200 Favourite Music Acts. Today: #158: LITTLE RICHARD. Continues tomorrow.

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200

FAVOURITE

MUSIC ACTS

#158

LITTLE RICHARD

Little Richard was born Richard Penniman in 1932, in Macon, Georgia. He is 1 of the principal architects of rock 'n roll. Not only did he help shape its sound, but his flamboyant and unique look paved the way for artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson and James Brown.

His rock piano style was a fusion of gospel and New Orleans rhythm and blues. Specialty signed him up in the 1950s. After many flops, he finally scored a hit with the 1955 single "Tutti Frutti". The disc reached #2 on the US R&B Chart. Numerous seminal rock classics followed, including: "Long Tall Sally", "Lucille", "Slippin' And Slidin'" and "Good Golly Miss Molly". 

Richard appeared in many rock films such as 'The Girl Can't Help It'. In 1957, while on tour in Australia, he quit rock 'n roll to enrol in Bible college. 

In the 1960s, The Beatles covered some of his songs on the group's early albums. By this time, Richard was back as a rock performer. Jimi Hendrix was briefly a member of his band. 

Little Richard has outlived most of his rock 'n roll contemporaries: Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and (most recently) Chuck Berry.

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159 HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES

160 CHRIS ISAAK

161 MICHAEL McDONALD

162 GLORIA GAYNOR

163 TWENTY ONE PILOTS

164 BEN E. KING

165 MEAT LOAF

166 JAMES REYNE

167 JOAN ARMATRADING

168 SADE

169 A-HA

170 GLEN CAMPBELL

171 DIRE STRAITS

172 COLD CHISEL

173 LINDA RONSTADT

174 ANTHONY CALLEA

175 LISA STANSFIELD

176 EN VOGUE

177 MICHAEL BUBLE`

178 TRACY CHAPMAN

179 DRAGON

180 OLETA ADAMS

181 LITTLE RIVER BAND

182 SOPHIE ELLIS – BEXTOR

183 THE RONETTES

184 CERRONE

185 MODELS

186 SCISSOR SISTERS

187 DARREN HAYES

188 PETULA CLARK

189 MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

190 LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY

191 ART GARFUNKEL

192 THE REELS

193 JANIS IAN

194 JOHN PAUL YOUNG

195 S CLUB 7

196 CHARLIE PUTH

197 THE MARVELETTES

198 ICEHOUSE

199 LEO SAYER

200 LIZA MINNELLI

200 SONGS WITH THE BEST LYRICS. This post: #121: THERE IS POWER IN A UNION Continues: tomorrow.

CAFFE` LATTE` PRESENTS

200 SONGS

WITH THE

BEST LYRICS

A countdown of the 200 songs possessing the best lyrics of all-time. A playlist on spotify will be added at the end of the week.

#121

THERE IS POWER IN A UNION

“…There is power in a factory, 

power in the land, 

power in the hand of a worker. 

It all amounts to nothing 

if together we don’t stand.

There is power in a union ...”

Billy Bragg conveys the message that there is strength in unity on his self-penned "There Is Power In A Union". The song covers workers of all types and stresses the point that individually we are weak, but there is strength in numbers. He reminds us that historically, workers have been cheated and exploited by greedy bosses. 

The track was included on Bragg's 1986 album 'Talking With The Taxman About Poetry'. Bragg wrote the song based on a traditional arrangement.

As new songs are covered on this blog, a definitive version will be added to a spotify playlist. Find it and the other Caffé Latté playlists at:

https://open.spotify.com/user/alanrosscaffelatte

spotify:user:alanrosscaffelatte

200 Favourite Music Acts. Today: #159: HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES. Continues tomorrow.

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200

FAVOURITE

MUSIC ACTS

#160

HAROLD MELVIN & 

THE BLUE NOTES

While many music fans may be unfamiliar with the group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, they would have heard at least 1 of the songs they originally recorded. These soul classics include: "Don't Leave Me This Way", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "Wake Up Everybody" and "The Love I Lost". 

Melvin formed the 1st line-up of The Blue Notes in 1954. In this early incarnation, he took on lead vocal duties. Teddy Pendergrass was added as lead singer in the early 1970s. The group signed to Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1972. That year, the group achieved its 1st R&B Chart #1 with "If You Don't Know Me By Now", which later was a pop #1 hit in 1989 for Simply Red. In 1973, the group topped the Soul Chart with "The Love I Lost". The group enjoyed 2 more chart toppers in 1975: "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon" (with Sharon Paige) and "Wake Up Everybody". 

Pendergrass quit in 1976. The group persevered for decades in various combinations. Melvin had a stroke from which he did not recover. He died in 1997.

