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And The Stiffs Just Keep On Comin'
- Thread starter Radknowski
- Start date
JimPastrick said:
So to connect a few dots here, with no real intent except to share trivia...
Although probably not a true "stiff" at least in the NYC area (where Ms. Smyth is from), "Love's Got A Line On You" was not nearly the chart hit as "Goodbye to You". Oops, neither of those hit the Top 40 according to the Billboard book, only "The Warrior" (which also had a rather silly video). Although you would have thought that "Goodbye to You" was a number one smash if you were listening to New York Top 40 at the time...
Both "Goodbye to You" and "Love's Got..." were on the five-song "album" that Columbia issued, simply titled "Scandal", that is sitting somewhere in my parents' house in Joisey. I think "Another Bad Love" might have been one of the other three tracks. Scandal also cut a version of the Journey song "Only The Young".
When Patty Smyth went solo, her biggest hit, in fact, a #1 song, was "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" recorded with Don Henley but co-written by Glen Burtnik, who is one of my favorite artists that has never been a household name. Burtnik (also with alternate spellings) released two well received but not best selling albums on A&M, "Talking in Code" and "Heroes and Zeroes", the latter of which had Neal Schon of the aforementioned Journey as a guest lead guitar on a couple of tracks including "Follow You" which was the closest Burtnik came to the Top 40.
Burtnik is perhaps best known for his stint as the replacement for Tommy Shaw in the band Styx, and several tracks on the Styx album "Edge of the Century" sound much more like Burtnick's solo material than anything that Dennis DeYoung and Co. would have come up with on their own, despite the writing credits on the album. (I sometimes suspect that Burtnick's alliance with Styx was a "forced merger" that enabled contractual obligations to be fulfilled since Styx was also on A&M Records at the time.)
But in keeping with the title of the thread, it's probably safe to say that every one of Mr. Burtnik's solo recordings fits--and his "Perfect World," one of the tracks on the "Talking In Code" LP, was also a #90 non-smash for the band Alias. (I've got a "DJ Promo" CD copy of that, it's not bad.)
Burtnick (with the "c") played Paul McCartney in the Broadway production of "Beatlemania"; Marshall Crenshaw (cf "Someday, Someway" a #36 semi-hit in 1982) was John Lennon in that production.
What's the point here? Well, if there is one-- it's that one person's stiff can be another's smash hit...
John C said:
Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad... OK, maybe it was...
But I freely admit to:
1) having watched it at a theatre
2) owning the DVD
3) having purchased the soundtrack on CD-- in Sydney, Australia, no less, long before said CD was available in the US (Olivia and ELO were on different label families here, unlike in much of the rest of the world)
4) having seen the Broadway show and having corrupted my daughter by taking her! She really liked it and Kerry Butler, who played Kira (Olivia's role) went out of her way after the show to talk to my daughter as well.
I still remember the People magazine review when the film hit theatres: "In Xanadu did Producer Lawrence Kasdan a thoroughly pleasureless movie decree, not your fault, Olivia."
umtrr-author said:
umtrr-author said:
I know you had to know that you were correct in your Scandal knowledge. The 5 songs on the "album" were "Goodbye To You", "Love's Got A Line On You", "Win Some, Lose Some", "She Can't Say No" and "Another Bad Love". I thought I was the only one with that Scandal vinyl. It's sitting in my basement and will return there shortly. On a sadder note, did Marshall Crenshaw pass away a few years ago?
John C said:
My copy is 330 miles away and I didn't want to guess. Four of the five tracks from the EP are on the "Scandalous" CD that Sony Music issued in 1992. Only "Win Some, Lose Some" is missing.
No, he's still around:
http://www.marshallcrenshaw.com
Looks like Robert Gordon, who also cut "Someday, Someway" is also still with us as well.
Isn't that "Needles and Pinza"SirRoxalot said:
(sorry, couldn't help it)heydaybegone said:Isn't that "Needles and Pinza"SirRoxalot said:
Treat yourselves to the original, performed by Jackie DeShannon, who also sings "Needles and Pinza". Did you know that Sonny Bono was one of the writers? Jack Nitzsche was the other. It at least made the top 100. Note the verse that The Searchers left out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VVhSscKpR4
Needles And Pins(ah) by the Searchers, at two minutes and ten seconds, is a great song. Jackie DeShannon's version is equally heart-wrenching. Thanks to heydaybegone for pointing out the extra verse in DeShannon's version. Tre cool!
On the Searchers' version, from the first roll of the tom-toms and guitar stroke of the repeating lead, the song hits the listener straight in the heart. Listen to the intro closely and you can hear a squeaky foot pedal on the base drum on the down beat.
Needles And Pins is one of those "good love gone wrong" songs that a band like Nickleback or singer Jason Mraz does on a lark at one of their live shows and all of a sudden it takes on a new life of its own and becomes a hit again. Soul Barons, get on this!
I had the pleasure of talking to Mike Pender about Needles And Pins, how it was produced and the "pins-ah" refrain, when he was in town years ago for an Oldies Fest. Quite an engaging gentleman, he praised Jackie DeShannon's version and gave me the Inside Baseball on the song.
Asked about the "pins-ah," Mike said he thought it was over the top when it was played back and wanted to re-cut it, but his producer and bandmates would have none of that. When he heard the song on the radio, he knew the "Pins-ah" was one of the little things that contributed to making the song a hit.
On the Searchers' version, from the first roll of the tom-toms and guitar stroke of the repeating lead, the song hits the listener straight in the heart. Listen to the intro closely and you can hear a squeaky foot pedal on the base drum on the down beat.
Needles And Pins is one of those "good love gone wrong" songs that a band like Nickleback or singer Jason Mraz does on a lark at one of their live shows and all of a sudden it takes on a new life of its own and becomes a hit again. Soul Barons, get on this!
I had the pleasure of talking to Mike Pender about Needles And Pins, how it was produced and the "pins-ah" refrain, when he was in town years ago for an Oldies Fest. Quite an engaging gentleman, he praised Jackie DeShannon's version and gave me the Inside Baseball on the song.
Asked about the "pins-ah," Mike said he thought it was over the top when it was played back and wanted to re-cut it, but his producer and bandmates would have none of that. When he heard the song on the radio, he knew the "Pins-ah" was one of the little things that contributed to making the song a hit.
JP, thanks for the cudos, but the credit goes to Silkie - whose post points out the extra verse.
Thanks HDBG. Apologies to Silkie. I should pay closer attention to the quote tags. My bad.heydaybegone said:
I believe this thread may have been given new life...as the tunes that were "edited" for airplay, or any other known or unknown reason etc.. will now begin to grace these pages - LOL
You mean like "In-A Gadda-Da-Vida" from 17:05 to 2:53?