b/w Goin' Down to Rio
| Released: 1977 (Jet/UA) Written by: Jeff Lynne Produced by: Jeff Lynne Album: Non-album single |
| U. S. Billboard Charts: | |
| Did not chart |
So when exactly was this released? Your guess is as good as mine.
Maybe a better clue is the date of this review:
Regardless of release date, it's ultimately a vanity novelty record and not a very good one (it doesn't hold up as a disco tune, either - too slow). But it does contain a few measures every so often that immediately identify it as a Jeff Lynne tune. The dance craze that never was; it's mercifully short - even the 12" version is just 3:25. It was the first time Lynne's name appeared as principal artist, not the name of a band. Although the Electric Light Orchestra was enjoying major success at the time, "Doin' That Crazy Thing" received very little airplay, no TV exposure, and did not chart. However, Lynne would find his disco chops soon enough - Discovery (or Disco? Very!) was released in mid-1979.
Maybe a better clue is the date of this review:
 |
| CashBox, October 1, 1977, p. 18 |
Curiously, the single was also released with this odd picture sleeve. Go figure.
"[Doin' That Crazy Thing] was just a bit of fun. I played everything and I had a great time doing that. I'm the best disco drummer you've ever seen, steady as a rock. What happened was that I was in Hawaii with David Arden, our manager, and we were in this disco, dancin' and boozin' and I thought, 'I'm going to nick one of these records because that's one of the best drum beats I've heard.' Then I went home and wrote this silly little tune."
- Jeff Lynne (Melody Maker, May 27, 1978)
And here's how to do that crazy thing, directly from the record sleeve (click photos to enlarge):
Sequence 1:
Sequence 2:
Sequence 3:
Sequence 4:
But these instructions reference a 5th sequence, so good luck with figuring it all out:
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