Music

I like music, a lot.  Listening, not playing.  I did play the French Horn, but God, it was difficult.  And my music teacher, like music teachers the world over, had no idea whether I had practised at all before the lesson.  Invariably, she got it wrong -- if I had practised, she ticked me off for not practising, if I hadn't touched the instrument then I was congratulated on the amount of effort I had put it.  Over the years, this rather disheartened me, so I gave up altogether.

I listen to my music in two main ways.  I have my PC connected to my Hi-Fi (a loud (150 Watts r.m.s each channel) Aiwa jobby that may not sound wonderful but can rock da house) and use Winamp whenever possible.  If I can't use Winamp because I'm in Linux then I use X11Amp.

I am also almost permanently plugged into my Walkman.  I love my Walkman.  It lasts about 30 hours off a single AA cell, which is plenty long enough, and is little bigger than the tapes it plays.  And it has servo controls and a remote control.  But it's not currently available in the U.K., I don't believe, which is a pity.

I also spend a lot of time listening to the radio.  I normally listen to Capital Gold (most of the time) or Radio One (for the Top 40, and Dance Anthems, and their special things which they do, like the contest between Norman Cook and Almond van Handbag).  To find out about what music I do like, go to my music page.

I hope to stick some lyrics up here some time, or maybe links to lyrics, because there's nothing more annoying that singing along to a song with what you think are the correct lyrics, only to be corrected by someone.

On the off chance that you've come here on the off chance that you can download some MP3s, then I'm afraid you can't.  I only have MP3 copies of about half these songs, and I couldn't upload them even if I wanted to because it would take hours.

If you're really desperate for a song from this list, and have something that I might want to trade, then I suppose you could send me an e-mail, and I'll see what I can do.

The list is fairly varied -- not too much of it is bang up to date, but some things are.  As far as I'm concerned, the eighties, though considered by many to be something of a musical wilderness, a time when taste and quality were eschewed in favour of the one hit wonder, were actually not at all bad, and produced some great songs -- even if they were only from one hit wonders.  The seventies were also pretty good, too, and there a some very nice songs from the sixties, too, but I've gone off the sixties as a decade a bit.

There's a particular name for a thing that some songs cause in the listener, that makes people want to listen to them again and again (and again and again and again -- I listened to the full seven minute version of Seven Days & One Week more than fifty times in a row, and I still haven't got bored of it), but I can't remember its name.  If you think you know, please e-mail me and tell me.  Anyway, for me, all the songs I like have this particular quality.

Update: I've found the bit of paper I wrote the name of this thing on.  It's a very interesting piece of paper.  On the one side I've noted how these songs cause psycho-epistemological events which accounts for their replay-ability.  On the other side I've written that according to some test on the Internet (Jungian analysis, I think) I'm an Artisan Crafter, or an "ISTP" person.  I can't quite read my writing; I think that stands for Introverted Sensing Tough Perception.

I don't have a favourite singer/band, normally preferring particular songs to entire albums, though there are some groups that I could quite happily sit down and listen an album of -- Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music, ELO, New Order, Blondie, Sash!, The Pet Shop Boys, Steps, and Abba probably fall into this category.  On this page, I hope (in the future) to provide some links to good sites about the bands whose songs I like.

I really like vocoding.  It's probably the coolest effect of all time.  I wish I could get my PC to vocode.  It would be so cool.

10cc: Dreadlock Holiday, Life is a Minestrone

2 Unlimited: You All Ready For This?, No Limits

Abba: Waterloo, S.O.S., Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight), Take A Chance on Me, Lay All Your Love On Me, Does Your Momma Know?

Andy Williams: Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Annie Lennox: Little Bird, Love Song For a Vampire

Aqua: Dr Jones, Barbie Girl

Aretha Franklin: Respect

Bachman-Turner Overdrive: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Bang: Shooting Star

Belinda Carlisle: Heaven is a Place On Earth

BBE: Seven Days And One Week

Black Box: Ride On Time

Blondie: Heart Of Glass, Sunday Girl, Did You Evah?, Atomic, Call Me, Denis, Hangin' On The Telephone, Union City Blue

Bluebells: Young At Heart

Blur: Girls And Boys

Bonnie Tyler: Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Boston: More Than A Feeling

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Dancing In The Dark, I'm On Fire, Born In The U.S.A., Born To Run

Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music: The Strand, Same Old Scene, Over You, Slave To Love, Jealous Guy, Angel Eyes, More Than This, Streetlife, I Put A Spell On You, Is Your Love Strong Enough?

