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Celebrating the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin as she prepares to abdicate

On the day Madonna celebrates her 60th birthday, I find myself writing this blog article celebrating the life of Aretha Franklin.

At the time of writing, Aretha Franklin is still with us but there is a sad inevitability that her life is drawing to a close, so it is with a heavy heart that I’m preparing this obituary.

Just as Madonna’s 60th birthday is life affirming, it is very arguable that she would not have had a music life and career had female soul artists like Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield not paved the way in the 1960s.

Although the Tamla Motown record label gave us black soul female stars like Diana Ross and Martha Reeves in the 1960s, they were part of girl group ensembles, The Supremes and The Vandellas respectively. But Tamla Motown artists were seen as pop stars – Aretha Franklin was the real deal, with genuine soul credentials following in the footsteps of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday and Nina Simone.

Aretha Franklin stood alone and tall as a female soul singer in the mid to late 1960s. For this reason, Aretha Franklin is the architect of modern day R ‘n’ B, which is why Beyoncé paid tribute to her the other day on stage. She forged the path for all those R ‘n’ B singers that have followed and not just the female ones.

When researching this piece, I was amazed to find the all empowering “I Say A Little Prayer” didn’t reach No1 in the UK charts when it was released in 1968 – it was No4 over here and even more surprisingly only reached No10 across the “Big Pond” in the USA. Aretha Franklin had to wait nearly 20 years for her only No1 in the UK and US, her duet with George Michael “I Knew You Were Waiting ( For Me )”.

However as the Queen Of Soul prepares to abdicate, it will be Aretha Franklin’s signature tune “I Say A Little Prayer” that we will all turn to for solace and comfort at the point of her departure. I’m sure music fans across the world will be joining me in a private or public vigil, by saying a little prayer for Aretha Franklin and her family and friends.

Thanks for the music and the memories Aretha!!

Footnote ( after Aretha’s death ):

I Say A Little Prayer for you Aretha Franklin #ArethaFranklin – not because you need it now you are in a better place, but because you deserve it for all the joy you gave so many during your lifetime. You will always be the Queen of Soul. #RIPArethaFranklin

By Simon|2018-08-16T10:30:54+01:00August 16, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Retro Music, Vinyl Records|0 Comments

The Wacky World of One Hit Wonders or were they?

Ah, one hit wonders. Who knew that Martine McCutcheon was at number one for 2 weeks in 1999? Not me, until I started researching this piece. Mercifully, I’d also forgotten Glenn Medeiros and his only hit single, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change my Love for You’, which held the top spot for 4 weeks in mid-1988. That’s 4 weeks of my Top of the Pops peak viewing time I’ll never get back. (Maybe it should have been renamed ‘Top if the Plops’ for that 4 weeks, thinks the childish part of my brain…)

Anyway. One hit wonders or one trick ponies, if you prefer – who can we count among their number? Some surprised me; songs that I was sure were one-off hits for certain acts had a bridesmaid follow up. The most unexpected example, for me, was undoubtedly Robson and Jerome. Yes, we all remember ‘Unchained Melody’ (whether we want to or not), which was at number one for 7 weeks from May 1985, but did you know that the ‘Soldier, Soldier’ stars also had 2 other number ones, in November 1985 – for 4 weeks, no less. They followed this with another, a year later, which was at the peak for 2 weeks. Who knew? Not me (and I’m a Geordie, like Robson, if that makes any difference).

Perennial wedding favourite ‘Come on Eileen’ wasn’t Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ only number one hit, either; they’d scored another, 2 years previously, in 1980 when ‘Geno’ spent 2 weeks at the top. I can’t recall ever having heard that one (but I was only 6 at the time, so perhaps that explains it).

Often, one hit wonders could be described as novelty songs. From ‘Kung Fu Fighting’, released in the mid-1970s, via the Spitting Image ‘Chicken Song’ of 1986. Then Right Said Fred said ‘I’m Too Sexy’ in the early 1990s, before 1997 brought us both the ‘Teletubbies’ ditty and ‘Barbie Girl’. Yeah, thanks 1997. All but Right Said Fred reached the top spot; Fred had to be content with number 2.

There are a lot more where those unique anthems came from, but many were penned for a specific reason – as a charity single, a Christmas song or for a film. Some were written as sporting chants; others specifically to dance to – in a very precise, strictly choreographed pattern.

Band Aid had one of the most memorable charity singles ever, firstly in 1984, when the original topped the chart for 5 weeks. 5 years after, Band Aid II managed 3 weeks at the peak. The 1980s were big for fund-raising records – USA for Africa scored a number 1 for 2 weeks with ‘We are the World’, right in the middle of the decade. 2 years later, in 1987, Ferry Aid managed 3 weeks at the chart’s pinnacle, raising money in the wake of the Zeebrugge disaster, when the Herald of Free Enterprise capsized.

More cheerily, some novelty songs were made simply to dance to – Whigfield’s ‘Saturday Night (1984), the ‘Macarena’ in the 1990s, then ’The Ketchup Song’ in the early noughties. All had in common that they inspired scores of people to hit the dancefloor and throw very specific, highly synchronised shapes.

From throwing shapes to kicking balls, some one hit wonders are still hugely popular with sporting fans at present-day fixtures. New Order’s 1990 hit ‘World in Motion’ is still oft-heard whenever England are due to play, as is ‘Tubthumping’ by Chumbawamba (1997). The most relevant example right now, though, has to be 1996’s ‘3 Lions’, which recently re-entered the UK charts during England’s most successful World Cup campaign for decades. (I guess we can’t strictly call that a one-hit-wonder, then.)

