Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Tommy James Edition

Tommy James may not have exactly been a bubblegum singer, but he paved the way for the style with his early simple hits, like “Hanky Panky” and “Mony Mony”. As his career went on, he showed more sophistication, coming up with classic Top 40 hits such as “Crystal Blue Persuasion”, “Dragging The Line” and his triumph as a songwriter, the psychedelic pop gem “Crimson and Clover”. Tommy has recently penned an acclaimed memoir, still plays out on occasion and has made millions of people happy. In his honor, get your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle, and share the first ten songs that come up.

1. Buddy Holly — It’s So Easy (The Buddy Holly Collection): Buddy sure made it seem so easy to write instantly hooky rock songs. I first heard this song in a hit cover by Linda Ronstadt, and Linda knew not to mess around with the arrangement, just let Buddy’s songwriting do the trick. This has a really playful vocal from Buddy and is a great mix of pop with rock ‘n’ roll underpinnings.
2. Bread — Everything I Own (Anthology): Speaking of hooks, very few early ’70s songs are as memorable as this classic from the pen of David Gates. During the ’70s, critics acknowledged the craft, but savaged the sap. Nearly 40 years down the line, it sweetness and sincerity overcomes any cheese factor on this terrific song.
3. Roberto Jordan — Juntos Felices (40 Temas Originales): This Mexican singer made a good living covering Anglo hits of all types. These recordings are a bit low budget and feature some of the most unintentionally haunting backing vocals ever. This is Jordan’s take on The Turtles’ “Happy Together”, which takes on a bit of a melancholy gloss with the production. It’s as if the backing thinks the singer is full of crap.
4. Nothing Painted Blue — Drinking Game (Placeholders); A great tune from what might be this California band’s best album. Franklin Bruno was a limited vocalist with quite the vocabulary (no wonder he wrote a book on Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces album). Bruno was an adept composer, with solid melodies and creative song structures. This song has a whiff of Costello, but also some ’70s R & B elements, and a memorable chorus.
5. Yello — Ballet Mecanique (Claro Que Si): So much of Yello’s music, before they totally fell into dance floor fodder, sounded like it was made for film soundtracks. The structures were dramatic, and the keyboards were layered to allow for sonic space and room for Dieter Meier’s dramatic vocals. On their first three albums, every song had at least one or two ridiculously catchy parts. This song has a memorable guitar repeating guitar figure that comes in midway through that sounds like Snakefinger playing reggae.
6. Japan — Ghosts (Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From the ’80s Underground): This band, featuring David Sylvian and Mick Karn, did an artier post-punk variation on the moodier side of Roxy Music, down to the vibrato in Sylvian’s voice. This is another cinematic band that really uses sonic space well, to the extent that I wonder if members of Talk Talk were Japan fans. A very creative composition that really resonates.
7. Michael Nesmith — Joanne (Older Stuff (The Best Of The Early Years): This was a minor Top 40 for Papa Nez, and it is one of his best country compositions, sharing a certain melodic quality with other Wool Hat classics, like “Different Drum” and “Some of Shelly’s Blues”. Here, Nesmith shows off his vocal range, with many lines in the verses requiring him to yodel into Slim Whitman territory. Early ’70s Nesmith is so frickin’ good.
8. Papas Fritas – Flash Lightning (Pop Has Freed Us): This Massachusetts indie band was so charming, playing catch songs with a variety of ’60s and ’70s pop influences. On this career spanning compilation, they threw in some cool covers, like this suprisingly effective take on a tune from Tom Verlaine’s first solo album. While much of Papa Fritas’ music was cute and cuddly, they could rock, and the guitar work on this song shows they could match Verlaine’s intensity.
9. Pulp — TV Movie (This Is Hardcore): After the gigantic success of A Different Class, Pulp delved deeper into their music, with longer compositions of greater intensity. Thus, the album wasn’t as immediate as its predecessor, but all of the great qualities of the band, especially the personality and lyrics of Jarvis Cocker, are still there, albeit in more challenging form. This album has held up very well over time, and could arguably be called a classic.
10. The Cardigans — My Favourite Game (Gran Turismo): An edgy rock tune from the fourth album by this Swedish band. Even when they were playing in more of a ’60s soft pop style, it was evident that The Cardigans were a rock band, and they let that side show more on Gran Turismo. Unfortunately, this didn’t catch on, which is a shame, because the songs are well crafted and Nina Persson sounded as compelling as ever.