It’s often mentioned that The Beatles were the inital template for Power Pop bands, but other American bands that picked up the Rickenbacker in the mid sixties did even more to shape the sound into a solid genre, instead of a mere offshoot of Merseybeat. “It’s Cold Outside” by The Choir is what really great local bands sounded like at junior high and high school dances in the mid-late ’60s – particularly in the eastern half of the country. The pride of Mentor, Ohio, The Choir would eventually join forces with Eric Carmen of Cyrus Erie to form ’70s power pop sensation, The Rasberries.
Category: Moldy Oldies and Guilty Pleasures
Dewey Cox via Van Dyke Parks "Black Sheep"
Recently saw the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and one of the funniest parts of the movie is when Dewey goes through a Brian Wilson phase, complete with a Smile-era parody suite called “Black Sheep” – what suprised me is that’s actually written by Smile co-writer Van Dyke Parks! The movie misses as often as it hits, but the music is what is makes it memorable. Lots of tunes here were written by Mike Viola, Marshall Crenshaw, Dan Bern and Charlie Wadhams. The soundtrack was nominated for both a Grammy and Golden Globe Award and was nominated and won the Sierra Award for Best Song in a Motion Picture from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.
Moldy Oldies: Pursuit of Happiness "She’s So Young"
Ran across this recently and felt a wave of nostalgia. Led by Edmonton, Alberta singer/songwriter Moe Berg, The Pursuit of Happiness were launched in 1985 when Berg and drummer Dave Gilby moved to Toronto, Ontario. They soon met bassist Johnny Sinclair and formed the band, adding twins Tam Amabile and Tasha Amabile as backing vocalists. The album “Love Junk” was certified platinum in Canada. Produced by… who else? Todd Rundgren’s influence is all over this thing…and that’s a very good thing!
New Beatles Track?
How did they keep this gem under wraps for over 40 years? Just leaked online is “Take 20” of The Beatles’ Revolution 1 with a heck of an ending. It could be an elaborate hoax or fan made mash-up like this.
But I suggest you judge for yourself and listen to it on Mog.com
Van Halen Asteroids Game
I know this is a music blog, but it’s somewhat related — It’s a variation on the classic Asteroids, that you play directly on your computer (no download needed). Use your flying David Lee Roth to fight your way through the universe. Shoot at Van Halen logos, and head shots of the band (including Sammy Hagar!) Hilarious! Go Play Van Halen Asteroids!