AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tiffany

Artist:Tiffany
Song:I Think We're Alone Now
Album:Greatest Hits





Tiffany Darwish was 16 years old when she topped the charts with her 1987 cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells classic I Think We're Alone Now. But her decline was as quick as her rise and she quickly faded into obscurity. She was born Oct. 2, 1974 in Norwalk, CA. She sang country music as a child. She toured with country music veteran Jack Reeves. Then she was discovered in 1982 by singer songwriter Hoyt Axton and his songwriter mom Mae Axton. They took her to Nashville and she performed on TNN's The Ralph Emery Show. She appeared on Star Search in 1985. Then her manager George Tobin got her a record deal at MCA. He owned his own recording studio and had minor success as a producer and songwriter. His biggest success was co-writing the 1968 one hit wonder Cinnamon for Derek. Tiffany's debut album Tiffany was released in 1987. When her first single didn't chart, Tobin sent her on a tour of shopping malls. The second single I Think We're Alone Now topped the charts. So now she's on the cover of teen fan mags with Debbie Gibson. Though Tobin is credited as producer, most of the songwriting and arranging was by John Duarte who had previously worked with New Edition. He probably should have gotten a producer credit. Could've Been was Tiffany's second and final number one hit. She was supposed to tour with New Kids on the Block opening for her. She discovered them and got them a deal with MCA. Her mom sued Tobin for control of Tiffany's career. A court rejected this and Tiffany's grandmother was named as her guardian. Keep in mind that Tiffany's mother signed that contract so Tobin did nothing wrong. The tour was cancelled. Tiffany's second album Hold An Old Friend's Hand didn't do nearly as well as her first album. And then she split with Tobin in 1990. She continued to record for MCA until 1993. She was through. Even reuniting with Tobin didn't help. Tiffany now lives in Nashville. She records occasionally on small labels and she still tours. She has done some acting but like many minor celebrities, she seems to do a lot of reality TV. This budget comp covers Tiffany's brief success. Here's the video for I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Duran Duran

Artist:Duran Duran
Song:A View To A Kill
Album:Greatest





Duran Duran was one of the biggest bands of the 80s. The 1985 theme to the James Bond film A View To A Kill was at the end of their initial run but it was also one of their two number one hits in the US. Duran Duran were from Birmingham, England formed in 1978 by bassist John Taylor and keyboard player Nick Rhodes. The name came from a character in the French sci-fi comic strip Barbarella though I think they may have got it from Roger Vadim's 1966 film starring Jane Fonda. The first lead singer was Stephen Duffy of Tin Tin and Simon Colley was the original bassist. Taylor played guitar. They didn't have a drummer. They used a drum machine. Colley left and auditions resulted in the hiring of guitarist Andy Taylor. John Taylor switched to bass. Duffy was replaced by Andy Wickett and he was lead singer for a year. They tried out different guys. But by 1980, they settled on Simon Le Bon as lead singer, Andy Taylor on lead guitar and they added drummer Roger Taylor. They sent out demos and signed with EMI. Their debut album was released in 1981. Their first big hit was their third single Girls On Film mostly because of the video. An edited version was played heavily on MTV. They toured the US and Hungry Like The Wolf was their first big hit in the US. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another thing that gave them a big edge over other bands of the era was they appeared regularly in teen fan mags directed at teenage girls. That was Duran Duran's fanbase at the time. Their first US #1 hit was the 1984 single The Reflex. But there were problems brewing. John and Andy Taylor formed The Power Station with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson. They scored two top ten hits. Le Bon and Rhodes released an album as Arcadia. Rhodes admits today that splitting into two bands was commercially self destructive. Then John Taylor drunkenly approached James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli at a party and asked him when he was going to get a decent band for one of his theme songs. This led to a meeting with Bond composer John Barry. Duran Duran wrote A View To A Kill and Barry produced and arranged the record. It was the first James Bond theme to top the Billboard Hot 100. You can get all of Duran Duran's hits on this budget comp. Then things fell apart. Roger Taylor quit due to exhaustion. Andy Taylor recorded the 1986 album Thunder in Los Angeles. The others released the 1986 album Notorious and the single Notorious reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Duran Duran continued though they weren't as successful as they were previously. They continued in the 90s until they left EMI in 1999. Duran Duran recorded for Hollywood and Epic. Their latest CD Paper Gods was released in 2015 on Warner Bros. They still tour. Andy Taylor is no longer a member but the other four guys still are. Rhodes took a break and was replaced by Amanda "MNDR" Warner. But he's back and he will be on the 2017 tour. Here's the video for A View To A Kill by Duran Duran.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Lattimore

Artist:Kenny Lattimore
Song:For You
Album:The Best Of Kenny Lattimore





R&B crooner Kenny Lattimore scored his biggest hit with For You in 1997. Today it's a very popular wedding song. Lattimore is still around. He was born Apr. 10, 1970 in Washington, DC. Though he always wanted to sing, he studied architecture at Howard University just in case. He started doing sessions and that led to Lattimore becoming lead singer of the group Maniquin. They signed with Epic and released a 1988 album with big name producers like Charlie and Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band and Charlie Singleton of Cameo. But they didn't have a hit single and the album didn't sell. Maniquin split up and Lattimore returned to session work. He worked with a group called Dem Twinzz but Lattimore wanted to be a solo artist. So he moved to New York in 1993. He recorded demos with producer J. Dibbs who had produced Joe. This got him a deal with Columbia and his 1996 debut CD Kenny Lattimore. For You was the third single and it reached #6 on the R&B Singles chart. It crossed over to be a top 40 pop hit. And it's also a very popular wedding song. The song was written by Lattimore's friend Kenny Lerum and it was produced by Barry Eastmond, best known for producing Freddie Jackson. Lattimore recorded two albums for Columbia and then moved to Arista in 2001. He continued to have success on the R&B charts. This budget comp has all of his hits. After Lattimore married singer Chante Moore in 2002, Arista president LA Reid suggested they record as a duo. They recorded two albums together. One was a gospel album and the other was an album of covers. And they toured together. They divorced in 2011. Lattimore recorded an album of covers for Verve in 2008. Then he started his own label with eOne and released the 2015 album Anatomy of a Love Song. His latest CD for Motown is A Kenny Lattimore Christmas. And he still tours. Here's the video for For You by Kenny Lattimore.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Charlatans UK

Artist:The Charlatans UK
Song:The Only One I Know
Album:The Best Of The Charlatans: Melting Pot 1990-1997



The Charlatans were one of several bands to emerge from the Madchester scene in England in the late 80s. The Only One I Know was their first top ten hit in England. They have had plenty of success at home but not as much here. The Charlatans are from Northwich in the West Midlands in England. They were formed in 1988 by bassist Martin Blunt, Rob Collins on keyboards, Jon Brookes on drums, Jon Day on guitar and lead singer Baz Ketley who would be replaced by Tim Burgess. They were called The Charlatans UK in North America because The Charlatans was already copyrighted. They released a single in 1990 and then signed with Beggars Banquet. The Only One I Know was the first single and it reached #9 on the British Singles chart. It was added to the 1990 album Some Friendly. They signed with RCA in the US. The Charlatans toured the US but they never broke through commercially. They were more successful in England. Day was replaced by Mark Collins. They had a setback when Rob Collins was convicted of armed robbery and served four months in prison. Apparently he was unknowingly waiting in the car for a friend who committed the crime. They again had success in England when the 1995 album The Charlatans topped the charts. While recording their 1996 album Telling Stories, Rob Collins was killed in a car crash. Martin Duffy was brought in to replace him temporarily. The album was their most successful to date featuring the top five hit One To Another. The Charlatans contract with Beggars Banquet was up and they signed with Universal. This comp was released at that time. It covers their Beggars Banquet recordings and it's available as a budget CD. Tony Rogers was the new keyboard player. The Charlatans recorded three albums for Universal and they moved to Sanctuary in 2006. After one album, they moved to Cooking Vinyl. They had another setback when Jon Brookes collapsed during a 2010 performance in Philadelphia. He died of brain cancer in 2013. The Charlatans released a new CD Modern Nature in 2015 on BMG. They continue to tour. They usually hire a drummer and other musicians for touring. Here's the video for The Only One I Know by The Charlatans UK.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vallieres

