Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Calis Beach Forum => CBF Member Blogs => Topic started by: usedbustickets on March 27, 2016, 15:39:15 PM
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I thought for a while that I should start a blog somewhere, but felt it needed some sort of theme, and today the 'lightbulb' went on, why not produce a blog - a regularly updated web page that is written in an informal or conversational style - with a theme based on music that I love, with comment on the song or artist and any thoughts it provokes, or indeed reflects in what is happening at that time of writing the blog or at the time of the song. Sometimes just the music should be just enough.
I hope it will not be predictable, in terms of both comment and, in particular, the music which will be drawn from my own favourite songs or tunes drawn across all types of music. One thing I will promise is that i will try to use songs that are classic, but are not necessarily chart toppers or indeed chart entries.
Which songs/tunes to choose for the first entry then, when you have thousands to choose from? Well here we go, and today I will allow myself three. The first a classic from Brinsley Schwarz - no not Mr Costello - but Nic Lowe looking incredibly young singing his rather excellent song, and not a bad title either!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_u2OK_IKw0
Talking of songs with great titles and real meaning, not many touch this next one from the Impressions, sung beautifully by the writer Curtis Mayfield ... such a voice too! Like honey to the ear. I know Rod Stewart didn't make a bad fist of covering this particular song, but I never felt he really got it, and so it is - unusually for Mr Stewart - a poor second to Curtis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l04yM7-BWbg
OK final song. Like all great songs it has been covered many times, but banish them to the far reaches, in particular those by oirsh boy bands. This is the authentic and powerful version of one of the most emotional songs you will hear. Such passion in the delivery, and the lyrics reflect beautifully youth, getting older and the sometimes strained relationships between a father and son. I hear this song and think of my old man, and yes it too easily brings a tear to my eye, cos I do miss the old bugger! He was never one to say 'I love you' or anything like it. That was something that fathers didn't do then, and if I had said to him that I love him I am sure he'd have thought I 'd left my senses!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7c4VNGOgU
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UBT.
An excellent idea, an excellent subject, and excellent sentiments. I wish you well and look forward to your selections. :)
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Love the last two choices particularly ubt. The Father and Son version by Cat Stevens far and away the best one, great stuff :)
Look forward to more.
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First of all I am labouring for my mate Steve who is currently up on the roof putting the 'final' fix on my roof, which should solve forever my intermittent leak problem.. here's hoping. Anyway he doesn't need me so I thought I leave that glorious sun and blue sky and put together the second issue - if that is the correct term - of my musical blog.
Now first up today is Bob Seger, someone that I have only really got to know, musically that is, in the last few years. Yes I was aware of his big single hits in the UK such as Hollywood Nights, but I have now started to listen a lot more widely across his work. This one is a big favourite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmrkY-EZy74
Lovely song eh?
This next song is from an artiste, like that? not artist but artiste! I can be a class act myself you know. Anyway I digress, yes this artiste has been known to me for too many years, Rod Stewart. I have always had a love hate view of Rod the Mod, I loved the stuff he done with the Faces, and of course much of his early work as a solo artiste, but by the mid seventies he was starting to kiss me off, on both a musical and a personal level. His act started to be all about himself rather than the music, and don't get me started on him standing on the stage with his back to the audience for what seemed ages just wiggling his ar$e.
Despite that nonsense I still find myself going back to his great hits and LPs, many written by himself, and not least of which is the next track, taken from Every Picture Tells a Story, which was never I believe released as a single in the UK, but was on par with the two tracks that were and made up the double A side masterpiece Maggie May and Reason to Believe. Number One in the singles and LP charts in 1971 on both sides of the Atlantic at the same time ... there aint many who've done that. I can remember my younger brother having the LP (I think he had borrowed it long term off some!) but it was me who almost wore it out - well one side anyway - played on the stereo record player I bought with my paper round money. I can still here the scratches now as the needle drops on the record to play track 1 (can't remember what it was called) then Maggie May and third track ... Mandolin Wind, still a great, great song. Which I have selected for you below. The record then went on to play Reason to believe ...... musical masterpiece overload.
Well after all that, a dab of Brut (wot a geezer) and off to the local youth club to meet the Present Mrs Anscomb ...... lucky girl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlCLTWRFVyI
And finally - before I go up and get the boss a cup of tea - there is not much to say other than this woman had one of the great soul voices. I have chosen one of her 'lesser' hits but is one my favourites.... enjoy, and look out for the hair and the suits worn by the Pips!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Lh4MFiw08
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Really enjoying your musical blog, UBT! I go back to it every now and then to check out a song or 'artiste' that I haven't heard for ages - and, of course, to read your blog.
