When you think 70’s glam, the obvious names come up... but one of the most under rated has got to be Nick Gilder. Often thought of as a “one hit wonder” for his “Hot Child In The City” song, which hardly sums up just how great of a songwriter he actually was capable of being. Most fans of his will tell you “Frequency” is their favorite record by him. But I disagree. His best moment came after that with 1981’s “Body Talk Musik” released on none other than Neil Bogart’s Casablanca label. It’s a solid collection of songs from start to finish, showcasing the midas touch collaboration between him and guitarist James McCulloch. “Can’t Stop (Wanting The Good Times)” is a gem. Consider that a tease...the one you’re gonna hear on GB27 is a song later given to Kix to record on their 1983 “Cool Kids” record. Oddly enough, I’d have to say Kix tried to “pop” it up even more... but Nick’s
original stays ballsier. The great thing about this record is, you get the feeling he finally found his voice. At times grittier than the androgenous tone that made him famous on earlier releases. Both “City Nights” and “Frequency” were reissued together on CD a couple of years ago. Hopefully “Body Talk Musik” will follow suit.
Those of us that tune in regularly for VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show have surely recognized “Ms. Box of Junk.” Jennifer Gottlieb is the girl who smiles brightly as contestants who have “stumped the Trunk” dig their hands in to the mystery chest and pull out (more times than most) some band’s CD that they never would’ve bought in the first place.
We chat with Jen on this episode and learn about her acting background, having come off a year long national tour of the Broadway show The Wedding Singer, in which she played a ‘rocker chick’ loosely based on Lita Ford. We know how good she is at the chalk board with those top 5 lists, listen as we find out what her favorite films are as well as music artists. “I hate to be a sell-out, but I really like pop music. I like anything that I can dance to, anything that gets me motivated, anything that makes me feel...’cause I’m a dancer, and I love to express myself.”
What can we say about The Zeros that we haven’t already? Sammy Serious continues to keep the torch blazing, but let’s face it, the classic
line-up was the “4,3,2,1” era for the band. The upside is Sammy (pictured right looking very Alice Cooper like) has released various CD’s compiling loads of cool tunes from the day, such as the one we spotlight on this ‘cast, in the form of “Over You.” If you think Juicy Miss Lucy or any of the countless clones who’s names I forget were capable of crafting such a timeless melody as this, you are sadly mistaken.
Vanity Theft is an all-girl band of twenty somethings that came to my attention having witnessed them take the stage at Jimmy Quill’s ranch
during South By this past March. While the CD over extends its usage of filtered synth trickery, the band is best when they embrace pop simplicity without trying to over think the trends. Why the catchiest
song (“End Scene”) is featured towards the end of the CD, I couldn’t tell ya... would be much cooler to have opened with it.
Download GB27 (here)