Artist:Vallieres
Song:Manu
Album:Chacun Dans Son Espace





Singer songwriter Vincent Vallieres has had success in his native Quebec. He is unknown otherwise. He was born Aug. 8, 1978 in Sherbrooke, QC. He learned to play guitar and he began writing songs as a teen. Influences include Harmonium, Robert Charlebois and Paul Piche. Vallieres won second place in a songwriting contest and he recorded a demo. In 1997, local promoter Bernard Caza signed him to his BYC label. His 1999 CD Trente Arpents was successful in the rural areas of Quebec. Traditionally Montreal tends to spurn artists from the "back country" as it is called. Initially, Vallieres was sold as a folksinger. But he wanted to form a rock band. Chacun Dans Son Espace was his third album in 2003. By this time, he was just known as Vallieres. Vallieres writes and produces all his songs with the help of Eric Goulet on guitar and organ, Michel-Olivier Gasse on bass and Alain Berge on drums. Vallieres left BYC for Spectra in 2011. Vallieres just released a new single Bad Luck and he's touring Quebec. So that means a new album is coming. Here's Vallieres performing Manu on the ARTV show Pour L'Amour Du Country.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Smokey Wood & His Wood Chips

Artist:Smokey Wood & His Wood Chips
Song:Keep On Truckin'
Album:Kings Of Western Swing




John "Smokey" Wood was a pioneer of Western Swing which is a mix of country and jazz. The problem was he only got a couple of opportunities to record. And when it didn't work out, he went back to being a sideman. He was born Sept. 16, 1918 in Harrison, AR. His mother played piano. Wood grew up in Oklahoma and he moved to Houston in 1935. His nickname was The Houston Hipster. Wood's first band was called The Oklahoma Playboys. The big difference between Wood and other Western Swing pioneers was he leaned more towards jazz than country. The band played local clubs but they weren't able to get on the radio consistently which would have led to recording. So Wood formed bands like the Blue Ridge Playboys and the Georgia Flyers. When he finally got on a radio station, Wood changed the group name to the Modern Mountaineers. Wood was also well known for his love of weed. Apparently he was high most of the time and he even grew his own. The Modern Mountaineers finally got the opportunity to record in 1937. The problem was the band's manager didn't like Wood's voice. Wood was replaced as lead singer and he left to take a job at a gas station. The same record company asked Wood to put together a band to record. They were called the Wood Chips and they recorded several songs in Sept. 1937 including Keep On Truckin'. This was Wood's final opportunity to record as a leader. You can get Keep On Truckin' on this 2CD various artists comp from the Irish label Pazzaz. Wood had other opportunities in music including with Spade Cooley in 1945. But they never seemed to work out. He seemed to be more interested in financing his weed habit. Wood toured the carnival circuit for many years and his final gig was with sax player Joe Sanchez. Smokey Wood died on Jan. 6, 1975 of heart failure at age 57. Here's a video of Keep On Truckin' by Smokey Wood & His Wood Chips.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-2Pac

Artist:2Pac f/K-Ci & JoJo
Song:How Do U Want It
Album:Greatest Hits





Today rapper Tupac Shakur is best known for his 1996 death due to a drive by shooting. But he was one of the more significant rappers of the era. How Do U Want It was one of his two number one hits. He was born Lesane Parish Crooks June 16, 1971 in New York City. His mother renamed him Tupac after an 18th century Peruvian revolutionary. Both his parents were Black Panthers so he grew up around that. Shakur began acting in high school. His family moved to Baltimore in 1986 and he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. He also started rapping and he was considered the best rapper in his school. In 1988, his family moved to the San Francisco suburb of Marin City. He got into the music business as a roadie and backup dancer with Digital Underground. After appearing on the 1991 Digital Underground single Same Song, Shakur signed with their label Interscope and released his 1991 debut CD 2Pacalypse. Though there were no hit singles, it was hailed for its underground feel. Of course some of the songs were controversial. His 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..... was certified Platinum as the singles I Get Around and Keep Ya Head Up were top 20 hits. Then Shakur formed the group Thug Life and released an album. It did OK but he didn't tour with them. Also Interscope forced Shakur to re-record some of the songs because they thought they were too controversial. Shakur then moved to Death Row Records and released a solo album Me Against The World in 1995. It was certified 2XPlatinum. Dear Mama was his very first top ten single. He finally broke through with the 1996 album All Eyez On Me. It was certified Diamond and the singles California Love and How Do U Want It topped the charts. They were released as double A sides. How Do U Want it features K-Ci & JoJo from Jodeci. Shakur wrote and produced it with Johnny "Johnny J" Jackson who was a member of Thug Life and he produced much of All Eyez On Me. It samples from Quincy Jones' Body Heat. The song appeared in Shakur's final film Gang Related. After Shakur released an album under the name Makaveli, he was killed on Sept. 7, 1996 in a Las Vegas drive by shooting. Though there was a suspected shooter, nothing has ever been proven. Of course with the way Shakur died, he's a legend now and he's getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame this year. If he had lived, it's likely Shakur would have left music for films. He had already acted in a few films and acting is what got him into rap in the first place. Maybe if he stars in the 1993 film Menace II Society, he doesn't even go back to music. He was replaced by Larenz Tate after an altercation with director Allen Hughes. Morgan Creek Productions is making a Tupac Shakur biopic to be directed by Benny Boom. It is filming in Atlanta. Obviously Shakur was a talented guy. But his murder overshadows that talent and it always will. Here's the video for How Do U Want It by 2Pac featuring K-Ci & JoJo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-House Of Pain

Artist:House Of Pain
Song:Jump Around
Album:House Of Pain





This very catchy rap song was a top five hit in 1992. Then like a lot of rap acts of that era, House Of Pain were forgotten by the mid-90s. The man behind House Of Pain was rapper Erik "Everlast" Schrody. After recording an unsuccessful 1990 solo album for Warner. Bros. produced by Ice-T, he formed House Of Pain with Leor "DJ Lethal" Dimant and high school buddy Daniel "Danny Boy" O'Connor. The name House Of Pain is from the HG Wells novel The Island Of Dr. Moreau. The idea was to present themselves as Irish hooligans. Schrody and O'Connor were Irish but Dimant was born in Latvia and was Jewish. The 1992 single Jump Around reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Everlast wrote it and it was produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. The song is based on two samples. The horn fanfare is from the Bob & Earl 1963 classic Harlem Shuffle and the repeated screaming sax is from Junior Walker's Shoot Your Shot. That sax riff is repeated 66 times. The song also samples Popeye (The Hitchhiker) by Chubby Checker. The video was shot during New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade. That got them constant airplay on MTV. The album was certified Platinum. Apparently they behaved like hooligans on tour and Schrody was arrested in 1993 for trying to take a gun through Kennedy Airport in New York. Their 1994 album Same As It Ever Was was certified Gold but there were no hit singles. So the writing was on the wall. It was not unusual for rap groups to end up as one hit wonders. House Of Pain's 1996 CD Truth Crushed To Earth Shall Rise Again didn't sell. Everlast went solo and House Of Pain disbanded. The 1992 album House Of Pain is available as a budget CD. Everlast had success with his 1998 single What It's Like and the album Whitey Ford Sings The Blues. DJ Lethal joined Limp Bizkit. Danny Boy was out of music for a while but in 2006 he formed La Coka Nostra with some Everlast and DJ Lethal involvement. House Of Pain have reunited for a couple of tours but they have not recorded. DJ Lethal still tours with Limp Bizkit. House Of Pain doesn't appear to be active right now but La Coka Nostra released a CD in 2016. Everlast will release a new CD in 2017. Here's the video for Jump Around by House Of Pain.

