Eureka! I Have Found the Coolest Covers in the History of the World! - Volume 2: Victory at Sina!

 WELCOME TO 

 VOL. 2 OF MY SERIES 

 EUREKA! 

 I HAVE FOUND THE 

 COOLEST COVERS IN THE 

 HISTORY OF THE WORLD! 

Each volume of  EUREKA!  brings you great original recordings

along with cover versions that are good, great or even better

than the originals. It's up to you to decide. I know what
you're thinking. You're thinking this series sounds
exactly like other series I have run over the years:
Battle of the Bands, Battle of the Banned,
Version Sacrifice, WWF Grudge Match
and Winning Hand. Well, you're wrong.
This isn't exactly the same. Those series
 didn't include a picture of Peter Griffin!

Listen now to these confirmed classics and cool covers
and let me know which ones (if any!) you prefer.

Remember, ladies and gentlemen...

This is only an exhibition...
This is not a competition...
Please... no wagering.

 BANANARAMA 

In 1976, "More, More, More," recorded by Andrea True, became one of the

best known disco hits of the decade. In 1993, those lovable banana girls,

the English dance-pop act Bananarama, once a trio, now a duo, covered

"More, More, More," and released it as a single from their album

Please Yourself. The ABBA-like, Europop single went top 25

at home in the UK and reached the top 10 in Portugal.

"More, More, More" - Bananarama

(Apr. 1993, highest chart pos. #8 Portugal/#24 UK)

 ANDREA TRUE 

 CONNECTION 

Nashville native Andrea True performed in dozens of adult films in Scandinavia

and New York before becoming a disco queen thanks to her international hit

"More, More, More" released under the stage name Andrea True Connection.

Initially the recording was released only to discos in the winter of 1975-76

but, when it exploded in popularity, Andrea's label, Buddah, released the

single to the public in the spring of '76. The record reached the top 3 in

the U.S. and in the UK. Here's Andrea performing her signature song

on the West German television music show Musikladen.

"More, More, More (pt. 1)" - Andrea True Connection

(June/July 1976, highest chart pos. #3 Cash Box,

#4 Hot 100, #3 UK, perf. on 1976 ep. of Musikladen)

 TRAKS 

Trax, a band based in Rome, is credited with giving birth to a new musical

genre called Italo-Disco. They did so in 1982 with their disco funk cover of

"Long Train Runnin'," the 1973 country rock hit by The Doobie Brothers.

"Long Train Runnin'" - Traks

(January 1982)

 DOOBIE BROTHERS 

Now here's the original version of "Long Train Runnin'" recorded

by The Doobies, a top 10 hit for the band in the summer of '73.

"Long Train Runnin'" - The Doobie Brothers

(June/July 1973, highest chart position

#8 Hot 100/#9 Cash Box)

 SINA FEAT. 

 VICTORY 

 VIZHANSKA 

Indeep was a New York based electro funk dance group. Their claim to fame

is the 1983 club classic and top 10 R&B hit "Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life,"

a song that acknowledged the emerging New York DJ scene of the early 80s.

On the last day of 2019, German drummer girl Sina, along with our good

friend, Ukrainian singing sensation Victory Vizhanska,

released this cool cover of the song.

"Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" - Indeep cover

by Sina feat. Victory Vizhanska (Dec. 2019)

 INDEEP 

Along with its success in the states, "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"

was a top 3 hit in The Netherlands and performed well in the UK and

France. Indeep consisted of songwriter/producer Michael Cleveland

and sassy singing ladies Reggie Megliore and Rose Marie Ramsey.

Here now is Indeep doing their original version of "Last Night

a D.J. Saved My Life!"

"Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" - Indeep

(Feb./Mar. 1983, highest chart pos.

#10 R&B, #101 Bubbling Under)

 STAY TUNED FOR MORE 

 TUNEFUL TAKEDOWNS, 

 MELODIOUS MAT MATCHES 

 AND BOFFO BEAT BOUTS 

 IN THE NEXT VOLUME OF 

 EUREKA! 

Have a Shady day!

Brian & Toto Ask, "Is Shady's Place Going to the Dogs?" SPMM's Deejay Dawgs Bark "3 Cheers for 13 Years!"

Hi, Folks!

I'm Brian Griffin.

As I'm sure you know,

I'm the personable pooch

from Family Guy and a

Shady Bunch deejay...

host of Eclectic Avenue

right here on S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio.

And I'm Toto Moto.

I make no bones about the fact that I'm

Shady Del Knight's dog. I'm also the blog

mascot, Chief Petting Officer and a DJ -

The Hound of Sound on S-P-M-M, host

of Toto's Top Tunes Time Tunnel.

