GUN is a hard rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in the late 80s and had some minor hits off their major label debut album, "Taking On The World." Songs like "Better Days" and "Inside Out" should have done better, but were lost in the mix of all the competition from the hair bands. The 90s started well for the band thanks to their brilliant hard rock cover of Cameo's funk hit "Word Up," which charted in several countries but not the US. But things got weird on their fourth album, which was called "0141 632 6326." Back during its release, that was a phone number fans could dial for news about the band. Many were probably calling to complain since this record was a major detour from their rock and roll style. Filled with drum loops and experimental sounds, no doubt influenced by producer Andrew Farriss of INXS, the record threw me for a loop. The band split up shortly thereafter in 1997. In 2012, after some line-up changes that included a new lead singer, GUN released a fifth album that returned to rock, but with considerably more melody attached to it. They've been releasing outstanding records ever since that sadly have stayed under the radar. "Lost & Found" exemplifies the new sound of GUN for modern times. The band just released another terrific new album this year, "Favourite Pleasures." Check out the title track of that one if you enjoyed their reworking of "Word Up!"
Formerly with cult powerpop band, The Tories, James Guffee released his one and only solo record in 2005, entitled "So Much For Secrets." It is a shame more of the world does not know his musical talents. Just as melodious as his work in The Tories, Guffee's solo effort is filled with memorable tunes that stick with you long after the record is played. His evolution as a songwriter grew by leaps and bounds and I would love to visit a parallel universe where he released more material. You don't hear too many thoughtful tributes to grandparents, but "Eighty-eight" is a terrific one. Other highlights include "The Hardest Part" and "One More Time."
The Guess Who was formed in the 60s in Canada and underwent an interesting course of evolution from garage rock to pop to jazz rock. The band achieved great success by the end of 60s and into the 70s with classic hits like "These Eyes" (#6), "Laughing" (#10), "No Time" (#5), and "American Woman" (#1 for 3 weeks). The band made stars out of some of the individual members, including Randy Bachman, who went on to form Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and Burton Cummings who had a moderately successful solo career as we discussed earlier. "It's My Pride" takes us back to 1966, when the band was still fresh from the garage and burning with an intensity that might surprise those who know the Guess Who only from their hits.
When people think of 80s jangle pop bands from Georgia, R.E.M. usually comes to mind, but in a perfect world Guadalcanal Diary would too. This lesser known college rock band was a cult favorite and gained a following thanks to the MTV program 120 Minutes. In 1989, their fourth album, "Flip-flop," was finally getting the band some decent traction. "Always Saturday" was a bright and sunny pop song that should have put the band on the map, but it failed to chart. These rather wholesome looking boys just didn't have enough hairspray and sexual innuendo in their lyrics for the late 80s. Tensions were running high and the band members decided to break up before their friendships deteriorated to a point of no return, making "Flip-flop" their final album. It would be interesting to visit a parallel universe that saw the band stay together; I'd be willing to bet their fifth album would have been the commercial breakthrough they'd been waiting for.
Henry Gross, once a member of the doo-wop tribute band Sha Na Na, went solo in the 70s and is best remembered for his top ten hit, "Shannon," which went to #6 in 1976. "Shannon" was a eulogy, written about the passing of Carl Wilson's (Beach Boys) dog. The Beach Boys connection is palpable in the musical style and falsetto frequently used by Gross to nice effect. "Springtime Mama" was his follow-up single and became his second (and final) top 40 single. More bouncy and upbeat, and not about a dog (to the best of my knowledge), "Springtime Mama" should have done better and made Gross a mainstay at radio beyond 1976.
The Greenberry Woods is a little-known powerpop group formed at the University of Maryland back in the 90s. They released two essential powerpop albums, "Rapple Dapple" in 1994 and "Big Money Item" in 1995. Maybe they had too many catchy melodies and harmonies for the mid-90s as the world was still punch drunk on grunge, but Greenberry Woods failed to get much traction at the time. They are well-respected in powerpop circles, though, and it is never too late to discover them. "Super Geek," which comes from the second record, is a good primer. Two twin brothers in the band, Matt and Brandt Huseman, went on to play in another renowned powerpop outfit we will get to later called Splitsville.
