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Top 20 Blondie songs

Top 20 Blondie songs

 

Top 20 Blondie songs
Top 20 best Blondie songs

Encompassing garage rock, disco, power pop, reggae and rap, there’s no shortage of styles to choose from when compiling a list of the best Blondie songs. Our selection includes all of the band’s six UK No.1 hits together with some killer album tracks. By Jacob Wilson


When we chatted with Garbage’s Shirley Manson, she politely declined to give us her favourite Blondie track, explaining how so many of their creations held a unique place in her memory. When we floated the same question around friends and colleagues, we were met with a similar response. It’s fair enough. Blondie were (and still are) a rare phenomenon.

UBER-COOL

No other band at the time provided such a distinctly pop, yet truly uber-cool, exit from the crude, constrictive flash of punk, for a generation in search of melody, experimentation and a new aesthetic to admire. But more than that, theirs is a truly enviable chemistry, and one that, despite the hiccups and fallouts, has endured intact to the present day, and blossomed.

There are, of course, plenty of prime cuts missing here, with honours going to early stomp The Hardest Part, Eat To The Beat featuring Clem at his energetic finest, the fizzing punk pop of Living In The Real World, and the deliciously deadpan I’m On E. The Hunter’s misty-eyed ode, English Boys, deserves props, as does the band’s summery cover of Beirut’s Sunday Smile, a wonder in the catalogue.

Also absent are No Exit’s creeping, part-spoken-word gem Double Take, and the driving Nothing Is Real But The Girl, plus Pollinator’s Doom Or Destiny made with punk contemporary Joan Jett. There’s so many highs in their catalogue that we’ll no doubt have you screaming at the screen… 

Nevertheless, here’s our Top 20 Blondie tunes. Let us know yours!

 

20  Fade Away And Radiate, Parallel Lines (1978)

In this Parallel Lines epic, Debbie strays from Hollywood glamourpuss – a coquettish Marilyn Monroe – to yearning 60s balladeer evoking rose-tinted imagery of urban nights, “Wrapped like candy in a blue, blue neon glow” over rung-out chords. “My dream is on the screen” purrs our leading lady over a soundtrack that flits cleverly from minimalist to widescreen, woven together with the help of guest guitarist Rober Fripp, to evoke the ebb and flow of cinematic narrative – sonic quirks that would later provide fuel for famous followers such as Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke. A strangely apt reggae outro closes out the track.

19  Good Boys, The Curse Of Blondie (2003)

The sole satellite unlinked from eighth album The Curse Of Blondie is somewhat of a forgotten high, deserving of far more attention than it gets. Debbie’s lyrical homage to Queen’s We Will Rock You dropped in the middle of the track almost landed them in hot water, but all was well and the single managed a healthy UK No.12 placing, helping the album to claw its way into the Top 40. The Jonas Åkerlund-directed circus-themed video was as good as it sounds, and typically slick remixes could also be found on the two-CD set from Call Me-collaborator Giorgio Moroder (check out the extended mix for the full experience) and Scissor Sisters.

 

18 (I’m Alway Touched By Your) Presence, Dear, Plastic Letters (1977)

Penned by soon-to-be-ex-bassist Gary Valentine about his girlfriend Lisa Jane Persky and their seemingly telepathic connection and the “paranormal experiences” he had with her, Presence, Dear effortlessly charms thanks to a simple, upbeat chord pattern, and a neat mix of Debbie’s double-tracked vocals. It was Clem that convinced the band to record the song despite the fact Valentine was gone, and his galloping fills run wild, while Jimmy and Chris keep it simple. From this, it’s easy to see how Blondie’s melodic recipe provided a blueprint for later retro-loving guitar bands such as The Strokes. 

17 In The Flesh, Blondie (1976)

Blondie stood out from the crowded New York punk scene thanks to their out-of-step obsession with past innocence and nostalgia, with Debbie’s detached magnetism adding a contemporary edge. It may not have chimed with the cool kids at the time, but it’s since been hailed as a high point of their self-titled 1976 album. This, their second Private Stock single, summoned all of the key ingredients that would later define their future fame: demure 60s girl-group swoon and jukebox romance, juxtaposing those innocent pop hooks with a disarming story. Debbie, as always, provides a window into the future, riding the line between street-smarts and ultimate femininity. A No.2 hit down under.

16 X Offender, Blondie (1976)

Described by its co-writer Gary Valentine at Blondie’s rather awkward Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as the song that “got us the record deal in the first place.” This tale of forbidden union betwixt a call girl and her arresting officer takes us by the scruff of the neck and drags us to the Bowery. Originally titled ‘Sex Offender’, but toned down by the band’s label, this was the punked-up new wave romp chosen to open their debut self-titled collection. Under producer Richard Gottehrer’s guiding hand, Jimmy Destri’s playful riffing organ, Clem’s faultless rhythm, Chris Stein’s surfy solo, and some sweet harmonies once more set pop savvy against the more salubrious subject matter.

15 Dreaming, Eat To The Beat (1979)

The feel-good vibes of this power-pop ballad still hold court today: “Dreaming is free,” Harry croons in the chorus of the lead single from Eat To The Beat, a line dreamed up by Chris Stein, with Harry completing the rest of the lyrics around it. Inspiration came from Euro-pop, and the passing resemblance to a certain Swedish four-piece hovers in the background. “Dreaming is pretty much a cop of Dancing Queen,” Stein admitted to Entertainment Weekly. “A lot of times it’s the rhythm track that suggests what the lyric is going to be,” added Harry, and it’s Clem Burke’s thunderous drums that invigorate the song, as Debbie meditates on the fantasy of fame and a life free of its trappings.

14  The Tide Is High, Autoamerican (1980)

Selected as lead single from Blondie’s fifth album Autoamerican, this delectable cover version of Kingston trio The Paragons’ 1967 rocksteady obscurity was discovered by Debbie on a compilation given her in London. Under producer Mike Chapman’s direction, with veteran composer Jimmie Haskell providing the string and horn arrangement, the track shot to No.1 on both sides of the Atlantic. Much like the then-alien sounds of rap brought to the fore by the band for Autoamerican’s other big hit single, Rapture, The Tide Is High brought the equally peripheral sounds of Jamacian rocksteady to the attention of the average American. 

13 Detroit 442, Plastic Letters (1978)

The CBGB grit and youthful hunger was still palpable on second album Plastic Letters, no more so than on the pummelling visceral punk guitars and sneering vocal of Detroit 442 – taking its name from the Oldsmobile 442, the infamous American muscle car. Stein and Destri concocted this chorded, whammy-happy, organ-fuelled road anthem, while Clem’s thumping beat provides the ever-present backbone. Debbie snarls, “Feel hot to go like Jimmy O” (a reference to touring partner Iggy Pop’s real name) amidst bleak imagery of concrete factories and assembly lines – it’s clear that this is the raw, unedited early Blondie in full effect.

12 Picture This, Parallel Lines (1978)

“All I want is a room with a view” – for what appears a straight-up musical love letter to boyfriend Chris, Debbie’s lyrics (for producer Mike Chapman “elusive and beautiful”) were brought vividly to life with help from Jimmy and Chris himself. Here, the trio forged a stone-cold Blondie classic that gently binds all the key ingredients that made Parallel Lines so perfect: cascading girl-group melodrama, New York style, and a faint echo of the band’s punk past. The lead single from the album, Picture This wasn’t issued in the US, but it narrowly missed the UK Top 10, Mick Rock’s provocative sleeve photo featuring Debbie licking a vinyl adding further allure.

11  Rip Her To Shreds, Blondie (1976/77)

This, the first single on Chrysalis, has been deciphered as an attack on press treatment of women, a roasting of Sid Vicious’ other half Nancy Spungen (as the ‘Miss Groupie Supreme’ of the lyrics) and, as Debbie explained, a representation of the scene at the time. “It’s so dirty and menacing,” Harry told Entertainment Weekly. “That’s what the New York scene was like. There was toughness, but a lot of affection as well.” Chris’ guitar rides the wild surf, while Jimmy brings his Farfisa organ hook, with Debbie both suave and street on the mic. The label famously supported the single with that infamous poster bearing the slogan: “Wouldn’t you like to rip her to shreds?” – much to Debbie’s disdain.

10 Sunday Girl, Parallel Lines (1978)

“I know a girl from a lonely street/ Cold as ice cream but still as sweet” – it would seem that within the detached romanticism painted here that Debbie was somehow describing her own indefinable magnetism but, in fact, this 1979 single supposedly concerned itself with a runaway pet cat – Sunday Man – owned by Harry and Stein. Written by Chris, this continued the lucrative 60s harmony-meets-new wave blueprint, as the follow-up to cross-Atlantic mega-hit Heart Of Glass, and managed to win the No.1 spot in the UK, plus Top 10 placings in various other European territories. As Melody Maker’s Harry Doherty declared at the time, this really was “pop excellence”.

9 One Way Or Another, Parallel Lines (1978)

In a way it’s the watermark that proves the overriding quality of Blondie. As surely one of the band’s best-loved tracks, it’s incredible to think it didn’t even make UK single status. But when seen in context, housed as it is within a set of such quality as Parallel Lines, it becomes easier to understand. It’s another to add friction by placing pop savvy alongside darker themes, this one being about a stalker: “I was actually stalked by a nutjob,” Harry told Entertainment Weekly. “So it came out of a not-so-friendly personal event. I tried to inject a little levity into it to make it more lighthearted.” Plenty of others have had a crack at this one, including a Debbie Harry-approved version by One Direction.

8  Denis, Plastic Letters (1978)

Blondie had their first taste of proper chart success breaking through across Europe with their second Chrysalis single, a teenage love lament commandeered from doo-woppers Randy and The Rainbows, who’d found some success with it in 1963. Cleverly recast for their audience, and with the gender switched, Denis rose to No.2 in the UK, only kept from ultimate chart glory by Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights – a noble opposition if ever there was one. “Debbie sang part of it in French,“ explained producer Richard Gottehrer. “I didn’t even know if the French was real, but it became their first hit in the UK. Middle America didn’t care.”

7  Union City Blue, Eat To The Beat

Union City Blue revisits Debbie’s past times as a go-go dancer in Union City, New Jersey, via a mythical romance story of power and passion, set to an expansive dream-pop skyline dreamt up by Debbie with then-bassist Nigel Harrison. Its video adds colour to the scene conjured in the lyrics with the band performing on the Union City docks, Debbie in mirrored shades, a rare moment in which she’s slinging a guitar. The single wasn’t released in the States, but managed a healthy No.13 in the UK, and has since appeared in Oliver Stone’s 1981 horror film The Hand, as well as being covered by numerous hip indie kids.

6  Rapture, Autoamerican (1980)

At first we were a little dubious, as Debbie rapped about men from Mars and all that eating of cars and bars, it sort of broke her mystique to a young music fan listening in the 90s, completely acclimatised to rap and hip hop. It always seemed utterly bizarre that this was the first ‘rap’ song to make it to No.1. But, ’tis true, we heard it out of context. After all, it was given the seal of approval by the rap faces of the time, friends from the New York block parties frequented by Debbie and Chris – plus Wu Tang Clan have since said it was the first they had heard of rap. Its importance in the emergence of the whole rap and hip hop scene cannot be ignored.

Read more: Making Blondie’s Parallel Lines

Read more: Blondie – Pollinator review

5  Hanging On The Telephone, Parallel Lines (1978)

Opening Blondie’s breakthrough third album Parallel Lines, this irresistible confection of 2 minutes 17 seconds of pure sugary punk-pop immediately resulted in an immovable earworm for anyone with ears. It may have been a straight-down-the-middle gender-flipped remake of a song cut by short-lived Cali punk outfit The Nerves (right down to the ringing telephone that begins the track), but Blondie and producer Mike Chapman pushed it seamlessly into the mainstream with no loss of cool.

Chapman was installed to ensure that the pop hooks were right up front for Parallel Lines, but nowhere else is it more evident than right here, its fizzing chorus capturing “that magical Ronettes-like poppiness”, enthused Melody Maker’s Harry Doherty at the time. Hanging On The Telephone became Blondie’s lift-off moment in the UK, effortlessly  piercing the Top 5, as well as being a moderate hit Europe-wide – even if it did fall on deaf ears in the US. Boo.

4  Maria, No Exit (1999)

Over 15 years had passed when Blondie finally regrouped for what has got to be the most effortless return made by any group in the history of pop. This instant classic – Jimmy Destri-penned – single showed the world that comebacks can feel completely uncontrived and utterly natural. It was, to use a well-worn cliché, like the Blondie of old had never gone away, and Maria was actually up there with one of their career finest.

With lustful, but loving lyrics about Destri’s childhood sweetheart, Maria bottled their heyday essence, while sounding entirely comfortable where it was, in 1999. The song was UK No.1, a feat they’d now achieved across three decades. “The band was aware that our comeback had some momentum, but to have a No.1 was a pleasant shock,” admitted Harry. “Maria is maybe our most pleasing No.1 for that reason.” Forget about great comeback singles, this is one of the great singles. 

3  Atomic, Eat To The Beat (1979)

A signature Blondie track that came together during the Eat To The Beat sessions by happy accident rather than by any shape of design, third single Atomic was the product of Jimmy Destri’s consistent, yet failed, attempts to recreate a song in the same vein as their triumphant mega-hit Heart of Glass. Luckily, things took a fortuitous upturn when, as Debbie remembered, “he gave it the spaghetti-western treatment” – and when she added her lyrics. Simultaneously both super-fun and super-cool, with the required hooks nailed in place, Atomic climbed swiftly
to the summit of the UK charts, before returning to the UK Top 20 some 15 years later, in 1994, when the track slipped in at No.19 thanks to a P Diddy remix. Producer Xenomania also deftly reworked Atomic for The Very Best Of Blondie a few years on.

2  Call Me, American Gigolo (1980)

By the time of this 1980 Giorgio Moroder collaboration, Blondie were on a roll. Debbie, in particular, was seriously hot property. Just one year previous, Heart Of Glass had stormed to No.1 in the UK and US and elevated the band to Rolling Stone cover stars. Moroder originally had his sights set on Stevie Nicks to help write and sing the tune for Paul Schrader’s thriller American Gigolo but, with Nicks busy, Debbie stepped up for what would end up one of the coolest get-togethers in pop history. The backing track was cut in LA, before Blondie added their parts in New York. It was then back to LA, where Moroder finessed the whole, adding a keyboard solo from Harold Faltermeyer, of Axel F. fame. A No.1 smash in both the UK and the US.

1  Heart Of Glass, Parallel Lines (1978)

Blondie’s disco-pop classic originated as far back as 1974, from a pre-Blondie composition written by Debbie and Chris entitled Once I Had A Love, aired live as ‘The Disco Song’. It was a last-minute addition to Parallel Lines, thanks to producer Mike Chapman fishing for more material. Luckily, he recognised potential and ran with the idea. Chris Stein remembered: “We were thinking more about Kraftwerk than disco by that point”, perhaps the reason they acquired a state-of-the-art Roland CR-78 drum machine before recording – described by Debbie as “this little rhythm box that went ‘tikka-tikka-tikka’”.

This new device provided the syncopated intro before Clem’s solid disco groove met Jimmy Destri’s silky Roland SH-5 textures. Debbie, meanwhile, captured that aloof city-cool. Heart Of Glass conjured visions of the changing NYC backdrop that meant so much to the band throughout their history. The single was an absolute triumph, stealing No.1 in both the UK and the US, and selling over a million in both. Disco-pop perfection.

Did you enjoy our list of the best Blondie songs? What’s your favourite? Tell us in the comments section below.

