great guitars,singer's voice isn't drowned out by the instruments. just sounds good.

Jason's guitar wraps around you caresses you, making you feel like it's carrying you down a river on a warm summer day, sun shining on your face. His lyrics are true poetry, and he can communicate so many emtions. Only Jason could sing a song where all he does is read the intrument panels on his car and still sound great. Although this guy is still unsigned, his website (jasonmraz.com) has an short CD you can order and mp3's you can download. If this guys does not make it big one day then I'll....I'lll....I don't know what, but I'll do something.

i don't know much about this band... three singers, killer melodies, fairly depressing but thoughtful and insightful lyrics. this song is loooong and worth it. (oh yeah, and add "i believe that" to the beginning of the song title--it wouldn't all fit)

Sylvie Vartan is supposedly one of the cheezier "ye ye" singers, yet I am so in love with this French cover of an American pop classic. It's so charming, the seriousness with which Sylvie Vartan approaches the song. "Must ... Locomotion ... NOW!"

before della reese was touched by an angel she was a singer. it seems that some songs own their singers and other songs the vocalist owns the song. in della's case she definately owns the song. this song rocks and swings with blaring horns and percussion that makes it hard to sit still. and then della's voice comes in with all its unique style letting you know exactly who is boss. after della's version any other version just pales in comparison.

I could have chosen any Morrissey/Smiths song as a good recomendation, Morrissey is simply our greatest living lyricist. He also happens to have a rare throat that sings with so much emotion one is left speechless. When I hear the sound of his voice I find my own soul. There is no better example of this ethereal angel than in the live version of "Seasick yet still Docked." Mozzer is a rare creature and when you hear this song you will understand that perhaps what your hearing, may not be altogether "human".

this is a twisted sort of house/techno number that will appeal to non-lovers of house. Its heavy enough, tweaked enough, etc. and the vocals are nice and twisted. dark, but still humorous "im losing my mind"

Ed Harcourt has now committed this song to tape three times in three years. Firstly on the excellent debut mini-LP "Maplewood" in 2000. It was fleshed out and re-recorded for his full-length debut LP, "Here Be Monsters", in 2001, and now surfaces again in 2002 as the a-side of his most recent single. This time it's even better still, and comes accompanied with a great video. This is classic, piano led pop which could have been recorded at any time in the last 30 years. Comparisons to Randy Newman, Nick Drake andTom Waits have been forthcoming, and not unjustified. A great song which just gets better with each trip to the studio.

I'm into blonde women, always have been. Perhaps I share a kindship with the late great Jeff Buckley. I can just imagine where he's coming from, standing on stage, electric guitar amped to rock, all that power in his hands, peering out through the crowd into a yard of blonde girls. How wonderfully empowering! Just think of it? A young man in his prime slashing power chords in front of a legion of women, and leaving this song to remind us of what it's like to live this mythical life. I sing along, dreaming of what it would have been like as a rock star, what kind of pleasure could I derive from the world?

Jeff has certainly proven and disproven his own stylings from the seminal album, Grace, to the somewhat obscure and fragile My Sweetheart the Drunk. What could have been still reverberates through my mind when listening to this song in particular. Its compelling simplicity and catchy chorus, "very sexy, very sexy, okay, okay" beckons my blonde girlfriend to break out into song. The slow thrust of crunching guitars, standard rock 4/4 time, heavy drums sitting on every beat - it's almost glam, almost British invasion, almost cock-rock, but Buckley style. And yes, very sexy, very sexy. Trust me guys, girls will love this song!

Queen of the New wave and possibly Vampires, Eastern Bloc princess of the moogs and synths takes a old 80's teeny bopper cover and refreshes it by singing the lyrics in Japanese and adding a synethically mellow-dramatic and somewhat retro kitsch shibyua district cuteness. Dance to it or cry to it, nonetheless this cover is 1000X better than the original..

cool old R&B version of purple haze. The singer doesn't get the lyrics quite right, but there's a lot of soul and horns on this track.

Great loungey beat that's dying to be sampled. This is early Brigitte Fontaine and it reminds the folks at Dusty Groove of early Serge Gainsbourg. I agree. Cool upbeat jazzy beat with emotive singing. Wish I spoke French. The only problem with this song is that it's too short.

A good pick-me-up song with Ed Ames singin' about not being tied down. He gotta keep movin' - get it? I'm guessing it's from the late 60's

Don't know much about neither the artist nor the origin of this track, but it�s, despite being a bit repetitive, flawlessly arranged. Female la-la-la lyricless voice singing the melody, italian soundtrack kind of mood (misleading title that is) with lush strings and good overall arrangement.

Originally sort of a mellow song, here is someone really belting it out. With a swinging big band, Kim, (who I've thought of as a soul singer mainly)
really rocks.

An exciting instrumental version of Los Bravos' hit single, done sitar-style. Playing pop music on the sitar must be difficult, since it never was the most melodic of instruments. Lord Sitar is the best I've heard of the psychsploitation musicians that briefly came into vogue around 1967 or so.

A very tasty and rather 'European-sounding' cover of the 1967's psyche-jazz Tom Scott's original from the well-known session percussionist-vibraphonist Emil Richards. Although it comes in a compilation of Emil's best late 60s latin-jazz recordings (interestingly, not a single horn instrument is used in the whole set!), this is an energetic percussive jazz-rock piece, with great vibraphone and bells(!) solos.

This reminds me of Portishead but it's not as downright depressing. There's a really cool whistle/mellotron hook in it.

Firstly, John Cash is a god! This is the first song of his that really grabbed me. He has a real sorrow in his voice that rings true when he sings about people being hung for murder and such.

featured on the albumn Folsom Prison Blues which is one of the best things you can buy, regardless of weather you're a country fan or not

Am amazing song ... 14 minutes of pure passion. I think Kevin Rowland is one of the few singers of the past few decades who has real soul. The man MEANS IT and this song just makes my soul soar. The way it starts off with the dialogue, and the accapala singing, and then how the band just kicks in at the same moment, and your heartbeat just rises, and keeps on rising as Kevin just takes the songer higher and higher ... and sevem minutes in, just when you think it's going to finally finish, it changes completely and runs on for another seven minutes. I always feel exhasted after the song has ended ... it's such an emotional rush.

A very melancholia song. Tricky, with the help of a female singer (though I don't know who) set you adrift the feeling of sadness and depression. If you ever felt like you were nothing from a friend, this is your song.

Lead singer of Modest Mouse...haunting, intense...

"we clung on like barnacles on a boat...even though the ship sinks, you know you can't let go"

A smart, funny rant -- half talking, half singing. Political as any of her music, but less angry and more mocking. Very cool. Even if you don't like Ani, this one deserves a listen.



"...all the radios agree with all the tvs, and the magazines agree with all the radios and I keep hearing that same damn song everywhere I go! Maybe I should put a bucket over my head and a marshmallow in each ear, and stumble around for another dumb, numb week for another humdrum hit song to appear."

A truly fantastic song by this classic rock band. One of the very few Stones tracks that makes me want to sing along.

Here is another lush ballad by the Moody Blues frontman. A fantastic single from the Moving Mountains cd.

Off the LP "Orlan Divo" Orlan Divo's first release on the Musidisc label. A collaboration with Ed Lincoln, Waltel Branco and other Musidisc luminaries. This LP/CD is available as a reissue from whatmusic.com

A laid back bossa/balanco track. Nice easy vocals by Orlan Divo who has a great voice (although I don't speak a word of Portugese so I couldn't say what he's singing about) and some really sweet understated organ licks from the usually over-the-top Ed Lincoln especially durring the vibes break. It's a great track off an even greater LP. I think the only other consistently solid LP like this one is that comes to mind would be Eumir Deodato's "Tremendao" on the equipe label.

What a rockin great band. From Portland as all great inspired things are, they sing about love and pain and driving. Definitely check them out.

a fast paced song. can't understand a single lyric, but it's a good song to bop to. the wrens are being talked up quite a bit lately, in indie circles, with 'this boy is exhausted' being the center of hype, but 'per second second' is one of my favorites from them right now.

absolutely breathtaking from beginning to end. it's one of those songs that you wait the whole album for.
even if you're not doing anything interesting when you hear it, you'll have good memories associated with it.

I hearty Punk rock romp through heart break....Sing along if you want.

lamenting passionate and heartwrenching. a ballad of love lost and found. big production , much depth and emotion. Scott lends a special something to this and most every song he sings. I never want to leave.

classic. the live version on the single for Oh Inverted World is so
good. please seek it out.

this is possibly the oldest hip hop track i�ve heard... nice 60�s instrumentation, though the track feels surprisingly modern. cool repetive structure, really nice delivery of the lines, great rythm. amazing song to put on at parties. i love it.