Jessica Penne vs Danielle Taylor added to Apr. 22 UFC show

During last night's broadcast, the UFC announced that UFC Fight Night 108 will be Apr. 22 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. A Strawweight match announced for this show has Jessica Penne vs Danielle Taylor. Remember when Jessica challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the title and got clobbered. After a year off, she got clobbered again by Jessica Andrade. And now she is facing a fighter who probably doesn't belong in the UFC. And this fight will probably air on UFC Fight Pass. That is a very rapid fall. Danielle came into the UFC on short notice and lost when Maryna Moroz used her height advantage to keep away from her. Both fighters looked bad but Maryna didn't care because she only wanted the W. Then Danielle did the same thing to Ham Seo Hee and won by split decision. BTW, Ham has left the UFC and I expect her to work for Road FC. She can make more money there. Danielle's big problem is she is only five feet tall. So the keep away strategy is a good one to use on her. And Jessica needs a win. she shouldn't care how she gets it. If she loses, I would not be surprised to see Jessica retire as she has been working as a coordinator at Alliance in San Diego. Of course that is if she recognizes the writing on the wall.

Michelle Waterson vs Rose Namajunas added to Apr. 15 UFC show

During last night's broadcast, the UFC announced that Michelle Waterson vs Rose Namajunas has been added to UFC on FOX 24 Apr. 15 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. This show will air on Fox in the US and CTV2 in Canada. With the ratings success of Michelle's win over Paige VanZant, it's not surprising that Michelle will again appear on Fox. But this is a bigger fight as the winner could get a title shot. When we last saw Rose, she lost a title shot to Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She's bounced back from losses before. But Michelle has looked good so far in the UFC. This could be a very interesting fight.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Germaine De Randamie vs Holly Holm

Here's the match video of Germaine De Randamie vs Holly Holm from last night's UFC show in Brooklyn. This was for the inaugural UFC Women's Featherweight Championship which was created for Cris Cyborg. But then Cris flunked a drug test. The UFC should have put the kibosh on a Featherweight belt or at least replace it with Flyweight. But instead they went ahead with this match. Germaine is a champion kickboxer. Holly is a champion boxer. But they both suck at MMA. My concern was this fight would be five rounds of suckage. And unfortunately that's what we got. We got five rounds of Holly throwing a lot of ineffective punches. Germaine's punches were more effective but she wasn't as active. Then Holly tried to take Germaine down and they ended up clinching at the fence doing nothing. Ref Brad Anderson could have put a stop to that crap but he didn't. Then after Germaine hit Holly after the bell at the end of the second round and then again at the end of round three, he didn't deduct a point from Germaine. So he sucks too. That affected the result because all three judges scored it 48-47 for Germaine. That would have been a draw with a point deducted. That would have been appropriate. That brings me to two more pet peeves. When fighters aren't active enough, the ref can tell them to get busy. A lot don't do this but they are supposed to and they should. John McCarthy is one of the few refs who does do this. And I would like to see points deducted for stalling. There is also the reluctance of judges scoring tie rounds. I scored all five rounds 9-9. I didn't think either fighter deserved to win. I have no problem with a fight being scored no contest due to lack of action. It might smarten up some fighters. Then after the fight, Germaine declares that she needs hand surgery. And I guess the next step depends on what happens at Cyborg's USADA hearing. Then in the post show press conference, Holly says a lot of woulda coulda shoulda...but you didn't and that's why you lost. Sometimes fighters think too much and forget to use instinct. Enough about this fiasco. Check out the fight for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Federico Aubele

Artist:Federico Aubele
Song:Esta Noche
Album:Gran Hotel Buenos Aires





With the help of Thievery Corporation, Argentine guitarist Federico Aubele mixed traditional Argentine music with electronica. Esta Noche is probably his best known song. He was born Aug. 26, 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His main influence is legendary tango guitarist Astor Piazzola. Aubele moved to Berlin, Germany in 2002. He sent out a demo and the popular duo Thievery Corporation (Rob Garza & Eric Hilton) signed him to their label Eighteenth Street Lounge Music. Gran Hotel Buenos Aires was Aubele's 2004 debut CD. The idea was to mix Aubele's traditional Argentine guitar style with Thievery Corporation's electronica. The album got a big boost when Esta Noche was used in the TV series Alias. The singer on Esta Noche is Gabriela Mairu. Aubele recorded four albums for Eighteenth Street. He left in 2011. His 2013 album 5 featured a duet with jazz singer Melody Gardot. This album is only available as a digital download. Aubele now lives in Brooklyn, NY. He tours but he has no record deal right now. He will be of interest to those who enjoy the tango style of guitar. Here's Federico Aubele performing Esta Noche at ToolboxDC Oct. 7, 2014. Kids, don't set your guitar on fire like Aubele does at the end of this video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charlie Parker

Artist:Charlie Parker f/Earl Coleman
Song:Dark Shadows
Album:Now's The Time





I don't know how frequently jazz legend Charlie Parker worked with singers. Not very often from what I could find. This recording was one of two songs featuring singer Earl Coleman from the 1947 Dial records sessions. Coleman was born Aug. 12, 1925 in Port Huron, MI. Coleman moved to Indianapolis in 1939 and sang with bands led by Ernie Fields and Bardu Ali. In 1943 he joined Jay McShann's band and he also sang with Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine and King Kolax. Then he moved to Los Angeles with McShann and that is when Coleman recorded with Parker, Fats Navarro and Max Roach. Dark Shadows was one of two songs Coleman sang with Parker's quartet on Feb. 19, 1947 in Los Angeles for Dial. The song was written by bassist John "Shifty" Henry who was a sideman. All three guys might have known each other from the Eckstine band but I'm not sure. Other musicians were Erroll Garner on piano, George "Red" Callender on bass and Harold "Doc" West on drums. You can get this recording on this 10CD budget box set from the German label Membran. These recordings are essential for jazz fans. Though Earl Coleman recorded occasionally as a leader, he usually was a supporting player with musicians like Gene Ammons, Art Farmer, Sonny Rollins and Gerald Wilson. In 1956, he recorded Earl Coleman Returns for Prestige with Art Farmer, Gigi Gryce, Hank Jones and Oscar Pettiford. It looks like he moved to Paris in the 60s with Don Byas. He recorded an album in 1967 as Earl Coleman and the Latin Love In. In 1968, he recorded the album Love Songs for Atlantic with Billy Taylor, Gene Bertoncini and Reggie Workman. Coleman recorded a couple of albums for Xanadu in the 80s. A handful of recordings over 30 years isn't enough for most jazz fans to remember Coleman. He died on July 12, 1995 at age 69. Here's a video for Dark Shadows by Charlie Parker featuring Earl Coleman.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Artist:Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra
Song:The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Album:Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition



For many years, this segment from the 1940 film Fantasia was the most popular animated film in the world. Fantasia was still a popular theatrical film in the 60s. I should know. I went to see it in a theater in the late 60s. And The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment certainly stands on its own. Walt Disney had already changed the future of animation with the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the very first animated feature film. So now he has to figure out what to do next. They were already working on the next feature Pinocchio. But the studio still produced Silly Symphony shorts. The Sorcerer's Apprentice started as a Silly Symphony comeback for Disney's most popular character Mickey Mouse. But when production costs soared, Disney decided it wouldn't be profitable as a short. He decided to turn it into a feature with animated segments set to classical music. He thought of using a famous conductor to record the score. He met Leopold Stokowski by chance at the restaurant Chasen's in Los Angeles. And Stokowski agreed to do the project right there. Other than The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stokowski chose the music. It was also decided to make a serious film aimed at adults as opposed to kids. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was directed by James Algar who had just started with Disney. The animation supervisors were Fred Moore and Vladimir "Bill" Tytla. Tytla also supervised the Night On Bald Mountain segment. The key animator was Preston Blair who also animated the hippo alligator dance in the Dance of the Hours segment. When it came time to release Fantasia, Disney's distributor RKO thought the film was too long and too highbrow. They didn't think it could make any money. Part of the problem was Fantasia was produced in stereo and most movie houses were still mono. So Fantasia was a limited release. And though it did well, the film cost too much to make money on initial release. Fantasia wasn't profitable until the 1969 re-release. That's when I first saw it. I recall that it was promoted as a psychedelic experience. I dunno about that but Fantasia still holds up very well. You can get the soundtrack on this 2CD budget set. The film was last released on DVD in 2010 and it's on moratorium until 2019. You can find it but not at a reasonable price. Here's The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra from the 1940 film Fantasia.

