Entertainment For Lively Minds
Songs that should have been hits
Posted by Ola Claesson on 2 March 2009 - 3:38pm.
There are so many songs that shouldn´t really be hits, but even more sadly there are songs that should have been huge, played everywhere and then gone on to status of stone cold classic.
I guess some songs become classics without ever have been hits in the first place, but still.
I would go for The Kinks marvelous Celluloid Heroes from 1972´s Everybody´s In Show-Biz. It´s now a favourite of sorts for most true fans of The Kinks, but it´s not up there with You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon and Waterloo Sunset as far as nostalgia radio goes. A cover version of Bon Jovi does not count.
What´s your favourite should-have-been-a-hit?
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From 1995, I think
I always thought this should have been a massive hit. Didn't really fit into the "Brit Pop" era. I think it got played a bit on the radio at the time but didn't set the pop charts on fire.
Out Of My Hair - In The Groove Again
Out Of My Hair
Excellent stuff! The main guy from Out Of My Hair was also 'Comfort'. There was also another great single called 'The Proof Of You' from around 97/98.
If I knew how to post an mp3 I would. Anyway there is album called God Is In The Detail available on itunes. And bloody marvellous it is too!
If anyone could shed any light on what happened to the guy from Out Of My Hear and Comfort then please let me know. He deserves to be a star
Fabulous!
I bought Out Of My Hair's In The Groove Again on CD single - it contains another take of the song which is called the "Nicer" mix - which is practically identical to the original.
An amazing record nonetheless. I remember Mark Radcliffe giving it a lot of airtime. They released an album soon after the single came out - anybody have a copy?
In a similar vein, these are Fantastic Something, known better to some as as Alex & Constantine Veis. They made one single for Cherry Red (see video) and an album for Blanco Y Negro. Nowt else, unless I'm mistaken...and both records were absolutely flawless. Hits, they should have been!
The video is nicked for the Cherry Red Pillows & Prayers VHS!
This is even better
I *heart* collecting singles like this, on CD or vinyl. Must see if I can find more examples. Bad for the artist but good for me = able to buy tons of these very cheap...which explains why I always end up with multiple copies.
Yes
I do have a copy of the Out Of My Hair album but the original single release of In The Groove Again is the one to find. It has 2 tracks which didn't appear on the album called River Of Gold and Strange Company which are also both brilliant.
The B-52's
Hot Corner from Funplex.
If Girls Aloud had recorded this, it would've been No. 1 for months...
Aztec Camera
Walk Out To Winter.
The single only got to about number 67, was apparently the reason Roddy jumped ship to a major label, because of the lack of PR leading to this.
It's quite different to the album version, a little slicker, but not as slick as the next albums. There's a beautiful passionate vocal from Roddy Frame, plus some amazing emotive guitar work (my favourite ever guitar solos) and a beautiful lyric.
The biggest crime though? This version isn't available anywhere. The shame!
The syn-drums on the album version...
... give me the willies every time - a horrible noise. In fact, pretty much all of "High Land Hard Rain" sounds dreadful, so it's just as well the songs are so wonderful (see also Prefab Sprout's "Swoon.")
As for the original question, there are too many to count, but the first 5 to spring to mind (all staggeringly catchy & commercial, all pretty much ignored) are:
PSYCHEDELIC FURS - Love My Way
JOSH ROUSE - Winter In The Hamptons
FISCHERSPOONER - All We Are
BRAN VAN 3000 - Astounded
POSTAL SERVICE - Such Great Heights
Such Great Heights
is a fantastic song. I don't think it charted (was it even released?) here, but it was #1 most played song on last.fm for around 2 years, so it's fairly well-known.
Love My Way
Was a huge college radio hit over here in the US. With Pretty In Pink, it's one of the two main songs from PF played on regular pop radio, too.
Aztec Camera - available on compilation
Simon - The 12" version is available on this compilation -
http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1;-1&sku=3...
You could add "Pillar to Post" to this list.
"High Land, Hard Rain" - now there's an album worthy of one of those played in full gigs (minus the syndrums of course)...
Sticking with the Kinks
If Come Dancing was a (minor) hit, possibly their last, this, from same LP, and the only decent track, or decent other track, if you rate Come Dancing, should have been huge:
Alternatively, despite Bananamour being his greatest hits, I don't recall Kevin Ayers ever being a chart botherer:
Better Things
Don't Forget to Dance is lovely, but Better Things is the Kinks single that got away IMHO:
ps This isn't one of those OGWT cartoons, is it?
