Lana del Rey - Born to Die

M&S Bank was my first job where I could listen to music. I took great delight in loading my ipod with CDs I hadn't played for years and also discovering new music. Probably the new artist I played the most was Lana Del Rey - a great match of  gothic pop and PPI data gathering.

Rey's music could be a song track to David Lynch or film noir movies. Dark and moody treatises of doomed love, betrayal and fast cars. A throwback to a black and white era. 

   

After the massive breakthrough single "Video Games", "Born to Die" was the next single. A good choice too for the name of the subsequent album, as it encapsulates the themes and imagery of her work.

As with "Video Games", this was again a collaboration between Rey  (credited to her real name - Elizabeth Grant) and the songwriter Justin Parker.  "Born to Die" is a haunting ballad with modern electronic beats meeting sweeping John Barry strings. Rey's vocals are cool and emotive, in a lower pitch -  listen to the opening of  "feet don't fail me now".

The lyrics are open to speculation, but it seems to be about an intense, ill-fated relationship. The boyfriend may be unstable ("You like your girls insane") but she is not naive ("Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough"). She already knows it will not last, but wants to enjoy the ride ("Try to have fun in the meantime" and "kiss you hard in the pouring rain").

Rey mixes images of religion ("Lost but now I am found") with Americana  ("the road is long"). It ends with "choose your last words, this is the last time" - the end of a relationship or life itself ? The award winning video suggested the latter, as it featured Lana, a handsome male model, a car and an untimely demise.

I admire her work ethic too, in an era of years between releases, she has managed a prolific five high quality (and lengthy) albums within seven years, and 2019's effort topped of most year-end polls.

Del Rey's songs are an intoxicating and enticing concoction of love and doom, and reward frequent replaying (especially if you are working in a bank).

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bag1gUxuU0g

Hear Next -  Probably "Born To Die" album is the best example of her work, but I always enjoyed "Lust for Life" too.


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b 

Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind

My father loved Willie Nelson and country music. One of my most treasured memories is going with my parents to a concert in Liverpool. Nelson was relentless, playing for well over two hours, and at one point he took off his trademark red bandana, and gently tossed it to my mother. She recoiled slightly at the sweaty headscarf, but my father was so delighted.

Willie Nelson was a country outlaw, a hippy with long hair in the conservative redneck country environment.  A great song writer in his own right ("Crazy" for Patsy Cline), but he is a master at reinterpreting other peoples songs and giving them a definitive take (like his great friend Johnny Cash).

"Always on my mind" was written in ten minutes by Wayne Carson in his Missouri kitchen. Johnny Christopher and Mark James contributed a bridge section in the studio, before its first recording. It was first a hit for Brenda Lee in 1972, quickly becoming a standard with most people knowing the Elvis Presley or Pet Shop versions.

While Presley went big, with typical epic vocals, Nelson went intimate, a heartfelt and tender love song. He regrets taking his partner for granted, as he painfully lists the multiple ways he failed ("Little things I should have said and done / I just never took the time"). And yet despite all these failings, he insists "You were always on my mind". There is just a hope that her love is still alive, as he begs for "one more chance to keep you satisfied".

Nelson's gruff,  monotone, almost spoken vocals convey all the regret and pain. It is given a typical country style backing, and a female chorus. Personally, I think just Nelson and a guitar would have been even more devastating.

It was a very successful hit for Nelson in 1982, number 5 in the US, and winning Grammys and Country awards.

As he enters his 88th year, Willie Nelson is the well respected elder statesman of music,  organising Farm Aid and leading "America the Beautiful" on a 9/11 TV musical tribute. Even now he is still busy, raising money for anti-Covaid facemasks and singing the appropriate "Hello Walls" on TV.   A distinguished and unique voice.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPYQ-FmQB4

Hear Next -  There are a myriad of excellent compilation albums but I really like the "Across the Borderline" album of great cover versions.

Emmy the Great - Canopies and Drapes

I always enjoy a frisson, when a song mentions another musician or group. It seems logical that as music is such a major part of life, that it should acknowledge itself. On her first album, Emmy the Great scattered mentions for Leonard Cohen, MIA and Dylan, but the bonus track "Canopies and Drapes" is the mother-lode.

Emmy the Great is the alias of Emma Lee Moss, a singer songwriter born in Hong Kong, but now based in the UK. I think it was Word magazine that first introduced me to the debut "First Love", an album of wordy confessional songs of love and life, with acoustic guitar prevalent. She is a good writer too, often contributing to the Guardian and websites.

"Canopies and Drapes" is a rollercoaster ride, through a teenage break up, amid a deluge of musical touchstones. The wry early line "I feel worse / Than when S Club 7 broke up" always makes me smile, as it  dates the song from the early 2000s but also adroitly casts the protagonist as a heart-broken adolescent.

