Ric Menck's lovably wimpy singing on Choo Choo Train's sparkling "Wishing On A Star" has long been one of the yardsticks against which I measure other vocal performances. That it was recorded as an antidote to the 'smelly guy rock' that was prevalent around Illinois in 1987 only makes me love it all the more. A similar vocal which measures up well on this scale is John Murphy's on Shoes' "Okay" from roughly a decade earlier:
"Okay" was the b-side of Shoes' debut single, "Tomorrow Night" (BOMP!) but only recently came to my attention as it also appears on the brilliant "Black Vinyl Shoes" lp, reissued in late 2012 by the always classy Numero Group. Despite the recent gulp-inducing hike in the international postage rates charged by the US Postal Service, I still felt the need to snap up an unplayed copy of "Tomorrow Night" from a Stateside seller. Concerns about the money spent, however, melt away in the face of such a beautiful piece of art.
According to Shoes' Wikipedia page, Ric Menck has drummed for them in the past. I'll bet that was a dream fulfilled for him!
Other vocals which score highly on the "Wishing On A Star" scale:
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