Mor-Than-Words

Hold Back The River – James Bay I'd never heard of James Bay until hearing his album playing at a hi-fi show. This track stood out to me, then as ever I seem to have heard it everywhere. It keeps popping up in playlists and on TV shows. Strange old lyric, guessing it means, just stop time for a while and let me enjoy the moment. There is a sense of lost love, life getting in the way of his relationship. Guessing the reference to riding bikes in the sky is a reference to the film E.T. and being young. I like the guitar parts on this and it's quite old fashioned sounding to me, the intro with the guitar sounding mournful and his voice full of sadness draws you right in. It's a good imagery song, as we can all understand the chances of stopping a river flowing, but you have to hope it works out for him. There's a good chant in the middle for the crowd to join on with, a quite section going into a build just so he can chuck as much emotion as possible into the repeated ch

I Got You Babe – Sonny & Cher Thought I'd Cher this one. You may get the very unsubtle reference to the movie 1993 ' Groundhog Day ' if you have ever seen it. Basically the main character, played by Bill Murray has to repeat the same day over and over again until he finally sees the error of his ways. Each morning he wakes up his clock radio beside the bed is belting out this same song .  I hear this song a lot in my head since I've been waking up each morning during the pandemic lock-down. Probably something Sonny Bono couldn't have contemplated when he wrote it, recording it with his then wife the iconic Cher. Each day at the moment has a big shadow of yesterday hanging over it, just wondering if today is the day I'm going to get up and find the worlds back to normal. But never-mind the strange association this is a classy song, well constructed and performed. You can tell the joy between the couple, even in their voices, that they can face

    Vienna – Ultravox Happened to discover Midge Ure on social media today, he was mentioning it was 36 years ago since they recorded Band Aid's 'Do they know it's Christmas.' Midge never got the credit he deserved for what he helped to achieve in using music to change the world, Sir Bob had the louder voice. But seeing this reminded me of this great song by Midge's band Ultravox. This is basically classical music but using electronic instruments, the heart beat in the background is powerful. The intro sounds like compressed thunder, it makes you feel cold before you ever hear the lyrics telling us about frosted window pains. The piano talking over the top and the lovely little runs on the organ and drums make it all so dreamy. I bet over the years this song has meant a lot to loads of people, especially the band themselves as it was a huge smash record. Some songs like this one can be taken out of their time period, out of the so called genre and just admired f

I'm Sorry – Brenda Lee I'm sorry but this is a quality tune. It's like a daydream set to music, so soothing, Brenda's voice verses the violins is a match made in heaven. You believe every word, the spoken part sounds so sad, she was totally taken in and now she's sorry. As apologies go this one would take some beating. Being young is no excuse, but Brenda was 15 when she recorded this, you'd never believe it from the quality of her voice. Her vulnerability as a teenage girl comes across in the words and it's a fair representation of how two worlds, being young vs mature, collide as the backing is so sophisticated and grown up sounding. The lyrics aren't exactly Shakespeare but get their point across very well, there is a sense of upset and they express the pain of a break up and wrong doing. Song's like this with their big production and professional musicianship always seem to flow so well, I love the pure sound not bad for 1960. Brenda's Sweet

  Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn It’s 25 years since I was walking in Memphis . I was on a weeks long road trip with my parents, whistle stop to Nashville and then Memphis. I liked Country and Blues music back then but didn’t know their history's as I do now. Memphis was brilliant, even the drive there surrounded by the forests in their fall colours was mesmerizing. Being huge Elvis fans we did Sun Studios, I can still look around the recording room in my head. It was only while we there I found out it was also where Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis started. We then did the Graceland experience, Elvis’ iconic home, fascinating and moving. Then in the evening we hit Beale Street , home of the Blues. We ventured into BB Kings bar and I can still remember the smell. Let’s just say it was a very relaxed atmosphere, sitting on a high stool, drinking a Bud, listening to the house band was amazing. It felt like being in a movie. Marc Cohn sums this all up perfectly in thi

