481. Mother Love - Queen (1995)

 

 

My body's aching,but I can't sleep

My dreams are all the company I keep

Got such a feeling as the sun goes down

I'm coming home to my sweet-

Mother love

 

Freddie Mercury's vocals on this track are the last he recorded,six months before he died. He was too tired to finish it and the last verse was sung much later on by Brian May. That fact and the lyrics make this such a sad song to listen to. Towards the end of the song are a few milliseconds of every Queen song ever recorded,rapidly sped through a tape machine.

 

 

The third and final song on my chart by Visage. I like the rhythmic synth sounds on this one and the female backing vocals.

 

Indeed the fast rhythmic synths with atmospheric background synths and the fact it builds up to climaxes makes it sound almost like a precursor to trance music, without such a fast beat of course.

 

That Queen song sounds great.

480. Living By Numbers - New Musik (1980)

 

 

They don't want your name

Just your number

 

New Musik were a London new wave group. I always associate them with Buggles as both groups were making a fledgling type of synthpop and they were in the singles chart at the same time. 'Living By Numbers' was their biggest hit,reaching number 13.

 

Living By Numbers is great, one of the first big synthpop hits. I was surprised to discover recently that despite the Gary Numan and Buggles hits in 1979, there wasn't much synthpop around in the charts in 1980, it was mostly still disco along with some (mostly non-electronic) new wave and ska. The second half of 1981 was really where the genre started to increase in the charts.

 

I like This World Of Water by New Musik, one of the first chart hits to use electronically pitched vocals which of course are everywhere now in pop songs :lol:

Edited May 25, 20187 yr by The Snake 🐍

479. Club Country - The Associates (1982)

 

 

A drive from nowhere leaves you in the cold

Refrigeration keeps you young I'm told

 

This is not as well known these days as 'Party Fears Two' but I think it's the better song out of the two. I love the funky bassline,violin and keyboards and Billy Mackenzie's soaring vocals.

 

Living By Numbers is great, one of the first big synthpop hits. I was surprised to discover recently that despite the Gary Numan and Buggles hits in 1979, there wasn't much synthpop around in the charts in 1980, it was mostly still disco along with some new wave and ska. The second half of 1981 was really where the genre started to increase in the charts.

 

I like This World Of Water by New Musik, one of the first chart hits to use electronically pitched vocals which of course are everywhere now in pop songs :lol:

 

Yes,it took a while for OMD,Ultravox and Human League to build up their fanbases and some of their early singles didn't chart.

 

Yes,it took a while for OMD,Ultravox and Human League to build up their fanbases and some of their early singles didn't chart.

 

A great early synthpop song from 1980 I discovered a while back is 'Underpass' by John Foxx which made #31. Sounds amazing for the time, I especially like the synths in place of the chorus, which seems quite modern actually.

Edited May 25, 20187 yr by The Snake 🐍

Underpass is very good and was close to making my chart. You could easily think when you listen to it that he's singing about underpants. :D

478. The Private Psychedelic Reel - The Chemical Brothers (1997)

 

 

A nine minute epic from 'Dig Your Own Hole'. I like the oriental sound to it and the moment the drums come in. It was released as a single without being shortened but was deemed to be ineligible for the chart as a sticker and poster were included with it.

 

477. Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Genesis (1976)

 

 

Daddy! You promised,you promised

 

From their eighth album 'Wind And Wuthering'. Mike Rutherford wrote the lyrics after reading a book about John Erskine,Earl of Mar,a Scottish Jacobite. Tony Banks' keyboard work on this song is top drawer.

 

Hi Rollo,

 

I've been unable to properly comment as I've been overwhelmed by the sheer number of actual classics since my last comment! I wanted to comment on most of the tracks but I'm never gonna catch up if I do that, so just a few bits n pieces and I'll try to stay up to date!

