The real beginning of Scott Walkers heavyweight reputation as avant garde miserabalist,droning synths fall apart at the explosive chorus and then drone again before dignified strings take you to another place before once again you come back to a fading drone ,exhausting ,exhilarating and uncomfortable but a genuine new musical territory at the time ,its influence can be heard on Bowie,s "Cat People",Japans "Ghosts" and even "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins ,(that tense guarded intro morphing into something more open and glorious through various layers ).
Buried at the end of an ill advised Walker Brothers album Nite Flights this is essential.
A perrenial sesonal classic given a veneer of French disco sophistication,its appeal lies in retaining the melancholy of the songs intent whilst infusing the proceedings with something more up beat and Parisienne ,so the song runs at am exhaustive 8 minutes but leads you out of a forboding autumn and takes you nearer the optimism of spring. All achieved through the genius of arrangement and Miss Jones empathy with the song
All the lavishness of Bil Withers "Lovely Day" but with the sentiments turned upside down,the sun is still there but clouded wiith tears .This beautiful soul/funk ballad is for some strange reason,almost unheard but rates along side their biggest hit "You to me Are Everything".This is what you find if you keep digging and delving.
from Best of available on CD - Best of or Late Night Tales_jamiriquai
This songs flower power origins always seemed at odds with its retro future predictions for mankind,so when it was re recorded amidst the static buzz of late seventies synths it suddenly made more sense ,a mildly treated vocal from Steve Strange still retains the melody but the backing track transports its sentiments to a more appropriate time line a gives a great song a bigger and better home .
The perfect marriage of adult rock and blue eyed soul.A relationship viewed from the point of nostalgia ,to the male it was really something ,to the lady it barely registered.This brought Michael McDonald to prominence as a soulful frontman and if he had only ever recorded this alone that would have been enough to justify his brilliance.
from Minute by Minute available on CD - Michael mc donald best of