Sleeved Treasures

So, I was going through the wooden crates that are temporarily housing the sleeved singles so that I could pull out the clumps of "like artist" songs and spread them out (oh and I also removed the Christmas singles) so that it wouldn't get monotenous for, say a whole blog of Sheena Easton songs.  While I am doing this I am thinking about the various songs and going, "well, I should really pull this one, no one's going to know it" or "where the HELL did we get THIS from?  I should really pull it"! Then I realized that that would defeat my purpose, now wouldn't it?  I mean, I am, first and foremost doing this to preserve these vinyl gems.  Being able to share the journey with you is the enormously brilliant perk.

I guess what I am trying to say here is.....Strap yourselves in kids, this is one hell of a bizzarre rollercoaster ride.  As we got older and we could afford to buy more singles and we were both buying them independent of each other, the berth of variety widened.  It's kinda like, well, do you remember when a movie house showed one, maybe two movies?  Then it went to a multiplex and showed 53 at the same time?  I think you get what I'm saying here.  Don't worry, the majority of the songs you will all know and there are still tons of songs from the early 70s as well as almost every popular song of the 80s (and weren't there some real winners there?) but now add all the songs I used to buy to DJ with and all the records I bought because I knew they were songs my Mom & Dad liked, as well as country music from the 90s so my Mom could practice her line dancing etc. You get the picture.

Today's 10 Tunes will clearly illustrate what I am saying.  Get ready....here they are. (Oh for those of you who come here to chair dance every day....there are several opportunities, never fear.  Hey, do you think chair dancing has any aerobic or cardio advantages?  I guess it depends on the chair.)

(Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

1. Talkin' Baseball (Baseball & the Mets) - Terry Cashman 3:10 (Lifesong Records) "Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing!" "then Hodges took the reigns in '68" WOW  I actually sat here swaying and totally forgot to type!  Gotta play it again, hang on.....ok.  So many reasons to love this song. First - my Dad, a die-hard Met fan through it all....good, bad and embarrassing; Second - my Dad, especially when Mr. Cashman mentions one my Dad's heros, Gil Hodges; Third - my Dad for always trying, patiently, to explain what was going on in a game to me (for the 900th time, hey, I am sport-challenged! shuttup) when all he wanted to do was WATCH THE GAME IN PEACE; and Finally, Terry Cashman for writing the original song, "Talking Baseball" and it becoming such a big hit that he did a version for most major league teams (if not all).  "Big Shea Big Shea Big Shea"  Mr. Cashman is a personal hero of mine, as he co-produced all of Jim Croce's recordings.  Speaking of which....

2.  Chain Gang Medley - Jim Croce 3:37 (Lifesong Records) I know I've said this before but I am going to say it again, I LOVE JIM CROCE! He was an Italian-American singer-songwriter from South Philly. He wrote some of the greatest music I have ever heard in my life before dying in a plane crash at the age of 30! THIRTY!!! I still can't wrap my simple little brain around that one.  He signed a 3 record deal with ABC/Dunhill Records and finished recording the second one, I Got A Name, 8 days before he died. This song was released 3 years after his death. It is one from the mysterious "vaults" that all artists seem to have (Where are these vaults located exactly?  Are they all underground?  And if so, since there are so many artists with said vaults, do you think they all connect somewhere in the middle? I guess we'll never know) and it was included on the album "Down The Highway" that Terry Cashman and Jim's widow Ingrid released in an effort to share Jim's legacy with the world. It is a really great song and would have fared better on the charts had it not been for the rising popularity of disco in 1976.

3. I'll Be There For You (theme from "FRIENDS") - The Rembrandts 3:09 (eastwest Records)
This show will always remain one of my all-time favorite shows.  I loved it when it aired. I loved it when I collected all 10 seasons on DVD (and was able to get the special black wood and glass collectors case to house them in).  But I love this show the most because it is something that my parents recently fell in love with.  They never cared for it when it aired but somehow we started watching one of the dvd sets and they got hooked.  In fact, it has become a ritual with us.  Either I have them here for dinner or I go there for dinner and I bring Friends with me.  We watch it at every meal and worked our way through the whole series once and are now on a second go round (currently the middle of season 5, ya know where everyone finds out about Monica and Chandler?  GOOD TIMES!)  Seriously, it has gotten to the point, if I should happen to be flipping channels and it is on, I get hungry! (Don't worry Ma, I don't watch it without you) This is an amazingly fun song that I feel safe in assuming the entire world knows by it now and it never gets old.

