70. Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper (1984)

I remember seeing Cyndi Lauper for the first time on ‘Top Of The Pops’ when ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ was released and I though she was definitely going places! I have a number of her records in my collection but it is ‘Time After Time’ that I love the most.

With the rise of the ‘pop video’ in the 1980s and the start of MTV where suddenly everyone was making great videos to be shown round the clock on the music channels it suddenly became harder to divorce a song from its promo video and enjoy it without being reminded of the images. This is one such song as every time I hear it I am also reminded of the wonderful video that goes with it where poor old Cyndi is living in a Trailer Park having adopted a fierce red hair colour and radical new style but feels compelled to get the train to somewhere more exciting! I also have a version of this song by ‘Everything But The Girl’, which was on their ‘Covers EP’ and is also a wonderful version however the original is Cyndi’s and it will remain forever one of my most favourite songs.

Now Listen to the song and watch that video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9LBKh3SzhM

69. See My Baby Jive – Roy Wood (1973)

What is there to say about Roy Wood and Wizzard except that they are truly amazing!!!

Growing up in the Glam Rock Days of the 1970s, wearing flares and long hair to school and watching ‘Sweet’ and ‘Marc Bolan’ on ‘Top Of The Pops’ has given me a taste for all things dramatic and you don’t get much more dramatic than this.

I love the very ‘full’ and ‘loud’ sound of Roy Wood’s songs (and like ELO and Phil Spector’s music as well which both have a similar massive use of instruments and dense texture) and this is one of my personal favourites. It is just so loud and wonderful and that’s about it.

Now listen to the song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHNdQJPmTRU

68. Run – Leona Lewis (2008)

To say that I love this song by Leona Lewis would be an understatement. Leona Lewis is an example of a genuine talent discovered through the medium of the ‘reality’ tv competition who would probably have gone undiscovered had it not been for that medium.

I must admit that as an actor the rise of ‘reality’ tv was something that I suspected would lead to a significant lowering of quality on television and a massive reduction in quality television programmes especially drama which has indeed turned out to be the case, but the concept of a music based talent show has always been around (I remember ‘Opportunity Knocks’ and ‘New Faces’ to name but two when I was little) and it is one arena where a real opportunity is given for some people to shine. Both Susan Boyle and Leona Lewis are examples of this!

This is a wonderful song and Leona has a wonderful voice.

Listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp2LgqJvp8U

67. ABC Auto Industry – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (1983)

This reminds me of going to see OMD perform at the De Monfort Hall in Leicester in 1983 when I was 15. I had loved OMD previously and had a number of their singles including ‘Enola Gay’ and ‘Maid Of Orleans’ in my collection and loved the fact that their songs were often about really odd things like the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb, Joan of Arc and Oil refineries and now robotics.

1983 saw the release of the album ‘Dazzle Ships’ which heralded a new departure for the group as they started to use radio recordings, samples (with the help of the Emulator which was ground breaking at that time) and more and more unusual sounds as the basis for their songs. This song is a comprised of various samples looped with spoken dialog played over the top. I was in the bar at the side of the De Monfort Hall (getting a coke – honest!) when the concert started and the opening number was ‘Dazzle Ships Part II’ which for those who have the album will remember was a recording of a very loud alarm rather like the sort of warning sound you might hear in an emergency on a ship or submarine. Once that had finished one of the band switched on a tape recorder and played this song as I made my way to the front of the hall to get a better view.

This is probably the weirdest song in my collection but it has a simplicity and collection of unusual loops and sounds that I love. It is an acquired taste however.

Listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6k-teIKSus

66. Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes – Paul Simon (1986)

I first heard Paul Simon’s ‘Gracelands’ album when I bought it in the local record shop in 1998 some twelve years after it was released. When we were students we had a CD of Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits which we played regularly when we lived in Loughton and Hackney and then Loughton again but I didn’t have any of Paul Simon’s solo albums until I saw this on ‘special offer’ and bought it.

