bee gees

OK, it isn't rock music, but the Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" was a tremendously successful album both commercially and critically, and it had a major impact in popular culture of the later 70's.  The theatrical release of the movie actually went back to December of 1977, but it was the winner of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in February 1979, one of only three soundtrack albums to do so.  Composed by the Bee Gees and prominently featuring that band, this soundtrack is the second-best selling of all time behind "The Bodyguard."  

The Bee Gees actually didn't get involved with the film until it was in post-production.  John Travolta was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs when the scenes were filmed.  Columbia Records refused legal clearance for Scaggs material because they were pursuing another disco movie at the time, and the Bee Gees were commissioned to write the songs for the film.  The brothers Gibb wrote the songs primarily in a single weekend.  

The resulting success would change the trajectory of both the Bee Gees and actor John Travolta.  The Bee Gees would become a group often compared to the Beatles in the late 70's.  Travolta, already well known for his role in the television series "Welcome Back, Kotter," would become an A-list celebrity and a household name.

In 2013 the album was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for preservation.

Lynch is responsible for this travesty, as the other participants do so under protest.  Support your local rock band, folks!

Night Fever
This song was originally called "Saturday Night," but Robin Gibb was concerned about that name because of the number of songs already bearing the name.  "Night Fever" was inspired by Percy Faith's "Theme from 'A Summer Place'", and it spent 8 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts.

How Deep Is Your Love
This pop ballad was released in September of 1977, ahead of the movie.  It had hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 by Christmas Day of 1977, remained there for 3 weeks, and spent 17 total weeks in the top 10.  Barry Gibb has commented that this is his favorite Bee Gees song.  It won Best Pop Performance by a Group at the February 1978 Grammy awards.

You Should Be Dancing
Prior to their involvement with the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, the Bee Gees first released this track on their album "Children of the World" in 1976.  This is the song playing when Travolta takes over the disco dance floor. 

Jive Talkin'
Here is another song that had been previously issued before the soundtrack was released.  The lead single from the album "Main Course" was released in May 1975, long before "Saturday Night Fever."  The song was originally called "Drive Talking," and the rhythm was inspired by the sound the band's car made crossing the Julia Tuttle Causeway as they traveled to the studio in Miami.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Dancing Queen by ABBA
A mockumentary called "ABBA:  The Movie" was in the theatres at this time in the U.S.

STAFF PICKS:

Is She Really Going Out with Him by Joe Jackson
Wayne gets the staff picks going with a song that asks why good looking women date horrible men.  Joe Jackson is often confused with Elvis Costello, another artist releasing albums at the time.  This is Jackson's debut single from his debut album, "Look Sharp."

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers
Bruce brings us Kenny Roger's signature song.  Songwriter Don Schlitz wrote this song in 1976 and it was recorded by several musicians including Johnny Cash before Rogers took it to number 1 on the country charts and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The gambler looks through life through the lens of poker, knowing "every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser," and of course "you've got to know then to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

Stumblin' In by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro
Rob's staff pick is the sole top 40 hit by female rock pioneer Suzi Quatro, and Norman's only hit outside of his previous band, Smokie.  This duet made it to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Both singers have a smoky vocal sound.

Do You Think I'm Sexy? by Rod Stewart
Lynch notes Stewart's ability to surf the waves of popularity with this staff pick.  While Rod Stewart honed his craft in the rock genre, he achieved both popularity and notoriety with his polarizing choice of embracing disco music in the late 70's.  Today this song remains one of his most popular tunes.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

Pegasus by The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers were decidedly NOT a disco band in this instrumental jam.

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” 

NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.

Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock worthy memes we can share.

Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!

**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

In this new podcast, Jeff describes two court appearances from this past week, one before Trump’s judge from his defamation case and the other the detention hearing for his assisted suicide-charged client; a loss would guarantee his elderly client dying in jail before he even gets to trial.

Otherwise, Jeff points out the Democrats’ dual election strategies, present and future: altering foreign policy to appease Muslim terror supporters in swing states and keeping the borders open to ensure more future Democrat voters, regardless of the havoc each strategy will cause America.

Finally, the second installment of the musical interlude is here and Jeff practically begs to get sued.

Весь сезон подкаста «Кроме звезд» журналист Александр Филимонов и лидер Tequilajazzz, Zorge и Optimystica Orchestra Евгений Федоров говорили о музыке, которая спасает даже в самые темные времена. Ведущие вспоминали любимых композиторов, слушали незаслуженно забытые песни 80-х и знаковую музыку 90-х, обсуждали легендарные каверы, затмившие оригинал, и даже подпевали «Белым розам».

В финальном эпизоде ведущие говорят о по-настоящему спасительной музыке — той, которая помогает справиться с похмельем в темные постпраздничные дни.

