The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #325-301

We have heard 175 songs thus far and if you're just tuning in, be sure to catch up on the first seven days.  Here now is another batch of One-Hit Wonders*:

At #325, a veteran musician who had one big solo hit in the 70's:

#325:  Shake It--Ian Matthews 

Matthews grew up playing football with the English rugby team Bradford Park Avenue in Lincolnshire.  Inspired by the British music explosion in the mid-60's, he sang with several bands and moved to London in 1966.  Matthews formed a trio, the Pyramid, a surf music band.  That group recorded one song, "Summer of Last Year" in 1967 on Deram Records.

In the Spring of 1967, Matthews joined Fairport Convention, one of the top folk-rock groups of the time.  In 1969, Matthews recorded his debut solo album, Matthews' Southern Comfort.  Ian formed a group using the name of the album and through several different lineups the group was critically acclaimed.  Their biggest hit they had was the cover of "Woodstock", which reached #1 in the U.K., #5 in Canada and #23 in the United States.  

Afterwards, Matthews split from Southern Comfort, who went on to release three albums of their own.  Matthews then recorded two solo albums on Vertigo Records, before forming Plainsong.  Plainsong signed with Elektra Records and recorded the album In Search of Amelia Earhart in 1972.

Plainsong folded, and although Matthews continued to record, he was unable to achieve solo success.  Finally in 1978, Matthews released "Shake It" on Rockburgh Records. The song caught on, reaching #13 in the United States.  But the North American rights for his album were held by Mushroom Records, whose owner, Shelly Siegel, died, leaving the label unable to promote the album properly.

After 15 years, Matthews was still just an admired but struggling musician with out-of-print albums.  He continued to record solo releases, and in 1986 reunited briefly with Fairport Convention, which led to the 1988 album Walking a Changing Line.  In 1989, Matthews reverted to the original spelling of his first name, Iain.

This group scored a big hit in 1969, then split up a year and a half later:

#324:  More Today Than Yesterday--Spiral Starecase  

This group from Sacramento, California, began as the Fydallions for an Air Force talent contest .  After leaving the military, the group performed on the Las Vegas circuit and in California.  They consisted of singer/guitarist Pat Upton, Harvey Kaye on organ, Dick Lopes on saxophone, bassist Bobby Raymond and drummer Vinny Parello.

The group signed with Columbia Records, but only on the condition that they change their name.  Thus, the band was renamed after the movie The Spiral Staircase, with a deliberate misspelling.  The first two singles were regional hits before they recorded their first album.  Upton wrote "More Today Than Yesterday" while the group was working in Las Vegas, and it became the next single.  In 1969, "More Today Than Yesterday" reached #12 and sold over one million copies.  

But 18 months after the single's release, the Spiral Starecase broke up due to bad management and arguments about finances.  Upton continued to work as a session musician, notably with Ricky Nelson.  In fact, Upton played guitar for Nelson in Guntersville, Alabama in what turned out to be Nelson's final concert before a plane crash took his life later that night.

This artist had a huge disco hit in 1978, then was unable to follow up her success when future releases were not disco songs:

#323:  I Love the Nightlife--Alicia Bridges  

Bridges began singing at a young age and learned to play guitar at age 10.  By age 12, she had her own radio program, The Alicia Bridges Show, broadcast every Saturday on WADA  in Shelby, North Carolina.  She occasionally sang on the program, but mostly cued up records, ran commercials and made live announcements.

In 1977, Alicia signed with Polydor Records and released her self-titled debut album the following year.  Her single "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)", which she co-wrote, caught fire and became a #5 hit in the United States.  She received gold records for the song in both the U.S. and Canada, and her song was also a hit in the U.K., Germany, Spain, Japan and several other European countries.  The album remained on the chart for 35 weeks and Bridges was nominated for a Grammy Award.  

Although the song was perfectly placed in the Disco Era, Bridges mostly sang rock, blues and love songs.  Subsequent releases more in her style did not fare well.  In 2006, Alicia founded Alicia Bridges Music Publications and she has produced three albums.  She also began to record again, releasing her second album, Say It Sister, in 2007 and her third, Faux Diva, in 2008.

In 1973, this artist emerged from the underground the enjoy his one popular song:

#322:  Walk on the Wild Side--Lou Reed

Reed was the guitarist, vocalist and main songwriter of the Velvet Underground, but they are more properly termed a "No Hit Wonder", so "Walk on the Wild Side" is Reed's only worldwide success.

