Badfinger: Baby Blue

Okay, I'm going to interrupt my Seals & Crofts homage for a bit here and switch over to Badfinger, seeing that I just learned today that the final episode, if not scene, of Breaking Bad featured this excellent song. 




Different styles of music, but of the same era! 

Seals & Crofts: Diamond Girl

Their other most defining hit song: 



There are a lot of fantastic performances on The Midnight Special. Here, I'm not used to seeing Dash Crofts (the one on the left) without a beard! 

Seals & Crofts: Summer Breeze

My favorite song by Seals & Crofts: 



What a find this video clip is; the footage seems of the time, highly saturated and such, and suits the song perfectly. 

England Dan & John Ford Coley: Nights Are Forever Without You

Hadn't heard this one in a long time: 



Nice video with lyrics. 

England Dan & John Ford Coley: We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again

Another blast from the past: 



with a visual of a 45 vinyl single being played, complete with the sound a phonograph needle makes that some of us remember! 

England Dan & John Ford Coley: I'd Really Love to See You Tonight

Another obvious segue here, isn't it? 



Finding this live performance reminds me of seeing England Dan & John Ford Coley in concert. I went with one of my sisters to the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos to see them perform. The stage rotated throughout, so slowly that there was a chance that you'd miss an entire favorite song while facing the back or sides of the stage. 

England Dan, by the way, is the one playing guitar and singing lead; John Ford Coley is playing piano and singing harmonies.

Todd Rundgren, England Dan & John Ford Coley: Love Is The Answer

Until just recently, I only knew this song as being done by England Dan & John Ford Coley; that's happened for me with quite a few songs involving different artists. 

First, here is Todd's version of his song:



and here's the one I "grew up" with: 



I actually wrote about this bit of trivia in a long ago post, but the late England Dan (Seals), who had a later career as a solo country artist, was the younger brother of Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts. 

Todd Rundgren: Can We Still Be Friends?

Not as familiar but another great song: 



Listening to songs like this reminds me of how happy I am to have been born at the time I was. So much of today's music, and entertainment in general, comes in soundbites and with a sense of urgency. There's little opportunity nowadays to just kick back and relish the nuances of songs as we did in the past. 

Can the younger generation even imagine a time when people would listen to an entire album without having to constantly check some sort of mobile communication device? They didn't exist back then, kids, and that's a good thing. 

Todd Rundgren: I Saw the Light

Another great Rundgren song: 



Reminds me of something I thought of years ago, what would have had to be the feel good concert of all-time: Utopia, XTC, and Nirvana. 

What other bands with similar names would you add to that ticket? 

Todd Rundgren: Hello It's Me

Why Todd Rundgren after XTC? There is a reason: he produced their album Skylarking - so I thought I'd segue to Todd. 

Over the years, I've gradually realized that there are a lot of songs that are familiar to me that turned out to be his. Here, however, is the one I've always known was by him: 



I once heard John Legend say that this is his favorite song. It was just that one time, and I'm sure he's got many more favorites... but this is a good choice!

XTC: In concert (Rockpalast) - February 10, 1982

Since it's the weekend, here's a concert I found that's over an hour long. I'm not familiar with "Rockpalast" but I imagine it's something similar to "The Old Grey Whistle Test" which is another concert series I discovered here on YouTube.



Musicians amaze me, especially when performing live like this. They're so talented - and the fitness levels of drummers are off the charts. 

I took note of when my favorite songs appear in case you like them as much as I do.

Senses Working Overtime: 42:25 

Generals and Majors: 57:25 

XTC: Love On A Farmboy's Wages

Another pastoral song from "Mummer" with lead vocals by Andy Partridge: 



There's a nice write-up on XTC in Wikipedia. Ah, the memories but also the information that's new to me. Looking back, I've really got quite a few of their albums - none of which I've listened to for many years since I haven't made use of my turntable for that long. 

I didn't quite realize that both R.E.M.'s album "Murmur" and XTC's "Mummer" were released in 1983. Both great albums. 

XTC: Wonderland

This is a song with lead vocals by Colin Moulding, from the album "Mummer." 



This video has elements of Alice In Wonderland, and a girl dancing and wandering around. I'd never seen it before now. 

