tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52985981836095054722012-02-16T04:19:18.550-08:00Revisiting some less-remembered pop singles from the 1970s and 80s.Dawnnoreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-60712247865775291352009-02-15T18:01:00.001-08:002009-02-15T18:10:05.397-08:00

As a member of The Kingston Trio during the early-to-mid 1960s, John Stewart was well versed in mixing traditional folk elements with pop styles, a trend he continued after beginning a solo career in 1968. Despite John's versatility, solid musicianship and acclaim from the critics, his first nine solo albums met with only limited commercial success. That changed with the release of Bombs Away

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-29496568645340549542009-02-10T10:05:00.000-08:002009-02-10T10:43:50.737-08:00

It has been said that of all the songs Karen Carpenter recorded, "I Need to Be in Love" was her favorite. Listening to the track, it's not difficult to see why she admired the song so much. The beautiful melody was ideally suited to Karen's rich, expressive voice, and her wistful, introspective interpretation suggests that the lyrics may have had personal meaning for her as well. As with many of

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-66484732057505756322009-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:002009-02-04T21:23:12.880-08:00

While "Who'll Be the Fool Tonight" was the first hit single for the Larsen/Feiten Band, it was not the first occasion on which keyboardist Neil Larsen and guitarist Howard "Buzz" Feiten had worked together. The two had previously collaborated with several other musicians on the 1972 album Full Moon, one of the most highly regarded jazz fusion recordings of its time. Buzz also provided session

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-60632248161361906992009-01-30T13:05:00.000-08:002009-01-30T14:53:00.471-08:00

Although not as prolific as some of his contemporaries such as Paul McCartney and Elton John, Leo Sayer had consistent success as a singer/songwriter in the mid-to-late 1970s. Not only did several of his compositions become hit singles for other artists, most notably Three Dog Night's cover of "The Show Must Go On," but he also charted a number of hits as a solo artist in a wide range of musical

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-9065467938090772302009-01-26T12:18:00.000-08:002009-01-26T20:46:01.136-08:00

By the time he achieved his first hit as a solo artist in 1969, Billy Preston had built up an impressive résumé as a keyboardist for some of music's top artists, most notably The Beatles, with whom he collaborated on a number of the Get Back and Abbey Road sessions. His prowess at the organ and ability to successfully combine elements from a myriad of musical styles resulted in several top 100

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-26873815136132467872009-01-21T11:17:00.000-08:002009-01-21T18:43:42.451-08:00

Christine Perfect recorded her first album as a solo artist, Christine Perfect, in 1970. Although it was well-received, it would be nearly another fourteen years before she would release a second one. During the intervening years, Christine, now known as Christine McVie, was busy as a vocalist, keyboard player and songwriter for one of the most successful bands of the rock era, Fleetwood Mac, a

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-25142451915705126252009-01-15T09:21:00.000-08:002009-01-15T20:07:11.093-08:00

Although the pioneers of rock were influenced by the jazz and swing greats of the day, the genres were still quite distinct in style prior to the mid 1960s. As the decade neared its end, however, more and more artists began combining elements of jazz, swing, classical and other styles with rock and pop to create a new hybrid, horn-dominated sound popularized by such bands as Chicago and Blood,

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-79351798593645421672009-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:002009-01-15T12:43:17.050-08:00

During his early years in the music business, David Gates was involved in many facets of the industry, including songwriting, production, and session work. In the late 1960s, he formed the popular soft-rock band Bread with three other musicians, an association for which he remains best-known today. David's smooth, clear tenor voice and melodic songwriting style helped Bread to become one of the

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-43827431464298132632009-01-08T13:50:00.000-08:002009-01-08T14:38:25.570-08:00

As with other areas of pop culture, the pop/rock music scene in the early-to-mid 1980s experienced a resurgence of the styles and trends of the 1950s and early 1960s. Artists such as The Stray Cats, The Honeydrippers and Tracey Ullman recorded singles that were heavily inspired by the sounds of the early rock era, and which were very well-received by the listening public. Joining them was the

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-56906926616159915192009-01-05T13:05:00.000-08:002009-01-05T15:27:48.088-08:00

In 1978, the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, loosely inspired by the Beatles' 1967 album of the same title, was released in theaters. Although the movie's concept was intriguing, it worked better in theory than in practice. Despite a cast that included some of the most popular artists of the day, including The Bee Gees, the movie was critically panned, and is mostly remembered today

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-22888568763551724302008-12-09T08:35:00.000-08:002008-12-09T09:28:22.457-08:00

Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods are best remembered today for their version of "Billy, Don't Be A Hero," which topped the Billboard chart for two weeks in the U.S. in June 1974. Although the group was not able to duplicate the massive success of that hit with their subsequent singles, they did achieve several more chart hits during the 1970s, the most successful of which was "Who Do You Think You

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-60054443919396499132008-11-06T09:36:00.000-08:002008-11-06T10:30:46.891-08:00

By the time Ray Parker, Jr. had reached his late twenties, he was already a long-time veteran of the music industry. Not only had he worked as a session guitarist for many of the most prominent R&B and pop artists, he also had developed considerable skills as a songwriter and producer. In 1977, Ray and three other musicians formed Raydio, a collaboration which produced several top 40 hit singles,

