MFD Random Five #12

In which I click the shuffle icon on the increasingly frustrating iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.

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1. "Subway" by Stuff (1977, Warner Bros.)
   A slow, creeping funk tune that goes double time for the chorus, written and featuring guitarist Cornell Dupree. A not-so-good filler track; I'd rather my Stuff feature Richard Tee.
   


2. "Hong Kong Garden" by Siouxsie and the Banshees (1978, Polydor)
   In 1978, this guy was listening to disco and soft rock, not post-punk. I didn't come to this one until much later via a compilation box set.  Only two chords, the band makes the most of 'em, with a strong showing from guitarist John McKay. One of those songs I wouldn't seek out to hear, but I don't mind when it comes around on a shuffle.


3. "If I Saw You Again" by Pages (1978, Epic)
   Fantastic soft rock tune by an oft-overlooked group, this was the single from the Pages' debut album.  Great AOR guitar solo by Peter Leinheiser followed my some tasty electric piano work from Steve George. Unfortunately, neither the album nor this wonderfully smooth single hit any charts. See what I mean about overlooked? So good, I forgive all the later stuff with Mr. Mister.


4. "Must Do Something About It" by Wings (1976, Capitol)
   Written by McCartney but sung by Denny Laine, this innocuous, mid-tempo soft rocker doesn't have a whole lot going for it. While not the worst song on Wings at the Speed of Sound, it's not in the top half, either.


5. "Man Out of Time" by Elvis Costello (1982, Columbia)
   I've always been lukewarm on Costello, preferring singles to albums, but from every now and then he writes fantastically catchy songs that I can't get out of my head. This is one of those songs. Steve Nieve shines, the arrangement is perfect, and Geoff Emerick gets the production just right mainly by getting the heck out of the way.  To be perfectly honest, however, now that I'm done with these five, I'm going to go listen to Beyond Belief a few times before carrying on with my day, which will probably include listening to all three Pages albums from the years 1978-81.