It was Nostalgia Night at the PCEC meeting on Sunday, August 17 – well, Nostalgia Morning to be precise, since the meetings happen in the morning.
Club member David Garmaise, a frequent presenter of things audio and visual, took members on a trip down memory lane with a presentation called “Name That Tune.” David played the first few bars of 14 well-known pop songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, and invited the audience to name both the song and the singer. And the audience responded in fine fashion, getting all the song names right and missing only one singer.
It was more than just a quiz. Once the audience identified each song, David played an audio extract. For many of the songs, he provided some background information and showed some video clips.
PCEC Member David Garmaise livens up the Sunday PCEC meeting with his “Name that Tune” quiz. David had some interesting commentary about the songs and artists which were from 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
For “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” by the Rolling Stones, David showed a recent video of the band performing the song almost 50 years after it was released. “Bette Davis Eyes,” released in 1981 by Kim Carnes, an American singer-songwriter, was the only song where the audience failed to identify the singer.
“Billie Jean,” by Michael Jackson was one of the songs the audience identified very quickly. David explained that Jackson sang his new hits, Billie Jean and Beat It, on Motown’s 25th anniversary show in 1983 after singing a few numbers with his brothers. Jackson was no longer under contract with a Motown label at the time. The show was supposed to feature only Motown songs. But Jackson refused to appear unless he could sing his new hits. It was during this performance that Jackson introduced his famous moonwalk.
Club Member Darrel Vaught brought PCEC members up to date on the revised Immigration Police orders governing extensions of stay that will go into effect on August 29. Since many members are retirees, he quickly pointed out there is no change in requirements for retirement extensions. He recommended members and guests read the latest Club Newsletter for more information on the revisions.
David explained that “La Bamba,” released in 1958 by Ritchie Valens, was based on a Mexican folk song. It was one of early Rock ‘n Roll’s best known songs. It ranked 354th on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of all times. That may not sound all that impressive, but it was the only song on the list not in English.
Valens’ career lasted only eight months. He died in 1959 in the same plane crash that claimed the life of Buddy Holly. (The audience knew that too!) When “La Bamba” is played on the radio today, it is usually not the Ritchie Valens version, but rather one by Los Lobos, a Mexican-American rock band, which was featured in the movie “La Bamba” in 1987.
“I Can’t Help Myself,” was a Motown song released in 1965 by the Four Tops. David said that the four original members of the Four Tops played together from 1957 to 1993. The group is still performing, albeit with several changes in personnel.
“MacArthur Park,” released in 1968 by Richard Harris, is a well know song, covered by many singers, including Donna Summer, who did a disco version. The music is well liked, but there have been some scathing criticisms concerning the lyrics, especially the part about the cake being left out in the rain and the recipe being lost. Also, many critics say that Richard Harris can’t sing.
“You’re my world,” was released in 1964 by Cilla Black. The audience knew that Cilla Black’s real name was Veronica White. The audience identified “Massachusetts,” which was a big hit for the Bee Gees in 1967. David explained that the Bee Gees were very taken with the U.S. when they toured there and wanted to write a song about the country. At the time, the song “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie was very popular. That song talks about people going to San Francisco. So the Bee Gees thought, what would happen if everyone in Massachusetts left to go to San Francisco and all the lights in Massachusetts went out as a result? And that was the basis for the song’s lyrics.
“Hawaii” Bob Sutterfield gives thanks to the PCEC for the Certificate of Appreciation he received commending him for his tireless activities for the benefit of Club members. Bob recently stepped down from his membership on the PCEC Board of Governors as he now plans to spend about half his time outside of Thailand.
“You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” was recorded by Neil Diamond in 1977. In 1978, Barbra Streisand covered it on one of her albums. David revealed that a program director at a U.S. radio station spliced the two tracks together as a going away present for his wife, whom he had just divorced. The spliced version of the song got so much air play that the two singers decided to go into the studio to record an “official” duet version. Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand sang the duet in a surprise appearance on the 1980 Grammies telecast.
This PCEC logo and sign is on display every Sunday morning in front of the Amari’s Tavern by the Sea Restaurant on Beach Road. The Club is proud of its record of having met continuously every Sunday since March of 2001 to serve Pattaya’s Expat community.
Other songs included in the quiz were “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics; “We’ve Only Just Begun,” by The Carpenters; “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” by Tina Turner; and “The Winner Takes it All,” by ABBA. David also threw in “Waltzing Matilda,” which is not a pop song, but the Aussies loved it!
After David concluded his presentation, Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and called on Roy Albiston to conduct the always informative Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya.
For more information on the PCEC’s many activities, visit their website at www.pcecclub.org.
