The Police - Every Breath You Take

How have I not written about this yet? I'm in the sixth year of this blog and no mention of this masterpiece. I am just watching something I recorded last month about the top 10 richest song and I simply can't believe I've missed talking about this.

David Hepworth (I trust my discerning readers to know who he is) says: "this song is a masterpiece!" and I agree. I love it so much and I never tire of hearing it. If it comes on the radio, I do a little yay to myself and turn up the dial.

I know Sting annoys people. He's up there with Bono in the ranks of pompous, worthy ageing rock star but I like him. His voice is one of my favourite singing voices and he's hot.

 

This is by far the best song The Police every produced. The lyrics are clever, it's catchy and it sounds timeless, it's not obviously from the 80s.

David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Glenn Frey in the same week. Trust me, I am not ignoring them but I am not ready to write about it yet. 

Thank You For The Music

I have just returned from Stockholm. Sweden is famous for many things: meatballs, lingonberries, Roxette, Ikea, H&M, cool design. Whatever. It gave the world the magnificent Abba and for that, we are eternally grateful. I can forgive them for Ace of Base.

Now, we did lots of sightseeing, we hopped on boats and looked round islands, we walked miles, we drank beer, we went to a fantastic photography museum. Yes, yes but really it was all about visiting Abba, The Museum.

This has only been opened a few years which makes you wonder why it took them so long. The Swedes are a very understated nation. While we were there, they won the Eurovision Song Contest and you'd never know it. They gave the world one of the best pop groups and it's taken them 40 years to put together this museum.

It's not a typical museum, it's very immersive and fun. Outside you can stick your head through a picture wall to be one of Abba. The Americans in front of us had more fun than is surely allowed doing this, endless photos, hooting and howling with laughter. It was actually just fun watching them. After all, they'd travelled a long way to be part of Abba. And this museum is about making you feel one of the band.

You start with a short film which is one of the best short films I've ever seen played entirely in the dark and on screens surrounding you. It's very, very loud and when it launches into that famous piano bit at the start of Dancing Queen about half way through... I am not ashamed to admit I welled up. Because if ever a band sums up a childhood then Abba sums up mine. The joyfulness of Dancing Queen cannot be understated.

There is plenty dedicated to Waterloo, including the costumes they wore when they won Eurovision.

There are the original phones from Ring, Ring.

And they make a big thing out of only four people having the phone number to call you and it just might ring. I stood there for a good five minutes, nothing happened.

You can hop in the Arrival helicopter.

The actual helicopter they sat in! Nothing precious, no ropes round it, just get in. It's tiny by the way. They must have all been very small.

You can go and have a dance in a room with a glitter ball. It's every Abba fan's wet dream. There is loads of informative stuff too, Benny's diary from Eurovision for example which was very sweet. There is an Abba quiz - I did easy and it wasn't. Do you know the name of Abba's kids?!

There is an entire room devoted to their lycra costume glory. And they have recreated their dressing room, the Polar studio, Benny's summer house and much much more.

The shop is simply magnificent. Abba vinyl, CDs, DVDs, keyrings, magnets galore, postcards by the dozen, books and books and books, posters, pencil cases. You name it, Abba is on it.

TeenBoy, who rolled his eyes about going, genuinely enjoyed it.  Because Abba were perfect, a soap opera of a band. Agnetha and Anni sang like angels, Benny and Bjorn wrote masterfully and put together, they truly were magical. Even jaded punk fans can appreciate Abba.

The museum is a very upbeat experience. You don't hear The Winner Takes It All or the utter genius of The Day Before You Came. This is happy Abba, no melancholy allowed. And that's ok. I went back to our hotel (owned by Benny of course) and listened to the ballads and sighed contentedly to myself.

I will love them forever for their layered pop perfection. I read a line in a review that summed it up. "Abba were a band who were good at sounding happy but their lyrics were dark and Swedish all the way."

If you go to Stockholm (which is lovely by the way) then go and pay your respects.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon

This week I discovered my sister doesn't like Pink Floyd. W T actual F? I was amazed for two reasons: a) that I didn't know this when we rabbit on about pretty much anything to do with music, film and TV non-stop and b) that we are related. She had no idea I liked them. It's like a massive void in our sisterhood.

