Ditto what Brad said! If you'd like to be a future STUDS partner, let me know! You'd be perfect for it. Just chat me a message. I'm booked through mid-October, so there's no rush.
And I can't remember who I voted for. Might have been Roy too. What a legend he was.
Thank you, Steve! Have him check his songs to see if there are any songs “out there” with the same title! That would be such a kick! Even if not, AJ would certainly fit in hanging out with STUDS!
Good choice on the "Sooner or Later" selection, Adam.....and, you're spot on about what an incredible idea for a series Steve has devised....easily repeatable, and puts it in a collab setting, where we get to know someone new, or something new about an old friend!
Sorry guys, my two favorite "Sooner or Later" songs would be those by World Party (an all-timer for me) and Madonna (an underrated gem.) You picked a few good ones though!
Well, Dan.....both those "S or L"s might've happened AFTER this, our "Sooner" ep! Let's hope Brad'n'Steve have it together enough to include one, the other, or *gasp* both......a little bit "Later"! Stay tuned (at least 'til August 13, when that one drops)! Thanks!😉
Really enjoyed this! I hadn’t heard any of the songs before (except the track by the English Beat and the Ricky Segall sung from Tune Tag). My vote went to the Roy Orbison track, which was absolutely gorgeous.
Looking forward to seeing part two sooner or later!
Thanks, Mark! Depending on your definition, you’ll get part 2 sooner or later! It’s crazy that the Roy Orbison song was relegated to deep in a compilation outside of being the b-side to “Blue Rain (Coming Down)” in 1973.
What a powerful duo, you two! You guys never disappoint. The dialogue is a scream. I didn't know any of these songs or artists. My vote went to Larry Graham. Interesting to see the similarities with Madonna's "Holiday". I've just had a quick look to see if she had sampled it and, while not official, it's rumoured that she and her production team borrowed heavily from that song.
Thank you, Andy! Get you'n'me into a room or get Steve'n'me into a room....and, sparks (and giggles) fly! You both inspire the funny, but in different ways! I wanna make you laugh (I've got about 3-4 jokes already dreamed up in an Andy-focused "stand-up" routine I've devised!), and Steve inspires me to be funny, as he and I just love jousting back'n'forth, each of us using our unique POVs, but also knowing we both have similar pop culture touchstones (it may be the 'Murican thing....plus, I'm an honorary Jew, of sorts, I'm proud to say, with growing up with many Jewish friends, and having a Jewish sis-in-law!).
I'm glad you gravitated to the Graham tune. I, too (after Steve's suggestion), hear the "Holiday" influence! Interestingly, Graham's was released in the summer of '82, while Madonna's was released and hit #1 in September '83. She didn't write it, but the former hubby/wife duo of Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder did. Both were in the group, Pure Energy. John "Jellybean" Benitez produced the Madonna hit. It's possible he was aware of the Graham song by this time.
Wiki: "Originally intended for Pure Energy, the demo was rejected by their label and later offered to other artists before Benitez brought it to Madonna, who was seeking an additional song for her album." Pure Energy never did record it, despite over 70 covers extant! Thanks again! Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the "Later" 5 songs in a couple weeks! Most of THOSE should be more right up your alley, just taking in their release dates, if nothing else!
Really? Wow - I thought maybe I was exaggerating the similarity with “Holiday.” Now, you have me excited to do some more digging.
Thanks for the comment and I bet you know a song or two from Graham Central Station (Larry Graham’s earlier band). I was just messing around on YouTube and found this old video of them on the Dinah Shore show and it’s blowing my mind.
Graham's "S or L" came about a year before Madonna recorded her "Holiday". Read my reply to Andy for that song's genesis and how it ended up in Madge's lap. Her producer brought it to her, and he may have been aware of the previous Graham hit by the time he brought "Holiday" to her. That's a great "Dinah" show clip! I had that '76 album of theirs! It's amazing how much time her show gave them....especially for a weekday afternoon show! The late-nite talk shows, many times, had groups only play one song!
