This is a track of off Dearie's second Fontana album "That's Just The Way I Want To Be". An overlooked gem of a record, unusual sounding for Blossom, blending together jazz, bossa nova and folk with nicely arranged orchestration. "Sweet Surprise" has a dream-like, airy feel with it's jazzy waltz rhythm. The album is available on the japanese "Whisper for you" compilation. Unfortunately, her first Fontana album "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from 1967, featuring lots of Jobim and Bacharach songs, has yet to be released on CD.
from That's Just The Way I Want To Be (Fontana) available on CD - Whisper For You
04 Dec 03 ·FlyingDutchman1971: The album 'Thats Just the Way I Want To Be' is now available on CD. There is also a really good Japanese compilation CD of the Fontana and Verve years called 'For Cafe Apres-midi'. Several tracks from 'Soon Its Gonna Rain' are featured so those of us who love Blossom will have to savor these meager crumbs unless the evil music overlords open the vaults. 05 Dec 03 ·eftimihn: You're right and i forgot to mention the "For Cafe Apres-midi" compilation, this one features all tracks of "That's Just The Way To Be" except one track (they left out the opening track, not a bad choice though since it's the weakest track on the album and not quite fitting to the rest of the songs). Unfortunately there are just 2 songs from "Soon It's Gonna Rain", Meditation and Dindi, on it. But these sound absolutely gorgeous, arranged with some very cool harp embellishments. Too bad the entire album hasn't been picked up by some japanese label yet. 28 Oct 04 ·konsu: Great song, great album, great singer/composer. Why she's not completely worshipped in the USA I have no idea. I really have to disagree with eftimihn on the opening track, it's in my opinion one of the coolest things she ever did! Sure her jazzy renditions of evergreens and her more hip stuff are great, but to stretch out like she does on "That's Just the Way" is just sublime. What was she doing there? Some kind of CA inspired latin/folk/psyche-pop? Genius! True, it isn't like the rest of the album... Also her great take on Frishbergs "Long Daddy Green" is worth mentioning for it's uniqueness.
I was recently scouring the web for information on Morrissey and The Smiths - as i sometimes do from time to time. There was a poll on morrissey-solo.com that had already been archived, so I couldn't add my 2 cents to the discussion. The poll was something like "what is the saddest Smiths/Morrissey song"? You could only pick from a select few. Much to my surprise "Suffer Little Children" was NOT on the list of songs to chose. The song is about the Moors Murders - which happened in the sixties, not too far from Manchester. Several children were murdered and buried out on the moors. The line that gets me is "You might sleep BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM!"
from The Smiths, available on CD
24 Nov 03 ·executiveslacks: Great song. The laughing girl towards the end of the song gets me everytime. 24 Nov 03 ·MickeyPeas: Very powerful song indeed that provokes equally powerful emotions. The laughing girl is Annalisa Jablonska who also provides the "Oh really?" on "Pretty Girls Make Graves". 04 Dec 03 ·FlyingDutchman1971: This one is definitely the saddest Smiths song. I would vote the song 'Asleep' as a close second. One of the murderers, Myra Handley, died just one year ago in November 2002 and the other one, Ian Brady, was in court this past September for a sanity hearing. He wants the mental health tribunal to move him to an ordinary prison, where the authorities would be powerless to prevent him deliberately starving to death. He has been force-fed since 1999. I say let him starve! 30 Dec 03 ·daveshaw5: Its nice to see the power of the Smiths still at work. As a child of Manchester growing up in the eighties they had a profound effect on me. I rarely listen to them now but occasionally I dust off a 7" inch single and remember them fondly. There is a lot of humour in their songs as well so dont get too dark. Joy division were also massively influential and their music has survived a lot better.
This song is such a happy one, without being overly pop oriented. Just Michael Stipe's voice, a piano, simple percussion and the kindest words.
"I read bad poetry
Into your machine.
I save your messages
Just to hear your voice.
You always listen carefully
To awkward rhymes.
You always say your name,
Like I wouldn't know it's you,
At your most beautiful."
04 Dec 03 ·FlyingDutchman1971: Mike Mills and Peter Buck orchestrated the music on this track as an homage to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. One of the best REM songs in recent years!
29 Jan 04 ·delicado: Dionne gets my vote! 28 Feb 04 ·FlyingDutchman1971: Dionne's rendition of this song is indeed excellent, however my vote would have to go to Dusty Springfield's recording. Dusty sings this song with more desperation in her voice. 24 Dec 04 ·BlueEyedYe-Ye: It's very difficult for me to choose between the two - the White Stripes version is pure horror though. Not in a good way...
A song from the 1980's that nobody heard but should of.A nice little dig to the music industry.
28 Feb 04 ·FlyingDutchman1971: Indeed an excellent song... see also "Paint a Vulgar Picture" by the Smiths which I posted to this site. Another great lash out against the evil music industry overlords! 28 Apr 04 ·inbloom44: Oh Morrisey,know one does it better!