Александр Филимонов называет трек, который, по данным Spotify, он слушал чаще всего в прошлом году (и нет, это не песни БГ), и объясняет, как эталонная поп-музыка Bee Gees, ABBA и Элтона Джона возвращает его к жизни. Евгений Федоров рассказывает, каким приемам он научился у Стинга и Пола Маккартни, — и ставит свою новую песню «Маори»!

📀 Хотите послушать музыку из этого выпуска? Вот плейлист на ютьюбе.

🎙 «Кроме звезд» есть на всех основных аудиоплатформах и, конечно, в приложении «Медузы» — этот способ читать и слушать нас самый надежный, поскольку приложение умеет обходить блокировки и работает без VPN.

Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

Synchronicity would be the most commercially successful, fifth, and final studio album from the Police.  The trio of percussionist Stewart Copeland, guitarist Andy Summers, and bassist and front man Sting would be known as “The Biggest Band in the World” after the release of this album but would never produce a studio album again.

Like “Ghost in the Machine,” the Police's previous album, Synchronicity drew its name from the works of Artheur Koestler, an author of whom Sting was an avid reader.  Unlike that album, Synchronicity toned down both the reggae influences and the overdubbing.  The resulting album increased the use of synthesizers and utilized a sequencer for the first time.  It also drew on world music influences on several songs.  

The album hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts in late July and would spend 17 total weeks at the number one position on the chart, an achievement that meant it had to interrupt the reign of Michael Jackson's Thriller.  It would also produce the number 1 song of the year with “Every Breath You Take.”  

Sting was beginning both his solo work and becoming more involved with film at the time, and between this and contentious egos of the members, the Police would not record another album after this.  An attempt was made at a sixth studio album, but Stewart Copeland broke his collarbone just before they entered the studio and progression to the album was scuttled.

Lynch features this iconic trio at the height of the Second British Invasion for this week's podcast.  Friend of the show Bill Cook sits in for Bruce in this episode.

King of Pain
Sting wrote this second US single from the album when considering the effects of his separation from his wife.  The psychological effects are inspired by thoughts from Carl Jung and Arthur Koestler.  It went to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Synchronicity II
The final song on the first side of the album went to number 16 on the US charts as a single.  The lyrics toggle between a man's increasing anxiety and paranoia and the symbolic rise of the Loch Ness Monster in parallel.  "and every single meeting with his so-called superior is a humiliating kick in the crotch."

Wrapped Around Your Finger
The fourth US single was written by Sting as a dark song about turning the tables on someone who had been in charge of your life.  There is a Faustian feel in the lyrics, which also feature references to Greek mythology like Scylla and Charybdis - from which we derive idioms like "between a rock and a hard place," and "between the Devil and the deep blue sea."

Every Breath You Take
Despite its beautiful music, this single is actually quite dark in its obsessive and controlling lyrics.  Sting wrote the song after his separation from his wife and the beginning of a new relationship.  The lyrics came to him in the middle of the night, and he wrote the song on piano in a half hour.  It would be biggest commercial single he ever wrote, hitting number 1 on the US charts for 8 weeks, and becoming the best selling single of 1983.  Interestingly, it was the only number 1 hit by the Police.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees (from the motion picture "Staying Alive") 
John Travolta starred in this sequel to the 70's Disco hit "Saturday Night Fever."  It was directed by Sylvester Stallone.

STAFF PICKS:

Our House by Madness
Wayne brings us a group from Northern London that was a bigger hit in the UK than the US.  It has a lot going on musically between the piano, violins and saxophone.  Lyrically it hearkens back to childhood days, slices of mundane domestic life in England.  Madness performed this song as a part of the closing ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics

Big Log by Robert Plant
Rob's staff pick is the first hit for Plant as a solo artist.  As he often did in Led Zeppelin, the title of the song does not appear in the lyrics.  It was written in the middle of winter, and the artists had run out of fuel for the fire.  They found a large tree trunk and burned one end of it in the fireplace, pushing the "big log" in as it burned.  Drum programming was provided by Phil Collins. 

Rock and Roll is King by ELO
Bill Cook features the Electric Light Orchestra in a 50's rhythm and blues throwback that would be their last top 20 hit.  It was written by Jeff Lynne for their album "Secret Messages."  

Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant
Lynch closes out the staff picks with a song time stamped in the early 80's.  It was inspired by an area of Brixton, South London, called Electric Avenue because it was the first area of the city to be lit by electricity.  Guyanese-British singer-songwriter Eddie Grant sings about the tension of unemployment and racism experienced by the primarily Caribbean immigrants who lived there at the time.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

An Ending by Brian Eno
Brian Eno wrote this instrumental piece in 1983 for the documentary "For All Mankind." 

