Telstar - Tornadoes

[1962]

Before the British Invasion Telstar rocketed up the charts everywhere. This was an even more modern invasion from the British Isles

I feel like Joe Meek must have gone "I really like the futuristic synth-y organ bit in Del Shannon's Runaway. So why don't we do an entire tune in this deliriously upbeat fairground anthem style but even more so." And Meek and The Tornadoes did and it was historic and we're still talking about it today.

A gift to seaside fairs, carnivals, sideshows and amusement parks across the world to this day.

Open Mind- Magic Potion (1969)

[1969]

THE scuzzy drug fuelled sound, the sonic revelation and ace riff-o-rama that preempted Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Spaceman 3 and all your favourite things that have proto, neo & stoner at start.

A relentless rock'n'roll rocket!

Magic Potion: Yes Please.

Please sir, can I have some more.

Love Sculpture _ Sabre Dance

[1968]

Didn't know this tune til the other day when I began reading Will Hodgkinson's book In Perfect Harmony (2022). My dad had Dave Edmunds records, which I didn't hate, but he didn't have this one. 

This is a blast. The past, present and future all rolled into an energetic metallic rock'n'roll rocket of a space rock surf jam. 

Have I the Right · The Honeycombs

[1964]

Another rockin' pop tune with an unhinged quality. It threatens to go full mayhem but somehow its reigned in. Joe Meek does all sorts of studio trickery to make this insane and electrifying.

Stomping!

Number One in Australia and Canaidia baby!

Maximillian - The Snake

[1961]

The dude Max Crook who played the Musitron, an early synthesiser, on Del Shannon's Runaway did this instrumental that became a classic at mod discotheques and northern soul shindigs. Crazy funky sounds and hand clap-mania! 

Pretty cool. 

Del Shannon - So Long Baby

[1961]

We all love Del Shannon's debut 1961 seven inch single, the international smash hit Runaway but what about his nasty unhinged third single So Long Baby!  It is insane, relentlessly bitter, noisy, bizarre, gleefully spiteful and just brilliant. 

[1961]

Okay okay despite how many times you've heard it you really can't go past this instant slice of pop perfection where rock'n'roll met synthetic electronics for the first time. 

It's the toppermost fairground anthem and the ultimate jukebox selection. That mental space age musitron (a synth prototype) break is unmissable and exciting as is Del Shannon's vocal performance where he goes from rough'n'raspy to falsetto. The mysterious existential lyrics are set to an uncommonly euphoric tone making it the rave anthem of 1961.

Surprisingly still incredible. 

Tape 05 - Boards Of Canada

[2026]

Boards Of Canada - Tape 05

Gotta say, sounds better than anything on the last record which was pretty disappointing. Tape 05 isn't so much the idyllic or even the deliciously eerie Boards Of Canada sound, it's more on the ominous tip and then there's a harp! There's even a hint of anthemic post-rock here. I kinda don't even wanna contribute anything to the discourse because just shut up everyone, I hate all your dumb and boring opinions and speculations and theories and breakdowns and lame youtube channels. Sometimes I think half these twits are just marketing nerds in it for the obscure advertising campaigns... 

In 1998 they were my private electronic duo. Maybe I want it to be just like it was in 1998 when my mate, an electronic music fan, a so called aficionado, didn't even care or buy the cd after I told him Music Has The Right To Children was the best thing in its field since Quique or Selected Ambient Works Volume II and the best album of the year. Astonishingly it didn't make Wire Magazine or Melody Maker's top 50 albums of 1998! Simon Reynolds didn't even review it. I wasn't ever on the bloody internet so I was oblivious as to whether dorks were on there talking about it or not on their message boards and what not... so Music Has The Right To Children was my private little joy. It was just me, my discman and the glinting memory-delic Boards Of Canada with their oscillating off-pitch analogue synths and hypnotic beats. Glorious.

Smokes Quantity [1998]

The sound of my malfunctioning brain trying to conjure meaningful long lost memories but only getting nostalgic glimpses of a sci-fi wildlife documentary from the 70s I probably didn't star in as a child then again...

