Listen to SELF-ANALYSIS by The Smoke.
Today's song is a return performance by The Smoke, a group first featured in one of John's posts from this summer. John's song, Cowboys and Indians, was the archetypal album opening mini-epic. My song is the "track three" ballad, the one with the best pop hooks. Also, like Cowboys and Indians, it's a Beach Boys fan letter, which gets you most of the way on to this blog at least.
Plus it's very Freudian, you know.
Here's a little biographical detail about Michael Lloyd (who wrote, recorded, and produced the album) that John didn't get to:
At the tender age of 20, Lloyd was appointed vice-president of MGM by Mike Curb and his first production job, Lou Rawls's Natural Man, won a Grammy. After that he turned out hits for teen sensations like The Osmonds and Shaun Cassidy, later producing Belinda Carlisle, Barry Manilow and, most lucratively, the multi-million selling soundtrack to Dirty Dancing.
That's a story of realized ambition if I've ever read one.
Photo: Neighborhood bracing (3).
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
SELF-ANALYSIS
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5 comments:
Nice post, Bill! I somewhat remember you were itching to get to this song.
When it comes to lost classic tracks like this, I run out of blog steam after a quick back story, so happy to see another thread picked up! But Dirty Dancing? Why didn't I pounce on that?!
It's kinda sad that this song entered the queue so long ago (even before your post in fact) and I'm only now getting to it.
-b.
Strangely, you both neglected to mention how good this song is. Wow...How can you go from this to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack?
Corbett, I refuse to allow you to make me feel guilty, err guiltier, about owning the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
One (small) step up from James Taylor...And only because Bobby Hatfield used to be cool.
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