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You searched for ‘Sweet’, which matched 202 songs.
click - person recommending, year, performer, songtitle - to see more recommendations.
Through the Yard of Blonde Girls  performed by Jeff Buckley
Recommended by two-headed boy [profile]

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!

from My Sweetheart the Drunk, available on CD




  amyliner: Hi, Just to say that Jeff Buckley didn't write Yard of Blonde Girls (not that you'd ever know from the way he performs it. *sigh*) It was written by A.Clark - L.Kramer - I.Lorre. But yes, girls do love this song. Espencially we blonde ones!!!!
  elision: 'yard of blonde girls' seems to be a somewhat pejorative term (the middle-upper class socialites, the 'gold sharks') so while Jeff Buckley may have stood rock god-like and looked upon legions of blonde girls (somehow I doubt that was his main audience) with a sexually approving eye, if the song spoke anything about his truth, he would probably have been looking out for the different one, the pure one who rises above social politicking in her innocence, the Lola.
  ultra-violent romantic: eloquently said elison; i have to agree with you, especially in reference to the "gold sharks glittering." in david browne's dual biography on tim and jeff buckley titled "dream brother," he points out that when jeff recorded this song he made it very apparent that he didn't want any Sony reps to get a hold of it...
Sweet Surrender  performed by Tim Buckley
Recommended by Maximum_Bygraves [profile]

At odds with his two fold reputation as a folk-baroque balladeer and avant garde explorer Buckley turns in a tortured ballad worthy of the Reverend Al Green. Imagine a libidinously charged Astral Weeks and you're part way there.

from Greetings from LA


Chavinha  performed by Orlann Divo
Recommended by sodapop650 [profile]

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.




So Much Beauty In Dirt  performed by Modest Mouse
Recommended by Reina [profile]

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.




new: sleepy sunset  performed by the uniform tragedy
Recommended by neko mina [profile]

It's a really simple song, musically. just some synth a guitar and two voices. both tinged with sweetness and a bit of innocence and sadness. the best line is probably "i can picture your heart falling to the ground from 13 stories up, i'll drop a penny from where i stand and see which one hits first".




This must be the place  performed by Talking Heads
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

One of their most sweetest yet over looked songs.




Mr. Blue Sky  performed by Electric Light Orchestra
Recommended by umbrellasfollowrain [profile]

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.





  nicegeoff: Yes. You are correct.
baby i love you so  performed by Colourbox
Recommended by alkine [profile]

there is absolutely nothing wrong with the bass in this track, forget about Channel One and the whole history of dub, or the hi hat that gives meaning to the sweet vocal by Loretta, i'll quite happily sink into pop bliss with this tune, and forget Disco or Detroit ever existed. a peach of a lime. never has the obvious sounded so fresh.

from Colourbox (4AD)


The Torch  performed by The Dropkcik Murphy’s
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

nice bitter sweet Irish-punk dittie




Way Form 3 (If You Ever)  performed by Elegia
Recommended by Mr Tom [profile]

A slice of unbelievably sweet, lush electronica from Elegia. An insistent, original, clattery percussive line and the most enormous heart-rattling sub underlie a sparingly used, sweeping string riff and a vocal which you can't quite make out--I think that's to the good in this song, since Elegia are no Paul Simon--except in fragments. It's sung with strength and melancholy, perfectly structured and as moving as any six minutes I know.


available on CD - Megasoft Office 98 (F Com)



Fools in Love  performed by Inara George
Recommended by mellocello [profile]

A beautifully lilting modern waltz. Bittersweet fingerpicked guitar in the background and a wonderful haunting voice, I'm assuming Inara George herself. I'd love to learn more about the artist. A beautiful song of the bitter side of love, "fools in love they think they're heroes, because they get to feel no pain, i say fools are lovers' heroes, i should know, i should know because this fool's in love again." I just love songs like this. I first heard it watching Grey's Anatomy. So I looked on Amazon at the playlist for the soundtrack and found it. Definitely a great song in my book.
She has a website: www.inarageorge.com and unfortunately she just finished a tour.

from Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack


You and I Both  performed by Jason Mraz
Recommended by 37piecesflair [profile]

Sweet.

from Waiting for My Rocket to Come


Sweet Caroline  performed by Neil Diamond
Recommended by 37piecesflair [profile]

I love Neil. I'll admit it. A GREAT song for anyone to cover. And there have been a lot of covers of it..




brooklyn phone call  performed by all girl summer fun band
Recommended by licoricewhipped [profile]

sweet, indie, girlie, i love it.




heroines pt. II  performed by ruby falls
Recommended by licoricewhipped [profile]

so sweet and pretty.




hand grenade  performed by team dresch
Recommended by licoricewhipped [profile]

happy and sweet.




Bend and Break  performed by Dashboard Confesional
Recommended by Litterate&Stylish [profile]

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


available on CD - A Mark A Mission A Brand A Scar


Kiss me I’m shitfaced  performed by The Dropkick Murphy’s
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

Sweet, honest and dripping with whiskey like a good ol barfly.




yuma, arizona  performed by Damain Jurado
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

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




All My Friends Who Play Guitar  performed by Starflyer 59
Recommended by Kilbey1 [profile]

Melancholy jangle tune with sweet, haunting melody; discussed the trials and tribulations of those little bands that slip under our musical radar, however worthy. Reminiscent of garage band struggles, all who picked up a guitar in school in hopes of making it big. For those who make it big, hundreds - no, thousands - of bands are still waiting to be heard.

"And never thought it'd go this far / We never thought that / We'd ever go far / Like all my friends who play guitar / Know who we are? / We never go far / Like all my friends who play guitar"

(btw, I had no idea these guys were Christian; never sounded like any Christian music I heard!)

from Leave Here a Stranger


Yoshimi battles the pink robots  performed by The Flamming Lips
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

Bizarre lyrics, but it's so sweet, so enduring and just plain catchy that you have to love it.




bittersweet symphony  performed by the verve
Recommended by morning belle [profile]





  sinferno: Awesome classic. I love this track every time.
  adam12: Love this track too. One of the first songs I loaded onto my ipod. I understand they were sued by the Rolling Stones for lifting the string arrangement. For the life of me I can't figure out what song from the Stones it would conflict with. Do you know?
  rum: Back in the day their manager Andrew Loog Oldham did an album of symphonic versions of stones songs ('The Rolling Stones Songbook'), and it was from his take on 'The Last Time' that the Verve nicked their main riff. No one's gonna mess with the 'Loog' and get away with it!
  olli: Yeah, I'm really glad to have a copy of the Andrew Oldham album. Now that i've heard the original, I've no reasons left whatsoever to enjoy anything by the Verve...
Ma Jeunesse Fout le Camp  performed by Francoise Hardy
Recommended by ladonnaoscurata [profile]

I adore Francoise Hardy. Her music may be a bit too sweet for some, but this song is a favourite of mine. It's nostalgic and melancholy, and strangely comforting. My French isn't perfect, but I believe the song is about the loss of innocence and youth.

from 36 Grandes Succes


When you live life alone  performed by Sarah Shannon
Recommended by moondog [profile]

To judge by the coverphoto of mrs Shannon this song doesn´t refer to her own personal situation. So, for at least this writer, to see that it was penned by her boyfriend at the time, Blake Wescott, makes a bit more sense. Anyroads, When you live life alone is one of those songs that could have been so much more. A bit properly edited and structured I believe that Burt Bacharach would have considered it among his best. Certainly, the verse is up there with the best burtinspired pop ever. In the chorus though, Barbra Streisand enters the stage and smudders it with a bit too much melodrama to make it the 24 carat gold classic of a song it could have been. But if you have read this far into the text do check it out.

from Sarah Shannon


Kick Start My Heart  performed by Motley Crue
Recommended by blackbison2008 [profile]

Distortion, hair metal era but it doesn't sound typical of that style. It's hard to describe. Cool sounding vocals, pretty sweet guitar hook.

from Dr. Feelgood, available on CD


Little Room  performed by White Stripes
Recommended by CaitlinSpelledWrong [profile]

It's a short but extremely sweet song. It's speedy and fast and awesome. I can't explain this song but it's great.


available on CD - White Blood Cells


When I Am Gone  performed by Sparrow House
Recommended by softindierocker [profile]

I know this is incredibly cliched, but words cannot describe how beautiful this song is. So sad and sweet. Especially the lyrics. It's love the way the guy doesn't lay any blame, even though he's heartbroken.

This song didn't really stick out to me at first, but I read the lyrics and listened to it a bit more. Now, I totally love it!

If you've listened to this song but don't particularly like it, you should definitely give it another shot!




World Spins Madly On  performed by The Weepies
Recommended by softindierocker [profile]

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




Hallelujah  performed by Rufus Wainwright
Recommended by AnaMardel [profile]

Have you ever found a more tender sounding voice with some real sweet lyrics?

from Poses


Sweet Honey  performed by Slightly Stoopid
Recommended by thenewyear01 [profile]




Mushaboom  performed by Feist
Recommended by melpomenex [profile]

This is such a sweet little song. Listening to it always makes me happy. It's quirky and just plain adorable.




Sweet Mary  performed by Chris Velan
Recommended by brogers45 [profile]

Amazing song.




Madi don’t leave  performed by playradioplay
Recommended by llspazz [profile]

I love this song beacuse it's just so simple and innocent sounding. It makes me feel like maybe I could have this kind of relationship with someone.




all i need  performed by air
Recommended by lostjedi21 [profile]

sweet and honest great electro sound.




It Could Be Sweet  performed by Portishead
Recommended by Ninjujitsu [profile]




Alas I Cannot Swim  performed by Laura Marling
Recommended by DearPrudence [profile]

One of her sweetest songs. So simple and yet so happy sounding. Laura Marling is intelligent beyond her years, but this song transmits some innocence and it's simply a "pretty" song, that always leaves me with a smile.




Love’s Sweet Exile  performed by Manic Street Preachers
Recommended by DearPrudence [profile]




Already Yours  performed by Bahamas
Recommended by smrwelsman [profile]

simple. sweet. builds.




Willow Tree  performed by Thomas J Speight
Recommended by daniela_por [profile]

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.

from Willow Tree


bittersweet symphony  performed by the verve
Recommended by pianno [profile]




Goodnight Moon  performed by Go Radio
Recommended by themiddletoe [profile]

this is literally like my favorite song ever. i could listen to it a million times and it would never get old. and the lyrics are soooo incredibly sweet :)




I Am  performed by Foot Ox
Recommended by dizzies [profile]

This song is cute, jittery and even just a bit creepy. Teague Cullen is brilliant.

from It's Like Our Little Machine, available on CD


Sweet Disposition  performed by The Temper Trap
Recommended by Manus [profile]

from Conditions


Sierra Leone  performed by Mt Eden Dubstep
Recommended by Nathan1623 [profile]

Pretty sweet song. It is simple and intense but really relaxing.




sweet love   performed by chris brown
Recommended by akaren007 [profile]

its slow yet has alot of rhythm




Change of Seasons  performed by Sweet Thing
Recommended by lhirsch92 [profile]




Sweet Disposition  performed by The Temper Trap
Recommended by lhirsch92 [profile]




Bitter Sweet Symphony  performed by The Verve
Recommended by lhirsch92 [profile]




Sea of love  performed by Cat Power
Recommended by mangopinecone [profile]

sweet and slow

from Juno


Look After You  performed by The Fray
Recommended by TheTromboneNinja [profile]

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 How to Save a Life (Epic)


Sweet Breeze  performed by Vernon Greene & the Phantoms  1958
Recommended by tinks [profile]

A stunning late 50s R&B ballad that would not sound out of place in a David Lynch film. Greene's backing group, the Phantoms, live up to their name by providing some of the most haunting background vocals ever committed to vinyl. Lay on Vernon's tortured lead, and you have something quite extraordinary indeed.

from the single Sweet Breeze (Specialty)



Hot Rod Rock  performed by Edd "Kookie" Brynes  1959
Recommended by JoNZ [profile]

Yes, it's shlocky, but the female voice (Joanie Sommers) goes from syrupy sweet to bad assed babe all in under three minutes. The song is basically about the fact that her boy only talks about his car until she pulls a switcheroo on her sweetness factor. Yes, I said switcheroo,...what of it? It's goofy, but I like it. One for the time capsule to be sure.

from Kookie, available on CD




  singjohn: Joanie Sommers is the MOST! Even after something like 40+ years of recording she still has that "little girl-gone bad" sound to her voice. Very cute and sexy at the same time! Her stuff with "Kookie" is a snipet of a brief era in American Teen History. Times were simple and naive and kids were inventing their own language based on jazz musicians and beat poets. "Squares" didn't "dig it" and those who did were "cool, Daddy-o" (think Jets from West Side Story). Anybody interested in more about Joanie should look here: http://www.homestead.com/joaniesommers/
  Rickybop: Hi Everyone! I'm new here, but I noticed a recommendation for this song by JoNZ stating that edd byrnes was accompanied by Jonnie Sommers. This is not true. The female singer's name is in fact Connie Stevens.
I respectfully submit this correction. You are so right-on about her voice, JoNZ, cute aaaand sexy...
also looked that way... one of my favorites. I love old-style hotrods, and related songs, and this one is right up my alley. I've found this song
on CD, Rhapsody, and Imesh. Be aware that iMesh will eventually disable your ability to play some downloaded songs (including this one) if you don't
agree to pay for a "renewal". Please share if you've found it elsewhere! God Bless Everybody!

