YIPES!! How Did We Wind Up Here?

Happy New Year to all of you who have made your way here either in the past or now, for the first time. As we usher in a new year, I thought I might take you back to the beginning of a new decade. Alright, twenty-nine years ago it was a new decade. Unbeknownst to me then, it had become a decade that I would often defer to musically, and almost thirty years later make a valiant attempt at briefly educating other's in a subject I have come to receive an imaginary PhD in; the "Unknown 80's."

It was not until 1981 when I had accidentally stumbled across this 1980 release by a band that hailed from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Musically clueless; a condition you will find noted on this site repeatedly, I was still in the judge a book by it's cover state of mind. Generally, the bland coloring on this, their second album cover, tied in with the simplistic name of the band would have made for an instant turn-off, had I not flipped the cover over to peruse the album's contents. Stop right there, my musically uneducated mind commanded! Is that Darlin' listed on side two? Darlin' as in the Wilson/Love Darlin' made famous by The Beach Boys? This called for an immediate spin on WNYT Radio's production studio turntable, an easy task as I was already in that very space perusing the soon to be discarded records along the back wall. The space had been inexplicably reserved for albums no longer considered for radio station airplay. Most of those that had found their way to this lowly were there for good reason. This particular record however was a gem, a true piece of gold haphazardly deposited amongst the wasteland of Fool's Gold. Admittedly, had it not been for the accidental finding of a Beach Boys remake here, this musical treasure may forever have remained buried. As the album would surely not be missed, I took it home on a permanent loan basis where it now resides safely amongst the records on my back wall, a place I return to often.

The Official Story:

From Wikipedia:

Front man McCurdy was influenced at an early age by the first appearance of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. After teaching himself guitar and participating in several high school bands, he went on to front Yipes! in the late 1970s. Often described as a power pop or New Wave band, Yipes! enjoyed some moderate success after being signed to RCA/Millennium in 1978. However, the label dropped the band after only a few years.


From TrouserPress.com:

Wisconsin's Yipes! first appeared on Big Hits of Mid-America Vol. 3, the watershed Twin/Tone compilation. Their two albums are filled with sprightly, hard-edged power pop given distinction by energetic, cliché-free music, witty songs and Pat McCurdy's expressive, gangly vocals. What makes Yipes! worthwhile is their spirit of good fun, an avoidance of obvious derivativeness and well-conveyed enthusiasm.


Although I have chosen not to feature "The Ballad of Rudolf Kaiser" in this go around, I do feel the need to highlight just a bit of the quirky lyrical witticism that is Pat McCurdy.

The Ballad of Rudolf Kaiser (Einstein)

Hey Mr. Einstein brilliant as a man can be

Messing with the universe, thinking scientifically

Well, if you're so smart

Why is your daughter hanging around with me?

Hey Mr. Einstein it don't mean that much to me

If matter isn't relative or MC squared don't equal E

And my one track mind says

Your little girl was meant for me

Pat McCurdy continues to make music and tour today. Visit his website at www.patmccurdy.com/, where you can secure your own copy of this long lost treasure along with several of Mr. McCurdy's other musical contributions. Now go ahead and hit the play button below, remove yourself from the New Year and take it back twenty-nine years to the burgeoning of a new decade musically. Thanks again for dropping by. Make sure to leave a comment on your way out, then pass along the word.
See ya next month!

Morty!
Jan. 2009

With a Bullet!

The soundtrack to the vampire romance, "Twilight" recently debuted at number one on the Billboard chart. Having barely heard of any of the artists that have contributed to this impressive accomplishment, I can openly admit that I know even less about the movie itself. The irony however, that it rests at the top of the musical heap with a bullet is not lost on me. It is after all, well known that a silver bullet can kill a vampire...or is that a werewolf?

