Keith

Artist: Keith

LP: Out of Crank
Song: "Sugar Man"

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Song: "Happy Walking Around"

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Let this be a lesson to us all. If you want to become a household name as a musical superstar who goes by a single-name moniker, select something zippy—like Prince, Madonna, or Cher—and not like "Keith." He didn't stand a chance. He might as well have called himself "Larry" or "Steve." 

Keith did manage to eek out one top ten hit though, when "98.6" went to #7 back in 1966. (As we learn from Wikipedia, "(the) title relates to the normal human body temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.") Keith's 1967 "Out of Crank" LP didn't chart at all, and he left the music industry for nearly 20 years after his third effort, released in 1969, also failed to make any impact. You can read more about Keith here. The good news is that he's still going strong and performs live dates locally! (I've included a more recent Keith photo below. He's looking good! Kinda' like Robert DeNiro meets Daryl Hannah in SPLASH.)

The other good news is that I found this terrific (and terrificly underappreciated) LP at Daybreak Records earlier this week. I'm not well today. The daily temperature in Seattle seems to have dropped by about 30° and my own body temperature feels like it's way below 98.6 (the normal human body temperature in degrees Fahrenheit). I made some hot soup, but all I wanted to do once I put it in a bowl is hold it in my cold, tired hands! Anyway, Keith certainly makes a lovely soundtrack for trying-to-stay-warm misery on a chilly-but-lovely early autumn afternoon.

 

[ Keith ]

a-ha

Artist: a-ha

LP: 7" single

Song: "Take On Me"
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So I'm heading off to Norway, where I hope to meet up with a-ha. I've done some research so I'll be sure to have things to talk about when we're together...but I think the hardest part will be getting connected with them in the first place.

I'm not holding my breath for a date with Mags, since he likes The Beatles and The Doors, loves junk food, goes wind-surfing and doesn't have a favorite author. He's obviously straight. But a date with Pål or Morten is not out of the question. Pål's favorite music is Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow," which is code, you know. And Morten enjoys growing orchids and still adores his mother's cooking! So basically, I'm going to pontificate loudly in several popular Oslo cafes about my fascination with writer Knut Hamsun, expounding as well on my love of goat cheese and the early music of Judy Garland. I'll also be asking around to see if anyone knows where I could pick up some fresh, locally-grown orchids. This will surely result in an introduction to the fellows in a-ha, since there just aren't that many people in Norway to begin with!

I'm bringing my promo-only 7" single of a-ha's international smash hit "Take On Me" with me to Norway so I can get it autographed. The video for the song was way ahead of its time in offering a warning about becoming too absorbed in comic book fantasies, about choosing to live vicariously through romantic and agreeable made-up drawings instead of facing the real world that's filled with real people who can sometimes be difficult and who have emotional baggage and all that. It's been a while since I've actually seen the video, but here's a play-by-play, as best I can remember, using the inserts that accompany my promo single as a guide:

A moderately-attractive young blonde woman from the '80s is habitually engrossed in the comic-book adventures of her favorite dashing young hero, who is a little on the reckless side and looks a lot like the lead singer of a-ha.

Suddenly her charcoal-drawing heartthrob reaches out from the pages before her and beckons her to join him in his next thrilling adventure! Could she be dreaming? True, she had just taken three Tylenol-pm capsules followed by a large glass of Merlot, but she had nothing planned for that afternoon anyway, so why not accept the invitation? What has she got to lose?

First, she cheers her hero on at an exciting motorcycle race, with contestants hitting speeds at least 30km/hr over what is generally considered a safe speed of travel on the roadway. He won! They celebrate with champagne.

Swept up in the thrill of victory, our hero and his new heroine embrace, their faces close and warm. They don't pull away. What are these feelings? Could it be love? The post-race awards banquet begins; the melodies of the popular local Norwegian party band sweep over them.

But there's something standing between them. "We're from different worlds!" they agonize together in unison. "It's just not possible that..." Their attention turns to the harshly-drawn character, still in racing gear, who approaches them. It's the guy who came in next to last! He's none to pleased with the way the race's handsome victor is carrying on!

They are in danger! They are pursued. They flee! "Look out, he's got a wrench!"

Just as they are about to meet an untimely demise, our heroine tumbles through a portal that leads back to the real world from which she came. But where is her fantasy lover!? I don't remember how, but somehow she drags him through the portal too. He beats himself against a wall a few times which turns him into a real boy—albeit one with little-to-no experience with the real world or how it operates. That's just the way she likes them! They live happily ever after—or at least they share an apartment for several years before things turn sour and he runs off to Paris to pursue a music career, while she stays behind with her collection of comic books and a bottle of gin.

[ a-ha ]

Alive 'N Kickin'

Artist: Alive 'N Kickin'

LP: Alive 'N Kickin'

Song: "Just Let It Come"
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The sun is finally shining in Seattle, and it feels like spring! I even heard a songbird outside my kitchen window yesterday morning. Here's a happy tune to commemorate this joyous occasion, though it's not actually warm enough to go frolicking in the surf at our local area beaches. 

