Getcha passports ready - the middle-aged dummies are going to the British Isles! Top 31 song countdown. (2 Viewers)

[Sullie]

Duran Duran wrote a pretty cool song around an extremely dumb title that's true to both the band's and the Bond sound.

A View to a Kill is my favorite Bond song, and I agree it is very true to the Bond sound. Shirley Bassey does my second favorite Bond song, but since she is Welsh I won't mention it since it may be on someone's list.

There’s a pretty good documentary named The Sound of 007 on Amazon.

Just popped in to post this. It's definitely worth a tumble if you like the 007 series and you were ever curious about the music. I thought it was really interesting that Duran Duran put in a bunch of effort to do a Bond theme, I had no idea. They were so popular at that time, as I recall, that I didn't think they would have had to put any effort into being selected.

 

[krista4]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

Are you in Manchester?

 

[jwb]

Some 5-pointers I really liked (excluding ones I've already mentioned):

@worrierking Tempted - Squeeze - Made my last 5 out.
@simey Paranoid - Black Sabbath - Monster song by them. Love the drum after every verse.
@Hawks64 - Evil Woman – Electric Light Orchestra - ELO was one of my favorite bands in the late 70's. Still is. Got to see them (well, Jeff and the gang) 3x these past few tours. Saw the old band in 81 too.
@MAC_32 - Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty - Great tune, although his is a pretty sad story. Dude basically drank himself to death. Gives some insight to "drink the night away".
@Mister CIA Starship Trooper – Yes - The hits are nice, but this is what YES was all about.
@The Dreaded Marco - Common People – Pulp - new to me. Add me to the list of people who really like this.
@Oliver Humanzee - Fizzy - Sleaford Mods - New to me. I'm a sucker for lots of bass. This is fun.

There are more that I'll probably post about but have to get back to work. Today's list is great.

 

[titusbramble]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

Are you in Manchester?

No, but close enough

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

For some reason I thought Bruce did not drink.

 

[titusbramble]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

For some reason I thought Bruce did not drink.

Only when he's flying

 

[titusbramble]

We all know what the best Bond theme is, and it wasn't eligible.

I do have a Bond related track on my long list

Re: thinking emoji, if anyone has selected a track by the Propellerheads then I'll be very pleased, but it's clearly not obvious

 

[krista4]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

Are you in Manchester?

No, but close enough

Ah. My goddaughter goes to university there.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Pip’s Invitation:

Pump It Up -- Elvis Costello
(new artist but see below)

This is the one Costello song that should have appeal regardless of what scenes/genres you prefer (unless you hate the Farfisa organ). It's bumpin', it's rockin' and it's a ton of fun. I first learned who Costello was from the early years of MTV, but this was not one of the songs in their rotation. I didn't come to it until I started listening to FM stations as a teen, and it grabbed me the first time I heard it and never let go.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Tempted may be my favorite Squeeze song, as atypical it is of their sound. Too bad Paul Carrack only hung around for one album. When my sister saw them in the late '80s, the first question I had for her was "Did they play Tempted, and if so, who sang it?" (The answer: Yes, and Glenn Tillbrook.)

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'm not a giant Pink Floyd fan but I do like some. Even without accompanying music, this is just sheer poetry. I think empathy is the greatest of human emotions, so this hits me bigly.

On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand
“Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of all the suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away”

It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all, we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we’re all alone
In the dream of the proud

On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
Mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night

No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?

 

[titusbramble]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

Are you in Manchester?

No, but close enough

Ah. My goddaughter goes to university there.

Yeah, I can't think of a reasonable American comp. Maybe if Manhattan was a lot larger and more significant and people started saying the other four boroughs, parts of NJ etc were Manhattan as well.

 

[AAABatteries]

Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) - The Hollies
(duplicate – second vote)

@falguy , for spreadsheet purposes, please note that the title was wrong the first time this one came up. Above is the correct title. Sorry I didn't catch it the first time!

Pretty sure that means I own the song now - suck it @Val Rannous !

 

[Westerberg]

Tempted may be my favorite Squeeze song, as atypical it is of their sound. Too bad Paul Carrack only hung around for one album. When my sister saw them in the late '80s, the first question I had for her was "Did they play Tempted, and if so, who sang it?" (The answer: Yes, and Glenn Tillbrook.)

Squeeze Tempted on Sunday Night

Squeeze performs Tempted with David Sanborn on the Sunday Night music show on NBC from 1989.

www.youtube.com

Here's a great version with Tillbrook on vocals. Huge fan.

