Been a bit busy lately with various tasks, including Europe in or out debate, regular readers will have seen my enlightened comments
Any road up, I had a sudden brainwave, why not use the theme of Europe for this blog! Now don't stop reading cos this is about European groups who have hit the top here and across the rest of europe, and in some cases across the world. Now I'll try to avoid the obvious like ABBA, Kraftwerk, or zee German-Jamaican combo Boney M, and what better to start with than the excellent Dutch one hit wonder group Golden Earring. This record hits on so many levels, just on being an excellent rock anthem, it is an excellent drive record - put it on in the car stereo and you can see they made it for driving and of course their wonderful accents when singing, pure mid Atlantic, not a hint of a dutch accent :
Now this next number - like that? it's called DJ speak! - is from a man who has been around a great number of years as a producer mainly, but also as a writer, performer and arranger, and he is an immense talent. He is the Italian Georgio Moroder and the track I have chosen is
'The Chase'
, more commonly known as
'The Theme from Midnight Express'
. For example it wasn't Chicory Tip which first performed Son of my Father it was Georgio, and he also wrote it. He's worked as producer and writer for some of the best including Phil Oakley, Kylie, Donna Summmers and he was the euro king of disco.
Now this track isn't meant to court controversy on a Turkey related site, it is here purely on musical merit. First big point is that this is now nearly 40 years old (1978) and it has stood the test of time so well, fresh as a daisy, great use of the synth. - Moroder was like Pete Townshend as early adopter of this particular instrument - and like Golden earring it also stands well in the Drive section. Get those windows down, and blast it out extra loud, but not round here!! I might add that this was one of my earliest extended version 12 inch singles, which is what you've got here...enjoy
OK onto the Irish contribution - yes Ireland is a big small European nation - well these boys like the Dubliners represent the best of Irish music for me. It is the wonderful, wonderful Thin Lizzy. And this is their first big hit here in the
UK Whiskey in the Jar. They took a very old (17c) excellent - anti Brit - folk song, made famous by The Dubliners, and added some great guitar work, the graceful voice of Phil Lynott to produce a rock (more particularly folk rock crossover) masterpiece..... fantastic, this is easily my favourite TL track and there are many.
And finally onto the last record. Now I know this is a bit of a cheat, and I will always try to fit it -no squeeze it in - at sometime cos it is such a great song that we in the UK largely missed. This was an English performer - Steve Harley - who failed to chart with this song in the UK, but it was a monster hit across the rest of Europe. It was actually released before his mega hit
Come up and see (make me smile) as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel. If you've not heard it before you are in for a treat, if you have heard it before then come and enjoy it all over again.
Next time Ithink we'll do something on musical schmooze!! Well probably if I don't change my mind