XTC: Mayor of Simpleton (UK version)

I've got several albums by XTC, from back when there were vinyl records. I don't know when I realized that both Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding sang lead vocals, but as I mentioned before, for awhile I thought Andy sang all the leads. Now that I'm getting to see these videos, I'm starting to hear the distinction between their voices. 

Here, Andy sings lead. 



I don't have the album which this song came off of, but I'm familiar with this song nonetheless. 

XTC: Generals and Majors

Here is one where bassist Colin Moulding sings lead vocals. 



If one of the diners looks familiar, yes, it is a certain billionaire business magnate and the founder of Virgin Group. 

XTC: Senses Working Overtime

Alright, why don't we skip up to the '80s? (Okay, okay, XTC began in the '70s).

XTC first won me over with this song and this video. First impressions being as strong as they are, for awhile I thought that Andy Partridge was the lead singer all the time and always wore a hat! At least that's what I pictured whenever I listened to their songs. 



I still think that he and Colin Moulding's voices sound a lot alike; Colin is the bass player who sings lead much of the time too. 

I remember asking for XTC's English Settlement album as a gift at the time, and probably their English import since that is what I got. It is a double album as opposed to a single album which was the American release. The album's graphics are like the bass drum in this video.

Al Stewart: Time Passages

Here's the other hit of Al Stewart's that I am familiar with: 



This video I just discovered; its images are quite eclectic. 

Al Stewart: Year of the Cat

Staying in the 1970's, here's another big favorite: 



It's my favorite live version of this song that I've found so far. It's one of those songs where I find myself asking, "Why doesn't anyone write songs like this anymore?" 

I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

Harry Chapin: Taxi

Here is a nice live version of this song: 



I just looked up how young he was when he died (in a car accident): he was only 38 years old. 

Harry Chapin: Cat's In the Cradle

I don't know if everybody has a song that makes them cry, but for me, this is the song. Every time I hear it, I tear up. 

You see, my father passed away when I was 11 years old the year this song came out. So the lyric that in particular does it for me is: 

When you coming home dad, I don't know when, but we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then. 




From what I understand, it was Harry's wife who came up with the lyrics. 

The Mitchell Trio: Leaving On A Jet Plane

Staying with the John Denver theme, John joined The Mitchell Trio (nee The Chad Mitchell Trio) around the time that Chad Mitchell left the group. 

John penned this hit made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary: 



Just as Harry Chapin was the first person to open my eyes to world hunger so many years ago, it was probably John Denver who was the first I heard that expressed such appreciation and wonder for the environment, although it took some decades for the subject to become dear to my heart. 

John Denver & Olivia Newton-John: Fly Away

I was sitting here waiting to see what song popped into my mind, and this is it! 



This is the performance that I had pictured in my mind with Olivia sitting apart from John while singing her part. 

White Plains: My Baby Loves Lovin'; Edison Lighthouse: Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)

Here are two great songs from the early '70s with something in common. 







They both have the same lead vocalist, Tony Burrows. 

Shannon: Abergavenny; Kim Wlde: Kids in America

Bear with me, these two songs really do have something to do with each other! 

Going way back to when I was growing up and had access to the bounty of albums and 45's that my siblings owned, was one whose cover still stands out in my mind. It's here in this video: 



Easy to imagine being seared in one's mind, right? This is one of the 45's in case you couldn't guess. 

Besides the song, of course, it's really the pinkish illustration of a Scottie looking dog and the name of the song that made an impression on me. That's how I was able to dust the cobwebs from my memory and find this.

In finding this on YouTube though, I learned other bits of information, such as the more common stage name of Shannon was... Marty Wilde. 

Ahhh, now we're starting to solve the mystery of why I paired these two videos together. 

 

Yes, Kim Wilde (real name Kim Smith) is one of the children of Marty Wilde (real name Reginald Leonard Smith), his eldest child, according to Wikipedia. I just discovered this bit of trivia last night when I was thinking about tonight's post.

And just for fun, here's another video with her looking at an old clip of him performing. Can you see the resemblance? 



Bonus points to any of you that recognize both of these songs! 

Walter Egan: Magnet and Steel

Guess I'm going to go a bit random here for a little while... I've got a LOT of favorite songs and I'll be posting them as they strike my fancy. 

