"Money" Big Jim Buchanan (1954)

The Love Song of The 1%

"Big Jim" Buchanan was an alter ego of Paul Frees, a legendary voice over actor, best known for his voices in several unforgettable Rankin-Bass cartoon and stop-animation holiday specials of the 1960s and '70s.

Kellogg's Just Right Cereal

Kellogg's Just Right cereal was introduced in the USA in 1985. My mom bought a box and I remember us trying this, only getting a few bites in until we had to dump the rest of our bowls into the trash. It was nasty.

My peers in high school had the same opinion and we called it Just Sucks. The cereal was basically a fruitcake in a box. It had bran flakes, corn flakes, dates, raisins, almond bits and oats and pretty much targeted at the yuppie bunch.

This cereal had a massive ubiquitous TV advertising campaign for it (perhaps the largest I had ever seen for a cereal) and discount offers that moms of that time couldn't resist. But everyone under the age of 30 hated this commercial as much as the cereal because it was guaranteed to pop up at least 4 times an hour during daytime TV, it was nearly as bad during prime time and late at night too in 1985. It was everywhere on every channel.

But unbeknownst to the rest of us, this commercial would ironically be the launch pad for the career of one of the biggest pop stars of the '90s.


(For years, I thought Tori Amos' 1994 hit "Cornflake Girl" was her way of venting her angst over this commercial and the disgusting taste of that cereal that never seemed to go away. An interpretive sort of thing. But that wasn't the case. The interpretive venting over this disgusting cereal was probably Y Kant Tori Read.) 

Just Right cereal was discontinued in America in the early '90s, but it's still sold in Australia.

   

Before They Were Stars: Billy Joel

In 1970, just three years before his solo commercial breakthrough with Piano Man, Billy Joel released a psychedelic hard rock album on Epic Records with partner Jon Smalls under the name Attila.

With Joel on Hammond organ and Smalls on drums (there were no guitarists or bassists on this album) and everything cranked to 12, nothing could possibly go wrong.

Besides everything.

 

Attila was not only a massive flop, going nowhere on the charts. Billy Joel himself hated the record, calling it "psychedelic bullshit". AllMusic even called it the "worst record ever made".

Accolades like that make this an automatic classic here at History's Dumpster.

Alas, we would never see a follow up to Attila, Billy Joel ran off with Jon Smalls' wife, whom he later married (which usually puts a wrinkle in things, creatively.) But the two later made up and Smalls produced two of Joel's later concert albums.

Before They Were Stars: Carly Simon

You know Carly Simon as a legendary singer/songwriter of the '70s. But not many people outside of her most devoted fans know her recording career began several years before her signing with Elektra and her massive pop hits like "You're So Vain", "Anticipation" and "That's The Way I Always Heard It Should Be". A streak what would continue well into the 1980s

The Simon Sisters were Carly Simon and her lesser known sister Lucy. They were regulars in the New England folk circuit in the early 1960s and caught the attention of Kapp Records, then one of the larger independent labels in the US.

Meet The Simon Sisters (later retitled Winkin' Blinkin' and Nod after the first single from the LP which became a minor hit.) (Kapp, 1964)

Listen Here.

This LP was followed up later that year with Cuddlebug.

Listen Here

This would be the last Simon Sisters LP until 1969. But the folk scene of that time was beginning to change with more challenging, socially conscious lyrics and Kapp Records had been sold to MCA. They returned in 1969 with an LP for Columbia; The Simon Sisters Sing The Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children.

But the sisters brand of traditional and kid friendly folk was being overshadowed by harder edge acts. Their 1969 Columbia LP was reissued in 1973 as Carly & Lucy Simon Sing Songs for Children shortly after Carly Simon had her breakthrough hit "You're So Vain". (it was retitled to avoid confusion with Simon's pop albums.)

These LPs would remain without a reissue for over three decades until 2006 when the Kapp LPs were reissued for the first time on a single CD. Followed in 2008 by the reissue of Carly & Lucy Simon Sing Songs for Children.

