VIRTUAL MIX TAPE: "13 Wonderful Will Songs, Vol. 18"

Yes, that’s right, it’s time for another installment of songs that I love and that I hope you’ll love, too. And if you don’t, well, it ain’t like this thing is behind the paywall, so what’d you pay for it, anyway?

In conclusion, listen or don’t, but if you do, I hope you dig it…and if you really dig it, consider upgrading to a paid subscription!

1. Enuff Z’Nuff, “Wheels” (1997 - Seven)

When Enuff Z’Nuff burst onto the scene at the tail end of the hair-metal era, it was immediately obvious that they were a different breed than many of their brethren, inspired way more by the Beatles and Cheap Trick than any of the usual hard-rock suspects. As a result, I latched onto them immediately, and I’ve continued to follow their career over the intervening years. This is one of my favorite songs from their ‘90s output.

2. The House of Love, “I Don’t Know Why I Love You” (1990 - House of Love)

Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers were the Morrissey & Marr of The House of Love, except that instead of tolerating each other for the entire duration of the band’s career, Bickers was fired after the recording of the band’s second album. Granted, Chadwick managed to do some fine work without Bickers for a few years, and the twosome eventually reconciled for awhile and released two more albums with him back in the fold. (The band’s latest album, 2022’s A State of Grace, is Bickers-less.) This song is from the aforementioned second album, and it’s ironic that it proved to be their modern-rock breakthrough in the U.S., since Bickers was gone by the time it broke. That said, you may want to check out the band Levitation, which was Bickers’ post-House group.

3. World Party, “Ship of Fools” (1986 - Private Revolution)

As I type this, my daughter is only a few days away from her senior prom, an event which I never attended. Why? Well, first and foremost, it was because I didn’t have a date, and back in the ‘80s—at my high school, at least—the idea of just showing up at prom without a date seemed like the most embarrassing thing possible. Fortunately, I ended up with an alternate option: I won tickets to see World Party in concert on their Private Revolution tour at the Boathouse in Norfolk, VA. So I went, along with my buddy Jeff Weeks, and it was an absolutely amazing show, one which featured the band doing a cover of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life.” My prom never could’ve competed with that.

4. Waylon Jennings, “Will the Wolf Survive?” (1986 - Will the Wolf Survive?)

Obligatory cover song! Speaking of amazing concert experiences, I went to see Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi Colter when they played Hampton Coliseum, and it was fantastic. Over the years, I’ve explored Waylon’s catalog, and I had no idea until relatively recently just how many interesting covers he’d done, including this Los Lobos track.

5. Scruffy the Cat, “I Do” (1988 - Moons of Jupiter)

Like many modern rock aficionados, I first learned of this band when their single “MyBabyShesAllRight” briefly became a 120 Minutes staple, thereby inspiring me to keep my eyes open for anything else they might release. As it turned out, they really didn’t do a whole lot more as a group (although frontman Charlie Chesterman subsequently delivered several great solo albums), but their sophomore LP was a lot of fun and featured this catchy little ditty.

6. Farrah, “Swings and Roundabouts” (2009 - Farrah)

Even though the American market for indie British pop bands isn’t what it used to be, there are still plenty of great groups out there who continue to deliver incredibly catchy tunes. It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten anything new from Farrah, but I never give up hope that there could yet be more to come.

7. Betty Boo, “Where Are You, Baby?” (1990 - Boomania)

If these playlists have established nothing else, I think they’ve probably given you an idea of where my musical sweet spots tend to reside, but every once in awhile there’s a total outlier that catches my ear and makes me take notice. This is definitely one of those songs. I’m pretty sure I first heard it on a HITS Magazine compilation disc, although I can’t swear to it. It was definitely during the period when I was working at the record store, however, so I feel like that’s got to be how Betty Boo first landed on my radar. Anyway, this song is bouncy as hell, has a great chorus, and just makes you want to move.

8. Neneh Cherry, “Buffalo Stance” (1989 - Raw Like Sushi)

And speaking of songs that make you want to move, here’s another one. This was a grower for me, but once it grew on me, it became an all-time favorite. I don’t know that I really need to say anything else about it. It’s a classic.

9. Propellerheads featuring Miss Shirley Bassey, “History Repeating” (1998 - Decksandrumsandrockandroll)

If I’m to be honest, the song I really wanted to include here was Shirley Bassey’s cover of Pink’s “Get the Party Started,” which is one of the greatest mix-disc openers ever. Unfortunately, it’s not on Spotify for some reason, so you get this instead. Not that it’s a bad choice, mind you, and it actually fits perfectly here. But underneath it I’m going to put Dame Shirley’s performance of “Get the Party Started” that opened her 2007 Glastonbury show, because you need to hear how she absolutely kills it.

10. Alphabeat, “Fascination” (2008 - This Is Alphabeat)

Given that this pop band hails from Denmark, it should come as no real surprise that they proved to be far bigger on the Danish charts than anywhere else, but they did manage to score several UK hits during the course of their career. (They broke up last year.) They only ever managed one US dance hit, however, and it wasn’t for this track but, rather, for one called “Shadows.” That said, this was my gateway drug into their catalog, and it remains my favorite.

11. The Bats, “Mr. Peculiar” (1982 - How Pop Can You Get?)

It’s probable that I never would’ve known anything at all about this band if it wasn’t for the fact that one of their members was a young Jon Brion, who later went on to play with Jellyfish and The Grays before proving himself to be an amazing producer and creator of soundtracks. It’s a silly, bouncy little pop song, though, and I love it so.

12. Candy Butchers, “Sparkle!” (2003 - Hang On Mike)

I’ve loved the Candy Butchers ever since I discovered that Mike Viola provided the lead vocal for The Wonders’ “That Thing You Do!” Some of their albums are quirkier than others, but this one is a favorite. (It also includes the song “Let’s Have a Baby,” which proved to be part of our soundtrack when we were going through the invitro process to have our baby.

13. Barry Manilow, “Somewhere Down the Road” (UNRELEASED DEMO) (1992 - The Complete Collection…And Then Some)

I grew up in the ‘70s, so it was always inevitable that I’d hear a fair amount of Barry Manilow, but it certainly helped that my mother had his Even Now album on cassette. I became a fan, and I stayed a fan, and some years later I ended up purchasing his box set from the Columbia House CD Club at an insane discount. That’s how I stumbled upon this demo version of “Somewhere Down the Road,” and I’ve always felt that the sparseness of this version makes it even more emotionally affecting.