Lopez Blogs

I really thought I would find the spawn of Billy Ray Achy Breaky Cyrus hideously annoying. Despite my love all things teen (the georgia nicholson books? really Paul? is what my friends sigh), Hannah and her Montananess never really took my fancy. Then Stoobydoo (whatever happened to him?) recommended a pulsating little electro-pop track called See You Again earlier this year. And it was very good indeed. Pulsating synths, a catchy little hook and a decent vocal all made this brillo little track one of my faves of 2008. Still "Best of Both Worlds" was a browse thru at best and nothing else caught my attention. Then her next single proper (and the first from Breakout) was 7 Things. I initially dismissed this as a bit of a poppy Avril knockoff, but it just wormed its way into my consciousness and now I can't stop singing the bloody thing. It's a simple concept (listing the 7 things she hates/likes about her fella) but performed with such enthusiasm and pop kitsch that it's hard not to fall in love with it. No mention of best friend Leslie in this one, but oh well. The rest of the album isn't exactly perfect, but there are certainly enough meaty tracks to keep my interest for several more singles at the very least. Driveway should easily follow 7 Things into the upper echelons of the charts, with its pop rocky chorus that could easily soundtrack those "boo hoo i'm so misunderstood but we will be back together by the end of the film" moments in teen movies/one tree hill-y type shows. Full Circle continues in a similar vein, though her cover of These Four Walls is pretty ill advised and one of a few songs worth skipping.

Mum is back in hospital - another hospital even further from home than the last one - for a slightly prolonged stay. But she will be home soon, and there is very positive news on the horizon once this 'complication' is sorted out.

That's all I will say just now: I won't be posting too much on here over the next week (although might do the odd post over at Planet Salem) and I can't really say when 'normal service' will resume on this blog: recent weeks have been a bit turbulent to say the least, and the coming weeks are also going to be quite busy (oh, and the Olympics will be starting next week too....) anyway I really need to get my time management in order, pronto!!

I'll be back on here at the weekend with some retro goodies as usual and possibly a review of this week's Allsång.

Now though....I need to get some sleep!!!

Sigh. Once again the epitomy of pop is passing me by. While people seem to be loving Lykke Li (too much of a faux pas potential should i not pronounce her name correctly), adoring Antigone (brilliant name, decent song) and devouring Darren Hayes' tour dvd (too dark - though he does an illuminating interview with XO that is just spectacular), I've been left a little cold or more accurately underwhelmed by the hype surrounding these peeps. It's not that they are not good - they are to certain levels, just not for me in terms of living up to the hype. I'll stick with the astounding Oh Laura and incredible Isabel Guzman ta very much - and dip my toes into the waters of these fine folk:

IDA MARIA - FORTRESS ROUND MY HEART:

Well, let's face it I am hardly cutting edge with Ida Maria. She has been around for ages and Sony BMG are quite proudly proclaiming that her debut album has received a bonza Pitchfork review. Oooo! (Done with wiggling fingers and raised eyebrows in mocked impressed but not really look. You know what I mean). However, it took a stunning dance remix of her latest single "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" to make me prick up my ears (painful!) and pay attention. While the digital dog remixes of that track are pretty propulsive and funky, it was her live lounge chat with Jo Wiley last week that made me want more more more. She was utterly charming when Jo pronounced her name wrong, and quite lovely when Jo assumed she was Swedish (she's not. She's norwegian). When Jo asked her about a cracked rib during a stage show (yes yes how Roisin Murphy) she sighed and sidestepped the question in a way that said "i'm so bored of your tedium. Let me sing" and a nation cheered. The album kicks off with bold and folksy Oh My God. No Kaiser Chiefs cover here, the tune is a cold water blast of nordic melodic indie pop that sounds quite glorious and was quite rightly a smash in her home country. Instantly the listener is thrust into the crazy fragile world of Ida, who pleads for a cure for her life. Drive Away My Heart continues to peek into the delicate mind of Ida with it's Oh Laura-esque mournful lyrics and her voice straining with emotion. It's quite poignant and reflective for anyone who has been stuck in a destructive relationship.

Louis is a proper poppy pop tune that segueways nicely into the glorious current UK chart smash "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked", which really says it all doesn't it? I can't help but wonder what an album full of her tracks remixed by dance gurus would sound like. Not that it needs it, but because it gives such an alternative slant to her sound. Anyway, Naked is a crackerjack song that positively fizzes with energy and it's no surprise the girl has a bit of a rest next up with the mid tempo You Keep Me Warm where she praises the use of cig-GAR-rettes and coffee to lovely indulgent effect. It's back to poppy indie goodness with the most insincere apology ever to a shitty lover on Forgive Me. It's like a post modern U Ought To Know. Stella approaches the subject of a hooker being given control of the world, and Ida searches into her relationship with a higher power further with the gentle acoustic See Me Through ("I can't believe in you just because I'm afraid you're true"). It's probably an album not to everyone's taste, but for me it's lovely and all embracing and I just want to press repeat as the last note plays.
SINGLES: Oh My God; Drive Away My Heart; Stella; Queen Of The World; I Like You So Much Better...
MP3 (Legal download): I Like You So Much Better (live acoustic)

PACIFIC! - REVERIES:

I think it was on Worrapolava that I first heard about Pacific! then was reminded again in this month's Gay Times. The album Reveries has just been released and what a corking little piece of work it is too. Absolutely perfect for cool summer evenings when there is just a hint of cloud in the sky, the Swedish duo have created a laid back, 80s inspired sound that still crackles with their own musical input and interpretation. Whereas acts like Morningwood, Stefy et al are all happy to delve into the 80s and replicate the sound (that's not to say they don't produce decent tunes - i thought stefy were ace! And i'm all for replication!) it is just more prominent when additional personality and thought are added to the mix. Pacific! give a summery breeze to the synth soaked Sunset Boulevard, while adding some lovely layered harmonies that give the song a depth and resonance it deserves. Hold Me is almost the entire 80s influence in one song with more gorgeous harmonies and a chorus Human League would be proud of. Brian Wilson is obviously a hero of the guys as the layered vocals reach Wilson Phillips proportions on the fantastic Number One. Complete with beeping synths, bells and a swirling elegance that brings to mind Air, it's an utterly gorgeous song and would sound great played loud at a BBQ (i'll let you know on Saturday at RuthieLoos). By the time you get up to single Hot Lips, you feel like you've been at an 80s party, yet one so cool that no one really knew about it at the time. Prepare to fall in love and fall in love hard with Love Isn't Always On Time because it really is a stunning creation that much like that beautiful boy you once lusted after, will end up breaking your fragile heart. I was surprised by how layered and beautiful this album was, and yes along with Ida, Isabel and Oh Laura is one of my fave european finds of the year.
Singles: Hot Lips; Disappear; Love Isn't Always On Time; Number One