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” 

NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.

Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock worthy memes we can share.

Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!

**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Me and wife Jackie have a look at the UK singles chart
for 11th September 1976. it is the day we got married
47 years ago.

Voici un épisode scandaleux, ni plus, ni moins. Les acteurs ? Une personne âgée malheureuse et une présence obscure munie d'un téléphone portable. Soyez prêts à vous indigner ! En attendant le quatrième volume de ces "Propos scabreux et insultes inadmissibles" qui bouleversera profondément vos acquis et votre morale...

***

Pour l'amour de l'art et le lien social 

Tout texte, musique, montage, participation scénique et mortuaire par : Jaco-Bille

Insta : @desoleremi

It's Mercury Prize time again! It doesn't seem ten minutes since we talked about the last competition. 
We review two documentaries (on Wham, and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior) and we polish off a book each. Tune in to find out about our good reads. 
We recommend a couple of Instagram channels, and ElTele spends some time with the early recordings of Pulp.

And to finish we explain our dislike of social media, while relying upon you to spread the word on social media, and starting a Threads account. Dilemma!

https://linktr.ee/onlyapodcast

We're covered in B's this episode, as ElTele discovers the health benefits of breathing properly, and puts a bunch of books on his reading list. 
We say goodbye to a TV sports show from our (relative) youth, Soccer AM. 
We kick off a new feature and discuss the High Water Mark of REM and Blur. 
The Captain is drawn in by the amazing drama of Tour de France: Unchained, the story of last year's race, and has the new album from soul singing legend Bettye LaVette on repeat play. 
We end it all with a chat about the strange beverages to be found in your grandparents' drinks cabinet.

What exactly is Babycham? Who drinks Benedictine? Is it all a load of Bols? Tune in to find out!

Show notes and links at https://www.onlyapodcast.com/episode-37-books-breathing-blood-pressure-blur-bettye-and-bikes/

https://linktr.ee/onlyapodcast

Back in December 1977, a young actor named John Travolta (by then only known for his role as Vinnie Barbarino on the TV comedy "Welcome Back Kotter) strutted across the streets of New York to the funky beat of an English trio that reinvented themselves from Soft Rock gentlemen to the purveyors of the global Disco explosion. 

While The Bee Gees' music was the centerpiece of "Saturday Night Fever," the film's soundtrack gave a spotlight to notable pop performers like Yvonne Elliman, masterful musicians and arrangers like David Shire, Ralph McDonald, and R&B veterans like The Trammps and Tavares that were also heavily instrumental in creating the blueprint of Disco in the early 70s.

Show Tracklisting:

• Jive Talkin' (Bee Gees)
• You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees)
• I Don't Know How To Love Him (Yvonne Elliman)
• Love Me (Yvonne Elliman)
• How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees)
• If I Can't Have You (Yvonne Elliman)
• More Than A Woman (Bee Gees)
• More Than A Woman (Tavares)
• It Only Takes A Minute (Tavares)
• Boogie Shoes (KC & The Sunshine Band)
• Open Sesame (Kook & The Gang)
• K-Jee (MFSB)
• A Fifth Of Beethoven (Walter Murphy)
• Calypso Breakdown (Ralph McDonald)
• Night on Disco Mountain (David Shire)
• Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (The Trammps)
• Disco Inferno (The Trammps)

Host and Producer: Diego Martinez

Executive Producer: Nicholas "NickFresh" Puzo

Audio Engineer: Adam Fogel

Follow us on social media: @choonspod

Subscribe to our PATREON: patreon.com/choonspod

Also in this episode we cover the month of "Elul" which precedes "Tishret" the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the ten days of atonement. I also make a quick call at the end of the show to Kansas, to find out if I can volunteer my family for the first responder exercise slated on 9/24. The results are interesting.

Sydney boys The Lazy Eyes deliver some 'Fuzz Jam' for your Friday Morning, before dropping their psychedelic take on Bee Gees' More Than A Woman'.

Highlights from Season 3. Music only, no waffle. WARNING: Fragments of songs spliced together for the hell of it. 

Go to website for all songs/artists:
www.songsungnew.com

Join Stevie on Spotify and Instagram

Highlights from Season 1. Music only, no waffle. WARNING: Fragments of songs spliced together for the hell of it. 

Go to website for all songs/artists:
www.songsungnew.com

Join Stevie on Spotify and Instagram

Running on Empty was the fifth album by Jackson Browne.  The album revolves around the theme of life on the road, and it is a live album, but with a couple of twists.  First, none of these tracks had previously appeared on a Jackson Browne studio album.  Second, while some of the songs were recorded on stage during concerts, others were recorded backstage, or in hotel rooms, or on the tour bus.  This gives the album more of a concept feel than would be present for a typical "live" album.

