TACO: Puttin' On The Ritz (SOLID GOLD - U.S.A.)

[Stardustian1973]

The makeup reminds me a lot of Joel Grey in 'Cabaret' + Dr. Frank N. Furter from RHPS.

This song is really catchy, and I love the little head bobs/dance moves that Taco does!

Stay groovy!

[MrEUCT]

the audio is off

[trdxsd2010]

Fun Song!

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@trdxsd2010 Like Taco himself ;-)

[Falienee]

I remember watching this on TV! He is so awesome! Love you Taco and Roland :) Happy Holidays to you both.

[shootinair]

@Falienee I remember this too, seems to me it was in September of '83 when this aired. "Ritz" was #4 in Billboard and #1 in Cashbox at this time so I'm kind of surprised it was only #10 on the Solid Gold chart..

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@Falienee :)))

[mcastillo9999]

I have the video of Christopher Walken named Weapon of Choice

[easijoe]

Anyone know where I can find the version by Christopher Walken?

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@easijoe Are you sure he did it too, because it is mentioned nowhere?!

[20pAnDaBeAr10]

this is good but the music is not going to what's going on in the video....is this the only time he's performed in the U.S???

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@20pAnDaBeAr10 It is asynchronous, but as it was "Solid Gold" I had to upload it!

Tour throughout the U.S. with American musicians. Guest appearances on the annual "Bob Hope TV-Show", "Merv Griffith", "Alan Thicke", "Solid Gold", "Good Morning America", "Saturday Night Fever", plus numerous local TV-Shows whilst touring!

Roland - Taco's Manager

[shootinair]

@RoCoMANAGEMENT Actually, the show he appeared on here in America wasn't "Saturday Night Fever". It was called "Dance Fever" - he performed "Singin' in the Rain" in 1983.

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@shootinair Thanks :)

[gymnastix]

@RoCoMANAGEMENT I actually bought this record when first released, one of several non-punk, but new wave/techno records (along with "Safety Dance" by Men With Hats) I bought in the punk rock era.

But I didn't know Taco was so dedicated to classic film musicals music at the time "Ritz" was released, had assumed it to be a kind of retro joke. Now that I have read his discography, I can see he is really a fan of this style of music, which makes me appreciate him all the more.

[shootinair]

@gymnastix It does have a similar sound to "Safety Dance" and many other new-wave synth-pop songs of the day. The combination of the electronics and the nostalgic style was what made it so popular. Taco covered a few other vintage classics and even wrote some of his own songs in the same style so it's really too bad he was known for this one big hit only. He should have had a lot more hits world wide.

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@shootinair In Europe it was and is different. He is still performing with his band or appearing in TV shows in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Ukraine or Romania.

[gymnastix]

@RoCoMANAGEMENT For the record, I still like some punk rock. The angry political stuff doesn't interest me anymore, as my ideology has evolved. But Blondie, The Ramones, The Undertones, and The Buzzcocks, amog others, are still a lot of fun and their music is now classic too.

Does Taco play concert dates in the U.S.? Any chance of him playing the Boston area at some point in the near future?

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

@gymnastix @gymnastix Blondie and The Ramones as well as The Clash, The Vibrators or The Knack ;-)

Due to the economic crisis in the US a tour is impossible, because the interested purchasers won't pay as much as we need to cover our high expenses as well as a fair profit -:)

Yes, Taco's favorite music styles always were Swing, Blues and even Soul.

[christopherd06351]

Thank you for the Taco clips. Please keep it up!

[RoCoMANAGEMENT]

In the next days more than 20 will follow!

[WorldTravelerMan]

awesome

5 stars!