Customer Reviews

Convertible Music: From the Hip

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4 star:		(1)
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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.

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!

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]

The popular novelty song, "Johnny Are You Queer?" is actually the worst song on this very fine album, "Convertible Music." I'm not as crazy about Josie Cotton's second album, "From The Hip," which seems to be offered on the same disc here. No matter, I'm still giving the whole thing 5 stars.

Josie Cotton is simply wonderful and these two albums are well worth discovering anew. The best way to describe her music is energenic and entertaining. This music, when it first hit the scene, was both New Wave and Retro all at once. And somehow - 20 years later - it retains a terrific freshness. This is the type of CD that one puts on the 5-CD changer in the car... and leaves it there while rotatating all the other discs.

"He Could Be The One", "Johnny Are You Queer?", "Jimmy Loves Maryann", "Systematic Way" and her amazing covers of "School is In" and "Tell Him", are all songs that make the listener want to sing along.

Josie Cotton doesn't have the best voice in pop music - it can get a bit thin in the higher range. But her voice is very expressionistic and perfect for the kind of music she presents on these two albums. The instrumentals - espcially the percussion - are great on these records. The albums are very well produced.

The bottom line is that Convertible Music and From the Hip are a lot of fun and a pair of gems worth mining again.

Great trip down memory lane and stands the test of time.....Love Her and Her Music!!!!

Excellent buy! I had 'From The Hip' when I was in high school and still love it!

Convertible Music is an instant 80's classic. If you're a fan of bright, fresh, "new wave 80's" with a dash of "60's retro" (think Go-Go's) - then you will LOVE this CD.

From the hip (the 2nd LP contained on this CD) was not the strongest follow up for Josie but it has some very cool moments!

A note for Fleetwood Mac fans, Lindsey Buckingham makes a guest appearance (guitar) on "jimmy loves marryann".

Also, Brian Setzer later recorded his version (a very cool version) of "Gina".

This CD was on a lot of collectors "wish lists" for MANY years, so you should grab it while it's still around!

This is a great cd of 80's New Wave paying homage to the great 60's girl group sound! Josie Cotton ROCKS!!! Every tune is great & there's no filler. This is fun, feel good music. The best songs are (the campy, cult, novelty tune) "Johnny Are You Queer?", "He Could Be The One", "Rockin' Love", "Systematic Way", "Tell Him", "Jimmy Loves Maryann", "License To Dance", "Life After Love", & "Gina". Aside from the music, Josie had two of the coolest album covers from the 1980's! Especially her "Convertible Music". In 1995, she released a dark, gloomy album as Josey Cotton on Roxco Records called "Frightened By Nightingales". It was produced by Bill Rhea & it's pretty dreadful. If you like her "Convertible Music"/"From The Hip" albums, I also recommend both of Tracey Ullman's albums, "You Broke My Heart In 17 Places" (1983) & "You Caught Me Out" (1984).

Length:: 2:44 Mins