U.S. Male [1985; RCA, Underground Records]

On the A-side, with the Mellomen group of backing singers, Elvis’s vocals ride on a guitar/drum/bass strut while telling the tale of his break-up and subsequent sadness, quickly making its point in the minute and a half it uses. The B-side runs a minute longer, bringing in The Jordanaires for the tune, which takes a turn into more country-flavored rock. Acoustic guitar jangles along while Elvis warns against messing with a U.S. male, with a few spoken asides furthering the mood. A bit of an odd pairing, but both sides are quite decent.

Cymarron / Michael Pagliaro – Rings / What The Hell I Got [year unknown; Underground Records]

On the A-side of this split single,

the title track from Cymarron’s only album plunks along in a soft rock groove, with the keyboard backing providing the most striking part of the song. Basically a ‘70s bachelor hook-up song, the lyrics attempt to entice a lover into the singer’s home with promises of good music on the stereo and pleasing conversation. The B-side shifts to a guitar strut, with semi-plaintive vocals doing some shallow introspection without making any real progress. Pretty weak on both sides, but as instrumentals, they might have been decent.

10cc / Steam – I’m Not In Love / Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) [1987; Underground Records]

On 10cc’s half of this record, they play a keyboard-driven ballad persistently denying being in love while detailing its effects on the singer’s behavior. Though it’s structurally sound, the content is bland, and it ends up only vaguely hooky. Steam’s B-side, show-casing their big hit, ups the energy and musicianship considerably, with a much more memorable melody and chorus. An uneven pair, but not bad for the purposes of contrast.