Alive 'N Kickin' were friends with Tommy James, so they were signed to Roulette, the same label he and his Shondells were on. A 'n K had a hit in 1970 with "Tighter Tighter," which went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and then they released this, their only LP, that very same year. Their follow-up single, "Just Let It Come," stalled out at #69 and they haven't been seen on the charts ever since. The group split up in 1971, but some members do reunite from time to time, as you can see here. You can go here to read more about Alive 'N Kickin' on Wikipedia. This is another one of the things I picked up at Black Dots Records in Buffalo, New York last September on my trip.

Kajagoogoo

Artist: Kajagoogoo

LP: 12" single

Song: "Hang On Now" 
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Oh, look. Here's an example now of the used-record store 'free-poster-inside' false-advertising swindle:

Still, the song is pretty damn good, and I'm digging the colorful Harold Lloyd cover adaptation, which is a lot more interesting than the gray-scale cover for the British 7" release, so I guess I still got my money's worth. There are lots of different Kajagoogoo posters to peruse online, but none of them claim to be the one that was initially offered with the purchase of this 12" single. I just hope the free poster I'm being denied isn't this one of Kajagoogoo lead singer Limahl. 

[ "Ooh to Be Ah" ]

The very definition of the one-hit-wonder in the USA, Kajagoogoo was a four-hit-wonder in the UK. Their debut LP, produced by Nick Rhodes and Duran Duran producer Colin Thurston, was a great success when released in 1983. But success was ultimately Kajagoogoo's ruin, with Limahl being forced out of the group by the other fellows at the end of '83 and the remaining guys pulling the plug on the band just a few years later. The good news is the original Kajagoogoo has reunited, making more music together since 2007! Read more about Kajagoogoo here, find out how their handful of hits fared on the various singles charts of the world by visiting their discography page here, and go here to read Limahl's thoughts on being an 'out' gay '80s pop icon. You can also visit the official Kajagoogoo website, where you'll hear, inexplicably, a short instrumental interpretation of "Jingle Bells."

 

 

[ Kajagoogoo ]

Ian Lloyd & Stories

Artist: Ian Lloyd & Stories

LP: Traveling Underground

Song: "If It Feels Good, Do It" 
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Song: "Traveling Underground" 
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Stories founder Ian Lloyd was reportedly exasperated when his group's cover of "Brother Louie" shot to the top of the US singles charts back in 1973. The song didn't at all represent the direction he wanted his band to be going in! That must have been awful. So frustrating. I can't even imagine! (The Stories version is good, but of course the original by Hot Chocolate is even better.) "Brother Louie" was Stories' only single to enter the top 40, though two subsequent releases from their 1973 follow-up LP, "Traveling Underground," climbed into the Billboard Hot 100. "Mammy Blue" reached #50 and "If It Feels Good, Do It" peaked at #88. Stories' final single, "Another Love," is a bisexual's urgent plea for a little understanding from his lady friend. "There's a part of me you know nothing of...every door can swing both ways." The song failed to chart. All this and a whole lot more can be found on Wikipedia here. I love it when sexy long-haired '70s rockers pose for record covers without any shirts on.

Delegation

 Artist: Delegation

LP: Delegation

Song: "Blue Girl" 
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Here's a lovely blue tune for a grey-blue autumn morning in Seattle. Formed in the UK in 1975, Delegation is considered a "one-hit-wonder" in the USA (their 1978 single "Oh Honey" went to #6 on the Billboard R&B singles charts and #45 on the Hot 100). The group's initial lineup included Rickey Bailey, Len Coley and Roddy Harris, but by the time this self-titled LP was released in 1980, only Bailey remained from the original trio. Bruce Dunbar and Ray Peterson had taken the places of Coley and Harris, respectively. There's a neat photo of Delegation here, but I have a hunch it's the earlier incarnation of the band. (Those guys look way more "1978" than "1980," don't you think?) You can read more about Delegation on Wikipedia here.

Michael Sembello

Artist: Michael Sembello

LP: Bossa Nova Hotel
Song: "Automatic Man"
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2008 marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Michael Sembello's highly controversial, career-ending LP, "Bossa Nova Hotel." Fresh off the success of his #1 hit single "Maniac" from the Flashdance soundtrack, Sembello was reportedly feeling professionally invincible when he decided to stick two floating, oiled-up new-wave heartthrobs engaging in light incidental groping on the cover his first full-length LP.

One of the figures wears a diaper and features a Jesus-like piercing of his left side, while the other has a large chain holding two small green sacks draped around his neck. Nobody could tell for sure what it all meant, but they knew that it wasn't right. As Sembello's follow-up single, "Automatic Man," stalled at #34 on the U.S. charts, a mob of conservative watchdogs attacked his home in Laguna Hills, California in the middle of the night. Running for his life, Sembello fled the country with nothing but some jeans, a photo album, a tennis racquet and two pairs of pajamas.

After cutting a zigzag pattern southward through Mexico, Sembello landed a job teaching European cooking at one of Guatemala's top universities. In 1994, Sembello hooked up with a 4-piece Latin jazz combo known as Los Pesados, and can still be found with them on Monday and Thursday nights performing "Maniac" and a roster of Spanish-language pop standards at Guatemala City's popular Café del Arco.