When I first read about the Booker Prize this year and looked at the shortlist, one book stood out. Time Shelter, the eventual winner, was instantly appealing in its central idea of whole countries having referenda to decide which decade of the 20th century they wanted to return to. As you will have noticed on this blog, I would probably quite like to return to the 70s! When I started reading it, however, it was clear that the ideas driving this book were far more wide ranging. It was a reflection, ageing, mortality, nostalgia, dementia, national characteristics and a feeling of wanting safety in an unsafe world. Georgi Gospodinov juggled all these ideas with verve, wit, humour and occasional tragedy in a densely plotted, but never overwhelming, book. He was aided in this by the excellent translation by Angela Rodel which helped the book’s momentum and appeal. At times, it was as if the author was speaking directly to me and reading my thoughts. As I read, I considered all the ideas that were coming at me thick and fast, and every time I put the book down, those ideas stayed with me, forcing me to consider ‘What if?’ as I reflected on what my own approach may be in the situation the protagonist found himself in.
The Plot
As far as the plot is concerned, and as ever no spoilers, the narrator sets up dementia clinics with the mysterious, enigmatic Gaustine. In these clinics, each floor is designed to perfectly reflect a particular decade complete with items from the time, music, newspapers, entertainment, food and even smells. The idea is to give sufferers a safe space in which to immerse themselves in a decade that allows themselves to connect with part of the person the disease has taken away. The details are correct in every respect, and the staff and visitors all dress and act appropriately within that decade, allowing the patients to retain that sense of their own time shelter. These time shelters become ever more popular as the idea is replicated in countries across the world, and younger people who are not suffering from dementia start to visit these clinics to escape from the stresses of modern life. (Doesn’t that sound absolutely amazing in these awful times?) Eventually, the decision is made that across Europe there will be referenda to decide which decade each country will return to. One very short chapter that made me laugh reflected the situation of the UK, but I will leave you to read that for yourself! Anyway, it turns out that returning to these decades may not be the panacea that everyone hoped.
My reflections
When you read a book like this, you can’t help but think where you might want to go back to and why. One very minor character, when asked where she would return to, replies that she would just like to be 12 in whichever decade she was living, reflecting on that age as one without responsibility and open to new experiences day after day. It reminded me of the marvellous BBC series, Back in Time for the Weekend, featuring the Ashby-Hawkins family where it was twelve year old Seth who had a fantastic time in every decade whilst his parents Rob and Steph found the social requirements of the time more restrictive, especially Steph who was pretty much chained to the kitchen, and his sixteen year old sister Daisy found the restrictions of the 1950s gradually loosen throughout subsequent decades. The idea that twelve is the age to be in every decade seemed to hold true if that programme was anything to go by. I wondered where the Ashby-Hawkins might vote to live, and decided that like me it would be a toss-up between the 70s and 80s. For my part, I would want to be nine or ten in every decade with secondary school always in the future and never in the present.
For the story the referenda are reflected through the prism of the national situations that existed in each decade, and it’s a very interesting whistle-stop tour through 20th century history. A large section of this middle part of the book quite naturally takes place in Gospodinov’s own Bulgaria, but the way that he brings the country to life means that you are captivated and immersed within the borders of a place that I have never visited and know very little about. The research for the time zones and the individual nations felt integral to the book but at no point did it feel like a historical or cultural lesson to me, merely an unfolding of the narrative. I have never read a book like this, and it is definitely one I will return to in the future – or perhaps in the past!
