Entertainment For Lively Minds
(Current) best record of all time...
Posted by DougieJ on 4 August 2009 - 10:48pm.
You know how sometimes you hear a song that gives you that 'everything's for the best in this best of all possible worlds' feeling? It's not yer Day in the Lifes and yer Imagines and yer Shine on You Crazy Diamonds, but something less familiar. For me, right here, right now, it's Prefab Sprout's 'Bonny'. Not a note or a word out of place:
http://open.spotify.com/track/4NMYODZis7FHVVEM642AQy
Er, that's all.
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The Fags
Truly Truly.
Power Pop at the very highest fragment of distillation. No finer song has ever been recorded.
At least until I change my mind next week.
Great name...
...and it's always nice to see nerdy lads with Peter Purves hair making a name for themselves, but the tune sounds a bit too Fountainsofwayney for my caring, and the lead singer is no way near fey enough to be a true powerpop frontman.
If you want damn fine old-school songs with treble that goes round to 11, you need a spot of "Boys Don't Lie" by The Shoes or "Surrender" by Cheap Trick in your life.
Fountains of Wayne
Couldn't agree more that they sound like them. I said it to myself as I watched the video, scrolled down, and you had beaten me to it!
Surrender is also a great tune and my favourite from Cheap Trick.
Talking of FOW
Power pop
Sorry, have to insist this is thefinestpowerpopsongofalltime...
I count the hours since you slipped away
Bonny is brilliant as is Appetite.Indeed, Steve McQueen boasts a flawless first side to quote a recent thread - and a dang fine second to boot.
But actually the best tune ever is "Maid in Heaven" by Be-Bop Deluxe.
It's pop, it's rock, it's powerful - and pretty too
Be Bop Deluxe
Have to agree with you about Be Bop Deluxe. One of the most underrated bands of all time. Sunburst Finish would definitely be in my Top !0. I still play it a lot today (33 years later!!!). They had some great power pop moments. Blazing Apostles, Fair Exchange, Panic In The World, Kiss Of Light, Life In The Air Age, Electrical Language, Dancing In The Moonlight etc. And then later Bill Nelson did 'Do You Dream In Colour?' And then followed that up with Red Noise and Furniture Music and probably his best power pop moment Revolt Into Style. Time for a feature methinks.
But as pop singles go how can you ignore This Is Pop by XTC. Doesn't get much better than that. But then they also recorded: Towers Of London, Generals & Majors, Making Plans For Nigel, Senses Working Overtime, Mayor Of Simpleton, The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead, Dear God, No Thugs In Our House. And only two of those broke into the Top 10. Ridiculous.
But then there's Squeeze, Madness, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Elvisi Costello, Nick Lowe, The Jam and then Weller, The Pretenders, The Kinks, the Small Faces (A special nod for Tin Soldier), The Stranglers, The Pistols, Wings...I could list hundreds. But i just wanted to say it was nice to see Be Bop Deluxe get a mention. Buy the best of called 'AIr Age Anthology', you won't be disappointed. Great live band also (Check out 'Live In The Air Age!'). Remember seeing them at Hammersmith Odeon (earlier that day I had been to the Southampton v Fulham match, where George Best got sent off. Busy day indeed) supported by Burlesque. Now there was a band also. Later becoming The Fabulous Trimmer and Jenkins. Wish you could get their stuff on CD.
No Matter What - Badfinger
A fantastically fabulous song that never fails to brighten my day.
I agree about side 1 of "Steve McQueen" and the mark of it's excellence is that I'd nominate 'Goodbye Lucille no. 1' as my favourite song! I also agree about 'Maid in Heaven.' I saw Be-Bop twice: once the original band circa "Axe Victim" and then the line up in the clip above. First time they were supporting Cockney Rebel: what a great bill that was!
good call
and Day After Day too. Badfinger - a tale too sad to tell
No Matter What
Jellyfish did a great live version. It was on the b-side of one of their singles.
Here's something off YouTube. Pics not much, but the audio isn't too bad.
I'm not in love...
with Hayley Mills anymore - she's gone a bit wrinkly.
Then:
"I advise you to forget her."
What are you...
21?
She is a person too
She has her own will
Why don't you join...
the Foreign Legion?
Because life's not comlete
Till your heart's missed a beat
(If we carry this any further, Paddy McAloon is going to claim some royalties...)
Hot news: new Prefab Sprout album on the way: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Change-World-Music-Prefab-Sprout/dp/B002FU5SPU/r...
Ok -
and I got the wrong song anyway - it's not Bonny is it? - it's Goodbye Lucille.
