PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
KEEP IT OLDSKOOL ARTIST PROFILE
A song comes on the radio with a voice that is very familiar to you. The chorus is “ You… I call your name girl” You first thought is “I know that song that’s the jawn” (if you live in Philadelphia Pa, you would use that word Jawn) The name of the group is Switch. The group was started by Greg Williams and Debarge family members Tommy and Bobby. Also Phillip Ingram, Eddie Fluellen and Jody Sims in 1977. The name Switch was defined by the fact that group could interchange vocalists or instruments during a performance.
The group was brought to the attention of Jermaine Jackson and they were quickly signed to the Gordy label. The debut album Switch which included one of their most famous songs “There’ll Never Be” was released in 1978. The group which never really “crossed over” into the pop charts still had a large following in the R&B world. Most of the songs were composed by Jody Sims, Bobby Debarge and Greg Williams. The follow up album Switch II included their second most famous song they are known for that was written by Bobby Debarge “ I Call Your name” was released in 1979. Addiction problems plagued Bobby easily one of the most distinguishing voices in their songs. In 1980 Switch released Reaching for Tomorrow which would be the last one to feature Phillip Ingram and Bobby/Tommy Debarge as full time members. Phillip and Bobby both got solo deals and Tommy left to join siblings El, Bunny, Randy and Mark in their group named Debarge . Switch never won a grammy award and never really achieved the mainstream success that they should have. That doesn’t change that if you hear either of the groups most famous songs you will know that you have just heard R&B at it’s best
KEEP IT OLDSKOOL
The Keep It Oldskool Movie of the week
The Goonies was released in 1985. The movie was in the adventure comedy mode. This author was 14 when the movie was released and for those in that age group the movie had all the ingredients to be a “must see” movie. The film starred mostly unknown child actors at the time. The child actors included Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin and Martha Plimpton. The movie was adapted from a story written by famed movie director Steven Spielberg. It is recognized as one of the best kids movies of all time
Trouble coming the Goonies way
The movie is set in Astoria, Oregon The main characters are Mikey (Astin) and his older brother Brandon (Brolin) who are set to move away due to the foreclosure on their house by the Astoria Country Club. In their final weekend Mikey while packing stumbles upon an old treasure map. Mikey and Brandon and crew the “goonies” which include Chunk, Mouth, Data, Andy and Stef go on a search for long dead pirate One Eyed Willie’s lost treasure. There is the ofcourse the budding romance of Andy and Brandon, the wise cracking Mouth (Feldman) and then the Fratellis. The Fratellis are escaped fugitives of a mother and her 3 sons. who use the starting off point of the treasure hunt as their hideout.
The Goonies are about to set off on an adventure
The Fratellis have some questions for Chunk
One Eye Willie looks on as Mikey and Data look at the treasure
The movie is fun from the beginning to end. The movie shows without being preachy the effects of the “cool kids” versus the “not cool kids” have on teens. The movie ofcourse satisfies the need for a happy ending that most kids movies have. As adult I showed my sons this movie when they were younger and they also instantly loved it. The Goonies a movie that both young and old can watch together and enjoy.
Sloth and the gang watch One Eyed Willie’s get away
WATCH FOR “BOOTY TWAPS” AND KEEP IT OLDSKOOL
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Yeah We Listened to it
In the 80s (especially the early 80s) some of best music was made but Caucasians. Keep It Oldskool founder Chuck Da Oldhead likes to call these songs “Caucasian Classics” These are songs that even the hardest most gangsta dudes in the 80s knew the words to. It’s different the way radio is now set up and you don’t get the interplay of different formats like you had in the 80s. In Philadelphia there was a station called 98 Hot Hits where you could hear songs like Apache by the SugarHill Gang and the next song would be True by Spandau Ballet.
