68. Bizarre Love Triangle (12 inch version) - New Order (1986)

 

 

Every time I see you falling

I get down on my knees and pray

I'm waiting for that final moment

You say the words that I can't say

 

The original version of this is from New Order's 'Brotherhood' album but I have chosen Shep Pettibone's fantastic remix from the 12 inch single with lots of dancey sounds added but the essence of the song still there. In America,as you can see on the photo,the B side of the 12 inch single was called 'I Don't Care'. It was just another mix of 'Bizarre Love Triangle' but ended up being called that after a phone call to New Order's manager,Rob Gretton,for the title. You may remember I told you the story of ELO's first album being called 'No Answer' in America so this is kind of the same thing happening again. 'Bizarre Love Triangle' only reached number 56 in the UK but it's been more appreciated since the 80s and was ranked number 201 in Rolling Stone's 'The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time' complied in 2004.

 

Hi Rollo, and phew! The final batches coming up!

 

Sorry Ive been away a while, but caught up now. There are about 50% of the last 150 I don't actually know :o

 

Of the rest loving all the under-rated ELO and 10CC album tracks, they were often like "Greatest Hits" collections to me, not a bad track on them. I've just bought a 5-CD collection of early ELO albums so at long last I have Face The Music, hooray!

 

Of the ones I especially love there are two categories:

 

Those that don't make my all-time Top 850 on "sales" eg chart performance:

 

Faithless (both Insomnia & Salva Mea, though like you I prefer Salva Mea which topped my charts)

Grace Jones (I too adore Trevor Horn productions, just impeccable)

Freemasons (though they appear in my charts with other songs)

Chemical Brothers Setting Sons (topped my chart)

Massive Attack (teardrops & the brilliant Unfinished Sympathy)

Moody Blues (Question)

Art Of Noise (Moments In Love)

Royksopp/Susanne Sundfor

OMD (Joan Of Arc)

Pet Shop Boys (It Couldnt Happen here, another band that do albums of "Greatest Hits" for me where every track is great)

Manfred Mann's earthband (Blinded By The Light was kept off the top of my charts by a 10-week run of Dancing Queen)

Korgis (Everybody's Got To Learn sometime) just beautiful

Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush (gorgeous)

Yello (Of Course I'm Lying) also beautiful

ELO (Wild West Hero)

Elbow - a classic!

Dire Straits - Private Investigations is their best track by far

which leaves those that have sold a "million" and feature in my own charts. No comments as I'll save it for when I continue my rundown :lol:

 

Tears For Fears (Sowing & Rule The World)

Phil Collins (Air Tonight)

Queen (Gaga)

Donna Summer (I Feel Love)

Godley & Creme (Cry)

Moody Blues (Nights In White Satin)

KLF (America)

Pet Shop Boys (It's Alright/Left To My Own Devices/Suburbia)

Tubeway Army

David Guetta/Sia

ELO (Confusion)

ABC (The Look Of Love)

OMD (Souvenir)

Abba (The Day Before You Came) - I see this as a beautifully melancholic story of the ordinariness of daily life until one day when meeting someone changes everything and underlines how you weren't really living till that moment. I was doing a dull factory job after 2 years of being on the dole when this came out, and it spoke to me in volumes - apart from the happy ending. I don't know how anyone can interpret it as murder! The drudgery of the beat, the low-key melody (which all were highly criticised when it came out) are the whole point of the song about love changing everything. Not you get stuck in a rut and then you get murdered! :lol:

 

Some of the above (5 of 'em) are in my top 100 of all-time based on chart performance. I reckon you will have named about 40% of my top 100 by the time you finish! :)

 

And finally, one I didn't expect to see here: Dollar! :o Jaw hits floor. I actually have a huge soft spot for Dollar records, despite David Van Day's predilection to try and hijack a more successful pop band name, and making me sit through a torturously cringe-worthy Stage farce he was starring in. Dollar don't feature in my top 1000 though if they did I would opt for Hand Held In Black & White, Mirror Mirror, Videotheque, Shooting Star or Who Were You With In The Moonlight. They are all fab pop singles! Not to mention the pure cheese of the fab There's A Whole Lot Of Lovin' as part of Guys & Dolls (both Thereze and Van Day).

