Travelling music if there every was any. No matter the vehicle, you roll with this in the deck and it's just nice. Guitar in overdrive, Echo effect in full effect, vocals... hey we've been there. The lone guitar note break is the bomb if you are playing air guitar.

there is something very modern about this song. it's a timeless tune that was later reworked by godzuki on the album pop romantique. brillant song and my personal bardot favorite.

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!

I'm not just going for the 'most unfashionable song selection' award - this is a great song despite everything. As well as immediately winning me over by being about finding your own secret beach somewhere warm it also manages to be humourous ('...I'm intruiged - I'm insured...') and it's so seductively sung you can't help but be won over. More than that the song's rhythym drives forward at the chorus like a wave, and the overall effect is of being taken to the hidden shore on a rollercoaster.

60's French Beat with a inescapable riff and an overwhelming swagger in Dutronc's vocal delivery.

Totally ridiculous faux-Indian song with very "heavy" spoken lyrics on top. A real trip.

Everyone knows this song from "Breakfast At Tiffany's" but this is the most gorgeous version I've ever heard. "Karen Peris is blessed with the most hauntingly beautiful voice". It's a b-side from their Birds Of My Neighborhood" cd.

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.

Being a writer and having been one all my life, having studied literature, having written numerous books ... I have to say that Harry Nilssons Everybodys Talking ... has perhaps the best lyrics I have ever come across in music. Musicians who get the music right often make a mess of the lyrics (music and text seem to be a different story) ... this is one of the rare - very rare - occasions, when all is right. All!

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.

This has to be one of the most hypnotizing songs I have ever heard. It is a very dark, goth like song. And from the moment you hear Daniel Ash's opening gutiar, I was hooked.

This song will probably be very hard to find. They are kind of a local band and not that well known. But they are really cool--unique, passionate, free spirited. Basically hippies. In Premonitions they express concern over the state of the planet but remain upbeat and optimistic.

"Let's be creative with our destinies..."

Originally done by Phish, but I kinda prefer Jimmy's version. Check out either one. Crazy, steam-of-conciousness (or something like that) lyrics, good beat. Weird song. But good, very good.

"Spittle is everywhere enraged...

This song is a song everyone should hear. Beginning with African drum beats and chants, it has a tribal feel to it. Really cool, upbeat...great to listen to while driving. Check out the live version too.

"I think you could answer all the questions of the world in just one word..."

Basically any song off his album Dragonfly is good...but I especially liked this one. Upbeat and mellow, like any Ziggy Marley song. Very cool.


"We're on a ride that never stops..."

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."

Oh so much fun! Raunchy and rocking.


"take me to them dirty ladies every time..."

I love this song, the lyrics are really beautifull and the sounds are very unique. very nice song

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

Great little song. About finding beauty in everyday life. Short and sweet.


roll down the windows and open our mouths taste where we are and play the music loud. Stop
the car, lay on the grass, the planets spin and we watch space pass.Walk a direction, see where we get. I never knew nothin' so there's nothin' to
forget.

a beautiful, haunting, disturbing song. maynard's voice just does something that twists up my heart every time i hear the song. this is one of the songs i can put on repeat and just completely let swallow me whole. it's perfect for a dark mood.

one of my favorites from modest mouse. while they certainly have a distinctive sound, i think they manage to make each of their songs rather unique. this is one of the songs that encapsulate just about everything i love about modest mouse. it's just a quirky sound, with terrific lyrics.

One of the best songs from the cd 'Sunny Side of Original Love' and one of my favorite songs by Original Love. The instrumentation is typical of this cd: Organ, a driving bass line, drums, a funky guitar riff, brass and a very interesting flute. (Why don't western bands use flutes more? Japanese bands surely seem to realize how they can enhance the mood of a song.)

I love the chords and harmonies in this song. Together with the instrumentation and the suggestive title they make this song very strongly emotional. I can almost feel myself leaving the dull everyday life, escaping to the dark side of the moon as I listen to this song. Oh, and Takao Tajima's vocals are as good as ever.

If you like this song, you may also like 'Sunshine Romance' from the same CD, although this one is the better of the two in my opinion.

actually, everything they do is awesome, i guess i'm just listening to this song right now and it's grabbing me... in naughty places... and i like it...

Very moving early electronic anthem. Moroder involved. My all time number one song (still) after 20 years.

Upbeat and very catchy. extremely idealistic!

This song gives me goose bumps and makes want to hug everyone I love.

Sweet fuck, what pure morning joy. I get a maximalist bliss-out every time I play this. But then, wait, what's that weird jazzy comeback at the end of the song? It's like an army of ghosts of all the happinesses I've ever had coming back to haunt me. It's too much. Holy cow, it's a beautiful day.

