Before we get started here, let me first clear up something about Starbuck. Starbuck is the name of a band--it is not the name of a large chain of coffee shops. That would be Starbucks, with an 's' at the end. (Try to Google the band 'Starbuck' and you'll see a lot of images of coffee cups.)
Also, the Starbuck I'm referring to here is a band, and not a character from the television series Battlestar Galactica played by the unabashedly handsome actor Dirk Benedict. Nor am I referencing the character named Starbuck played in the reboot of Battlestar Galactica by the actress Katee Sackhoff. (Why is it that sci-fi nerdboys get so upset when a character is changed from a male to a female? What is so bothersome about it? Heck, I think it's usually a great choice.) (And now I've got myself wanting to see a female version of Scotty from Star Trek.)
No, I'm talking about the pop-rock music group. Starbuck shot all the way to #3 on the charts in 1976 with a smooth little song called "Moonlight Feels Right."
If you watch the video, the first thing you'll notice is that the lead singer, Bruce Blackman, bears a passing resemblance to the watermelon whacking comedian Gallagher. The similarities are amusing, but whatever you do, do not try to find out more background information on Gallagher, because you might find yourself down a Google rabbit hole involving feuding brothers, lawyers, court battles, two comedians hitting watermelons with mallets, and possibly even England's strange lingering fascination with the rock band Oasis and even more feuding brothers.
And speaking of mallets, the most interesting thing about the band Starbuck and the song "Moonlight Feels Right" is the extended marimba solo.
Here is where I cop to my ignorance: before researching for this post, I had no idea what a marimba was. Oh, I had heard of the marimba. I even had an album or two by the Baja Marimba Band in my record collection. I was pretty sure the marimba was a musical instrument, but I didn't know what kind of a musical instrument it was. To be honest, I thought it was some kind of Mexican tambourine. (And no, I have no idea what the difference might be between a Mexican tambourine and an American tambourine.)
So, when I heard this song and watched the video, I thought the guy in the black tights with his chest exposed was playing the xylophone. I was, of course, wrong. Bo Wagner of Starbuck plays the marimba, not the xylophone. Could he have played the xylophone? Probably. But, apparently there are strict lines drawn in the world of mallet percussionists, with the marimba, the xylophone, the glockenspiel, and the vibraphone each having their own adherents. Each instrument is distinct, and you darn well better not get them mixed up or you might take a mallet to the noggin! (It's kind of like calling a West Virginian a Virginian--you will hear about it!)
[For more information about the differences between these instruments, you can read an informative and whimsical post at this link: https://whimsicallytheoretical.com/2017/04/10/sta-khux-10-secret-whispers-keyboard-mallet-percussion-family/]
Of course, there are some who say that all marimbas are part of the xylophone family, so if you want to say Bo Wagner from Starbuck plays a mean xylophone, who am I to stop you? Just know that you might incur the wrath of a certain subset of marimbaists. (Bo is also a snazzy dresser, a fact that no one can argue!)
So, after you have hit it big with a song featuring a lengthy marimba solo, how do you follow it up? Why, another song with a marimba solo, of course! And if that doesn't work, try another song with a marimba solo. And another. And another.
Starbuck struck the charts four more times with marimba-laced music, but only one of those songs climbed high enough to get a mention on Casey Kasem's weekly radio countdown. "Everybody Be Dancin'" peaked at #38 in 1977.
Not only does this song have a marimba solo, it also features frequent usage of the vocoder, for that wonderful 1970's robotic voice special effect! The song has a bit of a Doobie Brothers/Steely Dan feel to it, plus there's marimba and robot voices. What's not to love? Heck, it even be having some poor grammar! But, there's something missing. It's almost like they're trying a bit too hard to piece together another hit.
Verdict: #38 is about right for "Everybody Be Dancin'." It's like if someone hit a watermelon with a sledgehammer, but the watermelon wasn't quite ripe enough to produce as big of a splatter as desired. (Maybe if they unleashed a Cylon on the marimba they'd have fared better.) (A female Cylon, of course.)
