Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney sang Ebony & Ivory, about black and white living together in harmony on the piano keyboard. If Stevie were on his own, it'd just be...
In 1992, INXS released their best album, Welcome To Wherever You Are. It contains the somewhat prescient song, Not Enough Time. When I hear this song in my head, it goes "Not enough time for all that I want to do" (although the actual lyrics are slightly different). Those lyrics pop into my head more and more frequently as the clock ticks ever onward... in a similar fashion to the way the lyrics to We Have All The Time In The World fill my mind whenever I'm in a rush to get somewhere and I find myself stuck behind a Louis.
I sometimes wonder if I like too much music. If I'd be better off if my tastes were more niche and not so varied. Because there really is NOT ENOUGH TIME to listen to everything I want to listen to. Every time I visit the tube of you, a new band pops up demanding my attention. On first listen, a lot of them sound intriguing... like this lot, who may well be of some interest to Martin...
Brigitte Calls Me Baby appear to be the latest in a long, long, long line of bands who want to sound like The Smiths. But how many of those ever made it big? Suede? Gene? (Not really.) The Killers? (As soon as they did, they stopped trying to sound like The Smiths.)
Lead singer Wes Leavins (with his enormous Morrissey quiff) claims to be more influenced by Sinatra, Orbison and Presley... ✔, ✔, ✔... but it's The Smiths I hear (and see) in the videos above and below... and that's why they're on the list.
Often, when I hear a song I like on another blog, I'll leave a comment saying "That's going on the list." Similarly, when I hear something interesting on the radio. Like this little beauty from Irish singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon...
I like the folky atmosphere on that, and the idea that if we don't keep the old songs alive (whether they be Raglan Road or Girls Just Wanna Have Fun), they'll fade from our collective consciousness. I used to enjoy listening to the late Desmond Carrington on Radio 2. He'd play a really diverse mix of music, some of it old and forgotten from the 30s, 40s or 50s, alongside more recent or well known choices. I heard things on his show I'd never heard before on the radio, and probably never will again.
As Ultan puts it...
Who's gonna play the old songs when all the old-timers are gone?
Here's an old song I've been playing a lot lately...
See? It's all too much, isn't it? Imagine if I just liked indie music, or rock, or old soul, or country and Americana... if I specialised in power pop or new wave or gentle, acoustic singer-songwritery stuff. Then I'd be able to focus. I'd be able to concentrate on one thing and enjoy it for what it is and not always be worrying about finding the next new thing... or the next old thing... in the hope it might hit me like a chaise longue or gradually unveil its beauty over a half dozen listens like the best of Jason Isbell.
But I don't just like one thing. I like all kinds of different things, and being able to switch genres and keep it fresh is essential in my listening. But then I also like digging back into the archives too. Except when do I have the time? I mentioned at the top of the page that Welcome To Wherever You Are is the best album INXS ever made. And yet I'm making that assessment safe in the knowledge that I haven't listened to it all the way through in 30 years. But The List keeps growing, and it's growing from all sides. New things, old things that are new to me, old things that I know but I haven't listened to in ages... and on and on and on...
Take that lot, for instance. Life are from Hull. Let's not hold that against them, because on the evidence of the track above... they're excellent. Bear in mind that they released that two years ago and this is the first time I've come across them, but they already appear to have released three albums. What if they're all as good as that song? I ought to drop everything else this instance and devote the next three weeks to familiarising myself with their back catalogue... but I haven't got the time because I also have to check out these guys...
L.A. Edwards come from... erm, Los Angeles... although the LA doesn't stand for what you think - it's lead singer Luke Andrew's initials. They supported Lucinda Williams last weekend and as soon as I heard them, I knew I wanted to hear more. So they've gone on The List.
There's so much music out there waiting to be discovered, it's a truly daunting prospect. Because what if I never hear that one song that changes my life forever? It's out there somewhere, I know it is. That's why I have The List...
Not many votes last week, as the two Iron Maidens proved too much torture for most of you. The more famous Maidens, from what I recall... Ernie danced on stage with them and C sold them dodgy records. Didn't help them win against the Band Formerly Known As Bum. You never can tell.
The first thing that must be asked before we consider any of
today’s options is: Why is there an apostrophe in Go-Go’s? Does something
belong to them? Is it an abbreviation? No? Then it doesn’t need an apostrophe!
I was forced to consult the interweb. And lo! An answer from the horse’s
mouth!
Anyway, onto the bands themselves…
Let’s start with a little 60s surf rock. There was just
bound to be a 60s surf rock band called the Go-Go’s, wasn’t there?
THE GO-GO’S #1
Gary Usher was a singer, songwriter and record producer who
worked with the likes of The Beach Boys, The Byrds and Dick Dale. He gets a
co-writing credit on two top Beach Boys songs, Lonely Sea and In My Room, among
others. Iffypedia tells me he also “produced fictitious surf groups or hot rock
groups, mixing studio session musicians with his own troops”. I’m guessing this
was one of those entirely made up bands…
THE GO GO’S #2
Still in the 60s, with an apostrophe but no hyphen, we
encounter the Geordie band responsible for this weird Christmas novelty record.
Songwriter Les Vandyke (real name John Worsley) wrote Number
Ones for Adam Faith and Eden Kane, as well as top 70s tune Gonna Make You AnOffer You Can’t Refuse by Jimmy Helms. But this was surely his finest hour… or perhaps not.
THE GO-GO’S #3
Belinda Carlisle, Jane Weidlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina
Schock, Kathy Valentine, Belinda Carlisle.
Some debate (in that interview clip at the top of the page)
about the use of the definite article. If the band themselves can’t even make
up there mind whether or not to use a The, there’s no hope for the rest of us.
Still. Belinda Carlisle.
According to The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, The Go-Go’s are
“widely considered to be the most successful female rock band of all time”. I’m
not sure how the Bangles feel about that. Still. Belinda Carlisle.
Which Go-Go's gets you going? Go Go to the Comments and let me know...
George tried his best, checking into all the London prisons he could think of... but old lag Martin had already done time with this bunch so he recognised their mugshots immediately.
4. Syd was pretty tough - and loaded!
Syd Barrett.
Tough = strong.
If you're loaded, you have "LOADSAMONEY!" (You had to be there. Yes, I bought that. Listen musos - William Orbit was involved in that, so it must have been cool. I was 16, OK? Give me a break.)
Despite an initial confusion with the footballer (!?!) Earl Barrett, George nabbed this one.
3. German stone guy makes a Take That song even worse.
Stein is German for stone.
Take That did Bad For Good (possibly Gary Barlow's finest hour, though I prefer Robbie Williams' solo version: you have to stick with it past the first 50 seconds. I saw him do that live. Twice. One time, he rode a toilet round the stage while doing it. Don't tell me Robbie Williams isn't great. I won't believe you.)
In my humble opionion, Jim Steinman is one of the greatest songwriters ever to have set foot on this planet.