"The Captain Of Her Heart" Double (1985)

Listen

This song will save you $$$ in air conditioning costs. Just the sound of it drops the room temperature a few degrees and you swear you feel a soft, cool ocean breeze go by.

This song was a standard of the days of the "Lite" Adult Contemporary music on the 1980s radio dial. The kind of radio stations that played music and had imaging so light, you had to tether the office radio down to something secure to keep it from simply floating away.

Double (Pronounced DOO-Blay) was a Swiss pop duo of Kurt Maloo and Felix Haug. They formed originally as Ping Pong and in 1982, scored a minor hit in Europe on the German label Big Mouth with the catchy "Rhythm Walk".

The cover of Ping Pong's only LP

Ping Pong reformed as Double in 1983 and released a few European singles before recording their major label debut LP Blue which featured re-recordings of the earlier Double singles as well as "The Captain of Her Heart".

Double went on to release a second album in 1987 Dou3le. But aside from a critically well received single "Devil's Ball" there were no hits at all off this album. And Double called it a day.

Felix Haug sadly died of a heart attack in 2004. Kurt Maloo is still active.

Before They Were Stars: Laura Branigan

If there was one name that summed up Adult Contemporary music in the 1980s, it would be Laura Branigan. Her songs were staples on AC radio, guaranteed to pop up at any given time anywhere around the radio dial in those days.

If all you had was a radio for entertainment in your car or wherever, there was just simply no escape; You were going to hear at least a snippet of a Laura Branigan song somewhere at any time as you were tuning around the radio dial. That's how big of a radio-friendly pop star she was back then. 

From 1982 to 1985, she racked up several hit singles. In fact, many of her poppier songs, such as "Gloria" and "Self Control" were actually Americanized renditions of European pop hits with often completely rewritten English lyrics. ("Gloria" was originally recorded in 1979 by Umberto Tozzi and "Self Control" was originally recorded by Raf earlier in 1984.)

She even made a rendition of Falco's "Der Kommissar" (1982), called "Deep In The Dark" (1983). "Der Kommissar" was also most famously covered by the British act After The Fire (1983) and to a much lesser extent, Suzy Andrews (1982)

Laura Branigan's string of major hits dropped off after 1986, but she still remained active through the '90s, including occasional forays into acting until her untimely death in 2004. Those earlier hits of hers were still played on the radio ad nauseum for the rest of the 1980s and well into the '90s.

But long before this string of hits, Laura Branigan in the early '70s was an aspiring singer, still in her teens. And as an aspiring singer, you took whatever gig you could get. Especially if that gig also came with a recording contract with a fairly major label. As in the case of Meadow.

Meadow was a fairly unknown folk act in a sea of many such acts of that time who recorded a sort of religious psychedelic folk concept album called The Friend Ship.

The Friend Ship was released in 1973, as the spiritually based psychedelic rock concept album era was in full swing. Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell were huge hits in the early 1970s. And oddly enough, even The Osmonds got into the act with their Mormon based 1973 offering The Plan.)  

The track listing on the back of the LP gave you a hint of that you were getting into.

A few singles were released, but The Friend Ship never got anywhere.

"Here I Am" Meadow

"See How They Run"

"The Lawless Lady"

"Sweet Life"

However this wouldn't be Paramount Records (which was eventually absorbed into MCA Records) only flirtation with a later mega-star act of the 1980s. They also released a 1972 album from another folk-pop act called Milkwood, which featured Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr of The Cars.

However unlike most early recordings of then unknown artists that are later re-released by record companies to capitalize on the artist's later success, Meadow's The Friend Ship never had a reissue and Branigan herself was known for being tight-lipped about the experience.


Probably for the better, as The Friend Ship's pseudo-religious psychedelic folk-pop was fairly dated by the time Branigan had established herself as a major pop star. It would have been extremely difficult for her fans and the general public to reconcile her then-current image with the one that was on The Friend Ship. Even though there were far worse beginnings for many major pop acts.