Other Scandinavian goodness thanks to Nick Alienhitter:

• Standfast - No Longer (gorgeous summer classic)
• Kitty and The K - By The Way (as funky pop fun as their name suggests)

back soon with more :P

Some reasons why I couldn't be bothered to blog on Monday (lundi - i'm feeling all francais this week)

1. My car had to go into "the shop". I now have a "courtesy car" which rattles like Joan Rivers walking onto the stage and doesn't even have a bluetooth connection for mp3 play let alone a cd player. It has a cassette thingy!! Lordy!
2. I still haven't beaten Spider Solitaire on all four suits despite having wasted many hours at work trying.
3. I have doubled my daily step aerobics (how effing 80s) routine and am knackered, but increasingly buff.
4. Amazon dot co dot uk pissed me off. So did dvd dot co dot uk but they were ultimately quite nice to me.

Some reasons why I can be bothered to blog today (mardi - i'm still feeling all francais).

1. I heard Will Young singing "changes" on the radio and it is very jazz laid back and lovely in the extreme.
2. *Had* i been privvy by some miraculous means of listening to a Will Young "Let It Go" album sampler, I would say that it is largely indicative of the album, though there is a "Your Game/Switch It On" waiting to break free which would be a bonza second single.
3. Popjustice have finally picked up on the brilliance of Juvelen. Read my review of the album here, and his placing in my best albums of 2008 so far here...
4. I had a lovely chat with portuguese pop sensation Ryan Ferrada yesterday. He thought Darren looked in his early 20s which made Darren's head swell and had me questioning his eyesight :P

Finally, before I launch into a live lounge extravaganza of very varying quality, does anyone know the name of the song in the youtube video from a drunken night out above? It's probably an oldie but quite catchy in the extreme...

LIVE LOUNGE BLOWOUT!

Doing a cover version of a recent pop song used to be a cool and unique way of promoting your own single (see Arctic Monkeys doing Love Machine; Girls Aloud doing Rehab, etc). Now it's as necessary and ubiquitous as going on CD:UK was for Steps at the turn of the millenium. Basically everyone and his dog are at it. Some are brilliant. Some are ok. Some are ear bleeding representations of awful. All are here for you to enjoy. Take a look at McFly doing Born To Run above - everyone looks like they are having a whale of a time rather than trying to be uber cool. And that is what it's about for me :) So in order of brilliance here we go:

MP3: McFly - Born To Run (the boys can do no wrong. Except perhaps buy pets as a gift! Beloved at the last G-A-Y on Saturday)
MP3: Ida Maria - Nothing Sweet About Me (my new scandanavian obsession. Bloody love her)
MP3: Alphabeat - Black and Gold (turn Sam Sparro's existentialist classic into a rather beguiling love song. Well done indeed)
MP3: David Jordan - Stop and Stare (the charts may have abandoned him a la The Feeling but this One Republic cover is just shy of epic)
MP3: One Reublic - Mercy (talking of which, with Ryan Tedder at their helm they have no need to cover other's songs, but this rendition of Mercy sounds nice wrapped around male tonsils)
MP3: Kate Nash - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend (much like Lily Allen, Kate does rather well when making others songs her own. Plus she says darnce.)
MP3: Ting Tings - Standing In The Way of Snap's Control (ooo the Shampoo of the new millenium mix Snap with last years critical darlings biggest and hopefully only hit)
MP3: Last Shadow Puppets - SOS (their latest b-sides are quite elegant and fine additions to the album but this is a bit of a mess to be honest.)
MP3: Dizzee Rascal - That's Not My Name (amusing for a few seconds then increasingly irritating until you want to rip your ears off to make it stop)
MP3: Kooks - Violet Hill (Didn't like the original, don't like this)
MP3: Black Kids - No Substitute Love (failing to reflect the high quality of their album, this is a bit of a disaster all round. Don't let that put you off their general aceness though).

More live lounges by clicking here...

HOUSEKEEPING:

• Hello dudes. Thought i'd do a bit of a summer clean up around the blog this weekend, during a hot sticky summer night bit of insomnia. Same Difference (looking lovely in green) now have their own fizzypop page. Woohoo! Their latest webpage redesign is freaking adorable and i literally cannot wait for their music. I think i only anticipate Spectacular more highly :) Be sure to check it out as there are 3 - yes 3! - exclusive fizzypop videos of them on there from last Christmas :)
• I've also spruced up the live lounge index. If you click here, pretty much all the posts now have active and working download links to the songs. Expect a huge live lounge update later this week where you can hear my fave acts pay tribute to/butcher your favourite songs. It;s gonna be bonza...
• Finally, I've updated all the indexes and page tabs, so that if you click on them, there will be lots of recent links taking you to my not very important in the big scheme of things opinions. Click away my pretties.

THE WEEKEND THAT WAS:

Hurrah for the arrival of the latest in aussie bum underwear. It's ubiquitous in it's poking-out-the-top-of-far-too-low-slung-jeans in the clubs, but they are so so comfortable and look brilliant when i'm pulling them off Dazpecs with my teeth :P TMI?



Big Brother 2008 gets more and more boring by the second. If it weren't for the homoerotic exercise activities of Dale and Stu, I'm pretty sure I would turn off all together instead of being turned on. God this heat is making me rambunctious...



...maybe I should do what Sergey Lazarev is doing and do a bit of Blue Pearl (dancing naked in the rain)? I think I would right now, only i'm carrying a little barbecue weight so need to work on my side abs a little bit more.



Finally, in the latest band update (that niftly sidesteps the appalling record company promotion of the second album), Paul from The Feeling suggests that there will be a dvd of the concert available at Christmas. Hurrah! I'm pretty sure everyone should start dressing like this for work (check out Live Lounge for lots of Feeling covers!)