Some songs are released to coincide with a film in which they feature, and can be huge hits. In 1982, ’The Eye of the Tiger’, from Rocky III, reached number one, as did Berlin’s ‘Take my Breath Away’, from Top Gun, in 1986. That was rapidly followed by ‘Stand by Me’ (from the film of the same name) and ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop us Now’ by Starship, in 1987, from the movie ‘Mannequin’. ‘Show me Heaven’ – from another Tom Cruise film, ‘Days of Thunder’ – scored 4 weeks at the top in the first year of the the 1990s.

Christmas rounds off each year nicely, and also rounds off this list of novelty song choices – although not every yuletide one-trick-pony is particularly festive. A case in point being the acapella ditty ‘Only You’, which grabbed the coveted Christmas numero uno in 1983. It enjoyed 5 weeks in the spotlight, before The Flying Pickets sank into oblivion. ‘There’s no-one quite like Grandma’ wasn’t especially festive, either, but it was a massive surprise hit for Christmas 1980 – presumably because everyone had to buy it for their Nan. I know I (or rather, my parents) did. The Christmas hit phenomenon has been immortalised in novel and celluloid form as well as vinyl; Nick Hornby’s book ‘About a Boy’ tells the tale of a man who lives on the royalties from his father’s one and only hit tune – which fortunately for Hugh Grant’s character – happened to be a Christmas song.

Not all one hit wonders are novelty songs, though; there are many more which range from dire, to good and great – or even absolute classic. This piece was inspired when I happened to hear House of Pain’s lively anthem ‘Jump Around’ on the radio. It wasn’t a huge hit here, reaching number 8 in 1992, although it fared better across the pond, achieving 3rd place. I love that tune and am always happy to hear it.

How songs perform, chart-wise, here in the UK isn’t always reflected in the US Billboard. I was surprised that some lists I stumbled across classified A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’ as a one-hit-wonder, when I recalled those boys from Norway having successive, massive hits over here. The animated, sketch-style video, in fact, was apparently what catapulted A-ha to the top of the Billboard across the Atlantic.

Another song I’m pretty fond of is ‘My Sharona’, released in 1979 by the Knack, which peaked at number 6 here, but managed to secure the top spot stateside – another of those one hit wonders. American artist Billy Ray Cyrus had a big hit with ‘Achy breaky heart’ both here and in the US. Although he didn’t get to number one in either, the song endures (possibly because it’s profoundly irritating). Cyrus’s daughter Miley, aka Hannah Montana, is far more famous than he these days.

Some real decade-defining tracks were but one hit wonders. In the 1970s, Wild Cherry had a number 1 in the US (number 7 here) with ‘Play that funky music’, a song that still pops up on pretty much every funk compilation album. Synth hot-hit ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ took us into the 1980s, though I had to look up who even performed it (Bruce Woolley). Toni Basil’s ‘Mickey’ was so fine in 1982, and is a tune favoured by compilers of 80s hits albums, even though it didn’t quite reach number one (it peaked in second place). 1982 also brought us ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, which roared for 3 weeks at number 1, before Tight Fit disappeared into obscurity. Thankfully, some might say.

In 1983, Men at Work were ‘Down Under’ up top for 3 weeks; in ’84 Nena’s ’99 Red Balloons’ was a stratospheric, worldwide smash. 1985 brought us ‘na na na na 19’ by Paul Hardcastle, which topped the list for 5 weeks. ‘You Spin Me Round’ only managed a week, but is very much fondly and clearly remembered, judging by the airtime it still gets. In fact, 1985 seems to have been THE year for one hit wonders, with Jennifer Rush and Feargal Sharkey scoring number ones with ‘The Power Of Love’ and ‘A Good Heart’ respectively.

By 1986 I was in the full throes of my first massive crush – on Nick Berry from ‘Eastenders’, who hit the top spot with ‘Every Loser Wins’. Not one that I ever hear these days, unlike ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe, which actually spent less time at number 1 – 2 weeks for the latter as opposed to 3 for the former.

Rick Astley – who apparently has a new album out, right now – had a huge 5 weeks at the top of the charts in 1987 with ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. Few people have forgotten him (alas, some might add). Most will have forgotten his Stock, Aitken and Waterman peer Sonia, who had one big hit in 1989.She’d completely slipped my mind, until I saw a sign advertising her performance at my local holiday park a couple of months ago…

Something of a Scottish anthem, The Proclaimers’ ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)’ peaked just outside the top 10 – at number 11 – in 1988. It’s hard, now, to believe that this song, still heard so often now, didn’t even make the top ten. Although it made number 3 in the US – and number 1 in New Zealand.

By the end of the 1990s, things had something of a Latin flavour, with Ricky Martin ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ for 3 weeks in July 1999, swiftly followed by Lou Bega’s ‘Mambo no. 5’ which spent a fortnight at the top a couple of months later.

By the time we reached the year 2000, I was 26 and my interest in new music was already waning. Simon Cowell was poised to take the music world by storm (a dire, dark, threatening type of storm in my book, at that). I can’t really speak of music from that point on with any authority, so I’ll stop right here.

Suffice to say that the world of music would not be the same without one hit wonders. Better, perhaps, maybe worse; it would definitely be different. For me, variety is the spice of life. One good song is still a good song, and the rich tapestry of music history may well be somewhat less colourful without those one-off hits and misses.

This article was written by our guest blogger Polly Taylor @ BloggerByTheSea.com

Check out Polly’s very eclectic blog……There are some very entertaining and informative articles on a diverse range of subjects & topics. For instance her home made recipes are mouth watering and delicious!!