Reed learned to play guitar from listening to the radio in Freeport, Long Island and played in several bands during high school.  His first recording was with a doo-wop group known as the Jades.  In 1960, Reed studied journalism, film directing and creative writing at Syracuse University.  He began hosting a late-night radio show on WAER and graduated from Syracuse with a B.A. in Arts and Sciences in 1964.

Reed moved to New York City and found work as a songwriter for Pickwick Records.  He had a minor hit with "The Ostrich", which poked fun at the popular dance songs of the period.  Pickwick assembled musicians, including John Cale, to help Reed promote the song.  Cale and Reed became roommates, and the two invited guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, two college acquaintances of Reed's, to join them in the group the Velvet Underground.  

Artist Andy Warhol became fascinated with the group and many of Reed's songs were inspired by Warhol and his associates.  But soon Warhol was fired as manager of the group and Reed also drove Cale from the group.  The band recorded several albums after that with no success. Although the Velvet Underground was a commercial failure, it had a cult following and inspired several musicians to form their own groups.  

After leaving the Velvet Underground in 1970, Reed went to work as a typist at his father's accounting firm.  In 1971, though, he signed a contract with RCA and recorded his debut solo album, backed by Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman of the group Yes.  The album included re-recorded versions of unreleased Velvet Underground songs but like albums of that group, it didn't sell either.

In 1973, Reed released Transformer, co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.  The song "Walk on the Wild Side" was a salute to the misfits, hustlers and transvestites who had surrounded Warhol.  Reed toured for the next two years before releasing the albums Berlin and Sally Can't Dance.  The live album Rock 'n' Roll Animal became his biggest-selling release.

Then in 1975, Reed recorded a bizarre double album of electronically generated audio feedback, called Metal Machine Music.  Though Reed claimed the album was a genuine artistic effort, it was returned to stores by the thousands after a few weeks.  

Reed performed at the First Farm Aid concert in 1985.  After 20 years, the Velvet Underground reformed for an album and European tour.  In his career, Reed has released 22 solo albums and 45 singles, but only one of those 45 became a hit.

This artist scored his one big hit with his sophomore effort:

#321:  Get Used to It--Roger Voudoris  

Voudouris formed a band while in high school in Sacramento, California. They opened for acts such as the Doobie Brothers, Stephen Stills and John Mayall.
In 1978, he released his self-titled debut album. His second album Radio Dream in 1979 contained the single "Get Used To It", which peaked at #21 but had great success where it was played.

But that was as big as Voudouris would get. He did enjoy some popularity in Japan and Australia, but after his solo career faded, Roger returned to writing music and lyrics, including a documentary on the life of Elvis Presley.

Bad relations with their record company seemed to doom this group after their one big hit:

#320:  Talk Talk--The Music Machine

This garage rock group started out as the Ragamuffins in 1965 before changing their name to The Music Machine.  Singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell led the group, which included Ron Edgar on drums, bassist Keith Olsen, Mark Landon on guitar and Doug Rhodes on organ.  Their sound used distortion and their onstage performances featured the group in dyed all-black clothing, black moptop hairstyles and a single black glove.

In 1966, The Music Machine released their debut album on Original Sound Records.  Seven of the 12 songs were written by Bonniwell.  "Talk Talk" hit the Top 20 in the United States.  But a follow-up, "The People In Me" reached #66.  Bonniwell blamed the record's weak performance on what he says was a feud between the band's manager and a record company executive.  

After a concert tour, the group split up, although Bonniwell released two more albums under the name The Bonniwell Music Machine.

At #319, this magical song from 1997:

#319:  Bitter Sweet Symphony--the Verve

Lead singer Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury formed the Verve in 1989 in Wigan, England after meeting at Winstanley Sixth Form College.  They created most of their early material via extensive jam sessions.  

The Verve signed a recording contract with Hut Records in 1991 and released their self-titled EP.  They were critically praised, but we all know what critical reviews mean for an artist, either good or bad--essentially nothing.  "She's a Superstar" was the best they could do with an entry into the U.K. Top 75.  The group's debut album A Storm in Heaven in 1993 was produced by John Leckie, who had produced Radiohead and the Stone Roses among others.  They continued to pick up fans and played concerts with Oasis, who were relatively unknown at the time.

The Verve's main exposure to American audiences came at the 1994 Lollapalooza Festival.  But they destroyed a Kansas hotel room and suffered other setbacks due to drugs and alcohol.  In 1995, the Verve released the album A Northern Soul, which contained a couple of minor U.K. hits. 