This is a strange song and it hits me in a strange place. The melody is very pretty, yet complex and unexpected and there are odd washes of moog at times. It's a Christmas song and has a Christmas feeling but not the familiar fireside one. Instead it's the cold alien blank expanse of snow and that pulse of stars. Kate Bush is a genius at creating this precise, complicated emotional terrain. Also, being a genius requires you to risk making a fool of yourself and Kate Bush certainly isn't afraid to do that. She's like that eccentric high school drama teacher I never had. In this song she turns herself into the snow that falls over the white city. "Jumpin' down with my paraCHUTE! Oh see how I fall."

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.

this is not the mod band, but a soul outfit, pretty much around the same time (1960s). Very nice melody. I'm not good at technical stuff so i will merit this mainly on beefed up adjectives. seriously though, it's just a simple song about love (with equally simple lyrics) but its got the energy good for dancing.

A very catchy song with horrible and demented lyrics.

One big terrific angry rant.Everytime I'm in a bad mood I scream this song at the top of my lungs.

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.

A great venetian snares track, i recommend this whole album and every other venetian snares album to anyone that can handle crazy intense dnb. One of my all time favorite musicians.

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.

Finest cover of a Delta-blues track by heavy blues band. Pounding and relentless, and retains a semblance of delta-mississippi feel.

Find the original too! The lyrics are very interesting.

The balance of beautiful, introspective lyrics (which are mostly spoken rather than sung), and lonely instrumentation combine to create a top-notch stunner. As a whole the album Dinner Music is a very eclectic and interesting assortment of songs. I wish "the lights wouldn't turn low and it wouldn't be time to go", but the way this song captures the feeling of yearning and melancholy is absolutely perfect.

Bobbi, Bobbi, Bobbi, you play the flute like a surreal fantasy. Every note is an escape to a distant land and journey into emotion. There are so many beautiful songs by Bobbi Humphrey that you can't just choose one, but I've selected this song because it seems to be an exploration of the human experience. Many of Bobbi Humphrey's songs seem to interpret the experience of a specific temporal and geographic locale, eg Harlem River Drive, San Francisco Lights, Spanish Harlem, Jasper Country Man (which are all wonderful), but this is a song that all can relate to and relish in.

This is a perfect cover in every way, arranged by Daniel Janin. The heavy, driving bass, long whine of the horns, and thick drumming make a monster instrumental. Nothing like the Bacharach version. Nancy Holloway does an outstanding rendition of the lyrics, delicate in some places, husky in others, bleeding and pleading the whole way through. The slow, pained delivery of the lyrics almost seem to be off pace with the tempo of the beat, but the horn melodies punctuate and hold this song together. There are qualities about this song that I find impossible to describe. All that's left to say is that this song is so cool and mesmerizing that it's hard not to close your eyes, and let yourself slip into the textures of this song. I never get tired of it.

Hawksley Workman is pretty quirky and kind of sounds different in every song I've heard by him. This one is just kinda fun and catchy.

"I'm jealous of your cigarette...and how you want to suck on it..."

Citizen Cope has such a great voice, very soulfull. Salvation is a slow, stark, haunting song.

"But I just kept playing like I had nothing to lose, he turned the third on himself because the bastard knew...salvation..."

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..."

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.

70's oh so 70's daubs of wierd gaudiness, layered over plain drabness.

Quirky....very quirky also hilarious, disturbing and unforgettable.

Sample Lyric " Oh what a woman what a tongue, what an abrasive manner"

I first heard this when i around 15 or 16, borrowed from a local Mushroom dealer called Mad dog, I kid you not. At the time I'd "Inadvertently" consumed some of his wares, and was beginning to get hazy and paisley, hence he made me and a couple of friends lay down on his room floor, head to toe, turned off the lights and put Majory Razorblade on.........we giggled in the darkness like school kids,which we were, as we listened to the tale of the woman with the long and fusty dress..I've never forgotten it....

I highly recommend the Album Majory Razorblade, by Kevin Coyne - a lost genius. The title track sets the tone for an album full of seedy characters, each lost in their own wanton little worlds, with lashings of philosphical blurbs "Being on your own is hard, being with someone is harder"

well worth exploring.........

This is an early industrial track. It's a bit odd and very good.

One of ENs less soft tracks. It's simple and kind of sounds like a chant. It's very simple and one of my favorite EN songs of all time. Even if you're not into industrial I think you check it out.

Cheesy beyond all belief, but one of the cutest tracks you could get from a band like Screeching Weasel. Lifting part of its chorus from the Flintstones, of all things, it encourages you to "let the sun shine in, and chase away your blues because smilers never lose and frowners never win". The elements differentiating it from the cartoon might make a big difference though. For instance, this track uses curse words and is seemingly directed towards a prostitute or rape victim.

