One of my favourite films from the 1970s is Melody (also known as SWALK on release in some countries). It stars Mark Lester and Jack Wild from Oliver and Tracy Hyde in her first film role. It tells the story of Daniel Latimer (Lester) who falls in love with Melody Perkins (Hyde), much to the bemusement and dismay of those around them. I got the soundtrack on CD, an import from Argentina, where the film was incredibly popular (as indeed it was in Japan), a number of years ago, but last year I hit the jackpot with a vinyl copy from a record shop in Bexhill, and as you know everything sounds better on vinyl! 😉😉 The soundtrack is absolutely central to the film, more so than usual, because the Bee Gees tracks, originally recorded in the 1960s by the group, informed the storyline and even the name of the titular character. In the film, the songs are as much a part of the charm of this underappreciated gem as the London locations of the 1970s, the authenticity of the grim school environment common at the time, and the acting of the children and adults alike.
Behind the scenes were Waris Hussain, the director, who took charge of the first Doctor Who episode and Henry VIII and his Six Wives amongst many others in a distinguished career, Alan Parker, the writer, who went on to direct Bugsy Malone, Fame, Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning amongst other films and David Puttnam, later the producer of Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express and The Mission. Whilst it was not a box office success in the UK, it gave Parker and Puttnam in particular a real start in the film industry. Wes Anderson, who loved the film as a child, said that Melody was the inspiration for Moonrise Kingdom. So, that’s the background of a film you really should catch if it is shown on TV, but now for the soundtrack.
Side 1
The album follows the film in terms of the running order, so the first song is the Beatles style In the Morning. It’s a gorgeous song that blends a lovely tune with deeply affecting lyrics, reflecting on the way that the days of childhood seem to last forever while your adult life seems to fly by. It is a reminder to make the most of your time. The second track is a rearranged instrumental version of the tune, as heard in the background of the film. Next we hear Melody Fair, the song which gave the film its name. Like the opening track it is a song about childhood and it’s simplicity and complications. It plays as we are introduced to Melody Perkins in a scene which starts the story of the film in earnest as she gets a goldfish which she frees to swim in a metal horse trough by the side of the road. It always makes me think of the restricted lives of so many people who can never really find enough room to stretch themselves. The rather lovely instrumental follows this. Spicks and Specks is a bouncy infectious piece of music that just seems to contain childhood high spirits throughout. Romance Theme in F is a classical style piano piece that makes the central relationship between Daniel and Melody timeless in its own way. It could come from a 1940s movie like Brief Encounter. The final track on Side One is Give Your Best, a song, initially with an old time music hall feel with the lyrics until the chorus which becomes unexpectedly darker. It’s a song that works beautifully within the context of the film, but which sounds a little out of place on this side of the album.
Side 2
At the time of this album, To Love Somebody was the best known of the songs on this soundtrack. It’s a powerful love song that is simply class personified. It proves that the Bee Gees were every bit as adept as Lennon and McCartney at writing a tune that makes you stop in your tracks. Working on it Night and Day is the song that the children dance to at the school disco. Sung by Barry Howard it’s OK but it doesn’t match up to the Bee Gees at their best. Now, my favourite song on the album and one of my favourite songs ever is the tear jerking First of May. Having had a girlfriend at primary school to whom I was devoted, I could really relate strongly to the lyrics. This is particularly true of the line ‘the day I kissed your cheek and you were gone’ as she left the school at the end of our second year together. It is a song for anyone who has ever been in love at any age. Three highly contrasting instrumentals follow, the First of May reprise, Seaside Banjo which plays on Daniel and Melody’s visit to the beach at Weymouth and then the knockabout comedy of Teachers Chase. Finally, the classic sound of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with the instantly familiar Teach Your Children. It actually makes you realise how good the Bee Gees songs for the soundtrack are, because they are not overshadowed at all. It’s an album that is gorgeous in its own right, but so much more effective if you know the film. If you want a taster then you can find eight of the tracks on the Spotify playlist linked below. Happy listening.