Wonderfull song about a husband and wife who hate each other.
The Mountain Goats are ussualy very lo-fi but this release gave them a newfound hi-fi multi-instrumented sound.
This song is a whimsical hate fest
"i hope the rising black smoke carries me away
and i never come back to this town again
in my life i hope i lie
and tell everyone you were a good wife
and i hope you die
i hope we both die"

It seems that I'm the only person to recommend Clinic (if I'm using this site properly). Anyway, Clinic are a band from Liverpool with 2 (I think) fantastic albums so far. I chose this song from their first album, Internal Wrangler, for no other reason than it's the first one that sprung to mind. Hard to describe what they sound like, but they remind me of the Velvet Underground, Beach Boys, Dick Dale. That's probably not a very good or accurate description. People in the UK might recognise another song from this album (The Second Line) from a Levi's ad a few years ago. Anyway, if you like Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Grandaddy, that kind of thing, find this album, you might like it.

The most eeire, scary and downright supernatural blues track ever recorded. Robert Johnson's vocal style sends shivers down anyone's back on the first, and repeat, hearings of this masterpiece.

Take time and notice the evidence of Hoodoo pratice in lyrics (hot foot powder) and a brief history of a failed relationship once believed to have been Robert Johnsons...

Early urban blues from the master of all that is politically incorrect (listen to his lyrics on most tracks regarding women). Recorded as a tribute to a friend, full recording has a 3 minute rant by Blind Willie recounting the story of writing this, andsinging it at a friend's funeral. The finest early urban blues track - playful chord progression and a perfectly sophisticated urban take on his normal country blues output. Sharp lyrics are a joy to listen to.

Despite the vocal style of James (not appreciated by myself) this track is a true masterpiece - listful, solemn and mysterious. Numerous good covers inc. Kelly Joe Phelps, & Chris Thomas King (O Brother Where art thou). The original's guitarwork is superior to other versions - sparse and perfectly timed. However Phelps has, in my oppinion, a more appripraite voice for the track.

I don't think there is any middle ground with old Scott. Love him/hate him

I originally started to listen to him because of recommendations from Julian Cope, not personally, from his book, Head on/Repossessed, a great rock'n'roll read.

To me This is Scott at his best, balancing well his mesmerising voice, with his world weary poetic lyrics, not too over produced, a beatiful ballad.

sample Lyric " You shed your names with the seasons, still they all return with their last remains, and they lay them before you... like reasons...."

Quite unlike most of Nina Simone�s work the beautifully smooth jazz of �please don�t let me be misunderstood� and sometimes slightly sleazy orchestral numbers �feeling good�, �I put a spell on you�.

For me, Sinnerman� is out on its own, a 10+ minute opus, based around a rolling piano and double bass and often frantic cymbal accompanying Nina�s rueful voice tinged with desperation as she recounts the tale. Searching for somewhere to hide, from what is not explained, a man first runs to the rocks, the river, and the Lord, who all refuse him, the music booming louder and with more urgency following each rejection. The Lord even tells him to go to the waiting Devil, and the situation looks bleak, until the rhythm running alongside him suddenly clatters into a tree, and the sinner throws himself before the Lord once more, �Don�t you see me prayin�?� he cries, �Not nearly enough� replies the Lord, until the chasing evil presumably sniffs him out, the drums and bass pick themselves up and we�re off and running again, into the sunset together.

Matisyahu is a hasidic Jew who sings reggae music...really, really well.

"Bob Nesta said it best, everything will be alright...introspect, connect the sects, and let this music make you fly..."

This song is devastating. The piano is precise, but halting and delicate, as though the melody is just as tentative about saying anything at all as the singer is. The song clocks in at less than three minutes, but the strings shudder like a dark devouring cloud hovering at the horizon, drinking up the lyrics for what seem like months, or years.

Memory's a funny thing. Especially romantic memory.
The first time I heard this song was two days after the first time I fell in love. Everywhere I went, I sang its earnest chorus "And you are always on my mind" in my head, thinking about the one I was in love with. In the shower staring at a bottle of hair conditioner, I sang, "You are always on my mind". On the subway, trying to ignore a potential fistfight about to break out, I sang, "You are always on my mind". In the supermarket produce section, holding the perfect shape of a lemon in my hand, I sang, "You are always on my mind". I was giddy and happy and the song understood. "Hey!" the song said, "Hey!" Will Oldman sang, "I got a new partner now!"
But jacket weather set in and things grew colder and we broke up and I was miserable and I stored the CD away on a top shelf with other memorabilia of that love who's happy power was really freakin' painful for me to think about now.
Things weren't always so bleak and I got me a new love and some years later, when I listened to the song again, I noticed something about the lyrics I hadn't before. See, in reality, the song isn't joyous at all. Will Oldman is singing about a past love, a love who is always on his mind when all the time he is seeing another girl, a different girl from the one always on his mind. He can't be with that girl. He has a new partner now. What I thought was a song about new joy was a song about nostalgic loss.
I didn't see how it was possible that I had suppressed that true meaning for as long as I had, considering how often I sang the song and how much it meant to me at the time. I knew the lyrics like the back of my hand and when I listen to music I dredge up all I can get from the lyrics like I'm a devout scribe interpreting the bible.
One of the beauties of pop songs is that they take on the flavour of your life at the time you listened to them and carry that flavour on to whenever you listen to the song again, while meanwhile you're morphing and changing and discarding what songs you don't want to remember that you loved and making mixed Cd's for long cartrips of the songs you do you do want to remember. This song is weird in that IT seemed to be the one that was morphing the next time I heard it and not me, like it was a person that had changed over time that I was encountering again.
Besides which, what a fucking lovely song it is.

slightly haunting, not just the intro but the lyrics as well. the singer's voice is just right for this track and the music is fitting.

starts with bells and a rising lot of sounds; a whole rock orchestra; and the unique letters and voice from mark e. smith, over and over.

I think this is one of Korn's first songs to get airplay, although most people I know don't remember it. It came out during the Grunge era of the 90's.

This is not a serious, meaningful song, but it is fun! How could you not like to hear your favorite childhood nursery rhymes translated into a hardcore rock song? It's a great idea!

After singing somewhat diabolical versions of "Ring-Around-A-Rosy", "London Bridge Is Falling Down," "Mary Had A Little Lamb," etc...Jonathan Davis leads us into the main chorus:

"Nursery rhymes are said, verses in my head
Into my childhood they're spoonfed
Hidden violence revealed, darkness that seems real
Look at the pages that cause all this evil"

The most interesting thing about this song is that each rhyme has a unique style, kind of like songs within a song; and it all fits together neatly.

the only good avril song.

this is one of the best hip-hop songs ever. i wish i could speak hindi so i could sing along.

Bridget St John is an english folk singer, whose records were released through Dandelion, DJ John Peel's record label, in the 70's. Her songs remind me of Nico or Nick Drake.
Take notice : surprisingly enough, there are 2 singers called Bridget St John. The 2nd one is an american pop/rock singer

I always want to dance to this song, and it's great to sing along to. It reminds me of "Wednesday" in a lot of ways; I just love how the tone changes from upbeat and cheerful to somewhat dark, then back again.

Another one that's GREAT to sing along to! I often find myself humming the tune while I'm walking somewhere. It's a really fun song, and I found it a great introduction to goth music.

On a few cafe del mar type albums but don't let that put you off also on the excellent new big chill album. Vollenweider is a highly underated harp player this is a gem which will make your heart sing. It's one of those songs that kind of teases you with what it's going to do and then does it unashamedly and then just when it sounds like it's going to just noodle off to sleep it starts nudging you and letting you know your going to get it again, little minx! Sorry but this is aural sex - download - you and everyone you know will love it maybe not as much as me but they will.

Absolutely class, Terry singin his heart out in a kind of ba ba be da be da da kind of way how he's "seeen a sparrow get hiiigh and waste his time in the sky-yyy" and that "each little bird in the sky-yyy is just a little bit f-reee-er than I (He's a mys-ter-ry) - ba daa da daa dum be be dum be da ba ba ba de da de dum beda ba de daaa..." a really happy song about being really happy about who you are even if your just a lazy so and so.

Chorus:I've got my hands at redemption's sides whos scars are bigger then these doubts of mine put all of these monstrosities aside and I come alive.
I like this singers voice it's a strong vocal range and he never strains to reach a note (like that blink 182 dude is always doing among others) I like the feel of it it's like a rising song "come alive" see I'm bad at explaining...

