Parodist, accordionist, and Idolator patron saint “Weird Al” Yankovic turns 50 today, and what better way to celebrate a half-century of his existence than to post a bunch of his videos? End the week laughing, that’s what I say. OK, get ready for the food jokes! MORE »
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Happy 50th Birthday, “Weird Al” Yankovic
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Johnny Gill Will Not Stand For People Rubbing You The Almost-Right Way
In the above clip, Johnny Gill crashes The Arsenio Hall Show after the titular host tries to throw down a couple of verses of his 1990 hit “Rub You The Right Way.” The freestyled version of “Rub” that Gill subsequently throws down is so grin-inducing that I had to share it with all of you. Sometimes, the blogging impulse can really be that pure! [YouTube via Kate Silver] MORE »
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Mariah Carey Says “Boo”
Never let it be said that Mariah Carey isn’t afraid to make the grand gestures in order to assert her chart supremacy: She’s already released a Jermaine Dupri-produced remix of her third single from the sales disappointment Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, “H.A.T.E. U,” that completely reconfigures the track around a bite of the Ghost Town DJs’ 1996 classic “My Boo.” It also features verses by Gucci Mane, Big Boi, and OJ Da Juiceman. Can you say “Hail Mary pass”? I guess since biting from the ’80s didn’t work out all that well, she decided to move her nostalgia up by a few years, and ride the coattails of a song that’s pretty much unassailable. Oh Mariah. Clip after the jump. MORE »
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Happy Birthday, Glenn Tilbrook
Today Glenn Tilbrook, the co-leader of the iconic UK band Squeeze and man who was partially responsible for some of the greatest pop songs ever, turns 52. (FYI, I could have added another 10 links into that last sentence. Just go here and click.) Coincidentally, it’s also the 30th anniversary of the single release of “Slap And Tickle,” a warped little ode to awkward courtships that was always one of my favorite pieces of their catalog. Above, a clip of that song from the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test. [Official site; HT: New Wave Time Warp] MORE »
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The “Abbey Road” Photo Turns 40
Forty years ago tomorrow, photographer Iain MacMillan took the photo that would be the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road, spawning Paul McCartney death rumors in the immediate and a Webcam in the Internet-enabled years. It also inspired a bunch of “homages,” one of which sticks out above all the rest: MORE »
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Simon Cowell’s “Top Of The Pops” Debut: Let The “Dawg” Jokes Commence
Before Simon Cowell was an obscenely paid, tart-tongued TV personality, he was a hungry young Englishman who wanted to make it big in the music business. Which is why, in 1982, he appeared on Top Of The Pops dressed up as Wonderdog, a canine who barked along with a dance track called—what else?—”Ruff Mix.” Sure, it was probably easier for him to stay in character with a gigantic dog-mask over his head, but he does stay in character, which must have contributed somewhat to its reaching No. 31 on the UK singles charts. Clip (which has the hallucinogenic veneer of a VHS tape that’s been molding away in a drawer for the past 27 years) after the jump. MORE »
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Three words to the wack: Jam On Productions. Three more: Their official site. And still, three more: Old four-track demos!!! [Jam On Productions; HT Jon Solomon] MORE »
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Oh, here’s something to listen to if you want to channel any bad feelings you might have about today somewhere: The live-music archive Wolfgang’s Vault has uploaded a stream of the Sex Pistols’ final concert, which took place in San Francisco on Jan. 14, 1978. The entire near-hour of pain is there, all the way through to Johnny Rotten’s sneering question to the crowd about feeling cheated. [Wolfgang's Vault; HT Rob Tannenbaum] MORE »
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The Temptations Will Help Me Leave On The Wings Of Love
I’ve been trying to write a piece on The Temptations’ Wings of Love for some time now and have never been able to squeeze in the time to say something profound about it. I can’t say anything super-profound about it now, other than it serves as a cautionary tale to those adhering to critical and commercial consensus as their barometer for what they like. This record is a monster, but Wings of Love was a somewhat famous critical and sales flop, given the level of talent assembled. Funkadelic bassist “Billy Bass” Nelson shows up as do Freddie Stewart and Pat Rizzo from the Family Stone. Producer Jeffrey Bowen guided the Temptations to No. 1 R&B chart success with the serious jam “Shakey Ground” and “Happy People,” and they were looking to capture that again. MORE »
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INOJ Brings It Back To A Simpler, More Bass-Heavy Time
Like Maura, I can’t seem to get enough of the Vistoso Bosses’ “Delirious,” but I couldn’t quite come up with what the song’s “female-fronted R & B through a Miami Bass filter” vibe reminded me of until today. Why did it take me so long to remember turn-of-the-decade So So Def starlet INOJ, who apparently released the full-length Ready For The World after two stellar early singles? (I might not know about that album because her cover of “Ring My Bell” didn’t retain the first two songs’ momentum.) INOJ is back according to her MySpace page, so let’s prepare for her comeback with “Time After Time” and “Love You Down,” which are below the cut. MORE »