Now, I am no Floyd fan girl. I can't wax lyrical about Syd Barrett and every album they made. But some albums transcend everything and DSOTM is one of them. I listened to this a lot when it was obligatory to do so (early 20s) and have always returned to it. While driving across the desert last month with TeenBoy, I was on DJ duties. As previously discussed, in a Venn diagram of what we both find bearable musically, the crossover is very small. Nonetheless, I took a punt on this because any sane person likes this album and stone me if it's not the perfect driving across the desert music! I was proclaimed a DJ genius and we both had a very happy 40 or so minutes listening to the album and then an hour dissecting every song and why we liked it so much. Being married to a fellow geek has its benefits.

My favourite song is Time: "Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day." I love that line. I also adore "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way." Poetry I tell you. The whole song is a depressing one but it's so masterfully executed, it's easy to not notice.

Basically I think Dave Gilmour is wonderful and could listen to him all day long. I don't want to be shallow but also, he was very, very cute.

Just saying.

The Eagles - LIVE!

This week I had the opportunity to see the Eagles live in Madison Square Garden. The tour is called History of the Eagles and accompanies the documentary I wrote about back in May. The tickets weren't cheap and we were nowhere near the front. We're talking nosebleed territory.

That's the stage from our seat! No matter we thought, there is a screen in front of us (you can see it in the photo). For the first 30-40 minutes, the screens didn't work. It was disappointing because it was honestly impossible to tell if it was Glenn or Don telling us an anecdote. As this is New York, the crowd did not take this quietly. There was a lot of hollering and shouting for them to fix the screens. I found this quite amusing in itself. When they finally jumped to life, the crowd over our side went wild. I did wonder if the Eagles wondered what was going on.

Anyway, never mind that. The gig itself was fantastic. I can't imagine a scenario in which I wouldn't have enjoyed this. I've wanted to see them live for years and to see them in New York was the icing on the cake. Also, as I am living bang smack in the middle of Manhattan we were able to walk to the venue and back. That in itself made the whole experience so enjoyable, no hanging around waiting for trains and taking an hour to get home with thousands of others.

If you are interested, here is the setlist. You may notice something. Yes, there is no New York Minute. I know it's a Don Henley song but they played three Joe Walsh songs. They were in New York. If I had one disappointment it would be that. The crowd would have gone wild. The reaction when they introduced Joe Walsh as being a Jersey boy nearly blew the roof off.

There was lots of amusing little stories and Frey especially poked fun at himself and the band. Henley was a little po-faced but I forgave him for his encore of Desperado. It was sublime. I filmed a little bit of it and you can watch it here along with some of New Kid In Town and Life's Been Good. He was in the finest of voice. I also throughly enjoyed Walsh who is clearly the light relief in the band and widely adored. The talent in the band still amazes me, often they would be doing three musical things at a time. As someone who can barely read a note of music, I am always impressed by such musical talent. Anyway, if the Eagles are rolling into your town, go see them. It's worth the money. They are as good live as you can possibly hope for.

Sweet Home Alabama: Lynyrd Skynyrd

I know nothing about this band, I had no idea what they looked like until I Googled just now. My main impression is there is a lot of them. I know there is controversy about this song being racist but you know what? I am hot, I've had a long day and I don't care. I know I should care but I don't. I just love the riff on this and I never tire of listening to it.

Don't be tempted to watch the Reese Witherspoon movie of the same name. You won't ever get those two hours back and even she can't save it.

This makes me want to go to a state fair in the deep south and drink beer.

Take That songs

Circumstances and fate bring me to a Take That retrospective. I've shared my love of Take That with you but never really done a thorough analysis of the songs. Pull up a chair and let's get stuck in.

We start with the jelly naked classic, Do What You Like


I still love this song, it's really good fun and the video looked like it cost about 10p to make.
Song rating: 7/10
Video rating: 9/10
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 9/10

Promises

Song rating: 4/10. It's not a classic let's face it.
Video rating: 5/10. There's a whiff of desperation to this video. We get it, you can breakdance.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 7/10. None of them are at their best but Howard is better in this I think.

Once You've Tasted Love

Song rating: 7/10. I've always had a soft spot for this. And Robbie raps!
Video rating: 4/10. Totally boring.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 6/10. What is going on with that hair?