Ray apparently given the cold shoulder more than once
So The Kinks should have made it bigger in general, then, and scored at least three more big ones. I won´t argue with that.
Me too.
Better Things is one of the best Kinks songs. Beautiful sentiment and a great tune brilliantly performed.
Josh Rouse
is an interesting one. His career is littered with potential hits. Apart from Winter In The Hamptons the two other obvious ones being here.
http://open.spotify.com/user/willdabeast/playlist/6upWvbSW1tSSZaZtLccYRI
Ké - Strange World
Celuloid Heroes
An absolute classic! When I was 18 the manager of the betting shop I Saturday-worked in gave me a tape of that saying it was the best record ever made. He wasn't far wrong. I agree with your never-on-greatest-hits-compilations comment - I am happy about that.
Steamroller
The Family Cat had the songs and the guitars to be huge...but never made it. Furthest From The Sun is an album I still play regularly.
Some Mysterious Sigh
The Katydids. I thought they were great and loved their debut single Read My Lips
Stay Where You Are
Ambulance Ltd. A great summer vibe to this track and an eponymous debut album that I still play a lot:
When Love Breaks Down
Didn't that only just creep into the chart? And then only after it's third or fourth push??
The dizzy heights of No. 25!
And yes, after at least 3 re-releases... but in the sleevenotes to the "Life Of Surprises" compilation, Paddy actually lies through his teeth and says it got to number 1!
Again & Again
The Bird and The Bee. I'm a sucker for stuff like this. What's it called? Oh yeah, pop music. You know the stuff, used to be in the charts.
Weekend
Black Box Recorder. More of that pop music. Tut.
Tears for Affairs
Camera Obscura. Too sweet for the charts no doubt.
Making Music
Chungking. What a voice, what a song, what a lack of chart placement.
I was in Chungking :)
I left quite some while before they got this good though :(
They have songs-that-should've-been-hits galore... just listen to the way this one builds and builds!
Following
Such a good track. I understand that the lead singer and the main man in the group had split up when they made this track so it takes on an added "Fleetwood Mac dimension".
Heh
I was *in* an earlier manifestation of Chungking (just call me their Peter Green). The internal politics were, um, byzantine.
Family My Friend The Sun
Quite possibly...
...my favourite song. Wonderful.
Originally by Family, which is the killer version...
Kate Bush There Goes A Tenner
Never been a fan of Texas nor of generic trip-hop
but this song has something quite special...
Agreed
Great track from an album that should have been much more successful.
Stephanie Kirkham - Inappropriate
“I Never Dreamed” by The Cookies
“I Never Dreamed” by The Cookies, my new favourite record because I’m a sappy old Hector.
Sam Fletcher
How everyone doesn't know this is beyond me.
Sam Fletcher
Cheers Sam
Played that for the girlfriend and she's on a 'northern' vibe now spinning round the front room.
Site to behold.
"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen"
by Clive Pig and The Hopeful Chinamen. 5 minutes of brilliance, a fabulous photo-story version of the song on the sleeve, Peel-endorsed and a total flop. Ver ain't no justisss...
Coulda Bin a Contender !!
'Leaves' are my pet "Why didn't they do it?" Band - Not to be confused with THE Leaves 60's Garage band.
Icelandic fellas very reminiscent of Doves more chilled out moments and sound like what I think Coldplay/Keane etc would love to be able to produce.
The Angela Test is a wonderful album from a couple of years ago and is sublime with hardly a weak track on it.
Can't do all that Youtube stuff as I am pretty clueless but have checked and it's on Spotify!!
Leave it to an expert
Geddit!
http://open.spotify.com/album/352shoi7P4hH7fcArgcfdz
Leave it to an expert
Cheers Beany........Smart A**e !!
I Go Down
by Leaves. Good call baz. I loved this album and this track is fantastic.
Junior Senior
If I was an A&R man I'd reckon that Junior Senior could have followed up their top ten hit Move Your Feet with this awesome pop confection, and stayed at the top of the charts for ages. But I'm not an A&R man...
http://www.last.fm/music/Junior+Senior/_/Shake+Me+Baby
Eg & Alice - Indian
Eg White of course went on to write various big hits for Will Young and, er, James Morrison, but don't let that put you off.
