Be Prepared

Yes, one should be prepared, it is Halloween weekend!

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Garrin Benfield - It's Gonna Be Fall

Here is a song that is appropriate for the season by one of my faves, Garrin Benfield. I desperately want to see him performing live - I just love his music so much. This is a song written by his brother, Jeff Gore.

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Worth Another Listen - Walter Egan

Aside from my graduating from high school, another notable happening in 1978 was the release of the Walter Egan song, Magnet & Steel. The song, co-produced by the amazingly talented Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, scampered it's way up to charts to a high of #8, big news for an unknown artist, and something that will forever hold him as a one hit wonder in fine standing. I remember the song, and it played at the prom, and almost every other event that year. I have many fond memories attached to it.



Egan continued putting out music, but never again achieved the heights he did with Magnet & Steel. He still plays when he can, although he also settled in Tennessee where he is also a substitute teacher at Centennial High School in Franklin. You can find out more about Egan at his official website here.

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Worth Another Listen - Gregory Douglass

Photos by Alex Rumsey

I am a fan of Gregory Douglass, and have been the last 3 years or so. The funny thing is Gregory is from Vermont, and I lived there for a couple of years, and didn't have a clue he existed. Now that I would love to see him live, I read about him playing places like Higher Ground, a space I had gone when I lived there, just not to see Gregory. He is, by the way, adorable, and an out gay man.



Photos by Alex Rumsey

Gregory has received great reviews in most publications, from local papers to the Advocate magazine. His videos usually sit in the Top 10 on LOGO once they are released. I have 4 full-length CDs and three more EPs Gregory has put out. I had featured his latest release, Battler, in an earlier post. Gregory released Stark in 2005, and one of my favorite songs is Upside Down. The video is so evocative and compelling.



The following year, he released the album Up & Away. I really love the song Hang Around, a wonderfully textured and layered song.



Teeter was an album he released in 2001, and I have to admit I don't have it. Don't know why, because a kick-ass song I love was originally on it. I have it on the Retro Active Volume One EP I own. This is the song being performed in front of a crowd of kids from UVM - the University of Vermont. When I first moved to Vermont, I passed by UVM every day on my way to work.



So, this kinda catches you up with Gregory Douglass. I love his music, and think he is a gifted musician. I have yet to see him live and in person, but hope to one day soon. In the meantime, I will enjoy the music I have. And be happy knowing he has a Christmas offering coming out soon. To find out more about Gregory, go to his official website here. You can follow him on Twitter by clicking on @GregoryDouglass.

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Worth Another Listen - The Human League

The Human League? It took me this long to get to The Human League? I know, seriously, how could I have any credibility at all, right? Oh well, I'll have to get over it and do this. The Human League formed in 1977 in Sheffield, England. Singer Phil Oakey has been fronting the band since the beginning, when it was an all-boy band. In 1980, Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall joined the band, and since 1987 the three made up The Human League from then to this day, with a revolving roster of musicians.



Here in the US, the League took off in 1981 with the release of their third album, Dare. After not charting with a previous single to going to #1 in the Billboard charts with Don't You Want Me Baby, the high-energy, high-concept song open to interpretation, be it about love gone wrong, or a demented stalker's tale.



They followed up that smash with two #2 singles, 1982's Mirror Man and 1983's (Keep Felling) Fascination, both from a 1983 EP Fascination. In 1986 they had their next trip to #10, Human, from the album Crash.



In 1984, singer Phil Oakey recorded a song he had written for the soundtrack for a movie, Electric Dreams. Super-Producer Giorgio Moroder took the helm of the single, Together In Electric Dreams, which rose to #3 on the UK charts, and well in the US charts. Frankly, I loved this song.



Until this moment, I have been ignoring the fact that is was the 80s, and there were some incredibly bad hair going on, and Phil certainly sported his fair share. In the early days, he had this bizarre mullet, only it was business on the left, party on the right, with the short crop on one side, and a big swoop that continued to almost shoulder length hair. Thankfully, he finally moved away from that look.