  Rickybop: This is a humble retraction of my previous
"correction" statement. So sorry JoNZ, you were
apparently correct that Joanie Sommers, not Connie
Stevens sang with Ed Byrnes on the song "Hot Rod
Rock". Both female singers sound much alike. I've
contacted the site owner to delete my posts. Don't
want to mislead anyone...I'll be more careful next
time to triple-check my facts. Fun song, though.

You Fascinate Me So  performed by Blossom Dearie  195?
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

A great track by a true american treasure. Blossom Dearie's one-of-a-kind voice is perfectly suited for this song. You can hear the vixen just below the sweet innocent exterior as she demurely praises the object of her affection with a raised eyebrow and knowing look. She knows that she is going to get her way, but decides to throw in a little flattery to ensure that her intended shows no resistence to her plan.
This song is only available on the criminally unavailable album 'My gentleman Friend'. You may occasionally find a copy for sale on Ebay (like I did) or shell out about $35 for a japanese import CD.

from My Gentleman Friend (Verve MGV 2125)


Girl Don’t Come  performed by Sandie Shaw  1964
Recommended by golden [profile]

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

from n/a (Pye)



  shakeahand: Quite agree. One of my first LPs as a teen was a greatest hits - and for me she summed up the 60s female vocal. For big, brassy and emotion-laden power pop, see also Long Walk Home.
  Swinging London: It was initially released as the 'B' side of the much weaker: 'I'd Be Far Better Off Without You'. Someone, probably a DJ, flipped it over. I love the arrangement on this. It's full of atmosphere. It seems to completely capture the time. Another of her songs that has a similar effect is 'You've Not Changed', which wasn't as big a hit and seems to have been forgotten and is often excluded from Greatest Hits Comps.
catch the wind 1964 live  performed by donovan  1964
Recommended by flange1515 [profile]

Sweet as folk used to be thought of as the UK Bob D for a while




Don't Go Breaking My Heart  performed by Burt Bacharach  1965
Recommended by m.ace [profile]

A super-sweet bossa-pop tune. From one of Burt's solo LPs, but actually sung by an unnamed female trio who do magical things with the hypnotically pretty melody line.

from Hit Maker! (Kapp)


Golden Lights  performed by Twinkle  1965
Recommended by delicado [profile]

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.

from the single Golden Lights
available on CD - Twinkle (RPM)



Please Let Me Wonder  performed by the Beach Boys  1965
Recommended by tinks [profile]

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.

from The Beach Boys Today! (Capitol T-2269)
available on CD - The Beach Boys Today!/Summer Days! (And Summer Nights!!) (Capitol)


I�m not saying  performed by Nico  1965
Recommended by delicado [profile]

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.

from the single I�m not saying (Immediate IM 003)
available on CD - The Classic Years (Polygram)




  Gwendolyn: I love this song, Nico is one of my favorites. Her voice has such a uniqueness. It's very deep and peaceful.
  brightdayler: Oh, wow. This comment is four years old! But I just joined this place and this is one of my favorite songs right now, in 2006. I harbor a little resentment for Delicado, who claims the bridge is corny. I know it's not so insightful to say this since two of Nico's songs were used in another Wes Anderson movie, but the bridge section reminds me a lot of Rushmore, when Max and Blume do a simultaneous jump on bikes at the end, after their reconciliation. I guess that's why I like it. I wish Nico would have done more stuff like this.
  belphegor: i grew up on the gordon lightfoot version--but cripes, leave it to nico to so deliciously catastrophize a perfectly good tune. hers is amazingly well executed in the sentiments conveyed, ...and some catchy, too! love it, love it, love it.
Run Mascara  performed by The Exciters  1965
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

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.

from the single Run Mascara (Columbia DB 7606)
available on CD - Something To Shout About! (Sequel)



Bossa Nova Bessie  performed by Frank DeVol and the MGM Studio Orchestra  1966
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This sounds like it should be a generic bossa nova cash-in film song, but instead, it's strangely haunting and gripping to my ears. While it's a sweetly orchestrated piece (a bossa nova guitar and beat, a flute melody, and a Stan Getz-esque tenor sax, backed by a subdued orchestra) I feel as if there's something menacing just beneath the surface. However, it's so subtle, this could be in my head. It's taken from the 'The Glass Bottom Boat'; maybe I have to see the movie and decide.


available on CD - Bachelor In Paradise - Cocktail Classics from MGM Films (EMI)



Aren't You Glad  performed by The Beach Boys  1967
Recommended by tinks [profile]

This song has a very tender vocal, which I believe is by either Carl or Dennis, a super-cool reverb-laden piano and sweet handclaps that cue up organ and trumpets. As fully-realized a piece as anything on "Pet Sounds".

from Wild Honey (Capitol)
available on CD - Wild Honey/Smiley Smile (Capitol)




  Swinging London: I LOVE this song. From my favourite (under-rated) Beach Boys album, 'Wild Honey' (1967) There's also a live version available on a Beach Boys 'Live' album, which I believe was recorded in London in 1968...they fluff the lyrics, which, actually, adds to the charm. Anyway, thank you for reminding me of this little gem.
May my heart be cast into stone  performed by Other Voices  1967
Recommended by Ron1967-1970 [profile]

Another one of my faves... grrrrrrrreat orchestration, unbelievably well produced and heavenly
vocals in perfect harmony. A song to bring me on my knees... hoping it won't stop... so sweet, yet goes very crescendo... a definite 'two thumbs up' for this one... This group never made an album. It's one of those typical 'studio groups' who produced a sound that could knock you KO (IF you like the positive sound of the late 60s). It takes a genius to arrange a song like that: 'And may my heart be cast into stone" (immediately followed by two short orchestral outbursts pa-taa pa-taa) "And may the world go deaf when I roar" (pa-taa pa-taa)... One word: d e l i g h t f u l





  trebole: I was going to recommend this same song and looking for some info on the net I discovered by chance you have already recommended it. Just listening to it makes me feel like clapping my fingers and sing aloud to heaven with my eyes full of tears. Love the background vocals too!
  trebole: Just wanted to add, the song I have is performed by a girl group called Toys. Is that right?
  PaulLevinson: Thanks for the good words about our record, Ron. Actually, we weren't a studio group. Here are some details on The Other Voices: The Other Voices consisted of me, Stu Nitekman (who later wrote a book about Scrabble, the board game, under the name Jonathan Hatch - JH also does voice-overs and commercials under that name now), and Ira Margolis. We had previously been a folk-rock group called The New Outlook. We were singing in Central Park in NYC one Sunday afternoon. Ellie Greenwich and Mike Rashkow walked by, liked what they heard, and said they'd like to produce us. They signed us, changed our name to The Other Voices, and landed us a contract with Atlantic Records. May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone was one of three songs we went in and recorded in a NYC studio. The other two were "Hung Up On Love" and "No Olympian Heights". Only "Hung On Love" was written by one of us -- me (and Mikie Harris). "Hung Up On Love" was included on Rhino Handmade's Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets for the WEA Vaults in 2004 (Andrew Sandoval compiled it). I now a professor, author of science fiction and books about the cellphone (I'm currently working on a book about the First Amendment), appear a lot on television, etc - details on my web page: www.sff.net/people/paullevinson All best wishes and Happy New Year! Paul PS - The Toys also have a version of Cast Into Stone - same song, different recording.
Vim Da Bahia  performed by Quarteto Em Cy  1967
Recommended by sodapop650 [profile]

Quarteto Em Cy "Som Definitivo" was the first brazilian LP I purchased because I liked the cover. Before that I had only been familiar with Sergio Mendes and things like Les Baxter or Michel LeGrands excellent Rio LP. The darkness and power of Som Definitivo blew me away. Instead of the sacharine sweet vocals and ultra-clean arrangements of Sergio Mendes this sounded like 4 rowdy schoolgirls who got dragged into the studio off the street. The sound was much more throaty and the music by Tamba Trio is the primitive repetitious acoustic stuff that, personally, affects me the most. they do a lot of "call-and-response" type of arrangements. I always imagine the solitary life of people living in Bahia and the importance of the sea and the repetitious sound of the breaking waves in much of the music and the voices of the 4 girls like ghosts of the sea calling out to the fishermen. (I make up all kinds of stupid shit about the songs becasue I can't understand a word their saying anyway) Quarteto Em Cy also perfom on the classic Baden Powell/Vinicius De Moraes LP "Os Afro Sambas." In one of my earlier comments I mention that I have been told that Voodoo had a big influence on the people of Brazil and this LP is the best example of this influence.

from Som Definitivo, available on CD


Foolin' Around  performed by Chris Montez  1967
Recommended by Swinging London [profile]

'We won't do anything that shouldn't be done, only the groovy things like having fun'...& there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, in my book.

This is the title track to Chris Montez's third album with A&M, produced by Herb Alpert & it's very, very sweet, but, for some reason not sickly so. That's the magic of mid-'sixties Chris Montez.

This song was almost a hit in Britain. It was released just as the pirate radio stations were about to be banned. It was 'Record Of The Week' on Radio London the week it was shut down and sadly never grabbed it's deserved foothold after that.

A lot of people are taken aback by how high Chris's voice was when he sang, but once you get over that, his music from the A&M era (1966-8) is strangely addictive. Very warm and melodic.

He did mostly cover songs, mostly 'hits of the day', but also generous helpings of classics from the 1940's & '50's. Always giving them a brand new very mid-'sixties treatment.

from Foolin' Around (A & M)



Come Live with Me  performed by Dorothy Ashby  1968
Recommended by delicado [profile]

An exquisite and much-sampled version of this nice tune from the Valley of the Dolls soundtrack. The slow, funky beat is simply one of the sweetest you will ever hear, and the harp melody is ethereal and beautiful.

from Afro-Harping, available on CD



Do Your Own Thing  performed by Brook Benton  1968
Recommended by Arthur [profile]

Leiber and Stoller give Brook a Bacharach/ David feel on Brooks debut single for Cotillion and indeed it is the flip side of an unremarkable version of thier "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself". Brook just does nothing with the song. (Cissy Houston's, for my money is still the best version )
"Do You Own Thing" is a little gem however, with a sympathetic arrangement a long way from the R'n'B sound Leiber and Stoller are famous for. It starts with the trademark trumpet found on all the best Dionne Warwick sides and a wonderful string arrangement and a bitter/sweet lyric.




