What are you listening to now? Page 1,137

Quote: George Kaplan @ 3rd August 2014, 8:01 PM BST

His soundtrack for "Mishima" is amazing, and definitely worth checking out.

Now listening to this and enjoying the sweeping, majestic beauty of it.

Thin Lizzy compilation. Don't believe a word.

I always think they nicked the idea of this song from 10cc's I'm not in love.

"The Next Day" by Bowie. Not played it for a while. Still can't say it's great listening.

Inspired by the beer I'm drinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_0PcI1-J0

Basically Average White Band plus Herbie Mann.

Person to person - AWB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6JiTwj-znw

One of my favourite bands.

Quote: Chappers @ 14th August 2014, 9:55 PM BST

"The Next Day" by Bowie. Not played it for a while. Still can't say it's great listening.

I quite like it. A 7/10 from me. Against his back catalogue, though, it's always going to suffer.

Quote: Ben @ 14th August 2014, 8:05 PM BST

Now listening to this and enjoying the sweeping, majestic beauty of it.

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reminding me about him; must listen to some more.

Late 70s early 80s jailbait.

Take your pick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIO0yw19dc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-rLfEHCLI

One of Britain's greatest ever pop groups and songwriters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoke1wUwEXY

So sad.

Wooo - scary.

One of those songs I remembered and quite liked....

but look at the older 2 blokes. Clones or what? They've even got the same dodgy teeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi0CqIeLjkQ

and then Joan Rivers takes the piss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXPK2UDpPzY

Another one I liked from the 70s. Love Kenny Everett's intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u36SA5t_RvQ

Rocio Jurado, a DVD of her early TV performances. The greatest flamenco singer.

Sympathy by Rare Bird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2x8oA5h5Jo

Nothing's changed has it.

Quote: Chappers @ 16th August 2014, 9:01 PM BST

Late 70s early 80s jailbait.

Take your pick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIO0yw19dc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-rLfEHCLI

One of Britain's greatest ever pop groups and songwriters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoke1wUwEXY

So sad.

Wooo - scary.

One of those songs I remembered and quite liked....

but look at the older 2 blokes. Clones or what? They've even got the same dodgy teeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi0CqIeLjkQ

and then Joan Rivers takes the piss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXPK2UDpPzY

Another one I liked from the 70s. Love Kenny Everett's intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u36SA5t_RvQ

Thanks for those. I found the Cowsills' links very interesting and decided to see what else I could find. This, as you might know, is their 1993-4 "power pop" track "Is It Any Wonder". New to me but as one of the commentators suggests it fits in well with that period - the British stuff from the La's through to Shack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTlx_K6MgVE

This is Susan in 2014 at the age of 55. A very good singing voice, I reckon, after the first minute or two of chat. As for the song, I was expecting retro but I'm hearing a slight bit of indie in the chord changes. With a stretch of the imagination it is almost Jeff Buckley-esque:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thiv2fssQF4

Yellow Dog - one more night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pVZIEbCME

Also been listening to Arrival, Junior Campbell, Congregation and Fox.

5705 by City Boy. Why weren't they massive? I guess the timing was wrong for "good" pop groups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHm3w-50Vwc

Maissonettes - Heartache Avenue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhbFo6W5LQ8

The truly beautiful Annie Haslam and Renaissance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI01yagcfnc

Most of these are what I call good quality pop - nothing pretentiously overblown or too heavy.

In case you didn't read the Status thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOgd9hitEAE

Quote: Chappers @ 16th August 2014, 9:55 PM BST

Yellow Dog - one more night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pVZIEbCME

Also been listening to Arrival, Junior Campbell, Congregation and Fox.

5705 by City Boy. Why weren't they massive? I guess the timing was wrong for "good" pop groups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHm3w-50Vwc

Maissonettes - Heartache Avenue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhbFo6W5LQ8

The truly beautiful Annie Haslam and Renaissance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI01yagcfnc

Most of these are what I call good quality pop - nothing pretentiously overblown or too heavy.

I can recall all of that fully clothed selection from the first time round with the exception of Arrival. The Maisonettes are a specific (good) time and place in my head. And that era of Annie Haslam and Renaissance was exceptional, not that it sat easily with punk and new wave.

In some of your other choices, there's almost a hint of a list to be made of power pop across the ages. It's a broad church and not very easily defined. I'm not sure what I mean when I use that phrase although someone like Gary Crowley might do. He mentions it often enough.

The curiosity value is in the releases outside the obvious revival periods. From the 1970s, I'd take Big Star, as discussed earlier here, plus the Raspberries. The bands of more than two decades later would include the Cosmic Rough Riders but they are just the tip of a big iceberg.

Love this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGmQr4hA2Oc

Interesting that the Cowsills were the inspiration for the Partridge Family.

Nirvana - In Utero