My motto: "I aim to fleas!"

Today Brian and I are gonna start from
scratch (BA-DUM-BUMP) and help
Shady salivate his 13th anniversary
as a blogger including three years
of bringing you music and fun

here at Shady's Place.

Toto and I will each play a favorite song,

and we will be introducing three exciting

radio personalities who will be joining

The Shady Bunch deejay staff full time

beginning next year. I'll start us off.

In 1990, rapper M.C. Hammer topped

the R&B chart with his signature song

"U Can't Touch This." Here to do a

parody of the song is Peter Griffin,

my human on Family Guy. Peter

sings-- "Can't Touch Me!"

"Can't Touch Me" - Peter Griffin

(sung to the tune of "U Can't Touch This" by M.C. Hammer,

orig. May/June 1990, highest chart pos. #1 R&B/#4 Cash Box,
#8 Hot 100, scene from ep. of TV series Family Guy)

Hi everyone!

I'm Morgan Brody.

You might recognize me as the CSI level III on
the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
I'm happy to let you know that, beginning
next year, I'll be the host of a new radio
show here on S-P-M-M. It'll be called
CSI: Cool Song Investigation.

Now I might look like the typical

girl next door, your kid sister

or a fashionista mall rat,

but I assure you that I'm

a seasoned professional.

I'm meticulous in my work. I dot every
"i" and cross every genre to bring you the
best and coolest tunes in the music world.

As a preview of my show I dug up a great performance by an exciting young English

vocalist named Amelia Rendell. In 2016,

Amelia sang lead for the Stanley Dee

tribute band in a live show at a London

pub. Watch and listen as Amelia and the

band delight the crowd with their cover

of "Do It Again," the Steely Dan song

that brushed the top 5 in 1973.

START PLAYING VIDEO AT 1 MIN MARK!

"Do It Again" - Steely Dan cover by Stanley Dee tribute band
feat. Amelia Rendell (Aug. 2016 perf. at Half Moon Pub
in Putney, SW London, UK)

Isn't Amelia great? Okay, I uncovered

another fantastic cover song for you.

It was recorded by Eden's Crush, a

Los Angeles based pop girl group

created in 2001 on the now defunct

WB Network's TV series Popstars.

The Eden's Crush lineup included

Nicole Scherzinger who found fame

a few years later as lead singer of the

Pussycat Dolls. In 2001 Eden's Crush

released an album that contains their

version of "The Glamorous Life," the

song written by Prince and first waxed

by singer and percussionist Sheila E.

In 1984 Sheila E.'s single reached the

top 10 on the pop chart and went all

the way to number one on the Dance

survey. The cover by Eden's Crush

is way cool. Let's investigate!

"Glamorous Life" - Sheila E. cover by Eden's Crush

(from May 2001 album Popstars)

Hi, I'm Evie Barret.

I'm the new sheriff in the tiny town

of Willard's Mill, New Hampshire,

on the comedy horror TV series
Stan Against Evil.

My new radio show, coming in 2022,
is called Good Verses Evie, get it?

On Good Verses Evie I'll play songs with
lyrics that inspire, stir your emotions and
make you think, and I've got a couple of

Beatlesque samples. The first is a famous

show tune performed by Emily Linge, a

gifted young singer & musician in Dubai.

Originally recorded in 1950 and used in

the 1957 musical The Music Man, the

song was made even more famous by

The Beatles who waxed it in 1963.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Emily Linge and her music teacher

Simon Tomkins doing-- "Till There Was You." 

"Till There Was You" - The Music Man

The Beatles Cover by Emily Linge & Simon Tomkins

(Sept. 2020)

Here's another one I'm sure you
remember. In the late summer
and early fall of 1971, ex-Beatle
Paul McCartney and his wife

Linda topped the U.S. chart
with a lyric rich song that

was the first in a string of
post-Beatle number one hit
singles for Paul in America.

Here are Paul & Linda with--

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey!"

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" - Paul And Linda McCartney

(Sept. 1971, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Well hello there, Shady. That's right,
it's me, your old buddy, you old pal,

The Guy

Under the Seats.

Bet you conveniently forgot all about me since

the last time I was here. Bet you wish I didn't

even exist so that you could continue your

reign as self-proclaimed leader of the free

blog world unopposed. Well I got news, pal.

You're gonna regret the day your were born,

Mr. Poopy Pants, because I'm back and I'm

here to stay, here to make your life a living

hell as a new member of your illustrious

Shady Bunch DJ squad starting in 2022.

My show, the one you sorely neglected for years, the one
I adopted as my own and made a lot better, will still
be known as Eighties Greaties.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

I'll keep playing songs and vids from what I think we

can all agree was the last great decade in music.

