Dire Straits: Heavy Fuel

Two things can be said for 70’s rock: It was big, and it had tight pants. Boston, Foreigner, Queen, Genesis and/or Phil Collins filled the worlds biggest venues with a clean, super produced sound we now know as Stadium Rock. Mark Knopfler (pron. Noff-ler) along with his brother Dave also had a band, but they had other ideas.

Dire Straits formed around the idea of classic rock without the frills. By the time they got started the 70’s were winding up and Punk was the new black. In stark contrast to early Punk rockers, the boys asked publicans to turn them down so the punters could talk amongst themselves. This humble approach paid off with their debut self titled album going multi-platinum.

Flash forward to 1991 and a single largely ignored in the U.S. but popular at home in the UK and Australia. Heavy Fuel from the album ‘On Every Street’ popularizes the phrase "You gotta run on heavy fuel (if you want to run cool)." It comes from the novel ‘Money’ by Martin Amis. I run on heavy fuel, how about you?

Things of Stone and Wood: Happy Birthday Helen

Aussie Top Gear isn’t the only thing that’s gratuitously Melbournian (despite being filmed in Sydney?). Things of Stone and Wood’s ‘Happy Birthday Helen’ mirrors its birthplace so much it spawned a sketch on The Late Show, ‘No More Melbourne Clichés.’

Released in 1992, the song is about Greg Arnold's then girlfriend and wife, Helen. The single earned them an ARIA in ’92 and a place on the Triple J Hottest 100 in '93. The problem with bands that cross over from folky waa-waa music is they have a tendency to go back. Things of Stone and Wood is no exception.

‘Junk Theatre’ broke the surface in ’94, yeilding one solid single, however their grass roots politics had crept back in and sales bombed. Sony jumped ship ahead of the subsiquent 5 albums that bring us to 2003. In ’07 Greg released his second solo album ‘Lost Marie.’ To date I haven’t heard anything from it. We know they can do great things. As it stands now he’s producing, let’s hope he can supress his folk roots… and Melbourne.

PS: It's easy to be a critic, but I must admit, I never wrote a song like that.

Rose Tattoo: We Can’t Be Beaten

Rose Tattoo was big player in the pioneering days of aussie rock. George Young & Harry Vanda of AC/DC fame came to the party to produce 4 albums. Angry Anderson stood front and centre; you can see him in action in Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome. When Rose Tattoo played London’s Marquee Club, pundits labeled them “the loudest band…since Led Zeppelin.” They’ve been covered by the likes of Guns N' Roses, L.A. Guns and Nashville Pussy. This should give you some idea of their place in the natural order of things.

The tragedy with Rose Tattoo can be found in more recent news. Peter Wells battled prostate cancer for 4 years until his death in 2006, the year the band entered the ARIA Hall of Fame, and Ian Rilen succumbed to bladder cancer in 2006.

In 1982 the boys gave us “We Can’t Be Beaten”. The single entered the aussie charts at #5 and went all the way to #1. The album of the same name faired suitably well, topping out at #14.

Fat Camp @ Walcha... oh the pain!

I'm not dead.... who knew. Results here:
http://www.nowfm.com.au/stuff/fatcamp.mp3

E.M.F. (EMF): Unbelievable

Coming from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, E.M.F. made #3 in the UK with ‘Unbelievable’ from their 1990 album Schubert Dip. An album so-called because songwriter Ian Dench liked to pilfer chord sequences from Schubert.

‘Unbelievable’ crossed the Atlantic one year later and made #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single features “Oh!” samples and other exclamations from a comedian called Dice, and the album version gets really dirty. On their American tour, they played 'Unbelievable' several times in the set as nobody had heard any of their other songs.

E.M.F. weren’t ones to shy away from controversy, either. The track ‘Lies’ from ‘Schubert Dip’ samples John Lennon’s murderer. Unfortunately, Yoko Ono succeeded in having it suppressed. In another track called ‘E.M.F. live at the Bilson,’ the lyrics include the phrase “Ecstasy mother f------ from us to you.” Could this be the true meaning of E.M.F?

Elton John: I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

Elton John famously described his singing career as a stop gap until he found his calling. Funny for a guy who has more hits than Anthony Mundine.