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-14461314470754211182008-11-03T09:45:00.001-08:002008-11-03T15:13:35.769-08:00

The early 1970s recordings of Dr. Hook, for a time billed as Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, were more country-oriented in style and sometimes featured humorous subjects. As the decade wore on, however, the group's sound gradually evolved to a more pop/rock based style, with love and relationships as dominant lyrical themes. During the years 1976-79, the group would release nine singles, several

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-58983119008489588392008-10-29T09:29:00.000-07:002008-10-29T16:33:17.854-07:00

By the early-to-mid 1970s, the band Jigsaw had recorded several albums as well as established themselves as a popular live act in their native Britain. Although they released several singles during that time, they had not yet achieved the breakthrough hit that would bring them worldwide success. That all changed in 1975, when the single "Sky High," originally recorded for the film The Man from

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-16809921933171724892008-10-24T09:56:00.000-07:002008-10-24T14:09:33.528-07:00

In 1972, singer/songwriter Harry Chapin released "Taxi," one of his best known and most loved recordings. Loosely based on a similar event he personally experienced, the song told the compelling and bittersweet story of Harry and Sue, former lovers who unexpectedly meet again years later in Harry's taxi cab. Chapin's poignant storyline and artful portrayal of the characters struck a chord with

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-3427072881641742992008-10-21T12:35:00.001-07:002008-10-21T12:47:43.861-07:00

By 1973, Carole King had firmly established her place as one of pop music’s most talented and respected singer/songwriters. In addition to writing numerous compositions for other artists, she had achieved one of the best-selling and most awarded albums in pop/rock history with Tapestry in 1971. During the two years following the release of Tapestry, she recorded three albums - Music, Rhymes and

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-90391093905883041732008-10-18T13:11:00.000-07:002008-10-18T13:27:32.842-07:00

The harmony-rich, folk-influenced soft rock stylings of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were a perfect fit for AM radio during the years 1972 to 1976. In that time span, the duo achieved an impressive nine singles on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, including three top 10 hits, as well as solid album sales. Jim and Dash were also guests on many television programs of the time, including several talk

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-88152402903909914262008-10-06T09:46:00.000-07:002008-12-22T17:29:23.230-08:00

Is it just me, or did John look quite a bit like actor Hugh Laurie?John O'Banion's career as an entertainer had begun at an early age in television and theater in his native Indiana. It was as a singer and songwriter that he achieved his greatest success, however. His expressive, soulful tenor voice and melodic style were right in step with the Westcoast/AOR genre which was quite popular in the

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-91777575708720634402008-10-03T09:11:00.000-07:002008-10-03T09:24:10.161-07:00

The year 1978 was a comeback of sorts for The Moody Blues. After releasing a string of seven solid and well-regarded albums during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the band members decided to part ways in 1974 to concentrate on their own solo projects. Three years later, the group agreed to reform for the recording of Octave, which was recorded in early 1978 and released in the summer of that year

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-33120751310496447962008-10-01T08:27:00.000-07:002008-10-01T08:55:03.962-07:00

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds had scored a #4 Billboard hit in 1971 with "Don't Pull Your Love," but soon found themselves unable to sustain the momentum that hit had generated. Their next two singles, also released in 1971, were only moderately successful on the charts, not quite reaching the top 40. During the next few years, the band underwent several changes, including the replacement of

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-91837357462904066832008-09-29T09:24:00.000-07:002008-09-29T17:17:46.437-07:00

"Winds of change" would be an apt description of Jefferson Starship's long history and musical evolution as of 1982. Not only were musical styles and the industry itself considerably different than when the group was formed as Jefferson Airplane in the mid 1960s, but the band had gone through several personnel changes and even a new group name. Despite all the changes, the group showed a great

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-16653948497258416342008-09-26T09:32:00.000-07:002008-09-26T16:28:25.766-07:00

In 1979, the disco phenomenon was in full swing, and exerted a great deal of influence over the American music market. Many artists who recorded music in genres as diverse as jazz, rock, and country were inspired to record material with a disco flavor. Some of the efforts were quite successful and well done, and among these was The Manhattan Transfer's "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone," a danceable

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-39890368172755284422008-09-25T09:15:00.000-07:002008-09-26T11:17:04.066-07:00

The Main Ingredient's first two top 40 Billboard singles, "Everybody Plays the Fool" and "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" were earnest ballads with a decidedly pensive tone. However, "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend," their third hit single, found the group taking a more upbeat and optimistic approach, both in lyrical content and musical style."Happiness is Just Around the Bend" was the second

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5298598183609505472.post-42687783803424843022008-09-24T13:51:00.000-07:002008-09-25T11:31:35.337-07:00

Following a solid run of hit singles earlier in the decade, Ringo Starr experienced a bit of a chart dry spell in the mid-to-late 1970s. His fortune changed somewhat, however, with the release of his eighth album, Stop and Smell the Roses. The album, which was recorded during late 1980 and early 1981, featured contributions from several of Ringo's musical contemporaries, including former Beatles

Dawnnoreply@blogger.com0