Was already a fan of the LP "Gideon Gaye" with its lovely mix of Beach Boys meets Steely Dan production. Sean O'Hagen is a Genius. He's really outdone himself with this record! SUBLIME!

vocals this high should annoying, but they work for this song. i love the intro, and the lyrics are quite nice...in that yearning, melancholic way--actually, the guitar playing and the way lyrics are sung fit this mood quite well.

this band only made two records, this one from the 80s and a more recent one which i have not heard.

Wow, I thought I was the only person alive who remembered them. A girl Cynthia I knew raved about them, and I saw them several times, once opening for Janis Joplin at the Village Theater. "Midnight Circus" was the highlight of the sets I remember, lots of swirling Farfisa organ (I seem to remember a very atractive girl playing it), and a very carchy chorus - of which I only remember "It's a Midnight circus"... I don't know if the song was ever recorded, either as part of a set or demo, but it was that good it should bew noted....

This, friends, is the swingingest and most bizarre version of this chestnut you will ever hear. Having recently left the Cantores De Ebano (Ebony Singers), sort of a 60s Brazilian version of Sounds Of Blackness, Noriel Vilela, possessor of an impossibly deep, rumbling basso profundo capable of blowing your speakers, embarked on a brief yet fondly-remembered solo career. This witty reworking of the Tennessee Ernie Ford original replaces the country-western-pop of the original with a rollicking samba-rock rhythm and Portuguese lyrics extolling how much fun samba is, sung by a voice from deep in the crypt that swings like crazy. It stops everybody who hears it dead in their tracks and is the guaranteed highlight of any party. What Messrs. Ford and Travis would have made of it is anybody's guess, but this version refuses to die, having recently become a hit in Brazil all over again, 30 years after its first release. I've heard many, many versions of "Sixteen Tons," but believe me, this one truly runs away with the prize!!

A little cheesey maybe...but it makes me want to kick major butt and the gutair riffs are incredible.

I don't know if this has already been recommended. When you think Marvin Gaye, it's the gut-wrenching, highly emotive vocal style and incredible lyrics that immediately come to mind. This song is curious, yet not unique to Marvin in that it manages to capture those same Marvin-qualities in a purely instrumental track. The vocal version of this song is great too, and I don't mean to imply that the vocal version is somehow inferior, however the vocal and instrumental versions leave me with completely different emotional impressions. The vocal version is so much more overtly full of desire and pure lust, the instrumental version by comparison feels so much more uncertain, longing, and subtle. For me, it's the subtlety and grace of this instrumental version that make it so compelling.

Proving once and for all that she could carry herself as a solo artist and sing a dramatic love song, Ms. Ross slowed down the tempo and sank her emotions into this wonderful tale of unending love and devotion. The original full-length version clocks in at 6:16 but was brutally chopped down to around 3:30 for radio airplay and some of the song's most intimate words are removed. Sadly, the shorter version was featured on her box set a few years back. (what were they thinking???!!!) Get your hands on the 6 minute version and enjoy a true classic american song by a great american artist!

Hell, I could have picked almost anything from the back catalogue of this band. Albatross is the stand-out track of an outstanding 4 track EP (entitled Holding our Breath) from early ’90s shoegazers Slowdive. Bemoaned, decried and hated by Britain’s Britpop-loving press, Slowdive’s beautiful multi-layered sound has latterly found a kindred spirit in much lauded post-rockers Sigur Ros. So maybe they were right after all…

Back to Reading – and there is no stronger example of the Thames Valley sound than Albatross. Layer upon layer of minor chords – almost symphonic in their beauty – Albatross swells to a powerful crescendo of highly processed guitars. Non-believers should check out double A-sides Catch the Breeze and Shine. The fourth track on the rather grand EP is a cover of Syd Barrett's (former lead singer of Pink Floyd) Golden Hair. Utterly remarkable.

the words "i could be in love with almost every one/ and i will be alone again tonight with you" are sung in a very intimate high-register, backed by glorious acoustic guitar plucking and horn bursts. two minutes in, the song erupts into an extended horn solo! probably the most perfectly orchestrated pop song.

I really love Slowdive. I guess it's fair to say they're the most under-rated band of all time (yeah, I know you all have your own opinions but you're wrong and I'm right - okay? ).

So imagine my surprise when electronica masters Morr Music decided to compile a Slowdive tribute record last year, featuring luminraies such as Icelandic beauties Mum.

The album is a sheer joy - and highlights the quality of Halstead's original song-writing (before the layers of reverb and delay were added).
The stand-out track is Altogether, taken from Slowdive's second Creation release 'Souvlaki'. An astonishingly pretty but achingly mournful track is turned, by Morr's Styrofoam, into a trippy work of blissed-out happiness. Cool.

To me this is certainly a pinnacle of pure late 60s sunshine pop. Composed by pop genius Roger Nichols the timeless, idealistic lyrics were written by Tony Asher (who wrote most of the lyrics with Brian Wilson on Pet Sounds) not by his regular partner Paul Williams. Sunshine pop hardly gets any sunnier than on this track: great production, strings galore, Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies, great bassline & trumpet and catchy as hell with it's uplifting chord progressions throughout. While the album version (recently included on the highly recommended "The Get Easy! Sunshine Pop Collection") is good already, the single version is just crisper, lusher, just perfect.

During the summer of 1985 Microdisney had already lost all illusions about their potential commercially speaking. This second album was not what people would called a long awaited one. Recorded in a chaotic way (the drum part was the last thing to be put on the tape), this is a true masterpiece from track 1 to track 10 and "Are you happy ?" is its epicenter.
Cathal Coughlan (who at the time renamed himself Blah Blah and claimed to play keyboards and plastic pubis)is now a solo artist and still one of the most beautiful voice in england. Sean O'Hagan have finally achieved success through the High Llamas and Stereolab.

Best known for their organ-drenched debut 1967 hit "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", Procol Harum continued for quite a long while and in fact have re-formed in recent years. A lot of their 1970s songs seem to have an odd jerkiness about them, but "As Strong As Samson" is the one in which they put it all together properly, 'cause it's smooth, heavy, and it swings! With organ, piano, and pedal steel guitar all pitching in, surely this is high up somewhere in the 1970s top ten songs.

Produced by Chris Thomas, who later did "Back On The Chain Gang" for the Pretenders and the "Different Class" LP for Pulp, so that's quite a line of quality there.

Great track. Entirely scat-sung, steady midtempo funky groove, with that distinctive Odeon Studios sound, and the bridge breaks into a waltz-time section, with Claudia's high-pitched vocal effects strongly reminiscent of something off the Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack album. Claudia's a big collector's favorite among Brazilian femme singers, since her stuff's consistently strong, she's got this great strong expressive voice, cool material choices including a number of exclusive Marcos Valle songs, and NONE of her early 70s Odeon sides have been issued on CD.

From the 1986 concept album "The Formula" by Rupert Hine, this is an excellent mid-eighties dnace number which received no radio or MTV rotataion but deserved to. Highly dancable, cool, European and memorable. Rupert Hine is famous as a producer for badns such as The Fixx, Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Eight Seconds, Rush, Stevie Nicks and more...
Don;t let that throw you off though. His solo material is ofetntimes very dark, futuristic, apocolyptic and just plain catchy.

Excellent duo from San Francisco, CA. I saw them live at the Troubadour and they were great. They delivered a high-energy and atmospheric performance.

Come on! how come nobody's recommended this yet?
great repetitive, driving string backing, fantastic hiccup-monkey-like vocal hooks, faboulous performance.
essential.
(stereolab has an absolutely fantastic slow twangy version of this on the album spacey double spiral. very, very highly recommended.)

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

Breathe Out is one of those songs that no matter how many times you listen to it it still rocks. If you a metal head then you will appreciate the quality of music Nothingface throws at you. They are very heavy but melodic. The lead singer has a unique talent in which he can reach high notes as well as growl so deep he will make you shit yourself. Every time I hear this song all I can do is bang my head and scream along to the insanity that flows within my head.

From a time when soul was shaking hands with disco,on this beautiful midtempo ballad the two genres are happy to live in a harmony.This is a track that is allowed to build upon a soft disco beat layer by layer ,a deceptive melody allows optimism to drip drip then flood your senses,leaving you feeling good about life and for once a song that is as long as you want it to be.A song that somehow takes you high without leaving its musical ground .

An antiwar anthem that has even more relevance today than back then. Payne often sounded too girlish to pull off the sophisticated soul Invictus produced for her, but here she's fully in command. Maybe it's the gospel-esque fervor of the arrangement and the backing singers, but this is an awfully passionate song - to a heart-breaking degree. The highlight of Freda's funky, underrated album Contact.