But Ashcroft broke the band up three months later, only to reunite with Jones and Salisbury a few weeks afterwards.  The group hired first Bernard Butler then Simon Tong to replace McCabe on guitar.  They did not play a live show, choosing to spend their time playing and recording songs for a new album.  Meanwhile, the group invited McCabe back into the fold, keeping Tong as a second guitarist.

In 1997, the group released the album Urban Hymns, which became one of the best-selling albums in U.K. history, spurred by the worldwide smash "Bitter Sweet Symphony".  The single hit #2 in the U.K. and Italy, #3 in Ireland, #5 in Canada, #6 in Finland, #9 in Norway, #10 in Sweden and #12 in the United States.  The Verve won two Brit Awards including Best British Group and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

But after their only worldwide success, the Verve broke up in 1999.  They have reunited two times but broke up for the final time in 2009.  The group released four albums and 14 singles in their career.

This next artist gave us a #2 smash but was never heard from again:

#318:  Playground in My Mind--Clint Holmes  

You can't keep a good song down.  "Playground in My Mind" was released in July of 1972 but didn't chart until March of 1973.  It eventually reached #2 in the United States and #1 in Canada and sold over a million records.

Holmes, originally from Bournemouth, England, was a vocal music student at Fredonia State College before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.  After the war, Holmes sang in nightclubs up and down the East Coast.  

Holmes performed in Las Vegas from the early 1970's until 2006.  

An R&B smash gave this group its one big hit in 1980:

#317:  Take Your Time (Do It Right)--S.O.S. Band 

This act formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977.  They were originally known as Santa Monica, before changing their name to the S.O.S. Band (which stands for Sounds of Success).  

The group released the single "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1980, and it promptly hit #3 overall and #1 on the R&B chart.  It sold over two million copies and was featured on the group's self-titled debut album.  

Mary Davis sang lead for the group until 1987, when she left for a solo career.  Despite teaming up with talented producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the group was unable to continue their level of success.  Davis reunited with the group in 1994 and the S.O.S. Band still performs.

A novelty record gave this artist his one big hit in 1961:

#316:  Mother-in-Law--Ernie K. Doe

Ernie K. Doe recorded as part of the group the Blue Diamonds in 1954 before recording solo the next year.  "Mother-in-Law" became a #1 song in 1961 and topped the R&B chart as well.

Ernie never reached the Top 40 again, but he did enjoy two other minor hits on the R&B chart ("Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" in 1961 and "Later For Tomorrow" in 1967).  K-Doe later did radio shows on WWOZ and WTUL in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This group reunited to pay tribute to their fallen co-founder, and the experience was so successful that they got back together, leading to their one big hit:

#315:  Cum On Feel the Noise--Quiet Riot 

Elite guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni formed the band Mach 1 in 1973, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet Riot in 1975. The group's original lineup was: Rhoads, Garni, lead singer Kevin DuBrow and Drew Forsyth on drums.

Quiet Riot opened for Van Halen in several clubs in Los Angeles including the Starwood and KROQ's Cabaret nightclub before either band had a recording contract. Quiet Riot reached a deal with Sony Records, but only for distribution in Japan.

The group recorded their self-titled debut in 1977 and Quiet Riot II in 1978, after which, Rudy Sarzo replaced Garni. In 1979, Rhoads and Sarzo left to join Ozzy Osbourne's band.  DuBrow and Forsyth tried to keep the group together with various combinations.

Then, when Rhoads died in a plane crash in 1982, Sarzo quit Osbourne's band. DuBrow asked Sarzo to play on a track called "Thunderbird", a tribute to Rhoads. The group had so much fun that they recorded half an album. In 1982, Quiet Riot signed with CBS Records and completed work on the album, which was called Metal Health.
Metal Health represented Quiet Riot's debut in the United States and in 1983, the single "Cum On Feel the Noize" was released, a cover of a minor hit by Slade. The song reached #5 and helped Metal Health reach #1 on the album chart. The album eventually sold six million copies. Quiet Riot opened for Black Sabbath on their North American tour in 1983 and 1984.

Quiet Riot released Condition Critical in 1984, and sold three million copies despite not having any popular songs.  But DuBrow began telling the media that many groups owed their success to Quiet Riot, even comparing his band to the Beatles. This alienated fans and music contemporaries and Sarzo left the group. Quiet Riot was never the same afterward.

