Weirdness

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Carolyne Mas - Still Sane, and other tunes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg3sDnhAljQ&mode

No one was happier than I with the explosion of Punk Rock in the mid to late 70's. But like the British Invasion a decade earlier, it also overshadowed a lot of good music and caused the rock press and media to ignore performers and genres of music that didn't fit the new vibe. With the Brits it was Surf Rock, Doo Wop, Girl Groups and Rockabilly that took the hit. In the late 70's it was something that's occasionally been albelled Blue Collar Rock, though I'm not sure that's a particularly helpful or descriptive name. It almost all came out of the urban centers found in a triangle formed in the Northeast from Boston down to Richmond and across to Pittsburgh, (or maybe Detroit). It was the American equivalent of the British Pub Rock movement taking place at the same time, with an emphasis on a "back-to-basics" approach and a deep appreciation for American rock and R&B. Some of the practioners rode out the whole punk/new wave quite successfully, (Bob Seger and Bruce being the prime examples); but so many others got lost in the shuffle. Ellen Foley, Flame, John Cafferty, the Iron City Houserockers, John Eddie, Ellen Shipley, Edge City, Southside Johnny and Billy Price never made it beyond cult status, and that's too bad, because I really thought all of 'em were great and deserved better. And Carolyne Mas was one of my faves. She came from Jersey, (of course), and her first two albums in particular were great examples of American rock/pop. I caught her first tour at the old Bayou and she was wonderful! She still records occasionally, but let's face it, her time for any type of mass exposure has passed. At any rate, here's a nice sampling.

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