I call it "THE - concept album." It's almost as if Phil Elvrum nearly single-handedly did what all others before him had tried to accomplish in attempting a thematically based musical piece of artwork. The title track from his stunning masterpiece digs deep into the thoughts of the main character as he battles life, struggles with suicide, and breaks down entirely. Besides the heart-wrenching lyrics, musically, the song is equally brilliant- utilizing both channels of the stereo to spin the listener around, sweeping organs, and a drop-dead gorgeous vocal performance all beginning with a kick ass fuzz-drone rock out featuring blazing drum fills. This songs brings me to tears every time I hear it.

one of my favourite pink dots song. i suppose because, for me, they always manage to convey a sort of 'it's the end of the world' vibe. and the lyrics are cryptic enough that you can't always tell if the presumed outcome is hopeful or not.

'The Events Leading up to the Collapse of Detective Dullight' is not a song but a narrative story, and it’s funny as hell. The off-kilter character voices of the already brilliant stream-of-consciousness plot are cartoonish enough for their own Saturday morning series. When the detectives start their investigation nothing makes sense. There’s Jell-O, serenading butterflies, file cabinets, murder, catacombs, and all the seasonings for a hilarious dream. I am usually brought to tears when Detective Slots reads from his revered exercise in free verse titled ‘The Cause of Gauze’. I will supply you with a sample:
"Oh, the cause of gauze. The Manuels have fondled many memories from my lap though each memory has its own lap and swimmers swim laps. Even swimmers have laps however and while in that condition many require a delicate gauze."
If you hear this without purchasing the actual album, 'Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimisical Verse,' then you are being cheated. The dreams of this band are as colorful as the illustrations they provide us in their album sleeves. The 'Where's Waldo' pictorial representations enrich the listening experience by engaging us in a journey deep into the frying-pan brains of these madmen. In fact, this is a perfect introduction into a very strange world of psychedelicado. Think the Beach Boy's 'Smile.' The reaction of my friends after hearing this have been harmoniously the same, 'they have to be on drugs.' The truth is Of Montreal are not on drugs, they are drugs.

The lyrical theme of �6060-842� seems pretty mundane for the B-52s. Tina goes to the ladies room, sees a phone number scrawled on the wall, and so decides to ring it. Hmm� doesn�t sound like it�s gonna be a tale the measure of �the time our car was hijacked by the devil� and the like. Still this IS the B-52s, and recognisably so, �if you�d like a very nice time, just give this number a call� reads the unlikely graffiti. So something must happen. The band are optimistic too, bouncing along excitedly on a jumpy new wave rhythm. Tina, we reckon, is much like the band. She lives for wild parties and crazy adventures. This 6060-842 could be just the ticket. �Oh my gawd! I�m gonna give that there number a ring. You see if I don�t!� So she drops a dime in the phone slot and, �prays she gets the line.� She�s biting her lip, stabbing her nails into her finger tips, �come on� come ON!!!�

But pause a moment. Is she really so na�ve? Does she really think a �really nice time� awaits her? In the gnarled and weather beaten hands of a social realist singer-songwriter, the number 6060-842 would lead to abuse, to prostitution, and ultimately, to death. In the hands of the B-52s? I don�t know, you tell me. A debauched toga party in a 1950s vision of the future�? Well, it�s neither. It�s just a brilliant anti-climax. You see Tina and the B-52a might be deranged, but the world they live in is not. It�s bloody typical. She dials 6060-842, and can�t get through! �The number�s been disconnected�� monotones the operator. But Tina won�t accept this, no, and neither will the band. They can�t end the track with Tina accepting the disappointment with a sigh of weary resignation, �ah well, nevermind� maybe next time.� No, no, this anti-climax has worked them up into an angry frenzy. Ricky Wilson vents his frustration with viscious slashes of electric guitar whilst Tina just keeps dialing and dialing, and getting rebuffed and rebuffed, �HELLO!!!� �sorry�� The track probably ends with them all smashing up the phone box. A superb, and much over-looked track.

Full Title is
A HUGE EVER GROWING PULSATING BRAIN THAT RULES FROM THE CENTRE OF THE ULTRAWORLD
What can I say. This record changed my life.

Can't get this song out of my head. The whole album is full of 'em but this is the one that's currently driving me nuts. I thik it's about the end of the world, but I'm not sure.

I know, one is supposed to defer to the Eno-epoch Roxy Music, (and the first two LPs are the end of the world), but this may well be the band's most serene momment. Bryan Ferry is at the top his game here - his vocals are heavenly, his lyrics are brilliantly/brutally witty. Add the floating layers of "Melody Nelson" damaged strings and the effect is dazzling.

A masterpiece of post rock genre! cheerful, jazzy, incredible sound..it takes you to another world..

The ultimate anti "isn't the 3rd world great hippy song" old hippies good new hippies bad.

There is something magic about a song like �All Men Play On Ten� in this post-Spinal Tap Metal world. Such an earnest rock anthem, in such an irony saturated market� You�ve got to have respect for Manowar. Is it a mark of defiance or of ignorance and stupidity? Hard to tell. Maybe both. But then this song is essentially about doing things their own way, and not listening to anybody. So who cares anyway? Well, it�s worth listening to Eric Adams for 4 minutes at least. He has a message for us all. He�s no puritanical, know-it-all, he�s a reformed character preaching a rock�n�roll gospel. Believe it or not brothers, he too has fallen. There was a time when he did it for the money, yes that�s right, he sold his soul to the loud music-hating devil. And the devil said hmmm Mr Adams, for your money I have some things I need you to do for me, adjustments as it were. Eric said, well okay, what do you suggest? The devil demanded that he turn down his amps, �why be proud, don�t play so loud, be like us and get a sound that�s real THIN�. OK, I reckon I could do that, just a bit, said Eric, a little put out. But the demands didn�t end there, Eric was pinched and plucked for his silver dollar, �wear a polyester suit, act happy, look cute, get a haircut and buy small gear.� And inevitably it all got too much. Eric�s no pigeon weaver, and he got real mad, and he turned to the devil and said, �HOLD IT, RIGHT THERE!� And good for him. For this is a great track. Very catchy.

"as political a song as I got" - says Ben Folds.
a quieter bouncy jazzy song where Ben sings to his son about how fucked up the world is. they point and laugh at the ignorance and consumption of most of the world. two verses and a solo or two, a short song comes together for his EP, Sunny 16. here's hoping he'll revisit it and flesh it out with another verse for the promised album...

I'm just reacquainting myself with the entire Low album after buying it on CD (my LP has been out of my reach for a few years). It really is utter genius. If they were in any other context, I don't imagine I would enjoy some of the guitar solos featured in this song. Here, they work brilliantly though. The musical basis of 'always crashing in the same car' is quite simple, but the superb musical performances and odd, otherworldly production give it an incredible richness. Bowie's vocal is mournful, and doesn't dominate the track.

Soul Yatra-the band that tours worldwide for Henessey, has recorded an album titled 'live on tour'.
Download mp3 tracks from the album at:
http://www.geocities.com/jazzgoa/soul

To me, this track is a perfect distillation of all that is wonderful about bossa nova and the various hybrids which it inspired. Bossa nova was taken up all over the world after its rise in the late 50s and early 60s, but Italian musicians seem to have done an especially good job of absorbing its charms.