Here's a sample spinning on my turntable and

simulcasting on YouTube. The Steve Miller

Band with their biggest hit, #1 in the late

summer of '82-- "Abracadabra!"

"Abracadabra" - The Steve Miller Band

(Aug./Sept. 1982, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Hi again, folks. This is your old hi-fi fido,
Toto Moto. On Top Tunes Time Tunnel
I spin the super sounds of the Swingin' 60s.
Here's a hit single that bridged the gap
between two musical eras, the innocent
teen pop years of the 50s and early 60s,
and the rock band years of mid to late 60s
when pop music turned harder and heavier.

Believed to be dirty, the ditty was banned
by radio stations all across the country.

CLICK TO START VID!

S-P-M-M's got the slab and your Pooch with
the Hooch isn't afraid to play it. Here are

The Kingsmen with their garage rock

classic-- "Louie Louie!"

"Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen

(Dec. 1963, Jan. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 Cash Box,
#2 Hot 100, perf. on Jan. 22, 1966, ep. of Hollywood a Go Go)

Louie Louie, oh no,

me gotta go,

yeah, yeah, yeah,

yeah, yeah, baby

Louie Louie, oh baby,

me gotta go

I said me gotta go now

Make that we gotta go now, Toto.

Ooops, I just splashed my drink on
Chris Elliott. That's gonna mean
50 years of bad luck. Hey lishen,
I'm not as drunk as some thinkle

peep I am, okay? Anyway, thanks
for coming to Shady Del Knight's
13th anniversary party featuring
some of the new faces, voices and

personalities coming to S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio next year. Now
for Toto Moto this is Brian Griffin
saying so long and see you soon!

Eureka! I Have Found the Coolest Covers in the History of the World! - Vol. 1: Rivers Makes Memories Flow

 WELCOME TO MY NEW SERIES 

 EUREKA! 

 I HAVE FOUND THE 

 COOLEST COVERS IN THE 

 HISTORY OF THE WORLD! 

Each volume of Eureka! brings you great original recordings

along with cover versions that are good, great or even better

than the originals. It's up to you to decide. I know what
 you're thinking. You're thinking this series sounds
exactly like other series I have run over the years:
Battle of the Bands, Battle of the Banned,
Version Sacrifice, WWF Grudge Match
and Winning Hand. Well, you're wrong.
This isn't exactly the same. Those series
 didn't include a picture of Peter Griffin!

Listen now to these confirmed classics and cool

covers and tell me which ones, if any, you prefer.

Remember, ladies and gentlemen...

This is only an exhibition...
This is not a competition...
Please... no wagering.

I could listen to Johnny Rivers sing all day every day

and never get tired of his rich, soulful, Baton Rouge

 influenced vocal style. In today's first edition of

Eureka!... Johnny performs three covers that

I believe are as good or better than the

originals. Listen and see if you agree. 

 THE BEACH BOYS 

Penned by Brian Wilson with additional lyrics by Mike Love,

"Help Me, Rhonda" was first released with the spelling

"Help Me Ronda" on the 1965 Beach Boys album

The Beach Boys Today!

"Help Me, Ronda" - The Beach Boys

(from Mar. 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!)

The better known version is the #1 charting single with a different

arrangement released as "Help Me, Rhonda" and included on the 

band's next album, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!).

Check out this cool hybrid created by adding the

"wah-wah" vocals from an alternate mix.

"Help Me, Rhonda" (ultimate mix) - The Beach Boys

{May/June 1965, highest chart position

#1 Hot 100 & Cash Box, from July 1965

album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)}

 JOHNNY RIVERS 

In the summer of 1975, a cover of "Help Me Rhonda"

waxed by Johnny Rivers and featuring Beach Boy

 Brian Wilson on backing vocals, reached the

top 30 on Cash Box and approached the

top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100)

"Help Me Rhonda" - Johnny Rivers

(Aug. 1975, highest chart pos.

#22 Hot 100/#30 Cash Box)

 CHARLIE RICH 

The song "Breakup" (aka "Break Up") was written and originally

recorded by country and rockabilly singer Charlie Rich and

released on his 1960 album Lonely Weekends.

"Breakup" - Charlie Rich (from 1960 album

Lonely Weekends With Charlie Rich) 

 JOHNNY RIVERS 

On his 1965 live album Meanwhile Back at the Whisky à Go Go,

Johnny Rivers pleased the nightclub crowd by performing

this rockin' cover of "Break Up." 

"Break Up" - Johnny Rivers

(from Aug. 1965 live album Meanwhile

Back at the Whisky à Go Go) 

It took until 1998 for Johnny Rivers to release a

studio version of "Break Up" as one of the songs

on his album The Memphis Sun Recordings.

