40 AFFIRMATION (Hayes/Jones) SAVAGE GARDEN
39 RECUERDOS DE LA ALHAMBRA (Tarrega) EDUARDO FERNANDEZ
38 SING ME A RAINBOW (Silverstein) DR. HOOK / DENNIS LOCORRIERE
37 SOLDIER'S SONG (Batt) HOLLIES
36 MAID OF ORLEANS (McCluskey/Humphreys) OMD
35 ONE DAY MORE (Schonberg/Boublil/Kretzmer) CAST OF "LES MISERABLES"
34 GABRIEL'S OBOE (Morricone) ENNIO MORRICONE
33 LAST MORNIN' (Silverstein) DR HOOK/DENNIS LOCORRIERE
32 YOUNGER GENERATION (Sebastian) LOVIN' SPOONFUL
31 THE BALLAD OF LUCY JORDAN (Silverstein) DENNIS LOCORRIERE
CLICK ON RED TITLE OF EACH TRACK FOR MORE INFORMATION
40
AFFIRMATION
(Hayes/Jones)
SAVAGE GARDEN
Released - 2000 Highest Chart Position - 8th No. of Weeks on Charts - 10
I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternity
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
"Affirmation" is certainly the greatest surprise inclusion in the list. A pop song from the year 2000, it is sung by Australian duo, Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones - Savage Garden. Recorded in California the track is the title song from the 2000 album of the same name. Savage Garden are a reasonably chart success throughout the world, and have developed a strong following at home and abroad.
Why have I chosen "Affirmation" as being the one representative of contemporary pop music from the turn of the century? To be honest, I don't have a definitive answer, other than it has got that little something different that elevates it above the norm.
It isn't just churned out as a source of big bucks like many of today's boy bands have done - it isn't just based on style, it is also based on substance. Savage Garden obviously care about what they do, and it shows. The lyrics are clever and thought-provoking. They sing very well and have a definite presence about them. They were part of that wonderful Sydney Olympic Games Closing Ceremony in 2000 which so impressed the world (well, the whole 2 weeks did too!).
Savage Garden are certainly one of Australia's very best exports of recent times. I'm not sure what the future hold for the duo. "Affirmation" may well be their greatest achievement - it will be very difficult to surpass.
39
RECUERDOS DE LA ALHAMBRA
(Francisco Tarrega)
EDUARDO FERNANDEZ
Released - 1987 Released on Album "The World of the Spanish Guitar"
How on earth can such a sound come from one man, one guitar and one pair of hands? Indeed, a haunting sound - Spanish guitar music is always evocative and emotional, but this lovely melody, intricate yet simple, is positively relaxing and therapeutic. It brings the first 10 recordings to a beautiful conclusion and Eduardo's fabulous interpretation of Tarrega's famous composition, translated as "Memories of the Alhambra", is for me, forever Spain.
Eduardo Fernandez
Born in 1952 in Uruguay, he began his studies of guitar at age 7. His principal teachers were Abel Carlevaro, Guido Santórsola and Héctor Tosar. After being prized in several international competitions, the most notable being the 1972 Porto Alegre (Brazil) and 1975 Radio France (Paris) competitions, he won the first prize of the 1975 Andrés Segovia Competition in Mallorca (Spain). His New York debut in 1977 won critical accolades, being described as "A top guitarist...Rarely has this reviewer heard a more impressive debut recital on any instrument" (Donal Henahan, The New York Times). Fernández has returned to the U.S.A. every season since then, playing with prestigious orchestras as well as giving recitals. His London debut, in Wigmore Hall (1983), had also a great impact, and resulted in his signing an exclusive recording contract with Decca, a label for which he has made 17 recordings (solo and with the English Chamber Orchestra), that cover a wide section of the repertoire, from Bach to the contemporary.
They include many first recordings (for instance, Berio's "Sequenza XI"), and several of them have been selected as "best of the month" by Stereo Review and The New York Times. He has also made a recording for Erato with violinist Alexander Markow, covering most of Paganini's work for violin and guitar, and most recently ATOM HEARTS CLUB DUO, a duo album with Japanese guitarist Shin-Ichi Fukuda for Denon, in Japan. "ENTRE DOS MUNDOS", a new and exciting crossover recording, including three duos with Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima as well as several solo pieces, is to be released soon.
Fernández has also played, with the same success, in practically all the European countries, and in the Far East (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and China), as well as in South America and Mexico. He is recognized as a leading guitarist.
He has a vivid interest in historical instruments, and he has recently started playing the repertoire of the XIXth century on a period guitar.
