Friday Flashback: Blue-eyed Soul Pt. 1

As I look at possible topics for Friday Flashback, in keeping with the theme, I always reach back to my past for inspiration. One of the things I've always been intrigued by over the years is blue-eyed soul which is a much more palatable way of saying a white boy sang it. There have been so many artist in the last century that have had impact on the music industry... some with a measure of controversy (Elvis). I will try to avoid the polarizing figures as their stories have been told ... multiple times. Here are some of my favs...

When talking blue-eyed soul you really have to begin with the man who started it all. Francis Albert Sinatra. Frank is the truth. Pop music would mean nothing without Frank. He was the first true pop star this country ever had. Ole' blue eyes broke out of the swing era of the 40's and brought in a smoothness with music that was in so many ways transcendent. Very soulful. His voice was like Red Velvet cake with chocolate ice cream on top. The man reinvented himself several times over. The first pop star to act and subsequently win an Oscar. Will Smith hasn't done it. Frank became a movement in bringing the cool to a whole new level with a bunch of hard chargin', 40 (and 50)-somethings in the Rat Pack. Pop culture mainstays like George Clooney, Will Smith, Harry Connick, Jr., and Diddy, like so many others, have been following that template ever since. Frank can't be replaced ... he was the original.

"Under My Skin"

When Wham! released Make It Big, the world was introduced to Andrew Ridgeley, of course many promptly forgot him because George Michael was obviously way more talented. So after Wham! broke up and Andrew became that 'other guy', George went on to become a superstar. George was a mainstay on not only the pop chart but also the R&B charts. I don't see George as being controversial as he universally regarded as a talented guy, that really wasn't his problem. George couldn't shake the addictions that ruled him. To bad, because the guy can sing...

Perhaps his last great hit. For him a very telling song... "Fast Love"

Next up is Steve Winwood. Steve has been around for years. Go all the way back to his Blind Faith days with the great Eric Clapton to Traffic to his successful solo career in the 80's. Back in the High Life was intricately crafted album with great music that any fan could appreciate. A great duet with Chaka Khan in "Higher Love" ... y'all know how I feel about her. One of my favorites is the song "The Finer Things", a song about truly appreciating all that life has to offer and not taking love for granted. "I will live while I can, I will have my ever after." We should all be so lucky.

A man and his keyboard. "The Finer Things"

So, I have to go here. My mother first exposed me to Daryl Hall and John Oates at the tender age of 5. Before they became the 80's hit machine, they had a string of songs that made people sit up and take notice. "Sara Smile" is an great track with all the marks of a great love song. Tell her to go, knowing she wants to stay. Tell her she's your personal heater ... that always work for me. Hall & Oates take it on the chin for some of their music (and John's mustache) but wrongfully so, these guys were very talented. Their string of consecutive hits from the last seventies through the 80's is something to be marveled.

"Sara Smile" live... don't stare at the 'stache.



One of my all time favorite songs of yesteryear is a little track by Paul Young. Paul was, in my mind, the poster child of blue-eyed soul. He was the guy that you got into arguments about because no one could believe he wasn't black... then came the video. Uh... damn, Paul, I mean dude looked like your accountant or maybe a car salesman on a really nice lot. Nevertheless, he made a career remaking a lot of R&B groups music and very well I might add. How ironic that his greatest hit was a track written by another blue-eyed soul artist ... yep, that's right: Daryl Hall.

To further connect the dots, I thought it would be cool to post a rare duet from Live Aid with BES luminary, George Michael ... here's Paul (and friend) with his hit "Everytime You Go Away".



Last, but not least is probably the least rock star looking guy ever. But, man, could he sing. Robert Palmer. The man's voice was incredibly smooth. And then came the videos... I think there is something genius in the blatant sexuality on display in a self-aware wink to the crowd. Palmer used this approach a number of times. It was his trademark (sorry Tone Loc). It became an iconic image of the 80's and a key moment in the video era. Many would point to this as the sum total of his impact but they would be wrong. His stint with Power Station is viewed as another example of his constant need to reinvent himself. The rocker (Doctor, Doctor), the lover man (I Didn't Mean to Turn You On), the pop star (Addicted to Love) and the super band frontman (Get It On (Bang a Gong))... Palmer was a chameleon. Later in his career he would, until his untimely death in 2003, make a final shift to blues man. A truly gifted artist.

I leave you with his strong remake of the Marvin Gaye classics "Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You"

Silly me, I forgot a good one. The quitessential blue-eyed soul one hit wonder. Dan Hartman. Dan's voice was very deceptive. Most people had no idea what he looked like or who even sang his big hit "I Can Dream About You" from the soundtrack of one my great guilty pleasures Streets of Fire. Michael Pare, Willem Dafoe, Diane Lane, Bill Paxton, Rick Moranis, Amy Madigan and the Sorels (Robert Townsend, Stoney Jackson, Mykelti Williamson and Grand L. Bush), go rent it! The Sorels sang the song in the movie ... well not really ... Winston Ford did but Stoney looked like he did. If fact, he was so convincing they used the Sorels' footage for the video with Dan's vocals. Then the song took off and became a big hit. Dan got no buzz. He would later sing the track "Fletch, Get out of Town" from everyone's favorite quotable movie, Fletch and release an album or two. Dan would die in '94, sadly. This is his tribute...