My Posts
I set myself the target of four posts a month in my post Looking ahead to 2024 and wrote six. Those six blogs were
Five in the space of twelve days gave the month a solid start, and I covered three of my promised blog targets, The Wonder Years Re-View, A-Z of my Singles Collection and a vinyl review, so that was really good. In terms of views, I had 221, my best January yet. Even more satisfying, though, was the fact that for the first month ever I had at least one visitor to my blog every day of the month! The top five blogs in terms of visitors were https://davidgpearce205.wordpress.com/2021/05/04/new-tricks-last-man-standing/ with 22 views
https://davidgpearce205.wordpress.com/2024/01/02/the-a-girl-trilogy-by-jessica-taylor-bearman-book-reviews/ with 20 views
https://davidgpearce205.wordpress.com/2024/01/13/relaxation/ with 17 views
https://davidgpearce205.wordpress.com/2022/12/17/isla-by-isla-st-clair-re-play/ with 12 views and
https://davidgpearce205.wordpress.com/2021/05/02/new-tricks-the-queens-speech/ with 10 views
Not viewing numbers to compete with the blogging juggernauts, but a pleasing mark of progress with two new blogs and three blogs from 2022 in that Top 5. The New Tricks phenomenon never ceases to amaze me, as they are the gift that keeps giving, racking up views every month without fail.
Looking at the countries my readers came from, I was pleased to note a couple of new locations, namely Mexico and Guatemala. I would love to know how these far flung readers find my little blog! Wherever you come from, I appreciate every view, and if you want to like or comment on any of my posts, that is always greatly appreciated.
Happy reading and I’ll see you for my February blogs!
Back in 2017 Benny Andersson of ABBA revisited some of the songs from his career with the Swedish icons and beyond, taking in his work for the musical Chess, perhaps his most famous non-ABBA work, amongst others. He did this on the album Piano where, as the title suggests, he played them unaccompanied on his grand piano. You can hear his classical background in every single tune, so how do they stand on their own as pieces of music?
Disc One
Benny starts off the album with the appropriately titled Let the Music Speak. It was originally on The Visitors in 1981, and it is reworked very cleverly. There are elements of this tune that sound familiar to someone who knows the album, but the arrangement and the playing give it depths that the original treatment was not able to do much more than hint at. There was often a classical underpinning to ABBA’s tunes, and this opener brings that out very effectively. Next, you have the Bach influenced You and I which was written for Chess. It’s the kind of tune that you can imagine being played at a classical concert and not sounding out of place. The same goes for Aldrig, a stately romantic tune from the Swedish musical Kristina fran Duvemala which was completely new to me. Thank You for The Music, on the other hand, could not be more familiar. Here, it is given a mix of Gershwin style jazz inflections and traditionally classical music from the era of the great composers. It is an absolute treat to hear it without the words, proving beyond doubt how good the musical underpinning to all of their songs were. The whole basis of ABBA’s success was the interplay between four individual artists who combined to lift their songs to the level of genius, but without the musical understanding of the writers, the singers could not have demonstrated their own abilities so effectively. The final track on Side A of the first disc is the lovely Stockholm by Night, originally written for his album, November 1989.
Side B begins with Chess, an instrumental track from the musical that plays during the chess match itself. As before, you can hear echoes of Bach, a composer who Andersson has an abiding love for. It’s not a musical I’ve ever seen or heard in its entirety. The only tunes I know were singles in the UK charts, Murray Head’s One Night in Bangkok and Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige’s smash hit I Know Him So Well. It is a lovely tune, and if Chess is revived I would like to see it in its entirety. The Day Before You Came has long been one of my favourite ABBA songs, and the version on this LP really reaches down to the longing and sorrow that underpin the track. The feeling of a wasted life, stuck in the meaningless pursuit of money is superbly captured in the original lyrics, but the sadness inherent in that life is beautifully realised here and gives this an emotional charge that the original lacked to some extent. Someone Else’s Story is another track from Chess that makes me wonder why I have never sought it out either on vinyl, CD or Spotify. It is a gorgeous tune that stands comparison with any of the ballads from the musical genre. I was taken away by it in a way I never expected, and I can just imagine Agnetha singing it, even without knowing the lyrics, as it suits her voice so well. Midnattsdans was written for the Benny Andersson Orchestra in 2004 and represents his love for Swedish folk music. Once again, it is a track that is timeless, in the sense that you would not have been surprised if it had been written in the 1800s or early 1900s. His ear for music from any era, and his ability to reshape it, is what helped propel ABBA to greatness. Malarskolan is the final track on Disc One and it is a tune written for the November 1989 album. It has the air of a gavotte and you can feel yourself moving in time to the music almost as soon as it starts. It is two minutes and twelve seconds of musical delight.
