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!

Strange Magic Being Erica - Vol. 1: My Best Friend's Girl

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.

And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for

S T R A N G E   M A G I C

B E I N G   E R I C A

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO

AND AT 17 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!

"Never Been To Spain" - Three Dog Night

(Jan./Feb. 1972, highest chart pos.
#5 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Kicking-off the show,

"Never Been To Spain,"

one of the many hits by

the versatile and very

soulful LA-based rock

band Three Dog Night.

The single reached the

top 5 in the early

weeks of 1972.

Hello again, everyone! I'm Erica Strange. As you might recall

from last year's preview, I'm the time traveling main

character on the Canadian television dramedy

Being Erica.

Welcome to the official debut of
Strange Magic Being Erica

exclusively here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

I'm excited to be moonlighting as the newest

member of The Shady Bunch DJ staff.

On Strange Magic Being Erica
I'll be bringing you the greatest
soft rock, new wave and pop

love songs of the 70s and 80s.
Sometimes I'll even take you
all the way back to the 60s.
In fact that's exactly what
I'll do later in today's show.

On Being Erica I change clothes a lot,
and I'll be doing the same here on
S-P-M-M, even though I'm doing
a radio show. Go figure!

Okay, let's get back to the music and
the magic. In the summer of 1980,
Olivia Newton-John's musical
fantasy film Xanadu bombed
at the box office... but the

soundtrack album went
double platinum in the
U.S. and was a hit
all over the world.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Here now is one of the songs from Xanadu. Released as a single
just before the movie hit theaters, it shot up the chart and spent
four weeks at number one. Olivia Newton-John sings-- "Magic."

"Magic" - Olivia Newton-John

(July/Aug. 1980, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box),

from OST of the Aug. 1980 film Xanadu)

That was Olivia Newton-John with her

smash hit from the flop film Xanadu,

a picture that also featured dance star

Gene Kelly in his final movie role.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Olivia and this popular English rock band,

Electric Light Orchestra, collaborated on

the hit theme from Xanadu. The previous

year, ELO racked-up their biggest U.S.

hit with a single that peaked in the top 5

and you're listening to it now. It's called

"Don't Bring Me Down."

"Don't Bring Me Down" - Electric Light Orchestra

Aug./Sept. 1979, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

From the late summer of '79, a year before Xanadu, that was ELO -

Electric Light Orchestra - with their highest-charting hit in the U.S.

and second highest charting UK hit-- "Don't Bring Me Down."

By the way, the lyrics of that song are often misheard as

"Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce." ELO co-founder Jeff

Lynne insists he is actually shouting "grooss"...

a word he simply made up!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER:

It's another Erica Strange

(ECHO CHAMBER)
DOUBLE PLAY-AY-AY-AY!

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

You got that right,

Don Pardo!

 

I'm double dippin' into the Electric Light Orchestra catalog

to bring you this groovy drum cover by German multi-

instrumentalist Sina Doering. Listen as Sina beats

the skins into submission on ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky!"

"Mr. Blue Sky" - ELO drum cover by Sina 

(June 2019, orig. single Aug. 1978, highest

chart pos. #27 Cash Box/#35 Hot 100)

That was The Princess of Percussion, drum sensation Sina Doering,

with a great drum cover of my second featured ELO song

"Mr. Blue Sky," a top 30 hit in the summer of 1978.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

If you're just tuning in, I'm Erica Strange

and this is Strange Magic Being Erica,

and we're in the middle of a 7-in-a-row

block party on S-P-M-M. I'm your vehicle,

babe, I'll take you anywhere you wanna go.

Why don't we let The Cars take us back

to '78 with-- "My Best Friend's Girl"?

"My Best Friend's Girl" - The Cars

(Nov./Dec. 1978, highest chart pos.
#35 Hot 100/#44 Cash Box)

Getting your motor running, those were The Cars with Ric Ocasek

on lead vocals doing "My Best Friend's Girl," the second single

from the Beantown band's self-titled debut album, and a song

from the soundtrack of the 1979 coming-of-age crime movie

Over the Edge. In the U.S. "Best Friend's Girl" peaked at the

low end of the top 40, but it was a much bigger hit in the
UK where it finished in the top 3 on the chart.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Erica Strange keeping you company on

S-P-M-M. Know what, I really like these

guys - The Doobie Brothers - a group

that's been an important part of the

soundtrack of America for more

than 50 years. Formed in 1970

as a mainstream rock band

behind lead singer Tom Johnston,

the Doobies changed direction in

1975 when Johnston left and was
replaced by blue-eyed soul man
Michael McDonald. Here's the
updated sound of the McDonald
era, The Doobie Brothers with--

"It Keeps You Runnin'."

