Until recently, you probably could have assumed quite safely that you would never encounter a Kajagoogoo song again in your lifetime. The goofily monikered British quintet, after all, notched only one hit-1983’s “Too Shy”-in the States before singer Limahl said goodbye to the carefully coiffed, pop-lite group.
Given the current interest in music from the late ’70s and early ’80s, however, some songs that previously might have been con-sidered unlikely prospects for resuscitation have been sneaking out of the vaults and onto CD compilations-including Kajagoogoo’s “Too Shy,” which has just turned up on an EMI Records collection called “Living in Oblivion: The 80’s Greatest Hits, Volume One.”
Pulled largely from the vaults of Capitol and EMI Records, most of the material on “Oblivion” goes back to the time when New Wave was on the wane, the synth had become entrenched in pop music and bunches of Brits, often simply by virtue of having clips available, popped up on video shows like “MV3”-where they purveyed their dancey pop and turned a fashion corner from the tight-trousers and skinny-ties era to the age of loose-fit, New Romantic threads.
Three of the songs on “Oblivion”-999’s “Homicide,” the Stranglers’ “(Get a) Grip (on Yourself)” and Tom Robinson’s “2-4-6-8 Motorway”-actually go back to the ’70s, but the other 15 tracks date from the early ’80s and include Talk Talk’s “Talk Talk,” Re-Flex’s “The Politics of Dancing,” Bow Wow Wow’s “C30, C60, C90, Go,” Spandau Ballet’s “Chant No. 1” and two songs-Haysi Fantayzee’s “Shiny Shiny” and Toto Coelo’s “I Eat Cannibal”-that had a couple of the frothiest videos of the Early Clip Age.
Can that Blancmange retrospective be far behind?
Other recent releases:
Jesse Belvin, “Goodnight My Love” (Flair/Virgin)-These 25 mid-’50s recordings by vocalist Belvin are drawn from the vaults of L.A.-based Modern Records. Covering solo material and vocal-duo tracks recorded with Eugene Church as the Cliques, the songs include Belvin’s 1956 ballad hit “Goodnight My Love,” a cover of Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” and two previously unissued tracks. While the uptempo numbers here are perfectly fine, Belvin’s forte was ballads, which he sometimes gave an emotional reading and sometimes wrapped in a warm, smooth vocal style not many steps removed from that of Nat “King” Cole.
James Brown, “Soul Pride: The Instrumentals (1960-1969)” (Chronicles/Polydor)-A 36-track double-CD in slipcase offering instrumentals from James Brown’s shifting-lineup band/orchestra of the ’60s, whose members included Maceo Parker and Pee Wee Ellis (and sometimes the Godfather of Soul on drums or organ). Besides a few servings of funk, the compilation includes a soul take on guitar-instrumental rock numbers (“The Scratch”), what sounds like a combined nod to Ernie Freeman and Booker T. & the MG’s (“Cross Firing”) and quite a few jazz-influenced tracks-the set leans heavily to jazz and soul-jazz material-that tend to meander as if seeking a direction.
Polydor is also re-releasing on CD four early-’70s James Brown albums: “Sex Machine” (a part-live, part-studio-with-dubbed-applause album that includes versions of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine”); “Revolution of the Mind” (with “Make It Funky,” “Give It Up or Turnit a Loose” and other tracks recorded at a series of Apollo Theater shows); “Hot Pants” (which on CD includes a bonus 19-minute take of “Escape-Ism”); and “There It Is.”
David Johansen, “The David Johansen Group Live” (Epic/Legacy)-In the years between his contributions to the punk-precursor New York Dolls and the ragged-but-right cabaret of his Buster Poindexter show, singer David Johansen pursued a solo rock career that included five albums and a raft of live shows, including the one documented here. Recorded during a July 1978 concert at New York City’s Bottom Line club, these 18 tracks, some of which were released post-concert on a radio-only promo recording, find Johansen backed by a three-guitar band that included fellow ex-Doll Sylvain Sylvain. There are a few high points, including an energetic cover of the Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” but even a triple-guitar attack doesn’t bring a great deal of punch to most of the band’s vaguely Stones-like playing. Besides titles such as “Cool Metro,” “Funky but Chic” and “Frenchette,” the evening’s program included covers of the Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup” and Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache.”
Garnet Mimms, “The Best of Garnet Mimms-Cry Baby” (EMI)-Twenty-five tracks of great ’60s soul spotlighting singer Mimms’ strong, stirring tenor, which could swoop and soar and take the corners with an ease that left you marveling at both its power and control. Among the hits included are the intense, gospel-infused soul of “Cry Baby,” a remake of Jerry Butler and the Impressions’ “For Your Precious Love,” “I’ll Take Good Care of You,” “Baby Don’t You Weep,” “One Girl” and “Tell Me Baby.” Also included are some fine examples of the lost art of R&B recitation and a set of thorough liner notes by Chicago writer and editor Robert Pruter.
Van Morrison, “The Best of Van Morrison, Volume 2” (Polydor)-Fifteen selections, in varying musical styles, sampling singer-songwriter Morrison’s blend of religion, romance, philosophy and things Irish. Two tracks (covers of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” and John Lee Hooker’s “Don’t Look Back”) are drawn from Morrison’s 1960s days with Them. The remaining songs, most of them Morrison originals, are taken from such ’80s and ’90s albums as “Poetic Champions Compose,” “No Guru, No Method, No Teacher,” “Avalon Sunset” and “Enlightenment.”
Various artists, “Pie in the Sky” compilations (Word/Epic)-To introduce potential listeners to some of the artists and styles found in contemporary Christian music, the Word and Epic labels have released five budget-priced “Pie in the Sky” Christian-music samplers. Each 10-song sampler is devoted to a particular kind of music, either country, gospel, pop, rock or rap. Most of the songs were recorded in the last two or three years and have been taken from the vaults of Word, Epic and Columbia Records, although there are some previously unreleased tracks from forthcoming albums. Many of the acts-such as Petra and Michael Omartian (on the pop compilation) and Phil Keaggy and Guardian (on the rock compilation)-are well-known to Christian-music followers. Others-including Ricky Skaggs, Ricky Van Shelton and Johnny Cash (on the country sampler) and Al Green (the gospel sampler)-will strike a familiar note with a wider audience.