Disc Two
The gorgeous I Wonder (Departure) is from ABBA’s 1977 album, simply called The Album, and despite not being a single is instantly recognisable. As the start of Side A of Disc Two, it couldn’t be bettered. The classical motifs are very much in evidence with a touch of Beethoven most apparent. It is gorgeous. Embassy Lament from Chess is a short but effective interlude, just under one and a half minutes long, but packing in a huge amount of musical virtuosity. Anthem, once again from Chess, is, paradoxically, played very subtly and effectively in a very non-anthemic style. My Love, My Life is from the 1976 ABBA album, Arrival, and epitomises how much Benny brings out of the album tracks that would have passed all but the most committed fans by. It seems only right to reflect on what a gifted classical pianist he is, especially at this point because he turns a piece of pop music into a composition to sit alongside any of the most renowned pieces within the classical repertoire. We were used to hearing his genius put to good use on synthesisers, but the purity of his grand piano shows what a great musician he really is. It seems strange to say that when ABBA’s songs are so popular, but it is incredibly difficult to break down the barriers between pop and classical and Benny Andersson is one of the few who can do it. The final track on Side One of Disc Two is Mountain Duet, the last selection from Chess. It is another song that recognisably belongs in the musical theatre genre given its construction, but which is given a very different feel when played on the grand piano.
Side B of Disc Two, with one exception, showcases Benny’s Swedish output with Flickornas Rum, the first track, coming from 2011 and originally contained on the Benny Andersson Orchestra’s album O Klang Och Jubeltid. It is a lovely light track that takes the listener away on a gentle wave of music. The second track Efter Regnet from his first post ABBA solo album Klinga Mina Klockor is one of the most effective of the unfamiliar tunes showcased here. It is quite simply beautiful and gives you a feeling of happiness. Trostevisa from the November 1989 album is much requested at Swedish funerals apparently, and I can quite understand that, given its gentle evocation of melancholy and deep sadness. It is a counterpoint to Efter Regnet that shows his ability to affect the emotions in a way few other modern composers could hope to do. En Skrift I Snon was written as part of an inauguration for an organ in Pitea. Sweden. Naturally, it doesn’t sound like a piece of organ music here, played as it is on the grand piano, but it has a lightness of touch that is quite enchanting. The final ABBA song on this collection is next, and it’s an absolute treat. Happy New Year is one of their best songs, in my opinion, but it came right at the end of their career when their star was on the wane. I am sure that if it had been recorded two or three years earlier, at the height of their success, it would have become a festive standard. It still deserves to be by the way! To listen to it on piano is to have your breath taken away by its reflective, regretful beauty and to really understand what a masterpiece of writing it is. Of all the ABBA tracks on this album, this is the one that just captures your heart and refuses to let it go. The final track, I Gott Bevar, comes from his musical Kristina Fran Duvemala and it brings the album to a peaceful, reflective close.
Final Thoughts
I got this album in 2017 and, although I played it a couple of times, I never really sat down properly and listened to it. Having had the opportunity to do so now, I can only say that I waited far too long before giving it another chance. It demonstrates the sheer brilliance of Benny Andersson the composer and Benny Andersson the pianist. To some extent the first always overshadowed the second. This album gives us the chance to appreciate both in perfect harmony. Oh, incidentally, if you are wondering about the inscription on the front, yes it is personally signed by Benny from a competition I won when the album first came out!
One thing I am not very good at is relaxing. I was brought up with the words of If by Rudyard Kipling, my Dad’s favourite poem. The final verse mentions filling the ‘unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run’ and any time I was guilty of not doing that it was considered an indication of a lack of moral fibre, as the forces might say!
This week I have been forced to relax having gone down with a nasty flu type offshoot and I have hated it. Relaxing takes so much effort that I find it exhausting! 😂😂 For the last couple of days, being unable to do much more than get between rooms slowly(!) I have written two blog posts and am now writing a third. Old habits die hard obviously! So how does someone like me try to change tack after a lifetime of seeing relaxation as a great evil?
