“Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words.”
Robert G. Ingersoll
Freddie McKay – Love Is a Treasure
I’ve been craving smooth, soulful music lately. And this is it!
steenbeck
Victor Johnson – When You Say You’re Mine
In ToffeeBoy’s Listening To New Music discussion, I mentioned the Funky 16 Corners blog as a source of ‘new to me’ music. Over a couple of shuffle years (which in real time amounts to about half a dozen plays), this has become a favourite. A great example of an old-school jazz voice and big band finding a new dialect with Northern Soul.
May1366
Jackie DeShannon – Needles and Pins
Much as I liked the Searchers hit version of this, I just think Jackie was fantastic. I’ve recently bought a couple of CDs of hers to go with the vinyl I’ve got and I’m really enjoying them.
RockingMitch
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Darlin’ Companion
This comes from the very aptly named album Hums Of The Spoonful. You may find yourself exhaling happy vibrations whilst doing the involuntary silly grin dance. I know I do.
Fintan
Miwa – 441
Miwa is a new singer songwriter and I think she will be a very big talent. This song concerns a girl remembering her first love. It is full of nice summer references like holding hands in a firework display and summer festivals. ‘441’ is a reference to the radio station she and her first love listened to together.
Hoshino Sakura
Patrick Wolf – House
My tune of the year so far, this may be the most perfect expression of domestic bliss I’ve ever heard. And I love how it just gets better and better as it goes on. Grand, gorgeous, glorious.
bishbosh
Please send submissions to earworm@tincanland.com – thanks!
Ah, Needles And Pins – I feel a Tom’n'Stevie addition coming on…
et voilà
You are incorrigible …
What?
myopic I know, but on first glance at the list steen’s wins this hands down – the horns coupled with Freddie’s yearning vocal, this certainly is a Treasure Isle treat!
Now now, it’s not a competition! (OK, maybe just a little bit of one…) Check out the others though, albahooky: you may be pleasantly surprised.
I’m glad you like it, Albahooky! I’ve had the nearly 8-minute Studio One remix for a while, but this one has a different…what is that? Not bassline, I don’t think… not tune… I don’t know! I fell in love with this one, too. And then on youTube I also found this wonderful version with DJ Lizzie…
I’ll get around to listening to the rest of the earworms when I’ve caught up with the day a little bit…
Well, a nice cheerful selection but Steenbeck’s is the one I really like, great reggae bass. Could see myself gurning along to the Lovin’ Spoonful too.
This is a really nice play list and very romantic!!!
Freddie McKay – Love Is a Treasure
This is a really nice and sunny track!!! The song I think is a classic of the rock steady style and the bass and percussion give it a really relaxed and sensual feeling. I really liked his voice. You can almost smell the rum and hear the sea!!!
Victor Johnson – When You Say You’re Mine.
I really like this track and it contrasts really nicely with the first track. This is so sophisticated!!! I imagine driving in an open top sports car by a coast road wearing a really nice scarf and hat with Carry Grant driving!!! ♥ It is actually the strings that really give it that movie star 1960 decade feel, but I am thinking it may be later as the voice has more of a soul feel and in 1960 the singing would have been more like Sinatra for this type of arrangement. I am really curious to know more!!!! I had never heard anything by him before and so it was a really nice surprise to discover this. I think glamorous is maybe the word I am looking for??? Fantastic!!! I definitely will try and research more about him!!!
Jackie DeShannon – Needles and Pins
This is another really iconic track! I agree very much that it is a nicer version of the song than the version by The Searchers. I love her voice it has a country feel to it that I like very much, and I love the arrangement and the backing vocals. I find myself wanting to dance to it as it has such a great rhythm. I think this one of those tracks that just something magical has happened where song, voice, arrangement, production, everything just happens together and some magic is created!!!
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Darlin’ Companion
I know this track from the Johny Cash version, but I like this version very much it is lighter and funnier than the Johnny Cash version there is some very nice guitar in the back ground and I think the singing is much more direct and maybe less ironic than the JC version. I really enjoyed this, I do not know much of their music but this is quite different to the tracks I remember of theirs. It is a really earworm! I was singing the chorus with them before the end!!! A lovely track!!!
Miwa – 441
Poor Miwa!!! She is in a group with so many greats!!! This is my choice of course. I do like this song very much. I think it is a really nice nostalgic love song and I love her voice, but in this group she sound very unsophisticated!!! I think her voice is really nice, it is not to high which many girl Japanese vocalists can be, and for me she has a voice that can convey many emotions and here she for she conveys, both a little sadness of lost innocence but also happiness of remembering a happy time. I hope you like it!
Patrick Wolf – House
I love the way this just builds and builds as the track goes on. It starts with a piano and by half way we have a full string orchestra!!! The rhythm is relentless and the voice of the singer is wonderfully British. As soon as hear him you know exactly where you are!!! I loved the words also!!! Actually Miwa bridges into this quite nicely I think so and I can see why you put her where you did now!!! I think this is a great track!!!
Another great selection Bish!!! And it does make a great play list that will go directly onto my Ipod!!! I have actually already copied the DB folder!!!
Thank you Bish!!!
Hey Sakura! Every time I read one of your analyses, it makes me want to relisten to the list – even if I’ve listened loads before! They are so brilliant.
Really glad you enjoyed “House”. It doesn’t seem to be hitting the spot with other Spillers, but hey, different strokes for different folks! Personally, I think it’s just a perfect pop song. One of those songs you can’t believe is new because it feels like it should have existed forever and how could someone not have come up with that amazing melody at least before?! The video is genius too. Check it out on youtube – v OTT but quite lovely.
