Tag: pop

632. The Marvelettes

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(February 2025) Episode 632 is THE MARVELETTES, one of the earliest successful Motown acts. “Please Mr. Postman” is their most popular song and representative of their early 1960s pop-oriented girl group sound. Their second phase commenced in 1967 as they shrunk to a trio and adopted a more soulful sound per the trends within Motown. Not among the top girl groups for me, but they had some enjoyable songs.

Favorite album: The Marvelettes (pink album)

Favorite song: The Day You Take One (You Have To Take The Other)

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A greatest hits will do. I prefer the four albums in their second phase (1967-70)

624. Judy Collins

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(December 2024)  Episode 624 is JUDY COLLINS, who is still performing and recording in a career that has spanned seven decades. She got her start in the Greenwich folk scene. Her initial recordings featured traditional folk songs, then those by Dylan, Ochs, Seeger, et al, then broadening to the Beatles, Cohen, Newman, Mitchell. This was her peak period, where her clear, direct voice provided interesting interpretations of famous songs. Over the years her recordings branched out into pop, rock, country, showtunes and standards. But to me, after a while her voice doesn’t add anything. It’s not flat but also not dynamic. Gets boring.

Favorite album: In My Life   

Favorite song: Both Sides Now

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: Albums from the 60s, particularly In My Life and Wildflowers

614. Gerry Rafferty

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(November 2024) Episode 614 is GERRY RAFFERTY and his bands HUMBLEBUMS and STEALERS WHEEL. This episode exists because of my endless fascination with “Baker Street,” simultaneously a quintessential song of the 70s and one so unique it deserves to exist in a genre of its own. The next song on the City to City album, “Right Down the Line,” was also a deserved hit. A third notable song was “Stuck in the Middle,” recorded with Stealers Wheel in the early 1970s, a Dylan-homage subsequently homaged by Sheryl Crow and made indelible in Reservoir Dogs. He got his start in the late 1960s in a folk-rock duo called Humblebums with future comedian Billy Connolly. In between those two groups came his first solo recording, Can I Have My Money Back?, which best displays his McCartney-esque songwriting talents. Rafferty kept issuing albums through the 80s-90s-00s stocked with not unpleasant but not memorable songs; he had run out of creativity.

Favourite album: City to City

Favourite song: Baker Street

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Try Can I Have My Money Back? with songs that quickly become enjoyable earworms.

610. Dusty Springfield

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(November 2024) Episode 610 is DUSTY SPRINGFIELD. With her beehive hair and thick eyeliner, she was the quintessential 60s pop diva, perfecting a UK version of the girl ground sound. Most distinctive and special was her voice, soulful and close to the edge of husky, helping create the style called blue-eyed soul. Those who portrayed Adele as a new-generation Dusty were not wrong. This talent is best expressed through her most popular (and excellent) song, “Son of a Preacher Man,” originally written for Aretha Franklin. She recorded sporadically after her 60s peak but none of it is memorable.

Favourite album: Stay Awhile/I Only Want To Be With You

Favourite song: Son of a Preacher Man

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A collection of her 60s hits will be nice.

608. Sergio Mendes

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Episode 608 is SERGIO MENDES, begun after his recent passing. Mendes did much to popularize the Brazilian sound around the world, especially in the United States. He wasn’t a pioneer in the same way as Jobim (whom he considered a mentor) and Gilberto were. But with “Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66” he hit upon a magic formula with two female singers over bossa nova players. I love this music as so evocative of a certain 1960s scene. It’s digestible and acceptable easy-listening. Mendes covered a lot of rock/pop songs in the bossa nova style, which works for a while until it doesn’t. Frankly, much of his output from the mid-1970s on is trying to fit into music trends, from disco to hip hop, or just going straight pop, like the adult contemporary hit “Never Gonna Let You Go.” An exception would be the 1992 album Brasileiro and its return to Brazilian rhythms.  

Favorite album: Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66

Favorite song: Mas Que Nada

Favorite later album: Brasileiro

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: The early 60s albums if you like it more jazzy, or the late 60s Brasil ’66 recordings for his classic sound. The rest you need not explore.

