Homer J. Fong IS The Walrus - Grand Reveal!

And here's the Spotify playlist for Round #1, excluding The NPG's Cherry Cherry which doesn't appear to be on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ln8yw4icNBI7hAHyJj16y

Pretzill wrote: »

The first track there - Is that a cover by a tribute band? Sounds strange.

(I posted this on the wrong thread originally, which didn't make any sense - just for any Alan Parsons Project fans here, I don't think that's them )

Oops, you're right. Sorry. Didn't even notice I'd grabbed a song by The Alan Parsons Tribute Project!

Have updated the playlist now; the version that's there now says 1987 Remix but it's definitely the right Alan Parsons Project!

Ok, people get ready. 'Cause there's a train a'comin....
.....a LOVE TRAIN!

2. "L is for the way you look at me"

As well as being a common theme in songwriting, "love" is also a very common word found in song titles. Whether it's a romantic love song, a sad heartache song, a bitter anti-love song or anything in between, give me a song with "love" or a related word* in its title."
*a related word here is a word like "lover", "loving", "loved", "loves" etc. They are acceptable. However, words that just contain love like "glove", "clover" etc. will not be accepted.

I must say, the standard of this round was quite high. I'm glad you all felt the love, although some will feel it more from me than others!

Mediphira is here to cause a racket and gets 7th place and 11 points for The Verve - Love Is Noise



Pre-listening notes:
IF you ask me do I like The Verve, I’ll probably say “meh, they’re alright”. If you ask me if I’m a fan of The Verve I’d say no because I’ve never listened to a full album by them. But when I think of The Verve songs that I know – Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work, Lucky Man and Sonnet – I wonder why I haven’t listened to them more, because all of these are damn good tunes. I think I just have an instinctive indifference to Britpop, possibly due to the arrogance and laddish swagger of some of the main architects. But if this Verve tune holds up to the quality of the ones I know then this is possibly going to do very well here.

Listening notes:
Bit more uptempo than the Verve songs I know. Nice noise effects in the background – the “woo-ooh, woo-ooh, woo-ooh, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah” riff (for want of a better description) that runs throughout is quite cool.
“Love is noise, love is pain,
Love is these blues that I’m singing again” – like this chorus, simple but effective.
Yeah, I quite like this. Doesn’t blow me away like The Drugs Don’t Work does but it’s still a nice tune. Quite easy-listening, considering how biting the lyrics are.

Verdict:
After listening to this I looked up its release date and surprised that it was 2008. Seems this was The Verve’s comeback single after their nineties’ heyday? It’s quite a good comeback tbf. Wouldn’t say it quite stands up to the quality of their 90’s output but it’s certainly a good enough tune in its own right. Yeah, I’d stick this on a playlist.

Time to turn our attention to the dancefloor now, as Spencerpop gets 12th place and 6 points for Gorgon City Feat. MNEK - Ready For Your Love (Florian Paetzold Remix)



Pre-listening notes:
I’m not familiar with Gorgon City but I do know of MNEK, he has a song called Tongue that I rather like. When I started on this one I actually listened to the “original” of this song first instead of this remix, because I’m an idiot who didn’t read the submission properly! But I have the right version now so let’s get cracking.

Listening notes:
I like MNEK’s voice, deep and soulful without being overblown. Seems like it’s been taken down a key here, sounds lower pitched than usual. The overall sound compared to the original is a bit mellower and more mournful. But it’s quite good, very listenable. It’s more like background music to me than a tune that invites active listening but sometimes that’s ok.

Verdict:
Initially I somewhat negative about this as I was somewhat unfairly comparing it to the original that I had earlier heard, and quite liked. On repeated listens I was able to judge it more objectively on its own. It’s certainly pleasant enough to not make me want to turn it off, but if you were to ask me where I’m most likely to hear this kind of music I’d probably say at the barber’s while waiting for my haircut! Oftentimes this kind of music passes me by without me really paying much attention but this one has some nice ingredients cooked into it. It’s a decent piece. I have to say that I do prefer the original/non-remix version though.