Dion - He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

[1975]

A lo-fi decelerated tape woosh of drug fucked suffocating wall of sound gospel so off colour, desperate and deranged it'll make you forget that you hated this song before this version. 

Delirious wonky pop genius.

Play it again Sam!

(I Was) Born To Cry - Dion

[1962]

One of these tunes you can't believe was hidden away on a b-side to an inferior track on the A side. What a blast. The entire production is an exercise in restraint of the looming mayhem, incredibly unique. Dion was such a great rock'n'roll singer and here it's all about being emotionally overwrought in the face of his existential predicament and somehow he doesn't make it suck and then there's that creepy sax that then bursts through for some sleazy sax-a-matazz and what going on with the deranged blokes doing the all over the shop backing vocals. 

Genius.

Cult classic baby!

I LOVE HOW YOU LOVE ME ~ The Paris Sisters (1961)

[1961]

This song is so specifically influential on Jullee Cruise it's hard to not remark upon it, see what I mean. Californian gals Priscilla, Sherrell & Albeth Paris do a Barry Mann & Larry Kolber tune recorded by Phil Spector. A woozy slowed down doo-wop trip out with dreamy strings, seductive intimate vocals and a sultry spoken bit all basted in a thick syrup. So much purity and innocence amongst the wanton lust. 

Squeeze me tease me...

Bits & Pieces III "Let's Do It" More Of The 80's Medley

[1980]

Party time people!

Stars On 45 ripped off the Beatles section of this great bootleg 12 inch from 1980 for their chart topping proto-mash-up international hit. This mix put together by Canadians Michel Ali, Michel Gendreau and Paul Richer is the original songs edited into an awesome mega-mix for a fifteen minute funky dance floor knees up.

Get down.

Ritz – I Wanna Get With You

Madness– One Step Beyond
Young & Company– I Like (What You Are Doing To Me)
The Gap Band– Baby Baba Boogie
'Lectric Funk– Shanghaied
Kano– It's A War
Spinners– Cupid
Spinners– Working My Way Back To You
Gino Soccio– Dancer
Sparks– Beat The Clock
Carrie Lucas– Keep Smilin'
Lipps, Inc.– Funkytown
Heatwave– Boogie Nights
GQ– Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)
The S.O.S. Band– Take Your Time (Do It Right)
Sparkle Tuhran* & Friends – Handsome Man
The Buggles– Video KIlled The Radio Star
Shocking Blue– Venus
The Archies– Sugar Sugar
The Beatles– No Reply
The Beatles– I'll Be Back

The Beatles– Drive My Car
The Beatles– Do You Want To Know A Secret
The Beatles– You're Gonna Lose That Girl
The Beatles– Nowhere Man
The Four Seasons– Sherry
Everly Brothers– Cathy's Clown
Neil Sedaka– Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Roy Orbison– Only The Lonely
Penny McLean– Lady Bump
Wings – Silly Love Songs
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas– Jimmy Mack
The Fortunes– Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again
Brian Hyland– Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini
Electric Light Orchestra– Last Train To London
Ringo Starr– The No-No Song
Fred Wesley & The JB's– Doing It To Death
The Edgar Winter Group– Frankenstein

*Youtube usually hits these videos with copyright claims but for some reason this particular upload of Let's Do It doesn't have The Beatles tunes edited out.

Eagle · ABBA

[1977]

A pinnacle of 20th century pop. Say no more.

...but someone on the internet pointed out the obvious. The below tune's synth line was inspired by Eagle. How on earth did I not see this until now...

[1981]

A pinnacle of 20th century pop. Say no more.

...but someone on the internet pointed out the obvious. The above tune's synth line was inspired by Eagle. How on earth did I not see this until now...

Compare the pair.