A bit more of a chocolate box assortment this week, bish. I like the crunchy nutty ones, like Miwa and Jackie de Shannon, and the rum and raisins with coconut (Freddie) is very moorish. But I mustn’t be greedy, so I’ll leave the soft fruity centred ones for others to enjoy. (licks fingers).
Love Is A Treasure: so it is, and this is a real upcheerer of a song too. (steenbeck, I seem to have a much longer version of the same song in my collection already – did you by chance suggest that one as well?)
When You Say You’re Mine: hmm – a bit too oldfashioned there, May, even though I am of course very old myself. Makes a nice change though.
Needles And Pins-er: oh yes, lovely. I already have it, and always liked it much better than the Searchers version. And see Tom’n'Stevie above: theirs is a very good version, I think.
Darlin’ Companion: now this, this is one of my favourite songs ever. How splendid it would be to have someone say that to me! Or sing it – even better. Love love love it (and that’s one I already have, as well). And the middle eight is just delicious.
Bother, the player’s got stuck…
441: oh yes, very pretty – her voice and the tune. And it sounds so summery. It reminds me of all the summery pop songs I used to hear when I was young…there have probably been a whole lot more since, too, only I haven’t been listening. Dancing about in the sunshine to Radio 441!
House: conkers fall? What, on the roof? That would make me jump…Sorry, bish, this one’s a bit over the top for me. I like the end though.
For me most of them fall into the “pleasant” category. Apart from Darling companion and Needles and Pins which I know like the back of my hand….oh look ! never noticed that I’ve got hairy knuckles…
Bish – gave ‘em a bash & all have their merits but Victor Johnson is a northern soul stomper!
My gravitation to this tune is not surprising as I am a visitor to the Funky 16 corners myself where juicy soul nuggets can be found. I think the guy who runs it hails from your neck of the woods steen …
I’d never even heard of the Funky 16 Corners myself but will be checking it out. Love this track too, Al (and Northern Soul stompers in general!).
Yeah, he’s from Jersey. I’ve always been ridiculously proud of that. I love that site just for the pictures of records – I love the design on them…sort of minimal but perfect!
Just back from Dale Farm. Really nice list this week. I enjoyed all tracks – my favourite, at the moment, The Lovin’ Spoonful. Like Sakura said, I know it better by Johnny Cash. Also liked yours, Bish.
Bum, logged out! This is Mitch
Hope you left everyone in Dale Farm in reasonably good spirits under the circumstances, Mitch.
Been bouncing about the kitchen whilst giving these a listen. 2nd time through
& plenty of energy. Of the new to me’s Freddie Mckay & Miwa have the most smile factors. Needles and Pins – best song Sonny Bono ever wrote (‘course he had Jack Nitsche’s help). Also love Del Shannon’s cover. Glad people are liking the Spoonful. They’ve always been special for me. The Johnny Cash cover has a different dynamic because he used it for duets with June & it did carry some irony. John Sebastian on the other hand is singing with true first love pleasure. *TFD – always new you were the saucy one.
I’m saucy now?
Says so right there in the refrain.
Oh, well, I tend to ignore that bit – doesn’t fit with the rest of the song imo.
Could it be we’re separated by a common language again? There may be British shades of meaning to “saucy” I’m not aware of. If so – Sorry ( hey that’s topical!)
No, it’s not the language, Fintan: it’s the image of the relationship in just those two lines that I’m not so keen on. And had forgotten about, when I made my original comment.
PS I like my sauce full of chilli but without vinegar.
Well at least I was right about the fire. Off to get my day’s work in. Have a great day.
Hooray! Made it to earworms. Great choices. I liked them all, and so tough to pick one I loved more than the others. I think Patrick Wolf – House is the one for me, bishbosh, by a very narrow margin over Steenbeck and Fintan’s choices. Truly a good listen, this playlist. Must get back again soon, and promise to send you a can of earworms very soon.
more donds for Freddie Mckay from me!
FInally had time to listen (twice!) all good, all good together. IT’s strange how many of them (to me) have a really melancholy edge behind a basically upbeat song.
Freddie McKay – Loved it – yes, uplifting and breezy.
I still love The Ramones version of Needles and Pins best but Jackie de Shannon is pretty damn good,.
Victor Johnson, I like his style. Not as much as I love – say – Tony Bennett but he’s a good ‘n.
Always enjoy The Lovin’ Spoonful – this one is a tonic.
Miwa – enjoyable and intriguing – must hear some more.
Patrick Wolf – after I stopped singing “I love the sound of breaking glass” I liked this on its own level. Lovely and un-cynical and genuine.
Easy (and enjoyable) to listen to and, in the main, pretty easy to sum up:
1] Freddie McKay – well, this is just beautiful
2] Victor Johnson – I love and endorse Sakura’s response to it and would love to see Cary’s reaction when you stick Sweet Suicide Summer Story on the car stereo. Also think severin’s verdict is very fair comment.
3] Jackie DeShannon – I love her and I love the song so that would be one of those no-brainers.
4] Lovin’ Spoonful – lovely and mellow.
5] Miwa – really enjoyed this, sweet summer without the suicide.
6] Patrick Wolf – again, got to reference severin re. “Breaking Glass” but I also appreciate that this is greater than the sum of its many echoes (Colourfield, The Associates, Echo & The Bunnymen, Edwyn Collins all pleasingly recalled, and I suspect others will hear some of their own favourites) but this has a gusto all of its own and it’s my favourite discovery of the week, given that Freddie and Jackie did what I already knew they can do.