Bandolero

Artist: Bandolero

LP: 7" single

Song: "Paris Latino"

[ listen ]

Somebody recently dumped a bunch of their 1983 Spanish pop and new-wave 45s at Jive Time, so I picked up a few of those too when I traded in my records last weekend. My favorite is probably Bandolero's dance/rap single "Paris Latino," which whizzed up to #2 on the Swiss pop charts and cracked the top 20 in Belgium and Holland.

Lane Caudell

Artist: Lane Caudell

LP: 7" single

Song: "Hanging On a Star"

[ listen ]

Along with creating more shelf space for the LPs currently being stored on my living room floor, one of my favorite things about weeding out my old albums is the stuff I acquire in trade when I finally haul a load of vinyl off to the record store. I took in three bags-full over the weekend, and went home with just a few carefully-selected gems in trade. One of them was this perfect little pop single called "Hanging On a Star" from the 1978 movie of the same name. 

 

If you missed it in theaters, maybe you saw it on VHS.

There's not a lot of information about actor/singer Lane Caudell on the web, but we do know that, at one time, he was one of the regular heart-breakers on the long-running daytime soap opera "Days of Our Lives." 

While there's no documented proof that Lane Caudell ever actually knew how to ride a horse, we do know that he often enjoys wearing the trademark accoutrements of the all-American cowboy. We also know that he enjoys relaxing with a glass of red wine and a bubble bath, often simultaneously, after a hard day's work. 

As for posterity, Lane has at least one son, Toran, who evidently inherited his father's penchant for wanting to be pinned to the insides of middle school lockers throughout the United States of America and beyond. 

  [ Toran Caudell, son of Lane ]

You can find a few more biographical bits on IMDB here, but you'll have to become Lane's Facebook friend if you want to know anything more.

Luv'

Artist: Luv'

LP: With Luv'

Song: "You're the Greatest Lover"

[ listen ]

Today the sun was brightly shining, I didn't have to go to work, I rode the bike out to get coffee and donuts and, in case you haven't heard, the Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl! And I don't even CARE about football! This Luv' song somehow made the perfect soundtrack for a rare gem of a day like today. It's been stuck in my head for hours. If you listen to just one pop song at top volume while driving on the freeway in your car in 2014, I recommend this one. You will not be disappointed.

The Gaylords

Artist: The Gaylords

LP: That's Amore

Song: "That's Amore"

[ listen ]

What better way to start off a New Year where gay people can get married in Utah (of all places...it was nice while it lasted) than with The Gaylords! Formed in Detroit in 1949 as a trio (an amore triangle, perhaps?), the group was whittled down to a duo sometime before this album full of Italian hits came out. You can read about The Gaylords musical group (not to be confused with the Chicago street gang) here and here, but nothing in the information I found indicates whether or not these fellows are actually "friends of Dorothy," if you know what I mean. One has to wonder after seeing the (heart-shaped) photo on the back of the album, where it's pretty clear The Gaylords both conveniently forgot to ask female dates to the prom.

[ The Gaylords, in triangle formation. ]