Often dismissed as a teen band - the Osmonds in their hey day were prolific and produced some of the best and most soulful of the early to mid 70s pop scene. Their record sales and popularity at the time are a testimony to this fact. This song is a fine example of their ability to maximise the potential of a song. A haunting love ballad, the song was a huge hit in its day and reveals their excellent voices and musicianship at its very best. The Osmonds set the template for the boy band phenomenon of the late 90s - but their pop legacy should be seriously reassessed by critics of this music genre.
available on CD - The Very Best Of The Osmonds (Polydor)
Always a marriage made in heaven: the voice of Karie, a J-pop queen with a whispery, heavily accented turn of phrase and the convoluted, utterly expressive lyrics of Momus.
She positions herself as Tudor successor to Catherine Parr and, although adopting a cavalier attitude to the facts of English history ("his first six wives had their heads chopped off" - er, no they didn't) the image of a vastly overweight and gout-ridden Henry playing Greensleeves on a lute to a waifish Japanese woman is charming.
Plenty of what I'm presuming are geniune Tudor instruments such as the Hand-Pumped Regal, Sackbutt and Dulcion, performed by the Dufay Collective.
Sheer joy to listen to - a perfect example of the extended melodic heavy rock song. Superb control of tension and release. Super arrangement and guitar playing. Currently very under-valued...
from Long live rock 'n' roll, available on CD
10 May 04 ·Issie: A good choice! 19 May 04 ·anotherdodgybassplayer: Fantastic choice, always been my favourite. Loved it since I was 14. (now 39). The instrumental section is just as good as it gets.