The John/Taupin partnership began in ’67 when A&R man Ray Williams advertised for a lyricist in the New Musical Express. Taupin, the successful candidate became Elton’s full time songwriter, a position he holds to this day.

"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" appeared on the 1983 album 'Too Low For Zero,' reaching #5 at home in the UK and #4 across the Atlantic. The video was filmed in London’s Rivoli Ballroom and features Elton sans-glasses for the first time in years. In pop culture Family Guy ads this track to an already lengthy list of Elton references, and Mary J. Blige often performs this song, with or without Elton.

"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" deserves to become a classic hits mainstay. It’s success is a result of Elton’s enormous talent and Bernie Taupin’s ability to churn out solid gold lyrics time after time. I can’t stress this part enough… Bernie could eat spinach and poop diamonds, he’s just that good.

Hunters and Collectors: Throw Your Arms Around Me (We May Never Meet Again)

Aussie outfit Hunters & Collectors formed in Melbourne in ’81 with singer/songwriter Mark Seymour at the helm. Mark is responsible for several cracking songs including ‘Holy Grail’ and today’s feature 'Throw Your Arms Around Me’

The song suffered a still birth in ’85 and was re-recorded for their 1986 album ‘Human Frailty.’ Tons of artists have covered this song, it’s kind of like the universal party sign off. The Doug Anthony All Stars*, Crowded House and Pearl Jam all had a go. Eddie Vedder substitutes the line “…kiss you in 4 places” with 155 places. Neil Finn recons’ he picked that up after hearing one of Crowded House’s covers in which they routinely change the number.

*Watch Paul's eyes... aint nothing sacred?

Prince: Little Red Corvette

Notorious for changing his name to a symbol, Prince paved the way for thousands of African American performing artists... but he wasn't first.

Michael Jackson broke the MTV colour barrier in ’83 with ‘Billie Jean’. Prince followed soon after with ‘Little Red Corvette’ from the album ‘1999’. It’s hard to believe it now but punters thought he was serious competition for Michael. Think of it as the black equivalent of the ‘Stones/Beatles’ debate. His breakout single made #6 in the US and #2 in the UK.

Little Red Corvette’s lyrics are among the dirtiest in the business, but not enough people ‘got it’ to have it censored. Such was its power that it inspired Sevie Nicks to write ‘Stand Back’. Prince even had a hand in the musical composition. My favorite Songfact comes from a Chevy poster. Picture a red 1963 Corvette Sting Ray that says "They don't write songs about Volvos."

Goanna: Solid Rock

How can you claim to have released an album if nobody can buy it? I looked. I spent hours (10 minutes actually) searching for ‘Spirit Returns’, Goanna’s long awaited follow up to Spirit of Place. I did find an obscure album review here, and despite his Geocities handicap, blogger Jake makes a keen observation: “It will..inevitably annoy with its manifest political baggage.”

So: if you’re going to combine social protest and pop rock you better be bloody good at the rock part. Guns and Roses did it, so did Silverchair, and they haven’t been shelved by their labels for being boring.

Back in the day, Goanna's début album Spirit of Place won the ARIA for Best Album of ‘82, with their first (and only) major hit "Solid Rock" winning Best Single. Solid Rock struck that magic balance, with a chronicle of Aboriginal displacement by European settlers. This song went down a treat at Oz for Africa (Live Aid) in ’85 and remains one of my all time favorites.

R.E.M. (REM): Shiny Happy People (Shining)

Peaking at #10 on the US Billboard chart, Shiny Happy People is the second single from the album Out of Time. It’s a recovery from their heavy first single "Losing My Religion.” Fellow Athens City Georgia resident Kate Pierson (B-52’s) sang backup vocals. She was hot currency as Love Shack had just become a hit.

In ‘99, R.E.M. performed "Furry Happy Monsters." on Sesame Street. The track also made the soundtrack of Fahrenheit 9/11, a conspiracy documentary by some deranged fat guy with a beard. It plays during footage of George Bush Jnr and Snr shaking hands with Saudi oil merchants.

Shiny Happy People evolved from a Chinese propaganda poster. The slogan "Shiny happy people holding hands" came about in a turbulent time for the Chinese Government. Students demonstrating in favor of liberalization and democracy were slaughtered in their hundreds* at Tiananmen Square in 1989. To this day hybrid Communism prevails in China. When choosing between imported goods, pick the one that says "Made in China." While it may contain traces of lead, persevere. It's amazing how financial success drowns political idealism.