"It Keeps You Runnin'" - The Doobie Brothers

(Jan./Feb. 1977, highest chart pos. #37 Hot 100/#50 Cash Box)

From the early weeks of 1977, those were The Doobie Brothers with their

top 40 hit "It Keeps You Runnin'"... a single from their 1976 album

Takin' It to the Streets... the first to feature Michael McDonald

as lead singer. The song was used in the 1978 classic rock

movie FM and is also found in the soundtrack of the

Academy Award-winning 1994 film Forrest Gump.

Strange days have found us and, as promised, here I am all the way back in 1969

to introduce the classic folk-rock sound of Crosby, Stills & Nash - a supergroup
that put an indelible stamp on American music and culture. Also known as CSN,
the group was made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and
Stephen Stills plus Graham Nash from the UK. Canadian singer and
songwriter Neil Young also joined the act from time to time.  

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's one of the group's best known compositions. Written by Stephen Stills,

the song refers to his former girlfriend, singer/songwriter Judy Collins.

Crosby, Stills & Nash sing-- "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes."

"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" - Crosby, Stills & Nash

(Nov./Dec. 1969, highest chart pos. #15 Cash Box/#21 Hot 100)

You just heard the tight intricate

harmonies of CSN - Crosby, Stills

& Nash, one of the leading groups

of the late 1960s counterculture -

and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," a song

that made the top 20 in the U.S. and

brushed the top 10 in Canada during

the Thanksgiving and Christmas

holiday season in 1969.

Gosh, Shady just drew his finger

across his throat, the signal for me

to "cut," and that means I need to

wrap up my first official show on

S-P-M-M. Before I forget, I want

to invite you to watch my series

Being Erica, streaming on Hulu

and on Amazon Prime Video.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, here's a different version of my theme song "Strange Magic,"

this one from the 2015 animated jukebox musical fantasy movie of the

same name. Stay tuned. Coming up on the B side of news, my friend

Jerry Blavat, The Geator with the Heater, drops by to spin stacks

of wax on Geator Gold... and I'll be back soon with more great

songs from your youth on Strange Magic Being Erica. Now

watch and listen as stars Evan Rachel Wood and Alan

Cumming as characters Marianne and Bog King,

sing the title song "Strange Magic." This is

Erica Strange saying so long and take care!

"Strange Magic" - Evan Rachel Wood & Alan Cumming

(from OST of Jan. 2015 animated film Strange Magic)

Libbin' It Up With The Good Girls (Cindy, Patti & Jane) - Volume 2: The Good Girls Rise Up Eight Miles High!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.

And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for

 LIBBIN' IT UP with 

 THE GOOD GIRLS 

 Cindy, Patti & Jane 

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

COLD OPEN

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

 

"Nobody But Me" - The Human Beinz

(Jan./Feb. 1968, highest chart position

 #5 Cash Box/#8 Hot 100, scene from TV show

 Teen Time on WSTV Channel 9 in Steubenville, OH)

Kicking-off our second show on S-P-M-M, The Human Beinz,

the one-hit-wonder rock band from Youngstown, Ohio, and

"Nobody But Me," their top 5 charting single from the early

weeks of 1968. It's a cool cover of an R&B song recorded

 in 1962 by The Isley Brothers. If you're watching our

simulcast on YouTube, you saw the kids dancing on

Teen Time, the Tri-State area's (OH-PA-WV) answer

to American Bandstand, a show that originated from

the studios of WSTV-TV channel 9 (now WTOV) in

Steubenville, Ohio, with youthful host Del Curtis.

In his Book of Rock Lists, music historian Dave

Marsh named the version of "Nobody But Me"

by The Human Beinz "The most negative song

to hit the Top 40" since the word "no" is sung

over 100 times and "nobody" is sung 46 times. 

Cindy           Patti               Jane

Nobody but we can keep you dancing to the coolest

sounds around, like the groovy tune you just heard.

Hello again! We're The Good Girls - Cindy, Patti

and Jane - stars of the TV show Good Girls Revolt,

back with you for our second stint moonlighting

as Shady Bunch deejays here on S-P-M-M.

