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Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:28 pm
by mr.barlow
I thought that was a David Bowie album!

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:37 pm
by mr.barlow
>>>>You and Me: unlistenable. Pure cheese. 100% velveeta. Barry Manilow territory. Cardboard lyrics and syrupy strings. Was no one watching the shop when this was recorded?


That's why I love this song. It's pure 1970s era cheese. Pure kitsch. It could almost be a parody of Manilow, The Carpenters, etc. I can see Alice in his Hugh Hefner smoking jacket sitting down next to Sheryl with a bowl of popcorn and laughing at Johnny Carson in the tv.

I'll have to go back to Wagner's book and read his comments about the song. I'm quite certain it was at the insistence of WB that they include another sappy ballad (this one was the pinnacle of it).

The lyric " what I am is what I am" always brought to mind Popeye! I wonder if Alice ever considered dressing up as Popeye for this song during the "King Of The Silver Screen" tour. He could have fought the dancing chickens while dressed as Popeye!

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:27 pm
by pitkin88
If you can post them I would like to hear what Wagner thought of those 45s. I know he hated the dancing chickens. I'm sure he liked the royalty checks.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:42 am
by Rhapsody of Fire
The first time I heard that song, it was at the Muppet show. Alice dressed as a vampire singing with Lady Monster. Great tv moment.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:30 pm
by pitkin88
Alice on The Muppets was another misstep. It wasn't even a good episode and the image was getting even more watered down.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:32 pm
by mr.barlow
I'm wouldn't say it was a misstep as it opened up him to a whole new generation of kids. To this day I think this is one of the most "famous" of the Muppet Show episodes. I think when it was on VHS only as a single show release it outsold all other episodes.

It did however further water down the image (but in fairness--that's what they were trying to do). I think the ONLY mistake they made with that episode was not including the Cyclops in with the other monsters during "School's Out". That would have been a terrific nod to Alice fans.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:42 am
by pitkin88
mr.barlow wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:32 pm
I'm wouldn't say it was a misstep as it opened up him to a whole new generation of kids. To this day I think this is one of the most "famous" of the Muppet Show episodes. I think when it was on VHS only as a single show release it outsold all other episodes.

It did however further water down the image (but in fairness--that's what they were trying to do). I think the ONLY mistake they made with that episode was not including the Cyclops in with the other monsters during "School's Out". That would have been a terrific nod to Alice fans.

I have the VHS! Bought it for my kids who liked it a lot. I really dislike the re recorded songs. Schools Out is horrible. Pretty sure we had the Vincent Price episode too.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:20 am
by padre_sliprat
I always hated the muppets.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:03 pm
by Swinger
pitkin88 wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:03 pm
I Never Cry: trying to be the all around entertainer and looking for the U.S. Housewives to score another AOR hit we get this slice of puss poor hokum. While Kiss where breathing fire Alice was handing out the kleenex. Played live it just sounds out of place and slows down the show. Dud.
Except, you know, KISS got their biggest hit the same year with "Beth", also a "housewife"-hit that sounded nothing like what they'd done before, and by 77-78 were toy-merch-machine and starring in a silly Hanna-Barbera produced tv-movie as superheroes. KISS basically go soft around the same time Alice did.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:35 pm
by pitkin88
Swinger wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:03 pm
pitkin88 wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:03 pm
I Never Cry: trying to be the all around entertainer and looking for the U.S. Housewives to score another AOR hit we get this slice of puss poor hokum. While Kiss where breathing fire Alice was handing out the kleenex. Played live it just sounds out of place and slows down the show. Dud.
Except, you know, KISS got their biggest hit the same year with "Beth", also a "housewife"-hit that sounded nothing like what they'd done before, and by 77-78 were toy-merch-machine and starring in a silly Hanna-Barbera produced tv-movie as superheroes. KISS basically go soft around the same time Alice did.
That's true. Ezrin played a big part in Beth. Blame Bob!

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:57 am
by mr.barlow
I blame the era. That period was loaded with sap and schmaltz. I'm sure in the case of Alice, Kiss and nearly every other act out there they were bending to the demands of the record company.

If I remember right it was Ezrin that added the disco tinged bass line to "Another Brick In The Wall" which resulted in that song becoming a monster hit! Once again---to tap into the popular trends at the time.

"Lace & Whiskey" has grown on me over the years and is a very uneven album but is still distinctly Alice with some great moments. "You & Me" is what it is, but the true blasphemy on the album is "No More Love At Your Convenience".

And for that song you can definitely blame Bob. Wagner basically says so in his book. The video is just as awful as the song!

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:04 am
by Daggers & Contracts
mr.barlow wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:57 am
I blame the era. That period was loaded with sap and schmaltz. I'm sure in the case of Alice, Kiss and nearly every other act out there they were bending to the demands of the record company.
Styx, Kansas, Nightranger, BOC & others. Who here will admit to NOT changing the station when one of their ballads came on the radio? :p

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:18 am
by pitkin88
Who would listen to a station that played that carp anyway?

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:01 pm
by Rhapsody of Fire
Daggers & Contracts wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:04 am
mr.barlow wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:57 am
I blame the era. That period was loaded with sap and schmaltz. I'm sure in the case of Alice, Kiss and nearly every other act out there they were bending to the demands of the record company.
Styx, Kansas, Nightranger, BOC & others. Who here will admit to NOT changing the station when one of their ballads came on the radio? :p
Moi.

Re: The AOR 45's v The Black Out 45's

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:02 pm
by Rhapsody of Fire
pitkin88 wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:18 am
Who would listen to a station that played that carp anyway?
Moi.