One night in the late 80s I was listening to a weekly Westwood 1 radio program which often played "extra" songs during popular music countdowns (it wasn't the official Top 40 by Casey Casem). The DJ started something featuring George Michael on vocals. It was a cover of "Jive Talkin'" and I was flabbergasted. At the time I loved George Michael and the Bee Gees with equal passion.

The next time I was out shopping I looked everywhere for the single, but it turned out (I would later discover) it wasn't an American release. It was only available in the UK.

Yesterday, for some odd reason, I thought of the song for the first time in years. I had tried a few times in the past to track it down, but George Michael wasn't credited for the track so it took some digging. On iTunes and Amazon it is available as a 7" inch single and a 12" Jellybean remix (Amazon only offers them in vinyl while iTunes--obviously--is strictly digital).

Without even pausing to consider that more than twenty years had passed since I last heard this particular "Jive Talkin'," I downloaded both versions onto my iPod touch...and I can say without hesitation that it sounds as good as ever. The Bee Gees once said that they had heard this cover and liked it very much!:)

Here's more background on the song and Boogie Box High:

Boogie Box High 

Back in the 90s , whenever I would get down, this album always kept me company and then one day I just lost the collection...so now (since it's hard to come by in physical form) I'm trying to get all the songs separately...this was an amazing cd when you just needed to go off and cry by yourself for a little! Of course you don't need to be sad to put the music on...it's a great listen, no matter what!:)

by Stewart Mason

Another typically eclectic, weird, and wonderful compilation from the unfortunately short-lived Risky Business imprint, The Big Hurt takes its name from Toni Fisher's classic 1960 single, an over-the-top early example of stereo phasing that sounds as if it were recorded in an empty water tower. The other 11 tracks tend toward this type of pre-Beatles soft pop as well, with only J.D. Souther's soft rock "You're Only Lonely'" and Don McLean's 1981 cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying'" deviating from a program that includes weepy classics like the Fleetwoods' gorgeous "Mr. Blue" and Del Shannon's paranoid classic "Runaway," along with relative rarities like Johnny Tillotson's countrypolitan gem "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'." The Big Hurt, as the subtitle implies, is just right for a good old-fashioned sobfest. It's good that it's only 33 minutes and change, though -- no need to wallow.

Tracks

				Title	Performer	Time
		1		Big Hurt	Fisher
		2		Cry	Ray
		3		Crying	McLean
		4		Mr. Blue	Fleetwoods
		5		It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin'	Tillotson
		6		Hurt	Yuro
		7		I'm Hurtin'	Orbison
		8		Hurt So Bad	Little Anthony & the Imperials
		9		Mr. Lonely	Vinton
		10		Runaway	Shannon
		11		Suspicion	Stafford
		12		You're Only Lonely	Souther

"Lonely" by Anita Baker is a song I hadn't thought about in years, but used to love...so I downloaded it recently and it sounds just as sparkly and vibrant as ever...which made me wonder: is she working on anything new?

The last I read, Ms. Baker was working on an album called 21st Century Love, which was due for a November 9th release...but still has no availability date on Amazon.

In the meantime, it looks like she'll make an appearance on the upcoming Soul Train Music Awards:

Soul Train

On November 22nd two previously unavailable MP3 versions of Andy Gibb albums will appear on Amazon's digital download store...I'm so excited!!! And on the very recently released Bee Gees Mythology 4 cd set there's a disc devoted exclusively to Andy! Included is a never-before-released song called "Arrow through the Heart."

The girls I babysit for adore Max and Ruby...and now I've sort of gotten hooked on the Nick Jr. series, too. I especially like Max, who strikes me as a very independent and "in his own world" kind of guy. His older sister, Ruby, is pretty bossy and very rigid in her ways; it's no wonder Max is always wandering off chasing butterflies or lightning bugs while Ruby is so busy getting everything together, she can't keep track of her mischievous brother, who's having a blast.

Babysitting is not just something to do for money (which so many people seem to need in an economy where many of us are taking on second jobs or supplemental income through paid focus groups or odd jobs), it's a wonderful opportunity for anyone who loves kids and missed out (either by accident or on purpose) on having kids of his or her own. While I definitely need the extra dollars, I think I'd still babysit even for free...especially with the family I regularly watch now:)