The idea of a funky jazz harp rendition of this classic Jim Webb song is probably cheesy to some people, but trust me, this one works brilliantly. The opening shimmers delightfully with fender rhodes piano, strings, and a huge breakbeat. Dorothy's harp then takes over, and we move into a nice pop/funk/jazz take on the song. The relentless beat is pretty funny when you compare this version to others (e.g. the Glen Campbell hit version, also Nick Cave's classic stripped down version from 'Kicking against the pricks'), but it is really very charming, happy stuff. A similar funk/pop hybrid occurs on her version of 'Windmills of your mind' - highly recommended.

This song is simply unreal. It starts out in a kind of 4/4 samba groove with a highly prominent cuica and a funky strummed acoustic guitar chord progression before the super-catchy pizzicato-violins riff comes in, and Abilio's mellow voice singing the melody. It's sunshiney and catchy, with a bit of a haunting aftertaste, very Brazilian. I can never hear this song enough times!! Abilio Manoel is a Sao Paulo-based singer-songwriter from the late-60s-70s (still active) who wrote a few moderate hits without attaining even a Marcos Valle level of popularity. Good for Marcos, since Abilio's work would have caused me a few sleepless nights if I were him. And both on the same label, too! Abilio's stuff is hard to find, but very worth the effort.....I've already given Dusty Groove the heads-up about the CD....

I didn't know anything about 'The Lion In Winter' from 1968 until a few days ago. I had the TV on in the background when my attention was grabbed by one particular song in the movie. "That must be John Barry's work", I thought to my self. His use of strings and trumpets are unmisstakable -- and surely I was correct!

'Chinon / Eleanor's Arrival' has the same type of sound as Barry's later soundtracks such as 'Moonraker', 'High Road to China' and 'Out of Africa'. In fact, I first thought I was listening to a passage from 'Moonraker' when I heard this song the first time. The arrangement is brilliant, the lush rich strings, trumpet and female- male choir really makes this song stand out. It has a very majestic, grand feeling to it and it really fits the scene it is used for in the movie.

A nice a capella version of my favorite Gilbert O'Sullivan song, in a very full arrangement reminiscent of the Swingle Singers, with whom they share a member. Lyrically, the song is an antidote to the sleazy feeling I get from Rod Stewart's "tonight's the night". I used to think they shared a theme of pedophilia until I listened closer. I got this on a Japanese collection put together by Toru Hashimoto, probably the greatest compiler ever. He puts together all the Cafe Apres Midi (perfect!) and Free Soul (quite nice) collections. They can be had for $25 a pop from the Dusty Groove site, which seems high for a single disc, but they are all close to eighty minutes and packed with great songs which have lead me to several thousands of dollars worth of related purchases in the last few years. Gilbert O'Sullivan's stuff is worth looking into if you have an ear for it, and there is a nice cheap two disc collection on JVC Japan.

For those of you out there who are still perplexed by the cult of Judy, may I suggest hardily this amazing DVD? Culled from her now legendary CBS TV series in the early 1960�s, this collection features a selection of solo performances, and �Come Rain or Come Shine� sums up things here perfectly. It is a frenzied, riveting, almost frightening reading of the song. Nick Cave or Polly Harvey wish they were this intense � or perhaps (wisely) they don�t. Judy at this point is a woman ravaged by both her life - alcohol, pills, suicide attempts, catastrophic illness and innumerable career failures and comebacks - and to a certain extent her own astonishing, almost vampryric talent. To see this frail little creature � she was in her early 40�s, but looks about 60 � totter onto this empty stage and become possessed by a song - her voice soaring, her talent surging through her like high voltage electricity - is almost too much to watch. But one has to watch her � even if only to see whether see she spontaneously combusts during the performance. (And those old time Judy-queens still amongst us � God bless them � swear this footage only hints at what it was like to see her live.) Must be seen/heard to be believed.

Its a delightful track, modern big beat sensibility with a great tune, a groover of the highest quality, sounds great in a car, in a club or at home. Full of hooks, vocal, guitar and rhythmic. One of the things I love about the band as well are the crappy pictures of themselves they use on their covers. Theres a promo 12 with a remix on it that is all Bongo's and Organ that didn't make it to release thats pretty good too.

This is by no means a new release, but I've recently gotten back in to it. Most people have a misconception about The Misfits. Yes they have recorded some very 'crap' songs, and the newly re-vised band and almost everything Danzig has done lately is complete garbage in my eyes, however the original Misfits early recordings, circa 1975-77 are simply amazing. 'Cough/ Cool' is a Hammond/ Fender Rhodes driven, atmospheric masterpiece. Danzig croons like Jim Morrison in this emotionally charged ballad(?). Granted, the lyrics are kind of dark, "scent of blood when you cough, cool, cool, cool, cough, cool ", and most of the other words are relatively indeciphrable, yet shockingly 'pretty'...at least in their tonal quality. The song is very scaled-down and under produced (organ, electric piano, bass and drums), but this is a good thing, it's part of its charm. The amount of reverb and slap-back echo on Glenn's voice is brilliant. So, I urge anyone who has never listened to The Misfits due to the forementioned reasons to get off their collective 'high horses' and give it a listen, they have some really great songs. Other good tracks from the same era include; "Return of The Fly", "She", "Hybrid Moments", "Come Back", "American Nightmare", etc...

This song is great! "Fire in the Disco/Fire in the Taco Bell" It's so cheesy, but so perfect. Plus, Jack White's vocals are always slightly off-kilter. A great, great track.

good pixies song
it's simple and energetic

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

Arguably one of the best reggae albums of all time, Super Cat's Don Dada is a fun, FUN, "get on de dance flo', mon!" fiasco of bass and high hats. Super Cat's soft and clear voice complements the music where some other rastas and their gritty voice would detract from it. You really can't lose with this album; every track is spectacular and irresistable. If you've never listened to reggae or just could never get into it, you might be able to appreciate Super Cat.

OMG, a song that actually has a beautiful sound and beautiful lyrics....you're kidding me? Ryan Adams has a soothing voice and beautiful lyrics to go with it. "All this waiting for the power, for some answer to this fire, sinking slowly the water's higher...Desire"

"Destination Unknown" sounds the least dated of all of Missing Persons' hits, most likely because it was their most melodically satisfying song. The fact that it's also Dale Bozzio's least mannered vocal performance, with none of her trademark hiccups, helps considerably as well. Her helium-pitched voice ? Dale Bozzio sang like a new wave Betty Boop ? keeps this song firmly in the Missing Persons tradition, but the low-key backing vocals by her male bandmates on the chorus are a nice touch. The lyrics are typically lightweight, your basic high school-level musings on alienation by someone who has just learned the word "existential" but is unclear about what it actually means, but Ken Scott's light-handed production and nice touches like the staccato programmed drum fills on the chorus make it pleasant on the ear regardless.
(AMG)

Italian film score Bossa Nova featuring lyric-less female vocal.

Happy dance-pop song about a high school love.

This is pure fun, a track with that 'easy cheesy' sound which many people love to hate. But wait, this is brilliant! Although rather clunky and an extremely 'square' take on 'hip', this is quite magnificent, honestly. Backed by a relentless beat, Ronnie plays the tune on 2 pianos, while for the bridge section the superb harmonies in the Beach Boys original are played out beautifully by the London Festival Orchestra. Although it's something of a guilty pleasure, I have to recommend this track very highly. Listening to it now on headphones, I notice that it even has that stereo effect having each piano come out of a different channel, an effect used to great effect on his version of 'soulful strut'.

a french reworking of 'gimmie some loving' by the spencer davis group. lush strings and pounding horns make this song a stormer. i personally like this version better than the original. highly recommended.

Starts out quietly, acoustic guitar playing the theme, joined quickly by discreet electric piano and stand-up bass, then Martyn's low, growly-yet-soulful voice starts repeating the chorus ("I don't wanna know about evil/Only want to know about love") like a mantra. Halfway through, the rhythm section kicks in, and you find yourself singing along to said mantra. Highly effective and very memorable.

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

This song makes me want to be a proud american. It's definitely the finest antiwar song I've ever heard. It perfectly sums up my feelings about the bush administration and it conjures up the revolutionary spirit that must have been swirling around before the birth of our country.
That being said, I'm not usually that drawn towards protest songs per se. But this one grabs my attention with its drumcorps-like rhythm and its chanted vocal delivery with many layered voices. The guitar work is incredibly moving dynamic and textural. The meandering flute soloing echoes the lyrical call to "grab your fife and drum!" and then carries the song off into the sunset.
Of course, the lyrics are the most mind-blowing element when you pick them apart. After two poetically scathing verses describing the idiocy of empire, the third verse imagines the unapologetic uprising of the people. I highly recommend downloading the lyrics and getting familiar on that level. Powerful song!!!!

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

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

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

Knowledge is power and Stereo MC'S know how to preach it! Rob B turns out a great groove and a positive message reminding you to take the high road or get burned by your bad choices. I find it easy to get the memorable refrain "I wanna go higher" stuck in my head...

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.