It Only Takes A Minute

I consider this the first proper Take That song. It's still worth listening to 20 years later.
Song rating: 8/10
Video rating: 9/10. Plenty of cute Robbie moments. Nice dancing. Good effort.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 6/10. This video is all about Robbie.

I Found Heaven.
I am traumatised that I can't find the official video for this on YouTube. This is one of their finest moments.

Song rating: 9/10. Perfect summery pop.
Video rating: 9/10. Due to my obsessive fandom I remember this video frame by frame and it includes Robbie rollerblading and Gary trampolining!
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 8/10. He looks good but they all look good (except Gary, obviously).

A Million Love Songs.
I am not linking to this. I loathe this song. I absolutely cannot stand to hear it.

Song rating: 1/10 (for the sax)
Video rating: 1/10 (for Robbie and Jason)
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: can't remember as I try to forget this happened.

Could It Be Magic

Ah here we are with the song that properly obsessed me. Of course, it is Barry Manilow so it makes sense.

Song rating: 8/10. I still love it.
Video rating: 9/10. Another one I remember frame by frame. Girl in red dress couldn't dance. At all. Girl from Jim'll Fix It won a part in the video. Those were the days.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 8/10. Howard is mighty fine in this too.

Why Can't I Wake Up With You

Song rating: 5/10. Tedious.
Video rating: 6/10. Boring really. Throwing stuff into cups. Mean and moody.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 8/10.

Pray

Song rating: 8/10 but this song has not aged well. Loved it at the time.
Video rating: 9/10. This is what a boy band video is all about. Tops off. Tattoos.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 9/10. Oh yes.

Relight My Fire

Song rating: 9/10. It's a disco classic so obviously it's a great song.
Video rating: 9/10. I still love this video, so much fun. Jason in a shower.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 10/10. Jason in a shower.

Babe.
I can't discuss Babe. Can we pretend it never happened? Please?

Everything Changes.

Song rating: 7/10. I never had the love for this one. Slightly boring. Technically a good song.
Video rating: 7/10. Sepia doesn't do much for me.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 10/10. Jason in his prime.

Love Ain't Here Anymore
No it isn't. Go away. Terrible.

Sure

Song rating: 3/10. This for me is where it all started going wrong for 90s Take That. Overblown and a boring song. The split was inevitable.
Video rating: 2/10. Will it ever end?
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 7/10. Hair got too long Jase.

Back For Good

Song rating: 9/10. Oh Gary, everything is forgiven for this gem. I still love it.
Video rating: 9/10. Black and white and great moves from Howard and Jason.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 9/10. Oh yes.

Never Forget

Song rating: 10/10. You've not lived until you clapped along to this live. Robbie rejoining the boys to sing his line was a highlight of 2011 for me. What?
Video rating: 8/10. Standard childhood shots which are nice enough, but the hair boys, the hair.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 6/10. I repeat, the hair.

How Deep Is Your Love.
No. You don't cover The Bee Gees. This was the end for me. Or so I thought.

Patience

Song rating: 8/10. It's a solid song but it doesn't move me. It is very good live.
Video rating: 8/10. Gritty. They are back.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 6/10. We still have hair issues.

Shine

Song rating: 9/10. I know Marky can't sing but I love this. LOVE IT.
Video rating: 9/10. Pure showbusiness.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 6/10. We still have hair issues.

Rule The World

Song rating: 10/10. I will never tire of this.
Video rating: 9/10. It helps by having much footage from Stardust, which is a great film. They all look hot in this.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 10/10. He's had a haircut at last. Good boy.

Greatest Day

Song rating: 9/10. Perfection. Gary on top form.
Video rating: 9/10. Sunset glory.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 10/10. It's all good.

Up All Night. No, we're not talking about this.

The Garden. Or this.

Said It All

Song rating: 10/10. This is one of my favourite Take That songs.
Video rating: 9/10. A nice video, clever and poignant.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 9/10. He's in clown paint and still looks good.

The Flood

Song rating: 7/10. It's ok but it doesn't move me.
Video rating: 8/10. A technically good video.
Jason hotness rating in comparison to the others: 9/10. Still on form.

I am stopping there as I am not a fan of the Progress album. I applaud them for taking a new direction but I like my power ballads from Take That. Or poppy pop.