Carly Simon: You're So Vain

Cher: Believe

Chris Montez: Let's Dance

Culture Club/Boy George: Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?, Karma Chameleon

Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Not "Hey Now!  (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)", the single released from the album entitled something like "Seven Deadly Cyns... and Then Some", which is miles inferior, as it's lost all the sort of punkiness that made the original so cool)

Daft Punk: Around The World, Da Funk

Dave Edmunds: I Hear You Knocking

David Bowie: Sounds And Visions (or whatever it's called), Let's Dance, China Girl

Dead or Alive: You Spin Me 'Round

Del Shannon: Runaway

Derek and the Dominoes: Layla

Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen

Dire Straits: The Walk Of Life, Money For Nothing

Divine: You Think You're A Man (I'm just guessing here.  I've not heard the original, but I have heard a remix by Full Frontal, and it's dead good, albeit with somewhat dubious subject matter.)

DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay: Better Off Alone.  God I love this song.

Duran Duran: A View To A Kill

ELO: Mr Blue Sky, Don't Bring Me Down, Rockaria, Hold On Tight, Xanadu, So Serious, Calling America, Turn To Stone, Jungle, Twilight, Rock 'n' Roll Is King

Elton John: Crocodile Rock, (with Kiki Dee) Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Elvis Presley: Suspicious Minds

Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart), Thorn In My Side

Fatboy Slim: RockaFella Skank, Love Island, Praise You, Right Here, Right Now

Fine Young Cannibals: She Drives Me Crazy

Fleetwood Mac: Little Lies, Another song whose name escapes me, that I remember from time to time.  It has a word beginning with "G" I think, Everywhere

Gary Numan: Cars

George Harrison: My Sweet Lord

George Michael/Wham!: Careless Whisper, Faith, Freedom

Gouryella: Gouryella

Harold Faltermeyer: Axel F

Heaven 17: Temptation

Hot Butter: Popcorn

Judge Dredd: Up With The Cock

Jimmy Ruffin: What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?

K.C. and the Sunshine Band: That's The Way (I Like It)

k.d. lang: Constant Craving

Manfred Mann: Blinded By The Light (I think it was Manfred Mann)

Marvin Gaye: I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell, Paradise By The Dashboard Light, You Took The Words Out Of My Mouth

Men At Work: Down Under

Middle Of The Road (!): Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep

Mike Oldfield: Family Man, Moonlight Shadow, In Dulce Jubilo, Heaven's Open, Islands, Five Miles Out

Mr Oizo: Flat Beat

Nena 99: Red Balloons/99 Luftballoons.  The (original) german version sounds better in some ways, as the lyrics actually fit the metre of the song, but it sounds worse in others, as german is a rather ugly language, and also I don't understand much of what they're saying.  I don't understand all of the english lyrics, either, but that's because I can't make out what's being said.

New Order: Blue Monday (both the '83 original and the '88 remix, but not the '95 Hardfloor remix), Temptation, The Beach, Bizarre Love Triangle, Everything's Gone Green, Hurt, Perfect Kiss, Kiss Of Death, State Of The Nation, Shame Of The Nation, Subculture, Shellshock

Nilsson: Without You

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Enola Gay.  There's a remix of this song by Sash! which is rather good.

Paul McCartney & Wings: Band On The Run, Jet

Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer

Phats and Small: Turn Around

Propellerheads: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Queen: I Want To Break Free, It's A Kind Of Magic, Radio Ga Ga

Right Said Fred (!): I'm Too Sexy

Rod Stewart: Baby Jane, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

Roy Orbison: I Drove All Night, You Got It

Run DMC vs Jason Nevins: It's Like That

Sash!: Ecuador (particularly the Bruce Wayne remix), Sweat, Stay

Scott McKenzie: San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers)

Small Faces: Itchycoo Park

Squeeze: Cool For Cats, Tempted

St Etienne: He's On The 'phone

Status Quo: Rockin' All Over The World

Steps (!): Tragedy, Heartbeat, Better Best Forgotten

Steve Miller Band: Abracadabra

Suzi Quattro: Can the Can

System F: Out of the Blue

The Animals: The House Of The Rising Sun

The Beach Boys: Help Me Rhonda, Tears In The Morning, California Dreamin'

The Beatles: (the reprise of, not first time round) Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Helter-Skelter, Eleanor Rigby, Hello Goodbye, Birthday, The Savoy Truffle, Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite, Hey Bulldog

The Beautiful South: Ol' Red Eyes, A Little Time

The Bee Gees: Stayin' Alive, Jive Talking, Islands in the Sea (If that what it's called -- the one ripped off in Pras Michel's "Ghetto Supastar"), Tragedy

The BBC Radiophonic Workshop: The Doctor Who Theme.  I quite want to hear KLF/The Timelord's "Doctorin' The T.A.R.D.I.S." because I want to know if it's any good.

The Cars: Drive

The Chemical Brothers: Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Music: Response, Out Of Control, Under The Influence, The Sunshine Underground

The Eagles: Hotel California

The Grid: Swamp Thing

The Human League: Tell Me When, Don't You Want Me?