Kestrel - Take It Away

[1975]

Jaunty progressive pop from mid 70s England doesn't get much better. Are Kestral even a cult act? Who Knows. They had organs, synths and mellotrons along with their guitars for their epic and melodic tunes. This one's the least proggy track from their one and only LP Kestrel which is an unknown minor masterpiece. Take It Away's rockin' easy-listening quasi bossa-lite insistent pop that really could have been an influence on Stereolab's entire aesthetic. 

Gimme Dat Ding - The Pipkins

[1970]

One hit wonder Party!

Here's another one that sounds like absolute rubbish on first listen but hey you can't stop playing it then bam the genius hits you. Hideous vaudeville novelty with awesome honky tonk piano. Warning: Absolute toe-tapper will have doing what you believe to be The Charleston within seconds. Also It'll get stuck in your head for the rest of the day and maybe the rest of your life. 

Now gimme dat gimme dat gimme gimme gimme dat ding!

Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith

[1972]

Insanely romantic pop from the legendary normal* fella who engineered Rubber Soul and produced three early Pink Floyd LPs.

Romance, strings and so much Sax-a-muh-phone!

Look out this is pretty insidious, you might just end up liking this light entertainment banger a lot and end up adding it to your i-pod... 

*According to John Lennon.

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Middle Of The Road

[1971] [1972]

Bubblegum beauty and the song's not bad either. 

The outfit: Cheeky. 

The moves: Groovy.

The tune: Infectious singalong 70s pop, wee bit funky, genius words sung with folky lullaby melody and harmonies, crowd chorus and pre-glam take it down now hand clap delirium. 

There's something about Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep that makes you not hate it for some reason and then it eventually it becomes embedded in your brain forever. I mean some have called it a moronic pop crime but they didn't mean it as THE compliment that it is, yet as an aesthetic value a moronic pop crime is highly appealing. As an achievement this is one of the great moronic pop crimes. 

A pop masterpiece.

*And there's more than meets the eye. Emma points out there was something upsetting about this song when she was small. The thought of your momma or poppa mysteriously being "far far away" was horrifying for a child. The fact that these traumatic lyrics of neglect & abandonment were sung in a chirpy... er... sorry, upbeat manner adds to the sinister tone. 

 

Pilot - January

[1975]

The first song I recall liking. I was just over 3 years old but fuck me it was number one here for eight weeks. So I guess I heard it a gazillion times and maybe it was an involuntary decision in music taste at the time but I gotta say as a cranky old fucker this is a top tune, a pop-rock banger baby! Not a bad choice for your first favourite song.

Also gotta love a jumper with your band name on it... just not enough jumpers in pop music anymore. The day jumpers stopped being worn in rock might be the day it all turned to shit.

[1974]

Possibly even better though was their number 12 hit from the previous year, (It's) Magic. 

State of the art pop-rock finery. 

The sound of the 70s.

Toppermost musos! Looking into my crystal ball I can see a future for them in a little up and coming group called The Alan Parsons Project.

All the melody, rockin' 70s gee-tars played with a sixpence man, strings, funky wah wahs and hand claps galore: All luscious!

Chart-pop radio-rock perfection.

Momus: The Criminal (album version)

[2011]

Momus and John Henriksson get lost in a hypnotic hypnagogic existential dilemma in this lovelorn lullaby. 

Haunted & lonesome, I mean it's outsider Doo-wop dream-pop, innit. 

Mouldy Old Dough - Lieutenant Pigeon

[1972]

In the 70s Lieutenant Pigeon hit the scene...

Just not enough mums wearing crap witches hats in bands these days or cheesy honky tonk pub rock tin whistle glam recorded in front rooms. 

The weird thing is though, this is just fantastic.

Historic.

My Escapism - David Woodcock.

[2019]

Came across this the other day. A bittersweet tune. Seven years later and it's only had 2169 views. Somewhere between Dave Graney, Jarvis, Galaxie 500's echo-chamber and all those other lost indie singer/songwriters you've forgotten the names of from the 80s and 90s.  They call him the southend troubadour: The Essex Riviera's hardest working musician.

There's something missing

I'm just existing

I don't feel alive