This country artist scored his one big hit when a song he recorded was featured in the blockbuster movie Urban Cowboy:

#314:  Lookin' for Love--Johnny Lee 

Johnny Lee (real name John Ham) formed a rock band in high school known as Johnny Lee and the Roadrunners.  After high school, Lee served in the United States Navy, then played cover tunes in bars and nightclubs in Texas throughout the 1960's.

Lee worked with Mickey Gilley for ten years, both on tour and at Gilley's Club in Pasadena, Texas.  The blockbuster movie Urban Cowboy was shot mostly at Gilley's club, and Lee recorded "Lookin' for Love" for the soundtrack album.  The song reached #5 in the United States and sold over one million copies.

Lee has released 14 albums and 30 singles in his career, with country success, but "Lookin' for Love" is his only song that had wide appeal.



This artist gave us one of the memorable songs from 1996:

#313:  One of Us--Joan Osborne 

Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980's, forming her own record label, Womanly Hips.  She released a few independent records, then signed with Mercury Records.  Her first studio album was Relish in 1995, which contained "One of Us".  The song reached #4 in 1996 and sold over one million copies.

Osborne was featured in the 2002 documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and opened for the Dixie Chicks on a 2003 national tour.  She has released seven albums and seven singles.  "St. Teresa", also from the Relish album,  was underrated and did not chart, her next-best effort to "One of Us".

This artist scored his big hit when Gary U.S. Bonds passed on the song:

#312:  If You Wanna' Be Happy--Jimmy Soul 

Soul performed gospel music as a teenager before being discovered by Frank Guida. Guida recruited Jimmy to sing songs that were handpicked for one of Guida's other artists, Gary U.S. Bonds. 

Jimmy's first single, "Twistin' Matilda" just missed the top 20 at #22.  Soul's big hit was based on the calypso, "Ugly Woman" by Roaring Lion. Bonds didn't want to do it, so Soul had next dibs on the song.  The song hit #1 in 1963.  Subsequent singles failed and Soul joined the United States Army before dying of a heart attack at age 45.

This artist gave us one of the great songs of 1969:

#311:  Yellow River--Christie

This British group consisted of singer/songwriter and bassist Jeff Christie, guitarist Vic Elmes and drummer Mike Blakley. In 1969, Christie wrote the song "Yellow River" and offered it to the Tremeloes. They recorded the song and planned to release it as a single but changed their mind and gave permission for Christie to use the backing track.  

"Yellow River" reached #1 in the U.K. and #23 in the United States; in fact it was #1 in 26 countries with worldwide sales of over 3 million copies.  Christie's follow-up "San Bernadino" was #7 in the U.K. but success was contained in Europe.  Further efforts were popular in Mexico and South America but not worldwide.

This group gave us one of The Top Instrumentals of the Rock Era*:

#310:  Soulful Strut--Young-Holt Unlimited 

Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bass guitarist Eldee Young were former members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, who formed their own group after adding pianist Don Walker in 1966. They were first known as the Young-Holt Trio and reached #40 with "Wack-Wack".

In 1968, the group renamed itself Young-Holt Unlimited, replacing Walker with Ken Chaney. "Soulful Strut" was the result, which was the backing instrumental track of "Am I the Same Girl" by Barbara Acklin. "Soulful Strut" sold a million copies and peaked at #3.

Future efforts did not prove to be successful and the trio broke up in 1974.

Imagine the good fortune of this artist when she received help from the Bee Gees at the peak of their career:

#309:  Emotion--Samantha Sang   

Sang began singing at age eight on Australian radio.  In 1966, she released her debut single, "The Real Thing" on HMV Records.  

Sang had a hit in her native Australia with "You Made Me What I Am" in 1967. In 1969, she moved to the United Kingdom, where Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees heard her and urged his manager, Robert Stigwood, to sign her. Sang released several songs that were minor hits in some European countries before returning to Australia in 1975. 

Sang signed with Polydor and released a debut album. Then in 1977, she visited Gibb in France while the Bee Gees were recording songs for the upcoming "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack. The Brothers Gibb wrote "Emotion for her, co-produced the song, and sang backing vocals. "Emotion" reached #3 in the United States, #2 in Australia and #11 in the U.K.

Sang followed that up with "You Keep Me Dancin'", a #56 song. That was as high as she would get again, however, despite three albums and eight single releases.