605. Lesley Gore

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(October 2024) Episode 605 of the “opus project” is LESLEY GORE. A girl group sound in the girl group era even though she only performed solo. She had a number of popular hits in the mid-60s like the classic “It’s My Party,” the proto-feminist “You Don’t Own Me,” and the saccharine yet endearing “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” which to me was immortalized in a Simpsons scene. Her fame tapered off, and her occasional recordings after the early 1970s were heavy on covers and re-recordings, although she did compose some songs for movies. But I still like those 60s hits.

Favorite album: Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts

Favorite song: You Don’t Own Me

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A hits compilation will suffice.

602. Harry Nilsson

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(September 2024) Episode 602 is HARRY NILSSON. He is an enigma. An immeasurably talented songwriter for whom many of his best-known recordings are covers. Fame despite rarely touring. A Beatle buddy. Having two rock stars die in his apartment. His first albums are first-rate baroque pop (no wonder Paul and John sought him out) but his style (and signing voice) shifted back and forth over the years, from Great American Songbook to childrens, soft rock, Caribbean, piano troubadour and back. “Jump into the Fire” was his only true rocker (he never did anything else like it) but its baseline* is as indelible as that scene in Goodfellas that it helped make famous. Most of all it is his amazing songwriting skills I would keep coming back to.

Favorite album: Nilsson Schmilsson

Favorite song (original): Jump into the Fire

Favorite song (cover): Without You**

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: There’s a lot here depending on your taste. Nilsson Schmilsson is his most well-rounded. The early Pandemonium Shadow Show and Aerial Ballet are peak baroque pop. Some may prefer the troubadour stuff on Nilsson Sings Newman and Little Touch but not me.

* RIP Herbie Flowers

** by Pete Ham and Tony Evans of the perennially underrated Badfinger

599. Arlo Guthrie

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(September 2024) Episode 599 is ARLO GUTHRIE. I read one review that characterized him as a three-time one-hit wonder (“Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” “Coming into Los Angeles,” “City of New Orleans”), which is both apt and unfair. It’s always a challenge for an artist with a famous last name, and with a voice not unlike Dylan, Arlo Guthrie can never avoid comparisons to the greats. He deserves renown for his own long recording and performing career. But taken as a whole, his songs are Berkshires-based roots music, the basic fare of countless PBS specials, but not so distinctive. I think he would be more enjoyable in concert than on record. He does carry on his father’s social/political themes.

Favorite album: Hobo’s Lullaby

Favorite song: City of New Orleans

Favorite song (original composition): Alice’s Restaurant Massacree

Best late-period album: Mystic Journey

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: a best-of is enough

591. Martha and the Vandellas

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(August 2024) Episode 591 is MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS. Given that I dig the 60s girl group sound and with my wider explorations of Motown, it is surprising I haven’t gotten to Marth Reeves and her colleagues (who rotated over their dozen recording years) before now. Their hits “Dancing in the Streets,” “Nowhere to Run” and “Heatwave” are imprinted in our culture. It’s good stuff. Although if I have to choose among the girl groups I prefer the New York-based ones (Shangri-Las, Crystals, etc.).  The group lasted through the early 70s, providing for an evolution of their sound into the more funky soul of the time (I love), a good example of which is “Easily Persuaded.”

Favorite album: Dance Party

Favorite song:  Nowhere to Run

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A best-of will satisfy.

587. Marmalade

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(July 2024) Episode 587 is MARMALADE. I did this episode solely for my fathomless adoration of “I See the Rain,” one of my favorite psychedelic songs of all time (I’m still trying to figure out what they’re doing with the two bass guitars on it). But you may recognize them for their radio-friendly soft rock hit “Reflections of My Life,” or their unremarkable cover of “Ob-la-di-ob-la-da.” This Scottish act started out as the Gaylords with several beat singles in the mid-1960, then some psychedelia, before settling into a respectable run of soft rock/power pop recordings through the early 70s, followed by obscure albums in the late 70s/early 80s that aren’t worth searching for. Their best work was not organized onto proper albums so I don’t list a favourite.

Favourite album: n/a (try the Very Best of Marmalade as a greatest hits album)

Favourite song: I See the Rain

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: A greatest hits album is more than enough.