ONe of those emo whispered tracks with romantic words.
Sample: I am fairly agile I can bend and not break or I can break and take it with a smile.
It's soft and sweet and you can just imagine someone singing it to you on a balcony at night. I'm just a big dumb romamtic so sue me

Paul Anka sings esperanto? No, it`s just his italian version of "Put your head on my shoulder". I don`t know the year it was recorded, but I think it were in the late 60`s. Although his italian articulation sounds queer to me (it feels like he red the lyrics from a board) "Abbandonati Amore" is a very nice song and the "Hawaiian" melody is still the same as in the original recording!

I'd actually never heard of this band, but after having heard the song over the speakers in a bookstore I was in I went to one of the cashiers and asked her the name of it. She passed me the CD case...now it is one of my favourite tunes (to listen to and to sing!).

Very catchy reggae, simple but meaningful lyrics. And though Willie Nelson has never been tops on my favourite singers/bands list, I veyr much like the way he sings this song...and surprisingly he doesn't sound so out-of-place doing reggae. I'd like to know what other recordings of this song exist. In the meantime, listen to this version!

The percussion is VERY cool.

"Still Is Still Moving To Me"

Still is still moving to me
And I swim like a fish in the sea all the time
But if that's what it takes to be free I don't mind
Still is still moving to me
Still is still moving to me

And it's hard to explain how I feel
It won't go in words but I know that it's real
I can be moving or I can be still
But still is still moving me
Still is still moving to me

(Repeat)

For Hideaki Sekiguchi, aka Bass Wolf, who sadly died of a heart attack on the 31st of March. He was only 38.
Guitar Wolf is one of those bands you either love or hate, i myself love them and their insane, primal rock n' roll antics. Sure hope they carry on, even though they are now missing a member.
This may well be the loudest song ever recorded. It's insanely great and makes me want to learn how to destroy a guitar.

great piece of whiskey-soaked break up pop from our friend lee, here. it's basically driven by guitar and harpsichord, but a warbling hammond organ pops up in the end. really dig the balance between lee's weary voice and the backup singers' purring wordless hums here.

Hardcore, with Brodie's raspy voice, but she's singing, not yelling in this song. I especially like the phrase "you were Marilyn Monroe."

Fun lyrics, especially for one with Latino/Italian heritage. Great singing, good piano.

Borderline,Big City, Piano led MOL orchestral with that extra little something that lifts it out of the bland. Girl backing singers ' wooo -ooo" and Sing the title.

This song has one of those melodys that I've listened to a lot of times and still I can't really say that I've figured it out... The string arrangement is stunning also... works perfectly with Serge's voice... Everybody should be able to recognize the french word for hate... he sings it very hateful...

The chords are unbelievable... I've never heard such as good as this with as many fancy chord changes going on... It's a wonderful song to sing.. Hard to beat Dusty though

this rendition of the foo's hit single surpasses the original version in every way. while the radio release generates power and energy while conjuring up a sense of nostalgia that accompany the song's lyrics, the acoustic version allows dave grohl's voice to, in a sense, speak to the listener comfortingly. the lyrics inspire all who listen to look around and seize the day, and to do this by cherish the relationships in one's life.

I believe this song was written in the late 60's by Bob Dylan, however it was performed by Nico, whose original band was The Velvet Underground before she went solo. This track has a lovely up-beat combination of piano and violin to acompany Nico's deep, melodic voice. I love it because of it's artistic without being depressing or too complex.

If anyone ever wondered why Francoise Hardy never did an album as good as La Question this woman might well be the answer. For it was Tuca that was responsible for, well as i have figured out at least, the songs, production and string arrangements on that particular album. Tuca only made three albums herself, all of which is flawed, but at her best shows her influence on the la question album. With a voice somewhere between nara leao and joyce her songs really did come onto her own on her last album Dracula i love you. The title track is a haunting ballad that almost sounds if Kate Bush had been born in Brazil. Well, nearly i must add because i had so high expectations after the la question album so i was a bit disappointed when i heard her albums. But you could only imagine what great music Tuca could have done. This track at least shows her enormous potential and a sense of atmosphere that i haven´t heard from any other brazilian artist. Tuca tragically died in 1978 after trying losing weight to fast. Does anyone know more about her?

A life full of farewells, everything´s given to be taken away, thank you for making me beg. With song titles that rivals Morrisseys Australias Peter Milton Walsh remains one of pops best kept secrets. Only putting out four albums in 20 years he could be described as the missing link between the more doom laden melodrama of The Triffids and the popstrumming of Go-Betweens. Maybe he is a bit too self absorbed to reach a wider audience but this lovely track, complete with trumpets, finds him in his best form.

When you´ve overdosed on soft pop and brazilian reissues of the sixties, well, you need something else. So, how about an alt-country concept record, sort of, on child abuse ? Now, don´t runaway because Mountain Goats singer/songwriter John Darnielle is in my opionon the antidote of all the other, look at me how authentic i am singer/songwriters, that have seem to have regular subscriptions in mojos review department. There is a sense of urgency in darnielles songs that he writes songs because he has to. Taken from a fine album overall,The sunset tree, "This year" is the stand out track with a chorus to seek comfort from in the darkest of times; "i am gonna make it through this year if it kills me".

More godlike melody from monsieur Arnaud Fleurent -Didier. This one, the title track, taken from his tribute to the french singers and songs of his youth (serge, polnareff and son).A largely acoustic number with a bit bossanova, chansons, strings, a female voice and that extra magical melody chord that only Arnaud seems to be in possesion of. You need this man in your life, right now.

Of all the releases on spains siesta label i especially hold "Memory La" by Greece`s Constantin Veis closest to me. Constantin veis who along with his brother sang and wrote songs in 80´s group The Fantastic Something. A kind of Simon & Garfunkel for the the indie/twee generation. On Memory La he continues in the simon & garfunkel style but throws in a more singer songwriter vibe along with bits of jimmy and burt. Crystal clear acoustic guitars and a wistful melody dominates "people and places" that removes this listener looking out on the mediterrean sea with a glass of ouzo in your right hand.

Aaah, the eighties. Everyone´s got their memories, i do and you do too. One who soundtracked my youth was haircut one hundreds singer/songwriter Nick Heyward who went onto a not as succesful solocareer but who yielded many pearls of popsongs for those who cared to look. Tell me why from 88s "I love you avenue" has to be my favorite nick track since it encapsules all his qualties best. Regret, melancholia and longing for the mrs and a piano midtempo verse that leads up to a killer chorus. Avalaible in a bargain bin near you.

It took me a long, long while to �get� Gorillaz. Oh come on, who didn�t like �Clint Eastwood�? I dunno, having sunshine in a bag is a nice lyric to repeat when people are pissing you and your shit off� yet, �Clint Eastwood� didn�t make me a fan.

No, in fact, no Gorillaz track did more to bring me into the fold than �Dirty Harry�, with its amazing keyboards, bassline and children�s chorale�

It�s just been a while since I�ve come across pop music that was so far off the beaten track, that it redefines what is �mainstream�. This is always fun for music lovers, but once again goes to prove that noone with taste thinks the cookie cutter approach to popular music is the right way.

Well I�m a Gorillaz fan now, maybe three or four years late, but I�m a fan for sure. �Demon Days� has quickly jumped up to �Heavy Rotation� status in my last.fm and musicmobs profiles in a heart beat.

It�s weird, because someone brought a pre-release copy of �Demon Days� for me way back in April, but I listened to it a few times and then ignored it, forgot it for the most part (if you ignore the iconic billboards and posters everywhere across London). I�m famous for that though, I tend to err on the side of not believing the hype, a la Public Enemy.

It was only about three or four weeks ago, after my flatmate�s accidental stop on the �Dirty Harry� video one night, while I was in another room working.

Said keyboards, bass line and chorale, made me stop what I was doing, get up and go into the living room, calling incredulously as I went, �What are you listening to?�

That my friends, is all Big Mami wrote on the matter�

I am a collector of songs. Besame Mucho is one of my favorites and my favorite by far is by Lila Downs. The band she is playing with is what makes this song so great. The percussion is awesome. I am amazed that I am the first person to recommend Lila Downs as she was the singer for the movie Frida and has become well known since then. This Amer/Mex woman has several albums and to me is one of the best singers I have ever heard. I could go on and on. If you listen to the clip, it is only 20 -40 seconds and the band plays a long beginning so you may not even get to hear her voice. What a shame!

I always knew the original version of this song by Leonard Cohen and over the last few years kept hearing this version. She sounds like Billie Holiday in this and makes it her own song. Don't know much about her but she also sings in French and does a great version of En Vie En Rose, another favorite song of mine.

