I'm sure you've all played Simon Says when you were a kid, right?
The game's simple enough, one person gives instructions and you must obey it (but only if he says "Simon says"). Failing to follow Simon's instructions, you are eliminated from the game.
So, Simon says enjoy these songs:
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Discography
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I have here The Outfit Movement Vol 1 by Philanastasia (official/myspace), a New York-based underground hip-hop artist that reminds me of House of Pain (in fact, the opening song on this promo album is a reimagined "Who's the Man"). His biography lists him as "a white boy that isn't trying to sound like Eminem", which I think is a good thing.
The Outfit looks like a group of rappers (Lazy K, Neph-E-Neph, The Last American B-Boy, Dyverse The First, King Just, Lounge-Lo, Rahsaan, and Dr. Ama), under Phil Anastasia's umbrella, doing original rap lyrics over existing recorded music.
What impressed me about this album is that it sounds remarkably clear as the whole thing is recorded live, hosted by one of the Outfitters, DJ Lazy K.
When I heard Gorillaz's "Feels Good Inc" as the backing track for PA, King Just & The Last American B-Boy's raps, I had to smile at how different this song suddenly turned out.
Anyway, the Outfit's mix of "Simon Says" is not that different from the original Pharoahe Monch's version and variants - includes all the rude boobies lyrics.
If you like underground hip-hop, you'll definitely want to check out Philanastasia. If you want a copy of The Outfit Movement Vol 1, it is actually free for a limited time if you purchase their main original album, The Outfit (both CDs can be yours for the low price of $7.99). I don't need to tell you that this is a very good price for a full length.
The Shangri-Las named themselves after a New York restaurant and was together for about six short years. You might have heard of "Leader of the Pack", which is their most well-known song.
If you think two of the girls look alike, that's because they are identical twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser, while the other original members were also sisters: Mary and Betty Weiss (Betty rarely made public appearance, however).
Their very first recording was actually "Simon Says" in December 1963. This was very early in their career and it definitely has that Motown and Northern soul dance vibe. I love it! I just want to dance whenever I hear this song.
They also have an alternate version called "Simon Speaks", which I don't think I liked as much as "Simon Says".
When they had recorded this song, they were all under the age of 18, with Betty being the oldest at 17.
At the height of their popularity, in 1964, they opened up for the Beatles, The Drifters and James Brown.
Unfortunately, the band went into early retirement after disputes with their record label. They were only 21 and 22 :)
Speaking of pop songs and cute girls, The Pipettes (thepipettes.co.uk) have a b-side called "Simon Says" off their Judy single.
This is pretty standard-Pipettes sound, and since I've already spent far too much time talking about the band early on their career - I would suggest you check out my various articles on them.
They've been pretty quiet lately, their album was released in the US last October with a new cover and I can only assume they are writing new songs in 2008. If I hear any announcements, I'll be sure to let you know.
Finally, 1910 Fruitgum Company (1910fruitgumcompany.com) are actually still around since the 60s.
Their first major hit was actually "Simon Says" in 1968. If you listen to the song, it's very bubblegum pop - which is kind of funny, seeing as the band's named after a candy wrapper that singer Frank Jackell found.
According to their official website, they are now performing with the original band members and recently released brand new albums with old and new hits.
04/02/2008 01:12:08 vu my♥posts 
www.weheartmusic.com
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