  Spirit In The Sky – Norman Greenbaum   This song seems to haunt me, it keeps popping up all over the place. My generation know it as a very random hit by ' Doctor and the Medics ' from 1986, but the original by Norman Greenbaum is now my preferred version. The sound is a bit dirtier and rockier, the guitar in there almost sounds like a police siren, it swirls round in the background. Really catchy tune, proper Rock drumming before it was ever a genre in it's self. The subject matter is obviously not to everyone's beliefs but that doesn't take away a positive theme and it's not preaching. This was out smack bang in the hippie era, plenty of long hair on this one. Apparently Norman had seen Porter Wagoner, the Country artist, singing a gospel song on TV and thought I could easily do one of those and had the words done in 15 minutes. The fact he was Jewish has nothing to do with it. I have this song on loads of compilations, but also associate it with a recent

  People Are Crazy – Billy Currington This song makes me smile every time I heat it. Love the simple story of it, I can fully imagine meeting that old guy at the bar, loving hearing his stories and getting his views on this mad world. This is a Country song in it's truest form, telling a tale of love and friendship. The lyrics are so clever and it reminds me of Kenny Rogers classic ' Lucille ' as it places the listener right there in the sounds and smells of the bar and what's going on around them. It's so descriptive it makes you want to know the outcome, pull up a stool and order a cold one. The backing is a true Country shuffle with what almost sounds like a nursery rhyme hook, it's not over complicated and helps you hear the story unfold. The nature of the song's sentiment also gives the song a purpose, because let's face it 'People are crazy.' The payoff being that the story teller gets rewarded for being kind to a stranger is also a good li

Dick-A-Dum-Dum – Des O`Connor It was announced that Des O'Connor has died aged 88. I'm from the generation that know him best for his TV presenting instead for his singing, I remember his chat show on ITV on a Wednesday night. It seemed to be on every week of my entire childhood, he always seemed to end up in fits of laughter which as a kid made him seem really silly and fun. I also recall his stint doing Take Your Pick, mostly because of the brain hurting, yes or no game. It should be so simple but your so conditioned to answer a question yes or no, you never really stood a chance. Des was famously taughted by comedy duo Morecambe and Wise for his singing ability, which most people agree was totally unfair, but proved what a good sport Des was for going along with the joke. Des had some big chart hits before becoming an entertainer. This song was a big one from my childhood, really simple melody and repetitive words so fun to sing along to the chorus. We had a Des O'Con

    Song For Guy – Elton John   I ended up on a Zoom call with Stuart Epps , a very well known music producer and studio engineer for some of the best known artists and bands. He was telling some great stories about of some of the big names and studios he'd worked with. It's a who's who of music royalty, it was amazing to get the chance to speak to him. He played a big part in Elton John 's career and that leads me to this song. Elton is another artist that a fully admire and I really love some of his songs but can't pretend he was one of my influences, guitars all the way for me. But as a song writing partnership Elton and Bernie are up there with the best of them. Which makes this song stand out as it's the only one Elton wrote alone. Usually he'd be crafting a melody around Bernie's supplied lyrics, but here he came up with an soulful instrumental. Stuart told the story how it was getting near the end of a long studio session when Elton mentioned aga

  Scream & Shout – will.i.am ft. Britney Spears We are at the semi final stage of The Voice UK , as usual will.i.am is one of the judges and watching it the other night reminded me how annoying he can be. But saying that he's obviously very musically knowledgeable and can craft and produce amazing pop songs. Then this tune hit my iPhone on my usual shuffle through iTunes, yes I know I'm old school but at least I'm not still on cassettes. I have quite a few NOW albums on there, this fell out of the Club Hits one. Which I suppose it would as it references going clubbing throughout. I was never really a Britney fan either, when she started out I was in the Christina Aguilera camp, but as always I've grown to like Ms. Spears back catalogue. She's had her own Toxic issues as all good pop stars tend to do when they have lived with fame from too young an age. There's something about the beat of this song and it's references which make me remember how much

It's Not Easy Being Green – Kermit ( Muppets )   I've some huge heroes in my life and Jim Henson is up near the top of my list. The concept of The Muppets , probably the craziest bunch of creatures you could dream up, their love and friendship is a great lesson to all young people everywhere. My favourite Muppet has to be Fozzie , but I adore this song sung by Kermit , as voiced by Jim himself. We all think we have it hard in life sometimes, this song sets out to tell us what it's like being green. I think it sums up insecurity and self analysis perfectly, having a puppet sing it makes it accessible to everyone and so non threatening. The words are so clever, referencing all the great and diverse things that are green makes you realise how important they are. I totally get the lyric about blending into the background and not feeling noticed. But Kermit ends up saying he's happy to be himself which is something I think we all hope for, being safe inside your own skin i

