Let’s review the ground rules here. The Mystery Date song is not necessarily something I believe to be good. So feel free to rip it or praise it. Makes me no never mind. Rather the song is something of interest due to the artist, influences, time period… Your job is to decipher as much as you can about the artist without research. Who do you think it is? Or, Who do you think it sounds like? When do you think it was recorded? Etc…
If you know who it is, don’t spoil it for the rest. We have a new component called the “mockcarr option.” This option is for those of you who just can’t hold your tongue and must let everyone know just how in-the-know you are by calling it. So if you know who it is and want everyone else to know that you know, email The Back Office at thebackoffice[at]rocktownhall.com. If correct we will post how brilliant you are in the Comments section.
The real test of strength though is to guess as close as possible without knowing. Ready, steady, go!
Mystery Date
I have no idea. Sounds like something British(?) from the late 1970s with a disco/jazz fusion thing happening. The cheesy guitar player probably has a big ego.
I agree with late 70´s British. Close to the Level 42 camp i guess. Can´t wait to see the singer´s haircut.
The guitar part reminds me of “One Thing Leads to Another” – I think that’s the title of the annoying ’80s song I have in mind. The “hot spot” chorus actually sounds more American, in execution, than the British elements others are pointing out. The sax reminds me of the sax in John Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night.” I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is actually a new recording by some younger, hip musician in offshoot mode, like the lead guy of Spoon, in his new, sexy “dance” phase.
Recorded in 1978, released 1980. Side project by lead singer in an English band where the band is named after the guitarist. One of three good tracks on an otherwise insufferable album. (Most of the other tracks are slow songs.) The singer wears teardrop shades on the cover. There is a fern in his proximity.
Am I close?
I tried to pay attention two the music but once the door opened to the guy from ZZTop, I lost it. hahaha. Will give it another go
No way this is post ’70s. Kind of hard to describe, but the lyrics/music combo is particular to the 1970s in such a way that I think somebody would struggle trying to recreate as a throwback.
There’s too much Roxy Music going on in the instruments and the production for me to think it’s not someone tied to to the band, or maybe something that Ferry would have produced around the time of Let’s Stick Together. Am I way off?
No idea, but I really appreciate hrrundivbakshi’s approach to the puzzle.
When I heard the sax and the double bass drum thing in the intro, I thought I was going to get some early 70s jazz fusion, but once the song kicked in it was clearly something else.
I used to know what this is, but I can’t place it anymore. The singer sounds British for sure. My guess is that it’s later than the 70s. It sounds like some souped up Trevor Horn or Stock Aitken Waterman production. It’s not ABC or the Style Council, but it seems more like something from that era.
This guy has done much, much better stuff.
The production is too organic to be Horn or SAW, I think. Definitely early ’80s. Maybe from the same era as Orange Juice and bands like that. The singer sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I got a vague Madness vibe from some of the sax work (not the jazzy bits in the beginning, though.)
I also peg this in the early 80’s or even later. Can’t place anything else
Quite interesting and excellent work going on here. Please carry on.
Nobody recognizes the singer’s voice? I am very surprised.
Me too cherguevara. That’s what I was waiting for. It’s sort of the second part of the puzzle.
The melodic choices remind me of Squeeze at times, but that doesn’t sound like Glenn Tillbrook’s voice.
Is the singer that distinctive? It was the guitars in the last third of the song that finally tickled the memory banks.
I thought it sounded like Squeeze, too! Since I think they suuuck, man, I didn’t mind finding this song too long and dull. The sax sounds kinda like Ernie Watts.
Actually, the singer’s identity is right on the tip of my brain-tongue. I know I know that voice from somewhere!
The singer doesn’t sound familiar to me at all. I guess I will not be using my option today, that bleating sax has put me off trying.
I always like dueling guitar-saxophone arrangements. And the rhythm section is pretty adept at driving the song.
But using dance music to make fun of dance clubs is a fairly tired concept.
I recognized the singer right off the bat, but not the song. I thought it sounded like Roxy Music and not like the singer’s main gig (being pretty familiar with that stuff). I can’t say I care for this at all.
cher- You clearly know who it is so, shhhhhhh. And I absolutely concur that it is nowhere near the best work by the Mystery Date but it sure has ’em guessin’!
dr john- “But using dance music to make fun of dance clubs is a fairly tired concept.” Sure by 2009. To say that it is a tired concept is to suggest that it might have been fresh at some point. So at what point in time would have it gone from fresh to tired?
Is it that lead singer from the Specials? I don’t like this song at all.
cher needs to write you offlist and get his smartypants award:) BigSteve probably wrote you already. The rest of us still have some work to do!
This is really frustrating. I’m not usually good at picking up on this stuff, but is the singer’s voice badly out of tune at key times?
Ah, that Terry guy from The Specials would make sense. He barely holds a tune!
Yeah and this track sounds like it was recorded around the time that they wold have been broken up right?
So is it Fun Boy Three?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A
AWESOME clip!
The song sucks more now that I tried to listen again. I hope I don’t think whoever these guys are are any good when I know who they are going into it.
Well, since I still think everyone’s wrong about it being 80s or later and my speculation about it being tied to mid-to-late ’70s Roxy Music/Ferry wasn’t shot down and based on what cher has said, I’m assuming I was on the right path, and it must be someone who was in the band.
Steve thinks he recognizes the guitar, so I’ll throw in an uneducated guess for Phil Manzanera, though I’m honestly not familiar with any of his solo stuff despite really liking RM/Ferry/Eno.