a few I don't know in the latest batch :o , quite a few I like, and a couple of gems in New Order, U2, and White Town is still quirky. Quirky and varied are the catchwords of the day.... :lol:

911. Princeton - Tandy & Morgan (1985)

 

 

And a traveller from Venus

set a force field between us

 

Tandy & Morgan were a sort of ELO spin off group. Richard Tandy was their keyboard player in the 70s and 80s and is the only member from that time who is still part of Jeff Lynne's ELO line-up today. Dave Morgan joined ELO in the mid 80s just before they split up. Princeton is a lovely ballad from Tandy & Morgan's sci-fi concept album 'Earth Rise' which was a commercial failure after a lack of promotion by the small record label it was released on. It's still an album I have a lot of affection for.

 

910. Melancholy Man - The Moody Blues (1970)

 

 

His life caught up in misery

He doesn't think like you and me

 

A stunning song from their no.1 album 'A Question Of Balance'. I love all the harmonies on the backing vocals. The lead vocals on their albums were shared around and this one is by Mike Pinder. I have only started listening to their early albums in the last few years so this song is still quite new to me.

 

909. Flash - Queen (1980)

 

 

Flash,Flash,I love you,

but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth

 

From the soundtrack to 'Flash Gordon' which seems to have become a cult classic,the arrangement on the song is kept fairly simple to allow room for the dialogue snippets.

 

908. Word Of Mouth - Mike & The Mechanics (1991)

 

 

From the west side to the east side

From the north side to the south

 

With Paul Young on lead vocals,this has a rollicking,singalong chorus. It got to no.13 on the singles chart.

 

Really like Flash! Shame that Flash cleaner advert completely ruins it :P Word of Mouth sounding very nice on first listen also.

907. Loser Gone Wild - ELO (1983)

 

 

Empty rooms and chilling smiles

They go on for miles and miles

 

From their tenth album 'Secret Messages',Jeff Lynne's vocals on this are quite bluesy and the use of a trumpet is quite unusual for ELO. There are also several tempo changes. The barking dog was credited on the record sleeve as Dennis.

 

Really like Flash! Shame that Flash cleaner advert completely ruins it :P Word of Mouth sounding very nice on first listen also.

 

Good to see some of you listening to songs you don't know. :)

 

906. Supremacy - Muse (2012)

 

 

Greatness dies,unsung and lost invisible to history

Embedded spies,brainwashing our children to be mean

 

There's a lot packed into this with the guitars,drums,an orchestra and a choir. Muse are never afraid to be bombastic. I'm surprised this only got to no.58 but they haven't had a top 40 single since 2012.

 

905. Working In A Goldmine - Aztec Camera (1987)

 

 

Kissing in the full moon

Drowning in the sunshine

 

From Aztec Camera's third album which was recorded in the US with session musicians,the group was now Roddy Frame on his own. This has a jazzy/R&B sound to it.

 

904. Never Tear Us Apart - INXS (1987)

 

 

We could live for a thousand years

But if I hurt you,I'd make wine from your tears

 

From their 6th album 'Kick',I like the string section and Michael Hutchence's vocals. The song is also memorable for the two dramatic pauses and the saxophone solo.

 

903. I Need Nothing Else - Sophie B Hawkins (1994)

 

 

Oh Lord my God when you get hard

How can I stop how can I not

 

Sophie B Hawkins (the B stands for Ballantine) is my favourite female singer. This is from her excellent second album 'Whaler',produced by Stephen Lipson. Great use of tubular bells on this track.

 

902. Survivor - 10cc (1981)

 

 

This girl she's a real survivor

She don't believe in the midnight driver

 

From their 8th album 'Ten Out Of 10',10cc were past their creative peak by this time but they were still capable of writing a great song like this one,sung by Graham Gouldman. Nice tempo change at 2.20.

 

901. Past,Present and Future - The Shangri-Las (1966)

 

 

Take a walk along the beach tonight? I'd love to

But don't try to touch me,don't try to touch me

Cos that will never happen again

 

The Shangri-Las were a girl group from New York best known for 'Leader Of The Pack' which was a top 20 hit in 1965,1972 and 1976. 'Past,Present and Future is quite unusual in that the lyrics are spoken,not sung. The piano part is based on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

 

900. Somewhere - Pet Shop Boys (1997)

 

 

Peace and quiet and open air

wait for us somewhere

 

The Pet Shop Boys do the classic song from 'West Side Story' in their own inimitable style. While many others have recorded the song,only the Pet Shop Boys and P J Proby have had top 10 singles with it.

 

Edited January 27, 20187 yr by King Rollo

899. Something - Lasgo (2001)

 

 

I see it in your eyes

There is something

That you hide from me

 

Lasgo were a Belgian trio with Evi Goffin on vocals. She left in 2008,leading to a TV programme to find her successor. The video for this was filmed in Prague railway station.

 

898. Keep You On My Side - Chvrches (2015)

 

 

I never asked to know,never lied

So I could keep you on my side

 

Chvrches are one of the best pop groups to emerge in the last few years. This is from their second album 'Every Open Eye'. I'm looking forward to hearing their new single which is released next week.

 

897. I Don't Mind At All - Bourgeois Tagg (1988)

 

 

Misery loves company

But she will never fit the bill

 

A one hit wonder from the 80s,recorded with just acoustic guitars and a string section. The song is just two and a half minutes long. Bourgeois Tagg were an American duo,Brent Bourgeois and Larry Tagg.

 

896. Red Rain - Peter Gabriel (1986)

 

 

I am standing up at the water's edge in my dream

I cannot make a single sound as you scream

 

The opening track from Peter's best selling album 'So',this is a percussion led song. I also like the piano and bass guitar and his gravely vocals. It's not really a surprise that this didn't make the top 40 as it was the fourth track to be released as a single,a full year after the album came out.

 

895. Confusion - New Order (1983)

 

 

Ask me no questions,I'll tell you no lies

The past is your present,the future is mine

 

Released only as a 12 inch single,this was produced by New York DJ Arthur Baker. It's certainly one of the best dance tracks from the 80s.