AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Madness

Artist:Madness

Song:Our House

Album:Our House: The Best of Madness

The 1982 Madness single Our House was a top ten hit. It was the biggest hit in the US for the late 70s British Ska revival. It's probably more pop than many of the songs of that movement. The Specials were more successful in England but not elsewhere. Both are great bands. And for the record, I don't consider UB40 to be part of the Ska revival. They were straight Reggae. Madness was called The North London Invaders when they formed in 1976. They are from the North London area of Camden Town. The main band was Mike Barson on keyboards, Chris Foreman on guitar and Lee Thompson on sax. They added John Hasler on drums, Cathal "Chas Smash" Smyth on bass and Dikran Tulane on lead vocals. Graham "Suggs" McPherson took over as lead singer after seeing the band perform. Smyth left after arguing with Barson. McPherson was fired for watching soccer instead of rehearsing. Thompson left after Barson criticized his sax playing. Thompson and McPherson returned. Bassist Mark Bedford and drummer Dan Woodgate were added. They changed the band name to Morris and the Minors. Then it was changed to Madness as a tribute to Jamaican music legend Prince Buster. Then Chas Smash rejoined as a backup vocalist and dancer. Madness started playing London clubs and they released the single The Prince on 2 Tone Records owned by Jerry Dammers of the Ska band The Specials. After touring with The Specials and The Selecter, Madness released their 1979 album One Step Beyond on the New Wave label Stiff Records. They scored three top ten hits on the British charts and the album did well too. Stiff owner Dave Robinson got them to record an EP followed by the 1980 album Absolutely. The single Baggy Trousers reached #3 on the British Singles chart. Though they were successful, Madness thought that if they changed to a more pop direction, they could be more successful. And though they were criticized for that, the 1981 single It Must Be Love reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Up to this point, Stiff released Madness albums in the US. But when the 1982 album The Rise and Fall... did not get a US release and the single Our House reached #5 on the British Singles chart, Geffen Records signed Madness for the US and released the comp Madness. Our House was on that album and it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Our House was written by Foreman and Chas Smash. McPherson sang lead. Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley were the producers. The horn and string arrangements were by David Bedford who had previously worked with Kevin Ayers and Mike Oldfield. You can get Our House on this comp. The decline of Madness started after Barson left in 1983. He was living with his wife in Amsterdam and had become reclusive from the band. Though he went along with Madness' changes at the time, he didn't like them any more than the critics. Barson was replaced by James Mackie and he appeared with Madness on a 1984 episode of Saturday Night Live. Then Madness left Stiff for Virgin and they just weren't as successful after that. They split up in 1986. McPherson led a regrouping of Madness. But it was unsuccessful and they split up again in 1988. Madness reunited throughout the 90s. There was even a jukebox musical called Our House which ran at London's Cambridge Theatre from Oct. 2002-Aug. 2003. They started performing as The Dangermen in 2004 and released an album in 2005. Then Madness started their own label in 2007. They currently have a distribution deal with BMG and they released their latest album in 2023. Madness still tours but they are a nostalgia act at this point. Here's the video for Our House by Madness. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Murlocs

Artist:The Murlocs

Song:Adolescence

Album:Young Blindness

The Australian band The Murlocs is a spinoff of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Ambrose Kenny-Smith is the lead singer of both bands. They alternate tours but sometimes they tour together. Kenny-Smith started The Murlocs in 2010 as an informal jam band. Murlocs is from the video game World of Warcraft. Cook Craig of King Gizzard is also bassist for The Morlocs. After self releasing a couple of 2012 EPs, The Murlocs signed with the Australian indie label Flightless Records. They released their debut album Loopholes in 2014. They toured with King Gizzard and appeared on their annual music festival. Adolescence is from the 2015 album Young Blindness. Kenny-Smith writes and produces everything. But the band is credited with the songs so they split the royalties evenly. This album is available as a digital download. As The Murlocs became more popular in Australia, there was interest in them elsewhere. Dave Matthews' ATO Records picked up The Murlocs in North America and signed them worldwide in 2022. The Murlocs last released a studio album in 2023. And they released a live album in 2024. They aren't on tour right now. But there are social media rumblings that The Murlocs are heading to the recording studio to record a new album after King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are finished touring in Australia in October. Here's the video for Adolescence by The Murlocs. Yes, the video is amateurish. I believe this was deliberate. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-New Politics