Kingolas got the most love in Round 1 but must be content with 13th place and 5 points this time round for Pulp - F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.



Pre-listening notes:
Like everyone, I know Common People and Disco 200. That’s about as much as I know about Pulp though. They’ve sort of passed me by. Will this inspire further listening?

Listening notes:
Rolling drums and then some nice bass in the intro….waiting for vocals….Jarvis giving us a bit of the ol’ sprechgesang here, I hear. Quite like the lyrics of the first verse, reads like a nice bit of poetry….although he’s lost me in the second verse with the “like a modern shopping centre” line, bit of a clunky forced simile there. We’ve got singing now, and I'm not crazy about his voice sadly….this riff at about two and a half minutes reminds me very strongly of "The Look" by Metronomy, did they (Metronomy) just rip that off from this song I wonder? I don’t care much for "The Look" anyway tbh, and this one isn’t doing a whole lot more for me either I’m afraid. I definitely don’t hate it but I think it’s adding up to a little less than the sum of its parts.

Verdict:
It’s certainly not bad but doesn’t scream “oh yeah, you want to listen to this again” at me. I understand the appeal but it’s not one that would be put on my regular-listening playlists. I think I prefer Jarvis Cocker as a songwriter more than a vocalist; I don’t think I’d be able to listen to a whole album of him singing tbh. Though tbf I’d say the same about Ian Brown, Damon Albarn and the Gallagher brothers.

Round 1's wooden spoon is a distant memory for Yompson Hamoondancer, they laugh in its face while collecting 5th place and 13 points for Andrea Bocelli & Katharine McPhee – Can’t Help Falling in Love



Pre-listening notes:
Sacrilegious confession time: I am not a fan of Elvis Presley. He did have some classics (Suspicious Minds is undeniably brilliant) but I dislike how he oversang the hell out of anything – belting and uh-uhing when there is no need to belt or uh-huh. His voice may have been strong but its tone just irritates me a bit. I’m on safer ground with Andrea Bocelli, while I don’t know much about classical or opera it’s clear that he’s a wonderful talent. Katharine McPhee I vaguely recall was on American Idol, which I probably watched years ago but can’t remember too much of her now.

Listening notes:
As expected, I’m liking Andrea’s version of this more than Elvis’s; while Andrea can belt when required, he holds back a bit here and just sings this sweetly and in tune rather than show off his vocal trills. Waiting for Katharine to join in…..yeah, she’s grand. I would say her voice is technically great but not particularly distinctive – I imagine there are several perfectly competent female singers out there that sound exactly like this. But overall this is still a very solid package, my dislike of Elvis’s voice probably masks the fact that the song itself is quite lovely. Might even be one for my wedding playlist! (Just need to find someone who'll marry me first... #foreveralone)

Verdict:
This works well and deserves a high score. Andrea is lovely to listen to and Katharine is perfectly pleasant but I wonder if it would perhaps work better with a more notable female singer, someone with a bit more distinct voice and character. But this is probably nit-picking, overall I did very much enjoy listening to this and I am usually not one for slushy, romantic songs so I'd actually consider this a pretty risky submission!

For 14th place and 4 points, Jameslon Barpsell is here to soothe us all with some relaxing, ambient sounds.....lol jk, it's Meatloaf - I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)



Pre-listening notes:
I’ll have to put aside Mr Loaf’s unfortunate recent outbursts re Greta Thunberg and resist the temptation to mark this down just because he’s a bit of a knob. Come to think of it I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually listened to all 7+ minutes of this song in full from start to finish before. Well now it’s time has come!

Listening notes:
Lol, this is even more absurd and over the top than I recall! The video just adds to the ridiculousness - Phantom of the Opera is wanted by the police, yet finds time to leave his haunted mansion and go spy on woman shooting a shampoo commercial. It’s all very theatrical but also pretty hollow – Mr Loaf has a powerful set of lungs but his histrionics don’t really convey any real human emotion. I like the female vocal, she has a nice rasp in her voice. The entire package is just a bit too overwhelming though – lots of style, not so much substance.