Like everyone, she has sought refuge in music during this emotional time ("Since you've gone my only friends are Billy Bragg and The Jam / Though my time with you has got me feeling oh so k.d. lang").  Music had obviously been such a bond for the couple, so it will be a constant trigger when she is alone. She includes a wide range such Billy Joel, Magnet Fields and Bowie, and even throws in "a routine episode of Friends" and Woody Allen. 

She then unadvisedly makes a drunken call to her ex's father, fishing for information, and warning that a borrowed book  - " I'm gonna burn it in the street be so kind as let him know". Finally, she realises that she will get over him eventually ("teach the mattress to expel you from its folds"), and he will be a distant memory.

The song proceeds at a  breakneck pace, Moss rattling out words machine gun style, with just her acoustic guitar providing support. It seems more like a poem, with  no chorus, just lengthy verses and the title buried near the end.

Emmy the Great has never had a chart singles, her albums never sold in the quantities of her contemporary Laura Marling, but she remains an intriguing and engaging writer, who is worth investigating.

             

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E1sLSpH1Jc

Hear Next -  Her debut ""First Love" is still her best.


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b 

Belle & Sebastian - I'm Waking Up To Us

We have already seen a tribute to a fallen bandmate (It Ain't Easy), and then there are vitriolic attacks on a former colleague (How Do You Sleep ?). However Stuart Murdoch  took it to another level, with a thinly-veiled critique on his current bandmate and former lover by getting her to sing on it too !

The Glasgow ensemble Belle & Sebastian were often criticised as too quirky or fey (like that is a bad thing?).The key dynamic was the competitive and romantic tension between singer Murdoch and cellist Isobel Campbell (the fact they had a cellist and seven members shows they were so unconventional). They also had a great habit of releasing standalone non-album singles (like the Beatles and The Smiths)  and "I'm Waking Up to Us" was one of the best.

It is a bitter attack on a former girlfriend, as he has realised that "we’re a disaster". He recalls their past, how he tried to encourage and enlighten her, but she has seamlessly moved on to a new boyfriend "who takes the prize for everything I ever showed her".  

Did she really love him anyway ? She was too spoilt by subservient men, and needs "a man who's either rich or losing a screw" (so withering). Now it is over ("She showed me the road"), he is finally moving on, after anger and self-pity,  but there will always be the regret.

For such an acidic take down, it sounds so beautiful, with dappled 60s autumn feel (maybe Simon & Garfunkel), with the light guitars and piano meeting violins, oboe and cello, I love the close background harmonies (including Campbell), especially on "the chapter has closed".

I am always surprised that she took part in this recording, but she bided her time for  revenge - with a spoken part on the live TV version. Then there was the "Monologue for an old true love'" on her subsequent solo album was even more devastating ("Talking so self-righteously / About everything you showed me, boy").   

Inevitably Campbell left the group shortly afterwards, and although Belle & Sebastian continued with some great albums, they always seemed to miss her idiosyncratic presence.               

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QYpOnGi3U and here is the live version too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TGeF8KnMXQ

Hear Next -  ""Boy with the Arab Strap" is my favourite album, but all of the first three and singles collection are excellent.

Madonna - Live To Tell

In  the 1980s Madonna was an omnipresent force of nature, spanning songs, concerts, videos and movies (like Shanghai Surprise). She had over 20 top ten hits in the UK  within seven years, in a procession of polished pop perfection.

1986's "Live to Tell" was an interesting transition, a rare ballad after the early dance diva years, and illustrated her range and growing maturity. It was the first single from "True Blue" album, and also the theme song to the  "At Close Range" movie, which starred her husband Sean Penn.

The basic backing track came from her producer Patrick Leonard, but Madonna contributed the bridge and all of the lyrics. Her song writing may never have been fully appreciated, but "Live To Tell" is a complex and crafted effort that even the greats would be proud.

It is a very dark song of secrets and mistrust. The concept came from the movie, but from her own life too. The opening sets the scene ("I have a tale to tell / Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well"). There is the distrust of man ("A man can tell a thousand lies / I've learned my lesson well"), and also the fear of the reaction to her secret ("How will they hear / When will they learn").

Madonna cloaks the exact nature, maybe  a cheating parent, or sexual abuse, but there are definite mental scars from childhood. However it was not intended as a song of misery, as she wants to live to tell her secret, and has the strength. There is always hope ("I know where beauty lives"  - a great line).

The vocals are more controlled and low pitched than the earlier "Like a Virgin" or "Material Girl". The backing of guitars and keyboards, compliment with the mood, but with some 80s pop flourishes, and a dramatic pause just before three minutes.

