An Alternative History of "Pop" Music

[daf]

Jasper Carrott ‎– Bickenhill Rovers Skin'ead Supporters Song



Released in March 1976 as the follow-up to 'Funky Moped' - did not chart

Robert Norman Davis was born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, Birmingham. In February 1969 he started his own folk club, "The Boggery", in nearby Solihull with his friend Les Ward. Carrott performed folk songs and worked as an MC. His banter overtook the songs and he became more a comedian than singer.

 

He recorded his first album in 1973, 'Jasper Carrot – In the Club', which he sold from his van, and had a UK Top 5 chart hit in August 1975 with the novelty record "Funky Moped", written by Chris Rohmann and produced by Jeff Lynne.

   

Eagle eyed readers will notice that this is yet another DJM release - who appear to have cornered the market in celebrity novelty stinkers.

[daf]

Wilton Place Street Band ‎– Disco Lucy



Released in December 1976 - Reached #24 on the Billboard chart in January 1977

Wilton Place Street Band were an American disco group of studio musicians put together by record producer Trevor Lawrence in Los Angeles, California for the purpose of recording an instrumental disco cover version of the theme tune to I Love Lucy.

     

I Love Lucy was an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes. The show starred Lucille Ball, her then real-life husband Desi Arnaz. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version continued for three more seasons with 13 one-hour specials; it ran from 1957 to 1960.

[Brundle-Fly]

You Can Count On Me (Theme to Hawaii 5-0) - Sammy Davies Jr. Released on 20th Century in 1976.



Jack Good Lord! Sammy adds lyrics to the popular TV cop show's famous theme tune.

Samuel George Davis Jr. was an American singer, dancer, actor, vaudevillian and comedian who has been called "the greatest entertainer ever to grace a stage in these United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fx-CJ_T5Kg

[daf]

Steve Sawyer ‎– Hey Fonzie (Add Your Name To The List Of American Heroes)



Released in 1976 - did not chart

Micky Dolenz, on the strength of his performance as a biker on a 1972 episode of Adam-12 called "Dirt Duel," was Happy Days creator Garry Marshall's original choice to play Fonzie. The six-foot-tall Dolenz was several inches taller than the other cast members, however, and Marshall thought it might be better for Fonzie to be on the same eye level as the other characters. A search for a shorter actor as an alternative resulted in 5-foot-6 Henry Winkler landing the role.

   

ABC's censors refused Fonzie a leather jacket, thinking it made him look like a hoodlum. Garry Marshall got them to allow Fonzie to wear his jacket close to his motorcycle (a Triumph TR5 Trophy) since a leather jacket was considered safety equipment. Marshall put him near his motorcycle as often as possible, even to ride it into Arnold's.

Henry Winkler : "People expect me to be this guy who can walk into a dark room, snap my fingers, and turn on the lights. Or they want me to pound my fist on the hood of a car, and start the engine. I can't do it. I've tried! I think the silliest request I ever got was when somebody asked me to quiet the animals in a zoo. The Fonz was everybody I wasn't. He was everybody I wanted to be."

[daf]

Su Kramer - You've Got The Power



Released in April 1976 - reached #48 in the German charts, and #32 in the US on Billboard's 'Dance chart'

Gudrun Kramer was born in Oldenburg, Germany. In 1968, she was selected from 3,000 female competitors to play the leading role of Sheila in 'Haare' - the German premiere of the musical Hair. In 1970, she appeared on the soundtrack album alongside Donna Summer (then known as Donna Gaines), and released the single 'Hare Krishna'.

   

In October 1970 she released her first single 'Eine Welt für uns beide' as Su Kramer. Originally, Kramer wanted to use the first name "Susanne", but this was rejected on the grounds that it did not sound international enough. Her chart peak came in 1974 with the single 'Kinder der Liebe' , which reached number 27 in the German charts.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Peter Allen - I Go To Rio



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouYavc1cz2k

It's the boy from Oz!

Peter Allen was an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer, known for his flamboyant stage persona, boundless energy and lavish costumes. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester, Olivia Newton-John and Christopher Cross.

