@arthur-cowslip revealed his love of Dire Straits on the 45 minute album thread, but said he would be ashamed to admit it in cultured company. Stuff and nonsense I say. You shouldn’t be ashamed of what music you like. So let’s have an amnesty. What do you like that you wouldn’t necessarily bring up at the monthly meeting of the Music Snobs Association?
I love Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Just about every song Wham! did was great. Pretend by Alvin Stardust is one of my favourite singles, as is Silver Lady by David Soul. I really like Whispering Grass by Don Estelle and Windsor Davies. One of my favourite rock and roll records is by Jim Dale. I like Marty Robbins’ Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs more than I like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. Gosh, this is liberating.
Come on, get it off your chest…
Loads…
I have probably the world’s largest collection of Hepburn promo CDs, including the album in a furry brown box (don’t ask!). I don’t think I paid for any of them, but that’s hardly the point.
No no, you have embarassed yourself there. I think a 7 day ban is in order.
So not a guilty pleasure (well I liked it at the time):
The Manhattan Transfer. I win.
As someone says in the comments, no autotune here.
https://youtu.be/S77I7ZaQdVU
and none here either
There was indeed a stage in history, about two months perhaps, when the future Doctor Nookie was indeed one of the greatest rock’n’roll stars in the world.
haha I have a weakness for 90s/00s girl bands, together or solo. Let”s start with the awesome glitter stomp of ex-sclubber Rachel Stevens. Even better is the ITV2 footage. Class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hce1homlV0
Who knew? Dell laptops don’t respond well to being covered in drool ?
‘ex-sclubber Rachel Stevens…’ *Thinks about making Chinese joke and decides against.*
I honestly prefer this to Goldfrapp.
My favourite Goldfrapp album is Head First, the disco stomper that the band have disowned.
I think they peaked with Seventh Tree, and have Head First but haven’t played it for years. I first reach for The Singles nowadays.
Tales Of Us for me, please!
That IS a great tune
And ex-Neighbour Holly Valance with a complete disco banger. I’d almost say they don’t make em like that anymore:
Am I alone in having a place in my heart for Shania Twain?
Mutt Lange?
She’s great. “The woman in me” was a top album.
Sometimes i think i am nothing but an irritation to music snobs. I like:
ELP
the 70s and 80s Frank Zappa albums
The first era of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia
Will Powers
Marillion (albeit after Fish left, FWIW)
Hawkwind
Think The Police did better reggae than most reggae artists
Steeleye Span
this is off the top of my head.
I’ll get me coat.
I’m quite fond of a few Fish era Marillion albums. Side one of Misplaced Childhood is ace. But my favourite track of theirs is Freaks, the b-side to Lavender.
A Marillion mad mate of mine thought it was a good idea to put it on the jukebox 10 times on the trot back in the day. The problem was, it wasn’t really a town centre type pub, despite being close to the town centre, and the pubs in Barnsley in the 1980s could be quite unforgiving. We used to go into this pub if we were late and couldn’t get on a pool table in our usual haunt. The regulars would just about put up with a bunch of young college kids in the pool room, if we kept quiet, but on this occasion, after about the fourth time the song came on, one of the larger middle aged blokes at the bar (a punter, not staff) decided enough was enough and came and advised us, in the special kind of way a big miner would advise a bunch of snotty nosed kids, that it would be in our interest to leave the pub, and that if we left in the next 30 seconds it would be through the door, rather than the window. We left.
The Police did have some cracking tunes. But while this thread urges us to seek out our limited French, as we both “Vive la difference” and respect the maxim “Chacun à son goût”, I can’t help feeling the phrase “did better reggae than most reggae artists” would have the great Voltaire object that when he uttered his immortal phrase he never realised one day he might have to defend someone’s right to express that!
Freedom is the freedom to be an arse. it is also the freedom to criticise the arse in question. Don’t know if Voltaire said that. I know i’m wrong re the reggae, I just prefer The Police’s version of it: THAT’S how shit my taste can be.
It was of course Voltaire who first postulated that Those who can make you believe absurdities EEEOOOH EAAAYYYYY EAAYYYYYY-OHHHHH! Can make you commit atrocities
I think De Do Do Do De Da Da Da was one of his an all, or was that Duchamp?
The Police – good singles band. Terrible albums band.
