Following on from Sunday's post on The Like, here are a few bands/singers that they appear to have been listening to when recording their second album.
Following a chance encounter with the wife of Dave Robinson, who was at the time head of Stiff Records, comedian Tracey Ullman found herself recording her own unique covers of tracks by the likes of Madness, Doris Day and Blondie and Kirsty MacColl and managing to get four Top 40 hits and a Top 20 album in little over a year. What I love the most about her debut album is the obvious love she has for all the tracks she covers. At the time some people thought this was some kind of joke, but one thing's for sure, she could sing. She knew her limitations and worked within them but her debut album is a great pop record that shows Dave Robinson made the right decision.
Voice Of The Beehive burst on to the scene in the mid 80's with their much underrated debut album, Let It Bee. I listened to the album tonight for the first time in years and it still sounds great. Intelligent, melodic pop music at its very best. Jangly guitars, classy harmonies and tunes that the whole family can sing along to, what more can you ask for ? If you are fever feeling down put this on and it will lift your mood almost instantly. Taking their name from a Bette Davis movie, and featuring two members of Madness, they deserved to be far more successful than they ever were.
Kirsty MacColl was such a talented songwriter and interpreter of other people's songs, who could rival any of her contemporaries. Blessed with one of the most distinctive voices in music, she wrote some of the most melodic, intelligent pop songs of her generation and could easily have been a success anywhere in the world, but you always got the impression that she was perfectly at ease and happy with the level of fame she had.There was a warmth and humour about her music that few others could ever hope to achieve. Classy, talented and much missed, she was one very special lady.
Breakaway
Don't Call Me Baby
Terry
Scott, I'm so with you that I have tried to convince readers about Ullman at least twice over the years (maybe three times). I recall hearing crickets. Anyway, I have your back on this one.
ReplyDeleteShe has a a love for these songs that just shines through, sometimes you just need good pop and that is what she does well.
DeleteYou don't need my help with Kirsty, obviously.
ReplyDeleteI find myself listening to more of t his kind of stuff now than I did at the time
ReplyDeleteReally liked The Like and Thee Tsunamis that the Robster posted
That Thee Tsuanmis track was really good, won't change the world but was a great song, which is all that matters at the end of the day.
ReplyDelete