Eduardo Fernández is also active as a teacher, having taught several years at the University Conservatory in Montevideo, as well as being very much in demand for masterclasses all around the world. He has written a major book on guitar technique ("Technique, Mechanism, Learning", to be published by Chanterelle Verlag, Heidelberg in 1999) as well as several articles in leading guitar publications. An active composer, he was the secretary of the Uruguay branch of ISCM for two years. He is also a founder of Uruguay's CIM/UNESCO section, and active in the organization of Montevideo's biannual International Guitar Festivals of 1996 and 1998.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra (ca. 1899) by Francisco Tárrega (Vila-real 1852-Barcelona 1909)
The Alhambra, the last palace of the Caliphs of Granada, is the most beautiful Arabic structure in Europe (in my opinion one of the most beautiful in the world). Washington Irving wrote his Tales of the Alhambra while actually staying there. And, every guitarist cherishes Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Remembrances of theAlhambra) written by Francisco Tárrega, the father of the modern classical guitar. This mesmerizing work is inspired by the Alhambra's waters (fountains and pools), the imitation of which melds together a nostalgic picture of a Spain long since forgotten.
Francisco Tarrega-Eixea was born in Vila-real. His home still preserved is located beside the Saint Pascual Baylon's Church. He was so exceptional for his time that even some guitar artists today don't know him as a classic. He did his musical studies in Castellon, Valencia and Madrid, creating many original compositions that even today are easily understandable. Recognised as the leader of the modern Spanish guitar movement, he played in many European cities, expanding the guitar as an expressive and modern instrument. Even top pop artists have versioned Tarrega's compositions, as Mike Oldfield's version of "Recuerdos de la Alhambra".
38
SING ME A RAINBOW
(Silverstein)
DR HOOK/DENNIS LOCORRIERE
Released - 1972 Released on Album "Doctor Hook"
Josie, it's been a long hard day
Down the road to where it's at
I must have lost my way
When I got there, they said I was too late
Now you're the only one can get me straight
So won't you sing me a rainbow, Josie
Roll me a song
Just tonight make it right
Cause it's been wrong for oh so long
There's lots of shades of darkness, Josie
Deep inside a man
So sing me a rainbow if you can
The train I went to meet had come and gone
Seems like I spend all my time
Gettin' off and gettin' on
I sold my mind
And gave my dreams away
And tomorrow I'll start lookin' 'round for yesterday
But til then...
Sing me a rainbow, Josie
Roll me a song
Just tonight makes it right
Cause it's been wrong for oh so long
There's lots of kinds of hunger, Josie
You don't understand
So sing me a rainbow if you can...
If you can, if you can
Sing me a rainbow if you can.
I have tried to be sensible when it comes to Dennis and Dr Hook! As my favourite group and my favourite solo singer, the “50” was bound to reflect that they are my favourites, but not to the exclusion of the many other acts that I admire immensely. So, folks, here is the first of 7 songs from Dennis & Co.
I can take you to the part of this website exclusively dedicated to Dennis Locorriere by clicking here, but let me just state simply that without Dennis, my enjoyment of pop music would be greatly diminished. “Sing Me a Rainbow” is a track from Dr Hook’s 1972 debut album. It is a song Dennis still features in his performances today, and is a typical Shel Silverstein ballad, full of pain and pathos. Rest in peace, Shel.
37
SOLDIER'S SONG
(Batt)
HOLLIES
Released - 1980 Highest Chart Position - 58th No. of Weeks on Charts - 3
The smoke was slowly rising as the light began to fade
There were fires on the skyline from some distant border raid
I was riding out at seventeen to join my first brigade
Many years ago
And I chanced upon a farmhouse where the woman took me in
She gave me food and wine she gave me shelter from the wind
She delayed me from my regiment and service of my king
Many years ago
She said "Soldier before I lose you to the fight
Oh my soldier I'll make a man of you tonight"
She took me over in the fading fireglow
On that wild and misty night she was my woman
When I rose next morning I was gone before she stood
Tore myself away from there and left without a word
The sound of distant infantry was the only sound I heard
On that morning
And in that day I aged ten years and died a thousand deaths
I learned the feel of frozen steel and fear within my breast
But the lesson I'll remember till they lay me to my rest
Keeps returning
And when the dice of war were thrown and victory was won
My drunken young compatriots went out to have their fun
And there was no single house they didn't burn or overrun on that evening
And I rode out to that place again as hard as I could ride
But I found her by the cradle on that lonely mountainside
In the hands of those brave friends of mine she suffered and she died
Many years ago
"Soldier before I lose you to the fight"
She said "Soldier I'll make a man of you tonight"
She took me over in the fading fireglow
On that wild and misty night she was my woman
Here comes another Mike Batt composition. "Soldier's Song" was only a minor hit for one of Britain's best-ever groups - the Hollies, from Manchester. Allan Clarke and the group notched up a vast number of top 10 hits in the 60's and 70's - and some (including me) think that they were the best singers of the British groups of the era. Where most groups performed live with massive speakers amplifying their guitars at the expense of the vocals, the Hollies reversed the leads, and their glorious harmonies dominated the musical accompaniment on stage. "Soldier's Song" is very different from most of their hits in that it has an extremely serious "war theme" set of lyrics, which didn't impress everyone. I love it!