A friend once pointed out how absolutely awful Sting’s rhymes are. Once I thought about that, I found them almost impossible to listen to.
I think sometimes he was deliberately taking the piss. Here’s Wrapped Around Your Finger:
You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes
I have only come here seeking knowledge
Things they would not teach me of in college
Mephistopheles is not your name
I know what you’re up to just the same
I will listen hard to your tuition
You will see it come to its fruition
I will turn your face to alabaster
When you’ll find your servant is your master
No one could seriously produce so much bad poetry in one go. They’d explode with shame.
And howsabout:
In Europe and America
There’s a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mister Krushchev said, “We will bury you”
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
It’d be such an ignorant thing to do
And who could forget
He starts to shake and cough
Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov
Yeah, he wasn’t that old …
Sting could never explode with shame because he has none, a thing he has frequently demonstrated.
Oh yes, Sting’s another one I like.
This is just a Guilty Pleasures thread in brand new drag. Bring it on!
Shout it out loud, I like Steps and I’m proud!
My wife says that she once came home to see her then boyfriend, with the sleeve of Step’s Tragedy single all unfolded across the mantelpiece, listening to the track and trying to remember all the dance moves that were detailed on the sleeve. Ooh, how I love bringing that up every now and then!
Ok, some from me.
1975 album Fox (the rather gorgeous Noosha on vocals)
Simple Minds – Belfast child
4 None blondes – what’s up
Rickie Wilde – I am an astronaut
David Bowie – The laughing gnome
Keith Marshall – only crying
Poppy family – which way you going Billy?
Sweet – Teenage rampage
Early to mid 70s Gary Glitter (Yes, I know, but his music was a big part of my teens).
More to come I’m sure.
“Belfast Child” – GOOD CALL!
Belfast Child – The worst record ever made.
Belfast Child is what this thread is about, breaking through the safe ‘Guilty Pleasures’ of abba, Carpenters, disco ELO and onto quite unmentionable cack. I quite like it too though.
Re GG – Rock’n’Roll Pt 1 sounds AWESOME in ‘Joker’.
Oh, another one for What’s Up by 4 Non-Blondes. I have been known to belt this one out very loudly if it ever comes on in the car…
I can almost forgive The Carpenters (The Crapenters?) for anything due to that guitar solo in Goodbye To Love
Superstar is as good a pop single as most. Generally though the sound of their records is what only can be described as sickly. They do make me nostalgic for 70s dinner parties chez Farquar senior along with Simon and Garfunkel and Neil Diamond. Easy listening? Still unwelcome at the rock snobs table or now reappraised?
The soundtrack of parental 70s dinner parties a la Abigails Party (see also Demisis Rousis). No re-appraisal required
I don’t dislike anything that I’ve heard by The Carpenters; admittedly not a lot of their repertoire. It may be triple-cheese but it’s better cheese than say Neil Diamond’s.
The guitar tone for that Goodbye To Love solo is truly awful, though. Nearly spoils an otherwise splendid record.
Neil is merely double cheese. If you will*, double Diamond.
(*you won’t)
Sickly arrangements and material, certainly. But what cannot be denied is the magnificence of Karen Carpenter’s voice. A truly great singer. No frills, no yodelling, just pure singing.
“Sickly arrangements and material”….not at all, the arrangements are great, the melodies sublime and she was one of THE great singers…The “rock” fraternity dined out for years on the Goodbye To Love guitar solo, again a great song, good solo and again that voice….loved The Carpernters. Oh and nowt wrong with Neil Diamond either, great songwriter, good singer made some cracking records…the world is still not free of bloody rock snobs.
But I LIKE being a bloody rock snob!
The 1994 ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ album, of covers performed by Grungers, introduced me to this via a cover by Dishwalla (no, me neither):
I occasionally ‘drop’, as hipsters say, the Dishwalla version into my (infrequent) DJ sets.
ABBA’s SOS is a phenomenal pop song
As is just about everything else they ever did (excluding the cheesier early stuff).
Nothing guilty about liking Abba. Awesome stuff.
Agreed
Did I ever tell you about that time I bumped into Benny Andersson outside Hasselbacken restaurant here in Stockholm ? [oh, shut up, duco – Afterword moderators].
I don’t run into Roy Andersson too often in the ICA in Kärrtorp, But you seem to rubbing shoulders with the gliterrati all the time, Duke. Weren’t you standing in the same queue in Systembolaget as the Prime Minister once?