I remember the album’s release and seeing the video for ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ and hearing ‘Call Me Al’ on the radio but it was only when I listened to the whole album that I discovered what a wonderfully crafted and totally brilliant record it actually is. I listened to it during 1998 on my way from Loughton to Romford, where I was working at the time, on my Walkman, and on that long and tedious journey sometimes I closed my eyes and could feel the warmth and joy of the music as I travelled.

This song is my favourite one on the album as it combines the wonderful music of Africa with Paul Simon’s unique voice and style to reveal a song that is truly wonderful. Hope you like it.

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OafqYNCzq5U

65. The Killing Moon – Echo and The Bunneymen (1984)

I remember hearing this for the first time in 1984 when ‘Echo and The Bunneymen’ appeared on ‘Top Of The Pops’ and we had just taken delivery of our first video recorder! I remember eleven years earlier, during the summer holidays, we had been at my granny’s house and my mother read out an article in the paper saying that within ten years we could expect to see the domestic video recorder and every home could record and playback television programmes whenever they wanted.  As we watched a repeat of ‘Doctor Who and The Sea Devils’ on my granny’s black and white PYE TV, the concept of colour tv and video seemed a million miles away, but more or less by 1983 the domestic video recorder was available. Naturally they were very expensive and so we had hired ours from Granada!

Our shiny new video machine came with two tapes one of an hour’s duration and one three-hour cassette. Having pressed the eject button and watched the cassette casing shoot up and hungrily await my tape. I put it in and did a test recording of ‘Top Of The Pops’ and recorded this song, which was in the charts that week. I was now able to watch and replay my favourite songs as much as I wanted! It was amazing.

I still have the original recording of that episode, transferred it to DVD and watched it recently as my son Oliver also loves this song and wanted to see it. We often play this is in the car and I listened to it on the way to work today as well.

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX1PwkgwsG0

64. No Honestly – Lynsey De Paul (1974)

I remember seeing ‘No Honestly’ which was a television sitcom starring John Alderton and Pauline Collins being advertised on the television and this song (being the theme song) was played in the background. I don’t ever recall watching the actual show but when it was on in 1974 we had just gotten a colour television (on account of Princess Anne’s Wedding) and so we were watching more tv than ever before.

Both my parents loved ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ which was on a Sunday Night and it seemed to me that John Alderton and Pauline Collins were in just about everything. They had been in ‘Upstairs Downstairs’, had their own spin off show and they were in this too, so there was no escaping the pair of them on tv!

I remember Lynsey De Paul appearing for Britain with Mike Moran in the Eurovision song contest in 1977 and will always remember that the conductor was wearing a bowler hat and conducted the orchestra with his umbrella which I thought was truly wonderful! I must admit that I am a big fan of Lynsey De Paul and when I discovered that she had her own website and you could download her music from there I downloaded a number of her songs including ‘Rock Bottom’ the 1977 Eurovision entry and this one! I often play it on the way home from work…

Now listen t the song…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz06eCFF-oI

63. Friday I’m In Love – The Cure (1992)

I have always loved ‘The Cure’ since I first heard their song ‘The Love Cats’ back in 1983 and during the 1980s they produced some truly great songs. This one however from the 1990s is my personal favourite and a song that I listen to often on my trusty ipod.

I can’t put my finger on precisely why I love this song so much, but whenever I tell other people that I love this song I find they all love it too, so that’s enough for me!

Listen to the song…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgMZpGYiy8

62. LDN – Lily Allen (2006)

I have to admit that I rather like Lily Allen and her music. I particularly like this song, which I heard on the radio a couple of years after it was released and just loved the idea of it.  The notion that so much more is going on under the surface of what you can see with your own eyes is something that has always excited me.

When I was an actor there was often ‘more’ going on and bubbling under the surface within the character than was immediately obvious from the lines of the play and I always liked to use that in my work (Good Heavens – I sound so L.A there don’t I?)

At the time I heard this song I was also enjoying a renewed love of London.