A great ballad with the typical Valli/Four Seasons sound and a real 70's feel. Very evocotive, close your eyes and your there, on the balmy sun drenched West Coast of California. I brought the single when it came out in the 70's, but can't seem to find it anywhere on CD. If anyone knows of it on CD Please let me know.

dramatic orchestral pop noir from the sunshine people.
unexpected dept, maybe because Dennis Wilson sings it

Just a great song. Musically it builds beautifully to the finale. A little depressing, but still, real life.

This plays during a very creepy/hot sex scene, go figure, from David Lynch's "Lost Highway". The song isn't on the soundtrack and I had to hunt it down seperately.

The mixture of the female singer's flowing voice with the slow guitar, following a step behind, is soothing and gorgeous.

It is a love song but one of sitting lost and alone "at the breakers" waiting for either love to return or to "lie with death, my bride"

an elliott smith cover.. but i think i like this arangement better.. it was on to:elliott from:portland.. an elliott smith tribute album.. i'd have to say.. it's wonderful.. but the original has a lot more feeling.. musically this one is easier for me to appreciate..

Almost a clasical piano piece but with amazing vocals

First of all let me say that I have been violently blindsided by this group! ...they very quickly entered my favorite 60's pop group stratosphere and have not budged from my rotation for months now. I first got "From you unto us", the singles collection which is good for what it is, but I think the best introduction to the band is the albums themselves, original ordering of songs in this case is vital to the listening experience.
I liked the singles collection OK, but my first impression was muted and okish until I noticed a couple songs later on sticking in my head for hours... picked up the first album on CD (Wondering the whole time if I should be doing this as I have most of the tracks on the comp, CD right? I like the original ordering BEST! Glad I did, no regrets at all...) and have played little else for some time...

I just got Timeless and I'm choosing one off their second album because the first album is one of the few immaculate pop albums of all time IMO and choices there are easy favorites... the second album seems to be less popular, but there are some serious gems here too and It's also a stone cold favorite...

I am choosing Look Away because I think the most distinctive sonic quality of Eternity's Children are these wonderful uplifting bouncy organ driven songs... ET have several tracks that deliver a great song, beautiful and original atmospheric production, great performances in a deeply satisfying way that is rare... This song is pure pop bliss from the opening notes to the end. I honestly can't think of a better compliment than that this song makes me glad to be alive.

For those of you who played in the band and stumble across this:
From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!

Elizabeth Fraser (from Cocteau Twins) sings on this song. The live version has an energic end. I just love the combination Tiersen-Fraser.

I love this song! So sweetly depressing. However, it is surprisingly upbeat for a depressing song! You've just gotta love those paradoxes!! :)

Minimalist accompaniment paired with singsongy slam poetry lyrics. its different and has a perspective that is not, for once, cliche.

With the exception of the silly dropping "daaaaaayyy" at the very end of this track, it's probably my favorite reworking of a Bowie song. The epic, quickly fading strings and strange raising/falling echoing voices pushing thru Bowie's unchanged vocals, wonderful. The strings add more power to Bowies lyrics.

If you're looking for a feelgood song, this is it. Off of Jason Mraz's newest album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, the whole album is a pretty good listen. Less funkier than Mr. A-Z but groovier than Waiting for My Rocket to Come.

Possibly their best song, this was released as a single, right before the album of the same title came out. This is supposed to be an introduction/decoder for the album.

This song has a very interesting sound using steal drums among other things to create a steady and bright beat. The artist's voice is beautiful and light, combinig perfectly with the song's meaning and the instrumental parts.

Acoustic recording from bobby ray, a highly talented muscian. accomplished on both piano and guitar. this song uses his guitar and singing skills. However he is equally adept at rapping and producing

This is my favorite song of all time. I think it epitomizes Dream Theater's amazing style and musical prowess. If you listen to this song and it doesn't move you, then you may want to check your pulse because you might be dead.

Andy Hull is a fantatic and unbelivable singer. Manchester Orchestra is a great band. And this may be their best song. The lyrics are heartwrenching and haunting.

This song was recorded when the singer, Caleb Followill, was really drunk. It was recorded in one take and he made up most of the song as he was going... It's their best song, and one of the best songs I've ever hear.

Weird song. Great Song. Taylor Hollingsworth sings this one and its the perfect closure to the great album that is Outer South. It's sad and slow and yet it is able to make you smile and sing along.

A song from the younger days of Conor Oberst. The lyrics are amazing, and he may not be the greatest singer we've ever heard, but he sings it with such intensity it gives you the chills.

It's an interesting and refreshing track from their latest album; very upbeat and powerful with its array of instrumentation, (piano, oboe, especially)
The lyrics are those of one professing their undying love for another. The band manages to keep up their tradition with providing something new to the table by adding a verse from a popular French opera as well as an oboe solo instead of the usual generic guitar.
It's a great listen :)

I'm already a huge fan of Regina, but for me this is her absolute BEST. Good luck finding it because I'm pretty positive it's not on any of her cd's, but it's a very beautiful song that you can hear her sing live on youtube. It's so weary but very beautiful all at the same time. However I feel like it's the simple, yet honest lyrics that blow me away. "Don't say goodbye like you're burrying him. Cause the world is round and he might return."

Sublime's tribute to Bob Marley. Bradley Nowell sings like if i know him personally.

Very awesome band! They didn't achieve as much fame as Jefferson Airplane but they certainly are as good. The songs are all heavily bass driven and the voice of the lead singer is very soothing and moves along very well.

Mourning the death of the show more than the doublecrossing character's body being taken to his family, this song was beautiful, no other words. Another great song was also at a funeral scene (for a much more admirable character), a unique and memorable version of 'Amazing Grace'. Other notable music from Firefly is 'Inside The Tam House' and 'Early Takes Serenity'.

guitar's part is simply stunning. the tone of the singer's voice is so soothing and relaxing. when i get married, this will be my wedding song, it's perfect.

The song is a slow melancholy song with a hint of vengeance building up in the beginning. The song then switches to a breakdown, including screaming "baby" by Robert Plant the singer, gives you goosebumps.

when the lady sings

really good brazillian singer, even though nobody really enjoys her in brazil, still an amazing talent. Her band is pretty cool too. Sounds like a mix between Os mutantes with a some samba in it.

acoustic guitar, soft sounding song but it has very strong vocals performed by Bryon Mack.
I like the song because it has a very pleasing melody and the vocals can really be felt, they aren't just heard.

This is a lost 80s track that has a pulsing backbeat and a great feel. One of my favorite driving songs. Produced by Jeff Lynne of ELO.

Great instrumentation, evocative lyrics, awesome closing song

-soft at first, has rock-ish bridges and soft ones too!
-melodic voice, really smooth
-male singer

I love this song because it is so romantic, sweet, and perfect. There is Isaac Slade on vocals, along with back vocalist Joe King (<3). There's a piano, cello, and drumset. It's a beautiful song, happy and passionate, perfect to sing along to, Isaac has a great voice, and lyrics are beautiful.

From their 1st album; anyone can relate to the feelings inherent in the song...."you've been double-crossing me". Also check out "Trouble, Trouble" (song about drinking). 2 fantastic songs that were never played on the radio. If I was a DJ they would have been!

Live version is best....when Freddie Mercury died, he left his entire fortune to her even though she had broken up with him because of his homosexuality.
When I hear the song, I always wish he could have grown older; lost him too early. Greatest pure "rock" singer in history! I saw them live!

It seems unlikely to be able to pick one song from the threepenny opera that stands out above the rest since the thing in itself is so honed to perfection (and never moreso than in the very early recordings). But as a microcosm of the whole this track (track 8) encapsulates perfectly the balance between the borrowed idiom of the popular musical style and the squalor of the lyrics. there is a jaunty middle section in which Mac recalls how he would slip out of bed to let one of the whore Jenny's clients in, mix them a drink and treat them well. Then comes a duet and they sing together of how they long to return to that whorehouse and to those happy times. At the end the music lingers with added, disconnected percussive sounds, in which time the ambivilance and ironies all resonate, creating a moment of perfection for the work as a whole, where all meaning vanishes and mere rhythm persuades.

This song has probably been done a thousand times, but this version is definitely worth listening to. To me this is pure music. Ivie Anderson's voice fits just perfectly with The Duke's music, it's as if she was meant to sing his songs.

Funny double entendres from mysterious doomed gay star of the 1930's. It can be heard online at queermusicheritage or thedoctordementoshow.com. Quick wit and chatty singing style that is like Dwight Fiske or Spivy, but far more musical and accessible. Nightclub classic, a jewel of an era and style no longer heard.