You certainly told me about sitting at the next table to Robyn and her mum at some very exclusive eaterie on Kungsholmen.
“I’m in the corner, watching you eating. Whooo ahhhha whoooo ahha!
Did I tell you about the time I chatted to Shirley Clamp on the telephone? Yes, spoke to, not just observed at a table in a restaurant.
For those of you who don’t know here, pop singer Shirley is a household name in Sweden.
So did you ring Shirl, or did she ring you?
Well her stylist who is an old school friend of my other half rang my other half who was out so I spoke to her and informed her of this fact and was told Shirley was there and would I like to say hello so I did and we chatted briefly. One hell of a story eh? Now I am known as Shirley’s friend in an ironic sense.
This stylist friend she designs clothes for many music stars like for Mello (eurovision) and other TV shows.
Better hair than David Coverdale, but nowhere near as good a version as that by Paul Heaton and Jacquie Abbott.
God, this list is going to annoy a few people…these aren’t necessarily top choice favourites, but I do enjoy…
U2 – mostly the earlier stuff up Achtung Baby (which is one of my favourite albums).
Neil Diamond – although there are some maukishly dodgy albums, at his best he is an incredible songwriter.
Kasabian – not everything, but I think they are underrated.
Coldplay – they are a terrific live band
Paul Young – No Parlez gets a spin every now and again, but there are gems in his later catalogue
Achtung Baby is peak U2 – there are hints of greatness throughout the catalogue, but this one is wall to wall their best.
I prefer Zooropa, but I think I’m the only one who does.
Me too!
Funnily enough, I was having a conversation with a couple of mates the other day about Paul Young. We all agreed he’s a bit rubbish, but I think the bass from Pino Palladino is fantastic.
Pino says – thank you and BOOOO-DOWWWWWWWWW!
Coolio – I’ll see you when I get there and Gangsta Paradise are both first class records.
At the weekend in the new Mega HMV I saw best of Chrispian St. Peters – You were on my mind and Pied Piper were great songs that would still have me singing today.
Likewise the Seekers ( Not the poncey New Seekers, the real one). I’m gonna leave Old Durham Town – yes indeedy.
Surely Durham town is by the great Roger Whittaker ?
Before he became a bit of a sad story, Coolio had a great run of “hip pop” (ie grafting a rap onto someone’s barely-altered original chorus) style party records in the mid 90s (hear also: Fantastic Voyage and Too Hot) which I too remember with fondness. The first time they played Gangsta’s Paradise on the radio, at the moment the first chorus lands, you’re thinking “potential number one record” – even before you’re aware of the la Pfeiffer video.
And, apart from his magpie eyes, he also had a few decent lines – the verse on Too Hot that ends with “What started out as a plan ended up in a plot” is more effective at getting the message across than a number public service videos..
Another committed Straitist here. The first three albums sound-tracked my teens and led me towards JJ Cale, Ry Cooder, Dylan, Springsteen and on and on and on into the good stuff.
What helped at the time also was I’d just learned a handful of cowboy chords on guitar so Knopfler’s fascinating ultra melodic style beguiled me no end. And, a good lump of the lyrics are to do with my hometown. I know where the Dog Leap Stairway is and have used it. And Cullercoats.
I still can’t abide BIA though.
I was going to say I’ll stay out of this discussion as I have revealed too much already… But instead I’ll just add:
Art Garfunkel – Bright Eyes. Genius.
Most evenings I enjoy listening to Peter Sarstedt’s ‘Where Do You Go To My Lovely’ on repeat before settling down to a double-bill of ‘The Boat That Rocked’ and ‘Peter’s Friends’.
As a fully fledged folkie and lover of both country and western, I have nothing to fear or reveal here.
WDYGTML is a masterpiece!
I went off it cos it seemed to be on Sounds of the 60s every ruddy week!
Some more from Biscuit towers.
Carpenters – Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Bobby Goldsborough – Summer the first time
The Glasgow Noir novels of Malcolm Mackay
Bobby Goldsborough can’t be allowed to pass without mention of his mega weepy, Honey.
I think this is great but wouldn’t admit to it when it was first released. I also like Rock On and Lamplight.
Rock On is one of the greatest singles of all time ever. Certainly among my six Desert Island Disc picks.
Wonderful record, great choice.
