hit #1 for a week in May, and remains the group’s biggest hit. They cracked the Top 40 with “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me,” and no, I’m not making that up, that’s the full title, no parentheses or nothin’. It even reached the top of the country charts in 1979. Shame on them.

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Friday, June 13th, 2008

Listening Booth: “The Essential O’Jays”; “The Essential Patti LaBelle”

by Jeff Giles

The O’Jays – The Essential O’Jays (2008)
purchase this album (Amazon)

What, you thought you already bought The Essential O’Jays back in 2005, when Sony released another compilation called The Essential O’Jays? Think again, dummy! Thanks to Sony/BMG’s renewed love affair with the Philadelphia International catalog, Essential is now being trotted out in an expanded double-disc version, featuring more of that Philly soul goodness the group has been churning out for the last five decades. Of course, it also features more of the offensively ugly artwork that Sony’s Essential series is known for, but you don’t have to look at it while you listen.

Of course, given that we’re talking about a two-disc distillation of a recording career that started in 1965, it probably goes without saying that The Essential O’Jays doesn’t really live up to its title. It covers all the band’s biggest hits, but with the exception of a few stray tracks tacked onto the end of the second disc, Essential pretty much pretends the O’Jays story ended in 1987, and that just isn’t true. (Of course, you could make the argument that the group hasn’t done anything essential since the late ’70s, but still.)

Minor squabbles aside, you know what you’re getting here — 35 tracks of some damn fine R&B music (and, in the case of the group’s ’70s hits, some of the most important songs the genre had to offer). There aren’t any really notable omissions from the top-selling O’Jays records, although some will take issue with the inclusion of a “2008 single edit” of the classic “Ship Ahoy” (download). Toss in new liner notes dictated by Eddie Levert Sr., and you’ve got something with just enough value to stand taller than the dozens of other O’Jays compilations on the market. (more…)

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Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Cutouts Gone Wild!: Various Artists, “Dragnet Original Soundtrack”

by Jeff Giles

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Various Artists – Dragnet Original Soundtrack (1987)
purchase this album (Amazon)

You know, writing about cutouts in the digital age is more difficult than it looks. Not a week goes by that some knucklehead doesn’t decide to start up a reissue label, hoping to license crappy old records on the cheap and siphon mythical big bucks out of niche markets. (For instance, as we discovered last week, both the Village People’s Rendezvous and The Ethel Merman Disco Album are in print.) To find an album that’s both out of print and worth writing about is easier said than done. (For instance, I’ve had a copy of the last Quarterflash album in the Cutouts Gone Wild! on-deck circle for close to a year.)

But this? This, friends, is the magic fucking bullet. Today we gather to discuss an album that will never be in print so long as Tom Hanks, or any of his heirs, walk the earth.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Dragnet soundtrack. (more…)

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