[daf]

Chris Hill ‎– Bionic Santa



Released in November 1976 - unbelievably, this peaked at #10 in the UK December 1976!

Chris Hill is a British disc jockey. He worked at the club Lacy Lady in Ilford, as well as at the Goldmine, Canvey Island. During the 1970s, working with Havering Council, he promoted a series of concerts at the Upminster New Windmill Hall, although a small venue he attracted acts like Thin Lizzy, Roxy Music and The Pretenders.

   

In 1975 he released a "break-in" novelty record, in the style of Dickie Goodman, called "Renta Santa", which became a Top Ten single in the UK during the Christmas season. The following year, he released "Bionic Santa", cut with audio segments in a similar style; this record also peaked at No. 10 in December 1976. His final release, "Disco Santa", again in the same style, at Christmas 1978, failed to chart.

[Brundle-Fly]

Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III - Klaatu. Released on Capitol in 1976.





Every track on this album is different to the next one, so it was hard to choose, but I rather like The Muppet Show vibe of Sir Bodsworth...so that's the pick tonight.

Where do you start with the unsung Klaatu (/ˈklɑːtuː/)?

Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. They named themselves after an alien who visits Earth in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still.[2] After recording two non-charting singles, drummer Terry Draper was added to the line-up; this trio would constitute Klaatu throughout the rest of the band's recording career.

In Canada, the band is remembered for several hits, including "California Jam" (1974), "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (1976) and "Knee Deep In Love" (1980). In the U.S. "Calling Occupants" backed with "Sub-Rosa Subway" was a minor double-sided hit and their only chart entry, peaking at No. 62 in 1977.

Internationally, the group's pop-influenced blend of rock styles has led to them being known as the "Canadian Beatles"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izt6-Bb1ZXY&feature=emb_logo

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Klaatu were great, but that whole "Are they the Beatles in disguise?" hype was quite peculiar. It wasn't generated by the band themselves, I think some DJ or other was responsible, but they don't really sound anything like the Beatles.  Well, they do a wee bit, but the same could be said of every melodic pop-rock band from that era. Very strange.

[Brundle-Fly]

Klaatu were great, but that whole "Are they the Beatles in disguise?" hype was quite peculiar. It wasn't generated by the band themselves, I think some DJ or other was responsible, but they don't really sound anything like the Beatles.  Well, they do a wee bit, but the same could be said of every melodic pop-rock band from that era. Very strange.

There was even a sub-myth they were also a The Residents side project. Although, I do love a good rock myth, me.  Well, the intriguing ones that don't odiously involve Mars bars, stomach pumps, or snapper fish.

[honeychile]

A couple of things:

1) I've not yet listened beyond page 57, but just checking over the past eight pages or so, i think around a dozen people have posted. The stuff people are posting is amazing (i think this thread might be the world's first bona fide perpetual motion machine), but if you've just been reading and listening and aren't sure whether to post or not - read the OP, think of a song, join in.

2) I mentioned this early in the thread, but i'm enjoying reading this thread almost as much as i'm enjoying listening to it. Despite my efforts to catch up, by the time i'm listening and want to get stuck into commenting about anything, the thread has moved on - but thanks everyone for the words as well as the links, it's all really interesting.

[daf]

Al Bolt ‎– I'm In Love With My Pet Rock



Released in February 1976 - did not chart

In April 1975, in a bar with a friend, advertising executive Gary Dahl listened to his friends complain about their pets; this gave him the idea for the perfect "pet": a rock. A rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed, and it would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. Dahl said that they were to be the perfect pets and joked about it with his friends.

Dahl took his "pet" idea seriously, however, and drafted an instruction manual for a pet rock which contained gags, puns and jokes, and listed several commands that could be taught to the new pet. While "sit" and "stay" were effortless to accomplish, "roll over" usually required a little extra help from the trainer. "Come", "stand" and "shake hands" were found to be near-impossible to teach; however, "attack" was fairly simple (also with some additional help from the owner's force).

     

Dahl's biggest expense was the die-cutting and manufacture of the boxes. The rocks, smooth stones from Mexico's Rosarito Beach, only cost one cent each, and the straw was nearly free.