I really like a few of his singles. Hold Me Close is my favourite, especially the live version he did on TOTP. And Gonna Make You A Star is probably my earliest memory of watching TOTP. Every time I hear it it takes me back to being a young kid.
Lamplight came up on my iPod on the way to work the other day. It must have been the first time I’ve heard in probably 40 years. The first thing that struck me was that it sounded as though it could have been something off a SAHB album, and I could easily imagine Alex singing it.
@noisecandy @Gary @Jackthebiscuit @PaulWad @BillybobDylan
You might enjoy this
Not sure this counts as a “guilty pleasure”.
Shalamar were reviled by the hip music press at the time, for being sessioners with a manufactured vocal frontline. They released 3 magnificent singles, pretty much in succession, in 1982; There It Is, I Can Make You Feel Good and A Night To Remember.
All Three still sound great, so Critics 0-3 Shalamar must be the final score on the matter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNJ-jmgSck
A fine band – also honourable mentions for Friends and Disappearing Act. I also find it impossible not to mention the greatness and perfection of Jody Watley (sigh).
Great shout, Mike.
Personally, I can’t imagine how anyone who enjoys dance music would not like Shalamar.
Loved them then.
Love them today
This thread is a hoot, Paul. So many guilty secrets coming to light.
The NME has a lot to answer for.
Think NME loved them.
There was some snottiness, because they were put together in the studio after their very first hit, so it wasn’t “authentic”.
Forgot about this one, their fourth UK hit and the title track from “Friends”, their best album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQaPoCqrv8
My brother’s ex wife always thought they were singing “Day Release”
I always muddled them up with Shakatak, who were shite.
someone thought Ghostbusters was “Those Bastards!” and now I can’t hear anything else.
Ha! Excellent
A Viz Comic letter once advised singing along to the Match of the Day theme these lyrics, to which the tune fits very nicely:
‘I said fuck off you fucking bastard
Fuck off you fucking twat
I said fuck off you fucking bastard
Fuck off you fucking twat’
Etc.
Made me laugh anyway.
I would rather listen to Joe Dolce than Ultravox.
What I love about this site is no further explanation will be necessary.
Yebbut Ultravox can’t stand Joe Dolce, so that‘s no great boast…
This means nothing to me.
Shaddap… is actually a rather touching record about the difficulties of the migrant experience.
Vienna, like virtually all 80s pop, means absolutely nothing.
I wonder if The Chuckle Brothers covered ‘Vienna’
If they had it’d be this
Quite. More than a soupçon of Bryan Ferry
Beezer, that’s one of the funniest things I’ve heard all day, but I think the joke might have flown over the heads of those not familiar with the Chuckle Brothers’ ouvre!
“This means nothing to me…. To you…. To me….”
Finally! 🙂
I’m wasted here. I’m wasted over there as well
I’m aware of the buggers. I took a custard pie to the face once, courtesy of Paul Chuckle. My fault for sitting on the front row I suppose, but I don’t know how on Earth I didn’t see it coming as he waved it in my wife’s face next to me. Of course he was never going to shove it in her face. What’s worse, I had umpteen kids I didn’t know coming up to me in the school playground over the next week to tell me they were there and how funny it was. In the end it was like the Sex Pistols gig at the Free Trade Hall. They can’t all have been there!
A friend of mine once was on a flight and realised Paul and Barry Chuckle were on the same flight a few seats away. He dearly hoped the flight wouldn’t crash because then his death would just become an anecdote about the flight that killed the Chuckle Brothers.
Stop me if I’ve told you this one before…but the GLW and myself ran a hotel in Crawley in the early 90s where the Chucks and DLT stayed while they were doing pantomime.
The Chucks were absolute gentlemen, a pleasure to be around and reacted to any attention from other guests with civility and a great sense of humour. DLT was a complete cnut for the whole of the stay.
Me and the kids went to watch the Chuckle Brothers several times in various shows they did. We always enjoyed them, even if they did wheel out some of the same gags every time. After every show they’d stay behind for photos and autographs until they’d seen everybody in the queue. I ended up chatting to Barry about football, him being a Rotherham fan, me a Barnsley fan. They get a lot of stick, but I thought they were brill. There’s nothing better than a roomful of kids all laughing.
Ultravox! were rather good. Ultravox were empty nonsense.
