Category: Music

Hott City's Ain't Love Grand was the first LP that my friend Steve ever gave me, and while the rest of my vinyl was sold or went to friends and family during "the '87 purge," this was one of less than a handful^* of records to remain in my possession all these years—possibly because of the sentimental value attached to it and the fact it was pressed on white vinyl.

^*I believe the other two were Donna Summer's Once Upon a Time and the original Star Wars soundtrack.

One of my all time favorites.

Song has some potentially NSFW parts, so if you're at work, HEADPHONES ONLY!

"There was a moment when their faces blossomed into the sweetest happiness, however—when everyone came together in a single lovely communion that was the reason they did all they did; and that occurred around six-thirty in the morning, when they took off their sweat-soaked T-shirts and screamed because Patty Jo had begun to sing: 'Make me believe in you, show me that love can be true.' By then the air was half-nauseating with the stale stench of poppers, broken and dropped on the floor after their fumes had been sucked into the heart, and the odor of sweat, and ethyl chloride from the rags they clamped between their teeth, holding their friends' arms to keep from falling. The people on downs were hardly able to move, and the others rising from the couches where they had been sprawled like martyrs who had given up their souls to Christ pushed onto the floor and united in the cries of animal joy because Patty Jo had begun to sing in her metallic, unreal voice those signal words: 'Make me believe in you, show me that love can be true.'" ~ Andrew Holleran, Dancer from the Dance

Haters gonna hate.

It's amazing how music has such strong memories attached to it. Whenever I hear this song I'm immediately transported back to a sunny Saturday morning in August 1986. Shortly after moving to San Francisco I'd found this record in the collection of the friends I'd initially been staying with. Loved it, so naturally I threw it on a cassette tape to play in the car. That particular morning I had gone out exploring and was driving down Lincoln Boulevard, sun roof open, wind in my hair (I had hair then), catching glimpses of the Pacific out the passenger side of the car. It was awesome. I had arrived in California and life was good.

Another one that would always bring Kent and I to the dance floor.

Since this song first came out in 1978, there have been countless remixes by countless DJs. A couple years ago Cerrone himself created an entire 70+ minute symphonic suite based on the original tune that is simply put, orgasmic. Here's a tease:

You can get it through iTunes here, or from Amazon here.

Of course the more enterprising among you will also undoubtedly be able to find the whole album for free online. Not that I'd ever advocate doing such a thing. 😉

I have no idea how this never registered on my radar back in the day. I only first heard it on a mix tape a friend gave me in the mid 90s. This Liebrand remix sent me in search of the original source material and once I found it, I immediately fell in love with the entire War of the Worlds album. Having been a big fan of "symphonic rock" in the late 70s, this fell nicely in line with the likes of Rick Wakeman, Yes, and many others:

Another song I strongly associate with Mr. Kelly…

I first bought this record (also pressed on red vinyl) in the fall of 1977. The sleeve was scented strawberry. Well played, A&M. Well played.

This record was a pain in the ass to get back in 1978; even moreso when I went to replace it in 2005…