I don't follow the billboard charts much anymore, but often recall the old saying, "it's number one with a bullet." Movie soundtracks these days don't seem to carry the weight or the importance that they once had, which leaves me to ponder the question, will any of the artists on Twilight reach the iconic status of so many that had come before them? Who can forget the Bee Gee's meteoric rise to super stardom with the release of Saturday Night Fever? What about Olivia Newton John's return to the top with Grease? 1988's Cocktail brought the Beach Boys out of record chart obscurity landing them in the coveted top spot for the first time in over two decades with Kokomo. Growing up during my favorite musical decade, I remember movie soundtracks suddenly becoming the hot thing. Shortly following the slasher/horror movie craze, it was the coming of age teen genre that seemed to rule the box office. Does anyone remember the classics, A Night In Heaven, Party Party, The Last American Virgin, The Wild Life? Individual cult followings notwithstanding, it's a good bet that most of these movies will remain long forgotten. Certain to commit box office suicide, someone had the foresight to sell the idea another way. Let the music drive the movie. Madonna, Journey, Huey Lewis, Don Henley, Bob Seger, Bryan Adams, Cheap Trick, The Pointer Sisters, The Go-Go's, the list is endless. Far from Box Office Gold, many of the artists that contributed to so many lackluster films, did hit music gold. Survivor was making records long before Rocky III's "Eye of the Tiger" made them 1980's superstars. While already doing just fine, Journey scored a big hit with "Ask the Lonely" as did Madonna with "Crazy For You" from 1985's Vision Quest. Cheap Trick did well enough on their own during the decade of decadence and would most likely rather forget some of their soundtrack offerings, as most of the general public already has. As you've probably already figured out, this time around I will bring back into the spotlight some of these tunes that have long faded into the obscure realms of one of my favorite places in the universe, the Unknown 80's. Now hit the play button below and take a trip with me back to the days of the four dollar movie. Spending any more than that while admitting to seeing Up the Creek during it's first and only run might prove embarrassing. As always I IMPLORE YOU to leave a comment, or some clue as to your visit here. In the meantime, Happy Holidays. Thanks again for stopping by. See y'all in '09!

Morty!

"Here We Go Again...," Looking back at THE LOOK

This time around, the year is 1984.
Fantasy Records, famous for playing host to rock Icon's Creedence Clearwater Revival signs Detroit rocker's, The Look. Everybody's Acting is the band's third release and features an altogether different sound from what the Michigan based group was known for.
This little tidbit comes once again via The Internet, to which I humbly say thank you again, Mr. Gore.

It was only recently that I had spent a few hours of exhaustive research to find out these guys had been around since 1977, and are still making music today! I'll dispense with the factual information at this point and get on to the Morty part of the story.
My first look at The Look (couldn't resist the quick pun) dates back of course to my college radio days at WNYT; the radio station of Old Westbury's New York Institute of Technology. By the golden year of Orwell's 1984, I was now comfortable in my role as a college radio personality. Musically of course, I was still relatively clueless. The rock and roll format as laid out by the programming department was loose enough to the point that air staff could more or less cater a show to their own tastes. With enough well known artists in the rotation, it was always a pleasant experience for me. When it came time to play something in the "new music" category, I was always a little wary. This part of the programming hour was reserved for up and comer's, new artists that had yet to make it to mainstream radio. College radio was always a great proving ground for testing such waters. Usually for me as an on-air jock, this often meant a roll of the dice, heads or tails, eenie, meenie, minee, mo. The Look was the winner during one such hour. Taking a cue from the brief notes left by the music department, I chose to spin their updated version of the Motown classic, "The Way You Do the Things You Do." I can say with some degree of confidence here that I had never heard of the song. The light pop sensibility of this remake played right into my musical tastes at the time. The rest, as they say is history. The radio station always had a few extra copies of records lying around, so I helped myself to one, took it home and became an East Coast fan of The Look for a short period of time. Twenty-four years have elapsed since that afternoon, and now I find myself a fan of these guys all over again. That said, I now invite you to hit the play button below, close your eyes and take a trip with me back to the good old days. Don't forget to post a comment, then tell your friends to drop in as well. There's lots more Unknown 80's to explore!

Welcome! Now who is this Morty Guy Anyway?

Before I officially launch this next WWW endeavor, there are a couple of people I need to briefly pay homage to. First and foremost, I give thanks (as we all should) to Al Gore for his wonderful invention, The Internet. Without this modern marvel of technology, most of the music to follow here would remain locked within what's left of my brain, rather than stored on my iPod to enjoy again nearly twenty to thirty years after the fact. I would also like to give thanks to the scientists and technician types who, through tireless hours, late nights, and long weekends have provided us with the means to convert our beloved, yet worn vinyl records and analog cassettes to a digital format so that they may be selflessly shared with the rest of the world.
I've always had two passions in life, writing and music. Legend has it that while I was still in my toddler stage I would walk around with a record in my hand, begging any adult within toddling distance to put it on. My keen eye knew the exact pattern of the grooves on the piece of vinyl I was holding, allowing me to vehemently protest if the wrong side was about to be played.
During the awkward period of my adolescence, I had expressed an interest in becoming a radio disc jockey. I skipped the opportunity in High School, where a newly instituted student radio station played in the two cafeteria's. Shy, reserved and probably ashamed of my taste in music or lack thereof I was forced to listen to the popular student faves of the day which included the likes of Springsteen, The Dead, Skynyrd, and Yes. AM radio was still popular in the New York area and boasted two Top 40 radio stations; 66 WNBC and 77 WABC, both of which were extremely popular amongst the crowd I had called friends. At home we often listened to a station that was only available via Cable TV on the What's On channel.