Here's a song that has been going through my head lately. 
 



From my reading, Stevie Nicks inspired the writing of this song: "I was smitten by the kitten" said Walter Egan, and Ms. Nicks sings some of the background vocals for it. It was also co-produced by Lindsay Buckingham. 

Tazmanian Devils: Highway 101

Here's a song I don't recognize from any recordings. The description that goes with this video says: 

Demo recorded at Family Light School of Music in Sausalito. Engineered by Richi Ray Harris. Lead Vocals - Dennis Hogan; Lead Guitar - Dave Carlson; Keyboards and Vocals - Pat Craig; Bass and Vocals - Duane Van Dieman; Drums - Barry Lowenthal 

Additionally from the title of the video, the song is from 1979-1980



This was posted on YouTube by Patrick E. Craig, I assume one and the same as the keyboardist Pat Craig. 

Here is a link to a website for the band today:
http://www.tazmaniandevils.net/about.html 

Pat is the only one no longer playing with them. 

Back in the day, I recall the Tazmanian Devils garnering the Best Bay Area Club Band award at least once, maybe twice from the readers of BAM (Bay Area Music) magazine. 

Tazmanian Devils: Dirty Bop Party

Here's one of the most popular songs from their 2nd album.



I have a faint memory of going to see the Tazmanian Devils play at a venue in nearby Orinda. In a theater, not a music club. Guitarist Greg Douglass opened for them. Douglass later played guitar in the Greg Kihn Band. I don't think I'm imagining it, although I can't find anyone to corroborate this. 

Tazmanian Devils: Pressure

I sure wish I could find some live filmed performances from back in the day. Some years ago, I was able to locate fairly recent footage from a hand-held camera here on YouTube, but I don't know where it is anymore. 



There's one particular song of theirs that I'd like to find more than any other: West Coast. Just off the top of my head, I can recite part of the lyrics (I'm not cheating here): 

Pills, cocaine, pot, speed, booze, smack, LSD, L. Ron Hubbard, EST, Sun Myung Moon, group therapy, hookers, homos, ball, sex for sale, we've got it all, shrinks and shysters selling peace of mind, put your cards on the table, put your money on the line. 

On the coast, 
on the coast, on the coast, 
on the West Coast, on the West Coast. 
 

Tazmanian Devils: Feel Alright/Laura/Don't Hold Back

Another of the Bay Area bands that I loved back in my college days was the Tazmanian Devils. It seems that there is a modern band of the same name, which I don't know much about. They even use a "z" instead of an "s" in their spelling. 

No matter, here is the one I liked. They were from Fairfax in Marin County. I really wish there was as much available of them online as there is of the Rubinoos. 



It was during college that I for some reason had two copies of their first album and I decided to donate one of them to my college's radio station. Unfortunately the time I dropped by, there were two ingrates sitting there. They gave some crazy droll attitude... I left the album and left. 

It wasn't until I happened to be driving back up to the Bay Area one day that I heard an appreciative DJ expressing joy and surprise at finding my donated album there. I was leaving town (San Luis Obispo) and headed up the steep climb of Cuesta Grade with my car's radio tuned to KCPR when I heard him talk about them.

I was just getting out of hearing distance (not a strong enough radio signal to overcome the grade) when he started playing a song off the album. At least someone there liked my contribution to the station! 

One neat thing I've read about the Taz is lead singer Dennis Hogan went on to become a math teacher. The band still gets together occasionally to perform and his students get a kick out of seeing him up on stage. 

 

The Rubinoos: 40th Anniversary Documentary

Now this is a find, a discovery! It's a 24-minute documentary showing the history of the Rubinoos from the very beginning. Before I go further, have I yet mentioned Tommy Dunbar's name in my Rubinoos posts? He is the guitarist-extraordinaire and co-vocalist of the band. He also was the co-writer of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and was part of the suit I mentioned in an earlier post.

And the bassist for the first two albums is Royse Ader, prior to Al Chan joining the band.



There is a lot here that I didn't know before. It matches what I'm seeing in their Wikipedia article. They've had quite a history, what with appearances on American Bandstand and The Old Grey Whistle Test, plus much more.