Lighthouse, "Pretty Lady"

Yesterday I linked to a YouTube clip (Stories' cover of "Mamy Blue") that had been uploaded by a guy who calls himself Music Mike. In his uploading of lesser-known clips with history-lesson introductions, he seems to have styled himself after the classic oldies DJs of the rock era — the Dick Bartley and Cousin Brucie and Casey Kasem types — which I think is a genius idea. For lack of a better term, I call people like Music Mike YouJays; they're seeking to function as tastemakers in their spheres of influence, and we need more of those now, with so few radio DJs anymore serving as tastemakers.

So I owe Music Mike and his "Flashback Favorites" series a debt of gratitude: he introduced me last fall to not only Stories' version of "Mamy Blue" but also a song that has rapidly barreled into my all-time Top 10.

And I do not take my all-time lists lightly.

"Pretty Lady" was an almost-hit for a Canadian jazz-rock ensemble called Lighthouse, who scored two decent-sized hits in the early '70s: "Sunny Days" and "One Fine Morning," the latter of which is also a major fave of mine. The songs share driving rock beats, engaging horn charts with clever fills, gruff vocals, and delightfully pristine and intricate productions that allow each member of the multitude to shine. I've always adored brass rock, that melodic punch of trumpet with a steady beat behind it, and "Pretty Lady," with its gorgeously ornate arrangement and soaring backing vocals, is really the greatest brass-rock song ever recorded. It unconscionably petered out at #53 on the charts in 1973; I've been thinking it shoulda been an easy Top 10.

PS: I find it kind of fascinating that a person as obscure as Skip Prokop (the band's drummer) should have written three of my absolute favorite songs: those aforementioned Lighthouse tracks, and Three Dog Night's "I'd Be So Happy," a ballad of regret that actually bookends kind of nicely with "Mamy Blue."