My Super 70's: I'd Really Love To See You Tonight by England Dan and John Ford Coley

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Happy Valentine's Day. The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll has a special treat for you today because I'm giving you some England Dan and John Ford Coley. They had a hit in 1976 with 'I'd Really Love To See You Tonight', which is quite possibly the most polite booty call song in the history of rock and roll.

Take a listen to the song and then join me for some deep thoughts:



Are you with me on that being the most polite booty call song? England Dan and John Ford Coley are struggling to get a lady to stop by for the evening. If you break down the lyrics you have something that goes like this, "Excuse me, I'm having strong feelings for you and I would be most pleased if you joined me for an evening of coitus. It's completely up to you, my dear. I apologize for being very forward." My friend described this as "Booty calling a 1970's feminist". Don't get all uptight with me because the 70's was by no means a conservative decade. Studio 54 anyone?

The 70's had plenty of sexy jams, and they were more direct than 'I'd Love To See You Tonight'. For example, the master himself, Marvin Gaye, sent millions of women into a sexual frenzy with his 1973 hit 'Let's Get It On'. When this song played on the radio, some women underwent a miraculous moment where they instantly became pregnant. Marvin had magic powers.I'm going to test my Marvin theory out and embed his hit below. WARNING: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY IMMACULATE CONCEPTIONS.


Happy Valentine's Day and stay sexy.

TonyDoug Wright is The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll and is also the head writer and owner of Champion City Comics. Follow him @TonyDougWright on Twitter.

'Respect' by Aretha Franklin

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Detroit Rock City week is about to end, but The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll is ending the week with a Motor City classic. The song of the day for October 5, 2012 is 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin.

Aretha Franklin was born in Tennessee, but moved to Detroit when she was a young girl. Her father, C.L. Franklin, was a famous preacher, and Aretha was a star singer for his church. She was pursued by Berry Gordy, Jr. of Motown records, but her father demanded she sign with Columbia. Aretha recorded I Have Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You in 1967, and the opening track to that album was 'Respect', an Otis Redding cover.

It should be a law that you can't hate on this song. This is timeless music that has all the right ingredients for a major hit. Motown's history is very impressive and their roster of talent was and will always be second to none. I wonder what would have happened had Aretha signed with Motown instead of Columbia. 'Respect' is not only one of the greatest songs in the history of rock and roll, but it is a song that never gets old. I don't know what else I can say about this fabulous song, but click the video below and enjoy.

Living For The City by The Dirtbombs

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Detroit Rock City week continues at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll, and the song of the day for October 3, 2012 is a cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Living For The City' by The Dirtbombs. We've got Detroit covering Detroit today. I know Stevie Wonder had the song of the day yesterday and covers week occurred a few weeks ago, but I gotta show some love to The Dirtbombs. 

The Dirtbombs are an awesome rock band influenced by all the great soul and punk artists from the Motor City. Mick Collins is the lead singer and founder of this band known for their incredible live shows. The Dirtbombs released an R&B and Motown cover album in 2001 titled Ultraglide in Black, which includes today's song, and that was my first experience hearing The Dirtbombs.

It's nice to know that bands still have some love for soul music.I do my best not to sound like the crazy old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn, but I don't hear much soul from the rockers these days. Didn't those rock and roll kids listen to Motown or Stax growing up? If I'm missing out on a band that has plenty of soul then give me the 4-1-1 down in the comments section below. Check out The Dirtbombs below and enjoy some rockin' good Motor City music.

Uptight (Everything's Alright) by Stevie Wonder

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Rocktober is here and this is Detroit Rock City week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I'm selecting some of the best music from the Motor City, and the song of the day for October 2, 2012 is 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' by Stevie Wonder, a hit song from 1966.

Stevie Wonder was 15 when he recorded this song, so all of you teeny-bopper artists need to pay attention to the brilliance of Mr. Wonder. 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' was another piece of musical gold from Motown, a label that I view was the greatest in the history of rock and roll. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Motown household and if you don't like Motown, then you need to get out of my rock room. Take a listen to Stevie Wonder and enjoy your Rocktober.

The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes

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October is Rocktober at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll, so get ready for one rockin' month. In case you are wondering, I will continue to have a weekly theme, and this week's theme is Detroit Rock City. I'm going to select my favorite songs from artists from the Motor City, and the song of the day for October 1, 2012 is 'The Hardest Button to Button' by The White Stripes. This song is featured on their 2003 album, Elephant.

In my opinion, Detroit is THE city for producing rock and roll greats. New York, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston have rich traditions as well, but it is tough to beat Detroit. The amount of talent on the Motown label alone beats all of the previously listed cities. Don't be a hater because you know I'm right.

My first selection is 'The Hardest Button to Button' by The White Stripes. What? I didn't select 'Detroit Rock City' as my first selection? I'd like to set the record straight and inform you that Kiss is not from Detroit. Although they wrote and recorded a song called 'Detroit Rock City', it does not mean they are representing the Motor City. Kiss is straight out of New York City.  Now you know and knowing is half the battle.

Mainstream rock has been awful over the past decade, but The White Stripes kept the genre respectable. Jack and Meg are kickin' out the jams on this track, and it is one of my favorite songs by The White Stripes. I won't just kick mainstream rock while it's down, but I'll also kick indie rock as well. Come on folks, indie rock is stuck in a cycle that's comparable to lite 70s AM radio hits. Nobody rocks and everyone is stuck on feelings and all that crap. I need a band that knows what a distortion pedal is and uses it to create some killer music. Good work, White Stripes. Enjoy the song.       

Do You Love Me? by Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers

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This week, The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll is selecting fantastic covers. The song of the day for September 11, 2012 is Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers cover of 'Do You Love Me?', which was released in 1977 on their album L.A.M.F.

'Do You Love Me?' was written by Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown, and the song was a major hit in 1962 for The Contours. Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers absolutely take this song to a wonderful New York City '77 punk place, and deliver a memorable cover despite the poor mixing. If think you're punk and you don't know who Johnny Thunders is, then you better retire from the scene because the guy was a legend. Thunders rocked with the New York Dolls and as a solo artist.

I first discovered this song twelve years ago when I found a 45 of 'Do You Love Me' b/w 'One Track Mind' at Flipside Records in Kalamazoo, Michigan. At the time, I didn't have a record player, so the vinyl sat in my closet for about a year. When I started dating the beautiful gal who would become my wife, she informed me that she had an old record player, and I was very happy. One day, I placed the vinyl on the record player and was blown away. I hope you love this cover as well. Enjoy!