Read more: The Lowdown – Blondie & Debbie Harry

Read more: Debbie Harry interview

 

 

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Bernard Butler announces new album

Bernard Butler announces new album

Good Grief will be Bernard Butler’s first solo album in 25 years

Bernard Butler has revealed details of his new studio album, Good Grief.

His first solo LP in 25 years, the songwriter and producer has been busy working with a variety of different artists during that time. Notable projects include two seminal albums with folk musician Sam Lee, a Mercury nominated project with actor Jessie Buckley as well as working with Bert Jansch and Ben Watt from Everything But The Girl, The Libertines, Tricky and an eight-million selling, Grammy-winning record with Duffy.

Butler says: “For a good while I was scarred and I was scared. I was happily distracted and joyously involved with so much music. I realised just being there was more than I had ever hoped for.

“I gave a lot to other people, but realised that my story was defined but what I was, rather than what I am. I set myself a modest commercial goal, an expectant creative one: perform to 10 people without being bottled, then find 11 the next night. Thus began the undoing of my own embarrassment. I would write as I thought and sing as I wrote until the bottles fly. And so, the songs arrived.

Escape is the dream…

Bernard booked himself into a rehearsal space in Holloway every Wednesday afternoon for months, just him, a guitar, a microphone, and his new songs.  The first fruit of these sessions is the new single Camber Sands. “For years and years I have drawn straight lines from North London to every coastline I could see,” he says. “To life-worn Londoners escape is the dream and return most likely. The story I found was not the sea but the journey. Camber Sands, Mersea Island, Dunwich, or a dozen more horizons of possibility, the sea and the seawalls, and the endless return to face the city. Camber Sands is a love song – we flee the past, the present, ourselves, to survive, to defy. The loneliest music of the resolute, the half-light and the saddest tunes.”

Listen to Camber Sands below:

City to coast

Round circle shows with friends Norman Blake and James Grant across Scotland gave Butler the taste for venturing back out on stage, and while writing with Jessie Buckley for the Mercury Prize nominated For All Our Days That Tear The Heart album, Bernard tucked away his own discoveries and continued the journey once Buckley returned to the silver screen. Confronting his own songwriting process, he wrote words down, away from the security of his guitar, before carving music around the lines. 

Good Grief finds Bernard Butler owning three decades of work, free to perform, bookended by wildly contrasting experiences of loss, joy, and bewilderment. The album is a journey from city to coast and back, and between it, an entire spectrum of human emotion.

Good Grief Tracklisting

Camber Sands
Deep Emotions
Living The Dream
Preaching To The Choir
Pretty D
The Forty Foot
London Snow
Clean
The Wind

The album will be released on a variety of formats including: limited silver vinyl (Indie retail exclusive), black vinyl, CD with eight page fold-out insert, and very limited Gold vinyl exclusive to his website. All initial ‘first editionsof the vinyl come with a signed print.

Throughout May and June, before he goes on tour around the UK, Butler will be making in-store appearances:

3 May – Rough Trade East, London (evening)
1 June David’s, Letchworth – Afternoon
2 June Pie & Vinyl, Southsea – Afternoon
2 June Vinilo, Southampton Evening
3 June Vinyl Whistle, Leeds – Evening
4 June Resident, Brighton – Evening

Bernard Butler June Tour Dates

6 London, St Matthias Church (Sold Out)
7 London, St Matthias Church
8 Bristol, Beacon The Lantern
11 Nottingham, Metronome
14 Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
15 Kendal, Brewery Arts Centre
21 Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms
22 Glasgow, Macintosh Queens Cross
23 Newcastle, Gosforth Civic Theatre
27 Bodmin, St Petroc’s Church
28 Lyme Regis, Marine Theatre

Good Grief is released via 355 Recordings on 31 May and is available to pre-order here

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Top 40 Kylie Minogue songs

Top 40 Kylie Minogue songs

In this list of the best Kylie Minogue songs, we count down from 40 to No.1. What will our top track be…?

Kylie’s transition from soap favourite to fully-anointed pop princess may have all happened pretty much by accident, but praise be the day she chose to emit her heavenly radiance onto the world and lift our weary spirits via the medium of song.

Her fellow Neighbours cast members all knew it immediately when she first stepped up to wing her way through an unprepared rendition of The Loco-motion at an Aussie fundraiser, and the rest of us would soon fall under that innocent spell when she lit up the radio switchboards on the release of that first single. 

Relentless Determination

Kylie then and Kylie now are, of course, many worlds apart, but each chapter in her story contains standout tunes that remain vital to the full picture. Yes, she was shown the ropes as the talented mouthpiece for Stock Aitken Waterman, but that was no bad thing as she augmented their sound like no other.

And yes, she took a while to blossom into the authentic pop star, in control, but she rose gracefully, with a rare indefinable quality, via bags of talent and relentless determination. And somehow she did it all without damaging that carefree youthful spark that we all fell for in the first place.

Personal highlights

This feature has faced the judgement of our Kylie-obsessed best friend, a panel of Kylie gurus from far and wide, and DJs who have seen first-hand which Kylie tracks light up the floor. Truly, the Classic Pop team has left no B-side unturned and no gem left hidden in our Top 40 search, nor with our personal highlights.

Oh, but before we commence, some ground rules: no duets allowed – so no Especially For You, no Wild Roses, no Kids; no covers (this does not include arcane tracks mined from the ether) – so no Give Me Just A Little More Time, no Santa Baby (despite it being her most streamed track!); and yes, and we’re sorry, but no Loco-motion

40 Skirt (2013)

It’s almost as if the record execs bottled it when it came to this point-blank slice of utterly sordid dubstep-inspired EDM. Premiered in 2013 on Kylie’s Soundcloud but ultimately left off the less-than-brilliant Kiss Me Once album, Skirt is nevertheless appropriating dancefloors in a parallel universe somewhere where parallel us-es are losing their shit to it on a nightly basis. Essentially about nothing more than a skirt coming ‘down’ and the bonking that ensues, this is route one SexKylie, but, much like the skirt, she pulls it off… 

39 Kiss Me Once (2014)

Kiss Me Once does have its charms, mind – the title track for one, written by face-concealing fellow Aussie Sia (“One of the coolest girls I know” – Kylie) and Jesse Shatkin, who reanimated the revenant of their co-written monster hit Chandelier and gifted Kylie one of the best tracks on the record. Aside from YouTube hits, the soft-core gyrations of Sexercise failed to climax and, for once, Pharrell drew a misfire with I Was Gonna Cancel, but for this soaring ride, evincing the “kiss that could change everything”, we were puckered up and ready. 

38 What Kind Of Fool (Heard All That Before) (1992)

Her jubilant sample-happy penultimate PWL single was the last of her songs actually written by the SAW powerhouse (the last single was a cover of Kool & the Gang’s Celebration). Despite its billing as lead-off track in 1992’s Greatest Hits, it has slid through the cracks, perhaps as Kylie herself found it cringeworthy… but a live TOTP performance helped secure a UK No.16, and its hairbrush-in-the-mirror sing-along allure has lent it exalted status amongst fanatics. 

37 2 Hearts (2007)

Adore it or detest it, this Kish Mauve-penned piano tromp was a bit of a surprise when it announced the arrival of X near the close of 2007… though as a taster of the album’s overriding sound, it was a bit of a red herring. Harnessing a glam-rock tinge that drew some not-unreasonable Goldfrapp comparisons, actual real guitars, that propulsive piano stomp and liberal usage of its chanted “Woo!” hook, it was about as far from the boom-tish dance-pop of previous single Giving You Up as it was possible to be – and all the better for it.

36 Dancing (2018)

Cleverly written, Dancing encapsulates both the joy of living (a night out on the tiles) and mortality itself. In her 50th year, having wrestled with cancer, Kylie sought inspiration in Nashville, cutting three new songs with storytelling at their heart. This, the front-end single from 2018’s Golden, was built around a simplistic guitar pattern, building into a lasso-happy celebration – a perfect fit for the Princess of Pop. Zombie-faced line dancers hint at the duality of the lyrics before Kylie is thrown to a Grim Reaper-like figure for the final Dance Macabre. 

35 Closer (1992)

Not to be confused with the flipside to Finer Feelings (an early club-lite white label released under Kylie’s ‘Angel K’ alias during her early EDM period), this storming cut from Aphrodite, co-written with producer Stuart Price and Beatrice Hatherley, centred around an orbiting Daft Punk-meets-baroque arpeggio. “When Stuart and I were compiling the track-list we decided we had plenty of bangers,” Kylie told PopJustice, “so we decided we needed songs like Closer to bring it down a little.” Only a little, mind.

34 Tightrope (2002)

A Fever-era B-side beloved of devotees to the cause, this spacious house track benefits from the songwriting and production expertise of pop creatives Pascal Gabriel (S’Express, Bomb The Bass, Goldfrapp) and Paul Statham (Dido, Sophie Ellis-Bextor). From the eerily pervasive sample loop in the verses to a contrastingly hopeful refrain and on to the anthemic disco stylings that lift the chorus, this is a glorious obscurity. Tightrope played second fiddle to the equally starry-eyed In Your Eyes, but likely helped it up the charts.

Read more: Making Kylie’s Fever

33 Lost Without You (2018)

Reinvention can be a curious thing, yet Kylie’s latest dalliance with all things Nashvillian and country pop – 14th album Golden – is for the most part a success. But where opening single Dancing was all square dancing and Dolly’d up attitude, this reminds us that Kylie’s safe place lies not in the Stetson-loving Southern states but in the spine-tingling arenas of the European discotheque. A bonus track from the Deluxe package, Lost Without You illustrates how gracefully Kylie’s voice has matured. Co-written by her, this is Golden’s moment.

32 Light Years (2000)

Step aboard for some high drama of the synth-disco variety. Taken from the album of the same name, this ode to commercial space flight takes off with the campest of countdowns before a driving, squelching Moroder-esque synth loop takes over to rocket us to the “pop stars on the moon”. And who else to take us there than Miss Minogue, cast as our KM Air shuttle flight attendant? Yes, the William Orbit/Ray Of Light-era Madonna sheen is unmistakable, but nothing can – or should – dim the charms of this palms-to-the-sky upper. 

Read more: Kylie Superfan

31 White Diamond (2007)

Penned with Scissor Sisters in New York during her cancer recovery and described by many fans as the Holy Grail of yet-to-be-leaked Kylie tracks, White Diamond is a conundrum. While some Aussie press hinted of a single, no official release of the studio original materialised. With only a ballad version (from the Antipodean deluxe version of X) and a live take to go on, it’s tough to get a handle on it (let alone a copy)… though when Kylie performed it on her Showgirl Homecoming tour, it came over as electro-disco fabulousness of epic proportions. 

30 Come Into My World (2001)

Another to call upon the talents of CGYOOMH writers Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis and the last of Fever’s run of singles, Come Into My World was a late addition which followed a more relaxed mould but was certainly a close cousin to its predecessor. Michael Gondry’s groundbreaking video with multiple Kylies wandering around Paris served the tune nicely: a UK No.8 and Kylie’s first – and only – Grammy, one of few Aussies to get one. Bonza. DJs should head towards Fischerspooner’s fine remix. 

29 Red Blooded Woman (2003)

Coming from Kylie’s only decisive jaunt into urban realms, Body Language, it’s all slimly-veiled euphemism and criss-crossing vocals for this upfront showdown betwixt R&B, hip-hop and synth-pop. Fans were a little shaken by her street-bound volte-face, but with the immortal line “You’ll never get to heaven if you’re scared of getting high”, a cheeky reference to Dead Or Alive’s You Spin Me Round, and a video set in the steamiest traffic jam ever, this is a shoo-in for the list. Be sure to check out the frighteningly anthemic Whitey remix.

28 Some Kind Of Bliss (1997)

Part-written by Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers, the lead single from 1997’s Impossible Princess may not have set the charts ablaze but it’s one of the tracks that first illuminated IndieKylie, so we’re all in. Using James Dean Bradfield’s offbeat technique of segueing two entirely different song lyrics together, the song aligned the standard 90s alt-rock set-up – very indie – with some neat pop production – very Kylie – to great effect. What for NME was “supremely irritating” garnered four stars in Music Week. Bloody music critics, eh? 

27 In Your Eyes (2001)

Following in the wake of the phenomenon that was CGYOOMH was never going to be an easy task, but this club-friendly summation of obsession and temptation did a more than decent job, even if its release was stalled for a month while the la-la-la-la-las held the world under hypnosis. Containing a sly allusion to Spinning Around, the track debuted at No.3 in the UK and stuck around in the upper tiers for a time, while mainland Europeans fell for its charms in a big way. Its LED-heavy Dawn Shadforth video is up there, too.

26 Finer Feelings (1991)

Still snug under the relative innocence of the PWL umbrella, now without Matt Aitken, the focus shifted to love, love, love for this smooth, soulful, underrated single. Finer Feelings was the final single extracted from the oft-ignored Let’s Get To It album. That version was spruced up by soon-to-be regular collaborators Brothers in Rhythm, who did their usual sterling work, while the track enjoyed a resurgence in popularity when Kylie launched her K25 celebrations with a sweeping orchestral rendition taken from her Abbey Road Sessions album.

25 Step Back In Time (1990)

Released in October 1990 as an homage to classic 70s disco and Motown (“When you can’t find the music to get down and boogie/ All you can do is step back in time”), this put Kylie in demi-disco mode, a new tack which had been set in motion by the previous single Better The Devil You Know. Taking pride of place on her Rhythm Of Love album, this overtook What Do I Have to Do? as the follow up to Better The Devil… and fared well: with the help of an equally disco-fabulous video, it managed a No.4 placing in the UK.

24 Shocked (1990)

From its unashamedly brash production – the DNA-remixed single version was all bustling beats and rhythmic piano stabs – right down to Kylie clad head-to-toe in dogtooth in the video, and UK female hip hop pioneer Jazzi P’s unforgettable rap segment, it’s fair to say that this is probably as ‘90s’ as it gets. While Shocked hasn’t necessarily aged all that well, it remains a nostalgic high-point of the period – plus, of course, its UK No.6 placement meant Minogue became the first artist to have 13 Top 10 UK hits in a row.

23 Where Is The Feeling? (1994)

Two completely opposing – and equally great – versions of this song exist. The album version offered a clash between happy house and SAW’s squeaky-clean convivial pop, while for the single Brothers in Rhythm reworked the bouncing frivolity into a hushed, bleepy jam unlike anything she’d put out. Originally a dancefloor hit for Within A Dream in the early 90s, Kylie’s take slipped into the UK Top 20. It also spawned a much-appreciated house remix from Aphrohead and Felix Da Housecat.

22 Hand On Your Heart (1989)

Debuting on UK TV pop weekly Motormouth (before a truly CRINGE interview with a heavily bequiffed Tony Gregory), this triumphant SAW-penned gem spearheaded the campaign for Enjoy Yourself. Kylie’s cheery delivery belied some heartbreakingly bitter, sad lyrics yet the track shot up the charts, matching the No.1 success of her two earlier hits. Jose Gonzales’ 2006 acoustic re-imagining reframed the words beautifully, and things went a bit meta when his take inspired Kylie’s own sumptuous reiteration on The Abbey Road Sessions.

21 Put Yourself In My Place (1994)

The second single from Kylie was masterminded by Jimmy Harry, who would go on to work with Britney, Pink and Madonna. It arrives innocently enough, dressed in the virtuous apparel of the classic lovestruck ballad, but as the chorus pierces this facade, Kylie’s voice is raw, intense, and saturated in the pain and frustration of a one-sided split. Oddly, the video found a fiery-haired Kylie disrobing in zero gravity. Still, one critic surmised that this “saw its maker mastering the pop ballad,” and we’d agree entirely.

