Warning... this is an adult site. If reading or viewing things about what gay men do sexually with one another bothers you - you should not read this blog. This blog is a reflection of my adventures and thoughts. Some are fun, some not so pretty. I won't name names, or kiss and tell... but I will live to tell. And baby, trust me - I am gonna spill it all over your pretty little party dress. Enjoy!
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new about something classic.
Today, we take a look at the musical legacy and sexual politics of the highly influential, Romeo Void.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
Romeo Void was an American new wave and post-punk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. During the course of their history, they went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with Aaron Smith. The band released three albums and one EP, and are best known for the songs Never Say Never and A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing); the latter became a top 40 pop single, peaking at #35 in the US.
The band was started at the San Francisco Art Institute by Iyall and Zincavage. They released a single on the recently formed 415 Records before recording their debut album, which has been deemed a "masterpiece of American post-punk". The success of their second release, a four-song EP titled Never Say Never resulted in a distribution deal with Columbia Records. Iyall has garnered acclaim as a skilled lyricist who explores themes like sexuality and alienation from a female perspective with "searing imagery". The band continued to release music and tour until they broke up in 1985. The members have reunited briefly over the years.
--- ---
White Sweater - Romeo Void
Never Say Never - Romeo Void
Chinatown - Romeo Void
A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing) - Romeo Void
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new about something classic.
Today, we take a look at the musical legacy of gender-identity dance pioneers, Book of Love.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
Book of Love was an American synth-pop and electronic band, formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later based in New York City. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also includes keyboardists Ted Ottaviano, Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee. The band gained its first exposure as the opening act for two Depeche Mode tours in 1985 and 1986. The group has been described by the Houston Press as "forward thinking" for lyrics dealing with sexual orientation and gender roles.
The Book of Love discography consists of four studio albums, three compilation album, fourteen singles, and one promo only single released on Sire Records, or Reprise Records, as well as nine music videos.
Their biggest success came on the US dance charts, placing seven singles in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart between 1985 and 1993. The group's largest exposure on pop radio was with the song Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls, one of the first songs to openly address the AIDS epidemic. The song, from the album Lullaby, was originally the second half of a medley with the group's version of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, the 1973 instrumental that served as the eerie theme music of the classic horror film The Exorcist. Edited down to single length, Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls became Book of Love's only Hot 100 entry, peaking at no. 90 in 1988.
The band's music has been featured in various films and television over the years. Their song Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes) was featured in the 1987 John Hughes film Planes, Trains & Automobiles as well as in the Miami Vice episode, God's Work. In 1991, the song Sunny Day was featured in the movie The Silence of the Lambs, in a scene in which band member Lauren Roselli had a cameo with Jodie Foster. Also, the song Enchanted, from the band's Lovebubble album, appeared on the soundtrack to the 1993 film Naked in New York, and the song I Touch Roses, was featured in the 2000 movie American Psycho.
Since their active years, Book of Love's songs Boy and I Touch Roses have been rediscovered by new audiences and remixers. Both songs, in their original versions and subsequent remixes, are heard in dance clubs and on alternative radio stations.
In February, 2001, sixteen years after its first dance chart entry, Book of Love had its first #1 hit on the US dance chart when Boy, a track originally from its debut album, was remixed and re-released as the lead single from their greatest hits collection, I Touch Roses: The Best of Book of Love.
In 2013, the band reunited for a string of club tour dates and has since that time been working on new material, frequently without the input of Jade Lee.
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the adventurous musical stylings and history of the collaborative known as Shriekback.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
Shriekback are an English rock band formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and the League of Gentlemen (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals), and Dave Allen, formerly of Gang of Four (bass guitar), with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out on Blue Six (guitars/vocals) soon added to the line-up. The band's early music was a funk-influenced version of new wave and post-punk, later moving towards art rock and always featuring "insidiously weird vocals".
The band enjoyed some success on the dance chart on its original Y Records label and had a string of hits on the UK Indie Chart, while its first album, Care (1983), was picked up by Warner in the United States. The band left Y for Arista Records for Jam Science (1984), also recruiting the drummer Martyn Barker. The album reached #85 on the UK Albums Chart and Hand on my Heart managed to hit #52 on the UK singles chart. Marsh left Shriekback during the recording of their next album, Oil and Gold (1985) and was replaced on guitar by Mike Cozzi. At that point, Andrews took over lead vocals. Shriekback then left Arista and signed to Island Records for whom they recorded Big Night Music (1986), after which Allen left to rejoin Gang of Four.