I'm Jane Hollander. My friends and I are delighted to be back

 libbin' it up with you - singing and dancing to the greatest

recordings of the 1960s and early 70s. Songs you'll hear

on today's show are pulled from some of the most 

significant albums of the period, and my first

spin is an example. It's Carlos Santana who,

along with his Latin style psychedelic

blues rock band, rose to fame

following his appearance

at Woodstock.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Hitting the street less than two weeks after the music festival,

Santana's self-titled debut album peaked in the top 5,

and this song, released as the second single,

went top 10 in March of 1970. Listen

to the unmistakable sound of 

Santana and-- "Evil Ways!"

"Evil Ways" - Santana

(Feb./Mar. 1970, highest chart pos. #7 Cash Box,

#9 Hot 100, from Aug. 1969 album Santana)

From early 1970, the sound America came to know and love, Santana

there with their first hit single, "Evil Ways," followed soon after

by an even bigger hit, "Black Magic Woman."

It starts with a great song, and

"Baby, It's You" is a great song.

Composed by Burt Bacharach,

Luther Dixon and Mack David,

"Baby It's You" was first waxed

by The Shirelles who gained a

top 10 hit with the song early

in 1962. In March of 1963,

The Beatles covered the

song on their debut album

  Please Please Me. The

most successful version

reached the top 5 on the

chart in the fall of 1969.

It was recorded by

a St. Louis pop rock

band called Smith. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

As you are about to hear, lead singer Gayle McCormick

belted the vocals in a bluesy, soulful style. Here's A Group

Called Smith on The Ed Sullivan Show doing-- "Baby, It's You!"

"Baby It's You" - Smith

(Oct./Nov. 1969, highest chart pos. #4 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100,

from July 1969 album A Group Called Smith, perf. on

Oct. 19, 1969, episode of The Ed Sullivan Show)

From their debut album, A Group Called Smith with their hit cover

of the Shirelles' original, "Baby, It's You." A sad footnote - Smith

lead singer Gayle McCormick died in 2019 at the age of 67.

Hi, I'm Cindy Reston. My first spin is one of the

most memorable and poignant songs of the 60s,

a grim tale about urban decay and generations

trapped in the cycle of poverty. Released in

the spring of '69, this record went top 3 on

the Billboard chart and all the way to

number one on Cash Box.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Here now is The King - Elvis Presley -
performing his big comeback hit, a song
written by Mac Davis-- "In The Ghetto."

"In The Ghetto" - Elvis Presley

(May/June 1969, highest chart pos.
#1 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100)

Heavy stuff, Elvis singing "In The Ghetto," a song originally

titled "The Vicious Circle," a record that put The King

back on his throne in 1969 after years of struggling

on the chart. Elvis Presley's "In The Ghetto" along

with the Woodstock Rock Festival, that debut

album by Santana and the single and album by

Smith were some of the musical milestones

of 1969. Another major event that year was

the release of The Age of Aquarius, the 4th

studio album by The 5th Dimension. Four

hit singles were released from the album

including the chart-topping smash

I am about to play next.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

It's a medley of two songs from the off-Broadway musical Hair,

a manifestation of the hippie counterculture and the sexual

revolution. This single spent an incredible six weeks at #1.

The 5th Dimension-- "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In!"

"Medley: Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)"

The Fifth Dimension (Apr./May 1969, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100,

#1 Cash Box, from May 1969 album The Age of Aquarius)

You just listened to one of the most iconic songs of the Baby Boom
generation, "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)"
a song assimilated by pop culture and ranked #66 on Billboard's list of
The Greatest Songs of All Time, sung by the fabulous 5th Dimension
with backing by The Wrecking Crew, the great Los Angeles based
session musicians who played on many major hits of the 60s.

I'm "Patti" Robinson. One of the most
important singing and songwriting acts
of the 60s counterculture music scene,
The Mamas and the Papas, gave us a
string of groovy folk-rock recordings.

Their 1966 debut album on Dunhill
made Rolling Stone's list of The 500
Greatest Albums of All Time and
climbed 15 notches to #112 in the

magazine's most recent revision.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, here are the Mamas

and the Papas with a song from that album that was released

on the B side of "Monday, Monday"-- "Got A Feelin'."

