Trash Radio Manila Episode 14 Part 1: Birthdays, Soul, and all that Shite

Before everything else, I would like to wish a number of friends a happy birthday. So many cool souls celebrating their birthdays this month. Must I enumerate your names, boys and girls? You know who you are ... just send some booze over here (you know where to find us.)

Seriously, I hope you guys had a great birthday. But for some whose day may have been ruined by "retarded" people who can't seem to take a hint, we've uploaded for you this nifty soulful playlist:

1. GLORIA JONES - "Tainted Love"
2. BILLIE KENNEDY - "This Is A Groovy Generation"
3. THE OLYMPICS - "We Go Together (Pretty Baby)"
4. JAY and the TECHNIQUES - "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie"
5. THE EXCITERS - "Blowing Up My Mind"
6. THE UNTOUCHABLES - "(I Spy For The) F.B.I."
7. PAUL ANKA - "I Can't Help Loving You"
8. FREEDOM SUITE - "Sunshine Girl"
9. THE MARQUEE - "Turn Me On"

About the artists and the songs:

In her youth which was spent in Texas Gloria Jones sang gospel, and eventually wrote songs for Motown along with writing partner Pam Sawyer. She is probably best-known for "Tainted Love", a popular song remade over and over and thought by some to be a Soft Cell original (worse, a Put3Ska original.) Gloria is also known as the girlfriend of T. Rex's Marc Bolan at the time of his death.

There is not much written about Billie Kennedy online, except that he was part of vibrant 60s Detroit soul scene, and that came out with "This Is A Groovy Generation" off the Thelma Label. Thelma Label is responsible for releasing records of soul artists like Emanuel Laskey and, at one point, The Temptations.

The L.A. based The Olympics are best remembered for their danceable novelty songs. They had churned out a string of hits from the 50s to the 60s, and were better known for tunes such as "Baby Hully Gully", "Big Boy Pete", and "Mine Exclusively".

Out of Allentown, Pennsylvania comes Jay and The Techniques, an interracial band formed in the 60s, a rather conservative era for mixed race endeavours. The group is best known for their Top Ten bubble gummish/poppy/rhythm and blues hit "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie." The said song is in this segment's playlist.

The Exciters is a 75% girl group which was formed off two groups: The Masters and its sister group, (you guess it) The Masterettes. Herb Rooney of The Masters hooked up with Brenda Reid (who was to become his wife), Carolyn Johnson, and Lillian Walker to form The Exciters and recorded memorable hits such as "Tell Him" and "Blowing Up My Mind". The latter is included in the list as well.

The existence of a brief ska-reggae revival movement in L.A. and Southern California in the 80s is being credited to the involvement of The Untouchables. Their music has been described as highly energetic. Find out with their song "(I Spy For The) F.B.I." which is the second single from their first full-length album Wild Child.

Who doesn't know Paul Anka? There is no denying that this man, who has enjoyed immense popularity in the late 50s and early 60s as a singing teenage heart throb, is primarily a songwriter, and not just any other songwriter. His immense catalogue includes songs like "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", "Diana", "Puppy Love", and the Kodak theme song "Times Of Your Life"; he is also credited for the English lyrics of that Frank Sinatra classic that affected nearly every videoke-loving soul in the planet, not even sparing that man called Sid Vicious.

Freedom Suite is a Mod band from Japan. Hiroshi Yamashita, the band's vocalist and guitarist, takes after Paul Weller, and the band pays tribute to Mod greats Small Faces and The Who. Together with their compatriots The Marquee, their songs can be found in the Mods Mayday 25th Compilation.

So there you have them. Hope you like our segment. Well worth the wait, no? :"> Really, nothing beats putting a little soul in your life, not even a teeny weeny hint of shite, err, affection from your "retard" of choice. So, cheer up, and have a grand birthday, you, you know who you are. ;)

Photos of Gloria Jones, Jay, The Exciters, Wild Child Album, and Mods mayday album borrowed from the artists' sites. Click on the linkies above.

And before I forget, a high bitrate playlist can be downloaded here.