Invicta FC 22 analysis

Yesterday Invicta announced what I think is the full card for the Mar. 25 show at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. This show will air on UFC Fight Pass. Once again, Tonya Evinger will defend her Invicta Bantamweight Championship against Yana Kunitskaya. Of course their last fight was turned into a no contest due to a very poor call by ref Mike England. So obviously a rematch is warranted. In the co-main event, Invicta Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki will face former Invicta Strawweight Champion Livia Renata Souza. A few months ago, Ayaka announced plans to move up to Strawweight to get to the UFC. What a lot of fans may not know is that Ayaka fought at 115lb until 2014. Atomweight is the main weight class in DEEP JEWELS. That's why she moved there in the first place. So she wants to show the UFC that she can win at 115. Livia is a pretty good fighter but she took her stupid pills when she lost the belt to Angela Hill. Livia is bigger than Ayaka but Ayaka has superior skills similar to her teacher Megumi Fujii though I don't expect Megumi to be there. In an Atomweight bout, Jinh Yu Frey will face Janaisa Morandin. So I saw some squawking that Jinh didn't get a rematch against Ayaka for the belt. She may get that eventually. But I applaud Invicta for giving Ayaka the chance to show that she belongs in the UFC. That's what a developmental MMA company should be doing. Janaisa is from Brazil. Her record is 10-0 but she has never beaten a fighter with a winning record. I don't think unproven fighters should be on the main card. Period. In a Strawweight bout, Jodie Esquibel will face DeAnna Bennett. These two were supposed to fight in January but DeAnna pulled out due to injury. Jodie is a fan favourite. I think she's a points fighter with no ground game or punching power. Any readers of this blog will know I don't like points fighters. DeAnna is a Flyweight who has trouble making Strawweight. I'll put it this way. I don't think she's as good as Invicta thinks. But she will have a size advantage because she's really a Flyweight. In a Strawweight bout, Kal Holiday will face Miranda Maverick. Kal is listed as Kalyn Schwartz. She made her MMA debut on the Sept. Invicta show beating the highly touted Tiffany Van Soest by submission. And I think she came in on short notice too. So that's a good sign. Miranda made her MMA debut on the Dec. Invicta show with a submission win over Samantha Diaz. We'll see how they do. In another Atomweight bout, Sunna Davidsdottir will face Mallory Martin. Sunna is from Iceland. she made her pro MMA debut on the Sept. Invicta show with a win over Ashley Greenway. I thought she looked pretty good but she's already 31 years old. Time's a-wastin'. Mallory is from Colorado with a 1-0 record. That fight was for Kunlun in China. So this will be her US debut. That should be it. The last show was six fights. But it wouldn't surprise me if Invicta added a couple more. The main events are interesting but the rest of the show not so much.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Justin Kauflin

Artist:Justin Kauflin
Song:For Clark
Album:Dedication





If you have seen the 2015 documentary Keep On Keepin' On about jazz trumpet legend Clark Terry and his protege pianist Justin Kauflin, you probably want to know what happened to Kauflin. You can read my review of the film on the blog. Kauflin was born Mar. 10, 1986 in Silver Spring, MD and he grew up on Virginia Beach, VA. He took piano lessons and became somewhat of a child prodigy. Kauflin lost his sight at age 11 due to retinopathy. It didn't stop him from playing and he switched to jazz piano as a teen. He met Terry at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Kauflin's other influences include pianists Harold Mabern and Mulgrew Miller. Kauflin self released the CD Introducing Justin Kauflin in 2010. Keep On Keepin' On is about Terry's mentorship of Kauflin. You may recall that at the end of the film, Terry brings Quincy Jones to his home to see Kauflin. And that's where the film ends. Jones took Kauflin on tour. The video below was Kauflin's international debut at the 2013 Montreux Jazz Festival. Jones got Kauflin a record deal with the French label Jazz Village. The CD Dedication was released in 2015. Kauflin wrote all the songs. Musicians are Christopher Smith on bass, Billy Williams on drums and Matt Stevens on guitar. Since then he has been touring. he is currently on a European tour. So it looks like he's doing fine. Sadly, Clark Terry died. He was very ill in the film. His legacy as a mentor begins with 12 year old Quincy Jones and ends with Justin Kauflin. RIP Clark but you live on through all your students. Here's Justin Kauflin performing For Clark at the 2013 Montreux Jazz Festival.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-21:03

Artist:21:03
Song:Still Here
Album:Evolved...From Boys To Men





The idea behind 21:03 was to create a gospel group that would have the appeal of an R&B act like Boyz II Men. The man behind this was legendary singer songwriter and producer James Moss and his partners Paul "PDA" Allen and Walter Kearney. They are known as PAJAM and they produce a lot of artists. Of course Moss records as J. Moss and he comes from a legendary gospel music family. His dad was Bill Moss and his aunt was Dr. Mattie Moss Clark so The Clark Sisters are cousins. So they held auditions in Detroit and Evin Martin, Torrence Green and Jor'el Quinn became 21:03. They released three albums on Sony's gospel label Verity Records which is now called RCA Inspirational. Still Here is from the 2011 CD Evolved...From Boys To Men. It did well on the Gospel chart but I think Moss was hoping 21:03 would cross over to mainstream R&B or pop. That hasn't happened. The PAJAM guys write and produce all the songs with some 21:03 input. Martin wrote the lyrics for Still Here after his dad died. Quinn left 21:03 and the group was a duo when they released the 2015 EP Outsiders. Now it looks like 21:03 is defunct. I checked their Twitter account. They haven't posted anything since last summer and their website is kaput. You never know. They could rise from the ashes but it doesn't look good. Here's 21:03 performing Still Here on BET's Bobby Jones Gospel 2011.

Ayaka Miura vs Magdalena Sormova added to Mar. 12 PANCRASE show

PANCRASE has announced that DEEP JEWELS fighter Ayaka Miura will face Magdalena Sormova at PANCRASE 285 Mar. 12 at Differ Ariake. This fight will be at Strawweight. Ayaka is from Saitama and she trains at Tribe Tokyo which is owned by former UFC and DEEP fighter Ryo Chonan. Her record is 3-1 but she was off for almost two years due to health problems. Doctors finally cleared her to return in Sept. 2016 and she beat Sachiko Fujimori on the Nov. 2, 2016 DEEP JEWELS show. Why is she on a PANCRASE show? It could be timing and maybe DEEP JEWELS matchmaker Shigeru Saeki may not have an opponent for her right now. Saeki can't afford to bring in gaijin fighters these days and PANCRASE owner Sakai has the money to do that. Magdalena is from Prague, Czech Republic. She trains at Penta Gym. Her record is 4-0 and her most recent win was over Weronika Zygmunt on Ladies Fight Night 4 in Karpacz, Poland Dec. 17, 2016. I watched this fight and it's hard to tell if Magdalena is any good because her opponent was terrible. The fight ended when Weronika blew out her knee early in round two. Magdalena was supposed to be on an upcoming EuroFC show. But as you may have heard, EuroFC is having financial problems and the show was cancelled. I guess she was already in training which may be why she got this fight. This fight is scheduled for three five minute rounds and it's in a cage. That puts Ayaka at a disadvantage as DEEP JEWELS fights are two five minute rounds in a ring. I don't think she's ever fought in a cage. This show will air on UFC Fight Pass so be sure to check it out.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Owen

