This record is a complete mystery to me even though I have every other Flora album. Dusty Springfield-style orquestrated pop that sounds like nothing you'd associate with her name. There the slightest hint of bossa, and the flipside (actually the A-side, but I find this B much more interesting) is a basic 60s pop ballad with a bit of a European flavor, produced by folk stalwart Milt Okun, interestingly enough. Both sides are meticulously arranged with washes of strings, horns and reverb. Fascinating! The copy I have is a promo copy, and I wonder if stock copies even exist, since it's in no discography I could find. Does anybody know anything about this?

Since I've been recommending on this site for a while, I came up with a new idea in January. A lot of my all time favourites are on here now, so what I thought I would do now is to recommend a track every week that has had most resonance for me over the past seven days.

A bit of background: I've been having an unhappy time at work lately. I sometimes work shifts and don't get in until 11pm. As I have been so stressed with my daily grind, I've been finding it very difficult to wind down at the end of the day.

This song, this week, is suddenly making sense to me. It's calmed the jumble in my head every night by understanding that the world isn't an ordered place. I've been coaxed out of my rigid state by these 17 minutes. It's not my favourite Velvet Underground song - that would be The Murder Mystery - but after years of always thinking Sister Ray was a self-indulgent filler, I think I finally grasp what its purpose is. Or, at least, I now know there are only certain, bloody awful, weeks in which I can find the beautiful oyster inside this track.

I will return to normal service next week with my usual gay disco or girl group love.

Terrifyingly fantastic track.

Piano noodling, oboes, crisp 1972 drums.

What lies in the future is a mystery to us all. There may come a time when I will see that I've been wrong. But for now this is my song. And it's "Goodbye to love".

Waves of vocals raining down.

A guitar solo that refuses to die.

A plaintive ballad deliverd in Terry Halls dour,deadpan,delivery yes dour but oddly touching ,very british with a touch of continental mystery in an Alan delon kind of way

Possibly the most peculiar song to ever hit the top 5,surreal in the extreme but oh ,so beautiful,like a little piece of music from every corner of the globe distilled through a trip hop filter,it has the funk foundations of acid jazz ,the majesty of the samba and the exotic mystery of Asia .Part spoken,oddly sung and complimented by an incessant tropical ambience thats hard to pin down.A real pearl from an oyster as suggested by the songs sublime watery brilliance .Initially used to sell L--I jeans ,a perfect example of why beauty and commerce should never be in the same room .

Amazing stripped down rock and roll. With just guitar, drums and vocals they manage to build some great dynamics into this tune. The Link Wray style reverby guitar and handclaps work a treat too. They recorded a session for Radio 1 in the UK which is still available from Steve Lamaq's page on the BBC Radio 1 website.

Funky Rock. Nice Title! Sweet Lyrics. And i love the Beach Boys break. Move over George Martin!
Is this the best concept album since "Dark Side Of The Moon / Wish You Were Here". Or Maybe even "�Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/�Magical Mystery Tour"? Very Trippy Rock! Nice electronics. How do you sound like Neal Young, Bread, America, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, David Bowie, Beach Boys and the Beatles all at once? You can hear the full album through the thier site: www.flaminglips.com
Super Generous & Super Talented. One of the most beautifully produced albums ever!
POP HEAVEN! "Light Side of the Moon" for the new millennia.

With lightly strummed acoustic guitar, vaguely castanetish rhythm and Yvonne Cornelius filtered and far away singing, this wistful and melancholic song transcends the experimentation of the other songs on the album Voodooluba, with its straightforwardness while still keeping the air of mystery present in the other tracks.

Ricky Fitzpatrick's song "Ballad of Billy the Kid" is a 3 minute class in songwriting.

A compelling story filled with unexpected references, internal rhymes, interesting characters...not to mention his beautiful voice. His single acoustic guitar is the perfect backdrop for this tragic and beautiful story. A couple of four-letter words, but nothing that doesn't fit appropriately into the song as a whole.

Ricky's comment on the mystery of the song has always been "Never judge a man til you've walked a mile in his shoes".

I am a fan and always will be. I suggest checking Ricky out while he's still available as a "local" artist at www.rickyfitzpatrick.com.