In which I click the shuffle icon on the iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.
- "Oriental Eyes" by Herb Alpert (1983, A&M)
The title wasn't politically incorrect in '83 because there was no such as "political correctness" back in 1983. This trite tune, however, offends my ears as much today as it did back then. Pass. - "Hooked on Classics" by Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1981, K-Tel/RCA)
Oh-fer-two. "Classical Disco Medley" is a genre that should never have been conceived; it's embarrassing for our country that this thing charted at #10 pop and #4 AC. Another pass. - "Me and The Boys" by Dave Edmunds (1982, Columbia)
Ah, that's better. A hard-driving NRBQ cover that we've already posted about on this blog and over at The CD Project. - "Beyond the Sea (La Mer)" by George Benson (1985, Warner Bros.)
In the middle of a mid-80's synth-pop album, this big band arrangement of a 1945 standard sticks out like a sore thumb, but it might be the highlight of the album. We're treated to one of those classic, characteristic Benson solos where he sings along with what he's playing on the guitar; a talent that never ceases to amaze me. Bonus points for Joe Sample's piano work. - "Take the L" by The Motels (1982, Capitol)
I think singer Martha Davis has a great voice for pop music, but if Hallmark made a card for breaking up with a significant other, it might use lyrics from the chorus of this song: "Take the L out of lover and it's over." That's a clever sentiment (I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it, though) and it is sung with such earnestness that it makes me chuckle. Not a fan of the minor-key heartbreak, but I dig the part about two and half minutes in with the chunky guitar and piano. If you ever receive a mixtape with this on it, you kinda know where things are headed.
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