When I first came here in 1989 I was initially excited by the tube and the bright lights, the fact that you could get virtually any type of thing you wanted and shops and bars were open all the time and there was always a wealth of interesting people to meet who had been drawn here by a similar desire to do something exciting or get away (asin my case) from the places of their birth and infant nurture! By the time 2008 had come along I was disillusioned and tired of catching the train daily and seeing the grey and grimy aspects of the city which are always overlooked either consciously or subconsciously in youth, however at that time I discovered this song I was enjoying London all over again as I started a new job with new people and went to new places and began to look beyond what I could see with my eyes. This song reminds me of that time and that concept and it’s quite a jolly number as well.

Now Listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p_V0y7C9vc

61. I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton (1974)

This first time I heard this song was when Whitney Houston sang it in the film ‘The Bodyguard’ with Kevin Costner and I thought to myself what an amazing song it really was, so you can imagine my surprise to find out that it was actually a song from the 70s by Dolly Parton.

In an interview I remember Dolly Parton saying that this song was about a situation where you know you love someone but you just can’t be with them.

When you both know at the end of the day it’s just not going to work so the only thing you can do is walk away but you will continue to love that person and always will. This song communicates that sentiment in the same way as ‘’Knowing Me, Knowing You’ by Abba examines a similar situation and as a result is a wonderfully sad but at the same time uplifting song.

I have this on my ipod and over the years despite the fact that I love Whitney’s version with its vocal pyrotechnics and power I have to prefer the original. For those you have never heard it take a few minutes to listen to it now….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMmYqRvSRS8&feature=fvst

60. Downtown – Petula Clark (1965)

When I was a young boy I loved going to my Grandma’s house and playing her 78s however (as I mentioned before) she had only two 45rpm records of which ‘Delilah’ by Tom Jones (Song No. 20) was one and this was the other! I am sure she must have had more but that is how I remember it anyhow.

Tony Hatch who gave us, amongst other things the themes to ‘Crossroads’ and ‘Neighbours’, wrote this song and at the time I was listening to this had the ‘Simon Cowell’ role on ‘New Faces’ where he was on the panel with Mickey Most!

I recently read that the song was written following a visit to New York in the 1960s and so the references to the bright lights of ‘Downtown’ and the sidewalk finally begin to make some sense as this was huge hit in the 1960s, but I came to love and enjoy it in the 1970s when I heard it for the first time.

I have always loved the simplicity of this song and it remains a true classic to this very day. When I was alone and living with the local vicar when I arrived in Debden in 1989 to start my course at east 15 acting school, I had this on my stereo and remember playing it in the evenings after college. To be fair it was a disco version which they used to play when I used to go roller skating but hey it always makes me smile.

Enjoy the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCnHWas3HQ

59. Beat The Clock – Sparks (1979)

I first heard this song on the revived Juke Box Jury back in 1979 and decided that it would definitely be a ‘hit’. This song, along with the ‘No.1 Song in Heaven’ had heralded a new direction for the boys after they had decided to work with producer Georgio Moroder who (along with Sigue, Sigue, Spitnik, Donna Summer and Japan) was at the time producing some of the best dance music of the late seventies. Music that I was particularly keen on!

The ‘B’ side of this single had an ‘alternative mix’ of the song which was quite different and as with most of the hit singles in my collection it was rare that I turned them over and tried the other side, but Simon Bates (who was doing the Top 40 at the time) played the ‘B’ side one day during the Top 40 on a Sunday and as a result I flipped it over and listened to that version which I much preferred.

Although Sparks have given us some truly great numbers this was my introduction to them and the first Sparks record I bought and as such I offer it to you now…

Enjoy….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhpokfEKfx8

58. Joe Le Taxi – Vanessa Paradis (1988)

Like with Plastic Bertrand (Song 26 – Ca Plane Pour Moi) the concept of a French language song being a hit in the UK was a real rarity but in 1988 this number by a young French girl who would eventually end up married to Johnny Depp was exactly that - a huge hit and as a result it was impossible not to hear it on the radio or see the video on television.

Sometimes it’s hard to explain exactly what it is that make you like a song but sometimes you do not need to understand the words of a song to know that love it. With this particular song Iove the overall sound of it and sometimes that is all you need to enjoy music. I have an album of Abba songs in Spanish (Abba were so talented that they recorded in English, Swedish, French, German and Spanish apparently!) which I love to listen to, and once again it is the ‘sound’ of the whole song that makes it enjoyable.