1930s France is one of my favorite times/places for great popular music making. If you are like minded then you won't want to miss this recording. A gorgeous melody that will have you singing along even if you don't understand a word.

You can hear this one over the closing credits of Francois Truffaut's "Une Belle Fille Comme Moi". My French is not good enough to understand the story behind who or what she is waiting for but it is heartbreaking nevertheless. CD song listings describes it as "Slow-fox-chante".

NO ONE ELSE could belt it out like that. When she finishes the first chorus,instead of reprising the melody for a second time through, she simply belts a single note (a high C) for an entire 32-bar chorus. Her voice COMMANDED audiences the world over to applaud that song. Celine Dion's got nothing on Ethel. Nothing!

Dinah Washington was known as "queen of the blues" but she also had a great flare for jazz singing. This is a remarkable example of her phrasing ability and exquisite style. Quincy Jones' genius shines in his musical arrangement and orchestral conduction.

It's most romantic music that I've ever heard! I don't think Chet Baker is well at singing a song, but his way of singing & playing is very emotional & to be moved. Above all, this tune is the best one of all his works, I think. Swingy & very positive melody. I feel as if I'm in the heaven on the earth. Why don't you try it if you wanna be romantic.

Taken from her rare full length LP (many 45's and 78's are floating around out there) this wonderful track is perfect for Trudy's full, slightly husky voice. She is accompanied by the Billy May orchestra and he knows how to frame her voice with just the right arrangement! This fabulous composition by the great team of Comden and Green swings with all of the joy and enthusiasm you feel when you find your soulmate. Sadly, this album is out of print and somewhat rare. If you can get your hands on it, God has smiled on you and you should rush to the checkout counter without delay!

I originally came across this recording on the soundtrack to the film 'the Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' and I have been thanking my lucky stars since! Taken from the rare and out of print LP 'Crazy In Love' (which you should purchase on sight if you ever come across it!) Ms. Richards throws a good swing into this exquisite torch song and brings down the house with the help of Billy May and his orchestra! I am forever indebted to the person or persons who compiled the 'Priscilla' soundtrack and led me to this great song and the original LP from which it was taken!

This is my all time favorite movie - and every time I see the part where she sings with the little kids - get out the KLEENEX!!

These guys did some weird effects using pianos, ending up with spacey percussive effects.

Blossom Dearie is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated jazz vocalists of all time. Dearie's phrasing and piano playing within the small group arrangements on this album of standards are very, very reminiscent of Mose Allison (who just so happens to be another of my all-time favorites). On this track in particular, she delivers a very charming performance, combining the innocent ingenue with the blase urbanite.

this is a cover of a song which i have been told is a song by hendricks, lambert and ross. the original title is "i want you to be my baby" but the translation of the chinese title is "i want your love". this version of the song is sung in both english and chinese. this song was recently used in the tsai ming-liang film "the hole" as well. the song has an infectious rhythm and great lyrics that can even make me sing along. though some passages in both chinese and english are sung way too fast for me to properly sing along. i usually hate to sing, so any song that can make me want to sing along is quite an accomplishment.

A very ethereal song that is perfect for the lilting girlish voice of Blossom Dearie. She is also an accomplished pianist and plays on every song she sings. She is backed by a standard jazz trio on this track and they play in a wonderfully subdued manor that allows her voice and the words to be the focal point of this song. Originally written by a french songwriter, Blossom Dearie heard the song while living and performing in France in the mid-1950's. Upon her return to the United States, she asked her friend, songwriter Johnny Mercer, to write english lyrics to the wonderful melody. The words he wrote tell a beautiful story of love lost, but fondly remembered thru a familiar smell or sound. A standout track from the marvelous LP of the same name. Give it a listen the next time you go to your local music store.

I've been absolutly crazy about this song ever since I first heard it on the radio. It's from the great Lady in satin album. A very sad song, some of the last she recorded, and many people said that she couldn't sing anymore. Her broken voice is perfect for this song

this is perhaps my favorite jazz ballad. maybe the most romantic song you'll ever here. stan getz's saxaphone sounds like it came down from the clouds. it sounds so soft and warm. it's often so subtle that you here just air passing across the reed. and cal tjader's vibraphone adds just the right punctuation. the song is ethereal. romantic and ethereal are hardly words i use often, but they seem to be the best i could think of to describe this song.

This brilliant song was a number 1 hit in the United States in 1958. It was sold over 1 million times between the release date in oktober and Christmas. It was written by Phil Spector, who was the songwriter, guitarist and composer of The Teddy Bears. (The band`s name is based on the number 1 hit "Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley)The inspiration for the songtext was the inscription of the grave of Phil Spector`s father, who commited suicide.

The arrangement of "To know him is to love him" is very light an pure, so that the sad and loving words come to the fore. The angle-like vocals sung by Annette Kleinbard create a heavenly ambience. To me "To know him is to love him" is one of the most affectionate and beautiful songs I`ve ever heard. Although the song is performed by many bands and singers(for example "The Chordettes") the version of The Teddy Bears is according to my taste the best of them all.

I think this is my favorite version of 'Miserlou'. A really scintillating one, backed by Edmundo Ros's band, with a lot of bongos and an extra little 'Ba Ba Ba' rhythm added in. I believe the US pressing of this superb LP is called 'Fire and Frenzy', but my copy, oddly, is Brazilian, bought in Holland, so I'm entering the title as it was on the record. To me, the album is quite the best thing I have by either Caterina or Edmundo, and I'm quite a Caterina fan, so that's saying something.....

Many people think that Petula Clark first came to the US when the song 'Downtown' topped the charts in 1965. However, she actually came to Los Angeles in 1959 and recorded an album of Jazz songs. Among the many treasures produced during these sessions is 'Darn That Dream'. She sings this great song with all the innocense and charm of a hopeless romantic whose desired love is just out of reach. Her resignation to unrequited affection for her unavailable romeo is interrupted briefly by a soaring interlude from the orchestra. The sweeping melody almost suggests that she is dreaming of being held in "his" arms as they dance across the floor of a dimly lit ballroom. In the end she must come back down to earth and awake to the reality that she will never have the man of her dreams, however she refuses to give up the hope that one day she will get her happy ending. I know I'm rooting for her!!

This is Billie Holiday at her absolute best, or worst, depending on your point of view. I personally consider it her best. She sings this song with a feeling of absolute devotion and love. With only months to live, Billie Holiday made her final recording for MGM records in March 1959. Years of abuse thru drugs and bad relationships had left both her voice and body only shadows of their former selves. However, what she no longer retained vocally, she more than made up for emotionally. Her battered voice and life experience allowed for the feelings to shine thru in a way that she couldn't have possessed in her younger years and for this reason, I fall into the group that prefers her latter recordings over the earlier ones. I am the happy owner of a 10-cd boxset of her complete recordings for the Verve and MGM labels which includes outtakes and incomplete tracks recorded between 1945 and 1959. It's one of the few things I will grab if I have to evacuate my apartment in an emergency...

Blossom bounces her way thru this happy song about perfect love that has arrived just at the moment the end of the rope had been reached. She sings with a sense of joy and relief and you can't help but feel that things are going to be better going forward. Blossom's years of cabaret performing have given her a perfect piano playing style that accompanies her voice to a perfect fit. Kudos to Verve for dusting off this great recording, shining it up and putting out in a deluxe CD package!!

Another song I heard John Peel play a long time ago, possibly THE BEST ROCKABILLY SONG EVER. And now I finally have it on single.
It starts with a clicky little riff for one bar, then the piano trill, then the ascending twang "bum-bum-bum-bum" And the full Rockabilly thing kicks in. Ringing twanging guitars, it stops and starts, stutters and hiccups, a great vocal of teen angst.
"Ain't nothing shaking but the leaves on the trees"

nice slice of 50's piano-based novelty rock n' roll. at first this sounded pretty average to me, but when the second verse kicked in, and he started singing like a girl as he'd mentioned earlier in the lyrics, i knew it was a keeper. if you hang in there for the third verse, you'll hear where the man got his nickname, too:). i'm heavily into fifties and early sixties "semi-novelty" records, so this was pretty much like hitting the jackpot.
it's the only song of his i've heard that's done anything for me, though.

probably my favourite early elvis recording, this bouncy little rockabilly number neatly captures his recording persona before he got consumed by his own image. dig the staccato guitar beat in the refrain.

While he is known as a great singer, Ray Charles is also a master at the keyboards and this is an excellent example of his ability. The usual jazz trio is joined by an impressive horn section that really brings the house down!! You can't sit still while listening to this song! God bless Ray Charles!!

