Convertible Music: From the Hip

Josie Cotton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 10, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B00006IT44
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,943 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. He Could Be the One

2. Rockin' Love

3. Waitin' for Your Love

4. So Close

5. I Need the Night, Tonight

6. Johnny, Are You Queer?

7. Systematic Way

8. Another Girl

9. Bye Bye Baby

10. No Pictures of Dad

11. Tell Him

12. Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne

13. License to Dance

14. Life After Love

15. Stop Me

16. No Use Crying

17. Straight Talk

18. Gina

19. Come With Me

20. School Is In

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

After sparking controversy-and selling records-with her recording of Johnny Are You Queer? , Josie signed to Elektra, releasing these two LPs in '82 and '84. Farfisa organ and surf guitars enter the new wave on these often-overlooked gems, featuring the aforementioned song; her hits He Could Be the One and Jimmy Loves Maryann , and 18 more!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whatever Happened To?, July 22, 2003

By 

Cambel "cambel" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Convertible Music: From the Hip (Audio CD)

One of the things that always surprised me about 80's music is that many of the artists on the sountrack to the movie "Valley Girl" never had more sucess. The two that really come to mind are Josie Cotton, and Bonnie Hayes and the Wild Combo. This collection of songs from Both Albums of Josies are vintage, danceable, hillariously well put together songs that are as catchy today as they were back in 1983. Far from sounding dated they actually have help up much better than other songs from the same time. "He could be the one" has an infectious hook that will have most singing along, "Jimmy Loves Maryanne" was her biggest hit and you can still see why, although that honor would probably have gone to "Jonnie are you Queer?" but for radios refusal to play the song that asked the question 50% of the valley girls in the early 80's wanted to ask, or should have asked, of their OWN boyfriends.

This collection of her best songs is not something you buy to flesh out your collection of 80's music. It is actually somethng you will want to pop into the CD player in your car for those long drives when you need something to keep you awake and in a great mood.

5 stars.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than I remembered!, February 6, 2003

By 

LEE (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Convertible Music: From the Hip (Audio CD)

In the early 80's, I borrowed or rented vinyl records and taped the songs onto cassettes. One of my favorite tapes was Josie Cotton's "Convertible Music." The cassette tape eventually broke. CDs became the standard, but "Convertible Music" was never to be found as a CD. I lost hope that I would ever hear "Convertible Music" again.

On a lark, I decided to search for Josie Cotton (who can forget that name) on Amazon. To my total surprise, up pops Josie Cotton's "Convertible Music" and "From The Hip" on one CD. I hadn't heard "From The Hip" before so I was eager to hear it. I wasn't disappointed. All 21 songs are outstanding! I only wished I had a convertible to drive with the top down so I could go cruising with this CD blasting away! Better yet, I've got to find a girl (I'm in my late 40's so a woman would be more appropriate) who's willing to dance the night away with me listening to this CD.

Without a doubt,, this is a one of the best "dance" CDs to come out of the New Wave era!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhilrating bubblegum-girlgroup-power-pop, August 8, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Convertible Music: From the Hip (Audio CD)

It's surprising how well Cotton's first release, "Convertible Music," has stood the test of time. Originally released in 1982 at the height of the ROQ-of-the-80s boom, Cotton and her producers Bobby and Larson Paine fashioned an album that rode only incidentally on the crest of New Wave. Where they really anchored their work is in the classic sounds of '60s girlgroups and bubblegum pop.

The Paines' "Johnny, Are You Queer?" may have generated most of Cotton's publicity (first as an indie single on Bomp, then as an album track here), but the rest of the album is easily as good. The twangy guitars and organ backings hew more to hyper-melodic '60s sources, and the songs (penned by Cotton and her producers) are the sort of hook-filled summer (lost-)love fare that will stick in your head for days. Think of The Go-Go's or Bangles without the all-girl tags, Missing Persons without the angular new wave video affectations, or Blondie's debut with California sunshine replacing the New York grit. This is pure pop for now people, ala Bonnie Hayes & The Wild Combo, without a skippable track in the original eleven.

Cotton's followup, 1984's "From the Hip," couldn't possibly sustain the level achieved on her debut, particularly with her producers "updating" her sound to include hackneyed new wave synthesizers and syndrums. Cotton remains an appealing vocalist, and the songs hold promise, but the production defeats both with choices that were disappointing in 1984, and poorly aged twenty years later. Perhaps the Paines felt it would be a sell-out to repeat the sound of "Convertible Music," but its classic elements fit Cotton's voice and songs like a glove, and gave the album lasting distinction among its contemporaneous releases. The synth-of-the-moment arrangements on "From the Hip" make Cotton's second album mostly foregettable. The few highlights include the soulful stroll "Life After Love," the Freddy Cannon styled "Straight Talk," the rolling double-tracked surf-tinged "Gina," and a cover (as featured in the film "Valley Girl") of Gary U.S. Bonds' "School is In."

Collectables 2-fer includes the entirety of both albums - all that's missing is the B-side of Cotton's 1981 Bomp! single, "(Let's Do) The Blackout." This is absolutely worth picking up for the original 11 tracks of Cotton's debut, as well as a few selected cuts from the followup. Convertible Music: 5 stars; From the Hip: 3-1/2 stars. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]