Formed in Manchester in 1962 by childhood friends Allan Clarke (b. 15 April 1942, Salford, Lancashire, England; vocals), and Graham Nash (b. 2 February 1942, Blackpool, Lancashire, England; vocals/guitar). They had already been singing together locally for a number of years as a semi-professional duo under a number of names such as the Guytones, the Two Teens and Ricky And Dane. They enlarged the group by adding Eric Haydock (b. 3 February 1943, Burnley, Lancashire, England; bass) and Don Rathbone (drums), to became the Fourtones and then the Deltas. Following the recruitment of local guitar hero Tony Hicks from the Dolphins (b. 16 December 1943, Nelson, Lancashire, England) they became the Hollies. Almost immediately they were signed to the same label as the Beatles, the prestigious Parlophone. Their first two singles were covers of the Coasters' '(Ain't That) Just Like Me' and 'Searchin''. Both made the UK charts and the group set about recording their first album. At the same time Rathbone left to become their road manager and was replaced by Bobby Elliott (b. 8 December 1942) from Shane Fenton (Alvin Stardust) And The Fentones. The group's excellent live performances throughout Britain had already seasoned them for what was to become one of the longest beat group success stories in popular music. Their first two albums contained the bulk of their live act and both albums became long-time residents in the UK charts. Meanwhile, the band was enjoying a train of singles hits that continued from 1963-74, and their popularity almost rivalled that of the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Infectious, well-produced hits such as Doris Troy 's 'Just One Look', 'Here I Go Again' and the sublime 'Yes I Will' all contained their trademark soaring harmonies. The voices of Clarke, Hicks and Nash combined to make one of the most distinctive sounds to be heard in popular music.
As their career progressed the aforementioned trio developed into a strong songwriting team, and wrote most of their own b-sides (under the pseudonym 'L. Ransford'). On their superb third collection, Hollies in 1965, their talents blossomed with 'Too Many People', an early song about over-population. Their first UK number 1 came in 1965 with 'I'm Alive' and was followed within weeks by Graham Gouldman 's uplifting yet simple take 'Look Through Any Window'. By Christmas 1965 the group experienced their first lapse when their recording of George Harrison 's 'If I Needed Someone' just scraped the UK Top 20 and brought with it some bad press. Both the Hollies and John Lennon took swipes at each other, venting frustration at the comparative failure of a Beatles song. Early in 1966, the group enjoyed their second number 1, 'I Can't Let Go', which topped the New Musical Express chart jointly with the Walker Brothers''The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore'. 'I Can't Let Go', co-written by Chip Taylor, had already appeared on the previous year's Hollies and was one of their finest recordings, combining soaring harmonies with some exceptionally strong, driving guitar work.
The enigmatic and troublesome Eric Haydock was sacked in April 1966 and was replaced by Hick's former colleague in the Dolphins, Bernie Calvert (b. 16 September 1942, Brierfield, Lancashire, England). The Hollies success continued unabated with Graham Gouldman's 'Bus Stop', the exotic 'Stop! Stop! Stop!' and the poppier 'On A Carousel', all UK Top 5 hits, and (at last) became major hits in the US charts. The Hollies were quick to join the 'flower power' bandwagon, as a more progressive feel had already pervaded their recent album, For Certain Because, but with Evolution, their beads and kaftans were everywhere. That same year (1967) the release of the excellent Butterfly showed signs of discontent. Inexplicably, the album failed to make the charts in either the UK or the US. It marked two distinct types of songs from the previously united team of Nash/Clarke/Hicks. On one hand there was a Clarke-influenced song, 'Charley And Fred', and on the other an obvious Nash composition like 'Butterfly'. Nash took a more ambitious route. His style was perfectly highlighted with the exemplary 'King Midas In Reverse', an imaginative song complete with brass and strings. It was, by Hollies standards, a surprising failure (UK number 18). The following year during the proposals to make Hollies Sing Dylan, Nash announced his departure for Crosby, Stills And Nash. His replacement was Terry Sylvester of the Escorts. Clarke was devastated by the departure of his friend of more than 20 years and after seven further hits, including 'He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother', Clarke decided to leave for a solo career. The band soldiered on with the strange induction of Mickael Rickfors from Sweden. In the USA the million-selling 'Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)' narrowly missed the top spot, ironic also because Allan Clarke was the vocalist on this older number taken from the successful album Distant Light.
Clarke returned after an abortive solo career which included two albums, My Real Name Is 'Arold and Headroom. The return was celebrated with the worldwide hit, 'The Air That I Breathe', composed by Albert Hammond. Over the next five years the Hollies pursued the supper-club and cabaret circuit as their chart appearances began to dwindle. Although their albums were well produced they were largely unexciting and sold poorly. In 1981 Sylvester and Calvert left the group. Sensing major problems ahead, EMI suggested they put together a Stars On 45-type segued single. The ensuing 'Holliedaze' was a hit, and Graham Nash was flown over for the television promotion. This reunion prompted the album What Goes Around, which included a minor hit with the Supremes' 'Stop In The Name Of Love'. The album was justifiably slammed by the critics, and only made the US charts because of Nash's name.
