B. J. Thomas [1942-2021]

Artist: B. J. Thomas

LP: Most Of All

Song: "Rainy Day Man"

[ listen ]

Song: "Most Of All"

[ listen ]

 

I was sad to hear today that raindrops will never again keep falling on this guy's head for the rest of time. I posted tracks from this 1970 LP back in October of 2015...but I don't have any other B. J. Thomas records, so here it is again. In "Most Of All," B. J. sings that he's at the railway station in St. Paul. I was just there! You can read the New York Times obituary for this handsome crooner here. 

B. J. Thomas

[ August 7, 1942 — May 29, 2021 ]

We will miss you, Billy Joe.

Eurythmics

Artist: Eurythmics

LP: 7" single
Song: "Who's That Girl?"

[ listen ]

When I'm delivering mail, I always feel bad when someone gets only one little item—like a Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon, or an ad from Jiffy Lube. I think I feel even worse for them than for the people who didn't get any mail at all. I imagine someone in the household asking, "Hey, did we get any mail?" And the reply, "There's just one thing!" and then the electronic percussion starts up {poom / kcch / poom-poom / kcch} and everyone begins singing: ♫ "Well there's just one thing. {poom / kcch / poom-poom / kcch} Just one thi-ing! (aieeeeye-yeeaaahh) But there's just one thing..." ♫ ...and then this Eurythmics song is stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Just in case you're wondering, it peaked at #21 on the singles charts back in summer of 1984. 

[ Eurythmics ]

Los Pasos

Artist: Los Pasos

LP: 7" single

Song: "Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero"
[ listen ]

It was my last full day in Barcelona and I was feeling melancholy. I'd rented a bike at Ajo Bike the day before so I could be swept away on a bike ride with some new Spanish friends. 

[ My Barcelona Bike ]

We rode for miles up the coast to lay on a much-less-crowded beach than the ones that are located in the heart of downtown Barcelona. 

[ My Barcelona Beach ]

We didn't get back from the beach until after 7:30pm, and since the bike shop closed at 7, I had to cram my bike into my bedroom and then still had it to use the next day. One of my favorite Spanish adventures was riding my bike alone through the early-morning cobblestone streets of downtown Barcelona. I rode to a little shop and bought some candy to take back to my colleagues at work, and also visited the post office so I could send off some postcards I'd written over the course of my vacation. The post office in Barcelona is way fancier than the one in my neighborhood back home.

[ Barcelona Post Office — Outside & Inside ]

Later that evening, it was finally time to visit the last and final record store of my trip to Spain, though it was actually a store I'd already tried going to a few days before. According to the sign on the door during my first visit, the vacation was over at 10,000 Records and they would be open from 5-8pm that evening. Of course they didn't open at 5pm, so I walked around the block. They were open when I got back at 5:15, and in I went. 

I poked around in the LP bins for a bit and found a fairly outrageous 12" single worth keeping, but then I found a group of bins full of singles tucked into the corner and, since my time was limited, I turned my focus there. A friendly fellow was running the place that evening, and he had set up a little listening station on the counter by where he was standing. I picked up a bundle of singles (nearly 10,000 I'm sure), wondering all the while how on earth I was going to get all the records I'd purchased onto the plane without paying a number of substantial bribes. (I managed somehow, of course—thank god for the heavy-duty frozen-food shopping bag I picked up in Schenectady back in 2016.) 

One of the 10,000 Records I found is this 1969 release by Los Pasos, a Spanish band that was only around from 1966 to 1972. You can read about Los Pasos on Wikipedia in Spanish and English, where their style is characterized as a delicate balance of vocal games and instrumental predominance. 

[ Los Pasos]

[ 10,000 Records — Barcelona, Spain ]

The Reds

Artist: The Reds

LP: The Reds

Song: "Whatcha' Doin' to Me" / "Not You"
[ listen ]

I'm running out of room again. I keep thinking maybe I'll get rid of some of my late-'70s post punk LPs since lots of them kinda' sound the same...but then they're all so damn good! Like this debut from The Reds on A&M Records. It was evidently a flop when it came out, since A&M dropped them like a red hot potato. Yet the music of The Reds holds up today more than just about anything that went zooming to the top of the charts in 1979. Of course The Reds released their record on green vinyl. You can read a bit about the group here and here. This one's a keeper.