As was customary for Madonna at the time, it was very successful single, number 1 in the US and number 3 in UK, and is widely regarded as one of her best slow songs. It is a great tribute to Madonna's writing and performance that she could make such a dark subject so accessible and commercially successful in a four minute pop song.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzAO9A9GjgI

Hear Next -  "Immaculate Collection"  (a great pun) is a superb selection of her 80s pomp.

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats.

David Bowie - Heroes

I have been sadly remiss in not exploring the seminal 1970s albums from the likes of  Elton John, Rod Stewart and David Bowie. However you quickly absorb the famous songs from popular culture, and Bowie's "Heroes" is one of the undeniable classics.

It appeared in the middle of his trilogy of Berlin albums - addicted to cocaine, seeking a new challenge after his wildly successful "glam" years. They were recorded at the legendary Hansa studios, in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, which then divided the East and West. 

The booming and thundering melody came first,  from  Brain Eno's (Roxy Music) synthesiser and Robert Fripp's (King Crimson) guitar solos and feedback. It was big, bombastic and, even (pun intended) heroic.

The words came later, inspired by spying the producer Tony Visconti illicitly kissing the backing vocalist Antonia Maass, near the Wall. It prompted the idea of  love against the odds, a forbidden relationship, a Romeo & Juliet of doomed but pure love.

He embroidered the scenario ("Standing by the wall / And the guns shot above our heads / And we kissed, as though nothing could fall").  Although there is an acknowledgement that it will be too difficult ("nothing will help us"), the love can beat all adversity, even if only for  "just for one day". 

This is one of Bowie's most passionate and emotional vocals, starting hushed, building and straining towards the end. The backing vocals are so effective too, repeating Bowie in the bridge ("I remember").

The song was released in a variety of formats, a three minute single, the six minute album track, the wonderful German language version ("Helden"), and French too. Surprisingly  it was only a minor hit in England, and not at all in the US.

However its reputation has soared over time, with Bowie choosing it for emotional occasions, like Live Aid, a 9/11 tribute and in a reunited Berlin. It has also sound-tracked so many TV and sporting events (the GB team used it in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony). 

"Heroes" is an inspiring epic love song with a powerful sound, is not only one of Bowie's finest moments, but of all-time.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEqSOst1dg8  and the German version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb6Gbi1MpoE

Hear Next -  There so many Bowie albums, it may be difficult to know where to start, so I would recommend one of the many "best of" compilation albums.

J Geils Band - Centrefold

One of most enjoyable Cambodian pastimes is to visit a karaoke club - taking a luxurious private room with a group of friends, plied with alcohol and food, whilst a huge book tempts with a  mountain of Western and Khmer song classics. On one such visit, I chose "Centrefold", and was delighted that my fellow volunteer Jena, joined in with relish.

The  J Geils Band, named their guitarist (similar groups named after non-singing members include Van Halen & Fleetwood Mac), were originally a hard working blues group of 1970s. By the early1980s, they  reinvented themselves as a successful US new wave group with the "Freeze Frame" album.

The key track "Centrefold" is overwhelming and hooky with the nanana refrain and pounding beat. The synthesiser, drums, guitar, and always the harmonica, sound like a hit single before even the first words are uttered.

The singer, Peter Wolf, reminisces about his schooldays' crush ("homeroom angel"), so  beautiful ("baby-blues"), so innocent ("pure like snowflakes"), but he was too shy ("I turned away / Before she caught my eye").

Years later he is horrified as he spots her in a "girly magazine", and his earlier dreams are shattered ("My blood runs cold / My memory has just been sold"). However he seems to accept it very quickly, and his thoughts turn lascivious as he imagines a future meeting in a motel room (very classy!).

 I have always thought "Centrefold" is more tongue in cheek than heart-breaking, as he comes to terms too quickly, and there is also the obvious hypocrisy of him buying the magazine, but she cannot appear in it?  

The song was written by band's keyboard player Seth Justman, and was always destined to be a hit single. But it was magnified by the provocative video (directed by Justman's brother), featuring the band and a bevy of scantily-clad models. It would be incessant repeat on the emerging MTV, as well as radio.

It was  such a huge hit, six weeks at number 1 in the US, but it was a brief mirage, Wolf left within two years due the inevitable "musical differences".

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqDjMZKf-wg     

Hear Next -  I have not heard many other J Geils songs, but "Freeze Frame" seems to be their most famous album.

The Shirelles - Baby It's You

I have a great affection for the early 1960s girl groups, like the Shangra-Las, the Chiffons,  the Crystals. the Ronettes and especially the Shirelles. It was a love shared by the Beatles, who included covers of not one, but two Shirelles' songs on their debut album.

