Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Wreckless Eric...A Popsong & Show # 329



Wreckless Eric (real name Eric Goulden) is known for his New Wave/Power Pop song writing abilities and was at one time on the Stiff Records label alongside Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury & The Blockheads and The Damned. While he is perhaps best known for his wonderful Pop concoction known as "The Whole Wide World", Eric wrote numerous catchy songs attributing to the same Power Pop/Punk/New Wave vein. One of those songs was the song entitled "A Popsong". The song itself opens Wreckless Eric's third album Big Smash! and was released as his sixth single on Stiff Records in January of 1980. The song itself lyrically is about a record company asking for a hit, and is undeniably catchy while at the same time ironic. The album on which it is contained, was a catchy album with comparisons often being made to his fellow label mates Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, but it has a style all it's own. When released in 1980, Big Smash! was packaged with a bonus compilation album of B-sides and early singles. The compilation on its own was known as The Whole Wide World in the US when it was released there in 1979 in hopes of Wreckless Eric breaking into the American Market. When Big Smash! was released on the Stiff Records label, it was created in a way that should have ensured success, but the album was overlooked. As a result Eric left Stiff and music for a few years. He returned to music in 1985 where he continued to pursue his career through other avenues.




This Week's Play List:

1. Lost Patrol - My Soul
2. UIC - What I Want
3. Deja Voodoo - 48 Bucks
4. The Haunted - Come On Home
5. The Mongrels - The Wreck of Ol' 97
6. Howlin' Wolf - Baby How Long?
7. Gene Vincent - Pink Thunderbird
8. John Lee Hooker - Dimples
9. Bob Dylan - Tombstone Blues (2010 Mono Version)
10. Elvis Costello - The Spell You Cast
11. Hands & Teeth - Race to the End
12. The Chords - Maybe Tomorrow
13. The Meteors - You're Out Of Time
14. Exploding Hearts - I'm A Pretender
15. Orphan Choir - Broken Strings
16. Burnt Ones - Real Gone
17. Revolvers - Break It Loose
18. The Spys - Underground
19. Wreckless Eric - A Popsong
20. The Police - Be My Girl Sally
21. Pere Ubu - Non-Alignment Pact
22. The Gun Club - Texas Serenade
23. True Lovers - Fade Away

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 7th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

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