So, let’s start Part 7 with a set of classic tracks from a whole range of genres. Haircut 100 were a short-lived but very good band fronted by Nick Heyward. His excellent song writing and fresh faced appeal made them irresistible to female record buyers in particular. Over the years I have grown to appreciate their records more and more, but at the time I only picked up Favourite Shirts (Boy meets Girl), a typically catchy and sunny track. Hall and Oates were an American duo who had a Top 10 single with I Can’t Go for That followed by a Top 5 smash in the UK with the brilliant Maneater. They had a real feel for a chorus, and could inject attitude into the simplest phrases. They had more success in their native land but their 80s singles definitely bring memories flooding back. The quiet Beatle George Harrison had a massive hit with Got My Mind Set on You, a brilliant track accompanied by an equally brilliant video. It was a track produced by Jeff Lynne, and this collaboration led a year later to my favourite supergroup of all time, The Travelling Wilburys. As with a lot of Jeff Lynne’s productions, the kitchen sink is thrown in, followed by the bathtub but it all works somehow! Heart had their biggest hit with Alone, a record that reached Number 3 in May 1987. It is an archetypal power ballad, and I was, and remain a huge fan of power ballads. You will spot a good few of them in the singles collection! Much as I enjoyed Temptation by Heaven 17, it was Come Live With Me that really captured my imagination. Glenn Gregory sounded excellent on both tracks, but his world weary delivery just took this song to another level. With memorable lines like ‘I was 37, you were 17’ and ‘If half the things they say are quarter true of me’ it got me dancing and it fascinated me as a piece of storytelling, the perfect combination. Is there a more perfect American summer song than Boys of Summer? As soon as you play it, your imagination puts you in a car travelling down a long straight American road with the top down. It is atmospheric and simply exudes cool as befits Don Henley, perhaps the most effortlessly cool member of The Eagles. It is an incredible piece of music. Finally, we go from 80s cool to 60s cool with the classic ballad from The Hollies, He Ain’t Heavy (He’s My Brother). It finally reached the top of the charts in September 1988, 19 years after its first release, when this song featured in an advert.
Well, this was a massive surprise! How have I only got one Housemartins single? It is my favourite track of theirs, a fantastically melancholy look at the price of ‘progress’. Build is the cry of the people not so much left behind by progress, but treated as collateral damage. Next time you listen have the lyrics or lyric video to hand. Whitney Houston is simply an icon and I have two of her singles, along with both of her albums on cassette – now sadly unplayable as I no longer have a cassette player! Anyway, The Greatest Love of All and I will Always Love You are the tracks that to me epitomise her brilliance. Neither require any further introduction, but I always feel that the former is perhaps unjustly overshadowed by her other tracks.
We now come to a piece of my personal history, the first single I ever bought. I am sure that some people did strike gold with the first single purchased with their own money, but I bet most people actually bought a record with a cringe factor like Billy Howard’s King of the Cops and try not to admit it. I loved it at the time, or I wouldn’t have bought it, but looking back now, it is a gimmicky song that is objectively awful with Howard performing poor impersonations of American cops from TV shows of the era. As it is, there are two things very much in its favour. The B Side, Bond is a Four Letter Word is very funny even now with a very good Sean Connery impersonation. More to the point though, it introduced me to the thrill of deciding which single to buy, taking it out of its cover and watching it spin on that turn table for the very first time. That still lives with me every time I get a new single or album.
Red River Rock by Johnny and the Hurricanes was a permanent fixture on the jukebox at the Crispin, my local pub, and when I saw it on the trusted Old Gold label I snapped it up. It’s a Rock n Roll instrumental with virtuoso guitar work that is extremely infectious. It got played pretty much every night my friends and I were at the pub and we all loved singing along to the tune. Take a listen and you’ll see what I mean. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick was probably my gateway into punk with its funny lyrics, the utterly unique Ian Drury and the fantastic work by his band The Blockheads. During their career they produced song after song steeped in the London experience as their predecessors The Kinks did and their successors Madness would do.
Rebel Yell was Billy Idol’s biggest hit along with White Wedding, both of which made Number 6 in the charts. The chorus was a proper singalong and it’s still a song that makes me smile. Imagination were one of my favourite funk bands of the 80s and their biggest hit Just an Illusion was a Number 2 hit which was kept off the top spot by the Goombay Dance Band! Shades of Vienna and Joe Dolce there! It was a song that had a brilliant tune and a superb performance from Leee John (yes there were three ‘e’s in his first name!) which made it one of the most instantly recognisable dance tracks of the time. In the Heat of the Night was released 6 months after their biggest record, and although it stalled outside the Top 20 it was another excellent track from a band that really deserves to be better regarded. Jermaine Jackson, like the rest of the family was very much in the shadow of his younger brother MIchael, but Do What You Do is smooth, beautifully sung and a song that Michael himself would have been happy to put his name to I would think. Only one single from 80s Mods The Jam, but what a single. Going Underground is an absolute belter of a track with a thumping bassline, excellent drumming and socially conscious lyrics delivered with real passion. Swing the Mood has none of those attributes, but it was definitely interesting to hear big band jazz in the charts!