For the Flintstones reference and everything, one might assume that this is a throwaway, jokey type track, but it's not. It's sung totally heartfelt, and the beat is killer.

Recommended for: punk fans with a soft side

Beautiful cover of the song from Disney's "Dumbo". It makes me cry nearly every time.

i heard this song for the first time on mtv while i was in paris. this song is amazing, with a very slight 80's vibe to it. i have no idea what they are saying, but i love it anyway.

one of my favorite songs of all time. its perfect for every occasion.

Fine. I like it because it's mournful and I find the lyrics intriguing. Every time I listen to it, I come up with a different theory on what it might mean. It interests me.

And why NOT recommend it if I like it? If you don't, then fine, but I'll thank you not to jump down my throat because I do.

Another great song to listen to when I'm angry. I like to whip through all of "A Boy Named Goo" when I'm really pissed off or depressed, as I always find something on there to placate me, but this one in particular gets me every time. It's probably my favourite GGD song, and I like thinking about who it could be about.

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.

From the 1968 film of Romeo and Juliet. One of the most beautiful movie themes I've ever heard.

It's all there. The composition, the sweeping orchestra, the violins. Everything. So wonderful.

guitarist and songwriter greg brown tells us how he feels when someone says 'haveAniceDay'. midtempo acoustic number with gruff bassy vocals. very good for themed comps or person-specific mixtapes. from an album called The Live One and various MPR/NPR performances at their archives. repeat listening assured.

This is such a wild song, its very good.

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)

it's about time i recommended some vreeswijk. after all he's one of my very favourite artsts, and pretty obscure outside scandinavia. it's hard to decide wich song to post, as i guess you'd have to be scandinavian to enjoy the masterful, deceptivly simple lyrics. the best way to describe the man is as kind of a swedish crossbred of serge gainsbourg, tom waits and bob dylan.
this is one of his best-known songs, a qusasi-joyous melancholy number about death and hopelessness.
i once heard someone say something that summed up the power of this guy pretty well: "I don�t understand swedish, however I do understand Cornelis Vreeswijk"


the best place to start if you're interested n an initial taste, is probably the new 2-cd set. if you're like me, youll soon advance to the original lp's and the 5-cd set "master cees memoarer".

lyrics:
Somliga g�r med trasiga skor, s�g vad beror det p�?
Gud fader som i himmelen bor kanske vill ha det s�.
Gud fader som i himmelen bor blundar och sover s�tt. Vem bryr sig om ett par trasiga skor n�r man �r gammal och tr�tt?
Vem bryr sig om hur dagarna g�r? Dom vandrar som dom vill.
Medborgare, om ett hundra �r finns du ej l�ngre till.
D� har n�n annan tagit din stol, det vet du inte av.
Du k�nner varken regn eller sol ner i din m�rka grav.
Vem bryr sig om hur n�tterna far? Jag bryr mig inte ett sp�r. Bara jag f�r ha mitt ansikte kvar dolt i min �lsklings h�r.
Jag �r en tvivelaktig figur, duger ej mycket till. Bakom ett h�rn st�r d�den p� lur, han tar mig n�r han vill.
Somliga g�r med trasiga skor tills dom har slutat g�. Dj�vulen som i helvetet bor f�r sig ett gott skratt d�
a very, very bad and rushed translation of the lyrics,most of the humor and finer points are lost but at least you'll know what's it about:

some walk around in bad shoes, say, why is is it so?
maybe the good lord up in the sky wants it that way.
the good lord up in the sky sleeps calmly now.
who cares about a pair of bad shoes when they are old and tired?
who cares how the days pass? they go the way the want.
fellow citizen, in a hundred years you will no longer exist.
someone else will have taken your chair, but you won't know about that.
you'll feel neither rain nor sun, down in your dark grave.
who cares how the nights pass? i don't care at all.
as long as i get to keep my my face tucked in my love's hair.
i'm a questionable character, not good for much.
behind a corner death lurks, he'll take me whenever he wants.
some walk around in bad shoes/ until hey walk no more
the devil, who lives down in the hell/ will have a good laugh then.

Sweet,imperfect and acoustic. All of his lyrics have this nerdy common man feel to them. His music is beautiful but very tangible.

A funny breakup song, done in a very juvenile style, but everything you ever want to scream to your ex right after they dumped you. Sung to a woman, but applicable in all such nasty situations - the feeling is still there. Even when I'm angry, this song has me laughing. Backed by a funky rhythm that just barely turns it into a melody.

It's very 70's with a slow start but picks up and is really fun by the end. Diana DeGarmo sang it on American Idol, season 3.

This song was used on an Oxygen promo for awhile. It's very good with good music and a memorable chorus.