Somewhere In My Heart – Aztec Camera A great track, with some strange lyrics going on. Catchy opening, then the repetitive drum beat draws you in and keeps you going throughout. I think this is all most a Christmas sounding song, the sample of what could be jingle bells going down the scale puts that in my mind. The sax is pretty up front and you can't argue with the guitar solo in the middle, something that is definitely out of fashion at the moment. It's a bit different from other 80's pop hits as it's not to synth based.  I got to know this one from a compilation I had called ' The Best Celtic Anthems ... Ever! ", Aztec Camera being from Scotland fit into that perfectly, it was a great mixture of Irish and Scottish songs, and this one was in good company with the likes of The Pogues and Van Morrison . Funny name for a group, but it's easily remembered and out there enough to set the tone of the music, another one of those bands where it was basically on

Firework – Katy Perry It's Guy Fawkes day, or Fireworks night if you prefer. So it's probably time to feature this song, I really like this one, but never really paid much attention to it's meaning. Songwriting lecturers I've been following hold it up as a proper song, the chord progressions and clever lyrics are sited as very sophisticated. It has such a positive message in there, who wouldn't want to be a firework. Bet you've never heard the first line of the song properly before, ' Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, Drifting through the wind.' Not your average opener and from there comes more and more references to being suppressed. When I was advised to study the words, it was an eye opener just how meaningful they are. Real messages of despair and then hope, it's now time to explode and be yourself. The words bounce along with the melody following perfectly, it's full on and then drops away. So now I have looked into the song more I have

  Addicted To Bass – Puretone My name is Kevin and I'm addicted to bass. Not really sure this song is the most bassful tune around, but it's pretty cool. The funny sounding mixture of sounds and a simple title usually goes a fair way to making a catchy hit. It sounds like a mixture of a ticking clock and someone bashing a trash can. Apparently it was a big underground hit in 1998, but didn't trouble us in the UK until 2002. It's a strange lyric in that it's quite a long moan, it's seen as a weakness to be addicted to bass. But I can think of worse illnesses and quite like the idea of it shooting up my spine. But sadly ' Everybody's groovin' to their own song' if that's the case it just proves music is for everyone but we all have our own favourites. You think this is just a fun song but with other lyrics like ' The backbeat of humanity sweetens my tears', isn't really an usual line in a dance song. Songs like this get so many remi

A Fistful Of Dollars – Ennio Morricone It's about time I put a theme tune on here. Following on from the Dollar mentioned in my last post, how's this for a theme tune. If this song doesn't set the tone of the movie, I'm not sure what would. I love a good Western, and I've been lucky enough to have visited Cowboy country a number of times. We always take the Western theme tunes with us, they really set the scene for the showdown. With this one the lonesome whistler starting it all off, later the full orchestra kicking in to add all the texture and mood, one man against the world, you know it ain't going to be pretty. The simple guitar riff builds into a string of sound effects until we feel we're stood next to that church with the ringing bell. Then you can hear what sounds like a posy of horses heading towards us. The chanting and the strings keep adding tension and we then feel like we are riding that pony across the West alone and ready for anything. A sto

I Need A Dollar – Aloe Blacc This one popped up on one of those free CDs you used to get with the Sunday newspapers. Back when CDs were musical currency before streaming had taken over. I was captured by it's sound and I could certainly relate to the story inside. It's such a simple song but with a powerful message. The simple words, piano and brass backing are matched by a great vocal performance, all resulting in a very pleasing easy to digest sound. But the problem with simple songs is that they fast become ear worms, little phases of which get stuck in your brain and go round and round. In other words proper hooks, these make songs like this so catchy and remember able. Add in the 'hey hey's' and it's in there for keeps. The lyrics tell a tale of working hard and getting no credit for your efforts, the world not being a fair place and all you have to show for it is to be able to warn the next person in line. They could share their wealth and even things out