The Shirelles were four New Jersey school friends, who performed  dop-wop and rhythm and blues, with close harmonies their specialty. There were stories from a more innocent time, tales from the school yard, but also a painful reality of life and love.

Their purple patch was supervised by  Scepter Records' producer Luther Dixon, who wrote some of their biggest hits. They could also call on the cream of tin pan alley writers such Goffin & King for their number 1 single "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".  But I prefer the 1962 single  "Baby It's You".

It also had legendary origins, the music composed by the great Burt Bacharach. On this occasion the lyrics came from Mack David (brother of his normal partner Hal) and Dixon (under the alias of Barney Williams). It is a simple format of  three verses, and a short title chorus.

It is a lament of heartache, as a girl has been left by the love of her life. She remembers his smile and kisses, and is inconsolable ("I sit alone at home and cry over you").  It is obvious that her partner already has a bad reputation ("You should hear what they say about you - cheat, cheat"). The "cheats" cutting to the bone. It ends with the simple but poignant beseeching ("Don't leave me alone / Come on home").

The undisputed highlight is Shirley Owens' lead vocals - crisp and emotive, starting gently but stronger later. Listen to her phrasing of "heart" and "apart", they are a thing of beauty. Then there is also the great dop-wop style backing singers, opening with the memorable "shalalala", and the enhancing harmonies throughout. A beautiful combination.

The musical backing is unintrusive, to emphasise the vocals, especially the pause before the chorus. But I could live without the kitschy and shrill organ solo.

Its cover by the Beatles raised its profile (the only time the Beatles covered Bacharach), lent its name to a great 1983 movie, but the Shirelles' version stands on its own as a great girl pop record.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1ZPKaJWEI

Hear Next -  There are several "best of " Shirelles, all of which cover the main bases.

Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen

In December when newspapers and websites compiled the best song of 2019 polls, a recurring choice was "Seventeen" by Sharon Van Etten, a truly great timeless pop song.

I had liked Van Etten's previous work, especially 2012's "Tramp", but it had been five years between albums,  and major changes in her life - her first child, acting in "The OA"  series and even studying to be a therapist.  

When "Seventeen" finally appeared, it was her farewell love letter to her home of New York City, and a nostalgic look back at her early years.

Spotting teenagers in the city ("half shy / hanging on my block"), it reminds her of herself at that age ("so much like me"). She can detect a mixture of loneliness, fear and even arrogance ("You think you know something, you don't"). She wants  to reassure them ("how much you've grown") and that it will be OK ("I know what you're gonna be").

The great chorus recalls "I used to be free / I used to be seventeen". Like the character in "Anchorage", it is not a regret of missing freedom, but a wistful reminiscence of the past.

The pain of teenage years is a key trope for songwriters (Janis Ian's "At 17" is too sentimental). Van Etten manages to keep it fresh and interesting by relating it to a loss of memories in a city with constant change ("Downtown hotspot / Used to be on this street"). It is not a rage, but an acceptance. The video is even more explicit, as she wanders around former haunts with a teenage version of herself.

Most of the song's appeal is because it so damn catchy. The electronic beats, strong piano, great fuzzy guitar solo, and the "lalala" sing-along part, make it so seductive. Her vocals start cool and controlled, but by the third minute have descended to a passionate wail.

"Seventeen" is irresistible, I played it twice yesterday, and then it was swirling around my head all evening. A glorious moment from a great artist.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7sTHoeH0eA

Hear Next -  The "Tramp" album is the best place to start.

Echo & the Bunnymen - Nothing Ever Lasts Forever

Most reunions of much-loved groups are tawdry, money-making exercises, focussing on series of expensive concert dates. If they make it as far as the recording studio, the results are disappointing, with very few producing a song that ranks amongst their finest. Liverpool's Echo & the Bunnymen are an exception, but then they were always different.

After lead singer Ian McCulloch departed in 1989, it took eight years, before he was reconciled with the two remaining Bunnymen. The comeback album "Evergreen" was a definite return to form, and its standout track the majestic "Nothing Ever Lasts Forever". McCulloch had started to write it in 1990, presenting it with typical immodesty as "one of the best songs of all time", although his band mates were less impressed.

It  is another stirring carpe diem, a rallying cry to enjoy today, similar to U2's "Beautiful Day" (ironic as Ian McCulloch hated U2 with a passion). A sweeping ballad in the best Bunnymen tradition, with Will Sergeant's distinctive guitar sound the driving defining force.

As normal McCulloch's lyrics are literate and poetic, do things now ("I want it now / Not the promises of what tomorrow brings) and don't procrastinate ("Nothing comes to those who wait").

