Artist Top Ten Enya

[Willie Oleson]

I have heard a few of their songs but I don't know who they are

Apparently, nobody here on tellytalk does.
Therefore I'm going to make an exception and post all the videos of their best songs, just in case somebody stumbles upon this thread.
My ranking, however, shouldn't be taken too seriously since it's all fresh and exciting to me.

The Top Ten of Saint Etienne's folksy "cousins" from the North starts with:

1. I Want The World To Stop

Because it's one of their most radio (Brit)pop-friendly songs.

2. For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea

Because it sounds like an accidental chart hit derived from a tea commercial.

3. I Fought In A War

For all the Lee Hazlewood-esque drama.

 

[Willie Oleson]

4. Enter Sylvia Plath

Because it was such a confusing experience I simply assumed the uploader had accidentally added the Belle & Sebastian picture to the upload of an Italo NRG track.

5. Blue Eyes Of A Millionaire

I have to admit that I don't always understand the meaning of the lyrics - which doesn't say anything of the quality of said lyrics - but overall BEOAM sounds very very lovely and it also shows what great musicians they are.

6. Nobody's Empire

This was so peculiar it couldn't be a song just for the heck of it, and as it turns out it's about lead singer Stuart Murdoch's personal experience with ME.
Ideally, this song shouldn't even exist, but a youtube comment aptly described it as "spinning straw into gold".

 

[Willie Oleson]

7. Step Into My Office, Baby

If Paul McCartney had been a member of the Beach Boys.

8. Dear Catastrophe Waitress

The one I'd pick if I were in the mood for a cheeky indie pop song.

9. Dirty Dream Number Two

Initially this was going to be my #1 so I'm not sure why it ended up so far down the list. Oh well.

 

[Willie Oleson]

10. I Love My Car

I love it that he loves his car.

If this was an official Best Of compilation then 10 songs wouldn't be enough, therefore....

(bonus track) 11. Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It

It almost sounds like Simon & Garfunkel's interpretation of Charlene's I've Never Been To Me

(bonus track) 12. A Space Boy Dream

Because it actually has the quality of a great bonus or B-side track.


Up Next! is going to be an Irish battle: JOE DOLAN vs. RED HURLEY

vs.

 

[Willie Oleson]

1. Sister Mary - JOE DOLAN
Looking at my list of top 10 choices I think this is the song that needed to exist, simply because it is the Sister Mary song.
Incidentally, Red Hurley covered the song for his second album "With Love".
If I had to describe the quintessential Joe Dolan sound (as per his biggest hits) it would be something like "the Irish answer to Demis Roussos" but in the Spanish serenade genre. Sometimes it gets so over-the-top that it almost sounds like Arabic religious chanting and I certainly wouldn't use those songs as background music for a fondue dinner with the boss and his wife while discussing new episodes of Kojak or Who Pays The Ferryman and then later -after a few more drinks - the latest Sylvia Kristel movie or even Caligula (something that you'll regret the morning after).
Personally, I'd recommend this album

The music is kinda Joe Dolan-lite and the album cover is playful enough to generate a light-hearted quasi-discussion between the male and female attendees.

2. Tennessee Special - RED HURLEY
Not quite as iconic as Tony Christie's Amarillo, but in the Europe-Does-American-Romanticism-genre (from Spaghetti Western scenarios to heroes returning from the Civil War) this Red Hurley hit stands out for being relatively up-tempo and delightfully catchy, with a whiff of disco undertones. It was his only single released in the Netherlands and unfortunately it didn't chart.

Speaking of disco...
3. Baby - RED HURLEY
Joe Dolan did a song about disco (usually not the best ones) but Red unmistakably channelled Barry White with this Baby song.

4. Make Me An Island - JOE DOLAN
A song from the Hammond-Hazlewood hitmachine that became an international success (#10 in the Top 40, topped by Lady In Blue at #5)

5. When - RED HURLEY
This top 10 wouldn't be complete without Red's magnificent Eurovision crooner.

To see how Eurovision only used to be about the songs instead of the bells and whistles makes me kinda misty-eyed. Also note the pretty-coiffeured ladies of the "aaaaaah" background choir. I like it that they feature more prominently rather than being in the actual background. One of those typical seventies things, I guess.