Albus
Albus is our cat, and his presence is perhaps the most relaxing constant in my home. When he is on my lap or sitting next to me purring, or demanding food, it puts a lot of other worries out of my head or at least in perspective. Having any type of pet can be incredibly good for your mental health, but a totally chilled out cat like Albus takes relaxation to the next level! 😻😻
My Go to app
The last couple of years have seen me use one app more than any other when I am on the phone and trying to relax. Happy Colour is a simple colour by numbers app that I am pretty obsessed with. Colour by numbers wasn’t something I really enjoyed as a child, because my dyspraxia meant that my fine motor skills – in fact all motor skills – were a weakness of mine. Accordingly, I was guilty of literally going outside the lines. For the Happy Colour app, this is not an issue and I have found it the most useful way to destress. As you may have noticed, a number of the pictures are seen at the top of my blog posts, especially at Christmas. This year, to reflect the app’s effectiveness at relaxing me, I have set myself the target of colouring all 366 daily pictures in 2024.
The magic of the printed word
Reading is a constant in my life, and with really good books I can completely lose myself and all track of time. I wonder if I take it for granted sometimes, because it is part of the tapestry of my life and has been since childhood. On the way to and from work I invariably take my book out and don’t really consider the other option. However, last week I forgot to take a reading book with me, and a one hour journey stretched out in front of me interminably. I hate being on my phone on the train so all I had was The Metro and my own thoughts – the latter always a dangerous road to go down! Suffice to say I was really pleased to find that I had a novel at work for the way home, and I now have a fresh appreciation of the importance of reading for my mental health. I am a fast reader so my TBR pile below is about 3 weeks worth of commuting at most!
Cooking
Sadly, I don’t have anything like enough energy to cook at the moment, but when I do, nothing takes me away from my stresses like preparing a meal from scratch in the kitchen. Now, I know it’s a little bit of the 70s style upbringing coming to the fore again because it’s relaxation with a very clear end product and one that often takes a lot of effort, but it’s the best feeling to cook, or very occasionally bake, from scratch. Below is a rare attempt at baking, since Janet is so much better. It’s a twelfth night cake from Spain called Roscon de Reyes. Though I say it myself, it was pretty good!
Jigsaw Puzzles
Anyone who follows me on Instagram will know that puzzles were something I picked up during Lockdown and never got bored with. Most weekends Janet and I tackle a puzzle of some kind and once it is finished, I post a picture of it on Instagram! It’s something I never enjoyed as a kid, because I couldn’t really see the pictures. Now, however I am a dab hand at people, writing and animals! Sky, sea and buildings are Janet’s forte so we have very well matched skill sets. This year we got no fewer than 7 new puzzles to go with the 5 we still haven’t started, so weekends look quite well catered for, for the foreseeable future!
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it. My five main ways to relax and all but Albus involve an end product of some sort, so you could argue that I am cheating a little, but without them I would have far more trouble with calming my racing brain than I do. Do any of these make their way onto your own list? If not, what do you like to do to relax? Let me know in the comments and I hope you enjoyed this article. Maybe you even found it a relaxing read!
Part 10 starts with a Double A Side single from Don Mclean with one of my all time favourites, Vincent, being the reason for buying it, but American Pie making it even more of a treat. I had heard American Pie before, but having the single enabled me to properly listen to it, and it is truly exceptional. However, Vincent will always be my favourite. I have blogged about it here if you are interested in finding out why. Freddie McGregor is one of those artists who has become somewhat obscure, but this Jamaican singer was well known in the second half of the eighties for his smooth reggae covers. Just Don’t Want to be Lonely was his only UK Top 10, but its infectious rhythm and smooth vocals make it a good listen all these years later.
Meatloaf was a massive part of my mid to late teens musically speaking. I was blown away by the visceral excitement of Dead Ringer for Love when I first heard it, and the Saturday after it first burst on to my consciousness, I was down at the Strood Record Centre to pick it up. Within a couple of months, I had the Dead Ringer album on cassette and Bat Out of Hell on vinyl, which I listened to endlessly. Midnight at the Lost and Found was the next album, released in 1983, and whilst not his best, being a contractual obligation album, there were some good tracks on there, including the title track, which I picked up as a double single, mainly for the live version of Bat Out of Hell. Bad Attitude was an album that has pretty much sunk without trace, but it contained my favourite single of his, the fantastic Modern Girl. It is a song that shows off his excellent vocals to good effect and is backed with a really good tune. It’s well worth a listen.