Following this, the Hollies went back to the oldies path, until in 1988 a television beer commercial used 'He Ain't Heavy', and once again they were at the top of the charts for the first time in over a dozen years. In 1993 they were given an Ivor Novello award in honour of their contribution to British music. The mid-90s lineup in addition to Clarke, Elliott and the amazingly youthful Hicks featured Alan Coates (guitar), Ray Stiles (bass) and Ian Parker (keyboards). The Hollies' catalogue of hits, like those of the Beach Boys, Beatles and Kinks will continue to be reissued for future generations. Their longevity is assured as their expertly crafted, harmonic songs represent some of the greatest music of all mid-60s pop.
Two of the core members, drummer Bobby Elliott and lead guitarist Tony Hicks, still perform with The Hollies in the new millennium. The legendary, former lead singer Allan Clarke has now retired and been replaced with Carl Wayne, ex lead singer of The Move. Despite the line-up changes throughout the years, the Hollies have always managed to put out great music with the trademark Hollies three part harmony. One of the best and most successful bands from their birth professionally in 1963 to the present day. They are celebrating thirty-eight years of still charming audiences all over the world. Also in today's line up is, Ian Parker on keyboards, Ray Stiles (Ex Mud, remember 'Tiger Feet') on bass guitar and last but not least, Alan Coates on guitar and vocals.
Allan Clarke decided to retire from The Hollies due to personal circumstances. I think everyone knows what a traumatic year Allan had in 1999 and how he managed to cope admirably with the serious illness of his wife and yet still manage to complete two tours of the United Kingdom, only missing out on three shows early in the Spring Tour. Allan's decision has to be respected after such a long, successful and distinguished career in a very intensive and often intrusive music industry.
36
MAID OF ORLEANS
(McCluskey/Humphreys)
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
Released - 1982 Highest Chart Position - 4th No. of Weeks on Charts - 10
If Joan of Arc had a heart,
Would she give it as a gift.
To such as me who longs to see,
How a legend oughta be.
Had dreams to give her heart away,
like an orphan along the way.
She cared so much,
She offered up her body to the grave.
The early 1980’s weren’t the most exciting years musically for my own personal tastes. I wasn’t buying many singles anymore, and the “new-romantic” style of performers weren’t tempting me into buying many albums either. I relied very much on records being lent to me by Boys’ Club member, Dave James, whose purchases rivalled, even surpassed my prolific expenditure two decades earlier! He rather liked OMD, so I had a chance to listen to their material more closely than other artistes from the period. I liked “Enola Gay” - the song based on the carrier of the bombs that effectively ended World War 2, but electronic music wasn’t high on my favourites list, as I was firmly in the camp which, at the time, supported what was seen as “real” instruments as compared to the synthesised sounds of the 80’s!
However, when I listened to OMD’s album “Architecture and Morality”, the strange mechanical intro, then the insistent beat, then the melody followed by a very catchy, lengthy instrumental finish - what was this fine composition? “Maid of Orleans”, it said on the cover. From then on OMD impressed me as the best of their era - their genre. Simple lyrics they may be, but when I listen to “Maid of Orleans” today, I hear a fine pop song, well-performed, with a very hummable tune. OMD may not go down in history as the greatest Liverpool band, but they certainly possessed a talent that I am happy to acknowledge, and I am pleased to include this song in 36th place of my all-time top 50.
Liverpool's music scene in the late 1970's was an exciting and dynamic place to be. Everyone was either in a band, in-between bands or were forming a band. In the midst of all this activity was Eric's Club - a small discreet venue that was a favoured haunt for the people who would later form bands such as The Teardrop Explodes, Echo & The Bunnymen and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. So it was quite apt that Eric's was the venue of choice for the debut performance of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark in October 1978.
Founder members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys had originally been inspired by the experimental electronic music of German bands such as Kraftwerk and Neu. Working with radio sets and home made synthesisers, Humphreys and McCluskey christened themselves VCLXI (after a valve diagram on the sleeve of Kraftwerk's Radioactivity album) and began their own musical experiments. This, however, was still a side project the pair indulged in on odd weekends while they were active in local bands such as Equinox, Pegasus and The Id. However, although they had gained a lot of experience from working in a traditional band environment, it was never quite the creative platform they were looking for. It was time for a new approach.
Naming themselves after an obscure VCLXI song, Humphreys and McCluskey launched their own unique style of catchy electronic melodies that helped form OMD's reputation for intelligent pop. Back then, to burden your band with such an unwieldy name as Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark might have seemed somewhat unwise, but the obvious commercial appeal of their music provoked enough interest that it eventually led to Factory Record's supremo Tony Wilson offering them the cha'Electricity' (and its flip side 'Almost') perfectly captured OMD's infectious blend of melody and melancholia. 'Electricity', with its frenetic dance rhythm, rapidly became OMD's theme song and maintained its status as a live favourite right into the 1990's. Attracting the interest of Virgin, OMD signed to their subsidiary label Din Disc in 1979. An advance from Din Disc enabled the band to plough the money into building their own studio (situated close to Eric's Club) where they could continue writing and recording new material.