This song is absolutely full of class and confidence - over 8 minutes long, and over a minute at the start is without drums or bass, just to get you into the groove. Then, they don't pull out the best tunes straight away - instead, they build up to them gradually with variations on the theme before building into a bigger and bigger climax. The tunes are as simple as you expect from Kraftwerk - the confidence to just hold a single note for 8 beats without changing is just fantastic - but the cumulative effect is brilliant.

The song is both hypnotic and euphoric and I can't recommend it too highly. When I looked at the iTunes stats as to what songs I had listened to the most, it turned out I had listened to this a heroic four times as much as any other song.

This song has clearly been hugely influential on groups like depeche mode and new order, and yet it somehow sounds quite separate from the things it has influenced. For example, just can't get enough by Depeche Mode is clearly influenced by this, but Europe Endless is much less poppy and commercial.

This whole album is fantastic - there is a kind of sister song to this one later on the album called Franz Schubert.

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

The soundtrack to november. This or any other year. Brazilian Jose Mauro only made one album before the brazilian military or drugs (info anyone ?)pulled him in but me oh my how beautful that record is.
If there could be such a thing as bossanova-blues than Jose Mauros "obnoxius" is the blueprint. Joses songs which comes along like a blend of early milton nascimento with doses of Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo. The album was arranged by gaya and is filled with wonderful string arrangements. One modern reference would be another Jose,namely,the swedish indietroubadour Jose Gonzales. The highlight of the album comes at the end, Excaltacao e lamento..,which sends shivers down my spine everytime i hear it.

From my favorite compilation jazz bizniz! Highly recomended.

This is one of these sensationally sensual, wonderful instrumental tracks only the italians could pull off in late sixties/early seventies. This is the title theme to "La morte cammina con i tacchi alti/Death walks on High Heels", one of the numerous gialli (thriller movies with that special italian touch) to come out of italy in heavy doses from the late sixties up to the mid seventies. Wonderful scores have been one of the constitutive elements of these films and while the scores that Ennio Morricone did for these movies (e.g. "L'ucello dalle piume di cristallo/Bird with the crystal plumage, "Cosa avete fatto a Solange/What have they done to Solange", Una lucertola con la pelle di donna/Lizard on a womans skin" or "Le foto proibite di una signora per bene/ Forbidden fotos of a lady above suspicion") have been long released, a lot of excellent music is still locked up in the vaults of CAM, Cinevox and other italian soundtrack labels. Thanks to the hard work of the guys at DigitMovies a lot of these scores now successively get a proper, remastered release (often for the first time ever), music otherwise would have been lost in oblivion forever. Stelvio Cipriani may not be remotely as well known as Morricone (who, naturally, overshines just every other italian composer), but he was very prolific in the heyday of italian cinema, scoring an equally wide range of different genres from westerns to gialli and from romantic movies to italain police (so called "poliziotteschi") and crime movies. This title track of "La morte cammina con i tacchi alti" doesn't have to hide behind the best of themes Morricone did, in fact the orchestration does sound very Morricone itself with an uptempo-ish bossa nova beat, lush strings, wonderful harpsicord and a female voice carrying the main melody with a bitterweet tone. The voice is delivered by Nora Orlandi, one of the very few female soundtrack composers and she could easily be mixed up with Edda Dell'Orso here. Wonderful stuff, recommended for anyone who enjoys the "Mondo Morricone" comps.

Given the recent reevaluation of "mainstream" 60s pop acts such as the Association, the Monkees & Free Design, it seems a shame that more people aren't aware of how great the Grassroots were. Best known for their oldies-radio staples "Midnight Confessions" and "Let's Live for Today", they were purveyors of great well-crafted, country-rock-tinged pop music. This track is a perfect example, deftly combining vibes, mandolin, handclaps, fuzz guitar and terrific lyrics into an inimitable 60s L.A. sound. Check them out, it's high time that they got their due. And a special note for all you trainspotters out there...you can see the band perform this song in the 1968 Doris Day vehicle "With Six You Get Egg Roll".

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

Incredibly breezy, silky smooth and gentle sounding tune this one. With a laid back samba rhythm, male/female wordless vocals some soft strings in the backround and some electric and acoustic guitars thrown in, this track is a great example for Martin B�ttchers superior talents as arranger and orchestrator. The whole compilation "Sound Kaleidoscope" is very well done, featuring 25 tracks from the mid 60s to the mid 70s. Highly recommended.

A solo single from a member of Japanese space rock collective Acid Mothers Temple. For them she plays Synthesiser (a nice old Roland) Cigarettes and Beer. On this she also sings.
Its a strange sounding thing, theres no bass or even much lower mid range. Echo'd synthesiser, a very old sounding drum box, and vocals all occupying the same accoustic space to very psychedelic effect. But yet, very poppy, the vocals stay with you for ages.
Lovely stuff.

'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.

I could go on at length about this awesome track, but I'll just restrain myself. Let's just say that rate this song very highly in my personal Tjader pantheon, and I have around 65 Cal albums.

Latin soul at it's finest!! Willie and his boys lock themselves into a serious groove on this cut. Also available on the highly-recommended Rhino compilation "Sabroso! The Afro-Latin Groove".

Piero sings in a soothing, breath-y tenor... More italian in tone than latin, although,the best comparison i've found is Luiz Henrique.His phrasing reminds me of Luiz as well,but there is no real relation.The backing has a nice spaghetti -western kind of vibe ala' Moriccone,which gives the whole thing a kind of high planes drifter setting,with plucked electric bass, strummed acoustic guitar,and occasional female chorus with a light string arrangement,Very cool.The whole record is really good,and a lot of the songs have a distinctly latin ballad feel.

Another wonderful, genre-defying track by Marcos Valle, Garra is a bouncy mix of scat vocals and funky, soulful pop. The arrangement somehow manages to remain very tasteful and tight. The entire album is highly recommended.

It starts the LP with a blast of horns and a wail of Harry Stoneham on Organ, with a big intro that makes you check the LP sleeve - Is this really that folky ballad?

A drop down to a cowbell latin beat, and then back into the song proper. The main rendition is pretty good, but theres just something about that introduction that just turns it into a cheeseball, high kicking masterpiece. I start grinning every time I hear it, never fails to lift my spirits.

I don't know if Jeffery Lee Peirce was a genius, but I find this song and album to be. ;)

This track by british session musician and library composer Alan Hawkshaw is the just the perfect soundtrack to cruise along a coast highway and, as the title suggests, you might want to do this in a sportscar (if available) for maximum enjoyment. Featuring incredibly lush strings and an Alpert-esque trumpet playing the melody it's not unlike "Pacific Coast Highway" by Burt Bacharach in mood and feel.

I've come to really like this band, but when I first heard them, I wasn't so keen. Like many great bands, Hefner feature a highly distinctive singer, who can take some time to grow on you. This simple 3 and a half minute pop song has an engaging arrangement, in which the piano, drums and guitar are superbly complemented in the chorus by synth, brass, and some great backing vocals. The chorus is quite glorious, with a chord sequence that somehow reminds me of the group Mercury Rev's very best songs. The words go very well with the emotional music as well: 'Lost feelings of love come flooding back/Every time you cry/ you give me little heart attacks/Love seems strongest when it's new/but that's something I can't prove/I can't prove that I love you...'

The only other reference point that occurs to me is Pulp - as the song builds, lead singer Darren Hayman's delivery becomes ever more exhuberant, like that of Jarvis Cocker in the best Pulp songs. Looking at the CD, I notice that the excellent backing vocals are by Amelia Fletcher, who if I remember correctly did some Wedding Present backing vocals, and was the singer in the Sarah records band 'Heavenly'. Anyway, this is a really infectious track, highly recommended.

cool high speed clean guitar instrumental with a 1950s tonalizer sound. I feel like I'm watching Sputnik in orbit while hearing a jet break the sound barrier when I listen to this. Deke and the Ecco-Fonics are noted for a phenomenal period-style production on albums, retro but never wistfully nostalgic songwriting, and exceptional virtuosity at live performances. The rest of this CD is loaded with great vocals and hip tunes.

Waltel Branco is the guitarist on a lot of classic early and mid-sixties Bossa LPs with outfits with Wilson Das Neves, Eumir Deodato and I think Ed Lincoln. There is also the classic and highly prized "Mancini Tamem e Samba" LP under his leadership that is available once again on the whatmusic label. Branco is like a Brazilian Les Paul but a little less quirky and a lot more hip. You can't help being more hip with that latin beat backing you up. Lots of deep lumbering compelling beats allow Branco to highlight his fretwork, thus the title - as far as I can translate becasue the cover is a picture of a flame - "Guitars on Fire." Similar to Heraldo Dos Monte "Batida Diferente".

bossa nova version! superb cover of the clash classic. highly recommended.

I'm glad that I get the opportunity to be the first to recommend a Bunnymen track, especially since their early work, which I feel is far stronger than anything after "Porcupine," is unknown, primarily Stateside, to many.

