Artists whose hit singles don't begin to tell the whole story

[Progbear]

And on the "man I'm getting old" front, I see that Kiki Dee is now 71 years old....

Well, she did actually have a longer career than Elton, recording her first single in 1962 and singing on a bunch of records—both backing vocals for other artists and a string of her own singles—throughout the 60s. And she had two albums (including one for Motown) before her Rocket Records boost from Elton. I think she and Elton met while doing sessions for others back in the 60s, same as another female singer-songwriter he boosted, Lesley Duncan (R.I.P.).

And to set the record straight (no pun intended), Kiki and Elton never dated. She was romantically involved for a time with his guitarist, Davey Johnstone. They lived together in an apartment in L.A. in the late 70s.

And...that’s more info about Kiki Dee than you ever wanted to know!

[JJ88]

Yes Kiki Dee was one of a few white acts Motown had- Chris Clark, R. Dean Taylor, Rare Earth- but was the only British act that I can think of offhand who recorded for them (as opposed to mere distribution of UK albums- see The Pretty Things). I think she did backing vocals for Dusty Springfield back in the 60s.

'Amoureuse' is probably the one of her 70s hits I hear the most...she appeared on that Old Grey Whistle Test 'revival' a couple of weeks back (on BBC4) singing it.

And to set the record straight (no pun intended), Kiki and Elton never dated.

Have to admit this thread is the first time I'd ever seen claims to the contrary!

[Halmyre]

And the Buckingham/Nicks era doesn't represent the original band's music. Today I heard Rhiannon at work (panelist note: Firefox isn't trying to tell me that I misspelled Rhiannon), and I thought "Why can't they ever played The Green Manilishi?!".

And then there's 'Tusk' - where the hell did that come from?

I remember browsing in a record shop some years ago and it was playing over the speakers. Someone asked the assistant what it was and was taken aback when told it was Fleetwood Mac.

[BravadoNJ]

Dan Fogelberg.... known primarily for his hit ballads and love songs-
but his album was full of variety. rockers, blues, country and story-telling epics, etc...
anyone with 2 or more of his albums knew there was much more then that.

[GuitarGeek]

And then there's 'Tusk' - where the hell did that come from?

Yeah, I forgot aobut that one. I believe it came from Buckingham's desire to do "something different' after Rumors.

[GuitarGeek]

So you're saying Kiki Dee was a beard? Thousands and thousands of musical artists do duets together. Why would you conclude that Elton wanted people to think he was straight simply because he sung a tune with her?

He sung a song called Don't Go Breaking My Heart with her. If it the lyrics hadn't had a sort of romantic tone, one might not be inclined to comment on the matter. Also, I remember in the 80's, Elton getting married to a woman, which he later said was "a complete farce", because he wasn't interested in women.

Maybe he didn't want people to think his was straight, maybe he would have preferred to be honest about the matter up front, but maybe it was more a matter of management and/or record company people, or whatever anxiety one might have had about the matter pushing in the other direction.

For what it's worth, I also remember hearing a tape of an interview Freddie Mercury did, where the interviewer asks him about his romantic life, and Freddie makes some sort of vague comment about his "partner". The interviewer than says something like, "Well, it's obvious you're talking about a man", and Freddie quickly, almost in a panic, blurts out "Don't say that! You mustn't say I'm with a man!". I'm sure he'd have liked to have liked to have been out of the closet, but the industry being the way it was back then, you couldn't be.

He had done duets with Lennon in the 70s--should we conclude Lennon was gay?

Actually, I've heard insinuations that Lennon was at least bisexual, but I think those mostly are regarded as not true.

And on the "man I'm getting old" front, I see that Kiki Dee is now 71 years old....

I remember feeling that way when I realized Brian May was in his 60's!

[Rune Blackwings]

I heard a David Gates and Bread on Deep Tracks that was way more psychedelic than the wimpy white guy hits they had....forget the name of it...

[Jerjo]

Going through the albums in my then girlfriend's dorm room I pulled out Bread's Greatest Hits.

Girlfriend: Don't do play that

Me: Why

Girlfriend: You're going to do what my last boyfriend did, which is put on Mother Freedom and crank it up.

Me: puts Bread album away



Epilogue: been married 38 years and she still doesn't like me playing Mother Freedom loud

[JJ88]

I like Bread very much. I wouldn't say the singles are particularly unrepresentative...more that their albums contained one or two curveballs.

[Mister Triscuits]

I heard a David Gates and Bread on Deep Tracks that was way more psychedelic than the wimpy white guy hits they had....forget the name of it...

They had a minor hit called "Let Your Love Go" that was a nice little rocker...with harpsichord.

[JJ88]

The obvious example of less 'commercial' material from this stable (or perhaps bakery!) is David Gates' full-on prog excursion, 'Suite: Clouds/Rain'.

[Progbear]

I think she did backing vocals for Dusty Springfield back in the 60s.

Here she is on stage with Dusty in 1966, she’s the one on the right, along with Madeline Bell and tiny Lesley Duncan. It’s funny to watch Dusty’s 1966-67 BBC show, because little Lesley had to stand on a riser to be level with the other backing singers!