This included their self-titled debut album which was released the same year. After a brief period of touring, notably as support for Gary Numan, OMD quickly established themselves with a number of classic singles. 'Messages', with its simple but infectious melody, managed to get OMD into the public eye in 1980 by reaching No. 13 in the UK charts. Later the same year they made No. 8 and scored their first international hit with the dance pop of 'Enola Gay' - an up tempo number inspired by the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This bizarre style of wrapping pop songs around unusual ideas was something that OMD were to prove to be quite adept at throughout the band's career.
The success in 1980 helped OMD to rapidly become one of the UK's premier pop acts. Their initial use of extra personnel for live performances led to Humphreys and McCluskey recruiting people in the studio as well. After some initial line-up shuffles, the band soon established itself as a four piece outfit with the assistance of Martin Cooper (keyboards, saxophone) and Malcolm Holmes (drums) who were both friends from pre-OMD days.
OMD's third album, the ethereal 'Architecture and Morality' proved to be one of their finest moments. Blending choral effects and wistful melody the album produced three classic singles: 'Souvenir' with its bittersweet Humphreys vocal, the religiously inspired 'Joan Of Arc' and its epic follow-up 'Maid Of Orleans'. All three singles secured a top 5 chart position and by 1982 had turned OMD into household names and cover stars for Smash Hits.
'Electricity' (and its flip side 'Almost') perfectly captured OMD's infectious blend of melody and melancholia. 'Electricity', with its frenetic dance rhythm, rapidly became OMD's theme song and maintained its status as a live favourite right into the 1990's. Attracting the interest of Virgin, OMD signed to their subsidiary label Din Disc in 1979. An advance from Din Disc enabled the band to plough the money into building their own studio (situated close to Eric's Club) where they could continue writing and recording new material. This included their self-titled debut album which was released the same year. After a brief period of touring, notably as support for Gary Numan, OMD quickly established themselves with a number of classic singles. 'Messages', with its simple but infectious melody, managed to get OMD into the public eye in 1980 by reaching No. 13 in the UK charts. Later the same year they made No. 8 and scored their first international hit with the dance pop of 'Enola Gay' - an up tempo number inspired by the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This bizarre style of wrapping pop songs around unusual ideas was something that OMD were to prove to be quite adept at throughout the band's career.
The success in 1980 helped OMD to rapidly become one of the UK's premier pop acts. Their initial use of extra personnel for live performances led to Humphreys and McCluskey recruiting people in the studio as well. After some initial line-up shuffles, the band soon established itself as a four piece outfit with the assistance of Martin Cooper (keyboards, saxophone) and Malcolm Holmes (drums) who were both friends from pre-OMD days.
OMD's third album, the ethereal 'Architecture and Morality' proved to be one of their finest moments. Blending choral effects and wistful melody the album produced three classic singles: 'Souvenir' with its bittersweet Humphreys vocal, the religiously inspired 'Joan Of Arc' and its epic follow-up 'Maid Of Orleans'. All three singles secured a top 5 chart position and by 1982 had turned OMD into household names and cover stars for Smash Hits.
With 3 hit albums and a string of million selling singles it seemed that the band had a Midas touch. It was about to desert them with the release of their most radical album to date.
The 1983 album 'Dazzle Ships' described a fractured futurist soundscape of ideas that drew on everything from East European radio broadcasts to industrial robots for influences. Although the album concealed some fine pop songs, its lack of critical and commercial success was perhaps responsible for OMD taking a more conservative approach in the future.
The album 'Junk Culture' from 1984 saw the band steering closer to a more traditional band approach. The instant pop of 'Tesla Girls', percussive dance flavour of 'Locomotion' and pastoral, dreamlike quality of Talking Loud And Clear proved that they could still deliver classic 3 minute pop songs, while retaining a flavour for the unusual.
Producer Stephen Hague was drafted in for the 1985 album 'Crush' and the subsequent 1986 album 'The Pacific Age'. Hague managed to give the songs on both albums a polished edge, while retaining an essential energy that was vital to the songs. Singles such as 'So In Love' and '(Forever) Live & Die' drew on OMD's flair for writing engaging melodies, while demonstrating that they were taking much more of a traditionalist approach to song production.
This period also saw the band touring extensively in North America and finally achieving the chart success that had eluded them for so long in the USA. 'If You Leave', specifically written for the John Hughes movie 'Pretty In Pink', was a huge success globally (although strangely not in the UK). However, the consistent schedule of touring took a toll on the band both professionally as well as personally and 'Dreaming', released in 1988, was to be the last single written by Humphreys and McCluskey.
