Today we pay tribute to a behind-the-scenes guy. He’s the man who wrote my favorite song of all-time, “Ballroom Blitz”. Mike Chapman was an Australian musician who had done time in a band called Tangerine Peel. He teamed up with trust fund baby Nicky Chinn to become a very successful bubblegum and glam rock writer and producer. Although the songs were credited to Chinn and Chapman, it is apparent that Chapman was the musical force, working with Sweet, Mud and Suzi Quatro in the glam days and moving on to produced smash hits for Exile, Blondie and The Knack. Later on in his career, he produced Material Issue’s Freak City Soundtrack for free, because he was so confident that they would succeed (and the record is great, it’s a shame it didn’t hit). In honor of Mr. Chapman, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first ten songs that come up.
Quasi — The Happy Prole (Featuring ‘Birds’): The combo of Sam Coomes on keyboards and Janet Weiss on drums has led to some really worthwhile indie pop records. Featuring ‘Birds’ was the first Quasi album I ever heard and it is still my favorite. The melody on this song is simple and direct, and the full keyboards and snappy drumming augment this working class lament. Wonderful middle eight.
Pere Ubu — I, Will Wait (Dub Housing): A typically oddball ’70s Pere Ubu song. This song combines a circular rhythm with busy drumming and disquieting synthesizer noises. The repeating guitar figures fall somewhere between Captain Beefheart and The Minutemen. Although this is far from pop, the rhythms make this kinda catchy.
Superdrag — Stu (Last Call For Vitriol): As the Knoxville power pop group went on, they seemed to rock out even more. This song seems to filter The Replacements through some combo of Cheap Trick and ’70s punk. The chorus could be a bit catchier, but the playing is great and this is a pretty solid song.
The Vandalias — Sky High (Mach V): This Minneapolis band played a very bubblegummy/‘70s AM Radio version of power pop. Dan Sarka’s vocals have an inherent sweet, innocent quality that was often contrasted by loud guitars, with happy melodies. This is a swell cover of Jigsaw’s Top 10 smash. The arrangement is similar, with dirtier guitar sounds and Sarka’s voice sounding pretty desperate. I wouldn’t say it’s better than the original, but it touches on the underlying emotions of the lyrics for a very strong remake.
Randy Newman — Back On My Feet Again (Good Old Boys): This song is a clear antecedent to the type of songs that Randy Newman writes for movies like Toy Story. It’s a quintessential mix of American pop and New Orleans R & B/boogie woogie. Newman’s piano playing is superb.
*Creedence Clearwater Revival — Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do) (Creedence Clearwater Revival): A great slice of R & B, originally performed by Wilson Pickett, done in CCR’s swamp rock fashion. The rhythm section is fairly grooving, while John Fogerty shouts his vocals with passion and makes his guitar sound a little funky.
Syd Barrett — No Good Trying (The Best of Syd Barrett): It’s a shame that Barrett’s mental health cut is career so short. His solo work is masterful, seminal psychedelic pop, with melodies that wobble and sound just a bit off, but sound just right. If you are a fan of Robyn Hitchcock and have never heard Barrett’s records, you should rectify this immediately, as the influence is so obvious.
Homeboy Sandman — Calm Tornado (The Good Sun): This is a hip-hop artist who I discovered last year at CHIRP. He is apparently a school teacher, and his literate lyrics are consistent with his occupation. The beats are basic and a platform for his smart words and flow. At various times he reminds me of Q-Tip, Eminem, KRS-One and K-os. There’s nothing innovative here, but the songs on the album are pretty consistent.
The Magnolias — Coming On Too Strong (Dime Store Dream): This Minneapolis band played hooky punk-pop songs that found a middle ground between Buzzcocks (like those Mancunians, most songs had strong melodic lead guitar lines) and bratty punk styles of bands like The Replacements and The Oysters. John Freeman was a fine songwriter and had a perfect sore throated vocal style to put this stuff across.
The Iveys — Maybe Tomorrow (The Very Best of Badfinger): The Iveys were the band that evolved into power pop godfathers Badfinger. This is a sweeping ballad in the vein of a lot of Bee Gees material and songs like The Marmalade’s “Reflections of My Life”. This would be a great obscure chestnut for a contestant to sing on America Idol, as it is made for widescreen emotions.