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxmAngaNXGU&feature=fvst

57. All Together Now – The Farm (1990)

This song was a hit around Christmas 1990 just as I was starting my second year at east 15 acting school and was living in Loughton in a flat above Safeways!

Despite the fact that the boys appear to have ‘borrowed’ the chord structure from Pachabel’s canon and written a song about an incident where English and German soldiers left the trenches in December 1914 at the start of the Great War to create a Christmas truce and play football in no man’s land, this is a truly memorable song and one that I have on my ipod and still play today.

Although this is not a ‘Christmas’ song as such that fact that it retells a Christmas story of such power and sadness (a story which was denied by the authorities for so many years and has only relatively recently been acknowledged as true) accompanied by such a familiar melodic structure makes it a true classic.

Listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsVOyIoby0

56. Perpetuum Mobile – Penguin Café Orchestra (1987)

The Penguin Café Orchestra is a group of musicians working alongside composer guitarist and arranger Simon Jeffes who produced some of the UK’s most recognisable music between 1976 and 1997. Many people have never heard of the orchestra’s work but will recognise this piece from the numerous times it has been used on television (most recently in ‘The Apprentice’) and other pieces such as ‘Telephone and Rubber Band’ from the Mercury 1-2-1 adverts.

As a lover of minimalist and repetitive music (I adore Michael Nyman and Philip Glass too) this piece is one of my favourites. The slow piano opening followed by the instantly recognisable repetition of a simple piano refrain enhanced by the violins and cello allowing them to take over the refrain as the piece continues and adding depth to the music really makes this a truly great piece.

Listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvbCV6E0Wro

55. Plastic Palace People – Scott Walker (1968)

As mentioned previously I love Scott Walker and his music and this song is one of my favourites. I bought a collection of Scott Walker songs on a compilation album entitled ‘Boy Child – The Best of Scott Walker 1967-1970’ and this song stood out from the rest as possibly one of the weirdest things that I had ever heard (and as you are probably beginning to realise by now I like weird things and no one does weird quite like Scott!)

I had previously been to see an exhibition of paintings by Marc Chagall whose works are often characterised by pictures of people levitating or flying in the air and this song with its lyric ‘Over the rooftops sails Billy, a string tied to his underwear’ somehow made me think of Chagall and his paintings (which I might add are also wonderfully colourful and vibrant and a bit weird too) and what a joy it would be to be able to fly and look down on our wonderful world.

The chorus is so also fantastic in that it seems so divorced from the rest of the song and the concept of ‘Plastic Palace Alice’ who blows ‘gaping holes to store her fears inside her lover’s head’ is so totally strange and bizarre I couldn’t help but be drawn in…

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrS74ktTyE

54. But Not Tonight – Depeche Mode (1986)

I first saw Depeche Mode live for the first time in 1984 when their album ‘Some Great Reward’ had just been released and I was in the sixth form at Leicester Grammar School. I had, however been a fan of theirs since the early days when Vince Clarke was still in the band.

This song was originally a ‘B’ side on one of their singles (I forget which one) but it was one of the songs from the album ‘Black Celebration’ and I remember that I first heard it when my friend Ed played it as we were driving somewhere in his car! Although I could drive and had access to my parents’ car pretty much when I wanted it (as my Dad tended to use the car for driving to work and neither of them went out in the evenings) my friend Ed had his own car and so it was easier for him to drive and he would often pick me up when we were gong somewhere.

I loved this song from the moment I heard it and still love it today. Although the music of Depeche Mode ranges from pop hits like ‘I Just Can’t Get Enough’ to very dark songs like ‘Wrong’ on the ‘Sounds of the Universe’ Album this was a nice pop song at a time when their music was beginning to change and I love the simplicity of it, the sentiment  and the sounds.