The Face I Love  performed by Chris Montez  1968
Recommended by heinmukk [profile]

nice one! i discovered chris montez lately and i like what he has done.
this song is a cover of astrud gilbertos song from the album "beach samba" (which i didn't recognize until reading it at allmusic.com) and begins with a nice organ-melody as an intro. i especially like the sound of that organ, it's a very sweet and not to heavy one. so that it fits perfect into the mood of this song and giving it a little more sweetness.
as always chris montez sings like a woman and if one doesn't know this it wouldn't be necessarily clear to one. (correct english....?)
while searching for chris montez stuff i came across "the more i see you" performed by montez which was covered last year by a onehitwonderband here in germany and you couldn't escape to hear it at least twice a day no matter where you were leaving and going. the cover was very strict arranged along montez' version. i wonder how i would think of the montez original if this onehitwonder band wouldn't have done this cruelty?!
anyway, last years summer was great anyway...(sex every day...)
and now, you go and listen to that montez guy!!

from watch what happens
available on CD - Digitally Remastered Best


Me, Japanese Boy  performed by Harpers Bizarre  1968
Recommended by dlonglegs4 [profile]

Beautifully recorded, totally emo rendition of this gorgeous tune penned by Bacharach and David...sweet!!!

from The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre (Warner Bros. Seven Arts Records WS 1739)
available on CD - of the same name (unknown)


paper cup  performed by the 5th dimension  1968
Recommended by jack kane [profile]

paper cup is about sinking to the lowest rung of society, having been abandoned by a faithless woman. you know when depressed people sometimes have a flash of an idea that they desperately believe will give them a reason to exist? paper cup's like that - the narrator won't have to worry about the things you need for a normal life "cos i don't really want 'em anymore". combine this notion with the 5th dimensions' upbeat, beautiful harmonies and you have a masterwork of melancholic tension.

from the magic garden
available on CD - the best of the 5th dimension


Eque  performed by Duke Ellington  1968
Recommended by delicado [profile]

Taken from his exquisite Latin American Suite, this is an unusual sounding track to me. Mid-tempo, with an unrelenting bossa nova style beat, the action is shared between the piano and various horns and saxophones. I guess it's the strange discordant tones that take this track higher for me. They remind me of some chords I've heard in the more adventurous Brazilian pop music of the late 1960s - basically taking what is fundamentally a sweet sounding, warm chord, and overlaying notes that provide a darker, more forboding feel.

Adding to this, the punctuating horns and reeds give the whole thing a gently groovy feel that's reminiscent of quirky 60s soundtrack music. Really cool stuff, and I recommend the whole album.

from Latin American Suite, available on CD


Yesterday and Today  performed by YES  1968
Recommended by geezer [profile]

Sweet and simpler than this groups future output ,a piano,acoustic guitar ballad ,with angelic vocals and unusual chord progressions which make it sound less repetitive than it actually is .This was Yes,s first album and gave little sign of their future prog direction this track has more in common with The Beatles than than the wigged out fantasy jams that filled future albums .Short ,sweet and lovely

from YES!, available on CD


Do What you Wanna  performed by Ramsey Lewis  1969
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A nice funky instrumental with simple blues chords. Ramsey plays electric piano, and the beat is sweet, like a lot of Cadet label stuff from the late 60s. Groovy stuff, and quite easy to come by on the reissue 2 LP - 'Inside Ramsey Lewis'.

from Another Voyage (Cadet LPS-827)




  tinks: excellent track! definitely one of my favorites from ramsey's late 60s work.
I'm Alive  performed by Don Fardon  1969
Recommended by tinks [profile]

Awesome reworking of the milqetoast Tommy James hit, using Sweet Inspirations-ish background singers, infectious bubbling percussion, rousing horns and some of the fuzziest guitar ever to appear on any Scottish person's record. An impeccable Miki Dallon production and a great example of British blue-eyed soul.

from I've Paid My Dues (Decca)
available on CD - Indian Reservation/I've Paid My Dues (Edsel)




  Swinging London: Very swinging indeed...never heard of Don...I'm gonna track him down though. Very American 1969 sound...for a Scottish guy.
  artlongjr: I thought he was English, not Scottish! Anyhow, I have two 45s by him, "Indian Reservation" and "Lola". Of course, Paul Revere and the Raiders covered "Indian Reservation" and had a number one hit. Fardon isn't well known here in the U.S.
Casino Royale  performed by 18th Century Corporation  1969
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This is a rather ridiculous but super–catchy take on this theme to the 1967 spoof Bond movie. Performed by German session musicians, it ends up being a rather groovy mix, with viola d’amore, flute, female wordless vocals, harpsichord, and that other staple of the Baroque era, funky drums. It’s short and sweet and really very cool. The late sixties were cool for many reasons, but one of them is that they could accomodate TWO albums called 'Bacharach Baroque' - this one, and the other great Snuff Garrett-produced one by 'The Renaissance'. Both are superb.

from Bacharach Baroque (United Artists)




  leonthedog: I found the entire "Bacharach Baroque" album superb! The "baroque" is not overdone. The arrangements are very pleasing - better than most of the hundreds of instrumental takes on Bacharach that surfaced in the 60's and early 70's. So where can I find more by the ephemeral "18th Century Corporation"?
Giro  performed by Elis Regina  1969
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

The MPB goddess breaks free from her previous samba-jazz orientation towards a more pop vibe in keeping with the Age Of Aquarius, via a short-n-sweet Adolfo-Gaspar composition.

from Elis, Como & Porque, available on CD



sweets for my sweet  performed by The Carnival  1969
Recommended by klatu [profile]

Another Brazil '66 knockoff band, maybe not as solid as the Mendes-endorsed Bossa Rio, but they did do a nice version of the Roger Nichols track "love so fine". More importantly, they did this, a cover of one of the Drifter's less memorable hits, done over with a very punchy, immediate arrangement. More aggressive than most of Sergio's stuff. Nice Peanuts, Guaraldi/Schroeder style piano intro! Recorded in L.A. with a few studio guns on board. (added later) Maybe I have velveeta pumping through my heart, but I do enjoy this whole album, even the pretty bad version of turn, turn, turn.

from The Carnival, available on CD


Blues for Hari  performed by Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton  1969
Recommended by konsu [profile]

Groovy! groovy! This is one of the better versions of Tom Scott's indo-jazz swinger, and has been compiled a lot over the years. It has this great buzzy sitar played by Bill Plummer, and some sweet flute by Ira Schulman, who's presence on the album just sets the whole thing off! Dave Mackay's the blind pianist behind a lot of great west coast jazz like Don Ellis & Emil Richards, and his touch is just effortless. The two harmonize on the best tracks, like this one, sounding an awful lot like Jackie & Roy at times! Also, Vicky does a great Gismonti-inspired piece called "Moon Rider" and there's a version of Mackay's moody "Here" that's just sublime. A winner all the way, and must for J&R fans for sure.

from Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton (Impulse! AS 9184)


Ninna nanna per adulti  performed by Ennio Morricone  1969
Recommended by m_thom [profile]

This track, heck, make that soundtrack, is fast becoming an all-time Morricone favourite for me (that's saying a lot-I would hate to have to count the # of soundtracks I have collected by him). It describes, quite evocatively and soulfully, exactly what it feels like to be in a dream. No synthesizers, either (well, obvious synthesizers), just celeste, strings and Edda doing this descending scale thing. And the drums and rhythm pick up and we are off to the races in some kind of cosmic heaven. It's a jangly melody that keeps spiralling higher and higher. I don't think Edda has ever hit any higher notes! The whole "Vergogna Schifosi" soundtrack is glorious, really. I know that sounds stupid, but it's so short and sweet and filled with beautiful, mysterious and lush instrumentation. Worth seeking out the CD. I found mine thru Lionel, the fello at Hillside in the UK. Thanks Lionel!

from Vergogna Schifosi



  eftimihn: Yes, wonderfully dream-like track indeed. It's also featured on the last entry in the excellent "Mondo Morricone" trilogy, "Molto Mondo Morricone". But i think Edda managed to sing even higher notes, just check out "Una spiaggia a mezzogiorno", also on the "Vergogna schifosi" soundtrack.
  m_thom: Yes, "Una spiaggia..." is indeed really good. I heard that one first on the "L'Orchestra La Voce" compilation (I found it in Paris years ago when the vinyl was quite rare). And let's not forget "Un Altro Mare", which ranks right up there (also on "L'Orchestra...", but in an edited version).
Beside Me  performed by Mojo Men  1969
Recommended by Swinging London [profile]

This is a very beautiful track.

Very 'West Coast' late-60's sound. Quite reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane.

Very sweet, very melodic/melancholic.

Strings. Strong female lead vocal.

I originally heard it many years ago on a vinyl album by a group called 'Mojo' which is what The Mojo Men were apparently calling themselves in 1969.

I searched for the song for years, confused by the change of name & eventually found it on their CD compilation.

It's another one of those songs that should have been very succesful, but was just stuck in the middle of a flop album

from Sit Down It's The Mojo Men (Sundazed)
available on CD - yes (Sundazed)



Lynn�s Baby  performed by Mark Eric  1969
Recommended by artlongjr [profile]

It's hard to recommend a single track from this album, the whole thing is a classic of California pop. I'm glad it's finally been reissued on CD.

Mark Eric Malmborg created a genuine masterpiece with this recording, which has a bittersweet mood throughout that reminds me of "Pet Sounds". I originally came across this LP in 1989 when I found a copy at a thrift store (it had once been in the collection of the local public library!)and just looking at the cover I figured it would be great, and it was!

"Lynn's Baby" is the last track on the original LP and is a beautiful song about a girl who has been seduced and left with an out of wedlock baby by an older, manipulative guy who's left her after the usual empty promises...rather an unusual theme for a pop song! The combination of Mark Eric's voice (somewhat reminiscent of Brian Wilson) and the gorgeous string arrangement are enough to really bring out the goose bumps.

This CD is one that I absolutely can't recommend enough to fans of the beautiful 1960's pop music.

from A Midsummer's Day Dream, available on CD


Our Day Will Come  performed by Eduardo Costa and the Hitmakers  196?
Recommended by sodapop650 [profile]

This Hillard and Garson song first recorded by the Romantics in 1963 gets a smoothe Bossa makeover on Eduardo Costa's LP "Eduardo Costa & Os Hitmakers." It has Hammond organ leads and 60's guitar and a mod sound similar to the many Parlophone/Odeon releases of the same period. Its a sweet melody and the LP has a fantastic cover with Eduardo standing at the Hammond in s shag-rugged recording studio wearing an outfit that would make Austin Powers jealous.

from Eduardo Costa & Os Hitmakers (United Artist LP 70.004)


things we said today  performed by sandpipers  196x
Recommended by olli [profile]

i'm really starting to get into the sandpipers nowadays because of their amazingly clear, fluid sound. great 60s vocal pop song, this. flute, soft strings and some sweet understated harpsichord (or some electronic instrument) playing in the background. the bassline and percussion gives it a slight italian 60's soundtrack vibe. i love how it seems to constantly change its mood, epecially when it returns to form after the first flute part. there's even a bit in there that sounds like syd barret...





Jungle Montuno  performed by Les Baxter  1970
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A really nice gently tropical instrumental with strings and a rock (drums/guitars) backing. I seem to be in a minority in adoring Les's 'Que Mango' album (which apparently was originally sold only in supermarkets at $1.99). I actually listen to this album as much as I listen to his classic exotic jazz LPs from the late 50s. It contains lots of great, shimmering, groovy tracks, such as 'boca chica', and the superb 'tropicando', which you can now hear almost everywhere (via a TV ad, and the aptly named 'Thievery Corporation'). Record geek part: on the vinyl version of this I have, the track 'Jungle Montuno' is shorter and sweeter - it begins one minute into the CD version of the track. I'm just mentioning this because the first minute seems to me to be inferior, and from a different song.

from Que Mango!, available on CD



Take 8  performed by Pete Moore  1970
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A simple blues/funk instrumental with a fuzzy bassline and an incredibly infectuous groove. It's short and sweet, and the drum sound super fresh and funky. This is typical of Pete Moore, who made some incredibly cool records in the easy-funk vein, which are rarely seen outside his native UK.

from The Exciting Sounds of Tomorrow (Fontana)


Here Comes the Rain  performed by Trader Horne  1970
Recommended by bubblebeat [profile]

Sensational songwriting from Jackie McAuley. Judy Dyble's sweet harmonies add a layer of delight to this joyously uplifting song. It was sunset on the Greek island of Koufonissi when I first heard this, but thankfully it sounded even better the next time I heard it (on a cold rainy day in Edinburgh).