20 Chocolate (2004)

Silky, sensual and classy, this ‘quiet-storm’ R&B from Body Language sinks its hooks in nice and slow. An early version – perhaps a record exec-fuelled bid for urban credibility – called upon Ludacris, but the official take was an effortless display of femininity with Confide In Me-style breathy vocals. Another Dawn Shadforth video encapsulated the glamour and indulgence of MGM musicals, with lashings of Michael Rooney’s luxurious choreography. Described as everything from “finger-snap funk” to “chill musak”, the song debuted at UK No.6. 

19 Your Disco Needs You (2000)

Surging, heraldic brass, stoic Go West-esque chants… here was a gay anthem for the future. A male chorus alone does not guarantee such status, but this discofied call-to-arms was the full package thanks to Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers and our Antipodean princess twirling the baton at its epicentre. Fans adored it (actual protests took place outside her label’s HQ when it wasn’t chosen as a single). The Gay Men’s Chorus also sang it outside Parliament when gay marriage was passed.

18 Turn It Into Love (1988)

This breezy, moreish serving of galloping SAW loveliness taken from her 1988 debut album was issued as a Japan-only single and quickly hexed the entirety of that Pacific archipelago, spending an incredible 10 weeks at No.1. For reasons we can’t explain, Pete Waterman chose to pass it to Hazell Dean for a doomed UK release, and X-Factor wannabe’s Same Difference had an ill-fated run at it in 2008… but Kylie’s reading far outshines them all. Its writers agreed, as it appeared on their 2005 compilation Stock Aitken Waterman Gold.

17 I Should Be So Lucky (1987)

Anyone of a certain age will recall this beaming bubblegum chart-topper as the song that launched Kylie into orbit, completing her shift from soap sweetheart to bona-fide pop starlet. The ease at which Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman made this squeaky clean confection is the stuff of legend, but it stands up as far more than just papery nostalgia. Released just after Christmas 1987, it rose to snag the UK top spot for five glorious weeks, while the rest of Europe welcomed her with open arms. We still have our cherished 7”.

16 Breathe (1997)

Impossible Princess wasn’t exactly raved about at the time, but it’s since gained traction… the final single in Kylie’s tenure with deConstruction shows why. Co-written with Soft Cell’s Dave Ball, the lush, trancey soundscape first created in the studio was hardly guaranteed to light up the charts, so the track was sped up in the hope that a tempo-shift might translate into airplay – which it did, sort of. Kylie could breathe a little easier as she entered her 30th year a few months after release, having scored a UK No.14. A two-year hits drought would follow until the new millennium spun things around. 

Read more: Kylie Minogue interview

15 The One (2007)

Euphoric disco magnificence, with Kylie in full-on diva mode. This digital-only satellite from 2007’s underrated X album first appeared via dance outfit Laid on a 2006 Mastercuts Funky House compilation, albeit a slightly more leftfield incarnation. With the help of Biffco and the Freemasons’ production know-how, a nod to New Order and some rushing synth lines, it was recast as a pure electro-disco banger. Lyrics requesting our devotion – not that she need ask – and a deco-fabulous video meant it should have been huge, yet it only limped into the lower echelons of the Top 40. 

14 In My Arms (2007)

The In My Arms video announced the arrival of full-on CyberKylie clad in shutter shades, electric blue high heels and chequered dress, with an intro of buzzing synth-bass, provocative whispers – “How do you describe a feeling?” – and a frankly clattering beat. Some compared its pleasingly taut synth insignia to Gallic noiseniks Justice, and Kylie certainly sounded as ecstatic as ever. The involvement of chart-friendly EDM maestro Calvin Harris, who co-wrote the tune, played a part in taking this into the Top 10 in 13 different countries. Robotic dance-pop perfection. 

13 Wow (2007)

Some noted the Daft Punk-themed robots in the Wow video while others spotted melodic similarities to Madonna’s early hit Holiday, but having recovered from illness and returned to music, Kylie was in no mood for petty criticism. The centre-piece of tenth album X didn’t demand pity, or dwell on her struggles; no, this short, sharp shock, with its rolling piano loop and wah-wah vocal, had its eyes fixed on the floor. Penned by Greg Kurstin (who wrote Adele’s Hello) and regular Minogue collaborator Karen Poole, this is funky, commercial electro-pop, and it comfortably infiltrated the UK Top 5. 

12 Spinning Around (2000)

Not necessarily everybody’s favourite Kylie song – even her new label Parlophone didn’t hear a hit at first – this track brought the forlorn princess back into the public consciousness after an extended plateau. Co-written by Paula Abdul (for whom it was originally intended), the original demo was a down-tempo affair, so much so that producer Mike Spencer dubbed it “a different song”… but once it had been augmented with a classy disco design, and with eye-popping gold lamé hotpants in the video, Kylie was propelled back to No.1.

11 Timebomb (2012)

Co-written by Paul Harris from electro duo Dirty Vegas, one half of sister duo Alisha’s Attic (remember them?) and EDM overlord Matt Schwartz, and given the coveted ‘superstar spot’ on The Voice UK, Timebomb blended pumping disco, squelchy electro, modish production and that de rigeur ‘Whoop!’ hook to towering effect. Released as a standalone single in celebration of both 25 years in the business and Kylie’s 45th birthday, this three-minute synopsis of all things DanceKylie stalled at a paltry No.31. There’s no pleasing some people.

10 On A Night Like This (2000)

Spinning Around thrust Kylie and her golden posterior back into the limelight, but Light Years’ second single cemented her return, only denied a No.1 spot by French house duo Modjo’s mammoth hit Lady (Hear Me Tonight). Written for Swedish star Pandora, whose Euro-house version had lit up clubs a year earlier, this was refashioned for a pop audience and given the ultimate high-glamour showcase at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. The mythical ‘uncut’ version of the steamy Monte Carlo-themed video is yet to surface. 

09 Get Outta My Way (2010)

Another of Aphrodite’s singles to get the floor heaving with more than its fair share of hooks, Get Outta My Way tells the less-than-salubrious tale of an unsatisfied lover goading her ‘zombie’ partner in what the New York Times described as “a voyeuristic ménage à trois”. Co-writer Lucas Secon claimed there were four artists queuing up to cut this tune before Kylie snapped it up, but despite this potential, the single would be the track that halted her run of Top 10 hits (excluding the digital-only The One) when it lost its steam at No.12. 

08 Slow (2003)

The compass was fixed on darker climes as Kylie immersed herself into some marvellously sexy – and marvellously morose – electronica for the pacemaker to 2003’s street-savvy Body Language. Flexing arpeggios revolve virtually uninterrupted as Kylie’s dual vocals – a falsetto tracking a whisper – do their damnedest to seduce us over some wickedly sparse accompaniment. Add some novel pool-side choreography and a sultry little Balenciaga number in the video, and the tease is complete. A return to UK No.1 beckoned, but quite how such a peculiar tune got there is anyone’s guess.

07 What Do I Have To Do (1990)

Gushingly grandiose and with a ravey piano line that directed us to the dancefloor, What Do I Have To Do is at the apex of Kylie’s PWL catalogue, and unmistakably SAW, albeit re-energised by the upswell of dance-orientated pop that shepherded in the 90s. Kylie was changing up the gears, and despite the backlash against all squeaky-clean pop, it was becoming acceptable – cool, even – to like Kylie (this even made it into NME’s Top 40 tracks of 1991). ClubKylie, it appears, was here to stay. This was a towering moment on Rhythm Of Love, and the Top 10 beckoned.

06 I Believe In You (2004)

Concocted to promote the Ultimate Kylie singles collection, this slick piece of poptronica was Kylie’s first collaboration with new Scissor Sisters pals Jake Shears and Babydaddy, who masterminded the track (and would go on to do plenty more with Kylie). Pulsing Italo synths met a rolling analogue bassline and dreamy disco accoutrements melted into Blade Runner cool in a truly uplifting clash. There were laser beams aplenty in the video, where even Kylie’s eyebrows were daubed with disco glitter, but philanthropy rightfully won out when Band Aid 20 beat it to the UK No.1.

05 Better The Devil You Know (1990)

Floor-filling keys, a whirling dance-pop backdrop… as the new decade got underway, this was a sea change. Finally asked about her own music taste (Cathy Dennis and D-Mob), at long last Kylie was nightclub-bound. It supposedly referenced Michael Hutchence, and Nick Cave noted how Kylie’s angelic delivery juxtaposed against the sinister verse held a bone-chilling intensity, calling it “one of pop music’s most violent and distressing love lyrics”. This bouncing bastion of dancefloor frivolity took Kylie to the top across Europe and beyond. 

04 Love At First Sight (2001)

To clarify, we refer not to the squeaky clean filler from her debut album, but to Fever’s feel-good funky disco divination. Co-written by Kylie with Biffco and released in the heat of the summer, this evoked those Music-Sounds-Better-With-You moments and blissful sun-worshipping afternoons. Johan Renck’s single-take video with its Tron-like blocking provided a future-friendly mis-en-scene, with resplendent costumes and choreography doffing a cap to Pet Shop Boys. A UK No.2, held at bay by Junkie XL’s Elvis mash-up, A Little Less Conversation

03 All The Lovers (2010)

One of the last songs laid down during the Aphrodite sessions, All The Lovers was penned (and part-produced) by Kish Mauve. The singer fell for its euphoric electro-pop feel, executive producer Stuart Price agreed it was “a magical song”, and a Kylie classic was born. Joseph Kahn’s video, filmed in downtown LA and inspired by Spencer Tunick’s nude crowd installations, is an arthouse orgy in underwear; despite opposition, Kylie rightly kept the same-sex snogs in the final cut. Released just after her 42nd birthday, it peaked at No. 3 in the UK.

02 Confide In Me (1994)

As the opening gambit that closed out the PWL chapter for good and ushered in a new, more grown-up direction for her with deConstruction, Confide In Me certainly split Kylie’s audience when it crept onto the airwaves back in 1994. The track’s producers Brothers in Rhythm certainly utilised a diverse toolkit of raw materials in order to rustle up this utterly mesmeric new sound, marking yet another decisive lane-change for Ms Minogue.

Driving strings arranged by Will Malone (famous for Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy) that mirrored 1983’s eerie a capella sleeper hit It’s a Fine Day got it all going, before the beat – a loop taken from Jimmy Smith’s 1974 cover of Barry White’s I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More, Babe – provided a bed for an Eastern-influenced, siren-like melody and some cleverly ambiguous lyrics.

Then there’s Kylie cast as call girl-commodity in the highly sexualised, equally ambiguous video, in which fluro-outfits, warpaint make-up and provocative pop art marked a clear indication that the puppet strings had been well and truly cut. Still, the angels wept bitter tears when Confide In Me was kept from the top of the chart by the vapid wedding fodder that was Whigfield’s Saturday Night – yet another silver medal for Kylie. 

01 Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (2001)

Yes, it’s the obvious choice for No.1, but who could rightly deprive CGYOOMH of its position as Kylie’s finest offering to the world as a whole? Not only was it a phenomenon that never seemed to get boring despite its ubiquity in clubs, shops, living rooms, car stereos and on TV, but it took Kylie somewhere new, somewhere undeniably hers – somewhere truly untouchable.

Yet while this Rob Davis and Cathy Dennis-penned club classic is an iconic addition to the annals of pop, serendipity had an important part to play. Initially commissioned by music mogul Simon Fuller for teenyboppers S Club 7 (yes, really), who apparently passed, it also took Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s label to turn it down (gulp!), before it finally reached Kylie. It reportedly took her a mere 20 seconds to realise the track’s massive potential.

“I couldn’t even fathom what I was hearing,” she said. “It just… did something. I was beside myself. Then at the end of the song, panic set in. I was saying ‘Are you sure we’ve got this song? Don’t tell me that we don’t! Is it secured? Can we have it?’ And we did!” Premiered on the On A Night Like This tour, the single went on to sell over a million copies, making it Kylie’s highest-selling contribution – and one of the best-selling singles of all time. And we still can’t get it our of our heads. 

Read more: Top 20 ones that got away

BUBBLING UNDER…

From tracks taken from her ill-fated collaboration with producer Fernando Garibay to obscure fan-favourites, Kylie’s catalogue is far too good to distil into 40 tracks. Here are a few that – just – missed out…

Crystallize

Bliss

Did It Again

Got To Be Certain

Falling

Never Too Late

Glow

Cherry Bomb

Made In Heaven

Dangerous Game

Stop Me From Falling

Limbo

Cowboy Style

Too Far

Take Me With You

Dreams

Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi

Falling

Like A Drug

Aphrodite

Speakerphone

Magnetic Electric

Disco Down

Made Of Glass

Lose Control

 

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Easter Sale – 25% off absolutely everything!

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Classic Album: Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July

Classic Album: Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July

Stevie Wonder album cover Hotter Than July

The first Stevie Wonder album of the 80s was a back-to-basics return to form. A tight collection in which The Motown legend plays it safe with his trademark funky soulful pop but delivers a punch through ardent political activism. Words Felix Rowe

“I hear music in colours.” So once sang a certain Classic Pop favourite (that’s Stephen Duffy, by the way). It’s an evocative notion that conjures up rich imagery in the mind’s eye; a feast for the senses whereby sounds are expressed in a vibrant palette of hues. But if the idea could be said to embody any musician, then first in line must surely be Stevie Wonder.

Raw Emotion

For someone who has been without sight since infancy, Stevie Wonder not only hears music in colours, he sees – and paints – colours through music. Hotter Than July is the perfect embodiment of that. Just like the album cover itself that glows in sun-dappled fervour, the music within is positively bursting with colour. The kind of warm, inviting, fully-saturated tones that instantly emit the feelgood factor. It radiates energy in that totally unique and refreshing way that only Stevie knows how.

From the opening howl of raw emotion to its concluding rallying cry, Hotter Than July is a celebration of vitality, expressed with unbridled joy and Wonder’s instinctive musicality. But underneath the record’s exterior, there’s a second layer that throbs with deep-rooted politics and social activism. Again, this duality is reflected in the packaging: flipping the cover image of Stevie in sweating ecstasy will reveal a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr on the inner sleeve, flanked by photographs portraying (white) police brutality against Black civilians and peaceful protesters. This stark imagery is accompanied by a dedication calling for King’s birthday to be officially recognised as a national holiday, while seeking an end to “bitter confrontation and inevitable bloodshed.”

To the uninitiated, the ubiquitous Happy Birthday – with its sugar-rush nursery-rhyme chorus – could be dismissed as a slightly anodyne, corny-but-harmless soundbite, custom-made for singing birthday cards.

Silky Delivery

In fact, it’s a deeply political call to action to counter social injustice and inequality. Like Born In The USA a few years later, the buoyant singalong chorus obscures the harder-hitting message of the verse. Wonder’s silky delivery can be too sickly sweet for some tastes. But, to guarantee its effect, he’s canny enough to sugar-coat the pill to make sure it’s swallowed.

Elsewhere Cash In Your Face tackles the injustices of racial discrimination via some of Stevie’s most direct lyrics – pitched as a conversation in which a Black man is turned down for a tenancy based on the colour of his skin, regardless of his ample funds or ‘respectable’ job. Meanwhile, Wonder’s Bob Marley tribute Master Blaster (Jammin’) touches on race politics, noting that “the world’s full of problems” while referencing the recent war in Zimbabwe. Ultimately, though – and this is characteristic throughout – the underlying message remains positive and celebratory.