By Simon|2018-08-12T10:29:16+01:00August 12, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Nostalgia, Retro Music|0 Comments

Top 5 Best LGBT Anthems / Gay Anthems that graced Brighton Pride 2018

There was never a better time to spend a weekend by the seaside than the 4th and 5th August 2018 in Brighton. The lethal cocktail of a summer heatwave, unparalleled since 1976, and Brighton Pride 2018 meant there was only one place to be on the first weekend in August 2018. But it’s the LGBT anthems / Gay anthems that will linger longest in the memory.

However as the colour and flamboyance of the Brighton Pride 2018 parade fades and diminishes, as it inevitably will, the residue that will remain after the pomp and pageantry is incarcerated in the memory bank, will be the music soundtrack.

A cacophony of LGBT anthems / Gay anthems emanated from all the floats and vintage double decker buses, but these were the five that stood out for the Record Press author –

Top 5 Best LGBT Anthems / Gay Anthems that graced Brighton Pride 2018

1) Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out

This comes in at No1 as it formed part of Nile Rodgers / Chic headline set at the Brighton Pride Love BN1 Fest at Preston Park on Sunday https://www.brighton-pride.org/lovebn1-fest/ Niles Rogers co-wrote the Diana Ross classic and his gig with Chic was the perfect conclusion to the weekend.

2) Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men

This gay anthem rang out several times during the parade on a hot sultry, weekend when it was only ever going to rain men as opposed to water / H2O droplets

3) Sylvester – You Make Me Feel Mighty Real

Admittedly nostalgia has played a part for including this in the Top 5 Best LGBT Anthems / Gay Anthems as I’m old enough to remember this tune being a hit in 1978. Gay or straight, this is one of the greatest dance / disco tunes

4) Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive

Again, gay or straight, this song empowers all that encounter it. I defy anyone to say that they don’t find the Gloria Gaynor standard uplifting and inspiring. It’s impact was immediate for me, so much so that I still remember lying in the dark in my bedroom one night in April 1979 and hearing the song for the first time on Radio Luxemburg ( Fab 208 )

5) Cher – Believe

Diva and song combine to make this one of the definitive LGBT anthems / Gay anthems

What are your favourite LGBT anthems / Gay anthems? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

You can order your LGBT anthems / Gay anthems as a framed and mounted vinyl single like the Cher “Believe” one ( to the left ). If it’s intended as a gift, it can be personalised further with an inscribed / engraved plaque. ORDER NOW….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

Framed 7″ records / framed vinyl singles and framed CDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion i.e. a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.

THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT @ www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

By Simon|2018-08-08T10:51:16+01:00August 8, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Music, Music Festivals, Nostalgia, Retro Music|0 Comments

Poetry in music: 10 of the best song lyrics

Sometimes, I hear a song I love, but I just cannot wait to get to the juicy bit in the song lyrics – that one-liner or verse that makes you nod your head and sing along at the top of your voice. Its hits you right in the solar plexus and you shout, “yes indeed!”

It can be because the lines are poetry that speak to your very soul, or it can be simple because you love the cleverness of the word-play. Some of my favourites, I love because they are realistic, down to earth and sum up a particular aspect of life so aptly.

Here, pop people, are some of my top picks.

The Beatles – Penny Lane

Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she’s in a play,
She is anyway

I love this, because it sums up the song so very well. Penny Lane is just one street in suburban Liverpool; apart from being immortalised in vinyl by the biggest band ever to grace the planet, it’s nothing special. I lived in the area during my early twenties – the graduate years – and apart from a nice, proper local pub called The Dovedale Towers, there is nothing else that I can clearly recall about the road.

That, though, is the point of the song. Penny Lane isn’t about anyone or anywhere special, just day-to-day human life, with all the quirks and the mundanities that entails. It’s just people going about their business in one very small part of the world, yet it is poetry in motion. Life is special – joy can be found in the smallest of daily activities and in the pokiest corners of the globe.

INXS – Never Tear Us Apart

We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I’d make wine from your tears

From everyday suburban life to the most fanciful of notions, now. I mean, as if? Who would make wine from tears? My Grandad made wine out of some odd ingredients – most memorably, dandelions – but I don’t think even he would have considered using someone’s eye emissions as an ingredient.

No-one lives for a thousand years either, Messrs Hutchence and Farriss. Of course they don’t. It’s the romance conveyed by these lines that strikes me. He wants to live with me for a thousand years! If he hurt me, he’d actually drink my tears! It speaks of such passion, and prior to the INXS songwriters, only Heathcliff himself, surely, really embodied such strength of feeling. It was probably this very intensity that led to Hutchence’s untimely death, too.

Carly Simon – You’re So Vain

You’re so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain,
I’ll bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you?
Don’t you?

It is, though isn’t it Carly? About ‘him’ – he, who is rumoured to be Warren Beatty, with whom Carly Simon had a fling some years ago? The singer has since confirmed that part of the song is indeed about Mr Beatty – but not all. On this excerpt, the chorus, she was silent. Having dated several other high-profile men, including James Taylor (to whom she was wed) and Mick Jagger, we can but wonder.

We’ve all known one, or more, though, haven’t we, girls? (To be fair, the boys probably have known some, too.) Those individuals that think everything revolves around them? Or those who are simply acutely aware of the power bestowed upon them, having been blessed with Greek God like looks. I’ve certainly known one of those. He was English, like me – but it was on holiday to a Greek Island… my lips are sealed.

