Muppetpastor 3.0

I still don’t feel funny enough to take on the Malibu hoodrats, nor show any thug luv to those living on the mean streets of Beverly Hills….

So today I felt the urge to listen to the radio, rather than my iPod, on the drive home from work. The local stations still play the same crap, though My Chemical Romance seems to be popular for reasons as yet unknown. I know I was not impressed by them.

As I was flipping through the channels, I became amused by a particular five song block because I had all 5 songs on the iPod, and they played in that exact order on my way to work this morning. It seemed as good a reason as any to make it this week’s theme.

Track one this week hails from The Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) were an American popular music act, active from 1962 to 1990, whose repertoire combined R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. All six members of the group were the male children of Katherine and Joseph Jackson (who also served as the boys’ manager): Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael, and Randy, who replaced Jermaine in 1975. Originally signed to the Motown label from 1969 to 1975, and to CBS Records (as “The Jacksons”) from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era, eventually selling 170 million records and becoming the only performers to have their first four singles (”I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”) reach the top of the American charts. “ABC” was the first single from the second Jackson 5 album, ABC. It is today considered one of the best songs ever released on Motown, and is one of the Jackson 5’s signature songs. It’s also track one this week.

The Jackson 5 - ABC

Track two this week hails from another Motown artist, this time Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder (real name: Stevland Judkins — he later changed his last name to Morris, which was his mother’s maiden name), born on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, musician, humanitarian and social activist. Blind nearly from birth, Wonder became one of the most successful and well-known artists on the Motown label, with nine U.S. #1 hits to his name and album sales totaling more than 70 million units. He has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and writing and producing songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well. A multi-instrumentalist, Wonder plays the drums, guitar, synthesizers, congas, and most famously the piano, harmonica and the keyboard.

In the early 70’s, He independently recorded and released two albums, which he used as a bargaining tool while negotiating with Motown. Eventually, the label agreed to his demands for full creative control and the rights to his own songs, and Wonder returned to Motown in 1972 with Music of My Mind, an album which is considered a classic of the era. Unlike most previous artist LPs on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection singles, b-sides, and covers, Music of My Mind was an actual LP, full-length artistic statement. The critical and commercial successes Talking Book and Innervisions continued Wonder’s critical and popular acclaim, addressing more and more political issues as his music progressed. Talking Book featured the #1 pop and R&B hit “Superstition”, which is one of the most distinctive examples of the sound of the clavinet. (Wonder performed “Superstition” on the children’s television show Sesame Street in 1973.) Wonder’s artistic growth continued on Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974) and his magnum opus, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). “Superstition” is also the second track this week.

Stevie Wonder - Superstition

Third track, and sadly not continuing the Motown theme. Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) is a Canadian rock band that enjoyed a string of hit albums and singles in the 1970s.

The precursor to BTO was the band Brave Belt, formed in 1970 by Randy Bachman of The Guess Who with Chad Allan (also of The Guess Who), Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner. An original plan included Keith Emerson of The Nice, though he was dropped due to illness. After two moderately successful Brave Belt albums, Allan was replaced by Tim Bachman, the third of the Bachman brothers, and the band changed its name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive; the band released its first album under that name in the Spring of 1973.

Their second album with this line-up was Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, and it became a massive hit in the US and their native Canada. It also yielded their best-remembered single, “Takin’ Care of Business”.

Tim Bachman left to become a record producer and was replaced by Blair Thorton and the first album with the modified lineup, 1974’s Not Fragile became a hit, including the #1 single “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”. The band continued to steadily produce successful albums through the mid-1970s including Four Wheel Drive and Head On (both 1975).

After the release of Freeways in 1977, Randy Bachman left the group for a solo career and another band, Ironhorse, and what was left of Bachman-Turner Overdrive released a pair of disappointing albums before breaking up. They reunited in the 1980s, leading to a lawsuit as one group, led by Randy, toured as Bachman-Turner Overdrive and another, led by Robbie, toured as BTO. A lawsuit between the brothers resulted. They were on also The Simpsons. “Takin’ Care of Business” is the third track this week.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin’ Care Of Business

Track four this week comes from the group Arrested Development. Arrested Development is a progressive hip-hop group, founded as a positive, Afrocentric alternative to the gangsta rap popular in the early 1990s by Speech and Headliner.