Time goes too quickly, and the line "Time's running out the door you're running in" always reminds me of John Lennon's "Life is what happens, when you're busy making other plans".  The chorus is short but anthemic. Liam Gallagher from Oasis popped in to add the Beatlesque backing vocals.

Even in their most positive moments, there is always a brooding intensity with the Bunnymen, with the final warning "All the shadows and the pain / Are coming to you", repeated six times as the song fades.

The epic scale of their work meant that the addition of strings to this song was an obvious and effective touch. The only I saw them live, they performed the entire "Ocean Rain album" with a full orchestra and it seemed natural match.

"Nothing Ever Lasts Forever" renewed their reputation, a top 10 single in the UK, and so frequently used in TV shows.

 

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc1J7y4xIdA

Hear Next - "Ocean Rain" is the self-acknowledged masterpiece, but beginners may wish to start with "Songs to sing and learn" compilation.

Michelle Shocked - Anchorage

I first heard about the American singer / songwriter Michelle Shocked when I read a review of her first album "Texas Campfire Tapes" - a lo-fi recording on a Sony Walkman of her and guitar playing a series of songs, amid the sounds of crickets and the fire cracking - an unusual but charming introduction .  

The second album released in 1988 -  "Short Sharp Shocked" was a little more polished with a studio recording and full band supporting, but it was still an enjoyable collection of folk or Americana, highlighting her mature song-writing. There was also a political edge, the album cover photo, shows her in a chokehold whilst being arrested during a political protest. This incident also spawned her adopted stage name, a pun  on Miss Shell-Shocked, given to the arresting officer.

"Anchorage" was the first single from the album, and remains her most famous song, about friendship and change. Shocked writes to an old friend in Texas, and details the reply from Anchorage, Alaska. Her friend chides Michelle for losing touch (" it's about time you wrote / It's been over two years now my old friend").  She reminisces about their past - they worked together processing foreign telegrams (another dated 1980s reference) during the day, and the  "all night rock n' rollin', hey Chel we was wild then". 

They have not met since her wedding day, where of course Shocked played. Now she moved with her husband Leroy to Alaska, and has two children - "Hey Shell, I think I'm a housewife".  It is open to interpretation whether the friend is happy ? The key line "Anchored down in Anchorage" can be read two ways. Is she secure or trapped by her new domesticity ? Is she jealous of Michelle's freedom to be a "skateboard punk rocker" in New York City?

The song is based on her two real friends, JoAnn Kelli & Leroy Bingham, who feature in the black and white video. So I am guessing that she is happy, but just a little nostalgic for the her good friend. Finally she and Leroy, hope that Michelle will always "keep on rocking".

The music is a country / folk style, with the organ leading, and the acoustic guitar, fiddle, mandolin and drums following.  Despite good reviews, "Anchorage" was only a minor hit on US college radio, and gradually Shocked's career became  more selective (as Spinal Tap would say), and she has not released anything for over ten  years now.

Hear Now - https://vimeo.com/99288663 

Hear Next -  "Short Sharp Shocked" is her best album but also the "Texas Campfire Tapes".

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats.

The Beatles - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

Choosing just one John Lennon Beatles song is nigh on impossible, and even limiting it to only 1965 isn't much easier - "Help" ? "Ticket to Ride" ? "Norwegian Wood" ? "Nowhere Man" ? But I have plumped for "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" as one of his most distinctive.

1965 was when Lennon was most influenced by Bob Dylan - his focus on oblique and downbeat lyrics grew ("I'm a Loser" was probably his first Dylan song), with stark, even weary voice (often dispensing with the previous double tracking of vocals).  "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" was also the first Beatles all acoustic track (ironically Dylan was making the fateful journey in the opposite direction).

It has a similar theme to yesterday's "Losing My Religion" of regret and unrequited or faded love.  It commences with another great opening line ("Here I stand with head in hand / Turn my face to the wall"). This is very similar to Dylan's "I Don't Believe You" -  "I can’t understand, she let go of my hand / And left me here facing the wall". The raucous "hey!" in the chorus seems a definite homage to "Mr Tambourine Man". 

He has been spurned, but the embarrassment is so bad  he feels that people are laughing and staring. He is bereft ("If she's gone I can't go on"). There is speculation that it could relate to their manager Brian Epstein concealing his homosexuality or Lennon hiding his wife at the outset of Beatlemania, but then again it works as a universal song of rejection.

It was recorded in one "Help" session on the afternoon of 18th February 1965, with just nine takes, only two of which were complete. It is the ultimate tribute that the Beatles could produce such consistently great work inside the whirlwind of world tours, films and fan madness.