I’ve had to defend The Beach Boys many times, mainly because civilians seem to associate them with Barbara Ann and K***mo rather than Pet Sounds, Sunflower and Love You.
Your version of “letting it all out” reminds me of a person in a job interview saying that his weak point is working too much…
I’ll show you how it’s supposed to be done:
“Kokomo is one of my favourite Beach Boys songs!” 🙂
But my taste is so impeccable… 😉 I’m doing my best here.
I keep on buying Ringo’s solo albums on vinyl. How about that? Bought Rotogravure yesterday.
Very amusing, @Locust. It is rather like a Swedish politician trying to prove he is a man of the people by enthusing about “dansband” artists.
Cracking pop song, eh?
I am waiting for someone to proclaim their fondness for Doddy.
That would be happiness.
Any Ernst Neger fans here? I’d never heard of him until yesterday when a friend posted this song on my FB page. Splendid stuff.
It sounds like a Lonnie Donnegan cover. “My old man’s a DDR dustman”
My mom loved dansband when I grew up. I know A LOT of those songs…
Karneval music, Humba Tätärä, fair enough but, good heavens, Neger is the “N-word” in German, pretty damn close.
Anyway, just checked my albums for admissible evidence for the thread: Abba, Sinatra, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Carpenters, and Perry Como (sitting, amusingly, between Coltrane and Company). And Britney!
😉
Oh, go on then
If I am going to really let it out I must have bit more Ernst.
Rucki Zucki! Now there is a party!
And talking about parties, how can you have a good one without Bavarian, accordion-playing twins?
I bought a Black Eyed Peas album on the strength of one song (it was cheap in the bargain bin – not full price (is my defense)).
The album has received one full play (to my knowledge), but one track is an absolute belter
Where Is The Love
I paid full price on a heavy recommendation and never got all the way through it.
Ah, you should have got the first two albums, before they went rubbish. The first two are purely rap albums and are very good.
My most played Spotify songs from the past week..
.
I once saw Leo Sayer in concert as someone had a spare ticket. He was fantastic.
I also saw him in concert, and was mightily impressed. His between song patter was excellent, too. My girlfriend at the time thought he had a cute way of talking.
I came here also to nominate Leo Sayer’s early stuff. “The show must go on” is ace and also a candidate for the trivia question of songs that dont mention the title in the lyrics (along with BoRap and Ballad of John and Yoko”)
From a similar time period Gilbert O’Sullivan’s early singles, “Along Again..”, “Nothing Rhymed” and particularly “I Will” are great.
Oh great call on Dance by The Lambrettas, or surely “Da-a-a-ance” or however it was originally spelt in 1980? Great new wave/mod revival song. Think they were seen as a slightly naff crew of Jam impersonators at the time but I have this song on most of my early 80’s playlists.
Beat Boys In The Jet Age is a fine album.
Enough to secure The Lambrettas fourth place in the Mod Revival league table behind Secret Affair, The Chords and The Purple Hearts
Fourth place behind the Purple Hearts?? Very controversial Rigid!
Yes, Beat Boys is a very good album which still very occasionally gets an airing. I also got the follow up, “Ambience,” at the time, of which which the first three songs are really good tracks but it falls away after that.
Saw the current incarnation of The Chords (UK) a couple of years ago, very enjoyable it was too.
I’d maybe switch those 3rd and fourth placings. The Chords, though, those kids really were alright.. .
That’s a great song. The current incarnation is called The Chords UK (the original singer long having relocated to Japan I think) and they still do a lot of gigs, Chris Pope is now the singer but I don’t think there are any other original members. Sounded good when I saw them supporting Bruce Foxton’s “From The Jam” a couple of years ago.
Seconded.
Chords UK do make a fine noise. And recent “new” under the name of Chris Pope or The Chords UK is worth seeking out.
The end of The Chords was apparently a bit messy and not very well documented, but original drummer Brett Buddy Ascott did play on a couple of Chris Pope records, so no love lost seemingly. But for whatever reason, Chris Pope had to add the UK to the name to remain on the right side of legality.
Hopefully seeing them early in2020 and apparently a new album is in the offing
Err, I saw them a couple of years ago as a support act at Shepherds Bush. Sorry, but they weren’t great. The vocals were the weak link although I suppose this could have been due to a number of things such as monitors.
I have a substantial chunk of the Bryan Adams oeuvre.
And I have seen Runrig live many times. AND I ENJOYED IT!