 

There I've admitted it now.... :lol:

 

Good to see you back,John,and thanks for the comprehensive reply. Yes,'Give Me Back My Heart' by Dollar is definitely my guilty pleasure. I remember that Guys & Dolls song,that was a great cheesy pop ballad.

67. Woman In Chains - Tears For Fears (1989)

 

 

It's under my skin but out of my hands

I'll tear it apart but I won't understand

I will not accept the greatness of Man

 

The 14th and final song on my chart by Tears For Fears. It's far from being their best known song,only reaching number 26,but it's certainly my favourite. It starts with a shimmering,unhurried intro,then the soulful vocals from Roland Orzabal and the guest singer Oleta Adams and then,halfway through the song,the bonus of my favourite drummer,Phil Collins,coming in on drums. I also love the "so free her" outro.

 

66. Can't Get It Out Of My Head - Electric Light Orchestra (1974)

 

 

Midnight on the water

I saw the ocean's daughter

Walking on a wave she came

Staring as she called my name

 

This is was ELO's first top 40 hit in the USA,reaching number 9 and setting them up for big tours of the country. Over here,it did nothing. It's a beautifully written ballad by Jeff Lynne responding to his father's comment that his songs had no tune to them.

 

65. No Cars Go - Arcade Fire (2007)

 

 

We know a place where no planes go

We know a place where no ships go

 

A wonderful song from Arcade Fire's second album 'Neon Bible'. I love the accordion intro,then you have the guitars and drums mixing with the strings and brass. The last two minutes of this are glorious.

 

64. Never Let Me Down Again (Split Mix) - Depeche Mode (1987)

 

 

We're flying high

We're watching the world pass us by

Never want to come down

Never want to put my feet back down on the ground

 

This is not a remix,it's more of an extended version of the song,the second single to be taken from 'Music For The Masses'. There's a huge scale to the production on this one and it's been a live fans' favourite for many years,normally either the last song of the concert or part of the encore and this is the version that they perform. It's generally been interpreted to be about drug use but as that's not completely obvious,I don't think it's ever been banned from any radio stations.

 

63. The Prophet's Song - Queen (1975)

 

 

Oh flee for your lives who heed me not

Let all your treasures make you fear for your life

Deceive you not the fires of hell will take you

Should death await you

 

This is basically Bohemian Rhapsody's big sister. Taken from the same 'A Night At The Opera' album,it is equally,if not more,ambitious and complex. It has a similar multi-tracked vocal part in the middle but this one is two and a half minutes long compared to the one minute on Bohemian Rhapsody. The whole track is eight and a half minutes long,making it the longest song in Queen's discography. Written by Brian May,the lyrics are about the Bible story of Noah's Ark.

 

62. Ripples - Genesis (1976)

 

 

Angels never know it's time

To close the book and gracefully decline

 

The best song from 'A Trick Of The Tail',the first Genesis album recorded after the departure of Peter Gabriel. The first half is mainly acoustic and Steve Hackett's electric guitar doesn't come in until the wonderful instrumental break from 4.00 to 6.40. No group do instrumental breaks quite as well as Genesis. Finally,the chorus comes back one more time. It's one of the best choruses that they ever came up with.

 

61. Born Slippy .NUXX - Underworld (1996)

 

 

Shouting

Lager lager lager lager

 

The original version of this was an instrumental which got to number 52 in 1995. I don't think I've ever heard it. Instead,here is the version with inane lyrics from the film 'Trainspotting' that you all know. It reached number 2,kept off the top of the chart by The Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly'. I love the pounding,relentless rhythm.

 

Edited November 6, 20186 yr by King Rollo

60. Ocean Cloud - Marillion (2004)

 

 

I've seen too much of life so the sea is my wife

And the sweet ocean clouds will look down on my boat tonight

 

The best track from Marillion's double album 'Marbles'. This is an 18 minute epic about Don Allum,the first man to row a boat single handed from Europe to the Americas and then back again. I believe he's still the only person to have done it. The return trip ended in a storm and he reached Dooagh beach on Achill Island helped by the car headlights of the people there who knew he was coming. Achill Island is my favourite part of County Mayo so I know that beach quite well. These two voyages in 1986 and 1987 took their toll on his body and he died in 1992. The song itself meanders along in the same way as a long voyage with quiet calm bits and loud stormy parts.