A simple instrumental, this opens with a plucked guitar and simply builds up and down, adding piano and strings and then taking them out so beautifully that it makes you shiver. Alas, the rest of the compilation this is taken from suffers from poor sound quality. If anyone comes across the original Giancarlo Gazzani album, I'd be very keen to hear it, although I fear this track may be an isolated gem.

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

Great funk/soul track with a healthy dose of political and social commentary circa 1970 set to a killer bass line - it's scary how much of it is still relevant today. "A ball of confusion, that's what the world is today..."

Nothing can truly prepare you for your first listen to Os Mutantes. All the hype in the world can only pique your interest...of all the countless reviews I've read, none have ever captured the essence of the band, and I'm not about to attempt it here. Any song from their first album could be my choice here...the psychotic carnie music of "Panis et Circensis", the drugged-out doo-wop of "Baby", the Ray Davies-informed songcraft of "Senhor F" or the Donovan meets Alistair Crowley creepiness of "Trem Fantasma". So I chose this, their best-known freakout. Go find out for yourself.

killer brazillian psyche rock tune has the best bass line in the world

Peers and close friends of Stereolab, Birmingham's Broadcast are one of the most interesting alternative pop acts in the world. This song is an example of their extraordinary skills in crafting a haunting, beautiful melody to go with a sound that's like a son of the band The United States Of America and Ennio Morricone. These folks took four years building their own studio. Can't blame them a bit as the results are simply stunning.

An even funkier hit single than "Sledgehammer" ? which had an epic groove but was too slow to actually dance to ? "Big Time" is a sardonic response to yuppie materialism with the funniest lyrics of Peter Gabriel's entire career. (The ending of the song, stopping just before the obvious punch line to all this discussion of how preternaturally huge everything in Gabriel's charmed life is, is a small moment of brilliance.) But the brilliance of the song is in the way it ties all that Gabriel had been learning about African percussion and Middle Eastern melodies ever since the days of his third solo album and ties them all into the service of a walloping great groove, making plain the connections between North Africa and Stax-Volt once and for all. The combination of talking drum and wah-wah guitar owes as much to Booker T and the MGs as it does to King Sunny Ade, which is both the key to "Big Time" and a clue as to why Gabriel's later, more explicitly world music focused albums just aren't as much fun.
(AMG)

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

From the godfather of filthfy rap comes this FUNKY,slamming tune. It tells the story of trucker with a CB radio(timewarp) who is, in his mind anyway, the baddest bastard around. On his journey he picks up a transvestite hooker, masterbates, has a fight with the Grand Dragon of the klu klux klan, claims to be related to Mohammed Ali, and drinks a bottle of wine. The killer rhyme is "We got to the room, pulled off her clothes, and the funk from her p***y started f**king with my nose." If you don't mind that sort of talk, you'll love this cut.

this song is just perfect. normally i dont like music like this, but i cant help it with this song.

Hey - don't knock Sade. This is from the Love Deluxe album, which is a great record by any measure. All the songs are original and heartfelt, not formulaic, and with an awareness of third-world misery that's striking coming from a pop princess like her. But she is from Nigeria and knows what she's singing about. Bulletproof Soul is my favorite on the album, a song very dry and quiet and sparse. The backing vocal works in a very sad, soulful harmony line in the chorus that really makes the song.

One of the far too few originals on this great underrated LP.The duo has a familiar west coast pop-jazz sound,much like their labelmates Bud Shank & Joe Pass.Except where as those two have way too much generally lackluster output,this duo has tons of talent packed into one exciting session! Ken plays an icy alto & soprano not unlike Paul Desmond and Beverly sings with all the grace and soul of ladies like Lena Horne and Dinah Shore. In this track, one of the most energetic on the LP,the group swings in a brisk 5/4,with Ken blowing a soulful line and alternating into creshendos with Beverly paralelling in a sassy vocalese. Wonderfully breezy,and just the kind of peppy bossa-like lounge tune you'll listen to over & over & over...They also do great versions of"A Man & A Woman"(with Ken adding some tasteful vocals himself)and "Eleanor Rigby"! A tough record to find, and no compiled tracks are anywhere to be found.... sad.

This song it's just amazing, psychedelic music from the south of the world (Chile) before the dictatorship of Pinochet. After 73 the band dissapear.
Also, the lyrics are from a poem of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, some people say, the last romantic one.
I totally recommend this song, it's just amazing please listen to it!

This is a song that has made me cry twice. The first time was when I first heard it. The second...

"Am I bringing you down/when I'm giving you candy/all I want is the best for you tonight"

Burt Bacharach would be proud of this song had he written it. It reminds me a lot of his work.
The Aluminum Group are truly unique in the world of pop music today. With help of Jim O'Rourke among others they've created celestial music.

Although this track is not my favorite from Berlin's Jazzanova, I think it best represents the best bits of of their own work and their remixes for others. This track is a few years old but has been newly remixed by Japan's Fukutomi. Jazzanova are at the forefront of the nu jazz scene in the dance world. Beginning with a soulful piano introduction, the tune breaks into a heavy bass driven uptempo beat, sprinkled with a bit of a jazz scat, and a sample of a very haunting and seductive flute solo that sounds as if it has been lifted from an old soundtrack. The song however is not as simple as this review and must be listened to carefully to appreciate all that it offers.

Full Title: Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males

--

Self-described left-leaning liberal hippie pothead troubadour Todd Snider muses about the people he considers the root of the world's problems. He's not a mean-spirited man, the liner notes for this song even mention that he loves everyone, even the conservatives he's singing about in this song.

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

An amazing and atmospheric track by this famous German vocal group. There are no words, and the music is produced largely accapella - from what I can hear, there's just piano accompaniment, with some incredible vocal effects that range from beautiful to plain bizarre. The trills and glissando effects are other-worldly, but what really steals the limelight is the tradeoff between a bizarre kitten-like voice and a deep foghorn at 2:12 (featured in the clip)!

None of this will make sense until you hear it, so let me just add that the whole thing has a really pleasant, lazy mood that strongly reminds me of that amazing scene in 'Wild at Heart' when Laura Dern is sat on the car at the gas station and Glen Gray and the Casa Loma band's 'Smoke Rings' is playing.

Find this song! It is by far one of the funkiest things I've ever heard, it absolutely screams party. The lyrics repeat "dance and shake your tambourine, your funky tambourine, tambourine, tambourine". The instrumentation may get a bit repetitive for some, but the sheer funkiness and humor of this song will put a smile on your face while you're dancing the night away, without a care in the world. I especially get a kick out of the background voices, that seem to approve the shake that this song has. It sounds like it was recorded at a party and a time that you could only dream about experiencing. I like to play this song with the pitch up to about +4, which makes the experience all the more intense.

From a legendary pop-psyche LP in the Strawberry Alarm Clock vein ("the Sound of Young Ambition" according to the sleevenotes) about a small boy�s world of make believe, propelled by swirling keyboards. Sunny without being drippy.