I think the first Bryan Adams albums…If you want it…You got it and particularly Cuts like a Knife are pretty good.
A particular highlight being Keith Scott’s guitar, playing and tone.
Just the right amount of technique and flash.
One of my favourite Yuletide songs is All I Want For Christmas Is You by Maria Carey
That’s because it’s a brilliant Christmas song.
You are just showing off!
I’ve probably mentioned this before, but one of the best concerts I have ever been to was Wet Wet Wet……
Saw them on their warm up club tour in 1991 at Manchester Boardwalk, which is a pretty small venue.
A lot of these have been approved by the self appointed arbiters of what is deemed to be really quite good actually, if not at the time of release then some time later. Some will always be deemed beyond the pale though.
How about Will You? by Hazel O’Connor? I really like it. Probably too tasteful.
Played that album yesterday. It’s really good in a pop-punk type way.
And I really enjoy the film
Breaking Glass is a fantastic album with some excellent lyrics. Shame she got glossed over in the “important females in rock”.
Trivia fact. Will You? is supposedly about MIdge Ure
With a tremendous sax solo by Bob Holness.
Can I have a C melody, please Bob
Raising the stakes. I like “Slippery when wet” by Bon Jovi.
I like these songs. But I don’t shout about it.
https://youtu.be/kBImHENUzWA
Enya! Now you’re talking. I forgot about her.
Yes, an old favourite of mine – and I also don’t shout about it. “Watermark” is my go-to piece when I’m sitting at a piano. Her music is unarguably soft but also unarguably soothing.
Storms in Africa was a standout track on that album. And Orinoco Flow was a deserved success as a single.
I stuck with her for the next album… can’t remember the name of it offhand, the cover was blue…. was it Shepherd Moons, or was that the following one? For a few years anyway she had a good run of tunes. And I love her version of Silent Night.
I think after the third or fourth album of her looking wistful in a velvet cloak and draped over a stone throne or whatever, I started thinking it was all getting a bit samey so I gave up. But last time I looked, she is still bringing out albums that look the same (and presumably sound the same) so more power to her, I say.
Yes, my name is Arthur Cowslip and I was (am) an Enya fan.
She records dozens and dozens of vocal passages, painstakingly overlaid in order to achieve the choral sounds.
Storms in Africa is interesting because the vocals are very quiet – but still a very Enya sound. Unlike Arthur and I, you may not be a fan – but it must be acknowledged that her stuff sounds like no one else.
Aye, Shepherd Moons, followed by The Memory Of Trees; I have ’em both, Watermark of course and the Christmas one, And Winter Came.
Enya fans unite!
Did/does she ever tour or play live at all? Im sure if she did there would be a secret army of fans who came out in force.
Most glam rock and I include Gary Glitter, T Rex, Hello and the Sweet in that.
Was on my way down below to mention Sweet, but you’ve saved me the trouble. Ballroom Blitz, Blockbuster etc were triffic.
“Brother Louie”. Modern Talking. From the album “Romantic Warriors”. Simply lovely.
I can’t think of many musical let it all outs (Boney M aside), but I do really enjoy the Star Wars prequels. I may be alone in this.
My ears are not averse to a bi-monthly spinning of Hot Chocolates Greatest Hits
Geoff Love is a god.
George Shearing is a demi-god.
Trini Lopez is cool.
Kylie. Multi-faceted, multi-talented… she’s earned her ‘credibility’ but she’s always had my heart.
Also, Sarah McLachlan, a voice to die for and an outstanding songwriter.
Some more from me.
Days of Pearly Spencer
MacArthur park (the Richard Harris version)
Eloise (I like the original & Marc Almonds cover)
El Paso (Marty Robbins)
All four of those are in my list of trigger songs that immediately send me back to a particular time and place.
Pearly Spencer is a stunning record. I say this as someone who wasn’t alive in 1967. Well warranted its inclusion of Mojo’s wonderful Acid Drops box set.
Did you mean Eloise by Barry Ryan/The Damned @Jackthebiscuit? I really like The Damned version.
I have just reread my post.
Yes, I really like the Damned cover of Eloise & I also love Marc Almonds cover of The days of Pearly Spencer.
Sorry about the confusion.
I like both too.
The Damned’s version of Eloise is far better than the original! I went out and bought it as soon as I heard it.
