Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss actor-turned-singer David Soul's massive 1977 hit song. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Mean Creek, Los Campesinos and Shearwater.
Show notes:
Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
David Soul, aka Hutch from "Starsky and Hutch," just turned 70
"Don't Give Up on Us" hit #1 in April 1977
Soul started out as a folk singer
"Don't Give Up on Us" in the same vein as wuss rock by Bread, Dan Hill, Manilow
Ric: Soul was on Private Stock Records, which churned out pop hits
Label run by Larry Uttal, who was previously a hitmaker for Bell Records
Private Stock master tapes were all lost after label went bankrupt
Soul just had the one hit
The B-side was weird song called "Black Bean Soup" that sounded like old Robert Palmer
John Travolta was another actor with a record deal in the '70s
Travolta was a teen idol after "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble"; pre-Saturday Night Fever and Grease
Big single was "Let Her In," even schmaltzier than the David Soul song
No vocal range whatsoever
"Rack jobbers" were big business; putting records in racks in drugstores and supermarkets for impulse shoppers
To be continued
Bonehead of the Week
Music:
Mean Creek - Cool Town
Los Campesinos - What Death Leaves Behind
Shearwater - I Luv the Valley OH!
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review! The Mean Creek song is on the forthcoming album Local Losers on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.
The Los Campesinos song is on the forthcoming album No Blues on Wichita Recordings. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.
The Shearwater song is on the album Fellow Travelers on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Sub Pop.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.