The Kinks: Waterloo Sunset, Sunny Afternoon, Lola

The Mamas and Papas: California Dreamin', Sing For Your Supper

The Pet Shop Boys: Always On My Mind, Suburbia, Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You), So Hard, Left To My Own Devices, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), What Have I Done To Deserve This?, Go West, I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing

The Police: Invisible Sun, Roxanne, Canary In A Coalmine (is that the correct name?  I always hear it as "Canary In A Korma")

The Rocky Horror (Picture) Show: The entire sound-track is good, as is the film (I wish I'd been around when the original stage-show was on.  I want to see the New Rocky Horror Show, but I'm sure that the original was better)

The Rolling Stones: Paint It Black, Get Off Of My Cloud, Let's Spend The Night Together

The Trammps: Disco Inferno

Tiffany: I Think We're Alone Now

Tina Turner (with or without Ike): Nutbush City Limits, The Best

T'Pau: China In Your Hand

U2: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Ultravox: Vienna

Weezer: Buddy Holly (the video of which is the best thing on the Windows 95 CD)

There are also lots of songs I don't like.  Here are a few of the worst:

DonMcLean: American Pie.  I cannot stand it.  It's too long, too boring, too repetitive, and it's playing on the radio again (Oh good grief.  Not only are they playing American Pie, but they're playing the god-knows-how-long full version.  It goes on and on and on... "...this'll be the day that I die?"  Let's hope so.  I don't even care about Buddy Holly, Richie Valens or the Big Bopper.  The only good thing that Buddy Holly did (except for get on that plane) was to inspire the Weezer song that bears his name and lives on the Windows 95 CD-ROM).  It's made even worse (as if that were possible) by the fact that everyone else on the planet seems to love it, and whenever I voice my disgust it's seen as an act of heresy.

Anything by: The Spice Girls, 911, Boyzone, NKOTB, B*Witched, All Saints, The Verve, Nirvana (except for Smells Like Teen Spirit), TLC, Puff Daddy, Hole, Skunk Anansie, Hole, Green Day, The Offspring, Travis, and many more.  Trashy, boring, worthless, crappy music.  For the most part, it seems like if one of my sisters like it, I won't, and vice-versa.

Nilsson: Everybody's Talkin'.  It sounds like a cat having a fight.

Orgy: Blue Monday.  A bad cover of a good song, made all the more irritating by the number of people who reckon that Orgy actually wrote the song.  They bloody didn't.

Sleeper: Atomic.  I don't really hate this song, but it's really not a patch on the original.  It's 100% regular, with none of the playing about on the original.  It makes a good song into a mediocre one, and for that it should be condemned.

N-Trance: Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, You Sexy Thing, Stayin' Alive.  Bad covers of good songs, and, and this is a big crime in my books, they talk all over the tracks.  There's nothing more irritating than having a good song ruined by someone talking all over it.

Anything by: Any band that samples a two second bit of a song, loops it, and then talks all over the result (like Janet Jackson ripping off Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi", and similar things being done to David Bowie's "Let's Dance", Lisa Stansfield's "Around the World", and Bachman Turner Overdrive's "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", to name but five), or else "cunningly" rips off another song, like Pras Michel's " Ghetto Supastar ripping off "Islands in the Stream", or Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You" which criminally rips off "Every Breath You Take".  It's even worse when the buying public don't even recognize that it's been done, instead believing the "artist" in question to have created an original piece of music.  It's even worse when the original artist sells out completely, and the songs become "Such-and-such by so-and-so featuring original artist", but then perhaps it's the only way the original artists have of indicating to the ill-informed public that it was they that wrote the part of the song that people actually like.

This isn't to say I don't like cover versions -- as indicated by the list of songs I do like, I believe that some groups/artists manage very good covers.  In some cases, the covers are genuinely better than the originals, such as "Tainted Love" which was originally sung by Marc Bolan's wife, Gloria something (Jones?), I think, and was covered to good effect by Soft Cell.  I belive that "I Think We're Alone Now" was also a cover, but, regardless, the Tiffany version is damn fine.  Also, "Go West" was a Pet Shop Boys cover of a Village People Song.

Paul Hardcastle: Nineteen.  The novelty kinda wears off after a couple of minutes.  I once listened to this on repeat loop, because I couldn't be bothered to turn it off, for about half an hour, and it drove me up the wall.  Eventually I had to get up to turn it off.

Cyndi Lauper: True Colours.  Despite the brilliance of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", the girl don't sing too good.  As ably demonstrated by this song.  It's made even worse by the fact that it's been re-recorded by what sounds like a five year-old girl (it's probably Charlotte Church, or someone equally odious) and is played on an advert that is dire, but seems to be in every flippin' break on the telly.  It's for some Peugot car or other, but I don't know which, and wouldn't buy one because of the advertising.  Which probably isn't the desired effect.

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