Today's playlist. This 18th installment features "Cross Country".
I bought it at Flash Disc Ranch, my favorite record store in Shimokitazawa.
This is a record store I've been going to ever since I first moved to Setagaya. It's popular because of its amazing point card system, which is valid as long as the store is open. Once you collect 50 stamps, you can buy any number of records under 15,000 yen for half price.
"Cross Country" is a compilation album on vinyl LP released in 1984 by Warner Bros. Records in Germany. The album includes rock, blues, pop, and folk/country music, and features artists such as Crystal Gayle, Jonny Lee, and Gayle Davis.T.G. Artists such as Shepard, Rodney Crowell, and Emmylou Harris participate. Notably, tracks like Crystal Gayle's "The Sound of Goodbye" and Jonny Lee's "Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places" are included.
We've selected two artists from that group to introduce to you.
Both are American country-pop songs that you might have heard in an old-fashioned bowling alley.
I found some great images on the website of "Memories of Bowling Alley," so please take a look if you have a chance.
Shin-Tokorozawa Bowl(It seems to have closed down in 2010. My childhood memories must be from the early 2000s.)
First up is "Crystal Gayle".
Crystal Gayle (real name: Brenda Gayle Webb, born January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." Initially, Gayle was signed to the same management and record label as her sister Loretta Lynn, but after several years of lack of success, and with Lynn's encouragement, she decided to try a different approach. She signed a new record deal and began recording with Nashville producer Allen Reynolds. Gayle's new sound was called Middle Road (MOR) or Country Pop, and became part of a major musical trend in the 1970s for many country artists to appeal to a wider audience. Gayle subsequently became one of the most successful crossover artists of the 1970s and 80s. She is also known for her distinctive floor-length hair.
And the second person is Gail Davies.
Gail Davis rose to fame as a successful singer-songwriter in the 1970s and 1980s, recording numerous top 10 and top 20 Billboard hits. She is one of the most influential artists in country music and the first female record producer in the genre. She is considered a role model for other female singers such as Susie Bogus, Kathy Mattear, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Pam Tillis.
WAITER-U offers not only camping gear, but also a curated selection of music, books, and movies.
I've also created a playlist on Spotify, so please feel free to listen to it in the car on your way to a camping trip.