Oasis – Cigarettes and Alcohol

Is it my imagination
Or have I finally found something worth living for?
I was looking for some action
But all I found was cigarettes and alcohol

Cigarettes, admittedly, are less of a part of everyday life than in decades past – simply because of a rapidly dwindling population of smokers – but for some, the enjoyment in life could pretty much be grimly summed up by the opening verse of this song by one of Britain’s superbands.

You might get through day, or the week, by the skin of your gritted teeth, but come the evening or weekend, it was playtime. Smoking and drinking, which often led to action of another kind, on the dance floor or in the bedroom. The very stuff of life, indeed; romantic the notion is not, but countless human lives have actually been created on the back of fags and booze – and many more sustained by those simple pleasures.

Pulp – Common People

You’ll never live like common people,
You’ll never do whatever common people do,
You’ll never fail like common people,
You’ll never watch your life slide out of view,
And dance and drink and screw,
Because there’s nothing else to do.

Very much leading on from the last listing, the lyrics once again reflect the grainy reality of survival for many folk. They dance, they drink, they fornicate – because where else do they find pleasure in the everyday matter of living?

I think it’s a message to the monied classes, too. If you’ll always have back-up, then you simply cannot fail in the same way that those without can and do. If they take a big business risk, for example, they might lose everything and, for example, never be able to buy their own home again, becoming reliant on others – landlords – to house them. With family money and backing, someone more fortunate can give things a go without the stakes being so very high.

George Michael – A Different Corner

Take me back in time, maybe I can forget
Turn a different corner and we never would have met

I love this, because it has real resonance for me and how my life has turned out so far. I literally turned a different corner – took another trip – earlier than planned when travelling in Australia. That led me to a hostel in Adelaide, where I almost immediately met my husband. It took us some years to figure it out, but here we are now, homeowners on the sunny south coast of England, with an elderly cat and a daughter soon due to start school.

I know for many there will not be such an extreme example, but I bet you there are some. Who hasn’t gone to a party or even business event and met an important person or contact, that has somehow had an impact – huge or otherwise – on their life? Which leads me neatly onto the next one…

Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Oh there ain’t no love no, Montagues or Capulets
Just banging tunes ‘n’ DJ sets ‘n’
Dirty dance floors and dreams of naughtiness!

I love loads of lines from this song, but I the clever nod to Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers is my favourite. The cleverness of these lyrics belies the age of Alex Turner – who penned the ditty – when he wrote it. He was only 20 when the album from which it came, ‘Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not’, was released. He is the son of two teachers though, which possibly explains the shrewd nod to Romeo and Juliet.

Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights

Out on the wiley, windy moors
We’d roll and fall in green
You had a temper like my jealousy
Too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you, I loved you, too

This song always sends shivers up my spine. I’m not really a Kate Bush fan, so this song bypassed me when I read Emily Bronte’s masterpiece in my late teens. When I heard it, one day later in life, I was suddenly blown away by how well Bush had reflected the novel so completely in her lyrics and the music.

Cathy and Heathcliff are the absolute embodiment of the often cited fine line between love and hate, their relationship the very definition of tempestuous. As for the passion – wow. Just wow.

ELO – Mr Blue Sky

Hey there mister blue
We’re so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Everybody smiles at you

As I write, we’re in the midst of that rarest of events in Britain – a heatwave. The sun is constantly shining, parks and beaches are crammed with unusually scantily clad bodies, desperate to soak up a few of those feel-good rays during a rushed lunch break or precious, sun-soaked day off.

The lyrics of this song just sum it up perfectly – look how happy we are to see the sun! A blue sky, too! No wonder people used to worship the sun; why these days a lack of sunshine is even recognised as the cause of a specific kind of mood disorder – SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Mr Blue – we are indeed very pleased to be with you.

This article was written by our guest blogger Polly Taylor @ BloggerByTheSea.com

Check out Polly’s very eclectic blog……There are some very entertaining and informative articles on a diverse range of subjects & topics. For instance her home made recipes are mouth watering and delicious!!

What are your favourite song lyrics? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

You can order a favourite song as a framed and mounted vinyl single or CD single. If it’s intended as a gift, it can be personalised further with an inscribed / engraved plaque. ORDER NOW….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

Framed 7″ records / framed vinyl singles and framed CDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion i.e. a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.

THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT @ www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

By Simon|2018-06-28T09:02:45+01:00June 28, 2018|Music, Retro Music|0 Comments

Kenny Rogers’ international appeal & storytelling transcends his Country & Western roots

Recently the Record Press author posted a BBC article on social media announcing that Kenny Rogers had sadly been forced to cancel the remaining dates on his Farewell Tour due to ill health and then I thought little more of it……

A few hours later I returned to Twitter and Facebook, to be inundated by over a thousand responses to the sad news that Kenny Rogers had been forced to prematurely bow out of his final encore on the road. The fact that people on both sides of the “Big Pond” ( aka the Atlantic Ocean ) felt compelled to comment & convey not only shock and sadness but good wishes, demonstrates the love, affection and high esteem with which Kenny Rogers is held in throughout the world.

This in turn made me re-examine my relationship with Kenny Rogers. Like many in the UK, we were first introduced in the early summer of 1977 through a mutual friend, Lucille. The song “Lucille” stayed in the charts having peaked at No1 for many weeks, but the resonance of the sad story of the father and “four hungry children” she abandoned, lived on much longer in our hearts and minds. What Kenny Rogers proved in that moment and on that 7″ vinyl single was that not only was he a great vocalist, but also a great story-teller and raconteur.