The last song to hit the US charts was 1990s Tell Me When from the album Octopus. The Human League released their last album in 2001, entitled Secrets. But Phil, Susan and Joanne still tour together, and say they enjoy it and will continue on as long as people show up to see them. To find out more about The Human League, check out their official website here.

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Woth Another Listen - ABC

ABC help to usher in the New Wave Era of music in 1981, utilizing highly theatrical videos and performances. They were part New Romantic and part Glam Rock, with bombast and costumes in abundance. They started out in 1980 with Martin Fry handling the vocals, Mark White on keyboards, Mark Lickley on bass, David Robinson on drums, and Stephen Singleton on saxophone. ABC produced 8 studio albums, one live collection, and 3 greatest hits collections. They were far more popular in the UK than the US, scoring twice as many Top 40 singles in the UK, 10 vs 5.




The look of the band changed almost as often people in it. Fry is the only member who managed to stick around, although David Palmer showed up in 1982 and is still with Fry today. While Tears Were Not Enough was the first single, it was the second that established them on the radio. Poison Arrow started getting radio play and the video was picked up by MTV and started rising in the charts.

ABC - Poison Arrow
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Following the time spent as New Romantics with their jaunty suits, by the time the third CD came around, ABC had moved to a more glittering and theatrical look, somewhere between glam and club. The video for Be Near Me is the epitome of the look, as you can see.

ABC-Be Near Me
Uploaded by adiis. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

I'll be honest, ABC had fallen off my radar after 1987's Alphabet City, which didn't grab me. I loved the the lead single, When Smokey Sings, one of my favorites from the band.

ABC - When Smokey Sings
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ABC still tours today, and released a CD in 2008, a fact I was blissfully unaware of, so I have nothing to add. To catch up with ABC and Martin Fry, you can check in with the official website here.

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Worth Another Listen - A-ha

In a recent post I mentioned the Scandinavians taking over American pop music, and you might think I was coming up with something new. Well, hardly. First there was ABBA, the Swedes who ruled the airwaves for a while. And there was A-ha, the band of gorgeous Norwegian boys singing the catchy and bright pop song, Take On Me. Not only were they fun to look at, their video was pretty amazing for the time, with the combination of live action and animation, pretty new stuff in 1985. This lead to the song being number 1 in the charts throughout much of the world.



They followed that up with The Sun Always Shines On TV, which was slightly less successful, although it did top the charts in the US. A-ha were Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. Well, that is a bit of a misstatement, as A-ha is still together, playing shows and releasing new material this year, via a CD entitles Foot of the Mountain. I know nothing about it, as the last time the band scored something in the Top 100 here was in 1986.



To catch up with A-ha and all they've been doing, go to their official website here. From some of the picture, they are still looking awfully good!

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Congratulations Jim Verraros

The first out contestant on American Idol, Jim Verraros, is marrying his boyfriend, Bill Brennan, Sunday, September 6. Verraros, the season 1 finalist who was just as known as the boy with the deaf parents, has released a CD [which I purchased and like] as well as appearing in a couple of movies, including the rather charming comedy Eating Out, and the sequel, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds.



The following is the last single he released, Electric Love, which I really enjoyed. While I like the first CD, it was a bit muddled with just too many musical styles and lacking a through line aside from Verraros' voice. Hopefully, happiness and love will bring a bit more focus for future projects.



You can find Electric Love on iTunes and Amazon. In Eating Out, Verraros plays Kyle, the cute yet geeky gay musician with a bad case of unrequited love. I found the movie to be great fun. Here is the trailer.



You can find out more about Verraros on his website here. But I most certainly wanted to congratulate him and Bill Brennan, and wish them all the luck in the future.