Gosh, that was epic. I need a drink.

Favourite duets

I do love a good duet, there are so many fabulous ones out there and this could be a very long post however I shall try and be restrained.

I think it's best to start with the mighty Barbra. She does such a fine line in duets. Barbra and Barry Gibb, Guilty. I don't think there could be a finer pairing in their matching white outfits. I adore this song, it's like listening to molten honey.

Barbra and Neil, of course, breaking our hearts with You Don't Bring Me Flowers.

Barbra and Donna Summer! No More Tears (Enough is Enough) which has one of the best opening lines to a song ever...

And one of my all-time favourites, her duet with Frank Sinatra. This isn't the best version but if you buy the Frank Sinatra duets album (which I highly recommend) then you can hear this in all its glory.

Speaking of Frank, his duet with Bono, I've Got You Under My Skin. I can forgive Bono everything for this one song, he is so sexy.

Moving on from Frank to Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald with the marvellous On My Own. I never tire of listening to this.

Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, The Girl Is Mine. This is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, I have always loved it even though it's stupidly cheesy.

Kanye West and Jamie Foxx. I admit this is a little left field for me but this is a great song. The lyrics are so clever.

You all know my love for George Michael but I've never been one for his duets however I do love this one with Mary J Blige.

I finish with clearly the greatest duet ever recorded. Islands in the Stream. No explanation is necessary.

Tell me your favourites.

My Desert Island Discs

I adore Desert Island Discs. If you are not familiar, in a nutshell the castaway picks eight pieces of music and discusses why they chose them. Eight songs is nothing. As we have seen in some of my previous posts, I struggle to pick my favourite eight songs from just one band or artist. The Beatles nearly finished me off.

Sometimes the castaways pick the eight songs they like at the moment. George Michael did this and there is a lot to be said for this approach. Some go with a theme, James Ellroy picked five Beethovens! Matt Lucas endeared me to him forever by picking Starmaker by The Kids From Fame.

Last night my friend and I went for cocktails and she explained that a friend had invited her to dinner in May and they all have to go with their eight desert island disc choices. Well! Not only is this work of a genius in terms of dinner party ideas, it resulted in a long discussion about how best to choose the eight. My friend started by saying she would have Buddy Holly's Everyday as it made her think of her dad. All very noble and sweet but I said, can you really stand to listen to that song over and over? Do you love it that much? I like Buddy Holly as much as the next gal but if I am only taking eight precious songs, I am not sacrificing quality for a memory. This threw her somewhat. And before we knew it we were in despair at how difficult this task is.

I've been musing on this today (along with nursing my hangover) and decided out of interest to see what my top eight most listened songs were on my iTunes. It surprised me by being a pretty accurate picture. I could do worse than go with these.

Desperado - The Eagles
Rule The World - Take That
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
Shine - Take That
We Used to Be Friends - The Dandy Warhols
Forever in Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond
Don't Stop Believin' - Glee cast

Hmmmmmm. OK, Don't Stop Believin' is not a contender. It was fun at the time but I am a bit mortified that it makes this list at all. I am not taking two Take That songs so Shine is out. I had no idea I was such a Dandy Warhols fan so errrm, no. That leaves five good, strong contenders:

Desperado - The Eagles
Rule The World - Take That
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
Forever in Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond

Desperado was mentioned last night. I am on to something with this! I love The Eagles and it's a perfect song. It would be be between this and Take it Easy. Rule the World by my boys would be coming with me no doubt. I adore Wichita Lineman, it reminds me of road trips across America and it's nicely soulful. I would be very happy to have The Carpenters with me for a nice singalong. And I am not going anywhere without Neil Diamond. Forever in Blue Jeans is one of my favourites and doubles up with nice memories of all my family so that's two birds killed.

I have three more. Going further down my list isn't helpful as we seem to hit a Christmas fest. I am not going to listen to Christmas music on my sunny island. Lady Gaga? Meh. No, like her as I do, I think not. Then we come to Dancing Queen, how does one pick a single Abba song? I had a meltdown picking eight. However, I have some ballads with me so I think I need a more uplifting Abba song. Seriously if it's me alone on an island listening to The Winner Takes It All I'd be a morose, crying mess. Dancing Queen it is.