Wake Me Up – Avicii   Always liked this song, but after watching a documentary on Avicii last night I have a new understanding of it. As a teenager Tim Bergling (Avicii) loved to create music on his laptop and like all musicians wanted people to hear it, but as often happens with young talented creative people no one told him about the trappings of fame. With the stereotypical pushy manager and a larger and larger group of hanger ons, what started out as a dream began to take a toll on his mental and physical state. A performer who loved being up on stage in front of an entire stadium of people jumping to his every beat was tortured by the pressure of touring and the fear of letting people down. The stress of it all leading to multiple health problems. It's a sad tale and reading through the lyrics of this song, which featured on his debut album, it now reads like a warning to himself. Wake me up when its over, expecting his life to become clearer and easier as he got older, in o

  Stand By Me (2020) – Whispering Bob's All-Stars I was lucky enough to be on a Zoom call with the legend DJ Bob Harris as part of Country Music Week . I even got to ask him a question, I asked about how songwriters should go about getting there songs in front of established artists in the modern age. Social media being the main way to get noticed now. He told some great stories, my favourite being about Rosanne Cash , Johnny Cash her father put together a list of 100 Country songs she needed to learn just so he knew she had a real understanding of its roots and philosophy .  Bob has put together a version of this song to both celebrate 50 years in the business and to raise money to help COVID hit musicians. It's a real mixture of artists and is a good guessing game who's singing and playing which parts. Bob gets in on the act playing the triangle. Great to see Duane Eddy makes an appearance. I love this song, the Ben E King version is one of the most iconic songs ever

If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow It's totally true, especially at the moment, if it makes you happy, just go with it. But do possessions and the like really matter, or do you still end up feeling like somethings missing. Sheryl Crow was another artist that grew on me over time, I didn't take much notice of her as each of her hits pilled up. Then I bought her Greatest Hits album and realised just how many of them I actually loved. Then it sort of dawned on me she's basically classed as Country now, so it all fits. Whenever you see Country royalty doing their benefit gigs you usually see Sheryl on there as a guest. Her voice is so strong and her song choices always seem to be about feelings. Also love ' All I Wanna Do ' is have some fun, can't argue with that either. Then there's ' Leaving Las Vegas' which is something I've had the privilege of doing a few times so brings back great memories. This song is basically a strange list of things an

Need You Now – Lady A This is one of those songs that I've been aware of since it's release in 2009, but it's grown on me a lot since then, to the point it's becoming one of my favourite songs. It's so well put together, great hooks and melody, then Lady A 's voices blend so well together. As part of Country Music week Radio 2 in the UK had them in session and this is a live version of the song, I think you can call this effortless. Just sitting there at the mic's and belting this out with so much emotion and power. I particularity like the simple piano riff, those few notes remind me of the rain and set the entire mood. The lyrics tell a story of making a drunk phone call to an ex, you get to that point that their going round and round in your head and you just need to speak to them. It's a simple thought but these lyrics put the hurt and remorse across so well. To get that amount of feeling into a song is really hard and the sparse backing adds to that

    Gimme Some Lovin – Spencer Davis Group   Hey! Spencer Davis died yesterday aged 81. He was the founder of this great group, named after him apparently because the rest of the band were to scared to do interviews. They had some big hits in the sixties, real power driven rock and roll, plenty of zip and upbeat tunes. More in the style of rhythm and blues riffs, dirty sounding guitars with heavy drums. They put this song together in just half an hour in the studio as they were under pressure to come up with their next hit. Love this song, another one on my 60s compilations. The organ work on this raises it above the normal guitar based guitar bands, it sounds out there and like a freight train is rushing towards you. Either get out its way or jump aboard and enjoy the ride. I'm so glad they made it. The other great use of this song was in the ' Blues Brothers ' movie, love that film and their version of this song with their big band really cooks. It's a crazy story o

  Get Here – Oleta Adams I've been lucky enough to be on some huge holidays over the years, I've been round the world twice. Love going to new places and having my photo taken at the biggest landmarks. There have been times I've been on me own, no one who knew who I was for hundreds of miles. You realise after a while this planet is one amazing ride and you should see and experience as much of it as possible. That's one of the cruelest tricks this Virus is playing on us at the moment. But wherever I've been I seem to taken this song with me, I can remember it spinning round on my Walkman, blank cassettes were a god send for taking huge chucks of your record collection with you. I can also picture being in the back of a hire car cruising down an American highway watching a freight train riding along beside us with this song telling me to 'Get Here' playing out of an early version of the ipod. You often hear it on Airplane radio playlists, its to perfect for a

