Okay, maybe you've heard of a few of these acts, but you get my drift - these are good old fashioned press photos of musicians who weren't exactly household names. I don't know about you, but I'd rather check out a picture of The Loving Cup (?) over another tired snapshot of Fleetwood Mac any day.
I've mentioned this many times before, but it bears repeating: every Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Howard Johnson's had a lounge with some low key musician on stage. These weren't hard rockers; these guys and gals took a page out of the Tony Orlando playbook and were there to entertain you while you sipped your Scotch, not rock the house.
Click images to enlarge. The black lines on some of these photos are where they were going to be cropped for promotional purposes (concert ads, etc.).
I guess Sandy Mason is the one in the throne?
I'm not sure who this is, but I dig the outfit
Mary Kaye Burr
Sorry, guys. Looks like you've been cut. (singer Mary Gutzi)
The Von Hiatt Trio
Rosalyn Kind (Streisand's half sister)
The Wu Tang Clan. (Just kidding. No idea.)
Sherri Wood
The Colows
The New Medium
The date is 1969, but I don't know the name. Definitely some folk music going on here.
This idea started as a thought I had on Facebook. I didn't get a whole lot of suggestions (I'm still trying to figure out exactly how Facebook will fit into the Retrospace Universe the way Tumblr and podcasting has); but it did get me started thinking about all those bands of the 1970s that I had NO IDEA what they looked like.
It's almost incomprehensible today that Billboard's charts could be dominated by bands who wouldn't be recognized by even an ardent fan. Indeed, popular music has ALWAYS relied on image as a part of its allure: from Elvis and the Beatles to David Bowie and Madonna. The music and the image have always gone hand in hand.... but not so much in the 1970s.
Something happened in the 70s. The so-called "Album Oriented Rock" bands began to sell out stadiums, and their records (when not being used as a surface to roll joints) were on constant rotation. How could we know what Boston looked like when there were no music videos, their likeness was not on album covers, and they weren't likely to show up on Captain & Tennille or Sonny & Cher? The best look at the band you'd get was at a concert: and then it was from 60 rows back through a thick layer of smoke.
In the 1980s, faceless bands became victims of a mass extinction caused by MTV. Certain bands, like Journey, Chicago and Rush, survived; but for most it was The End. No one wanted to see a Little River Band music video, and it didn't help that they were as ugly as Christopher Cross. It was back to the way it's always been, with image being as front and center as the music. It was only during those few years in the 70s when the rules of the game were changed and bands focused on the sounds rather than the looks. It was brief but refreshing.
So, here's my Top 30 Faceless Bands.... that is to say the best bands of the 1970s who's faces were largely unknown.
IMPORTANT: If they "came out of the closet" so to speak later on, that does not disqualify them, but still taints their once brilliant anonymity. Hence, Journey loses points because, God knows, we saw enough of Steve Perry's ugly mug during the 1980s.
Also, this is not just a list of "corporate rock bands" and "AOR" bands; other genres like "soft rock" had their share of faceless musical groups.
Foreigner
Boston
Supertramp
Foghat
Kansas
Triumph
Toto
Yes
Styx
Blue Oyster Cult
Pink Floyd
The Little River Band
REO Speedwagon
Steely Dan
Journey
King Crimson
Captain Beefheart
April Wine
Chicago
The Pure Prairie League
Firefall
The Steve Miller Band
Ambrosia
Gentle Giant
Saga
Uriah Heep
UFO
Golden Earring
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Molly Hatchet
Notes:
Pink Floyd (with Roger Waters) didn't come "out of the closet", but rather "went into the closet" after Syd Barrett left. Thus, a little deduction is necessary for their very image oriented period with Barrett.
Styx would arguably be number one on this list were it not for the tragic "Mr. Roboto" period.
Chicago was super anonymous, as was REO Speedwagon, until Cetera and Cronin decided to get public - hence the deductions.