The fad lasted about six months, ending after a short increase in sales during the Christmas season of December 1975. Although by February 1976 they were discounted due to lower sales, Dahl sold over 1 million Pet Rocks for $4 each, and became a millionaire.

[jobotic]

Patsy Gallant - Mon pays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2fHwWR9Jkk



A discofied version of a Quebec nationalist song by Gilles Vigneault. The following year it was reworked to become the smash it (apart from the USA) song "From New York to LA" which is a real (not) guilty pleasure for me.

[daf]

Ooh, nice alternative version swerve! 

I was sorely tempted to pick 'From New York To LA' - but it just charted a bit too high for comfort (UK Top 6).

[daf]

Hinge And Bracket ‎– The Cat Duet



Released in November 1976 - did not chart

Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket, elderly intellectual female musicians, shared a house (The Old Manse or Utopia Ltd) in the fictional village of Stackton Tressel in Suffolk, where they employed the services of an eccentric housekeeper, Maud.

They released their first album, the mysteriously titled 'Volume 1' in 1976. This was swiftly followed by Volume 2  'An Evening With Hinge And Bracket' in 1977 - a live album which included 'The Cat Duet' flop single.

   

Further albums included 'In Concert' in 1979, 'At Abbey Road' (1980), and 'Dear Ladies' in 1983.

   

Assisted by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe, Hinge and Bracket spent two years in the 1970s performing in London pubs and clubs, including the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and the Kensington restaurant AD8, owned by Desmond Morgan and April Ashley. They appeared in 1974 at the Edinburgh Festival, and toured for several years before appearing on the BBC Radio 4 series 'The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket', which ran from 1977 to 1979. Their TV show 'Dear Ladies' was shown on BBC Two from 1983 to 1985.

[jobotic]

Ooh, nice alternative version swerve! 

I was sorely tempted to pick 'From New York To LA' - but it just charted a bit too high for comfort (UK Top 6).

So was I but...don't tell anyone...I found this while youtubing earlier today. They'll never know.

[Astronaut Omens]

I keep missing out on including tracks by blues guitarist/singer Freddie King, who made his first record in 1956- in particular I'm fond of the way the title track of 1970's "My Feeling for the Blues" sounds like a veteran blues player messing with some of the newer conventions and tricks of his sixties British devotees, specifically the "live in the studio, chatter, mistakes n'all" sound of the first Fleetwood Mac album. And his long 1973 versions of "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" and "Ain't No Sunshine" are just fascinating to watch for the man's stagecraft-  he was absolutely the best at that theatrical gurning and grimacing guitarists like to do.
Not long before he died in 1976, this lovely and haunting bit of film was shot of him performing in a prison in Austin, Texas, the sense of release is really striking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAXTa381bes&pbjreload=101

[Astronaut Omens]

Peter King- Ajo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-On0zBmvKtE
Nigerian saxophonist and sometime Boney M collaborator makes groovy jazz-funk.

[SteveDave]

Steve Bent- "I'm Going To Spain"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL1jj1nJzwQ

It was included on Kenny Everett's "World's Worst Record Show" compilation but I bloody love it. I first heard it via The Fall's version on "The Infotainment Scan"

Steve (or Stephen) Bent (1952- ) is an actor from the Isle Of Man, who was initially a well-known face on British TV for his role as Gerry Hurst in the ATV tea-time soap opera Crossroads. In common with other actors from that series, he released a self-penned spin-off single on ATV-owned Bradley's Records (which also had the Goodies on its roster) in 1976 entitled I'm Going To Spain. (Bent appeared on ATV's talent show New Faces on 6 March 1976, apparently performing this song.) It is a medium-paced ballad, arranged for brass, guitar and castanets, chronicling the singer's desire to escape from his factory job and emigrate to Spain: most of the criticism of Bent's opus stems not from the performance but the questionable lyrics ("The factory presented me with some tapes of Elton John / They packed me up some sandwiches / And I hate them, yes I hate the cheese and pickle"). There is also a mention of a Cousin Norman (which may or may not be inspired by the Marmalade hit of that title) who "had a real fine time last year" and a musical reference to John's 1972 hit Rocket Man.

