June 17

Why does Paul Young get an honorary holiday today? Because Wikipedia's got 10 Paul Youngs. And particularly because the Paul Young that comes to mind of the average person on the street is the singer of such hits as "Every Time You Go Away" and "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." But this is a different Paul Young. Today's Paul Young has had an uphill battle, particularly since he passed away in 2000.
He first made a go of it when he joined the Toggery Five, a British Invasion-era band. Two of the five would eventually join Jethro Tull; Young, meanwhile, would end up struggling for another decade before he would end up at the Sad Cafe, who offered straight-ahead rock songs in the late 70's post-punk era. They put a few songs in the UK charts, before calling it a day in 1981:


By 1983, Young and his family were almost penniless, when he got offered a job as a Mechanic. Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford suddenly found the time for a solo project, so he began recruiting band members. He needed a proven, talented singer; he chose Paul Carrack. Then he decided he needed another one, and his drummer recommended Young.
Here's my favorite Mike and the Mechanics track, and its epic video:


The success of Mike and the Mechanics was the ultimate turnaround for Young; it even allowed a brief resurrection of Sad Cafe. He died in 2000, shortly after his sixth Mike and the Mechanics album. Jason Young, Paul's son, curates the Forever Young website, offering historical notes and re-release updates on the approximately twenty bands that featured the Paul Young he knew best.

April 18

Here's to pre-rock guitarist and studio legend Tony Mottola. He picked up the guitar at age 9; by World War II he was a member of the CBS Radio Orchestra, performing with such artists as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. Later, he joined the Doc Severinsen Orchestra on the Tonight Show. By then, he'd established a well-respected career in the background.

In the 50's, he began working on scores for movies and TV (his compositions for the Yul Brynner series Danger impressed studio heads enough to collect them for an album - the first ever soundtrack album for a TV show.) That began his solo career, playing the kind of breezy, easy listening that fits in well with the Ray
Coniff set, but never demanded center stage.
In fact, the closest to a chart hit he had was his rendtion of Burt Bacharach's "This Guy's in Love With You," which missed the top 20 on the 1968 East Listening charts. But some people remember it; here's a tribute performance, emulating that smooth drifting sound...

March 29

Happy Birthday to Terry Jacks, one-hit wonder with 1973's "Seasons in the Sun". An adaptation of a Jacques Brel song, "Seasons" was originally arranged for the Beach Boys, but when the band declined to record it, record producer Jacks and his (soon-to-be-ex) wife decided to record and release the song on his own label. The song became an international sensation, topping the charts in the US, Canada, and the UK.
The song is about a dying man offering farewells to friends and family (the French version is more sardonic). When you consider that he was dealing with the dissolution of his marriage and musical partnership, you wonder if those feelings informed his performance.

And you also have to wonder if his sideburns inspired the creators of Wolverine and Sabretooth.

March 30

While my neighbors lament the end of Basketball Season around here, I'm going to talk about another talented young'un who caught some bad breaks. Anna Nalick almost had a platinum album in 2005, thanks to the single "Breathe". I saw her open for Rob Thomas in Cincy, and thought she had a lot more to offer. But she's fallen off the map in the last few years. There were problems with her label and management (whom she dropped this year.) She also got married in 2008. But she supposedly has an entire album waiting out there, unreleased, still mentioned on her label-managed websites and fanpages, still anticipated by a small,fervent following..
Here's the song of hers you probably have heard:

september 30

Happy Birthday to Robby Takac, bassist for the Goo Goo Dolls. He's a busy guy when he's not with the Goos; he runs the band's recording studio, oversees his own record label, and serves on the board of trustees of his hometown college. Also, he's a Pez aficionado; he was a featured interviewee in the 2006 documentary, "PEZheads."
2010 should see a new Goo Goo Dolls album, and a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie, coincidentally. That's a good enough reason to play the Goos' song for the "Freddy's Dead" soundtrack, "I'm Awake Now"

Okay, I have no idea who Renato Zero is. He's some Italian singer that's been around forever, apparently. And if I only had this 70's TV clip to go by, I'd have to wager that Italy is one of the moons of Jupiter.

Actually, he's one of Italy's most successful pop artists. He gave up the leotards shortly after the death of glam rock. These days, he looks like Julio Iglesias with a dab of Freddie Mercury.


