for friends and family around Christmas of 1999. Allegedly, only about 300 copies were pressed, and Mike D would create elaborate stories of his fictional Country Mike charac- ter after word got out about the album’s ex- istence. The Beastie Boys, of course, played a ma- jor role in popularizing a genre that mixed rap, punk and hip-hop. Country Mike’s Greatest Hits was an absolute about-face from the group’s usual sound, but it’s also a lot of fun to listen to. Paul McCartney McCartney 2 McCartney 2 proves that Paul McCartney can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants musically and will be revered for his work, even if critics and audiences didn’t “get it” when it initially came out back in 1980. This cult favorite was heavy on syn- thesizers and experimented with a very un- expected electronic sound from a guy who is regularly accused of making “grandma music.” Producing three singles, “Coming Up,” “Waterfalls” and the incredible earworm “Temporary Secretary,” McCartney played all the instruments on the album, which was recorded in his home. Popular electronic music was still in its infancy throughout the 1970s, but McCartney embraced this new wave of eccentricity and instrumentation just before it became widely popular. It’s the only album of its kind in the former Beatle’s canon, and it’s a delight. David Bowie Young Americans David Bowie had put to sleep his alter ego Ziggy Stardust just two years prior to estab- lishing an entirely new musical direction in Young Americans. Bowie’s ninth studio al- bum, which came out in March 1975, marked a clear departure from the artist’s glam rock style, becoming a “blue-eyed soul” album that featured then-unknown singer Luther Vandross and backing vocals on the single “Fame” by John Lennon. “Fame” ultimately became Bowie’s first No. 1 hit, but overall the album received mixed reviews from critics and still does today. It is, however, an influential album in that Bowie was one of the first white musicians of the era to fully immerse himself in Black musi- cal styles. Mariah Carey (Chick) Someone’s Ugly Daughter Back in the mid-’90s, Mariah Carey ruled pop radio with hits like “Fantasy” and “Al- ways Be My Baby.” But there was something about the grittier, grungier frontwomen who were emerging in bands like Hole and No Doubt that intrigued Carey. So, she decided to start an alternative rock band called Chick. Thanks to her record label at the time, you likely had no idea. Chick’s only album, Someone’s Ugly Daughter, came out during the height of Carey’s pop career and was fronted by Clar- issa Dane-Davidson. Carey wanted to front the band but Sony Music Entertainment didn’t like the idea, although Carey is re- portedly listed as writer and background vo- calist “D.Sue” in the album’s liner notes. She also directed the art for the album’s cover, an Mariah Carey was intrigued by gritty rock. Diane Freed/Getty Images image of a lipstick and a dead cockroach. The single “Malibu” came out in ’95, but alt- rock stations reportedly wouldn’t play it due to lack of interest. Chris Gaines Garth Brooks in…the Life of Chris Gaines There’s not much in the world of music quite as odd as when, in 1999, country mu- sic heavyweight Garth Brooks took on the persona of Chris Gaines — a pale, dark- haired sad boy with a soul patch. He re- leased an album that year titled Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines, which was supposed to have been a soundtrack to an upcoming movie titled The Lamb.The film followed the story of a fictional rock musician who was in a car accident and whose career was on the downslope. But the film was never made, and in 2001, the production went on an indefinite hiatus. Brooks was left with fans wondering what in the hell was going on with their favorite country singer. And as if the album and ap- pearances as Gaines alone weren’t enough, VH1 released a mockumentary in the net- work’s signature Behind the Music docu- mentary style, with interviews of Brooks, er, Gaines, talking about sex addiction, car crashes, wildfires and affairs. Most people had no idea Brooks was playing a role, and Gaines eventually slipped into obscurity. But Brooks’ career did survive, as he has continued to sell out stadiums. And the Gaines album actually didn’t fare terribly bad with listeners at the time. Orville Peck (Daniel Pitout) Pony Punk-grunge drummer and singer-song- writer Daniel Pitout managed to keep his identity somewhat secret for a short while after becoming Orville Peck, a masked in- die country musician with a striking bari- tone voice. In 2019 he released the album Pony, including the shoegaze-y “Dead of Night,” to rave reviews. And then folks re- ally started wondering who the anonymous singer was. Turns out, he’s been part of the Vancouver punk scene for a while, in bands Nü Sensae and Eating Out, making Orville Peck the definition of reinvention. Pitout describes his personification of a country crooner as a love letter to classic country and has continued the character’s music with his second album, Bronco, released this past April. 19 19 dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER SEPTEMBER 22–28, 2022 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014
