30 May 2012 - Great White - Rock Me

Ahhh yes, time for another Hair Metal Thursday.

While Great White lacked the makeup wearing skills of their peers, they certainly had the hair to hang with the best of 'em. Here's the big hit from their third record - Once Bitten... Rock on!

30 May 2012 - Bardeux - Magic Carpet Ride / I Love To Bass

True story: I was once a really huge fan of Enigma Records. This was a small, independent label that specialized in quirky music of all types.  Many of my favorite artists - The Dead Milkmen, Mojo Nixon, Game Theory to name three - spent time on Enigma Records.  Every once in awhile, though, Enigma would sign an act that was at the same time quirky and marketable.  An example of that is the previously mentioned  SSQ, from where we got Stacey Q - but we'll get back to her later.

In the late 1980s, a turbulent female dance duo who called themselves Bardeux was signed by Enigma.  They didn't have any huge hits - minor ones and club ones, but not huge ones - but they did have fun, dance-worthy music that always made me smile.  Also, they were a little quirky, which is more evidenced in their video than their music.



With middling success comes discontent and lineup changes.  So, notice that 1/2 of this duo is different for their 2nd album......  That didn't make the music any less enjoyable.  It was just a little different, with more "Bass!" samples!

29 May 2012 - Eliza Doolittle - Skinny Genes & Rollerblades

I still can't believe that Eliza Doolittle's Skinny Genes didn't take over the airwaves. I guess the song and it's accompanying video were just too "subtle." All jokes aside, Skinny Genes was one of my favorite songs last year and the album as a whole is a whole lot of fun.



Awww heck, here's another fine song and video by her. You may recognize the tune from a recent Prius commercial.

28 May 2012 - Pitbull - Back In TIme

My fiancee and I went to the movies this weekend.  We saw "Men In Black 3".  In 3D.  I always insist on waiting through the closing credits and watching for anything at the end.  Tip: If you see "The Avengers", wait for the end of the credits.

Anyway, this song, which heavily samples the Mickey and Sylvia classic "Love Is Strange", was playing over the closing credits.  I really enjoyed it, but didn't know until the end that it was Pitbull - an artist I haven't enjoyed in the past - that performed it.  It's a clever use of sampling, and it's a clean, family-friendly song that goes to great lengths to be that way.  All in all, a fine song.  #16 on the Billboard charts already, too!

Also, the movie wasn't bad.  Better than the first, and from what I hear, light years better than the 2nd.

25 May 2012 - Goldfrapp - Ooh La La

Allison Goldfrapp has made quite a name for herself in the club scene.  Her music, or, at least the music that she makes as part of her band, Goldfrapp (technically, Will Gregory is the other half of the group) is synth-heavy and a throwback to an earlier era.  This song happens to be my favorite of theirs, as well as their biggest hit.  It reminds me pretty heavily of Doctor and the Medics, with a hint of Kate Bush.

Even her look is very late-80's Madonna!  And I think the disco ball horse would have been used a lot more in the 80's if the technology had been there.

24 May 2012 - Poison - Unskinny Bop

For this week's Hair Metal Thursday I thought I'd feature one of my favorite hair metal acts - Poison. While I never got to see them back in the day, I did see Bret Michaels perform live twice - for free - in the last two years. Both concerts had a great party atmosphere - as expected - as he mixed well known rock covers with a ton of Poison hits - including today's song. It was a great time even if I did secretly miss C.C., Bobby and Rikki. Maybe next time.

23 May 2012 - Jerry Reed - Eastbound and Down

Anyone who saw Smokey and the Bandit knows this song. Not many people know that it was such a classic artist - Jerry Reed, who is also in the movie! - who performed it.  The pop-country harmonies and banjo picking that accompanied late-70's country music are clearly exhibited in this gem!



A song so cool, it was featured on Family Guy....