"Heaven Up Here" is a car losing it's wheels at full speed while cornering on a high mountain pass. Will Sargeant's opening chick-chick-chicking on guitar gives way to a straight bassdrop, headlong into Pete DeFreitas' insistent pounding on drums, while Ian McColluch's yelps sound utterly desperate, claustrophobic, pleading and angry simultaneously. There's a pause in the careening during the bridge, just long enough for Ian to remind us that "We're all groovy, groovy people...we're okay, we're okay," before it all plunges straight down the cliffside, banging, exploding, scraping and finally, ending succinctly.

I don't ever recall hearing back then, and rarely today, such a beautifully cacophonic melding of swirling psychedelia and assaultive punk/pop. The guitars are cascades of shimmering shards of sound. Les Pattinson's coy, but effective bassline floats beneath the furious energy DeFreitas unleashes on his drumkit. "Mac the Mouth" may be the frontman, but I think this gem is DeFreitas' piece all the way.

After 20+ years of living with this album, and this song in particular, the pump, pump, pump of the bass drum still sends shivers up my spine. Don't overlook this album as a whole either!

In my humble opinion, the great Aphex Twin has never again hit the highs of 1992's Selected Ambient Works 85-92. In fits and starts he's got close - but he's never managed to compete with the work here. And Heliosphan is his masterpiece. With a rumbling bass acompaniment and trademark break-beats, Aphex sleighs the listener with 4 plus minutes of choral beauty. Get in!

It's a marvelous song coming from a perfect album : " A t�bua de esmeralda" . Represents the highest level this artist achieved. It's an example of crossover mixing Samba - Soul - Psichodelia. A must for good music lovers.
A song for sophisticated ears.

Pink Floyd is very well established so I won't go into how amazing they are, but what I will do is tell you that all the songs you hear on the radio don't compare to this one. Okay I might have jumped the gun, but all this song takes is one time and bang you will find yourself singing it for days. I would just sit have a drink and put this song on repeat. It sooths the soul and quenches the mind. It is so relaxing that I farted while listen to it. In all honesty the first time I heard it it gave me goos bumps it was that powerful. So if you like Floyd and don't know this song, go get it.

A gem from the classic '60s television soundtrack to "Secret Agent Man"/"Danger Man". Driving rhthym with harpsichord and brass.

Catchy but still hard and edgy. What a grown up Punk kid should sound like.

Dan Auerbach plays slide guitar in this raw and emotional song. Simple yet moving. The Blues comes out in all of us in one point in time.

A great track from a truly great LP that I fear might have slipped through the cracks in the floorboards in the decade or so since it's release. TWP's "Queer" remains the band masterpiece, an ungodly amalgam of Can, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, King Tubby and De La Soul. This song perfectly highlights the record's/band's strengths - Mark Cox's cut and paste/dub programming, Andrew Gray's blistering guitar, Mick Allen's brilliant "Tom Waits sings the Mark E. Smith Songbook" voice/words, aided by then Throwing Muses Leslie Langston's sexy bass/backgrounds vocals. The song is both seductive and sinister - the spoonful of sugar being the its' "The Fall Plays The Burt Bacharach Songbook" shambling groove that helps down the medicine that is Mick Allen's venomous lyrics in re: America's inaction/indifference in the face of the AIDS crisis. Rarely has subject matter so heavy, been dealt with in such light/deft manner. I recommend the whole "Queer" LP - particularly the British edition , which differs in tracklisting and uses of samples. (It is likewise available on the band's fine - if somewhat short - best of "Everything is Beautiful 1983-1995"

Ha! Good luck finding this one. Hot little hopes is a storm in a teacup about going out on a night with high expectations by a band who never got the sucess they deserved. The music is sublime; a string and brass waltz that builds to a delirious gallop, but it's the lyrics and their delivery that make it special, and confirm BHJ as a lost treasure. Johnny Brown is a songwriter whose lyrics are great writing in their own right; much of his work reads like documentary, the man has a spectacular talent for transcribing the ordinary while maintaining strict disciplines of structure and story to catch your heart in your throat. Here as elsewhere the story almost doesn't deserve to be told- it's ordinary people with ordinary hopes and fears, but the music and the telling turn it into a modern fairytale.

Got a haircut today (short, choppy, fab). Getting a haircut often makes me think of June because she did have the greatest barnet ever - that fringe!

So I've pulled out my June collection - a paltry 4 LPs but growing - and am lovin' a bit of this tonight. The instrumentation here reminds me a lot of Ella Mae Morse's corner of the market, someone I should really get around to recommending on this site.

How High The Moon opens gentle as duck down, moving into a light finger snappin' mood then onto a heavy big band scat rhythm. Christy's technique is superlative and you can almost hear her intuitively measuring the band, taking each note perfectly.

This LP is a set of re-interpretations of songs June originally sang with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Being a June novice, I'm not aware of the original version but I doubt I could like it more.

Really cheering to find so many other Longet recommendations on the site. This festive gift seems only to be available on the Japanese "Best of" but repays handsomely the effort in seeking it out. Highly melodic and atmospheric it begs you to curl up in front of a real fire with a loved one in a cottage miles from anywhere...

Claudine recorded a number of Margo Guryan songs which are all impossibly fey, seductive and bewitching and I couldn't get through a week without them. (BTW I would also recommend all of the tracks (not one duffer) on Margo Guryan's album Take a Picture)

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

Alan Price left The Animals in 1965 and began his career as as the lead singer of The Alan Price Set in 1966.

Their first single was a flop. This, their second, made the Top Ten, in England.

It's my personal favourite rendition of this much covered, Screamin' Jay Hawkins song. The most famous version is probably by Nina Simone, which I also rate very highly.

Alan's version is tremendously powerful, helped by his skilful, echoey use of the Hammond Organ.

Price never 'made it' in the USA as a solo performer. He was terrified of flying, so the necessary promotion of his work, stateside, suffered. He also gave this as his reason for leaving the Animals, who needed to spend a lot of time in the USA, as they had a huge following there.

He's one of my favourite British artists, solo & otherwise, of the '60's & I think this is my favourite of his songs.

I never liked the Go-Gos. And I think Belinda Carlise's music is naff. But Jane Wiedlin has a certain something.

I remember first seeing the video to 'Rush Hour' on UK TV as a teenager. I thought that song was bloody great. My parents bought me her debut album 'Fur' for Christmas and we used to listen to it in the car. Listening to this always brings the memories flooding back.

Some of 'Fur' is a bit dodgy - but I can forgive Wiedlin. The high points still seem very high today. And 'Inside a Dream' is a beautifully crafted, Stephen Hague produced pop song. This three minute stunner moves and warps around a simple spine. Dubstar sounded a lot like this half a decade later.

One of the highlights off of their 200 self-titled album, !!!'s "Intensify" delivers upon the promise of its title by being really, well, intense. The band stick pretty close to their typical dancepunk sound, but there's a kick-ass breakdown halfway through where all the music drops out to make way for a chorus of people clapping and shouting "can u feel it intensify!"

Hott.

Lots of Cilla's earlier material was top quality, this Lennon/McCartney song (never actually recorded by the Fabs) knocked me out when I first heard it on my cousin's Dansette in 1964. Spooky melody which almost strays into jazz territory in the instrumental break. Sophisticated pop of the highest order.

This song is one I remember enjoying greatly as soon as I heard it shortly after its release as a single. To me it encapsulated perfectly the angst and frustration I often felt at that time. It did this as much through its sophisticated musical content and texture as through the lyrics. Listening to it now, it's as good an example as any of how different synth sounds go in and out of fashion. Hollis gives a typically intense vocal performance, and there are subtle hints in some of the instrumental lines of the more jazzy direction the band would later take. Highly recommended - don't miss this one. Oh, sorry - wrong site. Thought I saw the word Ebay somewhere.

For a start we need more in the Australia section than Nick Cave and his assorted Combo's. Although I think the bass player from the Triffids now plays with him. And then I can't believe I've not recommended the Triffids before. This is quite an early one from when they were still playing London pubs. I don't know what its about (blood on my thighs and milk on my knees the sign outside says vacancies), theres lots of violin without it being folky or too countrified, and the chorus is insanely catchy with lines alternated between the late David McComb and Jill Birt the keybboard player. They were a big part of my musical life in the eighties, and 'In the pines' is still a great LP 15 years on.

This one really has everything, to me. I'm not a connoisseur of the Beatles's 'White album', but I'm completely crazy about Ramsey Lewis's superb LP in tribute to it. The entire album has a delicious balance of crisp beats, electric piano, strings, and subtle touches of moog, played by the album's producer, Charles Stepney. I've chosen 'Julia' to recommend because I enjoy the way it changes mood - opening mournful and slow, and then getting very funky. But the entire album is really packed with winners; other highlights are a wacky and extremely funky 'back in the USSR', a superb 'Dear Prudence', and a great 'cry baby cry'.