WHAT I LEARNT/IMPARTED THIS WEEKEND:

• At first I was very nervous when Imogen whatsit came out with her Pop Babylon book. Everyone seems to have a boyband media project on the go at the moment, but they haven't really permeated the world of books yet. Would my novel "Disco Lemonade" suffer? I think it's fair to say that our respective approaches to the boyband tale are very different, with hers being all about the business side and mine being... well I don't want to give away the farm! March 20th 2009. That's all i'm saying :P
• On a night out with Burn-Ice, I had to inform her that liking Katy Perry is absolutely not ok. Being able to show posts from Yuri and Chartrigger confirming this on my mobile phone? Priceless :P
• It's fine to do a spot on impression of scenes from Muriel's Wedding (seemingly my latest revived obsession, though when drunk i do like my old-lady-throwing-diamond-off-boat schtick from Titanic) at work focusing on the "Nicole's having an affair with Chuck" speech, until someone overhears and comes in looking all shocked saying "nicole from accounts?" Blimey!
• Oh my. There was a fire in our building this weekend. Luckily no one was hurt other than the trauma and smoke inhilation, and it didn't come anywhere near us. Some goon left the chip pan on while they went to the shops! The building manager's response? Banning chip pans. Now i don't use one (dirty greasy things) as they are for common people (unless you reading this have one, then you are the most lovely exception to this rule) and they do a nice bag of chips at Mr Egg up the road (luring in the pink pound with their "Eat like a queen, pay like a pauper" slogan. Classy) but I own my fucking apartment and they wouldn't sell chip pans if they were that dangerous. I'm glad the foolish dude is ok, i wouldn't wish burns on anyone but i may have to start a poster campaign "chip pans don't start fires, careless goons do". Oh if this were a wealthy pair of old sisters living together, the daily mail would have been all over this
• Boo to McFly for doing the usual and plummeting to 21.
• Boo to Whitney - please don't let that dross with Akon be her comeback single! It's dire. It sounds like a demo from her 1997 years.
• Yay to Entertainment Weekly on their 1000th issue. Boo to them for putting X Files ahead of Buffy, Lost and Twin Peaks as top shows of past 25 years. I love the X Files but at least the other shows seem to know what they are doing unlike Chris 'oh fox will cancel me after 3 episodes so i;ll make it up as I go along' Carter. No wonder the "stand alones" were always the best (the new movie is quite good too!0
• Yay to Abbacadabra for coming out with almighty fantastic disco version of two hidden abba stompers. Download below at your legal peril :P

1. MP3: If It Wasn't For The Nights (2008 Almighty Radio Edit)
2. MP3: Just Like That (2008 Almighty Radio Edit)

Back soon with album reviews, a massive live lounge update, and some career retrospectives on Madonna, Erasure, Buffy and Party of Five. Any preference on who goes first? Oh and maybe some Beverley Craven, and Tom Baxter at the iTunes festival...

According to this week's Swedish press, "Allsång på Skansen" is going through a crisis, and this week's show had the lowest viewing figures since 1996.

The excellent Mine For Life (http://mineforlife.blogspot.com) is focusing on the 1990s this month - and why not? - and recently mentioned Voice of the Beehive's "Perfect Place". I may have previously mentioned on here that 1992 was rather a special year for me musically: lots of good tunes which bring back very fond memories. I always remember "Perfect Place" from early that year, which for some reason I always remember it being out around the same time as Take That's "Once You've Tasted Love" (!)
Anyway here is "Perfect Place":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCMZdqanyjA

I'm really on a French vibe tonight: maybe it's because it's only 7 weeks till I'm back in Nice...!

If you ever go to France on holiday and take the radio with you, you are guaranteed to hear "A Nos Actes Manques" by Fredericks Goldman Jones. This was a 'supergroup' formed by Jean-Jacques Goldman, Michael Jones and the late Carole Fredericks. This catchy Afro-themed song has become legendary in France!

"Né En 17 À Leidenstadt" was the first FGJ song I heard back in 1991; a great and (if you have any understanding of French) a really meaningful song which had a great effect on me at the time. Back in those days UK radio station Radio 5 (now Five Live) had a weekly French chart show - yes! - and it introduced me to the likes of JJ Goldman and Mylene Farmer. Does anyone out there remember "Le Top" with (let me get this right) Marc et la Meche??? Here is
"Né En 17 À Leidenstadt":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PULi2cGGD48&feature=related

What is it about France that they produce such great female singers? A few years ago I discovered Liane Foly who has such a rich, warm, jazzy voice. If I was able to sing, I would want to sing like her. I hadn't listened to her for a while but tonight just decided that I wanted to check her music out again. Here is "La Vie Ne M'apprend Rien":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYtHI8FA1iE

"On A Tous Le Droit" is also one of my favourite songs of hers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSfmY7TDhJA&feature=related

I would also urge you to check out her version of Daniel Balavoine's "Vivre ou Survivre"; sadly I couldn't find anything on YouTube, but if you have a look around the web you should be able to find it somewhere. (!)

Any Teletext fans out there? Channel 4 TV in the UK has a marvellous set of music pages called Planet Sound, updated daily, including a mailbox called The Void. Was reading it today and someone happened to mention Eg and Alice, from the early 1990s and I immediately thought it was time to do a post about them. I don't know too much about them, but I liked their music back in the day - well two songs anyway, "Indian" and this one, "Doesn't Mean That Much To Me":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZwPRbaI9BI

This clip is from The Chart Show, a long lost treat from Saturday morning television....!

I don't really know what happened to them, apart from reading somewhere that Eg had become an in-demand songwriter and most notably had written Will Young's brilliant "Leave Right Now". He's also been involved with Will's new album, which will be released soon.

So I did a little Wikipedia search and found out that he was also involved in co-writing several other rather good songs too over recent years; particularly interested in reading he had co-written Sam Sparro's "Hot Mess" and Jack McManus' "You Think I Don't Care", both big favourites on this blog over the past year. A very talented and underrated songwriter you will agree...

I was just listening to "Up On The Hill" by Fun Lovin' Criminals which gives a nice little lyrical nod to 1970s bluesy-jazzy American singer-songwriter Boz Scaggs. So what better reason than to feature him tonight?

Arguably his best known song and biggest hit in this country was "Lido Shuffle" but my favourite song of his is "What Can I Say". As ever, YouTube consistently delivers! Here's an amazingly speeded-up and extremely funky live version from a 1976 TV appearance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32VWNapDFX8