Browne got his start as a songwriter as a teenager, and joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band shortly after high school.  His early songs were recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Nico, Steve Noonan, Gregg Allman, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, The Byrds, and others.  He was a backing musician for Nico in 1967 and wrote three of the songs on her debut album, He co-wrote "Take It Easy," the first hit by the Eagles.

This album is considered one of the most accessible albums Browne created, and is his most successful album.  It reached number 3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1978, and stayed on the charts for 65 weeks.  It was nominated for Album of the Year in 1979.  The title track would become a staple of classic rock.

Running on Empty
The title track and first single from the album was recorded in concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.  It hit number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song was inspired by Browne's driving to the studio to make "The Pretender."  It was only a few blocks from his house to the studio, and Browne wouldn't bother to fill up, so he was always literally running on empty.

Nothing But Time
This track is about the boredom of life on the road.  It was written and recorded on the tour bus, a Continental Silver Eagle.  You can hear the bus's engine running in the background, downshifting and accelerating during the bridge.  Browne and Howard Burke (his tour manager) wrote this one.  Russ Kunkel is on percussion, playing snare, hi-hat, and "cardboard box with foot pedal."

The Load Out
This is a well-known track about the folks that put the show together and the fans that come to hear the concert.  "We've got to drive all night and do the show in Chicago - or Detroit, I don't know.  We do so many shows in a row, and these towns all look the same."  It portrays a decidedly unglamorous picture of touring life, with the one exception of the time on the stage.

Stay
Almost always played in series on rock stations with “The Load Out,” this cover of Maurice Williams and the Zodiac's song from 1960 replaces concerns about mom and dad letting the girl stay out with concerns that the roadies, producers, and union letting the band play one more song.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Night Fever by the Bee Gees (from the motion picture "Saturday Night Fever")
The movie that would make John Travolta a household name and disco the music genre of choice across the nation was released in December 1977.

STAFF PICKS:

Mind Bender by Stillwater
Wayne leads off with a band whose name was used for a rock band in the movie "Almost Famous."  This vocoder-laced southern rock piece with a shuffle beat hit the Billboard Hot 100 at number 46.  The song is about a talking guitar called "Mindbender.:  Stillwater is from Warner Robins, Georgia, and plays an annual show in Macon at Christmas time.

She's Not There by Santana
Rob brings us a cover of the Zombie's hit from the 60's.  While the Zombie's version made it to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, Carlos Santana gives it a Latin fusion twist that would hit number 27 on the charts.  Greg Walker is the vocalist on this single, with Santana of course on guitar.

Help Is On Its Way by the Little River Band
Brian's staff pick is from the Australian band known for their harmonies and easy groove.  This is the lead single from their third album, Diamantina Cocktail.  The song has a positive feel, and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Baby Come Back by Player
Bruce's staff pick was written by band members Peter Beckett (lead vocals and guitar) and J.C. Crowley (piano and backing vocals)  after two of the band members had broken up with their girl friends.  This is off their self-titled debut album.  The band would be less successful when they moved from a soul oriented sound to a more rock-oriented sound on their future albums.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

The Dialogue from the motion picture "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
The distinctive 5-note jingle marked the start of a conversation with aliens in this science fiction movie that debuted in December 1977. 

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” 

NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.

Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock worthy memes we can share.

Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!

**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

We at Hall of Songs have been bemusing over the recent lack of new songs entered into our very prestigious salon. Could the voters figure it out and come to some consensus once in a while? After discussing our picks for the top-12 songs of 1977, and then slotting them onto our ballot, we waited with baited breath to see if the voters would finally respond. In this episode, we get a clear answer. Find out if any songs have been elected to the Hall of Songs, joining the 48 already entered.

Website: http://www.hallofsongs.com
Social: http://www.twitter.com/hallofsongs

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hall-of-songs/id1550546067

Nine doesn't want to be in the metaverse, but he knows exactly how he's going to wind up there. It's how we'll all wind up there, even if we don't think we will! 

On this week's show, we wrap up the merry month of Debts-cember (and the year in general) with...

• the most honorable of mentions
• the runners-up that fill our cup
• the best of the rest of 2021 

All this & much, much less! 

Debts No Honest Man Can Pay is over 2 rock-solid hours of musical eclectica & other noodle stories. The show started in 2003 at WHFR-FM (Dearborn, MI), moved to WGWG-FM (Boiling Springs, NC) in 2006 & Plaza Midwood Community Radio (Charlotte, NC) in 2012, with a brief pit-stop at WLFM-FM (Appleton, WI) in 2004.