With the passing of songwriter/producer Jim Steinman last week, we were surprised at how many people were unaware of his other contributions to pop history outside of his collaboration with Meat Loaf on the 3 Bat Out of Hell Albums as well as Dead Ringer and Braver Than We Are.

As we mentioned in our brief obituary, Steinman recorded one solo album, Bad for Good. Those songs were intended for a follow-up to Bat Out of Hell, but problems with Meat Loaf led Steinman to record these songs himself. Ironically, over the years, Meat Loaf has recorded or performed nearly all of them; so, if you’re diligent, you can compile your own Bad for Good playlist featuring Mr. Loaf’s versions.

The exceptions would be for “Life & Death of an American Guitar” (which likely would have been voiced by Steinman anyway – similar to Steinman voicing the “Wolf with the Red Roses” speech that precedes “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth” on Bat Out of Hell) and “Stark Raving Love.” “Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire” is a little bit tricky as Meat Loaf has never released a studio version of this track, but did perform it in his live shows back in the day. As such, many video clips of Meat Loaf performing this song live exist via YouTube.

Now, once we get past Meat Loaf, Steinman also collaborated with Broadway behemoth Andrew Lloyd Webber on a stage musical called Whistle Down the Wind (Webber handled the music, Steinman contributed the lyrics). The show has seen productions in the UK and the US as well as a “for-records-only” version. A couple of the songs from the show have also been covered by other artists over the years – most notably “No Matter What,” which was a huge hit in England for Boyzone (yes, Meat Loaf has also covered this one).

Unquestionably, Steinman’s most successful recording, bar none, was “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which he wrote and produced for Bonnie Tyler in 1983. The song topped the charts in countries all over the world, racking up sales of more than 6 million copies and has been recognized as one the absolutely most popular songs to be released during the 1980’s.

But here are some of the other songs Steinman wrote (many of which he also produced):

Yvonne Elliman – “Happy Ending” (1973 – Steinman’s big break as a songwriter)

Barry Manilow – “Read ‘Em and Weep”

Air Supply – “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”

Fire, Inc. – “Nowhere Fast” (from the soundtrack of the film Streets of Fire)

Fire, Inc. – “Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young” (Ditto)

Taylor Dayne – “Original Sin” (Written for the movie The Shadow)

Barbra Streisand – “Left in the Dark”

WWE – “Hulk Hogan’s Theme”

Bonnie Tyler – “Holding Out for a Hero” (Another big hit in the U.S. & several other countries)

Sisters of Mercy – “More”

Celine Dion – “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” (Another #1 single)

Everly Brothers – “A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste” (Cover of a song from Whistle Down the Wind)

This list is by no means complete, so if you love Steinman’s songs, we wish you happy hunting and hope this will give you a great start!

They were so cute as kids...

One of the simplest, yet most haunting songs of the 1960s, “Sally Go Round the Roses” hit right before the start of Beatlemania in August of 1963. The record is credited to a one-hit wonder, the Jaynetts, but the story behind the song reveals a history that’s a bit more complicated.

Abner Spector (no relation to Phil) was an A & R man for Chess Records who occasionally produced R&B sides for a small independent label known as Tuff Records. In the spring of 1963, Spector decided that he wanted to record a song with the girl group sound that was then a very popular genre (thanks to the Shirelles, the Chiffons, the Dixie Cups, etc.). So, he talked to the head of Tuff Records, Zelma "Zell" Sanders, and asked her to come up with an appropriate song and begin assembling some singers. Zell wrote the song in collaboration with Spector’s wife, Lona Stevens. The duo decided to draw their inspiration from the nursery rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie” (itself kind of creepy – as its seemingly innocent lyrics are really about the symptoms of the Bubonic Plague).

While a great many rock bands follow in the mold of Mick Jagger & the Rolling Stones or Freddie Mercury & Queen where one member primarily handles the lead vocals, some of rock’s most successful acts actually feature multiple lead singers.

(Yes, we know Keith Richards racked up a lead vocal or two – same with Benjamin Orr in the Cars, but Mick and Rick Ocasek handled more than 90% of the lead vocal duties for their respective groups.)

Here’s a list of successful groups that shared lead vocal duty. Who have we missed?