The California punk rock band Green Day is full of surprises. They burst onto the scene with their slacker ode to pleasuring oneself in 1994 when "Long View" reached #36. It came from the band's third album, "Dookie," which produced four additional charting singles, the most successful being "When I Come Around" (#6). Some would say their follow-up record was a sophomore jinx, but technically it was their fourth record. Nevertheless, it did not match the success of "Dookie" and the band looked like it was falling off the radar to up-and-coming punk acts like Blink-182. In 1997 they released "Nimrod," whose first single, "Hitchin' A Ride," hit a mediocre #59. Then Green Day mounted what I will call their first comeback. An atypical acoustic track was buried in the attitude and noise constituting "Nimrod" called "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)." The song soared to #11 and made the world take notice of this unexpected side to the band and the blossoming songwriting talent of Billie Joe Armstrong. Unfortunately, the band seemed destined to fall off the radar again when the excellent record "Warning" failed to produce a hit in 2000. But the band took a four year break and mounted their second comeback, which was even bigger than the first. "American Idiot" was a masterpiece, the work of a band that grew by leaps and bounds since the 90s. It produced big hits like "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" (#2 for 5 weeks and Grammy for Record of the Year), "Holiday" (#19), and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (#6). Green Day continues to be one of the most prolific and consistent bands on the planet and a third comeback would not surprise me. One of my favorite cuts goes back to "Nimrod." "Redundant" is an amazing song released after their monster hit "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)." How "Redundant" failed to strike a chord continues to puzzle me to this day.
Before they formed the successful band, The Rembrandts, songwriting partners Danny Wilde (formerly of The Quick) and Phil Solem were in a post-punk powerpop band called Great Buildings. Their one and only record arrived in 1981, entitled "Apart From The Crowd." The record was critically acclaimed but commercially ignored. If you are a fan of anything Danny Wilde (who will be featured numerous times on this blog before we are through the alphabet) has done, you will love hearing his energetic early work. You can hear the hit-making potential of Wilde and Solem all over this fun record, and wonder why the hell radio just drove a wrecking ball into these Great Buildings.
The Great Affairs are an indie folk rock band that released one of my favorite "Sunday mornings on the porch" type of record in 2013. The record is filled with melodious Americana with a touch of pop. Always a satisfying listen. "Break Me Down" builds quietly to a sing-a-long chorus that will stick with you for days. Don't say I didn't warn you.
A Great Big World is a piano rock duo from Manhattan, New York that hit the top 10 in 2013 with their ballad, "Say Something." With a little help from the mighty Christina Aguilera, the song reached #4 and won a Grammy. But the band is not all about ballads, as they do plenty of upbeat tunes as well. "Land Of Opportunity" showcases that other side of this talented duo, which draws inspiration from ELO and Ben Folds.
A little known "super group" of powerpop icons, The Grays had extraordinary potential. Their one and only record, "Ro-Sham-Bo" from 1994 remains one of my favorites from the decade. The Grays consisted of Jason Falkner, Jon Brion, Buddy Judge, and Dan McCarroll. Filled with a crunchy rockers, melancholy ballads, and playful powerpop tunes, the record is like Chex-Mix. Everything is different, but somehow it all tastes right together. "Very Best Years" is in the crunchy rocker category and still amazes me that it failed to catapult the band to stardom. Falkner and Brion went on to reasonably successful solo careers, the latter scoring several popular films.
The Grass Roots were a hot commodity in the late 60s and early 70s. One of their more recognizable songs, "Where Were You When I Needed You," only hit #28 in 1966, but "Let's Live For Today" put the band on the map when it peaked at #8 in 1967. They hit the top 10 again in the 60s with "Midnight Confessions," which became their best chart performance at #5. Sustaining their hot streak into the new decade, the 70s brought them three more notable hits with "Temptation Eyes" (#15), "Sooner Or Later" (#9), and "Two Divided By Love" (#16). The band's final charting song was 1975's "Mamacita," which struggled to #71. "Anyway The Wind Blows" was a single from 1972 that had all the key ingredients of former hits by The Grass Roots: a sing-a-long melody, big brassy chorus, and sweet harmonies. Great song, but I guess the formula was wearing thin by this point. Another favorite of mine that fared better but isn't as well-known is "I'd Wait A Million Years," which got to #15 in 1969.
