Sunshine Radio Presents Slow Disco, Sunset Soul & Sunglasses Proof Pop

Pexels

Turn on your nearest stereo equipment, tune in to Sunshine Radio and listen to retro sounds all day long! 😊 

The track by The Four Seasons (without Frankie Valli!) is on the upcoming 4CD set Sean Rowley Presents: Guilty Pleasures 20th Anniversary, out on Demon Music Group next Friday:

"One-hit wonders and exotic recordings that perfectly soundtracked a sun-kissed ’70s U.S. west coast life style, less so in ’70s Britain."

As I wrote earlier, in the mid-seventies British rock band Mud was one of the biggest acts in Europe with quite a few number ones under their belt, but when the decade came to a close, they struggled to survive. On their 1979 album As You Like It frontman and former teen idol Les Gray sang on only 4 tracks, indicating his detachment from the band by then. When the LP and the accompanying single You’ll Like It / Can’t Stop came out, the remaining members had already signed a new record contract and had recruited Margo Buchanan as their lead vocalist. Their single Drop Everything And Run did not make a chart impact and the band called it quits soon after. However, original singer Les Gray reformed Mud in the 1980s and made one last album with some help from old members Rob Davis and Ray Stiles in 1983.

As soon as his band Cockney Rebel split in July 1977, frontman Steve Harley began recording his debut solo album. A few months later he flew to Los Angeles to complete it and he soon decided to move to the US with his long-time girlfriend, Dutch singer Yvonne Keeley. He bought a house in Beverly Hills and stayed there for nearly a year to find inspiration to compose. However, Harley later admitted that during his time in America, he did not write a single song. The album Hobo With A Grin was released in the summer of 1978, but it did not become the American breakthrough he had been looking for. The first single Roll The Dice (with Bill Champlin, Bobby Kimball and Michael McDonald on backing vocals) failed to chart, as did the second one, a remixed version of Someone's Coming. It is a pity that his record company forgot to release I Wish It Would Rain as a single (with an incredible guitar part by Ian Bairnson), by far the best track on the album, although it later appeared on several Greatest Hits compilations. Harley's recording career never really recovered from his American adventure, but the last few decades he has been on the road as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel all over Europe. Lately he is “fighting a nasty cancer”, as he revealed on Facebook and he had to cancel his 2023/2024 tour.

Thanks to Annemiek for introducing me to the Joe Esposito/Giorgio Moroder track. Next up is a Mixcloud Exclusive.

Tracklist:

Future Flight – Foolish Things (1981)
Brenda Russell – New York Bars (1983)
Waterleaf – Lost In My Fantasy (2023)
Lionel Richie – All Night Long (1983)
The McCrarys – Don’t Wear Yourself Out (1978)
The Four Seasons – Down The Hall (1977)
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say (1983)
Mud – Can’t Stop (1979)
Bryan Ferry – The Price Of Love (1976)
Patrick Simmons – If You Want A Little Love (1982)
Aretha Franklin – Jump To It (1982)
Andy Gibb – I Just Want To Be Your Everything (1977)
Ben Moore – Get Closer (1979)
Steve Harley – I Wish It Would Rain (1978)
Fotomaker – All There In Her Eyes (1978)
Jeff Lorber – Your Love Has Got Me (1982)
Joe Esposito & Giorgio Moroder – Lady Lady Lady (1983)
Sly & The Family Stone – Family Affair (1971)
Chicago – Old Days (1975)
Pablo Cruise ‎– Whatcha Gonna Do? (1977)
Jay Murphy & Natalie Nova‎– Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide [Radio Edit] (2024)
Don Scott – Love With Me (1977)