Artist:New Politics

Song:Harlem

Album:A Bad Girl in Harlem

The Danish band New Politics moved to Brooklyn, NY when they signed with RCA Records in 2009. They had success in the Alternative Rock market but they tried to crossover to pop and were unsuccessful. David Boyd is lead singer. Soren Hansen plays keyboards. Poul Amaliel plays drums. They are from Copenhagen, Denmark. Boyd and Hansen were writing songs together for possible solo albums. When they weren't getting anywhere, Boyd convinced Hansen to enter a couple of songs in Danish National Radio P3's Karriere Kanonen (Career Cannon) competition. When they were chosen to perform, there was no band. They brought in a drummer, were one of the four winners of the contest and performed at a music festival. They quickly called themselves New Politics. When RCA heard about them, New Politics signed and they moved to Brooklyn. After recording the 2010 album New Politics, they played the South by Southwest festival in Mar. 2010. The album was released in July and the single Yeah Yeah Yeah reached #16 on the Alternative Rock chart. The album was criticized for sounding too much other similar pop punk bands. Of course the band toured. After the tour, Amaliel returned to Denmark and was replaced by Louis Vecchio. For the 2013 album A Bad Girl in Harlem, New Politics decided they needed to be more commercial so they could have a hit single. The single Harlem reached #4 on the Alternative Rock chart and #10 on Billboard's Bubbling Under chart. These are for songs that are getting radio play and might jump to the Billboard Hot 100. But Harlem never made the Billboard Hot 100. This was despite the fact that the song appeared in several TV commercials, the trailer for the film Frozen and video games like NHL 14. The record was produced by Jake Sinclair who produced other similar bands. This album is available on CD. There were industry complaints about Harlem being too slick. And that was the problem with New Politics. They weren't distinctive enough and were too similar to other more successful bands. New Politics toured with Fall Out Boy and became friends with that band's leader Pete Wentz. Wentz signed New Politics to his label DCD2 Records with Warner Bros. distribution. After releasing two unsuccessful albums, New Politics went on what seems to be a permanent hiatus. A formal split was never announced. Hansen has released a couple of solo albums. Boyd has a family now so that keeps him busy. He's released a couple of singles and is working on an album. It looks like New Politics is on a permanent hiatus. Here's the video for Harlem by New Politics.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michele Lee

Artist:Michele Lee

Song:I Believe in You

Album:How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Actress Michele Lee is best known for appearing in every episode of the prime time soap Knots Landing. But she got her start in the 1967 film How To Succeed in Business Without Trying. She was born Michelle Lee Dusick June 24, 1943 in Los Angeles. Her father was Hollywood makeup artist Jack Dusick. Michele performed as a child and made her TV debut in a 1961 episode of the sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Then she appeared on variety shows like The Red Skelton Show and The Danny Kaye Show. She was a replacement in the 1962 Broadway musical version of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She is not on the original cast album. After appearing in the Broadway musical Bravo Giovanni, United Artists paid a million dollars for the film rights of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Director David Swift cast Michele as female lead Rosemary Pilkington. Apparently, several of Michele's songs were cut from the film but she gave great performance of the song I Believe in You. Rykodisc released the original cast album on CD in 2006. Michele recorded two albums for Columbia but they didn't sell. Her other big film at the time was the 1969 film The Love Bug. Michele decided to take time off after the birth of her son. She was Tony nominated for the 1974 musical Seesaw. CBS shot a pilot for the 1974 sitcom The Michele Lee Show. It was not picked up. Michele did TV guest shots until she got the role of Karen Fairgate in the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing. That show ran from 1979-93 and Michele was on every episode. She became very popular with soap fans. And Knots Landing was a big part of Michele's career. After Knots Landing, Michele appeared in TV movies. She even directed one for Lifetime. She returned to Broadway and was Tony nominated for the 2000 play The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. She played Ben Stiller's mother in the 2004 film Along Came Polly. She returned to Broadway to play Madame Morrible in the 2015 revival of the musical Wicked. Currently, Michele and her Knots Landing costars Joan Van Ark and Donna Mills do a podcast We're Knot Done Yet. There are 64 episodes which can be viewed on YouTube. Here's Michele Lee performing I Believe in You from the 1967 film How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Erasure

Artist:Erasure

Song:Oh L'amour

Album:Pop! First 20 Hits

The synth pop duo Erasure have had success mostly in their native England and on the dance charts. Oh L'amour is one of their most popular songs. Andy Bell is the lead singer. Vince Clarke plays keyboards. They write most of the songs together. Clarke was in Depeche Mode and he wrote their big hit Just Can't Get Enough. Clarke left Depeche Mode because he didn't like fame, touring and the band wasn't getting along. He formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet. After releasing two successful albums, they split up because they weren't getting along. Clarke formed The Assembly with recording engineer Eric Radcliffe. Their one single Never Never featuring Feargal Sharkey was a top five hit in England. The plan was to use guest singers on each song. Clarke decided not to continue and he placed an ad in the music paper Melody Maker. Andy Bell answered the ad and Erasure was born. They signed with the British indie label Mute Records and released three singles including Oh L'amour followed by the 1986 album Wonderland. Clarke and Bell wrote the songs. The album was produced by Mute house producer Mark "Flood" Ellis. L'amour wasn't a hit at first. But it reached #10 on the British Singles chart when a remix was on the 2003 comp Hits! The Very Best of Erasure. That comp is out of print but you can get L'amour on Pop! First 20 Hits. As I said, Erasure has had success mostly in England and in the dance market. Erasure released their 19th album in 2022. Clarke recently announced in an interview with NME that Erasure is retiring from touring. So they may continue to record. Clarke currently leads the band Doublespeak and an album was released in May. Here's the video for L'amour by Erasure.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rushlow