The Grapes of Wrath (the band) started way back in 1983 as an acoustic-rock outfit from Canada. By 1987 they broke through (in Canada, that is) with the release of "Treehouse," a record produced by Canadian rock legend Tom Cochrane. The band gained a little traction in the US on shows like MTV's 120 Minutes, but never had charting singles. In my book, they could have been another R.E.M. or Crowded House, but never got that lucky break. By 1992 they split up. The band resurfaced in 2000 and their latest release came in 2013 with "High Road." The lead-off track, "Good To See You," sounds as bright and fresh as their early work. If you dig it, you'd be doing yourself a favor mining the band's back catalogue for more.
Amy Grant has had a successful career since her beginnings as a Christian artist in the late 70s. As she inched towards using more commercial lyrics, she started to amass some big chart hits, beginning with the underrated "Find A Way," which deserved better than the #29 position it hit in 1985. Her first #1 came in the form of a duet with Chicago's Peter Cetera, "The Next Time I Fall." She failed to capitalize on that success with her 1988 effort, "Lead Me On," whose title track stalled at #96. But Grant came back in a big way with 1991's "Heart In Motion" record, the most successful of her career. This record is home to four top ten hits including the #1 smash "Baby Baby." Her follow-up record, "House Of Love," didn't come close to the success of the former, but her duet with Vince Gill (the title track, which went to #37) might have helped net Grant her second husband. The two got married six years later. Grant steered into true adult contemporary by 1997's "Behind The Eyes" LP. The album yielded her last charting hit, "Takes A Little Time," which went to #21. "Leave It All Behind" is another breezy, feel good tune from this fine album worth your time.
Andy Grammer is a pop singer/songwriter who rose to fame with his top ten smash, "Honey, I'm Good." The tune hit #9 in 2015 and remains his only top 40 appearance in the US so far. I'm sure there is more to come. "Back Home" is another infectious single from his sophomore record, "Magazines Or Novels," which managed to climb to #19. "Back Home" charted in several other countries, but not the US. Nevertheless, it is a great tune.
Born Lou Grammatico in Rochester, New York, Lou Gramm was the powerhouse vocalist behind Foreigner. He racked up plenty of top 40 smash hits through the 70s and 80s with the band, but also tried his hand at a solo career and as the vocalist for lesser known groups called Shadow King in the early 90s and Black Sheep in the early 70s. Gramm always wanted Foreigner to rock more, which often put him at odds with his co-founding bandmate Mick Jones. Gramm got to flex those muscles a bit more on his two solo records from the 80s, but also stayed true to melody and kept more than enough power ballads in the mix. Gramm's first solo outing arrived in 1987 with a big hit out of the gate in "Midnight Blue," which went to #5. Surprisingly, the only other charting single from this effort was the scorching rocker "Ready Or Not," which only got to #54. Gramm reunited with Foreigner to put out their successful 1987 record "Inside Information," then jumped back into solo mode. He completed his second solo record in 1989, "Long Hard Look," which kicked off with another top 10 hit, "Just Between You And Me" (#6). Confirming his love of the word "blue," the second single, "True Blue Love," stalled at #40 and became his last chart appearance. The excellent "Angel With A Dirty Face" rocks a bit more and fooled me into thinking he'd hit the top 10 again.
The Graces was an all-girl trio that released a single record in 1989 called "Perfect View." They had all the makings of a supergroup with Charlotte Caffey from the Go-Gos, Meredith Brooks, and Gia Ciambotti. Their lead single made a modest dent on the charts. "Lay Down Your Arms" climbed to #56 in the summer of 1989, but I was surprised it didn't do better. The trio had a terrific chemistry in harmony, its just a shame the songs were not as strong as they needed to be. Meredith Brooks would not complain, though. She went solo and, although she became a one-hit wonder, took her song "Bitch" to #2 in 1997. Ciambotti became a backing vocalist for Bruce Springsteen and released her own solo record in 2007.
Swiss hard rock band Gotthard has been cranking out #1 albums in their home country for years but has yet to break onto the US charts (fat chance of something sensible like that happening). Nevertheless, their catalogue of a dozen albums is worth mining for both the rockers and the ballads. They've also done a fair share of cover tunes over the years. In 2010, the band lost their lead singer Steve Lee in a tragic motorcycle accident. They rebounded with the addition of Nic Maeder the following year. "Starlight" is an infectious rocker built for arena, but works just as well cranked up while cruising along the shore. The song starts their excellent 2012 record, "Firebirth," the first to feature Maeder on vocals.