The backing is much lighter, with Lennon playing a 12 string acoustic guitar, Harrison a Spanish acoustic, plus Ringo's maracas and tambourine. But most noticeable is the tenor and alto flutes from Johnnie Scott (only the second outsider on a Beatles song so far). It was just the start of pursuing different instruments and sounds (the sitar appeared in 1965 too).  It also slightly unusual for a Beatles song at that time, as it had a more extended outro.

 Brevity was a key characteristic of pre-1966 Beatles, with few songs reaching three minutes. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is no exception at a compact two minutes ten seconds, a concise and poignant tale.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8nLraecPRY

Hear Next -  The mid-era Beatles are best represented on the "Help" and "Rubber Soul" albums.

R.EM. - Losing My Religion

"Hey, is that a photograph of you and R.E.M. ?"

"Yes, that's me in the corner"

Like U2, R.E.M accompanied my adult life, from the jingle jangle guitars of the early years, to their world dominion of early 1990s and the decline of the three-piece in later years.

After years of relentless touring, the "Out of Time" sessions marked a pause and revaluation for R.EM. Peter Buck cast aside his trademark guitar, and picked up a mandolin. There seemed a desire for increased fame and sales - how else to explain the outlier that is "Shiny Happy People" ?

It was Buck's mandolin experimentation that led to the memorable riff for their most famous song "Losing My Religion". The title leads to a common misconception, but it comes from a southern American expression for losing your temper or being tired of something (although the religious imagery in the video confused the issue).

For once, Michael Stipe provided more clarity regarding the lyrics, describing it as a  song of obsession ("Trying to keep an eye on you"), unrequited love ("the distance in your eyes"), regret ("Oh no, I've said too much"), failed hopes ("that was just a dream") and secrecy (maybe for a sexuality?).  

It sounds so catchy with such a great melody, the mandolin and acoustic guitar are the key focus assisted by some strings, but the underrated drumming and minimal bass were always so important to the R.E.M sound.

Stipe's vocals, recorded in a single take, are as quirky and distinctive as normal but lose the mumbling of the early years. His opening "Ohhhhh life", the elongating of "spot light" and the second "fool" are particular delights.  

"Losing My Religion"  was a huge hit, top 5 in the USA, winning Grammys and heavy MTV rotation due to its artistic video. Initially it had seemed an unlikely hit single, as it clocks in at well over 4 minutes, predominately in a minor key and an unconventional song structure.

It is a great tribute to R.E.M.'s  ability to create idiosyncratic and abstract work that could still appeal to millions of people.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwtdhWltSIg

Hear Next -  "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" are the most accessible R.E.M. albums.

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b 

Gotan Project - Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)

In 2004 I spend a great ten weeks in Buenos Aires - a  cosmopolitan fusion of latin Europe and South America cultures - great architecture, the best beef steaks in the world, exciting football and Argentina's array of natural wonders. The people are friendly, passionate with a melancholy streak (it has the highest per capita number of psychiatrists in the world).

It is a passion (and melancholy) that extends to music and dance, with tango a national obsession. It was a joy to walk the streets of San Telmo or downtown, entranced by the sounds of tango buskers, and stunned by the skills of the dancers. The bandoneon (a type of  accordion) produces such a beautiful and aromatic sound, normally accompanied by guitar, violin and cello. It is also essential to attend one of the many milongas, a venue where locals dance the tango (and take pity on a rhythm-less Englishman with two left feet).  

By the start of the 21st century, there may have been a perception that tango music was old-fashioned, too traditional, too rigidly tied to its roots. An Argentine guitarist Eduardo Makaroff, and two Europeans in Paris formed Gotan Project (gotan is an anagram of tango). Their mission was to revitalise tango, with a new style to reflect the new era. They would retain the original instruments and styling, but supplemented by electronic beats and samples to create something new and exciting.

" Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)" is the most famous track from their debut album, "La Revancha Del Tango". It is a joyful dance track, with repetitive motif and few lyrics. The typical tango staccato chords are joined by the relaxed beat and sampled phrases. It is airy and atmospheric, conjuring views of Buenos Aires streets and exotic dancers. The frequent reiteration of "Buenos Aires" and "Argentina" acknowledging its heritage but also its future.

With my excellent Argentine Spanish skills, I can explain the few female breathless lyrics. "Hay milonga de amor" - it is a dance of love, with the self referencing "a tremor of Gotan" and "este tango es para vos" -  this tango is for you. The title is taken from the city's original full name - Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre.

Purists may have been appalled, but Gotan Project were successful and gave the Argentine youth something of their own in the modern dance clubs.