Romanian pop. Very catchy, upbeat, with trendy romantic lyrics.

i like some of the clashing notes and chords on the climax. at the beginning there is an instrument i cant make out doing notes thats quite boring but the rest of the song is great. no guitarist (as keane never uses guitars anyway) but i do think it is s very good piece

This song is a moving tribute to the working man. It inhabits the same headspace (and heartspace) as "Shipbuilding" by Elvis Costello (or was that Robert Wyatt?). It is from a great record called "Eventide" that features some superb songs with great melodies and excellent horn work. It has a very spiritual bent; quests for justice and redemption prevail. Wish I could find it on CD!
Contact me if you know where and/or how to get hold of it.

This is one of the best songs from Bedtime For Democracy. It's slower and more complex than other songs on BFD but it's very dark and very dark.
It's a great song.

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...

"And those who had money looked good but weren�t too happy
And those who didn�t have money didn�t look so good and weren�t so happy either
And in a city of 3 million, 269 thousand, 984, everyone was lonely..."

The b-side of The Banshees' great/very successful cover of "Dear Prudence", and a great example of the band's perverse ability to generate b-sides on the odd afternoon off that where not only better than most bands' A-sides, but often better than most of the proper tracks from the Banshees' albums. (Thus, I can't recommend the "Downside Up" box set of the group's non-LP tracks highly enough.) This song is sleek, groovy, evil, paranoid funk, with Siouxsie at her most alluring/menacing. Tricky covered the song, thus acknowledging the impact of The Banshees on the Bristol trip-hop crew.

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.

This song is a wonderful cover of the song by Lee Hazlewood. Lots of lurid orchestration, lots of reverb and the soft, lilting voice of the Tinderstick's lead man, Stuart Staples. Very mellow. Nice with a glass of wine, in my opinion :o)

I adore this man. A-D-O-R-E. But i seem to be quite alone in doing this outside france. And i can´t figure out why. For my money he (pardon my language)pisses all over katerine, benjamin biolay, divine comedy and louis phillipe etc. In fact the closest description of his music would be if The Divine Comedy came from france. Perhaps Arnaud is the kind of artist that you either go totally nuts about or you don´t get it all. A bit like Prefab Sprout. So, to pick any track is virtually impossible since i love nearly everything he has done but i go for "En vieillisant peut-etre" from his towering masterpiece "Portrait du jeune homme en artiste".

Of all the tropicalias Gil is my main man. I find Caetano Veloso a bit boring and Mutantes enjoyable in small doses but a bit irritating. The incredibly infectous Pega a voga, Cabeludo is taken from Gils 68 album and puts a smile on my face every time i hear it.

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.

Yes, it´s Bon Jovi´s hit. And yes it is Paul anka doing a swingjazz number of it that actually works very well. If you can bear that it is a bit cheesy Anka actually elevates the song to a whole new level and also manges to bring a sense of drama that suits the lyric very well.

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.

This song shows how talented every member of Dream Theater is. It's a pretty heavy song musically, and it is put together so well. Anyone who appreciates talented musicians will like this song.

Sounds a bit like sense field, good song, good lyrics and good riff, for the rockers who don't like it too heavy.

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�

Gavin Friday (formerly of The Virgin Prunes) has created an excellent 'Lounge' or 'Cabaret' sound with this song (and the accompanying album).
This song is very sensual full of unique large sounds and passionate lyrics.
Excellent song AND album for a romantic night.

Bass Masta' Les Claypool is at it again with with bizzare arangment about our favorite news anchor. Very Frank Zappa

This has to be one of my top bagillion faviorate songs, and I know a Bagillion is a lot but I love a lot of songs. The song is a little kiddy because it's about a crush, but we've all experienced crushes and the song has a beautiful harmony at the end.
"Because I like you, I know that you don't know it, I like you so much I talk to everyone but you, and I wonder what you'd think of this little number, yeah I wonder what you'd say if you knew."

Hard Times comes from the Elizabethtown soundtrack, which is a great cd by the way. This song is beautiful, everyone in the world should hear. I'm not exagerating. "Let us pause in lifes pleasures and count it's many tears."

High energy post-grunge. I like the energy and the arrangement, how they have the verse with just the bass and the cymbals and then they wail into the chorus with that great grunge guitar

It's a very simple song, but I think it's the simplicity that I love. It's odd but it's very catchy.
"Hangin' from a pine tree by my knees
Sun is shinin' through the shade
Nobody knows what its all about
It's too much, man, let it all hang out"

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.

dark and passionated in a now very retro euro continental style with decadent overtones in both its lyrics and musical tone.

Very, very, very beautiful piano.