Thanks, Ellen! As much fun to read, I hope, as it was for me to compose'n'construct with Steve! Thanks for voting, too! Plus, a vote for the Parsons Project is also, by proxy, a Pilot vote!😁👍
Love this, what a great concept! I have to say the Roy Orbison is my favorite because, well, it's Roy frickin' Orbison - but that Pilot track is great, another band I haven't heard or thought about in ages.
Yeah, that was a great find, especially as most of us had never heard it before. I guess the song ended up leaning on the "later" part of the title. I consider Brad the Pilot of MusicStack, and we are all passengers. Thankfully, all the seats are first class.
Oh, it's brill, Hugh! Go check out Steve's previous STUDS! It IS an amazing new lane he's dreamed up (plus, another collab avenue....come up with a song and pitch it to Steve)!
Orbison's (and Melson's) "Sooner or Later" is probably one of the most little-heard in Orbison's catalog. And, if you dig into Pilot's output, you'll have a foundation for knowing the whats and whys Alan Parsons used virtually all of them on various Alan Parsons Project albums all through the decade that followed the Pilot years! Plus, they're awfully happy and bouncy!
I especially enjoyed the Roy Orbison entry. A B-side buried for decades, and then the detail about the look: the black leather, the dark glasses, the whole invulnerable persona built specifically because he'd been a target for bullies in Wink. The image that became iconic was a defense mechanism. A wonderful deep dive, both of you.
I’m especially glad you enjoyed that entry. The museum in Wink has letters Roy wrote describing the bullying he experienced, excerpts which are in the book I quoted from. I haven’t read any memoirs or biographies of Orbison to get to know more about his early life, but I’d like to do that (all together now), sooner or later!
You nailed it, J.P.! In the days before image was really a thing (outside the cigar-smoke-filled record label C-Suites...."Stick with me, kid, I'm gonna make you a star!"), it was a general afterthought, and sometimes borne out of personality, poverty (can't afford to buy "a costume"), or self-preservation! But, it was real, honest, and not designed to "sell." It just was....certainly in Wink, TX!😉🤠Thanks so much, J.P.--Steve was huge on this one....As the tree said to the other tree about the lumberjack, "I'm glad he axed me!" See ya for Part 2, "Later"!
Glad this came sooner rather than later. Will the feelies be in pt. 2? Because i cannot imagine voting for anything else. And how you and Brad didn't comment on all the buried innuendo in Save it For Later (really think about that title, for example), i will never know...
Isn't that funny....I'd heard that Beat song before, but (as usual) never really zoned in on the lyrics, but now listening to it, I can certainly see how "Sooner or Later" can be construed as its title!
I can't help myself....as you gave a shout-out to (among other of my...er, "gifts"), mi amor para spoonerisms, one just slammed into my brain using our song title for today: It's by an artist who, apparently, is a combination astronomer/wood nymph....yes, his song is "Lunar or Satyr."
You'll be happy to know I'm just steps away from the exit!🚪
Thank you, Kristin! This was so much fun, and I feel impossibly fortunate to have chosen a title that just happens to have a bunch of songs that used the same three words! Steve's so intuitive and generous, too, so that made this just that much more fun....and informative! Anxious to have you see the "Later" part!
Brilliant! I'm already looking forward to the second round.
I'd have much rather seen the Jimmy Cliff song on the ballot than Ricky Segall's song; my pancreas is still aching after listening to it. The Impressions could maybe bump Larry Graham, but part of that might be Steve's commentary swaying me.
You raise some interesting points, Jackie (and precisely pinpoint the rationale behind STUDS), and you certainly name some fabulous "Sooner or Later"s! One of the many cool things about Steve's STUDS is that it's far less a ranking than it is an "excuse" to give some air to songs'n'artists that few have heard. You've still got those wonderful Cliff'n'Impressions songs, but now, you've heard a couple more!
And, yes, Steve's inspirational influencing is well-known 'round these parts!🤠Thanks again, Jackie.....we'll be happy to see you come the "Later" ep next month!
I can be extremely influential -- it's part of my passive aggressiveness!:) I have a sweet spot for that Ricky Segall song, probably from growing up watching the Partridge Family. It's also an earworm, and as you know, I love the cheesy earworms. Thanks for reading, Jackie!