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161 CHRIS ISAAK

162 MICHAEL McDONALD

163 TWENTY ONE PILOTS

164 BEN E. KING

165 MEAT LOAF

166 JAMES REYNE

167 JOAN ARMATRADING

168 SADE

169 A-HA

170 GLEN CAMPBELL

171 DIRE STRAITS

172 COLD CHISEL

173 LINDA RONSTADT

174 ANTHONY CALLEA

175 LISA STANSFIELD

176 EN VOGUE

177 MICHAEL BUBLE`

178 TRACY CHAPMAN

179 DRAGON

180 OLETA ADAMS

181 LITTLE RIVER BAND

182 SOPHIE ELLIS – BEXTOR

183 THE RONETTES

184 CERRONE

185 MODELS

186 SCISSOR SISTERS

187 DARREN HAYES

188 PETULA CLARK

189 MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

190 LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY

191 ART GARFUNKEL

192 THE REELS

193 JANIS IAN

194 JOHN PAUL YOUNG

195 S CLUB 7

196 CHARLIE PUTH

197 THE MARVELETTES

198 ICEHOUSE

199 LEO SAYER

200 LIZA MINNELLI

200 SONGS WITH THE BEST LYRICS. This post: #122: HOTEL CALIFORNIA. Continues: tomorrow.

CAFFE` LATTE` PRESENTS

200 SONGS

WITH THE

BEST LYRICS

A countdown of the 200 songs possessing the best lyrics of all-time. A playlist on spotify will be added at the end of the week.

#122

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

“…You can check out any time you like, 

but you can never leave...”

Marking America's bicentennial in 1976, The Eagles unleashed the 'Hotel California' album. Its title track followed the LP to #1. The lyrics were penned by members Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

The song "Hotel California" remains a lyrical puzzle. It includes references to a lifestyle of excess and plenty of allegory. Its literal story commences with a man driving his car along a desert highway. Growing weary, he decides to stop overnight at a hotel. A woman greets him. His instincts foresee that "this could be Heaven or this could be Hell". From here, events take a strange turn.

As new songs are covered on this blog, a definitive version will be added to a spotify playlist. Find it and the other Caffé Latté playlists at:

https://open.spotify.com/user/alanrosscaffelatte

spotify:user:alanrosscaffelatte

200 Favourite Music Acts. Today: #160: CHRIS ISAAK. Continues tomorrow.

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mix-tapes on Spotify

A new playlist has been added to spotify, featuring:

The  Caffé Latté

200

FAVOURITE

MUSIC ACTS

#161

CHRIS ISAAK

Despite being born in California, Chris Isaak is a modern ambassador for the rockabilly / country and rock traditions of Sun Records and, in particular, Roy Orbison. 

Isaak was born in 1956. While in college, he formed the band Silvertone. The group evolved into his backing musicians. In 1985, his debut album 'Silvertone' was issued. A single, entitled "Dancin'", dented the Australian chart. "Blue Hotel" widened his fan base. This single was on his self-titled 2nd album. 

In the meantime, Isaak pursued his acting aspirations in films and his own TV series. One project, the David Lynch- directed 'Wild At Heart', turned "Wicked Game" into a worldwide hit in 1990. 

Isaak has enjoyed other chart hits, including "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" which benefitted from exposure in the film 'Eyes Wide Shut'.

The singer / songwriter / guitarist continues touring the world and recording new music. In 2015, he became a judge on the TV talent show "The X Factor Australia".

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162 MICHAEL McDONALD

163 TWENTY ONE PILOTS

164 BEN E. KING

165 MEAT LOAF

166 JAMES REYNE

167 JOAN ARMATRADING

168 SADE

169 A-HA

170 GLEN CAMPBELL

171 DIRE STRAITS

172 COLD CHISEL

173 LINDA RONSTADT

174 ANTHONY CALLEA

175 LISA STANSFIELD

176 EN VOGUE

177 MICHAEL BUBLE`

178 TRACY CHAPMAN

179 DRAGON

180 OLETA ADAMS

181 LITTLE RIVER BAND

182 SOPHIE ELLIS – BEXTOR

183 THE RONETTES

184 CERRONE

185 MODELS

186 SCISSOR SISTERS

187 DARREN HAYES

188 PETULA CLARK

189 MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

190 LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY

191 ART GARFUNKEL

192 THE REELS

193 JANIS IAN

194 JOHN PAUL YOUNG

195 S CLUB 7

196 CHARLIE PUTH

197 THE MARVELETTES

198 ICEHOUSE

199 LEO SAYER

200 LIZA MINNELLI

200 SONGS WITH THE BEST LYRICS. This post: #123: ARMY DREAMERS. Continues: tomorrow.

CAFFE` LATTE` PRESENTS

200 SONGS

WITH THE

BEST LYRICS

A countdown of the 200 songs possessing the best lyrics of all-time. A playlist on spotify will be added at the end of the week.

