"We Built This City" And Other 45 Singles

Okay, so here we go.

I am officially fed up with music snobs who will tell you that certain records are so bad that no one should ever listen to them again. In my experience, most of these people came of age in the 1960s and they tend to worship the music of that decade. I freely and without any shame state that I am a child of the 1970s.

Some of the records that get this treatment include:

#1- "We Built This City" by Starship. This of course, was recorded by the band that had once been known as Jefferson Airplane and then as Jefferson Starship. Almost every person I've seen criticize this record fails to state exactly just what makes it so bad in their opinion. If anyone out there can actually analyze the record and tell me why they don't like it, fine. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say.

All I know is that thirty-two years after its release, I still like it. I bought the original single on vinyl when it came out and I also had a compact disc with the rare promo version on it. That's the version with no DJ chatter, that allowed local radio stations to record and mix in their own voice-overs. I wish like crazy I still had that CD because it also had some other very rare singles on it.

#2- "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace. Come on, people, just give in and enjoy it. It's like a really good short story that just happens to be in musical form.

#3-  "Copacabana (At The Copa)" by Barry Manilow. How can you not like this record? Do yourself a favor and buy the original A-side version, which is hard to find, but I'll tell you how to get it legally.

It's on the soundtrack to a film titled "Foul Play" and it's available from Amazon as an MP3 file. Spend $1.29 to get it.

Do not waste your time with the B-side version that has an extended instrumental and please, whatever you do, don't listen to any of the remixes that are out there. None of them can match the experience of hearing the original.

Some closing thoughts...

I've noticed that many of the people who show disdain for these records are often into very obscure bands who, quite frankly, aren't very good, in my opinion. Also, there's a real tendency among oldies fans to rant and rave about how Record A by group B is a lost classic and should have been a hit.

I've listened to literally hundreds of these records and yes, some of them are quite good. I'd put a ball park figure at about 10% when it comes to saying that yes, such and such a record should have been successful. Of the other 90%, for me at least, it breaks down as follows:

About one-third of them are good enough to play on air every now and then. About one-third I have no issues with listening to them at home but I'd never play them on air. The rest of them are records that I don't like at all but I can at least understand why some people do.