I said in an earlier post that I didn't want a soundtrack associated with this project because it would distract from the story. I did make up a cd with the following tracks and drew scenes from the story as the cover art and I'd put it on while I was getting the studio ready for work. But like pencil, ink, paper and sable brushes, I eventually abandoned the cd. I use a Cintiq tablet and listen to anything from my entire record collection, reformatted as flacs on the laptop attached to the Cintiq.
Anyway, I've been getting requests to at least know what was on the playlist. Well, I dug the cd out and had a look at it and put it on and just enjoyed the hits 'n' memories. One caveat (at least about my motivation here) is that I remember the year on radio as being, like any other year on radio, mostly indigestible garbage but that the good bits were really good. They do still write 'em like this and not just to copy them ... it just doesn't happen all in one year anymore. Anyway the songs .. with a few cd extras as I think of them:
Please Don't Go - K.C. and the Sunshine Band:I knew plenty of people who said they didn't like this big spacey love song and all of them were liars. In that sense it was the late 70s' More Than a Feeling.
Cars - Gary Numan:Ice cold proto-synth pop showed the way of the near future. I heard huge torchlight rallies in this that Gazza never intended. In 1979 the vid was also very future-now.
Egyptian Reggae - Jothanon Richman and the Modern Lovers:Simple guitar figure instrumental that no one would get away with now.
Olivers Army - Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Elvis Costello had already been dazzling with a number of short and deadly singles that had sharp and spiky videos to go with them. Oliver's Army had a kind of nouveau nostalgia look and sound which was instantly appealing but also still very sneery. First artist whose lyrics I cared about (and then only made out about half the words)
Uncontrollable Urge - Devo:Nervy energy and pointy rock music and one of the best call and response choruses ever.
The Banana Splits - The Dickies:Best version ever. From the look and sound I was flabbergasted to find out they were American
R U Receiving Me? - XTC:Gnu wave that even my older brother liked. Great vid!
I Need to Know - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:Great forceful rock song where the indecipherable verse is there for the modal tune and the bulk of the song is in the chorus.
Pop Muzik - M:First white rap song? First international hit rap song? The term wasn't in the parlance until a few years later. I just took this as a kind of talking blues. Sounds like a toned down Fall to me now. You could NOT go to anyone's party in the late stages of 1979 without hearing this played about seventy-two times.
Girls Talk - Dave Edmunds: Irresistable and superior remake of Elvis Costello song with cinematic vid.
Who Killed Bambi - The Sex Pistols: Two ex Pistols albums came out in 78/79: the first PIL album and the ragtag soundtrack to The Great Rock n Roll Swindle. At first I preferred the latter to the former but PIL started making friends with me soon enough. This track, the final one on GRRS, followed me around for weeks.
CD extras:
I Say When- Lene Lovich: Odd mix of 50's rock and new wave flash.
Shadow Boxer - The Angels: I had almost finished my imaginary band's concept album (a rip off of the idea of Lou Reed's Berlin) with a big heavy buzzsaw guitar anthem called Depression. That was on a Sunday afternoon. I went over to my brother's place and played it to him. He loved it. Then we saw The Angels do it on Countdown that evening. Well, I didn't have their middle 8.
Birdsong - Lene Lovich: Video and song were a perfect match of horror movie atmosphere. This would soon be known as goth.
I Don't Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats: No one who went to school at the time felt anything but love for this song.
