PAUL MCCARTNEY, ‘COLD CUTS’ (CUSTOM 8-TRACK, 1971-79) Paul’s own collection of ’70s gems slipped through the cracks to become a bootleg and a homemade 8-track. Who’s the artist? Sir Paul McCartney, CH, MBE, ex-Beatle, pop half of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting … Continue reading →
CAT STEVENS, SONNY & CHER, BEE GEES REISSUES (1971-78) In which enterprising labels exploit ’70s superstars by repackaging their ’60s recordings — some good, some bad. Cat Stevens, Very Young and Early Songs (1971). At the end of 1971, Cat … Continue reading →
The Boomtown Rats released their second LP, A Tonic For The Troops, in the summer of 1978. The record featured three Top 20 singles; “She’s So Modern” (UK #12), “Like Clockwork” (UK #6), and “Rat Trap” (UK #1). Below you’ll … Continue reading →
THE RUTLES (ALBUM & EP, 1978) For week three of our Beatles feature, here’s the soundtrack to a spoof history of the band that’s a great retro-pop album — no joke. (Note: see my earlier 8-Trackin’ post for background on … Continue reading →
THE REALISTICS – ‘THE YEAR IN MUSIC’S GREATEST HITS’ (1978) Happy New Year! To close out the hard-to-believe 2018, here’s a set of “fake grooves” from precisely 40 years earlier. This time of the year, I’m always a sucker for … Continue reading →
‘STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL’ (TV, 1978); JEFFERSON STARSHIP, ‘GOLD’ (1979) 15 fun facts about the notorious sci-fi Christmas special and its only soundtrack release on 8-track. 1. George Lucas hates the Star Wars Holiday Special. With its dated comedy, odd … Continue reading →
‘THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW’ (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, 1975/1978) For Halloween, thirteen fun facts about the iconic, eclectic, decadent musical’s underappreciated soundtrack It’s the same old story: boy meets girl, boy gets stranded with girl, boy and girl are seduced by … Continue reading →
The Pointer Sisters “Fire” released in the fall of 1978 and originally appeared on the Energy LP. This slow-burning tune, sung by Anita Pointer and written by Bruce Springsteen, made it to #2 on the US Hot 100 in early … Continue reading →
“The group that shaped your taste in music.” Vintage commercial time! We’ve uncovered two lost spots from October 1978 for the New York City area. First up, a promo for The Stylistics performing a three-night stand at The Apollo Theatre. … Continue reading →
Black Sabbath’s “Snowblind,’ an ode to white powder, appeared on the band’s Vol 4 LP in 1972. In fact, the album was originally intended to be called Snowblind but the record company demurred, preferring to avoid controversy. Here’s Sabbath performing … Continue reading →