Artist:Owen
Song:Bad News
Album:At Home With Owen





Mike Kinsella was in several Chicago area bands. He decided he needed a solo outlet for some of his songs. So he started recording in his bedroom and releasing the music on CD under the name Owen. Among the bands he has been part of are Cap'n Jazz, Joan Of Arc and American Football. Usually his brothers Nate and Tim were part of these bands. After releasing the 1999 album American Football, the band split up and Kinsella decided to record in his bedroom. It's not clear why he called himself Owen, probably to remain anonymous and separate his solo persona from bands that he was in. Since 2001, Kinsella has been releasing CDs as Owen through Polyvinyl Records which was also American Football's label. Bad News is from the 2006 CD At Home With Owen, an ironic title since this was the first Owen CD that was recorded in a studio instead of Kinsella's bedroom. His latest Owen CD was released last year. While performing and recording as Owen, Kinsella is part of other bands like Owls and Their/They're/There. And recently American Football reformed and released a new CD. He says his Owen recordings are more personal than any of his bands and he isn't planning on turning Owen into a band. Here's Owen performing Bad News at Union Hall in Brooklyn, NY Oct. 19, 2009. This video is not on Youtube.

Owen - "Bad News" from Ian Perlman on Vimeo.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Syuri vs Minna Grusander

Here's the match video for Syuri vs Minna Grusander from yesterday's PANCRASE show at Differ Ariake in Tokyo. This show aired on UFC Fight Pass. Of course Syuri is the pro wrestler and kickboxer looking to get to the UFC. She's 3-0 but this fight should give us a better idea of where she is at. Minna is from Finland. She's 2-0 as a pro but she has an extensive amateur MMA record. she was the 2015 IMAAF Strawweight Champion. This fight was the main event of the show. I was hoping that Minna would really push Syuri. But she didn't. It all started with Syuri's jab followed by overhand rights. Minna just never had an answer for that. She tried several times to take Syuri down and Syuri defended. I guess Minna just wasn't as good as we thought. Syuri looked great. She had a game plan. She stuck to it when it was obvious Minna had no answer. There was no reason for Syuri to change anything. If she continues like this, she will get that UFC call. RIZIN owner Sakikabara announced yesterday that Kanako Murata will make her PANCRASE debut shortly. Match her against Syuri. I know there are some fans who really like Murata. I was very disappointed in her performance against Rin Nakai on the RIZIN show. Murata seemed very timid during that fight. Her stock dropped drastically for me. Of course Murata wants a rematch with Rin. Rin is out right now with an elbow injury. But I don't think Murata has earned a rematch anyway. Syuri could be a good test for her. In other PANCRASE news, you may have heard that Differ Ariake will close June 2018. It will be demolished. The building is old and run down. The owners have decided renovation would be too expensive. So yesterday PANCRASE owner Sakai announced that they would be moving to Studio Coast in Feb. 2018. Studio Coast was built in 2002. It's in the Shinjuku area so it's convenient. PANCRASE will be the first combat sport to run there. At 2400 capacity, it's about twice the size of Differ Ariake. So it's larger and more modern. It even has a pool and a poolside cafe along with VIP boxes. It seems like a good choice. It will be interesting to see if PANCRASE can fill it. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra

Artist:Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra
Song:Soul Coaxing (Ame Caline)
Album:The Golden Age Of American Popular Music: Hits With Strings and Things




Here's a song you have probably heard. Those who listen to the British radio station Radio Caroline should be very familiar with it as it was the station theme for years. The record charted in 1968 and it very popular in the Easy Listening market. Raymond Lefevre was a composer popular in his native France and in Japan. He was born Nov. 20, 1929 in Calais, France. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and played jazz piano in clubs. He was in a band led by clarinetist Hubert Rostaing and he was also in Bernard Hilda's band at Club des Champs-Elysees. In 1956, he joined Barclay Records as a house producer and arranger. He worked there for his entire career. He worked with singer Dalida for several years. And he also started getting into films and TV. He scored a minor hit with The Day The Rains Came in 1958. Lefevre worked on TV shows like Musicorama and Palmares Des Chansons. Soul Coaxing was written and originally performed by singer songwriter Michael Polnareff. Lefevre was one of several bandleaders to record an instrumental of the song. Lefevre's recording became a hit in England and then Kapp Records released it on their Four Corners of the World label. It reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. And the record has always been an Easy Listening favourite. Radio Caroline kept the record alive for years by using it as its theme. You can get it in this Ace Records various artists comp. The hit single changed nothing for Lefevre. He returned to film and TV composing. He became a big favourite in Japan and he toured there with a live orchestra. Raymond Lefevre died on June 27, 2008 at age 78. Here's a video for Soul Coaxing (Ame Caline) by Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tecia Torres vs Bec Rawlings

Here's the match video of Tecia Torres vs Bec Rawlings from last night's UFC show in Houston. Readers of this blog will know that I don't care much for either fighter. Tecia is a kickboxer with no ground game and in her last fight, we saw her flaws exposed. It was her first loss. She says she's trying to improve her ground skills. And she does go to the ground a couple of times during this fight. But she's also talking about retiring. She is a criminology student and she wants to go into law enforcement. I guess she knows she's going nowhere. To plan for a real career is a smart. I don't think Bec is a high level fighter. I have thought that since her Invicta days. She trains now at Alliance in San Diego. Based on this fight, she's just not improving. And she's had health problems that have slowed her down. And she missed weight. The story of this fight is that Tecia is not a finisher. But she's too quick for Bec. So Bec can't do anything with her. She's too slow. In interviews, Tecia said she wasn't happy about facing Bec. But she hadn't fought in almost a year. So I think she just wanted to get back in the cage with someone. She normally trains at American Top Team in Florida. But for this fight, she trained with Raquel Pennington in Colorado. Raquel was in her corner. She recently had shoulder surgery. That's why she is wearing a sling. I'm sure Tecia was happy to win the fight. But the retirement talk says that she's not too happy right now. Enjoy the video.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica Andrade vs Angela Hill

Here's the match video of Jessica Andrade vs Angela Hill from last night's UFC show in Houston. The bottom line is if Jessica wins this fight she gets a shot at Joanna Jedrzejczyk's UFC Strawweight Championship. They tried to set this up a couple of months ago. But Angela needed a USADA exemption because she was returning from Invicta. Normally a fighter needs 40 days of USADA testing before a UFC fight. That rule has now been changed. So did Angela Hill improve in Invicta? Maybe a bit but I also think the competition level of her opponents was low. She may be a fighter who is at a certain level. She beats those who are below her and loses to those who are above her. She's decent especially at kickboxing but she won't upset anyone. And an upset of Jessica would be a very tall order. Jessica was simply relentless in hammering Angela. The only thing she didn't get was a finish. Angela tried to fire back but she just doesn't have the power. And that's what separates Jessica from other fighters and it's why she's getting a title shot. The interesting thing is Joanna and Jessica used to train together and they even had the same manager. That manager Tiago Okamura translated Jessica's post fight interview. So now you know why Joanna made so many changes recently. She knew she would have to face Jessica. I expect that fight to be a war as both fighters have power and strong defense. Jessica also has a good ground game and she favours the guillotine and has won several fights with it. I'm surprised she didn't use it in this fight. Last night Angela was praised for having an iron chin. That's a backhanded way of saying she knows how to take a beating. But at least they got a Fight Of The Night bonus. So it wasn't a total loss for Angela. I just don't see her upsetting any of the top fighters in the division. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Felice Herrig vs Alexa Grasso