Now we come on to Billy Joel, the Piano Man himself. All five of the singles released from his Innocent Man album were Top 30 hits, and the album itself reached Number 2 in the album charts. To say I was obsessed with the album was something of an understatement. I had all five of the 7 inch singles as you can see, the first three Uptown Girl, Tell Her About It and An Innocent Man on 12 inch singles and the cassette version of the album itself! If we had had different coloured versions of any of the above I would have bought those as well. When CD came along I collected all of his studio albums on that format, and I would almost certainly pick up the vinyl of Innocent Man for a reasonable price nowadays! He is quite simply up there with The Boss in the pantheon of American artists of the 70s and 80s for me, and up there with Elton John as the best piano player of his era.
Speaking of Elton John, I have a number of his singles as you can see. My two favourite tracks of his in the 70s are there, in the shape of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and the original version of Candle in the Wind. (As an aside I do wish he hadn’t rewritten it, let alone released the 1997 version which was frankly mawkish in the extreme.) From his excellent 1983 album Too Low For Zero perennial favourite I’m Still Standing and the rather overlooked Kiss the Bride which only reached Number 20 in the charts, believe it or not. It was the start of a run of tracks that sent Elton John back to the charts on a regular basis. The three other singles here include perhaps my favourite song of his, the gorgeous Nikita. Sad Songs and Passengers were also very good, but Nikita just stands out for me as one of the pinnacles of his career as a balladeer.
See you next time for Part 8!
For those of us of a certain age, one of the landmarks of primary school was sitting in the classroom just before 11am on a Monday waiting for the radio to be switched on for Singing Together. Although the programme ran for over 60 years, starting in 1939 and ending in 2001, I am often met with blank looks by anyone who went to primary school after the early 80s. So, if you have never heard of it, or experienced its gentle charms let me introduce you to a programme that literally provided the soundtrack to my primary school years.
Rediscovering Singing Together
When I did a twitter challenge called #Marchthroughtime I reflected on two songs I remembered from Singing Together. It made me wonder if there were any records of the show anywhere, so I went to eBay and found the marvellous Nigel42folk who had digitised decades of Singing Together books including the entire run from my primary school years. So, what did I remember about one of my favourite parts of the week? More than I realised as it turned out.
A potted history
Singing Together was part of the Reithian tradition of the BBC, to inform, educate and entertain. It started on 25 September 1939, just over three weeks after the Second World War started. That is no mere historical detail, it is central to the reason it came into being. With children being evacuated and sent to new communities away from the expected bombing targets, thoughts turned to how these new arrivals might integrate. Community singing was considered to be a very effective vehicle for this integration and so Singing Together was born. For much of the first couple of decades, the song list consisted almost entirely of British folk songs, but gradually songs from cultures around the world began to appear. By the 1970s there were a number of songs from Europe, the US and the Caribbean amongst other areas, making the list more varied and interesting. The Autumn Term saw a range of Christmas songs from a variety of cultures along with the more traditional entries. Some songs were forgettable, but some stayed with those who sang them for decades afterwards.
Singing Together 1970 – 1976
I spent the first five years of my life abroad in India, Pakistan and Singapore as my Dad worked for the Diplomatic Wireless Service. However, in 1970 we returned to the UK and our first port of call was a small village called Potterspury in Northamptonshire where I went to Potterspury Primary School (now renamed John Hellins Primary School) for a year. From the first term of songs, one stands out. See Amid the Winter’s Snow is a lovely carol, but it isn’t one you hear very often. When Annie Lennox sang it on her Christmas Album many years later I knew it from somewhere, but I didn’t know where. As it turned out, it had triggered one of my earliest memories of this country in the Autumn 1970 Singing Together songbook. The other song from that year that came back to me was when I read the list of songs for the Summer 1971 songbook. It was a song called Donkey Riding and I remembered how much I loved singing the chorus! Here it is sung by Fisherman’s Friends
The first few years back in England were quite nomadic, and September 1971 saw me at Bligh Way Primary School in Kent which I remember as the first time I realised I was an outsider. I wasn’t liked by students or staff and I just remember wondering why we had to move there. Monday mornings were one of the few times I could really enjoy and it was nice to know that even in the face of the comments about my lack of coordination (dyspraxia) and general ‘weirdness’ (Asperger’s) I received from everyone including the headmistress there were some positive memories. Two songs immediately stood out from Autumn 1971, and I started singing them in my head as soon as I saw the titles. One was Land of the Silver Birch, a Canadian folk song about the Native culture with a chanted chorus that I found irresistible and the other was the carol from Saint Helena called Mary had a Baby which, once again had a chorus that has stayed with me for over 50 years. I loved the type of song you could ‘belt out’, a musical preference that has stayed with me ever since as my ongoing trawl through my singles collection is testament to! Neither of the other songbooks from that year had any songs that stood out, so onto the next school! My choice from the two mentioned is Land of the Silver Birch.
