That Was Then - This Is Now, Volume 5: The Jarring Juxtaposition of Female Vocalists Past and Present!

 You've come a long way, baby... 

 and these jarring juxtapositions 

 offer indisputable proof! 

Welcome to Vol. 5 of my series

Jarring Juxtapositions:

That Was Then -

This Is Now!

It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might
be for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists
you are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers

then... and now!

THAT WAS THEN

LESLEY GORE

The soundtrack of nearly every boomer's

youth is loaded with the sweet sounds

of Lesley Gore and her 1960s pop hits.

Lesley arrived on the music scene in

1963 and scored four top 5 singles in

a row. Her first record, "It's My Party,"

went all the way to #1, In the custom

made video you are about to watch,

Lesley is literally beside herself as

she performs "It's My Party" on two

different TV shows at the same time - 

Hollywood A Go-Go and Shindig!

Then stay tuned at the 2:08 mark

as she appears again on Shindig

singing "Judy's Turn To Cry."

"It's My Party"/"Judy's Turn To Cry" - Lesley Gore

(perf. on Hollywood A Go-Go and Shindig!)

THIS IS NOW

 IN THIS MOMENT 

Back to the future present we go. Can you feel
the burn simply by looking at this fiery image?
If not, trust me, you soon will when you feast
your eyes and ears on America's millennial
sweetheart, Maria "take me to the" Brink,
and her heavy metal madmen, the LA-
based band In This Moment. In this
incendiary 2016 live performance in

Tokyo, Maria turned up the heat and
roared like a blast furnace as she and
her ITM beasts did "Burn," a song
from the band's 2012 album Blood.
BURN, BABY, BURN!

"Burn" - In This Moment

(from Aug. 2012 album Blood, live perf.

Sept. 2016 Zepp Tokyo - Koto, Japan)

START VIDEO
AT 1:45 MARK!

THAT WAS THEN

JANET LENNON

AND BRIAN SIEBMAN

Janet Lennon and her group of singing siblings The Lennon Sisters appear
often in this series because they personified innocence that is long long lost.
In this scene from a 1958 episode of The Lawrence Welk Show, "lil Chanet"
(as Lawrence called her) plays doctor in a very wholesome manner
with series junior cast member Brian Siebman.

"Let The Worry Bird Worry For You" - Janet Lennon & Brian Siebman

(live perf. on a 1958 episode of The Lawrence Welk Show)

THIS IS NOW

 THE 

 PRETTY 

 RECKLESS 

Very similar to Janet Lennon (NOT!!!)

is this next young lady. She played

the role of Cindy Lou Who in the

Jim Carrey movie Dr. Seuss'

How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

She was Gretel in the film Hansel

and Gretel and Jenny on the TV

series Gossip Girl. She is also a

successful model and cover girl.

 As if all that weren't enough, she is one of the hottest women

on the rock scene. Taylor Momsen's her name. Shaking up the

establishment's her game. Since 2009 Taylor has been making

her mark as a songwriter and as the lead singer and rhythm

guitarist of the alt-rock band The Pretty Reckless.

In 2014, the band's 2nd studio album
Going To Hell made its debut at #5 on
the B-200, their first top 10 hit album. Hell topped the U.S. Hard Rock chart
and the UK Indie and Rock Albums
surveys. "Messed Up World," the
3rd single released from the album,
followed "Heaven Knows" to the
top of the Mainstream Rock chart,
making The Pretty Reckless the
second female-fronted band to
achieve back-to-back #1 hits,
the first being Chrissie Hynde
and The Pretenders.


Taylor Momsen is the real deal - mature beyond her years.
Taylor wrote or co-wrote every song on Going To Hell. As you
are about to hear, she possesses one of the greatest and most
robust voices of any female rocker past or present. Listen!

WARNING: ALTHOUGH IT IS THE "CLEAN" VERSION,
THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS BRIEF NUDITY,
 ADULT LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS.

"Messed Up World" - The Pretty Reckless 

(highest chart pos. #1 Mainstream Rock,
from Mar. 2014 album Going To Hell)

THAT WAS THEN

PATTI PAGE

She was proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
and I'm sure pop and country singer Patti

Page was also proud to be listed as the

top charting and best selling female

 recording artist of the 1950s until

Connie Francis came along late in
 the decade. At Christmas 1952, Patti

waxed "The Doggie In The Window,"

a song better known as "How Much

Is That Doggie In The Window?"

Released at the start of '53, Patti's

puppy platter hit #1 and sold more

than two million copies. My folks

bought the record and it is one of

my earliest music memories. Few songs

recall the blissful innocence of  the 50s

as well as this one. Repeat after me:

"Gangsta rap was still light years away!"

"The Doggie In The Window" - Patti Page

(Feb. thru Apr. 1953, highest chart pos. #1)

THIS IS NOW

 JESSIE AND THE TOY BOYS 

NEARLY IDENTICAL to Patti Page
 (you can't tell them apart) is electro-
popper Jessica Eden Malakouti. This
artist has released records as Eden xo
and as Jessie And The Toy Boys. This
zinger, by any other name, sounds the
same... good and nasty. Exhibit A is
a 2011 single in which Jessie and her
imaginary band shamelessly promote
premarital smooching & hand holding,
a delightfully dirty ditty entitled
"Let's Get Physical Naughty."

"Let's Get Naughty"
Jessie And The Toy Boys

(Oct./Nov. 2011, highest
chart pos. #19 U.S. Dance)

I read in the papers there are robbers

With flashlights that shine in the dark

My love needs a doggie to protect him

And scare them away with one bark

Have a Shady day!