It was also the time that the only videos that you could see that had African Americans was either Prince, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. Everyone “wanted their MTV” including us African Americans. We watched even though MTV wasn’t really feeling the brothers. A lot of the artists whether they were Rock or Pop crossed over into the inner cities. So even the dudes standing on the corner looking all hard knew the words to Angel is a Centerfold by J Giles Band or Rio by Duran Duran. No culture adapts more than the African American culture. So as the more established R&B stations did not play rap we listened to the stations that did . So if we wanted to hear The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five we would also have to listen to Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. At some point later in the decade Hip Hop formatted stations began to develop and slowly but surely we began to drift away from stations like Hot Hits 98. But for us Oldheads when we hear a song like In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins it takes us back to a time when we would listen to those songs and have no problem singing along. That’s why we call them Caucasian Classics.
Here all some all-time favorite Caucasian Classics and the artist
Living on a Prayer –Bon Jovi
Jack and Diane-John Cougar Mellencamp
Another One Bites the Dust-Queen
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Cyndi Lauper
Guilty-Barbara Streisand Barry Gibb
Jump- Van Halen
KEEP IT OLDSKOOL EVEN IF IT IS CAUCASIAN OLDSKOOL
Monday, August 5, 2013
KEEP IT OLDSKOOL MOVIE OF THE WEEK
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The Last Dragon was released in 1985. The movie has become a cult classic. Berry Gordy of Motown was one of the producers of the film. The film starred newcomer Taimak and Vanity (after leaving the Prince camp) and Julius J Carey III
The movie plot centered on a teen martial artist named Bruce Leroy (he added the Bruce himself) who trains with his master. After having taught his pupil everything that he can the master informs Leroy that he must reach “The Final Level” on his own. The movie’s antagonist played by Julius J Carey is named Sho’nuff the Shogun of Harlem. The love interest (because all these movies needs a love interest is Laura Charles (played by Vanity). We watch as Bruce Leroy travels the neighborhood in search of the final level. We see his awkwardness with women especially Laura Charles who hosts a local dance show. All preparing him for his final showdown with “ Mr. Nuff”
This movie wasn’t going to win an academy award or anything I don’t even think it would have won a BET award. The movie was fun. Like movies should it provided 108 minutes of escapism. Also known for its numerous funny lines in the movie like “Kiss My Converse” or “Catches Bullets with his teeth” There was talk of a remake in 2008 with Samuel Jackson playing Sho’nuff to date nothing has come of it. In any event pull out a copy of this movie or see if Netflix will send one your way so when they say “Who is the master?” you will know who it is.
AND KEEP IT OLDSKOOL
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Keep It Oldskool Artist Spotlight
One of the greatest music duos (not just Hip Hop) was formed by 2 Long Island, NY teenagers Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith. Besides RUNDMC Keep It Oldskool can find no other hip hop duo that were more prolific. Every album that was released by “Eric and Parrish Making Dollars” contains multiple great songs.
The duo burst onto the scene in 1987 with “It’s My Thing” which samples the R&B classic “Seven Minutes of Funk” by the Whole Darn Family. Everyone remembers the beginning of the song “MCs out there you better stand clear EPMD is a world premier“ The laid back style of the duo was instantly compared to another Long Island MC (Rakim) The initial criticism notwithstanding the group which had signed with Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records released the debut album Strictly Business in 1988 which was one of the 2 greatest years in Hip Hop. With singles like “You Gots to Chill” and “Im Housin” the album was quickly was certified gold (500,000 albums sold) and received a 5 mic rating from the Source Magazine. Continuing with the “Business” theme EPMD released Unfinished Business in 1989 with songs like “So What Cha Sayin” and the “The Big Payback” that album also quickly went gold. What was remarkable about the group they were not what would be called mainstream artists. Most of the singles did not receive a lot of airplay yet the albums always sold well.
Once Sleeping Bag Records folded EPMD signed with Def Jam Recordings. They continued to make hits and while doing so helped launch the careers of Das Efx, K-Solo and Redman. With the afore mentioned artists they formed a clique called the Hit Squad. EPMD released 2 more albums in 1990 and 1992 Business as Usual and Business Never Personal respectively. Due to internal and some say criminal reasons the group broke up (the first time) in 1993 as solo artists they did not receive the same amount of success and reunited (the first time) in 1997 and released Back in Business The group has broken up and gotten back together several times but that doesn’t take away from the fact that one of music’s (NOT JUST HIP HOP) greatest duos is EPMD
KEEP IT OLDSKOOL
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