I need a song for my mum and there is only one choice, You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry. She loved this and used to do a hilarious dance round the living room to it. My mum was a great dancer, she'd have been a good stand in for Uma. I could also practice the Pulp Fiction dance.

And I am at seven. How did that happen? I have just one left. My shortlist is not short. Barbra Streisand? I am not sure I can cope without Papa Can You Hear Me. Wham? No Club Tropicana? Bee Gees? Billy Joel? It has to be The Beatles surely? Guns 'n' Roses? Elvis? Michael Jackson? Lenny Kravitz? Madonna? Prince? Whitney? No. I've made my choice. It's my island and I can listen to what I want to with no scorn.

Bonnie, step on up! You win the place!

I don't want anything too sad, too musically perfect. I want something fun. I want something I can run around the island in a billowing frock pretending I am Bonnie. I want to belt it out because nobody can hear me. Only Bonnie fulfils this brief.

So my final list:

Desperado - The Eagles
Rule The World - Take That
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
Forever in Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond
Dancing Queen - Abba
You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry
Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler

On reflection I am pleased with this. I have plenty of singalong fun, songs to dance to, songs to remember friends and family with. And I think the Glen Campbell would surprise my friends and you need a surprise or two in there. Nobody wants to be predictable.

So now I have to pick the one I'd save from the waves crashing to the shore. As if this isn't torturous enough, honestly. It's between Desperado and Dancing Queen. I am going to have to pick Dancing Queen because it's a happy song. 

I can't even get started on a book and luxury. I am already traumatised and full of self doubt. This is very, very, very difficult. 

Which would be your eight? Knock yourself out!

Bee Gees - desert island songs

It's the year we lost Robin Gibb and I am still sad about it. What better way to pay tribute to him than my desert island Bee Gees songs? This is very tough. So much to choose from, however, I don't choose the easy path so here goes. Before I start, these are songs sung by the band, not songs they wrote for others. It makes it slightly easier.

Massachusetts. I don't know why but this song makes me feel very emotional.

Tragedy. One of the most overblown songs ever recorded so of course, I love it. It's hard to write a song with lyrics based round the word tragedy but our boys make it seem easy.

Stayin' Alive. This is one of the best songs ever recorded. There will never be a better introduction to a song. It makes you want to get up and dance. I adore it. Also, top video.

You Should Be Dancing. Honestly, did any band define an era like Bee Gees? Another work of pure genius. The combination of this with Travolta's dancing makes me happy on the inside.

 

Nights on Broadway. I include this for a few reasons. Obviously it's a great song. It has a fabulous title. And check out Robin's outfit here.

You Win Again. Oh I adore this. It makes me feel very nostalgic for simpler times. Bless them and the ponytails. They really did know how to write a hit song.

 

Night Fever. It would be rude not to include it. It's not as amazing as Stayin' Alive but it's still wonderful in all respects.

Already I am at number eight and I have to include How Deep Is Your Love. This is my all-time favourite love song. I just think it is gorgeous and it's my favourite Bee Gees number. It's so romantic and soft and lovely.

 

Oh god, no More Than A Woman, no Jive Talking, no If I Can't Have You, no Spirits Have Flown, No Words,  no New York Mining Disaster. 

I can only apologise and say, see if you can do it. Go on. RIP Robin. 

Madonna - Desert island songs

I had the rarest of things this week, a request. I was asked to list my top eight Madonna songs. I thought I had done this but instead I had discussed Madonna more broadly by decade. Delighted to know I have at least one reader, I present to you my list.

Borderline. I love this song, it's Madonna at her purest. The video is sweet and I love the dancing. It also has a great introduction.

Into the Groove. This barely requires a discussion. One of my favourite ever films, perfect pop and Madonna when I really achingly wanted to be her. This is from the film.

La Isla Bonita. Madonna did the perfect holiday song before most people and she did it masterfully.

Express Yourself. I prefer this to Like A Prayer. Much as I love LAP, I feel it's overplayed and this is much more joyful.

Vogue. This is Madonna's legacy. If she'd done nothing else, it wouldn't have mattered. It's sublime and contender for best music video ever made. I could watch her dance in this all day long.