I think this is one of the most beatiful songs. The way how it have been made two guitars leading acoustic steel and solo electrick. I don`t know what else to say i almost cry everytime i listen this song.

just says it all, the(in my opinion) best anti war song ever. if you have ears it does'nt need an explanation, it simply has everything

Fast,bangin, electronic, very energetic, nice male vocals

Every one of her songs/albums/cds is magical, but this one is a stand out....very narrative and musically exciting.

Very passionate, very beautiful violin

I can't offer a lot of information about this track or group (I don't know the year, composer or even where the group comes from) and this recommendation is also a request for more information if anyone has some. This track is a fantastic soul track that gets me everytime. I can't tire of it. It's from a compilation on Fat City Records and the sleevenotes offer little info. I don't believe this "Sounds of Joy" is the same "Sounds of Joy" that have an album with Wayne McGhie (recently re-issued). From the samples I've heard of Wayne McGhie & The Sounds of Joy, the sound is quite different. However, that is just a guess.
I hope you enjoy the quick sample.

Edit: thanks to Musical Taste, I have found a link which discusses each track individually, and it appears that the CD has incorrectly attributed this song to The Sounds of Joy when it should have been credited to The Shades of Joy (http://www.b-music.co.uk/finders_keepers.html).

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"

Very Elliott Smith infused.. almost reminiscent of old protest music at times.. love this group..

darkwave, gothic, electro-goth

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!

Produced by the same guys that did Daft Punk, has the sound of the Discovery album.

A very lengthy, dark instrumental by the undisputed gods of post-rock.
It's extremely moody, building up slowly as with their other work, into a wall of distorted guitars and violins.
You'd need a fairly long attention span to fully appreciate it though.

this is a very laid back song by tortoise and one of the few with some type of vocal sample.

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.

Very atmospheric and yearning.

This song is a very traditional sounding Metallica song: deep pitched, unique guitar riffs combined with the amazing lyrics and voice of James Hetfield, as well as the consistent, strong drum beat of Lars Ulrich. Truly an amazing song.

Very random and spontaneous.

A good listen. The band is overall pretty neat. They are very mellow, and perfect for bonfires on the beach, post-party hanging out music, etc.

Maybe the best Maiden song ever, everything is pitch perfect on this song.

I came across this on what's probably quite an obscure compilation called Surfbeat Behind the Iron Curtain Vol 2. I know very little about it. It's kind of like classic surf, but with some overtly 50s big band influences thrown in. The production sounds very odd - I'd guess this was recorded maybe in the early 1970s but I could be way off. Lots of nice horns and reverb-laden guitar and some weird radio-interference type effects.

their music always makes me feel like everything is going to be good today. =)

i love it very speedy mellow music. Incubus is always relaxing to listen to

This unique song, unique to the whole body of work by the obscure Asylum Party, unique in every sense... If anybody ever wanted to create the sound of pure nostalgia in itself, this is the closest anyone ever got. I wonder what other people feel when listening to this song. I get utterly and hopelessly nostalgic, even though I don't know what for. It's not that I'm particularly old and know many times and eras, it's not that I have to dig particularly deep into my memory to get to that one dark part that's so irrevocably gone it makes one's heart ache and break. I don't know what it reminds me of, if of anything at all. It seems to be simply the soundtrack of some good times, times much better than the one you're stuck in right now, the soundtrack of reverie and the painful awareness that nothing will be the same again. I sometimes think it reminds me of beautiful summers I've known, the heat and sun that burnt my eyes, but then it seems just as fitting for a summer night at an open fire or an autumn window blurred with falling rain. The initial beats sound as if they could lead to anything, they even sound deceptively cheerful until the first melancholic screech of a guitar... "Feeling that hole that is just my soul..." Yeah, that must be it!

With a glam stomp, middle eastern rhythms, electro inflections, Furry invention and a monstrous hook, this is one of the many highlights from SFA's latest album "Dark Days/Light Years".
The album is chock full of brilliance to be honest, it may be the best thing they have done in 10 years, it is that good!

Genius. SFA OK.

The music is so beautiful, as well as the lyrics. This song is true and very meaningful to me.

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.

Doesn't everybody love a good collaboration? It turns out Noah Lennox's beachboy-inspired vocals fit in nicely with the sound-collage electronica of Bradford Cox's offbeat side-project, Atlas Sound. The tight vocal harmonies, and childlike sampled groove compliment each other perfectly.

Nothing too deep in terms of vocal content. It's one of those songs where the chorus is repeated about 800 times, but you can never remember the words.

Instead, this song is all about atmosphere. I'm a sucker for that bleached-out, 70's technicolor vibe lately, and this song captures it more effectively than most. The lo-fi skuzziness, however, only enhances its pop-perfection.

Enjoy before summer ends! This is the perfect doobed-up jam for driving to the beach on a day where you can see the heat. Happy listening.

Simple structure, great vocals, very sad yet makes you want to listen even more.