• There are two very important single releases that are happening this week. First up is the effortlessly cool Red Blooded Women who are shacking up all over the clubs with the funky remixes to You Made Your Bed. I thought it might be rather difficult to improve on this slinky seductive pop number but I was wrong. They picked up some great remixes along the way and made the weeks cheapest but most brilliant video ever. God i love these dames...
• Also out this week is a rather slick radio remix of Oh Laura's very lovely indeed Release Me. I can't help but feel that this band are still teetering on the edge of something very massive and special indeed. They appeared on Radio 2 this week and just stunned me with the acoustic versions of some of their album's finest tracks. This band fails to do no wrong and yet they are not chart toppers. I sense it is a matter of time. Be prepared. Check out Release Me now. You know you want to. It's the most lovely piece of work since Bic Runga's Sway.
• Props to the junior admin staff at work who "the management" tasked with "extra responsibility" by assigning them the job of coming up with a layout for a new company newsletter (that sounds really patronising but actually it was laziness on our part as no one wanted to do it). They do a bonza job except that it was gently pointed out that "The [insert company name here] Rant" didn't really put across the positive message wanted (I even had to patiently google the meaning of "rant" for them and found "A rant or harangue is a speech or text that does not present a well-researched and calm argument" and "pompous or pretentious talk or writing" Oh my!) Eventually they settled on The ProClaimar which if you knew the name of the company is actually rather brilliant! (It's not really hard to guess after that is it?)
• What the bugger is going on with Timbaland and Madonna is the question on lots of people's lips. Personally I really like Hard Candy. I think it's rather good. I get why people don't think it's a great Madonna album. I think it's a good album regardless of whether it's Madonna or not. But as much as I love Madonna, i'm not as invested in her output as I am with other albums (I've been incredibly disappointed with one Deborah album and two Robbies!) so I'm not too bothered. Really, it is time to move on from Timbaland. For all popstars. Jadion needs to be the new producer of choice :) Though Four Minutes is fucking fantastic still!
• Oh 50 days of Big Brother (Why Bother) and it's getting incredibly dull. There is only so many times you can admire Stuart and Dales bodies (and sometimes dress sense). Darnell has gone slightly mental, Mikey and his washing testicular mass in a drinking cup repulses me, Luke is fucking awful and the rest of them bar Kat, Rachel and Sarah are the sort of egomaniacs you only normally find in the more pretentious London clubs. And everytime Bex is up for eviction, she decides to snog Luke which is repulsive to watch. It's like watching an overstuffed dog pouring over the remains of an emancipated chicken carcuss. Yet I cannot bear to look away :P
• There are lots of lovely Gossip Girl season 2 pics popping up all over the web. It all looks very exciting. You know you love me, xoxo, etc.

Blimey. It's been a while since of done one of these. Or it seems like it. So lets kick off with some super singles that are more than worthy of your attention. If you can be bothered. Which lets face it, some days you just don't feel like it do you? And it is particularly hot today, and I arrived at work all sticky (and not in the good sweaty under the covers way) I'm not really in the mood to do work, so blogging will suffice! Plus I had a rather lovely email from a singer today thanking me for writing about him/her and not expecting anything in return. Apparently he/she often gets "ooo i wrote about you, now can i post free music/interview you" emails so was touched not to be demanded of for a change. How nice of him/her. Anyway on with the "show"...


BRYN CHRISTOPHER - THE QUEST: Bryn is very lovely indeed, and it's thanks to Mr Worrapolava that I know his lovely funk filled deep soul tunes. In fact when I was doing some mathmatical equations based on Bryn and my first listening of his amazing tune, I calculated the following "facts"

1. Mr Phil of Worrapolavaland is 88.1% brilliant for introducing me to The Quest and Smile.
2. The Quest is 81% most likely to get replayed straight away after i've listened to it.
3. Taking into account his rather lovely waistcoat above, Bryn is 82.27% gorgeous, which is just a cats whisker away from him being in my ten most beautiful men in the world list at the moment.

Fascinating. What really matters though is this utterly addictive ditty that owes more to Ms Dynamite and Daniel Merriweather than Amy Winehouse and um, Duffy et al. It's a lot more gritty and heartfelt than Duffy and it's Bryn's vocal that sets him aside. Powerful and engaging, the tracks slugs along over a hammond organ which becomes more mesmerising as the track progresses. The lyrics touch on his brother's experiences in Basra and make it an entirely more personal and touching listening ordeal. True, it is a little Mark Ronson, but you can almost hear the sweat pour from Bryn's brow as he throws everything he has into the song. Quite literally a tasty treat from what is hopefully a rather brilliant album to follow. Plus he is from Birmingham. And so am I. Which ultimately means nothing :P Let's hope he doesn't follow the Amy route and go all "coke stroke" on the world!!!
Listen to more Bryn at his myspace site...

SHARLEEN SPITERI - ALL THOSE TIMES I CRIED: I never really got into Texas as much as I should have. Not the state - I went there once and stayed in Tyler and did the Auzelia trail and the mormon family I visited made me sleep on the trampoline outside incase I gayed up their children (please. one of them was well gay before I got there, and certainly a little more after I left :P) No, I'm talking about the band who made a career out of brilliant pop tunes, but whose albums I never purchased. They were really a comfort blanket - I always knew they were there, but didn't always need them. I am adoring solo Sharleen though. Ignore the suggestions that this lovely mellow track is too close for comfort to the Shangri-Las "Out In The Streets" (because everyone knows the brillo girl band of the 60s was the Chiffons) and just luxuriate in the sweet soul stylings as this tragic track bounces around like sun beams glistening on a pure blue river. Just like you do when Duffy/Amy/Gabriele Clitofme does. Lead Sharleen, don't follow. But if you follow at least it's as lovely as this. Be sure to hear the seminal XO's views on the track here...

LITTLE JACKIE - THE WORLD SHOULD REVOLVE AROUND ME: Little Jackie (the artist formerly known as Imani Coppola) has come up with the perfect, slightly spunky, slightly cool summer jam that i've been waiting for. I'd read about it on one of my blogrolls then couldn't remember where, sent it to DanUK who then reminded me that his site was where I had read about it! Cool beans! I think the song works for me, because actually I'm having difficulty categorising it and am just enjoying those rather saucy and clever lyrics set to a sexy little street beat. I just heard the album too and very marvelous it is. Here are some of my fave couplets from the song and go check out her sound at her very catchy myspace:

1. "This kind of mountain shouldn't cause a depression/so i bide my time with philosophical questions/Not for nothing but what came first/The chicken mcnugget or the egg mcmuffin"
2. "I got talent and I got tits/I know i'll find another guy who wants to get with it/I'm not convinced that i'm a big fat whore/One man's pleasure is another man's chore"
3. "And if you turn with my biological clock/Since I never grow old my heart is always in stock/Keep screwing that bitch from down the block/I don't need you around I know I rock"

Other boy songs that boogie:

• jack mcmanus ~ you think i don't care (but i do): Pleasing me nicely at the moment. Jaunty pop rock that comes with big hair as an added bonus.
• blue eyes soul ~ I Won't Deny You: new (to me; old to their fans from 2007) Swedish pop-rock group that sound a bit like a cross between One Republic and The Script. This is a smashing little ditty :) (see pic above) And as James Leon said, they are like an indie'd up backstreet boys :) Talking of which...
• backstreet boys ~ one in a million: There is a thread on popjustice campaigning for Treat Me Right as the next BSB single, which isn't a bad choice per se. It's no slightly reggae tinged one in a million, which is a corker. As songs called One In A Million tend to be (thanks Bosson!)