Feeling Hot

The heat metaphor of the album’s title and artwork, then, takes on several meanings. While it was released after a particularly scorching summer, the rising temperate reflects the mood of the nation. It’s a political heat – the sense of tension bubbling up, pressure reaching boiling point, ready to explode. This immediacy presents a stark contrast to the meandering, bucolic nature of its predecessor, Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants.

Throughout the 70s, Stevie enjoyed a phenomenal run of classic cuts working with TONTO’s Expanding Head Band, from Music Of My Mind through to Songs In The Key Of Life. Each release pushed him artistically, while reaping rewards critically and commercially. But a decade that should have culminated in celebration ended on a somewhat damp note.

Back To Business

Whilst 1979’s Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants didn’t exactly tank, nor was it received with the universal adulation Wonder had become accustomed to. Given that it was a soundtrack to accompany a TV documentary, largely comprising instrumentals, maybe that shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

It seems a little unfair to label his next album a ‘comeback’, but there’s certainly a feeling of getting back to business on Hotter Than July. At 10 songs, it’s succinct and focused, with not a meandering instrumental in sight. Stevie sticks to the script and keeps to the point, condensing each track down to the good stuff. It’s even sequenced like a mixtape, one track often switching straight into the next with barely a second to catch your breath.

Stevie In Wonderland

Wonder had recently bought his own studio – an obsolete radio studio, at one time favoured by Nat King Cole. By now, it was an empty shell, stripped of all its equipment. All that remained was its incredible acoustics and a lingering sense of Cole’s aura. The absence of a control room and equipment was solved by renting a mobile recording truck (of the type used to document live concerts) and backing it up into the parking lot. But this was no ordinary truck. Stevie’s steadfast commitment to pushing the envelope gave him access to Sony’s trailblazing digital technology. A jumbled mass of cables was uncoiled from the truck into the performance room and voilà: a fully functioning recording studio. All it needed now was a name: ‘Wonderland’.

Studio technician, Lon Neumann, came with the truck. Speaking to Okayplayer in 2020, Neumann recalls those incredible sessions working “elbow-to-elbow” with Wonder in that cosy space. The typical workflow involved the core band laying down the foundation of a track, before Stevie went back to tinker with parts and overdubs, phrase by phrase, to achieve the total perfection he demanded. The band’s musicality was particularly evident in bassist and de facto bandleader, Nathan Watts, who was in perfect sync with Wonder. Guests included a cripplingly shy Michael Jackson, dropping in flanked by his personal bodyguard, to record backing vocals among several other Motown and soul alumni. As for Stevie himself, Lon describes being acutely aware that he was in the presence of a genius.

Genius Mind

According to Neumann, one intriguing offshoot of Wonder’s blindness is that his body clock is not calibrated to night and day like everyone else. He would work at any hour and expect his team to be ready when inspiration struck. Invariably, this meant a 3am summons via pager… only to then be kept waiting. When Stevie wasn’t committing his genius to tape, he was constantly glued to his special Braille-equipped phone, engaged in multiple calls at once to the great and the good – presumably, just calling to say he loved them.

Wonder’s array of equipment included a prestige Bösendorfer grand piano that would set one back the price of a comfortable house, famed for possessing several extra keys beyond the standard 88-note keyboard. Because, you know, Stevie just needs that little extra.

Neumann recalls L.A.’s go-to piano tuner being called in, to make the tone brighter for a particular vibe Wonder was after. The piano tuner used his tried-and-tested hack: coating lacquer onto the hammers that strike the piano’s strings to add that special ‘zing’. However, when he employed a heat-shrinking gun to help the lacquer dry a little quicker, the highly flammable concoction swiftly combusted, setting Stevie’s treasured instrument ablaze. Literal proof that Wonder’s keyboard is indeed smoking hot.

Funky R&B-Soul Hybrid

As to the sound they forged, it’s harking back rather than pushing forwards. Musically, Hotter Than July is fundamentally rooted in the funky R&B-soul hybrid that Stevie perfected in the 70s: an organic, natural, groovy sound, played by living beings and bursting with humanity. This is Wonder absolutely cruising on familiar ground and well-travelled roads. Not coasting on auto-pilot, but comfortable and in total control.

The only genre outlier is the fantastic single, I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It, in which Stevie does a bizarre-but-fun, gravelly country singer impression, supported by renowned country guitarist Hank DeVito on steel guitar. Yet even this can’t hold back the funk by the time it gets to the chorus.

While the game-changing TR-808 and Linn LM-1 drum machines were both released in this year, neither of them makes much of an appearance on Hotter Than July with the exception of the latter possibly featuring on Happy Birthday.

Fresh Sound

Though Wonder was certainly playing with them in his creative process (as an impromptu performance at Abbey Road for Newsnight highlighted), they were more writing aides as opposed to style choices utilised for their rigid mechanical aesthetic.

To some degree, Hotter Than July marks the end of Wonder’s reign as an R&B innovator. A burgeoning breed of sleek, taut, future-funk was beginning to explore fresh ground – clearly indebted to Stevie’s innovations, yet also taking cues from other sources: the emerging synth-pop, electronic dance music and New Wave. Michael Jackson and Prince would soon release landmark albums that shaped the next decade, and indeed the very future of pop.

For the first time, Wonder was beginning to sound a little out of step with the current cool kids. His biggest hit was yet to come (1984’s saccharine worldwide No.1, I Just Called To Say I Love You), but by that point he was the established veteran playing it safe, not the young maverick innovator he once was.

Black Lives Matter

Hotter Than July is perhaps, then, the last great Stevie album. While it sits proud beside his finest records of his 70s sweet spot, it doesn’t quite match their vision or breadth of scope. But it excels in its sheer zest for life. Speaking to Jazzwise in 2019, bassist Avishai Cohen selected Hotter Than July as his life-changing album, summing it up as “one big chunk of happiness”. It’s just pure joy. A funk workout of the highest calibre, displaying incredible dexterity and an immensely satisfying experience for the ears.

Hotter Than July doesn’t break new ground for Wonder, but it celebrates the territory already hard fought and won. If it’s not hugely radical by his own great standards, it’s (just) fantastic pop music, meticulously crafted. However, the real power of Hotter Than July is the impassioned political message nestled within its jubilant grooves. The call for racial equality remains extremely prescient today in context of Black Lives Matter and ongoing debates over representation and police brutality in the United States. Stevie’s form of activism centres on peaceful progress, finding common ground and reasons to celebrate.

No surprise then that the album lends its name to a Detroit-based festival celebrating the Black LGBT community. Hotter Than July’s final track, Happy Birthday proves that – just sometimes – a pop song really can transcend its form and work wonders.

Read More: Top 40 Stevie Wonder songs – year by year

TRACKS

DID I HEAR YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME

Hotter Than July opens with a swooshing crescendo, the build-up of heat and pressure, before Wonder releases the tension in an instant with a screaming “Yow!” And so the funky onslaught begins. He’s straight into business with an incessantly groovy workout from the rhythm section, with syncopated horn stabs. At the height of its intensity and momentum, it ends abruptly like a radio changing channel into the next track.

ALL I DO

The origins of this track go way back to 1966, when a young Stevie co-wrote it with Motown’s Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax. This particular incarnation is the type of fabulously funky slow jam with woozy chords and retro-future bass synths that’s found favour with Thundercat and Childish Gambino in recent years. All I Do is seriously funky in an understated way, enhanced by subtle and shimmering flutes that flutter gently, almost hidden in the mix. Like the opener, it gradually builds in intensity. Listen closely, you might just hear Michael Jackson performing backing vocals.

ROCKET LOVE

Another slow jam; extremely sparse with oodles of space in its minimalist arrangement, as Wonder sings sweetly in ad-libbed “doo doo”s. A slightly sinister mood is evoked by the chromatic riff that has become a signature in 007 movie scores (and what a fantastic alternative Bond theme this would have made). Rocket Love features an intricate and inspired string arrangement from Funk Brother, Paul Riser, that adds to the grandiose atmosphere, alongside fingerpicked acoustic guitars. From understated beginnings, it ramps up to a rousing, screaming vocal from Stevie, exorcising his soul demons. It’s the kind of soulful ballad that John Legend has made his bread and butter.

 I AIN’T GONNA STAND FOR IT

Something so totally different and initially jarring that many listeners may have done a double-take just to be sure a random Johnny Cash track hasn’t snuck its way onto the playlist. I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It kicks off with strummed acoustic guitar chords and a most un-Wonder-like vocal – low, raspy and growling like a spit-n-sawdust bar-stool bawler. Is that really Stevie? He’s having fun with a country song pastiche with its slide guitar and curiously straight drive-time drums, before it gets back to more familiar ground with the funky Superstition-esque clavinet in the chorus, featuring backing vocals from The Gap Band. There’s some seriously funky slap bass from Nathan Watts in the outro coda over duelling guitars and Wonder wailing, before again ending abruptly like a colossal freight train coming to an instant stop. Eric Clapton did a faithful cover on his 2001 album, Reptile.

AS IF YOU READ MY MIND

A jittery piano intro, very busy, almost calypso or bossa nova-like in its frantic rhythm and the first and only track on the record to showcase Wonder’s signature harmonica. It’s one of the busiest arrangements on the album, very funky and catchy, though leaving little space for the ear to rest. As If You Read My Mind has a notable acid jazz feel – laying a clear pathway for 90s UK groups like Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai.

MASTER BLASTER (JAMMIN’)

After the funk onslaught of the previous track, Master Blaster is a breath of fresh air. Stevie’s biggest hit off the LP is an ode to Bob Marley, with whom he had recently toured, and who’s both namechecked in the song and referenced in the title. The album itself takes its name from the opening lines, again a reference to a Marley concert on a scorching day. While the influence and dedication is laid bare, it’s still totally and unmistakably Stevie Wonder. Stateside, it topped the R&B charts for seven weeks and made the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. It hit the top spot in New Zealand and just missed it in the UK, at No.2.

DO LIKE YOU

One of the more forward-looking tracks, opening with samples of children speaking, before jittery synths come in over a funky beat, enhanced with frenetic cowbell percussion. The funky syncopated brass throughout recalls that of Sir Duke, while the samples of speech, coupled with the way the track snaps and pops, inject a fresh, feelgood vibe.

CASH IN YOUR FACE

A comparatively slower track, very cool and loaded with street swagger. It contains some of the album’s most direct and upfront lyrics about social injustice, delivered via a raw but soulful Stevie vocal. It’s all the better for hanging back a little, and its inherent strut gives it the distinct vibe of early hip-hop. All it needs now is De La Soul to pop in for a guest verse, and if it hasn’t been sampled by them already, then it jolly well should be.

LATELY

A Wonder ballad at its very best, Lately is distinctly different to everything that precedes it, so simple and effective in its stripped-back form: just Stevie, piano, a fretless bass and a couple of simple overdubs. It’s the kind of melodic melodrama that’s custom-built for X-Factor auditions and its slow-motion montages. But in Wonder’s hands it’s pure bliss. A contemporary TV performance around the release highlights his gift for expressing the song’s emotion, just the right side of sappy. It’s at once life-affirming and devastating. It enjoyed a second lease of life in the 90s, when R&B group Jodeci performed a storming version on MTV Unplugged. It went on to become one of their signature tunes, scoring an R&B No.1, and charting notably higher than Stevie’s original in the US.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

The only track to noticeably use programmed drums (what sounds like a Linn LM-1), and featuring a slightly tinnier pop sound compared to the rest of the record. Curiously, considering its significance in US history and subsequent inception into Stevie’s canon, it wasn’t released as a single in the States. However, in the UK it was one of his biggest-selling hits, like Master Blaster (Jammin’) just missing out on the top spot (kept at bay by Michael Jackson with his first UK solo No.1, One Day In Your Life).

Though musically, it’s the weakest and least interesting track on the album, it’s without doubt the most culturally significant. It set out with a specific goal – to get Martin Luther King’s birthday officially recognised as a national holiday – and it achieved it. Happy Birthday has itself become a national institution in the US. Particularly among some Black communities, it has usurped the traditional song to become the definitive birthday celebration, integral as the cake.

Listen to Hotter Than July here

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Top 40 Kate Bush Songs

Top 40 Kate Bush Songs

For our Top 40 list of the best Kate Bush songs we looked back over the singer’s 40-plus-year career… 

4o Ken, 1990

Few people would expect to find a Kate Bush deep cut on the soundtrack to GLC: The Carnage Continues, a 1990 Comic Strip Presents… TV episode about Ken Livingstone and the Greater London Council, but Kate had a long history of working with comedians. The Shaft-referencing Ken was released with other tracks from the soundtrack as the B-side to Love And Anger.

39 Home For Christmas, 1992

This was Kate’s contribution to another Comic Strip Presents… concoction, a tale of avian revenge entitled Wild Turkey. The first of two festive offerings in this list, Home For Christmas is often overlooked due to its relative unavailability in comparison to December Will Be Magic Again. It was released as the B-side to Moments Of Pleasure, and Kate’s kindly now popped it on Spotify too.

38 Suspended In Gaffa, 1982

Gaffa/gaffer is, of course, the infamously tough and sticky black tape widely brandished in the theatre and rock industries. Mysterious and yet deeply autobiographical, Suspended In Gaffa seems to touch upon the subjects of God, of feelings of powerlessness and of the difficulty of proving one’s own worth. It was released as single across Europe and Australia, but not in the UK. 

37 Ne t’enfuis pas, 1982

With French lyrics by Patrick Jeaneau and Vivienne Chandler, Ne T’enfuis Pas (Don’t Run Away) sees Bush envisioning herself as a slowly stalking cat and her lover as a bird; whatever is about to happen, it seems highly likely that feathers will fly. Released as the B-side to There Goes A Tenner, the song’s title was misspelt on the label as Ne T’en Fuis Pas, which means nothing at all. The clots.

36 Night Of The Swallow, 1982

Released as a single from The Dreaming only in Ireland due mainly to the musical presence of members from the popular traditional-based Irish acts Planxty and The Chieftains, Night Of The Swallow tells the tale of a lover pleading with her smuggler boyfriend for him not to go out on another job; however, he gets a bit uppity and tells her not to tie him down. It became an Irish No. 12 in 1983.

35 Moving, 1978

A tribute to her dance teacher Lindsay Kemp, The Kick Inside’s opener Moving was only released as a single in Japan – and Wuthering Heights, rather incredibly, was relegated to the B-side. Sadly, in that country it did only modest business despite Kate having performed the song at the Tokyo Music Festival in front of a TV audience of 35 million. Maybe the whale sound at the start put them off.

34 Love And Anger, 1989

The first song written but the last one completed two years later for The Sensual World, Kate struggled with Love And Anger’s subject: “This is about who you can or cannot confide in when there’s something you can’t talk about. Who did I have in the lyrics? Was it sister or mother? I can’t remember.” David Gilmour’s solo apparently helped, and it made the album – and also reached No. 38 in 1990.

33 The Red Shoes, 1994

This song about enchanted ballet slippers from the album of the same name – and the key track from her film The Line, The Cross And The Curve, which co-starred Miranda Richardson with choreography from Kemp – saw Kate venture into dance remixes, with a second CD single release featuring a clanking 10-minute remix entitled Shoedance that sadly failed to ignite any dancefloors. 

32 The Dreaming, 1982

Originally entitled The Abo Song, this Aboriginal-themed tune about sacred ground being used for uranium mining is probably more problematic these days because of the presence of disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris on digeridoo, denying it much airplay. It only managed to get to No. 48 when Kate chose to make a comeback with it in 1982, after a career gap of 18 months. 