Hope you enjoy it…

Now listen to the song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JIl8m

53. Obsession – Army of Lovers (1991)

We were always the last on our street to get things. I remember we had our first telephone in 1979 – a lovely Post Office Grey and Brown two-tone affair which had a lovely loud ring. This was many years after the rest of the country had been connected! It was the same with cable TV which my parents had had installed while I was away at drama school and I came back to it in 1991. Until this time MTV was something I had only ever heard referred to in ‘Dire Straits’ songs but now cable TV was in my living room and this was the first song I heard/saw on it and (you can guess) I loved it. I loved it so much I went out and bought the Army of Lovers’ album ‘Massive Luxury Overdose’ and have been enjoying it ever since.

This song (and the video) were played a lot on MTV Europe in 1991 and even though the group were not very successful in the UK despite a very great effort by their record company to promote them  (suspect that a very highly camp Dutch band is not totally representative of that great country) I love their work and so I give you…Obsession!

Now listen to the song and watch the (original) video……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG0vIiwWGGo

52. This Guy’s In Love with You – Herb Alpert (1968)

I first heard this song as part of collection of songs that my friend’s sister had recorded onto a tape and left in her car when she had sold it to him. Buying your first car is always an exciting thing and my pal Ed had recently bought a VW Beetle that belonged to his sister and had it repainted and done quite a bit of work on it. I remember working with him to change the break pads on the drive using a copy of the Haynes Manual, which was the first, last, and only time I ever got involved in mechanics! Whatever skills I have (and some may say that I have none) car mechanics is not amongst them!

Needless to say when the car was finished we used to drive around in it listening to music as we went on our merry way and in the machine was a tape that had this song on it!

Herb Alpert is much more famous for playing the trumpet and for being the boss of A&M records but his recording of this Burt Bacharah Song which he did for a TV special in 1968 is a rare example of him singing and I have always loved this song as so perfectly expresses that situation when you start to fall in love with someone who has been a friend for a while and they just don’t seem to notice which I suspect has happened to nearly all of us at one time or another….

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WZjqdPVaI0

51. Don’t You Want Me – Human League (1982)

I remember playing this record in my bedroom over the winter of 1982 and looking out across the street and seeing the snow. We had had a change round in the house and I moved to the bedroom at the front of the house which had a massive bay window and afforded me a good view of the street where I lived and could see my friends approaching the house and could wave to others that passed as I sat (by the window) doing the hours and hours of homework that I got from school.

Having the heating on in our house (as I think I may have mentioned) was reserved for extreme emergencies when it was more than unusually cold so I made use of a dangerous paraffin heater in my room before my mother had a gas heater installed some time later!

I had been a fan of the original ‘Human League’ already, but was utterly captivated by ‘Dare’ and the new sound that Phil and the girls had created after splitting from the other part of the band who went on to become Heaven 17.

The use of the very latest synthesisers and the Lin Drum machine (which were cutting edge at the time) and programming made ‘Dare’ a truly amazing album.

I have since discovered that this song was never intended to be a single, but I am so glad that it was as I loved playing it nice and loud in my room and still love it today.

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0&ob=av2el

50. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall – Bryan Ferry (1973)

This is a version of a Bob Dylan song that Bryan Ferry recorded for his solo album ‘These Foolish Things’ in 1973 and although I’m not a massive fan of Dylan I do like this song and I particularly like Bryan Ferry’s version. I first came across this watching ‘The Tube’ when Jools Holland was interviewing Bryan Ferry in the 1980s and as part of the item a number of the songs from Bryan’s solo albums were intercut into the piece and along with ‘These Foolish Things’, which is another song I adore, this one was included.

I have always enjoyed ‘Roxy Music’ and ‘Bryan Ferry’ and there is sophistication to Bryan’s music that I love. His first solo album was a collection of his favourite songs and included other numbers by Smokey Robinson as well as The Beatles but this is my favourite song from that album and every time I mention that I am listening to it I always get plenty of comments telling me how much my friends like it too.