I moved into a new place last year and just happened to move next door to a guitar player. He lives next door to a drummer. I'm a bass player. So, we pretty much had to start playing together. The trouble is that we have very different tastes in music (I now know how to play a Barenaked Ladies song) but it's been fun. Tempted was one of the songs I brought in thinking it was something we could all agree on. My appreciation for it has really grown since learning it. Great bassline, great lyric, clever songwriting. Top tune.

 

[jwb]

Fun fact re: The Trooper, the beer of the same name brewed in collaboration with Dickinson is done so at my local brewery

I had this at the 2019 concert in Brooklyn (and the can still resides in my permanent Halloween village in my office). It's pretty good. I looked for it at the last show I saw in NC but nope... must have been the rule at the venue or something.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Known-to-me favorites from #27, not including my own pick and Suspect Device, which is known to be on my list:

All Right Now -- Free (Chaos34)
Starship Trooper -- Yes (Mister CIA)
Tempted -- Squeeze (Worrierking)
Evil Woman -- Electric Light Orchestra (Hawks64)
Bitter Sweet Symphony -- The Verve (Rockaction)
Paranoid -- Black Sabbath (Simey)
Alison -- Elvis Costello (Binky)
Cruel Summer -- Bananarama (Ditkaburgers)
Locomotive Breath -- Jethro Tull (Mt. Man)
Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress) -- The Hollies (AAABatteries)
Baker Street -- Gerry Rafferty (MAC 32)
All the Young Girls Love Alice -- Elton John (Zegras11)
The Killing Moon -- Echo & the Bunnymen (Doc Oc)
Mother -- Pink Floyd (Manster)
In the Air Tonight -- Phil Collins (Yankee23Fan)
Perfect Strangers -- Deep Purple (Doug B)
Common People -- Pulp (Marco)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I had no idea The Outfield was British. Never would have guessed that.

I didn't know they were British either. I thought they were from Pennsylvania. I think I confuse them with The Hooters.

Those of us who grew up in the Philly area in the '80s will never mistake The Hooters for anything. They were everywhere.

When we were in 8th grade, a girl from my class went to one of their shows and fainted, Beatles in 1964 style.

Also, my son's guitar teacher whom I occasionally tell anecdotes about? His guitar teacher was Eric Bazilian of The Hooters.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

When my sister saw them in the late '80s, the first question I had for her was "Did they play Tempted, and if so, who sang it?" (The answer: Yes, and Glenn Tillbrook.)

Paul Carrack played keyboard for Roger Waters on the Radio K.A.O.S. tour. Before the entire band came out, he came out alone and sat at the piano and played and sung Tempted by himself. It was a nice little bonus.

 

[krista4]

The Hooters.

The name of the band sounded vaguely familiar, but I had to look them up. I do know and like the song "And We Danced."

 

[rockaction]

I still like The Hooters. Interesting act.

 

[rockaction]

Brainwave there.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

"And We Danced."

like a wave on the ocean

 

[KarmaPolice]

I MAY have heard it before, but I'll call it new...Common People is easily my favorite "new to me" song so far.

Well, you would have heard it if you listed to the playlist I put together.

You put together a playlist?

 

[simey]

Alison is the first song I ever loved and heard by Elvis Costello. I like the other two songs taken as well.
Tempted is a great Squeeze song. I love Carrack's vocals on it.
Someone Saved My Life Tonight is one of my favorites Elton songs. I've always loved the lyrics in it. I'm happily surprised to see All The Girls Love Alice make someone's list.
Mother is my second favorite Pink Floyd song, and I think On The Turning Away is one of their best post-Waters era Pink Floyd tunes.
Another Sunny Day is one of my favorites from B&S. I think it has a Kinks vibe to it.
Lady Strange brings up fond memories of high school. One of my friends loved this song and band. He would wear that British flag shirt like NV has and wears.

to be continued...

 

[falguy]

I think I'm ready to present v1.0 of

the Spreadsheet

Not a lot to summarize at this point and @krista4 probably has all this info anyway but here it is in Spreadsheet form. I'll post updates more often when we get closer to the finish line.
If you see any inconsistencies let me know.

 

[zamboni]

and I think On The Turning Away is one of their best post-Waters era Pink Floyd tunes.

Agree. This and High Hopes probably stand well above an otherwise mediocre post-Waters output.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Mungo Jerry has a face for radio.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Mungo Jerry has a face for radio.