• ABBA
• Association
• Beach Boys
• Beatles
• Bee Gees
• Buffalo Springfield
• Cream
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• Eagles
• Fleetwood Mac
• Grateful Dead
• Jefferson Airplane/Starship
• Mamas & Papas
• Monkees
• Moody Blues
• Move
• 10CC
• Three Dog Night
• Traveling Wilburys
• Who (While Roger Daltry handled most lead vocals, quite a few songs also feature parts where Pete Townsend takes the lead; plus, each album featured one or two songs where John Entwistle sang lead and, every once and awhile, there was a lead vocal part for Keith Moon.)
  
  

One question we get asked often is about the cover songs here at Boomtown America. 3 reasons:

Cover versions put the focus on the song: In our parents’ era, there were few singer/songwriters. As such, most singers were all picking their material from what was known as “the America Songbook.” It’s not unusual to find singers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Patti Page, etc. all doing their versions of popular songs.

Rock ‘n’ roll grew out of rhythm & blues, where many of the artists wrote their own material. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley and many other early rockers composed their own material. The second wave of rock acts, influenced by the first, continued the tradition: Brian Wilson, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Ray Davies and so many more.

Yet, even those acts could and did create classic recordings covering other people’s material. The Beatles’ “Twist & Shout” is a cover, but considered the definitive version of that song. The Beach Boys chipped in their share with covers of “Barbara Ann,” “Sloop John B,” and many more.

And think how many different artists have taken a swing at “Johnny B. Goode” or “That’ll Be The Day.”

Cover versions can bring a fresh interpretation to a song: Sometimes, we’ve heard the “hit version” so many times, we’ve lost sight of how strong the composition really is. Hearing an interesting cover forces us to focus on the song itself.

Sometimes, it can make us feel we’re hearing it for the first time.

Cover versions helps us view the singer or band doing the cover in a different way. Presuming the artist liked a song well enough to choose to do a cover tells us something about the kind of music they like apart from their own material. To discover that a rock star you love also loves the same songs you do can create a strong bond between artist and audience.

Heck, try and find a Bruce Springsteen concert where the Boss doesn’t play several covers of rock classics. It’s become a hallmark of his live shows. He’s been known to cover everything from Woody Guthrie to the Bee Gees.

Cover songs – just one more way we celebrate the greatness of Rock & Roll!

Advances in electronic technology are moving us towards a totally cash-less society. Where we once made regular visits to an ATM to replenish our wallets, we’re making many of those trips less and less. Many banks have closed down their drive-thru lanes due to lack of business.

Of course, those of us raised in a cash-based culture may be a little wary of going cashless. Here are two of the safest modes of cashes transactions:

Contactless Credit & Debit Cards: If your card has a contactless symbol, any time you see a terminal purchase with a matching symbol, you can pay for your purchase without even having to touch the terminal. Just tap on or wave your card at the terminal at the checkout and that should take care of everything.

Is it secure? Yes. Very. Each transaction generates a one-time security code. So even if a hacker could crack that code, it would them no good as the code is already outdated.

Bank Online Bill Pay: Most banks now allow you to make payments from your account by logging on with your computer or using an app you download to your smartphone. Dollar-for-dollar, these type of transactions have one of the lowest fraud rates in the country and, of course, they’re also contactless.

How do I keep it safe? Never store your back account numbers or passwords on your computer. This also means turning down your computer’s request to “remember” your password for future visits. In addition, never share your bank account number over the phone or by email. And watch out for fake websites. Never click on a link in an email. Always type the company’s URL into your web browser by yourself.

If it’s been a while since your last eye exam, here are a few things you can do to help your vision until the next time you visit your optometrist:

1. Go for a Walk: Believe it or not, research shows that a little exercise (as low as 3 hours per week) can significantly lower the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. In addition, taking an extra 5,000 steps a day can slow the rate of vision loss due to glaucoma.

2. Wear Some Shades: UV light from the sun can contribute to the formation of cataracts. Vision experts recommend wearing sunglasses with UV blockers year-round, whether it’s sunny or overcast. When you’re shopping, the magic number to look for is UV400 protection or 100% UV.

3. Use Artificial Tears: As we age, our eyes tend to dry out more than they did when we were younger. Artificial tears are a safe way to combat this and are available easily over the counter. A drop or two in each eye in the morning and then again, as needed.

Uh... I believe the answer is, "No.".