31 Eat The Music, 1991

This hypnotic, hi-life inflected song on the subject of embracing honesty in relationships was enlivened by a video crammed full of squashy fruit. It was released in the states on Columbia as the lead-off from The Red Shoes (everywhere else went with Rubberband Girl). A few copies were pressed by EMI in the UK but were later recalled before it was finally released across Europe in 1994. 

3o Rubberband Girl, 1993

According to Kate, Rubberband Girl was her least favourite track on The Red Shoes. This fact hardly boded well when the song was released as the very first single from the album in 1993, but it hit the Top 12 regardless. “I had considered taking it off, to be honest, because it didn’t feel quite as interesting as the other tracks. It’s just a silly pop song, really,” she revealed to Mojo in 2011. 

29 And So Is Love, 1994

Released as a single in 1994, And So Is Love also saw Kate return to the spotlight of the Top Of The Pops studio for the first time since 1985. Keen-eared Bush fans will be aware that there are two versions of the song: the album version from 1993, and the version from Director’s Cut in 2011, on which the key lyric “But now we see that life is sad” is tellingly changed to “But now we see that life is sweet”. 

28 Them Heavy People (Live), 1979

Them Heavy People was the lead track from Kate’s On Stage EP, which climbed to No. 10 in the autumn of 1979. The disc carried four numbers recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 13 May 1979 from her sole tour to date. She did release a whole live ‘album’ on video from the tour, but those versions of these songs differed somewhat, despite claiming to be recorded on the same day.  

27 The Big Sky, 1986

Released as the fourth and final single from Hounds Of Love, The Big Sky reflects on the simpler things one used to do when younger. According to Kate’s newsletter in 1985, it’s about “someone sitting looking at the sky, watching the clouds change… I think we forget these pleasures as adults. We feel silly about what we used to do naturally.” It marked Kate’s first foray into video directing.

26 There Goes A Tenner, 1982

A tale of a bungled bank robbery, seen through the eyes of a paranoid perpetrator who starts freaking out at the size of the heist he’s become involved with, There Goes A Tenner was a one-off single which has been pretty much been erased from history due to the lack of interest in it at the time. Even the sound of Kate virtually inventing Blur with her Mockney accent wasn’t enough to push it past No. 93. 

25 Be Kind To My Mistakes, 1987

Originally written for the soundtrack of the 1986 Nic Roeg-directed movie Castaway (hence the appearance of hellraising actor Oliver Reed, who is heard muttering the title). While the song exists in various versions, the original soundtrack version was released as a single in Germany with the Brian Eno track Chemistry on the flip; a remix also pops up as the B-side to This Woman’s Work.

24 The Man I Love, 1994

Written in 1927, this classic tune was dropped from the stage show Lady Be Good until heiress and face-about-town Lady Mountbatten fell in love with it; soon,  dance bands began covering the song and it became hugely popular. Kate Bush recorded her version in 1994 for the album The Glory Of Gershwin, which also featured Cher, Peter Gabriel and Robert Palmer, plus Larry Adler on harmonica. 

23 Experiment IV, 1986

Recorded as a new track for her hits collection The Whole Story, Experiment IV was about a secret military plan to develop a sound, a black noise, that could kill people. The video, directed by Kate and starring Gary Oldman, Dawn French and Hugh Laurie, was banned by Top Of The Pops for being too violent. She did, however, perform it live on Wogan with violinist Nigel Kennedy. 

22 Rocket Man, 1991

Lifelong fan Kate was asked to contribute to an album of covers of Elton John and Bernie Taupin songs. “If you cover records, you should try and make them different,” the singer mused. “It’s like remaking movies: you’ve got to try and give it something that makes it worth re-releasing. And the reggae treatment just seemed to happen, really.” Her version reached No. 12 in 1991.

21 Hammer Horror, 1979

From her second album, Lionheart. The song is not, as many first thought, about Hammer films, but about an actor replacing a friend who died portraying The Hunchback of Notre Dame. “It was inspired by seeing James Cagney playing the part of Lon Chaney playing the hunchback – he was an actor in an actor in an actor, rather like Chinese boxes, and that’s what I was trying to create,” confirmed Bush.

20 Deeper Understanding, 2011

Kate’s original 1989 version foreseeing the possibilities of becoming too involved with technology – “You can get your shopping from the Ceefax!” – seemed prescient at the time, so when it was released in a new version ahead of Director’s Cut, it took on a new relevance. The video featured her son as the voice of the computer, plus comedians Robbie Coltrane and Noel Fielding. 

19 And Dream Of Sheep (Live), 2016

And Dream Of Sheep began The Ninth Wave suite on the Hounds Of Love album in 1985. It’s a song about being “left alone in the water for the night”; Bush recreated the song for her shows in 2014, recording and filming a video in a tank at Pinewood Studios and using the results in the Hammersmith shows. A ‘live’ version was released in 2016 ahead of the Before The Dawn album release.

18 Lyra, 2007

Recorded for the film The Golden Compass, this one-off crept out at the end of 2007. The short notice of the commission – which also stipulated that the song should reference the lead character, Lyra Belacqua – meant Kate ended up writing and recording it in 10 days. The Magdalen College Oxford Choir recorded their parts to an early demo, and the song can be found on the original soundtrack.

17 Wild Man, 2011

From 50 Words For Snow, Wild Man sees Kate referring to the various names the Yeti is known by, but as she explained to The Quietus in 2011, “I don’t refer to the Yeti as a man in the song. But it is meant to be an empathetic view of a creature of great mystery, really.” With an accompanying short film, it was released as a download only, but some rare promos were pressed; they go for silly money.

16 Army Dreamers, 1980

This No. 16 hit from 1980 gives voice to a grieving mother mourning the waste of her young son, who is killed while serving in the army. Though the song contained Irish accents, it wasn’t specifically about that conflict: “I’m not slagging off the Army, it’s just so sad that there are kids who have no O-levels and nothing to do but become soldiers, and it’s not really what they want. That’s what frightens me.”

15 Breathing, 1980

Songs from the point of view of a foetus had yet to be a thing until Kate came along with her Pink Floyd-inspired number Breathing in 1980. Based around the threat/aftermath of a nuclear event – there’s a spoken-word description of bomb fallout on the album version – there’s a possibility that breathing in nicotine was the least of the unborn’s worries. John Giblin supplied the superbly melodic bass. 

14 King Of The Mountain, 2005

Written a good decade before its eventual release as part of Aerial, King Of The Mountain – her first single in 12 years – wonders if Elvis is still out there, somewhere living normally, having been subjected to such intense fame during his career. It also referenced parallels between Presley and Citizen Kane, hence ‘Rosebud’. Her biggest hit in over 20 years, it went to No. 4 in the autumn of 2005. 

13 Don’t Give Up, 1986

Peter Gabriel had written Don’t Give Up with Dolly Parton in mind for the female part. Unfortunately she didn’t fancy it, so he asked previous backing vocalist Kate (she had sung on Games Without Frontiers) to step in. Bush wasn’t sure about her first vocal, so she went back to Gabriel’s house to re-record it. The duo sang it live on one occasion, at Earl’s Court in 1987. It reached No. 9 in late 1986. 

12 Babooshka, 1980

A wife tries to test her husband’s loyalty, and becomes the ‘Babooshka’ in the title, although babooshka actually translates as ‘grandmother’, which could prove awkward. It was a series of coincidences – an opera, the name of a friend’s cat – that prompted Kate to stick with it. She performed it on a Dr Hook TV special and created a character with dual-sided make-up to ram the point home. 

11 Hounds Of Love, 1985

A song about people’s fear of falling in love, encouraging them to throw off their worries and take the plunge. As Kate advises, “Maybe being involved isn’t as horrific as your imagination can build it up to being – perhaps these baying hounds are really friendly.” It was covered by the Futureheads in 2005; Kate left a message for them on the phone at their studio, but they were too terrified to phone her back.

Read more: The Lowdown – Kate Bush

10 December Will Be Magic Again, 1980

December Will Be Magic Again was premiered (in its “bongo version”) as part of Christmas Snowtime Special, a BBC compilation of pop appearances from the likes of Abba, Boney M and Leo Sayer, on December 22nd, 1979. Bush then performed it as part of her own TV special on the 29th, and it was released as a one-off single in November 1980. 

9 The Sensual World, 1989

After hearing a rendition of the closing soliloquy from James Joyce’s Ulysses, Kate was inspired to write a song using chunks of it, assuming the copyright was public domain. After a year of attempts to obtain permission to use it, she settled on rewriting the words. Kate said at the time, “It turned into a pastiche, and that’s why the character, Molly Bloom, steps into the real world and becomes one of us.”

8 Cloudbusting, 1985

Peter Reich’s The Book Of Dreams is about his relationship with his psychologist/philosopher father Wilhelm Reich, inventor of a ‘life energy force’ called orgone, who was pilloried for his beliefs in the 1950s. “The book is full of imagery of an innocent child and yet it’s being written by a sad adult, which gives it a kind of personal intimacy and magic that is quite extraordinary,” said Bush. 

7 Wow, 1979

Wow and its video of a whirling Bush became ripe for parody from the comics of the day. “It was sparked off when I sat down to try and write a Pink Floyd song, something spacey; I’m not surprised no-one has picked that up, it’s not really recognisable as that, in the same way as people haven’t noticed that Kite is a Bob Marley song, and Don’t Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake is a Patti Smith song.”

6 This Woman’s Work, 1989

This song first appeared on the soundtrack to John Hughes’ 1988 film She’s Having A Baby. Hughes sent Kate clips of an emotional flashback sequence; written quickly as she watched the rushes, it became the first song completed for The Sensual World, where a re-edited version would end up a year later. It’s been a hit in 1989 (reaching No. 25), 2008 (76) and as a Director’s Cut version, 2012 (63).

Read more: Making The Hounds Of Love

5 The Man With The Child In His Eyes, 1978

Famously written when she was 13, and recorded at 16 under the guidance of David Gilmour in front of an orchestra that scared her. Kate explained the song: “It was a theory that I had had for a while that I just observed in most of the men that I know: the fact that they just are little boys inside and how wonderful it is that they manage to retain this magic.” 

4 Sat In Your Lap, 1981

A song about knowledge: “The more you learn, the more ignorant you realise you are and that you get over one wall to find an even bigger one.” It was a rowdier departure from the singles released so far, more percussive and synth based, with a vocal that Kate imagined being sung high on a hill on a windy day. Originally a single in June 1981, it became part of The Dreaming album in 1982.

3 Wuthering Heights, 1978

Where it all began. It’s hard now to imagine the impact that this had when released as Kate’s first single in January 1978, having been held back so as not to compete with Mull Of Kintyre. There is only the one version, and Bush irked some fans slightly when she re-did the vocal for The Whole Story in 1986. It was, astonishingly, the first UK No. 1 single written and performed by a female artist. 

2 Moments Of Pleasure, 1993

Written about her mother, specifically the line “to those we love, to those who will survive”, Moments Of Pleasure has shapeshifted over the years from the version on The Red Shoes to the one on Director’s Cut, where she removed the chorus and created more of a narrative. Both are capable of reducing even the hardest heart into a sobbing wreck. Released as a single in November 1993, it reached No. 26.

1 Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), 1985

Why have we put Running Up That Hill at the very top of our list? In fairness, any of our top five could argue its case for the top slot. For us, however, this is not just a song that enjoys near-iconic status, but it also marked a key moment in Bush’s musical timeline, where she started to slow down and take more control of her career after a near-frantic four albums in five years.

Written in 1983 as the first song for Hounds Of Love, it would also be the oldest song in her setlist at the Before The Dawn shows. 

It marks almost a rebirth for Kate and signposts the journey her music would take in the subsequent three decades, with a foundation on theories of love and relationships. “It is very much about the power of love, and the strength created between two people when they’re very much in love,” she allowed, “but the strength can also be threatening, violent, dangerous as well as gentle, soothing, loving.”

The Power Of Love

Bush herself refers to the song using the original title of A Deal With God, but EMI weren’t wild about a song with “God” in the title, as they feared it wouldn’t go down well in certain territories around the world. Kate relented on this occasion, although the full title is on the album. EMI also wanted Cloudbusting to be the first single, as it was more suited to the Bush work they’d released before. The artist put her foot down firmly there, thankfully.

Hitting No. 3 in 1985, it opened the way for Hounds Of Love to become her biggest-selling album, something Cloudbusting, with all its charms, might not have pulled off as well. It was revisited in 2012 as part of the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, when a reswizzled version – with Kate singing a fresh vocal over the original 12-inch mix – and reached a creditable No. 6.

The track gained renewed attention in May 2022 after it was featured repeatedly in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things. Reaching No.1 in the UK, it  was Bush’s second UK chart topper after Wuthering Heights in 1978, making her the solo artist with the longest gap between two No.1 singles on the chart – the 37-year gap between the single’s release and it reaching number one was also a chart record.

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Fan of The Christians writes new single

Fan of The Christians writes new single

Fan writes The Christians’ new single, Tanera Days

The new single from The Christians, Tanera Days, was written by a fan of the band.

Inspiration struck Andrew Langridge after a building contract for his company took him to the remote Scottish island of Tanera Mor.

The Christians’ frontman, Garry Christian, said: “This is certainly a first for us, our fans have been with us every step of the way, but they don’t normally get direct input to the music! The song was so good, and the underlying message about making sure that we all find our own sanctuary in this fast-moving world feels very important and timely. We’re all delighted with how it came out.”

Listen below:

Calming Quality

“My client, the owner of the island, bought it to gift to a charity that devotes its time to rehabilitating armed forces members suffering from PTSD, and other mental illness struggles,” explains Andrew.  “It really struck me the selflessness of the anonymous island owner who was doing so much to help people recover in a nurturing environment … I think the song, coupled with Garry’s immaculate vocals, capture the spiritual calming quality of the island perfectly.

“I chatted to Garry Christian and singer / producer / guitarist Joey Ankrah about my song and they wanted to record and produce it, I definitely wasn’t going to say no to that”.

Tanera Days is available to download iTunes and all other platforms now,  click here

The band will be on tour in the UK and Europe throughout the rest of the year.

UK & Eire Tour 2024

16 May MARLOW Pub In The Park
2 June DUBLIN Rewind Festival
7 June SALE Waterside
8 June GATESHEAD Glasshouse ICM
11 June CARDIFF Tram Shed
12 June BATH Komedia
13 June BRIGHTON St George’s Church
14 June LONDON Union Chapel
15 June LIVERPOOL Mountford Hall
28 June HOLMFIRTH Picturedrome
5 July DUFFIELD The Eyes Have It Festival
6 July LITTLE HADHAM Sign Of The Times
7 July CHESHIRE The Brit Fest
13 July CASTLETON The Devil’s Arse
20 July SWANSEA Let’s Rock
3 August COLCHESTER 80s Calling
4 August CAPESTHORNE HALL Rewind North
21 August CANARY WHARF Boisdale
31 August DARLINGTON 80s Calling
14 September RUNCORN The Brindley
29 September CARDIFF Acapela Studio
10 October BIRMINGHAM The Jam House
19 October SOUTHPORT The Atkinson
7 December NORTHWICH Brain Tumour Cancer Charity Gig
14 December SHEFFIELD Christmas Music Festival

For tickets click here

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Cyndi Lauper announces UK show

Cyndi Lauper announces UK show

Photo Credit © Rebecca Miller

Cyndi Lauper announces first UK show in eight years

Cyndi Lauper has announced a one night only performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall – her first UK solo show in eight years.

​The show will see Lauper perform songs from her catalogue of timeless hits including Time After Time, True Colors, and the anthem, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, with her full band at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 26 June 2024.