Film director Michael Mann was a fan of the band and used several Shriekback songs in his films Manhunter and Band of the Hand and in his television series Miami Vice, affording the group broader exposure, especially in the United States.
Going forward, Shriekback remained a collaborative centered on Andrews.
After another album in 1988, Go Bang!, the band officially split up. Andrews continued working on other projects before re-forming Shriekback in 1992, although after the single The Bastard Sons of Enoch and album Sacred City, there were no further releases until 2000.
Shriekback are still actively producing music and releasing studio album.
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the musical legacy of the often overlooked girl group, The Flirtations.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
The Flirtations are an all-female musical group who have recorded since the early 1960s.
In 1962 in New York City, Lestine Johnson and sisters Ernestine Pearce, Shirley Pearce and Betty Pearce from South Carolina formed a group called The Gypsies. By1964, they'd signed to Old Town Records, where they released their debut single Hey There, Hey There. The song achieved airplay on local radio stations, leading to a second single, the J.J. Jackson-written Jerk It, which proved more successful, reaching #111 on the US Pop Chart and #33 on the R&B chart. At that point, Lestine Johnson left the group, replaced by Viola Billups. The Gypsies released two additional singles for the label in 1966, bringing an end to their time at Old Town Records.
The four women landed at Josie Records, renaming themselves The Flirtations. Their first single for the label was the well-regarded northern soul dance song, Change My Darkness Into Light. However, DJs ignored it, sales suffered and they were dropped by the label. The quartet moved to Festival Records, where they released Stronger Than Her Love and Settle Down, but again, there was no interest.
By 1968, Betty Pearce had left the group, reducing the Flirtations to a trio. After winning a small local talent contest to see who could sound the most like the Supremes, they packed their bags and headed for England, where they were signed to the Parrot label. They were immediately enlisted as the opening act for the label's star act, Tom Jones. Oddly, they only recorded on single for Parrot, Someone Out There. Thanks to a number of television appearances, it rose to #2 on the Bubbling Under chart in September of 1968, and charted in the Netherlands, peaking at #25.
Moving to Deram Records in late 1968, the group recorded what would become their signature recording, Nothing But A Heartache. The song rose to #1 on the Bubbling Under chart in December 1968 and gave the Flirtations a second Top 40 hit in the Netherlands, reaching #36. Somebody was listening, and in March of 1969, they embarked on an 18 date tour of the UK with Stevie Wonder and The Foundations.
Nothing But a Heartache was re-issued in the US in early 1969, debuting at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1969. The song spent 14 weeks on the chart, peaking at #34. The follow-up, South Carolina, was a ballad and reached only #111 in July 1969. In 1970, two singles were released, with What's Good About Goodbye My Love" snagging the #17 spot on the R&B chart. In July 1970, the trio scored another semi-hit with Can't Stop Loving You, a song former labelmate Tom Jones also recorded. While the ladies' version only got as high as #93, Jones' reached #3 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and #5 on Canada's AC chart.
A sixth, and final, single was released on Deram in 1971, but failed to generate any heat. From that point on, their singles were no longer released for the U.S. market. It was at this juncture that Misty Browning, replaced Viola Billups, embarked on a solo career as Vie and as Pearly Gates. Browning was subsequently replaced by Loretta Noble. Throughout 1972, the group became the resident vocal band on the long running BBC TV series It's Cliff Richard, backing Richard on various numbers, while performing their own songs and singing backup for other guests on the show.
Throughout the 1970s the Flirtations released material on various major labels - Polydor, Mojo, and RCA, with little success. The band was rediscovered in the disco and Northern soul circuits of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S. and their sound evolved with the times. They recorded Hi-NRG tracks in the 1980s, including Back On My Feet Again, which reunited Billups with the Pearce sisters. The track became a major hit in South Africa in 1989, reaching #6.
