My first Halloween post for the blog can only feature one song, really. The timeless, the perfect, the spookily brilliant Ghostbusters! The artist Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1954, Ray Erskine Parker Jr. was a musician from an early age. Inspired by his Elementary School music teacher, he began playing the clarinet at the age
ray parker jr. – ghostbusters Read More »
It has to be admired when a song released in 1984 seems as relevant as ever some 42 years later, even if it is for pretty bleak reasons. That is one of many reasons to select an absolute classic for this weeks blog. Ladies and gentleman – please sit back and appreciate the sheer brilliance
Frankie goes to Hollywood – two tribes Read More »
After a gap of around four months, it’s time to get this blog back on track! Given the desperately sad news recently about her passing, it’s only right that I focus the first post in a while on an absolute titan of music (and a wonderful person to boot) – the incomparable Dolly Parton. The
Dolly parton & kenny rogers – islands in the stream Read More »
Today’s song is another example of one I’ve grown to love more over the years. It isn’t that I disliked it during the 80s – I always thought it was a decent enough tune, though no more than that. However, these days, I appreciate just how much of a classic it truly is. I’m really
tears for fears – everybody wants to rule the world Read More »
Have you ever looked back on things you did or said when you were younger and thought to yourself ‘Jeez – what an absolute prick I was then’?! This is an embarrassingly obvious example of that for me. In my mid-teens, just before I sat my GCSEs, I was heavily into rock music. Sadly, as
the smiths – what difference does it make? Read More »
Pure pop music. An absolute artform in my humble opinion. All of us sing and hum to pop music, whether we care to admit it or not. Pure pop has been around since the 50s and despite being a genre that is much derided, writing a decent, catchy pop song is harder than most people
Roxette – the look Read More »
Those who know me well will likely agree that it is criminal that it has taken sixteen posts before I get round to waxing lyrical about one of my all-time favourite bands – the incomparable Queen. The artist Do I really need to write about the history of Queen?! Ok, if I must. Here’s a
queen – one vision Read More »
My incredibly long shortlist of songs to address via this blog already contained a few Chris Rea tunes (in addition to the previously published Driving Home for Christmas) prior to the recent sad news of his death. So, in getting this blog back on track after a bit of a break, it felt right and
chris rea – let’s dance Read More »
When debate rages about the greatest music songwriting teams of all time, a slew of familiar names are inevitably offered. McCartney & Lennon; Jagger & Richards; Rodgers & Hammerstein; Bacharach & David; Leiber & Stoller; John & Taupin; Ashford & Simpson; Ulvaeus & Andersson; the Gibb brothers; Holland, Dozier, Holland. Unless the conversation includes really
Eleven posts in and it’s about time I go slightly off-piste with a song choice. This time, it’s a track which ignited a lifelong love of a particular genre for me – Country (and all variations on the theme). Getting on my soapbox a little, as with pure pop music, I’ve never understood the criticism
Steve earle – copperhead road Read More »