It took the group three years, five months and two days to be offered a record deal. Hence the name of the first album was 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of…, which produced several hit tracks. These included “Tennessee”, “People Everyday”, and “Mr. Wendal”, which hit the top ten. The group won a Grammy for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist, and were also Band of the Year for Rolling Stone. The follow up was 1994’s Zingalamaduni, which did very well with some critics but was panned by many others, and the album sold poorly. After the group broke up in 1996, Speech released a solo album, but sales were poor. The group reunited in 2000 (sans Headliner) and has been touring and releasing records via Speech’s Vagabond Productions and Speech Music. While Arrested Development has struggled to regain a following in the U.S., they have met with moderate and consistent success in Japan.

The haunting voice behind “Tennessee”, Dionne Farris (who was never an official member of the band and frequently clashed with Speech), had a successful solo release in 1994 with Wild Seed-Wild Flower. Her album spawned the hit single, “I Know”.

In June, 2005, the group won the first round of NBC’s Hit Me Baby One More Time, performing “Tennessee” and covering Los Lonely Boys’ “Heaven”. IT makes me almost sad that I continued to miss that show. Track four this week is from their debut album.

Arrested Development - Tennessee

Final track this week hails from a band that most tend to think of as a one-hit wonder. Although primarily known for their crossover smash hit Word Up!, Cameo has been scoring chart topping R&B and dance hits for almost thirty years. Larry Blackmon and crew have been bringing the funk to the people through a range of styles, while retaining a trademark style all of their own.

Formed in 1974, Cameo got their start as part of George Clinton’s group of funkateers. Blackmon formed a side funk group of his own and soon they were touring alongside Parliament Funkadelic. Cameo started with a deep, funky sound, but it was obvious from the start that their sights were set on the dance floors. Their first albums Cardiac Arrest, Ugly Ego, We All Know Who We Are and Secret Omen contained disco influenced dance floor songs such as I Just Want To Be and Find My Way, which was a major disco smash and was included on the soundtrack to Thank God It’s Friday.

By the time Cameosis came out in 1980 through singles such as Shake Your Pants Cameo gained considerable momentum. Following singles Knights of the Sound Table and Alligator Woman saw the band playing up their eclectic style. However, by the time the mid-80’s approached, Larry Blackmon and crew were ready to move onto a new style. Cameo stripped down to a trio and concentrated more on chart success.

Inspired by the edgy synthesizer arrangements being pushed forward by the new wave groups of the time, Blackmon moved the band into a hard-core “electronic funk” direction. The band utilized his song writing ability and the new technology becoming available in the recording studios. Blackmon began putting his trademark “Ooow!” into the forefront of his mixes and the Cameo sound had markedly changed.

She’s Strange came out in 1984 and its 12 inch mix was a major smash in the R&B clubs. The title track and its follow-up Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck were minor successes on the pop charts. Single Life continued this electronic drum fueled robotic funk style and again, Cameo saw some cross over chart success. Cameo benefited in night club play from the heavy usage of the twelve inch remixes.

Word Up hit radio airwaves in mid 1985 and instantly became one of the biggest pop song of the year. Critically acclaimed with large amounts of club and radio airtime and Cameo became superstars. The follow-up tracks Candy and Back and Forth also were huge hits for the funk trio. By the end of 1985 Word Up seemed to be everywhere: radio, clubs, MTV, Coca Cola commercials, and even in people’s conversations as the phrase became a national catch phrase. Some music critics have hailed “Word Up!” as the defining song of the 80’s. It also ends this week’s update.

Cameo - Word Up

Maybe next week I’ll let my pants hang low and go OG. Until then….keep it real, homies.