[Mister Triscuits]

Here she is on stage with Dusty in 1966, she’s the one on the right, along with Madeline Bell and tiny Lesley Duncan.

...and Keith Moon's drum kit in the background.

[JJ88]

That footage is from one of those NME Pollwinners' Concerts.

I did read that 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' was originally planned to be with Dusty (who was in a bit of a snafu at the time). Not sure if that's true but for those who take lyrics literally that would have been double 'bearding'! Although both were 'out' as bisexual by then anyway!

[Progbear]

Poor Kiki, always a bridesmaid, never Dusty Springfield.

[GuitarGeek]

Although both were 'out' as bisexual by then anyway!

Wait, we're talkign about Elton and...who? Dusty? She was bi? Didn't know that.

For the record, Bowie was also "out as bisexual", but later recanted, saying he came to the shocking realization in the 80's that he was a "closeted hetereosexual". But who knows?

BTW, I would say Elton's another guy whose hits don't really scratch the surface of what he did. Certainly, his 80's era hits are beyond plebeian. I should know, many of them are inflicted on me at work (including Nikita, for which you may recall the video where he romances a female Russian soldier...wait a minute, Nikita is a boy's name!!!!). I was certainly surprised to hear some of the album tracks on Madman Across The River, which show a side that I don't think comes across even on something like Tiny Dancer or Benny And The Jets, never mind Sad Songs Say So Much or Wrap Her Up.

ANd I don't know if Buffy Saint-Marie had any actual hits, as such (I know she's claimed that she was blackballed by two different Presidents and country music DJ Ralph Emery, due to her political activism during the 60's), but anything she might have taken to the top of the charts surely isn't going to prepare for her trippy late 60's album Illuminations, where her voice is processed through a Buchla Electronic Music Box on a couple tracks.

[JJ88]

Dusty herself came out as bisexual to a music journalist way back in 1970 or something. She predated Bowie's 'I'm gay' announcement by a few years.

Poor Kiki, always a bridesmaid, never Dusty Springfield.

Nobody was...or is! Still the best female singer Britain has ever had, I think.

It's hard to think of that many other people for whom the singles are totally unrepresentative. I mean, The Bee Gees have some way out there album tracks, but they also have various songs which are just as 'pop' as the (great) singles.

[GuitarGeek]

Dusty herself came out as bisexual to a music journalist way back in 1970 or something. She predated Bowie's 'I'm gay' announcement by a few years.

I never knew that about Dusty.

Nobody was...or is! Still the best female singer Britain has ever had, I think.

I certainly can't think of any, though to be honest, the main things I've heard from her are You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and Son Of A Preacher Man.

The Bee Gees have some way out there album tracks, but they also have various songs which are just as 'pop' as the (great) singles.

Well, I think the point isn't so much that some of the album tracks are very much in line with the singles, but the fact that the way "out there" stuff is there, and you'd never know it, if you only knew them from a best of record, or their disco era hits (which, at least Stateside, even if you don't own any Bee Gees records, are practically inescapable, even now, 40 years later!).

So, when you say the Bee Gees had "way out there" stuff, exactly what are we talking about? I somehow don't see them doing anything like the Grateful Dead's Anthem Of The Sun, but I imagine they might have done something perhaps closer to something like Sgt Pepper or the songs on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (I'm gonna assume an Interstellar Overdrive style instrumental freak out is gonna be completely off the table).

[JKL2000]

Well, she did actually have a longer career than Elton

So far,...

[JJ88]

So, when you say the Bee Gees had "way out there" stuff, exactly what are we talking about? I somehow don't see them doing anything like the Grateful Dead's Anthem Of The Sun, but I imagine they might have done something perhaps closer to something like Sgt Pepper or the songs on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (I'm gonna assume an Interstellar Overdrive style instrumental freak out is gonna be completely off the table).

'Every Christian Lion Hearted Man', 'Odessa', 'Horizontal' etc. None of these were at all commercial. Later on there was the very strange 'Sweet Song Of Summer'.

[Lopez]

When Bread was mentioned, got me thinking about Lobo (Kent LaVoie) and his tune "You and Me and a Dog Named Boo." That song is not quite like most of his other stuff, which contains a far amount of Mellotron. An interesting fact about Lobo is that he was in an early 60s Florida band with Jim Stafford (another person unfairly known only for his novelty tunes), Gram Parsons, and Jon Corneal (later of the International Submarine Band and the first outing of the Burritos).

[bill g]

The obvious example of less 'commercial' material from this stable (or perhaps bakery!) is David Gates' full-on prog excursion, 'Suite: Clouds/Rain'.

Really? How is it?

[davis]

Al Stewart

[arabicadabra]

Suzanne Vega! As catchy and cool a hit as Luka was, her album tracks are extremely creative. My personal favorite album is 99.9 - great record! In Liverpool could be on Duke or And Then There Were Three.

[Fracktured]

Donovan