I'm surprised to find I haven't recommended this song before. An enchanting piece of futuristic pop written by Ennio Morricone, this great tune was part of the score for the wonderfully stylish Mario Bava movie 'Danger: Diabolik'. Christy, who also sung on some Piero Piccioni scores, was (is?) a heartfelt 'belter', and here she sings the italian lyrics, which are peppered with English phrases, especially passionately. There is a cool echoey effect on her voice, giving the whole affair an other-worldly, underwater feel. Musically, it's a very catchy psych-pop track, with a twangy, rocky guitar. It's quite short, but extremely powerful.

Ever felt there was a hole in your life that only a religious ventriloquist's dummy could fill? Then look no further. One of pop's bona-fide eccentrics, Marcy Tigner, voices Little Marcy in a thoroughly winsome way. The song, nay the whole album, encourages all young children to renounce the devil. However, if the devil were to see the scarily-bad drawing of Little Marcy on the cover, he would correctly deduce that no child is likely to listen to the ravings of a freaky end-of-the-pier doll voiced by an even stranger adult woman.

"Marcy wants you all to know how happy she is singing songs about Jesus" relate the sleevenotes. And, gee Marcy, we sure are glad to hear them!

Please don't think I recommended this song simply to mock it. I genuinely think it's a priceless piece of recorded gold and am more than pleased this site, and the world, is big enough to accommodate special talents like that of Marcy Tigner.

Out of Waco, Texas.

One of the best tracks ever recorded in Sweden, the whole album is actually fantastic!

From Ottawa, the Staccatos were Canada's best pop band of the 1960s and, with the possible exception of Strange Advance, still their best ever. This song is a bit of a clone of their biggest hit, 1967's "Half Past Midnight", right down to the lyrical preoccupation with time, but it's still worth a listen if you like that late-'60s "summer pop" sound, because its production is pretty tight and it has several neat little tricks like the best pop songs do. The flip side is called "We Go Together Well" and it's pretty good too, with its fuzzy guitars (or is it the bass?) ...

All of these tracks mentioned here were found on a 1969 LP called "Five Man Electrical Band", which is what the Staccatos had changed their name to. The LP contains both sides of the "It Never Rains On Maple Lane" / "Private Train" release which was the first under that name, but subsequent material followed a musical change of direction to what I would call "swamp rock" after that ghastly "Joy To The World" by Three Dog Night (ugh!), although "Signs" and "I'm A Stranger Here" at least had some lyrical smarts ... a CD of this stuff has been released but unfortunately the Staccatos material has not, apart from "Half Past Midnight" which showed up on a best-of-Canadian compilation.

Synth-Pop candy. Starts out with strummed clean-tone electric guitar, then the electronic beats come in w/ Amy singing in her languid way. The chorus brings Dan in answering her back. It's one of the best songs on The Cover Up, which was their break-up record. Really good contrast of drama-laden lyrics and happy pop.

How this early track never got a release on an album I don't know, but it's truly awesome (especially the drums). Just listen you'll see.

its not a song. its a classical composition. - the most ingenious composition in history.

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

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

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

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

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

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

An incredibly perfect easy listening piece, this opens with an other-worldly, John-Barry-ish synth sound, and then leads into a groovy, lightly funky piano riff, with shimmering strings. Francis Lai's signature organ sound carries the tune as the song builds into a dramatic orchestral pop masterpiece. A standout track, with superb wistful, lazy, summer day feel, rather like some of the best tracks on the 'Sound Gallery' compilation of a few years ago.

Absolutely fantastic, amazing, beautiful singing - it'll really knock your socks off. The tiddas seem to concentrate on singing above everything else - they are three women, two of whom play the acoustic guitar, and that's it, but the result is just sensational harmonies and brilliant interpretations of songs, some of which are aboriginal folk songs, others their own, and others just covers.

This is a cover of a song by the splendidly-named Weddings, Parties, Anything. Both versions are absolutely brilliant but the singing on this tiddas one is just out of this world.

A truly incredible vocal/jazz pop track which really has everything. Os Tres Morais were (are?) a mysterious Brazilian vocal trio. Here they tackle a great Marcos Valle song, and do such a storming job of it that this may be one my very favorite tracks EVER in the whole world ever! Honestly. Until I put a sound sample up, please accept these measly words of explanation:
1. It's bouncy and smooth and has warm strings
2. It's actually quite funky as well
3. The vocal harmonies are fantastic. I don't think there are any actual words - it's all just beautiful interwoven sound
4. Someone starts playing a scratchy electric guitar rebelliously at end of the song, completely out of context with the rest of it. It sounds cool.

Straight up pop song with a disco sheen. I haven't liked many songs in Electronic's catalogue, despite featuring Bernarnd Sumner from New Order and Johnny Marr from the Smiths, but this song is up there with my favorites from each group.

This song features Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys. What star power!

The lyrics are typical Sumner - casual dream-speak about his relationship with the world.

The refrain is gold, as are the melodies.

Check out the song here:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=42979805

There may be some jerky glam rock in it, but it still makes you feel more than a music whore:)

WOW! Reggae-funk doesn't get any bouncier, funkier or more life-affirming than this scorcher. From the late JA vibes player's long-deleted second Studio One LP, "Go For Yourself" is among the hottest examples ever heard of a particular rare species of James Brown-inflected Studio One tracks (Alton Ellis' "Alton's Groove" and the Brentford All-Stars' "Greedy G" are two other prime examples). Totally butter, with a WICKED open drum break that goes on and on, and then late in the track Lennie comes in on vibes sounding like Cal Tjamaican or something! I searched for this record for years, once finding the LP jacket at Coxsone's Musik City in Brooklyn and having the late great Mr. Dodd himself tell me he had no record to go with it!! This repress is among the last things he did, and Jah bless this great man for bringing us a lot of music the world would be unimaginable without....

A blend of Mexican, a sprinkling of country and a dose of Southern soul "Goodnight Moon" is a track off the album "I Ought to Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump" : classy!

When a song hits me - I will play it like it's going out of fashion, or in this case, coming into fashion!

Until four days ago I knew nothing about this band - I happened to be surfing around looking for inspiration and accidently came upon this song, the singer whom I now know as Ambrosia Paisley has a sultry, quirky voice and given to this song makes it feel like It should be played acoustic in some smoky bar with swing doors, and a bar man called Hank offering neat JD's.

Although that's probably not too far from reality it is being played world wide thanks to Mr Tarrantino who has used this track in his movie soundtrack - Kill Bill 2 - which kind of makes sense to me granted that my original search on Google four days ago started with Nancy Sinatra, which I also found out "Bang Bang my baby shot me down" (another recommendation should I add!) was lent to the Kill Bill 1 soundtrack.

Regressing, I do not know if any other tunes on this album are worthy but Goodnight Moon now firmly has a place in the soundtrack to my life.

Even if it's the happiest song in the world, Ray Lamontagne's voice can make any song sad.

Definitely not a bad thing. His raspy, mournful voice is always one I can listen to, no matter the mood I'm in.

Off the wall lyrics but incredibly fine singing and the arrangements are out of this world. Whatever happened to this fine band?

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

no one can resist the poppy sounds of the beautiful Ben Kweller.

This song opens with the great line: "I don't stand a chance in this fucked up world..."