#123

ARMY DREAMERS

“…Mourning in the aerodrome, 

the weather warmer, 

he is colder. 

Four men in uniform 

to carry home 

my little soldier...”

Kate Bush possess a unique approach to her songwriting. Her quirky verses add intrigue. Her 1980 album 'Never For Ever' featured the single "Army Dreamers".

The track deals with war and the waste of lives involved. Sung from the perspective of a grieving mother, the song begins with her greeting her lifeless son. As she retraces his short life, she searches for other options he might have pursued: rock star, politician or father. The bereaved mother realizes her son's choices in life were limited, but this brings her little comfort when faced with the futility of war.

As new songs are covered on this blog, a definitive version will be added to a spotify playlist. Find it and the other Caffé Latté playlists at:

https://open.spotify.com/user/alanrosscaffelatte

spotify:user:alanrosscaffelatte

200 Favourite Music Acts. Today: #161: MICHAEL McDONALD. Continues tomorrow.

Caffe` Latte`

mix-tapes on Spotify

A new playlist has been added to spotify, featuring:

The  Caffé Latté

200

FAVOURITE

MUSIC ACTS

#162

MICHAEL McDONALD

American singer / songwriter Michael McDonald was born in 1952 and has enjoyed success as a soloist as well as a member of The Doobie Brothers and a session musician for Steely Dan. 

In the late 1970s, he took the wheel, driving The Doobies to a commercial peak with the award-winning US #1 single "What A Fool Believes". Doing so, McDonald injected blue-eyed soul into the band's sound.

In 1982, The Doobie Brothers split. McDonald continued as a session musician. His vocals were featured on tracks by Christopher Cross, Donna Summer and Kenny Loggins. 

That same year, McDonald released his solo debut LP ''If That's What It Takes'. It contained his 1st solo hit "I Keep Forgettin'". 

A collaboration with James Ingram entitled "Yah Mo B There" followed in 1983. Another duet, "On My Own" with Patti Labelle, reached #1 in 1986. "Sweet Freedom" also made Top 10 that year.

Later years saw McDonald sign with the legendary Motown label. He has recorded albums comprised of Motown covers as well as Christmas albums.

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163 TWENTY ONE PILOTS

164 BEN E. KING

165 MEAT LOAF

166 JAMES REYNE

167 JOAN ARMATRADING

168 SADE

169 A-HA

170 GLEN CAMPBELL

171 DIRE STRAITS

172 COLD CHISEL

173 LINDA RONSTADT

174 ANTHONY CALLEA

175 LISA STANSFIELD

176 EN VOGUE

177 MICHAEL BUBLE`

178 TRACY CHAPMAN

179 DRAGON

180 OLETA ADAMS

181 LITTLE RIVER BAND

182 SOPHIE ELLIS – BEXTOR

183 THE RONETTES

184 CERRONE

185 MODELS

186 SCISSOR SISTERS

187 DARREN HAYES

188 PETULA CLARK

189 MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

190 LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY

191 ART GARFUNKEL

192 THE REELS

193 JANIS IAN

194 JOHN PAUL YOUNG

195 S CLUB 7

196 CHARLIE PUTH

197 THE MARVELETTES

198 ICEHOUSE

199 LEO SAYER

200 LIZA MINNELLI

200 SONGS WITH THE BEST LYRICS. This post: #124: FIRE AND RAIN. Continues: tomorrow.

CAFFE` LATTE` PRESENTS

200 SONGS

WITH THE

BEST LYRICS

A countdown of the 200 songs possessing the best lyrics of all-time. A playlist on spotify will be added at the end of the week.

#124

FIRE AND RAIN

“…I walked out this morning

 & I wrote down this song, 

I just can’t remember

 who to send it to...”

James Taylor's breakthrough hit was "Fire And Rain". Issued in early 1970, the song deals with the suicide of a close friend and the protagonist's personal struggles.

The track was lifted off the American singer / songwriter's 2nd album 'Sweet Baby James'. In America, Canada and Australia, the ballad reached the Top 10. Taylor drew inspiration from his personal life for the lyrics.

As new songs are covered on this blog, a definitive version will be added to a spotify playlist. Find it and the other Caffé Latté playlists at:

https://open.spotify.com/user/alanrosscaffelatte

spotify:user:alanrosscaffelatte