Friday, 27 August 2010

Mississippi

I've been attempting to come up with a song - or two or three - to illustrate the notion of there being plenty of songs on UK radio about America, and (relatively) few concerning England.
As ever, push comes to shove & memory fails - but my upstairs jukebox did belt out something suitable - which proves that the Dutch were well versed on, (or at least benefited from), England's fascination with the USA.

Call it cheesy, call it bubblegum… you may say they were no better than Baccara, or even the Brotherhood of Man (nothing wrong with Baccara in my book, mind you). But chances are you remember it, right from the opening pedal steel guitar (which Carpenters song is that? - Sssh...).



Wednesday, 25 August 2010

London!


Now this is more the kind of thing - it's about experiences in a city, how it feels to be there.
Still not quite the feel of too many to count American city songs, it's true - and perhaps I should find an English artist. Good enough though, Alexander - especially on a grey & rainy summer day in Portsmouth.

Frida Hyvönen - London!
Silence Is Wild (2008 - Licking Fingers)
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I ran into this whilst looking around - I could sniff about how I prefer the original, and it seems a bit metronomic; but hey, it's nice - cheer up eh.

Frida Hyvönen - Jesus Was a Cross Maker
Crayon Angel: A Tribute To The Music of Judee Sill (2009 - American Dust)
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Sunday, 22 August 2010

Oh! England



Oh goodness ! - a new post here? - surely not, Ha

I've been driving back n forth to my Dad's a bit lately, and after growing tired of most of an Eminem cd, (and too lazy to stop & replace it) - the radio's been on… Coast since you ask.

Two things strike me about the station

1: In between songs, they play a spoken message, boasting about how they don't interrupt the songs by talking.

2: They float on a whole raft of songs about American states & cities - maybe every MOR'ish station here does.


The latter got me thinking of how few tunes I knew of featuring English counties, towns & cities (or rivers eh), which doesn't mean there aren't many, but it certainly feels that way.


This first track actually isn't at all the sort of thing I'm looking for - but it did come to mind, and is rarely heard, so what the hell

Lonely Girl in London - Dory Previn
The Leprechauns Are Upon Me (1958 - Verve Records)

If the piano sounds more than useful - that's André Previn tinkling the ivories - back before he married Dory. Ok, so she wasn't Previn then, but Dory Langdon (born Dorothy Veronica Langan).




 
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