    With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker This is another one I had on most of my 60s compilations . Think the production and emotion created into this is pure class. Especially compared to Ringo Starr 's version released by the Beatles . You believe Joe Cocker had a little help from his mates, the roar in this vocal is a master at work, is he out of tune? Who cares! What sounded like a nursery rhyme before now sounds like a huge cry for help. The subject matter is so true, we all need propping up once in a while, hard times are upon us and we need to look after each other. The other thing about this song was it was used as the title music for a TV program called ‘ The Wonder Years .’ Channel 4 in the UK showed it when I was a teenager. It was set in the 60s in small town America and the narrator was the main characters older self looking back on his younger days. Kevin Arnold had a best mate called Paul, my name being Kevin and my best friend being a Paul was enough rea

Stranger On The Shore – Acker Bilk   This reminds me of our family home movies. My Dad had a cine camera when I was a kid, when he used to play the films back to us on his projector screen there was no audio so we used to listen to songs like this as our accompanying soundtrack. My Grandad did similar with his slide shows, so when I hear this song it conjures up memories of birthday parties, family holidays and special occasions. Lots of my very young child hood recollections are based on those films, we never watched them in order so my whole child hood was one long mixture of various amounts of candles on cakes, different sized bikes and go-karts. It was always a special treat to watch these films, it was a big under taking to set up the projector and the big screen, we used to sit in the dark with the clacking of the camera as it transferred the film from one reel to the other and usually for fun back again in reverse. Reliving all those fun times. This song is so soothing, the vibe

The Love I Lost – West End feat. Sybil   I love finding out more about songs I love and remember. Back in 1993 in my night clubbing days, this song was a huge favouite, it was slightly different to other dance songs of that time which were even more beat heavy. This song has proper lyrics, a proper tune and is a stand out track which used to fill dance floors, it's had so many remixes I don't even know which is the official original version. It's one of those songs I hear and can suddenly cast my mind back to those days, visions of dancing with my mates and the bright lights spinning round our heads, speakers cranking out this at top volume. You could see everyone belting this one out as it's so singable and the subject matter is so universal, we all have a love that didn't make it. Sybil was one of those artists that fitted perfectly into a certain genre, releasing hits basically based on each other, everyone of them perfect pop tunes and instantly recognizable. A

  Imagine – John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band   This song to me is like a modern day hymn. I'm a big Beatles fan, all be it more their earlier pop stuff, than the later 'cool' stuff. I have huge respect for John Lennon as a songwriter and an activist. Anyone that has a song called ' Working Class Hero ' remembers where he came from and still speaks for the common man. John Lennon is in the news this week as he should have been celebrating his 80th birthday, the world was robbed of one of it's biggest voices in a music as well as global sense back in 1980. The video of this song, with that white piano is one of the icons of British music. The words and sentiment of this poem set to music are both haunting and almost a warning. The world may have changed a lot since it was written but sadly the messages in there are more relevant than ever. You have to be sure where you stand on things to be able to put into words what you think the world needs to hear and

I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash Johnny Nash passed this week, he's best known for this song. It's an absolute classic, so soothing and makes you feel relaxed. The lyric sums up just how we all feel when we finally release we have managed to get through the worst of it and things are finally making a bit more sense. I'm a sucker for feel good songs, this song is almost a message on mental health, which is something we can all understand in these strange times. Lets just hope we all get to feel this way soon. For my generation I can't help hearing this and associate it with a famous advert from the 1980s for Nescafé. They used a cover version of this song to overplay a lady parking her iconic VW Beetle at a top of a cliff, she then fumbles around for a jar of coffee. She plugs in her drink warmer into the cigarette lighter and then stands beside her car watching the sunrise. The whole thing together somehow struck a huge chord with me, I love a good sunset/sunrise b

Jump – Van Halen Another sad post, as Eddie Van Halen died this week, he was only 65. To be honest I only really know him and the band Van Halen through this song. It's another one of those that I had on every Rock complication album I've ever owned, along with Jumping along with it more Saturday nights than I would care to remember. The chorus of this is so catchy, get a crowd together and just launch yourselves in the air. If it's meant to be a dance you can't get any easier moves than this, I've seen many a punter a bit worse for wear take the leap and then regret it afterwards, but that's the fun. The synths on this are so 80s, but guitar licks are timeless, Eddie certainly could make his Axe cry. I've read many tributes to him and all site him as a guitar god. When your mentioned in the same breath as Hendrix you must have got something right. When you see videos of him playing with his fingers just a blur you know that's a man in charge of his