This group hit #7 with their initial release, but it all went downhill after that:

#308:  (You Gotta') Fight for Your Right (To Party!)--Beastie Boys

For much of their career, the Beastie Boys have consisted of Michael Diamond on drums, Adam Yauch on bass and Adam Horovitz on guitar.  They originally formed as a four-piece band in 1981 with guitarist John Berry and drummer Schellenbach joining Diamond and Yauch.  The Beastie Boys toured with Madonna in 1985 and released the album Licensed to Ill a year later.  "(You Gotta') Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" reached #7.

A controversial tour followed that included a riot at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, England that started just 10 minutes into the show.  Horvitz was arrested by Merseyside Police on assault charges.  After Liverpool's the Beatles made headlines on the music they produced, quite a different story with these guys.

The group signed with Capitol Records after their big album but subsequent releases did not come close to Licensed to Ill.  Fans have purchased 22 million albums of the Beastie Boys in the United States despite the group having just one good song in their career.

At #307, this artist revolutionized guitar playing:

#307:  Rumble--Link Wray

Link Wray 

Some of music's most memorable innovations and creations dot the landscape that make up One Hit Wonders, one of the main reasons Inside the Rock Era chose to present this special.  This artist introduced the power chord in electric guitar with this single in 1958.  Without it, today's guitarists wouldn't know where to start, and the genres of punk and heavy rock wouldn't have been possible.

Wray first heard the slide guitar at the age of eight while growing up in Dunn, North Carolina.  He began playing music while his family moved often.  Wray served in the United States Army during the Korean War, but he contracted tuberculosis that would cost him a lung.  Although he would eventually prove doctors wrong by being able to sing later, Wray concentrated on his guitar after his illness.

After being discharged from service, Wray and brothers Douglas and Vernon joined friends Shorty Horton and Dixie Neal in the band Lucky Wray and the Lazy Pine Wranglers, later known as Lucky Wray and the Palomino Ranch Hands. After several years, the band was hired as the house band on the television show Milt Grant's House Party.  They recorded their first songs in 1956 for Starday Records.  

On the television show, the group backed many artists including Ricky Nelson and Fats Domino.  In 1958, at a live performance for the show, Wray and his group was encouraged to cover "The Stroll" by the Diamonds.  They came up with a similar song in the style of the blues which they first named "Oddball".  The song was a huge hit with the audience and eventually was heard by producer Archie Bleyer of Cadence Records.  Bleyer hated it, especially after Wray had poked holes in his amplifier's speakers to make the recording sound more like the live version.  

While searching for a title for the song, Bleyer listened to Phil Everly, who suggested the title "Rumble", because the song had rough undertones that reminded him of a street gang.  The single became a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom, and was said to have an influence on the Who, the Kinks and Jimmy Page.  

Despite making major inroads with "Rumble", Wray was never heard from again with a major song.  He had several other hard-rocking instrumentals in the late 1950's and early 1960's.  In 2009, the Library of Congress added "Rumble" to its National Recording Registry.  Wray was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and in 2012, he was posthumously honored by Dunn, North Carolina when Link Wray Day was declared on May 2.

This artist broke through for his only hit nine years after its initial release: 

#306:  Into the Night--Benny Mardones

Mardones began his career as a songwriter, penning songs for artists such as Brenda Lee and Chubby Checker.  Mardones used to perform demos of his songs and at the suggestion of Columbia Records executive Tommy Motola, Benny began recording.

"Into the Night", from the album Never Run, was one of those songs Mardones wrote that he recorded in 1980.  The song reached #11 and eventually sold over two million copies.  On the strength of his single "Into the Night", Mardones was signed to Curb Records.  In 1989, radio station KZZP in Arizona ran a segment called "Where Are They Now?", featuring "Into the Night".  Program Director Scott Shannon of Pirate Radio in Los Angeles added the song to the company's playlist, and the song became a hit all over again nine years after its release.  That made "Into the Night" one of just 10 songs to reach the Top 20 twice and the longest-charting single of the 1980's by a solo artist with a total of 3 weeks in its two chart runs.  

Mardones has released nine career albums, but "Into the Night" was his only major success.

Famed producer Gus Dudgeon stepped in and helped this artist enjoy his only big hit:

#305:  Fool (If You Think It's Over)--Chris Rea 

After high school, Rea worked in several jobs, including for his father's ice cream business.  Chris bought his first guitar at age 22 and began his musical career, a rather late start in the business.  In 1973, he joined the band Magdalene, replacing David Coverdale, who later joined Deep Purple and formed Whitesnake.  Rea then joined Beautiful Losers before beginning a solo career in 1974.

