CD SHOWCASE MEMORIES

ALERT: DELAYED DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Ending the day listening to “Old Pictures” by KT Oslin & “Shelter From The Night” by Exile (continuing THIS THOUGHT about playing songs not officially released as singles), while checking under the hood of a 1974 Plymouth Barracuda, photographed by OC,SHer JAY J at the 2002 Secretary Of State Show, Springfield IL….

#1 “Old Pictures” | KT Oslin
It’s always fun to listen to a record (in this case, vinyl!) you just bought & find meaningful songs not played on the radio. Such is the case for me with this song, when I bought this album (1987’s ’80’s Ladies’), particularly the lines “here’s brother with his very 1st automobile, we thought he’d wash the paint away”. Talk about me to an absolute T! Listening to this song again now, it is even more poignant: “Who taught time to fly?” Perhaps this could be another theme song for this website. You might say she took the country world by storm when she made her singing debut … at age 45. While she had previously released songs (including “Younger Men”), she hadn’t faired well on the charts or with audiences. Meantime, Gail Davies (“Round The Clock Loving”), The Judds & Dottie West recorded her songs. Then, she caught the attention of producer Harold Shedd, best known for his work with Alabama, & the rest is history. Her 1st Top 10, 1987’s “80’s Ladies”, reached #7 & won her the Song Of The Year & Female Vocal Grammy Awards. Her 3rd (of 4 chart toppers) #1 hit, 1988-9’s “Hold Me”, also won her those same 2 awards. Another of my favorites of hers not released is the uptempo “Truly Blue” on her 2nd album, ‘This Woman’, which featured “Hold Me”.

#2 “Shelter From The Night” | Exile
This band’s career began with a pop hit, 1978’s “Kiss You All Over” (#1, Billboard Hot 100), then transitioned to the country genre, where they notched 10 #1 tunes in the 1980s. The band attempted a mixed album with 1987’s ‘Shelter From The Night’, which produced a #1 country tune in 1987-8’s “I Can’t Get Close Enough”. Several songs on the album, though, have more of a rock feel, including “Feel Like Foolin’ Around” (which was released as a country song, spending 4 weeks on the charts) & this song, 1 of my favorites from the album. The message in the lyrics is that we all seek a peaceful place where we feel sheltered from the bad of the world around us; sometimes, though, we seek that shelter in the wrong places. The band ended their career in the early 1990s with a pair of Top 10 country tunes: 1990’s “Nobody’s Talking” (#2) & 1990’s “Yet” (#2), featured HERE.