Verdict:
Clearly a lot of work went into this song and if you like your power ballads with emphasis on power then this is certainly a classic rock classic. This song is definitely tailor-made for a certain audience, but I’m afraid I’m not a member of said audience. It’s a bit like the house party guest who’s great craic at first but then long overstays their welcome.

It's an unfortunate case of déjà vu for Lolliclarke, who picks up 2 points for 16th place with Justin Bieber - Love Yourself



Pre-listening notes:
Ah, poor old Biebs. Diagnosed with Lyme Disease recently. Even if he is a bit of a twat he probably doesn’t deserve that. Anyway I’m far from a “Belieber” but I am somewhat sympathetic to the hatred and vitriol that was thrown at him from being in the spotlight at such a young age. I doubt any kid could have grown up well-adjusted from his situation. I do like the song Sorry, that’s a bit of a CHOON, but anything else I’ve heard by him goes in either the “meh” or “eww” category. This one is probably going to fall into one of those, but will need a listen to decide which!

Listening notes:
I’ve heard this song plenty of times in the background (in shops, for example) but never paid close attention; for some reason I always thought it was Ed Sheeran, even though he and Bieber don’t really sound much alike. Was going by the music moreso than the vocals, I guess. Anyway Bieber’s voice is quite smooth to be fair, wouldn’t say it’s remarkable but it’s not unpleasant either. Some lyrics in this are actually quite cutting: “And I didn’t wanna write a song, ‘Cause I didn’t want anyone thinking I still care, I don’t” – ouch, that’s a burn. “My mama don’t like you, and she likes everyone” – that’s actually quite a funny line, one I’d expect from a “better” songwriter. My problem with the whole package is that it’s a bit bland – minimalism can really work wonders in some contexts but here the lack of instrumentation just makes this fall more into the category of “background music”….oh wait, there’s some brass now, that’s actually quite a nice touch, I like that! Not quite enough to raise it to another level, alas.

Verdict:
This song isn’t entirely without merit, and if I deconstruct it some of the individual components would actually score decently. But as a whole overall package, it doesn’t quite come together enough to merit repeated listens or a higher score. On the plus side, I thought I would dislike this more than I actually do – it definitely falls into “meh” rather than “eww” and that in itself is a mini-victory here!

Sadly, each round must have a last-place finisher. Apologies to Rosparkle who gets 1 point for The Darkness - I Believe In a Thing Called Love



Pre-listening notes:
Hmm….this is one of those songs that I’m very familiar with due to how popular and (over)played it is; I practically know every word but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it of my own volition. That sense of over-familiarity doesn’t bode well for the score here I’m afraid, but let us see…

Listening notes:
Jaysus, forgot how nuts this video was! Anyway it’s a classic rock sound updated for the 21st Century, it’s clearly not taking itself too seriously and just wants to…well, rock. Guitar solo in the middle is quite nice, clearly the band is talented and able to write some cool guitar licks. Unfortunately Justin Hawkins isn’t as good a frontman as he thinks he is – his rock-star posing always seemed to come across more as arrogant and twattish than the sense of whimsy that he was aiming for. More importantly though his voice just doesn’t do it for me – his falsetto may be technically impressive but I don't find it enjoyable to listen to. Even in the verses, when he’s not caterwauling quite as shrilly, the tone of his voice just doesn’t do it for me.

Verdict:
I probably sound like a massive grouch when I write about this song. I imagine it can go down an absolute storm at the right time and place, like at a big event with lots of happy drunk (as opposed to messy drunk) people! Taking just the tune, I can appreciate that it’s alright and might work as an instrumental. Unfortunately the OTT vocals and rock-star posing, coupled with the sense of over-familiarity I discussed in the pre-listening notes, bring this one down for me. I wouldn't go as far as to say I hate it but I’ve heard it so many times that I really wouldn’t be sad if I never had to hear it again. Sorry.