Worth Another Listen - Baltimora

With his trademark red-rimmed glasses and often wild hair styles, Jimmy McShane took the lead for the group Baltimora in 1984, having been recruited by producer/musician Maurizio Bassi, mastermind behind the group. Being Irish didn't stop the Italian from hiring McShane, a dancer, for the group based in Italy. Bassi made him the frontman of Baltimora. In the Summer of 1985, they released Tarzan Boy, a zany, crazy dance song, and it swept the world. It reached #13 on the Billboard Pop chart, and played in every club that opened its doors.



A 'fun' fact about that was although McShane is shown singing in that video, it was not his voice. Bassi wrote, produced, played keyboards, and sang the lead in the studio, but always thought McShane looked more like a front man, so cast him in the video. Milli Vanilli anyone? Apparently, McShane would have killed on RuPaul's Drag Race, breezing by the 'lip synch for her life' part. No worries, for they knew the score. Their second single, Living In The Background, had moderate success, breaking the Top 100 to #87 on the Pop chart. I will say if you listen to the following video, the accent sounds similar to the Tarzan Boy accent, more Italian than Irish, but I believe they only admitted to the 'bait & switch' on the first song.



The third single was released in early 1986, Woody Boogie, met with some European success, but did not get a peek at the charts in the US. In fact, the Swiss and Dutch charts would be the last time they would be on any chart at all.



The most interesting thing about the fourth release from the Living In The Background album was Jukebox Boy, a rather generic song that did have an interesting video. Not interesting enough to get it on the charts, but interesting enough for me to post now. LOL



Baltimora released a second album in 1987, but it went no where. Shortly thereafter, they disbanded. When used in a Listerine commercial in 1993, a remix of Tarzan Boy made it into the Billboard Top 50, the last gasp of the band. Sadly, in 1995 Jimmy McShane passed away due to complications from AIDS.

Worth Another Listen - Walter Egan

Aside from my graduating from high school, another notable happening in 1978 was the release of the Walter Egan song, Magnet & Steel. The song, co-produced by the amazingly talented Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, scampered it's way up to charts to a high of #8, big news for an unknown artist, and something that will forever hold him as a one hit wonder in fine standing. I remember the song, and it played at the prom, and almost every other event that year. I have many fond memories attached to it.



Egan continued putting out music, but never again achieved the heights he did with Magnet & Steel. He still plays when he can, although he also settled in Tennessee where he is also a substitute teacher at Centennial High School in Franklin. You can find out more about Egan at his official website here.

Worth Another Listen - Benny Mardones

Benny Mardones, then and now.

In 1980, an unknown songwriter named Benny Mardones shot up the Billboard charts with a Top 20 hit, Into The Night. The song was all over the airwaves, and the single sold well. It was a favorite at dances and seemed like a popular 'make out' song. Mardones' raspy voice was perfect for the power ballad. Unfortunately, Mardones only found himself on the charts one other time, and that is in 1989 when a radio DJ decided to do a 'Where Are They Now' segment on him, and once again his only hit, Into The Night, hit the charts once again. This seemed to be a movement across the country, and it again hit the Billboard Top 20.



This left Mardones in an interesting position. He falls decidedly into the 'One Hit Wonder' category, with just one song on the charts, yet he had two hits with that one song, nine years apart. There are estimates that Into The Night has been played on the radio more than 4 and a half million times. It appears Mardones still tours, and recently released a new album, Let's Hear It For Love. To find out what Benny has been up to, click here.

Worth Another Listen - Looking Glass

Their sound epitomized the sound of the Jersey show in the 70s, and their sales defines one hit wonder. Looking Glass formed in 1969, and in 1972 released Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) which became the #1 song of summer the the fall of that year. Looking Glass were Elliot Lurie with lead vocals and guitar, Lawrence Gonsky on keyboards, Pieter Sweval on bass and Jeff Grob on drums. Lurie's voice was hard to forget, although follwoing his time with Looking Glass, he tried a solo career that didn't work, and eventually was involved in the production end of music.