Deeper and Deeper. This is also wonderful. I love the Erotica album, it was fab.

Ray of Light. Another great album. This is so joyful.

Already I am at number eight. It has to be Hung Up from yet another great album. I also never tire of this and she looks amazing. The dancing in this is so inspiring and the Abba sample is genius.

I do think Madonna is a genius although she's best to leave the ballads alone. Tell me yours.

Aerosmith

Aerosmith is the perfect rock band. Look at them! Steve Tyler is exactly how you want a lead singer to be: flamboyant, charismatic and blessed with the ability to belt out the songs. They've had their ups and downs and fallen out and, of course, immersed themselves in drugs and been in and out of rehab. Well, I don't know about you but that's what I look for in my rock and roll bands.

I present to you some of my favourite Aerosmith songs. First up Love in an Elevator. The video is icky but the introduction to this song is one of the best introductions in rock ever. When I saw Aerosmith live (which I recommend, they were awesome), they opened with this and the crowd went wild. A wind machine was involved too. Perfection.

Sweet Emotion. One of the best riffs in any song. Again, the video is hideous.

(Dude) Looks Like A Lady. From the school of literal videos. This is so catchy. Aerosmith music is made for road trips across America I think.

Walk This Way. I love everything about this song and always have. Also, Steve Tyler's trademark dancing has never been better.

I've discussed Dream On before but I wouldn't want you to think I'd forgotten about it. It's simply perfect in every way.

My all-time favourite Aerosmith song is Livin' On The Edge. Again, I can't explain the video which has Edward Furlong in it - how bizarre! The way this song builds up is fantastic. By the time we get to 3:26 I am bopping up and down. I can listen to this song (although not watch the video) over and over again and never tire of it.

 

Am not including I Don't Want To Miss A Thing because it annoys me that people don't realise that Aerosmith has done so much better than this. Also, the songs in which Tyler included his daughter pole dancing just creep me out.

I think Aerosmith should do the next Bond theme.

Simon & Garfunkel

I once wrote an essay in an exam on the meaning of The Sound Of Silence in The Graduate and how it was reflecting the alienation of American youth and indeed America itself. What do you mean I did a Mickey Mouse degree? It was deep and meaningful man! It allowed my revision to be watching the Graduate and listening to the soundtrack. Boy, it was a tough life.

Obviously anyone with sense loves Simon & Garfunkel. Simple melodies, sublime lyrics, crazy hairdos and perfect harmonising. What's not to love? Every now and then I think about concerts I'd have liked to have been at and the S&G concert in Central Park is top of my list. I almost feel I was there since I've listened to the album so many times. So with no further ado, I present to you my top eight songs.

We start with The Sound Of Silence. It's the perfect introduction to S&G. Hello darkness my old friend. I can't think of a better opening lyric to a song.

Homeward Bound. The thing about S&G is they make such wistful music. It's not necessarily the music to listen to if you're feeling a bit reflective or depressed.

I am A Rock. I am an issslaaaand. You know, I sound about 85 but seriously, the joy of these songs is how sparse they are; a guitar and singing. Normally I hate that sort of singer/songwriting pretention but when it's done properly, it is wonderful.

Mrs Robinson. Just perfection from beginning to end. Hey hey hey.

Scarborough Fair. Again, it's so sad yet lovely. I love the harmonising in this.

America. Be careful his bowtie is really a camera. One of my favourite lyrics ever.

Now we have a nice chirpy song to cheer us up. 59th Bridge Street Bridge Song.

I guess I have to choose Bridge Over Troubled Water as my final choice. I do like this but it's been overplayed and for me, it's not their best song. Having said that. it's still fabulous and builds beautifully.

My desert island choice would be America, I never tire of listening to it.

This was a tough list, I had to leave our Cecilia, Hazy Shade of Winter and controversially The Boxer. However, we must choose only eight. What would be your eight?

Andy Williams: Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Last year I went to see Jersey Boys. I knew pretty much nothing about Frankie Valli other than he sang the Grease theme tune. The musical is fabulous and if you've not seen it, I highly recommend it. Anyway, little did I know that Frankie wrote this masterpiece.

I've always loved this song and nobody can beat Andy Willliams version of it. I love the way it builds up until he bellows "I love you BABY!" The lyrics are really sweet. My very good friends had this as their first dance song at their wedding and it was lovely as we all bounced round the dance floor.