 

Baker Street is my all-time fave record so good to see it in your list, it's sheer perfection (the single edit) not a single thing that could be done to improve it. It's also NOT going to top my list as my list is based on chart performance not the order I love them (which changes on a daily basis anyway :lol: )

 

Drive: gorgeous. Shame: probably Eurythmics best record and criminally failed to go top 40 when lesser tracks went top 10.

 

Quite a few album tracks I dont know, from The Move, Hotlegs - Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, and 10CC are all massive heroes of mine. Blackberry Way is just fab, I was mad on that one when I was 11!

 

OMD biggies, Maid Of Orleans is still awesome and recently recharted for me following a Southampton concert I saw, which bunged it into my top 800 rundown, having been well outside of it.

 

Genesis Turn It On Again is a goodie, It's Immaterial too, both made my top 5 but dont feature in my lists.

 

Fade To Grey does feature, it's another brilliant synth era track. Great to see New Musik feature, their debut album is a pop delight, check it out if youve not heard it, great tracks like on Islands, and singles like Sanctuary (my fave). Dollar Trevor Horn and cheesier earlier hits like Who Were You With In The Moonlight are all Guilty Pleasures. Guilty mainly due to the Bucks Fizz-name-stealing actions of a certain lead singer.

 

Love The associates, Party Fears Two is in my list but Club Country isn't. Good choices of Queen tracks, Ive also a soft spot for Love Of My Life.

 

I'll stop now as I could go on for hours! :lol:

Thanks for commenting John. I have never heard New Musik's debut album so I'll have a listen to it on Spotify some time.

476. Close But No Cigar - Thomas Dolby (1992)

 

 

Some people sing love songs,everybody's got one

This isn't my love song,it's more like my love gone wrong song

 

I thought about mentioning this song in the 'Favourite Football Related Songs' thread but there's nothing in the lyrics about football,it's only the video that has a football theme to it. The single reached number 22,giving Thomas his second highest chart position.

 

475. I Never Wanted To Begin - Ultravox (1981)

 

 

Name that sin

 

This may be from 1981 but it's quite new to me. A few years ago,I replaced my worn out cassette of the 'Rage In Eden' album with a re-mastered CD and this was one of the extra tracks. It was originally the B side of the Thin Wall single. I like the slightly sinister sound of the violin and keyboards on this one.

 

474. Love Kills - Freddie Mercury (1984)

 

 

Love kills,drills you through your heart

Love kills,scars you from the start

 

A top ten hit for Freddie with his first solo single. It was written for a new soundtrack for the 1927 film 'Metropolis'. I like Giorgio Moroder's Hi-NRG production.

 

473. True Faith - New Order (1987)

 

 

I used to think that the day would never come

That my life would depend on the morning sun

 

One of New Order's best known songs and their first top five single. The video won the Best Video award at the Brits.

 

'Love Kills' is good, the production is indeed good in it, quite mellow and ambient sounding for 80s Hi-NRG. He would of course make #1 with another song with a Hi-NRG sound, 'Living On My Own' (No More Brothers remix) in 1993.

 

'True Faith' is brilliant, the best song of 1987 along with 'It's A Sin' for me.

472. Brothers In Arms - Dire Staits (1985)

 

 

Through these fields of destruction

Baptisms of fire

I've witnessed all your suffering

As the battle raged higher

 

A beautiful anti-war song. It was the first CD single ever released.

 

 

471. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum (1967)

 

 

We skipped the light fandango

Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor

I was feeling kinda seasick

But the crowd called out for more

 

A classic from the summer of love,this stayed at number 1 for six weeks and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The highlight is,of course,the Hammond organ melody. I like the way that on the verses,there is a gap between each line of lyrics for the organ to be heard.

 

470. Lean On Me (Ah-Li-Ayo) - Red Box (1985)

 

 

From the very very young to the very very old

Everybody now say aye

 

This is such a happy sounding song which always puts me in a good mood when I hear it. Red Box split up in 1990 but reformed in 2010.