OMD ended an era in 1989 with the departure of Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper leaving Andy McCluskey to forge ahead under the OMD banner. Teaming up with local Liverpool musicians Stuart Kershaw and Lloyd Massett, Andy continued writing and recording before releasing a new album Sugar Tax in 1991. It was a brash and dynamic approach that fused the classic OMD sound with a more mainstream 90's dance approach. 'Sugar Tax' managed to win over a lot of new converts, as well as the die-hard OMD enthusiast, with singles such as the spectacular 'Sailing On The Seven Seas' and the dance pop of 'Call My Name' and 'Pandora's Box' (a paean to silent movie star Louise Brooks). OMD capitalised on the success of 'Sugar Tax' with its 1993 follow-up 'Liberator'. This album saw OMD broadening their field of influences with the Barry White inspired 'Dream Of Me'.
Following the 'Liberator' tour, Andy McCluskey took some extended time off to reflect and consider OMD's future. Suitably refreshed, he begin writing again - taking a unique musical direction. The result of this work was premiered in 1996 with the release of a new single - the subtle and rhythmic 'Walking On The Milky Way' and the follow-up album 'Universal'. With its mix of ethereal ambience and epic production 'Universal' captured a sense of wistful mood that hinted at early OMD, yet still had a unique style and character that was very much its own.
From the beginning, OMD have managed to occupy that rare space between the alternative and the commercial, writing songs about such diverse subjects as airplanes, oil refineries, religious icons and movie stars. These songs capture perfectly the balance between energy and emotion; a pop melancholia that echoed around the walls of Eric's Club over twenty years ago and that still sounds fresh and exciting today.
Maid Of Orleans was actually written before Joan Of Arc, but the waltz-style of the song was something that the band felt didn't work too well and it was shelved. A new song was written about Joan Of Arc, but during the Manor sessions the original version was dusted down and the band decided that this version had some merit after all. Maid Of Orleans also proved to be quite successful in Europe, reaching No 1 in Belgium, Holland, Austria and Portugal - it had originally been written on 30th May 1981 - the 550th anniversary of Joan of Arc's death. The sleeve was inspired by a stained glass design by Anton Wolff.
35
ONE DAY MORE
(Schonberg/Boublil/Kretzmer)
CAST OF "LES MISERABLES"
Released - 1985 Released on Album "Les Miserables - Original London Cast Recording"
One day more! Another day, another destiny.
This never-ending road to Calvary
These men who seem to know my crime
Will surely come a second time.
One day more!
I did not live until today.
How can I live when we are parted?
One day more.
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
And yet with you my world has started!
One more day all on my own.
Will we ever meet again?
One more day with him not caring.
I was born to be with you.
What a life I might have known.
And I swear I will be true.
But he never saw me there!
One more day before the storm!
Do I follow where she goes?
At the barricades of freedom.
Should I join my brothers there?
When our ranks begin to form.
Do I stay; and do I dare?
Will you take your place with me?
The time is now, The day is here
One day more!
One more day to revolution
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these schoolboys
They will wet themselves ... with blood!
Watch 'em run amuck
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free-for-all.
Here a little 'dip'
There a little 'touch'
Most of them are goners
So they won't miss much!
One day to a new beginning.
Raise the flag of freedom high
Every man will be a king
Every man will be a king
There's a new world for the winning
There's a new world to be won!
Do you hear the people sing?
My place is here, I fight with you
One day more.
I did not live until today
How can I live when we are parted?
I will join these people's heroes
I will follow where they go
I will learn their little secrets
I will know the things the know.
One more day all my own.
One day more.
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
And yet with you my world has started.
One more day to revolution
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these schoolboys
Watch 'em run amock
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free-for-all.
Tomorrow we'll be far away
Tomorrow is the judgement day.
Tomorrow is the judgement day.
Tomorrow is the judgement day.
Tomorrow we'll discover
What our God in Heaven has in store
One more dawn
One more day
One day more!
Of course, something from the best musical of the modern era must make an appearance in this list! If you haven’t visited the “Les Mis” section of this website, then please do so by clicking here, as it gives you a clue or ten as to why I love this show so much.
There are 3 or 4 classic songs that were in the running for inclusion, but this has to be the chosen one - the closing song of Act 1. It brings together all the major elements of the show in a rousing climax, where all the main characters have an input. “One Day More” stirs the blood of all those who have seen and enjoyed this fine work.
My life has been enriched beyond all comprehension by “Les Mis”, and it, without doubt, awakened in me a love of serious music. Opera and classical music may not have figured in my life without “One Day More” and the wonderful “Les Miserables”.
Merci beaucoup, Messieurs Schonberg et Boublil.
34
GABRIEL'S OBOE
(Morricone)
ENNIO MORRICONE
Released - 1986 Released on Album "The Mission"
There is no history behind the choice of this instrumental piece, other than my being totally overwhelmed when it was played at a Military Tattoo on television a few years back, by the Band of the Royal Marines.
For months I didn't know what it was - until Classic FM started playing it regularly. Known to many as just "The Mission", it's featured on the soundtrack of the fine 1986 film of the same name, starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, and is actually entitled "Gabriel's Oboe".
