See You Monday, October 2!

Re-Post: Space Movies Spectacular!

This 1983 album is fascinating because the whole thing is so lackluster.  Found in a bin at Skaggs Albertsons, it contains:

01 - ET Main Theme

02 - Star Trek Theme

03 - Superman Theme

04 - Planet of the Apes Theme

05 - Battle of the Planets

06 - Theme “2001”- Also Sprach Zarathustra

07 - Close Encounters

08 - Tron Theme and Actions

09 -  Star Wars End Title

Space Movies Spectacular

Well, that's all for now.  Spock's Record Round-Up is taking a month off, in preparation for the witching season.  We'll see you on Monday, October 2, for the beginning of ... Spooky Spock-Tober!

MA-94 - It Encroached from the 1980s

In this music compilation, we take an overdue look at that often overlooked era in popular music, the 1980s.

What? You mean it's NOT overlooked?  Well, most of these songs ARE.  But they're really fun!

01 - ADSR - Mo   1982   (2:21)

02 - Ayatollah - The Swingers   1981  (3:37)

03 - Everybody Wants to Work - Uncanny X-Men   1984  (3:11)

04 - At the Village Gates - White Glove Test   1986  (5:17)

05 - Faeries (Living at the Bottom of the Garden) - Renaissance   1981  (4:00)

06 - China - Red Rockers   1983  (4:00)

07 - The Hots for You - Brian Brain   1981  (1:53)

08 - As Forever as You - Face to Face   1988  (4:10)

09 - She Goes Out with Everybody - The Spongetones   1982  (2:27)

10 - Touch - I'm So Hollow   1981  (3:51)

11 - Pumping Iron - The Flatbackers   1980  (3:04)

12 - We Are Frank Chickens - Frank Chickens   1984  (4:41)

13 - Tell Yourself the Truth - Skank   1985  (4:24)

14 - No One's Girl - Unit 5   1981  (3:40)

15 - All Day Long - X-Teens   1984  (3:44)

16 - Starlight Jingles - Radio Heart   1987  (4:11)

17 - Dancin' on the Power Lines - Jim Foster   1986  (4:44)

18 - Pull Me - Jenson Interceptor   1983  (3:15)

19 - Suit of Nails - 17 Pygmies   1985  (3:34)

20 - Hello, I Am Your Heart - Bette Bright and the Illuminations   1981  (3:09)

21 - Still Life in Radio - Age of Mirrors   1987  (4:12)

Many of these songs have only one release, though some can also be found on Spockify or iGoons or some of those services.

There's a lot of distinctiveness (some might say oddness) here, along with some pretty stuff.

Track 1 is a wry observation on the way that music synthesizers with their multiple capabilities might soon put life performers out of business.  ADSR is a term relating to the musical performance of synths.

Track 2, of course, relates to that hairy guy whose followers in Iran took all those hostages in November, 1979.

Did you know that the lead singer for Radio Heart, the group behind the glittery pop confection of Track 16, was later-miminal-synth guy Gary Numan?

I hope you can unpack a tithe of the fun I get listening to this mishmash of silly, sincere, and oddball charm.

MA-94 - It Encroached from the 1980s -- 2021 LINK

  See you on Monday, friends!

A New Wind - Jill Justice

In this dubbed-from-cassette album, harpist Jill Justice presents two moods, one for each side of the tape. These are her originals.

The tracks are:

Part I: Upbeat Songs for “Good Mood” Days

01. Happy Times (3:18)

02. Brand New Day (4:27)

03. Big Sky (2:42)

04. The Old Pick-Up Truck (2:19)

05. The Assembly Line (3:50)

06. The Dream Is Reality (5:44)

07. Something's on the Way (3:31)

08. Brand New Day - Reprise (3:13)

Part II: Simple Songs for Quiet Moments

09. Calm and Quiet Morning (4:55)

10. Pictures in My Heart (4:06)

11. A New Wind Is Blowing (4:14)

12. Forgiveness (4:31)

13. Come Rest (4:04)

14. New Every Morning (3:57)

15. Speak a Blessing (3:24)

In a few of the numbers, Jill sing-speaks some words of encouragement.

This is not a challenging work to listen to, but some may find it relaxing and comforting.

A New Wind


See you Thursday with another new music compilation.
 

MA-85 - 45s & Favorites, Disc 17

So much musical funitude!
You might almost subtitle this "The Soundtracks Edition," because of:

• Track3 (1972's Super Fly)
• Track 15 (1985's Explorers)
• Track 16 (another 1985 film)
• Track 17 (another 1985 film)
• Track 18 (another 1985 film)

... And by the way, you'll never convince me that Track 13 wasn't consciously imitative of Fleetwood Mac's 1979 "Tusk."

01. Run Away Child, Running Wild - The Temptations (4:36)  1969

02. Burning Bridges - The Mike Curb Congregation (2:48)  1970

03. Freddy's Dead (single version) - Curtis Mayfield (3:19)  1972

04. I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles (2:32)  1974

05. Devil Gate Drive - Suzi Quatro (3:46)  1974

06. Showstopper - Triumvirat (3:39)  1975

07. Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra (5:07)  1977

08. Zero Hour - The Plimsouls (2:31)  1980

09. Chart Buster - De Cylinders (2:20)  1980

10. Shadows of the Night - Rachel Sweet (4:01)  1981

11. Valentino's Had Enough - The Expressos (2:58)  1981

12. Valley Girl - Frank and Moon Zappa (4:53)  1982

13. I Eat Cannibals (Parts I & II) - Toto Coelo (6:48)  1983

14. My Baby's the Star of a Driver's Ed Movie - Blotto (3:34)  1983

15. All Around the World - Robert Palmer (2:18)  1985

16. The Goonies 'R' Good Enough - Cyndi Lauper (3:39)  1985

17. Weird Science (album version) - Oingo Boingo (6:06)  1985

18. Big Trouble in Little China (original version) - The Coupe De Villes (3:02)  1986

19. Punk Rock Girl - The Dead Milkmen (2:42)  1988

20. Witch in a Ditch - Erasure (3:42)  1988

21. Night Ride Home - Joni Mitchell (3:21)  1991

I love hearing the last track as a sort of calming sign-off after the earlier madness.  Joni Mitchell's simple reflection is pretty different from many of her earlier intricate lyrical constructions, but simplicity is fine, on a ride home with the one you love.

Hope you find something to charm you in this mish-mash.  If so, leave a note!

MA-85 - 45s & Favorites, Disc 17 -- 2021 LINK

See you on Monday!

  

The Smart Set!

This 1958 LP offers an astounding amount of smug, self-assured, astoundingly unimpressive-but-competent MOR music.  It was a project of Ralph Carmichael.

Carmichael was an interesting soul.  He was an arranger for Nat King Cole, among others, and the musical director for I Love Lucy for that show's final years.  He composed the scores for The Blob and 4D Man.  But besides being a music arranger, he also wrote several then-contemporary gospel songs like "He's Everything to Me" and "The Savior Is Waiting."

Still, this album is a fine compilation of aggressively non-intrusive background music.  It fits perfectly into the cultural trope "easy listening."

I hope somebody out there likes it.

The Smart Set!