Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Andy Bell Edition

Before he became the lead singer of Erasure, Andy Bell was working at the meat counter of a grocery store. I try to reconcile that reality with the reality of the second time I saw Erasure, and Bell came out wearing a rubber one piece women’s bathing suit. While I’m sure Bell was expert with various cuts of meat, it’s a good thing he answered Vince Clarke’s advert for a singer. Clarke had left Depeche Mode after one album, split Yaz after two and The Assembly never got off the ground. But Bell was the right partner for some awesome synth pop, including great songs like “Chorus”, “Sometimes” and “Chains of Love”. Moreover, Bell was an openly gay pop star and showed that it really wasn’t that big of a deal. Erasure had three Top 20 U.S. singles and I got tired of counting how many Top 40 singles they had in England - trust me, it’s a lot. Bell is also proof that HIV positive status does not have to slow one down, as Erasure is still a going concern and he’s also released two solo albums since being diagnosed. In honor of Mr. Bell, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.

1. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Somebody to Hold Me (Jonathan Sings!): A great song from Richman’s second best record. By this point, Richman’s music was a sublime combination of folk and ‘50s rock and ‘60s pop influence, both of which are prevalent on this sweet number.
2. The Zombies – She Does Everything For Me (Zombie Heaven): A driving psych-pop number that’s about as close to freakbeat as these guys ever got. I think this is Rod Argent on the lead vocal, oddly enough a number where his organ is well in the background. One of many killer Zombies tunes that flopped on the charts.
3. Buddy Holly & The Crickets – Ain’t Got No Home (Down the Line): A very early Buddy Holly tune from an outtakes compilation. This is Buddy in pure rockabilly mode and it’s quite fun.
4. Ross – Glass Onion World (Supersonic Spacewalk): Spanish power popper who likes big guitars, psychedelic overtones and lots of production tricks. The Beatles reference in the title is very appropriate, but the dominant melody on the song is more reminiscent of “If I Needed Someone”.
5. Jason Falkner – Goodnight Sweet Night (Can You Feel It?): Falkner appeared on the first Jellyfish record and was thus embraced by J-fans for his solo career, even though Falkner’s music was relatively soulful power pop and gimmick free, almost 180 degrees from his former band. This is a minor key ballad that just oozes melody from his excellent second album.
6. Pernice Brothers – Saddest Quo (Discover a Lovelier You): Downcast lyrics contrast the jangly guitar and bubbly melody. Yep, Pernice Brothers 101. Joe Pernice is at the top of his limited vocal range here.
7. Happy Hate Me Nots – Resistance (Live)(The Good That’s Been Done...): Overlooked Aussie punk band that usually mixes in some R & B influences, a la The Saints. This is a chugger that is a bit in the vein of The Jam, who had to have been an influence. Great live recording.
8. The Isley Brothers – Harvest for the World (Harvest for the World): A breezy, piano centered track from 1976 from the Isleys. This is so ‘70s, with its socially aware lyrics, the handclaps and just something about the melody. The Isleys have been reduced to a two or three song band on oldies radio and this needs to change, because they had so many great songs.
9. The White Stripes – The Air Near My Fingers (Elephant): This is a quintessential White Stripes tune, with a big simple riff, Meg White’s bashing drums and bluesy verses with Jack White’s quick rhymes. Juxtapose the riff and the verses back and forth, and you get a nice tune.
10. Dexys Midnight Runners – The Teams That Meet in Caffs (Searching For The Young Soul Rebels): This is an instrumental that sounds inspired by Philly soul from the early ‘70s. The horn section really shines on this track.