Here's the match video of Felice Herrig vs Alexa Grasso from last night's UFC show in Houston. Alexa was unbeaten coming into this fight and she was heavily favoured. She has looked very good in all her fights. The only thing that has slowed her down has been injuries. She has star potential partially because she's Mexican and the UFC considers Mexico an emerging market. The problem with Felice is she is inconsistent. But I noticed that she is again working with former UFC and Bellator fighter Jeff Curran. She really seems to click with him. The problem with this fight is neither fighter is very effective. But Felice was slightly more effective and that's why she won the fight. Alexa simply didn't do enough. And if you saw her reaction after the decision was announced, she thought she won. And that means her corner told her that she was winning. That explains why Alexa showed no urgency in round three. I scored the fight 30-27 for Felice. And it's not like Felice was dominant. She eked out a win over an underperforming Alexa Grasso. I can't imagine why Alexa would fight that way. Hopefully she learned her lesson. Felice says she would like to fight either Michelle Waterson or Paige VanZant. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The O'Jays

Artist:The O'Jays
Song:Lovin' You
Album:The Box Set Series





Of course The O'Jays were one of the most popular R&B groups of the 70s. And though their last top ten pop hit was in 1978, they continued to score on the R&B charts in the 80s. Lovin' You topped the R&B chart in 1987. In their prime in the 70s. The O'Jays were Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell. Powell was diagnosed with cancer and he died in 1977. He was replaced by Sammy Strain of Little Anthony & The Imperials. Their final top ten pop hit was Use Ta Be My Girl in 1978. But The O'Jays continued to record with long time producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at their label Philadelphia International. The label simply wasn't as successful in the 80s due to changing musical tastes. At some point in the 80s, Gamble and Huff moved Philadelphia International distribution from Columbia to Capitol/EMI. EMI wanted to show how much they wanted the label. So they spent more money on promotion. The 1987 album Let Me Touch You was The O'Jays most successful album since the 70s. The single Lovin' You topped the R&B Singles chart. It was at this point that Gamble and Huff closed Philadelphia International and The O'Jays signed directly with Capitol/EMI. The 1989 album Serious was the first O'Jays album since the 60s that wasn't produced by Gamble and Huff. Levert and Williams produced much of the album. The #1 R&B hit Have You Had Your Love Today? was produced by Eddie Levert's son Gerald Levert and partner Marc Gordon. And that's how things went until The O'Jays left EMI in 1993. This 2014 Sony Legacy budget 4CD box set is the only comp available that covers both Columbia and EMI recordings. Of course The O'Jays are still touring but their most recent CD was a Christmas album in 2010. They were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Here's The O'Jays performing Lovin' You on The Late Show 1987.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Saint Tropez

Artist:Saint Tropez
Song:Femme Fatales
Album:The Best Of Saint Tropez: Fill My Life With Love




Saint Tropez may seem like Euro Disco especially since this 1982 song Femme Fatales is in French. And it also seems like a soundtrack to a murder mystery movie. But Saint Tropez is one of several disco groups produced in Los Angeles by Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis. Rinder was already part of the Los Angeles studio scene in the 60s when he met Lewis at an audition. The two had a band for a while. Then they were hired by AVI Records co-owner Ed Cobb to record some disco remixes. Cobb was a member of The Four Preps and he became a producer after they split up. This led to a 1975 album released under the name El Coco. There was no group. The music was performed by Los Angeles studio musicians. But the music was successful enough especially in the dance market that they thought they could produce several anonymous disco acts. Among the group names were Le Pamplemousse and Saint Tropez. So they released two Saint Tropez albums on Butterfly Records owned by a friend AJ Cervantes. Saint Tropez scored two top ten dance hits. It sounded like Euro Disco so even fans of the music didn't know where it was produced. After two albums, Rinder and Lewis seemed to retire the Saint Tropez name. They continued to record El Coco and Le Pamplemousse. But then Cervantes started a new label Destiny Records and a new Saint Tropez album was recorded in 1982 called Hot and Nasty. Femme Fatales got some airplay in clubs. But it was probably too weird to be successful. This comp covers all the Saint Tropez recordings. Rinder and Lewis continued in the 80s and they are still around but not as active as they were in the 70s. Here's a video for Femme Fatales by Saint Tropez.

Gina Mazany in for injured Liz Carmouche at Feb. 19 UFC show

TSN reported this afternoon that Liz Carmouche is out of her match against Sara McMann on UFC Fight Night 105 Feb. 19 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax. Gina Mazany has been brought in to replace her. Fans may recall that Gina appeared on the opening episode of TUF 18. She lost a qualifying match to Julianna Pena and didn't make the house. She then took three years off and returned with a win over Katie Halley on the May 18, 2016 Alaska Fighting Championship show in Anchorage. What's she doing in Alaska? Like Lauren Murphy, that's where she's from. She now trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas with her brother Dave Mazany who is the current EFC Lightweight Champion. Her record is 4-0 but that's since 2008. So she's had a couple of long periods of inactivity. She has also done pro wrestling working as a tag team with her brother.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Glenn Jones

Artist:Glenn Jones
Song:Here I Go Again
Album:Here I Go Again





Glenn Jones started out in gospel and he moved to secular music in the 80s. He had a good run on the R&B charts. Here I Go Again was his only number one R&B hit in 1992. He was born 1962 in Jacksonville, FL. Jones grew up singing in church and he was a member of the gospel group The Modulations. When jazz drummer Norman Connors made the move to R&B in the 70s, he was well known for giving singers their first break. He hired Jones to appear on the 1980 single Melancholy Fire. And when the song was a top 20 R&B hit, Jones went on tour with Connors. Then Jones signed with RCA in 1983. Show Me from his 1984 debut album Finesse reached #2 on the R&B Singles chart. That song was written and produced by La La who recorded a couple of albums but was mainly a songwriter producer. Jones recorded two albums for RCA and then moved to Jive. His 1987 single We've Only Just Begun reached #2 on the R&B Singles chart. It was produced by Timmy Allen of Atlantic Starr who was a Jive house producer. He recorded two albums for Jive and then moved to Atlantic. Here I Go Again was his first album for Atlantic in 1992. And it was also the first single. Jones topped the R&B Singles chart for the first time. Jones wrote and produced the song with Ray Watkins who had previously produced Meli'sa Morgan. Jones recorded two albums for Atlantic. The album Here I Go Again is available on CD. There was a comp but it is now out of print. It's tough to do a comp when a guy bounces around several labels. Since then Jones has recorded for smaller labels. His most recent album on Shanachie was released in 2006. He seems to still be active as a studio singer. Though Jones has a great voice, his hits probably weren't distinctive enough to be memorable. I think it's a result of recording for three labels in ten years and working with too many different producers. Here's the video for Here I Go Again by Glenn Jones.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Holy

Artist:Steve Holy
Song:Brand New Girlfriend
Album:Best Of Steve Holy





Brand New Girlfriend was one of two number one country hits for Steve Holy in 2006. He still performs but he isn't recording right now. He was born Feb. 23, 1972 in Dallas the youngest of eight children. He entertained family and friends with his impersonation of Conway Twitty. After graduating high school, he toured with Johnny High's Country Music Revue. He was spotted by Wilbur Rimes who managed his daughter LeAnn Rimes. Rimes brought Holy to Nashville and got him a deal with Curb Records. Rimes produced Holy's 2000 debut CD Blue Moon. Good Morning Beautiful was the fourth single from the album. It topped the Country Singles chart and it was also a top 30 pop hit. Most of Holy's 2006 CD Brand New Girlfriend was produced by Lee Thomas Miller who is mainly a songwriter and occasional producer. The single Brand New Girlfriend topped the Country Singles chart. The song was written by veteran songwriters Jeffrey Steele and Shane Minor with radio promotion man Bart Allmand. Holy again worked with Miller on his 2011 CD Love Don't Run. It didn't perform as well as the other two albums. Waiting five years between releases usually means that folks forget about you. He left Curb and he moved back to Dallas. Curb released this budget comp in 2013. Holy hasn't recorded since then but he still performs. Holy says on his website he moved back to Dallas to spend more time with his daughters. It may be time for him to start his own label. Here's the video for Brand New Girlfriend by Steve Holy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Paula Abdul

Artist:Paula Abdul
Song:Rush Rush
Album:Greatest Hits: Straight Up!