 

59. The Storm Before The Calm - Anathema (2012)

 

 

It ebbs and flows and comes and goes

And rips you up and lets you go

 

...Which leads me nicely into this song which also stormy and calm bits. It's taken from Anathema's ninth album 'Weather Systems'. The sonics on the storm section from 2.50 to 4.50 are amazing and the moment when Daniel Cavanagh's lead vocal comes back at 6.45 is just magical.

 

58. Silver Screen Shower Scene (Thin White Duke Remix) - Felix Da Housecat (2001)

 

 

Hear the music,say the word

See the light,join the herd

 

This is the third appearance on my chart by Stuart Price a.k.a. the Thin White Duke. His remix of Royksopp's 'What Else Is There?' was at number 683 and 'Sometimes' under his name Les Rythmes Digitales (featuring Nik Kershaw) was at number 352. The female vocals on this remix of 'Silver Screen Shower Scene' are by French musician Miss Kittin a.k.a. Caroline Herve. I like the strings at the beginning and end which make this stand out from other similar recordings. The moment at 7.20 when they come back in and combine with the electroclash sound that occupies most of the nine minutes is the highlight.

 

57. Getting To The Point - ELO (1986)

 

 

It's getting to the point of no return

And all that I can do is stand and watch it now

Watch it burn,burn,burn

 

This was ELO's final single before they split up and should have been a big hit but a strike at Epic's distribution department led to it being unavailable in most shops and it only reached a measly number 97. Jeff Lynne puts in one of his finest vocals and there is a rare saxophone solo,the only one that I can think of on an ELO recording.

 

Really like that remix of SSSS, was a big standout of a MOS compilation I downloaded in 2010 as I hadn't heard anything quite like it before, the strings are a nice addition.

68. Bizarre Love Triangle (12 inch version) - New Order (1986)

 

“Bizarre Love Triangle” is a great track! Krystal Klear's “Neutron Dance” totally ripped off the melody/bassline. !

“Bizarre Love Triangle” is a great track! Krystal Klear's “Neutron Dance” totally ripped off the melody/bassline. !

I'm just listening to it now. Yes,there certainly seem to be some similarities.

56. Deep - The Moody Blues (1988)

 

 

Every time I hear the sound of the rain

Beating on my roof again

I want to taste your love

And I want to go deep

 

The 11th and final song on my chart by the Moody Blues. Most of them have come from their golden era of 1967 to 1972 but my favourite is this fairly obscure album track from 1988's 'Sur La Mer'. The guitars,keyboards,drums and Justin Hayward's vocal all combine so well together and the outro in the last two minutes which includes the addition of strings is fabulous.

 

55. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd (1979)

 

 

There is no pain you are receding

A distant ship's smoke on the horizon

 

This is up there with 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'A Day In The Life' if I was to think of well known album tracks which were never released as singles. Taken from the album 'The Wall',the lyrics were inspred by Roger Waters' experience of being injected with tranquilizers for stomach cramps before a concert in 1977. David Gilmour's second guitar solo which closes the song is outstanding.

 

54. Don't Hang Up - 10cc (1976)

 

 

Lousy violins began to play

I went no no no

And as the vol-au-vents exploded

I was walking down the aisle the other way

 

A track from 10cc's album 'How Dare You!' written by Godley & Creme and sung beautifully by Kevin Godley. I've always liked this song but if I had compiled this chart 20 years ago,I don't think I would have put it in the top 100 which shows that even an old song can take a long time to grow on you before you fully appreciate it (I would have bought this album some time in the 80s). I love the piano in the first part,the song then speeds up with the Spanish sounding middle section before slowing down again for its gorgeous finale. The song is most notable for its use of a harp which was played by an outside musician,Mair Jones.

 

53. Bullets - Archive (2009)

 

 

Personal responsibility

 

Another track from 'Controlling Crowds Parts I-III',this is the second song out of the five that make up Part I. Archive are virtually unknown in their own country but across mainland Europe,where they are better known,this is probably their most popular song. It's well ahead of the others on Spotify streams. I like the way it builds up gradually with the backing vocals,strings and drums all being added to the mix as it moves on.

 

Edited November 10, 20186 yr by King Rollo