6. Turn Out The Light - JOE DOLAN

This is a very different Dolan sound and I really like it, but personally I think it should have been a Cliff Richard song.
Cliff disagrees

7. I Need You - JOE DOLAN
At first I thought it reminded me of Blue Bayou but maybe it's more like the euro smash-hit by SHAKE You Know I Love You (Tu Sais Je T'Aime).
Either way, it's one of the better filler songs; pleasant, but not terribly memorable.

8. Rosetta On The Phone - RED HURLEY
A stalker-ish spin on I Did What I Did For Maria.

9. Sentimental And Blue - JOE DOLAN

10. You're Such A Good Looking Woman - JOE DOLAN



The plan was to continue with Siouxsie and the Banshees but another artist popped in my youtube suggestions and I think it's a great idea to explore her discography.
Up next! SADE

 

[Banana Hammock]

1 No Ordinary Love
2 Paradise
3 By Your Side
4 The Sweetest Taboo
5 Why Can’t We Live Together
6 Your Love Is King
7 Smooth Operator
8 Love Is Stronger Than Pride
9 Hang On To Your Love
10 Kiss of Life

 

[Angela Channing]

1. Hang on to Your Love
2. Your Love Is King
3. Love Is Stronger Than Pride
4. By Your Side
5. Smooth Operator
6. No Ordinary Love
7. The Sweetest Taboo
8. Never As Good As the First Time
9. Is It a Crime?
10. Immigrant

 

[Willie Oleson]

1. When Am I Going To Make A Living
2. Hang On To Your Love
3. Smooth Operator
4. Cherry Pie
5. Immigrant
6. By Your Side
7. Cherish The Day
8. The Sweetest Taboo

Awesome!

Up next! LULU

 

[Angela Channing]

1. To Sir With Love
2. The Man Who Sold The World
3. The Boat That I Row
4. Boom Bang-a-Bang
5. Re-light My Fire (with Take That)
6. Hurt Me So Bad
7. Where The Poor Boys Dance
8. Shout
9. Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)
10. I'm Back For More (with Bobby Womack)

 

[James from London]

1. The Man Who Sold the World

2. The B-side of The Man Who Sold the World, aka Watch That Man

3. Day Tripper

4. The Boat That I Row
5. The Man With the Golden Gun
6. Love Loves to Love
7. To Sir With Love
8. Saved
9. Take Your Mama for a Ride Pts I&II
10. Independence

 

[Banana Hammock]

1 Hurt Me So Bad
2 Are You Ready For Love
3 Bet Yer!
4 I Can't Go On Living Without Your Love
5 Come September
6 Boom Bang a Bang
7 March!
8 Where The Poor Boys Dance
9 Independence
10 To Sir With Love

 

[Willie Oleson]

1. This Time (Bistro)

2. I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)

3. Where's Eddie

4. Phunk Foolin
https://youtu.be/m1ckltLYLGA
5. Hurt Me So Bad
6. The Man Who Sold The World
7. To Sir With Love
8. Heaven And Earth And The Stars
9. Without Him
10. I Love To Boogie


Wonderful!

Next Up! JONAS BROTHERS

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Lulu's name cropped up in an episode of Porridge I watched a couple of nights ago, as a green new prisoner asked his cellmate if they'd have turkey for Christmas dinner:

Well, they call it turkey, don't they? But not 'aving seen it carved we don't know, do we? I mean, if it is then the one we 'ad on our block last year must o' been a very funny shape. Twenty eight legs and no breasts. Like Lulu and The Young Generation.

It made me smile as I'd watched this video just a few weeks ago (ironically, it's from earlier show hosted by Ronnie Barker, the actor playing Fletch):

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Willie Oleson]

I've listenend to (approx) 50 songs and I just don"t know what to make of it. It's a peculiar mix of Hanson, Ricky Martin and the Bay City Rollers and then the production sounds more rock than pop. I had hoped to find their "Mmm-bop" but it wasn't there or maybe I picked the wrong playlist.

Next Up! THE NEW SEEKERS

 

[Willie Oleson]

I think their best music is from the 1970 -1973 period, after that the New Seekers had to compete with artists who did it better. As with many artists who were very good at a particular time it sounds too much like "keeping up with" (imo).

1. Not As Good As The Real Thing
10 points for the song + 1 bonus point for the humbleness, and that means I'm obliged to do a top 11 12.