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Worth Another Listen - Clannad

Clannad was an Irish group steeped in the tradition of Irish Folk and New Age music. The nucleus of the group was a family, with brothers, sisters and uncles making up the roster. Lead singer was Moya Brennan, whose sister, Enya, went on to considerable success. Frankly, I'll take Moya any day of the week. Although they came together in the 70s, it was the 80s where Clannad found their success, recording for movie soundtracks like Harry's Game and television shows like Robin of Sherwood. In 1986, the band recorded the song In A Lifetime with Bono, lead singer of Irish supergroup U2, although it was re-released in 1992 to a much greater response. It is their most successful song to date. The band still plays and tours together.

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Sunday Worship - Caravan Of Love

I love the Housemartins, who were together for far too short a time. But this a cappella version of Caravan of Love certainly had me thinking they were special. Part revolutionaries, part Christian soldiers, the Housemartins did their thing in the mid 80s, preaching God and Karl Marx as the answer.

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Family Slide Show Video

Hopefully, at around 3:30 PM we will be surprising my parents at the party. Prior to them arriving, I made this little video to amuse the guests, some of whom might actually be seen in it. Enjoy it if you care to take a little look down the history of a family, set to music. LOL

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New Video - Backstreet Boys Preview

Yes, I have already admitted I have a soft spot for the Backstreet Boys, so it should come as no surprise I have to do a little post about the new video. This is the official preview from the BSB Youtube site. You can see the complete video here.



Enjoy!

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Worth Another Listen - The Undertones

God, I loved The Undertones. Hitting the airwaves in the late 70s and hitting their stride in 1980, The Undertones were everything I though Punk music should be about. They were raw, bold, brash, not pretty, taking the best of the 60s rock bands and bringing a drive and beat matched with testosterone. The put out four albums before giving up the ghost in 1983.



Here is another 'live' performance on British television of Here Comes The Summer.

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Worth Another Listen - Feargal Sharkey

You gotta love Irishman Feargal, who rose to frame when it was more important to have a vibrato that could take out a redwood than it was to have lovely tone. He rose to fame as the lead singer for the punk band The Undertones, went on to a solo career that included the hit song A Good Heart, and then settled down to become a record executive. Proved an interesting look and sound and the right promotion could sell just about anything.

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Worth Another Listen - Deep Blue Something

Deep Blue Something came to the music scene via Texas, and had the absolute charm to propel Breakfast At Tiffany's to the Top Five in the US, and a number 1 in the UK. I loved the song, and thought the video are well done. Although the song was inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, the band decided another Hepburn role would be perfect for the title. Gotta love those Str8 boys, never too worried about the specifics.

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Worth Another Listen - Belouis Some

Belouis Some was an interesting looking man with quite the style and voice. I really dug him, although here in the States he kinda disappeared. Another of the seemingly endless stream of British New Wave artists to hit the American charts, I remember the song Imagination as one I would play over and over, his voice filled with interesting nuance and phrasing.



There was also the slightly less interesting Some People, filled with as much double entendre as it was with the emotional wallop of Imagination. But I did enjoy it!

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Worth Another Listen - The Blow Monkeys

When the New Wave artists hit the scene in the 80s, I was so all over them. It included The Blow Monkeys, a British band who started with lots of promise, but ultimately came up as light as many of their counterparts from the era. They pulled the 19th Century British Schoolboy image for all it was worth, and it certainly gave me a chance to give them a long look - and enjoy their early stuff. That included the song Digging Your Scene.



The Blow Monkeys are back, so to speak. Sadly, I don't think anyone missed them. But I did enjoy their first outing! Just let it go, boys!

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Worth Another Listen - Escape Club

Since this is a busy week for me, I was thinking I would just drop some video cuts on the blog and hopefully they would be fun.

Back in 1988, there was a British band filled with pretty boys called The Escape Club. Predominately a one-hit-wonder, they were known for the song Wild Wild West, which was a blast, and I danced to on more than one occasion in the clubs. The Group called it quits in 1992, but has apparently gotten back together. You can visit their MySpace page here.

Escape Club - Wild Wild West
Uploaded by jpdc11. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

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