Simply amazing song, very uplifting

Very Soulful, the lyrics ring beautifully in the song.

Two Gallants are a Saddle Creek Records band, and unfortunately they don't get half the attention they should. They are very impressive and soulful. Great lyrics and the instrumental is brilliant as well.

This is a seven minute song that can blow your mind.

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 :)

the organ is very powerful and ominous in a good way

This song has always grabbed me. The whole album (The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx) is a favorite of mine, but this is my favorite track.
The thing that gets me every time is the harmonies sung over the guitar solo in the bridge.

very mainstream

Definitely one of my favorites by Coldplay. Very calming and emotionally powerful- about love, in general.

Beautiful and relaxing- everything you would want from I&W.

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."

You will either love this one or hate it. Joanna's voice is something I've never heard before, but I immediately fell in love. She also uses a very large instument which I believe to be a harp. She has some other beautiful songs, but none as facsinating as peach, plum, pear.

This woman is amazing....very country so some may struggle but what a voice. Great lyrics too

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.

listen to those words. I hear something new everytime I listen to this song.

-Very Melodic in a way, with an exciting yet mellow tune and some very nice sounding instrument work

-Just an awesome sound to listen too

Perfect combination between a piano and Tom Chaplin's voice. Very simple song, but still wonderful.

This happy love song was produced by Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quinn, two members of Keane. It's really nice. Speight's voice is not powerful, but it's sweet and very well used in this song.

A very nice ballad. In my opinion one of the best songs of the album.

It's very hard to describe Noah and The Whale's music, but I guess it can be considered pop. Really nice song.

this song is probably one of the best songs eminem has written, although everything he writes is amazing :) its more emotional and serious than his other songs which is cool. plus, i really like the beat, backround music,and of course, the lyrics

A classic, everybody's gotta love this.. Yeah?

B.o.B is rap/rock. This song is very calm, it is good for being high and chilling out.

jack white can do everything

Alt rock, very calm.

This is a song from the punk band Useless I.D. One of the reasons I like the song so much is because it talks about something that almost everyone has to deal with after a relationship. The song also flows really well, and I think the only problem that I have with the song is that it ends so quickly.

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.

Love her voice, and the whole feel and flow of the track.. very spacey!!

vocals, guitar, drums, synthesizers. Flaming Lips songs remind me of impressionist paintings with little bursts of color everywhere. This song isn't as colorful as some of their others, but it's definitely likeable. The lyrics can be interpreted as deep, but they're delivered really casually in a flowing manner. This isn't a sparse piece. There's little interesting details happening all the time, like intermittent cymbal crashes to little guitar moments to weird synthesizer noises. It creates a texture that's interesting to listen to, but at the same time simple enough to listen to without exploding your brain or something. A really enjoyable piece overall.

Cover of indie shoegazer band Ride's 1992 song. I never knew the original, which this sounds extremely similar to. As ever I am very quick to enjoy the use of labels with which to typecast.

The song evinces what I consider to be a kind of poetic genius. Musically it mirrors the lyric in its absolute simplicity.

Beetles and eggs and blues and pour a little everything else...

The arrangement in this song is perfection. Everything fits together so well but it all stands out in its own turn. Also, the lyrics are superb:

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique/
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes; unique in each way you can see/
And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be/
a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me

OMG i love everything, like this song is so much fun to play on the bass and stuff, and the vocals are cool idk.

I like the beat of this song and the vocals. The lyrics are also very creepy and odd.

This song sounds a bit chaotic with various instruments and dubstep playing in the background, but the vocals are very nice to listen to and the beat is very catchy.

The Rap is very good

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.

Bessie Smith - here is a real woman, not an Allie McBeal stick-insect, but the type of woman that makes you want to throw back your head and howl like a Coyote. Bessie vibrates in places that most women don't even have places, and every man who hears her is transfixed.
She doesn't need to use any siren-like feminine wiles. This is the kind of woman who makes you feel glad to be alive. Mae West eat your heart out!

From the driving introductory rhythm to when Bessie bellows "If I call three times a day,
Come and drive my blues away,
When you come, be ready to play,
Do your duty" you know exactly where you are.

So sit back and close your eyes, grab the oxygen and slip back to late 1933 ................

I've been in love with this tune since I heard the superb instrumental version of it on 1990's 'Wild at Heart' soundtrack. I'm a big fan of Les Paul and Mary Ford's records - the combination of immaculate multitracked guitars and spooky, clear vocals is a real winner for me. I only found out about this recording quite recently. It really is stunning. It's slow, plodding along while Les's intricate but very cool guitar lines twinkle around over the top. This song makes me feel very nostalgic, although I'm not sure exactly what for. The lyrics really add something to the atmosphere - 'tell me where do they go/those smoke rings that blow each night'. Anyway, please ignore my inadequate description and listen to this exquisite, perfect recording.

