Guilty Pleasures - The Carpenters

Ok, I warned you all this one was coming...in this edition of "Guilty Pleasures" I'm letting the whole world know: I like the Carpenters.

The legendary light rock duo's career spanned 14 years, from 1969-1983. The act consisted of brother Richard and sister Karen Carpenters, with Richard playing the piano and providing back-up vocals while Karen sang lead.

Which one's the sister?

Karen's voice is nothing short of incredible...rich, deep, and considered by many to be one of the best in popular music. Not only was she an amazing singer, but she was also an accomplished drummer.

Richard was the backbone of the group, and his piano playing was integral to their sound, as were his low-key backing vocals. I don't remember when I first heard this band...it's like they've been there, in the background, my whole life. One distinct early memory I do have of one of their songs is Rick Moranis's off-key but touching rendition  of "(They Long to Be) Close to You," written by Burt Bacharach, one of my favorite song writers of the '60s (now there's another idea for a blog post!).

This video pretty much sums of the Carpenters for me. It's a live performance that features their trademark vocals, shows off their lighthearted interaction with each other, and even has some country twang thrown in for good measure.

Call them cheesy, call them gay, call them lame as hell, but don't call them untalented or uninteresting. I dig these two a lot, and it's a shame that Karen isn't around to show some of these auto-tuned pop stars how to really sing.

Guilty Pleasures - Bread and Judy Blue Eyes

Gulity Pleasure #1 - Bread
Ever since I was in 12th grade I have been a fan of Bread, a soft rock/folk rock band known for their syrupy sweet ballads and other pop confections. Formed in 1969 by a quartet of former session musicians, their reign as masters of the make-out song only lasted 4 years as the band broke up in 1973. Two reunions followed in the late '70s and late '90s, and their total catalog consists of 6 albums (5 of which were released every year from 1969-1972). 

Here's a ballad that was in my head today...beautiful stuff. Sweet guitar playing too. Whenever I hear it I'm reminded of the grocery store I worked at in high school. This was classic "music for old ladies to shop to:"

Bread could also rock though. Their lead singer/songwriter/guitarist David Gates was know for the light stuff, while co-singer/guitarist Jimmy Griffin was know for the rockers. Here's an example:

I first heard Bread on one of those commercials from the early '90s that advertised soft rock compilations.  The song was called "If," and it featured a cool tremolo/wah-wah effect on the guitar part in the intro. I also remember the character Wayne from the tv show "The Wonder Years" singing it to his girlfriend (fast forward to the 3:50 mark of the video):

I remember my chemistry teacher in 12th grade playing "The Anthology of Bread" album in class one day. That album was their 20 (!) song best-of compilation, and I got to hear for the first time all of their hits on one disc together. I also was able to experience the variety of different songs they played. I remember hearing this next one and thinking that it sounded like it could have been sung by Greg Brady:

Guilty Pleasure #2 - Judy Collins
While not familiar with most of her catalog, pop/folk singer Judy Collins has one song that I just love. I first heard  it (surprise surprise) on an episode of "The Wonder Years." The song is called "Both Sides Now," and the lyrics, combined with her lovely voice, just KILL me. Not a good song to play if I'm hammered...I may start blubbering like a newborn.

Another song of hers I dig  is a cover of the Beatles song "In My Life." Guess where I first heard it? Yes, once again it was on "The Wonder Years." Most of the time I don't care for covers of Beatles songs. It's hard to top perfection right? There have been a few exceptions to this over the years, like Joe Cocker's covers of "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" and "With a Little Help From My Friends" (which was the theme song to...never mind). Her version of "In My Life" comes darn close to topping the original version. My thanks go out to my doll, the Canadian Belle, for finding this clip the other day and reminding me of how good it is:

Judy is a pretty amazing gal. I guess she would have to be to inspire Stephen Stills to write this amazing song, about their break-up:

Next on Guilty Pleasures: The Carpenters. For real.

Guilty Pleasures! (Easter edition)

On your average weekend morning I usually turn on VH1 Classic after I wake up for background music as I have coffee, go online, etc. They usually have long blocks of old videos, with different themes, and today's was "Totally '80s."After that was over they aired a show called "One Hit Wonders: Prom Edition." To summarize, I was exposed to a great deal of '80s and early '90s songs. A lot of them could be considered by some to be poppy, banal, and overall lacking in artistic quality, but there were three that I really liked despite these possible criticisms.

Here are the videos I saw for songs I liked the most, and would consider "guilty pleasures." In no particular order, here goes...

 Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait

I had heard this song many times over the years but never knew who sang it. Apparently they're some husband and wife duo, with the wife having been compared to Madonna in terms of vocals by some. I love that synth-heavy melody, it's one that can get stuck in your head if you're not careful. Oops, there I go again...oh yeah, nice name haha.

Pretty Poison - Catch Me I'm Falling (from the motion picture soundtrack to the film "Hiding Out," starring Jon Cryer)

Wait, so there was a band called "Pretty Poison," around the same time that the hair metal band poison was breaking big? Interesting. I had never heard this song, or heard of the movie it's attached to, but I found myself digging it. For some reason I'm also finding the singer of this very attractive...I will always have a soft spot for the '80s ladies. I kinda wanna see this "Hiding Out" movie, it features Jon Cryer playing a stockbroker who has to pose as a high schooler to hide out from the mob. Sounds like your typical '80s movie plot right?

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

Another song I had heard numerous times over the years but knew nothing about who sang it, this is a classic example of that era's alternative/indie/dream pop sound. When I hear this I'm reminded of both the Cranberries and the Smiths. Lovely song, lovely singer, this brings back memories of childhood and simpler days gone by.


So these are my latest guilty pleasures as far as music goes...as always, don't judge!

Guilty Pleasure! 3/28/12

Today yet another semi-regular feature makes its grand debut, and it's one that will showcase all of the things that I secretly like but never used to advertise due to fear of ridicule. At this point in my life, I'm 32 years old, and I no longer care what others think concerning my taste in things, as I'm not looking to impress anyone. So, with that said, today's guilty pleasure is a one hit wonder song from the '80s:

Frida - I Know There's Something Going On

This song features 1/4 of the band Abba. (Yes, I like Abba. And I'm not gay. I like them because their brand of pop perfection is very enjoyable. It's made well, produced well, and the girls are talented singers with hot bods). I had heard this song a few times over the years and thought of it as your typical pop/dance one-hit wonder. It was about a year ago I discovered that not only was it a solo song performed by Frida from Abba but it ALSO featured Phil Collins on drums, back-up vocals, and production. When I listened to it again after learning this I wanted to smack myself in the head and say "duh, of course!"

It has all the hallmarks of a Collins production (the pounding drums, the dark atmosphere, etc.) and once I heard his voice in the chorus it was unmistakable. This is a song that I will frequently bust out on the drums to warm up, as it is so much fun to play. And speaking of Phil Collins, he may be the subject of an upcoming "Guilty Pleasure" feature as he gets a lot of shit heaped on him, but I love his stuff. I also love good, catchy, '80s pop songs with hooks, and this song is a good example.