We All Need a Reminder

My memory is strong. Working in floral delivery meant I was in the van frequently and listened to the radio when there was a modicum of variety. It was always a guide. Listen to The Top Forty and seek out lesser known bands.

1997 had a lot of crap music that somehow is still played. The Spice Girls captured a moment in time with Wannabe. It now seems stale. What, exactly, is "Girl power" anyway? Barbie Girl is another terrible song with a dominant man and submissive woman best forgotten.

A case could be made Chumbawumba broke the music industry. Tubthumping-another overplayed song no one needs to hear again- was not released as a single. To buy it one had to purchase the compact disc.

One of my great unwritten series of articles is "Years in Music." From memory I could write a lot about 1984, 1992, 1975 and could research earlier years. 1997 had a lot of songs that are not timeless.

Keep in mind I still enjoy Milli Vanilli and think Michael Bolton is unfairly maligned. Same with Nickelback. After a hot, rather annoying day at work I turned on the radio. I don't mind paying retail for Sirius.

Yes, I could cry poverty and they would give me a special. Wouldn't it be great if car insurance were like that? Some of the money goes to artists. Considering how awful terrestrial radio is- there was a time when I heard Stuck on You by Failure.

It was one of many interesting songs on WHFS when that station meant something. Certain songs resonated more than others. I never understood why No Doubt was overplayed. They still are.

Quality is better than quantity. I stopped buying records by this time. LP's were hard to find. Had I switched to CD's it would have been expensive and I figured something else would take over.

Failure had a good song. Stuck on You has a video that looks like a Maurice Binder era opening credits scene to James Bond movies. Back when they had women in silhouette. Still no news on the next James Bond movie.

Failure's album was very well reviewed. Only now am I listening to it. It's never too late. Remember- I never heard Teenage Kicks by The Undertones until 2018 or so. That's a timeless song- John Peel's all time favorite.

To show my memory and concepts no one recalls- there was a four star review to Failure's album in Pulse. Not only did LinkedIn Pulse make this a better site, the magazine given away at Tower Records gave good leads.

The record industry collapsed, Tower Records closed (partially because of box stores, partially because their customer service became non existent) and I had to remind myself of a good band who was not played enough. They are not a one hit wonder.

Radio tries making The Eagles a one hit wonder. Do the masses need to hear Hotel California every day for the rest of time? It serves as a reminder that radio is irrelevant. Once mighty stations are sold for pennies on the dollar to companies who make them religious stations or all news.

Which is why I don't mind paying for satellite radio. You never know what uncommon songs will remind me of previous eras and inspire a long delayed listen to albums that are still enjoyable now and indefinitely.