If " Santa Maria" sounds familiar, then it has been frequently used in TV and advertisements, or maybe you saw Jennifer Lopez / Richard Gere's  "Shall we Dance?".

It is hard to describe it further, best just to enjoy with a steak and some wine from Mendoza.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQusfSWFt6M

Hear Next -  "La Revancha Del Tango" remains the best introduction.

Kirsty MacColl - Caroline

Kirsty MacColl never received the popularity she deserved during her lifetime, but she had a varied career and was highly regarded by fellow musicians. She had sweet but strong voice, with a wide range, and heavily in demand baking vocals for artists as diverse as Happy Mondays, Climie Fisher, Talking Heads and The Smiths. She even sequenced U2's "Joshua Tree" album.

She is most famous for her feisty duet on the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" and Billy Bragg's "New England".  It is a pity because she was such a great songwriter in her own right (maybe genetic as her father was famed folk singer Ewan MacColl).

  

She emerged as a self-contained pop star, with the classic "They Don't Know" (her high note on "baby!" is a delight), before reappearing later as a acerbic singer / songwriter - like a female Costello, documenting and chastising the 1980s era. As David Byrne aptly observed "the voice of an angel, from the mind & heart inflamed by Thatcher's England".

It was a hard decision, but I opted for "Caroline", a single recorded especially for her "Galore" best of album. It is typical of her work on that era, with a country swing feel, prominent acoustic guitar, cool voice,  with her crafted and wry lyrics, combining for a great pop song.

It is another song about a woman with a broken heart, as her lover has left her. But MacColl's ingenious twist is to sing as the woman who stole the man, and it was her best friend too !  She wanted to describe how Dolly Parton's Jolene would think, or Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend".

It starts with a great, but dated line "She called me up the other day / And left a message on my machine"  (today it would be a text ?). Caroline doesn't know yet that the other woman is her best friend, and the narrator clearly does relish any future encounter "Oh how can I break the news like that?", and ultimately "Now I don't want to see Caroline".

She is distraught with the pain she has caused, knows it is wrong, but she could not resist him "I wish I'd turned you away / And my head said go, but my heart, my heart said stay".  She is still tormented "Now I lie here with you, can't get her out my head". She may have won the man, but she will never be at peace.

"Caroline" barely entered the charts, but Galore briefly gave MacColl renewed exposure, following it up with the excellent Cuban-flavoured "Tropical Brainstorm".

The tragedy and injustice of her death, robbed us of a great talent, but at least she will be remembered every Christmas as we hear "Fairytale of New York" for the millionth time.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS0Cilys808

Hear Next -  "Galore" is a great collection of many finest moments, but I will always cherish 1989's "Kite" album.

Gerry & the Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

I cannot think of a song that evokes so many different emotions and so ingrained in our culture, more so than even our national anthem. "You'll Never Walk Alone" is probably the most important song in my life, the song I have heard and sung the most.

In a football context alone, it can encompass excitement or apprehension before the match, defiance at half-time (losing 3-0 to AC Milan in 2005) or jubilation afterwards (Barcelona in 2019).

But it is so much more. It is also a song of hope in troubled times. It urges strength and resolution "When you walk through a storm / Hold your head up high". Don't be scared, because after the storm is "a golden sky / And the sweet silver song of a lark".  Things will improve after even the worst adversity, if you keep in walking on. Your dreams may have been dashed, but don't lose all hope.

It has been so comforting and consoling, after tragedies like Hillsborough, a funeral staple, and today sung in the moving video clips from hospital wards to European balconies. It is not just Jurgen Klopp who has been reduced to tears by this powerful song of shared emotion.

"You'll never walk alone" was produced by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers, designed as an uplifting moment  in their "Carousel" stage musical and 1956 film. It has subsequently been performed by the best singers of their eras - Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. So how did Gerry Marsden's version become the definitive ?         

Gerry & the Peacemakers, Merseybeat rivals of the Beatles, chose to record "You'll Never Walk Alone" as their third single, as Marsden recalling it from the movie. It was released in October 1963 and swiftly went to number 1. As part of the pre-match routine at Anfield, fans swaying on the Kop sang along to the top 10 records played over the PA. As an uplifting anthem by a local band, it became so popular, that it was retained even after the single fell from the charts.

The Pacemaker's  version starts quietly, drums and piano, then Marsden's fine vocals, hushed but raising to a crescendo at the end.

Over 50 years, it has immediately preceded the start of every Liverpool home match, accompanied by a massed display of scarves and flags, an iconic football song across Europe and the World (let's just say it is better than the "Z cars" theme).

