The audio equivalent of Russ Meyer if he'd had a go at a religious breastfest in the eighties. Which he may well have done.
I remember in my taping-off-the-radio youth I had this song on cassette when it reached the very lower reaches of the British top 40. How I loved it then and, seeing the LP the other weekend for a mere pound, thought I must make this my own. If anything, it sounds better to my late 20's ears. The overblown production sounds less just like a bit of a laugh and more a genuine expression of sexual and religious fervour. However tongue-in-cheek it may be.
And the cover! The only words appropriate are "dogs dinner" for these three fashionistas.
from Massive Luxury Overdose (Ton Son Ton ARMYLP-2)
12 Jan 05 ·OneCharmingBastard: The glorious moment of drag queen disco this side of Dead Or Alive. Play it today just to ignite the ire of a fundie near you.
I don't really care for Bob Dylan, and it is for one reason only; his whingey voice. It just, for me, undermines all the cleverness of his lyrics since he sounds like a child who's dropped his ice cream.
But there's no denying the man writes cracking songs. Virtually every time I hear someone other than him perform a Dylan tune, I find it a great listening experience. Another favourite is Linda Gayle's version of Maggie's Farm (on one of the Girls In The Garage volumes).
Peggy March is famous (if 'famous' isn't stretching it) for a couple of saccharine hits in the early 60's. Few people realise she had a later dimension to her career - great popularity as a German language singer. Her vocal treatment of this Dylan song adds a shyness and grace to the protest, all accompanied by, naturallment, that slight oompah-ness endemic to a great deal of German pop of the period.
from Memories Of Heidelberg (Bear Family BCD 15602), available on CD
This reminds me of The Velvet Underground. Not musically in the slightest but just on one point - while absolutely great, paved the way for some awful copycats.
This is ultra-soft funk, luxuriating in comfort like the fluffy fur Striplin is wearing on the sleeve. Absolutely adorable, and so finely nuanced that it never cloys and just improves with repeated listening. It's hard to pick one song from this LP not just because they're all so damn brilliant but because each and every one of the songs sounds better nestled between their bedfellows.
Unfortunately this kind of style was robbed of all its subtlety and beauty in the 80's leading to the formula of soulless soul that began to proliferate. Enjoy this album for what it is; a creative apex between the decades.
How best to describe such a tableau as this? Another Indian gem imprinted into my brain from my recent holiday.
Parts of this song are so much like the Grease 2 soundtrack in spirit it's untrue. Mix that with the kind of Hindi film beats that have become close to my heart over the last couple of months and you're talking about the kind of song which will keep me awake thinking of its greatness.
The female backing vocals are the cherry on the crumble. You can just picture the wide eyed lovely saying "An-thony GONSALVES!!"
from Amar Akbar Anthony (Universal CDF 723), available on CD
09 Aug 04 ·Issie: Just listened to the song- i think its great! 16 Aug 04 ·olli: heheh, have you seen the scene where this song is used in the film? it`s amazing! best slow motion running ever. 16 Dec 05 ·tinks: ridiculously brilliant.
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.
from June Christy Recalls Those Kenton Days (Capitol ST 1202)