When a small record label can’t keep up with the sales of a single, that’s when you have a monster hit, which was the case for The Monotones’ “The Book of Love.”

In 1956, after winning first place on The Original Amateur Hour, Charles Patrick from the newly formed vocal group caught a Pepsodent ad with the line “You'll Wonder Where the Yellow Went,” and a year later their single sold more than a million copies.

I’ve always adored this song, not only for the catchy vocals and the amazing natural reverb, but also for that ukulele sounding guitar attempting to keep up with the snap of that snare and kick drum. You can’t get much simpler than this track and even though it was the Monotones’ only hit, it’s a classic. 

Wire is largely considered to be one of the founders of “Post Punk,” a term that is often bandied about to signify a "do it yourself" counterculture music mentality- minus the sonic malice. Over their 42-year career Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, and Robert Gotobed created interesting, diverse and thoughtful songs that helped change the sound of Punk, New Wave, and Modern Rock.  

“The 15th” is from their third full-length album 154, released on Harvest Records in 1979. It is a minimalist down-tempo track, with light brushstrokes of electronic effects. It also feels dystopian, mirroring the bleak economic conditions England faced. 154 is a solid album, reminding listeners that Wire is more than a wordsmith layer cake of British Punk.

Wire never achieved chart success, but they are credited for having a strong influence on a countless number of bands including The Cure, Sonic Youth, R.E.M, Guided by Voices, My Bloody Valentine, Black Flag and Minor Threat.

I first heard the song “I Think She Likes Me” by Treat Her Right in 1986 on our local “rock” radio station. The song dragged me into a strange café with a mysteriously sexy woman sitting next to an empty bar stool. For a 13-year-old boy on his morning commute to school, it was a stool I wanted reserved for me.

The former singer from that group died on stage in Italy in 1999 at the age of 46. His name was Mark Sandman. He was performing with Morphine, the group he was best known for, a bare-bones trio consisting of only drums, baritone sax, Sandman’s own two stringed bass and his beat poetry inspired lyrics. They were a brilliant outfit featuring the wonderful musical talents of drummers Jerome Deupree and Billy Conway, and saxophonist Dana Colley.

Mark Sandman was a former taxi driver, construction worker, and fisherman, and his musical work reflected his life, one filled with humor, pain, regret, redemption, irony and love. He was one of the few musicians I longed to meet, and when people ask me who my favorite musical artists are, it’s hard for me not place him on that list.

“Goddess” is from Sandbox: The Mark Sandman Box Set, a compilation album of Sandman and Morphine songs released in 2004, five years after his death. It’s a powerful song harping on the difficulty women have faced throughout the centuries, and fitting for today’s #MeToo movement.

Mark Sandman is truly missed. His music pushed musical boundaries and his lyrics were honest, always brought a smile to my face, and reflected a life well lived.