What a magnificent performance. This album has long been considered the greatest live jazz album of all time, for a number of reasons. 1. The Lineup: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell & Max Roach, each of whom was at their peak of mastery of their instruments. 2: It was recorded in Canada, so Parker's usual endorsement deal for a particular brand of saxophone was void, meaning he was able to play a special Grafton plastic sax that had been given him. 3. Parker had a clear head, since he was, for the time being, clean & sober. Any track on this album could have been my selection, but I've chosen this. The band bashes it's way through Gillespie's hit, and Bird tears everything to shreds in reaction to Dizzy's goofy vocal. A thoroughly sublime recording from start to finish. If you only own one bop album, it may as well be this.

Very strongly reminiscent of Etta James' "Rock With Me, Henry", this deals with a subject dear to all of us menfolk, that of having to turn a mistreatin' woman out and makin' her walk home!

Here's another early Burt Bacharach composition, this one from (or just a promotional piece for?) the William Wyler film "The Desperate Hours." I haven't seen the movie, but this song makes me want to. This song is steeped in a heavy film noir atmosphere -- with vibes and wailing sax -- that I love. Needless to say, this has a very different sound from the stuff Bacharach would become famous for a few years down the road.

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.

When you consider just how wonderful it is, Les Baxter's 'exotic' work is under-represented on this site. From a superb and reasonably easy-to-find album, this cut is an intoxicating mix of shimmering 50s style strings and gentle bongo rhythms.

'Nightingale' is a Xavier Cugat original that is very much in the style of classic Lecuona songs like 'Taboo'. Melodically, it also reminds me of another standard, 'Invitation'.

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!!

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 wild track from Les Baxter's superb 'Jungle Jazz' album wouldn't be out of place in a David Lynch movie. In fact, it sounds very like some of the work Angelo Badalamenti did for the 1992 movie 'Fire (walk with me)'. It's really wickedly over the top, with a walking bass, wailing horns, and some incredible tenor saxophone work from legendary session player Plas Johnson. The overall effect is cinematic and disturbing.

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.

Novelty pop from two American sisters of Italian origin. About their teachers telling them off after a visit to the zoo (?!). Their portrayal of authority figures is very like that in Charlie Brown - "wha wha wha whaaa....".

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 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.

As Delicado said in one of his track recommendations: "Les Baxter's work is under-represented on this site". To try and change that here's a recommendation of another of my favourite Baxter songs.

Get in your space-ship and get ready for your first space cocktail. The mood of this song truly represents the 'Space-Age' everybody was anticipating in the late '50s and early '60s. We've got a happy fast paced beat, with bright strings, pianos, vibraphones, flutes and what not. Not that unfamiliar to the KPM library music from the '50s. I can't stop listening to this song, I only wish it was a bit longer.

Just about everyone has a favorite version of this song and Blossom Dearie's recording is mine. Sitting quietly at the piano with bass and percussion joining in Blossom maps out the man of her dreams and what she plans to do when she finds him. Another gem from the sadly out-of-print album 'My Gentleman Friend'.

somewhat of a classic. great little easy listening track..her voice sounds very sexy, and the lyrics are so unbelievably kitchy/catchy i just keep returning to it.

This is one of my favourite Elvis songs. Its very blue-sy but not at all downbeat. Its got the swagger that he has on his late '50s - early '60s records.

A slow modal jazz blues from the record that defined modal jazz.
Miles - Trumpet
Julian "Cannonball" Adderly - Alto Sax
John Coltrane - Tenor Sax
Bill Evans - Piano
Paul Chambers - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums
Like allways with Miles all musicians are outstanding. The modal form - in short very few chords and more based on notes in scales - whas new and fresh so the musicians had to be very creative and innovative. And They Succeded in making some of the best music ever created.

Her voice is so raw and real. You feel every note and lyric. Her and her voice are just so penetrating. She's not afraid to display her sexuality. She's barely displaying it in her lyrics, but it's the fullness and depth of her voice.

This song is a "new country" music fan's worst nightmare. This is the kind of song that they are afraid people will think they like when they admit to liking country music. Faron had learned his Hank Williams lessons very well before setting this one down.

Don't let Wind Of Change by The Scorpians put you off. The use of whistling in a song is usually A Very Good Thing, and here to prove it comes Gillian Hills.

Hills was the titular Beat Girl in the 1960 John Barry-scored film, and never has anyone managed to look so moody on screen for so long. Ma Premiere Cigarette, a fake-eyelash batting number if ever there was one, is from her short period as a ye-ye girl, when she produced some of the very best songs in a fine genre.

