629. The Love Thieves - Depeche Mode (1997)

 

 

You're holding court

With your lips and your smile

Your body's a halo

Their minds are on trial

 

From the 'Ultra' album which is the last really good album that Depeche Mode put out. The production on this song is fairly sparse,it's mainly drums and guitar.

 

You Came is very good, if a little cheesy and Stock Aitken Waterman-esque in its sound. My fave from Kim is The Second Time (I like the way it builds up with its epic production) or her cover of You keep Me Hangin On, which also has some epic production!

628. Blackberry Way - The Move (1968)

 

 

Boats on a lake

Unattended now,they're all to drown

I'm incredibly down

Just like myself they are neglected

 

This was The Move's only no.1 single but probably not their best known song which would be 'Flowers In The Rain'. Roy Wood's vocals for 'Blackberry Way' were recorded in the living room of Jeff Lynne's parents' house. It was late at night and as his parents and sister were already asleep in bed,Jeff and someone else held pillows either side of Roy's face to muffle the sound.

 

 

627. Games Without Frontiers - Peter Gabriel (1980)

 

 

Andre has a red flag,Chiang Ching's is blue

They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu

 

A big hit for Peter Gabriel,reaching number 4. Kate Bush sang backing vocals. It's A Knockout was always a favourite TV programme of mine growing up in the 70s.

 

Edited April 7, 20187 yr by King Rollo

626. (Nice Dream) - Radiohead (1995)

 

 

They dug me my very own garden

Gave me sunshine,made me happy

 

Another track from 'The Bends'. I like the combination of acoustic and electric guitars on this one.

 

 

 

Games without Frontiers is amazing, sounds brilliant and modern for 1980, and particularly at the end sounds like it was doing the industrial sound effects a couple of years before Depeche Mode did!

Edited April 7, 20187 yr by The Snake 🐍

Indeed,Peter was always a few years ahead of everyone else.

625. Chaos - Archive (2009)

 

 

How I love the chaos of you

 

From 'Controlling Crowds Parts I-III'. This track starts Part III. The piano and strings on this are just so beautiful,someone should be using it in a movie or a TV series.

 

624. Mad World - Tears For Fears (1982)

 

 

And I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying

Are the best I've ever had

 

One of the most well known 80s synth pop songs,the original and best version. It doesn't seem like 15 years since that cover by Gary Jules was the Christmas no.1.

 

623. The Golden Boy - Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe (1988)

 

 

He started to believe that he was all they said and more

While she forgot,she forgot the reasons she had wanted him before

 

From the 'Barcelona' album,combining rock,opera and gospel and backed by a full orchestra. An unlikely collaboration that certainly worked.

 

Edited April 9, 20187 yr by King Rollo

622. Starlight - Muse (2006)

 

 

Our hopes and expectations

Black holes and revelations

 

Starting with that unmistakable piano riff,this is one of Muse's most popular songs.

 

621. Zoolookologie - Jean Michel Jarre (1984)

 

 

A bright,pop sounding song from the Zoolook album. I have never seen this rather cheesy low tech video before.

 

620. Hunting High And Low - A-ha (1985)

 

 

There's no end to the lengths I'll go

 

A-ha released many top quality singles in the 80s including this beautiful orchestral ballad which builds up gradually as it goes on. It was their third top 5 hit.

 

619. Tara - Fish (1997)

 

 

I'll give you china dolls and silken shawls,orchids for your hair

Treasures drowned in sunken galleons,jewels from desert caves

When I get there

 

A lovely song from Fish's fifth solo album 'Sunsets On Empire',produced by Steven Wilson. It's about his daughter,who would have been six years old at the time.

 

Mad World is great, weird how different the two versions are. The original is dancey sounding in parts whereas the Michael Andrews and Gary Jules version is very stripped back and like a ballad.

 

Both are good (before i found out who it was by, I thought the cover for a long time was by the singer of REM as it does sound like him). I think I prefer the original, I like the vocal in it and the brass instrument sounding bits.

Edited April 10, 20187 yr by The Snake 🐍

618. Videotheque - Dollar (1982)

 

 

Ghosts are only lovers on the screen

 

In the late 70s,Dollar were a fairly cheesy cabaret act but in the early 80s,Trevor Horn turned them into a polished pop duo. This is the fourth of the singles he produced for them. The song was originally intended for the second Buggles album 'Adventures In Modern Recording' and you can hear a demo version,with Trevor singing it,on youtube.

 

617. Hymn - Ultravox (1982)

 

 

Give us this day all that you showed me

The power and the glory

Till my kingdom comes

 

A song with a stirring chorus so I suppose it makes sense to start it with the chorus and not a verse. I'm a bit surprised that there was no controversy at the time in them using lines from The Lord's Prayer in a pop song.

 

616. Poles Apart - Pink Floyd (1994)

 

 

Hey you...did you realize what you'd become

And did you see that it wasn't only me you were running from

 

From Pink Floyd's no.1 album 'The Division Bell',the last proper album they released. The lyrics are directed at former group members Syd Barrett and Roger Waters.

 

 

Edited April 12, 20187 yr by King Rollo

615. The Devil You Know - Jesus Jones (1992)

 

 

The ghost of the past has its arms around me

 

One of two top 10 singles for the Wiltshire band . This is a noisy song with a big production which needs to be played loud. Jesus Jones are still going and release their first album since 2001 next week.

 

 

 

614. One Of Us - Abba (1981)

 

 

One of us is lying

In her lonely bed

Staring at the ceiling

Wishing she was somewhere else instead

 

This was the last of 18 consecutive top 10 singles for Abba. I like the Italian sounding intro in particular. I'm not sure why this was eliminated so early in the retro forum Abba poll. It's certainly one of their best songs but maybe not as well known as their 70s hits.