Barry Goudreau is best known for having a difficult last name to spell. He also played guitar on the first two smash albums by a little band called Boston. Later on, he was a member of the AOR bands Orion the Hunter and RTZ. In 1980 Goudreau released his first solo record, which pretty much sealed his fate with Boston. However, several guys from Boston pitched in, making his self-titled record sound very much like a Boston LP. The album settled at #88 on the Billboard Top 200 and the lead single, "Dreams," just missed cracking into the Top 100. As a whole, the effort doesn't come close to the majesty of Boston, but there are several noteworthy cuts in the mix. Brad Delp, the trademark vocalist of Boston most of the time, sang on many of these tracks. "Leavin' Tonight" is one of the songs sung by Fran Cosmo, who would take the lead vocal position for Boston's 1994 "Walk On" album. It is a simple song, but I love the handclaps and catchy melody.
Lesley Gore was discovered by famous producer Quincy Jones while singing in a New York hotel. Not long after, she was a successful singer and actress. Her first four singles all cracked the top ten, starting with her biggest smash, "It's My Party," which spent two weeks at #1 in 1963. Gore was no stranger to the charts throughout the 60s but her fame began to wane by the close of the decade. Still, "Brink of Disaster" is a strong tune that had the potential to be a comeback single that might have carried her through the 70s, but it stalled at #82 in 1967, becoming her last Top 100 song. Gore died of lung cancer in 2015. Her brother Michael was a successful songwriter and also scored a charting single, the theme from the hit movie Terms of Endearment (it went to #84 in 1984).
Nina Gordon rose to fame as a member of the 90s alternative rock band Veruca Salt, but at the start of the new millennium she went solo and released "Tonight And The Rest Of My Life." The title track got some decent airplay, but nothing on the record cracked the Top 100. The record is a much mellower version of Gordon than what most fans might have expected, filled with mostly ballads and a pleasant cover of "The End Of The World," first made famous by Skeeter Davis. The downshift to the adult contemporary sound showcases Gordon's vocal skills, most notably on "Horses In The City." There are two tracks reminiscent of the harder-edged rock Gordon played in Veruca Salt: "Badway" and "Number One Camera." An ode to the old Polaroids kids of the 70s and 80s loved, "Number One Camera" is also a throwback to catchy pop rock.
If you cross The Lumineers with the Everly Brothers, you would get something that comes close to the genius heard in the Philly indie folk band, Good Old War. Formed in 2008 from the remnants of a band called Days Away, Good Old War plays their well-crafted tunes with real instruments and heavenly harmony. Good Old War hasn't had a charting single yet, but I hope for the best. There are plenty more terrific songs from where "Touch The Clouds (Taste The Ground)" comes from!
The late 90s and 2000s were saturated with pop rock bands with a twist of punk like Good Charlotte. These boys from Waldorf, Maryland were one of the more successful in that crowded genre with hits like "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous" (#20 in 2002), "The Anthem" (#43 in 2003), "The River" (#39 in 2007), and "I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem)" (#25 in 2007). They are still making records, but haven't seen the charts since 2007. "The Chronicles of Life and Death" is the title track from their third record. Super crunchy and catchy, it is surprising that this song didn't become one of their biggest chart success stories.
If you only know the Goo Goo Dolls for their material since their monster hit "Iris," you'd guess their earlier records were done by a completely different band. The Buffalo-based band started out as a garage and punk outfit in 1986 with the raspy vocals of bassist Robby Takac singing lead on most of the songs. The more radio-friendly voice usually associated with the Goo Goo Dolls is guitarist John Rzeznik, but you didn't hear much of his singing until the third record, "Hold Me Up." Early records by the Goo Goo Dolls also featured numerous amped-up cover tunes and a couple guest vocalist spots for Buffalo area lounge singer Lance Diamond, who happened to live in the same apartment building as Takac. By their fourth record, 1993's "Superstar Car Wash," Takac and Rzeznik were sharing vocal duties about 50/50 and the songs became more focused. They still had a punchy hard rock sound, but the hooks in these tunes were amazing. "We Are The Normal" featured lyrics written by their idol, Paul Westerberg (The Replacements), and started getting the band some decent airplay. The breakthrough record would come next, "A Boy Named Goo," in 1995 thanks to a DJ that started spinning a very atypical Goo's track called "Name." Featuring Rzeznik on vocals, this acoustic-driven rock tune would lay the foundation for the Goo Goo Dolls that was to prevail through the 90s. "Name" went to #5 and the next single, "Naked," got to #47. Then the band recorded "Iris" for the film City of Angels - it remains the longest running #1 song ever on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart (an astonishing 18 weeks). The Goo Goo Dolls crank out generic pop rock now, catering to the trendy sounds of the day. They still make records and draw huge crowds, but haven't seen the top 40 since 2005 when "Better Days" hit #36. "Girl Right Next To Me" goes back to my favorite Goo's record, a masterpiece of 90s rock, "Superstar Car Wash."
Hailing from London, Ian Gomm had a single charting hit in the US that arrived at end of the 70s when "Hold On" reached #18. He continued to produce a ton of great stuff through the 80s, and it is amazing that none of it hit the charts in the US. Gomm's style is very similar to Tom Petty. "Man On A Mountain" is just a small taste of his consistently good catalogue. Go back and discover it now - better late than never!
Indie band, The Goldbergs (no connection to the popular TV show), released one the finest powerpop albums of 2008 appropriately called "Under The Radar." The record is filled with Beatles-inspired pop that is just pure magic to hear. Harmonies and memorable melodies abound. "Better Times" is a sweet pick-me-up tune that should put a smile on your face, just like most of the other tracks on this wonderful little record.