Yes loses points because the band actually appears on their first LP and for their video "Leave It".
I've heard the term "faceless band" was first used to describe Triumph in Rolling Stone magazine.
The Eagles and Genesis were pretty faceless in the 70s, but members became so high profile afterwards that it's ruined any sense of anonymity they might have once had.
Where's The Moody Blues, Dire Straits, Jethro Tull and Rush? I think people who bought those groups' records pretty much knew what the members looked like..... which is unfortunate in the case of Geddy Lee.
I love disco, but even I have a threshold of how much I can take in one sitting. Don't get me wrong, I could listen to ABBA and The Bee-Gees all day and not get tired of it. However, the vast majority of disco was highly unoriginal and all the songs seem to just blend together after a while. I suppose "you had to be there". I can see how this might be fine at an actual discotheque (more than likely hopped up on cocaine); but it sure gets monotonous just listening to.
That's why I decided to throw together pieces of a bunch of disco songs into one track. Rather than have you suffer through listen to songs in their entirety (it was not uncommon for disco songs to be over ten minutes long), I've melded them all together into one heavenly hash of 70s disco dynamite.
Given that this is an Obscure Grooves post, you won't see any Saturday Night Fever hits here - only the lesser known disco gems. In this 15+ minute track you'll hear all of the following...
Bill Summers & Summers Heat - "Straight to the Bank" Bob-A-Rela - "Spend the Night" Dynasty - "I Don't Wanna Be a Freak" Gary's Gang - "Do It at the Disco" Hydro & Loma - "K.I.C. (Keep It Coming)" Direct Current - "Boogie Man" Richard T. Bear - "Sunshine Hotel" Joe Capaldi - "Shoe Shine" Space - "Save Your Love for Me" Sesame Disco - "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco" Pamala Stanley - "This Is Hot" Ronnie Milsap - "Get It Up" Linda Clifford - "Repossessed" D.C. LaRue - "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" Pat Hodges - "Fly By Night"
Virtually no recording artists were able to escape the 1970s unscathed by the power of disco. People were actually shocked and appalled when Rod Stewart released a disco record; he'd been straight up guitar rock until then. Karen Carpenter tried her hand at a disco LP, but her brother suppressed its release (even to this day). Kiss went disco, as did Blondie, Ethel Merman, Diana Ross, Queen, and ELO.
Among the throngs of musicians clamoring for a buck and desperate to still seem "with it", were The Ventures (now calling themselves The NEW Ventures). These superordinate surf rockers had ridden the wave of beach music, and somehow lived to tell the tale. Their guitar vibes were translated to vinyl God knows how many times, recording classic hits with that distinctive Ventures flair. But even they weren't strong enough to survive disco.
Universally regarded as their worst LP in a career that spanned four decades, Rocky Road was a f***ing train wreck. Their trademark guitars are drowned out by horns, strings, a throbbing disco beat, and Kim Carnes (yeah, you read that right - she was a backup singer).
Here's their disco rendition of "Moonlight Serenade". Glenn Miller would not be amused.
What with all the podcasts and mix tapes, the good ol' Vinyl Dynamite posts have fallen by the wayside. If you'll recall, the intention of these posts is to dredge up some old flea market find and throw a few audio tracks to get a feel for what it sounds like. It was inspired by my frustration of seeing all these amazing album covers all over the internets, and not being able to know what they sound like when the needle hit the groove.
The 1979 Southern Exposure "Headin' South" record caught my attention for obvious reasons (see images below). What kind of recording artist would hit the cheesecake with such vigor as to have a half naked babe on both the front and back? Turns out it's just instrumental disco music from The Toronto Symphony and The Canadian Brass (WTF?)
Once upon a time, there were droves of performers who traveled the Ramada circuit, the Holiday Inn circuit, the Howard Johnson circuit, etc. Part of the hotel experience was the lounge act; sure they were cheesy, but a perfect backdrop to a glass of brandy and a cigarette.