There are two separate versions on the CD, and it's just a simple, plaintive melody. Beautiful. That's all!
33
LAST MORNIN'
(Silverstein)
DR HOOK/DENNIS LOCORRIERE
Released - 1972 Highest Chart Position - 0 No. of Weeks on Charts - 0
This is the last mornin' that I wake up in this dirty city
Lookin' for the sunshine as the buildings block the skies,
This is the last mornin' that I wash in rusty water
And to try to shave a face that I don't even recognize.
Down the hallway, rats are skitterin', I can smell the garbage rottin'
Hear the children cryin' in apartments down below,
This is the last mornin' that I'm gonna have to listen to it,
I'm goin' home.
This is the last mornin' that I try to breathe the heavy air
Fight the crowds, avoid the traffic, watch the world turn grey,
This is the last mornin' that I drink my coffee standin' up,
Smile and speak to strangers who just turn and walk away.
This is a tough cold city here, I guess I'll never cut it here
And I'm so tired of tryin' to stand against it all alone
This is the last mornin' that I'm gonna have to fight it,
I'm goin' home.
This is the last mornin' that I wear these greasy overalls
Punch the clock and do just what I'm told to get get along,
And face the long evenin' lyin' close beside my radio
Imagining the kisses of the girl who sings the song.
Down below the subway's screamin', as I lie here half way dreamin'
Lookin' at the ceiling wonderin' where the dream went wrong,
This is the last mornin' that I'm gonna have to think about it,
I'm goin' home.
This was the song which featured in the 1971 Dustin Hoffman film “Who is Harry Kellerman and Why is he Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?”, and was the “screen” debut of Dr Hook and the Medicine Show - they had a tiny walk on part as musicians in the film! (with Shel, of course, who was responsible for the music score).
It may not be one of the best films ever made - in fact, it definitely isn’t! - but the subject matter and rather strange “suicide” ending (yes, it was a comedy!) is brilliantly encapsulated in the poignant, bitter Shel Silverstein lyrics of “Last Mornin’”. Taken completely on its own, it’s a typical Silverstein song, beautifully performed by Dr Hook, but in relation to the film it is quite special, and that alone elevates it into my favs. list. One of the songs on the second Dr Hook album, “Sloppy Seconds”, released in 1972 after “Sylvia’s Mother” was a gigantic hit on both sides of the Atlantic, “Last Mornin’” wasn’t a chart success, but it is a strong favourite of most Dr Hook/Dennis Locorriere fans.
32
YOUNGER GENERATION
(Sebastian)
LOVIN' SPOONFUL
Released - 1968 Highest Chart Position - 0 No. of Weeks on Charts - 0
Why must every generation think their folks are square
And no matter where their heads are they know mom´s ain´t there
Cause I swore when I was small that I´d remember when
I knew what´s wrong with them that I was smaller than
Determined to remember all the cardinal rules
Like sun showers are legal grounds for cutting school
I know I have forgotten maybe one or two
And I hope that I recall them all before the baby´s due
And I know he´ll have a question or two
Like "hey Pop, can I go ride my zoom
It goes two hundred miles an hour suspended on balloons
And can I put a droplet of this new stuff on my tongue
And imagine frothing dragons while you sit and wreck your lungs"
And I must be permissive, understanding of the younger generation
Then I´ll know that all I´ve learned my kid assumes
And all my deepest worries must be his cartoons
And still I´ll try to tell him all the things I´ve done
Relating to what he can do when he becomes a man
And still he´ll stick his fingers in the fan
And "Hey, Pop, my girlfriend´s only three
She´s got her own videophone and she´s taking L.S.D.
And now that we´re best friends she wants to give a bit to me
But what´s the matter Daddy, how come you´re turning green?
Can it be that you can´t live up to your dreams?"
Throughout musical history, songs have been written about the “generation gap”. How each generation is puzzled, upset and troubled by the differences in attitudes, life-styles, loves and habits of mothers & fathers and their sons & daughters, is a favourite subject of songwriters.
“Younger Generation” is the Prince of such songs! The very first time I heard John Sebastian and his highly entertaining group, the Lovin’ Spoonful, performing “Younger Generation”, I couldn’t help but gently smile and somehow immediately understand what he was getting at. The lyrics are the important factor here. They are clever, amusing, sad, full of gentle comparisons and jokes, and underlying it all it’s quite prophetic. It was written by John in 1968 for goodness sake! It could easily apply to the worries today’s parents everywhere have when they look at their young offspring and wonder what is to be faced up to in the coming years as the kids grow up.
Just read the lyrics and like me, smile at something that rings a bell, touches a nerve, stirs a distant memory when you were “reasoning” with your parents!
