Friday, April 4, 2008

Cheerio! Chin-Chin!

goodbye-ee
A few goodbye songs for your consideration.

Dean Friedman is one of the world's most underrated songwriters. There is a problem - the man can't sing and you really have to get past his voice if you're going to enjoy his music. This track (The Letter) is from his debut album and is a lovely song about someone writing a letter to a friend who's left home and left a group of friends and family. Listen to the lyrics (and try to ignore the voice!).

Goodbye Lucille #2 is taken from Prefab Sprout's second album, Steve McQueen (aka Two Weels Good). Frogprincess, sourpus and he-who-shall-be-known-simply-as Monte all clearly share my love for this song and for Prefab Sprout in general - unfortunately, our soon-to-be-former guru does not. He is wrong...

I was introduced to doo wop by an ex-colleague whose name I can't recall during my years (back in the '80s) working for Our Price. Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight by The Spaniels is a classic from the golden age of doo wop. Enjoy.

I still can't quite believe that Grant McLennan is no longer with us. Dive For Your Memory is taken from the sixth Go-Betweens album, 16 Lovers Lane. Get hold of everything they've ever recorded - you won't be disappointed.

Finally, my funeral song: Hatfield & The North's, It Didn't Matter Anyway. I could listen to this everyday and never tire of its haunting, plaintive melody and lyrics which don't quite mean what they say - personally I suspect that it did matter...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I had tears in my eyes at your post of Moleswoth's skool song (chiz! chiz!) and TracyK winning the "Mrs Joyful prize for raffia work". Imagine what our misanthropic skoolboy would make of Harry Potter, eh? I'll enjoy this list once I've hooked the laptop back onto my speakers. I listen to all your lists even if I sometimes don't have time to comment. Nice that we've got a "Goodbye Lucille" cross channel support club going. But I repeat my question and throw it open to all of you. Do we know where Paddy MacAloon is? I know he had severe detached retina problems and lost his sight. I don't know if he ever got it back and would be very glad just to get any news. They come from round my way and indeed I used to go for bar lunches with mam and dad and sis in a pub which was reputedly one of their locals 'The Centurian' at Langley Park (where else?). I hadn't discovered "Swoon" yet but fantasise that I must have been in there on one occasion when the Sprouts were in for a pint. We went for lunch there most Saturdays at one point. Very good curries and melton mowbray pork pie. Oh Lord it's still 2 hours to lunchtime.