You may have seen The Partridges in the first couple (of their 4) seasons, Jackie. Ricky signed on for their 4th and final season (the 1973-'74 season). I turned 18 about 6 months before the season started, so even I likely missed several of his episodes! But, I do remember seeing a couple of those eps!
In fact, in Sept '73, I was off to college from Houston to Denton, TX (N. Texas State U.), and by mid-month I was already following The New York Dolls to 2 of the Lone Star State portions of their U.S. tour! Quite a leap from The Partridge Family to The New York Dolls!😱Fresh out from behind the pesky paywall for ya: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/into-the-doll-house-with-todd-rundgren-fb6
Oh yes - it's mentioned in my ending comments. That one and Jimmy Cliff. Take it up with the bard, Mr. Kyle (deflecting responsibility😁). I personally would have gone with The Impressions over one of the others (probably Larry Graham), but what gets left out is part of what makes these STUDS feel alive.
I love this, what a great idea for a series Steve!! Gotta go with Roy
Ditto what Brad said! If you'd like to be a future STUDS partner, let me know! You'd be perfect for it. Just chat me a message. I'm booked through mid-October, so there's no rush.
And I can't remember who I voted for. Might have been Roy too. What a legend he was.
I would love that, you just tell me when and I'm there!
I like Larry Graham's song too, I'm a Sly fan from way back, but Roy got the nod this time.
Thank you, Steve! Have him check his songs to see if there are any songs “out there” with the same title! That would be such a kick! Even if not, AJ would certainly fit in hanging out with STUDS!
😂 I'd just be glomming onto y'all's studliness lol! But I'd love to!
Good choice on the "Sooner or Later" selection, Adam.....and, you're spot on about what an incredible idea for a series Steve has devised....easily repeatable, and puts it in a collab setting, where we get to know someone new, or something new about an old friend!
Sorry guys, my two favorite "Sooner or Later" songs would be those by World Party (an all-timer for me) and Madonna (an underrated gem.) You picked a few good ones though!
Well, Dan.....both those "S or L"s might've happened AFTER this, our "Sooner" ep! Let's hope Brad'n'Steve have it together enough to include one, the other, or *gasp* both......a little bit "Later"! Stay tuned (at least 'til August 13, when that one drops)! Thanks!😉
Dan - those are newer than 1983. This was part 1, the “sooner” songs. You might be pleasantly surprised with the choices for part 2…..just sayin’😁
Really enjoyed this! I hadn’t heard any of the songs before (except the track by the English Beat and the Ricky Segall sung from Tune Tag). My vote went to the Roy Orbison track, which was absolutely gorgeous.
Looking forward to seeing part two sooner or later!
Thanks, Mark! Depending on your definition, you’ll get part 2 sooner or later! It’s crazy that the Roy Orbison song was relegated to deep in a compilation outside of being the b-side to “Blue Rain (Coming Down)” in 1973.
That kinda tells you how good he was that this song was buried so deeply.
What a powerful duo, you two! You guys never disappoint. The dialogue is a scream. I didn't know any of these songs or artists. My vote went to Larry Graham. Interesting to see the similarities with Madonna's "Holiday". I've just had a quick look to see if she had sampled it and, while not official, it's rumoured that she and her production team borrowed heavily from that song.
Thank you, Andy! Get you'n'me into a room or get Steve'n'me into a room....and, sparks (and giggles) fly! You both inspire the funny, but in different ways! I wanna make you laugh (I've got about 3-4 jokes already dreamed up in an Andy-focused "stand-up" routine I've devised!), and Steve inspires me to be funny, as he and I just love jousting back'n'forth, each of us using our unique POVs, but also knowing we both have similar pop culture touchstones (it may be the 'Murican thing....plus, I'm an honorary Jew, of sorts, I'm proud to say, with growing up with many Jewish friends, and having a Jewish sis-in-law!).