Cobham Primary School was one of those in the vanguard of the progressive teaching movement, where projects that saw each student ‘playing to their strengths’ made that school more to my liking. Once again, however, it was a one year stopping off point from September 1972 to July 1973! The progressive teaching meant that I could devote myself to reading and finding information for group projects, leaving other people to the writing and the art. There were a couple of obvious highlights in the Autumn 1972 book. The song Four Sisters again had a chorus that I enjoyed and amongst the carols there was Deck the Hall that I’m pretty sure I hadn’t come across before, which, according to the book, is a Welsh carol. There was a Spanish carol in this book called Fum, fum, fum, but it rings absolutely no bells whatsoever! The Spring 1973 book contained the most well remembered tune of all, the wonderful Song of the Western Men, a song of Cornish origin, that is thought to tell the story of either Sir John Trelawny, jailed by King James II in 1688 or his grandfather, of the same name, imprisoned by King Charles I in 1628. As with many folk songs the derivation is a matter of debate, but even if I had been aware of that debate I wouldn’t have cared, because the song is just fantastic. Here are The Fishermen’s Friends once again to show you how it should be sung.
Once again, the Summer Term had no songs I remember, but looking at the lyrics of Here Come the Navies, an Irish song, actually references the potato famine and the prejudice they faced when coming to England. It’s a fascinating insight into history, and quite advanced in a sense for primary school pupils.
It was off to another school in the September of 1973 (!) as my parents were unimpressed with progressive teaching and wanted something more traditional for me. I passed the entrance exam to get into St Andrew’s in Rochester and it became the only school which holds any fond memories for me at all. The three years there were safe because a lot of my fellow pupils seemed to be similar to be in many ways so I no longer really stood out. It was a lovely school and one I wish I could have been at for longer. The Autumn Term 1973 songbook contained more carols including the marvellous Gabriel’s Message which was the B Side of Sting’s single Russians. As with See Amid the Winter’s Snow, I knew it was familiar from somewhere when I first listened to Sting’s version, but it was only when I looked at that term’s Singing Together that I understood why. Perhaps he too heard it in Singing Together when he was training to be a Primary School teacher at the time. It’s an interesting thought isn’t it?
Spring Term 1974 is the cover I remember most clearly. It is based on the Derby Ram which I very dimly recall. It was The Lincolnshire Poacher that I really enjoyed at the time. As with all my other clearer memories, it was one that benefitted from an excellent chorus. The theme that is coming across when I look at these songs is that of folk songs that were pieces of social history, reflecting lives that never made the pages of the history books in a time when all that mattered was Kings, Queens and battles. Summer Term 1974 featured the West Indian song Jamaica Farewell which I loved, although I do remember in those less politically correct days that we were encouraged to sing the song in a Caribbean accent!
Autumn Term 1974 saw me in 3rd Year Juniors and thoroughly settled into the life of the school. The carols that term were not familiar then and not familiar now, but there was the bonus of Cockles and Mussels, a song I remember singing outside of Monday morning’s Singing Together broadcasts, because I enjoyed it so much. Spring Term 1975 had no real highlights for me, although I do remember Kalinka, the Russian song. Summer Term 1975 featured Scarborough Fair, made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, not that I knew it then.