Lady bumps and pop group smashingness:

• Antigone - More Man Than Man: While i don't quite think she is worthy of the hype, this tune is a decent summer song. No better in my eyes (and ears) than Sophie's Heartbreak... or Kylie's The One, but what company to be in! Let's hope she has more than one of the catsuit she NEVER seems to be out of :P
• Active8 - Take My Breath Away: Oh anything that reminds me of my top gun obsession is ok by me. This is one of those songs that takes an 80s rocky ballad classic (like Heaven) turns it into a dancefloor "phenomenon" (ie drunk hen parties love it) and then toned down into a candlelight piano ballad, such as this version. Quite nice in a plinky plonky sort of way...
• AList - Intimacy: Talking of candlelight ballads, the lovely AList (click here for more on them and see pic above) have put out this beautiful pop song that takes me back to when SClub could put out a sterling ballad (Have You Ever; Never Had A Dream Come true) in a way that Steps always failed at (the mawkish When I Said Goodbye). Difference was that Steps always tried to be credible with their ballads, whereas SClub just embraced the popness of it all. AList are going the pop route with their ballads and all the better for it they are too!

Albums that I must review soon that are v good or at least above average: Miley Cyrus-Breakaway; Little Jackie-Stoop; Blue Eyes Soul -; Sharleen Spiteri - Melody; El Perro Del Mar-From The Valley; Yelle-Pop Up

My mum was finally discharged from hospital two days ago, and she's now back home recovering, catching up with the "Coronation Street" backlog and - wait for it - eating real, proper food!! Even my cooking is better than hospital food :))))

As I've got rather a lot of catching up to do at the moment - just minor stuff which doesn't matter in the bigger picture, but time-consuming nonetheless - it's left little time to blog so I won't really be around here much over the next week or so. Expect a few posts on Saturday night - goes without saying! - and normal service should resume around the beginning of August when a couple of other things are resolved (can't go into details, but fingers and everything else crossed).

In the meantime, happy blogging :)))

Well, I just know you have all been sat on the edge of your seats waiting for my opinion on the new McFly album. Which was free! In the subtly gay hating Mail on Sunday! They are like Prince, but arguably more successful in the UK right now. So why give away an album for free? Choosing not to renew their contract with the majors, they are now putting out music under their own steam and it's now all about casting off their boyband image and reaching as wide an audience as possible to bolster their long term sales and concert revenue. Will it work? Only time will tell, but based on the songs given away here, I have to reiterate that once again, McFly are one of the most underrated and consistent bands in Britain.

Coming off the back of the amazing (Uh-May-Zing) Motion In The Ocean cd, which really should have won Brits if only for the epic Transylvania and Sorry's Not Good Enough, this cd (which will be commercially released in September with four new songs and a bonus dvd) had a lot to live up to. Is it as good as their finest moment? I can't decide just yet, but that's not to say this isn't pretty bonza because it is. Kicking off with rollicking sing-a-long perfect next single (i would say but won't be because it's featured on the b-side of One For The Radio, but look how that turned out for Trans...) Do Ya, it's all beach boy harmonies in the chorus, a tight blend of drums and guitars and an entirely edible falsetto punctuating through at random. You get the impression that this is their independent hurrah. Everything they want you to hear has been beautifully planned and is exactly how they want you to hear it. Putting the lovely Falling In Love directly after this track demonstrates straight away the musical diversity that McFly pull off with such ease but never seem to receive credit for. There are some stadium ready whoa ho hos, some gentle piano bits with wistful "we could have fallen in love" sung over them and the belted out chorus that they do so well.

Everybody Knows really belongs in one of those Xbox Rock Guitar games that people seem to love. I even did a bit of air guitar to it in the shower this morning, and i abhor air guitar. It makes me look fat. So sadly it's not a cover of the Sonia s/a/w classic but a gentle move towards the american punk sound they love so much. Are the lyrics in the chorus (ships going down, dying in this town) an allusion to the need of the band to move forward with their careers in the way they wanted to? Who bloody cares - break out the air guitar and devil fingers :P And it's as if McFly realised that I was a little embarrassed by my head banging, so they kick off their next song with finger clicks and some harmonies that remind me of Homer Simpson's days in the BeSharps. If The Wonders weren't a fictional band I would definitely say that I felt the song was influenced by them - it's feel good, and it makes you do what it says on the tin - Smile :) The middle of the album is balanced out with One For The Radio, which I reviewed here. It's still a great little pop tune, but pales a bit in context of the album.

And that's possibly because it's followed by POV. It's McFly does Meatloaf as it crams in every musical cliche into the pot but never sounds dull or derivative. There are modern rock verses, with feeling-esque piano, followed by fuzzy guitars and a powerful chorus, which then goes into a nice tinkling piano break. The lyrics are incredibly emotive and Tom sings the fuck out of it in the chorus, and you can hear the hurt he has been through. Either that or he is a cracking little actor. When he belts out "I would never wish anyone to feel the way I do", goosebumps chase up your arm and you absolutely commit to his manifesto. Spine tingling. And it perfectly sets up McFlys most vicious and angry song to date - Corrupted. Ooo they are mad as hell and they aren't going to take it anymore. Even the drums and guitars are angry. Harry's wrists must ache at the end of this one. When they are happy they are happy, but when they are down, it's bitterness and bile ahoy but oh so musically rewarding. (After this is the album's unforgiveable indulgence - Heart Never Lies from their greatest hits is on here. And not even a new version! Lazy lazy lazy! OF course it is still an amazing song and it's hard to get too annoyed because, well the album was gratis, but still?! They didn't have another song they could place in there?!)

So only two songs left. Going Through The Motions (sadly again, not a cover of the Buffy Musical Episode classic!) has some fantastic vocals from Danny and another stadium sized chorus that will raise the roof on their winter tour later this year. And then there is Last Song. Possibly the best McFly song ever written? It starts out all maudlin, like an Elton John ballad, some lovely piano and another impeccable vocal. Drums kick in and the sombre lyrics give the song an extra gravitas as it builds into the most incredible chorus I've heard for a long long time. It's basically McFly saying, well you know what? If this doesn't work, then fuck you all, because we've had a blast doing it and no one can take that away. And from there the song hurtles along with passion and vigour that makes me want to cry (but only cos i'm still emotional this week) and if you still say that McFly are a teenybopper band after this, then I may have to come round and replace the mush between your ears with a brain. Follow me to Oz, little scarecrow, because this is McFly at the very best of what they do. Listen, repeat and love. "If this is the last song that we ever play/we thank you all" Stunning. Really.

An amazing album and one that deserves to win them a multitude of new fans, but sadly I doubt will. But they gave it their all and a magnificent all it was. I look forward to the special edition and a long career filled with songs like these :)

You can download the McFly album at this mp3 blog...

