One of my recent afflictions is the inability to get songs out of my head (is it OCD or Old Age?). All I have to do is hear a stray chord from, say, "Rubber Band Man" on my coworker's radio, and (I can Name That Tune in one note) I'm stuck listening to the whole song over and over again in my brain, til another comes along to take its place. And this station plays Margaritaville EVERY SINGLE DAY, and WAY too much Fleetwood Mac. The strangulated sound of Stevie Nicks' voice makes me want to pierce my eardrums with a knitting needle. But I digress.
Anyway, yesterday I found myself thinking about Helen Reddy. So I did a quick search, and there it was, her official web site. Yes, she's still alive and a "practicing hypnotherapist" in Australia, near Sydney. "I Am Woman" plays while I peruse lots of photos and the promotion of her autobiography, "The Woman I Am," which I promptly reserved at the library, and the latest greatest hits CD. She doesn't look much like her glam shots from the 70s, but I think there's something to be said for just growing old the way we're intended to. I was appalled to see recent photos of Barbara Eden, who still looks much like she did back in the Jeannie days, but her skin is so taught and shiny you could bounce a quarter on it. Plus she has this one droopy looking lip going on that kinda gives it all away...but I digress.
SO. Last night in a feverish fit of nostalgia, I dug through my CDs, which had been packed up when I put the house up for sale (that's another story), and selected my Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits, along with Boz Scaggs' Greatest Hits, and America's "Horse with no Name," another greatest hits compilation, thankfully without the inclusion of "Muskrat Love." I haven't listened to much music during the past few years, since I evolved from my techno phase and got sick of Partridge Family tunes for the second time around (yes, I admit it; I actually have remastered CD versions of most of the Partridge Family albums).
I've always been a fan of one hit wonders. My absolute FAVE was Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Remember that annoying "Billy Don't be a Hero" song? (HA! Now YOU can suffer like I do--I'll bet you my David Cassidy Fan Club certificate that you'll be hearing THAT one all day!). They had a couple of other songs that I really dug, songs I'll bet YOU'VE never heard of, like "Who Do You Think You Are?," "Don't Ever Look Back," and "Deeper and Deeper." These songs are Vintage bubble gum, chartmaking singles and, in MY humble opinion, truly should have elevated this band beyon OHW status. Bo Donaldson was cute and multi-talented. I clearly remember being awed watching him playing a keyboard with one hand and a trumpet with the other on the late Bob McAllister's "Wonderama." But I was in love with Mike Gibbons, the lead singer. Actually it was his voice I was in love with, typical 70's, Bobby Sherman meets Rob Grill (The Grass Roots, think "Temptation Eyes").
On a whim, I typed "Bo Donaldson" into my Yahoo search engine, and there they were. www.bodonaldson.com , the Official Web Site. The Official promo shot shows five 50-somethings with short hair and dorky suits--Bo's blazer is fire engine red (the rest are black, unmatched), their last known gig on New Year's Eve in (where else) Las Vegas. Bo is still kinda cute, but alas, the Voice, Mike Gibbons, is no longer with the band. But they now have a Greatest Hits CD AND an Official Newsletter. I looked around to make sure no one was watching, signed up for the newsletter, and ordered the CD but stopped short of buying a T-shirt and an autographed band photo. I can admit this stuff here because no one will ever read it. It's as good as writing it in a little pink diary with a lock you can open with your fingernail.
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4 comments:
From Phil:
HAHAHAHA! Excellent! I do remember "Who Do You Thi... HAHAHAHA! Excellent! I do remember "Who Do You Think You Are"... I actually have a very soft spot for 70s bubblegum music... Allow me to remind you of a few you missed:
• Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat - The DeFranco Family
• Run, Joey, Run - David Geddes
• Yummy Yummy Yummy – Ohio Express
• Saturday Night – The Bay City Rollers (S-A-TUR-DAY-NIGHT!)
• Runaround Sue (remake) – Leif Garrett
• Don’t Give Up On Us, Baby – David Soul
• Let Her In – John Travolta (first cash-in of his Kotter fame, pre-Grease, before he learned to sing)
Don't forget all that great Bobby Sherman stuff too; Seattle, Julie Do Ya Love Me?, Little Woman, Easy Come, Easy Go...
And don’t forget the Osmond Brothers, and Donny’s early solo stuff... Down By The Lazy River, One Bad Apple, Love Me For a Reason...
Jackson 5, anyone? Perhaps too cool for bubblegum, but there was ABC, I Want You Back, The Love You Save...
The Monkees? I’m a Believer was great (penned by Neil Diamond), I’m Not Your Stepping Stone, Daydream Believer (written by John Stewart of Kingston Trio fame)
Do we dare talk The Archies? Awwwww, Sugar Sugar.... :)
I, too, have all the PF stuff; much to the chagrin of my lovely bride... (Echo Valley 2-6809 is my favorite...)
Closer to actual pop, but still nice and gummi, was Andy Gibb; couple of great tunes from him, I Just Want To Be Your Everything, and Love Is Thicker Than Water...
Can’t count The Bee Gees though; they were seminal to disco’s renaissance in the late 70s...
Yummy Yummy Yummy is all about the oral sex to the point it's downright filthy.
How could you miss "Shannon," "Wildfire," and "Jackie Blue?" The list just goes on and on....
I have forever labeled all these songs "pool music," if you remember the Fallston Club. It's still there, too.
Now, now, kiddies, it wasn't my intention to be all-inclusive here! I just LOVED Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods and was surprised there was anyone else on the planet that remembered them, much less an "official web site!"
As for Fallston swim club music, "Money," "Reelin' in the Years," BTO and Alice Cooper come to mind...
Well, reading this and the comments has given me a load of earworms I'll be trying to shake all day!
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