AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Melissa Manchester

Artist:Melissa Manchester

Song:Skylark

Album:Too Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer: A Public Television Special

Of course Johnny Mercer is one of the all time great songwriters. Melissa Manchester's performance of Skylark is from the 1997 PBS TV special Too Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer. This was released on VHS by MPI Home Video and they also released it on CD. The entire show can be streamed on YouTube. The show was produced and directed by Bob Marty who also produced Victor Borge shows. I think he worked a lot with PBS. The musical direction was by Peter Nero who also appears in the show. Among the performers are Johnny Mathis, Melissa Manchester, Margaret Whiting, The John Pizzarelli Trio and Peter Nero and His Trio. All perform multiple songs in different combinations except for Nero who led the band. The musicians are not identified so I don't know who played the trombone solo. Mercer wrote Skylark with legendary songwriter, pianist and actor Hoagy Carmichael. Mercer wrote the lyrics after his affair with Judy Garland. Carmichael based the melody on a Bix Beiderbecke cornet improvisation Bix Licks. There were plans at the time to turn the novel Young Man with a Horn into a Broadway musical. When that project failed, Carmichael contacted Mercer to write the lyrics. It took a while for Mercer to write the lyrics. Carmichael kept reminding him. He got the title Skylark from a billboard. Of course the lyrics are about Judy Garland. As tended to happen in those days, several artists recorded Skylark. Dinah Shore scored the biggest hit when her 1942 recording reached #5 on the Billboard pop charts. Other charted recordings were by Harry James with Helen Forrest on vocals, Glenn Miller with vocals by Ray Eberle and Bing Crosby. Today Skylark is a jazz standard. Carmichael recorded it on his 1956 album Hoagy Sings Carmichael. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers recorded it on his 1962 album Caravan featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Carmen McRae recorded it on her 1958 album Birds of a Feather. Here's Melissa Manchester performing Skylark on the 1997 TV special Too Marvelous for Words. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Martin Briley

Artist:Martin Briley

Song:The Salt in My Tears

Album:The Mercury Years

Occasionally, a record charts because it sounds like a big star. I call it "soundalike". British musician Martin Briley is mainly a studio musician. But in the early 80s, Briley recorded a couple of solo albums and scored a top 40 hit with the 1983 single The Salt in My Tears because it sounded like Phil Collins. It ain't just me. In his review of Briley's 1983 album One Night with a Stranger, Allmusic's William Ruhlmann said that Briley sounded like either Phil Collins or Sting. And that could be why Briley's attempt at a solo career failed. Briley was born Aug. 17, 1949 in London, England. He started playing and writing music when he was ten years old. He formed the band Mandrake and they signed with Parlaphone/EMI. But they only released two singles. Legendary producer George Martin hired Briley to work at his AIR Studio in London and Briley became an in demand session guitarist. Briley joined the progressive rock band Greenslade for two years. They recorded four albums for Warner Bros. and split up in 1976. Then Briley moved to New York and became a session and touring guitarist. The most notable act he toured with was Meat Loaf when the album Bat Out of Hell was hot. Then he signed a solo record deal with Mercury Records. He recorded three albums for Mercury. One Night with a Stranger was the second album in 1983. Briley sang, played guitar and wrote all the songs. Peter Coleman is credited as producer. But he's a recording engineer. So I assume that Briley produced the album too. The Salt in My Tears reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 mainly because MTV played the music video featuring actress Marie-Elise Grepne to death. She had recently appeared in the James Bond film Octopussy. Why didn't it chart higher? I think some thought it was a Phil Collins song. And when they found out it wasn't a Phil Collins song, they didn't want to here it anymore. The album One Night with a Stranger is out of print. You can get The Salt of My Tears on this comp which is available as a digital download. After his Mercury albums, Briley returned to songwriting and session work and he still does that today. I don't think he was distinctive enough to be successful as a solo act. The only reason this song charted is MTV liked the video. Here's the video for The Salt in My Tears by Martin Briley. 