WILLIAM OF YOUNG - ALBUM PREVIEW:

Before I move onto a little album preview of the mighty William of Young's new opus, it would be remiss of me not to mention that he was on The Sunday Night Project last night, with Alan "It's Me, Alan" Carr and Justin Lee Collins. I adore William but his presenting skills weren't the best. Wooden is the best word for it. However, it was when William was generally chatting to Alan and Justin that he loosened up the most. He was lovely in clips where he pretended to be a big brother housemate being Madonna, then Michael Jackson and dealt with the gay gay gay questions from the audience with dignity and humour. I got a bit hoity toity today when someone at work said "ooo wasn't it brave that he was so camp. He's not usually so outwardly gay!" I'm not sure why that annoyed me - a few reviews in the papers etc, stated how wonderful it was that Will could be so gay on British tv. Yes it is wonderful, but it's also incredibly patronising that it should be singled out that Will can be gay if he wants. I'm not entirely sure how i want to phrase it, and i wasn't sure this morning so I left it thinking i was being a bit wankery. Do i still? Yes. I need to work out a way to express why i'm bugged! Anyway on a lighter note, here are some things I learnt on the Sunday Night Project...

• Will would not sleep with Simon Cowell if he (simon obviously not Will) were gay
• Although, Will would be a bit of a tramp and if he was poor would sleep with Simon!
• Ray fucking Quinn is now "doodie" in Grease in London. Poor London.
• Judi Dench has only ever been late once. Good for her. William can be late if he wants.
• William look go-oooo-od in a black suit. So few can pull off all black. I would pull it off William!
• William has colonic irrigation, and doesn't like it when the irrigator (?!) describes what is coming out. Me either. That was the worst bit.
• He would like to do a duet with Bjork because he believes that people with differing vocal styles produce the best duets. I thought he said Bjorn and meant Abba and got all excited for a minute...

I've already talked about the Glastonbury performances of Let it Go and Changes here, but as William criss crosses the country doing his rather lovely stately outdoor dates, a number of new songs are being previewed to his always adoring fans. First of all, can I just comment on how delicious Mr Young looks in casual checked shirt, even when pretending to be pregnant (as he is in the video above). Changes continues to delight me - such a lovely end of summer evening, jazzy vibe to it which is elegantly wrapped around William's voice. And in each live performance I've seen of it so far, William seems to be exuding joy at being back on stage singing his new (and old) songs. Just gorgeous. Although I have everything crossed for this being a massive hit, I suspect if it is or it isn't, it will go ahead and make the album a perennial seller right up to the Christmas sales. And this album will have legs if the previews of the other songs are anything to go by:

GRACE: Picture yourself in a smoky late night bar, with low level lighting, William in a tux with his bow tie hanging undone round his neck, and you are someway to picturing the atmosphere this songs creates. It starts off as a laid back languid track before crescendoing into a choir driven final chorus triumph that is probably the closest thing to Annie Lennox he has ever done. And that's a good thing. Trying not get immersed into swaying along with the final adlibs is futile. This song seduces rather than smacks you into submission and it's all the better for it.
HELP ME: Will does Joni! And one of the better Joni songs too. I'm not sure whether this is scheduled to be on the album, although he usually does one incredible out of this world cover, so maybe this will be it. There is the occassional inkling with William that he chooses cover versions on his tours (that don't make the album) to show how cool he is, and often they do. This one shows how his voice was THE VOICE that was right to win Pop Idol and has developed into one of the premiere male vocals in Britain. However, if there is one cover to make the album then it should be this one...
BLAME IT ON THE SUN: It is a bit of a shame that William messed up the lyrics to this Stevie Wonder classic, as it is p-e-r-f-e-c-t for his style and voice. It's an incredibly sad song - more to do with Stevie Wonders lyrics written at a poignant time in his life, and William manages to channel those lyrics into heartbreaking sadness. He's been singing this song for a while now so it probably won't be on the new album, but fingers crossed for a studio version on a b-side or during a live lounge.

Ultimately only one of these songs will probably end up on the album, but all three (and of course Let it Go and Changes) give a flavour of what promises to be the most mature William album to date. To finish off, let's have a butchers at my fave William song ever and a list of my other faves...(thanks to youtube Will1iam for providing such a wide array of fab videos)

Your Game
Switch It On
Ain't Such A Bad Place To Be
Leave Right Now
Love is A Matter of Distance
Love The One You're With
All Time Love
Who Am I
Hey Ya
Light My Fire

THE FEELING - JOIN WITH US



There are two very tenuous reasons why The Feeling are gate crashing my William of Young post today. One is that The Feeling were also on the Sunday Night Project a couple of weeks back (as musical guests - see video on the left). The second reason is that i secretly want Dan Gillespie Sells to date, fall in love and marry William Young. But really, I want to comment on the fourth single Join With us which finally has a video. In more wackiness in the mishandling of the promotion of their second album, the label seems to have forgotten about summery Turn It Up and started promoting the Toyota commercial friendly and long long time fizzypop fave Join With Us. The video sees the boys dressed as bankers/school boys lounging around in the sun then rain, then running through cornfields and casting off the shackles of the corporate tie. There is also a cutesy Enid Blyton/DoReMi moment where they are roaming around on bikes, probably looking for some ginger beer and strawberries with lashings of whipped cream. Finally for some reason they are rocking out at a nice fairground, and once again it's a bit bonkers but it's very Feeling and Richard looks lovely throughout. Lucky Sophie.

A real early 80s New Romantic era obscurity, but one that I still love today. I don't know who Loz Netto is/was, but I taped "Fade Away" off the radio and played it for years. Thanks to good old YouTube, it's wonderful to know that there is someone else out there who remembers him. Here's "Fade Away" - enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kx31AonYjA

Before there was goth, there was Bauhaus. Peter Murphy may have became more famous because of a Maxell advert and also a cover version of "Ziggy Stardust" but this is the definitive Bauhaus song - "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and they began and ended for me with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq2RXSboWMs

But I'm also partial to "Kick In The Eye" now that you mention it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oe1ljgJ2eA

Apologies folks but I am really reliving my youth this evening!!!