Paula Abdul was so popular from 1989-93 that I'm sure many fans don't realize she only recorded three albums and the last album was in 1995. Of course she's done plenty of other things to remain in the public eye. Rush Rush was the fifth of six consecutive number one hits. She was born June 19, 1962 in San Fernando, CA. Her mother was Canadian born concert pianist Lorraine Rykiss. Watching Gene Kelly in Singin' In The Rain inspired Paula to take dance lessons. After graduating high school, she joined the Los Angeles Lakers dance group The Laker Girls and she was head choreographer within a year. When some of The Jacksons saw her while attending a Laker game, she was hired to choreograph the video for Torture. Then she toured with them. Paula choreographed many music videos, most notably for Janet Jackson. She also worked in films and TV. So now she wants to be a singer though she doesn't have much of a singing voice. She signed with Virgin Records. The thinking is she could be coached to sing but her looks and dancing could carry her videos. Her debut album Forever Your Girl was released June 1988. It got off to a slow start. Straight Up! was the third single and it was Paula's first number one hit. The music video featuring Arsenio Hall was played constantly on MTV. This was followed by three more number one hits from Forever Your Girl. The album sold seven million copies. As we all know, it's always difficult to follow up when an debut album is that successful. For her 1991 album Spellbound, Paula worked mostly with Peter Lord of the R&B group The Family Stand. He was producing another Virgin act Aftershock and he heard Paula was looking for new songs. They clicked and Lord produced the whole album. Rush Rush was the first single and it topped the charts. The video was based on Rebel Without A Cause and it featured Keanu Reeves. The second single The Promise Of A New Day also topped the charts. Spellbound sold over three million copies. That was her final number one hit. Paula took time off to recover from bulimia. By the time she released the 1995 album Head Over Heels, she had been forgotten and the album didn't sell and there were no hit singles. This budget comp has all of her hits. She returned to choreography until she was named a judge for the TV show American Idol in 2002. She has appeared as a judge on several other shows. Most recently she was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. Recently it was announced Paula would not be returning to the show as she is planning a concert tour. There has been talk that she has recorded an album but there are no details yet. It's doubtful she can return to the top of the charts after over a twenty year gap. Stranger things have happened. Here's the video for Rush Rush by Paula Abdul.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gentle Giant

Artist:Gentle Giant
Song:Knots
Album:Three Friends/Octopus





Gentle Giant was a progressive rock group in the 70s. Their music was complex even for progressive rock. So though attempts to commercialize them were unsuccessful, they had a very strong cult following and they were also an excellent live band. The 1972 album Octopus is considered to be one of their best albums. Gentle Giant were from Portsmouth, England led by brothers Phil, Derek and Ray Shulman. Their father was a jazz trumpeter and he encouraged them to learn to play many instruments. They started out as an R&B group and by the mid-60s they were Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. They recorded for EMI and they scored a top ten hit in England with Kites in 1967. By this time EMI convinced them to record psychedelic music. But the Shulmans didn't like it and they recorded R&B as The Moles in 1968. Rumours surfaced that The Moles were actually The Beatles but it was then revealed that it was Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. The band disbanded and Gentle Giant was formed in 1970. The Shulmans brought in guitarist Gary Green and keyboard player Kerry Minnear and they kept drummer Martin Smith from the old band. Minnear turned out to be a key addition because he was a classically trained musician with a degree in composition from the Royal College of Music. He came with the musical sophistication that the Shulmans wanted. They signed with Vertigo Records and their second album Acquiring The Taste was the first to be critically acclaimed. And they began to be a live draw. Smith was replaced by Malcolm Mortimore. But he was injured in a motorcycle accident and John "Pugwash" Weathers replaced him. Gentle Giant signed a US record deal with Columbia. The albums Three Friends and Octopus were both concept albums. Octopus is short for "octo opus" because it was an eight part opus. Knots has a very intricate vocal arrangement. Today Octopus is considered to be Gentle Giant's best album. The British reissue label Beat Goes On has released Three Friends and Octopus on CD as a twofer. I think that works better for Gentle Giant than a greatest hits comp. They toured and then Phil Shulman left because he didn't like touring. Gentle Giant continued recording for Capitol and Chrysalis. Chrysalis unsuccessfully tried to commercialize Gentle Giant and the band hated the music. By 1979 they moved to Los Angeles to record their final album Civilian. They split up in 1980. Derek Shulman went into record company management first with PolyGram then as president of Roadrunner Records. He currently runs his own company. Ray Shulman became a producer for Echo & The Bunnymen among others. Phil Shulman became a teacher and owned a gift shop. Kerry Minnear runs Alucard Music and he manages Gentle Giant's recordings. The band has never completely reunited but there have been partial reunions. It's just hard to get all of them in one place at the same time. If you are a progressive rock fan and never checked Gentle Giant out, I suggest you do so. Here's Gentle Giant performing Knots 1974.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

Artist:Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes f/Sharon Paige
Song:Hope We Can Be Together Soon
Album:The Ultimate Blue Notes



Of course most music fans should be familiar with the great Philly Soul sounds of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes especially the songs featuring legendary soul singer Teddy Pendergrass. But by the mid-70s, Melvin knew that Pendergrass was going to go solo. So he went looking for a replacement. Hope We Can Be Together Soon features Sharon Paige. It topped the R&B charts. The song appears on the 1975 album To Be True. I don't have any bio info about Sharon so I can only assume that she was probably a backup singer at Philadelphia International. Pendergrass was demanding star billing and more money to stay with The Blue Notes. No doubt Melvin discussed the problem with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and they decided to try Sharon out on one song. Hope That We Can Be Together Soon topped the R&B Singles chart. Melvin is the main male singer on the record. Pendergrass does appear near the end of the record. On their next album Wake Up Everybody, the title song was a huge hit. But Sharon appeared on two songs on that album. Soon after Pendergrass left to go solo and he was replaced by David Ebo. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes left Philadelphia International for ABC Records. Not long after MCA purchased ABC. At this point, Sharon became a regular member of the group until their final MCA album in 1980. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes last recorded in 1984. But they continued to tour. And Sharon was a member of that touring group. It looks like she may have recorded solo once. But mainly she is known for this one hit song. Here's Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes featuring Sharon Paige performing Hope That We Can Ne Together Soon on Soul Train 1975 with guest host Richard Pryor.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Billie Kay vs Peyton Royce vs Nikki Cross

Here's the match video of Asuka defending her NXT Women's Championship vs Billie Kay, Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross from last night's NXT Takeover in San Antonio. Readers of this blog will know that I don't like four way matches. But this match was about as good as you can get of this kind of match. The Aussies Billie and Peyton are doing a mean girls gimmick similar to LayCool. A couple of weeks ago they beat up Asuka in the parking lot. Asuka is really pissed and then Nikki gets involved. Nikki is part of Eric Young's Sanity. She's being portrayed as insane. Billie and Peyton know their opposition is dangerous so they need to isolate them. They succeed in doing this. After Nikki lays out Asuka with a neckbreaker to the floor, Billie and Peyton take Nikki to the announce table. As Nikki is about to dive onto them, they give her a suplex onto something and that's the last we see of Nikki. There was talk this morning that she might have been legit injured but I don't think that is true. So the Aussies go back to the ring to finish off Asuka. They almost do it but they waste way too much time. After two near falls, Asuka nails Peyton with a roundhouse kick, gets rid of Billie with a spinning head kick and another roundhouse kick finishes Peyton. Asuka is still your NXT Women's Champion. I thought the match was very entertaining and like I said, I don't usually like these kind of matches. And it also sets up programs with all three of Asuka's opponents. Also, Ember Moon called out Asuka on the pre-show. When asked about Ember afterwards in a backstage interview, Asuka said "She works here?". Asuka walks away smiling. Enjoy the video!
NXT TakeOver San Antonio: Asuka vs Billie Kay... by womenswrestlingvideos

