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19 September 2008
Were you like me? Did you listen to a LOT of country-ish pop from the late 70s/early 80s when you were a kid?→[More:]
If so, you'll probably remember some of these (whether with nostalgic fondness or embarrassment is entirely up to you):
Islands in the Stream
In the UK we used to get Europop interpretations of American country music, such as this horror.
Ah ... Europop. Who could ever forget the Goombay Dance Band? Ryan Paris? Baltimora? Or Baccarat? And the Gibson Brothers? And of course, the Daddy Cool of them all (Have you ever seen such tight pants?), Boney M, who had the most ridiculous song ever. ("Rah Rah! Rasputin! Lover of the Russian Queen, there was a cat who really was gone. Rah Rah! Rasputin, Russia's greatest love machine, it was a shame how he carried on...")
Think yourselves LUCKY that you had to listen to bland pseudo-country pop music!
Jan, I've linked to this before, but here's a cover of Rasputin that is very redemptive. (I saw them twice live and the crowd went berserk for that song.)
I loved that song, BP, but I'd completely forgotten about it!
Uh, danf, this thread is about pap. Please save your klassy highbrow countrified music for another discussion. (Just kidding. I've dug the FBB ever since I heard some of their guitar work on Zappa's Waka/Jawaka. Those songs you linked are great.)
essexjan: Thanks (I think) for introducing me to a phenomenon I never knew existed.
Oh, and Boney M? That superultradelicious disco track on Daddy Cool? Absolutely destroyed by Boney M. opening up his yapper and writhing around while his backup singers do some kind of weird hallway monitor jazzfu.
But thank you, EJ, thank you for the wonder of Baccarat.
Yes, europop. Like a goose chick I imprinted on whatever music happened to be around to be my mother. So europop at the same time creates a fondness in me and makes my ears bleed.
I grew up in a classical & folk family. Probably the hippest disc I ever had was the soundtrack to HAIR. But when I was growing up, around here, there was old-style country (minority) or rock (majority), with oldies and classic rock/AOR in the mix. Nowadays the radio rock is distinctly in the minority, and it's only hard and heavy shit, nothing poppy at all. The country today, though, sounds a lot like 1970s rock -- Bob Seger and so on.
I know I'm late to this thread, but not only do I know all the words to those songs listed, but I also had the pre-requisite cowboy hat with the feathered band and the feathered roach-clip hanging down the back. I'm still a fan of pop-country, but I can't find a local station anymore.
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