1981 again, and this time it's the Original Mirrors whose line-up features a certain Mr Ian Broudie of Lightning Seeds fame. I always liked the drum-driven singalong of "Dancing With The Rebels" - don't you think it sounds just a little bit like the Skids?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zho8xr7_XAM

The Ruts were an amazing band from the late 70s who blended punk with occasional dub and reggae influences. "Human Punk" always reminds me of many a happy night spent with faithful travelling companion over the years :)))

My favourite song of The Ruts is "West One (Shine On Me)" but I couldn't find any video of this so here is the excellent "Something That I Said" with vocals from the late great Malcolm Owen, yet another young talent lost to heroin many years ago....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQd7qOEBMo

For no reason whatsoever, I was thinking about this band the other day. I bought their debut album "Author! Author!" back in 1981 and played it to death. "All About You" was probably their best known song, and here is a performance from the Old Grey Whistle Test. Being the impressionable teenager I was back then, I was madly in love with lead singer Bobby King and his big hair :))))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_9V_l6FIsY

Oh hideous putrid weekend. Most loathsome finish to a week most foul. I'm ill. It's not particularly a cold per se. I am dead dizzy though and keep having hot flushes and clammy sweats. I;m both sweaty betty and clammy pammy. I have googled my symptoms and apparently I am suffering from the menopause. Who knew? Anyway, as I cough and splutter and sweat in my arse (I seriously didn't know that was possible. Perhaps it has happened before and I assumed it was a natural lubricant?), here are some high and low lights of the week...

MY WEEKEND WITH CHRISTOPHER CICCONE:

Oh dear. What a fraught relationship Chris and Madz must have right now. I'd be furious if someone had put out a book about me that was as boring and predictable as this one! There are two main reasons for that - one is that I spent all week trying to find it (even to find Borders on Oxford Street would rather stock volumes of Katie Price novels and then get the fame hungry ho down there to sign them) so built up the anticipation a bit too much; two - all the best bits had already been in the newspapers. I pretty much had read the whole thing in about 24 hours and was stunned - STUNNED - to read the following "revelations":

• Madonna is a bit of a bitch who will step on anyone in her pursuit of fame, even using her dead mothers grave.
• Christopher is a bit bitter that he didn't really get much out of being Madonna's brother but is quite happy to live in her world and constantly work with her because "she needs him"
• Madonna doesn't have the best voice in the world. Oh my!
• Some of the myths of Madonna's past aren't strictly true! Who would've thought?!

If you detect a tone of sarcasm, it's because one can't help but feel that Chrissy has glossed over his own flaws and the best bits of his life with Madonna in order to preserve his relationship with her. He can be incredibly catty at times with some sly digs about her choice of singles, men, movies, the lot and works in scarcely disguised barbs with bitchy malevolence and ease. It's a pretty onesided account, as you would expect it to me, but that does mean there isn't much objectivity and I doubt that I will read it more than once. stick with Rupert Everett. It's far more entertaining.

THE POOPARAZI:


Some kind soul sent me the badly photo shopped but quite hilariously written little postcard this week featuring my fave Irish star in waiting, Robert O'Connor. Frankly there is nothing wrong with a bit of boozing when things go a bit tits up in life, so I fully approve of his actions, if not his t-shirt. Check this lovely pic out of his new single cover, while popping over to this website to vote for his songs and help get Robert back on the straight and narrow. Whatever that means:P

CATCHING UP WITH ALEXIS MORRELL CARRINGTON COLBY DEXTER ROWAN:

I am always quite enamoured of people with a huge amount of surnames. Like Liza Minelli Allen Haley jr Gero Gest or Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky or even Zsa Zsa Gabor Belge Hilton Sanders Hutner Cosden Ryan O'Hara de Alba Prinze Von Anhalt. But the best people with multiple married names are always in soaps - like Tanya Turner Laslett Gates Turner Federico Bardosa and of course, the lady named in the sub heading above. Darren and I have started to watch our 9 years of tivo'd Dynasty this week - skipping the boring season one (apart from getting to ogle at Steven Carrington and Jeff Colby) and moving straight onto where Alexis arrives. Love how they conveniently forget they have two other children besides Steven and Fallon at the start of year two... and how I have all the insane plotlines to look forward to that were only rivalled later by Sunset Beach. The show sadly would never work today - the scenes are too long, the cast too old and there isn't enough nakedness on a beach to work for the OC audiences of today. Still as a reminder of the opulent 80s, it's a fittingly guilty pleasure. Now, as Alexis herself once said "take this junk, and your blonde tramp and get out of my house". Fantastic.

THE FIZZYPOPTASTIC 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 - Bryn Christopher, The Quest (NE) (thanks to Philworrapolava)
20 - Madonna, Four Minutes
19 - Jack McManus, Bang On Your Piano
18 - BWO, Lay Your Love On Me
17 - Jonas Bros, Burning Up
16 - Alphabeat, Boyfriend (NE)
15 - Enrique, Can You Hear Me?
14 - Infernal, Downtown Boys
13 - David Jordan, Set The Mood
12 - Sophie Ellis Bextor, Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer
11 - Rongedal, Who Do You Think You're Fooling?
10 - Maroon 5 ft Rihanna, If I Never See Your Face Again
09 - Jason Mraz, Lucky
08 - Kylie, The One
07 - Madonna, Give It 2 Me
06 - The Feeling, Turn It Up
05 - Regina Spektor, The Call
04 - McFly, One For The Radio
03 - BWO, Bells of Freedom
02 - Lily Allen, GWB
01 - Miley Cyrus, 7 Things (2 weeks)

More Sunday with review of the new McFly album and monday with a review of the new Will Young single. Be still my beating testicles...

Just popped in for a quick post before I head off once again on my marathon hospital visiting journey.

Well, here's the good news. Mum doesn't have any heart disease and even though she had a mild heart attack, there was no damage done and she's feeling good.

So why is she still in hospital? Well, I won't bore you with the details, but there was some unfinished business which may take longer to finish than first thought. There are two choices: she is well enough to come home and attend to this at a later date as an outpatient: the alternative is at least two to three more weeks in hospital, with all the starvation and psychological distress that a prolonged stay will bring. (Yes, they finally remembered that she'd had an operation before the heart attack, she'll have to recover from that before the other procedure gets done...get the idea?)

I think you can guess her choice.

There have been several mess-ups and mistakes during the last ten days - some amusing, but others which were so frightening and life-threatening that I really wouldn't want her spending another day in there.

EDIT: We'll have to wait till Monday till this is resolved!

For part one of the abba flashback - click here

For my review of Mamma Mia - click here

For my thoughts on which Abba songs could "pop" again - click here

For my thoughts on A*Teens and how they came into their own after the covers - click here

For my thoughts on A*teens and their remixes - click here

I have pondered for ages about how to beat my last opening paragraph for the Abba flashback post, which probably quite rightly, Adem (with an e) said may be the greatest opening to a blog post ever. Thanks for putting me under so much pressure Adem. I am now unable to perform. On my dayz. This is what it must be like to be impotent! Anyway, it's time to look at the second part of Abba's career, which includes three - not one, not two but three - of the greatest albums of all fucking time. No question. And if you do question it, then I may well have to break your kneecaps.



