JB Doubtless Loses It
The upcoming debate on the Northern Alliance radio show between the Fraters' JB Doubtless and I is rapidly becoming less a programming idea and more of an intervention.
After reading this piece from today, I'm starting to worry:
I have to say that I picked up the Sounds Of the 70's the other day and Afternoon Delight is a great freaking pop song. The harmonies are fantastic--how often do you hear four part girl/guy harmony done to perfection?
Constantly. Listen to any decent church choir.
I mean, oy, vey - Peter, Paul and Mary did great harmony, but the music was still bilge. The Starland Vocal Band?
Words fail me.
Abba perhaps, and I love Abba. I challenge anyone to listen to last "Afternoon delight" they sing at the end of the song--an amazingly complex and beautiful melody with distinct harmony--and not tell me it's a gem.
I started in radio in 1979. I heard the song a million times. I could probably still sing Bill Danoff's part from memory. The Seventies were chock full of great vocal harmony; for
faux folk groups like the SLVB, it was as essential as being able to strum a guitar. It was technique, pure and simple - like screwing a lug nut onto a wheel.
It's like saying "Al Franken hit that break without talking all over himself - it's a good show!". No. It's competent.
However, JB touches on a guilty pleasure:
I also think the Sammy Johns song "Chevy Van" is an amazing piece of music. Yeah, I know, it's funny and all with the 70's references, but it tells a concise story of a time and captures the zeitgeist while delivering a hooky chorus.
And sex!
Actually, Chevy Van was one of a bunch of singer-songwriter hook-crazy tune-fests that perfectly summed up the world of the one-hit wonder for that decade; "Shannon" by Henry Gross, "Sky High" by Jigsaw, " and about half of the K-Tel compilations between 1974 and 1976, before Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles trademarked the entire genre in 1977. They were manipulative, formulaic, totally guilty pleasures - and as guilt has faded over the years, I can bring myself to listen to them one more time.
JB concludes:
I plan to review all of the songs on the compilation in the next few days. Good lord, there are some seriously dreadful pieces in this collection, but also a few lost gems that deserve more recognition.
And I plan on belting out both Chevy Van and Skyrockets tonight at karoake with the Doubtlessette. She has yet to hear me sing, so it should be interesting...
And I think the NARN staff would pay good money for a tape of this for next week's broadcast...
Posted by Mitch at
April 24, 2004 04:20 PM
I take one week off, and you guys do this?
I drove a truck delivering papers for the Manchester (NH) Union-Leader in the late 70s, between 2-7am. Every hour, it seemed, they played "Afternoon Delight". I damn near sucked my Pall Mall all the way down the gullet to put myself out of my misery.
Next thing you know, JB is going to talk about Lionel and Diana and "Endless Love". Or "Color My World."
I'm coming next week, and we are strapping Dude to the chair and taping the headphones on his ears and playing an endless loop of Mac Davis for three hours. Now THERE's a voice!
It is on.
Posted by: King Banaian at April 24, 2004 04:58 PMIt is good to see that others have noticed this distrubing trend. I was stunned when the list of worst songs of all time came out that Afternoon Delight was not in the top five. Now it is "freaking great"??
Look at the bright side, at least he is not programming the music for a national shock jock's radio show.
Posted by: James Ph. at April 24, 2004 05:49 PMThis may turn into a Northern Alliance free-for-all, but I'm siding with JB on this one. I think that the harmonies on "Afternoon Delight" are some of the best on pop music anywhere and any time. You need to take another listen to this song if you think it's cheesier than any other song about sex written in the 1970s. No one's complaining about Barry White -- well, at least *I'm* not complaining about Barry White -- and all he sang about was sex. You want cheesy? Try "Never Been to Me" by Charlene or "Walking In The Rain" by someone who should be in hiding. "Don't Give Up On Us Babe" by David Soul is an ironic play on his last name, I'm certain.
If you want a NARN debate on cheesy music, all I can say is ... BRIIIIING IIIIIIT OOOOOOOONNNNNN!!
Posted by: Captain Ed at April 24, 2004 07:08 PMLook, I got no problem with good technical chops - and the Starland Vocal Band had 'em.
In fact, as a musician, I tend to look at most music on two levels; pure technique, and whether it hits me in the liver or not.
Examples: Journey bores me stiff, but Neal Schon is an amazing guitar player. Big tech points; no liver points.
Yes: insufferably dull band, wonderful musicians.
SLVB - wonderful singers, drecky material, whatever the subject.
Posted by: Mitch at April 24, 2004 07:17 PMOkay, now there are two people in the entire world who like Afternoon Delight. I know music is a subjective-taste thing, but, honestly, there is some dreck that is objectively bad. Sorry, but Afternoon Delight is such a number.
Posted by: James Ph. at April 24, 2004 08:51 PMI remembered that Starland Vocal Band won a grammy in 1977 for best new artist because of this song.
I found this site with a listing of all of the grammy winners:
http://www.rockonthenet.com/grammy/newartist.htm
I remember this era having some really bad music, but not THIS bad:
1977: Starland Vocal Band ("Afternoon Delight")
1978: Debby Boone ("You Light Up My Life")
1979: A Taste Of Honey ("Boogie Oogie Oogie")
(Had to Google that one, and now I remember the song, unfortunately.)
1980: Rikki Lee Jones ("Chuckie's in love again")
(Interesting - LGF has first hit for her name)
1981: Christopher Cross
1982: Sheena Easton ("Morning Train (Nine To Five")Remember? 'My ba-by takes the morning TRAIN, he works from 9 to 5 and THEN ....'
Will JB Doubtless like these songs also?
Posted by: Steve Meyer at April 25, 2004 12:19 AMUh, Steve ... unfortunately, I remember ALL of those, and I think I have all of them on 45 somewhere in my 800-disc collection.
"I'm going to boogie oogie oogie 'til I just can't boogie no more ... boogie no mooooooore ... listen to the bass play ..."
I'll be spending the rest of the day in a dark room where I can't hurt anyone else, in case you're looking for me.
Posted by: Captain Ed at April 26, 2004 06:39 AMEd,
I feel yer pain
I remember all of them too (result of spending my formative years in radio). It's not pleasant.
The worst part - hearing the Ramones and the Clash being used in commercials. Seeing Roger Daltrey doing "Classic Rock" infomercials. Realizing that "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" is turning 30 years old. Realizing that this fall, "The Pretenders" and "London Calling" will both be 25 years old.
Posted by: mitch at April 26, 2004 08:00 AM