Happy Furry Puppy Story Time with Norbizness

All I know is, someone left a cake out in the rain.

I'm not sure where this fits in the taxonomy of shite.

Sweet's Little Willie

Do these guys count?

I think Norbizness may have violated some part of the Geneva Conventions with that Seals & Crofts bit. Boo on you.

One of my college roommates, a total nut case if there ever was one, used the phrase "weenie rock". She used it in association with Al Stewart who I believe came up in the context of "wuss rock" last week.

I've seen him do an acoustic show twice, he's really amazing.

For the record, I do hate Air Supply, Seals and Crofts and most of the rest of em. I must admit a liking for Bread's "Guitar Man".

Take *that* IMSs!

Nancy: I think that the Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald are near, but not on, the precipice of wuss rock... they just aren't airy enough. Of course, many of the principals played a key role in the development of yacht rock, which is either a subset of or a cousin to wuss rock (Sailing by Christopher Cross is a magnificent example).

I went to an Air Supply concert. I recall drinking a lot of Long Island ice teas, too. I'm surprised I can remember anything from that period of my life.

For your enjoyment, Exile, Ambrosia, and Gary Wright. Sorry, Pablo Cruise is underrepresented on the web.

Speaking of Loggins, Jim Messina was actually in a pretty good surf band called The Jesters before he went on to a career in shitty wimp-rock. Which just goes to show pretty much nothing at all. Did I have a point? Never mind.

Doooooobies/McDonald/Wuss Rock:

I guess it depends where in the space time continuim you judge them.

Their first album with Mcdonald, Takin It To The Streets, I like (which means the IMSs here will automatically look on it with derision). Everything thereafter, "classic" yacht rock.

I like the string and horn arrangement in C Cross's "Ride Like The Wind". He's also an awesome guitar player and swears like a mobster. Still don't own any of his albums tho.

I meant to add this last week:

WTF is Elton John in all of this? Okay, post 1977 or so. The man used to know how to rock. There's got to be a category for him after the late 70s. Wuss rock?

Just another example of how severe life changes screw up people's ability to rock. Sir Elton and George Michael both went down the toilet after they came out. It's akin to metal rockers finding Jeeeeeeeeeeesus Fucking Keeeeeeerist. They lose something.

What, no America or Toto? No Carpenters? No Simon and Garfunkel? You've barely scratched the surface, man! Besides, you're young enough so that your formative years weren't hopelessly polluted by this crap like mine were. There's nothing quite like getting a James Taylor album for your 15th birthday from a relative who thinks they're "hip".

patience, people, we're only on category 2. there's a special circle of hell for artists who started noble and became craven.

patience, people, we're only on category 2. there's a special circle of hell for artists who started noble and became craven.

Wouldn't be easier to list the few artists who never became craven? Come to think of it, all of em "caved", it's called either "new, younger model wife" or "kids college fund".

Bobby Goldsboro, of "Honey" and "Watchin' Scotty Grow" fame--maybe not the Godfather of Wuss, but close. The first concert I ever drove myself to--Mom took us to see the Beatles in '64--was Creedence, with special guest...Peppermint Rainbow, performing thirty minutes of variations on their hit "Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael". I thought they were gonna get killed.

There was a whole sub-genre of Whiteout R&B--the Classics IV ("Stormy"), the Tremeloes ("Silence is Golden")--which led directly to Bread and the Little River Band and Lobo, music for people who found the earlier stuff a bit too African, especially Down There.

All time champs: The Association, even if their first hit was about the marijuana.

Those last two take me back to junior high school. And not in a good way. Or am I the only one who remembers torture of the during-school-hours-dances once a semester?

Gonna stick up for Bread here. David Gates had a great voice and songs like Everything I Own, If and Aubrey are terrific ballads. Wuss rock, sure, but almost inevitable after acid rock and all the horrors of 1968/69. Possible savior from wuss-rock infamy: Larry Knetchel joined Bread during the last few years and he had played bass on The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man and dozens of other cool 60's California hits. He also played the lead guitar on Guitar Man. Fantastic musician.

The Association made some great records too, wonderful harmonies.

America, however, were an abomination. Why Stephen Stills didn't sue for Horse With No Name is a mystery, it could have fueled his coke habit for years.

I don't believe in the concept of "guilty pleasure" --I think you either like a song or you don't-- but I love Air Supply's Making Love Out of Nothing At All a typical bombastic, waaaay over the top bit of kitsch from Jim Steinman.

Baby I'm-a Want You ... What the hell does that title mean anyway?

It's "gangsta", isn't it; sort of like "Baby I'm-a pop a cap in your ass"?

Riley: Holy shit, you've *heard* of The Tremeloes?

Norbizness will find it appropriate that one of the members of the Tremeloes, Eric Wolfson, went on to co-found the Alan Parsons Project.

In fact, on the new remastered release of their first album, they have a demo of "The Raven" done by the Tremeloes.

Small world.

Is this category not the same as "Yacht Rock"

http://www.yachtrock.com/

David Gates played himself on a two-part episode of The Hardy Boys in 1978, video for which is sadly unavailable on YouTube.

The plot, such as it was, had something to do with David Gates playing a certain song when he saw the murderer in the audience.

Billy: I discuss the yacht rock/wuss rock intersection a post up. I think that yacht rock is a bit more limited, focusing on a central troupe of players beginning in 1978, where wuss rock spans a decade or two.

Zuzu: You mean he could have let Parker Stevenson die and didn't?

Parker Stevenson was married to Kirstie Alley.

You think Gates did him a favor, not letting him be offed?