JB – Page 28

Scritti Politti | First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)

From prolific MotD scout JB comes this submission from New Wave UK band Scritti Politti, fronted by Welsh vocalist/songwriter Green Gartside. The band’s name, Italian for “political graffiti,” definitely fit with its early politics-heavy releases. But by the mid-80s, the band’s sound had shifted to highly polished, synth-driven pop, with a consistently broad harmonic vocabulary — perhaps best demonstrated by the 1985 single “Perfect Way,” a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

“First Boy in This Town (Lovesick)” (1988) starts in Ab major, modulates to Bb major at the first chorus (1:00), then reverts to Ab for verse 2 at 1:27. That pattern holds throughout, except for the instrumental bridge (2:22 – 2:48), which centers around Eb major.

Eric Clapton | It’s In the Way That You Use It

From MotD fan JB comes this contribution: 1986 saw the release of August, Eric Clapton‘s best-selling album. One of the album’s singles was “It’s In the Way That You Use It,” a tune co-written by The Band’s guitarist Robbie Robertson and featured in the hit film The Color of Money. A whole-step direct modulation hits at 2:35.

The Association | Time for Livin’

Today we feature The Association’s 1968 release “Time for Livin’,” suggested by one of our mod scouts, JB. Known as a “sunshine pop” band from Southern California, the band is better known for its iconic hits such as ”Cherish” and ”Never My Love.” This track, which reached only #39 on the US pop charts, modulates all over the place — starting at the 0:52 mark and continuing all the way to the end.