Sweet Surprise  performed by Blossom Dearie  1970
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This is a track of off Dearie's second Fontana album "That's Just The Way I Want To Be". An overlooked gem of a record, unusual sounding for Blossom, blending together jazz, bossa nova and folk with nicely arranged orchestration. "Sweet Surprise" has a dream-like, airy feel with it's jazzy waltz rhythm. The album is available on the japanese "Whisper for you" compilation. Unfortunately, her first Fontana album "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from 1967, featuring lots of Jobim and Bacharach songs, has yet to be released on CD.

from That's Just The Way I Want To Be (Fontana)
available on CD - Whisper For You




  FlyingDutchman1971: The album 'Thats Just the Way I Want To Be' is now available on CD. There is also a really good Japanese compilation CD of the Fontana and Verve years called 'For Cafe Apres-midi'. Several tracks from 'Soon Its Gonna Rain' are featured so those of us who love Blossom will have to savor these meager crumbs unless the evil music overlords open the vaults.
  eftimihn: You're right and i forgot to mention the "For Cafe Apres-midi" compilation, this one features all tracks of "That's Just The Way To Be" except one track (they left out the opening track, not a bad choice though since it's the weakest track on the album and not quite fitting to the rest of the songs). Unfortunately there are just 2 songs from "Soon It's Gonna Rain", Meditation and Dindi, on it. But these sound absolutely gorgeous, arranged with some very cool harp embellishments. Too bad the entire album hasn't been picked up by some japanese label yet.
  konsu: Great song, great album, great singer/composer. Why she's not completely worshipped in the USA I have no idea. I really have to disagree with eftimihn on the opening track, it's in my opinion one of the coolest things she ever did! Sure her jazzy renditions of evergreens and her more hip stuff are great, but to stretch out like she does on "That's Just the Way" is just sublime. What was she doing there? Some kind of CA inspired latin/folk/psyche-pop? Genius! True, it isn't like the rest of the album... Also her great take on Frishbergs "Long Daddy Green" is worth mentioning for it's uniqueness.
Sweet Talking Candyman  performed by Lynn Carey (visually performed by ’The Carrie Nations’)  1970
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

From the film that saved Twentieth Century Fox from one of it's many brushes with bankruptcy... This song is very much a product of it's time and has only become more campy as the years pass by. It tells the story of a 17 year-old runaway who hitches a ride with a drug dealer and shacks up with him in New Orleans only to be hardened by his neglect and abuse. Talk of a DVD release of this film thru Criterion is running rampant on the internet, I do hope it is true!

from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls - Original Soundtrack, available on CD



  n-jeff: Is it camp? Am I just too out of touch with my taste? To me its a great song off one of my favourite Soundtracks. I may have chosen "in the long run" over it, but not necessarily. Maybe Lynn Careys vocal performance is a little powerful for modern tastes. Dunno still don't get camp.
Great choice anyway!

  jeanette: Both the song and the film are amazing, in my opinion. I think the only reason it gets tarred with that 'camp' brush is the movie is one of those all-but-the-kitchen-sink storylines and the songs get lumped in too. I hope that DVD rumour is true. BTW, struck very lucky at a record fair today and got the 7" of Come With The Gentle People for a mere 50p, surely worth miles more than that??!
  FlyingDutchman1971: "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" 2-Disc DVD will be released on June 13, 2006.
Summer Sound  performed by Joe & Bing (aka Best Of Friends)  1970
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

Fantastic piece of gentle soft rock, filled with simple and effective bittersweet lyrics. Soundwise, delicado appropriately described it in his review as a "cooler and classier take on the Chad & Jeremy sound with superior performances, songwriting and arrangements". I can absolutely subscribe to that description, the whole album is a long lost softrock gem.

from Daybreak, available on CD



Sweet Tuesday Morning  performed by Badfinger  1971
Recommended by nuthings [profile]

A very sweet, acoustic song about the beauty of a lover's smile in the morning.

from Straight Up, available on CD


Stop (in the name of love)  performed by Margie Joseph  1971
Recommended by sammykipper [profile]

Margie Joseph's 1971 cover of the Supremes "Stop in the name of love" starts off just as you would imagine it, and the first four or five minutes hold no surprises. It is a little funkier and a teensy bit sleazier and languid than the famous Supremes version, but there is no great departure until the middle of the song, when it changes into a grinding psychedelic humpathon. Margie squeals "stop it! stop it! stop it! STOP IT!" as an Isaac Hayes sound-alike slurps behind her ears and grooves sweet nothings for a full five minutes until she pops one off. Brilliant.

from Margie Joseph Makes A New Impression (Volt)


Brand New Key  performed by Melanie  1971
Recommended by Gwendolyn [profile]

This song is SO bittersweet: "Oh, sometimes I think that you're avoiding me/ I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates; you've got a brand new key." And her voice is pure heaven, she's got that raspy-ish thing goin on, but she just sounds like an angel who smokes a pack a day. I guess you could call this folk music.




Sweet Susan  performed by Ennio Morricone  1972
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

You probably wouldn't expect an amazing easy listening track by Morricone on a western soundtrack i guess, but that's what you get here. Except for the harmonica intro this is pure Morricone lounge and it features the most delicate use of a muted, toned down trumpet sound one can imagine. The way it's gently built up is just fantastic and it surely can make your hair raise, it's so subtly but overwhelmingly performed. After the harmonica there's piano chords fading in, then the song kicks off with subtle strings in the background and with a midtempo drumbeat. Wonderful melody, after a while the strings start to crescend leading into a swirl and a harpsicord is added in the right places. This track just melts in your ears like italian ice cream in the sun. Another gem by Ennio, the song was even issued as a single in Italy in 1972, together with "Sonny", recommended elsewhere on musicaltaste.

from La Banda J. & S. (CAM CSE 050)
available on CD - CAM (CSE 050)




  dominb: Yes, this song, hidden away on the "La Banda J & S" soundtrack is quintessential Morricone, it is truly sublime. One of the joys of Morricone is discovering tracks like this given his overwhelming output so thankyou for pointing this song out.
Little Willy  performed by The Sweet  1973
Recommended by Jackamaku [profile]

from Sweet



Tonight  performed by The Raspberries  1973
Recommended by Bebecca [profile]

Fuzzy sound, guitar bass drums
Swingy lead voice
Triumphant harmonies
Sweet moments

from Side 3 (Capitol)


Heaven Must Be Like This  performed by Ohio Players  1974
Recommended by pleasepleaseme [profile]

Seven minutes of soul bliss. Loverboys the Players are. Amazing vocals. Great piano work.

Sweet guitar riffing. Nice Flutelines. The title doesn't lie.

from "Skin Tight", available on CD


You Can�t Win  performed by Ann Sexton  1974
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Absolute beauty. A soulful chastisement about not winning, not breaking even, and not getting out of the game. Vocals as pure as morphine from the poppy, and just as hedonistically addictive.

This stunning Southern soul platter features virtuoso brass and drums, as well as what is possibly the only acceptable squealing electric guitar riff in recorded music.

I love this song so damn much.

from the single You Can�t Win (Seventy-Seven Records SP 2136)
available on CD - You're Gonna Miss Me (Charly)



Bitter-Sweet  performed by Roxy Music  1974
Recommended by delicado [profile]

For someone like me, the strangest thing about getting really into Roxy Music is the overt rockiness of a lot of their material. Even on this track, which is one more of their slower, more mournful numbers, there are a lot of very heavy rocky moments. They work pretty well though, and I'm certainly not complaining.

The atmospheric opening is breathtaking, and Bryan Ferry's vocal as he sings 'I've opened up my heart' is incredibly beautiful. The words and music seem to meld together in a very pretty way, but then before long the track mutates into a stomping, carnival like passage that clearly influenced Nick Cave to a considerable extent. Throughout the song there's this interchange between delicate, melodic verses and the rowdy, discordant section. Like another favorite Roxy track, 'Just like you', this song finishes with a clever chord change.

I'm sure many people would find 'Bitter-Sweet' much too dramatic and serious - perhaps some days I would too - but it does have an incredible elegance and style that makes me keep on listening.

from Country Life, available on CD



Porque Te Vas  performed by Jeanette  1974
Recommended by mika2k1 [profile]

Jeanette has a voice that is forever sixteen. Porque Te Vas, is an upbeat Spanish pop tune layered in big beat and horns. Beautifully meshed with Jeanette's delicate voice, the result is stunning sweetness.

The song appears the 1976 Carlos Saura film, titled Cria Cuervos (Raise Ravens), aka Cria!







Champagne And Caviar  performed by Elegant Taste  1975
Recommended by DJJimmyBee [profile]

Lush, with strings, mid 70's sweet soul group ballad...Lyrically about the proverbial lunch box/hard hat guy on the job singin' 'bout the love he's gonna bring home to his gyrrrrl

from only on 45



Someone Saved My Life Tonight  performed by Elton John  1975
Recommended by cryofthecelt [profile]

This song was written for me. From the first seconds of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", the striking sound of piano chords causes me to envision a tear-streaked face overcoming a lifetime of struggle.
My attention was first brought to this beautiful song when I saw the preview trailer for the movie "Moonlight Mile" (Jake Gylenhaal, Susan Sarandon, Dustin Hoffman). Don't bother to rent the movie, it's not that great, but if you're like me, you saw the movie simply because you felt the sweet sounds of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" move you towards a movie theater or a Blockbuster. I didn't even know that Elton performed this song until I heard it on a CD of my mother's! I fell in love with it immediately - one of my favorite songs ever!

from Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Polygram Records)
available on CD - Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (Universal)


Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes  performed by Bonnie Riatt  1975
Recommended by Jackamaku [profile]

Although I'm not a big fan of Bonnie Riatt, I can't resist the bar room atmosphere in this one.

from Home Plate



The Things we do for Love  performed by 10cc  1976
Recommended by Mike [profile]

I'm sure I've already said this about another recommendation, but this is just superb pop. 10cc were a group whose hits were very familiar to me as a child, although I wasn't particularly keen on them then. (We're talking the 1970s, folks!).

The group fused influences from the Beatles (particularly McCartney) and prog rock with their own brand of distinctively British whimsy (precursors of the Korgis here). They were also excellent harmony singers. I'm just discovering some of their album back catalogue for the first time - there is some superb material, to my ears. Their biggest hit was 1975's "I'm not in love", which I think reached no.2 in the UK and US singles charts - I've always dismissed it as being very saccharine-sweet. This group doesn't generally get the respect their output deserves for its quality and influence.

from Deceptive Bends
available on CD - several Mercury/Polygram/Universal compilations



  wimberly300: My passion for love and life has made me take on here to tell everyone how DR JAMIN ABAYOMI brought back my lover who has been gone for 6 years.It was all confusion and distress to me when my lover whom i love and cherish wouldn\'t love me anymore but
Lay It On Me  performed by Heatwave  1976
Recommended by ambassador [profile]

Heatwave's first two albums can almost be seen as prototypes for Michael Jackson's breakthrough album "Off the Wall." With Rod Temperton, future Quincy Jones and MJ collaborator, driving this album the sound is both funky and catchy, sophisticated and accessible. "Lay It On Me" is an overlooked album track that bubbles and gurgles under the surface of the groove until the chorus arrives with strings soaring for the ectasy of Johnnie Wilder's sweet vocals, "lay it on me, lay your sweet love on me!" Beautifully arranged and excellently executed and just one of many classics of their debut album.

from Too Hot to Handle, available on CD


Stop Loving Me,Stop Loving You  performed by Marvin Gaye  1976
Recommended by geezer [profile]

An accusatory narrative on his marriage to Motown owner Berry Gordys daughter.Sweet but bitter not the same as bittersweet.Strangely compelling with no distinct melody ,bridge or chorus and the title only mentioned in the last few bars .However you feel after one listen an intimacy with the songs creator and this confessional opus .In places you can hear four or five Marvins pleading and apologising and blaming.I think in this instance it would appropriate to use the word genius .The moral being never marry the boss,s daughter.

from Here My Dear, available on CD


Off Night Backstreet  performed by Joni Mitchell  1977
Recommended by mojoto [profile]

If someone would have asked me say ten years ago what artist's oeuvre I would take with me to a desert island, I would with dead certainty have answered: everything by Joni Mitchell, please. I'm not so sure anymore, although it could well be that I, when push comes to shove, would still make that choice. So it may not come as a surprise now that for a long time my all time best album was one of Joni's, Don Juan's Reckless daughter, where her cooperation with Jaco Pastorius really took off, for instance on this song where she's questioning her love for a man who's new sweety has already moved in while still keeping poor Joni (assuming the song is sort of autobiographical) on the side as his Off Night Backstreet. Jaco's warm bass carries the whole song and is almost like a second voice to Joni's singing, it blends marvelously with her cold metal guitar, some nice echoey and spacy flageolets too, great additional vocals - "Backstreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!"- by JD Souther and Glenn Frey, drums by John Guerrin, subtle and tight. PS Be warned that the soundfile is quite big (500 Kb).

from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (Asylum 701-2)



Sweet Talkin' Woman  performed by Electric Light Orchestra  1977
Recommended by scrubbles [profile]

Try to remove this from all the boring "classic rock" trappings its acquired over the years. Appreciate what a fascinatingly strange combination of overheated pop, symphonic grandeur, and rock-ish muscle this is. So 1977, yet so timeless. Thank you.

from Out of the Blue, available on CD



Pinocchio  performed by Mary Roos  1977
Recommended by scrubbles [profile]

It's strange hearing a sweet, soothing kiddie tune sung in German, with all its hard syllables. "Pinocchio"'s sugary, synth-based production can best be described as "ABBA lite". Mary Roos is a singer I know little about, except she once entered the Eurovision song contest with "Arizona Man", an early Giorgio Moroder composition. She's so appealing here, though, that I would like to look into her other stuff.