Rea inked a deal with Magnet Records and released his first single "So Much Love".  But it wasn't until 1978 that Chris released his debut album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?  The album was produced by Gus Dudgeon, famed producer for Elton John of some of EJ's greatest career albums.  The first single was "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", which went to #12 and was a #1 Adult Contemporary hit.  It was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys, losing to "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel.

Dudgeon also produced Rea's second album, but despite all that potential, Chris did not capitalize on his initial success.  "Water Sign" was a hit in Ireland and mainland Europe, and Rea continued to do well in Europe, particularly in Great Britain.  He released 23 albums and 68 singles, but "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" is the only song that a vast majority of people know about.   

 

High hopes for this group when they released this song in 1994:

#304:  If You Love Me--Brownstone 

Monica Doby, Charmayne Maxwell and Nichole Gilbert formed Brownstone in Los Angeles, having met at various auditions around the city.  One year later, they signed with Michael Jackson's MJJ Records and recorded their debut album From the Bottom Up.  "If You Love Me" was released as a single in 1994 and Brownstone was off and running.  It reached #8 in both the United States and the U.K. and was #1 in New Zealand.  The song was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the Grammy Awards and Brownstone received six nominations at the Billboard Music Awards, capturing the trophy for Top Hot R&B Singles Airplay for "If You Love Me".  Great beginnings and the sky seemed to be the limit.

However, after a successful world tour, Doris left the group.  Kina Cosper replaced her and the group has attempted several comebacks, but the magic was gone and things were never the same.

A Dutch duo checks in at #303:

#303:  How Do You Do--Mouth and Macneal 

Producer Hans van Hemert brought together Mouth (Willem Duyn) and Maggie MacNeal (Sjoukje van't Spijker) in the Netherlands in 1971.  Both had previous experience, with Mouth being in the group Speedway and MacNeal having released a solo single.

The duo's first single, "Hey You Love", was #5 on the Dutch chart.  "How Do You Do", however, was a hit throughout Continental Europe, Scandinavia, and North America.  It reached #8 in the United States and sold over a million copies.  Global sales of the single topped two million.  Mouth and Macneal released the album How Do You Do in 1972 and represented the Netherlands in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, famously won by ABBA.

Shortly afterwards, the group split up, and nothing they ever did would top "How Do You Do".

In 1984, a promising English group released this song:

#302:  My Ever-Changing Moods--Style Council 

Singer/guitarist Paul Weller and keyboardist Mick Talbot formed the Style Council in 1983. The group soon included drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, singer Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracey Thorn from the group Everything but the Girl ("Missing") and Tracie Young also collaborated with the Style Council.

By the end of the year, the group recorded a mini-album called Introducing The Style Council.  In 1984, the single "My Ever-Changing Moods" was released and reached #29 in the United States.  

However, after a live album and two studio albums failed to meet the standard set with "My Ever-Changing Moods, Polydor Records rejected their final album.  The group did well in their native England, and they had several hits in both Australia and New Zealand, but could never match the magic of their first single.  The Style Council broke up in 1989.

One of a few German groups in the special checks in next:

#301:  Mr. Vain--Culture Beat 

 

Torsten Fenslau formed Culture Beat, which has changed lineups several times. Fenslau had worked at the nightclub Dorian Gray in Frankfurt, Germany for 11 years when he decided to start the group with friends Jens Zimmermann and Peter Zweier. Culture Beat was at their best when singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme were in the group.

The group's first single, "Der Erdbeermund" reached #11 in Germany.  Culture Beat then recruited singer Lana Earl and Supreme to the group.  "No Deeper Meaning" peaked at #5 in the Netherlands, and Culture Beat's first, album, Horizon, was released in 1991.

Evans replaced Lana in 1993 and the group released "Mr. Vain" as a single.  "Mr. Vain" was a #1 song in no less than 13 countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.  It reached #17 in the United States and went gold, giving the group their first and only worldwide hit.

Culture Beat's second album, Serenity, received acclaim at the German ECHO Awards, with Fenslau winning Best Producer of the Year and the group winning for Best-Selling German Act Abroad.  

But Fenslau was killed in a car accident in Messel at age 29.  The group continued on without him, recording four albums and releasing 20 singles.  But "Mr. Vain" will long be the one people remember Culture Beat for.


O.K., there you have #325 to 301 on The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*.  Be sure to join us tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era for 25 more!