2. I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)
I usually find signature songs tricky to rank, therefore I've tried to pretend that I hadn't heard it before.

3. Sing Hallelujah
Their most euro-pop song I could find.

4. One
I suspected this to be a Beatles or McCartney cover because of the "Eleanor Rigby" vibes, but the original is by Nilsson.

5. Illinois
I suspected this to be a Nilsson cover because of the "Everybody's Talking" vibes, but the original is by not-that-Nirvana (I'm gonna check out what else they've done).

6. All Right My Love

7. Zarzis
Gorgeous and outer spacey.

8. Beg, Steal Or Borrow

9. For You We Sing
Perhaps all these sing-song songs are the not the most highbrow New Seekers tunes, but you can hear that something organically harmonic is happening.

10. Pinball Wizard / See Me Feel Me
Deserves credit for the combination of the two best songs from the movie. I didn't think it would work for the New Seekers but it does.

11. Song For You And Me
Yes another great sing-song.

12. Sweet Louise
I think this should have been a bit more rock-ier, The Babys or The Bay City Rollers should have covered it.

Not #13. Rhythm Of Life
It made me discover the original by Sammy Davis Jr. and I like that one.



FONDUE APPROVED by the Top Ten Club Members.

 

[James from London]

I tried to do a New Seekers Top 10 but I'm just too close to them to see clearly. so I'll just comment on yours instead.

Not As Good As The Real Thing
10 points for the song + 1 bonus point for the humbleness, and that means I'm obliged to do a top 11 12.

I only discovered 'Not as Good as the Real Thing' when it was released as part of the box set a couple of years ago. It's really pre-New Seekers, when they were Keith Potger & the New Seekers. It's lovely and, weirdly, has absolutely nothing to do with Coca-Cola.

Sing Hallelujah
Their most euro-pop song I could find.

A great cabaret belter sung by Lyn Paul, the husky-voice blonde, on the group's Farewell album, before they got back together obviously -- but without Lyn this time. She shoulda-coulda had a half-decent solo career, but that pop cabaret thing was really out of fashion by the mid-70s. I've always loved her solo LP though.

Illinois
I suspected this to be a Nilsson cover because of the "Everybody's Talking" vibes, but the original is by not-that-Nirvana (I'm gonna check out what else they've done).

Another early obscurity I don't know very well. I'd never guess it was them if I didn't already know.

All Right My Love

A dramatic B-side sung by dark-haired Eve, which is about as far as you can get from the sunshine and lollipops of Lyn's 'Sing Hallelujah'.

Pinball Wizard / See Me Feel Me
Deserves credit for the combination of the two best songs from the movie. I didn't think it would work for the New Seekers but it does.

Totally groovetastic, with the best pre-video video this (or that) side of Abba

Sweet Louise
I think this should have been a bit more rock-ier, The Babys or The Bay City Rollers should have covered it.

I'm a sucker for the kind of NS ballad that comes with an overwrought male vocal. I think this one's by Peter Doyle, the Australian member with the earnest beardy singer-songwriter look. He was Lyn Paul's boyfriend before he left the group early and, in my head canon, the love of her life. She always mentions him and gives him credit for the group's success in interviews. My Top 10 would have included him singing this one:

And this one featuring Marty Kristian, the group heartthrob:

And I've have to have their swoony mashup of the original Seekers Georgy Girl and the Beatles' Ticket to Ride:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXoUH8dC-CI

And every song on their Circles album (which came in an actual circular sleeve!) and their Now album and ... and ... okay, I'll stop there.

 

[Willie Oleson]

and, weirdly, has absolutely nothing to do with Coca-Cola.

Pepsi?

Well that sounds a lot more interesting than the NS music from mid-seventies onwards.

My Top 10 would have included him singing this one:

Great! Somehow I missed it (from the 130 songs I have listened to - not to pat myself on the back or anything).
Incidentally, I didn't find the song that turned out to be a cover of the New Seekers, maybe it was The Seekers...or Peter, Paul & Mary!



Next UP! NILSSON

 

[James from London]

Pepsi?

D'oh!

Somehow I missed it (from the 130 songs I have listened to - not to pat myself on the back or anything).

That is impressive.

Peter, Paul & Mary!

Or even Peter, Paul & Marty, another New Seekers' offshoot.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Or even Peter, Paul & Marty, another New Seekers' offshoot.