Sam Leppard

Looks like I'm off to spend some money then!

This is great - not least as I hadn't realised Eddy Grant and The Equals had finally made it to digital/streaming! I think it must have only happened last year. I think I'm right in saying everything available prior to that were re-recordings.

Some personal trivia, but when my youngest son was born by c-section, Let's Hear It For The Boy happened to be playing on the radio in the operating theatre. A memorable, if sightly crazed, soundtrack for what was a pretty intense (and joyful) experience. "Let's hear it for my baby" indeed.

just going to tag @peoples-pop-polls.bsky.social as I'm not on the spreadsheet yet - and will also use this opportunity to say that Aretha is my main! Forgot about that first time around.

OK, quick browse through some playlists and lets go for:

Valentine Brothers - Money's Too Tight To Mention ('82)
Aretha Franklin - Get It Right ('83)
Shirley Lites - Heat You Up (Melt You Down) ('83)
Klymaxx - Meeting In The Ladies Room ('84)

The harmonica solo on Eurythmics' There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) is so good it made me google who it was playing as it is 100% the best thing about that (very decent) song. Delighted to discover that it's Stevie Wonder - apparently 'famously so', but it's news to me.

My hot Weezer take is that 2021's OK Human is every bit as brutally honest, open and for-all-its-flaws-relatable as Pinkerton, except Rivers is no longer an angst-ridden 20-something rockstar, but now a slightly bored middle-aged rich dude stuck in his nice house with his family during a pandemic.

Entirely fair. I suspect some of these careers have played out slightly differently across the two sides of the Atlantic though as a lot of these are still relative heavyweights over here. Off to listen to your mix now though - lots to discover on there!

UK indie 2015-19

Great work as always! I'm not Gen Z (sorry!) but I AM British, so have taken the liberty of quickly compiling some notable UK tunes not represented here. Appreciate some of it is a bit 'legacy indie', but you might find something useful? All 10m+ streams on spotify.

open.spotify.com/playlist/79Z...

Deserter's Songs (Remastered) Mercury Rev · Album · 1998 · 11 songs

Just listening to Deserter's Songs. Mildly intrigued to discover both Levon Helm and Garth Hudson from The Band make cameos on two different songs. Helm drums on album highlight, Opus 40. That's it. Your obscure music trivia for today. You're welcome.

open.spotify.com/album/6MvMOh...

The White Album.

Norman Records' Bluesky admin: "I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by the Beta Band"

*hits 'post'*

Keep 'em separated Dexter Holland, the lead singer of the punk-rock band The Offspring, has a lot of different interests. One of them is biology.

You joke, but that’s literally what inspired that line!

www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/...

I’m not new to this Tubes track but new enough to still find its unexpected weirdness thrilling. Although I don’t think I’ve ever been more aware that at some point that same weirdness will become grating. Hasn’t happened yet though. An easy vote.

Shameful admission: Having been introduced to Love Rollercoaster via the RHCP version in the Beavis & Butthead movie I always think the Ohio Players original lacks a bit of energy without the Anthony Kiedis “double dipper” rap. I’m Voting Cadogan.

YES. Today was the day.

Wordle 1,491 1/6

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Bowie was my main. When people ask me my favourite song ever I always say this. It begins: drums, sax, it twists & turns, the backing singers briefly steal the show, then Bowie steals it back. It builds & builds. A quick Beatles callback. Then everything stops for one final flourish. Perfection.

As much of a tune as it is, September is the last thing anyone wants to be reminded of at a school fete.

what came first, the song title Sister Seagull, or the realisation from the Be-Bop Deluxe guitarist that he could make a convincing seagull sound with his guitar effects? I think we all know the answer. It got my vote.

Listening properly to Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time in ages I find myself wondering would I enjoy it more as a song if the entire middle section was cut out? After a lifetime of over-exposure that bit leaves me cold, but I'm surprised to find I still have some time for the rest of it.

Anyway, I'm reading the Neneh Cherry autobiography. It's very good.

YouTube video by mrssleaze - MORGAN McVEY 'Looking Good Diving With The Wild Bunch' NENEH CHERRY

Just heard this for the first time. The 1986 B-side that forms the basis of Buffalo Stance. The A-side is Pete Waterman produced pop with a Naomi Campbell cameo in the video. 'The Wild Bunch', responsible for this remix, go on to form Massive Attack.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=igcN...

Similarly, 'Golden Years - Single Version' is available on Bowie's Who Can I Be Now box set. It's about thirty seconds shorter than the album version from '76, but I think just an edit.

How much of a stickler do you want to be? If you swap AC/DC's It's a Long Way To The Top... for the version on the Backtracks album you get the original 1975 Australian release rather than the 1976 album version. Not that they're wildly different.

YouTube video by Demise Of Love Demise Of Love - Be a Man (Official Video)

Demise of Love - Be A Man.

Daniel Avery & Working Men's Club team up for a throwback to the goth-rock sounds of the early 00s. Reminds me a lot of The Faint's Danse Macabre album if you're familiar w/ that.

Strange Little Consequence from the same EP is also great.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZq...

Top albums from June.

Oh wait, I see 10cc and Frankie are actually both in there. Absolutely no idea how you manage to keep track of all of this, Tom!

Love the discovery aspect of the polls but also like to see the big guns battling out, and a bit of competition for Bowie/Abba/Queen. So far no:

Fleetwood Mac / Wings / Black Sabbath / Frankie Valli / 10cc / Bee Gees / Patti Smith / ZZ Top.

Hi Tom,

Going to bite the bullet and get Young Americans by Bowie in there as my main.

Bonuses:

James Brown - Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)
ZZ Top - Tush
Kenny - The Bump

#pop75

Ah! I had that CD player for most (all?) of my twenties. Just like bumping into an old friend.