I'm very surprised there are no other Georgie Fame songs here.
Here's yet another British solo singer of the 1960's who never really made it in America...except, I think, with the song 'Bonnie & Clyde'.
By 1969 Georgie Fame's success as a hit-maker was starting to wind down, before, in the early '70's, he teamed up with Alan Price and had a hit with the forgettable 'Rosetta'.
I think this song has been forgotten, this version anyway, but it's far from forgettable.
A really terrific late '60's chart hit, that only made it to no.16 on the British charts, but should have done so much better.
A really upbeat, summer song.
It was covered by someone else sometime in the '70's, I think, but that version was far inferior to this.
Wondeful gentle arrangement...lots of mellow brass & Georgie's voice at its understated, confident best.
available on CD - yes (Raven)
07 Dec 05 ·konsu: This song was written by Kenny Rankin. A legend in his own right in the US. The Fame version is awesome indeed, i've heard a lot of takes on this one and his takes the prize. 23 Mar 06 ·audioadventures: I agree I re-discovered this song recently and it has been added to my best songs of all time.
Apart from these two songs I've never found anything worthwhile by Keith.
from 98.6
08 Dec 05 ·konsu: There are some really great cuts by that guy! If you like 98.6 he did a sort of reprise tune called "I Ain't Gonna Lie" that ends up on his first LP. Another song I just love from that record is "Sweet Dreams (do come true)" which I highly recommend. There is a great retrospective of his stuff on CD on the UK label RPM that has both his LP's plus extras... but it can be too much sugar to swallow at once I must say. 10 Dec 05 ·Swinging London: I always thought 'Aint Gonna Lie' was a real dud, personally. But I'm interested to hear about the compilation CD.
A bit like in that James Bond film, �Live and Let Die', when all those somber funeral marchers suddenly go ape and break out into that frightening carnival procession. That but ten hundred fold. Or like a farmers market massacre on a beautiful summers day in June. One of the two. The Pharoah admitted as much in a recent interview. He said it had nothing to do with the creator having a master plan at all. "yeah I'd just finished reading that James Bond book, you know, with the skulls and shit and on the box comes this quiz show with all these animals being ritually slaughtered on it. And I thought, hey up, I've got a crackin' idea!"
Regardless of the themes and inspiration, it's an unbelievable track. Even if the descriptions "free jazz" and "34 minutes" set off all your alarm bells, I urge you let it go this one time, I urge you to seek it out.
It's better than the five most recent recommendations COMBINED! Can I get away with saying something as stupid as that?
from Karma
24 Feb 06 ·n-jeff: The only Pharoah Saunders I've heard is on Alice Coltrane's "Journey to Satchinanda" (Scuse the poor spelling) which is remarkable. Not only is the playing remarkable, but so is the fact I love it so much, considering it's not only a saxaophone, but it's also in the 'too many notes' style of Jazz. But Saunders playing just seems to float around on top of everything else. Beautiful stuff.
but anyway, what I really wanted to know was, is he really a Yorkshireman? (Ey up!?) Blimey.
24 Feb 06 ·rum: yes, it's a little known pharoah fact, he was born in a little village just outside Barnsley. 24 Feb 06 ·konsu: Thembi is another fine record for him as well.
20 Dec 09 ·konsu: This one continues to entertain me. "Big Daddy's Blues" sounds like a primordial X. I also can't seem to live without "Books of Rhythm, Books of Rhyme". Such a treat of a record.
