Last month, I had the pleasure of talking to Maynard, an Australian TV and radio host whose illustrious career includes Triple-J (providers of those fine “Like A Version” cover albums) and ABC, among others.
We talk about the history of covers, and the multitude of shows I (try to) host and produce.
This has taken me back , Sweet were my favourite band, Glam Rock… Sweet, Mud, Wizard, Slade, 10cc it was a good era for a ten year old in Britain, was this style of music a hit in the States ? Brian thanks for yet another wonderful show
Glam Rock-tastic! It's strange but i didn't recognise the first 2 tracks by name, until i heard them and it all came back. I'd endorse the comments about the Right To Chews album and it sounds as though i need to go back to Not Lame again!!
Oh and Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman were responsible for a large number of other artists hits such as Suzy Quattro, Mud, and Racey. I read that, in 1973 to 1974 they had 19 top 40 hits in the UK and 5 number 1's. Mike Chapman also wrote Tina Turner's "Simply the best" and Pat Benetar's "Love is a battlefield".
Wow, can you tell that Brian was really into this show 🙂
Brian, have you ever done a show of only two-in-one covers? I found another double-cover recently at http://www.buffetlibre.net/ : "Owner of a Lonely Heart" combined with "Things Can Only Get Better". The page has fifteen cover songs on it, and there are three more pages like it.
Kelvin –
No, the States almost all but missed this entire genre. With a few exceptions like Sweet's "Little Willy" and select 10cc hits, the entire Glam movement of the 70's passed us by. I was living in England from '73 – '75 (or so) and when I came back and talked about Gary Glitter or Slade or Wizard, all I got were blank stares. Americans think "Glam Rock" is Poison and Slayer or maybe KISS, not Suzi Quattro and Mud.
Perhaps we would all be better off is the people of the US of A all knew the words to "Tiger Feet."
Granted, I don't UNDERSTAND the words to Tiger Feet, I just know someone really likes my "tiger lights."
Nevermind…
PS: Was Desolation Blvd. an ALBUM in the UK, or was it just a US compilation? LOVE that record.
"No you don't…have to be so BLOODY COOL! No, no you don't!"
THAT'S ROCK, babies!
– dK
I cannot remember about desolation boulevard, but if Wikipedia is correct it was a album in it's own right in the UK in 1974, and the US version added other hits. The only album I had was called Strung Up, I wore the magnetic track off that cassette tape, but I bought the singles on 7" vinyl, took all my pocket money.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desolation_Boulevard…