"Got A Feelin'" - The Mama's And The Papa's

(from Feb. 1966 album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears,

Apr./May 1966, B side of "Monday, Monday")

McGuinn and McGuire still a-gettin higher

in LA you know where that's at, and no one's

gettin' fat except Mama Cass.

Those were The Mamas And The Papas doing

"Got A Feelin'," one of the songs from their debut

album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears.

If you can believe what I say, you might be shocked to learn

that the original album with a cover photo showing the group

in a bathroom sitting in a tub with a toilet visible was pulled

from stores because, in 1966, the sight of a toilet was

declared indecent. We've come a long way, baby!

Oh damn! They're waving us off. Our second show has come

to an end and we need to go. I hope you got your kicks

Libbin It Up With The Good Girls.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Coming up on the flip side of news, meet Bud's Budding Blossoms,

the teen queens at another popular York area venue, and we'll be

back soon with more sensational sounds from the dawning of

the Age of Aquarius on Libbin' It Up, so keep your dial set to

S-P-M-M, the grooviest spot in the universe. To play us off,

German drummer Sina with a cover of "Eight Miles High"
by The Byrds. Now this is Patti along with Cindy and

Jane - The Good Girls - saying see you next time!

"Eight Miles High" - The Byrds  (Apr. 2019 drum cover by Sina,

orig. May 1966, highest chart pos. #12 Cash Box/#14 Hot 100,

from July 1966 Byrds album Fifth Dimension)

Wingman: Chris Griffin's Flying High on Wings of Pegasus!

Hi again, everybody!

I'm Chris Griffin...

the crazy, mixed-up,
rebellious teenager
from the TV series

Family Guy.

You might remember my

appearances on Shady's

old blog Shady Dell Music

& Memories when I intro-

duced German drummer

girl Sina and English

singer and musician

Amy Slattery.

Today I'm back with my latest discovery, Fil Henley, 
leader of the British rock band Wings of Pegasus.

In 2013 Fil was a contestant on The X Factor UK where he
performed "That's Metal (To My Ears)," a song written
by the band. In this vid a shirtless Fil turns heads
as he plays to the crowd in Piccadilly Circus.

"That's Metal (To My Ears)" - Fil Henley and
Wings Of Pegasus (from 2013 album Persistence)

Speaking of Sina, the German drum prodigy is
back with us today, this time teamed up with
featured artist Fil Henley of Wings of Pegasus.
Listen as they do a cool cover of "You Give
Love A Bad Name," the 1986 hit single from
Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, one of the
best selling albums in U.S. music history,
a song written by Jon Bon Jovi along with
the band's lead guitarist Richie Sambora

and Songwriters Hall of Fame

inductee Desmond Child.

"You Give Love A Bad Name"

Bon Jovi cover by Sina feat.
 Wings Of Pegasus

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" is another great song

from Bon Jovi's 12X platinum album Slippery

When Wet. Once again here's Fil Henley

and Wings Of Pegasus with a cover

that's a cold blooded killer!

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" - Bon Jovi
(Wings Of Pegasus cover)

In 1981 the American rock band Journey

featuring lead singer Steve Perry scored

a top 10 hit with the single "Don't Stop

Believin'." Wings of Pegasus performs

a more than capable cover of the

classic soft rock song.

"Don't Stop Believing" - Journey
(Wings Of Pegasus cover)

In the early weeks of 1985 Don Dokken's

pop metal band gained a top 30 hit on

Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart

with "Just Got Lucky." Fil Henley

and Wings of Pegasus got it

covered but good!

"Just Got Lucky" - Dokken
(Wings Of Pegasus cover)

Mr. Mister was a popular 1980s new wave pop

band formed in Phoenix, Arizona, and based

in Los Angeles. One of their biggest hits was

"Broken Wings," the lead single from their

second album Welcome to the Real World.

The song spent two weeks at #1 on the

pop chart just before Christmas in 1985.

Fil and the gang give the pop classic

the Wings Of Pegasus treatment.

"Broken Wings" - Mr. Mister
(Wings of Pegasus cover)

No broken wings for

Fil Henley & his band.

Whether he's doing

originals or covers, Fil

ROCKS! RULES!
SLAYS! KILLS!

Look out world!...

Fil Henley's Wings Of Pegasus

is taking off for the stratosphere!

Now this is Chris Griffin saying

goodbye and reminding you...

that you've gotta fight

for your right to rock.

See you soon!