One of my favourite moments in a song
The moment when the drums miss the beat underneath that line. Perfection.
I don't disagree
with any of the above comments. Steve McQueen is fantastic in its entirety. Something about Bonny gets me every time though - the juxtaposition of the urgency of the tune with the heart-rending words. Strange to say that when you realise the song is about a man (brother, perhaps) it is even more affecting. Comes from 'bonny lad' I presume...
It's about a friend
of Paddy's called Graham Bonny who died.
Thanks for the info
Didn't know that.
No Problem, Dougie
For all Paddy McAloon was hailed as a master of the arch and the cryptic, you don't get many songs as powerful and unambiguous as Bonny. Still makes the neckhairs stand up.
Love Grows...
Bonny (Leo Zero edit)
If you google the above you will find a OO's dance remix of it that is actually pretty good
New Musik class
I remmber thm doing this on TOTP
The lead singer was a little bloke who was playing the BIGGEST dreadnought acoustic you've ever seen. He looked like a seven-year-old playing with daddy's guitar.
Am currently partial to
Holiday Road by Lindsay Buckingham.
Sure that will change again in a few weeks.
"Trouble"
from the "Law and Order" lp is insanely catchy.
Today's favourite
is Marrow by St. Vincent - I'm at work, so YouTube/Spotify is a no-no I'm afraid, but I implore you to give it a listen. I think it sounds like "Don't Stop 'Til you Get Enough" in a hall of mirrors.
Yes
St Vincent is a current musical obsession of mine since seeing her truly great gig at the ICA a few weeks ago.
Nonetheless, my perfect song du jour is Head Home by Midlake
Actor (the album)...
by St.Vincent is a real grower.
Here's the aforementioned on Joe R's behalf
Most appreciated
I'll have a sneaky peek at that when I get home.
I saw St. Vincent a couple of weeks ago at Latitude. I'd barely heard of them but they were completely spellbinding.
Let's be honest
Pretty much everything on The Trials Of Van Occupanther is verging on perfection.
I'd love to see Midlake live.
Next Time
they tour, cancel all other appointments, they are wonderful live. They should be doing the rounds in the next 12 months as the new album is imminent.
and they claim Jethro Tull
...as one of their main sources of inspiration. Which, to me, is just fine.
Ooh...
...didn't know this. I'm excited now (life's fairly dull at the moment, so minor things like this have great meaning).
Semisonic - Chemistry
I heard this last night (in a film, and a cover I think) for the first time in years and decided it was my favourite song. Of course today I'll hear something else and that'll be my favourite until tomorrow.
And this is bloody great as well
The album got five stars in Q. For some reason. It's not that good.
I remember that
if I recall correctly, a Daft Punk album (Discovery?) got 5 stars in the same issue
you do recall correctly.
bought both of 'em. The Daft Punk one is a good 'un though. Still didn't make it past track 5 on the Semisonic one!
This puts a big daft smile on my face. Every time.
And warms the cockles of my heart.
Granville Williams Orchestra - Popeye!
Today I will be mostly listening to......
Marie, Marie by The Blasters
Try this one
Since The Man decided I needn't be his wage slave for a while, I've been keeping a daily blog of my (in)action, one element of which is a daily soundtrack, thrown up at random by iTunes. Today's blog threw up a delightful bit of Doo Wop that I commend to the Massive...
Two for me...
...on constant rotation (does an MP3 rotate?).
The Yeasayer 'Later' performance
was one of the best ever on that show.
Their album's pretty good too.
Right now, It's This
Freshly posted youtube janglepop genius
Be happy, be very happy. Within the last fortnight someone has posted some "hen's teeth" clips of three of the mighty Hurrah!'s first four singles on youtube. They could - and should - have been the biggest group on the planet, but instead they dithered, went rock, released a profoundly disappointing album a mere five years after their debut single, and split almost straight away afterwards.
But their fantastic early singles still stand head and shoulders over nearly all other 80's guitar groups, and they out-rosed the Stone Roses seven years before Baggy hit. This is their debut from 1982...
You have just made me an 18 yr old student again...
Thanks a bunch (;-)
I agree with every word, I used to have all of those singles on a compilation mini-LP, And It Was Good. The B-sides are absolutely fantastic as well. "Sunny Day" is one of my all time favourite songs.
Now I must go and do some work on a Philosophy essay...
Soundtrack Of Our Lives
This is my current method to get the blood pumping (Retro Man will no doubt agree).
Ignore the tacky cut'n paste images someone has inserted.