I'm glad you gravitated to the Graham tune. I, too (after Steve's suggestion), hear the "Holiday" influence! Interestingly, Graham's was released in the summer of '82, while Madonna's was released and hit #1 in September '83. She didn't write it, but the former hubby/wife duo of Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder did. Both were in the group, Pure Energy. John "Jellybean" Benitez produced the Madonna hit. It's possible he was aware of the Graham song by this time.
Wiki: "Originally intended for Pure Energy, the demo was rejected by their label and later offered to other artists before Benitez brought it to Madonna, who was seeking an additional song for her album." Pure Energy never did record it, despite over 70 covers extant! Thanks again! Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the "Later" 5 songs in a couple weeks! Most of THOSE should be more right up your alley, just taking in their release dates, if nothing else!
Really? Wow - I thought maybe I was exaggerating the similarity with “Holiday.” Now, you have me excited to do some more digging.
Thanks for the comment and I bet you know a song or two from Graham Central Station (Larry Graham’s earlier band). I was just messing around on YouTube and found this old video of them on the Dinah Shore show and it’s blowing my mind.
https://youtu.be/YMGa8pyBWX4?si=-phsEBX3yWXZxCEZ
Graham's "S or L" came about a year before Madonna recorded her "Holiday". Read my reply to Andy for that song's genesis and how it ended up in Madge's lap. Her producer brought it to her, and he may have been aware of the previous Graham hit by the time he brought "Holiday" to her. That's a great "Dinah" show clip! I had that '76 album of theirs! It's amazing how much time her show gave them....especially for a weekday afternoon show! The late-nite talk shows, many times, had groups only play one song!
Beautiful!!
Voted for the Grass Roots but also a big fan of the Alan Parsons Project and would have voted for that too. Fun post!
I haven't voted yet, but I am definitely leaning Grass Roots. Thanks for reading and voting, Ellen!
Thanks, Ellen! As much fun to read, I hope, as it was for me to compose'n'construct with Steve! Thanks for voting, too! Plus, a vote for the Parsons Project is also, by proxy, a Pilot vote!😁👍
Love this, what a great concept! I have to say the Roy Orbison is my favorite because, well, it's Roy frickin' Orbison - but that Pilot track is great, another band I haven't heard or thought about in ages.
Looking forward to pt. 2!
Yeah, that was a great find, especially as most of us had never heard it before. I guess the song ended up leaning on the "later" part of the title. I consider Brad the Pilot of MusicStack, and we are all passengers. Thankfully, all the seats are first class.
Thank you, Steve.....yes, First Class, and at no time will we seat anybody on The Screaming Baby Express!
Oh, it's brill, Hugh! Go check out Steve's previous STUDS! It IS an amazing new lane he's dreamed up (plus, another collab avenue....come up with a song and pitch it to Steve)!
Orbison's (and Melson's) "Sooner or Later" is probably one of the most little-heard in Orbison's catalog. And, if you dig into Pilot's output, you'll have a foundation for knowing the whats and whys Alan Parsons used virtually all of them on various Alan Parsons Project albums all through the decade that followed the Pilot years! Plus, they're awfully happy and bouncy!
I especially enjoyed the Roy Orbison entry. A B-side buried for decades, and then the detail about the look: the black leather, the dark glasses, the whole invulnerable persona built specifically because he'd been a target for bullies in Wink. The image that became iconic was a defense mechanism. A wonderful deep dive, both of you.
I’m especially glad you enjoyed that entry. The museum in Wink has letters Roy wrote describing the bullying he experienced, excerpts which are in the book I quoted from. I haven’t read any memoirs or biographies of Orbison to get to know more about his early life, but I’d like to do that (all together now), sooner or later!
Thanks for your kind words!
You nailed it, J.P.! In the days before image was really a thing (outside the cigar-smoke-filled record label C-Suites...."Stick with me, kid, I'm gonna make you a star!"), it was a general afterthought, and sometimes borne out of personality, poverty (can't afford to buy "a costume"), or self-preservation! But, it was real, honest, and not designed to "sell." It just was....certainly in Wink, TX!😉🤠Thanks so much, J.P.--Steve was huge on this one....As the tree said to the other tree about the lumberjack, "I'm glad he axed me!" See ya for Part 2, "Later"!