Anything At All  performed by Crosby, Stills & Nash  1977
Recommended by G400 Custom [profile]

Could this be the most self-aware song ever written? 'I'm the world's most opinionated man,' sings sweet-voiced David Crosby in a tone of utter resignation. Bear in mind he'd already dealt with fame, failure, bereavement, heroin, booze and yachting by this point. It's a very stripped-down arrangement, with even CSN's trademark harmony kept to a minimum. And Crosby's rueful laugh towards the end is a real killer. Should I die soon, stop by my funeral and you'll hear this song... From a very underrated album, recorded after that toerag Neil Young had come and gone.

from CSN, available on CD


Paper Thin Hotel  performed by Leonard Cohen  1977
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This sounds very different from most of what I've recommended. In fact, there are days when I wouldn't want to listen to this song at all. It is pretty incredible, however. I like it both for its remarkable mood and instrumentation (this is a Phil Spector production), and for its lyrical content (a melancholic but resigned tale, remembering a love affair). Leonard sings 'A heavy burden lifted from my soul/I learned that love was out of my control', with a reverb effect on his voice, accompanied by a sweet string arrangement and a faint, echoey backing choir. His delivery is casual, yet committed - a style that definitely influenced Nick Cave.

from Death of a Ladies' Man, available on CD


Halfway Down The Stairs  performed by Jim Henson performing as "Robin"  1977
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

A wonderful little song written by the creator of Winnie the Pooh and perfectly performed by the creator of the Muppets. It has no agenda, doesn't really have a message of any kind, it is just a straightforward sweet little song.

from The Muppet Show (Arista AB 4152)



  FlyingDutchman1971: I recently obtained a copy of the recording, 'Carol Channing sings the Pooh Song Book'. A charming rendition of this song is featured on the recording.
Esta Noite Serenou  performed by Fernanda  1977
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

Just one of many gems on the wonderful "Simplesmente" LP. A fairly stripped-down arrangement and recording, but which still allows for the song's bright verse and chorus melodies to shine forth. The track is built from acoustic guitar, bass, drums and a hint of (what else?) percussion, which pulse gently along on the verses in a rhythm that reminds me of dancehall reggae somehow, while still being obviously a branch of the bossa nova tree. Fernanda's sweet croon and instinctive sense of swing navigate this terrain effortlessly. Who is Fernanda? Where has she gone? On the strength of this LP, she definitely had quite a bit to offer. But it was tough, back then, being Elis Regina's competition.......

from Simplesmente...Fernanda (Copacabana)



  n-jeff: Thats funny, I was talking only recently abou the similarity of the Baion rhythm to the pulse of the ragga beat. Along with "Its not unusual" having a Baion rhythm, its a neat way of tying up Tom Jones, Shabba and Marcos Valle.
Cuckoo Clock  performed by Rachel Sweet  1978
Recommended by blacktype [profile]

This a wonderful slice of punk-pop quirkiness that just NEEDS to be jumped around to. Rachel's singing voice is wonderfully petulant and even though I have no idea what the lyrics are about the attitude and jadedness come across loud and clear. She's better known for her covers such as B-A-B-Y and New Rose but this is far and away her finest recording,

from Fool Around (Stiff)



  unathanthium: Rachel was my pin-up.A slightly chubby teenager with a voice that could break rocks.So convincing is this song that I have spent many years breaking into cuckoo clocks in order to liberate the toy singer trapped within.I have yet to find her but the search goes on.
uptown top ranking  performed by althea and donna  1978
Recommended by olli [profile]

the exellent title track from reggae ladies althea and donna's 1978 effort, uptown top ranking. don't know too much about them, except that this is a nigh-on perfect album. short and sweet (about 35 minutes), but without a single skippable track. great arrangements and vocals, though the lyrics seem to borderline between daft and genius in places. still, this is top class, and absolutely essential party music.

from uptown top ranking, available on CD


God Only Knows  performed by Beach Boys  1979
Recommended by ajhorse21 [profile]

Tropical, like most of the Beach Boys' songs. Really sweet and calming- the harmonies sound great.


available on CD - Love Actually Soundtrack


Outdoor Miner  performed by Wire  1979
Recommended by geezer [profile]

A short sweet pop song played with a concentration that belies its melodic simplicity,mellow for a new wave act but too edgey for pure pop .Imagine something from late sixties San Francisco finding itself in late seventies London amidst domestic turmoil and rain and you will have a clearer picture of the mood and times surrounding this gorgeous little nugett.

from Chairs Missing, available on CD



  kohl: agreed. very good song.
(Want You) Back In My Life Again  performed by The Carpenters  1981
Recommended by scrubbles [profile]

One of the last Carpenters singles from their final studio album. I find this sweet 'n perky song strangely compelling, since it shows Richard and Karen Carpenter awkwardly trying to adjust their wholesome image to an early '80s synth pop template. Karen's voice is so processed and overdubbed that she blends in seamlessly with the synth-heavy backup -- still, the effect isn't cheezy but full and lucious. Knowing that Karen was slowly dying during this time makes this tune odder still.

from Made In America, available on CD


The Unguarded Moment  performed by The Church  1981
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

That the Church's initial breakthrough song would yet become a millstone around its neck might not have been clear at the time, but one understands pretty easily why the band was anxious to escape its shadow after subsequent efforts clearly showed the tune as the building block it was. But "The Unguarded Moment" isn't a disaster at all - indeed, for a young band to come up with such a great effort early on and get some airplay and attention for it was as clear a sign as any that something really special could yet result. Marty Willson-Piper's flat out lovely introductory guitar and the sinewy blend of his and Peter Koppes' instrument on the main melody sets the tone, while the stripped down verses and quiet rhythm changes throughout give a great taste of the band's incipient ambitions and tweaking of an established formula. Steve Kilbey's quietly rueful but still clear and strong lead vocal adds a nice air of calm melancholia, while coming up with some fun lyrical images here and there ("Tell those friends with cameras for eyes�").
(AMG)

from Of Skins And Heart, available on CD


Serenade For Missy  performed by The Residents  1982
Recommended by Tangento [profile]

This is my first recommendation, so I will go easy on all of you. The following description is from my website. (it is the only way to do the song justice):

This can only be compared to something like "Retro-60's Upside-down Elevator Muzak".
(although it certainly draws from 20's/ 30's Big Band escapism)
The thing is, if this actually were playing in an elevator, the people there would certainly perform an odd ritual of alternately:
a. Merrily tapping their foot, and then
b. Looking up at the speaker, frowning and befuddled.
This is a song, which back in my partying days, we would use as a soundtrack for the following activity:
We would put our tiny baby Alligator Lizard, Festus
(who was an inch long, head to tail, and smaller around than a pencil)
...we would put him on this cheap little multi-colored fiber-optic "fountain" and put the clear cube back over it.
We would then watch as this "fountain" would very slowly spin around, Festus aboard, with this completely absurd (but oddly beautiful) music playing.
This produced near-catastrophic laughter because he would be looking up at you with this little tiny frown, as if to say;
"what the hell is wrong with you people?"
To this day, I cannot properly answer that question.
R.I.P., Festus.

Additional info:
The sax is not my favorite instrument, but it is perfectly utilized here. It wavers between slightly obnoxious and smooth as silk.
What really make the track sweet, however are the unique guitar stylings of Snakefinger.

from The Tunes of Two Cities, available on CD


We're Still Free  performed by Skeleton Crew  1983
Recommended by havadonut [profile]

The best political song ever written, "We're Still Free" concerns the famous tragedy of a Korean passenger jet shot down by fighter planes when it strayed into Soviet airspace. Yet in recounting this act of barbarism on the part of the Soviets, it also implicates the righteousness of the American side of the Cold War ("We're still free here in America"). The song sets up a chilling contrast in the singing of the two performers, with Frith crying out almost desperately against believing what the media tell us, while Tom Cora gently croons the part of the Soviet air controllers as they decide to destroy the plane. Skeleton Crew was a two-man band with both performers playing drums with their feet along with electronics and strings. Here they set a contrast between the grand, arcing lines of the cello and a homey picking of the violin that's almost shockingly sweet and funny. Critical of anti-democratic trends in the West, Skeleton Crew was criticized by fans in Eastern Europe for taking freedom for granted.

from Learn to Talk (Rift (US)/RecRec (Switz) Rift/RecRec 08/05)
available on CD - Learn to Talk/Country of Blinds (RecRec (ReCDec 512))


Everyday I Write the Book  performed by Elvis Costello  1983
Recommended by geezer [profile]

In which Costello lands the role of Smokey Robinson,a bittersweet lament to the unluckiest man in love in the style of The Miracles at their best,the usual lyrical brilliance assisted by the wonderfully eclectic Attractions,a pop masterpiece in the form of homage to one of his own idols

from Punch The Clock
available on CD - Punch the Clock


Bill Drummond Said  performed by Julian Cope  1984
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

A key track from Julian Cope's fragmentary second solo album, 1984's Fried, "Bill Drummond Said" is the only song on the album that resembles the swirling psych-pop of his old band the Teardrop Explodes. This is no doubt intentional, as the lyrics take aim at the group's former manager, Bill Drummond (later half of the Timelords, the KLF, and the JAMS), albeit in a typically vague way. The lyrics are skeletal enough that several interpretations might be brought to them, but they seem to recount a dream in which Cope witnesses his former manager in the act of strangling an unidentified woman to death. In contrast to the vaguely unpleasant lyrics, this is by far the catchiest and sweetest tune on Fried, with a dreamy folk-rock sound to its ringing 12-string guitar riffs and breathy harmonies. Coming between more disjointed and edgy tracks like the bizarre fairy tale "Reynard the Fox" and the Syd Barrett-like ramble "Laughing Boy," "Bill Drummond Said" sounds downright bubblegummy. Unsurprisingly, the always combative Drummond got in the last word with his answer song, "Julian Cope Is Dead," a sarcastically folky acoustic tune from his odd 1986 solo album The Man in which Drummond claims that in the waning days of the Teardrop Explodes, he had suggested that Cope commit suicide to make the band famous and laments that the singer didn't take him up on it.
(AMG)

from Fried, available on CD


Desire As  performed by Prefab Sprout  1985
Recommended by Genza [profile]

Steve McQueen is an almost faultless pop album. The first five or so tracks are quite awesome. Desire As comes in later down the album play list and it's got a lovely laid back groove. It builds slowly and Paddy McAloon's vocals are sweet. It's a nice track, make no mistake.

from Steve McQueen (Kitchenware Records)



  Mike: I love Prefab Sprout and Paddy is a great songwriter. Having said this, I do think I would love the band and their output even more were Paddy's vocals LESS SWEET! I mean, just about everything in their entire output seems to be bathed in honey, syrup, or treacle from his sugar-lined voicebox.
  kkkerplunkkk: Yes but isn't that the point of Prefab Sprout? That it was the sweetest pop you could taste. The best love song writer I've ever heard.
Mary�s Prayer  performed by Danny Wilson  1987
Recommended by MoeShinola [profile]

I saw a video of this a couple times on MTV and never forgot it. I finally caught up with the album "Meet Danny Wilson" years later, in a used bin. None of the three members are named Danny Wilson; it's named after a Frank Sinatra movie. They dress like Sinatra fans as well, and the music's influenced by that era, but it's pure new-wavy piano pop. Reminds me of Joe Jackson, but softer, more romantic. "Lorraine Parade", "Nothing Ever Goes To Plan", and "Steamtrains To The Milky Way" are also album highlights.

from Meet Danny Wilson (Virgin)


No More Lies  performed by The Moody Blues  1988
Recommended by elfslut [profile]

A beautiful love song by Justin Hayward, who has the sweetest most romantic voice in Pop Music.

from Sur La Mer, available on CD


Out The Window  performed by Violent Femmes  1991
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

Yeah, yeah, just about everyone has heard the classic first album by the Milwaukee trio... however, some of their truly best efforts are to be found on later releases. "Out the Window" is one of those femme-gems that many people are sadly unaware of. Gordon Gano is in top form in this ode to unfortunate clumsiness ("life was short and life was sweet", I was thinking as I hit the street, I could hardly believe, I could scarcely conceive, that I had gone out the window).
The femme-enized remake of 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me' on this album is also not to be missed!