Fun Is No.1

Cyndi says: “I haven’t played at the Royal Albert Hall since 1995, when I was there for my 12 Deadly Cyns tour,  I was dressed like a Queen surrounded by Queens singing ‘Hey Now Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ in all my glory!

“I had a blast. And not only is the Royal Albert Hall one of the most important music venues but over 20 Suffragette rallies were held there! That makes it great for me.”

Pop Icon

The news of the show follows on from the recent announcement of Lauper’s performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival on the legendary Pyramid Stage.

​A ground-breaking Grammy, Emmy and Tony-Award winning songwriter, Lauper has sold in excess of 50 million records worldwide.

​Her iconic voice, influential punk glamour and infectious live shows catapulted her to superstardom in the 1980’s, and with her debut album She’s So Unusual, she became the first woman in history to have four Top 5 singles from a debut album.

Glittering Career

​Since then, Lauper has released 10 additional studio albums, and has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, seven American Video Awards, and 18 MTV Awards. In 2013, she won the Tony Award for best original score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, making her the first woman to win the category by herself.

Tickets for the show will go on-sale from 10am on 28 March from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office here

Read more: Check out this 2021 Cyndi Lauper interview

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Ranked! Top 40 ABBA songs

Ranked! Top 40 ABBA songs

In our list of the top ABBA songs we count down from 40 to 1… By Ian Ravendale With their worldwide sales numbering somewhere around an estimated, though difficult to… The post Ranked! Top 40 ABBA songs appeared first on Classic Pop Magazine. ... Continue Reading
Fairground Attraction are back with new music after 35 years away

Fairground Attraction are back with new music after 35 years away

Fairground Attraction share new musicFairground Attraction share new music after announcing they’ve reunited

This year, after an absence of 35 years, all four original members of 80s collective Fairground Attraction are reuniting for a 14-date UK tour and a brand-new studio album.

Following the announcement the group shared their new single, What’s Wrong With The World? Watch the video below:

Back Together

What’s Wrong With The World? is the first single from a brand new album due for release later this year. Details are under wraps for now, but guitarist Mark Kevin promises the band’s patient fan base who’ve been waiting over three decades for another record, won’t be disappointed.

“I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be back together, making music again,” reflects Mark, “I think we had all given up hope that it would ever happen a long time ago. It is almost spooky, as though we are ghosts, who have come back to life, but something happens between us when we play together; time evaporates and it could all have been yesterday.”

Perfect Timing

The band, completed by vocalist Eddi Reader, Simon Edwards (guitarrón) and Roy Dodds (drums), experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the charts. Their single Perfect, went to No.1 in the UK and countries all around the world, scooping Best Single at The Brit Awards along the way, but the group struggled with having their lives turned upside down and, unfortunately, the whole thing was over too soon.

Since then, Eddi has enjoyed a long and successful solo career, while Mark, as well as making seven solo albums, has collaborated with various artists, including Morrissey and Kirsty MacColl.

During the past three decades, a lot of water has passed under a lot of bridges and when the estranged members of Fairground Attraction finally re-opened communication last year, they realised there was a lot more that united them than divided them. Soon afterwards, in an impromptu moment, Eddi joined Mark on stage at one of his solo shows to sing the Fairground Attraction favourite Allelujah and the door was open for more.

14-Date UK Tour

Fans will have the chance to see the band live this autumn, with their first UK tour since they split in 1990. They will play dates across the UK and Ireland, including the Royal Festival Hall in London and Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow.

28 September – Wolverhampton, The Civic at The Halls
29 September – Manchester, Opera House
1 October – York, Barbican
3 October – Gateshead, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music
4 October – Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
5 October – London, Royal Festival Hall
7 October – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
8 October – Brighton, Dome
10 October – Oxford, New Theatre
11 October – Bristol, Beacon
14 October – Perth, Concert Hall
16 October – Aberdeen, Music Hall
17 October – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
18 October – Edinburgh, Usher Hall

Tickets go on sale 10am 28 March, with pre-sales on the 27 March. To book click here.

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The Grid reunite for first live show in over 20 years

The Grid reunite for first live show in over 20 years

Electronic dance pioneers The Grid reunite for first live show in over 20 years

Consisting of Dave Ball and Richard Norris, The Grid will be performing live for the first time in over 20 years at Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics show in the grounds of the Englefield House in Berkshire this summer.

Emerging out of the UK Acid House scene of the late 80s, The Grid became one of the most influential and popular electronic dance bands of the 90s.

Read more: Say Hello Wave Goodbye: Soft Cell interview

Dave Ball and Richard Norris notched up 10 UK hit singles, including the Balearic classic Floatation and the worldwide hit Swamp Thing. The pair have created many productions and remixes, Dave working with Marc Almond as Soft Cell, and Richard with Erol Alkan as Beyond The Wizards Sleeve.

Their return on Saturday 20 July, will include the full original line up and a brand new audio visual show, created by BATFA winning film director Kieran Evans.

Groove Armada smiling
Groove Armada

There will also be a live DJ set from Groove Armada. Featuring Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, the duo are one of the planet’s best-loved dance acts. The pair achieved chart success with At The River, I See You Baby and Superstylin’.

Joined by Jules Buckley and featuring the Essential Orchestra, Pete Tong Ibiza Classics has firmly cemented itself in the live music calendar and is the world’s most iconic orchestral electronic music event. Celebrating the legacy of dance music, the live show showcases the stunning re-imaginings of timeless classic house tracks.

Ravers Rejoice

​Combining unique orchestration with unparalleled electronic production, ravers will rejoice as this event is set to be the party of the year. A pillar of dance music, Pete Tong MBE is one of the world’s most influential musical figures.

For tickets click here

Previously announced for the Heritage Live concert series at Englefield are Madness, Elbow and Flackstock.

Heritage Live Concerts: 

19 July – Madness plus special guests Lightning Seeds + Old Time Sailors
20 July – Pete Tong Ibiza Classics with Jules Buckley & The Essential Orchestra – plus very special guests The Grid + Groove Armada (DJ Set) + DJ from the Pete Tong DJ Academy
21 July – Elbow plus special guests TBA
22 July – Flackstock – the UK’s only festival raising awareness of mental health issues and raising funds for mental health charities

For more on Heritage Live click here

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Epic David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star! set out this summer

Epic David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star! set out this summer

DAVID BOWIE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STAR!

New David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star! box set chronicles Ziggy Stardust-era across six discs

David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star!, a 5CD and 1 Blu-Ray Audio collection, is scheduled for release by Parlophone Records on 14 June.

The epic set explores David Bowie’s journey from February 1971 through the creation of the Ziggy Stardust character and the recording of the iconic The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album.

Through UK radio sessions and TV performances, as well as live tracks from Ziggy and the Spiders’ 1 October 1972 show at the Boston Music Hall, the box captures the international mania that surrounded the Ziggy phenomenon in the form of.

Epic Collection

Containing 29 unreleased tracks, Rock ’N’ Roll Star! covers early songwriting demos, recordings from David’s band, The Arnold Corns, rehearsals at Bowie’s then-home, Haddon Hall, BBC sessions, singles, live performances, plus outtakes and alternative versions from the original album recording sessions, which have been newly mixed by original album producer, Ken Scott.

The first track taken from Rock ’N’ Roll Star!  is Ziggy Stardust (Demo) recorded by Bowie on vocal and acoustic guitar in March 1971 at Haddon Hall in Beckenham. Listen below:

Unheard Versions

Unreleased highlights include an alternative version of Lady Stardust, an unheard version of the deep-cut classic Shadow Man and an up-tempo take of The Who’s I Can’t Explain, which he would later slow down and cover for the Pin Ups album.

The audio-only Blu-Ray disc features the definitive 2012 remaster of the original Ziggy Stardust album in 96kHz/24bit PCM stereo, plus the album and additional mixes from 2003 in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as well as the singles, outtakes and alternative versions in 96kHz/24 bit PCM stereo.

Unreleased Highlights

The Blu-Ray also includes a version of the Ziggy Stardust album called Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth) taken from Trident Studio tapes dated 15 December 1971, which features an alternative running order and four songs that didn’t make the final album.

This will also be available as a limited vinyl LP on 20 April, 2024 for Record Store Day. In addition, there is a 1LP version of Rock ’N’ Roll Star! compiling the alternative takes and mixes.

The set also contains two books. The first is an extensive 112-page book with detailed liner notes, memorabilia, contemporary reviews and articles, rare photographs, as well as brand-new notes and interviews with Ken Scott, Mark Carr Pritchett and David’s plugger from the time, Anya Wilson. Accompanying the main book is a 36-page compiled reproduction of David’s personal Ziggy era notebooks.

DAVID BOWIE ROCK ’N’ ROLL STAR!

Disc 1

1. So Long 60s (San Francisco Hotel recording) *
2. Hang On To Yourself (early demo) *
3. Lady Stardust (demo)
4. Ziggy Stardust (demo)
5. Star (Aka Stars) (demo) *
6. Soul Love (demo and DB spoken notes) *
7. Starman (demo 1 excerpt) *
8. Starman (demo 2) *
9. Moonage Daydream (The Arnold Corns version)
10. Hang On To Yourself (The Arnold Corns version)
11. Looking For A Friend (The Arnold Corns version – rough mix) *
12. Haddon Hall Rehearsals Segue: Ziggy Stardust / Holy Holy / Soul Love *
13. Star (Aka Stars) (Haddon Hall rehearsal) *
14. Sweet Head (Haddon Hall rehearsal) *

Disc 2

Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel
1. Ziggy Stardust *
2. Queen Bitch *
3. Waiting For The Man *
4. Lady Stardust *

Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris
5. Hang On To Yourself
6. Ziggy Stardust
7. Queen Bitch
8. Waiting For The Man
9. Five Years

Old Grey Whistle Test Performance
10. Oh! You Pretty Things (take 1)
11. Queen Bitch
12. Five Years

Disc 3

Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel
1. White Light/White Heat
2. Moonage Daydream
3. Hang On To Yourself
4. Suffragette City
5. Ziggy Stardust

Johnnie Walker Lunchtime Show
6. Starman
7. Space Oddity
8. Changes
9. Oh! You Pretty Things

Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris
10. Andy Warhol
11. Lady Stardust
12. White Light/White Heat
13. Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide

Top Of The Pops Performance
14. Starman

Disc 4

1. Round And Round
2. The Supermen (Ziggy session version)
3. Holy Holy (Ziggy session version)
4. Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy session outtake)
5. Starman (original single mix)
6. John, I’m Only Dancing (original single version)

Recorded Live At The Music Hall, Boston
7. The Supermen
8. Changes
9. Life On Mars?
10. My Death *
11. John, I’m Only Dancing

Disc 5

1. Looking For A Friend (The Arnold Corns version 2022 mix) *
2. Hang On To Yourself (early Ziggy session take) *
3. Star (take 5 alternative version) *
4. Lady Stardust (take 1 alternative version) *
5. Shadow Man (Ziggy session version) *
6. The Supermen (Ziggy session version 2023 Mix) *
7. Holy Holy (Ziggy session version alternative mix) *
8. Round And Round (alternative mix)
9. It’s Gonna Rain Again (Ziggy session outtake) *
10. Looking For A Friend (Ziggy session version) *
11. Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix) *
12. Sweet Head (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix) *
13. Starman (Top Of The Pops version 2022 mix)
14. John, I’m Only Dancing (alternative Trident Studios version) *
15. I Can’t Explain (Trident Studios version) *

Bonus Mix
1. Moonage Daydream (2003 instrumental mix)

*Previously Unreleased

Blu Ray Audio

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Original album mix (96khz/24bit Stereo)

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars And Extras
2003 5.1 Mixes (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – 96khz/24bit)

Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth)
Early Ziggy Stardust album tracklisting – December 1971 (96khz/24bit PCM stereo)

The Singles
(96khz/24bit PCM stereo)

Outtakes And Alternative Versions
(96khz/24bit PCM stereo)

Half-Speed Master Tracklist

Side 1
1. Hang On To Yourself (early Ziggy session take)
2. Star (Take 5 alternative version)
3. Lady Stardust (Take 1 alternative version)
4. Shadow Man (Ziggy session version)
5. The Supermen (Ziggy session version 2023 mix)
6. Holy Holy (Ziggy session version alternative mix)
7. Round And Round (alternative mix) +

Side 2
1. Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix)
2. Looking For A Friend (Ziggy session version)
3. It’s Gonna Rain Again (Ziggy sessions outtake)
4. Sweet Head (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix)
5. Starman (Top Of The Pops version 2022 mix)
6. John, I’m Only Dancing (alternative Trident Studios version) *
7. I Can’t Explain (Trident Studios version) *

Pre-order here

Read more: Making “Heroes”

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Travis set to return with 10th studio album

Travis set to return with 10th studio album

Travis stand before a white back drop
Image © Steve Gullick

Scottish indie stalwarts Travis return with new album, L.A. Times

Travis are set to return with a brand-new album this summer.

Released on 12 July, L.A. Times promises to be the collective’s most intimate LP since their breakthrough, The Man Who, topped the charts in 1999.

Talking about the release, singer Fran Healy said: “L.A. Times is our most personal album since The Man Who. There was a lot of big stuff to write about back then, the tectonic plates had shifted in my life. I was 22 when I was writing those songs. They were my therapy. Over 20 years later and the plates have shifted again. There’s a lot to talk about.”

Released via BMG, the announcement comes as the group shares new single Gaslight. Watch below:

Speaking about Gaslight, Healy says: I read a few weeks ago that gaslighting was the most web searched word in the world. We are living in a time where our realities are being warped by bosses, leaders, friends, teachers and politicians. It really is everywhere. Gaslighters want to control you. They tell you things which undermine your confidence in yourself and make you question reality and it makes you feel like you’re going crazy.”

L.A. Times Tracklisting:

1. Bus
2. Raze the Bar
3. Live It All Again
4. Gaslight
5. Alive
6. Home
7. I Hope That You Spontaneously Combust
8. Naked In New York City
9. The River
10. L.A. Times

Featuring Healy (vocals, guitar), Andy Dunlop (guitar), Dougie Payne (bass) and Neil Primrose (drums), the line-up has remained the same since their formation at the Glasgow School of Art in the 1990s.

Travis will begin a huge live season in summer 2024, confirmed to perform with The Killers across their 16-date UK arena tour through June and July, with more live activity across the UK and Europe soon to be announced.

L.A. Times is available digitally, on CD and vinyl. The album is also available as a limited deluxe 2CD package which includes a stripped-back version of the L.A. Times album. HMV and indie stores have a limited-edition green marble vinyl and the band’s official store has exclusive limited yellow vinyl and merch bundles. Pre-Order here

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Marc Almond to release a new album of specially selected covers

Marc Almond to release a new album of specially selected covers

Marc Almond New Album I'm Not Anyone Cover Art
Image: Nick Spanos

Marc Almond announces new album of covers and UK Tour…

Marc Almond has revealed that his new album, I’m Not Anyone, will be a carefully curated album of covers.

Whether with his rich solo catalogue or during his time with the iconic Soft Cell, the singer has always possessed a gift for introducing songs – some lesser known, others a little forgotten by time – to new audiences.

Marc says: “A great song can never die and should always find a new life and audience… I can’t simply just sing any song; I have to feel that if I could I would have written it myself – it’s just that someone else said it first, and far better than me.”

The LP, released on 12 July, draws from a number of  different genres, from psychedelic and prog rock to folk, gospel and soul. It promises to be a mature album with a young heart.

Elusive Butterfly

The first taste of the record comes in the form of a sublime take on Bob Lind’s esoteric 1965 folk classic Elusive Butterfly. With its eternal themes of the beauty of nature, the transitory nature of life and the elusiveness of love, Marc’s version comes in the tradition of previous interpretations of the song by the likes of Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Cher and Dolly Parton.

