RIP, Andrew Gold

I seriously thought the Michael Stanley Band was just a Cleveland band that never break through to a national audience. I must have seen them 10 times at Blossom Music Center. I also heard MSB on the soundtrack of one of those bad Judd Apataw movies recently (cannot remember which one...might have been I Love You, Man). I understand "He Can't Love You" was a minor hit nationally, but other than that I don't think the Michael Stanley Band ever charted. A shame because it was a really good band and Michael Stanley has an awesome rock voice.

Interesting note, Michael Stanley and the Resonators are playing with Donny Iris and the Cruisers after the Indians-Pirates game tonight at Progressive Field in Cleveland. They have an 80's theme for the series and the concert is part of it.

 

WLS-AM was the best. We could get it here in the daytime (still can, it's all talk radio now) and it was better than any of the shitty FM stations here.

 

MSB's "My Town" was a hit as well. They would insert various towns' names in different cities on the single to make it provincial. It worked here in Pittsburgh. Leaving in an hour for Cleveland. Bucs and Donnie...worth the trip. Wish the Pirates' marketing department would get on the ball and get Iris for a Skyblast.

 

Donnie Iris was an outstanding '70s era pop performer who was just too dorky-looking to become an idol.



His looks just didn't match some of the songs he did, such as "Ah Leah."

 

Never seen that before. That fucking rocks.

 

He kinda looks like an 80s vintage Eugene Levy. But hey, he is King Cool. And yes, "Ah Leah" was one of the 80s great rock songs and "Love Is Like A Rock" is a great lost classic from those days too.

 

Until two days ago, I never knew Donnie Iris was in Wild Cherry ("Play That Funky Music") and just learned he wrote "The Rapper" when he was with The Jaggerz.

 

He was Dominic Ierace then. Iris has been plugging along in Pittsburgh-area clubs; several YouTube videos show that he's not half bad. The Ah Leah! video is the dictionary definition of "batting out of your league"

 

You ain't kiddin'. And the Wild Cherry part was news to me too, maumann. I knew he had written "The Rapper."

 

I know. Just a fantastic song. I'd start my own radio station just to be able to play it.

 

Between the time that the Beatles were winding down and Fleetwood Mac hit it big (1970-74), there was a pop vacuum that a buncha one-hit wonders, like Daniel Boone, and studio-concocted groups (Spiral Staircase, Edison Lighthouse, etc.) filled admirably. The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds was a big influence (Seasons in the Sun and Beach Baby being the prime examples of that)

 

Cat Stevens really gives me the 70's vibe (I refuse to call him Ysaf Islam). He was a great songwriter.