The Star Wars/Cantina Band record by Meco reminds me of the days when I was an absolute fanatic for everything connected to the film. It’s an excellent record that is basically a disco remake of the main theme and the tune played by the band in the bar where Luke meets Han Solo for the first time. Even now, it’s as catchy as anything. Next we have Glenn Medeiros with the smoochy ballad Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You. I know it was derided at the time and since, but it was Number One when Janet and I announced our engagement so it will always have fantastic memories associated with it. Finally, Aussie Rock from Mental as Anything with their massive hit from the Crocodile Dundee soundtrack, the ridiculously catchy, Live It Up. When we went to Australia in 1998, we saw them perform live at an open air New Year’s Eve concert in a park in Sydney. They were excellent throughout, but when this was played, the entire audience, young and old, Australian and non-Australian went crazy. It’s what I always think of when I hear this song and it always makes me smile.
This is a very useful set of Ms as they capture in one picture two legends and ‘novelty’ records that stand the test of time. Useful, because I know what’s coming up in the next picture! We start with the marvellously catchy and danceable Men Without Hats, a favourite at discos in the 80s. The Safety Dance does have the label of ‘novelty’ hit, but if it is, it is one of the absolute best. I still love it, and as soon as I hear that instantly recognisable intro I get a smile on my face. Now, are you ready for Freddie? I always was, and always will be. It may be that his solo records didn’t really reach the heights of his Queen output, but very little did at the time. Love Kills had a brilliant video, featuring Metropolis, the same film as Queen used for Radio Gaga, and it’s a really well structured song. Of the two we have here, however, I prefer the disco hit of I Was Born to Love You with it’s instantly recognisable intro and singalong chorus. It is perhaps the most joyous Freddie moment outside of Queen. Next, George Michael, another all time legend, with three singles covering my three favourite solo moments of his. Careless Whisper is one of the all time great ballads, mainly because of that voice and his ear for a song. However, what really sets it apart is the fact that, like All Out of Love and I’m Not in Love, it’s actually a song about love gone wrong. This sub-genre of the ballad has always interested me because it subverts the usual message whilst using the same approaches, musically speaking. It is, for me anyway, his finest solo moment, although I know many of you will disagree. Faith is a marvellous rock and roll inflected tune that gives George Michael the chance to spread his wings beyond his Wham days, although I still think Wham were his finest years, again a view many would not hold. Finally we have his amazing duet with Elton John for Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. Both singers are on top form and the partnership definitely lifts them to new heights, and it is my favourite duet ever between two solo artists. Finally, we have the Noel Edmonds inspired chart hit, Captain Beaky, a record that I was obsessed by at the time. Keith Michell is perfect as the narrator with the right balance of seriousness and twinkle in his eye. He treats the material as if it is a soliloquy from a classic play and this is what lifts it above the usual run of novelty singles. Now, not many people have the follow up, The Trial of Hissing Sid, but I do because I bought it as soon as it was released! It didn’t have the same success, failing to chart, but it’s well worth tracking down if you can.
This octet starts off with The Divine Miss M, or Bette Midler, with the fantastic ballad Wind Beneath My Wings from Beaches. It’s a film both Janet and myself absolutely love. A well written, brilliantly acted and deeply affecting exploration of a female friendship from childhood to adulthood. Wind Beneath My Wings is obviously the song everyone remembers from the film, but can I put in a word for the Soundtrack Album which includes the timeless ‘Otto Titsling’?! Two songs from Mike and the Mechanics next with the unsung pop genius that is Paul Carrack. Of the two, I think that I prefer Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground). The movie it comes from, in brackets on the title, has been lost in the mists of time, but the song itself is an absolute cracker. A dystopian society is brilliantly captured in a song. You can feel the claustrophobia of the threatened family and you can hear the regret in Carrack’s voice as he sketches in the details of an oppressive regime striking fear into the citizens of a state that was futuristic then, but contemporary now! Living Years is, of course, a song that resonates with fathers and sons across the years, and for that reason, it’s a very difficult listen. It’s one that always catches me out, however many times I hear it. The Banner Man by Blue Mink will be instantly familiar to pretty much all of us who grew up in the 70s, and almost completely unfamiliar to everyone else. It was one of those songs that just leapt out at us because of the chorus. It is a song with a quasi religious feel, and you can imagine it being sung by a congregation as well as by a Top of the Pops audience.