 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jay Goede

Artist:Jay Goede f/Mark Linn-Baker

Song:Alone

Album:A Year with Frog and Toad: Original Cast Recording

Actor Jay Goede is probably best known as the voice of Mewtwo in the 1998 animated film Pokemon: The First Movie. He has also appeared in several Broadway musicals including the 2003 Tony nominated musical A Year with Frog and Toad. These days he teaches and seems to appear on a lot of fan conventions. Remember actors get paid to appear on them and also can make money on the side. He was born Nov. 2,1963 in Mound, MN. He liked to draw and he saved up enough to buy the book The Art of Walt Disney. He wanted to be an animator. So he attended the University as an art major. Then he switched to costume and set design. He started auditioning for plays during college. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Goede went to Yale School of Fine Arts and earned a Master of Fine Arts. Goede first appeared on Broadway in the 1993 play Angels in America. This was followed by the 1995 plays Sex and Longing and The Play's the Thing. He was looking to get into films. So he appeared in the 1998 film 54. And then he got the role of Mewtwo in the 1998 film Pokemon: The First Movie. He used the alias Philip Bartlett probably because the job was non union. That was not unusual in those days. It was rumored for years that the real Philip Bartlett died in 2001. But after fans contacted Goede, He confirmed using the alias. Then he appeared in the 2003 Broadway musical A Year with Frog and Toad. This was based on the children's books written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. His daughter Adrienne Lobel wanted to turn it into a musical. Her husband is actor Mark Linn-Baker who is best known for the 1982 film My Favorite Year and the sitcom Perfect Strangers. He wrote the script and appeared as Toad in the musical while Goede played Frog. The songs were written by Robert and Willie Reale. There was only five in the cast which is very small for a Broadway musical. It only ran on Broadway for two months. But it was enough to get the show a Tony nomination for Best Musical. The original cast album is available on CD. A national tour of the show was produced in 2007. Goede has done other Broadway shows like Miracle Brothers (2005). But these days he appears on a lot of Pokemon fan conventions. So I guess Mewtwo is his claim to fame. Here's Jay Goede with Mark Linn-Baker performing Alone on the 2003 Tony Awards broadcast. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cachao

Artist:Cachao

Song:Mambo

Album:Master Sessions Volume 1

Israel "Cachao" Lopez was a legendary Cuban bassist who is best known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the improvised jam sessions known in Cuba as descargo. After moving to the US in the 50s, he was mostly a studio musician until Cuban American actor Andy Garcia produced a documentary and got Lopez a record deal with a major label. This 1994 album was the first album of that deal. He was born Israel Lopez Valdez Sept. 14, 1918 in Havana, Cuba. He was from a musical family. His older brother Orestes "Macho" Lopez taught him to play bass and together they created the mambo. Lopez started out playing music for silent films and played bass with the Orquestra Filarmonica de La Habana. Then he joined the danzon band Arcano y sus Maraviillas and helped compose many danzone songs including the song Mambo. They wrote plenty of songs and also played standards like Somewhere Over the Rainbow. This band was very popular on radio in the 40s. But Lopez got tired of writing sheet music for every band member and left in 1949. He joined the orchestra for the Broadway style theater Blanquita Theater. In 1957, Lopez was part of an all night recording studio jam called descargas. This was the start of Cuban jazz and the resulting albums were very successful. But this was the height of Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution. Lopez' wife moved to New Jersey in 1958 and Lopez went to Madrid, Spain in 1962. After performing with Perez Prado, Lopez reunited with his wife in 1963 in New York and became an in demand sideman playing with Tito Puente and others. After a decade in New York, Lopez moved to Las Vegas and played in clubs. After releasing a couple of 1977 albums as a leader on Salsoul Records, Lopez moved to Miami and recorded with pianist Paquito Hechevarria. Then at the 1989 San Francisco Jazz Festival, Lopez was playing with Carlos Santana when Cuban American actor Andy Garcia asked him if he was interested in a tribute concert and a documentary. The concert was held on July 31, 1992 in Miami and the documentary Cachao...como su ritmo no hay dos was released in 1993. You can watch it on YouTube. Garcia directed the documentary and he contacted Miami Sound Machine leader Emilio Estefan Jr. and got him a record deal with Estefan's Crescent Moon label with Epic Records distribution. And that's when this 1994 album was released. Garcia produced the album but Lopez was musical director. All kinds of musicians played on the album including Paquito D'Rivera, Chocolate Armenteros and Jimmy Bosch. Volume 2 was released in 1995. Lopez recorded a couple more albums and received Grammy and Hall of Fame awards. He appeared with Bebo Valdes in Fernando Trueba's 2000 concert film Calle 54. That can be streamed on the Russian website ok.ru. Lopez' final appearance was on Gloria Estefan's 2007 album 90 Millas. Lopez died of kidney failure on Mar. 22, 2008 at age 89. His final concert was in Miami in 2007 and Sony released it as The Last Mambo in 2011. Here's the video for Mambo by Cachao. 

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.