A cute and amusing song from the 1948 musical, 'Inside USA', this song is perfect for Ms. Dearie's adorable voice. She swings thru a state-by-state list, hilighting what each state is famous for, at first on a factual basis, then going off in a whimsical frenzy with such phrases as, "Pencils, come from Pencil-vania, vests from Vest Virginia, and tents from Tent-essee, they know mink where they grow mink, in Wyomink, a camp chair in New Hampchair, that's for me!" I'm amazed that the Farelly Brothers haven't gotten this one to use in one of their films yet!

Slow-burn, easy-listening intrumental. (Harder to find are the later UK versions by Alan Haven and 'The Now Sound of Vic Templar & His Mood Orchestra'.)

I can just imagine people sitting in a seedy New York movie theatre on 42nd Street back in 1961 watching a b-movie called "Satan in High Heels". The film is in its last reel and suddenly the main female character comes out on the nightclub stage wearing a leather outfit complete with 6-inch dominitrix boots and a riding crop! The music swells and she starts to sing:
---
i'm the kind of woman, not hard to understand,
i'm the one who cracks the whip and holds the upper hand
I'll beat you, mistreat you, til you quiver and quail,
the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
---
This little film isn't likely to have ever had a soundtrack album which in a way is sad because in addition to this camply little gem there are a couple of other cute vocals by Meg Myles and the other actresses in the film and some great jazz instrumentals sprinkled throughout as well. The fine folks at Something Weird Video have kindly put this little film out on DVD. You can also catch the scene containing this song on their compilation of movie trailers (where I first discovered this film) released to inform people of their DVD catalog.

I've tried quite a lot to get into African music and have only got into bits and bobs so far. However, what I have very successfully got into is a white frenchman, with an all french choir, based in Paris, singing songs in an african style. Any amount of race-focussed amateur psychoanalysis can be done on the above I know, but I also know that this song is absolutely fantastic. As far as I can tell, Serge's african work seems to be inspired by a genuine love of african music and singing, but it also has a very pop edge - maybe it is this crossover aspect that makes it so accessible. Anyway, in this one the lyrics are pretty seedy ("ce soir la nuit sera blanche"), but the singing and drumming are just so beautiful - it's a brilliant song.

It's fantastic that this track has come to light. I believe its story is this: Nico auditioned for the film 'Strip-Tease' in 1962, and recorded this song, but eventually Juliette Greco was chosen instead, and so this recording was lost. To me it's a remarkable document - although I knew Nico had made a brief appearance in 'La Dolce Vita', I never knew she had recorded with Gainsbourg. The track itself is a delicate slow number with prominent latin percussion and bongo sounds, similar Serge's other early 60s film work, such as 'L'eau a la bouche'. Nico's voice is just as distinctive as it is on her famous records with Velvet Underground, but in this context it sounds different. I like it when things like this come to light, bringing together two people I admire - like Astrud Gilberto singing Morricone, Scott Walker singing Schifrin, or Julie London singing Margo Guryan.

Two years before he became the musician responsible for the great music featured in the classic 'Peanuts'animated TV specials, Vince Guaraldi and his trio hit the charts with this great little instrumental that is the epitome of San Fransisco-style jazz. Vince Guaraldi was a master at Jazz piano and the artists who performed with him created truly great performances that any lover of jazz will be glad to have in their collection.

PS: Released as the B-Side of a single to radio stations, disc jockeys preferred it over the A-Side.

The opener to a wonderful album. Picture yourself in whipped cream (and other delights), sipping on a vodka-martini that's just been served to you by a pretty person in a toga. That's how this record feels.

When the first line of a tune is "Man...what a body..." (and it's not R. Kelly or one of his sloppy ilk singing it) you know you're in for an exotica treat.

This track has got such a weird message, and though it's not in the track, the lyrics at the end of the song really pull the song around. This is copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Hit_Me_(And_It_Felt_Like_a_Kiss)

Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that singer Little Eva was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend. When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied with complete sincerity that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her.

The song was written and intended as a sort of protest song from the point of view of an abused woman. Phil Spector's arrangement was ominous and ambiguous. Dave Thompson writes, "It was a brutal song, as any attempt to justify such violence must be, and Spector �s arrangement only amplified its savagery, framing Barbara Alston�s lone vocal amid a sea of caustic strings and funereal drums, while the backing vocals almost trilled their own belief that the boy had done nothing wrong. In more ironic hands (and a more understanding age), 'He Hit Me' might have passed at least as satire. But Spector showed no sign of appreciating that, nor did he feel any need to. No less than the song�s writers, he was not preaching, he was merely documenting." [1]

Upon its initial release, "He Hit Me" received some airplay, but then there was a widespread protest of the song, with many concluding that the song was an endorsement of spousal abuse. The song soon became played only rarely on the radio, as now.

I knew that this song was depressing even before I knew what it was about. Poor Fran�oise just can't find a boy! I've seen the Scopitone for this, and I really doubt that she was having trouble finding dates, but �est-la-vie, right? Anyhow, it's an absolutely beautiful ballad.

One of the few succesful attempts at using a gospel choir on a jazz recording (along with Max Roach's "It's Time" LP from the previous year...which, coincidentally, featured the same chorus), Byrd's "A New Perspective" album was the first time it was really attempted with a small group setting (Roach's was backed by an orchestra). This, the opening track, begins with a vocalese scat by the choir that calls to mind old slave work songs. From there, the incredible band (featuring a very young Herbie Hancock and Kenny Burrell, among others) strikes up, and begins to follow a basic riff with the chorus that takes you through the remaining nine-plus minutes with various tempo changes throughout. An equally impressive edited version appeared as a b-side to the single of "Cristo Redentor", which got to be a minor hit on the pop charts.

Middle-Eastern '60s teenpop! Wild backup singers and a groovy guitar/flute solo add a distinctive, exotic touch to this lovers-from-different-cultures song. Still, it's Gene Pitney's incredible, dramatic singing that pushes this over into the "so weird it's wonderful" arena.

Blossom manages to play the piano while filing her fingernails into sharp claws on this track. She assures her departing Romeo that he is going to get his come-uppance in the love department and justice will provide her with a "front row seat" to enjoy watching him squirm!
This wonderful album was originally recorded for the Hires Root Beer Company (!) while she was singing on their commercials, and was available for 50 cents and two bottle caps. Now, a copy can cost you around $150-$200. Luckily, the fine people at Disk Union in Japan have gotten a hold of a mint copy of the original LP and released it to Cd.

The best of the lesser-known "wall of sound" productions from ace producer Phil Spector in the early 1960s. Many people think it's Veronica singing, and indeed it does sound most like the Ronettes, although it's not quite as awe-inspiring as their strongest track "Baby I Love You". I do love the rising strings in the background on the way into the chorus. Lyrically, it's in the "He's A Rebel" vein.

If you ask any industry bigwig right now what�s gonna be the next big thing, they�ll all say the same, �Sea Shanties�. Every one of them. You think I�m joking? Well listen up ignorami because I�m not.

You might have noticed ripples rolling in from the Indie scene on both shores of the Atlantic, as The Coral, The Decemberists, and others, have romanticised the plight of the seafarer, but now Shanties are due to hit the mainstream, and hard. As I write this Richard X is in his London studio working on the final mix of �Salty Seadog�, an explosive slab of �neo-shant� purred over seductively by Rachel Stevens. Cathy Dennis, my old pal from our days changing skates at Norwich Rollerama, told me yesterday that she�s just sold three �Shanties� to some �top name artists�. For legal reasons I�m not allowed to say who, but let me assure you these are white hot names. The kind of names that kids get on their knees and pray to. So, you see, Shanties are big business. I�ve also heard that Jennifer Lopez, J-Lo, �Loopy� Lopez, Jell-O, whatever, never one to miss a passing fad, is rumoured to be changing her name to One-Eyed-Jenny. Make of that what you will, might just be street talk. Now what concerns me is the forthcoming release from Britney Spears. This you may have heard about. It�s called, �Wingin�, Blingin� and Not!�, and it�s a �fresh� adaptation of the 19th century poem/song, �Winkin�, Blinkin� and Nod� by Eugene Field. I know this song from the glorious version by Cass Elliot�s pre-fame folk trio, The Big Three. It�s less a shanty than a bewitching lullaby, intended to lull a child into restful slumber, as Winkin� and gang sailed not in rusting trawler through the bleak North Sea, but, �in a wooden shoe/off on a river of crystal light/into a sea of dew.� And it contains some of the most hauntingly beautiful oooh ooohs and aahh ahhs ever waxed, as Tim Rose and Mama Cass harmonise the rolling waves of slumber. Nevertheless because of it�s sea-faring theme (�we�re going fishing for the herring fish/that live in the beautiful sea�), it�ll probably get caught up in the nets of the inevitable �Sea Shanty Fever� cash-in compilations that will soon litter our shores like syringes and floor tiling. I wanted to draw your attention to it now before it gets beaten blue and bloody by the Spears, and rattles out over supermarket tannoys the world over.

