Colonel Abrams

Artist: Colonel Abrams

LP: 7" single
Song: "Trapped"

[ listen ]

I think this is the first time I've been jealous of pink neon tubing. But it's not just the tubing that's got Colonel Abrams trapped. As he sings here in this song (a top-ten hit in England, thought it fell mostly on dead ears in the USA), he's also trapped by the love he feels for a young woman (the tears roll from his eyes), and by the steely glares from her horribly judgmental parents (they don't think he's good enough; they want him sent to prison!). 

But it goes even deeper than that. Colonel was trapped by the expectations of others, both musical and personal (the rolling tears again). His label likely required him to endlessly repeat the exact same hit-making formula that brought him international fame...but when the formula ran dry and the money stopped pouring in, he was tossed aside like a sun-faded copy of last year's Yakima Herald Republic.

How is one supposed to earn a living after becoming an international pop star that has fizzled out and come crashing down to earth? Trapped again! Trapped even more by the high cost of rent in New York City, by the high cost of diabetes medicine, and by the difficulty of receiving adequate treatment without having a secure place to live, Colonel Abrams died—homeless, sick, and broke—on Thanksgiving Day in 2016. I just learned this today when I looked him up online. What a sad, sad end for such a handsome and talented fellow. Tears roll from my eyes. You can read the BBC's obituary for Colonel Abrams here.

[ Colonel Abrams: May 25, 1949 — November 24, 2016 ]

Spirea X

Artist: Spirea X

LP: 12" single

Song: "Chlorine Dream"

[ listen ]

The a-side of this 1991 12" single from short-lived 4AD band Spirea X has always been one of my favorite things to listen to in the springtime. It's different from the version included on the group's full-length LP—livelier, crisper, more springlike. It's one of the best 4AD releases of the '90s, if you ask me, partly also because it features bold and classy cover art made of neon lights. Sadly, I have to admit I liked the song a little bit more before reading just now that frontman Jim Beattie bragged that it was simply impossible to classify his music into any established genre of the time. He also occasionally claimed to be God, and sometimes he said he was Jesus. yawn. Silly, silly pop star. Spirea X features Beattie's girlfriend, Judith Boyle, on backing vocals. I bet it's not easy to date a guy who thinks he's Jesus.

[ Spirea X ]

Ebonee Webb

Artist: Ebonee Webb

LP: Ebonee Webb

Song: "Anybody Wanna Dance"

[ listen ]

This self-titled 1981 Ebonee Webb funk/R&B record  is one of the things I found at Culture Clash Records in Toledo, OH back at the end of July. The group released one other LP after this one, and according to their All Music.com biography here, they also released four singles between 1981 and 1983, but "none were successful." Their first unsuccessful single was "Anybody Wanna Dance," but just because it didn't do well on the charts doesn't mean the song's a flop. If you ask me, all those people who heard "Anybody Wanna Dance" back in 1981 and didn't immediately run out to buy a copy are the ones who weren't successful. You can read more about Ebonee Webb on the Soul-and-Funk Music website here.

People's Choice

Artist: People's Choice

LP: Boogie Down U.S.A.

Song: "Party Is a Groovy Thing"

[ listen ]

Party is a groovy thing, and so is this 1975 disco/funk album I found at Grooves last weekend. The large hailstorm that passed over my apartment this morning was a groovy thing too. You can find out what People's Choice is here and here:

 

Lightning

Artist: Lightning

LP: Lightning

Song: "Disco Symphony"
[ listen ]

In honor of Labor Day...a "Disco Symphony!" This 1979 LP was produced by Lewis Merenstein and Ralph Moss; cover photography by Scott Hensel; accessories by Fiorucci of Beverly Hills and Alkire; hair and make-up by Peter Alford; skates by Skate Escape.