I really wished we lived in a world where The Godfathers made it big. This English punk and alternative rock band fused a lot of genres together in their songs, but really shone when they belted out straight up rock with a gritty attitude. The band developed a solid cult following after their 1986 debut album, "Hit By Hit," but came close to breaking through to the mainstream with their more accessible sophomore record, "Birth, School, Work, Death," in 1988. The title track pretty much sums up the angst in this searing anthem that I can play all day. Surprisingly, the song did not chart, but it got enough attention to propel their album to #91 on the Billboard Top 200. The band couldn't build on this success when they released the mixed "More Songs About Love & Hate," which made their fine 1991 record, "Unreal World" receive far less attention than it should. "Unreal World" boasts a more focused sound for the band and contains some of their finest work.
Glass Tiger roared onto the music charts in 1986 with their monster hit, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)." The song bolted to #2 and was followed up by another hit ballad, "Someday," which reached #7. A third single was mined from the album, the excellent "I Will Be There," which got to #34. Fellow Canadian rocker Bryan Adams lent his chops on a few of the tracks from the successful debut LP, "The Thin Red Line." The band's 1988 follow-up, "Diamond Sun," did not match the success of "Thin Red Line," but did spawn one charting single, "I'm Still Searching," which reached #31. The band released a third album in 1990 called "Simple Mission" that was more guitar-driven and rock oriented. Great record, but it failed to perform in the US. "Suffer In Silence" is a contemplative ballad that comes from the sophomore record "Diamond Sun." I have a weakness for melancholy down-on-my-luck songs, and this one is terrific.
Glass Moon is a little known pop rock group that made a minor splash in 1982 with their lone chart appearance, a cover of "On A Carousel" originally done by The Hollies. Their version got to #50, but the album from which it came, "Growing In The Dark," is filled with catchy synth and guitar anthems worth checking out if you enjoy 80s AOR. "She's On" is one of many highlights from this underrated record. Seemingly just another generic song about some hot chick, it detours into a verse that describes the object of his affection reading a bedtime fairytale to her baby girl. That's when "she's on." Sweet.
Guitar God David Gilmour of Pink Floyd released his second solo album in 1984 entitled, "About Face." The album gave Gilmour his one and only charting song, "Blue Light." You can hear Gilmour's trademark guitar in this tune, but the horns sound like they were borrowed from the Phil Collins song, "Sussudio." Pete Townshend (The Who) lended his songwriting chops to two tracks on this record, "Love On The Air" and the feisty "All Lovers Are Deranged." "Cruise" is one of the best acoustic-driven ballads in Gilmour's extensive catalogue and still sounds great after all these years.
Easily one of my favorite records of the 90s, "New Miserable Experience," put the Arizona band Gin Blossoms on the map. The record sold over 4 million copies and spawned four top 40 singles in 1993 and 1994: "Hey Jealousy" (#25), "Found Out About You" (#25), "Until I Fall Away" (#21), and "Allison Road" (#24). Tragically, founding member Doug Hopkins, who wrote their first two hits, fell into trouble with drinking and depression, ultimately getting fired from the band and committing suicide just as they made it big. The title of the band's follow-up effort in 1996, "Congratulations, I'm Sorry," was inspired by the band's mixed blessings of commercial success and losing Hopkins. It sold 2 million copies and yielded them two more huge hits, "Follow You Down" (#9) and "Til I Hear It From You" (#11). "As Long As It Matters" was also released, but stalled at #75 and marked the end of the band's charting career. They broke up in 1997 but got back together in 2006 and released two more records since then. "29" is a masterfully melancholy song about adulting. Just another cut that proves how much of a masterpiece "New Miserable Experience" was. Here's a great article about the record, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
I'll never quite understand why Nick Gilder was only a one hit wonder. He blasted onto the music scene with a #1 smash in 1978, "Hot Child In The City." It is a rather tame song compared to some of his other guitar-driven tunes, which expertly mix Rolling Stones, Cheap Trick, and T. Rex influences. He honed his style initially as the front man for the glam band called Sweeney Todd. Gilder almost cracked the top 40 twice more with "Here Comes The Night" (#44) and "Rock Me" (#57). I've always had a soft spot for the infectious groove of "(She's) One Of The Boys," which comes from Gilder's excellent 1978 sophomore album, "City Nights."
Hailing from Potsdam, New York, the Gigolo Aunts (named after the Syd Barrett song) is a powerpop band that has been paying their dues since the early 80s, yet never found chart success. They came close to a breakthrough in the 90s with their song, "Where I Find My Heaven," which was featured on the soundtrack to the hit film, Dumb and Dumber. Thanks to support from Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows, the band released a new record in 1999 called "Minor Chords and Major Themes." It is a solid powerpop affair and "The Big Lie" is one of my favorites by the band.
Arriving at the tail end of the hairband craze, hard rock band Giant managed to squeeze out a couple tiny hits off their rather excellent debut record. The first was "I'm A Believer," which went to #56 in 1989. In 1990, the band scored bigger with the requisite power balled, "I'll See You In My Dreams," which hit #20. The band's follow-up record, "Time To Burn," might have been huge if it came a couple years earlier. Nothing broke into the top 100, but that's because the music landscape was shifting, not because there weren't any songs worth their salt. "Stay" is one of the best from this sadly overlooked melodic rock album.
Back in 2004, a little known indie powerpop band called Getaway Car released a damn near perfect record called "All Your Little Pieces." Filled from start to finish with catchy pop rock, this album should have been huge. I can't find my favorite track for your streaming pleasure (it's "Adored"), but this one does just nicely.
