Nov 242023
 

Cover Classics takes a closer look at all-cover albums of the past, their genesis, and their legacy.

The Pointer Sisters

When we think of The Pointer Sisters–June, Ruth, and Anita, L to R above–we tend to think of their fun, frothy, soul-pop ’80s mega-hits like “He’s So Shy,” “I’m So Excited,” “Jump (For My Love),” and “Automatic” (to name a handful). These deliriously happy 40-year-old (!) songs, with their “roller rink-aerobics class-cruise the strip in a neon pink convertible” vibes, still have the power to kickstart even the most jaded heart.

But those hits don’t tell the whole Pointer Sisters story. You see, in the late ’70s, just before the aforementioned hot fudge sundae of singles was unleashed, The Pointer Sisters released two bona fide, screaming, strutting, sexy ROCK albums in a row. This is the story of those rebellious years when The Pointer Sisters, beloved AM radio sweethearts, went totally FM. Let the fantastical and improbable tale begin…
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Nov 042019
 
medicine sentimental lady

While Brad Laner has been kicking out tuneful fuzz in an assortment of incarnations since the early ’90s, he is best known for leading shoegazing popsters Medicine. The band – Laner plus a revolving group of collaborators – have operated on and off over the past 25-plus years, with gaps of up to 10 years between releases. As a solo artist in between the Medicine records, Laner has sweetly revealed himself to be an ’70s AM radio kid, recording a couple of particularly heartfelt, sludgy and exceptional covers of Top 40 nuggets, Chicago’s “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” and Blue Magic’s “Sideshow”. Continue reading »