Chris James's Blog, page 28

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #86: Glen Campbell, Wichita Lineman

A track that has been called “the greatest pop song ever composed” and often features in best-songs-ever lists.  It’s easy to see [hear] why: a plaintive tale of a lonely man missing his woman as he has to repair telephone lines in Kansas, with gorgeous contrasts in the lyrics between his job and his feelings.  This song comes from back in the day when we knew the Americans were the good guys.  And now Campbell’s gone, too.  Damn.

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100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #87: Renaissance, Ocean Gypsy

The music was composed by Michael Dunford, the words were written by poet Betty Thatcher, and then they were sung by the incomparable Annie Haslam.  This combination of Dunford/Thatcher/Haslam defines the best of Renaissance’s output, and this track is another fine example of their work: a wonderfully moving and beautifully told story in which a female falls in love and gives everything to a man, but he just uses her.  When she dies, no one notices.  Of course, this never happens in real life, does it, girls?

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #88: Depeche Mode, New Life

In 1980, few would have thought this new-wave band would go on to enjoy the longevity they have; and they’re still going.  Despite the commercial success that would come afterwards, to me, this is still the best thing Depeche Mode has done (and in case you’re a linguistic dunce like me and you’ve ever wondered about their name, it’s French for ‘Fashion Report’).

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #89: Genesis, Keep It Dark

A neat twist on the abducted-by-aliens trope, and one of the stronger tracks from 1981’s Abacab.  A fellow is taken away and shown a utopia of, “A world full of people/Their hearts full of joy/Cities of light/With no fear of war/And thousands of creatures/With happier lives.”  The obvious problem is that when the aliens return him to Earth, he daren’t tell anyone in case people think he’s nuts, so instead he comes up with a story about having been kidnapped by thieves and then let go.  This kind of “Oh my God, what will people think of me?!” is an issue fiction writers often have to deal with.

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #90: Judy Collins, Both Sides, Now

Written by Joni Mitchell while she was on a plane reading Saul Bellow’s 1959 novel Henderson the Rain King, this is one of the most plaintive and melodic songs I’ve ever heard.  The closing lines, “It’s life’s illusions I recall/I really don’t know life at all” are ones I remember listening to as a child and wondering if all the grown-ups felt like that.  Now I’ve been a grown-up for some time, and, well, erm… er, that’s probably why I write fiction.  You always know where you are with fiction.  Life, on the other hand…

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #91: The Human League, Mirror Man

Phillip Oakey was obliged to work hard for the Human League’s success, and the story of how he found the backing singers, Sulley and Catherall, in a Sheffield nightclub is well-established in pop folklore.  What makes Mirror Man so good is its fusion of Motown with electro-pop, and this smart video in which Oakey plays the ghost of a deceased actor which haunts the theatre.  Years later, Oakey revealed that the mirror man of the title was, in fact, Adam Ant, as at the time Oakey believed Ant’s success was making him lose touch with reality.

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #92: The Hollies, Gasoline Alley Bred

Although he retired in 1999, Allen Clarke has one of the most distinctive voices in rock, and it shows extremely well in this melancholy track.  A husband and wife are going home because they failed, although the husband is too proud to admit that they’ve failed, as described in these lyrics: “Woman you can really believe it/I did everything a man could do/Breakin’ my back just to make us a dime/That don’t mean a damn when no one wants to know you.”  Well, we’ve all been there, I suppose *sigh*  (Subs pls check: Is that really what this song’s about?  Is James getting enough happy pills?  Ed.)

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #93: Genesis, You Might Recall

The first of four non-album tracks on this list, You Might Recall was recorded during the Abacab sessions but relegated to the 3X3 EP release in 1982.  As with a lot of Genesis’s later music, it’s the Rutherford/Banks guitar/keyboard combination which makes it so special, much more so than Collins’s vocals (although they’re good too).  An excellent track which shows that even the stuff which Genesis decided wasn’t good enough for their albums is still more accomplished than the bulk of the members’ solo work.

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, and in the UK here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #94: Renaissance, Northern Lights

The first appearance of several on this list from a band which, in my opinion, is the most underrated and underappreciated in popular music history.  This is the only song by Renaissance which more than a handful of people know, and which was a top-ten hit in 1978.  To offer an appropriate analogy, imagine that you vaguely recall hearing about a playwright called Shake-something-or-other, and about his one-hit-wonder play, Hamlet.  It is the same with Renaissance: a breathtaking body of work which only a few, die-hard fans continue to celebrate, but which should be far better known than it is.

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, and in the UK here.

100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #95: The Tymes, Ms Grace

A number one way back in 1974, this song is a permanent fixture on my i-pod.  The Tymes are one of very few acts to have just one number one in the US and UK, but with different songs.  When I write, sentences and paragraphs need to flow like the rhythm in this track…  Well, they should flow like this, but, then again, they might not…

Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, and in the UK here.