Listen below:

The title track, Paul Anka’s I’m Not Anyone, is the centrepiece of the album, a passionate and emotional ballad about defiance and pride with Marc’s trademark emotive drama.

I’m Not Anyone tracklisting:

1. I’m The Light (originally by Blue Cheer)
2. Reflections Of My Life (Marmalade)
3. Gone With The Wind (Is My Love) (Rita & The Tiaras/Gloria Jones)
4. I Talk To The Wind (King Crimson)
5. Elusive Butterfly (Bob Lind)
6. I’m Not Anyone (Paul Anka / Sammy Davis Jr.)
7. Smokey Day (Colin Blunstone)
8. Trouble Of The World (Mahalia Jackson)
9. Look To Your Soul (Johnny Rivers)
10. Chain Lightning (Don McLean)
11. Lonely Looking Sky (Neil Diamond)

Got It Covered

Marc says: “I always approach curating an album of covers with a lot of joy as it means a year or so of listening to songs, old and new, making lists from which I add or subtract songs and in the process discover, or rediscover, some half-forgotten gems. Living now in Portugal, I’ve found the time to not only reflect on my life but to also rediscover my love for music and songs.

“I finally reached a selection of songs that express where I am in my life today and how I feel about the world and my place in it. These aren’t particularly storytelling songs (though for me, lyrics always come first) but more than ever this time I’ve gone for how a song makes me feel and the emotional resonance it holds – reflective songs for an older artist, perhaps.

New Light

“I don’t change a song too much, take it too far away from why I like it. Too much emphasis is made on reinvention. I like to think that I’m bringing a song in a new light to my audience who might not have heard it before or haven’t considered it until they’ve heard me sing it. Then they may re-evaluate it.

“I could go through the album song by song but that takes away the joy of how you may hear it, and to me what is important is the overall feel. Sometimes why I choose a song over another is not always even clear to me, it is just a feeling and something of the moment. A choice has to be settled on and the discipline of track limitation means sometimes I just have to go with what I feel on that day when I commit. I always hope the choices are right, but the album is what it finally is, and I live with it.”

Diverse Career

2024 marks the anniversary of Marc Almond’s 45th year in music and a career of breathtaking diversity that’s taken in chart topping pop, cutting-edge electronica, torch songs, orchestral ballads, French chansons, historical song-cycles, jazz, flamenco, Russian folk and much more.

He will follow the album’s release with a major UK headline tour in September. In the spirit of the new album, the concert tour will consist only of cover songs, and the UK shows will be followed by selected European dates.

He will also tour as special guest of Jools Holland from the end of October through to Christmas, including two London shows at the Royal Albert Hall on November 29 and 30.

Marc Almond’s headline tour:

SEPTEMBER
8 – Leeds, Grand Theatre
9 – London, Coliseum
11 – Brighton, Dome
14 – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
15 – Gateshead, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music Sage 1
16 – Birmingham, Symphony Hall
18 – Bristol, Beacon
21 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall
22 – New Brighton, Floral Pavilion Theatre

Fans who pre-order I’m Not Anyone will receive access to a ticket pre-sale which opens at 9am on Thursday, March 21. Click here

It remains live until remaining tickets go on general sale at 9am on Tuesday, March 26. Click here

Read More: Making Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

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The Making of Madonna’s Like A Prayer 

The Making of Madonna’s Like A Prayer 

Madonna’s Like A Prayer classic album

Madonna’s Like A Prayer is an immaculate collection of songs which saw the superstar looking inwards for divine inspiration, taking in grief, loss, redemption and empowerment. With the celestial like a prayer, she created her own new testament.

Though Madonna had already established herself as the definitive female pop artist of the 80s with a catalogue of classic hits under her Boy Toy belt, she had found herself at a crossroads in her public and professional life when she entered the studio in 1988 to work on her fourth album. Devastated by the breakdown of her marriage to actor Sean Penn and having recently turned 30, Madonna was feeling increasingly introspective, compelled to confront her feelings about the life-altering events that she had brushed aside for years.

Two years on from True Blue, her most successful album to date, and feeling immense pressure to follow it up, she was desperate to shift focus back to her work from the tabloid caricature that she was becoming thanks to her tumultuous union with Penn.

TRUE BLUE - MADONNA ALBUM COVER

Tabloid Notoriety

Sean’s propensity to lash out at paparazzi photographers had made him public enemy number one in the tabloids and even landed him in jail. Madonna’s willingness to stand by her man made her guilty by association and earned the couple the moniker, ‘the Poison Penns’.

Meanwhile, her ‘scandalous’ antics with openly bisexual comedienne Sandra Bernhard – dressing in matching outfits for an appearance on David Letterman’s talk show which implied their relationship was more than platonic, and teaming up with Dirty Dancing’s Jennifer Grey and dubbing themselves ‘the Snatch Batch’ (a take on Sinatra’s Rat Pack) to frequent New York’s infamous lesbian nightclub, Cubbyhole, only fanned the flames of her tabloid notoriety.

Pop Supremacy

As the press plotted her inevitable downfall and primed the likes of Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne for pop supremacy, Madonna began work on her next album. Having spent her hiatus from the spotlight collaborating with playwright David Mamet on her Broadway debut Speed-The-Plow, and working with filmmakers Woody Allen and Howard Brookner, she was inspired to make the record much more personal than her previous work, delving deep into her psyche and purging her feelings on subjects such as the breakdown of her marriage, the death of her mother as well as her strict Catholic upbringing.

”We called it the divorce album,” says Pat Leonard, who co-wrote and co-produced the LP with Madonna. “Everything took four or times longer to do as she kept breaking down in the studio. It was a hard time for her.”

Promise To Try

While Madonna felt she had proved herself musically by co-writing and co-producing her True Blue album, she felt she had to prove it hadn’t been a fluke and worked again with Pat, feeling they had developed a genuine rapport. Typically, he worked on musical ideas while Madonna contributed melodies and drew from years of her personal diaries and journals to form the lyrics.

The first song they wrote was Like A Prayer, followed by Promise To Try (which dealt with the death of her mother) and Oh Father (Madonna’s account of her troubled relationship with her father and authority figures in her life).

Holy Trinity

Known as the ‘Holy Trinity’ of the album, they became Like A Prayer’s emotional core, informing the direction the record would take, with Madonna’s vulnerability perfectly encapsulating the feelings she wanted to convey in the songs. Till Death Do Us Part, a chilling account of domestic abuse, made especially uncomfortable listening thanks to the circumstances surrounding the end of her marriage to Sean Penn.

Madonna spoke openly about her lyrical honesty to SongTalk magazine: “I didn’t try to candycoat anything or make it more palatable for mass consumption. I wrote what I felt… Because this was what was coming out of me.”

As well as the searingly honest lyrics, a huge part of the songs’ authenticity came from the conviction in Madonna’s vocal delivery. Gone was the much-maligned ‘Minnie Mouse on helium’ girlish voice of some of her earlier work, replaced by battle-scarred tones, thick with emotion. “A lot of the vocals we kept were the first takes,” Madonna said. “They were a lot more spontaneous and emotional and integral to the music. We had every intention of going back and fixing them, but when we listened to them, we said: ‘Why should we? They’re fine’. I think it’s because I didn’t have the pressure of knowing it was the final vocal. Strange sounds and imperfections – we kept them all in, because they’re emotions, too.”

Cathartic Experience

Although it had been cathartic for Madonna to pour her heart into Like A Prayer’s darker moments, the album needed some light to ensure it was not too much of a culture shock to Madonna’s fanbase. Cherish was an unabashed love song which harked back to the True Blue sound and Dear Jessie was a psychedelic lullaby which joyously celebrated the childhood innocence Madonna was robbed of following the death of her mother when she was just five years old.

Madonna also collaborated with long-term co-writer Stephen Bray for a pair of funk-driven tracks, influenced by their mutual love of Sly & The Family Stone – Keep It Together and Express Yourself, with Love Song, a hook-up with Prince (a remnant from an aborted musical they’d been working on) completing the LP.

Daring Debut Single

The world first heard about Like A Prayer in January 1989 when soft-drinks giant Pepsi announced that they had signed an unprecedented $5 million deal with Madonna to be their new face and would be debuting her single in an advert in a simultaneous broadcast around the world, as well as sponsoring her next world tour. The company had recently fulfilled a similar arrangement with Michael Jackson, and with the biggest female superstar on the planet signed to them, Pepsi were confident the deal would see them emerge as the true victors over Coca-Cola in the ‘cola wars’, which were at their height at the time.

Described by Madonna as the “ultimate meeting of art and commerce”, she didn’t want to feel used by Pepsi and inked the deal subject to a set of her own stringent ground rules.

She didn’t want to dance in the advert (although she relented after meeting choreographer Vincent Paterson) and, as other artists had done previously, she categorically refused to allow Like A Prayer to be amended in any way to incorporate Pepsi into the lyrics, feeling it would cheapen her song.

Pushing Buttons

Entitled Make A Wish, the two-minute advert was a sentimental depiction of Madonna watching home movies of her eighth birthday party, and was screened around the world on 2 March 1989 to an estimated audience of 250 million. Thrilled with the response, Pepsi put an edited ad into heavy rotation across the world, delighted with their new signing.

Although Madonna and Pepsi’s venture was commended as perfectly executed by business analysts, the success was to be short-lived. The following day, Madonna released her own video for Like A Prayer, with cataclysmic results.

The video, with its scenes of stigmata, Madonna kissing a Black Saint (often misconceived as being a ‘Black Jesus’) and dancing in a field of burning crosses provoked a response more extreme than anyone could have had imagined.

Controversy As Currency

Religious groups were up in arms, burning effigies of Madonna and threatening a boycott of her and anyone associated with her. Madonna was typically defiant in her response, claiming the video’s positive message had been overlooked. Frustrated that their plight was falling on deaf ears, the protestors turned their attentions to Pepsi, threatening to boycott them and all of their associated companies. Pepsi buckled under the pressure and ended the deal, allowing Madonna to keep her $5 million fee.

In what turned out to be an indispensable lesson for Madonna – that of teaching her the value of controversy as currency, both the single and album topped the charts around the world when they were released in March 1989. As well as the album’s commercial success (it went on to sell over 15 million copies and produced a further five hit singles), it was subject to unanimous critical acclaim – a first for Madonna. NME gave the album 10/10, while Rolling Stone described it as being “as close to art as pop music gets”.

Pop Art

Nobody was as surprised by the reception as Madonna herself. “People don’t realise I was a songwriter as well as a slut?” she joked. “I guess the image gets in the way. What am I supposed to do? The information is on the label. If they don’t read it, that’s not my problem. I’m not going to put a sticker on the front of the record saying: ‘Listen, I wrote these songs!’ People will pay attention to what they want to pay attention to.”

After Like A Prayer’s delivery amidst a blaze of publicity and controversy, Madonna more-or-less disappeared from public view. Having made the difficult decision to postpone plans to tour Like A Prayer that summer so that she could play femme fatale Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy, pop’s most controversial star spent much of 1989 ensconced in the unlikeliest of locations – the Disney studios.

Groundbreaking Body Of Work

With Madonna unavailable to promote the album, the success of Like A Prayer’s subsequent singles was reliant on a string of groundbreaking promotional videos from directors Mary Lambert, David Fincher and Herb Ritts.

The care and effort Madonna expended when visually presenting her work was suitably rewarded at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards, where she made her only public appearance of the era to perform Express Yourself and pick up a string of gongs, including Artist Of The Decade and the Viewer’s Choice Award for Like A Prayer.

Ironically, the latter was sponsored by Pepsi, whom Madonna thanked in her acceptance speech “for causing so much controversy”.

Although the controversy is one of the more memorable aspects of the era, Like A Prayer’s real strength lies in the music itself. By revealing her vulnerability and her strength in a pure, brutally honest way, she had created a body of work that would shape her artistry from this point of her career onwards.

The Tracks

LIKE A PRAYER

The first track that was written and recorded for the album, Like A Prayer dictated the direction of the entire record. With the verses stripped back to an almost a cappella production, the contrast of the uplifting gospel chorus highlighted the song’s dual meaning of religious and sexual ecstasy. Although Pat Leonard was initially horrified that Madonna wrote the chorus alluding to fellatio and asked her to change it, she refused, and the song’s double entendre went unnoticed due to the controversy generated by the video.

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Written and produced by Madonna with former boyfriend and long-time collaborator Stephen Bray, Express Yourself  is a tribute to the pair’s love of Sly & The Family Stone. Bristling with Stone’s trademark soul, funk and horns, Express Yourself is a rallying anthem of freedom and empowerment, with Madonna using her platform to urge her fans not to settle for second best and to strive to reach their full potential. For its release as a single, Madonna called on producer Shep Pettibone to transform the song into a club anthem with a house makeover. It was that version which she performed at the 1989 MTV Awards, her only live performance of the Like A Prayer era, during which she debuted a new dance style called voguing…

LOVE SONG

Longtime friends and mutual admirers of each other’s work, Madonna and Prince met up to discuss working on a musical together in 1988. However, the project failed to come to fruition as Madonna hated Minneapolis and returned to Los Angeles, forcing the pair to finish Love Song by sending tapes back and forth between the two cities. The process and time constraints meant that the track didn’t turn out as well as either Madonna or Prince had hoped, though Madonna loved the sonic combination of synthesised drums, sparse instrumentation and sensual vocals so much that she’d deploy them to superb effect the following year on 1990’s Justify My Love. She also later recycled a lyric from Love Song for 2005’s Hung Up.

TILL DEATH DO US PART

On the surface, Till Death Do Us Part is one of Like A Prayer’s most upbeat moments, but it is in fact one of the album’s darkest and most haunting tracks due to its visceral depiction of the breakdown of Madonna’s marriage to Sean Penn. With lyrics such as: “The bruises they will fade away/ You hit so hard with the things you say/ I will not stay to watch your hate as it grows” and “When you laugh it cuts me just like a knife”, the song appears to confirm tabloid stories at the time of the turbulent marriage of ‘the Poison Penns’.

PROMISE TO TRY

Stripped back to a simple piano track and emotive vocal teeming with vulnerability, Promise To Try is a heartbreaking ballad which finds Madonna attempting to make sense of her mother’s death. Having recently turned 30, the age her mother was when she died, the song’s emotional outpouring took on particular resonance. In one of the most poignant scenes of 1991’s In Bed With Madonna/Truth Or Dare documentary, Promise To Try plays while Madonna visits her mother’s grave.

CHERISH

Included on the album as a safety net in case Madonna’s audience didn’t take to Madonna’s arresting new sound, Cherish recalled the giddy romanticism of the True Blue era. A playful, unabashed love song, it returns to the early days of Madonna and Sean’s relationship with its proclamations of undying love, a sentiment which comes across as slightly unsettling after that relationship’s eventuality is laid out in such searing honesty on the earlier Till Death Do Us Part.

Read more: Top 40 Madonna songs

DEAR JESSIE

Inspired by The Beatles’ Dear Prudence, Madonna decided to write a song for Pat Leonard’s baby daughter Jessie, celebrating childlike innocence, imagination and belief in magic. With lyrics celebrating a land of make-believe with pink elephants, magic lanterns, rainbows and mermaids, the song possesses a lullaby-like quality. When Pat Leonard posted an instrumental clip of the original demo on Instagram recently, it revealed a song similar in sound to Papa Don’t Preach with its hard drums and strings. The eventual psychedelic sound of the final version of Dear Jessie was achieved by simply removing the drums, which transformed it completely. The song was released as the album’s fourth UK single with an animated video in December 1989.

