145. Sorry I’m a Lady – Bacarra (1978)

I first came across Bacarra on the 1977 album ‘Disco Fever’ where their number one hit ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ was the first track on side one. A forerunner to the ‘Cheeky Girls’, Bacarra were two Spanish girls who had a couple of hits in the 1970s of which this was their second one.

Listening to this again it sounds so wonderfully dated and lines like ‘Have you got a light?’ remind us of the days when lighting up a fag in a bar was the height of sophistication, however this record is a kitsch masterpiece and deserves to be enjoyed by a completely new audience. Despite the fact that it sounds like a comedy song that would be best suited to the chaps from ‘Little Britain’ in their Lady like finery it was a seriously massive hit back in 1978 and conveys a message about being ‘respectable’ from a time when such things were still considered important.

A true disco classic with fantastic production values it deserves to be revived and so I give you…Bacarra……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6w2iQN3Jko

144. Anything But Lonely – Sarah Brightman – Aspects of Love (1989)

I have always enjoyed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music and whatever you think of him he has written some of the most fabulous and most popular music in the history of British Musical Theatre from ‘Evita’ through to ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ however when ‘Aspects Of Love’ opened in the West End it opened to mixed reviews and has never enjoyed the success of some of his other shows.

I remember at the time Roger Moore (having just finished being James Bond) was due to appear in the show but pulled out at the eleventh hour and even though the show had Michael Ball in the cast it somehow just couldn’t be saved from bad reviews and the notion that it was ‘a flawed piece’.

I was at east 15 acting school at the time and for me (along with my other fellow students) ‘Aspects Of Love’ provided us with another good selection of songs for us to sing. I remember Mary Hammond, who was an extremely famous singing teacher at the time fresh from having taught Phillip Schofield to sing so that he could appear in ‘Joseph’ in the West End, coming to the school to give us a tutorial. When asking for a volunteer my friend Louisa got up and sang this song which was the first time that I had ever heard it. Needless to say I loved the song and have always enjoyed it ever since. It is a song about love and loss and getting on with the rest of your life….

Now listen to the song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEMrW8mxxNA

141. Pure – The Lightening Seeds (1990)

I remember watching an interview with Claire Sweeney (the girl from ‘Brookside’) where she said that there were more dancers and singers and comedians and all round entertainers in Liverpool than anywhere else outside of London. The Equity office in Liverpool was a very bust one there so she claimed! She then went on to suggest that this was because the people of Liverpool were extremely talented and ‘The Lightening Seeds’ seem to prove that is true!

I remember this song from their debut album in the charts back in 1990 when I was at drama school and I have loved their music ever since. I particularly like ‘Marvellous’ and ‘Three Lions’ (which is pretty much the ultimate football song) but love this song best of all.

I don’t know precisely why I like this but I still play it often on my way to work and just love the melody and the style of it.

Now listen to the song….

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

140. Telephone and Rubber Band – Penguin Café Orchestra (1981)

I first heard this piece of music when it was used in the background of a story about a school boy called Chris who ran up enormous debts trading in stocks and shares from a phone box outside his school in Leicestershire prior to the market crash of 1987. The item was on the programme ‘Network 7’ which was a youth programme on Channel 4 on a Sunday and this music was used to emphasise the use of the telephone.

I also heard it many times used in the Mercury 1-2-1 adverts most notably in the one where Kate Moss wanted to have a 1-2-1 with Elvis which also seemed like a good idea to me too!

The piece is made up of a tape loop of a uk telephone engaged and dialling tones intercut and then overplayed with various other unusual instruments and sounds. It is not to everyone’s taste but I have to admit I love it and on finally discovering its name and who this piece was by went out and bought it.

Now listen…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZygIVDql8Bk

140. Telephone and Rubber Band – Penguin Café Orchestra (1981)

I first heard this piece of music when it was used in the background of a story about a school boy called Chris who ran up enormous debts trading in stocks and shares from a phone box outside his school in Leicestershire prior to the market crash of 1987. The item was on the programme ‘Network 7’ which was a youth programme on Channel 4 on a Sunday and this music was used to emphasise the use of the telephone.

I also heard it many times used in the Mercury 1-2-1 adverts most notably in the one where Kate Moss wanted to have a 1-2-1 with Elvis which also seemed like a good idea to me too!

The piece is made up of a tape loop of a uk telephone engaged and dialling tones intercut and then overplayed with various other unusual instruments and sounds. It is not to everyone’s taste but I have to admit I love it and on finally discovering its name and who this piece was by went out and bought it.

Now listen…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZygIVDql8Bk

139. I’m Not Scared – Eighth Wonder (1988)

This has to be one of my favourite songs from the 1980s and despite the fact that this version features Patsy Kensit taking over the vocals of Eighth Wonder (which was apparently her brother’s band) it really has a wonderful sound and feel to it.

Originally a Pet Shop Boys song and featured on one of their album “introspective’, I don’t know how Patsy and the lads came to do their version but the backing track is so similar to the original by the Pet Shop Boys that I can’t help but think they had a hand in it!

‘Introspective’ by the Pet Shop Boys was one of the first CDs I bought back in 1988 when I bought my first CD player and a longer version of this song was on it, but it is this version (featuring Patsy) that will forever be my favourite version.

If you don’t know it – enjoy, if you do enjoy again….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkE-UKVEdCo

138. Bulletproof – La Roux (2009)

I must admit that I loved ‘Coming In For The Kill’ by La Roux from the first time I heard it on the radio but my brain somehow didn’t manage to register that there may be more by these artists possibly a whole album.

I managed to hear this song last week when I popped into the HMV shop on Moorgate as it was playing as I flicked through the CDs, DVDs and books that lined the shelves. I knew instantly that it was La Roux as despite their music being so heavily influenced by the wonderful electronic music of the 1980s by Erasure and OMD and The Human League etc it still managed to have its own totally unique style which is so refreshing.

As I hung around in the store I heard a few more songs from the debut album ‘La Roux’ and (bizarrely) rather than buy the album I waited until I was at home to download it onto my ipod from where I have been playing it ever since.

This is a great song from a great duo…

Hope you like it…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUsbpmQ9-mc