This is my favourite Eurythmics track by some considerable margin, though I also rate some others on the album quite highly. I consider "Julia" to be a classic of 80's electronica, with a rather haunting chord sequence underpinning an effective vocal line with extensive use of vocoder on Annie Lennox's voice. There is a bridge section (heard twice) which is rather derivatve of Vangelis's "Chariots of Fire" theme, but as the track progresses and builds up texturally, there is an undeniable emotional impact, and I always enjoy the various instrumental melodies and counter-melodies that appear.

From the "Dusk at Cubist Castle" album, there're two indie-pop highlights that shine above all; "Jumping Fences" and "Courtyard". Whereas Courtyard is more of a complete song than "Jumping Fences", it also is the most blissfully guilty of being overly "Beatle-esque". Jumping Fences, however, is even lower-fi, more harmonius, and equally as blissful without sounding completely unoriginal.

"Just Lust" was the B-side to the Buzzcocks' highest-charting single, the Pete Shelley punk-pop classic "Ever Fallen in Love?," eventually reaching number 12 on the U.K. singles chart in September of 1978. The mysterious co-author " Dial" is, in fact, a pseudonym for the band's early manager, Richard Boon, who also shared songwriting credits on "What Ever Happened?," the B-side to the Buzzcocks' infamously banned first single "Orgasm Addict." However, the effect of his involvement in not apparent here, as the music is classic Buzzcocks � masters of the punk-fueled power pop nugget. The rhythm is springy, the track's nervous tension as wired as the melody is infectious. Punchy verses with quick-hit vocals are alternated with short dreamy sections of woozy flanged guitar and chopped up-tempo shifts, the band expertly maneuvering in tight spaces. Shelley follows the twists and turns with clipped phrases followed by drawn-out melodies in sync with the compact arrangement: "Your dream to possess/It hurts/It's so unjust/Just lust, just lust/If nothing mattered less/Then I wouldn't make a fuss/Just lust, just lust/I was slow to catch on and that just makes it worse/If passion is a fashion then emotion is just a curse." Though the track was also included on the Buzzcocks' second album, Love Bites, the group had yet to make an impact in the United States. Thankfully, this little gem was not left to languish in obscurity as it was included in the influential collected singles package Singles Going Steady, compiled as the band's introduction to American audiences and released in the states in 1979.
(AMG)

This song starts off sounding like High School Musical but don't be alarmed, as it goes on it develops a deliciously psychotic feel. This song is quite different to other songs by Natalia Kills, but it is just as good if not better. I love this song because when I first heard it I didn't know what it was called and when I heard the lyrics "I'm rolling the dice, got the wind in my hair" I thought it was another ridiculously cheesy love song but then it went "I'm gonna kill my boyfriend" which intrigued me and I am so glad I kept listening because it just gets better and better.

style: pop, downbeat. Smooth, easy, just the right amound of bossa, drums, synthesizers. Kim is just a great song all around and only 7 some minutes long. But you don't ever want it to end. Keeps your head nodding. Burgalat is the master of instrumentation as much as Sean O'Hagen is to the High Llamas. He can produce a mellow, warm, lush sound like no one else at the moment.

A highly enjoyable song on many levels. Firstly, the words are ridiculous. 'Don't you know I understand you're a man, and you've got to have your kinky love' is pretty funny, but that's nothing compared to 'baby take me inside, and let the honey slide'. Musically, it's really rather charming as well, opening with just Nancy's voice and a cool watery guitar sound, building beautifully with some great strings. Even though I find myself laughing at the lyrics, she sounds very vulnerable and serious; her voice seems to break at certain points. All in all, this is really every bit as enjoyable as her superb 60s material.

Although I'm very interested in the batch of cool Italian soundtracks from the 60s and 70s which have recently been reissued, I often feel pretty overwhelmed by the volume of stuff out there. So I was pleased to find a used copy of Piero Umiliani's 'Angeli Bianchi...Angeli Neri'. It really is an intoxicatingly brilliant record, and this track is one of the highlights. The musical setting moves around a lot over four minutes - the opening sounds almost like fairy tale music; this then fades out, and some spooky and very cool sounding wordless vocals come in, accompanied by a slick, hip easy listening-style sequence with strings, bass and drums. As this builds, the wordless vocals continue, backed by increasingly beautiful and unexpected chord changes. I'm not doing a great job of describing this record, but happily in this case you can hear the whole song (streamed, real audio) at the excellent 'atrecordings.com' site. Anyway, it's a wonderful track, up there with my absolute favorite soundtrack pieces.

this entire soundtrack to the film la planete sauvage comes highly recommended. never seen the film, but it can�t possibly be as good as the soundtrack suggests.
chilly, funky instrumental orchestral music. there�s a really haunting recurring theme through the album, nice use of choirs and twangy guitar too.

I have never seen this on a Greatest Hits album or heard it on the radio. It never made the US top 100 (although at this time the Seasons were apparently more popular in the UK).

It's surprisingly long for a Four Seasons song (6:11), and takes its time moving from the slower, "Lay Me Down" sections (with the more typical harmonies) to the more rock-oriented "Wake Me Up" sections. The closing refrains feature the types of harmonies you'd expect from early-80s Chicago. Frankie Valli handles the lead vocals, but stays away from the high-pitched stuff.

If you liked GENUINE IMITATION LIFE GAZETTE, this should be right up your alley. For those most familiar with the early-60s stuff ("Sherry") and their disco hits ("Who Loves You," "December 1963"), the 1969-1970 recordings might make a lot of sense as a bridge between the Four Seasons as a group of singers fronted by Valli in 1962 to a vehicle for some great compositions by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio in the mid-1970s.

This is a song about a tragic break-up. Keane seem to be masters at the tear-jerker that rocks. It starts with piano, bass, & drums, and guitar comes in for the climax. But my favorite thing about it is the singing. Keane's singer at times has an improbaby high voice, yet you know it's a guy. They're like Queen in the vocals, but they sort of out-Queen Queen with the highness. That's part of their appeal for me. Anyway the song goes from annoyance to anger to grief in a rocking climax.

Man! You really have to get up early in the morning to find tracks like this. LA big band funk, banks of brass, electric bass throbbing away, and the hard hitting Jimmy Gordon on drums! But the best part is the vocals, done it a way that makes it sound like an Odeon recording from late 60's Brazil!... Stunning. The rest of the LP is no slouch either though, and reminds me a lot of Quincy's late 60's work and the Project 3 era Enoch Light stuff.

Highly recommended to lounge DJ's and fans of mod rarities.

This is so wrong; it ends up being right somehow. On paper, this cover is a car wreck. Barbara takes on Bowie�s brilliant, epic ballad of camp surrealism � his homage to big, theatrical female belters like Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and�Streisand, herself � and the song escapes her utterly. Her delivery sound like she learned the lyrics phonetically. (She might as well be singing in Cantonese.) And Jon Peters� production/Tom Scott�s arrangements bring to mind the cool, �L.A.-sound� of Joni Mitchell�s �Court and Spark� LP � minus all the clever bits Joni brought to the table. Yet it spite of all of these faults � this version works. The song is just too good, and Babs� charisma is just too powerful. It�s a [Space] oddity you�ve got to hear to believe.

Found this sealed copy at a local thriftery, an artist i've never heard from a good period at Columbia. Most of the LP meanders in a poetic way, highlighting Spheeris's moody lyrics, sometimes getting a little too "drippy" at times. This track stands out like a champ from the rest, and was penned by a sideman on the LP, Lee Calvin Nicoli. It has such a great pop appeal, in a sort of Cat Stevens way, with a brilliant arrangement (by the author no doubt), that moves along bouncing and resting... A perfect song for a rainy sunday afternoon!

Seems this fellow died very young, and has quite a cult following from what i've read. Should be a nice discovery for fans of 70's folk. And singer-songwriter stuff.

Another awsome but forgotten vocal group from 60's California that deserves a proper re-issue!The Collage were a vocal quartet(2 boys & 2 girls)with a very cool sound.Not enough to set them apart from the pack,but very groovy out of their context.The sound is as good as re-discovered groups like Free Design, or Millenium.In fact,Curt Boettcher wrote one of the songs on the LP,as well as Roger Nichols!
This song has a kind of"love awareness" message that seems just as relevant in today's troubled world: "...Look at a baby,what do you see?What do you see,lookin' at a baby?/I can see the world the way that I would like the world to be!..."This song,as the opener on the LP,has a lot of power, with that great 8th note stomp and a big,boomy,bass line with harpsichord.The arrangements are by the great Perry Botkin Jr.,and he gives the whole record a nice swirling,magical quality.And the rest of the album is just as impressive, and should be worth the high price for any lover of the genre.