The storyline to this one is bizarre. Gillian likes this guy Jimmy, who smokes; she wants to impress him so she has her first cigarette, smoked with various degrees of success; her eyes start to water and she can't work out whether it's the emotion of the occasion or the smoke irritating her peepers... There are little puffs and exhalation sounds throughout the song. It all makes for a wonderful listening experience.

A superb version. A very purely beautiful, very expressively controlled vocal. A perfectly stylish trio backing. The rest of the album also holds to a very high standard indeed - a real pleasure. I've never enjoyed vocal jazz more!

probably the most uplifting song ever recorded. very basic and simple, but genuinely endearing. paul evans has a nice laugh, the boyish quality of it really makes the song for me.
the song was sort of a theme song for john waters` film "pecker", by the way.

Another superb instrumental track which had vanished from my mind during the last few years, but which I found again yesterday during a self-indulgent marathon record-listening session. This is a very memorable theme, produced by Joe Meek. There's a cool opening with a catchy drum pattern. The rest of the instrumentation is organ, bass, and some very cool twangy guitars, often with some heavy reverb.

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.

"I should have known it from the very start
This girl would leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people, what I'm telling you
keep away from Runaround Sue


I miss her lips and the smile on her face
touch of her hands and this girls warm embrace
so if you don't wanna cry like I do
keep away from Runaround Sue"


Half sad, half funky. A very groovy Doo Wop - track with a funny melody that makes it hard to believe that the guy is really blue...

This is one of those mindblowing tracks that occasionally turns up when you least expect it. I bought a generic looking 'Top TV Themes' EP on the Pye Golden Guinea label, mainly because it had a version of the 'Out of this World' theme, which I've recommended elsewhere on this site. But I was disappointed - it turned out that this 'Out of this World' was exactly the same Tony Hatch version that I already had (the EP does not list any track credits).

I listened on, not expecting much, particularly from 'Maigret', a nice enough theme by Ron Grainer, but one that is a kind of accordian waltz!

Imagine my surprise when this turned out to be some kind of trashy, twangy, swampy surf pop masterpiece! It sounds like one of the very best Joe Meek produced instrumentals from the early 60s.

I'm inferring that this is Tony Hatch, since he did the 'Out of this World' and was a staff arranger at Pye in the early 60s. But if anyone else can shed a different light on this recording, I'd be pleased to hear about it!

The original version of this Brazilian classic, it was covered by just about everybody. Has that children's chorus doing backing vocals that the Brazilians seem to love so much.

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.

Excellent early jazz song from Serge with a very sparse arrangement and a lively rhythm. Further proof that the man could do anything he wanted.

This is a very lively track that was produced by Bob Crewe, of Four Seasons fame (and who just might be my favourite producer of all time). It utilizes piano triplets, horns, clattering drums, and great lead and backing vocals to make a typically tight '60s track where not a moment is wasted. And it's in 6/8 time, which means it can sound straightforward but with a bit of "swing" to it, meanwhile some of the drum fills can hit on every second beat rather than every third one. There really hasn't been a better song out of Canada in these past 40 years ...

A wild ride down the Nile. If anyone ever accuses the girl group sound of being all innocent or only about boys then just shove this riot in their ears.

Resplendent with one of the greatest nonsense refrains in popular music ("shimmy-shimmy-shimmy-shi-mi-mis-pe-dis") and screams aplenty, this track is a winner on every conceivable level. The instrumentation is clearly designed to sound Egyptian, but instead resembles the soundtrack to a campy exploitation flick about girl gangs among the pyramids (or something).

A highly unusual platter, and deservedly enjoying a greater cult reputation as the years go by.

Perky British beat-era novelty hit with great Vic Flick-style twanging guitars and weezy organ. Somehow there's something very distinctive and appealing about the way the guitars sound on UK records before the Beatles. Sort of plonky-plonk deadpan with a slight electric fizz. Or does that just sound silly?

A beautiful Mancini piece from one of his best-known soundtracks that I had somehow managed to neglect completely. The Pink Panther was never at the top of my wish-list, but after picking up the CD last week for a mere 50p, I was very impressed. The score utilizes the accordian slightly more than I would have liked, but has some fantastic textured tracks, such as this one.

The track opens with a 'Blues in the night' style riff on the piano. The lead is then taken by a blistering muted trumpet sound. I've always thought of Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks work as being heavily Mancini-influenced, but that link has never been more clear to me than on this track, which has a similar moody tone to some of the best tracks on the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me soundtrack. The classic Mancini string sound is also in evidence, as well as a gentle wordless chorus. About half-way through, legendary tenor saxophonist Plas Johnson takes up the melody. The dreaded accordian gets a brief look-in before the track concludes with some more riffing on the trumpet. Fantastic stuff; Mancini really was an inspirational arranger.