This is a British artist who does not deserve to be forgotten. She has a free, ranging voice and total charisma. Her trouble was that she got ripped off for life by a lecherous old-guy manager (Ambrose), who was mainly concerned with her considerable charms and the earnings he could siphon off to himself. She is now impoverished, but remains a great past-pop figure, and a great singer. Also a so-called icon of the homo world, where melodramatic performances are always appreciated. She was contemporary with the Beatles, but of a musical world they left behind.

The album title is a bit of a misnomer; Muddy Waters is a gin-you-wine Blues singer, and "My John the Conqueror Root" is a triumphant Blues song. Here Muddy Waters describes his "root" as a source of confidence, power, and I think mojo. Kinda makes me wonder what he means by "root"... In any case, put this song on when you need to look hard-times straight in the eye and go'n wit yo' bad self!

Killer New Orleans r&b with a great piano line supplied by none other than Mac Rebbenack (Dr. John).

One of a few especially jazzy and hip tracks by France Gall, I enjoy this one even more than I enjoy her more sugary pop tracks like 'Christansen'. The arrangement is quite spare - basically just France singing with a groovy small jazz combo. She also gets into some very cool scat vocals. Very, very cool.

I cannot say enough good things about Blossom Dearie! She is truly one of those performers that everyone should have in their collection. This song is perfect for her singing style and she runs with it. You can almost envision her throwing her arms up in resignation to the fact that love is a pain but none of us can live without it.
This track is pulled from Blossom's only album for Capital Records. She is backed by an orchestra rather than the usual small jazz combo which better suits her intimate style, but she shines nonetheless.

This is such a great recording! Ms. Ross starts out as if she is going to whimper her way thru this sad little tale of a prostitute's life, then wham-bam (pardon the expression) she takes on the persona of Natalie Wood in 'Gypsy' and swings the song as if she is playfully strutting across the stage and smacking you gingerly with her long silky glove. She soon has you believing that she is going to drag you by the scruff of the neck back to her abode to give you a Russ Meyer-ish smackdown! Johnny Spence's orchestra provides her with just the right weaponry to bring you to your submissive knees all at no additional charge.

This magnificent track is from the oft-ignored years Aretha spent at Columbia Records. Most of her material for the label consisted of religious songs and jazz standards and she truly shines here. She sings with a sense of urgency and a slight cry in her voice as she pleads with her love not to abandon her. As much as I love her Atlantic catalogue, this song and the album it comes from are at the top of my Aretha Franklin list.

"Spin, Spin, Spin" is a graceful and romantic folk song which Callier sings with a smirk - almost as if he's in on a secret joke. His guitar phrasing is pitch perfect and his voice is both rich and subtle. HP Lovecraft covered this tune as a string-heavy psych-lite track on "HP Lovecraft II," but I prefer this original rendition's low-key and unpretentious acoustic charm.

Bobby Darin - truly one of the smoothest singers the US has ever produced, and there's nothing that showcases this pop-cabaret style like his tenure at Capitol. A singer of great versatility, he swings effortlesly on this album, having great technique and even greater rhythmic feel.

Call Me Irresponsible, something of a standard really, is my favourite. Darin's vocals make you fall in love with his irresponsible, unreliable, unpredictable charm. Accompanied by finger clickin' good Richard Wess big-band sounds. Wow. Whatta man.

The Fleetwoods were an excellent vocal group from the late 50s and early 60s who are best known for 'Come Softly to Me' and 'Mr. Blue'. Both of these are 'classic' oldies tracks, evocative of the late 50s.

'Lonely is as lonely does' came late in their career, and actually sounds much more modern than its 1964 recording date would suggest. This is really a prototype of the 'soft pop' style that would become popular later in the 1960s. The composer, Chip Taylor, went on to write 'Wild Thing' and 'Angel of the Morning'.

The track opens with a nice picked guitar introduction. As in many of my favorite Fleetwoods tracks, Gary takes the lead vocal, with Gretchen and Barbara singing backing vocals. Gary has a very sincere voice. At the beginning the song sounds very routine, but there are some clever chord changes and some cool lyrics. My favorite line is 'As your tears fall, remember this: you're just a kiss away from happiness'.

This is an early one by Jackie Lee, mid-sixties soul singer, who had a reasonably sized hit with 'The Duck' in 1965.

'Conscience' has a sort of 'Dirty Dancing'-era sound.

From the minor key trombone intro to the teenage angst of the lyrics, this is a classic song of the 60's that totally encapulates the innocent era of the UK beat boom. Sandie Shaw was probably the best selling UK female singer from 64 to 69, slightly outselling her contemporaries Dusty, Cilla and Lulu and although she possessed a weaker voice than the others, what she lacked in volume she made up in style and interpretation. Sweet and slightly soulful with a quasi tuneless ache to her voice which epitomised a teenager stood up by some beatnik no hoper, she was only 17 and showed the ways of a woman several years older. In the UK it was the follow up to the massive UK No 1 ''Always Something There To Remind Me'' and was a massive Top 3 hit that should have gone all the way to the top.
I love this record - it sums up an era, it is the beginning of a suit of girl singers who changed then style of singing, from 50's twee to 60's ''dolly bird'' and it remains a classic pop single from a girl who held the record for the most No 1 hits for a ssolo female for 19 years

This song is a little more....soulful.. than lots of the stuff I listen to. I find it utterly charming though. Dusty was a goddess, and singing this lovely, simple Goffin/King song she completely slays me. It's a slow arrangement in which Dusty is accompanied by piano, light, gospel-style backing vocals and unobtrusive strings. There's nothing complex or especially clever here; just beautifully executed and perfectly distilled pop.

This is a simple but rather bitter pop song, although on the surface it sounds quite sweet. If I recall correctly, it was written about the singer that Twinkle was seeing at the time. The gentle arrangement features acoustic guitar and some brass. It's not hard to hear why Morrissey liked this song enough to cover it with The Smiths.

Twinkle has a lovely clear voice, and much as I respect Moz, this version towers above the one done by The Smiths, which suffers from a strange mix of production styles. That said, I have a strange mix of emotions on hearing the song, since I heard the Smiths version at 14, but only got into this one in the last few years.

To me, songs like this best express the genius of Brian Wilson. Listen to the tender lyrics and vocal on this...this is the happiest he has ever sounded. (Given the time that this was recorded, it's almost depressing...this was probably also the last time in his life that he was truly happy. What the more poetic call bittersweet?) Yet, this is so mellow and unassuming. It's blissful, joyous - and above all else, madly in love, as evidenced by the spoken "I love you." at the end. The writing credits lists Wilson-Love, but all I can hear is Brian here. Mike Love was never this genuine.

As for the arrangement, it hints at what was to come with "Pet Sounds". Fender bass! Tambourines! Harpsichords! It's a beautiful thing, and Sonny Bono built his career off of it. Sleep well, sweet Congressman.

This magical track is from a 1965 single produced by Rolling Stones impresario Andrew Loog Oldham. It's a folky pop song with a manically strummed acoustic guitar and constant beat. There's some more full orchestration (brass and strings), but it's slightly hidden in the mix. The charm of this song for me lies in both Nico's bittersweet delivery ("I'm not saying that I love you/I'm not saying that I care/If you love me..I'm not saying that I care/I'm not saying I'll be there when you want me") and the catchy chord sequence in the verse. Some of the bridge sections are slightly corny and obvious musically, but Nico's majestic vocal lifts the song and makes me want to hear it again.

Vocal version of the classic 'Exodus' Theme. Reverberated deep 60s stereophonic sound, Andy Tielman's voice, the powerful background choir and the reverberated guitars make this version a true masterpiece.
(there's an incredible story on the listener reviews at Amazon about this band)

This is a cute, somewhat slight piece of sixties girly pop with a nice Tony Hatch production. The thing that struck me about this tune is how it sounds exactly like the ironic, girl groupy stuff Tracey Ullman did on her 'You Broke My Heart In 17 Places' album. I wouldn't be surprised if Ullman covered this at some point; both singers have a winsome, appealing quality in their voices that overcomes their lack of range.

Lulu has inflicted on the world many crimes against music, politics and fashion but gets into the pearly gates of musical heaven on the basis of this track. One of her early Decca sides, it's raw and heartfelt, and (despite her tender age at the time) a mature, original view of love.