"Break Up" (studio ver.) - Johnny Rivers

(from Jan. 1998 album The Memphis Sun Recordings) 

 DORSEY BURNETTE 

The Memphis-born Burnette brothers, Dorsey & Johnny, were successful

rockabilly singers, but their lives were both cut tragically short. Younger

brother Johnny drowned in a boating accident at age 30. Dorsey had a 

heart attack and died at age 46. Let's turn back the clock to a happier

time in 1960 when Dorsey gained his biggest hit with a single that

reached the top 20 on the pop chart, a bible-themed song he

wrote entitled-- "(There Was A) Tall Oak Tree." 

"(There Was A) Tall Oak Tree" - Dorsey Burnette

(Mar./Apr. 1960, highest chart pos.

#19 Cash Box/#23 Hot 100) 

 JOHNNY RIVERS 

In September, 1965, one month after the release of Meanwhile Back

at the Whisky à Go Go, Johnny Rivers streeted the studio produced

folk rock album Johnny Rivers Rocks The Folk. One of the songs

on the LP is a fine cover of Dorsey Burnette's "Tall Oak Tree." 

"Tall Oak Tree" - Johnny Rivers

(from Sept. 1965 album Johnny Rivers

Rocks The Folk) 

I hope your memories are flowing like rivers...

...thanks to featured artist Johnny Rivers

along with The Beach Boys, Charlie Rich, Dorsey Burnette

and Argentine rock & roll/rockabilly cover artist Wow Rock. 

 STAY TUNED FOR MORE 

 TUNEFUL TAKEDOWNS, 

 MELODIOUS MAT MATCHES  

 AND BOFFO BEAT BOUTS 

 COMING UP IN THE 

 NEXT VOLUME OF 

 EUREKA! 

Have a Shady day!

With V-Day Approaching... Meg Griffin's Frantic Romantic! (Alternate Title: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face")

Hi, I'm Meg Griffin of Family Guy.

As you recall, I was

Shady's guest host on
Shady Dell Music &
Memories for the
Valentine' Day
post in 2017.

At the time I was desperately

lonely. The only men who

were interested in me were

nerdy Neil Goldman from

school and our neighbor,
Mr. Quagmire. It didn't
work out with either
one of them.

Peter, I took your daughter to one crummy dance.
I refuse to marry her, even if you pay me a dowry!

A lot has happened
over the last four
years. I found my
one true love.
His name is
Rondo!

There is something,
Rondo, about you,

that's really

attracting me.
I'm falling...
and I'm...
too weak
to fight!

"Too Weak To Fight" 

 - Clarence Carter

(Dec. 1968/Jan. 1969,

highest chart pos. #3 R&B,

#13 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Meg, NO-wuh! Rondo's not right for you!
He's old enough to be your father.

And besides, he creeps me out.
Please come to your senses!

Stop trying to run my

life, mom! Rondo's my 

soul mate. He gets me.

He completes me. We

finish each other's

sentences. I say

"I love..." and

he says:

"little baby ducks,

old pick-up trucks,

slow movin' trains

... and rain."

Rondo and I know
in our hearts...
there ain't nothing
like the real thing!

"Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing"

- Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell

(May/June 1968, highest chart

pos. #1 R&B/#8 Hot 100,

#9 Cash Box)

Maybe that's why
when we're

all alone.....
 I can hear music!

"I Can Hear Music" 

- The Beach Boys
(Apr. 1969, highest chart
pos. #20 Cash Box,

#24 Hot 100)

Rondo could be my

summer boy.

Rondo could be my

summer toy!

Our minds are made up,

mom... and there's

nothing you can do to

stop us. We're goin' to

the chapel and we're

gonna get married!

"Chapel Of Love" - The Dixie Cups

(May/June 1964, highest chart pos.

#1 Hot 100, Cash Box & R&B,

perf. on Dec. 25, 1965,

ep. Hollywood A Go Go)

I can't kick

the habit of
loving you,

Rondo!

"The Habit Of Lovin' You Baby"

Nino Tempo And April Stevens

(Jan. 1967, B side of "You'll

Be Needing Me Baby")

Rondo may not be a

movie star, (he's only
a character actor),
but when it comes to
being happy - we are!

"My Guy" - Mary Wells

(Apr./May 1964, highest

chart pos. #1 Hot 100,

& Cash Box & R&B,

perf. on Dec. 30, 1964

ep. of Shindig!)

Let's sing it again, Rondo!

"I love..."

"coffee in a cup,

little fuzzy pups,
old TV shows...

and snow...

...and I love you too, Meg!"