OH FATHER

Inspired by Simon & Garfunkel, Oh Father was described by Madonna as her way of “dealing with the authority figures in my life”. Though the song was released as the fourth single from the album in the US, it wasn’t released as a single in the UK until 1996, when it was used as a single to promote Madonna’s ballads compilation Something To Remember. Pat Leonard has said that Oh Father is the best song he ever worked on with Madonna.

KEEP IT TOGETHER

A second collaboration with Stephen Bray, Keep It Together is about remaining true to your roots and the importance of family. As with Express Yourself, Keep It Together was influenced by Madonna’s love of Sly & The Family Stone. Drawing on both the funkiness and the sentiment of Stone’s Family Affair, Madonna fused the two songs together for her show-stopping performance as the encore to the Blond Ambition World Tour.

SPANISH EYES

After La Isla Bonita and Who’s That Girl, Spanish Eyes took the Latin theme to a darker place. “Like most of Like A Prayer, it was written in a day,” Pat recalls. “I wrote this at the piano and at the top of the page, it says ‘tango’. She [arrived] in the morning, listened to it, wrote the lyric, put a guide vocal down, and went home. What I always believed was good about our collaborations is that the spirit of the composition was always very closely reflected in the sentiment of the lyric, and the spirit of it as well.”

ACT OF CONTRITION

As the Like A Prayer instrumental track plays in reverse, Prince plays screaming freestyle guitar licks while Madonna recites a Catholic prayer for the album’s bizarre closer. In 2012, Madonna recited the same prayer as the opening of her MDNA Tour.

Watch The Madonna official YouTube Channel here

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Wet Wet Wet announce UK Tour

Wet Wet Wet announce UK Tour

Wet Wet Wet announce UK Tour with Heather SmallWet Wet Wet announce 2025 UK Tour with support from special guest Heather Small

Following on from a sold-out tour earlier this year, Wet Wet Wet have announced a huge tour of the UK for 2025.

​Featuring founding member Graeme Clark, accompanied as ever by long-standing guitarist Graeme Duffin, and fronted by Kevin Simm, the band will perform two sets of dates in 2025 with the first run being in January / February followed by another in October.

Love Is All Around The UK

​The ‘Wets’ will bring to the stage their catalogue of legendary and defining hits, including the likes of Sweet Little Mystery, Angel Eyes, Goodnight Girl, With A Little Help From My Friends, Sweet Surrender, Julia Says and more.

​They will also perform the ubiquitous hit Love Is All Around, their cover of The Troggs’ 1960s song, which this May, celebrates 30 years since it became the soundtrack to the summer of 1994. ​

Recorded for the Richard Curtis film Four Weddings And A Funeral, the song spent an incredible 15 consecutive weeks at No.1 on the UK Singles Chart, an all-time record for a British artist that still stands.

With A Little Help From My Friends

​On the tour dates for 2025 Wet Wet Wet will be joined by special guest Heather Small who will be opening all the shows.

Heather Small touring with Wet Wet Wet came about in serendipitous circumstances, as founding member Graeme Clark explains: “To be back playing live, in the band I love, playing the songs I love, to people I love, completely fills my heart and soul. We can’t wait to see everybody again throughout 2025 in a venue close by!

“We were headlining a festival in Dubai recently where we bumped into the wonderful Heather Small and we are absolutely delighted that she’s accepted our invitation to join us as special guest on all of our tour dates next year.”

Moving On Up

Having rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the band M People, Heather is known for hits like Moving On Up and Search For The Hero. With a career spanning several decades, her distinct vocal style and charismatic stage presence have earned her a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim.

Heather said: “I’m so excited to join Wet Wet Wet on their extensive tour in 2025. I’m a fan of their music, so to be able to share these stages with them will be a real pleasure, it’s going to be one big party!”

Since 2018, Wet Wet Wet have been fronted by Kevin Simm (winner of The Voice UK and former member of Liberty X) and they released their first album with Kevin, The Journey, in 2021 to critical acclaim. He added: “It’s so exciting to be going back out on tour throughout 2025!

“Our recent concerts created some fantastic memories for us all and it was an incredible experience that I will never ever forget! With Heather Small joining us as special guest on this tour it is going to be a great night of hits, energy and fun – I can’t wait!”

Wet Wet Wet 2025 Tour Dates:

28 January        Cambridge Corn Exchange
29 January        Basingstoke The Anvil
30 January        Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
31 January        Stoke Victoria Hall
1 February        Hull Connexin Live
3 February        Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
4 February        Bradford St. George’s Hall
5 February        Stockton The Globe
7 February        Dunfermline Alhambra Theatre
8 February        Aberdeen P&J Live
9 February        Dundee Caird Hall

10 October      Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
11 October      Edinburgh Usher Hall
12 October      Gateshead Glasshouse, Sage One
13 October      York Barbican
14 October      Sheffield City Hall
16 October      Leicester De Montfort Hall
17 October      Birmingham Symphony Hall
18 October      Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
19 October      Salford Lowry
20 October      Bath The Forum
22 October      Swansea Arena
23 October      Truro Hall For Cornwall
24 October      Portsmouth Guildhall
25 October      Southend Cliffs Pavilion
26 October      London Indigo at the O2

Wet Wet Wet have sold more than 15 million singles and albums to date and have featured in the UK Singles Chart and Album Chart for an incredible time period of over 500 weeks.

Tickets go on sale, 22 March at 10am, here

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BBC to celebrate 50 year anniversary of ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision win

BBC to celebrate 50 year anniversary of ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision win

ABBA’s Eurovision 50th anniversary celebrated at the BBC
Image © BBC

BBC say ‘Thank You For The Music’ with a range of programmes commemorating ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision win

This spring sees the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision Song Contest victory and the BBC will broadcast a range of programmes on BBC Two, Radio 2, BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.

Reflecting ABBA’s special relationship with British music fans, BBC Two and BBC Pop Music TV present When Abba Came To Britain, a documentary film which will be broadcast in early April as part of a dedicated Saturday night of ABBA specials on BBC Two.

Untransmitted Interviews

When Abba Came To Britain looks at the magical time Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Björn spent in the UK from 1974 to 1982 and examines their ground-breaking legacy, from Eurovision to ABBA Voyage.

Featuring previously untransmitted interviews with ABBA, this documentary takes an affectionate look at the ongoing love affair between the UK and the Swedish supergroup.

Waterloo Win

After winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo in 1974, the band would eventually find global stardom, but their relationship with the UK remains unique.

The BBC was there at the beginning at the Brighton Dome in 1974 and at the end of their initial chart-busting career in 1982, with what was thought to be the band’s last appearance on BBC One’s The Late, Late Breakfast Show.

Through interviews with those who witnessed the ABBA story unfold, the film will include a wealth of BBC and non-BBC performances, as well as long forgotten news footage, which all show how ABBAmania took hold in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s. The story is brought up to date with the quartet’s return to Britain in 2022, choosing to launch their ground-breaking ‘comeback’ concert – ABBA Voyage – in London.

Special Relationship

Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Pop Music TV says: “When ABBA came to Britain is a love letter from this country to the beloved Swedish super-group, celebrating the special relationship we have as a nation with Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Anni-Frid. We focus on the stories of individuals who were lucky to be caught up in their world. A must watch for pop fans of all ages.”

When Abba Came to Britain is a Wise Owl Films production for BBC Two and BBC Pop Music TV.

Mark Robinson of Wise Owl Films says: “There can be fewer bands, if any, who have straddled generations of British music fans in a more impressive way than ABBA. This film shows the enduring and often emotional impact that ABBA have left on British fans and musicians across the decades.”

Read More: ABBA The Albums

Other BBC highlights include:

More ABBA at the BBC, featuring a performance of So Long on Top of the Pops that hasn’t been broadcast since 1974.

ABBA in Switzerland: 1979 Special: In a show originally broadcast in 1979 on BBC One, ABBA star in their first European TV special.

The Joy of ABBA: This documentary, first broadcast in 2013, explores how they raised the bar for pop music as a form and made us fall in love with the sound of Swedish melancholy.

Radio 2 launches a vote to discover the listeners’ Ultimate Abba Song.

Eras: ABBA: a brand new series of Eras dedicated to the band and Sophie Ellis-Bextor: ABBA, My Supergroup. (BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds)

Read More: The phenomenon of Swedish pop

As announced recently, BBC One will broadcast the feature documentary, ABBA: Against The Odds later in spring. The programme will be produced by multi-award winning documentary makers Rogan Productions (Freddie Mercury: The Final Act), directed by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winner James Rogan and distributed worldwide by BBC Studios.

For information about this year’s coverage of Eurovision on the BBC click here

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Sananda Maitreya celebrates birthday with new single

Sananda Maitreya celebrates birthday with new single

Singer-songwriter Sananda Maitreya celebrates 62nd birthday by releasing debut single from new album

Two years in the making, The Pegasus Project: Pegasus & The Swan, is the new album from Sananda Maitreya. Completing an arc started with his Prometheus & Pandora LP in 2017, and that continued on 2021’s Pandora’s PlayHouse, this new 41-track record reflects the freewheeling adventures he now has in music.

The guitar-based Pegasus side features the rolling funk of Ben Downs, the multi-layered psych-pop of Life Will Go On, Nice Things, the hypnotic carnival of Camden Town and opens with The Birthday Song – watch the animated video below:

While, the gracious Swan side includes The Archimia String Quartet from Sananda’s longtime hometown, Milan, and The Budapest National Art Orchestra with conductor Diego Basso.

Co-producers on the album include Andy Wright (Pet Shop Boys/Massive Attack) and Gavin Goldberg on Love Is Blind, Bunny Hearts & The Rugged associate Jellybean Johnson on Walk On and composer Oscar Deric Brown, who helped on The Last Word and I Have A Dream.  Johnson was drummer in The Time, the early protégés of Prince – a friend of Sananda’s who helped guide him. There’s a hat-tip to his mentor in the playful interlude BDSM, which features the saturnine presence of Mr Correcto.

Read More – Classic Album: Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D’Arby

Italian singers Beatrice Baldaccini and Luisa Corna, both returning vocalists in Sananda’s cast, feature – Luisa fronts the lush Hiawatha, while Beatrice suits the flamboyance of fresh versions of New World Forming and Nice Things.

Few musicians give more to the game or are plainly having as much fun playing it than Sananda. The Pegasus Project: Pegasus & The Swan is an epic that soars, gallops and tumbles, revealing fresh insight with every listen.

To pre-order The Pegasus Project: Pegasus & The Swan click here

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Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes join forces for charity single

Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes join forces for charity single

Mark Knopflers Guitar Heroes Going Home UK by Sir Peter Blake
Image Credit: Sir Peter Blake

Star names join Mark Knopfler for special recording of iconic song to raise funds for cancer charities

Members of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dire Straits, The Who, Pink Floyd, Queen, Black Sabbath, The Shadows, Rush, Guns N’ Roses, and many more all appear on one track in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.

Mark Knopfler has released a special recording of his Going Home (Theme From Local Hero), to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust and its American equivalent Teen Cancer America.

The track, which opens with Jeff Beck’s final recording and features artwork designed by Sir Peter Blake, is performed by Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes. Produced by his longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher, this version of Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) features an unprecedented line-up of some of the greatest guitarists in history, including:  David Gilmour, Ronnie Wood, Slash, Eric Clapton, Sting, Joan Armatrading, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Nile Rodgers, Joan Jett, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Joe Walsh, Sam Fender and many more.

Mark Knopfler holds signed guitar
Image © Terry Blackburn

Sterling Response

Roger Daltrey, Teenage Cancer Trust’s Honorary Patron and co-founder of Teen Cancer America (with Pete Townshend), added harmonica, and Beatles icon Ringo Starr is on drums along with his son Zak Starkey. Sting completes an extraordinary rhythm section on bass.

“What I really want to do, more than anything else, is just to thank each and every one for this sterling response,” says Knopfler, “I really had no idea that it was going to be like this. It hit Guy and I quite early on that we had to extend this piece somehow, to take in the number of people who joined in.

“Before I knew where I was, Pete Townshend had come into my studio armed with a guitar and an amp. And that first Pete power chord… man, I tell you. We were in that territory, and it was just fantastic. And it went on from there. Eric [Clapton] came in, played great, just one tasty lick after another. Then Jeff Beck’s contribution arrived and that was spellbinding. I think what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches, really. The whole thing was a high point.”

Listen to it here:

Local Hero

Recorded at British Grove Studios, in West London, often with the great musicians in person, sometimes sent from their own studios around the world, it started with Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Albert Lee.

“It was absolutely meant to be,” says Guy Fletcher of the late Jeff Beck’s contribution, “And what he did with it, it just brings you to tears.”

The film Local Hero was released in 1983 and starred Burt Lancaster. It was Mark Knopfler’s first credit as a film composer and earned him a BAFTA nomination. Much to Mark’s delight, the track is played at every Newcastle United game before the team take the pitch.

Four signed Mark Knopfler guitars
Image © Terry Blackburn

Music History

Net proceeds will go to the charities. Leading guitar makers have donated a total of eight guitars to be signed by the contributing artists. Four of the eight have already been sold in the US for Teen Cancer America. The four remaining guitars will benefit Teenage Cancer Trust.

In January, Knopfler sold his guitar collection at Christie’s for over £8M. Also offered for auction were exclusive items of music memorabilia – future coveted pieces of music history.

Physical formats of the single will be available on CD, 12″ and deluxe CD+BluRay. Digital formats include a Dolby Atmos mix.

Download the track here

The impressive list of contributors is completed by:

Richard Bennett, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Brown, James Burton, Jonathan Cain, Paul Carrack, Ry Cooder, Jim Cox, Steve Cropper, Sheryl Crow, Danny Cummings, Duane Eddy, Guy Fletcher, Peter Frampton, Audley Freed, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, Keiji Haino, John Jorgenson, Sonny Landreth, Greg Leisz, Alex Lifeson, Steve Lukather, Phil Manzanera, Dave Mason, Hank Marvin, Robbie McIntosh, John McLaughlin, Tom Morello, Rick Nielsen, Orianthi, Brad Paisley, Mike Rutherford, Joe Satriani, John Sebastian, Connor Selby, Andy Taylor, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Ian Thomas, Keith Urban, Steve Vai, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Louis Walker and Glenn Worf, Zucchero.

Read More: The Who, Squeeze, Chemical Brothers and Paul Weller to play 2024 Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts

 

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Introducing new Bowie and Madonna poster magazines

Introducing new Bowie and Madonna poster magazines

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing two new A3 poster magazines for both Bowie and Madonna

These stunning new In Focus magazines celebrate the remarkable careers and achievements of two music icons, David Bowie and Madonna. With 14 luxury A3 Posters and four A2 portraits in each magazine, they make perfect collector’s items for any fan.

To mark 40 years of Madonna’s amazing career and recent sell-out Celebration tour, we look back at the headline-grabbing life and ground-breaking music of the Queen of Pop. From the sublime to the subversive, the singer not only taught us how to express ourselves but also how to Vogue and Get Into The Groove.

Packed with astounding photographs of the original Material Girl, this stunning A3 poster magazine is here to remind us how Madonna pushed buttons and boundaries.

From Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane to The Thin White Duke and Major Tom, David Bowie is pop’s ultimate chameleon. One of the most renowned and respected rock stars of all time, he blazed a trail for others to follow and and his immeasurable influence can still be felt today.

In this beautifully illustrated A3 poster magazine, we celebrate the Starman’s sensational career and some of his most colourful incarnations.

If you can’t choose which one you like more, why not treat yourself to both

ORDER MADONNA

ORDER BOWIE

 

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