SHRIEKBACK - "Lined Up" (WB, 1983) Totally cool early eighties dance, made up of Barry Andrews, an original member of XTC, and Dave Allen from Gang Of Four. Their debut, Care , features the incredible...information and links to other sites at the site: www.cleartrails.com/ , but worth checking out.. BONUS: A video for "My Spine Is The Bassline".  " It has the symmetry of perfect design .."

SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES - "Trapped Again" (Epic, 1978) Damn. This is song is perfection.. Steven Van Zandt was with the band named for Southside Johnny Lyon prior to his E-Street gig...Agora in 1978. What's that? Oh, Just freaking HISTORY -  that's all: (there's more clips on YouTube of this show, some even in Stereo - who knew?) "I came to stay, but I got swept away.."

JULES & THE POLAR BEARS - "Shadows Break" (Columbia, 1978) JULES & THE POLAR BEARS - "Lovers By Rote" (Columbia, 1978) Jules Shear was one of the first artists I wrote about when we kicked...two Columbia releases drift in and out of print, and are reasonably easy to find online, and highly recommended.. "..stupid questions about love are the stupidest questions of them all.."  

SOUL COUGHING - "Bus To Beelzebub" (Slash, 1994) Here's another one of those bands that had slipped from my day-today consciousness, only to be remembered when they came up on IPod shuffle.. One... videos are gone from YouTube, probably because they were WMG-distributed. Here's a good live version of  "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago" off of the debut: "I absorb trust like a love rhombus.."

Okay.. today's trivia question.. What band was Walter Becker of Steely Dan a member of in the 1980's while his own band was on hiatus? CHINA CRISIS - "You Did Cut Me" (WB, 1985) I was a big...songs: Here's "King In A Catholic Style": And, the single off of the '86 album What Price Paradise , it's "Arizona Sky": "Loving on our hands and knees. Always trying hard to please.."

This one isn't cheesy, so I'm not putting it under "Friday Con Queso", but it is quintessential '70's. .. a classic that wafts in on the FM stereo as you water your spider plants.. BUCKINGHAM NICKS...era. So, let's do some extra audio: The single remix of "Crying In the Night" - very different with electric guitar instead of acoustic. ".. and, if you go forward, I'll meet you there.."

THE KATYDIDS - "Heavy Weather Traffic" (Reprise, 1990) I love my I-Pod.. frequently, it will land on a long-forgotten band that I put a track or two on, when I got it three years ago.  The Katydids...  BONUS: The video for "Heavy Weather Traffic" is MIA, so here's one for "The Boy Who's Never Found", a good cut off of the second LP: ".. We throw ourselves on top, and fight to the end.."

THE DELAYS - "Stay Where You Are" (Rough Trade, 2004) As time has gone on, I find that less and less new music jumps out at me. Gone for me are the days when there was seemingly a new obsession... but Faded Seaside Glamour still stands as a favorite.. BONUS: A live performance of "Stay Where You Are" from Glastonbury in 2004: "..Don't worry, I'll be there. Unless you walk away..."

We haven't done a cheesy '70's Friday in a while, so it was high time.. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - "Can You Do It" (MCA, 1976) The critically-maligned band fulfilled their contract with longtime label...of the album, there were no performances of the songs. Here's FZ guesting on "Out To Get You" and the Contours' original.. "...I could tell right away, oh boy, even I could do it.."

GUADALCANAL DIARY - "Litany (Life Goes On") (Elektra, 1987) GUADALCANAL DIARY - "Little Birds" (Elektra, 1987) Very cool mid-80's Georgia - based college rock band, produced by Don Dixon.  The...once again out of print, and quite pricey in the online marketplace.. BONUS: The video for "Litany (Life Goes On"): "..listen to the single heart beating, rhythm for an ever-changing song.."