Hope you enjoy it….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alKDz9sz4nY

49. Union City Blue – Blondie (1979)

One of the most exciting things that ever happened to me as a child was going to see Blondie in 1979 when I was eleven. I had got a copy of ‘Denis’ and ‘Heart of Glass’ in my singles collection and on the day I took the 11+ exam for Loughborough Grammar School my parents bought me ‘Parallel Lines’ as a present for being so brave in taking the exam as I was already a big fan having bought ‘Denis’ and ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ as singles previously.

Naturally when I discovered they were going to play the ‘De Monfort Hall’ in Leicester I desperately wanted to go but the concert was sold out almost instantly and so I resigned myself to never seeing them, however what I didn’t know was that my mother had managed to get me a ticket for which she had paid a staggering £10.00, having made an impassioned plea for one via an ad in the ‘Leicester Mercury’ and as a Christmas present I had a ticket and got to go to the concert.

The very idea of letting an eleven year old go alone to a rock concert is something that would be considered shocking these days, but my parents dropped me off outside and I took my seat (I was upstairs on the right hand side balcony) which had a magnificent view and watched and listened to a truly great concert! Their latest album was ‘Eat to the Beat’ which I had also just gotten for Christmas and I remember that ‘Union City Blue’ was one of the songs they did.

Debbie Harry (who had had a brief flirtation with acting in the days when there was virtually no cross over from music to acting unlike now where it seems virtually mandatory) was due to appear in a film called ‘Union City’ and I can always remember that the record company were at pains to make sure that we all knew that ‘Union City Blue’ was not connected to the film in any way – which always seemed odd even to this day. I love Blondie, I love this song and the video (shot in the docks in New York) and still love it as much now as I did 30 odd years ago.

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvqgb1D6Opw&ob=av3el

48. Ready For The Floor – Hot Chip (2008)

One of my friends asked me if I had ever heard of ‘Hot Chip’ and added that this was her favourite song at the time. Having been asked the question I sought out the song on ‘You Tube’ and before I had finished listening to it I was logging onto itunes to download it. It is not often these days that I come across something that I love so instantly but the retro sound of ‘Hot Chip’ and the excitement and energy of this song captivated me and I loved it immediately.

Music has always played an important part in my life from listening to music as a young lad as well as playing it and singing, although as I get older I realise that I can no longer hit the high notes like I used to and all of the songs I write seem to sound the same. Friends are also important to me and I find that even as I get older I still make friends easily perhaps because I have a genuine interest in other people’s experiences and ideas. Quite often friends will say to me ‘Have you listened to this?’ or will recommend something they think I might like and so I am introduced to something new as in this case.

Hope you like this….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhASu2OjEcQ&ob=av3em

47. Yes – McAlmont and Butler (1995)

It was about the time that this song was released that Kerry and I first came across David McAlmont while he was being interviewed on ‘Gay Time TV’ which was a late night show presented by Bert Tyler Moore and Rhona Cameron which we were in the habit of watching (and enjoying) when we were ‘resting’ actors and could stay up late! As a result of being a guest on ‘Gay Time TV’ I remember the subject of McAlmont’s sexuality was discussed and I recall that by the time we had finished watching the interview and then listing to this song I was much impressed by the man and his music.

More recently his collaboration with Michael Nyman which produced the magnificent album ‘The Glare’ (which is a series of songs written in the first person whilst assuming various specific characters) has reminded me of his incredible talent and as I have always loved Nyman’s minimalist music as well this is a rare treat however I am sure we will come to some of the songs from that work later.

For now we have ‘Yes’ another song, which I love to play nice and loud in the car and on the headphones on my way to work….

Enjoy….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJSaRw1vjxM

46. Creeque Alley – Mamas and Papas (1967)

One of my facebook friends was quoting from ‘The Fear’ by Lily Allen (another song I love very much as well) and wrote the line ‘I’m not a Saint and I’m not a Sinner, but everything’s cool as long as I’m getting thinner’ to which one of her friends added a comment that said ‘And no one’s getting fat except Mama Cass’ which is a line from this song. A song I first heard when I was a child as my auntie Shelia had a copy of the ‘Mamas and Papa’s – Greatest Hits’ and we often had it on the turntable.