God, this came out when I was on exchange to Freiburg in Germany. I loved The Damned version.
I was never part of the scene – I was 15ish, and Private School, and rugby fanatic and a dork, but knowing this song? For a brief 5 day period…I was cool.
Here we go:
Johnny Mathis – mainly because my Mum is a fan (his Christmas songs are indelibly inked onto my brain).
Many tv themes, particularly those plucked from the KPM library (there’s loads of the KPM stuff on Spotify now which I’ve not even had a chance to look at).
Stock Aitken and Waterman – partly for the nostalgic rush, but their best work is some of the finest pop music of the late 80s.
I’m sure there is more…
Tune!! Will always post this. Have the 12″ – going nowhere.
“Johnny Mathis – mainly because my Mum is a fan (his Christmas songs are indelibly inked onto my brain)”
The production on that album etc etc
David bloody Attenborough!
I like this.
Me too.
One of the finest guitar solos in all of pop music.
I’ve said this before, but slow crazy horses down to 33 1/3 and it sounds like Black Sabbath!
I love the Chris Isaak album Forever blue.
Chris Isaak’s ace. I’ve got all his CDs, even the Christmas one, which is probably the least Christmassy sounding Christmas album I’ve ever heard. But all the rest of his albums range from good to excellent, even the album of Sun Records covers he did. I went to see him a few years ago and he’s a very polished live performer, decked out in his shiny gold suit
Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel is brilliant
Also, Lowry’s song – if only for this verse
Now Lowries hang upon the wall
Beside the greatest of them all
And even the Mona Lisa takes a bow
This tired old man with hair like snow
Told northern folk its time to go
The fever came and the good Lord mopped his brow
Great song. I really like the line “he painted kids on the corner of the street
that were sparking clogs”. Not sure what “sparking” means. “Wearing”, I assume.
Sparking clogs were ones that when banged together produced sparks. Still an absolutely awful song though, even if the sentiment is nice.
Have no heart in your ears? It’s got the Saint Winifred’s School Choir on it! You orphan hater.
Sparking clogs, some clogs were soled with metal bands.
When I used to dance Northwest Morris as the metal was scraped sharply on the ground sparks ensued. Looked excellent in the dark.
I still have a fab pair of clogs from when my cotswold side branched into north-west.
My son was learning about Lowry at school (actually he did a great Lowry style picture himself for a 7 year old) and he came home singing the song. So I played him the Barron Knights version, which he preferred, naturally. I ended up having to edit it out of whichever Barron Knights single it was on and put it on his iPod for him.
🎵He painted couples on the corner of the street that were having a snog🎵
Let it all Blow by The Daz Band
You’re The One For Me by D-Train
On The Beach by Chris Rea
The Politics Of Dancing by Reflex
All singles I thought were great at the time but would never have let on to anyone. Until now.
The Dazz Band. The Daz Band were just some blokes called Darren. They never had a hit, despite the awesome whiteness of their shirts.
Gah! Bleedin’ autocorrect.
Innit marvellous
Danny Baker was their manager
Oh, and Stainsby Girls is the great Chris Rea track
Chris Rea had his moments, and that was one of them. That, and Stainsby Girls. Dad had the album
@Beezer: Stall the ball – You’re The One For Me is the ur-electro monster. You can be nothing but proud of owning this stone groove!
That it is @Neilo
I played all of them on YouTube after posting. The only one that palled was Re-Flex.
But, yes. ‘You’re The One For Me’ is a ******* excellent record e’en now.
Chris De Bleedin’ Burgh! No, really. Spanish Train is a fantastic album. Way before he went all lady in red.
True dat
I like The Barron Knights
Although I haven’t heard them in 40 years, I can still remember far too many of their lyrics and I really used to look forward to seeing them piss around on TOTP.
– “There’s a dentist in Birmingham, he fixed my crown… receptacle on the right….gargle spit….no, the right”
Regulars at pissing around on Tiswas too
“Long ago, outside a chip shop in Walthamstow”
Once burned into your mind, they never leave
“He was keen, off down the High Street like Barry Sheene”
Damn, you’re right.
Ha, just mentioned them above! I used to get a Barron Knights record every Christmas. Usually their latest single, but one year I got Knight Gallery, which was ace. Little White Bum, Get Down Shep and, best of all, The Chapel Lead Was Missing. The Ann and Joe one you’re quoting is my favourite though.