4.  What's Going On? - Cyndi Lauper 3:51 (Portrait Records) Not even sure where to start when talking about Cyndi. One of THE most outrageously talented people in the music industry.  Brilliant singer, prolific songwriter and undefineable live performer and an all around beautiful human being (that was not sarcasm folks.  She is an outstanding person).  Her voice is so strong, clear, unique and never seems to age. This is Annette's favorite (partly because they are both from Ozone Park Queens)!  The song, of course, is a cover of Marvin Gayes classic song. Cyndi does it in a way that pays respect to the original and makes it her own, as all remakes should but most don't.  Again, it is sad to say that the theme of this song is still applicable to the world today! (By the way, I was chair dancing and arm waving throughout!)

5.  Mandy - Barry Manilow 3:15 (Bell Records) Borough boy following Borough girl (hee hee just like Annette and me)! Barry!  As he says to his audience, with so much genuine appreciation in his voice, before he sings this one, "This is where we met.  This song brought us together!"  Oh that opening piano line..."I remember all my life...."  Perfect! This song started out life as a boppy little throw away song called "Brandy" and was originally written about the guy's dog!  (Can you imagine?) With Barry's brilliant arrangement and some lyric rewrites (thankfully) it is the timeless masterpiece it is today!  By the way, he still sings this song in the original key 36 years later!  Have I ever told you that I love Barry Manilow?

6.  I Only Want To Be With You - Dusty Springfield 2:32 (Philips Records) Not sure why we have this one or who bought it but MAN! I am sure glad it is here! What a happy song.  Dusty Springfield's voice was one of a kind and instantly identifiable!  One note and you knew it was Dusty!  "As long as we're together, I don't care!" The violins in the break are perfect, straining for that high note.  Sweet.  Happy happy chair swaying!  Get ready for one of those gear shifts I warned you about.....screetching tires on the highway.

7.  I Know Him So Well - Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson 4:09 (RCA Records) This is from the British Concept Album of "Chess" an amazing show written by the boys from AbbA Benny and Bjorn along with Tim Rice.  It comes at an incredible moment in the show. It is sung by the main character's mistress and his wife at the moment where they both realize neither one of them really "have" him in their lives.  They reflect on what they could have done differently and that the final outcome is....they both know him well enough to know they have lost him.  Elaine Paige is Britain's First Lady of the Musical Theatre and has such an incredibly pure, honest voice. Barbara Dickson is a Swedish actress who, I believe, learned to sing this song phonetically, much like the gals from Abba!  Great combination of voices.

8.  From This Moment On (from the mini EP "Frank Sinatra - A Swinging Affair") - Frank Sinatra 3:54 (Capitol Records) Here's one I bought for Dad! Francis Albert singing Cole Porter as only Ole Blue Eyes could...his way! What a voice!!! The combination of Frank's musicality and Nelson Riddle's incomparable arrangement is, well, beyond words.  So freakin' cool! (There I found some words) He stays just off the main downbeat of the song and yet manages to never let the song get away from him.  He was just a genious and again, a one-of-a-kind!

9.  On My Own - Frances Ruffelle 3:35 (RCA Records) Frances Ruffelle starred in the original Broadway Cast of Les Miserables. As a way of getting air-play for the magnificent songs from the musical, RCA had her re-record her song (a song that helped to win her a Tony Award by the way) in a more radio friendly way.  At first I thought, eeek!  Don't mess with it!  But it really almost works.  It has a very popish feel to it and her voice is so well suited to this, however it may be a tad too over produced.  The song itself is outstanding! It is a song of longing and young innocent love that can never be. If you really want to hear this sung RIGHT, I have a recording of Annette singing it! (By the way, my friend Laurie Beechman starred in Les Miz as Fantine singing I Dreamed A Dream the song that made Susan Boyle a household name and breathed new life into the Les Miz franchise!)

Shift them again folks but be careful this time, you may get whiplash!

10.  Sugar Walls - Sheena Easton 3:59 (EMI Records) Oh Sheena!!!  Sheena, Sheena, SHEENA!!!  You started out so sweet and innocent waiting on that morning train to bring your man home and then what happened?  Did Prince get off the train instead?  Did he brain wash you? Did his Revolution do bad things to you? Actually, this is a very fun song and perfectly captured a moment in time. (I am feeling my hair getting bigger, and coated with hairspray are you?)  This song was written for Sheena by Alexander Nevermind (aka Prince) and led to some of her biggest hits. Don't worry folks, we got em all!!  She really has an amazing voice that could do anything! "I can tell you want me! It's impossible to hide. Your body's on fire, admit it!"  I love her accent and those were about the only words I could take out of context and print here. (kidding)

Well, there ya have it folks.  A taste of what the subsequent days and months hold in store for us!  I really had a blast tonight and I hope you did too!  I actually got this post done early enough that I can go do what I am always telling you to do....hug someone you love.  Have a great Friday night. Get out of here and go play!!!  See you tomorrow!