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Valentina Shevchenko vs Julianna Pena

Here's the match video of Valentina Shevchenko vs Julianna Pena from last night's UFC show in Denver. This was the main event of the show and the winner gets a shot at UFC Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes. Sometimes on this blog, I talk about a fighter beating herself. This fight is a perfect example of that. Julianna was winning this fight and she made a really stupid mistake and that was it. She beat herself and she should be kicking herself all the way home to Chicago. I still think she's a better fighter than Valentina but one mental error cost her. Round one of this fight was pretty close but I scored it 10-9 for Julianna. I thought she did well in the clinch with knees. Valentina got a couple of takedowns but she did nothing with top position. Two of the three judges scored it the same. In round two, Julianna took Valentina down and started pounding on her. So Julianna was winning. With a minute left, she left her arm open and Valentina did what any fighter should do and that's take advantage of an opportunity. If that doesn't happen, Valentina is down two rounds and she's in a hole that would be difficult to crawl out of. Does this mean that Valentina is now a submission ace? No because she hadn't won by submission in over ten years back when she was fighting regionally in Russia. And in those days MMA was a sideline for her. It takes more than one win to change my perception of any fighter. But she deserves credit for being opportunistic. A lot of fighters would not have recognized what Julianna handed to her and the ending would have been much different. So now she gets a title shot. Of course Amanda beat her by unanimous decision last year. I could see Valentina winning if she survives round one. Meanwhile Amanda keeps yapping about fighting at Welterweight. Dana White has put the brakes on that. Of course many are happy that Julianna lost because she has a big mouth. She has all the physical tools. But I'm not surprised that a mental error led to a loss. It's the one thing she needs to work on. Time will tell. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Benson and Earl Klugh

Artist:George Benson and Earl Klugh
Song:Since You're Gone
Album:Collaboration





As a teenager, guitarist Earl Klugh appeared on a couple of George Benson albums. So when Klugh came to Warner Bros. in 1985, it's not surprising that they recorded an album together and headlined a tour. Klugh was 17 years old when he appeared on one song on Benson's 1972 album White Rabbit. He also played on Benson's 1973 album Body Talk. Klugh had previously appeared on Yusef Lateef's 1970 album Suite 16. He joined Benson's touring band in 1973 and this led to Klugh signing with Blue Note in 1976. From there, Klugh was very successful as a solo artist and also with pianist Bob James. Meanwhile, Benson came to Warner Bros. in 1976 and became a huge star with the album Breezin'. Klugh moved to Warner Bros. in 1985 so I'm sure they suggested to Benson that the two record together and tour. The 1987 album Collaboration was produced by Benson's long time producer Tommy LiPuma. The album was very successful as it topped the jazz charts and was certified Gold. And they went on a successful tour. The songs are mostly originals. Klugh wrote Since You're Gone. Apparently this was Benson's first all instrumental album in 11 years. Musicians are Greg Phillinganes on keyboards, James Newton Howard on synthesizer, Marcus Miller on bass, Harvey Mason Sr. on drums, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion and Paul Jackson Jr. on rhythm guitar. I'm sure Warners would have liked a second album from them. But with constant touring, it can be difficult to make things like that happen. Fans of both musicians should enjoy this album. Here's George Benson and Earl Klugh with Michael O'Neil on guitar, Barnaby Finch and Dave Garfield on keyboards, Stanley Banks on bass, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums and Kate Markowitz on percussion performing Since You're Gone in Japan 1988.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Savage Garden

Artist:Savage Garden
Song:Truly Madly Deeply
Album:Truly Madly Completely: The Best Of Savage Garden




The Aussie duo Savage Garden only recorded two albums. But they scored two number one hits including Truly Madly Deeply. Savage Garden are from Brisbane, Australia. Daniel Jones plays guitar and keyboards. in 1993, he led the band Red Edge. He placed an ad in the newspaper looking for a new lead singer. Darren Hayes was attending university and had no experience. But he was the only one to respond to the ad. So he joined the band and the two started writing together. They split off and at first they called themselves Crush. But there was already a band with that name. So they called themselves Savage Garden from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles. They sent out demos and signed with Roadshow Music which was a division of the film company Village Roadshow. They recorded with veteran producer Charles Fisher who had worked with Air Supply. When their first single I Want You was a hit in Australia, they signed an international deal with Columbia Records. I Want You was released in North America Feb. 1997 and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Truly Madly Deeply did even better as it topped the charts. And the album Savage Garden was certified 7XPlatinum. So the album was a big success. Savage Garden recorded their 1999 album Affirmation in New York with Mariah Carey's producer Walter Afanasieff. It didn't do as well as the first album but it was certified 3XPlatinum. And the single I Knew I Loved You topped the Billboard Hot 100. But there was trouble in paradise. Hayes moved to New York and he wasn't planning to return to Australia. Jones stayed in Australia. That wasn't going to work. So they had split up already but they didn't acknowledge the split until late 2001. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Hayes released his first solo CD Spin in 2002. He has had chart success mostly in Australia. He last recorded for Mercury Records Australia in 2011. Hayes lives in Los Angeles and he is trying to get into acting. It seems Jones didn't like fame. Jones owned his own record label for a while and then he quit the music business for real estate. He still lives in Australia. Here's the video for Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden.

Irene Aldana vs Katlyn Chookagian added to Apr. 8 UFC show

The UFC announced today that Irene Aldana vs Katlyn Chookagian has been added to UFC 210 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. As I have said before, I don't believe that Irene belongs in the UFC and she was brought in mainly to keep her teammate Alexa Grasso company. Irene lost to Leslie Smith in her UFC debut. I didn't see anything from Irene to make me change my mind. She's a striker with no power and she doesn't throw combinations. She needs to show me something in this fight. Katlyn won her UFC debut over Lauren Murphy but then she lost to Liz Carmouche. Liz sat on her for two rounds. She didn't look good in either fight. Part of her problem is she's normally a Flyweight and she is undersized at Bantamweight. So I don't know if she belongs in the UFC either. That's not a formula for a good fight.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jermaine Stewart

Artist:Jermaine Stewart
Song:We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off
Album:Old School Volume 7





R&B singer Jermaine Stewart scored a top five pop hit with We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off in 1986. He had some other chart hits and he did very well in England. He was born Sept. 7, 1957 in Columbus, OH. His family moved to Chicago and that is where he went to high school. Stewart was a Soul Train dancer and he was friends with Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel. When Soul Train moved to Los Angeles, they all auditioned to be in Shalamar. They were the first act to sign with Soul Train's new record label Solar Records. Stewart was not selected to be in Shalamar but he did tour with them as a dancer. While on tour in England, Stewart met Culture Club bassist Mikey Craig who produced a demo for Stewart. That demo got Stewart a deal with Virgin Records in England and Arista in the US. Stewart recorded his 1984 album The Word Is Out in England with veteran British producer Peter Collins. The single The Word Is Out did very well on the dance chart. Stewart wrote all the songs on the album with Craig. For his 1986 album Frantic Romantic, Stewart was produced by Narada Michael Walden who was very hot at the time. He had just topped the charts with Whitney Houston's How Will I Know. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the British charts. The song was used on the TV series Miami Vice. Walden wrote the song with frequent collaborator Preston Glass. It would turn out to be Stewart's biggest hit. He recorded four albums for Arista. His music continued to do well in England. Then he left Arista for Reprise. He recorded an album in 1991 but it was never released. The British reissue label Cherry Red released Frantic Romantic on CD in 2010. But I think most fans will only want the one song and you can get it on this various artists budget comp. Stewart was recording a new album when he died of AIDS related liver cancer on Mar. 17, 1997 at age 39. His brother released those recordings on CD. We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off returned to the British charts in 2011 after it was used in a Cadbury commercial. Here's the video for We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off by Jermaine Stewart.
Jermaine Stewart- We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off (Released '86, Billboard #5) from Chris OBrien on Vimeo.