The group enjoyed a bit of renewed notoriety in the UK, when Nothing But A Heartache was used in an advertising campaign for KFC. In 2007, the ladies were recording for Centre City Records, and in 2009, released their first single in 20 years, Roulette. The track peaked at #10 in Music Week's Commercial Pop Club Chart in December of 2009.
--- ---
Jerk It - The Gypsies
Change My Darkness Into Light - The Flirtations
Someone Out There - The Flirtations
Nothing But A Heartache - The Flirtations
What's Good About Good-bye, My Love - The Flirtations
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the music and brief history of the UK's pop band King.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
King was an English new wave band which formed in 1984. They achieved chart success in 1985, and are best known for their hit single Love & Pride, which reached #2 in the UK. The band had two Top 20 albums and five Top 30 singles in the space of a year.
Hailing from Coventry, the band formed from the remnants of a rock-ska band called the Reluctant Stereotypes. along with producer Paul Sampson. The group, then known as The Raw Screens, perfected their act and style to what Paul King and his manager Perry Haines called 'Multi Tone', a reference to Two Tone. In 1983, the group became known as the band King, taken from the surname of lead singer Paul King.
The group consisted of: Paul King (vocals, piano), Mick Roberts (keyboards, synthesizers, piano, backing vocals), Tony Wall (bass guitar), Jim 'Jackal' Lantsbery (guitar, backing vocals), and John Hewitt, Adrian Lillywhite, Colin Heanes (drums).
They made quite the fashion statement; Paul King sported a mullet haircut and spray-painted Doc Marten's Boots – a look described "like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". The band released two UK Top 20 albums on CBS, both produced and mixed by Richard James Burgess, who also played drums on most of the debut album, Steps In Time. The second album Bitter Sweet, featured Adrian Lillywhite on drums. Both albums were certified gold and produced five hit singles, the most successful being the UK #2 hit, Love & Pride, which was King's only single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #55.
Despite a year of success, the band split up in 1986 - likely due to a combination of creative differences and personal circumstances. In 1987, Paul King released a solo album entitled Joy, produced by American producer Dan Hartman. It failed to make much of an impact. After that, he briefly worked as a VJ for MTV and later worked for MTV Networks Europe, producing shows for VH1 and MTV.
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the history and musical output of one of the UK's most beloved groups, the highly-influential The Damned.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
The Damned are an English rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, release a studio album, and tour the United States. Nine of the band's singles have charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
Having played in a number of bands in previous years, the band members eventually found each other. Auditions for the lead vocalist were scheduled with Sid Vicious and Dave Vanian. Vicious failed to show, so Vanian got the gig.
The Damned played their first show on July 6, 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club. They would later be placed on a the Sex Pistols package tour along with the Clash and Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers. Unfortunately of the 20 dates scheduled only seven took place due to promoter's fear of violence and vandalism. Not that it mattered; prior to the end of the tour, The Damned were kicked off the bill by Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren.
They released their first album, Damned Damned Damned on Stiff Records in 1977. Produced by Nick Lowe, it was the first studio album released by a British punk band and included their second single, Neat Neat Neat, which managed to get to #52 on the UK chart.
They served as the opening act on T. Rex's final tour with Marc Bolan and then toured the US. Author Ian Winwood wrote, "In terms of placing boots on the ground, it's The Damned who can be credited as having had the most influence on American punk rock."
Nick Mason of Pink Floyd produced the band's second album, 1978's Music For Pleasure. The music press dismissed the album immediately as too polished which led to the band's departure from Stiff Records. Scabies was also displeased with the album and quit the band after the recording. He was replaced by future Culture Club drummer Jon Moss, who played with The Damned until they dissolved in February 1978.
The former members of the band worked on a series of brief side projects and solo recordings, all making little commercial impact. They then reformed in April of 1979 with the line-up of Scabies, Vanian, Sensible and Algy Ward on bass. By this point Sensible had switched to guitar and keyboards. After signing a recording contract with Chiswick Records, they returned to the studio and released the charting singles Love Song (#20)and Smash It Up (#35), followed by the 1979 album Machine Gun Etiquette (#31). The album received largely positive reviews, with Ira Robbins and Jay Pattyn of Trouser Press describing it as "a great record by a band many had already counted out."