My love of Kenny Rogers was cemented in 1979 and 1980 when he released the beautiful, poignant and moving ballads “She Believes in Me” and “Lady”, the latter a No1 in the USA. He also reached No1 in the USA in 1983 when he teamed up with good friend Dolly Parton with the classic duet “Islands in the Stream”.

Kenny Rogers has also had two No1s in the UK – the aforementioned “Lucille” in 1977 and “Coward of the County” two years later in 1979. Interestingly the two songs are great examples of storytelling as is “The Gambler”.

The news that Kenny Rogers’ health may be failing, possibly heralding the end of his active musical career, focussed my mind sufficiently for me to realise how much of a significant part Kenny has played in my life and the soundtrack of that life. So much so, that I have compiled this Record Press Top 5 Best Kenny Rogers Songs –

Top 5 Best Kenny Rogers Songs

1) Lady ( No12 1980 )

2) She Believes in Me ( No42 1979 )

3) Islands in the Stream ( No7 1983 )

4) Lucille ( No1 1977 )

5) The Gambler ( No22 2007 )

What are your favourite Kenny Rogers songs? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

Fans of Kenny Rogers can order your favourite song as a framed and mounted vinyl single like this one ( to the left ). If it’s intended as a gift, it can be personalised further with an inscribed / engraved plaque. ORDER NOW….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

Framed 7″ records / framed vinyl singles and framed CDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion i.e. a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.

THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT @ www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

By Simon|2018-04-25T14:56:42+01:00April 25, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Music Memorabilia, Nostalgia, Retro Music|0 Comments

Robert Smith marks 40th anniversary of The Cure as Meltdown Festival Cure-ator

Robert Smith has revealed to the NME that he’ll be performing at his own curated Meltdown Festival this summer, which has also inspired him to write new material for The Cure.

Following in the well-trodden footsteps of distinguished figures like David Bowie, Patti Smith, David Byrne, Nick Cave and Jarvis Cocker, Robert Smith has hand selected the acts heading to the Meltdown Festival at London’s Southbank Centre this June. Last month the initial line up was revealed, including Deftones, The Libertines, Manic Street Preachers, My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, Placebo, The Psychedelic Furs, 65daysofstatic, Alcest, The Anchoress, Kristin Hersh, Kathryn Joseph, MONO, and The Notwist all announced for the 25th edition of the iconic Meltdown Festival.

Recently the reclusive Robert Smith gave a rare interview to Matt Everitt on BBC 6 Music, where he discussed the Meltdown Festival, and what the future holds for The Cure: “It might just be a reaction to the fact that in the modern world, people talk endlessly about nothing,” Robert Smith said to explain his media silence in recent years. He said that he was simply waiting for a “focal point to a new project”, claiming that without that “the whole notion of doing an interview becomes redundant” without new material to discuss.

Robert Smith’s research into acts to play the Meltdown Festival has inspired him to go back into the studio. The process of curation has “reinvigorated his creativity and made him want to do something new.” Robert Smith explained: “I’ve listened to more new music in the last six months than I ever have. I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing new songs, so it’s had a really good effect on me. I booked some time to do some demos next month. Some of it’s really good, some of it not so good.”

Robert Smith will be performing on the closing Sunday of the Meltdown Festival with a selection of collaborators. He elaborated: “It will be me and four other people that I know really well, and some others,” he said, adding that they’d be playing “primarily Cure songs” and interpretations of tracks by the band with “different instrumentation”, with a set “completely different to the Hyde Park show” and “a little bit more weird.”

The Record Press author can’t believe that it is 40 years since Robert Smith and The Cure released their first single.

My introduction to Robert Smith and The Cure was their 1980 single “A Forest”, which was one of the few songs guaranteed to get me on the dancefloor in the early 1980s, along with “Sanctuary” by The Cult and New Order’s “Blue Monday”. For me Robert Smith and The Cure were two sides of the same coin with Siouxsie Sioux and The Banshees. I’m sure Robert Smith and Siouxsie Sioux were separated at birth.

Since 1980 I have always adored the tortured, melancholic and morose vocals of Robert Smith and for this reason I can forgive him for accidentally smudging his red lipstick every morning!! Lest we forget the brilliance of Robert Smith and The Cure, here is our Record Press Top 5 Best The Cure Songs –

Top 5 Best The Cure Songs

1) A Forest ( No31 1980 )

2) The Love Cats ( No7 1983 )

3) Friday I’m In Love ( No6 1992 )

4) Fascination Street ( Non hit 1989 )

5) In Between Days ( No15 1885 )

6) A Strange Day ( Non hit 1982 )

7) Boys Don’t Cry ( No22 1986 )

8) Killing An Arab ( Non hit 1978 )

9) Let’s Go To Bed ( No44 1982 )

10) Close To Me ( No24 1985 )

What are your favourite The Cure songs? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

Fans of Robert Smith and The Cure can order your favourite song as a framed and mounted vinyl single like this one. If it’s intended as a gift, it can be personalised further with an inscribed / engraved plaque. ORDER NOW….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

Framed 7″ records / framed vinyl singles and framed CDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion i.e. a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day. THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT. ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

By Simon|2018-04-18T14:03:25+01:00April 18, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Music Festivals, Retro Music, Vinyl Records|0 Comments

Steve Ellis of the Love Affair to release new album on 50th anniversary of Everlasting Love

Steve Ellis, formerly lead vocalist with 1960s band Love Affair has collaborated with Paul Weller on a new album “Boom! Bang! Twang!”, to be released on vinyl and CD on the 20th April 2018.

The album is released 50 years after Steve Ellis had a huge hit with the classic “Everlasting Love” with his band Love Affair and sees a return to the label behind that single, CBS (via Sony).