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Great read (and listen) UBT. I'd like to think, after only two instalments of your blog, that you'd have an absolute nightmare making your choices if you were ever invited onto "Desert Island Discs"
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Here's one I missed in the early 90's. Just fell upon it today when looking for a friend. Great fun:
https://youtu.be/DOlG92rb2Zg
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That last blog had two records in it with Wind in the title, I didn't realise that as I selected the records... spooky eh! And before it is suggested, I was not suffering from excess wind!
Anyway onto this third blog, I have got a mass of well known musical greats and not so well known greats of various artistes and generes, but today we focus on one group alone ..... the nuttiest nutty boys around. I am sorry for those of you who do not love Madness, but me I LOVE 'EM, and as I couldn't choose one record or track I decided to dedicate this whole blog to Madness so you've got three great tracks. And believe me it was hard to get the list of must play songs down to just three.
I have been buying their music for nearly forty years, since One Step Beyond LP and have continued to do so ever since. Great music, lyrics that fantastically reflect their lives from growing up in working class London through to adulthood, middle age and like a very, very good wine they have possibly got better as they have matured.
So which song do you pick to from that great body of work of their early days, Baggy Trousers, Embarrasement, House of Fun, Michael Caine ... the list goes on and on, but I decided on My Girl. If you've ever been in love as a teenager, you'll know how tough it can be, really great lyrics on this track, and my favourite is 'Been on the telephone for hour, we hardly said a word' aint that the real truth of teenage love? So here goes track 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw-8AGRcyvk
The next track rolls on about twenty years, after Madness 'reformed' in about 1999 and produced a fantastic LP Wonderful. There are a number of socially responsible tracks on this great LP, but my favourite is an amusing masterpiece which is double blessed by the inclusion of Billericay Dickie himself Ian Dury. Sadly recorded just before he went to the Poets Hall in heaven. The track is 'Drip Fed Fred' and if you've not heard it before or seen the video then your in for a treat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1caPVZN14Q
OK final track comes from (IMO) Madness's best LP released in 2009. This was a concept LP and shows how far Madness have pushed on musically. If you have not heard the LP in its entirety, can I encourage you to do so, buy it, watch and listen to it on youtube, just listen to what is a monster LP without a dud track on it, in fact I would say that all are good if not excellent. If you can, try to get your hands on the 2 disc version with the DVD.
Once again so good is the LP that I struggled to get it down to one chosen track, but I have chosen Forever Young... enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755KcDVPp5c
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Sorry should have said that the final LP was the Liberty of Norton Folgate.....doh!
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3 excellent choices UBT from a top band, but as you say, there were many more that equal these
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Now come on I have little or nothing so far in this blog from the sixties, and that is some omission. Besides which it is POETS day - they don't practice that anymore in the world of work I believe..shame - and so what could be a better 60s record to represent that weekend's here feeling than the Easybeats Friday on My Mind. One of my favourite 60s numbers. Unfortunately, it is losing its edge as Boxerdog uses it in his KFC (Keep Fit Committee) sessions, and by the time it comes around we have been going for 40 minutes or so, and so I am cream-crackered and the pace of this song stretches me and rather than singing along, I am more lord mayoring along!! Anyway an Australian band, around for a while but this song is the only real hit they had in the UK, but what a hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSowZcvoqr4
OK this next 60s song is a Gerry Goffin/Carole King number, covered by many in the sixties, including the Beatles and gain in the 70s by the magnificent Brinsley Schwarz. My favourite version is by the Crickets, now don't get started on the they weren't the original Crickets or no good without Buddy. Yes Buddy Holly was/is a musical god for me, but there's no denying that this is a good song well performed and has a real sixties feel about it. Which you would expect from the great Carole King. I'll have a blog session x 3 to cover some of here great songs some time soon. But for now here are the Crickets with Don't ever change....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFRirLor8n8
This next song is my favourite instrumental from the 60s, and there were plenty produced during that FAB decade, and one group must have been responsible for half of them .... yes it's the Shads!! When I hear this song it instantly takes me back to the sixties, and more particularly the black and white sixties, before the Beatles introduced colour into our minds ... wot am I wrong? Not going to say too much more about this one or the group, cos i want to sneak in a bonus song. So here are the Shadows with Atlantis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VycZVyApqew
And don't tell the boss but I am sneaking in this bonus number. Come on it is Friday and as someone famously said The Weekend Starts Here! And who better to represent the early British sixties star than Joe Brown, oh yes and the Bruvvers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w_a0U9Oe_A
Ah sod it I'm not paying for this so let's have one more London star of the early UK rock n roll scene that just sneaks into the 60s. This song should be made into a national treasure, it's Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers ... they wouldn't pick that sort of name today I'm sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMyC9arYtgs
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Some proper music there from a golden era, well done that man. ;) ;)
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Really enjoyed the 60s music.
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Great music there ubt!