Ward left the band in 1980, to be replaced by Paul Gray. The band then released the self-produced The Black Album in 1980 (#29). After leaving Chiswick Records, they eventually landed at Bronze Records, where they released the album Strawberries (#15) in 1982. By this juncture, Roman Jugg had joined the band as a full-time keyboardist. It was also during this period that Captain Sensible enjoyed a #1 solo hit with the song Happy Talk. In his absence, the band recorded the soundtrack for a non-existent film, Give Daddy The Knife, Cindy. Credited as Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, the album consisted of covers of songs from the 1960's.
In 1984, The Damned - with an altered lineup - performed on the BBC Two sitcom The Young Ones with their song Nasty. Sensible left the band for a solo career shortly after.
It was at this time the group's sound and look became associated with the burgeoning Goth movement. From the earliest days of the band, Vanian had adopted a vampire-like appearance onstage, with chalk-white makeup and formal dress. With Sensible gone, the group as a whole adopted the look and their sound took on a more brooding demeanor.
Albums and singles followed in 1985 and 1986, marking the group's most economically-successful period. During this time, they enjoyed seven Top 40 hits in the UK, which included their biggest hit, a non-album single, a cover version of the 1968 hit by Barry Ryan, Eloise (#3). However, Phantasmagoria's December 1986 follow-up album, Anything was deemed a commercial failure (despite spinning off three Top 40 singles in the UK). And although the band was in the studio working on a new album, that music would never see the light of day as their contract with MCA was effectively dissolved.
From that point on, original members would reunite briefly for the occasional gig or live recording. But essentially, the group remained on an extended hiatus until 2005. They would come back together in 2008 to release a new album and would tour continually from that point on. 2018 and 2023 also saw new albums featuring new material. As of this writing, the band remains a viable musical entity.
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the brief history and musical output of Blitz Kid's artists Haysi Fantayzee.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
Haysi Fantayzee was an avant-garde, new wave pop project emanating from the Blitz Kids street arts scene in London in the early 1980s. The Blitz Kids were a group of people who frequented the Tuesday club-night at Blitz in Covent Garden, London in 1979–1980. They are credited with launching the New Romantic subcultural movement. Haysi Fantayzee's music combined reggae, country and electro with political and sociological lyrics couched as nursery rhymes.
Formed in 1981, the band consisted of Jeremy Healy, Kate Garner, and Garner's boyfriend songwriter/producer/manager/keyboardist Paul Caplin. Key to their success was their sense of fashion.
Garner and Healy combined their extreme clothes sense - described as a mix of white Rasta, tribal chieftain and Dickensian styles - with a quirky musical sound comparable to, but distinct from, other new wave musical pop acts of the era, such as Bow Wow Wow, early Adam and the Ants and early Bananarama. Their outfits were often designed by Garner, and the two singers looked like distorted mirror images of each other, with similar hair and make-up. In a 1983 interview with David Maples on the Los Angeles-based TV show MV3, Jeremy Healy accused singer Boy George of imitating his unusual look. Boy George later responded: "When Jeremy saw my locks, he was livid. Both he and Kim (Bowen) stopped speaking to me. They thought I had stolen their look. It wasn't their look to steal..."
To attract the attention, the trio sent video performances with their demo tapes to record companies, a highly unusual practice at the time. They released four singles in 1982 and 1983: John Wayne Is Big Leggy, Holy Joe, Shiny Shiny, and Sister Friction - promoting them by appearing on Top of The Pops several times. John Wayne Is Big Leggy hit #11 in the UK, #3 in Germany, #4 in Switzerland, #13 in Austria and #22 in Ireland. Holy Joe stalled at #51 in the UK and failed to chart elsewhere. They fared better with Shiny, Shiny which reached #16 in the UK, #3 in Austria, #11 in Ireland, #22 in Germany, #37 in New Zealand and #74 in the US. However, Sister Friction (#61 in the UK) and a fifth single, Chizoola, failed to generate any heat.
Theses singles were followed up with an album, Battle Hymns for Children Singing, and then they went their separate ways.
Garner enjoyed a brief solo career after the break-up of Haysi Fantayzee, and then pursued a career in photography in Los Angeles. While Healy released the single When Malindy Sings in 1984, and later became a DJ and album mixer for other artists, including his former schoolfriend/rival Boy George. He was also signed to Boy George's More Protein record label under the name E-Zee Possee.
