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Title - Artist |
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Remarks and websites of interest
for further information |
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Walk On By - Dionne Warwick |
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Words & music were by
the maestros Bacharach & David. This is a truly beautiful
recording - the orchestration and production are just magnificent
- understated but magnificent. Punk band The Stranglers
did an inspired cover 14 years later, the lengthy instrumental
section of which was more reminiscent of Light My Fire.
http://www.dionnewarwick.com
http://www.bacharachonline.com |
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Telstar - The Tornadoes
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Eccentric producer/engineer Joe Meek's tour
de force, produced in a tiny flat on the Holloway Road and
providing effects and sounds light years ahead of the big
record companies. The sound effects in the intro and the
outro were created from coils of wire, tin cans and other
Heath Robinson apparatus.
http://www.concentric.net/~meekweb/telstar.htm
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For Your Love - The Yardbirds |
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Graham Gouldman (later of 10cc) wrote this
pop song for the arch cool Rhythm 'n Bluesers The Yardbirds.
Chants and harpsichordian flourishes make this a unique
sound. It's a classic.
http://www.yardbirds.org
http://www.jimmccarty.co.uk/
http://forums.delphiforums.com/yardbirds |
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Go Now - The Moody Blues |
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Five lads from Brum do a rendition of a Bessie
Banks original and create another pop classic. Lead vocalist
Denny Laine went on to join Paul McCartney and Wings.
http://www.moodyblues.co.uk
http://www.clintwarwick.co.uk
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God Only Knows - The Beach Boys |
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Paul McCartney has been quoted as favouring
this as his all-time favourite track. Brian Wilson and The
Beach Boys at their very best.
http://www.beachboys.com
http://www.beachboysfanclub.com |
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Anyone Who Had A Heart - Cilla Black |
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Although there was a 'battle' between the
Dionne Warwick 'original' and Cilla Black's version, I prefer
Cilla. Produced by George Martin, this whole production
is meatier and more vigorous than the American version with
pounding drums and Cilla belting out the vocal, encapsulating
the vibrant Liverpudlian confidence of the time.
http://www.cillablack.com
http://www.sirgeorgemartin.com
http://www.brianepstein.com |
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Downtown - Petula Clark |
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Tony Hatch panders to the American market
with his lyrics but Petula's vocalisation is defiantly English.
This is one of those songs that defines a period in one's
life - in this case the dawn of the swinging sixties.
http://www.petulaclark.net
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Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty |
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For a street previously famous for Sherlock
Holmes & Madame Tussaud's, Baker Street is one of the
best offerings from the 70s, the saxophone still able to
send shivers down one's spine and probably the most familiar
bars of sax on any pop recording.
http://www.crossapple.com/gerry.html
http://www.gerryrafferty.com |
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She's Not There - The Zombies |
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One of the first songs Rod Argent wrote and
one of his best and most enduring, seemingly made for Colin
Blunstone's breathy boyish vocals & Rod's accomplished
keyboards.
http://www.rodargent.com
http://www.colinblunstone.co.uk
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Life On Mars - David Bowie |
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Random lyrics chosen for the way they sound
rather than for their 'story progression' do not mar
a Bowie masterpiece of this calibre. The build-up is reminiscent
of Ravel and the orchestration quite collossal.
http://www.davidbowie.com
http://www.bowieart.com |
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Blue Eyes - Elton John |
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There's an incredible number of songs to choose
from in Elton's repertoire, but this track shows off
Elton's bluesy style in a way few other tracks do.
http://www.eltonjohn.com |
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Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen |
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A smorgasbord of styles means there's something
for everyone in this track. Truly a great memorial to the
unique and remarkable Freddie Mercury.
http://www.queenzone.com |
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Space Oddity - David Bowie |
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The hit version was far better than Bowie's
original acoustic version, this is another song that represents
a moment in time, in this case Neil Armstrong's moon walking
in 1969.
http://www.davidbowie.com
http://www.bowieart.com |
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Careless Whisper - George Michael |
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Wham!'s 'boy George' came of age on the release
of this immaculate ballad, showing the full strength and
range of George's voice.
http://www.georgemichael.com |
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Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever
- The Beatles |
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A classic pairing of two songs written individually
by John and Paul but put out, as usual, under a Lennon &
McCartney credit. Both songs depicting their memories of
their youth and both songs pushing forward the boundaries
in their own ways.
http://www.thebeatles.com
http://www.sirgeorgemartin.com
http://www.brianepstein.com
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Apache - The Shadows |
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There are a very few early (pre-Beatles) British
rock and pop offerings which matched the Americans at their
own game. And this is one of them. The Shadows, and specifically
Hank Marvin, are responsible for influencing most of the
British artists who appear in my top 100 and for inspiring
them to pick up a guitar.
http://www.mcr26.freeserve.co.uk
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Do You Believe In Magic - The Lovin'
Spoonful |
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John Sebastian's outrageously optimistic, catchy and upbeat
song about his love of music was one of many hits for The
Spoonful, although this one not in the UK. Young love, rock
and roll and 'jug bands' were in his consciousness and that's
what he almost exclusively wrote about. His lyrics were
always witty and clever, reminding me of an American Ray
Davies.
http://www.lovinspoonful.com
http://www.johnbsebastian.com |
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Monday Monday - The Mamas & The
Papas |
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When John Phillips first strummed his tune
to the other members of the band, they all laughed at his
notion of writing about a day in the week. Their inspired
harmonies gave them a worldwide hit with this song and John's
composition was vindicated.
http://www.psycho-jello.com/creeque |
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I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin
Gaye |
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Marvin Gaye's soulful interpretation of this
and other songs made him a great favourite on this side
of the Atlantic with luminaries such as The Beatles and
Queen of the Mods Cathy McGowan.
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=109 |
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Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks |
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The nucleus of this band were squabbling siblings
Ray and Dave Davies but the driving force was Ray's songwriting.
Originally called 'Liverpool Sunset', Ray decided to write
a song about something closer to home and, in typical fashion,
created another pop classic from his very English perspective.
By the way, the 'Terry and Julie' who cross over Waterloo
Bridge in the song are film stars Terence Stamp and Julie
Christie.
http://www.kinks.org/
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Baby Can I Take You Home - The Animals |
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This highly-charged band had several great
hits but this one has all the elements I love, including
Eric Burdon's authentic-sounding bluesy vocals and Hilton
Valentine's terrific guitar intro.
http://www.animals.mcmail.com
http://www.hiltonvalentine.com
http://www.ericburdon.com
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I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles |
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Great harmonies and thumping drums drive this
rhythm 'n blues-inspired offering from the fab four, their
third UK number one.
http://www.thebeatles.com
http://www.sirgeorgemartin.com
http://www.brianepstein.com
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Itchycoo Park - The Small Faces |
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These east end lads had several UK and international
hits although sadly were relatively unknown in the US. This
drug-inspired anthem heralded the start of the era of psychedelia
and demise of mod culture which, up until then, The Small
Faces and their West London contemporaries The Who had been
champions of.
http://www.thesmallfaces.com
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My Generation - The Who |
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Pete Townshend's articulate, albeit angry
and abusive, lyrics are carried along on a wave of power
- in the engine room is Keith Moon, one of the most powerful
and most inventive drummers ever.
http://www.thewho.net
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Something - The Beatles |
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The Beatles had an abundance of riches, having
as they did a songwriting duo and a solo writer in George
Harrison too. This song by George rivals anything written
by John and Paul.
http://www.thebeatles.com
http://www.sirgeorgemartin.com
http://www.brianepstein.com
http://www.allthingsmustpass.com |
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