This Day in Music

Judgement is coming at its own pace, so take refuge within the church, and Elvis is becoming bored of Las Vegas, on this day in music.

Upstairs at Eric’s

1982: British synth-pop duo Yazoo release their debut studio album, “Upstairs at Eric’s.” It was recorded at producer Eric Radcliffe’s Blackwing Studios, located in an old deconsecrated church in south-east London, hence the title. Depeche Mode also recorded their debut album there, “Speak & Spell,” in 1981.

Yazoo had released two singles from the album well before its official release date. First was “Only You,” written by band member Vince Clarke, an English synth-pop composer and member of the band Erasure, who wrote for other groups, including Depeche Mode and The Assembly. It was released on March 15, 1982.

The song was big hit, peaking at No. 2 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart. A year later, The Flying Pickets would reach No. 1 with their a cappella version of the song, and hold that position for five weeks.

The second pre-release single depended upon geography. In the U.K., it was another Vince Clarke song, “Don’t Go.” Clarke wrote seven of the eleven numbers on the record. Released on July 2, 1982, the song made it to No. 3 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart, but hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart, and No. 1 in Iceland, Denmark, and Belgium.

In the U.S. and Canada, the second single was “Situation,” released in July of 1982. Co-written by Vince Clarke and the band’s other member, Alison Moyet, it was also highly successful, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart, and No. 31 on the Canada RPM Singles list.

The album itself did very well in Europe, going to No. 1 on the U.K. Independent Albums chart, No. 3 in Iceland, No. 4 in Spain and Finland, and No. 9 in Netherlands. In Canada and the U.S., it was not as popular, other than in dance clubs, and only reached No. 49 on the Canada RPM 100, and No. 92 on the Billboard 200.

However, it was popular enough to earn Platinum certification in the U.S., to complement its Platinum certification in the United Kingdom.

I’m not really a fan of synth-pop, but there are some groups, like Depeche Mode, that I enjoy, and some albums I quite like, including this one. I’ll be listening to it today!

Places and Spaces

1975: Donald Byrd, the American jazz trumpeter, holds the second of three recording sessions for his 42nd album, “Places and Spaces,” released later in the year. It was produced by fusion-soul-R&B legend Larry Mizell for Blue Note, and recorded at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles.

A very funky jazz fusion record with lots of bold brass, seventies-style synthesized string arrangements, and well-placed non-effects rhythm guitar, it earned 4-Stars at AllMusic, but only 3-Stars in The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide.

The track list includes a trumpet-led cover of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” and the song “You and Music,” written by the Mizell brothers (Fonce in addition to Larry), which was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013.

Some of the famous musicians appearing on the record are: Harvey Mason, ex- of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, on drums; Fonce Mizell on trumpet and clavichord; producer Larry Mizell on piano and vocals; composer Skip Scarborough on piano; and on bass guitar, Chuck Rainey, who performed with dozens of famous artists, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is infamous for surreptitiously playing his bass “slap” style with his thumb, against the wishes of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker on the Steely Dan hit, “Peg.”

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Slow Train Coming

1979: “Slow Train Coming,” the nineteenth album by legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, is released. The lyrics sing of faith and evangelical values, having been written shortly after Dylan’s conversion to Christianity. The title conveys the concept that all will be judged in the long-term.

The first of a trilogy of Christian Rock albums, it did better commercially than the subsequent two. Trading on the Dylan name, and because it is a good, though not great, album, it reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 in the U.K., and went all the way to No. 1 in Australia.

The lead single was the classic hit, “Gotta Serve Someone.” Mark Knopfler and Pick Withers of Dire Straits play guitar and drums respectively on the record, which peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its highest chart position was in Canada, edging the U.S. performance by hitting No. 23 on the RPM Singles chart.

In a great bit of trivia, “Gotta Serve Someone” won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male. I can’t immediately think of other rock songs from 1979 with impressive male vocals, but I find it hard to believe the best of the year was Bob, as much as I love his music and the character of his voice.

“Slow Train Coming” is certified 2x Platinum in Canada, 2x Platinum in Australia, and Platinum in the U.S. Neither of Dylan’s two follow-up Christian Rock albums earned sales certifications in the United States, though “Shot of Love” went Gold in Spain and Australia.

The Daily Elvis

1974: In what was a turbulent year for Elvis, he decided to shake up his setlist to inject new energy into his show. At both his dinner and midnight concerts of his Season Six summer residency at The Hilton Hotel (formerly The International Hotel), The King performs contemporary songs “It’s Midnight” and “Promised Land” among others. It was recorded and released as part of a double-CD retrospective release in 2017.

Bob Dylan in 1979.