Different strokes for different folks
You live in the wrong country, mate. Because in Sweden it was actually a hit, even if not number one. It even managed its way onto Absolute Music 12 back in 1991 where it found space between Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers´ Into The Great Wide Open and Julian Lennon´s Saltwater.
Can I cheat a bit
and make a claim for every single Belle and Sebastian have ever released? All pop gold, especially Lazy Line Painter Jane.
Well
You know you are making it a bit TOO easy for yourself, don´t you?
Boys Wonder Shine On Me
missed the britpop boat by about a year. Great fun pop rock
Boys Wonder
Became the Acid Jazz band Corduroy.
Corduroy
Amazing band.
Kardomah Cafe - Cherry Boys
No YouTube link unfortunately. I bet Janice Long still plays it now.
Cherry Boys - Kardomah Cafe
NEWS FLASH. You can find it on YouTube now! I should know - I uploaded it!
The Vessels
This band wrote perfect little pop songs and the first time I heard this I thought it was going to be a massive hit.
Longpigs
I've always loved "Lost Myself", and I can't understand why no one else seems to.
And another thing...
Why werent Jellyfish massive as well?
Jellyfish
That is the most pertinent question I've taken time to ponder on for quite a while. Jellyfish...almost every song was pristine pop perfection. And live, by God, a drummer/lead singer who played his drum kit standing up, front and centre stage and who never missed a beat or sounded out of breath for a second. An awesome display that will live long in the memory.
No.22 in the UK charts
...so some people must have loved it
Suprises me
Still should have gone higher.
Longpigs
Good call Andy - Album was 'sun is often out' and from what I remember hardly a weak track on it.
Saw them in Sheffield, Lead singer not half as charismatic as he thought he was!!!
Squeeze - Pulling Mussels
One of a few superb Squeeze singles that failed to dent the top 40 (along with Annie Get Your Gun, Black Coffee In Bed, Goodbye Girl and Tempted).
This song from The Bird &
This song from The Bird & The Bee just stopped me in my tracks when I heard it last year. There's something so fresh about it. Needless to say it didn't bother the charts because it's actually quite good.....
Falling Down The Stairs
by Aussie band Even As We Speak. Just one of those great summery jingly jangly tracks:
Free To Go
by The Folk Implosion. Great song by Lou Barlow's former band:
You're With The Wrong One Baby
by Fried. Criminal oversight of a stone cold soul gem:
http://mediaplayer.yahoo.com/contplay/index.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aud...
Needs Your Needs
by Georgie James. Thunder stolen by The Ting Tings perchance:
Come Around
by the Mutton Birds
Is that Keeley Hawes in the
Is that Keeley Hawes in the video?
Crush Me
by The House of Love. Even Destroy The Heart wasn't a hit
http://www.last.fm/music/The+House+of+Love/_/Crush+Me
What A Lovely Dance
by Hal. Great, great song.
Original Mirrors
and their cracking single 'boys cry'. Also from similar era The Scars and 'all about you'.
Also an honourable mention to the perrenial underdogs the Go Betweens, in particular 'spring rain', which if my memory serves me right was quite rightly pushed by the record company as a potential hit single, even resulting in a saturday morning kids show appearance, for the australian quartet, needless to say it wasn't a hit
Spring Rain
Great song. Love that opening guitar riff. I always associate the song with the film Something Wild.
The Go Betweens
I could never believe this wasn't bigger.
But weirdly the guitar loop turned up in this top ten hit
Where I Belong
by Honeyroot. Glenn Gregory (of Heaven 17) still making great records:
Summertime Cowboy
by Husky Rescue. I don't think this troubled the charts but I do remember hearing it on the radio:
Hollow Horse
by The Icicle Works. Take your pick as far as this band's concerned; some great singles that never bothered the charts:
This is...
One of the finest songs ever I think. Its probably the only thing I have on 7", 12", Album, CD, Download, Teasmaid (sic),Cuddly Toy, etc. Utterly brilliant.
Toxic Girl
by Kings of Convenience. Too sensitive for the charts perhaps?
Innocence
by Kirsty MacColl. Her follow-up single to Days...but alas it stalled outside the Top 50:
Falling Out Of Reach - Guillemots
This got to number 49 last year, which in this day & age means it was downloaded 17 times, despite being playlisted on Radio 2. Astonishing that a thing of such beauty can be ignored so comprehensively, really.
The Jeremy Days - Brand New Toy
German record I believe, but sung in English and a good deal more charming than 98% of all pop hits of its year.