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I'm listening to Sounds of The Sixties right now on radio 2. I can't start the weekend without it! Thanks for the memories too ubt! :D
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Love 60s music! Thanks, UBT!
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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 : :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf53Pg2AkdY
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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViN2bRGrBx8
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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyQ-tScuzwM
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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OIFk2dQcno
Next time Ithink we'll do something on musical schmooze!! Well probably if I don't change my mind
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Blimey it's been some time since I posted here, but a return to the UK, family coming over for my 60th birthday bash and a very busy time in general has worked against me finding time, but let me make amends with this posting of four great songs.
Some good friends bought me The Essential Fats Waller CD for my birthday and it is great firstly for all the tracks I know, but as important the tracks I did not know. Been great to listen too, especially as the weather here has now turned and it is sunny every day with hardly a cloud in the sky, rather like many of the great jazz, ragtime songs on this CD, especially when played loud as I drive around. If you do not know him look him up, he was one of the musical greats for my money from the 30s and 40s, his songs were often amusing, but always musically sound. The track I have chosen was a song I can remember the old man singing too, particularly when he was washing and shaving in the morning before work, usually in the kitchen - much to mum's annoyance - as he prepared and ate his breakfast, made his sandwiches, kept warm in the winter by lighting the gas cooker rings and he was happy in the morning - as he was for the rest of the day - so he would sing...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZRAU3DeOo
The next three songs are from people I consider to be from the top echelons of singer songwriters. The first is from an all time american great Neil Sedaka. He has written or co written songs that span the decades, and it was hard to choose one from a list of great songs and indeed hit songs. Any way I have been completely selfish and chosen my favourite Sedaka song. It was written with lyricist Howard Greenfield (he who had a crush on Carole King and so we got Oh Carol!) and was their last song together as they had agreed to go their separate ways in the early 70s after writing together for twenty or so years, hence we get this beautiful song, not a UK hit, but who cares if the song is as good as this ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1E1y71sI1s
The next is probably my favourite English songwriter, the god like Ray Davis. How do you choose one song from that very long list of his hit, and not hit but still great songs? Well I have chosen one from the earlier Kinks songs, but it was not a hit and only featured on a B side (Sunny Afternoon) and Ray Davis is not even the lead singer, hows that for controversy in singer songwriter section!! So here we go with Dave Davis unusually as the lead singer on a Kinks hit ( I must get Death of a Clown in a future post!)......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmb7TU0OrOI
This song was included in the Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon, and it is superbly done as indeed are all the songs in the show, and if you haven't been to see it yet, break open that piggy bank and get yourself down to London town.. you will love it .... you'll sing, dance, weep and come out feeling sooooo good and that the world is a better place, and thanks to Ray Davis and the rest of the lads!!
The next singer songwriter is possibly not in many peoples greats list and it is true that he is probably better received outside of his own country, but Chris Rea is a favourite of mine, and this next video is great song performed live, and demonstrates his top drawer guitar playing, just try to ignore the 80s blond look!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYLSfSrsiv8
And don't tell Scunner but I've slipped in an extra song again below, and if singer songwriters come any better I'd like to know who it is... sod it he is so good I have put in two of his best songs, NO SORRY IT IS THREE I couldn't get the list down anymore, but there's got to be more as this blog goes on with future posts....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1eC-TAIGQU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UUWkr4FUlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpssck3YZKA
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So glad you included my favourite Chris Rea song, Stainsby Girls.
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Really enjoyed that UBT! Thank you ;D
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Hi UBT - Rod Stewart and Thin Lizzy - top two in my play book.
We must be related - did you Dad ever spend any time in Stoke? ;D
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Sorry to drift away from your sixties theme UBT, but as a musical aficionado, do you remember a band from the 70's called Rogue, I think they had a few minor hits, and I remember I had an album on vinyl. Would love to hear their song "Fallen Angel" again. And speaking of the sixties what about the great Scot Walker?
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I must admit when you said Rogue, it didn't click with me, so I looked 'em up with Fallen Angel on Youtube. When the song played I did remember it, although I remember nothing else about the group or the song, but here it is, and is that the LP cover?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa9trzth_eA
There is a mix on youtube of Rogue so suggest you take a look at it.
Further researchshows that Frankie Valli covered this song to greater success than the original composers from Rogue, which is probably why I recognised the song
Scot Walker, good singer but I think that it was probably not just the singing that you ladies liked?? I will not play/post that cheesey Joanna, but I will post/play the clever song Jackie so here goes:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKtZf62BQzM
And for completness here is my Walker Brothers favourite track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kf3Hyxl67g
Nothing against their great hits of the 60s, but No Regrets was right in my musical sweetspot!!
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Thank you so much for that, so many memories, Rogue and Scot Walker, Heaven !x