My final year of Singing Together started with the Autumn Term 1975 songbook. The carols this year included the Carol of the Drum. Ringing any Christmas bells? Possibly not, but if I called it The Little Drummer Boy you would probably recognise it instantly. Even the children who didn’t like Singing Together could not help but enjoy that tune. Here’s my favourite version of that song from Charlotte Church
1975 – 6 was my last year of Primary School and Spring Term 1976 had two songs that I actually recognised already. A-Roving was a song sung by The Spinners, a folk group whose album was one of the few my parents owned. As a result I played it quite a lot at home and was very familiar with it already. The chorus of Casey Jones was the theme tune of a black and white TV programme of the same name, that appeared during school holidays if Champion the Wonder Horse wasn’t on (!), which I hadn’t thought about in ages before looking at the songbook. Here it is in all its ‘glory’!
So to my final Singing Together songbook from Summer Term 1976. It was a very low key finish for the series, in terms of the songs, although I am sure that I joined in with my final opportunity to sing at 11am every Monday with my usual enthusiasm. That term saw me concentrating on Lady Precious Stream, the 4th year Juniors leaving play, in which I took one of the main parts, that of the Prime Minister! I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed getting most of the laughs. It is, however, somewhat bittersweet reading the review of the play which I never saw until returning to the school for its 60th anniversary. It reminds me that before the Maths School knocked it out of me I did have some self confidence.
So, there you have it. The part that Singing Together played in my formative years was low key but definitely not unimportant. It gave me a love for music, an appreciation of a good chorus, an early introduction to the music of the world and a smattering of social history. I feel that those of us who grew up in the Singing Together era were very lucky and I wish something similar had been around for my own children.
It’s the Fs and Gs this time, and we start with the theme tune for a show I never watched a single second of! Auf Weidersehen Pet was about a group of builders in Germany and had a pretty stellar cast who went on to, amongst other things, Inspector Morse, Harry Potter and chart topping hits. Anyway, the most played side, That’s Livin’ Alright, sung by Joe Fagin was the archetypal 80s theme tune, and a close cousin of the theme tunes for Minder and Boon. What can I say? I love a theme tune you can belt out! Next, a tune from something I did watch! Axel F from Harold Faltermeyer has echoes of the stunning score from Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter, but is a much more upbeat use of a synthesiser, perfectly suiting the brilliant film it came from. Beverly Hills Cop was something of a phenomenon amongst me and my friends at the time and a film I saw more than once on the big screen.
Continuing the film and TV theme, we have two singles from occasional chart entrants, The Firm. Their first hit single, Arthur Daley e’s Alright mined Chas and Dave territory, and we’ve already alluded to my affection for Rockney! It was a song made up of catchphrases from the show, Minder, and reached a respectable Number 14 in the charts in 1982. Massive success followed 5 years later with UK chart topping single Star Trekkin’ based on the original series with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura and Scotty being the subject of the verses, which become increasingly frenetic. I remember it chiefly for it’s role in a parade my venture unit took part in. We had constructed a float featuring the USS Enterprise and we took part in the parade with Star Trekkin’ blasting out of the speakers of a massive boom box, on a loop for 90 minutes! Just to complete the picture, I was sporting a pair of very uncomfortable Vulcan ears made of cardboard! Let’s just say that it was a long time before I could listen to that song again!
Every so often, I come across a single that baffles me, and Rain or Shine by Five Star, a group I never liked at the time or afterwards, definitely fits into that category. I can only assume that it was when I was DJing for a party and felt that I needed to have it. For those who don’t know the group .. keep it that way!
In complete contrast, the next single is one of my favourite tracks of all time, and the first summer song I became totally obsessed by. Beach Baby by First Class is quite simply perfect, and in the summer of 1974 seemed to be on the radio every hour or so. Despite all this airplay it only reached Number 13 in the charts when it should have been absolutely massive. It is a song that takes the Beach Boys template and setting and mixes it with brass, full orchestra and harmonies that the Beach Boys themselves would have been proud of. It is a magnificent pop record that needs some sort of Tik Tok visibility to turn it into the Top 5 record it should have been.