The album has been co-produced by long-time fan and friend Paul Weller, with the album also featuring Paul Weller and Andy Crofts and Ben Gordelier (The Moons) and numerous other alumni of the rock and pop hall of fame.

The finished product will be a combination of new songs and covers, with the first single off the album, Lonely No More, co-written with Paul Weller, described as a ‘glorious Northern Soul-esque shaker’. As for the covers, they take on tunes from William Bell, Gerry Marsden, Jimmy Cliff and Tim Hardin.

For the Record Press editor, Steve Ellis has one of the great white British soul voices of the 1960s, only matched by Steve Winwood ( Spencer Davis Group & Traffic ) and Steve Marriott ( Small Faces ). A holy trinity of “Sixties Steves”! To prove the point check out this Top 5 Best Love Affair / Steve Ellis Songs –

Top 5 Best Love Affair Songs

1) Bringing On Back The Good Times ( No9 1969 )

2) Everlasting Love ( No1 1968 )

3) Rainbow Valley ( No5 1968 )

4) A Day Without Love ( No6 1968 )

5) One Road ( No16 1969 )

Framed vinyl singles and framed CDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion i.e. a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day. THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT. ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

By Simon|2018-04-05T10:03:29+01:00April 5, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, New Music, Nostalgia, Retro Music|0 Comments

The wedding first dance song is de rigueur but is it absolutely necessary?

Inspired by Record Press author Simon’s recent post on funeral songs ( albeit a sombre subject ), I thought a post on the wedding first dance song might uplift things a little. Such a joyous occasion, a wedding; with all the fabulous flowers, divine dresses, delicious food and, usually (sometimes regrettably) more than a little fizz!!

Mister and I didn’t have a wedding first dance song as such. We had a Ceilidh first, before the DJ did his disco set. We chose to have traditional country dancing to start things off, as we’d seen previously what a great ice-breaker it could be, and as many of our families and friends had not met before, that seemed ideal.

So the “wedding first dance song” was a Gay Gordon’s or Strip the Willow – something like that, I can’t quite remember – and everyone joined in. We didn’t really want to smooch around on the dance floor, dozens of pairs of eyes boring into our backs, so we gladly forsake the first dance in favour of a structured group fling.

We’re not really traditionalists. We had the speeches before the wedding breakfast, too – simply to calm my Dad’s nerves. I knew he wouldn’t enjoy his food if his stomach was churning at the thought of making a speech, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief when we suggested switching things around.

The other factor is Mister and his musical tastes. My musical taste is very eclectic; I’m not a huge fan of ballads in general and I draw the line at thrash metal, but the latter cannot be said about Mister. To me, Napalm Death sound like someone vomiting; for him they deserve a place in music history, if not quite in his music collection. (Although he does have a couple of White Zombie CDs.)

It takes two to have a wedding and therefore a wedding first dance song, but for the purposes of this piece it’s mainly my views I’m sharing, though there is of course more than a nod to Mister’s musical tastes here. The thing is, we do share a dislike of sugary sweet, fluffy ballads, and both prefer something with a bit more grit, a little edgier.

So, what to choose? This is a tricky one, and I’ve had to peruse our music collection at length in pursuit of some answers. Age comes into it, too, of course; we wed in 2002, so any music released after that date is out. The music of the 1980s and 1990s was what we grew up with, so that’s what I have to draw upon. Stock, Aitken and Waterman excluded, of course. Kylie and Jason’s ‘Especially for you’ is out, then, darn it.

Much of the music of those decades is out, in fact, because much of it is upbeat pop that just wouldn’t suit a slow, lingering dance. Anything too frisky is no good, either, frankly, as it’s highly likely that, after a verse or so, an Uncle will drag a bridesmaid onto the dance floor. Granny might even join in at some point. I can’t see her swaying her creaking hips to anything too sultry.

There’s an element, then, of one size fits all. The wedding first dance song should mean something to, and/or be loved by, the couple, but be suitable for all who share the occasion. It’s not easy, is it? I can see why – with a zillion other things to organise, working full-time and living over 350 miles away from our wedding venue – we opted out of picking a smoochy little number.

Then there’s the wording. Many ballads might sound right, in terms of tune, but once you listen to the words they’re simply not at all suitable. The lament of a jilted lover is totally at odds with lifelong promise made during the wedding ceremony. Think Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’. You see what I mean? Not to mention that it was released long after 2002 – Adele was only 13 when we wed.

INXS are one of the obvious contenders. They’re my all-time top band, and Mister is also a fan. They’re Australian, too, which is relevant because we met down under – even though we’re both British. Obviously we’re not looking at ‘Devil Inside’ or ‘Suicide Blonde’; I’m thinking more along the lines of ‘Never Tear us Apart’. Coincidentally, this was one the songs Record Press Editor Simon chose to see him out in his aforementioned funeral songs article.

It’s definitely a contender for a wedding first dance song, but is it suitably joyous and uplifting? It is all about love, but there’s an allusion to future hurt in there. ‘If I hurt you, I‘d make wine from your tears’ is one of my very favourite song lyrics ever, but it sits there in the middle of the song, like a slightly shadowy warning. Maybe not the number one choice, then.

I love George Michael, and he is King of the ballad. Boy, could that man’s voice make a ballad utterly searing and soulful, while sounding completely effortless. ‘Careless Whisper’, though, is once again essentially an effigy to a lost love. ‘Jesus to a Child’ is, too – as well as painfully raw and far too personal to George. ‘I Want Your Sex’ is out, obviously – that’s more of a one for the private, than the public, domain – and ‘Father Figure’ is not right, either, for obvious reasons. Which leaves ‘A Different Corner’, but like ‘Careless Whisper’ and Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’, the words are mournful. Not only that, but that song forever reminds me of the Brits 2017 and Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi and Shirlie lamenting their lost friend. Besides, Mister isn’t anywhere near as big a fan as me.