Deftones are a band that needs no introduction. They have been rockin the world for 7 years now, straight out of Cali. They have played with just about every band out there and have even been in a movie, The Crow 2. They are also known for covering the song Wicked by Ice Cube with another California band called Korn. Head Up rocks you from the moment it satrts till the time it finishes, if you want heavy this is it. Its not too crazy but at no point does it ever give off the immpression that it won't kick your ass. The song also has Max Cavalera (former lead singer of Sepultura and new lead singer and founder of Soulfly)singing backup vocals. If you play a sport and need a little bbost to get you in the mood to kick some ass, put this to your ears and let loose.

This is what the future sounded like in 1982,misguided technical prophecy and electronic keyboards,but underneath such dated cliche lies a beautiful watery melody ,the sort of tune you could dive into and wallow for ever.

This was Trevor Horn,s apprenticeship,a place he learnt to meld melody with beat and beauty before moving on to conquer the world,the album isnt that good but this tune will stay in your head long after you slip into sleep .

A great folk-rock song from the man who had a hit with the sometimes-derided (but, let's face it, excellent) "Elusive Butterfly" in 1966. This one is even janglier, and the tension builds up in each verse then gets released in the chorus (thanks to the drums). Lind's lyrics were always full of adjectives and imagery, maybe over-showy to some, and that's the case here too, but if you like mid-'60s folk-rock then you gotta hear this!

It's a sad fact that the Bee Gees are a group primarily remembered for only one thing. If this were a perfect world, people would realize what an jaw-droppingly amazing group they once were. To me, their first LP is an orchestral psychedelic pop masterpiece easily the equal of the Kinks' "Village Green" or Billy Nicholls' "Would You Believe", and also just about as close at Britain ever got to replicating "Pet Sounds". On this track, listen for the insane rubber-band bassline, the staccato organ fills, the odd timbre of the voices or the occassional flute bit. It's a song bursting with an enthusiam the likes of which people only had during the middle 60s.

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

this a nice song, slightly out of character to the rest of the album ,"Livin' Love"(which is more traditionally sixties pop) this has a big energetic beat and a rousing chorus. perhaps not the most sophisticated composition in the world, but it makes me happy anyway...

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!

An extraordinary track that begins its life as an awkward attempt at country and western before very quickly resolving itself an removing it self from conventional pop music ,seven minutes later your life will never be the same again.How four conventional instruments could carve something so cosmic is beyond belief,not cosmic in a Floyd way or even a Grateful Dead way but truly other worldly.Ferry,s pledge that he would do ANYTHING for his girl resonate against weird synths ,weird guitar and heart breaking saxophone ,the wiords become the music and the music becomes the words ,a truly cerebral conclusion is achieved This is used to staggering effect in the Daniel Craig film "Flashbacks of a Fool" and to hear and see this track is almost overwhelming.

I didn't know it then, but when I purchased the album 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' my world changed. When I put the album into my CD player, I did it with a naivete of someone who thought they'd 'heard it all.' I did it clumsily, with haste, handled like a Beatles or Beach Boys album, the way I had done for years. When I listened to the album I did it with reckless abandon while driving 38 miles per hour on my lunch break, and later in the drive-through at McDonald�s. These mistakes were inherited, and I refuse blame. They were passed through the genetic make-up of our peers and born out of the music we've been given; I didn't expect this! Well, our music has changed, and it did so without our knowing and our approval. This album proved and disproved an entire treatise of critical analysis on a generation of music that I thought I had known, and it did so with a fucking velvet sledgehammer.

The lyrics: "And one day we will die and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea, but for now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see." More lyrics: "What a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all around the sun, what a beautiful dream that would flash in the screen in a blink of an eye and be gone from me." The melody: A timeless, haunting thing that was metaphysically resurrected from a wiser place. The voice: Wrenched out of the jaws of a holocaust from 50 years ago, we hear a possessed Jeff Mangum invest his soul. The sound: An apocalypse that can reinvent the turntable by it�s simplistic form; with a saw, guitar, drum, bass, horns, and lord knows what else all handled with deceptive elegance of a garage mechanic constructing a supermodel. And, lastly, the spirit: A tragedy and rape of virginity known only to the persecuted and executed; the ghost of Anne Frank materializes long enough to show us her world, and in her hands we are strangely at peace.

This song is a gift very few will experience. It is endless in its reach and should be accepted like a sibling into your collection. It will one day prove itself beyond category, but for now it is a masterful novel from the hands of a mysterious songwriter who should know how sincerely I cherish his songs.

Chris Botti is an accomplished musician in the worlds of Jazz and Smooth Jazz. His style is reminicent of Miles Davis but with a more melodic approach. This song incorporates an ultra-lounge feel with a cool jazz vibe. Botti's trumpet playing here approaches Miles Davis' minimalist playing style.

An unusual-sounding instrumental that mixes a 3/4 time signature with a light breakbeat. The song (incorrectly cited as 'the name of the game' on the record I have) is a spooky and groovy instrumental, with a continuous organ riff, great strings, and a big beat. A different interpretation of this song by another British arranger, John Gregory, appears on the excellent German compilation 'the mad mad world of soundtracks'.

another fine song about touring. out of this world harmonies.

Unbelievably catchy, the most poppy song REM ever did and has to be one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. Period

The Hellers were a group of L.A. ad agency people making a pop record, and it shows in this slick opener to their only album. I love the mellow pacing, the otherworldly early synths, and the so-corny-they're-good group vocals. Overall, it comes off like a weird, wonderful hybrid of '60s AM radio promos and mildly psychedelic pop.

This is one of the funniest songs I have ever heard. I play it when I have people over listening to music and they get the glazed-over "too much information" look, and I need something to confound expectations. Always with the warning that they need to listen to the whole lyric before breaking down in laughter or confusion. I don't know how closely this english version follows the original Jacques Brel french, but each lyric is more ridiculous than the last! But I thought the Albert/morphine episode of Little House on the Prairie episode was one of the funniest things ever, so maybe I am just warped. This is my favorite Scott Walker album, with the other great Brel tunes "next" and "the girls and the dogs", great originals like "plastic palace people", and the haunting slow version of the Bacharach/David "windows of the world".

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

i'm too tone deaf to fully describe why this song is so good. it's melodic and melancholic without being too depressing. vocals and production are outstanding.

Absolutely wonderful song. One of those tracks that you need to listen to in your headphones about a million times before you fully realise the scope of just how wonderful it is. An all-time classic.

Genius late 60s pop with vocal harmonies. This was composed by Roger Nichols, and has some beautiful chord changes and Bacharach-meets-Brian-Wilson interludes.

The verse is sombre and in a minor key, but when they sing 'close to me' to usher in the chorus, the sun comes out! There's some scat singing in the interludes. I had previously only really known the Vogues for '5 o'clock world', but this is superb - an unusual and memorable track.

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

An epic finale to an epic album,psychedelic but inside the real world ,existential but accesible,beautiful acoustic guitars and backing harmonies.This is the birth or re birth of British pop music after its castration at the hands of eighties over production and souless technology.Dragging Pink Floyd behind it on its way to meet Oasis a few years down the line .

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.

for years friends have been telling me i should give st. etienne a listen as they thought it was something i'd like. well, it took me long enough but they were right. if they had recorded nothing else than this song i would consider it one of my favourite pop songs. with lines like: "i should have told you to lose that girl/i should have told you that's not your world /on her radio she turned the disco down..." it was destined to end up a favourite of mine.