Now, we come to perhaps the worst single in my entire collection. This abomination by Danny Mirror, a tribute to Elvis Presley called The King is Dead, got to Number 4 in the charts thanks to people like me buying it! In my defence, I was 12 years old and not yet in full possession of my critical faculties, but even so, it’s pretty unforgiveable. I can’t even bring myself to listen to it, but I remember that the ‘heartfelt ballad’ of the time was actually a dirge to cynically cash in on a celebrity death. Mea Culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
Back on safer ground with the next two, as the Modern Romance belter is followed by a piece of synth genius from two giants of 80s popular music. Best Years of our Lives is quite simply a party on a seven inch disc with a tune that is amazing, party sound effects that are brilliant and a reminder that when you’re young there’s no time or place better. When I hear it again, it reminds me of fun, friendship and parties. It is my teens distilled into 3 minutes. Together in Electric Dreams by Giorgio Moroder with Phil Oakey on vocals still sounds modern all these years later. Like On Dangerous Ground, the main song has remained in the public consciousness far longer than the film it came from. Oakey was never better and Moroder’s legendary ear for a tune never more in evidence. One of the songs of the decade. Finally, another song from a film. OK, so the film is appalling. I watched it again a few months back and lasted no further than 15 minutes of utter drivel. So, is the single bad? Oddly, it isn’t, because Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones could deliver a song, as they proved time and again during Not The Nine O Clock News, and of course at Christmas when Mel teamed up with Kim Wilde on Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. The song itself is incredibly catchy and often funny, and it has a pre-popstar Jimmy Nail on backing vocals! Is it a classic? Absolutely not. It’s simply fun and there’s nothing wrong with that.
WE come to the end of the Ms with this set of eight singles which includes a whole set of favourites. First of all, Alison Moyet, whose voice is up there with the all time greats of British music. The four singles I have of hers start with the second single from Alf, her debut solo album, All Cried Out. What a song, and what a vocal performance this is. I loved the album from beginning to end and played it endlessly on cassette back in 1984. That Ole Devil Called Love, a Number 2 hit from March 1985, is a fantastic smoky jazz number, and Moyet’s vocal style is pitch perfect for a song that was already forty years old by the time she recorded it. It was one of those tracks that I became totally obsessed with for quite a few months after I bought it, regularly putting it on the turntable on repeat as I tried to pick up ever beat and every inflection. Is This Love? was the lead single from Raindancing, the album released in 1986, and a strong enough track to break the Top 3 in the UK charts, giving Moyet another big hit after a year away from the charts after That Ole Devil Called Love. In 1987, her version of Love Letters was yet another Top 5 for this marvellous singer. It was, once again, a cover of an old classic given that unique Alison Moyet treatment. One of the best voices of any era, Alison Moyet is a singer to discover or rediscover and I certainly intend to do so.
Mr Mister were an American rock band who released two brilliant singles in 1985 from the Welcome to the Real World album. Broken Wings and Kyrie were both US chart toppers, with the former reaching Number 4 in the UK and the latter a surprisingly lowly Number 11. Broken Wings was a moody, atmospheric slice of AOR, but my favourite was always Kyrie with its fantastic chorus that I belted out every time I heard out. In fact, it’s not unknown for me to do so nowadays if I hear it! Mud were glam rock royalty in the 1970s with a string of big hits, none bigger than Tiger Feet, an irresistible slice of rock and roll music that became iconic due to the roadies dance featured on Top of the Pops and even 50 years on, it could start a party in an empty room! For the final M we have The Muppets, more specifically Kermit’s Little Nephew Robin, with the most unlikely Top 10 hit of 1977. Halfway Down the Stairs. Based on an A A Milne poem, it is a gorgeous, brief piece of music that brings a smile to the face of all but the most curmudgeonly. On the B Side, however, is the track I played most. It’s the Muppet version of Mah Na Mah Na. I bet you are already singing along with it in your head! Both tracks are also on The Muppet Show album, a very well played Christmas present that year.
Well, that’s the Ms finished, and it was a set of singles that truly went the whole journey from sublime to ridiculous before taking a day trip to utterly unforgiveable! If you enjoyed it and want to hear a selection of these songs on my latest playlist, click on this link See you next time as I start the Ns.
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 