A couple of 80s tracks to finish off with that fall into the category of ‘I haven’t heard that in ages’. First of all, a group more famous for the lead singer’s hairstyle, which was a visual joke in the Adam Sandler film ‘The Wedding Singer’ made in 1998. The fact that the bulk of the audience would have got the joke indicates what a visual impact they made in a relatively short lived pop career. Anyone who might only know them because of the haircut should listen to Wishing (If I had a Photograph of You) to hear what a good band they were. The Flying Pickets are, of course, best known in the UK for their monster Christmas Number 1 of 1983, an acapella version of Only You (which I have on 12″ single) but the follow-up When You’re Young and in Love is, in my opinion, the superior song. They had a Top 10 with this absolutely gorgeous arrangement that you really must check out if you haven’t heard it.
The next octet of singles features a couple of tracks that were barely off of my record player from the time I bought them. First up, though, is a hit from the end of 1985 that I thought was headed Top 10 if not all the way to Number 1. Not for the first time I was way out of synch with the record buying public who didn’t buy Tender Love by Force MDs in any real numbers. A top five hit in the US, it staggered to 23 in the UK charts before heading back down again. It was an undeserved fate for a song that is a stunning ballad that easily matches, if not surpasses, the next song, I Want to know what love is by Foreigner which was a huge Number 1 both sides of the Atlantic and featured, I found out today, Tom Bailey of The Thompson Twins on keyboards. There’s a question for a pop quiz! It is a good song, but in an era when big ballads were ten a penny, perhaps not as amazing as the chart positions might have you believe. That said, the gospel choir are brilliant and lift it from good to monster hit when they are singing. Old Gold again for the next song, a perennial favourite of mine from The Four Seasons, the euphoric December 63 (Oh What a Night). It was Number 1 in 1976 and I absolutely loved it. When I bought it I was transported back to the mid 70s straight away and I played it again and again to take me back to happier, less complicated times. Freeez were responsible for one of the most memorable tracks of 1983 with the catchy club inflected I.O.U. It was perhaps the first club record that ever caught my ear and it reached Number 2 in the UK and Number 1 in the US Billboard Dance Chart. Back to Beverly Hills Cop for the next track, the inspired The Heat is On by Glenn Frey of The Eagles. It is without doubt one of my favourite songs on any film soundtrack and proves, if proof were needed, that the 80s were the highwater mark of film music especially as far as the charts were concerned.
One of my all time favourite records is next, but baffling to see that it’s the only Fun Boy Three single I ever bought. Oh well, if you’re only going to have one, then it’s got to be Tunnel of Love. What brilliant lyrics, what a fantastic tune. It’s pure pop perfection and a track I will never tire of. I could pick any line at random and it would be brilliant, but the one I always think of is ‘The trial separation worked’! If you want an encapsulation of Terry Hall’s genius, it’s those four words of cynical detachment.
A couple of Peter Gabriel singles next. Sledgehammer was famous for an iconic video. Although the song itself is good, it doesn’t have the same impact without the visuals, at least not in my opinion. The duet with Kate Bush, Don’t Give Up, benefitted from both Bush’s ethereal vocals and one of the most hard hitting lyrics of the 80s dealing with the mental impact of unemployment. It is heart rending and, sadly, as relevant now as it was then.
What can I say about the next record, Bright Eyes? It was the theme for Watership Down, a frankly horrific watch that is ingrained in the memory of anyone who ever saw it. It was Art Garfunkel’s biggest ever record in the UK, reaching Number 1 and staying there for 6 weeks. It was yet another hit for the genius songwriter Mike Batt, but bafflingly his only UK Number 1 ever. Oh, and its absolutely gorgeous even if it is about death. Genesis were a group who were always on the edge of my musical affections, but the first record of theirs I bought, That’s All, has an irresistible tune and still sounds as fresh as a daisy 40 years on. The other one I bought was Invisible Touch Live which was released in 1992 and so was one of the last 7″ singles I ever bought. It may be heretical to say so, but I think Phil Collins as a solo performer was better than the group itself.
