Heart by Pet Shop Boys Album: Actually
We start from the heart. The Boys are great for coming up with those memorable choruses, and this is one. Also the lyric: ‘If I didn’t love you, I would look around for someone else.’ Oddly reassuring. Is this the one they wrote for Madonna, but they were too intimidated to ask her? I’m tempted to ask what is up with that, but then I guess I’d be intimidated too. And I can’t even write number one hits, like this was.
Where the Bee Sucks by Collegium Musicum Choir; Margaret Pride, conductor Album: Shakespeare, Candlelight, and Song
Sometimes I get these songs from shows I was in. Here’s one. I don’t actually sing on this one. It’s a lovely young singer named Shubhadra Young. She didn’t like the way she sounded; thought the last word of the title was the operative one, if I remember. But she’s very hard on herself; she’s a really good soprano, and we should see great things from her. It’s a beautiful piece as well.
Hold On by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Album: Crush
A walk on the beach with OMD. I used to like this song, but now it seems a bit insubstantial, even for OMD. Good album though, from that brief part of their trajectory between up-and-coming and not-very-interesting. I actually saw them live in ’85 for the promotion of Crush. They opened for the Thompson Twins; another New Wave act that I really enjoyed but that didn’t age very well.
C’est la Vie, C’est la Guerre by Stephen Duffy Album: Natalie (Single)
I can’t say enough good things about Stephen Duffy. He’s made some really beautiful music in all of his various incarnations. The song Natalie reminds you why you listen to music. This song’s a full-bodied acoustic strummer, with pipes. ‘We make the same mistakes, and share the same despair.’
Shakes by Tones on Tail Album: Everything!
Oh, look, it’s my least favourite Tones on Tail song. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: they couldn’t think of a name for the band, and when they recorded their first album, the sound technician put the recording tones on the end of the tape, with a note: Tones on Tail. Et voila. ToT was a offshoot of the very talented Bauhaus team, though this song’s a bit too Bauhaus and not enough Tones. Perhaps they’ll come up again.
9 October 2006 at 11:31 pm
Rummaging through the records at that massive book sale, I found an ancient record of Margaret Pride conducting some private school choir (possibly MLC) that I almost bought just for laughs. Great picture of her on the back looking soulfully up to the heavens.
10 October 2006 at 11:00 pm
Rather than rabbit on about having seen some band somewhere I’ve posted a couple of pix of myself in my gig-going days on my blog as a little hommage to your constant reminders of my youth.
11 October 2006 at 1:41 am
I was expecting you to say “I saw Tones on Tail and Pet Shop Boys on a double bill in Brixton in 1983.”
And Margaret Pride was conducting.
Ash — you should totally have bought that! It would have been funny to pass around at rehearsals. It’ll probably be at the next book sale though.
11 October 2006 at 7:09 am
Yeah, it wasn’t exactly being wrestled over at the book sale. No doubt it’ll be back out again next year, just get in early or you might miss it!
16 October 2006 at 8:51 pm
Remarkably I do have vestiges of self-awareness at times.
17 October 2006 at 6:25 am
I like your concert reminiscences! I mean, I burn with envy, but I like hearing about what happened at shows that I couldn’t be at. So please — anecdote away!