So a little Friday night magic for you all. Take it away Andy...

 

Neil Diamond, September Morn

It's September. How did that happen? September is always tinged with a slight sadness for me, the end of summer and knowing you are going to be cold for about six months. However, as always, Neil Diamond is here to cheer us up with this classic. I've seen Neil live many times and I don't think he's ever sung this. It's a shame as I love it. Here he is in full, spangled-jacket glory.

Ahhhhhhh. It's sublime.

Pet Shop Boys

It pleases me that the Pet Shop Boys have survived. I always thought they were a great band. I don't claim to sit and actively listen to them but whenever I hear a PSB song, I sing along happily, delighting in their sheer eccentric Englishness. I've always liked Neil Tennant's voice and the grumpiness of Chris. It's a band myself and MrPink agree on and regular readers know, this is not a frequent occurrence.

And on this Sunday evening, I present to you a few of my PSB favourites.

Obviously we must start with West End Girls. This is still their finest song, it has a great introduction, a wonderfully 80s video (check out the hair of the people walking about) and it doesn't sound dated at all. This song is 28 years old. *gulp*

It's A Sin. Another fabulous introduction here. They were epic! Unnervingly, Neil looks like Michael Ball here.

My second favourite PSB song is What Have I Done To Deserve This? The sublime Dusty Springfield gives this such class. This is a very clever song, it shouldn't work but does. Another great video.

Always On My Mind. It takes a brave band to cover an Elvis song but this works beautifully because they make it so different. And it has Joss Ackland in the video.

Left To My Own Devices. One of the best disco songs written in the non-Disco era. I love how he sings 'party animal'. The PSB had the best titles to their songs.

 

Go West. They choose the best songs to cover. I didn't think it was possible to top The Village People (goes without saying that I love The Village People) but this is fantastic.

They had so many songs but these are my favourites. Doing this list I realise what a treasure they are. They are of the era when the UK did proper pop bands and weren't afraid to be a bit odd and arty. I miss those days. Pet Shop Boys = national treasure.

Islands in the Stream

How have I not mentioned this before? It's only one of my favourite songs ever. Looking at the photo above gives me the warm and fuzzies. Written by The Bee Gees, this song is total perfection and the ideal way to start the weekend.

"Everything is nothing if you've got no one." I love that line. Dolly is magical in this video. The pair of them are so effortless. Thanks to my dad who sent me a one line email checking I hadn't neglected this song. That was all it said. Obsession clearly runs in the family.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are in the news at the moment as it's fifty years since their first gig. It's quite an achievement to still be around for all that time and to still be successful. It got me thinking and although I wouldn't have said I am a huge fan, as I looked at their songs and reminded myself of their skills, I realised, they are pretty fantastic. I feel a list coming on!


Before we do that, a word about the Stones. They are just more annoying than The Beatles somehow. Mick is a great frontman but he's so arrogant and there is something very dislikable about him. Did you see that suit her wore to Jade's wedding the other week? You upstage your daughter on her wedding day?! Talking of weddings, this is one of my favourite images ever:

He actually looks pretty hot here.

Keith Richards is one of the great survivors of rock and roll. Just looking at photos of him makes me laugh.

To go from this:

To this:

The drugs don't work kids. I saw Keith once and he is tiny. Honestly, you coud knock him over with a gust of wind.

Everyone's favourite Stone is surely Charlie Watts. Mr Cool himself who seems vaguely amused by the nonsense:

As we did with The Beatles (and it seems some are still bearing the scars), it's time to narrow down our Stones love to just eight songs. It's obligatory to blast out Stones songs to appreciate them, they don't make music to quietly play as background, you need to belt them out and jump around. I would argue, they don't have the subtle poetic genius of Beatles songs, it's more sexy, fun rock and roll. That's what fab about them. Here are mine, in no order:

Sympathy For The Devil: great introduction with Mick sort of grunting. And a perfect first line.

Jumpin' Jack Flash: a song that inspired a Whoopi Goldberg song, how can it be wrong? They really knew how to open a song didn't they?

You Can't Always Get What You Want: a change of pace with lyrics that can be applied to almost any situation. I think Mick sounds wonderful on this. I love it.

