Driven To Tears
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When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around (Different Gear Remix)
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Voices Inside My Head
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Album: Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)

For an album that the band itself isn’t particularly satisfied with, Zenyatta Mondatta sure has some gems on it. The accepted story is that The Police were pressured to complete the record prior to going on a world tour, despite the band’s grumblings. Regardless, Zenyatta Mondatta succeeds due to the trio’s chemistry, songwriting, and musicianship.

Zenyatta Mondatta‘s biggest hits were the terrific “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and the idiotic “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.” More interesting are the dancefloor classics that captured a band willing to broaden their sound.

“Driven To Tears” is a propulsive, reggae-tinged jam that gives each band member a chance to shine. Stewart Copeland (who I learned was American — I thought they were all Brits?) provides steady yet adventurous support for Sting’s unusually melodic bass skills and Andy Summers face-melting guitar solo.

In the shoddy music video for “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around” below, there’s a stretch taken from a live performance, and demonstrates The Police were even more exciting on stage than on record:

Instead of the original version, I’m featuring a 2000 remix credited to an outfit called Different Gear. Originally released as a bootleg, Zenyatta Mondatta‘s rightsholder facilitated an official release. Different Gear adds some tasteful house beats behind the original groover, but keeps the core track intact.

“Voices In My Head” was a disco smash, and can still move the crowd some 30 years later. It feels unfinished — especially lyrically — and may be one example of why The Police were frustrated with their deadline. Even so, it’s effective as a (mostly) instrumental exploration of one killer riff.

So what the hell does Zenyatta Mondatta mean? Nothing much, apparently. Stewart Copeland explains, “It’s not an attempt to be mysterious, just syllables that sound good together.” Agreed.

Can’t Fake The Feeling
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Released in 1980

"Can’t Fake The Feeling" has been very good to me. As you can see from the photo of the label above, I paid a pretty penny for it but It was worth it. It’s one of those records that kills on the dancefloor, and few of my generation have ever heard it before — qualities that make DJs very happy.

When it was released 30 (!) years ago, it was  — justifiably — a massive #1 club hit. It’s easy to see why: the beat is steady, the production is tight, and the melody is catchy. And then there’s Geraldine’s raw, expressive singing that hearkens back to a time when dance track vocals were recorded with limited to no filters, pitch correction, or digitized harmonies.

It was released on the Prism label (Prism would later morph into seminal hip hop label Cold Chillin’ Records) and was written by Geraldine and Kat Dyson, who is primarily known for playing guitar with Prince’s New Power Generation. I’m sad to say that my limited online research into Geraldine didn’t reveal much about her; "Can’t Fake The Feeling" was her biggest hit.

Barbra Streisand (w/Barry Gibb)
Guilty
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Album: Guilty (1980)

Tanya Morgan
Stay Tuned (Sunset Version)
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Album: Sunset (EP, 2005)

A couple of months ago, I was diggin’ in the dollar bin at Amoeba and came across Guilty, a Barbra Streisand/Barry Gibb duet album from 1980. My Mom totally had this record, and played it frequently enough that the title song came back to me instantly. As I stood hunched over the crate on the floor, I wondered what other beats might lurk within the dated airbrushed sleeve. For a buck, I could satisfy my curiosity and prevent lingering back damage.

I had thought about featuring Guilty in a new gBlog feature dedicated to cheesy pop, but couldn’t find enough tracks on the record that were bad-good enough to share. Oh well. At least the title cut — which won a Grammy and features the brothers Gibb (aka the Bee Gees) on background vocals — entertained me enough to rip it and upload to my iPod.

I had pretty much given up on the idea of blogging about the record. But a few weeks after I had put it aside, I heard a familiar sample in a podcast from The Sound of Young America. It was included in a 2006 performance by an unknown rap group with a misleading name: Tanya Morgan. (According to their MySpace profile, “THE NAME MEANS NOTHING…AND EVERYTHING. JUST ENJOY THE MUSIC! THATS AN OLD QUESTION PLEASE DONT ASK IT ANYMORE! LOL”)

After about 30 seconds on Google, I discovered the name of the track and soon possessed a copy of the song, “Stay Tuned.” Production-wise, this cut is bananas! Tanya Morgan (I keep wanting to call them Tracy Morgan) speeds up a “Guilty” sample and chops Barbra’s vocal into tasty little morsels.

But as the track nears its expected end, it veers in an unexpected direction, letting the original Barbra/Barry track play unadorned (at the accelerated tempo) for a good minute or so. As Barry rehashes the same vocal line Barbra sang in the first half of the track, producer Von Pea brings the beat back and chops up Barry’s vocals to match the earlier Barbra sample. Rappers Donwill and Ilyas then repeat their verses over the remixed beat. It’s kinda hard to explain, but the impact is a deft combination of clever and groovy.