from Why Do Birds Sing, available on CD


Earth (Gaia)  performed by The Orb  1991
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

This song is a great trancy piece of work! It opens with dialogue lifted from the soundtrack of the cult classic 1980 film 'Flash Gordon. "Klytus, I'm booooored.... what plaything can you offer me today?" "... the inhabtants refer to it as the planet... earth..." "how peaceful it looks"... The song then goes to a great drum break and a voice not unlike Alexander Scorby reading cryptic Bible-like phrases, "the mountains shall drop sweet wine and the hills shall melt"

A nice change from watching Wizard of Oz with the Dark Side of the Moon soundtrack, if you know what I mean...

from The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld, available on CD


Noah’s Dove  performed by 10,000 Maniacs  1992
Recommended by genebean [profile]

The sound is just perfect. The piano part has been stuck in my head for years. Its another one of those rainy day songs that kind of make you stop everything you're doing and just sit there and listen.

from Our Time in Eden (Elektra)


Wild Horses  performed by The Sundays  1992
Recommended by genebean [profile]

This song has a folk-based sound on guitars and pop melodies. Its an awesome song for those who are into slow music. Those of you who are familiar with The Sundays can understand the sweet voice of Harriet Wheeler.

from Blind, available on CD


Sweet Harmony  performed by The Beloved  1993
Recommended by acidburn [profile]

from Conscience


Trampoline  performed by The Greenberry Woods  1994
Recommended by Yammer [profile]

Any label searching for the perfect pop cover to resurrect from the forgotten early-90s (as with "There She Goes") would do well to give several listens to this equally bustling-yet-melodic paean to the bittersweet tang of youthful somethingorothers. Jangling electric guitars, singalong choruses (it doesn't get any easier than "come and see/trampoline"), mumbling, presumably insightful scatting over the reprise, layered harmonies, and a throwback yowling guitar solo. Merely sneering, "I already have one Oasis album," does not excuse you from the obligation to hear and love this song!!!

from Rapple Dapple (Sire)
available on CD - Powertopia! Power Pop Classics of the '90s (Rhino)



  luvs23: Sugar by Stretch Princess IS VERY VERY VERRRRRY similar to There She Goes by the La's. A similar high-pitch vocal with an addictive hit chorus: "Sugar Sugar sticking me to my babe Sugar Sugar sticking me to my babe Sticking up to my babe sticking up to my babe sticking up to my babe" Beautifully sung, I can't stop listening to it.
By The Time I Get To Arizona [Whipped Cream Mix]  performed by The Evolution Control Committee  1994
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

This is the record that pretty much kicked off the whole 'bastard pop' genre - where a clever bootlegger would fuse the vocal track of one song with the backing of another. Here we have Public Enemy and Herb Alpert (Bittersweet Samba, from Whipped Cream...).

The reason this record (unlike most of the other mash-ups) works so well is that it sounds like a genuine collaboration - the parps of the Tijuana Brass and Chuck D's rap spits meld perfectly. It's a smart-arse idea that becomes a work of art.

from the single By The Time I Get To Arizona [Whipped Cream Mix] (Pickled Egg Egg 8)


Jack Names the Planets  performed by Ash  1995
Recommended by hedgehog [profile]

Sweet lyrics about a teenage crush, with spiky bursts of guitars. Quite lovely.


available on CD - Trailer (Reprise)


Rockets  performed by Cat Power  1995
Recommended by spinspin [profile]

Driving and discordant, bittersweet, sad. This song is the most beautiful thing I've heard this week. In the mixtape of my head this comes right before Johnny Cash's "Don't bring your guns to town." A song you should listen to after you watch the evening news tonight... (released free as part of the protest records project: http://www.protest-records.com/ which is somehow associated with sonic youth.)


available on CD - Dear Sir (Runt)


theo b  performed by sunny day real estate  1995
Recommended by complacentbasement [profile]

the song starts out with three crisp hi-hat clicks, the bell of a ride, then the drums and a sweet, warm toned bass lock in for a driving, mid-tempo, beautifully melodic cut time. guitars, once in, are clean-toned and somewhat polyphonically arranged, (that is, they play alot of single-note lines that swirl around each other, harmonizing at spots, and creating counterpoint). the vocals are potentially a little hard to swallow at first, jeremy has a tendency to sing a little through the nose, but it's really quite endearing. i personally find that after a bit of exposure to it, not only does it fit the music perfectly, but i really have grown to love it, (i listen to them ALOT).
this is one of those songs that you put on when you need to feel better- a kind of resolute, "well, time to go on, and hope for the best" feel. it can also easily be listened to when in a great mood. best listened to outside, looking at the sky.
when listening to ANY sunny day real estate, you must be patient. it's patient music, and it requires a certain amount of consideration that keeps it from being good "background music."
i fucking love this stuff.

from lp2 (the pink album) (sub pop sp316b)


Almost Arms  performed by The Minders  1996
Recommended by two-headed boy [profile]

'Back to the Almost Arms again.' One minute, 29 seconds of pure heaven. Clapping hands, sugary-sweet bass, warm acoustic guitar, and perfectly stylized harmony demonstrate the greatness of this band. The Minders' ability to streamline their brit-pop sound into short cuts such as this says volumes of their talent. They have grasped the art of the rock strip-tease as we sit and drool and demand more of their form. A thousand and a half listens later 'I am hungry but still smiling' rings truer than ever, this is but the appetizer for their more developed works; taste this and you too will be The Minders' biggest fan!

from Cul-de-Sacs & Dead Ends (spinART / Elephant 6 spart 76 / E6-021)



Perpetual Blues Machine  performed by Keb Mo  1996
Recommended by jwmoz [profile]

This song is like buttered corn bread. So smooth, mildy, sweet,and homey, you'll want a porch, a rocking chair, a piece of wheat to chew on and a sunset in the south to listen to it.


available on CD - Just Like You (Sony/Columbia)


The Reflecting God  performed by Marilyn Manson  1996
Recommended by lionson76 [profile]

We all need a little EVIL in our lives. Hey, "evil" is "live" spelled backwards. So when you feel the Prince of Darkness invading your soul, when depravity oozes from your pores, when the sweet smell of brimstone tickles your nose hairs, put on this track and throw yourself into the arms of Beelzebub. Paradise be damned!!

from Antichrist Superstar, available on CD


I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine  performed by Beth Orton  1996
Recommended by BlueGirl [profile]

This is a beautiful cover of the song by the Ronettes, sung ever so sweetly by Beth Orton. She is accompanied by an acoustic guitar. It's very simple and beautiful. The song mourns a lost love, a feeling with which I think we can all identify. "I wish I never saw the sunshine...because then maybe...I wouldn't mind the rain"

from Trailer Park (Heavenly/Dedicated 61702440072; HVNLP17CD)




  tinks: oh, i love this song! i love the whole album, in fact.
Bittersweet  performed by Lewis Taylor  1996
Recommended by Latimer [profile]

Lewis Taylor is a major musical talent, and his first album stands as a landmark among modern soul / R&B productions. Imagine Prince on a roll, with the Beach Boys on backing vocals and Jeff Beck adding psychedelic guitar. He does it all. Sweet falsetto vocals, funny lyrics and a worldwide groove. You'll want more.

from Lewis Taylor, available on CD


Difficult Listening  performed by Bertrand Burgalat  1997
Recommended by bobbyspacetroup [profile]

A short and sweet orchestral piece featuring harpsichord and some sort of mallet instrument (is that just a vibraphone???). It has sort of a subdued Burt Bacharach sound especially in the harpsichord. I'm noticing that many of my recommendations feature harpsichord... Strange.


available on CD - Quadrille OST (Tricatel)



Everything’s Gonna be alright  performed by Sweetbox  1997
Recommended by Mike [profile]

Ridiculously happy-sounding re-working of Bach's Air on a G string. The girl has a rather pleasant recorded voice, particularly while repeatedly assuring us that she'll be there when we wake up (comforting, isn't it?).

This release earned extra points for openness and honesty by including a credit to JS Bach, something that Procol Harum and a quite a few others have failed to do over the years.




Bitter Sweet Symphony  performed by The Verve  1997
Recommended by acidburn [profile]

from Urban Hymns


Sweet Lips  performed by MONACO  1997
Recommended by beautifulmutant [profile]

The best New Order song New Order never recorded (bt which features Peter Hook).
Excellent lyrics, sing-along chant / chorus...
I would've though I'd've outgrown this song after 7+ years, but I still get emotional for some reason when I hear this song. It struck a nerve I cannot explain. Beautiful song.

from Music For Pleasure (Polydor)



  eftimihn: Yeah, i still remember this really hooked (kinda lame pun, i know) me when it came out. At the time the prospect of New Order ever coming together again was very unlikely, so this was a welcome substitute at least for me. The first single off "Music For Pleasure", "What Do You Want From Me", was equally New Order-esque with Potts' voice sounding strikingly similar to Sumners'.
Just A Touch Away  performed by Echo & The Bunnymen  1997
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

This song was to be a key moment in the reformation of Echo & the Bunnymen. Ian McCulloch originally wrote "Just a Touch Away" back in the mid-Nineties, in the midst of the Electrafixion era, but felt it inappropriate for that band. Over time, the singer found himself shelving more and more songs, as it became ever more evident that Electrafixion's days were numbered. Eventually McCulloch played a demo of the song for Will Sergeant, who was decidedly impressed; soon after, the pair turned out the lights on Elektrafixion, re-united with Les Pattison, reformed Echo & the Bunnymen, and began work on their new album, 1997's Evergreen. "Just a Touch Away" would take pride of place within, its evocative atmospheres and haunting lyrics creating an eloquent showcase of the band's new styles and sounds. Today, the song is Sergeant's favorite track from the set, proving McCulloch was right to have so much faith in it all along.

from Evergreen, available on CD


Sweetest Thing  performed by U2  1998
Recommended by falicon [profile]

Makes me think about love and how powerful it can be over you, plus the really annoying background music gets into your head and you just can't get it out until you start to think, "hey, I actually like this song"...even if you don't!

from U2 The best of 1980-1990, available on CD



Love's theme (Saint Etienne Mix)  performed by Pizzicato Five  1998
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A great track that comes in two parts. The first is a sweet repetitive pop tune with electronic piano, synthesized strings, pleasant guitar chords, and wordless 'ba ba' vocals. Just before the three minute mark, it begins to mutate gradually, until it turns into a glorious early New Order-style sound, with a piercing, punky guitar sound and a loud bassline. The vocal elements from early in the track then come back in. A great fusion of different styles.

from Happy End Of You (Remix), available on CD


big trucks  performed by pedro the lion  1998
Recommended by complacentbasement [profile]

this song is written as a dialogue between father and son. and no, it's not actually about big trucks (or tonka trucks, which is too bad, because a song about tonka truks would be pretty damn sweet). the words are phenominal. any son of a father will be able to relate to this song. maybe even girls too.

from it's hard to find a friend (jade tree jt1063)


Good Night Sweet Night  performed by Jason Falkner  1999
Recommended by tinks [profile]

A beautiful Brian Wilson-type ballad. "Though I try to understand you/I don't know who you are/because I haven't heard a thing about the boy." Falkner sings lovely multi-tracked harmonies with himself on this, and it's just another reason that I love his solo work a lot more than I ever liked Jellyfish.

from Can You Still Feel?, available on CD



Indian Strings  performed by The London Suede  1999
Recommended by giant [profile]

This song has the depth of vocals like the poetry by Rilke, meeting the somber and exhilirating movement of sound in a languid symphony. Its blood and romance, hurt and sweet love. Its the bird calling its mate. This is what I aspire to compose.

from Head Music




  LawrenceM: yeah, this is a great song. i think "Head Music" is actually a pretty underrated album with some really fantastic songs. Although having to be called "The London Suede" in the US is just stupid. They'll always be Suede to me
If We Can Land on the Moon, Surely I Can Win  performed by Beulah  1999
Recommended by PappaWheelie [profile]

Where the more known Elephant 6 sound like the Beatles in melody, this track matches George Martin's 'Beatles Mid-Period' production.

from When Your Heartstrings Break, available on CD




  chris kane: If you like that song, you should get into The Broken Family Band ;)
Maybe in the next life  performed by Cinnamon  1999
Recommended by delicado [profile]

What a depressing yet beautiful song... I was thinking of recommending this when I first heard it, but today it fits my mood better and I feel compelled to do so. Bertrand Burgalat's production mixes modern beats and bleepy sound with strings, alongside Cinnamon's old-school tuneful indie guitar pop with a female vocalist. God, this song is depressing; did I say that yet? But it's one of those depressing songs that's actually glorious to hear, accompanied as it is by beautiful, rousing music. The vocal is rather tender; as if she's sympathetic about what a fuckup the listener is.