It's always a bit dodgy, innit, when popstars decide to make a film. Look at pretty much everything Madonna has ever done (except her best acting gig ever in Truth or Dare/In Bed with Madonna - not Bedtime with Madonna as Christopher Ciccone called it in his tres disappointing autobiography. Nice fact checking), the Spice Girls movie, Honest with the All Saints and Kylie in The Delinquints (but ace in Moulin Rouge). So Abba the Movie may not have been the most inspired film in the world, but it was rather jolly in a camp sort of way (is there any other sort of way when it comes to Abba?!). And Abba - The Album was sort of the soundtrack to it. It's probably my least favourite Abba album - which is frankly like saying Season four is my least favourite of all the Buffy seasons i.e it's still head and shoulders above most everything else in the world. This is probably the most "treading water" album that Abba produced inbetween Arrival and Voulez Vous. There are still plenty of treats to enjoy within including more pop perfection with Take A Chance, the brooding Eagle and more melancholia with Name of the Game. It's the mini-musical that is the most interesting here - I Wonder is one of Abba's lovely ballads while the angry I'm A Marionette is possibly the angriest song Abba did at this point and was foreboding for their ultimate demise in years to come. And if sometimes perfect final tv episodes come half way through the show's run (Buffy's Normal Again being a prime example), the ultimate ending song for a career - Thank You For The Music - is an instant classic, and rather wonderful in the Doris Day piano version that surfaced some years later.



Voulez Vous, in my opinion, is the greatest Abba album of all time. Seriously, every single track could've been a single and should've been. It was Abba's response to disco fever, yet done in their own inimitable style and just luxuriated in opulence, bitterness, catchiness and pop confectionary (the likes of which wouldn't be topped until Kids From Fame had a fair bash at it with Hi-Fidelity) that sparkles and fizzes with each listen. As Good As New kicks off the album with a rather brilliant orchestral classical intro which adds a touch of class to this intricately crafted song (which actually hit number one in Mexico!) before leading into the title track. A truly discofied number, it was remade years later with some reverence by Erasure and remains the best of their Abba-esque EP. There is more disco extremities done Abba style with Gimme Gimme Gimme and more gentle pop with the lovely Chiquitita, Angel Eyes and Lovelight. If It Wasn't For The Nights is sad Abba lyrics set to a gloriously upbeat tune, and just gloriously upbeat is the aces Lovers (Live A Little Longer). Also standout on the (rerelease) of this album is Summer Night City (which on the Thankyou For The Music boxset has a brooding ballad type intro that then sweeps into this breakneck speed pop song that leaves me breathless everytime) and the emminently superior Kisses of Fire. Don't forget I Have A Dream which somehow seems a bit out of sorts on the album, but is still rather lovely and the rather spiteful King Has Lost His Crown which sets up the sadness for Super Trooper and The Visitors. It's no surprise to me that some of my favourite Abba covers are taken from this album. Just fantastic fantastic fantastic!!



As the 80s rolled around, the best charting years of Abba were behind them, but as the world moved on, Abba continued to be at the top of their game. The real genius of the final two Abba albums was in the ease in which their songs addressed the ups and downs of personal relationships from both a female and male perspective and also managed to address the crumbling relationships within the band. How the girls found the strength to sing some of the most poignant lyrics this side of a Carpenters ballad is beyond me. While Super Trooper continues to swirl with the disco sound that made Voulez Vous so bloody out of this world (such as Lay All Your Love On Me and On & On & On with frankly more bonkers lyrics in the form of "over in the corner, I could see this other guy, he was kinda flirty he was giving me the eye" Magnif!), it's the more profound songs that make this album so elegant and beautiful. The Winner Takes It All is about the break up of a relationship and though claimed not to be autobiographical, Agnetha sings the hell out of this track and the emotion makes this a timeless classic. Even perky songs like Super Trooper show a weariness that is reflected in the wistful yearnings of Our Last Summer and The Way Old Friends Do. Unreleased Put On Your White Sombrero surfaced on remastered versions of the album, but really i can take it or leave it. Everything else however, is certainly Abba gold and further showcases incredibly mature writing and intricate creation.



The Visitors continues to see Abba in a more sombre mode as they create what is to be their final album. They can barely look at each other in an album cover shot that speaks volumes about the relationships in the band. At this point I still think that the title track should have been the lead off single. I mean, a song about Russian dissidents? How avant garde is that? The song is full of paranoia, cleverly created through the production of the vocal and instruments, and listen to it late at night in the dark and it's rather terrifying. One of Us was the lead off single proper and is just gorgeous. Someone I know once described it as Greek tragedy meets Swedish cool and that's quite an apt way of framing the song. Head Over Heels is a cheeky little number where Benny possibly makes his ex sing a song about herself that is not altogether flattering. It's the always take the high road song of When All Is Said And Done that has a rather defiant lead vocal and is bittersweet rather than bitter where the coda for the act is "thanks for all the generous music thanks for all the fun". Slipping Through My Fingers is beautiful creation about capturing memories that have gone by as life moves on and things change. Things have moved on for Abba and sadly there was to be very little more from them...



A greatest hits album featured two songs that were still classics rather than just bunging any old trash on there a la the Spice Girls. Under Attack represents the majesty of downbeat lyrics set to upbeat poppiness, while the epic - EPIC - Day Before You Came sees diary like entries recount the monotony of waiting for that one you love to come back into your life. Top line? "There's not I think a single episode of Dallas that I didn't see"... Unreleased tracks like I Am The City and Just Like That are fun perky tracks that possibly could've formed Opus Ten, while amazing pop songs and ballads from Benny and Bjorn surfaced in Chess; most notably the oft covered One Night In Bangkok and gorgeously harmonised I Know Him So Well. Abba were over. Their legacy still lives on.

(With apologies to XO) My top ten plus one Abba songs (in no particular order)

• The Winner Takes It All
• Under Attack
• The Day Before You Came
• Kisses of Fire
• Dancing Queen
• Waterloo
• Summer Night City
• One of Us
• Slipping Through My Fingers
• Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
• Voulez Vous

My top ten Abba covers plus one

• Erasure - Voulez Vous (note how the video is v similar to Keane's Is It Any Wonder)
• A*Teens - One Night In Bangkok
• Steps - I Know Him So Well
• Westlife - I Have A Dream
• Will Young - Name of the Game
• Madonna - Hung Up
• H&Claire - Another You Another Me
• Sixpence None The Richer - Dancing Queen
• Erasure - Take A Chance
• Kylie - Dancing Queen
• Beverley Craven - Winner Takes It All