THE CARVELLS - Skateboard Rampage (1978)

"Skateboard Racer"

The Carvells' music represents the combined talents of vocalist ALAN CARVELL and producer RON O'SHEA. 

ALAN CARVELL not only sings lead vocals with the group, but also works out all the arrangements for their songs. He is able to take a melody and embellish it with complex, note perfect harmonies. It is an ability which over the last three years has led to a great demand from record companies to use Alan for sessions. 

RON O'SHEA is the producer who first took Alan Carvell into the studio. He later laid down "L.A. Run": the Carvells' first hit which became the skateboarding anthem last year. It is included on this album, together with a collection of songs that show the hit-making talents of Carvell and O'Shea at their finest. 

CELEBRATION - Almost Summer (MCA 1978)

 

During the late 1970s, Mike Love began to take on projects outside of The Beach Boys organization.  One of the major side-trips was with Celebration, a band which featured many of the players who would figure as part of the Beach Boys band for decades to come.  Although this film (and its soundtrack) have faded into oblivion, it's interesting to hear how, even away from The Beach Boys, Mike Love would take their sound along with him: "Almost Summer" is of particular interest, since it's a collaboration between Brian, Mike and Al, and sounds akin to "Some Of Your Love," with the opening tag stolen directly from that song.  But it's the second track which is really eye-opening.  Mike has long stated that he's the "optimism" half of the Beach Boys, while Brian is the "melancholy" but on "Sad Sad Summer" Mike has written as melancholy a lyric and melody as Brian ever did.  It's a pretty melody as well, if repetitive, and to my ears, it's probably the best solo song Mike has ever composed.  The third song, "Cruisin'" also written by Mike, is fast, furious, and forgettably stereotypical car song, not bad, but by 1978, this type of song was so out of date that to have Mike still writing and singing about it is almost comical.  The rest of the album features only a couple of further tracks of interest: "It's OK" performed by Dave Robinson, who does a decent job with the then-recent Beach Boys song, and "Summer In The City" which is a very decent John Sebastian-penned track full of melody and drive.  The rest of the album is forgettable instrumentals and a couple of 1970s-era songs which have not worn well. Beach boys.com

THE MAGNIFICENT MERCURY BROTHERS - New Girl In School / What About Us (Logo, 1978)

Agora que por fin parece verán é un bon momento para recuperar cancións con espírito de praia como esta adaptación do clásico de Jan & Dean por The Magnificent Mercury Brothers, en realidade o alter ego máis festivo dos máis serios e sisudos Decameron.

"New Girl In School"

 

"What About Us"

 

Canción # 24.008: THE TRADEWINDS New York´s a lonely town (1965)

Aquí está la que faltaba, el tema original de los Tradewinds y que ha sido protagonista estos últimos días. Dedicada a Carlitos Rego, gran fan del sonido Red Bird. Las notas están extraídas de la página de Peter Anders.

Despite their great success at Philles, Peter and Vini miss their families and friends and return to the east coast. Back in New York City, they begin writing and producing their own demos and one of their tunes, influenced by the surf music they’d been hearing in California, was placed with Leiber & Stoller, now riding high with their own Red Bird and Blue Cat record labels. Red Bird thought the demo they’d produced was of releasable quality and Peter and Vini found themselves christened “The Tradewinds”. The song is “New York’s A Lonely Town”  and it begins it’s run up to the top of the charts and Anders & Poncia once again find themselves on the performing end of the business.