True, I could never see a video director giving Mungo the Billy Squier treatment.

 

[falguy]

Five-Point Selections:


Don Quixote:In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry
MAC_32:Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Yankee23Fan:In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins
Manster:Mother - Pink Floyd

higgins:Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John
Chaos34:All Right Now – Free
AAABatteries:Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) - The Hollies

to all of these that I am familiar with by name

 

[Raging weasel]

I originally planned to participate but got too overwhelmed. My actual 30 favs would probably be at least 15 Beatles related and the rest from only 4-5 bands. I then tried to do a list with just my fav from 30 different artists but barely had a top 10 list done when I gave up. I spent about 10 hours working on it and it started to feel more like work than fun so I gave up-- props to all those that put in the time and effort !!
3 of my top 10 have already been revealed including my #2.

 

[AAABatteries]

I still like The Hooters.

Me too!

 

[Doug B]

The Hooters.

The name of the band sounded vaguely familiar, but I had to look them up. I do know and like the song "And We Danced."

A few years ago, our local grocery store had this Hooters jam playing on rotation in their shop music loop. I was like "whaaaat?" but it was a pleasant surprise.

 

[Eephus]

Re: thinking emoji, if anyone has selected a track by the Propellerheads then I'll be very pleased, but it's clearly not obvious

The band made my long list (and Mrs. Eephus' too) but not the song you're hinting at (I think)

 

[Dr. Octopus]

That Hugh Laurie is a great actor - I didn't even know he was British until years into House.

 

[Eephus]

Tempted may be my favorite Squeeze song, as atypical it is of their sound. Too bad Paul Carrack only hung around for one album. When my sister saw them in the late '80s, the first question I had for her was "Did they play Tempted, and if so, who sang it?" (The answer: Yes, and Glenn Tillbrook.)

Carrack just released a new album of standards recorded with the SWR Big Band. He'sstill in great voice.

Paul Carrack & The SWR Big Band - Cryin' Won't Help [Official Audio]

Cryin' Won't Help by Paul Carrack & The SWR Big Band from the new 2023 album 'Don't Wait Too Long', available on CD, vinyl and digitally here: https://carrac...

www.youtube.com

 

[Dr. Octopus]

So far the Gomez song is the only one from the round added to my "British Countdown Finds" playlist. Mostly because I've known most of the songs this time around.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I originally planned to participate but got too overwhelmed. My actual 30 favs would probably be at least 15 Beatles related and the rest from only 4-5 bands. I then tried to do a list with just my fav from 30 different artists but barely had a top 10 list done when I gave up. I spent about 10 hours working on it and it started to feel more like work than fun so I gave up-- props to all those that put in the time and effort !!
3 of my top 10 have already been revealed including my #2.

Well, then I'm glad you didn't participate.

 

[timschochet]

Mother is so good. I think it might be my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time.

 

[zamboni]

Mother is so good. I think it might be my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time.

A bit too uplifting for me.

 

[Eephus]

Only seven unrecognized artist/title combos among the five pointers so Lou got a break today. More than twice that number (Costello, Squeeze, Rafferty, ELO, Gomez, Echo, Oasis, Floyd, Pistols, Yes, Pulp, Amy, Verve, Belle & Seb, Roxy, Hollies & Dusty) were on my long list.

titusbramble: Burn Baby Burn – Ash
I'm mostly familiar with their album 1977. Dug this one and the greatest three chords in Rock music.

Just Win Baby: Undisclosed Desires – Muse
More mellow than the Muse songs I've heard a lot. Liked the combination of beats and strings (or were they synths that were programmed like strings)

jwb: The Trooper – Iron Maiden
Recognized it during the chorus. You really can't go wrong with twin guitar leads. Sounded a bit like Thin Lizzy with the guitars and galloping beat.

Andy Dufresne: On The Turning Away - Pink Floyd
I've listened to 70s Floyd a ton but rarely have heard their later stuff. Liked it OK until Gilmour's guitar solo which bumped it up about three notches. What tone.


zamboni: Lady Strange - Def Leppard
2023 me digs this more than 1981 me would have. Joe Elliott is a top front man and there's just enough crunch. I warned my son about women nicknamed "Lady Strange" and thankfully he heeded my advise.


Val Rannous: St. James Infirmary - Hugh Laurie
I vaguely remember somebody (Mrs. Rannous?) picking this in a previous draft. Laurie is a better actor than piano player and a better pianist than a blues singer but he's still a multitalented package.