Probably somewhat unpopular here
But I love this:
This version hasn't got the oomph of the album, but pretty good anyway. A bit of Courtney's ok by me, and "Celebrity Skin" is a great big blast of a record.
Ooh lovely.
Perhaps you might also like my current all-time greatest ever favourite?
Them Pixies
is fine by me.
EDIT - If you liked "Malibu", I really, really can't recommend the "Celebrity Skin" album enough.
One step ahead of you
Have just overcome my long-term Hole avoidance, and ordered 'Celebrity Skin' online from a well-known music retailer.
Unfortunately this means I have broken my resolution to buy no music this month on day number 5.
It's a belting album
As Little Steven pointed out, reviews of her albums tend to be critiques of her life as opposed to relating to what's in the grooves. America's Sweetheart has some really good stuff too.
Splendid work
Just don't buy anything twice on the 10th to make up for it.
I second the recommenation of America's Sweetheart too. Not as good as Celebrity Skin, but some good stuff there nonetheless. Hole in general are a good thing.
Album now arrived.
It's rather good isn't it! (And I followed your advice - didn't buy anything yesterday. Twice.)
That's a relief
I've been worrying you'd think it was a dud and that I'd wasted your money!
Good work on the self control front on the 10th too.
Doll Parts/Hole
is unnerving and quite brilliant
Can't think who or what she could be singing about
I am doll parts
Bad skin, doll heart
It stands for knife
For the rest of my life
Yeah, they really want you, they really want you, they really do
Yeah, they really want you, they really want you, but I do, too
I want to be the girl with the most cake
He only loves those things because he loves to see them break
I fake it so real, I am beyond fake
And someday, you will ache like I ache
Clannnng!!!
I love the big opening chord from "Here Comes Your Man". It's like "A Hard Days Night" in Hell.
Just loved those Pixies anti-pop videos
Like this one:
and this one:
Courtney is innocent
I like this more than anything by her,er,ex
Better Prefabs song is
Doowop in Harlem - very poignant but also shows the incredible range of mr MacAloons voice.
At present I am quite partial to dance,dance,dance after someone posted a youtube clip onhere. That and Gretchen Peters Guadalupe.
Tomorrow it msy be something else.
Fact?
I like the nonchalant way you say 'a better Prefabs song is Doowop in Harlem'. That's told me then!
How's the assertiveness training going?
I think you're both wrong
And I will brook NO ARGUMENT!!!
Really Like that St Vincent
Track that David Rothon posted on 5/8/09
I really like knock123 by Imelda May at the moment, saw her live a couple of month's ago, and thought she was fabulous
Sorry,I should have said
dance, dance, dance by Lykke Li - all this jousting about Slowhand has worn me out!!
This One?
Fairport - She Moves Through The Fair
The neck hairs begin their rise with the first notes of RT's guitar
Yes indeed
It's brilliant. I heard it on a certain rival publication's free Island folk CD that also included this marvel that is one of my recent favourite things ever:
and now for something completely different (so eclectic me)
Power Pop
This thread has gone on a bit of a power pop tangent (I don't mind!). Not sure if this strictly fits the 'genre' but whatever, it's an insanely exciting pop record:
Another from Mouldy Old Bob
Deeply gorgeous tune:
Nothing more powerful or poptastic has ever been recorded!
Probably. Apart from The Fags thingy. And possibly Gigolo Aunts. My top three favourite songs. Perhaps.
I remember the late, great and sadly missed Kevin Greening playing this loads of times on his drivetime show and a couple of times on breakfast.
Mostly because I emailed and asked him to and he didn't need too much of an excuse.
I know...
A truly life-affirming record. The way it builds to the harmonising on the final 'mind' is a great moment. Can't remember the last time I heard it on the radio, but when it came out I never tired of hearing it.
A proper pop song.
Verse.
Chorus.
Verse.
Chorus.
Middle eight.
Instrumental break.
Verse.
Chorus.
Coda.
With load of guitars and harmonies. What's not to like?
Absolutely
Correct. A great single.
Wedding Present
Take Me.....
(currently) loving this again.
Up the wooden hills...
To Bedfordshire.
From the Jaydiohead: Encore mash-up
http://jaydiohead.com/listen/?jh=ENCORE
Reckoner's Encore
Throw Me The Statue
"Moonbeams" LP on constant rotation at the moment.
And this lot
'The Way' by Fastball
Back to American power pop. BBc radio London used to play it all the time. Liked it so much I wrote to them to ask what it was as they never told you!
The only song I've ever had to sing in a music shop.