[ The Reds ]

Hugo Barrington

Artist: Hugo Barrington

LP: Presenting Hugo

Song: "'Des' We 'Des'"
[ listen ]

Hugo Barrington would like to remind you that legal representation is the right of every Jamaican citizen. In other good news, even after embarking on a legal career under the name Hugh Faulkner, Hugo never gave up on his music. You can read more about Hugo Barrington's work as Executive Director of the Legal Aid Council in Jamaica here, go here to find out how he's staying connected to his music, and read his biography at the United Reggae website here.

[ Hugo Barrington in 2014 ]

Heino

 Artist: Heino

LP: Deutsche Weihnacht...und Festliche Lieder

Song: "Still Wie die Nacht" 
[ listen ]

Song: "Medly"
a. "Es ist Für uns Eine Zeit Angekommen"
b. "Kling Glöckchen, Klingelingeling"
c. "Leise Rieselt der Schnee"
[ listen ]

My favorite Christmas vinyl acquisition of the year is probably this 1974 Heino LP that I found at Golden Oldies last week. Heino strumming his guitar and booming "Klingelingeling" is his lovely baritone already puts this one over the top...but then you open the LP gate-fold sleeve and a paper Nativity pops up. Brilliant!

B.J. Thomas

Artist: B.J. Thomas

LP: Most of All

Song: "Circle 'Round the Sun" 
[ listen ]

Song: "Rainy Night In Georgia" 
[ listen ]

While weeding through my LP collection today to try to make more room, I was pretty sure this 1970 B.J. Thomas record I came across was one I'd be throwing into the discard pile. Sure, B.J. Thomas is super good-looking; you could even call him a heartthrob. But I've just been burned too many times by sexy men in fringe jackets and sunglasses—all razzle-dazzle and fizz with nothing on the inside. At my age it's hard not to judge. But I'm glad I threw it on the turntable to give it a listen first. It's gorgeous, like B.J.'s jawline. I'm even considering adding suede fringe to my wardrobe. It's that good!

Robin Gibb [1949-2012]

Artist: Robin Gibb

LP: 7" single

Song: "Boys Do Fall In Love"

[ listen ]

Yet another legend of the disco era was taken from the Earth this week, with the death of Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. I'd heard the news that Robin had been in a coma and was not likely to recover, but then just a few weeks ago it was announced on the radio that he had miraculously awakened! I had visions of Robin suddenly springing from his hospital bed and dancing around the room, like Grandpa Joe in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. I wistfully hoped he'd be sticking around for at least another decade. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be and now only one Bee Gee remains. Robin's 1984 "Boys Do Fall In Love" single peaked at #37, and was his last top 40 hit in the USA. You can read all about Robin Gibb's life and career on Wikipedia here, and go here to find his obituary in the New York Times.

Robin Gibb

[December 22, 1949 — May 20, 2012]

We will miss you, Robin.

Michel Sardou

Artist: Michel Sardou

LP: Michel Sardou

Song: "Le Temps Des Colonies"

[ don't listen ]

Michel Sardou was born on January 26, 1947 to a dancer mother and a father who owned a cabaret, so he spent much of his childhood in the cabaret or going on tour with his parents. His own career in music got started in the mid '60s, and Sardou remains one of the most popular male singers in France today. As you can see here, Wikipedia gives a rundown on Sardou's career in the '60s and then jumps ahead thirty years to the 2000s, though I think it's safe to assume he also accomplished things in the 1970s, '80s and '90s—besides getting married and divorced several times, I mean. This self-titled LP from 1976 doesn't turn up on Sardou's discography on Wikipedia or on AllMusic here, but I'm still pretty sure it exists.

Note from June 8, 2011: Though this Michel Sardou album may indeed actually exist, the copyright holder doesn't want me to let you hear any of the songs. You can pick up your own copy of the entire LP from someone in Belgium here.