It's what the world needs to heal

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.

This is a great cover of the Tears for Fears song. I don't think the original holds a candle to this version. Simple and soulful, you can find it on the Donnie Darko soundtrack or take a listen at garyjules.com on the Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets CD.

"Mad World" was written and originally performed by the popular 80's band Tears for Fears. A more mellow, piano-based cover of the song was featured in the cult movie "Donnie Darko" (Jake Gylenhaal, Patrick Swayze) as performed by folk artist Gary Jules. His version of "Mad World" reached the coveted Christmas #1 spot in the UK in 2003, despite that it was 3 years old and performed by an unknown artist.
This song is quite possibly my favorite song of all time, at least in my Top Ten, because I feel that it describes life very accurately. The chorus of the song is:
"I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had."
To me, this song is saying "Hang in there...I know life sucks on this earth, but you will go to a far better place after your death."
Depressing? No. This song helps me to carry on.

A great track to jam to. Extremely different for Ms. Furtado. If you're into it, this is a great song to hoop dance to :)

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

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

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

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

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.........

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

Smooth voiced crooning from the pre-World War II era of Chanson Francaise. Much more infectious than most of the era.

'Metal Warriors' is Manowar's call to arms, a joyous rallying cry to all the "Brothers of True Metal" of the world. Stand tall and proud, they implore, for the magic of the metal has brought you here. The power within each and every one unites them, and to exclusion of everybody else ("if you're not into metal, you are not my friend!"). Anyone that tries to suppress their might will be met with fearless defiance, "we don't turn down for anyone, we do just what we please!". And they live and die metal, and will not tolerate fakes and frauds and softies, "heavy metal, or no metal at all, wimps and posers, leave the hall!" rings out the epic chorus, "heavy metal, or no metal at all, wimps and posers� go on get out!"

So, anyway, put your reservations aside and head out into the streets to find this one, just this one*, awesome, thumping Manowar track. Spinal Tap were playing for laughs, this however, is frighteningly real.

*although 'Achilles, Agony, and Ecstasy in Eight Parts: Prelude/I. Hector Storms' their 30 minute interpretation of Homer's Iliad is certainly worth a listen.

An incredible emaotional hard rocking song that is totally relatable.

A fabulous acid-pop masterpiece featuring one of the most intriguing intros in pop history. Everything I love about psychedelic pop made in the US in the late 6t's comes together in Mrs. Bluebird: the softly mythical, escapist feeling that the harmony and orchestration bring into this music. I frequently use it as a getaway. I think indulging in this music is not sad but it shows you've got the means to make you happy. This song is a Curt Boettcher (The Millennium, Sagittarius) production that cannot have been made while under the influence of drugs!!

Rediscovered this as I was uploading an audio clip for Belle Epoque (this is next alphabetically in my 45's).

I can't work out whether this is joyous or heartbreaking. It eats into the very soul of you when you hear it. My, that sounds dramatic - different from my usual carping. Tinkles on the piano break up the dense atmosphere herein and get you into the claustrophobic world of singer Drita.

Stands alone in 1984. Nothing else sounded anything like it.

Such a nice and melodic song.

if u've ever thought that capitalism aint all it's cracked up to be...ani hears you. this is perhaps THE song about the 'music industry'. ever want to do a 'Fk the RIAA/BPI' comp? here u go. a pristinely crafted effortless sounding very personal rant on what's wrong with the way things are...and how we get by till the world is the way it SHOULD BE...

eO's through-composed, symphotronic poem incorporates exotic world-fusion compositions with heavy post-dubstep beats, evocative vocals, and elegant instrumentation.

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

The DIY ethos of punk served to liberate performers from the obligation to have a great deal of technical ability. The unfortunate corollary was that any display of already-acquired virtuousity instantly marked one as part of the Uncool Wankerage, forcing nascent guitar gods like Andy Summers to play as though suddenly arthritic. Possibly the first artist to successfully bridge Old World training and New World raucousness was Nina Hagen. "New York New York" is the East German-trained singer's signature tune. Over a clipped, dry Morodor techno-dystopia background, the verses present Hagen recounting her then-current regimen of glamourous excess in a harsh, metallic raven's shriek. Then, as though descending from the heavens at the end of a Wagnerian opera, comes the chorus -- a meltingly warm (yet uncomfortable) wave of minor chords, then a soaring, yearning, superbly modulated mezzo-soprano...which, after a jolt of realization, is understood to also belong to Nina Hagen. And so on.

A bouncy, delightful instrumental. Those who are in their late 40s/early 50s will recognize the song as the theme from the old ABC Movie of the Week TV series. Bacaharach did it twice, first on a mono 45, then re-recorded on a stereo album. Both versions are now available on CD... the mono on the great 3 CD Box Set "The Look Of Love", and the stereo re-make on the new "What The World Needs Now" CD.

Quintisential Car Chase music, yet stylish and seventies, really puts you in a foreign fast world. I've listened to the rest of the album and I don't know that I'd recommend much else beyond this track, but this really puts you in the mood when you're driving.

Opening with a brat beating bass and melody that is scarily reminiscent of some late 70s euro disco pathos, it�s only when Brian James� raunchy guitar kicks in that you know you�re well away from the lights of that dance floor and in the grips of a very different master. A hedonistic web of Bators� beloved conspiracy theorizing, the logical successor to the Wanderers� paranoia-packed repertoire, �Open Your Eyes� previewed a closet of horrors that embraced organized religion, the impending World Tour of Pope John Paul II, Bolshevik plots and Ronald Reagan�s apparent rush towards nuclear Armageddon. With session man Matt Black�s synthesizers giving the whole thing a classic rock feel that merged edgily with the band�s own punkish sensibilities, it was, as always, Bators� viperous lyrics that brought the whole thing into the twilight zone of pre-Internet intrigue. The 80s politicking of Margaret Thatcher�s Britain and Reagan�s cold war America pretty much ensured that both sides were far happier not having to open their eyes. A gleeful Bators was there, though, to make sure they did.
(AMG)

A superb twangy, bongo-ridden theme from Tony Hatch. It's hard to believe this is the same man who wrote the themes for soap operas like 'Crossroads' and 'Neighbours', but it is... Overall this sounds kind of how I once expected/hoped John Barry's early 60s work might sound - harpsichord, twangy guitar etc. It opens with some eerie effects, bongoes and spare harpsichord sound before breaking into a fully fledged shadows/spy theme style masterpiece, stopping abruptly after just over two minutes. Since I heard this on a compilation, I have no idea as to its origin, which is a shame, as I would love to track down any similar work Tony Hatch may have done. I did some research, and it seems that the session guitarist on this track was none other than Big Jim Sullivan, who cut a couple of sitar LPs on Mercury in the 60s.
n.b. this is not the same tune as the much recorded and superb Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer 'out of this world'.

Ok, I feel kind of lame for recommending two tracks called 'out of this world' in one sitting, but as soon as I remembered this one, I felt compelled to recommend it. Before I became completely obsessed with the kind of smooth bossa-influenced stuff I've been recommending, my big thing in music was that it had to be twangy. This is quite twangy, but in a very tasteful way. An incredibly haunting song whoever it is performed by, 'out of this world' here gets its other-worldliness from Buddy's incredible multitracked guitars - the main tune is played on the slide guitar, while several other parts relentlessly pick out accompaniments. It's hard to categorize this track really - it's not remotely funky or particularly rocking, yet it's very catchy and undeniably compelling.

