Gold Chains – I Come From San Francisco

Ah, the Bay Area! When I first saw this video, I couldn’t help thinking, “This is so San Francisco, kinda lame but sorta cool.” You’ll know what I mean when you watch it.
Cheers to the Bay Area and the folks who live there, I sure never could! (okay, I tried in the East Bay but I lasted less than a year…)

Rasputin-Boney M (another version here)

Despite being super popular in Europe during the 70s and 80s, German disco group Boney M were never all that famous here in the US. I first heard about them many, many years ago from a young Iranian co-worker who would talk about them endlessly and was shocked that they were never well known in the U.S. She had asked me to find her some of their music but despite my music collecting skills, I had no luck in locating any of their albums. Finally, I found some of their music, in of all places, on a Vietnamese mixtape I bought in a small Chinatown music store. Soon afterwards, I discovered one of their albums in my dad’s extensive record collection. Like my co-worker, I was hooked! Boney M’s music was catchy, infectious and even delivered social messages with their disco beats. Most of their songs are about folk heroes, rebels and historical events.
Their videos and performances have been an extra treat. The lead singer’s Michael Jackson like moves, along with his profuse perspiration lead one to believe certain substances might have been involved in fueling his on stage energy. See for yourself:

Daddy Cool-Boney M

Children of Paradise is another favorite and this is what it was like to go to school in the 80s, sorry if you missed out.