On to Godley and Creme of 10CC who released two stunning singles in quick succession. Under Your Thumb was atmospheric and unsettling with its depiction of an abusive relationship and a deeply disturbing twist in the tail that sent shivers down my spine the first time I heard it. From the perspective of today it can be seen to be a troubling track, but I think it is simply brave and brilliant. The follow up, Wedding Bells was more traditional, but no less catchy, telling the story of a commitment phobic man who doesn’t want to marry his girlfriend! OK, another questionable choice I suppose, but I still enjoy Seven Tears by The Goombay Dance Band. It’s so catchy and so corny that it makes the journey from kitsch to irresistible for me. Go West were a duo who had a decent run of success in the 80s and Don’t Look Down was the single of theirs which really hit the spot for me.
Finally, you have the genius of TV themes, Ron Grainer, with Doctor Who and Tales of the Unexpected, two of the best examples of the whole genre. However, it is the B Side of the Doctor Who single that is my absolute favourite. It’s not widely known, it’s not from a TV programme, but Reg is one of the finest piece of early electronica you could ever wish to hear. It was going to be the final track in my Spotify list to go with this set of singles, but it isn’t on the platform or on YouTube! It’s brilliant, and I really urge you to search for it and listen to it.
So, on to the Hs next. What is in store for us next? Even I’m not sure!
Anyway, I have my Spotify Playlist here if you are interested
It almost looks like I’m getting the most questionable singles out of the way first in this part of the journey through my singles collection. That said, I would happily defend Doctor and the Medics version of Spirit in the Sky. It’s catchy, well delivered and has a real happy energy to it, and I really like it to this day. The second single, I cannot defend either to you or to Ultravox! There were no excuses then or now. Yes, I was one of those misguided record buyers who sent Joe Dolce to Number 1 so I will Shaddap My Face!! The two Jason Donovan singles I have are his remakes of Sealed With a Kiss and As Time Goes By. Tarred as he was with the ex soap actor brush, I genuinely think he has not been given the credit he deserves for what is a really fine voice. Too Many Broken Hearts is absent from this collection because I bought the cassette for Janet, but that is just an excellent song, full stop. Double were a one hit wonder in the UK, but what a hit. The Captain of her Heart is one of the loveliest ballads of the 80s in a very crowded field. Every time you hear it, it just takes you back to the end of the night, either when you’re out or at home. It’s one of those musical time capsules, as is the next one, the simply sublime Life in a Northern Town by Dream Academy. I would put this alongside Souvenir by OMD as one of the most stunning pieces of music I have ever heard. It was so different and so beautiful and to this day it still sounds amazing. The Drifters were childhood favourites of mine, so when I was flicking through the Old Gold section in a record shop and saw my favourite song of theirs, Kissin in the Back Row of the Movies I simply had to buy it. Their smooth style and their vignettes of teenage life were utterly irresistible to me as a kid, and they still are. Stephen ‘Tin Tin’ Duffy was one of those artists who came into view for me with a record I loved, Kiss Me in his case, then completely disappeared from my consciousness thereafter. It is a part of a singles buyer’s mentality that you truly are only as good as your last track. Yes, there were some artists who I knew would appeal to me with whatever they released, but even if an artist only impressed me with one record, they were there for ever in my musical consciousness. Wrapping up the first picture it’s Duran Duran. I was a big fan of theirs, but I never really got their tracks as singles because I had started collecting compilations and they were very likely to appear on them. Wild Boys, apart from being my favourite of theirs, was the theme song of the first flight I was put in when I got to RAF Swinderby for recruit training. As you can imagine, when I was injured and eventually given a medical discharge, it became a very difficult one to listen to in the years immediately afterwards, but even when it made me wince with bad memories I still thought it was brilliant. The other Duran Duran single in my collection is one of the best Bond themes ever for my money. It’s a great track with a very funny tongue in cheek video and it has everything you’d want from a theme tune.
This is an interesting set. It includes singles from some huge artists, many of which were released after their ‘Imperial period’. In case you haven’t come across the term, it refers to the time, however long or short, where everything you release is successful. It doesn’t necessarily refer to an artist’s creative peak, although the two might be in sync, but to their popularity peak. The phrase was coined by Neil Tennant, to reflect on the time when the Pet Shop Boys in 87 – 88 became the biggest band in the UK. Whilst not an exact science, it is a very handy concept to keep in mind.