A classic, congenial, groundbreaking electronica score to Ridley Scott's movie "Blade Runner". While the most significant cues like "Love Theme" and "Memories of Green" were included on numerous compilations before, it took 12 years for the soundtrack to get released officially. Since Vangelis "recompiled" the music for the soundtrack, adding new music, reworked cues and left out parts of it, it's the best sounding but far from complete version of the soundtrack. Due to this fact there have been a huge amount of unofficial bootleg releases over the years, mostly private releases put out in small quantities. Even after over 20 years since the soundtrack has been recorded it still sounds fresh and highly evocative as ever before. The feeling throughout the soundtrack is a neo-retro, future-noir mood with grand soundscapes created with a mass array of various analogue synths. Especially the wonderful use of the Yamaha CS-80, with it's somewhat organic, sweeping, harmonica-style polyphonic sound gives the music such a remarkable feel. On "Love Theme" though Vangelis prominently features pretty much the only "real" instrument on the whole soundtrack, a saxophone played by Dick Morrisey.

I heard this track again recently and it had an almost chemical effect on me. Why? It's hard to say. I can't claim to be especially moved by the lyrics, but the song captures a certain mood which makes me want to shake around. The track has a nice balance of instrumentation - New Order trademarks like strong, crisp drums and prominent bass, and a melody played on the melodica.

The other highlight of the song for me is the manically strummed guitar break near the end - a great moment. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but this track still has a lot of power for me.

This is my favorite song and is very close to a Christmas carol,especially "Walking in the air"
It appeared on the Indie charts in early 1983 peaking at No.5,sharing the chart with no end of punks.
Virginia Astley had little to do with Rock,never mind Punk

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

it's not the most beautifully written song -or the most appropriate, for that matter- but i love it for the way it was performed, the way Brendon's sometimes high-pitched vocals harmonize so well with the instruments, and its memorability. this song stuck with me for a very long time, however i am also very attached to it on account of more personal reasons.
the intellectual aspects are also what struck me as being meaningful- how often do you hear the word 'harlequin' or 'testosterone' in a song? i enjoy listening to tunes with at least some signs of intellect, rather than hearing a string of curses or slang in an entire three minutes. although there are some profanities in Lying, it's not as bad as many other songs out there, that's for sure.

however, there is a sad aspect to the song as well. apparently, it was inspired by guitarist Ryan Ross' recent breakup with his girlfriend on account of her cheating. he stated:
"At the time it felt like the world had ended. I hated everything. It affected that whole album. I guess it's good that I wrote it down. I might have stabbed somebody."

overall, i think it's a great composition, with an enjoyable melody and a catchy chorus, despite its melancholy roots.

metro area brings a lot of things together. there is the oldskool discovibe. there is retro-electro. there is detroit. and there is always organic stuff within like in this track, the nice flute-riff which appears only once or twice.
the whole album is highly recommandable. all tracks are arranged in a deep disco mood, as i would describe it. but you can't compare it to real disco from the 70s as there are a lot of other ingredients. for example a 909 fourtofloorbeat in many tracks and synthiepads sweeping in and out. nice mixture.
i think some tunes should be familiar to club-goers (miura, athmosphrique) but this one is more for your home-audio-experience...=)

From The KLF's brilliant ambient album CHILL OUT. I highly recommend this entire album. Buy it now. You won't be disapponted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Masterpiece! This record, a legend amongst those who know it, with its fine writing, arranging and singing clearly deserves its place in the Pantheon of great pop. It may have failed commercially in its time but the beauty of their pop puts it amongst the best of our times and explains why 37 years after its creation it remains exquisitely artful to our ears. I could write 100,000 words scratching at what I love about this group and their first 4 records, and this song alone.But, the Free Design deserve, rather than my dull hyperbole, a good listen. Rousing and sublime, almost TOO GOOD to have been a big hit. If you read a bit about them you realize that these singing siblings made some naive career choices that favored music over money. Our gain.
Some bonehead on this site claimed The Free Design sound like Stereolab. That writer got it butt backwards. Sadly, Stereolab doesn't have the skill to really reach the musical and spiritual depth of the Free Design. Stereolab's OK, don't get me wrong, but they are often a pale imitation of a much richer source. Letitia from Stereolab cites The Free Design as one of her all-time favorite bands, so at least they have sublime taste and honesty when it comes to revealing their sources.

Guaranteed to lift you up way high.
Buy or download NOW!!!

Fave part: "Wish that I were corny....:

A very cool sunshine pop style number from the soundtrack to the Brazilian soap opera 'selva de pedra'. This two-minute track has an irresistable groove and some nice harmonized group vocals. The vocals are mostly gentle and smooth, like strings, but there are also some jazzier scat phrases thrown in. The entire soundtrack is highly recommended.

This exquisite instrumental really takes me to another place. The exotic instrumentation, with vibes and great percussion, gives it an incredible atmosphere. To quote the CD's liner notes, 'it's as if you've walked into a grandiose movie setting'. Perhaps this dates me, but in fact when I hear this I find myself picturing some of the desert scenes in the movie Star Wars. I highly recommend the album.

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.

While "Metti una sera a cena" has always been amongst my favourite Ennio Morricone themes this interpretation by Milva lifts the quality of the song to an even higher sphere. In fact, its hard to describe the intensity of this version : Milvas voice is perfectly suited for this piece, the arrangement is even crisper and more dynamic than the original Morricone recording, the full blown crescendo of strings and voice at the end is simply overwhelming. My only complaint is the song seems to fade out a bit too early.

Stunning, Italian, auburn chanteuse Milva sings a set of Ennio Morricone, produced and arranged by the maestro himself in 1972.
Need I "say" anything else?
Utterly brilliant, and this song is a highlight amongst highlights!
La diva Milva sings the daylights out of this swooning ballad - soaked in a downpour of strings, acoustic guitars and sci-fi background vocals.
I guarantee your heart will break in twenty-nine places as you listen.
(But I do have to ask - does anybody out there know from what soundtrack this songs originates?)

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

ooh, this is the kind of song that makes me want to simultaneously cry and break stuff... in a good way, if at all possible. starting off pretty and introspective, this song slowly evolves into a stirring anthem for every kid that ever found solace in music.

"you're spinning / your new 45s / all the misfits / and the losers / yeah you know you're rock'n'rollers / spinning to / your rock'n'roll"

this version is off the original cast recording, however the film version is equally excellent, and i would highly recommend the film to everyone. i gotta say, though, i was privileged to have seen the original off-broadway staging and... well, it was a pivotal night for me. hearing this song brings it all back, including [sappy moment ahead, brace yourself] the incredible rush of emotions that came over me when the play ended.

ever heard of marc bolan? check this out! toured with the who and got thrown off due to a havoc in germany. a psychedelic pop song of highest class.

DJ Food's Kaleidoscope was a mind-blowing record for me when I first heard it, and I'm still very fond of it after countless listens. I guess I liked it for many of the same reasons I initially liked Tipsy's Trip Tease; they both took samples I was familiar with, or at least some of which I was familiar with, and pushed them in totally unexpected directions. DJ Food's samples are perhaps more varied and less dense than Tipsy's but still just as finely and imaginatively put together. It's hard for me to single out favorite tracks on this record, but this one is a great piece of modern Exotica. The primary sample here is "By The Waters of Minnetonka" from Stanley Black's "Exotic Percussion" record on London's Phase 4 label. There are some other nice touches including harp, slide guitar, bird sounds, and even a little Ravel ("Daphnis et Chloe"). Highly recommended.

Cosmopolitan Disco with a warm orchestration igniting the perfect melody, Cory Daye's vocal performance can't go wrong. Dr. Buzzard's music is unlike any other music with the battered "Disco" tag. As with most of their discography, this is highly recommended! Also try "The Gigolo and I" and "Transistor Madness-Future DJ" from their wrongly criticized "Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Meets King Pennett" album.

From one of the great rock'n'roll albums. The lyrics make this track a standout with the closing denouement of "your mommie's on one scary ride.... and it's all because your daddy lied". Trash culture of the highest level.

I am not familiar with the original by Francoise Hardy, but consider this version to be very hauntingly expressive. The artist's interesting and highly effective fusion of the middle eastern and western is as prominent as in her other recordings.

Rick James rocks. but he also can croon. His 1985 LP, "Glow," was highly underrated, and because of this fact, many folks passed up this gem of an album. "Moonchild," with its lush bassline - dreamy keyboards - and somewhat inspired lyrics, is one of the many tracks should've made RJ a bigger star than he was. Motown really dropped the ball on not releasing this ballad as a single or promoting the album, PERIOD. Mary J. Blige brought this song back to life (without butchering it) with 1997's "Love is All We Need."

A real up-beat number for a very cerebral tune! All AK's records are full of wierd moments and odd delights, this is the one from the set that aim's to please! It starts out with the groups signature harmonies in a acapella almost swingle-like mode, and then kicks in to a hybrid pop groove from heaven, with castanets clacking away ... And the lyrics are wild ! :..." What's the difference being different when it's difference now that looks alike, you say i'm changing and i'm not so sure it's wrong..." " It's just that centerline on this highway runs up my banjo neck, and I feel somehow that it's natural to be gone..."