However in spite of the music, this LP (as Milkwood's) remains a prized collector's item for it's rarity alone.

Before They Were Stars: Giorgio Moroder

When you think of Giorgio Moroder, you automatically think of kickass '70s and '80s electronic disco-synthpop. Most notably, his collaborations with Donna Summer.


Not '60s surf-bubblegum pop. But you gotta start somewhere and this 1969 single, "Looky Looky" was Giorgio Moroder's first big break in the music business (as "Georgio"). While largely ignored in America, the song went gold in Europe and Canada.

"Benihana" Marilyn Chambers (1977)

 

Following on the heels of '70s porn star Andrea True, who scored a massive Top 40 hit with "More More More" (as The Andrea True Connection) in 1976. Fellow porn actress Marilyn Chambers tried her hand at disco-pop music, hoping for similar success. 

Oh well. Nice try.

And yes, it's all true, Marilyn Chambers was also the fresh faced young mom on the early '70s boxes of Ivory Snow laundry detergent (above.) Once Proctor & Gamble found out about her porn career, the box was quickly redesigned with a different model (below.)

"Tiptoe Through The Tulips" New Christy Minstrels (1962)

This um, strange version of this song was recorded six years before Tiny Tim made this version famous. With vocals by Barry "Eve Of Destruction" McGuire. By 1963, The New Christy Minstrels would have their biggest hit "Green, Green".

In the summer of 1964, they hosted a half-hour variety show on NBC that lasted 5 weeks.

However by the mid-1960s, as folk music became electrified with more challenging lyrics, the Christy's brand of squeaky clean, sing-along folk was becoming embarrassingly square and they declined in popularity. However they remain active under their own non-profit, The New Christy Minstrels Foundation.

Other famous members of The New Christy Minstrels at one time or another included Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes ("Bette Davis Eyes"), actress Karen Black, Gene Clark of The Byrds and Larry Ramos, who would later sing co-lead on "Windy" and "Never My Love" by The Association.
 

Before They Were Stars: Alice In Chains

Before Alice In Chains became one of the four cornerstone bands (along with Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana) of Seattle grunge rock of the '90s, they were another up and coming local hair metal band.

Called Alice 'N Chains and released in 1987, this demo has everything. Samples, a horn section (you heard me), and the dopiest lyrics this side of Winger. No deep grungy depressiveness here and Layne Staley hadn't quite developed the voice he would be famous for. Enjoy.   

"Teach Me Tiger" April Stevens (1959)

For those of you in the Midwest right now, I thought this might warm you up a bit.

It's April Stevens, of whom would be better known a few years later as part of a duo with her brother, Nino Tempo when their single "Deep Purple" rocketed to #1 in November 1963 and would have stayed there a few more weeks had fate kept Lee Harvey Oswald at home....


  

Before They Were Stars: Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar didn't just open the door for women in rock. This little woman with the HUGE voice absolutely KICKED the door in. Right off the hinges. 

But before her mega-platinum career one of as rock's most influential female superstars, she was.....a lounge singer? 

"Coxon's Army Live from Sam Miller's Exchange Cafe" (Trace Records, 1974), was produced as a reportedly unaired local TV special for Richmond, VA public TV station WCVE and is the very first album she appeared on.

This album also features a cover of "Theme From Shaft" but no indicator if she actually sang it (perhaps the female backing part.) This is a $500 record in mint condition. About 1,000 copies were pressed and that's a VERY short run for any record.

Click to enlarge

"Respect" (1974)

"If He Walked Into My Life" (1974)

"Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (1974)

"Day Gig" Pat Benatar (1974) This is the first headlining single she ever recorded.

Also see Before The Were Stars: The Cars

"Unknown Girl (Of My Dreams)" Clint Eastwood (1961)

B/W "For All We Know"

Yvonne DeCarlo Sings (Masterseal, 1957)

Between her early acting/dancing roles and before she made TV history as Lily Munster, Yvonne DeCarlo was an aspiring singer.