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

An otherworldly beautiful track. Will Gregory provides an excellent arrangement here: smooth, stylish, elegant, lush orchestration with Barry-esque cinematic soundsacapes, evoking images of a slow-motion nightflight. While there is a strong 60s influence, Gregory throws in some subtle, futuristic sounding digital artefacts giving it a slight neo-noir feel.

Classic New Zealand psychedelia .... jangly guitar, haunting, evocative lyrics, fragile vocals and an otherworldly feeling which perfecly evokes Dunedin. The best New Zealand pop song ever written.

The Drops re-imagine this Dylan tune from his No Mercy release as an awesome, old-fashioned fiddle hoedown.

sexy, great guitar and dance-able beat. very chill

An elegantly surreal trip through a dream world. Although this song has only eight lines (repeated twice), it manages to say an amazing amount within that short frame. Thom Yorke's wavering vocals and the slow and simple piano instrumentation strip the song down to its fundamental elements, allowing Radiohead's talent to shine through. From "I jumped in the river, what did I see" to "There was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt," this is an amazing song. Every time I listen to it, it gives me a deeper sense of peace.

Satanist surf rock! (or a reasonable facsimile of that would sound like, anyway.)
From the land of polar bears and fjords
comes this insanely massive-sounding piece of black metal with a heavy dose of Dick Dale influences. It's quite poppy for a black metal tune, if you can see past the growling. I have to admit I've never actually listened too closely to the lyrics, i'm sure they're very misantrophic and gloomy and all, but this song feels very uplifting to me somehow. same thing as with Primal Scream's Detroit and Ennio Morricone's Magic and Extacy, i guess.
the synth effects round it out nicely, the guitars are fast and furious, and you got to love that drumming.


(One of these days I'm gonna have to make a mixtape with the world's most glaringly insane shifts of tone from one song to the next. This will fit nicely in between Dean Martin and Jean Jaques Perrey...)

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.

An obvious selection for a favorite track but nonetheless truly deserved. I nearly wet my pants when I heard this track and immediately went up to the dj to ask what it was. I ran out to the record shops in town looking for it and finally found a copy a week later. That was exactly one year ago, this month, March 2001. Its repetitive cymbal/drum shimmy, combined with the samples of "I want you to get together" and "put your hands together one time" begins this journey of jazzy dancefloor heaven. Then the real electricity of the tune begins and yes its otherworldly. Slowly, the house beat teases its way into the song, until it can't take it anymore and the shit hits the fan!! If you don't know it, listen to it and see if you agree.

Wonderful lyrically, aswell as a very atmosphere-setting mood in the music.
Here are the lyrics:

Running Away

I've come from a more than human kind
Fugitive child of the human mind
I could run for a thousand miles
It would'nt keep me safe
I search for my soul, you destroy me with fear
Don't want to hurt you
Can we can we ever be together as one
Man what have you done

Chorus

Nowhere to go I've nowhere to stay
I'm running away
I'll hide in the world I can't leave a trace
I'm running away

Danger in every street and every town
A.I screens and hunters abound
I could deceive you live the lie
Plexi-birds and mongrel spies
I could hurt you in the night
Who can I turn to
You tampered with the scheme
And made 'The men who are not'
Man what have you wrought

One of Brazil's classic pop hits of the late 60s, written by an incredible songwriting team responsible for dozens of similar gems between 1967 and 1971. Better known in the English version recorded by Brasil '66 as "Pretty World," but Wilson Simonal truly nailed this with his typically soulful vocals and a vintage soul-jazz-Brazil backing courtesy of pianist/arranger Cesar Mariano and his fantastic Som Tres trio. Also note the swirling strings-and-woodwinds arrangement and climactic hand-clapping singalong climax at the end.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Just a very wistful, sort of wishing the world would change kind of a song. Makes me feel better when I listen to it. Don't ask me why.

Bob Marley at his very best, this song seems all the more relevant considering current actions world-wide. "You see men sailing on their ego trips, Blast off on their spaceships, Million miles from reality, No care for you, no care for me"

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.

This gorgeously ominous ditty seems to borrow [intentionally?] more than a little from The Creatures' ode to alcoholic decadence "2nd Floor", but even by Siouxsie and Budgie's standards this is a grim little number. Sort of the title track to the LP - "Witching hour...soft power", the chorus goes - this song evidences the group's successful movement away the explicit influences of The Human League/Fad Gadget/Soft Cell/etc. toward a sort of synth-heavy post-punk along the lines of The Scars, Tuxedomoon, Family Fodder and/or The Banshees' "Kaleidoscope" LP. The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics - full of images of monster glamour girls nightclubbing the rest of world to death - are creepy as fuck.

This is my most favorite song in the world. I love it because it is a classic, latin, late 1970's, sultry, soft, dinner party or alone-with-someone-special type of track. The instrumentation is not totally typical of latin music (fast rhythm, very ornate), it is soft and easy. The vocals are absolutely velvety and very sensual. Although it is a "sad" song, it is one of those songs that makes you want think about that special certain someone.

Gabriel's wonderful tribute to the hill overlooking Somerset, England. Nice acoustic guitar work by Steve Hunter.

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.

"Somebody to Love" is quite possibly my favorite song by Queen, one of my favorite bands in the world. For some reason, this song brings memories of lead singer Freddie Mercury, his energy, his style and his beautiful voice, even though I was only 4 years old when he died of AIDS in 1991.
This song is definitely one of Queen's best, if not one of the greatest songs ever written and performed. The most impressive part is near the end, when all is quiet, and all of the sudden Queen begins singing "Find...me...somebody to lo-ove..." very softly, and crescendoes with clapping and stomping and all kinds of uplifting musical tactics. It's just a magnificent song. My favorite part is when Freddie bursts out,
"I just gotta get out of this prison cell,
Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!
Find me somebody to love!"

The third in a series of 3 linked postings, the other being White Rabbit and the original Jefferson Airplane version of this song.

It probably wouldn't be unfair to describe this as a fairly cheese-y dance cover of the Jefferson Airplance song. It puts a fairly similar sounding vocal over a dance track, with some extra squelchy noises.

I would never have thought the world needed a dance version of this song, but its good fun, and it fills the gap when you have one of those need-to-hear-a-disco-fied-version-of-a-60s-goth-classic moments.

Where it gets really wierd, though, is the video. The singer is a fairly genericvideo female without many clothes on. But she's shot as if she's a giant lying across several fields. And then you see a number of babies parachuting out of an airplane, and eventually landing on top of her. You could say its tasteless, crass, sexist or all three (and I probably would), but its kind of nutty enough to suit what there is of the howling vocal.

Stunning version of this old standard. Jimmy Scott's voice is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful things in the world. I've never heard anybody else who could channel so much pain into a song. Regardless of your feelings toward David Lynch, you have to respect him for rescuing Scott's career from obscurity.

This instrumental version of sophisticated lady is unlike any other I have ever heard. The harp is used alongside some strange instrumentation and recording techniques to create a unique other worldly sound. There is also a Richard Maxwell trademark - an incongruous, rasping 50s style sax solo in the middle. He was a pretty interesting guy, all in all; his Decca albums pretty much all seem to be interesting.