Window Pane - The Real People
Incredibly only got to number 60. They helped Oasis record the demo that got them signed. Great song that came out at the right time so why didn't it do better?
The Real People
I liked them. Are they still going?
The Real People
The Real People ARE still going but from what I can gather only in a bit of an ad hoc " arent we due a gig soon" kind of basis.
Have seen them countless times, the last being a benefit gig at the Academy Liverpool last year.
God knows why they didn't hit the big time but they have had success writing for other artists (most notable Cher - can't remember name of track)
Saw Tony Griffiths in a bar in Liverpool a while back and being a bit refreshed decided to ask him why couldn't they be arsed to have a proper crack at the 'big time' don't know the answer as my girlfriend dragged me away before a response was heard.
For info he plays an acoustic set every Thursday at the Grapes on Mathew St.
The Church When you were mine
The fantastic Church on an Aussie version of Top of the Pops
A great song, especially the guitars, always worth playing loud in the car!
Was this a hit?
I remember buying the single in Burton on Trent in 1981, thinking it a very striking riff. This, the 12 inch version, takes a bit of time to get going, summing up the dilemma with most 12 inches. Anyhow, it's B Movie.....
A recent one
In a better world, where I am in charge, this would be number one for a good few weeks. Spoon 'You Got Yr Cherry Bomb':
Spoon
Great band and that was a great single!
I can't do it at work, but...
... all of the above mentioned would make a cracking Spotify playlist if anyone can be bothered...
Spotify: Shoulda Woulda Coulda
Here we go then:
http://open.spotify.com/user/ahh_bisto/playlist/4PGEQCtNJOGDBLUvFqbXX7
Unsurprisingly not all of the selections to date are available on Spotify.
WAAAAAY BACK
What about something from the seventies, Todd Rundgren, "Hello its me", or, the even better, "I saw the light". I understand that this had the patronage of one Tony Blackburn, and still failed to chart. Go figure! Anyway, sublime blue eyed soul.
Don't get me started on The Todd
Absolutely one of my favourite ever artists, and yes, how gutted must he have been when "I Saw The Light" didn't make him an overnight sensation? And the Isley Brothers' version of "Hello, It's Me" is worth checking out if you're not aware of it...
Todd 1
Todd 2
The Isley's
Love the Isleys version, another band that never got their due. Despite being even worse dressers than EW&F. Thanks anyway.
the best pop song ever
I saw the light. Is. Incomparable brilliance.
Only "Oh No Not My Baby" - close. Was that a hit?
The Devil and Darkness
By Freur post "Doot". Should have been enormous. What's not to like about a song with the line "Pickin' on a chicken in a chinese shirt"?
I've always assumed it wasn't the chicken that was wearing the shirt but I could be wrong...
Freur etc
Doot Doot was pretty fine too. I bought a copy.
How about:
Friends Again - Sunkissed
Friends Again - State Of Art
The Devil & Darkness Lyrics?
Can anyone find me some lyrics for this song? I can never find out what he's saying, but I love, Love, LOVE this song! Ever since I was a child... Please?
Your use of "chinese" there reminds me of this killer.....
1977 or 8. Shoulda been huge. All hail the Zevon, and, altogether now, "Werewolves of London, aWOOOOOOO". I have it on a 45.
Here's a video of some silly girls, but at least they recognise a good song when they hear it!
Terry Hall solo and collaborations never troubled the scorer
Why?
A fine choice, Colin
Oh wow, I love this song! It has everything you could want in a pop song. I genuinely couldn't understand why it wasn't a big hit, back when that meant slightly more than it does now...
Squeeze have been mentioned but...
given that they made such brilliant pop music, 3 top 10 hits is a travesty. For my money, this is their finest. Edged into top 75.
Celluloid Heroes (long version)
Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance
'The Poacher' deserved to be huge as the follow up to 'How Come.'
Ian Gomm - Hold On
Sundays 'Can't Be Sure'
Reached no. 45 in UK according to Wikipedia (and no. 1 in John Pell's Festive Fifty 1989). The first two-and-a-half minutes are so sublime they more than compensate for the somewhat anti-climactic last minute (and I confess I'd love to hear it sung by someone like Shawn Colvin or Kate Bush).
Quite a few favourites here but
I'm amazed that nobody has yet mentioned Evie Sands who made something of a career out of missing when she should have been massive.