Somewhere along the way, these entertainers became un-hip and the brunt of jokes. The lounges were converted to conference rooms and hotels suddenly got a whole lot blander.
Well, those lounge lizards will always have a place here at Retrospace. Today, we're dishing out the Lounge Act Set brought to you by the Biltmore Motor Hotel located in Union City, Tennessee at the Intersection of U.S. 51 and 45 W. Enjoy!
In 1973, Grace Slick recorded her first solo album, a soundtrack to the movie Manhole. Unfortunately, the movie itself was never made, but the resulting soundtrack was released on its own. Not surprisingly, the album wasn't particularly successful, and it was soon forgotten. God only knows what this movie was actually going to be about (I'd appreciate it if anyone could shed some light on this).
That being said, the music for this soundtrack ended up being completely brilliant, and deserves another listen. That's where Retrospace comes in. Here's the 12 minute title track for a movie that never was...
I can't help but wonder if there were any other soundtracks created for movies that never were. I know Pete Townsend had conceived of a movie called Lifehouse, and wrote a number of tracks for it, but it never materialized. I used to think Pink Floyd's Obscured by Clouds fell into this category, but it turns out its corresponding movie La Vallée was actually released.
The Elder (by Kiss) always struck me as a soundtrack rather than just a concept album, but my understanding is that it was recorded as something more akin to Floyd's The Wall rather than a movie soundtrack. At any rate, I can't think of any other examples of soundtracks for nonesistent movies (a quick Google search proved fruitless). I'd be interested to learn of other examples.
Note: I don't think the last song actually says "LSD" anywhere in the song (or perhaps I'm not listening close enough). I'm thinking the title was tagged on to generate controversy (and subsequently sales)
Aera was a German progressive rock band that lasted from around 1975 - 1982. They specialized in the drugged out instrumental stuff that stoners loved back in the day. This sort of heavy duty prog is not for everyone - if you're looking for something melodic and catchy, you may want to go listen to Elton John or something.This will be torture for you.
Question: Have you ever met a female that enjoyed prog rock? I'm not being facetious - I've never honestly met one (other than the kind that pretends to for the sake of her rock snob boyfriend). It's like The Three Stooges and Monty Python - you simply have to have a Y chromosome to appreciate it. Nosferatu - "Willie the Fox"
Everyone's heard "I'd Love to Change the World" and seen guitar genius Alvin Lee in Woodstock footage, but yet they never really got much name recognition in the States. Okay, it may not be prog, but this 1971 song is pure classic rock gold.
This song is significant not because it was covered by both Cheap Trick and Tim Curry (!), but because it marks the beginning of Jeff Lynne's time with the Move, a band that would soon metamorphosize into the Electric Light Orchestra. Also, it's a damn good song.
Here's a few songs for the Halloween season I hope you'll enjoy. I tried to include a diverse selection. Thus, there's one from Lurch, another from Elvira, and piece from Halloween (okay, I know that one's not exactly "obscure", but I love it). Let me know if you like this, and I'll try to do another.
Note: Click on the song title to download the track, and use the mp3 player to just listen to it. Enjoy!
From one of my new favorite blogs, Ponytone, comes this little gem by Hungarian singer Kati Kovács. Admittedly, the first half of the song is fairly nondescript - nothing to write home about. But once the chipmunks and the yodeling take over, all hell breaks loose.
An odd bit of trivia: Christina Aguilera's 2010 single "Woohoo" contains a sample from Kati Kovács' song "Add már, uram, az esőt!".
Next is the ear splitting "Il Tuo Sguardo Atomico" by Mario Nascimbene. It comes from the soundtrack of the 60s Italian spy film Dick Smart.... sounds like a porn, but it's not. The soundtrack overall is amazing - an incredible blend of cocktail music with a James Bond feel. This last track, unfortunately, is a piece of cringe worthy crap. It's so bad it's awkward to listen to in public.... put your ear buds in for this one, folks.