Happy Birthday to Ryan Stout - the stand-up comedian, not the cagefighter.
I love me some stand-up comedy; on a cross-country drive, it's better at keeping me alert than a pot of coffee. Stout's style has a Jim Gaffigan/Larry Miller vibe, if that's any help to you. Or you can watch this clip:

Live at Gotham
Ryan Stout - Labels
www.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

It's my dad's birthday, so let me feature somebody he'd dig: 80's jazz-pop starlet Basia. This Polish chanteuse had a hatful of hits before hanging up that hat in 1998. Wouldn't you know it; she's back with a new album this year!
But I'll stick with something familiar: the title track of her breakthrough slbum, Time and Tide:


Happy Birthday, Dad. And Happy Birthday to you, whenever you are...

september 19

Takanori Nishikawa, a.k.a. Takanori Makes Revolution, comes off like an anime character popped into the real world. In fact, anime’s very, very good to him. His tracks for Rurori Kenshin and Gundam SEED made him big in Japan, and the first Japanese act Sony’s pushing in North America. Here’s his original song for the Japanese soundtrack to Spiderman 2, “Web of Night.”

T.M. Revolution was married to the Yumi half of Puffy AmiYumi, but that didn’t last.

Lita Ford already has a place in rock history as lead guitarist of the Runaways, the 70’s all-girl, all-rock band. She became Queen of Metal in 1988 with her self-titled (but 4th) release, and her #1 hit, Kiss Me Deadly. After that, she married the lead singer of Nitro, cashed in her chips, and raised her family on a Caribbean island. Seriously.



Lol Crème is a creative guy. In the 70’s, he was in the band 10cc; if you still hear a 10cc song today, you’re probably shopping for groceries. Crème was not part of that half of 10cc. Crème (and I apologize for the accent that my word processor keeps adding) and Kevin Godley, who had been his bandmate for several bands now, had more art-y leanings and started their own project, Godley and Crème. Then the 80’s showed up, and they found their real niche: music videos. Their music videos became the bedrock of the MTV revolution:











That’s all I got time for… see you tomorrow!

September 12

Turns out my fellow lab rats check out the blog, so let me send some recommendations their way.

Brian, today’s birthday girl for you is Petra Marklund, or as she’s known on dance floors around the world, September. I say, ‘around the world’, as opposed to ‘in the U.S.’ But she’s perfect for you; she looks like Jamie Pressley, sounds like Lady Gaga, and she’s from the Land Where Disco Never Died, Sweden.

We’re past due for another Swedish pop infusion…

Martee, you’re the Man. And I’m not just saying that because the last guy that upset you enough, you had words and he was never seen again… Nah, it’s because you’ve expanded my musical horizons.
So, let’s see if we can get some attention for Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. If you’re into country music these days, there’s no need for introductions. They’ve been on the country charts for the last four and a half years But here’s a chance to set things straight about “Stay,” the band’s first platinum single.

She didn’t write it about herself. Her story is, she was inspired by a Reba McEntire song, another song from the perspective of the cheated-on wife, and wondered what the point of view of ‘the other woman’ was...

CJ, it’s my turn to school you about a rapper, and I’ll try to avoid embarrassing myself by mangling urban grammer. Bizzy Bone’s 33 today, and back in the Bone Thugz fold, trying to get their reunion album, The worlds enemy, released. For now, they're touring, playing clubs and restaurant openings...

Did you know he was on America’s Most Wanted? As a child, he and his sisters were abducted by an ex-stepfather, and went missing for two years. In 1983, a TV-movie about the abduction of Adam Walsh was broadcast, followed by pictures of children abducted, including young Bizzy. A neighbor called the police, and Bizzy was reunited with his mother.
This month, Bizzy Bone and friends have released a mixtape (or two) You can get it at his website, BizzyBone.Us.

Val, your mixtapes prove how musically adventurous you are (not to mention, you actually read this blog; kudos!) Let me tune you in to Larry LaLonde, who is not just celebrating his birthday, but 20 years as the guitarist for Primus, which are still together – just taking things reeeeeelly easy. Having acknowledged your voluminous musical tastes, it’s not easy to pick a tune for your perusal. I mean, from modern country to Rasputina to the Gorillaz…
Wait! That’s it!

Finally, Heather, you’ve been open minded to everyone’s musical temperaments. But at heart, I know you’re a sentimentalist, and you’re celebrating your wedding anniversary this weekend, so let me offer to you one of the most romantic songs that birthday boy Ben Folds ever put to tape.

Makes you want to get married all over again, doesn’t it?

That’s my shout-out to my co-workers at the lab. Tomorrow: the age old battle between Disco and Metal continues...