Those uplifting lyrics in full (actually, there's more, but I'll spare you):
"when you were young/you had the sun in your eyes/the grass was greener/the days were sweeter/in the next life/you know where you came from, but there's no sparkle in your eyes/you're gonna die/and there's nothing in between to shout about'.

Why would you want to listen to something like that? I'm not sure, but I have it on repeat play today; check it out!


available on CD - The genius of Bertrand Burgalat (Bungalow)



  bobbyspacetroup: I'm a big fan of this song as well. The album this if from, Vertigo, is worth picking up if you can find it. Louis Philippe arranged the strings on it with Burgalat producing. I hope this isn't all we are going to hear from Cinnamon.
Speed Trials  performed by Elliott Smith  199?
Recommended by Open Book [profile]

His choice of lifestyle may have been questionable, yes. A prolific user of drugs and prostitutes, Elliot Smith was certainly not a healthy man physically or mentally toward the end of his life. What isn't questionable is the fact that Elliot Smith was an amazing, soulful, passionate musician. I don't really know why I picked Speed Trials. I suppose it's my personal favorite.
Suicide is a subject that always baffles me, and nothing hurts more to see a man with such beautiful music in his soul gone... especially at such a young age. What we do have, however, are the recordings of his maticulously constructed chord progressions, his sweet, wispy voice, and gorgeously poetic lyrics. Pieces of history we can all forever hold onto and remember him for how he may have affected each of our lives. I know his music certainly had an impact on mine. I will miss Elliott Smith.

from Either/Or, available on CD



  delphiblue: "a prolific user of drugs and prostitutes..." ??? sure, okay, we all know that he used drugs, but that prostitutes thing is entirely new to me. is there actual proof of this, or can one just assume that having sex with prostitutes is a natural progression from using drugs?
  delicado: Ok - I just deleted a couple of comments from here because someone disobeyed my 'be nice' rule. First time I've had to do that in nearly 6 years! I dunno - if it's not spammers it's nutcases! Sorry you were bothered by this, Open Book...
Lucy and the Bourgeoisie  performed by Ashley Park  2000
Recommended by saturnhead [profile]

Very popular Canadian pop band. You know them from Kindercore Records...home of Of Montreal, The Olivia Tremor Control, Richard Davies. This song is an orch-pop, bacharachian, stereolab ish number

from Town and Country, available on CD



Everyone, Under the Sun  performed by Ashley Park  2000
Recommended by saturnhead [profile]

More from Canada's Ashley Park Spin Magazine, Uncut, Billboard, and Magnet all rave "Beatles, Bacharach, Kinks"...This song is a jazzy take on that uber hip college sound.

from Town and Country, available on CD


Moles  performed by Ashley Park  2000
Recommended by saturnhead [profile]

Back with yet another Ashley Park number. This one is bit more Floyd-ish, but of course the Beatles sound is a bit of an influence. Used on Felicity. Very cool.

from Town and Country, available on CD



hoy me has dicho hola por primera vez  performed by la casa azul  2000
Recommended by king8egg [profile]

somewhere between the free design and hideki kaji you get la casa azul. sweet 60s pop with some nice "ba ba ba ba..." thrown in. bouncy, quirky and basically all around fun. one of the few new bands i am really excited by.

from el sonido efervescente de, available on CD



Come On Let's Go  performed by Broadcast  2000
Recommended by Mr Steal [profile]

The Midlands-based retro-futurists put this out as a single and it should have been a massive hit but, of course, it wasn't. Still, it's one of the sweetest songs I've heard in recent years, abetted by Trish Keenans's insouciant yet heartwarming vocals � and a lovely tune.

from The Noise Made By People (Warp CD65)




  tinks: i love this entire album! and they put on a great live show, to boot!
Sweet Cinnamon Punch  performed by Tipsy  2000
Recommended by delicado [profile]

It took me some time, but I'm finally really getting into Tipsy's second album, 'Uh Oh!' This track is a beautiful sound collage, with a slightly more complex structure than a lot of predominanty sampled tracks have. Its samples include celestial harps, gentle beats, middle eastern snake charmer sounds, old wordless vocals, and lots more wonderful sounding stuff I can't identify. The overall effect is rather intoxicating. My admiration for this track mixed with a touch of jealousy - I have some of the records being sampled here (for example, the 'Bacharach Baroque' version of 'Close to you' is clearly audible), but my own audio assembling skills are rather poor compared with those of Tipsy. If you haven't listened to Tipsy since 'Trip Tease', or even if you're just interested in creative sampling, I recommend checking this out.

from Uh-Oh!, available on CD



Chocolate And Strawberries  performed by The Januaries  2000
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This song really sounds pretty much like the title would suggest : Warm, lush, sweet and sensual due to the 60s retro-ish, Bacharach-esque style of the tune combined with warm, warbling electronic sounds and with a delicately sounding trumpet solo. Very nice seductive vocal delivery by singer Debbie Diamond on top of that. Yummy !

from The Januaries (Foodchain Records)



Story Of a Girl  performed by Nine Days  2000
Recommended by Carrie [profile]

And while she looks so sad in photographs,
I absolutely love her, when she smiles


Amazing lyrics.


from The Madding Crowd, available on CD


Sleep  performed by The Dandy Warhols  2000
Recommended by xfanatic50 [profile]

This track is really composed of a couple of almost no words. The verses are short and sweet, but the heart of the song is this incredible arrangement of harmonies. The song just gets better and better as it goes along until by the end you don't want it to end. Gorgeous.

from Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (Capitol)



Sugababes On The Run  performed by Sugababes  2000
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Before the Sugababes became just a catalogue of "epic" ballads and stylist errors they were a phenomenally good UK pop band. Not marketing themselves as slappers or party girls, they exhibited an edginess not commonly associated with mainstream chart acts. The whole first album is a miraculous hotbed of beats and songwriting that gels so unbelievably well with the girls' image that you can believe their contribution to the process was more than just the "change a word, take a third" Spice Girls school of songwriting. Overload and Run For Cover are two of my favourite singles of the last ten years.

Equally commendable (and something else, along with member Siobhan and nice clothes, that fell by the wayside come second album time) was their attention to B sides and bonus tracks. Most had a quality that rivalled the album songs and singles - and Sugababes On The Run is even better. I can see why it wouldn't fit on the album - too novelty-ish, few people can pull off a track with their own name in it - but it works perfectly as a flitty ditty about the best teen subject: being pissed off at your parents.

Nevertheless, it does has a depth to it. In its own pop way, it's examining the precipice between youth and cynicism - does getting older always mean losing your ideals?

Probably....

The sweetness of the vocals (particularly Keisha's) and the general kid sister affection of the 'Babes mean that, however much crap they release I'll still be there every new release Monday hoping for another B-side of this quality - and getting a god-awful remix instead.

from New Year CD Single, available on CD



Whatever Happened To Claudine Longet ?  performed by The Crooner  2000
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This is quite a serious question if you ask me, but then again, this might not concern too many people and unfortunately The Crooner isn't able to give an answer. But if you expect some mockingly ironic, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about mademoiselle Longet it surprisingly isn't. It's quite on the contrary actually, a heartfelt homage, though rhyming "footsteps on the sand" with "pussywillowland" might appear cheesy of course. The music itself is a fluffy piece of indie-pop with a bittersweet tone, with soft male vocals, soft synths, a great vibraphone playing throughout and some airy, well, Longet-esque female vocals in the background.

from Soft Escape, available on CD




  konsu: You kind of have to dissapear for a while after you kill someone and get away with it. I mean, you don't see OJ hurdling suitcases anymore do you? Cool song though. I thought it would sound like Momus just from the description, and it does bear a resemblance in a way... maybe more like early Jimi Tenor?
England 2 Columbia 0  performed by Kirsty MacColl  2000
Recommended by komodo [profile]

A superb tale of wronged love and wounded pride performed with a mighty swagger, drenched in latin rhythms and horns, but with that bittersweet humour and English setting that have been hallmark's of Kirsty's whole career.

There are so many songs from Kirsty that I love in so many musical styles, but the "Tropical Brainstorm" album is really the best thing she ever did. She has absorbed the influences from her travels in Latin America, but the album is no pastiche, it is pure MacColl. Whilst occasionally missing its mark, it has so many fine, joyful and wryly funny moments, and, to me, all the signs of an artist entering a new, fiercely creative and joyful stage of her career.

Sadly we will never know where Kirsty's musical journey would have taken her.

from Tropical Brainstorm, available on CD


Scottish Pop  performed by Spearmint  2001
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

Any song which namechecks Bobby Gillespie and Stuart Murdoch is all right with me. A beautiful, sweet pop song with the choice lyric "when I'm with you it's like Scottish Pop". Gorgeous.

from A Different Lifetime, available on CD



Head Full of Pills  performed by The Prima Donnas  2001
Recommended by popgoestheculture [profile]

Perfect synthesizer punk rock.

"Baby, just don't, 'cause we can't go back
My baby, hold your tongue 'cause it's worse like that
My baby, it was different 'cause we all did junk
Oh baby, lock those photos back inside of your trunk
My bittersweet memories
Remind me how we used to feel
All damn summer with our head full of pills"

from Drugs, Sex & Discotheques, available on CD


The Luckiest  performed by Ben Folds  2001
Recommended by genebean [profile]

This song is one of the best songs I have ever heard...actually the whole album is great! Its Ben and his keys and a background orchestra in this song. Anyways, I believe the song is about how he knows he is the luckiest because he knows how perfect him and his wife belong together.

from Rockin' the Suburbs (Epic)


Blowin' Bubbles  performed by Call and Response  2001
Recommended by ronaldo [profile]

Just a perfect, perfect pop song. Makes you wanna dance and groove along, but at the same time it's soo unbelievably sweet and a just a liitle melancholy. It starts with a drum beat, and then there's this bass-and-drums groove for a few seconds. Then a little sweet electric piano line enters, just before the voice begins singing the melody: "I'm drinking stars up in the sky, you know where you are / I'm driving cars around your house, it seems so fun". When it's time for the chorus ("So listen to my bubble go pop / I'm coming in, I'm coming over the top"), the main voice sings over a backing vocal doing an "ooh" harmony, and then there's absolute genius backing vocal, where the word "pop" becomes "papapapa". After that, a little guitar riff/solo, along with a very cool electric piano line. Then it just repeats everything all over again one more time, for infinite happiness. The time for a middle break has arrived. A new funky bass groove with lots of different "papapa"s harmonizing together. Now, go back to the first bass-and-drums groove, with a jazzy, relaxed guitar solo, and then it's just grooves and grooves and heavenly harmonies, "Blowin' bubbles".




