Kyle Vincent's self-titled 1997 CD
Did you ever hear a song that you loved on an in-store satellite broadcasting network, and then go crazy trying to find out who the artist was? This happened to me nearly a decade ago, when I worked in a department store. I kept repeatedly hearing a great pop song with the lyrics "I miss Arianne". It was a jangly and bittersweet gem, with evocative lyrics and innocent-sounding vocals. I got so annoyed when customers asked me for assistance while that song played. I wanted to purchase the CD so that I could listen to it in the peaceful privacy of my own home. Only problem was, I had no idea who sang the song. It's usually easy to find out the artist for a particular song through an internet search. I mean, the lyrics to every song can be found on the world wide web, right? I learned that this bit of conventional wisdom is not true. No matter what lyrics from that song were typed into search engines, I got no relevant results. I gave up hope of ever finding the song, and
Blender's 50 craziest pop stars ever
Remember the L.A. Times article I spoke about recently, which said that Eddie Van Halen was "somewhere between Axl Rose and Michael Jackson on the music industry scale of eccentric recluses"? Well, the folks at Blender magazine apparently disagree. The magazine's March 2007 issue features their list of the 50 Craziest Pop Stars Ever , but Eddie didn't make the list. Not surprisingly, Jackson came in at #1, and Axl is #3. The only person "between" them on this list is Brian Wilson! Britney Spears' antics got her placed at #6 -- just ahead of Syd Barrett!
Candy "Whatever Happened To Fun..." (1985)
I've just completed Rarebird's Spotlight Album Review #13. The subject: the 1985 album Whatever Happened To Fun... by Candy, an '80's power pop band from L.A. whose members included guitarist Gilby Clarke (later of Guns N' Roses and Rock Star Supernova) and singer/pianist Kyle Vincent (who is now a solo artist). Fun was the band's only proper album, but an odds-and-sods collection called Teenage Neon Jungle was released in 2003, so I've reviewed that as well. Check it out: http://rarebird9.net/candy.html