Sound + Vision | The Blog

  • The Exotic Guitars : HOLLY HOLY

    by Frank Shankly
    Ranwood was established in 1968 by Lawrence Welk and the president of Dot Records, Randy Wood. The label's name is a combination of Randy Wood's na...

  • BRASS IN POCKET | The Pretenders

    by Frank Shankly
    Let’s talk about Chrissie Hynde for a moment. Actually, let’s talk about a song that has been rambling around in Frank’s brain for the last few day...

  • Four Facts About Four Tops

    by Frank Shankly
    Abdul “Duke” Fakir (tenor) was a teenager when he became friends with Levi Stubbs (baritone). The two first sang with Renaldo "Obie" Benson (bass...

  • Henry And Hazel Slaughter : IT CAN'T BE SOON ENOUGH FOR ME

    by Frank Shankly
    In the 1940s, soon after being released from the Army, Henry Slaughhter was asked to join the Ozark Quartet as a singer. Six months later, he becam...

  • Renee Armand : RAINING IN L.A.

    by Frank Shankly
    You don’t know Renee Armand? Don’t worry. Here you go:

Renee began her professional career at seventeen, performing with John Handy’s fusion band ...

  • Chicago : WE CAN STOP THE HURTIN'

    by Frank Shankly
    "What has happened to our townThere's people sleeping on the groundCold and lost, they fear the nightLeft alone, they'll lose the fightHadn't we b...

  • Chaka Khan : GOT TO BE THERE

    by Frank Shankly
    GOT TO BE THERE was Michael Jackson's debut solo single, written by Elliot Willensky and released on October 7, 1971, for Motown Records. It has be...

  • Frankie Valli : SWEARIN' TO GOD

    by Frank Shankly
    Of this single, Cash Box wrote, ”Frankie’s distinct vocal delivery meets a big, brassy arrangement, and the result is a song that will surely skyro...

  • Crosby, Stills & Nash : WAR GAMES

    by Frank Shankly
    WAR GAMES, written for the 1983 film WarGames and was released as a single by Crosby, Stills & Nash, peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100....

  • Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam : JUST GIT IT TOGETHER

    by Frank Shankly
    Written by Brooklyn producers Full Force, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s JUST GIT IT TOGETHER reached number sixteen on the Billboard R&B singles cha...

  • Suzy Bogguss : SOMEDAY SOON

    by Frank Shankly
    SOMEDAY SOON was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson, who recorded the song with Sylvia Fricker as the duo Ian & Sylvia in 1963. Fi...

  • Redeye : GAMES

    by Frank Shankly
    From Los Angeles, Redeye was a rock quartet fronted by Douglas "Red" Mark, formerly of The Sunshine Company. They released two albums on Pentagram ...