[sirhenry]

Wasn't the guy on the right Gentle Giant?

_{If only we were on 1977 already...}

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

T. Rex - Laser Love



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJHEzICe5v0

Bolan's career was in the doldrums when he released this ultra-crisp single, which stalled just outside the top 40. It woulda been a deserved hit just a few years earlier.

[daf]

Alice Street Gang - Also Sprach Zarathustra / Bahia



Featured on the album 'Bahia' - released in Brazil, Italy and Canada and 1976.

[daf]

Jackie Carter - Treat Me Like A Woman



Released in March 1976 - did not chart

Jacqueline Nemorin was born in Mauritius and moved to London, England with her family. In the 1970s she moved to Germany, where she took on the pseudonym "Jackie Carter". As a member of the Veit Marvos Red Point Orchestra from 1972 to 1974, she performed on stage with the then-unknown Donna Summer.

In 1974, she was chosen to sing in Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay's Silver Convention, which would go on to be successful worldwide with their disco songs such as, 'Fly, Robin, Fly' and 'Get Up and Boogie'. Jackie Carter was the only one of the session musicians to actually perform live with the group.

   

Later in 1975, she stopped performing with the Silver Convention and was replaced by Penny McLean. Afterwards, she launched a successful solo career. Frank Diez, which would go on to be her first husband, produced her solo albums "Treat Me Like a Woman" (1976) and "Ruby Shoes" (1979).

[daf]

The ‎New Marketts – Song from M*A*S*H (Disco)



Released in May 1976 as the B side of 'Song from M.A.S.H.' - did not chart

M*A*S*H (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) was an American war comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983. It was developed by Larry Gelbart as the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, which, in turn, was based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The show's title sequence features an instrumental-only version of "Suicide Is Painless" the original film's theme song.

   

The series follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–53). As the series progressed, it made a significant shift from being primarily a comedy with dramatic undertones to a drama with comedic undertones. The end of the Vietnam War in 1975 was a significant factor as to why storylines become less political in nature and more character driven.

The series finale, titled "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", became the most watched U.S. television broadcast in history at that time, with 106 million viewers.

[Brundle-Fly]

Russian Roulette - Flintlock.  Released on Pinnacle in 1976.





This is quite moody and aggressive for Flintlock. The sound is a bit wonky but it's a cool record. It appears to composed by the drummer's old man.  Apparently, the band decided to split after seeing the Sex Pistols being interviewed by Bill Grundy on Thames' 'Today' show.

Flintlock were a 1970s pop group from Essex, England. Its members were Derek Pascoe (vocals/saxophone), Mike Holoway (drums/percussion), Jamie Stone (bass/vocals), John Summerton (guitar/vocals) and Bill Rice (keyboards).

The group began under the name The Young Revivals, but after two years changed their name to Flintlock. They came to national attention in the mid-1970s through regular appearances on the British children's television programmes You Must Be Joking and Pauline's Quirkes, the latter hosted by, then a youngster, actress Pauline Quirke. Flintlock also appeared on programmes such as Blue Peter, Magpie and Top of the Pops, and their own programme Fanfare.

Holoway also became known as an actor in the children's cult TV drama programme The Tomorrow People, in which Flintlock made a guest appearance in the Series 5 story The Heart of Sogguth.

Flintlock had one Top 30 hit single in the UK Singles Chart, "Dawn", in the summer of 1976.

A one-off reunion concert took place in 2007.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_KZjnTXT8E

[jobotic]

You made that bit up about Pauline's Quirks, surely?


edit: my God, you didn't

[jamiefairlie]

You made that bit up about Pauline's Quirks, surely?


edit: my God, you didn't

She (and Flintlock) seemed to be fucking omnipresent on kids TV in the mid 70s. That lead singer was such an arse.

[daf]

Bro Smith ‎– Bigfoot



Released in May 1976 - peaked at #57 on the Billboard charts

[Brundle-Fly]

She (and Flintlock) seemed to be fucking omnipresent on kids TV in the mid 70s. That lead singer was such an arse.

Waddle I do

[jamiefairlie]

I bet they all went to stage school together, the precocious little narcissistic shits.