[Media Monday] Cheesy vintage video from Toto

Rosanna, a 1982 single by a collection of former studio musicians called Toto would not be here due to the overall cheesiness of the video, but for a few overwhelming facts:

  • The drum beat on the song, called a “half-time beat”, is a notoriously difficult one to play, but played gracefully by drummer Jeff Porcaro. It makes the whole song. It was called the “Purdie Shuffle” after the blues musician Bernard Purdie; and later got re-christened “The Rosanna Shuffle”.
  • The song is also unique in that it is one of the few that has two lead singers, but is still not what you would call a “duet”.
  • The dancers are played by Cynthia Rhodes and a bunch of other guys, one of whom is the late Patrick Swayze (1952-2009). If you recall, they both ended up in the film Dirty Dancing five years later.
  • The song won a Grammy in 1983.

Visits: 92

Crappy Album Covers #301 — Pope Banjoboy I

Tell me something: when you look at this album cover, do you think: “Dixieland”? It may be a depiction of someone’s acid-induced hallucination of Dixieland, but the contents of this 1959 LP consist mainly of Dixieland standards such as “Clementine” and “Oh Suzanna”. The Celestial Monochord offers a psychoanalysis of the album cover.

The banjo player may or may not have participated in the music of the record, which was mostly done by studio musicians. There was a later stereo release with “Stereo” written across the top of the design.

The barbershop quartet “The Golden Staters” are three-time International SPEDSQSA medalists. On the cover, you are informed that they had won in 1966 and 1967. They won a third time in 1972. SPEDSQSA is the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. Bet you didn’t know such a society existed, huh? The quartet consisted of Gary and Jack Harding, Milt Christensen, and Mike Senter.

Visits: 81