I especially like how there's that Munchen gasthaus table at the side of the stage, so das old volk can enjoy their bratwursts and smurfs at the same time. Also, I keep thinking Vader Abraham is some kind of rabbi, but I doubt that's an especially rabbinical congregation he's entertaining.

High Life (Polystar West Germany, 1979)

OVERDRIVE "Constantinople" (Better than the Residents version, which is the Residents' catchiest song. Well actually, this is a different song about the same topic. Lyrics about balls of fire and Roman empires and Byzantine tierras. "Constan-constan-constantine!": post-"Rasputin" history-lesson disco, with a deep voiced Tuetonic goofball guy chiming in behind the girls, just like in Boney M)
DOLLAR "Who Were You With In The Moonlight" (They played second early-'80s post-Abba proto-wonky-pop new-pop studio-pop banana behind Bucks Fizz, right? Have heard other good singles -- a couple on that 45s thread -- but never a whole LP, I don't think.)

Otherwise:

-- More good pseudo-Abba selections by both Clout ("Under Fire") and Luv ("My Guy," "Eeny Meeny Miney Moe"); the Luv ones, especially seem to have a lot of bubbly nursery rhymes in them, and "Eeny Meeny" also takes a chord progression from "Rasputin" and seems to concern a sad little boy in a schoolyard.

-- Expertly melodic sterling-silver semi-metal radio pop from Golden Earring ("Weekend Love") and Rainbow ("Since You Been Gone"). Don't think I ever even heard the Golden Earring one before, and I've got three albums by them. (Did they have lots of Euro hits? Only two in the States, of course, with eight years separating them.) In the early '80s Ken Barnes, I think it was, did the column on singles in Creem (maybe briefly New York Rocker too? Or was that somebody else?), and I remember him commenting once about how previously sodden AOR bands like Rainbow and 38 Special were figuring out real smart ways to adapt FM hard rock to a sleek pop-radio 45 format. These might be examples of that.

-- Nick Straker Band "Walk In The Park" is kind of ominous. It's dark in the park. Opening chords sound not unlike Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup."

-- Roxy Music "Dance Away" is so totally lonely-Eurodisco in both its synth rhythms and lyrics (even mentions strobe lights) that I'm kind of amazed, in retrospect, that mid-American rock stations played it so much: even ones in Detroit that handed out Detroit Rockers Engaged in the Abolition of Disco (D.R.E.A.D.) membership cards (yeah, I had one).

-- Don't think I ever heard the long (5:46) version of Peaches & Herb's "Reunited" before. Still great.

-- Don't think I had ever heard Abba's "Happy Hawaii" or Sweet's "Call Me" either. Both just okay.

-- A disco band I think might not be very good is MILK & HONEY WITH GALLI. They've had two songs on these comps so far, and I haven't liked either one.

― xhuxk, Monday, 19 January 2009 18:43 (3 years ago) Permalink