Borders in Chicago. I'd done a big drive round Middle America in 1998 and this was played loads but the DJs never seem to back-announce songs. I was reduced to singing at the shop assistant who, to my enormous relief, didn't humiliate me but told me the name of the song. It never really got played over here.
Currently keeping the Bisto kids happy
in the car on their summer johnny halliday
May favourite Today
Better than Part of The Union
(May change in the next hour or so)
current best record - California On My Mind
Wild Light - California On My Mind - The title suggests a sentimental ditty - and then the real song blows you away...
I Believe In Father Christmas
One of Greg Lake's finest - beautiful guitar work and a bit of Prokofiev thrown in!
I can't help but like this ...
Objectional is so many ways .... tacky video, Zevon and Skynyrds music, but I just can't stop humming it. It's lodged in my brain in a way that "Werewolves" never did. It makes me smile and tap my foot.
This is one of the many guilty pleasures
on a Kerrang compilation CD I keep in the car which helps keep me sane on my 120 mile daily round trip commute to work. Also on the CD and good for singing along to loudly on the motorway - Nickelback 'Rockstar', Slipknot 'Psychosocial', Linkin Park 'Given Up', and a cover version by I can't remember who of 'Holy Diver'.
Other road users occasionally are entertained by my singing along (complete with 'RAWK' facial expressions and hand gestures), as I have a tendency to forget that in slow traffic I can be observed. I am sure the carload of teenage boy racer types who were pointing and laughing at me one night last week were doing so out of love and admiration.
Not quite current best record.....
Discovered this on the rather fab NPR site....in a Flaming Lips meets MGMT stylee......
Todays Top Tune
Or ...
Another sensitive 80s moment
In a similar vein to my original suggestion, I can't recommend highly enough Danny Wilson's near faultless debut album Meet Danny Wilson. Only possible fly in the ointment is Ruby's Golden Wedding (heartwarming sentiment and everything - just not for public airing). Also, as we're discussing production on a different thread, this is fantastically well produced and not at all dated, I find.
Stand out track for me right now is this:
http://open.spotify.com/track/4L9u1Ml94Sq5byiTSkiLJV
'My home is a shelter from language and race, a wonderful mixture of grace and emotion and growing pains. Steamtrains to the Milky Way...' Brilliant.
I see from the now LA-based Gary Clark's MySpace page (god those page designs are horrible aren't they?) that someone called Demi Lavato (who he writes for / produces, among many others) has gone straight to No. 1 on the Billboard chart. It's a long way from Dundee. Wonder if they have pehs in La-La Land? (Scottish in-joke)
Bugger!
Why have I not yet seen Danny Wilson yet mentioned on The Blog?
Dougie J speaks the truth.
Apart from Ruby's Golden Wedding which I rather love.
Danny Wilson WERE great; King L less so.
Now. Is Mary's Prayer Power Pop or not?
I'm sorry to upset the apple-cart..
One of the joys
of these threads is the tangents they can take. As such, I didn't mind that my heart-rending, cerebral original choice was rudely hijacked by your good self and taken in a PowerPop direction, as it allowed me to big up 'If I Can't Change Your Mind'. However, I have now reclaimed the thread for its original purpose...(insert smiley).
Michael Marra - Green Grow the Rashes
A bit of cheat this, since - as far as I know - Michael Marra has never actually released his version of this Burns song. So this freebie version is all there is. However, since I heard him do it live, I've never been able to get it out of my head. Moving, uplifting - I almost get what all the Burns fuss is about.
It's Rare T' be Alehv - Saint Andrew
Number one record in our house bar none. This never fails to spread joy whenever it is played. By Dundee's answer to Frank Zappa. Seen here with a nod to those OGWT videos they played when they didn't actually have any footage of the band...
Speaking of the now
Skipping Girl Vinegar - smart, thoughtful, and cracking tunes!
Right now for me
it's this:
Never mind that Mrs J Depp looks heartachingly fabulous, but this is probably one of the best things Lenny Kravitz has ever touched. right voice, great lyric and just the rght hint of Motownishness in the production.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
Gorgeous indeed
Song's not bad either. Great drums.
Yes, and apparently...
Lenny "touched" quite a lot of Vanessa - almost all of her in fact.
Quite
not surprising though, is it?
Anouk
Another song that had instant appeal for me was Anouk's "Nobody's Wife".
One of Canada's finest
I'm at work so can't post a YouTube link, but Blue Rodeo's Hasn't Hit Me yet is wonderful.
Pop like how they useta make it . . .
This is brand new, but sounds like something that might have come out in the summer of 1967 (fake pizzicato strings notwithstanding).