(If you'll look closer at the record cover and that on the video, you'll see a discrepancy in the conductor name. "John Towner" is actually John Williams. The same guy who brought us the legendary Star Wars soundtracks and future conductor of the Boston Pops....)

"An Angel Is Missing" Ronnie (James) Dio (1958)

(Somehow, the logo typeface, the label and it's typeface scream a custom pressing by Capitol for Seneca....just an educated record collector observation. If not, then it's one of the best damn imitations I've ever seen.)

You aren't a TRUE Dio fan if you don't know this one. And yes, it's from 1958.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRSMAx_X8Xg

And yes it's this Dio.

Then And Now: Band Names You Only THOUGHT Were Original

Nirvana

You know them as a famous grunge rock band that put Seattle on the map for a few years as the rock 'n roll capitol of America.

Hold on to your dirty flannel......Because Nirvana was originally the name of a British '60s psychedelic rock group

Skid Row

You know them as a classic American hair-metal band of the late '80s/early '90s

.....so I take it you don't remember the early '70s Irish rock band called Skid Row.

True Fact: In the embryonic days of Nirvana (the Seattle band) in 1985, when they were trying to come up with their band name, one of the suggestions was Skid Row!

Scorpions

You know them as a good efficient German heavy metal band of the '80s.

....but there was a UK pop band called The Scorpions in the early1960s......

The Eagles

Best known as an American rock band......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjIJGxULpgo

The Eagles were originally the name of a British surf-guitar band in the early 1960's

The Knack (Thanks to raybearokc for reminding me of this one...)

You know them as the biggest power pop band of 1979.....

.....but in the 1960s, there was a band called The Knack (ironically signed to Capitol Records, the same label as the 1979 Knack!)

Coincidence?

Before They Were Stars: "You're A Grand Old Flag" Sally Field (1965)

Today's Flag Day.....

NWPUNKROCK: 30 Plus Years Of Punk In The Northwest (2007)

If you've always wondered where all that crazy grunge stuff in Seattle got it's start, look no further. This 2 hour documentary takes you back from the '70s all the way up to 2007 and looks at every aspect of the whole punk scene of the last 30 years from every location in the Puget Sound from Vancouver, BC to Olympia. A MUST watch for every fan of indie/DIY/punk/hardcore!

Download/Watch here

http://archive.org/details/NWPUNKROCK-30-plus-years-of-punk-in-the-Northwest 

Before They Were Stars: "Ringo I Love You" Bonnie Jo Mason (1964)

From 1964, here's a 17 year old baritone chick named Bonnie Jo Mason and her tribute to the Beatle's drummer dude.

Who was Bonnie Jo Mason? That was a pseudonym given to Cher by one Phil Spector for her first ever single.

"Baby....I'M gonna make YOU a star....."

The single flopped, namely because it's been said that radio stations and Beatles fans thought it was a love song from a gay (male) fan of Ringo's. Female singers weren't supposed to have such big baritone voices back then.

Come 1965, and enter Sonny Bono. Actually, he's been there the whole time, but it was about this time Sonny & Cher had their first hit "Baby Don't Go" (they originally released the song under the duo name Caesar & Cleo for Reprise Records.) By this time, Cher's voice had been adjusted (under Bono's pressure, I presume.) Instead of him coming down to her key, she had to come up to his.....and have a bit of that trendy Bob Dylan twang that Bono was aping himself back then......And the rest is history....

John Travolta's Album

John Travolta's eponymous debut album (1976) was one of MANY albums by popular Hollywood TV stars of the '60s, '70s and '80s. Released on Midland International (Silver Convention, Thor), the album was released at the peak of Travolta's TV success as Vinnie Barbarino on the TV sitcom Welcome Back Kotter.

This album didn't generate the same success as his TV show. But it did sell respectably well. and generated a Top 10 single "Let Her In".

But his career would skyrocket a year later.......and the rest would be history......