Genius strumming and amazing vocals. I have to confess that the first thing that occurred to me when I heard this, other than how brilliant it is, was the sudden realisation that The Wedding Present were not a very original band. Not only that, but they were vastly inferior to Josef K.

From what I've heard, this is probably the Josef K song that most emphasizes the 'mega-fast strumming' thing that they had going on (sorry - I'm not very eloquent today!). It's just an incredibly catchy, brilliantly executed single that just sounds otherworldly to me.

After nearly three and a half years of speculation, I finally bought this album in the fall of 2003. Wow. As soon as I popped it in, I knew that it was Monster Magnet, but I knew I had a new band to add to my favorite list. These guys rock, period, they're in the lower upper class of hard rock (with upper upper being reserved for such acts as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Dream Theater), hell I don't even want to categorize them, as this would place a restriction on their potential (in much the same way the Jewish cannot write the word "God," and Muslims cannot draw Him, according to friends I have of those faiths). The song starts off like a fireside story, we've got a low bass beat, a great little intro compliments of Ed Mundell. Wyndorf's space, money, power, sex and religion influenced lyrics become prevalent as soon as the song begins, and we are launched into a maracca, tambourine, and 70's/80's hard line influenced metal trip. Ned Raggett's characterization of an 'acid folk' edge to the beginning of the song gives it good justice, and Space Lord slowly cranks up the volume, settling down once, and then cranking it up again, ready to conquer worlds with the hard rock edge that has kept Monster Magnet in the limelight, but away from the new age/pathetic sounds. Upon listening to this song, we think "classic rock," not because of it's refusal to metamorphose (or rather, transmogrify) into today's rock, but because of it's influence from the aforementioned 60's - 80's hard core, unfiltered, instrumentally diverse sound (including alternate percussive effects from tambourines and maraccas, as well as keyboard infiltration that would make The Doors jealous), which is uniquely self-complimenting, orchestrated, and coherent. Space Lord deals with becoming (unconsciously) corrupt with power, wealth, and ultimately desire (Now give me the strenth to split the world into, yeah/I've ate all the rest, and now I've gotta eat you), which may delineate the stereotypical American 'powertrip,' hence the album's appropriate name. If you are looking for unrelenting excellent rock, which isn't too harsh to listen to, but most certainly isn't along the lines of Phish or Weezer (in any respect at all), I recommend this song, album and any others one could get one's hands on. 5 out of 5 stars for its genre.

This is the final track off their 1982 LP "Heartache", which is the Most Underrated LP Of All Time, and one of the three or four best of the 1980s!! The song actually sounds quite a bit like David Bowie's "Let's Dance" (which it preceded by about 18 months, in case anybody wants to raise plagiarism issues), only serious instead of stupid.
It's one of the more subdued tracks on the LP, which I would characterize as being most like the livelier end of Simple Minds (say "Sparkle In The Rain" or "Once Upon A Time"-era), but with a powerful lead singer who is probably closest to Jay Black of '60s hitmakers Jay and the Americans, or maybe Gary Puckett of the Union Gap (I am not knocking Jim Kerr's vocals by the way).

The full track listing for this wonderful LP: Time After Time, Living In A Heartache, Madelaine, L'Image Craquee, Spirits; The World, Dancing Inside You, Major Major, Too Late To Fly The Flag, Standing In The Rain. Produced by Mick Glossop.

A truly out-of-this-world multitracked vocal tour-de-force.

You could see this as typical of late period Clash or solo Joe Strummer. It's got a vaguely world music type vibe with Far Eastern sounding keyboards and interesting drumming.

It was a double A-side with 'Should I Stay or Should I Go', (which was later re-released (without Straight to Hell) and was a big hit in the UK, following a Levis advert.) Straight to Hell is a lot less 'rock-y' than Should I stay.

If you were going to buy a Clash compilation then I would check whether this is included if you like there more mellow stuff - its on some of the compilations but not others.

I'm lucky enough to have seen this done by both the Clash and Joe Strummer when he was in the Pogues. Both very memorable.

Ahh, how much I love Eternity's Children's sounds...
A week ago, I bought their CD where 25 songs in, as my bootleg's mix was terrible and no main vocal on Lifetime Day! Anyway, now I enjoy its perfect tracks, especially Lifetime Day, Your World and this song Sunshine Among Us. I do love Sunshine..'s catchy melody, beautifully thick effected harmonies and groovy backing rythm section including keyboards.
By the way, the liner notes says " However, each year, on the day before Thanksgiving, Bruce Blackman leads members of various Eternity's Children lineups at a benefit in Greenville, Mississippi featuring reunions of the area's best-loved acts" wow...this year also?!?!...I really wanna join the event!!

Great bubblegum-pop theme to the Dean Martin spy flick done by Boyce & Hart, best known as one of the songwriting teams behind the Monkees. This track features some terrifically dated, non-P.C. lyrics like "blonde hair, brunette, redheads/lying like injuns in the grass/they're comin' through the pass/and buster/you're General Custer". It also features a great Tijuana Brass-esque horn arrangement, and since this came out on A&M, it may actually be Alpert and the boys themselves. The single is pretty easy to find, but it's also available on the fantastic "Mad, Mad World of Soundtracks" comp from Germany, with its accompanying book of soundtrack cover art.

the perfect teen heartbreak country ballad. the arrangement on this just BLOWS me away. check out the dissonant strings and the gentle steel guitar! not to mention skeeters vocals.. she never sounded better in my opinion, it just comes across as so goddamn heartfelt. marvel at the heavy, deadpan spoken word section at the end!
A desert island break-up song if there ever was one:)

Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye

Written by Roy Buchanan (the world's greatest unknown guitarist; not my words)and covered by Gary Moore, the guitar work by Gary Moore (formerly of Thin Lizzy)is amazing and can be seen on one of the Gary Moore DVD compilations at Montreaux.

Fans of Flight of the Conchords, who bill themselves as "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo", will know this track already as it is one of their most popular. Although lyrically clever and funny, I think their music writing is saved a lot by the production, to the point where the songs are very listenable and enjoyable (I wouldn't be recommending other wise, I guess). From their first widely available album (self-titled), this track is a highlight, as is 'Ladies of the World' (especially the shortvocal reprise - hard to believe it's them at times), and 'Business Time'. The second album has some great tracks also. The TV show's worth catching also.

This song was first released on their limited edition debut single "Breaking America" which is where I first heard it. Incidentally, I think it's the best song on this 3-track single as opposed to the title track. The lyrics and concept are uber-funky, and the guitar riffs are really really cool. This is a song that points to a band with lots of spunkiness and talent. ^_^

You just need to hear this...if you value Music, of any genre, you need to listen to this as soon as you can.