*Official figures. Red Cross est. 2000+.

Backstreet Boys, (The): Backstreets Back

If you ever wanted to resurrect New Kids on the Block or Boyzone, you're probably sad and single with too many pets. That said, help is at hand. I have observed a clever strategy that will allow almost anyone to bring a boy band back from the dead*.

By the time the Backstreet Boys lineup was finalized in '93, talent scout Lou Pearlman had spent around three million dubiously-acquired dollars and had to put on brave face until his investors saw some kind of return. The Backstreet Boys debuted that year to a crowd of 3,000 teenagers at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. From there it was a blur of shopping centre and high school performances. No US album was forthcoming.

In desperation, record bosses Clive Calder and Barry Weiss pioneered a bold re-launch strategy to try and bring the band mainstream success. Changes involved facial hair, haircuts and one of those 90's guy "I cry when I'm upset" wardrobes. Max Martin and Denniz Pop were commissioned to write some new tunes for the planned US debut album. What they came up with was a Thriller for the next generation, something that becomes abundantly clear when you watch the video. Luck Michael Jackson wasn't broke at the time or he might have sued.

*Imagine trying to bring back Human Nature in the 00's, they'd need to wear nail polish and tights while singing about how miserable everything is. Come to think of it, their 'Labrador optimism' may have been the reason they flopped.

Michael Jackson: Thriller (and Indian Thriller)

Thriller’s distinctive 'Monster Mash' style video was directed by John Landis, who worked on 'An American Werewolf In London'. Vincent Price did the narration, evil laugh and rap, which borrows lines from 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. Vince took a paultry $20k for his part. Had he taken the percentage instead of the lump sum, he would have made millions. A sore point which saw him excluded from the 7” single in some markets.

All in all the video was a big hit, named the #1 video of all time in the ‘VH1 100 Greatest Videos’ countdown. But what of the song it's self? We all know Fall Out Boy and John Mayer covered Thriller for Jackson’s Greatest Hits (new/covers)... but nobody’s asking: what about the Indians? I picked this one up on YouTube. Be afraid, be very afraid: this is Indian Thriller.

Savage Garden: To The Moon And Back

House hubby Darren Hayes and producer-musician extraordinaire Daniel Jones came together thanks to a classified in a Brissy newspaper. After a short time with Red Edge, they broke away to form the duo we know as Savage Garden.

Their first offering came in the form of ‘I Want You’. Their follow-up, ‘To The Moon And Back’ is another take on an age old recipe: take a lonely, outcast girl who keeps her cards close to her chest, throw in inspirational lyrics and simmer for 70 minutes. The taste? Try 11 major music awards in ’97 alone, including Single of the Year and Album of the Year.

Here’s an obscure fact: The name Savage Garden refers to the Anne Rice Vampire doctrine “The mind of each man is a savage garden…” It also pays to note that Darren's departure from our shores (and therefore our tax coffers) may be due to our conservative stance on gay marriage. My suggestion: legalize gay marriage for the obscenely wealthy.

Spice Girls, (The): Wannabe (Want To Be My Lover)

Wannabe rocketed to #1 in the US, UK and 30 other countries, including Australia.

According to the girls, the lyrics are about the value of friendship. I, however, take a different point of view. As with all girl group songs, the lyrics are about you, whoever you are. Be honest, you find the lyrics drawing out your own memories and acting as a sort of soundtrack. Think about it: that girl you want but can’t have, those new shoes, that big fight you had with Whatsisname over something or other… you know what I’m talking about.

That’s both the beauty and the curse of this kind of music. The lyrics are so generic that almost anyone can relate. I could write one myself… but I haven’t.

East 17: It's Alright

Some songs were born cheesy, but it doesn’t stop them from becoming a big hit.

English boy bandits East 17 took their name from the U2 track Miss Sarajevo, that or it’s one of those silly UK postcodes. Wiki says they toyed with the idea of shortening it to E17 but decided not to, as the party drug ecstasy was prevalent at the time.

‘It’s Alright’ is a ballad-cum-dance track from the album Walthamstow. It climbed to #3 on the UK charts back in 1993. The following year we colonials did what we always do, and propelled England’s ‘nearly there’ to #1.