A powerful, emotional, sophisticated song, the kind that Brit-girl Julie does the best. Without resorting to mawkish affectation, the sheer hush and force of her voice can make tears well up. This was her final single for the Pye label, and a fitting tribute to one of the most consistantly good careers of all the 60's UK female singers.

westbury music fair, new york - saturday march 20th 2004 21:00

jay black walks onto the stage balls first, sings every song that ever mattered, smashes a guitar over someone's head, and then tells the audience to f*ck off as he walks into the wings.

jay black - 1
westbury township - 0

jay black is the standard by which all other men should be measured. i remember hearing "this magic moment" on the radio for the first time when i was six-years-old and being awestruck by his vocals.

those who have not yet been initiated to the phenomenon that is jay black should immediately run to the nearest record store and pick up a copy of "come a little bit closer - the best of jay and the americans".

he will delight you with great signature tunes like "some enchanted evening", "walking in the rain", "sunday and me", and many more... you'll love him... i love him!!

Now THAT'S a title. Honestly, I so wish I was a teen in the sixties. You got to gloom along to the highest-quality pop-soul instead of the early 90's alt.rock that was de riguer in my tender years.

The Exciters are one of the most enduring of the 60's "girl" groups (there's one boy in there). No matter how polished the production was, they remained overwhelmingly vital thanks to the harsh vocal power of Brenda Reid, their main singer. They found mucho favour on the Northern Soul circuit, but I think their stuff is substantially more individual than a lot of the platters on offer in that scene.

"Run Mascara" is about a boy who knows how to hurt and make the tears flow, but gives just enough sweetness to keep Brenda in love. Your classic emotionally-abusive relationship. You would think with a voice like hers Brenda would just wallop him. Or shout at him. That'd shut him up.

Musically it races fast, with the other group members yelling to keep up with the breakneck speed. An outstanding few minutes.

"The Witch" was the Sonics' debut single, released on Etiquette, the Tacoma, WA-based label owned and operated by local hero Buck Ormsby, member of garage rock pioneers the Wailers, who are known for unearthing the obscure R&B song "Louie, Louie." Reworking the tunes of Little Richard and Bo Diddley, the Sonics worked the local teen-hop circuit as a rock & roll cover band until eventually coming up with some original material with "The Witch" and what would become the flip side to the single, "Psycho." After revamping the lineup, taking on various members of the Searchers, Gerry Roslie commandeered the vocal duties with a bracing blues shouter style that would become the group's trademark. "The Witch," roughly recorded in mono, is a brooding rocker based around a revved-up blues progression with quivering guitar and a basic sax line holding down a simple riff, drums kicking away in the background. Roslie belts his cautionary tale, sagely advising all to steer clear of "evil chicks," with vocal-chord-shredding wails: "So you know the little girl/Who's new in town/Well you better watch out now/Or she'll put you down/'Cause she's an evil chick/Say, she's the witch, oww!" The band barrels on, lacking any semblance of finesse, stomping into a tempo shift and doubling the speed as Roslie howls, "Well she walks around/Late at night/Most other people sleepin' tight/If you hear her knockin' on your door/You better say get away/Wha whoo!" Guitarist Andy Parypa lets loose a note-stumbling guitar solo in a style similar to Dave Davies of the the Kinks. "The Witch" would become a regional hit, receiving extensive airplay on the powerful Seattle AM station KJR, but the Sonics would never break nationally, most of the country not yet ready for the extremely aggressive attach of the group's rough-and-tumble music.
(AMG)

"Dressed in black, he walks alone, a shadow in the night." The Shangri-Las death trip reached a powerful climax in this eerie song of loss and lingering. Funereal piano chords balanced by surging choruses and a closing spoken section that leaves you as weak as the sadly wounded narrator. If this one doesn't get to you, you ain't got a heart.

Starts with a piano tinkling up and down the scale, and then the whole Latin Orchestra starts, ultimately Edmundo's raspy voice bellows out of the speakers sounding for all the world like Shaggy's drunken grandfather. Kind of Rhumba, very very danceable, surprisingly modern sounding with a terrific breakdown to the piano in the middle. Beware Edmundo ros has done another version of La Bamba which is terrible.

A beautiful piece of soft pop. Ok, it's corny - the chord sequence is kind of soppy and the lyrics are kind of obvious, but the arrangement and singing are so lovely that I can listen to this song again and again. Opening with a catchy picked acoustic guitar riff, the arrangement soon thickens with with a full orchestra. The singing is deadly serious and amusingly precious throughout the song, and the orchestral arrangement, heavy on oboes and flutes as well as strings, is anything but hip. Still, the song’s simplicity and innocence are really quite charming. I never really got into any of Chad and Jeremy's other songs nearly so much as this one, so any recommendations for similar songs would be welcome. Do me a favor and listen to this and tell me if I’m crazy to love it so much.

This song is an interesting case study into the question of 'why do I like this version of the song more than any other'. I have a half-baked theory that for me, I mostly just like the first version of any great song I hear, regardless of whether or not it is the original or 'best' version. But this track is so different to the Rolling Stones's version that I think it would probably divide people pretty clearly. Produced by Lee Hazlewood/Billy Strange, 'as tears go by' is here recast as a crisp pop bossa nova. They even change the chords slightly (adding a new chord as she sings 'by'). To me, this makes the song vastly superior to the original (or any other I've heard). But I'm not sure anyone has ever agreed with me yet on that one...

I couldn't possibly say that this is the best version of the old MacLen chestnut (there are simply too many of them out there for me to ever hear them all), but it probably qualifies as one of the most original. Hyman's virtuoso keyboard skills were already quite reknowned, but on this album he tackled an entirely different animal...the harpsichord. On this track, he starts out using the harpsichord in a very conventional fashion, performing a baroque solo. About two-thirds of the way into the song, however, comes a drastic slowing of the tempo, the bass & drums come in and it mutates into a jazz trio arrangement! He even plays solos on the 'chord that make it sound like a Hammond organ...absolutely amazing!! Much of this album is rather difficult to listen to, but when it's good, it's sublime.

"Don't you know that my hate is everlasting, baby?" The story of the Monks is the story of rock & roll...in an alternate reality, perhaps. Take a bunch of bored US servicemen stationed in Germany about to be discharged, put them in a band, and have them decide to freak out the establishment by dressing in black capes, shaving their heads into monk's tonsures and wearing nooses as neckties. Perhaps not so shocking in these days after punk rock, but this was 1965. Oh, and don't forget the electric banjo. What began as a fairly standard surf/beat combo called the Torquays mutated into this band, churning out some of the most nihilistic music you've ever heard, even by German standards.

Another great dramatic pop number by Mina, this song is from the comic Alberto Sordi film, 'Fumo di Londra'. The backing track is identical to that used in the film, although Mina's version was released separately as a single. What can I say? This is an other deeply affecting dramatic pop number in which Mina belts out the words in a heartfelt manner. If these are the same words I used to describe her track 'se telefonando', then that's because this song is pretty much in the same vein, with a heavy, brass-laden pop arrangement.
ps. a version of this song exists with none other than ME singing in Italian - reverb-laden vocals belted out karaoke style over the same background track.

Many people have recorded versions of "Listen Here" over the years, which had been a huge hit for Eddie Harris in 1965. This one features lyrics, though, and great ones at that, which Ms. Keys (whoever she was) apparently penned herself. "Listen here/I don't know what to tell you/there's gonna be some changes/in the comin' year now". A great cut, and if you see it, snatch it up. It's been steadily rising in price the past few months since Gilles Peterson has been known to spin it on his radio show.

What a range of emotion and mood she packs into this song. The fact that I don't speak any Portuguese just doesn't matter. The arrangement, too, is stunning, and combines with Elis's voice to create several heart-stopping moments in under 3 minutes � and there's one sublime crescendo where she sings a low, ascending scale that defines why I love music.

Dreamy. One of my favorite F. Hardy songs, if only because I can easily imagine her singing it while strolling through a meadow of sunflowers, breezes gently blowing her hair. Ahem. The light arrangement with subtle strings and harp accompanyment is gorgeous.

Ms. Simone sings almost with a sense of agony knowing that the object of her affection is untamed and unavailable even as she begs for his love. This track is heartbreakingly beautiful and is great listening in the late hours with the lights dimmed.

My personal favorite version of this song. Cilla Black has a very rich and powerful voice that is just right! She sings it with much more feeling than Dionne Warwick's more popular version a year later. Burt Bacharach originally wanted to use this recording on the soundtrack to the film 'Alfie', but Ms. Black declined.