Which takes me right back to the very first wedding first dance song I thought of. It’s not one that you might typically associate with weddings – but it’s absolutely perfect. For us, anyway. It opens with the lines: “I’ll protect you from the hooded claw. Keep the vampires from your door”.

Gothic, admittedly, but there’s also a romantic undertone. It’s a tender sentiment, really, wanting to protect the one you love, even if the mention of vampires is a little fanciful. ‘Sparkling love, flowers and pearls and pretty girls’ couldn’t (frankly, Frankie) be more appropriate for a wedding. The song speaks of love as a ‘force from above’, proclaiming ‘undying, death defying love’. What could be more pertinent than lyrics that proclaim ‘I’m so in love with you’? Yet the most fitting line, for me, is ‘make love your goal’. What’s heading into the future together, to embark upon married life about, if not that very premise from Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’?…..

This article was written by our guest blogger Polly Taylor @ BloggerByTheSea.com

In a recent poll, these were the most popular Wedding First Dance Songs…….

http://www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/recordpress/retro-music/framed-vinyl-copy-of-wedding-first-dance-song-makes-great-wedding-gift/

So if you have got a Wedding coming up and you are struggling to think of a unique wedding gift / original wedding present, then order the Bride & Groom’s Wedding First Dance Song in a vinyl single / CD single format; framed and mounted as a picture disc souvenir of the “Big Day”. You can also personalise it with an inscribed / engraved plaque……

ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/

By Simon|2018-03-27T14:49:48+01:00March 27, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Retro Music|0 Comments

Call me morbid, but I’ve already selected my funeral songs and here they are……

Recently my 78 year old mother organised her funeral with the local undertakers or funeral directors as they are commonly called these days. The only thing she did not determine or specify is her funeral songs / soundtrack.

Mum opted for a natural burial and a secular ( non religious ) service in keeping with her atheist beliefs. Logistics organised ( I know that makes her sound like a pallet of goods!! ), the only gaps in the service appear to be the music, which will be left to my siblings and myself. And because it will be a secular affair, the occasion will afford us the opportunity to intersperse the service with pop music rather than hymns.

Selecting Mum’s favourite songs will be “easy peasy” as her favourite songs from the 1960s & 1970s stand out like beacons on the landscape of my childhood memories. The funeral soundtrack would comprise of Procol Harum “Whiter Shade of Pale” ( 1967 ), Noel Harrison “Windmills of your Mind” ( 1968 ), Al Martino “Spanish Eyes” ( 1973 ), Charles Aznavour “She” ( 1974 ), “Loving You” by Minnie Riperton ( 1975 ) and “Begin the Beguine” by Julio Iglesias ( 1981 ).

As you may have noted Mum’s favourite songs / 7″ vinyl singles from the 1970s tended to have a ballad bias, when perhaps she was going through a more pensive, philosophical phase in her thirties. Her vinyl record collection from the 1960s reflected the energy and vitality of someone in their twenties, but I think we might get away with one raunchy song within her funeral service. “Delilah” by Tom Jones ( 1968 ) is a possibility although my choice would be Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking” ( 1966 ) as the coffin and cortege process down the aisle and out of the church into the graveyard ( That would amuse Mum!! ).

There is one glaring omission from my Mum’s funeral songs / soundtrack and that’s a Shirley Bassey number. Although there was no Shirley Bassey singles in her record collection; there were a number of Shirley Bassey albums. As kids there was many a night that my sister and I drifted off to sleep, with the smell of cigar smoke and the sounds of Dame Shirley wafting up the stairs to our bedroom as Mum and Dad entertained friends downstairs in the lounge.

The designated Shirley Bassey song would be one of three: her cover of the Beatles / George Harrison’s “Something” ( 1970 ), the James Bond theme “Diamonds Are Forever” ( 1972 ) or the tormented “Never Never, Never” ( 1973 ). Now that will be a difficult choice when the time comes.

Of course whilst planning Mum’s funeral songs / soundtrack, inevitably I started musing on the options for my own funeral service soundtrack. It didn’t take me long to collate the list and here they are –

My Funeral Songs / Soundtrack

1) Terry Jacks – Seasons In The Sun ( 1974 )

2) Guns ‘N’ Roses – November Rain ( 1992 )

3) Genesis – Snowbound ( 1978 )

4) INXS – Never Tear Us Apart ( 1988 )

5) Pink Floyd – Time ( 1973 )

6) Hubert Parry – Jerusalem ( 1916 )

7) Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond / Great Gig In The Sky ( 1973 )

8) Sinead O’Connor – Troy ( 1987 )

9) Genesis – Many Too Many ( 1978 )

10) Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb ( 1979 )

11) Paloma Faith & Ty Taylor – I would rather go Blind ( 2014 )

12) John Miles – Music ( 1976 )

Which funeral songs would you opt for and why? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

On a happier note, framed vinyl singles ( like my Mum’s favourite “She” by Charles Aznavour – adjacent image ) with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion i.e. a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day. THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT. ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk

By Simon|2026-05-14T12:23:11+01:00March 21, 2018|Framed Vinyl & CDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Retro Music|0 Comments

Musicians I Miss the Most: Polly Taylor raves about heroes in their graves!!