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the music and brief history of New Zealand's The Swingers.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band who were together from 1979 to 1982.
Formed from of the remnants of the Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd (guitar, vocals), Wayne Stevens (bass), and Mark Hough (drums). Formed in 1979, the band released the single One Good Reason, which was a Top 20 hit in New Zealand. In 1980 the band moved to Australia and signed to Mushroom Records for distribution in that country, although their New Zealand releases remained on Ripper Records.
After some band dissension, Ian Gilroy of the Crocodiles replaced Hough on drums. The band released the single Counting the Beat, which became a #1 Hit in Australia and New Zealand. A second single released in 1981, It Ain't What You Dance, It's the Way That You Dance It, was also a Top 5 Hit in New Zealand but only a minor hit in Australia (reaching #43). An album, Practical Jokers, produced by David Tickle, was released, with the single One Track Mind snagging the #27 spot in New Zealand that same year.
The band can be seen performing songs in the film Starstruck (1982).
The band underwent a few more line-up changes, including the addition of Pop Mechanix and Coconut Rough vocalist Andrew Snoid, before splitting up in March of 1982.
--- ---
One Good Reason - The Swingers
Counting The Beat - The Swingers
It Ain't What You Dance, It's the Way That You Dance It - The Swingers
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the music and history of Vengaboys.
--- ---
From Wikipedia:
Vengaboys is a Dutch Eurodance music group based in Rotterdam consisting of lead and female vocalist Kim Sasabone, female vocalist Denise van Rijswijk and male vocalists Robin Pors and Donny Latupeirissa. Created by Dutch producers Wessel van Diepen (who selected the group members) and Dennis van den Driesschen (known as Danski and Delmundo), the group enjoyed commercial success in the late 1990s. They are best known for their hit singles We Like to Party, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! and We're Going to Ibiza, the latter two of which topped the UK Singles Chart and have sold an estimated 25 million records worldwide.
On May 2, 2000, the World Music Awards gave Vengaboys the award for best-selling dance group of the year. The name 'Vengaboys' was originally the title of the electronic musical project of Dutch producers Danski and Delmundo as DJs in the early 90's. In 1997 they decided to use the name to produce a pop group, choosing the Brazilian-Dutch singer Kim Sasabone as the vocal lead. After some auditions, Denise Post-Van Rijswijk, Roy den Burger and Robin Pors were added to complete the group.
In August of 1997, the group released their debut single, followed by two more singles in December 1997 and February 1998. In April of 1998, the group released their debut album Up & Down - The Party Album in the Netherlands and Belgium. The album was certified gold in the Netherlands. This was followed by We Like to Party! in May, which peaked at #2 on the Dutch charts and at #1 in Belgium in June of 1998.
In October the group released Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! and Greatest Hits! Part 1, the album peaked at #1 on the Dutch chart.
In November of 1998, the Vengaboys entered the UK Singles Chart at #4 with Up and Down. We Like to Party! was released internationally in 1999 and was a Top 10 hit in many European countries, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In June 1999, The Vengaboys re-released Greatest Hits! Part 1 as The Party Album. The single Boom Boom Boom Boom!! went to #1 in the UK, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The album would spent 30 consecutive weeks on the US Billboard 200, and was certified gold.
We're Going to Ibiza, a reworking of Typically Tropical's 1975 #1 hit Barbados, also reached the top slot in the Netherlands in September 1999. A remix album followed.
The Platinum Album was released in early 2000. Its first three singles Kiss (When the Sun Don't Shine), Shalala Lala and Uncle John from Jamaica all charted in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and Canada, with the first two going on to top the New Zealand charts. Prior to the album's release, Pors left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by dolphin trainer Yorick Bakker.
In 2002 Post-Van Rijswijk and Bakker left the group, effectively shuttering the group.
They would return in 2007, with Bakker leaving, again, in 2009.
In 2010, the band released a new single, Rocket To Uranus, a collaboration with singer-songwriter Pete Burns and American celebrity Perez Hilton. An additional single and a holiday album followed. The single Where Did My X-mas Tree Go was released together with a new music video.
The group continues to tour and released a single, 1999 (I Wanna Go Back) in September of 2021.