Written by John Hartford. A name i've seen before, but i'm not familiar with his work. I'd like to know more if anyone knows his definitive recordings!

i`m on a pixies high now. thank your favourite fictional deity that they`ve still got it:) it`s always a relief when reunions actually work..
this track from their debut ep is freaky and wonderful, like most pixies tracks. the lyrics are among their best (and most coherent!)
you-are-the-son of incestuous union!

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!

There's already an entry for this album, but I felt like I had to note it with an mp3. Ditto to everything that m_thom said, this song is what pushed me over the edge, that perfect heroine high that no other piece of music has given in me since, but it created in me a desire for beautiful music, and that's what brings me here today. If anybody has a copy of the film, I'd pretty much do anything for it.

Killer surf guitar from the undisputed King of the Surf Guitar.

It's manic. Snapped wires. Screaming at the boxcars as they go by. Kid listened to too many Joy Division records in high school and not only did he pick up an attraction to crazy, but he learned how to freak out to that crazy in melody as well. And freak out he does. But he'll tell you why he's freaking out, he'll make you feel it too. And turns out, he has good reason to freak out. Dude's in deep with a bad chick who's, well, she's pretty bad. He waits until the chorus before shrieking for help, "She can't read!" There are those intimate little details that make you realize he's caught in this relationship, he's in love, he loves crazy, he's not getting out any time soon. "It's in the way she pulls it." and the amazing line, "Her stories are boring and stuff /she's always calling my bluff." Sears my frickin' heart.

It is hard to imagine a more musically wistful verse than that of this song. The swelling chorus augments it perfectly and very dramatically. This B side from the "Duke" era is surely one of Mike Rutherford's best songs, and one of the highlights of the post-Gabriel Genesis for those who appreciate the band's slower numbers.

lovely feelgood song from the borderline brilliant japanese new wave band plastics. a break from their often minimalistic intrumentation. oddball lyrics, nice guitar, harmonica and extremely enthusiastic singing.
i love the way the male vocalist seems to be holding his nose while singing in the beginning of the song.


waiting for the taxi
standing in the snow white
newspapers falling on the ground
it's cold and cold and cold

new york is frozen steak
teddy bear and kitty cat
fireplace and candles
all you need is weapon

this is peace
this is funny fairy tale

green green green peace
high high high heel
inside is outside
world is nonsense

dream of the tide wave
my peace is your peace
peace by the people
peace for the peace

this is peace
this is funny fairy tale

all i see is green green
grave yard of lily white
sleeping beauty laying there
with dots and symbols

marmalade evening
fur coats and venus
venus and mighty dragon said
all you need is weapon

this is peace
this is funny fairy tale

Great stuff from a young Letta Mbulu. Her first recording, and with the good company of H.B. Barnum & David Axelrod, is a stunner. This is my favorite track from the LP. It's almost in a Mystic Moods kind of mode, with a thunderstorm recording used for effect, it may have something to do with the lyrics, but since she sings in Xhosa, I have no idea. Her voice is strong and smooth, at times she sounds influenced by Nina Simone, but on this one she is more in a traditional mode. The backing is great Axlerod, with his strong soul-jazz-rock crossover, much like he did for Lou Rawls during this period. Highly recommended for fans of heavier african grooves.

The opening track on the 1972 album 'Quarteto em Cy,' this is an interpretation of a Chico Buarque song, written for the film of the same name by Cac� Diegues. I find this recording very affecting. It helps that the spectrum of sound is that kind of superb blend of strings, piano, bossa nova guitars, and female vocals that I find so perfect. But I think it's also just the fragile, melancholic atmosphere of the song that gets me. After the introduction, featuring a flowing string arrangement that reminds me of the work Claus Ogerman did with Jobim, the song gets going, and the mood becomes a little lighter. This album has just been reissued on CD in Brazil, and is highly recommended.

I think that it is rather telling that the first words you hear on Air's new album are "we are the synchronizers". I have owned this CD for less than 24 hours and am currently on my seventh listen...to some people, that's natural, but not to me. I have to admit, this is quite the anomaly for me in general. It's much, uh, "proggier" than their first record, a fact well-evidenced by the cover art. In fact, it's quite a bit proggier than anything else in my record collection, but I can't seem to get enough of it. I'm having a very difficult time picking a particular song to recommend, so I'm arbitrarily choosing this one. I was a bit worried that I would be disappointed by this, considering how much I love "Premier Symptomes", "Moon Safari" and the "Virgin Suicides" score, but that was not the case. Get this album, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Does it get any more happier and sunnier than this? This is a true sunshine pop / jet-set lounge piece with a fast paced beat, lush strings, woodwinds and a catchy melody. The style reminds me of Bacherat's 'Pacific Coast Highway' and Alan Hawkshaw's 'Girl in a Sportscar'. Just imagine your self beeing on the French riviera, crusing around in your sportscar with a beautiful girl at your side and you are the king of the world as you drive into the sunset.

I can be very wrong here, but it seams that this is the title song for the movie with the same name, made in 1998. I could have sworn that this was a piece from the 1960s, the sound, the arrangement, the instruments, sound incredibly accurate and realistic. I found this song on the excellent 'Jet Set Society' compilation from our own eftimihn on this site, a brilliant pick.

The lead single from one of the Church's all time highs, the dark, powerful Priest Aura, "Ripple" was much like the album it came from - lengthy, with an emphasis on artistic impact rather than radio-friendly ease, charged with a feeling of impending, unnerving threat. The initial guitar chime and Steve Kilbey's singing may provide a familiar feeling for long-time listeners, but the edge of spite and conflict in the words carries through in the performance - Kilbey's not so much blending into the mix as suddenly slicing through it. The full arrangement almost has a touch of film noir threat to it, but not as much as the amazing chorus. Starting with a soft, almost sighed overdubbed vocal part like a mysterious signal, it literally does ripple up in the mix, sneaking up on the listener instead of turning into any kind of a singalong. It's the same approach as with "Under the Milky Way," but the air here is less elegant melancholia and more unsettling electric charge, extra guitar feedback carving arcs through the arrangement, instrumental breaks providing only short, temporary relief.
(AMG)

Powerful vocals... the verses have a strange and different tune- they sound almost like Celine's making it up as she goes along, but in a good way. Even if this isn't her most heartfelt song, it is very good and fun to listen to.

The Carpenters have become like Abba were for me about 15 years ago - I can lose hours at a time just listening to their best songs with the volume up high. I actually never really dared to venture beyond my favorites from Abba's hits, but with the Carpenters I have a few LPs and recently picked up a 5-CD reader's digest set, allowing me to hear some less famous tracks by them.

This track is a bit of a revelation for me. Highly produced, early 70s. Piano-led, with strings, guitar, bass etc, and Richard providing some backing vocals. Karen's singing is beautiful as ever, although her voice sounds a bit funny - she over-pronounces words like 'goes'. The verse is plaintive and moody, while the brief chorus is funky in that glorious way tracks from the early 70s can be funky. This section is reprised with pretty sick flute playing!

In all, a really beautiful track that for me showcases all the best things the Carpenters have to offer. The band are still stigmatized by many, for reasons I'm not exactly clear on. I understand that this kind of highly produced, clean sounding music might not be for everyone, but if you've just been put off listening to them because they're not very cool, maybe give this track a try!

It's another doomy orchestral vocal masterpiece! A devastating piece, this would be a depressing song if it weren't for the incredible string arrangement, which is like warm sunlight. I can't recommend this (and the album it's taken from) highly enough.

Janko Nilovic deserves attention. He composed a huge volume of library music in the 1960s and 70s, and what I've heard of his work has all been excellent. Some of it has recently been made available on CD by the Cosmic Sounds label, who are also releasing new work by him. It's hard to sum up his work, because it was quite diverse. From what I've heard, Nilovic was like a jazzier, more wild version of other contemporary library composers like Roger Roger and Nino Nardini.

This is a wonderful instrumental that opens with a bare breakbeat. This is soon joined by bass and electric guitar, which then give way to a Morricone-style harpsichord, which riffs over a descending minor chord sequence. The whole thing remains funky and slightly menacing as different parts drop in and out. The whole piece is really just a simple jam, but the impeccable arrangement takes it to a higher level.

A note-for-note cover of the Nancy Sinatra's version of the Beatles' classic...sung in a very high-pitched Cantonese. Beautiful stuff.

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.

A dramatic pop number from the 60s in which Mina passionately belts out the tune. The opening is gentle, with a delicate trumpet melody; it then builds up to a huge climax with full orchestra. The song is infuriatingly catchy and familiar; I'm sure I had heard it many times before I finally identified it about five years ago. Very highly recommended.

The consistent high quality of the ever expanding oeuvre of Fay Lovsky doesn't make it easy to pick one song to examplify her work, so I'll just go by the moment and will choose my present favorite Sequoia, a humorous ode to a wooden californian characterised by a laid back bluesy pizzicato groove and tremelo glissandi especially towards the end, where they tickle the tree to a dramatic finale. All instruments on this track are acoustic (drums, bass, guitar, violins) and the sound is warm and direct as usual.