Paint it, Black: No list could not include this surely. It's perfection.

Honky Tonk Woman: Also perfect. There isn't much more to say. It's just brilliant, the opening. Everything.

Angie: I love this, it's soulful.

Start Me Up: I've always liked this but seriously Mick, what is this outfit?

Gimme Shelter: it's actually easy for me to pick my favourite Stones song, it's this by miles. It's got everything you could want in a song, it's almost my favourite song ever, it's certainly up there. Although I can't possibly entertain the notion of doing my top eight all-time favourite songs. TRAUMA!

So, there we have it. Tell me your choices dear readers.

Paul Simon, Graceland

I'd forgotten how much I like this album until I heard You Can Call Me Al on the radio yesterday. I consider Paul Simon a musical genius and this really was (and is) a fabulous album. It's been 26 years since it was released and it still sounds fresh as a daisy today. I was compelled to buy it on iTunes (damn me giving all my CDs away without burning them all) and I am having a very happy time listening to it again.

My favourite song is Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes. It gives me goosebumps as it's so good. I absolutely love the opening singing and then the introduction of the instruments. It's simply wonderful. I can't imagine anyone not loving this song, it's so happy. 

I also adore You Can Call Me Al, it has the best lyrics. Any song that can have the line, "there were incidents and accidents, there were hints and allegations" sung as fast as Simon sings them has my vote. It's famous for its video which I've also just watched again. It's much funnier than I remember. I've never liked Chevvy Chase (apart from the fact he's called Chevvy) but he does a great job in this. Although Paul Simon's expression is what makes me laugh.

Every song is excellent and has it's triggered a Simon & Garfunkel revival at Teen Towers. Expect a post about them soon. 

The Blow Monkeys

I was listening to the radio this morning and a Blow Monkeys song came on (It Doesn't Have To Be This Way) and it occurred to me that they were a great band. Why were they not a bigger band? They had three fabulous songs.

Let's look at them in turn:

It Doesn't Have To Be This Way

This sounds like the Belle Stars as it opens but soon settles into something even better (almost unimaginable I know).

Digging Your Scene

OK, this sounds exactly like It Doesn't Have To Be This Way, how weird. I never noticed this before! It's the same song!


You Don't Own Me

I've saved the best for last. Of course this is from the sublime Dirty Dancing so we knew it would be great but it's so wonderful. I adore this song.


Whatever happened to them? I bet everyone reading this liked them too!

Prince, Part 2

I made the grave mistake of flicking over to The Voice on Saturday night. It was awful. It was indescribably awful. Everything about it was bad and I weep with despair that this is what Tom Jones is doing. He deserves better. It made me grateful that this sort of nonsense wasn't around in the 80s. I don't pretend the 80s were perfect, lord knows, I am aware of the flaws but at least we had Prince.

I've been meaning to do this since Prince, Part 1, but one has to be in the mood. The mood is here thanks to overblown covers of Bohemian Rhapsody having been endured. *shudders*

Prince bans his music on YouTube so I am going to respect that and not dig around for crazy links.

Girls and Boys. Another absolute classic, this is so funky in a very understated way. I love you baby, I love you so much, maybe we can stay in touch...

Sign O' The Times. Best lyrics ever, ever, ever on a Prince song. The baseline to this is brilliant.

This whole album is perfect, I've not listened to it for years. This blog is expensive, I am now downloading it since I had it on vinyl. Anyway, If I Was Your Girlfriend. I could listen to Prince all day long, he made such groovesome music.

U Got The Look - with Sheena Easton. Oh my GOD, I adore this song, it's totally fab. Your body's heck-a-slammin!

Alphabet St. How does he do it? You could just bop all night long to His Royal Highness. Such clever lyrics.

Now, I am downloading the Alphabet St album as I need to hear Glam Slam having not heard it for years.

Moving onto to the Diamonds and Pearls album (which fortunately I do have on iTunes already). I still love this album, it's so ridiculous. Gett Off, Cream and Diamonds and Pearls are all completely brilliant.

Oh, I had forgotten, Sexy MF. I love this! *grooves* Yes, I am buying this too.

So it seems I am having a huge Prince revival, excuse me while I buy his entire back catalogue and dance around the flat...