Glad this came sooner rather than later. Will the feelies be in pt. 2? Because i cannot imagine voting for anything else. And how you and Brad didn't comment on all the buried innuendo in Save it For Later (really think about that title, for example), i will never know...
And you'll have to wait for a couple of weeks for the Later picks, but I have a Feeling you will like what we came up with....
I hope so, but Feelies all the freaking way...
Brad and I are chaste. We don’t believe in innuendo. What’s that? Oh, chased. Sorry, gotta run!🏃 Have to save my response for later!
I immediately thought of The Beat as well, so they obviously have the best song.
First one I thought of too, but disqualified on a technicality. . .
Isn't that funny....I'd heard that Beat song before, but (as usual) never really zoned in on the lyrics, but now listening to it, I can certainly see how "Sooner or Later" can be construed as its title!
Brad does not care for your heartfelt words! 😝
Loved this so much! You guys rock. 🤘
I’d only heard the Grass Roots one before.
Love “Save it for Later” too bad it wasn’t Sooner or Later!
Unsurprisingly, not as many songs titled "Save it for Later." So I'll deter anyone from trying that one for a future STUDS!:)
I also only knew the Grass Roots one. But now my SOL roots go deep!
I can't help myself....as you gave a shout-out to (among other of my...er, "gifts"), mi amor para spoonerisms, one just slammed into my brain using our song title for today: It's by an artist who, apparently, is a combination astronomer/wood nymph....yes, his song is "Lunar or Satyr."
You'll be happy to know I'm just steps away from the exit!🚪
I'm pretty sure these spoonerisms aren't supposed to cause pain
Thank you, Kristin! This was so much fun, and I feel impossibly fortunate to have chosen a title that just happens to have a bunch of songs that used the same three words! Steve's so intuitive and generous, too, so that made this just that much more fun....and informative! Anxious to have you see the "Later" part!
Brilliant! I'm already looking forward to the second round.
I'd have much rather seen the Jimmy Cliff song on the ballot than Ricky Segall's song; my pancreas is still aching after listening to it. The Impressions could maybe bump Larry Graham, but part of that might be Steve's commentary swaying me.
You raise some interesting points, Jackie (and precisely pinpoint the rationale behind STUDS), and you certainly name some fabulous "Sooner or Later"s! One of the many cool things about Steve's STUDS is that it's far less a ranking than it is an "excuse" to give some air to songs'n'artists that few have heard. You've still got those wonderful Cliff'n'Impressions songs, but now, you've heard a couple more!
And, yes, Steve's inspirational influencing is well-known 'round these parts!🤠Thanks again, Jackie.....we'll be happy to see you come the "Later" ep next month!
I can be extremely influential -- it's part of my passive aggressiveness!:) I have a sweet spot for that Ricky Segall song, probably from growing up watching the Partridge Family. It's also an earworm, and as you know, I love the cheesy earworms. Thanks for reading, Jackie!
I have dim memories of watching the Partridge Family but don't remember Segall at all.
You may have seen The Partridges in the first couple (of their 4) seasons, Jackie. Ricky signed on for their 4th and final season (the 1973-'74 season). I turned 18 about 6 months before the season started, so even I likely missed several of his episodes! But, I do remember seeing a couple of those eps!
In fact, in Sept '73, I was off to college from Houston to Denton, TX (N. Texas State U.), and by mid-month I was already following The New York Dolls to 2 of the Lone Star State portions of their U.S. tour! Quite a leap from The Partridge Family to The New York Dolls!😱Fresh out from behind the pesky paywall for ya: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/into-the-doll-house-with-todd-rundgren-fb6
I'm adding this amendment to the "Sooner Or Later" constitution, if you don't mind, from the post-Curtis Mayfield Impressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVWUmCzxZ0M
You betcha, David...thanks for the link! Looking forward to seeing whatcha think about our "Later" ep next month!
Oh yes - it's mentioned in my ending comments. That one and Jimmy Cliff. Take it up with the bard, Mr. Kyle (deflecting responsibility😁). I personally would have gone with The Impressions over one of the others (probably Larry Graham), but what gets left out is part of what makes these STUDS feel alive.