Ah - yet another classic about killing women. Cave is excelling himself here - it opens with the immortal line 'there is woman-pie in here.' This one breaks from the standard Birthday Party template - first drums, then bass, then nick, then guitars - by doing all the above, but with the mental leap of playing it at a quarter of the normal speed. The highlight is the inevitable moment when Nick says 'And all the girls across the world.....
.........
...........
are........
hit. '
MAGNIFICENT. Why didn't the sugarhill gang sing it that way?
�
As far as I know, this the only song bassist Tracy Pew is credited with writing. His part is pretty obvious. It's the bass line.

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.

Unreal.
First of all, there's Jill Scott. With as much respect I have for her songwriting and singing abilities, I've never thought of her as a musical genius. Her music was, and stays, consistently the best soul music being released. And I'm sure that in twenty years I'll still have great fondness listening to her tunes. Yet, I don't hesitate to state that she is not a genius.

"Slowly Surely" is a great track off Jill Scott's "Who is Jill Scott: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1" album. The track, itself, is a departure from the rest of the album in composition. It is lyrically and melodically experimental, and deosn't perform as a very commercially radio friendly tune. Having said that, this is probably my favorite track on this sublime album.

Theo Parrish is a genius, however. There are no two ways about it. His music is difficult to understand. His path to fame and stardom seems as intentional as Donald Trump's efforts at staying unnoticed. He has a tendency to compose electronic dance music with beats so slow, they'd make Big Daddy Kane half step. This isn't a salmon swimming upstream. This fish is out of the water wondering why he can't fly.

The remix, in the commercial music industry, has been tainted ever since the digital age. Starting off as a tool for DJs in night clubs, a track would have been remixed to have extended beats in the beginning and the end of the track. Thus, early remixes were plainly titled, "Extended Version". However, remixes on commercial radio are merely an effort to milk the popularity of whatever is popular at the moment. These remixes usually include a guest vocalist singing, or rapping, along the original track. Another version of the remix is the time filler. When albums were made with consideration to program times for opposing sides (as well as cassette tapes), remixes were often added when material was scarce. This practice would eventually wipe out the addition of the "Reprise" track. These remix tracks were usually the chosen radio friendly track with extra production on top of the original track.

The remix for "Slowly Surely" is none of the above. It is very unique as it's own being. It pulsates to it's own heartbeat. It moves on it's own, in no predictable direction, as if Theo Parrish had little control over his artistic output. That's his genius. That's his art.

Looking at these three girls on the cover of their album (and the two shadowy, deadly-dull string-pulling guys on the inside) you'd never think that something so chock-full of bubblegum Brooklyn attitood could produce the smart, sexy sound that is this marvellous track.

It's class in a glass. Sidestepping the cuteness factor and packaged cool (both of which, to their credit, they also do very well) of other tracks on the album, So Stylistic bombs along with a real old-skool hip-hop feel. This is balanced nicely by more than a smattering of electropop and gratuitous use of the vocoder, making it seem relentlessly contemporary. This is a band so up-to-date that they don't bother sampling any of that old jazz or funk nonsense, but go straight for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (on Things, another album highlight).

A rare example of a band manufactured down to the last pendant and all the better for it.

From The 12 Dreams Of Dr Sardonicus, this final track on side 2 has got to be one of the most beautiful songs with its full organ sound underpinning fragile high register vocals that develop into harmonies that send shivers all over. Recorded at a studio picked for it's resident organ, the quality of the recording is crystal!

I just love this song. The first time I heard was while I was in high school... My english class was studying A Brave New World and my teacher played this song. It's so peaceful at the beginning and takes a lovely turn at the end when the peace is shattered.

�Something Better Change� was released in July of 1977 as the first single from The Stranglers upcoming second album No More Heroes which would appear in mid September. Along with the albums title track, �Something Better Change� would signal a move in a more overtly pop direction that was only hinted at on the group�s first album and would manage to peak at #9 on the U.K. singles chart. This is not to say that The Stranglers abandon their reputation as caustic agitators as No More Heroes was littered with politically contentious tracks such as �I Feel Like A Wog�, �Bring On The Nubiles� and �Bitching�, but the song�s infectious guitar riff and winning melody suggests a tenuous party rock atmosphere. It�s left to singer J.J. Burnel�s particularly gruff vocal performance to keep thing in the punk zone as he alternates between a gnarly throated delivery and a melodic toned timbre. Pumping organ and a buoyant mid-tempo rhythmic romp keep the energy high as he confronts the status quo with a tirade against stifling apathy, flaunting the punk new order with the taunting second verse, �Don�t you like the way I dance? / Does it bug you? / Don�t you like the cut of my clothes? / Don�t you like the way I seem to enjoy it? / Stick my finger right up your nose!� The bridge becomes a jubilant anthem where Burnel voices a punk battle cry to a flurry of organ runs and a growling bass line, �Something�s happening and it�s happening right now / You�re too blind to see it / Something�s happening and it�s happening right now / Ain�t got time to wait�. The chorus is a simple statement, Burnel demanding �Something better change!� with support from the boys in the band who join in for a group shout. Ironically, the arrangement also shows signs of classic rock moves, including a stinging guitar solo and an old school build up of the chorus late in the track.
(AMG)

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

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

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

This is such a beautiful song. Imogen Heap has an angelic voice, especially when she hits high notes.

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

I grew up listening to Joe Jackson and i still find his venturing into all sorts of musical styles and the eclecticism surrounding his musical work very interesting. Starting as a post-punk, new wave singer/songwriter he released three great albums from 79-81 with his "Joe Jackson Band" before going solo with a string of fine albums in the 80s (musically ranging from jazz, R&B, rock to latin-tinged sophisticated pop) and later writing and arranging soundtracks and even doing classical music. He recently regrouped with his band, produced another album and toured with the original line-up consisting of Gary Sanford, Graham Maby and Dave Houghton and surprisingly it worked as good as in the beginning of his career. "Steppin' Out" was released on probably his best solo offering "Night & Day" in 1982, a highly evocative, melancholic, catchy pop song skillfully mixing a synth sequencer beat and keyboards with piano jazz harmonies and xylophones.

This is a fairly straight-ahead rocker with a well-defined beat, which some have called the Connells' best song. My favourite thing about it is that snaking guitar line which lies in behind the vocals in the first verse, and then starts to repeat an octave higher in the second, but quickly changes direction. Very inventive! It reminds me of the shorter guitar line that leads into the chorus on "Upside Down" from their previous LP "Fun and Games".

This LP seemed to see the band influenced by grunge and moving in a direction featuring a harder guitar sound, but I don't think it was an improvement at all, and I do have most of their CDs ...

Anja , the daughter of the highly respected Jan Garbarek ,one of the big jazz-dudes in Norway , Anja started to do music after she found that acting was too restricted. On this tune\album she uses her freedom to create dream-like atmospheres.

U can hear her that she is inspired by Laurie Anderson on this tune ,in the way she tells the story. Instrument-wise the tune is very multi-layered and intruiging. I highly recommend it if u like the music of for example Bj�rk,Kate Bush etc.

The opening track from Acid House Kings' latest record "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays and Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays". For me the song captures perfectly what a sunday morning should feel like : it�s gentle, light, clear blue sky, sun-drenched yet with a light breeze, a certain freshness. The song represents all that with a very light, transparent, mostly accoustic arrangement, enriched with some synth strings and guitar and with the charming voice of Julia Lannerheim including some nice ba-ba-ba's. The whole album is excellent and highly recommended.

There is much that U2 did in their first three albums (Boy, October, War) that have been forgotten by the clout caused by their next three (The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum). When people say they don't much like U2, it's largely based off of only the singles from War up through Achtung Baby. This song is representative of songs, for even some sincere U2 fans, that have been forgotten injustly. Brilliant structure and chords, somewhat cheesy but ultimately highly forgivable middle section.

Sinister and spacy, slightly discordant, gospel-inflected soul groove, with a murderous, high-powered bassline. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss apparently sing background vocals on this artist self-titled album, and strangely enough it's their backing that makes this sound sort of reminiscent of a gospel session, but in space maybe. Begging lyrics and tripped out reverb enhance the strange, infectious hold of this song. This is a very heavy, mournful, and unique sound experience. Recommended.

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

This is an awesome song all around. I dig the lyrics and I especially love soft voice with the contrasting guitar sound.

Now, this here is a young, local band consisting four siblings and a friend. I highly recommend that you check them out. You will not be disappointed.

That rarest of anomalys, psychedelic Northern soul,a strange land where a late sixties slice of psyche pop can run amok with soul legends and funk obscurities in some dingy cellar club in the middle of Blackpool.Innocent and as catchy as hell ,some de riguer flanging and Who style backing vocals cannot deter this song from its righteous melodic path.

Talk about double entendre! Quite possibly the best song ever to use fried chicken as a euphemism for sex with an underage girl. An excellent example of mid-40s rhythm & blues...the entire compilation is highly recommended.