More about Evie here:
http://junkfoodphilosophy.wordpress.com/2007/08/12/the-curse-of-evie-san...
Seconded
Couldn't agree more
Big Supreme - Don't Walk -
Big Supreme - Don't Walk - supported OMD in 86 I think but Don't Walk was an amazing poppy song which should have been Number 1 for months.
Also Swimming With Sharks - Careless Love!
Finally the wonderful Horrible by Frente!
Feelgood Hit of the Summer that never was
I suspect I'm in a very select group who consider's Lush's penultimate album Split to be a Lost Masterpiece. No matter, for after Lush there was Sing Sing, Emma Anderson's new band. Their first album is very good, and this, the first single, has Big Hit stamped all over it. Doesn't it?
I'll join that select group
Adding that all of Lush's output was glorious. What happened to Sing-Sing? Is Emma still recording - Miki is working in publishing I think.
Eg and Alice solo
Eg and Alice have already been referenced above, so I thought I'd throw in a word for their solo efforts. Eg White has done alright, it's fair to say, with a huge list of writing and co-writing credits that have ensured him the sort of pension even Fred Goodwin might envy. His own album Turn Me On I'm A Rocket Man was very enjoyable, especially Wish You Could Be Happy Now - although I haven't found evidence on the web (and you try googling Eg White).
What with Eg being an obviously talented writer, singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, I wasn't sure quite how much Alice Temple brought to the party, and was impressed when I heard what I think was her first solo single, from an album called Hangover, which I'm not sure was ever released. Anyway, here's Chemical Way. She also guested with Unkle on a brilliant song called Bloodstain, below.
Airplay hits
In the mid to late 70's when the only entertainment available in the school hols was the Test Match or Radio 1, you would listen so avidly to the latter most of the day that even the "misses" would become as firmly implanted in your psyche as the hits.
I spent the summer of 1976 in Brittany with only Radio 2 to amuse me - I can still close my eyes and hear Charlie Chester and Sam Costa, Elton and Kiki, "Dancing Queen" and reports of Viv Richards putting England to the sword to this day.
From around that era, my memory may play tricks on me, but I distinctly recall hearing Richard and Linda Thompson's "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight," Pretty Things' "Is It Only Love?" and Kate and Anna McGarrigle's "Complainte Pour Ste Catherine" on heavy rotation, top tunes all and certainly none of which dented the Top 30 - the extension to the Top 40 as any kind of meaningful parameter was still some way off.
I know we've come a long way, Peelie, Andy Kershaw, Steve Lamacq etc, but what chance would a cajun folk record sung in French by a pair of Canadian sisters stand of being played round the clock today?
On "The Tube"
A little later, The Tube had some cracking bands and videos on which caused me to rush out and buy the following discs:
"Breaking Point" by Bourgie Bourgie.
"Honey At The Core" by Friends Again (Already mentioned on this thread I think.
"Good Technology" by Red Guitars.
"Passion Killer" by One The Juggler.
All on 12" I'm sure.
Some of them sound a bit naff now but the competition at the time was the like of Duran Duran, Paul Young and Terence Trent Darby.
Sadly none, or very little at best.........
Shame. I'd play it if anyone wants to give me a show. I'd also play the Balham Alligators version for contrast, my idea being a covers show, comparing and contrasting the original and others, playing as many versions of well and less well known songs as I could cram into, well, as much time as they'd give me. (Dream, dream)
Dream on, I fear. I clearly need to wait until Mo Dutta starts phoning up the Queen or Gordon Brown to say he's fecked their dog. Or somesuch. Then they'd probably still get Richard bloody Allinson in first............
Another airplay non-hit
I've remembered another one which was played inordinately frequently on Radio One without ever bothering the charts - "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" by Elvin Bishop, which began with the shockingly boastful but possibly exagerated claim that "I must'a been through about a million girls..."
All The Myths On Sunday - Diesel Park West
For Christmas, perhaps
I´m starting to look forward to the box-set Songs That Should Have Been Hits. Liner notes by Elvis Costello (how could we keep him away?), and also containing all the nominations as written here. What a great booklet!
Sausages......
a classic ..everyone remembers it
though I have to admit a certain self-interest:
Music Week wrote 'Phil Hampson produced it; Bob Auger engineered, it and Rowland Jones flogged it ot EMI. What IS the world coming to?'
that 15 secs of fame......
Rowland
www.reallyaccessiblememory.com
http://rowlandjones.bandcamp.com/