Hear the sound of music
Drifting in the aisles
Elevator prozac
Stretching on for miles

The music of the future
Will not entertain
It's only meant to repress
And neutralize your brain

Soul gets squeezed out
Edges get blunt
Demographic
Gives what you want

One of the wonders of the world is going down
It\'s going down I know
It\'s one of the blunders of the world that no-one cares
No-one cares enough

Now the sound of music
Comes in silver pills
Engineered to suit you
Building cheaper thrills

The music of rebellion
Makes you wanna rage
But it\'s made by millionaires
Who are nearly twice your age

Soul gets squeezed out
Edges get blunt
Demographic
Gives what you want

One of the wonders of the world is going down
It\'s going down I know
It\'s one of the blunders of the world that no-one cares
No-one cares enough

As a huge Moody Blues fan, I'm always excited to hear a new track by the frontman, Justin Hayward. This track from his 96 solo album is one worth listening to.

Somewhere between 91 and 96, Justin learned to handle his guitar like George Harrison. You'll notice this if you listen to the Moody Blues' 99 offering Strange Times, but that's not the point. On this particular song, you get the Harrison-like guitar-riff along with the haunting vocals that Hayward is famous for. Combined the two are a powerful mix. This song and all the others on the CD are worth taking a listen too.

I love this song because its got a good beat to it and this makes it really catchy. I think the verses are a bit boring and repetive, but the chorus is amazing!

I love this song ! I heard of them a little while back now but I never really got into them - until i heard this song! It's catchy and its got a good rhythm to it- I have been looking for a great song like this for ages!! I recommend it to you if you like bands like Keane and Coldplay! its a great song so listen to it its on youtube!

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

Guilty proggy hyper-indulgent pleasure from a very consistent album release. Beautiful production.

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

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

A heavenly pop vocal track, one of the last tracks ever recorded by Dino, Desi and Billy. The production (by Stu Phillips, who did the Hollyridge Strings and some cool soundtracks) is dreamy and soft, perfectly matching the idealized lyrics (the world seems so wonderful...etc).

Am i the only one disappointed Goldfrapp by now almost completely abandoned their "Felt Mountain"-style and are now solely winding down on the glam-electro route? Anyway, "Time Out From The World" could easily have been on the first album, it sounds like a follow up to "Pilots": Gently flowing, nocturnal in texture, floating through a vast open space with delicate electronica and synths building up to a lush finale with an orchestral armada of strings. Despite the electronics it still has this late-60s-John-Barry feeling all over it.

Ethereal, cinematic soundscape, which builds to a predictable, but still thrilling climax.

A friend suggested that it sounds a bit like a classic James Bond theme, and I can see what they mean - it has got those gorgeous Barry-esque strings that come sweeping in at the 3 minute mark that just carry you away, shaken AND stirred!

More grist to my mill that there are lots of really good things going unsigned in the easy listening-folk- pop world - the fella that wrote this sits very close to me where I work. A really nicely-put together, low key pop song with a beautiful vocal melody. Available for FREE dammit at http://artists2.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Random_Bruce/. 'Sometimes anything' and 'had to be there' are also well worth a listen.

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

Singer Gal Costa was born in Salvador (Bahia state). Together with other musicians from Bahia: Caetano Veloso, his sister Maria Bethânia, Gilberto Gil and Tom Zé, she moved to São Paulo in 1964. There she bacame one of the most important members of de Tropicalia movement. I consider �Tuareg� as her best song.

�
Pois ele é sentimental
Humano, é nobre é mouro
È muçulmano
Pois ele é guerreiro
Ele é bandoleiro
Ele é justiceiro
Ele é mandingueiro
Ele é um tuareg

�Tuareg� is from an era in which the attitude towards Muslims was a lot more positive then these days. The song is written by Jorge Ben and a fruitful mixture between Brazilian and Arabic music. I love the sound of the ud (the classical Arabic lute) and ghaita (or oboe: a double reed instrument) which Ben put together with an organ, a bass and a groovy rhythm. The song reminds me of Yusef Lateefs version of �Brazil�, Ary Barbosa�s hit. This jazz musician was also exploring and fusing musical cultures, and often used instruments of the Eastern world.

All the elements that made Dexys so interesting are distilled into this spritual eoic,passion ,commitment and the awkward genius of Kevin Rowland from the album that gave the world "Come on Eileen" this is ifve minutes of beauty,sweat and belief.Commencing with a pastoral flute and quickly growing into that familiar dexys blend of brass and strings ,a rousing chorus and a lonely whistled finale .Not immediately accesible but if you're a "bit" interested you could be converted for ever.

Probably the slowest music I have I guess, from an album called The Blue Moods of Spain . Its dream-pop for evenings full of hope, or comforting music for days when all falls apart.The vocalist is not the worlds best , but because hes so natural it just adds to the mood I find. Its hard to pinpoint exactly what I like the most about it ,its just one of those songs u fall in love with and never grow away from.

Trance inducing teutonic pschonaughts build patterns up with a haunting celtic feel to the instrumentation and even a touch of Brel. Otherworldly and modal in constuction with a stunningly memorable chorus.

Excellently arranged, male fronted vocal Electro Pop.

Tom Waits is so cool. All of his songs do a really good job of making you feel like you remember a time and place you've never seen... his world is one of boxcars, whiskey, and five o'clock shadow. This song is much less bizarre than some of his others; it's more mournful. But it's just... nice to hear. He is a sad old man.

The title of this Sommers/Almeida album is spot on: gentle, soft arrangements by Laurindo Almeida, simple yet effective with guitar and lush strings, embellished with flutes, harps and vibes and Joanie Sommers' vocals dominantly on top of it.

This was the first version of this song that I'd heard, but have since discovered that it has been recorded many times. The song is written by Michel Colombier & Paul Williams and this version is somewhat haunting, whilst, at the same time, it's also spacey and heavenly. The lush vocals give the song its "other worldly" sound.

I like this songs imagery and how it leaves so much unsaid, so the listener can relate it to themselves.
Apparently, the writer, (either Daryl Kromm or Drew Arnot, of Strange Advance) wrote this song from a dream he had. He described it as 'One of those wake up sweating dreams.'
The song is from their album 2wo, and is available on both 'Over 60 Minutes With Strange Advance' and 'Worlds Away and Back'.
However, niether of their first two albums, 'Worlds Away'(1982) and '2wo'(1985) are available on CD.

Song lyrics:

We Run

You're on your own and meet a friend
Who doesn't kill but wounds for life
The sun blinds you through the trees
While watching clues fall from the skies
And she smiles

Chorus

At the point of the knife
You never see anyone
How the strong will survive
At the end of their gun
We run...........

Frozen smiles for men returned
They never even left this place
She kissed me softly on the cheek
And a shadow cut across her face

Take heart the fountain of my life
Stone the victim to his knees
I've got scars for my mistakes
And now post atomic dreams
I dream...........

Chorus

At the point of the knife
You never see anyone
How the strong will survive
At the end of their gun
We run...........

I walked for miles and miles to the sea
we burned, the fire from the sun
I know you never tried to deceive
who can touch us when we run

It's rare when a song can make you cry, at least in my case. This one always seems to shake something loose inside, some glacier of residule emotions or something. Nevertheless, this song has that certain something for me. Written by the more than capable Mr.Webb,and brought to life by Walter Wanderley on electric harpsichord alongside Don Sebesky's crush-velvet arrangements.The vocalists sound like they did the whole piece in one take, without fixing anything,to give it this dreamy adolescent quality,bathed in swirling soft lights...This record is one of the best of the A&M/CTI collaborations, bringing the best of both worlds together seamlessly... Magic stuff!