Oliver Humanzee: Fizzy - Sleaford Mods
I like music like this in small doses but after a while it becomes like being yelled at by a homeless guy. I figured it as an OH pick because El Floppo isn't participating.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Mother is so good. I think it might be my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time.

A bit too uplifting for me.

Need something off The Final Cut?

 

[Eephus]

Selecciones de mi familia

Mrs. Eephus: Notorious - Duran Duran
Mrs. E's ***official rankings of DD members

1. John Taylor - Has always been her favorite as long as I've known her. She says she chose "Notorious" in large part because of John's bassline
2. Simon LeBon - A charasmatic and entertaining front man
3. Nick Rhodes - She would have ranked Nick above Simon back in the 80s because he was cuter then but he hasn't aged as well as Simon. Still dresses well.
4. Andy Taylor - No comments
5. "The drummer"

@ditkaburgers: Cruel Summer – Bananarama
This is about as simple and direct as a Pop song can be. It has unison vocals, a cool little synth hook in the intro, a repeating guitar part that pops in and out and the chorus repeating endlessly toward the end. I was excited when Taylor Swift put out a song with the same title but alas, it's not a cover.


Eephus: The 1975 - Paris
The 1975 is a big father/daughter thing for me. I repped their first single to her when she was away at college and the three of us saw them at a small club here on their first US tour. She would have discovered them eventually when they blew up but being in early on what would become her favorite band earned huge dad credibility points.

"Paris" came out in Feb 2016 about a month after we returned from a three week trip to the city to visit ditkaburgers who lived there at the time. The chorus (Oh, how I'd love to go to Paris again) hit me hard then and still affects me as a metaphor for some of the best days of our lives.

 

[Mister CIA]

Mother is so good. I think it might be my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time.

A bit too uplifting for me.

It's not quite as uplifting as John Lennon's cover of Mother.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Mother is so good. I think it might be my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time.

A bit too uplifting for me.

It's not quite as uplifting as John Lennon's cover of Mother.

Or Danzig's.

 

[Eephus]

So many great picks but a special shout out to Gomez, a band I love and one that seems to have slipped out of public consciousness since they stopped releasing new stuff. They were out of sync with what was popular in the UK at the time; their sound had more in common with US jam bands than the Landfill Indie that was big in the UK.

They have/had a unique sound with two very different lead singers and lots of great drumming. We saw them live a couple of times back in the day including the Fillmore shows that were recorded for their terrific live album Way Out West.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Oliver Humanzee: Fizzy - Sleaford Mods
I like music like this in small doses but after a while it becomes like being yelled at by a homeless guy. I figured it as an OH pick because El Floppo isn't participating.

"Belligerent homeless guy produced by Steve Albini" is my default assumption for OH picks I've never heard of (which is almost all of them).

 

[Uruk-Hai]

@Pip's Invitation I heard Jerry "The Geater" Blavat passed away. XPN's doing a salute to him tomorrow from 2 til 7

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I’m sure I’ve heard Common People before but never really “listened”. It’s quite good and made my playlist.

 

[Hawks64]

5 Pointer Faves
@Binky The Doormat : Alison - Elvis Costello - Bonus because they spelled her name correctly!
@simey : Paranoid - Black Sabbath - It's Black Sabbath with Ozzy...can't go wrong here. Ever.
@timschochet : You'll Never Be a Man - Elvis Costello - Guess I like Elvis more than I thought I did!
@jwb : The Trooper - Iron Maiden - Up The F'ing Irons!!!!
@shuke : Goodbye to Romance - Ozzy - This was on my last 10 out, one of my favorite Ozzy tunes.
@higgins : Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John - As it's pretty evident, I have narrow tastes in music, somehow Elton makes the cut. I'm as :shuked: as everyone else
@Mt. Man : Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull - This whole album is excellent and I'm an idiot for not putting any Jethro on my list.
@landrys hat : Babylon - David Gray - This is another excellent album and artist that didn't even cross my mind.
@zamboni : Lady Strange - Def Leppard - Love the earlier Leppard!
@AAABatteries : Long Cool Woman - The Hollies - love this tune, didn't realize it was The Hollies

 

[Eephus]

Mrs. Eephus: Notorious - Duran Duran
Mrs. E's ***official rankings of DD members

ditkaburgers unofficial rankings of DD members

1. Simon
2. Alvin
3. Theodore