My mother had very few LPs, however she did have a copy of ‘Come The Day’ by The Seekers, which featured a version of ‘California Dreaming’, which was another ‘Mamas and Papas’ hit song. During the 1980s I bought my own copy of the ‘Mamas and Papas’’ Greatest hits and have always enjoyed their music. I am particularly fond of ‘Dream A Little Dream of Me’ which I am sure will feature in this favourite 500 songs later on as it is such a great number.

I love ‘Creeque Alley’ which is a song that charts the rise of the Mamas and Papas from their earlier incarnation as the Mugwumps and includes some of my favourite song lyrics of all time including: ‘Agents can’t be trusted’, ‘Greasin’ on American Express cards’, ‘Take Me to New York right away’ and ‘California Dreamin’ is becoming a reality’.

There is a much repeated rumour that Mama Cass Elliot died in 1974 having choked on a ham sandwich while staying in a London Hotel (That’s what my Dad told me anyhow) however the reality was that she suffered a heart attack. Either way she died before her time had a truly amazing voice and left us a wonderful body of work to enjoy of which this ensemble piece is a fine example.

Enjoy the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXSyFofyV2c

45. Justified and Ancient – KLF (1991)

The truly appealing thing for me about the KLF or Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu or JAMS as they are also known is the fact that they appear to be completely bonkers - which is a wonderful pre-requisite for true creativity in my opinion. Look at Van Gogh and Mozart! The fact that they also managed to persuade Tammy Wynette to sing on this record is also a testament to the power of their persuasion and influence that they had at the time.

I have always loved this song and the fact that you can’t (legally) download it from itunes at this time is extremely annoying as I would like to listen to this on the way to work in the mornings too, however I appreciate that the boys wanted to delete their entire back catalogue and never rerelease it – another crazy (though inspirational) idea!

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gzkllCIyww

44. Fade To Grey – Visage (1981)

The first time I heard this song I thought it was the most amazing thing I had ever heard. There is something about it which (at the time) was totally new and very very exciting. From the opening electronic drum machine beats and the pulsating analogue bass and whining higher notes to the bizarre spoken French dialogue, violin parts and voice of Steve Strange I knew that this would be a winner and deserved to be a number one hit.

The song was composed by members of Ultravox (Midge Ure and Billy Currie) along with Christohper Payne and there is a strong Ultavoxian (if that is a word – maybe I just invented it!!) influence on it whilst remaining quite individual at the same time. By the time I was listening to music like this the old fashioned stereo had gone and I had a much more sophisticated system with bigger speakers and a JVC cassette deck which allowed for much louder playing of songs like this! Looking back I’m sure I must have driven the neighbours mad playing my music so loudly, however I feel justified by the fact that this is a great song and deserved to be shared, and it is in the spirit of sharing I give you the chance to listen to it now….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMPC8QJF6sI&ob=av3nl

43. Never Let Her Slip Away – Andrew Gold (1978)

This song always reminds me of sitting in the back of my Dad’s van listening to the Top 40 on a Sunday while at my Grandma’s house. Back in the 1970s we had a Morris 1100 car, which was unfortunately written off when a bus crashed into it as it was parked outside our house. Luckily no one was hurt but as with all these things sorting out the insurance takes ages and as a result we had no car.

My Uncle John who worked for ‘Spencers’ - the estate agents, and who had the job of taking the photos of the houses and fixing the ‘For Sale’ signs in place outside, had a dark green Vauxhall van which the company were selling (as they were moving up to a very posh white Ford Escort Van with the new logo on) and we bought the old one. We had a radio fitted and we used to listen to the Top 40 on Radio 1 on a Sunday Night in my Grandma’s front room and listen to the final few hits including the number one song as we drove home after our weekly visit.

I remember this song being in the charts at that time and thinking what an unusual sound the beat was made up of and what a great song it was and what a wonderful idea for a song it was too. It is a very happy song and always makes me smile. As with all of the songs mentioned in this blog, I have this on one my ipod and listen to it when I feel the need to be reminded of those happy times.

Now listen to the song….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNCx7LDv7Ng