Curls get the girls: Nick Giannopoulos christens newcomer.

Allow me to introduce Drew. He's been called 'Frank' ever since The Wog Boy movie came out. Why? Because 'The curls get the girls' - as the character Frank says. Now he's getting ready to leave The Australian Institute of Music and enter showbiz..... but he needs a surname to go with Frank because the agencies won't sign two people with the same name. Who better to do the honors than Wog Boy star Nick Giannopoulos. We caught up with Nick for a chat.

What is Frank's new name? Listen to the interview here.

Random names generated by BabyNameGenie.com: Frank Kinnal, Frank Dayton or Daytone, Frank Dulton, Frank Ethan, Frank Perry and Frank Williams.
Listener suggestions: Frank McAndrews, a take on Andrew McWilliams, his real name, and Frankie Finch.

Always something there to remind me: Songfacts on Naked Eyes

‘Always something there to remind me’ was written by superstar Burt Bacharach and Hal David for a bloke called Lou Johnson.

Many talented artists had a crack at this one. Throughout the 60’s and 70’s the song lingered on the B list until synthpop outfit Naked Eyes made the top 10, with Bacharach himself naming this version as his personal favorite.

Naked Eyes were off to a flying start, but their subsequent hit "Promises, Promises" was also their last. Singer Pete Byrne ended up doing session work for Stevie Wonder, just to pay the bills, and even wrote "I’m the Cute One" for the Olsen Twins. Grim.

What's in a name: Songfacts on Sex Maggots... okay G.G. Dolls.

What a name for an 80’s band: The Sex Maggots. John Rzeznik, Robby Takac and George Tutuska propelled their music into the half-light under this moniker until a booking agent complained that the local newspaper wouldn’t print their name. In a snap decision, the name Goo Goo Dolls was lifted from a toy advertisement. John recalls “If I had five more minutes, I definitely would have picked a better name".

Their debut self titled album arrived in 1987 with 4 to follow. Unfortunately, poverty persisted for the band until Warner signed them for Dizzy Up The Girl in 1998. The album’s title is the subject of much conjecture. I think it reflects the usefulness of buying your date a stiff drink, that or it’s some kind of amusement ride run by people with small hands and beady eyes.

From that album comes an important piece of popular music. It’s not quite rock and it’s not grunge, it’s something wonderful: Iris.

Getting started: Songfacts on The Red Hot Chili Peppers

The singles Higher Ground and Knock Me Down catapulted The Chili Peppers into the mainstream.

Originally written by Stevie Wonder, Higher Ground is a favorite among two groups of people: Bass players love it for it’s stylized slap bass line, and regular people love it because it replaced New Kids on the Block’s ‘Hangin’ Tough’ as the cover song on the Chili’s breakout Album Mother’s Milk.

You’ll find this song in the game Guitar Hero. It also made an appearance in the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Movie. *Shudder*

Guns & Roses: November Rain

The original November Rain, based on a short story by Del James called Without You was 25 minutes long. The song was edited down to 8:59 for the album and subsequent single and amazingly, It’s still the longest ever Top 10 hit.

The video won best cinematography at the ‘92 MTV Music Awards, which is a bloody good thing to, as it cost US$1.5m! (a sore point for guitarist Slash, who said “it was all getting out of hand.”)

Following the dangerous joint release of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, both albums occupied the top 2 spots on the album charts for only the second time in history. If Britney Spears and Cold Play released back to back albums with long songs, they’d be sharing a bunk bed in the Poor House. This is the extent of the Guns 'N’ Roses effect.

From fatal car crash to new life: Songfacts on Live

Lightning Crashes takes it’s inspiration from car crash victim and high school friend of the band, Barbara Lewis. Barbara lost her life to an armed robber fleeing a crime scene.

The song clearly chronicles the circle of life. Her brother in-law explains: “Barb's life gave new life to many. The angel, the baby down the hall, (Barb’s) pale blue eyes. Our family’s close (to) the most genuine and caring man, who is still alive today, who has Barb's heart beating in his chest! Lightning Crashes literally lives on.”

Often dedicated to the Columbine High School massacre victims at concerts, Lightning Crashes is Live’s biggest hit to date.