Artist:Rushlow

Song:I Can't Be Your Friend

Album:Right Now

When the country band Little Texas split up in 1997, lead singer Tim Rushlow recorded solo at first. He signed with Atlantic Records and released a 2001 album. He scored a top ten country hit with the single She Misses Him. After Atlantic closed their Nashville office, Rushlow said that he was uncomfortable as a solo artist. He would rather front a band as he did with Little Texas. He got together with his cousin Doni Harris and they kept an eye out for possible band members. Harris played guitar on Rushlow's solo album. They spotted guitarist Kurt Allison at a club and he brought in bassist Tully Kennedy and drummer Rich Redmond. They were roommates backing up a singer. Keyboardist Billy Welch was brought in to round out the band. They signed with Disney owned Lyric Street Records on the condition that the band is called Rushlow. The 2003 album Right Now was released and the single I Can't Be Your Friend reached #16 on the Country Singles chart. Rushlow wrote three of the songs on the album. I Can't Be Your Friend was written by veteran songwriter Rodney Clawson and Brad Crisler. Christy DiNapoli produced. The album is available as a digital download. It appears that neither the band or Lyric Street was happy with the album. So the members of Rushlow left and joined Jason Aldean's band. Rushlow and Harris formed Rushlow Harris and signed with Toby Keith's label Show Dog. After releasing two singles they split up. In 2017, Rushlow recorded a couple of albums as Tim Rushlow & His Big Band. In 2017, Rushlow formed The Frontmen with former Restless Heart lead singer Larry Stewart and former Lonestar lead singer Richie McDonald. They turned it into a full time band in 2021 and released a 2024 album on BBR Music Group. They take turns singing lead and are currently on tour. Here's the video for I Can't Be Your Friend by Rushlow.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Blotto

Artist:Blotto

Song:I Wanna Be a Lifeguard

Album:Collected Works

The band Blotto were an early MTV success story when their video for the song I Wanna Be a Lifeguard was played on MTV's first day. It was never a radio hit because in those days radio stations refused to play MTV hits. Blotto is from Albany, NY. Blotto was called The Star Spangled Washboard Band when they formed in the mid 70s. They appeared on The Mike Douglas Show and the New York Times described them as a mix of Earl Scruggs and The Three Stooges. After the band split up, four of the members stayed together and named themselves Blotto after a 1931 Thorne Smith novel. Influenced by The Ramones, all the members took the surname Blotto. The leader of Blotto is Bill Polchinski on guitar. He wrote all the songs. The other members were Paul Jossman on guitar, Keith Stephenson on bass, Helena Binder on keyboards, Paul Rapp on drums and Greg Haymes on percussion. He also was the graphic designer. Blotto played local clubs and released the single I Wanna Be a Lifeguard. New York radio station WNEW DJ Vin Scelsa started playing it and I Wanna Be a Lifeguard became the theme for the Jones Beach lifeguards. Dr. Demento played the record. Blotto toured the Northeast US and self released a couple of EPs. Then with the help of students at SUNY Albany, a music video for I Wanna Be a Lifeguard was produced. Blotto sent the video to MTV and it was played on their first day broadcasting. It was the first MTV hit. Blotto released the album Combo Akimbo on the children's record label Peter Pan Records. They released two more videos which Sony released on VHS. Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult appeared in the video for Metalhead. But despite a level of fame, Blotto still couldn't get a record deal. They were going to sign with Boardwalk Records but they closed. And they talked with Atlantic Records and couldn't make a deal. Record labels viewed Blotto as a novelty act that would have limited success. So they split up in 1984 and went on to other things. Paul Rapp became a lawyer. The reissue label One Way Records released this comp in 2005. It is available as a digital download. Keith Stephenson died in 1999. Greg Haymes died in 2019. Blotto reunites occasionally for special occasions. A documentary called Hello! My Name Is Blotto: The Movie. It played at last year's Susquehanna Film Festival in Williamsport, PA. It is not streaming but you can buy a DVD on Blotto's website. Here's the video for I Wanna Be a Lifeguard by Blotto.