Name  performed by Goo Goo Dolls  2001
Recommended by izumi [profile]

This is probably my favourite Goo Goo Dolls song, and one of my fave songs ever. I loved it up the instant I heard it. The song has quite a simple musical structure to it - just a steady bass line, drum and a recurring guitar melody, but I love the melody and how it sounds really sad. I don't know what the lyrics are about, but most of the meaning you'll get and it's somewhat relaxing to listen to. If you're reading this, please please please check out this song because it's really sweet and deserves to be heard! =)

from Ego Opinion Art and Commerce (Hollywood 0127112HWR)


Trejeitos  performed by Jun Miyake  2001
Recommended by stakadush [profile]

Beautiful bossa nova by the Japanese artist.
The whole album is sweet guitar & piano bossa nova.

from Innocent Bossa In The Mirror (Tropical Music tm068823)



Free  performed by Sweet Robots Against the Machine  2002
Recommended by MMMp [profile]

A nice cover song as Towa Tei (SRATM) will do. I haven't heard the original but would like to. This one is in the two-step style which I am also unfamiliar with except through Towa Tei's interpretations. An excellent song. "Girly" as TT songs with vocals can be. Dancy as TT songs usually are. Commentary from some Jamaican/British type (!) and breaks down into a remix of itself toward the end - but in a very respectable fashion! -- I recently found out that this CD features copy protection, funny enough that kind of changed the way I felt about it. I want to make it clear that for that reason I can't recommend that anyone buy this album. ;)

from Towa Tei, available on CD


Tres Cosas  performed by juana molina  2002
Recommended by fiftyfootgirl [profile]

This is an absolutely magical song! Juana Molina is a singer/songwriter from Argentina. I first heard her on KCRW (Santa Monica radio station) when I was living in Los Angeles. Her music is totally captivating; it's melodic, ethereal, quirky, whimsical, a little melancholy sometimes, very very sweet. She often uses acoustic instruments (guitar, piano), but what makes her music unique is her use of electronic elements. It often sounds like she is recording in the middle of the rainforest. Tres Cosas, from the album of the same name, is a very up-beat, sparkly little song. Her live performances are archived on the KCRW website: http://www.kcrw.com/ (do a search for Juana Molina in the "Find it!" feature), and you can purchase her music at:
Gourmet Musical http://www.gourmetmusical.com

from Tres Cosas, available on CD


Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell  performed by The Flaming Lips  2002
Recommended by pleasepleaseme [profile]

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.

from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, available on CD



pyramid song  performed by atomic  2002
Recommended by olli [profile]

a very beautiful cover of the radiohead song done by norwegian-swedish jazz quintet atomic.
bittersweet.


available on CD - boom boom (jazzland)



Hotcha Girls  performed by Ugly Cassanova  2003
Recommended by Open Book [profile]

Ugly Cassanova made its mark in my soul with this track. Combining Isaac Brock's brilliant song writing with the painfully sweet voice of John Orth from Holopaw, this song sweeps in and out of beautiful melodies in such a way that leaves me absolutely awestruck. It's too bad they couldn't make the rest of their debut this good... the album itself has it's moments, but besides a few standout tracks, fails to completely fulfill my hopes for it's potential with such a star-studded line up. Nothing, however, will ever take away from the solid truth that this song is absolutely stunning, and as far as my opinions go, it's an instant classic.

from Sharpen Your Teeth, available on CD


Borderline  performed by Jane  2003
Recommended by SimonB [profile]

Close Up And Reak is a lovely album but this is my favourite track. It's a bittersweet tale of a person's (possibly Jane's), gradual loss in humankind. The song opens with a wailing violin which then introduces a soft, acoustic blanket of intsrumentation topped with Jane's wistful vocals.

from Close Up And Real, available on CD


ne�re do well  performed by young people  2003
Recommended by olli [profile]

not really much into indie music, but this song struck a chord with me. comes across as a sort of retro-but-not-really-retro california rainy day sunflower melancholy lo-fi pop version of broadcast, if you can make any sense out of that.
short and sweet at 1:44.


available on CD - war prayers



ha ha  performed by mates of state  2003
Recommended by catch_her [profile]

" It's difficult to place MOS in a genre as the song structures are unique, often complex. At the same time there are always the pop elements of catchy melodies and loads of harmony. Even though there are only two of them, they fill up the space with the monster, bass-heavy organ, creative drumming, and constant dueling vocals. The music can be sweet. At other times it's spastic, but either way, you leave MOS shows with a warm feeling.



Mates of State has been described by critics as unabashed joy, honesty at its best, a two piece with balls, and a band that you must see live. " (taken from official website)







amazing.

from team boo


Sonnet 29  performed by Rufus Wainwright  2003
Recommended by catch_her [profile]

"When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings."

shakespeare's words, rufus wainwright's voice. beautiful.

from When Love Speaks


the beer  performed by kimya dawson  2003
Recommended by olli [profile]

on a post-moldy peaches roll today.
lo-fi, blackly humorous, unrelenting singer-songwriter antifolk material. the lyrics are a stream-of-consciousness portrait of life in lower-class america, filled with weirdo pop culture references. i fell in love with this song from a badly recorded live version, available on her homepage: http://www.kimyadawson.com/audio/10_Kimya_Dawson_-_The_Beer.mp3
there`s an album version of the track on "my cute friend sweet princess", but i think it lacks a lot of the drive from the live recording (and the sound quality`s not really that much better, anyway. i wonder how this would sound on one of those ludicrously expensive hi fi sets that guys in cornflower-blue shirts tend to buy)

"even though i`ve never ever been in a band,
i`ve got cool as black ice tattooed on my hand.." gotta love that line.

from my cute friend sweet princess (important records)


Supergirl  performed by Stereo Total  2003
Recommended by Superchat [profile]

A quick, fun/funny, simple little song that keeps your ears awake. Supergirl... a sweet and twisted lyrical journey about finding that perfect person.

from Monokini (Kill Rock Stars)



  olli: hey supergirl! gotta love stereo total, this is one of my favourites too.
Miracles  performed by Soulounge  2003
Recommended by lenny [profile]

Regularly I fall in love with songs that have a harmonic, perfectly tuned voice chorus like "miracles". The Fender Rhodes keyboard and a moderate bass-line completes the relaxed mood.
I immediatly feel this bittersweet mixture of good times memories and melancholy.

from Home



Jessica  performed by Adam Green  2003
Recommended by herby22 [profile]

It seems kind of creepy at first, because the guy is talking about jessica simpson, but it is sweet and funny and it kind of captures how individuals relate to celebrities.

from Friends of Mine (Rough Trade)


Van Lear Rose  performed by Loretta Lynn  2004
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

A sweet remembrance of a childhood moment told in song. Loretta recalls sitting in her daddy's lap looking at a picture of a beautiful young woman. He tells her how this young woman was the most beautiful girl in town and how every man wanted to make her his wife. He talks about the poor young man who was teased and derided by all the other men who told him that he didn't stand a chance with her. Finally he talks about how that poor boy won her heart and then reveals that the woman in the picture is Loretta's mother and he is the poor young man. Jack White of the White Stripes did a tremendous job putting the music together on this song and indeed on the whole album Van Lear Rose that is not to be missed!

from Van Lear Rose, available on CD


Social Studies  performed by David Singer & the Sweet Science  2004
Recommended by leahpeeah [profile]

Introspective pop? You like Elliot? You like Ben Folds? Just listen and tell me what you think.

from The Stars Burn Out, available on CD


Du e f�r fin f�r mig  performed by dungen  2004
Recommended by olli [profile]

Outstanding Swedish psychpop, sounds like the aural lovechild of an orgy between sigur ros, hansson & karlsson and radiohead's karma police. gorgeous stringwork. ends in a psychedelic freakout.
the whole album is pretty good (imo the best swedish record of 2004), don't hesitate to buy the swedish import if you come across it..






  tempted: This is indeed great! Dungen deserve 100% of the attention he has received stateside recently. Ta Det Lugnt reminds me of another one of the great psych-pop albums of all time which is S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things. Although Dungen perhaps comes from a sunnier place and definitely from the Swedish woods. I don't think Radiohead and Dungen have much in common, though. There are so many colours to psychedelia...
  olli: don't get me wrong, i'm not saying dungen sounds like radiohead...just that this particular song shares some musical texture with karma police
Side By Side  performed by Labrador  2004
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This is how indie pop music should sound, at least for me: bittersweet, light'n' fluffy, airy, harmonic and late 60s oriented. Or as the band describes it: The music makes you think of the time when Herb Alpert and Burt Bacharach was young, Brigitte Bardot looked good, and Serge Gainsbourg was alive! Their whole second album, Instamatic Lovelife, is very consistent in quality and thus highly recommended.

from Instamatic Lovelife, available on CD



Fascination  performed by Saint Etienne  2004
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

With Saint Etienne being one of my favourite groups of the last decades (and possibly the best british pop group today) it's really hard to pick a track, it wouldn't be hard to recommend dozens of amazing tracks they did the last 15 years. That said, "Fascination" is the only new song they produced since Finisterre (2002) and it was included on their first compilation released in the US. It doesn't really matter if they embrace a more late 60s style a la Good Humor or a more electronic or dance approach to their music, due to Sarah Cracknells distinctive voice and Stanleys and Wiggs' ear for strong melodies it always sounds essentially Saint Etienne. This one is a heartfelt, bittersweet song, with an almost Hip Hop-ish basic beat, lush synths, floating harp-like electronica and a great piano melody.

from Travel Edition 1990-2005, available on CD



O Pato  performed by Natalia y La Forquetina  2004
Recommended by fiftyfootgirl [profile]

Dreamy, sweet, bossa nova track with a Mexican twist. This cover of the Juao Gilberto song runs during the opening credits for the Mexican film "Duck Season," which is equally charming...


available on CD - Casa (Sony (Mexico))


On the Nature of Daylight  performed by Max Richter  2004
Recommended by space [profile]

An instrumental arrangement using only strings, this piece starts out slow and builds. Its overall tone is sweet and full of emotion. Very seldom does one encounter a song of pure aesthetic beauty, with no ulterior motives or elements, but this is one of those songs.

Max Richter has been influenced by minimalistic modern composers such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich, but his work has its own distinctive feel. This song, among others by Richter, was featured in the 2006 film Stranger Than Fiction.

from The Blue Notebooks


Sweet Dreams My LA Ex  performed by Rachel Stevens  2005
Recommended by djronniebruno [profile]

great song from one of the girls of S7 , a group from the UK, gone solo.




Jesusland  performed by Ben Folds  2005
Recommended by gopeeinafridge [profile]

This song starts with lush orchestration and a pretty melody, followed by Ben Folds' sweet and wonderful voice, and then the bouncy piano line kicks in and the whole effect is sublime. I really like this song, and I'm not usually much of a Ben Folds fan, even.

from Songs For Silverman (Epic 5170122)


Wedding Day  performed by Swift Ships  2006
Recommended by doublelife [profile]

Wedding Day is a guitar rock song with a mid-tempo dance beat. The lyrics are tight and concise. It's about a young man's fear of commitment. It's just over two minutes, and it has superb movement. The simple guitar leads in the closing bars are brilliant. I like this song for the steady, thumping drums, the sweetly melodic underlying riff, and the general resignation of its singer.

from Rebel Renaissance, available on CD


Sweet Weepin Jesus  performed by Kemp Harris  2006
Recommended by chipster [profile]

Rootsy, Bluesy.
In the vain of Robert Johnson meets Robert Cray...

from Edenton (Righteous Mischief LLC 78685115452)
available on CD - yes (yes)


Sing To Me  performed by Boo Hewerdine  2006
Recommended by redkez [profile]

A glorious and beautiful epic of a song, that swoops and soars from verse to chorus, sung in Boo's trademark bittersweet voice. If the world was a fair place, this song should have been a massive hit single and brought Boo the mass recognition that he deserves but that has always just elluded him.

from Harmonograph, available on CD


The Light of Day  performed by The Divine Comedy  2006
Recommended by Mike [profile]

In what is another of Neil Hannon's best songs, we hear his superb bittersweet lyrics emerging from an intricate and intermittently lush backing. As usual, the chords are not particularly complicated or unusual, but are extremely well-chosen.

Brilliant, in spite of the strange choice of sangria near the beginning, with its forced accent on the second syllable.

from Victory for the Comic Muse, available on CD


Sipping on the sweet nectar  performed by Jens Lekman  2007
Recommended by moondog [profile]

The best pop song of the year taken off what is probably the pop album also. I can´t remember the last time i was so uplifted by a pop song. It is like the best song the avalanches never recorded only with proper vocals.

from Night falls over kortedala (service/secretly canadian)


My Favourite Tune  performed by Skye Sweetnam  2007
Recommended by Kalina21 [profile]

It has good lyrics and melody.

from Sound Soldier


Britney  performed by Bebo Norman  2009
Recommended by hopefully86 [profile]

This is a christian singer telling a story about Britney Spears, but it's about everyone who gets lost in the lights of fame and fortune. It's kinda an apology song, slow and sweet but it flows nicely. This song will make you feel a bit sorry for the girl we love to hate.




clip clap  performed by kahimi karie  200x
Recommended by olli [profile]

cute little song about a girl stalking someone she's fallen in love with, listening to the "clip clops" of his shoes. the melody in the song is very similar to "cosmonaute" by stereo total, only more upbeat (it was written by brezel g�ring from stereo t., so i guess that's excusable). kahimi's ultra-bright voice fits this song perfectly.

(there's WAY too few sweet and uplifting songs about stalking, by the way.)


available on CD - k.k.k.k.k



100  performed by Dean blunt   2014
Recommended by Pinkfoxracing [profile]

The sweet soft voice of joanne Robertson makes a really cool contrast with the graspy and kinda dark voice of Dean Blunt plus the classical guitar playing chords that sounds like the end of a movie or a sunset. IDK it just sounds pretty cool, one of my favorites songs of my life.

from Black metal, available on CD


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