ELO were a group that I loved listening to in the 70s, with the gorgeous Telephone Line being my favourite of theirs. The two singles I have of theirs come from the 80s. Rock ‘n’ Roll is King is from 1983 where it was something of a summer staple. Throughout July it stayed in the Top 20 and got quite a lot of radio play. It was a very different style of song from those in their 70s heyday, a more back to basics rocker that perhaps showed the way the charts had changed. Things needed to be punchy and more immediate in charts dominated by New Romantics so that’s what Jeff Lynne gave the singles buyers. The even better, in my opinion, Calling America came out in March 1986, the year I went over to be the International Scout on a summer camp in Florida. As such, it became something of a theme song for me at the time, and for a few months afterwards. It only just crept into the Top 30, however, with its orchestral sensibilities never far from the surface and perhaps seemingly old hat. Take a listen to either of these now and I think you will hear two high quality records that deserved a better fate.
The King is in the singles building! Elvis, even more than The Beatles, was my ‘oldies’ territory. Elvis 40 Golden Greats on pink vinyl was the first vinyl album I bought for myself, with The Beatles 62 – 66 being the second. I knew most of his classic tunes, and his was the first celebrity death that genuinely affected me. At the end of 1977, the year he died, My Way was released, but it was the B Side I really liked, the song America the Beautiful. Similarly, the song Way Down, which was catapulted to Number One following his death in August 1977 was a good track, and the A Side on the single I bought soon afterwards from the oldies rack, but his previous release which reached Number 6 in the charts under its own steam was the superior Moody Blue, the B Side here, which pointed the way to a later career renaissance which sadly never materialised. Though not as egregiously bad as Joe Dolce, the ‘laughing’ version of Are You Lonesome Tonight? is cringeworthy to listen to, and I really don’t know what I was thinking!
The two Erasure singles I have are the stunning breakthrough hit, Sometimes, one of the best songs of the latter half of the 80s, and the Crackers International EP featuring Stop. These tracks were two of their three highpoints for me. The other was Ship of Fools, but I already had the cassette so I didn’t buy the single. As with a number of artists, I am surprised I don’t have more of their singles. Finally, in this section I have two later career successes by 70s heart throb David Essex, one of the best singers of his era. Tahiti was from his musical Bounty and is an excellent track, but it pales alongside A Winter’s Tale, one of the finest songs of Mike Batt’s career, and that is a very, very crowded field. It was written at a time when Batt thought a relationship was over when the woman he loved moved back to Australia. It is gorgeous, melancholy, brilliantly sung and one of the best Number 2 records ever released. From the time I first heard it to now, it has always been in my own personal Top 10, and will always remain there.
We finish off Part 5 with some Es! What a collection of singles in this picture. Starting off with rock favourites, the Swedish band, Europe who had huge success with Final Countdown then followed it up with another two really good tracks from the same album. Their ubiquitous chart topper doesn’t need any introduction, but the other two probably do. Rock the Night, which reached Number 12, was another driving rock track. Carrie, which stalled just outside the Top 20, is a hugely underrated rock ballad that was brilliantly sung by Joey Tempest.
The Eurythmics are simply one of the best British groups ever. The quartet of singles I have for them probably reflect every side of their output. First, their second Top 10 single, Sweet Dreams, the instantly recognisable driving synth track is one of the signature tracks of the decade. Even now it sounds absolutely up to date and it’s one of those which will never age. The second single is the Top 10 from early 1984, Here Comes the Rain Again. The raindrop effect on the synth captured my imagination from the first time I heard it, but one of my friends was far less impressed and dubbed it ‘Here Comes the Same Again’! Now on to my favourite track of theirs, the outstanding Thorn in my Side, with its angry defiant lyrics and Annie Lennox on top form vocally. I was blown away by it and, as great as the rest of their output was, it will always have pride of place for me. Finally, Angel is a gorgeous emotional ballad that showcases the style Lennox would adopt during her solo career. Prior to, and subsequent to, I Don’t Want to Talk About It I can’t remember anything else that Everything But the Girl released, but that single is one of the best cover versions ever with Tracey Thorn’s vocals out of this world.
Part 6 sees me move on with some Fs and Gs, and there are some gems and some rubbish as ever! If you are interested in Part 2 of my Spotify playlist, it’s here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2cLcCsVRsilEZB88mZuVzq?si=71d31b8dde5747d5
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 