I am not sure when I will go my next football match, but I am sure "You'll Never Walk Alone" will be an important and emotional part of it.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0   (and as a bonus  Liverpool players and fans singing it after the Champions League final in 2019 -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weec_jzudc8)

Hear Next -  "Very Best of Gerry & the Pacemakers" includes all the hit singles.

Bob Dylan - Sara

Of course, Bob Dylan's 1960s output is legendary and unassailable, but I also have a great affection for his mid-1970s trilogy of "Blood on the Tracks", "Desire" and "Street Legal" albums.

"Desire" is probably the Dylan album I have played the most, and it has captivated me since I borrowed the record from Chester library (remember to check for scratches) over 30 years ago. It closes with the 5 minute "Sara", a heartfelt and sweet love song to Sara Lownds, his wife since 1965. "Blood on the Tracks" had exposed marital difficulties, but they had briefly reconciled by the time of this recording. Unusually it seems she was actually in the studio for the first take of this song.

It is definitely his most personal and most explicit, as he expresses real emotions - a affectionate portrait of his wife and family life with the children. He flashes through their family holidays and precious memories - children playing on a beach, camping in the woods, "drinkin' white rum in a Portugal bar" or a marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar (Jamaica). It is as if he is flicking through a family photograph album.  It is unknown whether these images are from his real life, but they work as they are so evocative of any life.

There is also an intriguing memory of writing the epic "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" song for her in the famous Chelsea Hotel. There is no disguising in the chorus of  "Sara, oh Sara, Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart" and "sweet love of my life".  Even in his simplest love song, he still cannot resist a poetic flourish or mystical allusion (" Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress"  "Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow").

His voice is warmer and not as abrasive as the 1960s folk singer. The backing comes from his guitar, his beautiful harmonica (I love his harmonica sound so much), unobtrusive drums and  Scarlet Riveria's swirling violin.  It is performed in a waltz pattern and a minor key, again unusual for Dylan.

Towards the end, his doubts reappear, "You must forgive me my unworthiness". The beach is empty now, there is a bleakness as he pleads " Don't ever leave me, don't ever go.". 

The song did not succeed in that respect, as she divorced him in 1977, but it remains a rare moment to see behind the mask and Bob Dylan at his most vulnerable.  

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma7BK2MJNqo

Hear Next -  Again, "Blood on the Tracks", "Desire" and "Street Legal" are truly great Dylan albums, the best way to enjoy his "middle" years.

Squeeze - Up the Junction

As with "Ode to Billie Joe", it takes great skill to tell a whole story in a short pop song, and Squeeze acquit themselves admirably with this 1979 classic. It is a kitchen sink drama of the rise and fall of working class couple's relationship.

It starts with a signature tune from Jools Holland's organ (the prominent organ is a characteristic of all the early Squeeze singles) and then a brief pause. There  is  a double drum fill, and Glenn Tilbrook delivers the classic opening line "I never thought it would happen / With me and the girl from Clapham".

But it did happen, they quickly moved in together, a "smelly" basement flat, enjoying evenings of "kissing" and  "telly". He got a job, but she was pregnant, so he worked long low-paid hours during the cold Winter, even sacrificing the television. A  daughter was born but within two years the relationship had floundered, due to his drinking and gambling. It ends with him alone in the kitchen, and his regrets, wanting her back as the band play out. A complete and sad story in barely three minutes.      

 

Chris Difford wrote the lyrics, homesick while on tour in New Orleans, words coming fast as he remembered his working class roots, and his love of 1960s TV dramas. It shares its title with a 1960s TV play and movie, and means to be in trouble or a bad situation.

The most distinctive element is the lyrics -  clever, poignant, colloquial, with its conspicuous rhymes - some good (forgiveness / business) some contrived (Stanley / handy) and some laughable ("This morning at four fifty / I took her rather nifty").  It was also his eye for detail of working class life ("had a bath on Sunday").

As normal he passed the completed lyrics to Tilbrook who composed the music (the Deptford Lennon and McCartney), and added such a great melody.

The song is unusual as it has no chorus (this was deliberate to accommodate the seven verses), and also the title only appears at the end of the song, a homage to Roxy Music's  Virginia Plain. There is also just one vocalist, and no backing vocals.

In 1998 they revisited the girl in "A moving story", as she left Clapham and moved to live by sea (few artists provide updates to their most famous works, but "Peggy Sue got married" is another example).

"Up the Junction" is the best example of the Difford / Tilbrook chemistry of an memorable rhythm and precise lyrics to form a great song, and provides a great drama from 1970s England.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQciegmLPAo    (the video was shot in the kitchen of John Lennon's Ascot house)

Hear Next -  There are several good Squeeze albums, but the best entry point is "Greatest Hits" which contains all the early classics but also from the later reunions.


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b