My first date with destiny came in 1981 while visiting the college I would soon be attending; The New York Institute of Technology, where I came to realize that WNYT; the campus radio station was the very same station I had quite literally grown up with, having spent a fair part of my youth glued to the TV screen. I spent a good part of my New York Tech years making radio the priority in lieu of going to class. Several months later, I had achieved my first milestone, my first goal in life. I had become an on-air personality; DJ if you will. Musically speaking however, I was still relatively clueless. One of the great aspects of college radio was the exposure to a lot of music that would often go ignored and unheard by the general public. It took a bit of work to open up my stubborn mind, but what transpired in the end was an appreciation for bands and artists who would never receive the amount of airplay or attention that was often deserving of their hard work and dedication. It is my hope now, nearly three decades after the fact that somehow, sometime, someone might stumble across this site, be it one of the artists that is actually featured here, or simply a person or two that may just appreciate a small sampling of those, who only by circumstance were under-appreciated, forgotten, and now relegated to a place I call the UNKNOWN 80'S.


It is my plan (which doesn't always reach full fruition) to post here once a month, highlighting the music of a different artist through the use of video and music, exercising my long forgotten DJ'ing skills which will ultimately prove to you why I abandoned a career in radio to become a full time video editor instead. Should you have come across this blog either by chance or on purpose, please feel free to leave comments about the music, the site, or anything you may fancy. If you have any suggestions as to who you may wish to see featured here, I implore you to let me know as well. If you know any of the artists or have links to someone related to them, do not hesitate to spread the word. I look forward to the challenge I have laid before me, while hopefully making some new friends as well.
Enjoy,
Morty!

At the Tone, the Time Will Be 1982

Where were you in '82?

I was on top of the world, basking in the glow of a spotlight of my own making, well on the way to becoming a legend in my own mind, yet I was still
RELATIVELY CLUELESS, MUSICALLY!
I remember sitting high atop the cold, hard metal stool I had come to think of as a throne. Spread out in front of what to my untrained eyes could only have been compared to as that of the intricate control panel of an airliner, the mixing board with its VU meters and potentiometers (fancy radio talk for palm-sized volume control knobs), funneled the music out of the air studio and into the ears of the masses. It was not all fun and games though. DJ's have a number of decisions to make behind the scenes, most of them centering around music choices. Fortunately, with the help of a small number of upper-class men who had risen in the college radio hierarchy to important sounding positions that ended in the word director, the decision making process was made a little easier by following a few rules and going along with some strategically placed suggestions. There was a formula as to how and when one could play certain music. We followed something that more or less resembled a clock. Ironic, when you realize that in my debut entry here to this new blogging endeavor, the first band to be featured was called Clocks! Hailing from the vicinity of Wichita, Kansas, Clocks was signed to the Boulevard record label; a CBS subsidiary. The 1982 release of their self titled debut made it's way across the country to our little broadcast facility not long after the cover art had dried. Following a brief listening session by the station's music director, (we'll call her Ana C. for now), the album was added to rotation for airplay. A brief typed note outlining her thoughts and personal song faves was affixed to the front right corner of the record for on-air staff to inspect. As my mind was still relatively closed to new music at that tender time, I would often take a title at face value; the old judging a book by it's cover routine. I don't remember any of the other cuts that Ana C. had considered to be radio friendly, but "When Will I See You Again," sounded pleasant enough at the time.
I hastily cued up the record, turned on the mic and unbeknownst to my (only in my mind) loyal listeners, introduced the song as if I had long been familiar with it. That catchy little tune with pop radio potential buried deep on side two of the record stayed buried not so deep within my mind for decades. Long after the uneventful conclusion to my college radio career, I could be found perusing the discount bargain bins of local record stores in search of a way to recharge the fast fading batteries of my youthful exuberance, by way of the glorious sounds of worn and sometimes scratched vinyl. It had literally taken me nearly quarter of a century to finally come across a copy of this Unknown 80's treasure. From my very own listening session I had easily come to an understanding as to why this tune from my past which had relentlessly dogged me through adulthood was relegated towards the end of side two. The song still holds a special place in my heart, but the rest of the album seems so much stronger. It remains to me a mystery that the music of Clocks did not find itself somewhere among some the more commercially successful releases from that very year. I hope that after listening to the following presentation I have prepared, some of you may feel the same way.
Well, my job is done here. Now, click on the play button below, close your eyes and take a trip back to the early 80's.
MOST IMPORTANTLY...
Don't be shy to drop a comment or two, tell some friends about this place, and make sure to stop in next month.
See ya then,
Morty!