One of the saddest stories in a business full of them. I think Tommy Boy was out of its league with a genuine R&B act. With that said, Antoine Lundy genuinely had one of the best voices ever [[no hyperbole) in R&B music and that voice carried the group. But even though Jam & Lewis blew the top off of them with Tender Love, I always thought the Force MDs bore that '80s NYC sound. Lost opportunity to have done so much more in the short time they recorded.
All right, this one takes the cake for me. My dearly departed dog could write a better song than this...but it's such a damned earworm!
I'm posting this one on behalf of dear, late grandmother. She could not stand this record here:
I liked some of their stuff, but not this one!
Mr. Roboto - Styx. Sounded like something from a Broadway play or something.
This...
the na na na na na coda gets on my last nerve.
And this
Dennis DeYoung was such a butthole. Styx was a really good band but his ego led to this song and other crappy efforts. I saw a concert on TV and they did an elaborate production of Mr. Roboto and literally nobody in the crowd was either dancing, smiling or looking as if they were having a good time. Great choice for this thread.
There was no excuse for this hideous train wreck. "Who that is" and "That's just my babby daddy" are easily the most unfortunate lyrics in history.
I loved Cameo. Loved about 80% of their music, but like so many, in 1982 they pushed the envelope too far in trying to be trendy and came out with this awful record "Alligator Woman"!
Simon LeBon did an interview on the radio a few years ago and he sounded happier performing out of the limelight. Didn't suggest he regretted anything but I got the impression that the band learned the right lessons from their hey day and aren't stressing about reliving that era. Actually shocked me because I used to think he was like Peter Wolf and David Lee Roth since he was an '80s front man of a popular outfit, but that's because I'm quick to judge. Don't forget that John Taylor and Andy Taylor teamed up with Tony Thompson of Chic to form Power Station with Robert Palmer. Hope they're all doing well.
I was upset when Cameo chopped down from an 11-member outfit [[as ridiculous as that sounds today) to just Larry Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins and Nathan Leftenant. But the records still sounded good to me and that era is almost as good as the previous one. I was not a fan of punk funk [[hated the Bar-Kays' Hit and Run change in sound) but I used to rock Alligator Woman, which I think is Cameo's only punk funk record.
Aaron Mills is one of the most underrated funk/soul bassists. He was a huge part of their sound, as was their horn section, and they missed him when he left. I thought that Word Up was going to send them full pop after I heard it played in some top 40 nightclubs. It would have been a smart money-making move for Blackmon & Co. and many would have taken the bait. But then they released Skin I'm In and it cemented them as one of my favorite outfits forever. That song resonates to this day, even though it probably ran contrary to what the label was hoping they'd produce.
Word Up was my jam until it was everywhere. Black clubs. White clubs. Block parties. Top 40 radio. Urban radio. MTV. BET. VH-1. I couldn't get away from it. I often load songs on mp3 CDs and listen to them in my car. There are two dozen Cameo songs that I'll format before Word Up. I don't hate it, but I just can't stand to hear it anymore.
I've stayed clear of this thread because I wasn't able to readily put my finger on any certain record I 'hated', ... disliked many , but not to that degree. Until !! , this one got mentioned . I agree, it should be the headliner of this thread, such drudge.
I don't even know the words ....maybe, "no more avocados, Mr. Roboto!!!" ? ??
Oh it just reminded me of another throw away song by an often enjoyable group....WHO ARE YOU by the Who
"whooooooo are you ......who-who,who-who!!" yech...
And does that growly vocal by Daltrey qualify as singing?
Last edited by Boogiedown; 06-18-2019 at 09:12 PM.
Yeah, my bad. When I called it overrated, I guess I was thinking that it's a song that young people would not be familiar with if it came on the radio. You know they'd know a bunch of Funkadelic, Jackson 5, Chic, Rick James and Heatwave from that era because [[to me) those groups and those records have become iconic. Shame was Evelyn King's first and probably her only truly great record, so she's not in their rarefied air. She did have other nice songs, but that one was fire.
Now, I definitely remember my brother coming home and turning up the console when it came on the radio after he had heard it the night before at some teen club. It was the jam for a long time. I'm remembering Sun's first album and Pocket's album from around the same time. Probably Rick James first record, too. Great music that stayed funky even as disco began to become a dominant sound for soul artists.
So, it's not overrated for us old heads at all.
I loved Denise Lasalle, but hated this song! It was covered several times by folks like Jean Knight, Rockin' Sidney, etc.
Very lightweight and bland songs:
Baby Come Back
Pina Colada song
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