I’ve already waxed lyrical on the loss of George Michael, but he’s far from alone in being taken from us far too soon. In fact, in the same year alone, David Bowie and Prince departed many months before Mr Michael slipped away on Christmas Day 2016.

I didn’t really feel a huge sense of loss when any of the above left us, to be honest. For me, it’s been more of a slow burner. I hear a song on the radio, or select a song from my extensive and eclectic CD collection, and suddenly I’ll feel a genuine, deep-seated sadness right in the pit of my belly, that makes me almost have to catch my breath. It is the same feeling that I get when I suddenly miss my mother. It can be just as strong, and it almost always takes me completely by surprise.

My mother died at 57, the same age as another of the deceased that I miss dearly. I think it might be pushing it to call him a musician; nevertheless he was a major feature of my teenage life – and fantasies. I’m talking about old swizzle-hips himself, the one and only Patrick Swayze, the guy who could pin me into a corner any time he chose.

Patrick Swayze did, in fact, record one of the songs for the soundtrack of ‘Dirty Dancing’. (See one of our happy customers below with her framed “Dirty Dancing” film DVD which we created as a birthday gift for her from her family. For more info go to the MyFirstRecord.co.uk website……. http://www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/framed-dvds/framed-dvd-and-cover ). As far as I was previously aware that was his only flirtation with singing. I was wrong. He is described, in fact, on the ubiquitous Wikipedia as an ‘actor, dancer and singer-songwriter’. I’m not here to praise his musical talent – of lack thereof – though. I recall his connection to music in his dancing to it rather than his singing of it. He could certainly dance. Mmm…

Patrick Swayze isn’t top of my list. He lies somewhere beneath an Australian rocker (that I’d love to have lain beneath) who is probably the artist I miss the most of all. INXS are my all-time favourite band, and I loved everything about Michael Hutchence. Yep, even that whole tortured-soul thing he had going on, that was almost definitely the cause of his demise in one way or another. It almost certainly played a large part in causing my crush on him, too.

Oh, to have been Paula Yates, on that bed on the “Big Breakfast” with him in 1994!! To have seen INXS play live at the Coogee Bay hotel, a Sydney boozer in which I spent far too much time and money, for a few brief months in 1996. Furthermore, imagine bumping into the man himself in that crowded, raucous joint… I think I’d better stop right there, this is a public place.

There’s a big connection building here, isn’t there? The artists I miss the most, seem to be those I lusted after the most. Which takes me right back to George Michael, the subject of my earliest teenage stirrings. He was the first musician I can remember who awakened those feelings in me, but I think it’s more than just physical. With music, I’d argue that there’s a mental connection too. Through melodies, lyrics, harmonies and poetry, the artists speak to something deep in the soul, and I think that’s why they become so very much admired – and later, when they pass – very much missed.

After all, crushes in our early adult life are supposedly practice for the real thing; a rehearsal for out later years when we might fall in love, commit and in many cases, reproduce. It’s said that the first cut is the deepest, referring, I presume, to our first real-life love; but surely that depth of feeling for our musical idols – the practice run – would mean that their loss would leave, at least, a deep scratch?

I’d say, yes, indeed, the first cut is indeed the deepest and leaves the biggest scar, like the cut below my knee from a minor car crash in the 1980s. The nasty scratches I got when taking a cross-country shortcut through brambles during my school days may now be invisible, but they took years to disappear, and surely there might be some permanent damage to the skin beneath? It can no longer be seen, granted – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

I wish Prince and Bowie were still around, but I can say that without intensity of feeling. It’s a real shame they’re not around to make wonderful music any more, but that’s where it ends. I don’t feel that connection with them, as I did – and do to this day – with George Michael, Patrick Swayze and Michael Hutchence. I do feel that they were part of my life. My mood changes, in a more serious way, when I hear ‘Praying for Time’, ‘Cry to Me’ (by Solomon Burke, from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack), or ‘Never Tear us Apart’ (See the framed vinyl copy of INXS “Never Tear Us Apart” below; a wedding first dance gift we created recently. For more info go to MyFirstRecord.co.uk). I experience a profound sense of loss, in a way that just doesn’t happen with other late greats, who I miss purely for their musical output. Prince’s ‘1999’ will always make me want to get out and party, while Bowie’s ’Changes’ will make me feel a little sad – but not gut-wrenchingly so.

There’s an artist, though, who for me lies somewhere between the two extremes, and that is Michael Jackson. His music featured hugely during my schooldays, and I have very fond memories of my sister and I singing (or rather, yelling) along to the ‘Thriller’ video, trying (and failing miserably) to copy Jackson’s signature dance moves. There’s another one who could move, for sure – but could not move me, in the way that Patrick Swayze could. I look back upon Michael Jackson’s life and work with affection, and a measure of palpable emotion, but I suspect that’s down to my connection with my sister and what we shared, than down to any emotional relationship with the man himself.

I grew up with George Michael, Patrick Swayze and Michael Hutchence, and they will always be very dear – and feel very familiar – to me. Therefore I will always regret their loss, just like I will always yearn for my mother and grandmother. When you grow up with people, they leave a lasting impression on your life and things will never be quite the same again when they’re dead and gone. Even if you never met them.

This article was written by our guest blogger Polly Taylor @ BloggerByTheSea.com

Check out Polly’s blog……There are some very entertaining and informative articles on a diverse range of subjects & topics. For instance her home made recipes are mouth watering and delicious!!

By Simon|2018-03-14T10:45:33+00:00March 14, 2018|Film, Framed DVDs, Framed vinyl singles, Music, Nostalgia, Retro Music|0 Comments

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