Looks like mine have already been featured – Fish-era Marillion, with Clutching at Straws in my personal Top 5 greatest albums; Hazel O’Connor’s Breaking Glass, Sarah MacLaghlan – I was dragged kicking and screaming to see her at Cardiff St David’s, and she was just outstanding. Even early Chris De Burgh – top tunes to be had there.
I still play this from time to time, will that do?
FWIIW, I think Hippychick is a brilliant record.
Me too. I picked up the compilation Thin Ice on vinyl recently, which has the 12″ version, and starts with this banger:
I heard Andrew Gold’s Never Let Her Slip Away on the radio today – sweet jesus that’s a hell of a choon.
@Moose: brilliant song. He was Linda Ronstadt’s musical director and son to the equally talented Marni Nixon. Also, loved Bridge To Your Heart and Right Between The Eyes from his Wax days.
Even beyond the unfathomable greatness of the tune, how good is his voice? The whole thing is just bottled sunshine.
Never let her slip away is perfect!
One of my all time favorites.
Yes but not a patch on Lonely Boy.
Hanson….MMMbop
Bay City Rollers….Shangalang
Toy Dolls…Nelly The Elephant
Back Street Boys…I Want It That Way
Poison… Fallen Angel
Bay City Rollers were my first favourite band. I even got a little Bay City Rollers suit (white with Tartan trim, probably made by my mum) with a couple of their patches sewn on. I was only 5 or 6 I hasten to add!
Karneval music, Humba Tätärä, fair enough but, good heavens, Neger is the “N-word” in German, pretty damn close.
Anyway, just checked my albums for admissible evidence for the thread: Abba, Sinatra, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Carpenters, and Perry Como (sitting, amusingly, between Coltrane and Company). And Britney!
😉
Oh, go on then!
This.
Let us not forget the perfect jazz-funk of Jamiriquai. Top playing, top arrangements, even a dude as solidly without soul as myself suddenly want to shake ass when the prat with the hat starts up.
A theory: these unhip but liked bits of music are all melodic and well-played, and rarely kick against The Man. So are we saying that received wisdom rock critic values like something only being good if it is unmelodic, ineptly played and jolly cross, and they are wrong? Are we post-NME?
Who are “we”?
@Vincent: Jamiroquai – particularly when Toby Smith and Stuart Zender were in the lineup- were superb and I suspect the band was a gateway to Gil Scott-Heron, Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers, Leroy Hutson etc. Acid Jazz 4 Life! (literally wearing baker boy cap as I type).
And this…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-qpHo7H7s
Someone seems to have accessed my Spotify account….
When I was very young my dad gave me Sting’s greatest hits. Mainly because it was the one CD he owned that he didn’t care about, and wouldn’t be particularly bothered if I broke it or scratched it or whatever.
So I cherished and listened to it every night, probably for about three years. Result: Sting’s greatest hits has been one of my favourites ever since. They teased me for it at school.
I got teased at school (in the early 80s) for liking The Beatles!
Me too, in the late eighties. One of the reasons was because “all their songs sound the same”.
@neela For goodness sake, that was the Wedding Present!
@Freddy-Steady The guy who said it was a big fan of AC/DC, which makes it even funnier. He was also one of the cool guys, so he won the discussion anyway.
I remember a guy I knew when I was nine or ten who asked me how I could like The Beatles, because “they took lots of drugs”. I found that to be rather funny as he was a big fan of Ace Frehley.
Haha! A teacher once told me I shouldn’t listen to heavy metal because “they are all drug addicts”. This teacher was a jazz lover. I didn’t see the irony until much later.
@neela
Cool AND a fan of AC/DC…?
@Freddy-Steady Well, this is pre-teen. Logic may not apply.
Of course, 10 years later, after Oasis appeared, the ones that took the piss in the 80s suddenly started professing their love for the Beatles themselves. I’m still not sure if I was 10 years ahead of my time or 20 years behind it.
I’m sure you’re not the only one on here who feels like that, Paul.
I decided at the age of 11 that I was going to spend all my available income on vinyl records… and I’m still at it, nearly 39 years later.
I either had great foresight as a child, or I haven’t grown up yet.
May god have mercy on my soul.
Another one that’s elbowed its way past the tasteful eclectic music lodged in my brain. My daughter watches this show and the theme tune is triffic.