Stagger Lee – Lloyd Price   I only know this song from a mix album I had of rock n roll songs. Back in the 80s they released a series on double vinyl albums that a DJ had mixed together, you only ever heard the first two thirds of each song. The song selection was more of the less well known songs from the 50s and 60s with some odd intersections between them. I found a lot of great songs listening to them.  This song always struck me as so joyous, but the fun backing covers up a very dark song matter. The way the song bounces along it sounds like it should be a fun song but when you read the lyric you find out it's a about a two gamblers that fall out. One then gets his revenge as he shoots down poor Billy. Then it turns out it's based on real life people it becomes even an odder thing to pen a song about, but old time tunes were often ways of telling stories before radio and TV came along. Then they became hit songs being covered many years later by the pop stars of the day by

In The Ghetto – Candi Staton This song is epic. Sadly it's writer Mac Davis died this week, so I thought it fitting to feature it, it's best known as a huge hit for Elvis . He also penned other Elvis hits such as ' Don't Cry Daddy ' and ' A Little Less Conversation .' Here's Candi Staton 's version of In The Ghetto, I was watching a documentary about Soul music and they told the story of how she ended up recording this. Her husband of the time, Clarence Carter, was recording his own album and was thinking of covering this song. At some point they decided to try a women's voice on the track and Candi smashed this in one take. When you hear it with a women's voice, it sounds like that poor boys Momma crying for her son. I think it adds another layer to an already emotional song. To sit down and write a social comment like this takes guts, opening the world's eyes to it's problems is never going to make you friends. But music is a bril

  It's Raining – Shakin' Stevens   I was a big Shaky fan throughout the 80s, never really realising most of his songs I liked were cover versions of old rock n roll hits and older classics. Some of the reworking his team did on straight laced old standards like ' This Ole House ' and ' Green Door ' were quite out there when heard next to their originals. Shaky was obviously an Elvis clone, but again I didn't know that as a kid. I just liked his songs and even tried to copy some of his dance moves. He did play a young Elvis in a West End show of Elvis' life so I guess there was the blueprint, I've grown into a huge Elvis fan since then. I wasn't into the modern bands of that time, all be it I've grown to love many an 80s tune, looking back now there was some amazing music in the charts then. I guess I missed out on them first time round, but as with each generation the sound track of their youth brings back all those precious memories. The

    Humble And Kind – Tim McGraw The lyrics to this one are pretty special. Think it's a message more of us could follow. Love songs like this, simple, straight forward, no huge production or gimmicks. Just real words, well sung and understated. I bet the writer sat down and said let's just write a song about how we would want other people to treat us and everyone else. The power of music, how it can sum up how you feel and what life should really be about in three minutes. Country music has a knack of pulling on the heart strings, it's one of the things that winds up non fans, saying it's all to self worthy. But to me it's getting a point across that the world we live in isn't always an easy place to be, but that doesn't mean you can't face your fears and make something of the hard knocks. I love all kinds of music but when a song can change the way you feel in a moment, that's class. Favourite lyric : Don't take for granted the love this life g

  You've Lost That Loving Feeling – Righteous Brothers   There used to be a nightclub in a town about half hours drive from where I lived, we used to go there quite often as a crowd. This was around the time of the music that's now called 'Old Skool' but then it was just dance music to us. We had to dress up in those days to just get in the door, past the bouncers, park your coat in the cloakroom and hit the bar. There was always a need for a few pints before even thinking about putting a toe near the dance floor. The club had a great light system and they would show it off by doing a launch theme and all the lights going off in stages building up the excitement of the evening. Then when enough beer had been consumed to pluck up the courage a few braver souls would attempt to dance to the sounds of the day, trying not to embarrass themselves and not crash into the people next to them. It was then like tag wrestling as some of the crowd would replace the early starters

Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera If you've read a few of my past posts you may have picked up on my love of all things Rolling Stones . So it's no wonder that this song pricked my ears up, all about one of my main men and his distinctive dance moves. This was such a big song in 2011, I've been known to try and do the odd Mick impression at various birthday parties, so when this song drops it's hard to resist. I'm also a big fan of Christina Aguilera , her voice is one of the most strong and powerful of recent times. Maroon 5 suprised me with this one, I thought they were quite a laid back band, really like their song ' She Will Be Loved ' for example. But why not mix up your sound, plenty of remixes doesn't seem to hurt. This song is very critically acclaimed for it's arrangement and their performances. There's not a lot to say about the lyrics on this one, apart from it pays respect to one of rock musics best front men. I

    All Along The Watchtower – The Jimi Hendrix Experience So weirdly I never came across Jimi Hendrix to much later in life. I remember the other lads at school referencing him as part if their dads record collections as a big part of their 60s music, but my parents never had any of his stuff so I was none the wiser. As with lots of my influences I cottoned on to him at some point, like other previous posts I first heard this song on the soundtrack album of the film Stardust that I had on LP. That was enough to lead me to find out more. Apparently this is a Bob Dylan folk song that Jimi revved up. Think this is a very cool sound and I adore the riff, not really sure what the song is all about. I’ve since explored Jimi's greatest hits and really like other tracks like Hey Joe and Voodoo Child . But when you see footage of him over playing at the famous festivals and setting his guitar alight it sort of ruins his genius for me. No need for gimmicks when you’ve got r

Walk The Dinosaur – Was Not Was Open the door, get on the floor. What a fun song this is. Was Not Was is a great name for a band, sort of silly thing you never forget. We had this one on vinyl, proper old 45 single. I can still remember it blaring out in our front room, our young neighbours from over the road walking their dinosaurs up and down the lounge carpet. It’s such a catchy song, great tempo and plenty of clever hooks and silly rhythms. Boom Boom. All the chanting is a sure way to drive the listener mad, but I remember all of it so it proves it works. Even in 1987 it wasn’t your usual offering, wonder where the concept ever came from. But that could be said about loads of these silly song’s that inspire dance moves. My other memory of this song is that they played it at a Florida theme park when introducing their caveman show. All the presenters were dancing around in Flintstones type outfits and whooping the crowd up in the baking heat, all part of another brillia

Summer Of '69 – Bryan Adams One of my favourite songs, I've seen Bryan Adams a number of times and in a number of sized venues. He did an acoustic show at my local theatre a few years a go, it was amazing to hear some of his big rock hits like this one stripped back to an acoustic guitar and a piano. It's also a great memory to recall him rocking a massive crowd at Wembley Arena or the O2. Either way he's a real entertainer and a pretty solid songwriter. I've a couple of weird links to the Summer of '69, but that has nothing really to do with my love for this song. It's more about digging guitar driven songs, made up of a few chords, fantastic riffs and husky vocals, what's not to like. Not many of my Saturday nights, when I was going out regularly, didn't have me air guitaring to this song. I see this type of song in a direct line from earlier artists such as Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry . Great simple lyric which conjures up what it was like growi

  End Of The Line – The Traveling Wilburys As super groups go, The Traveling Wilburys must be pretty hard to beat. With a Beatle, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison in their midst I think they had rock royalty covered. The others were only Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne , George Harrison did a good job of getting his mates together to start up a band. Big fan of this lot as individual artists and together they were different class, this amount of songwriting expertise should produce the goods. This song all about looking towards the end of your future it's an interesting concept for the ageing rock stars. To that end poor Roy Orbinson didn't even live long enough to get in the video. I think it proves his iconic status when just your guitar in a rocking chair is enough to establish your presence.  Their voices all blend so well together and it's not hard to pick them out for each line of the lyric. Both the albums they released are so under rated, these are quality tunes. I think pro

  Back Home Again – John Denver   Got introduced to this one by my dad, he used to play this song with his mates in a band made up from workers on a building site. I can remember him playing it when I was a teenager and a few years later, when I picked up a guitar, he taught me how to play it. We even sang it together under an star spangled Arizona sky one night, sat next to a roaring camp fire on a real cowboy ranch. We did a sort of City Slickers night stay in a tent and we had a real character for a guide, Cowboy Dave played every cowboy song you could think of. Then he passed his guitar round the small crowd and we all had a go, what a great sing along. I've grown to love John Denver , he's a proper songwriter. He writes in such a way you can picture everything he's singing about, real paint a picture with words stuff. Some of the subtle references in this song are so clever, in this one you get the yearning from the singer how much he wants to be back home. Most of hi