From “Daydream” through “Summer in the City” to “Nashville Cats” and “Rain on the Roof”, the Lovin’ Spoonful were the USA’s good time group, and I really enjoy John Sebastian’s vocals. They are an inoffensive, “summery” light sound which brings back very happy memories of the late 60’s. The group’s song list is varied and surprisingly famous. Get to listen to a “Best of” CD if you can - you’ll be surprised at how many songs attributed to them that you recognise.
And........I don’t think tiny tots really were into hallucinatory substances back in ‘68, but many have “wrecked their lungs” on legal things since, haven’t they?
In early 1965 as the "British invasion" dominated the American music scene, two rockers from Long Island, Steve Boone and Joe Butler, teamed up with two folkies from Greenwich Village, John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky, to form the Lovin' Spoonful and go on to record and perform some of the songs that would dominate the charts and establish them among the greats of the mid-sixties era. Combining the best of folk music and rock and roll, with a touch of country thrown in, they gave us such hits as "Do You Believe in Magic," "Daydream," "You Didn't Have to be So Nice," "Nashville Cats" and the anthem for a hot July evening, "Summer in the City." All this in the span of 4 years and 5 albums. In addition to that they also wrote and performed two soundtrack albums for two directors very early in their careers, Woody Allen "Whats Up Tigerlily" and Francis Ford Coppola "You're a Big Boy Now."
They toured almost constantly during this period and were one of the first rock bands to perform on college campuses almost as much as for teenage concert goersIn 1967 Zal Yanovsky left the band to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Jerry Yester, a member of the Modern Folk Quartet and friend of the band since its earliest days. All of the band's energy was soon focused on recording their fourth album the very ambitious Everything Playing. It was the first attempt for a rock band to record an album on the new Ampex 16 track tape recorder and quite a challenge it was. It was worth the effort however, producing hits like "Darlin' Be Home Soon," "Six O-Clock" and "She's Still A Mystery To Me" on the American charts and "Boredom" and "Money" in the UK and Europe.
In June 1968 John Sebastian left the band to go solo and Joe, Steve and Jerry went back into the studio to record what would be their last hit single of the 1960's, "Never Goin' Back" with legendary Nashville session player Red Rhodes on pedal steel guitar. As 1969 approached the skies were darkening in Good Time Music land and sensing opportunities in individual endeavors the three remaining members went their separate ways with a promise to not let the spark go out.
In 1991 a long awaited settlement with their record company inspired Joe and Steve to contact Jerry and start up the Lovin' Spoonful again. After a two month rehearsal in the Berkshire Mts., the group started touring anew, visiting over 150 cities and countries worldwide and reaching out to a whole new audience in addition to those that have enjoyed their music over the years. So look for them coming to your neighborhood bringing a brand new batch of Good Time Music. You can also click the concert info button for a calender of their future appearances.
It is impossible to think of the music of the 1960s without thinking of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL.
And it is impossible to think of the music of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL without thinking of JOHN SEBASTIAN.
Most Netizens may only know the name JOHN SEBASTIAN by having a fond recollection of "Welcome Back", the theme to the 1976 American television situation comedy, which was his biggest hit as a Solo Artist.
Or, conversely, they may connect his name instead in its association with the numerous hit songs he wrote and performed with the popular mid-sixties electrified jug band that he co-founded, THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL. "Do You Believe in Magic?". "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice". "Daydream". "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?". "Summer In The City". "Darling Be Home Soon". "Six O'Clock". "Younger Generation". To name a few.
Mr Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone and Joe Butler formed THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL in Greenwich Village in New York. Over several precious years, they produced several precious albums that yielded songs that both kept them in The Top Ten and, it would turn out, kept their delicious lyrics and melodies a part of Our Stream Of Musical Consciousness for more than thirty years.
What is remarkable, however, is that JOHN SEBASTIAN's Solo Albums for Reprise Records are every bit as wonderful as anything in his entire recorded oeuvre.
For fervent proof of this we our proud to offer our new collection of the five Particularly Wonderful albums he recorded for Reprise between the years 1969 and 1976, which we are calling JOHN SEBASTIAN 'Faithful Virtue: The Reprise Recordings'.
For those of you who may not already know, Mr Sebastian is also fondly remembered for an unscheduled, unplanned appearance at The Woodstock Festival of Music and Art and Aquarian Exposition in Bethel, New York, on the afternoon of Friday, 15 August 1969.
This performance happened during time when his fans were waiting to see what Mr Sebastian would do next, coming as it did a full year after his departure from THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL. He was, at the time, on the verge of beginning his Solo Career at the time, and so his impromptu set during this epochal event provided his fans then with one of his first post-Spoonful appearances.
The plain truth of it however was that Woodstock Emcee Chip Monck was trying to fill up time after COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH's performance, during that first rainy afternoon, and asked Mr Sebastian if he would be so kind to help out by going out, totally unrehearsed, to perform a few songs before what was then the largest audience in Rock n' Roll history. Mr Sebastian obliged Mr Monck by borrowing an acoustic guitar from Tim Hardin, walking on to the stage and playing a 20 minute set of songs, including "Younger Generation", a popular 1968 track by THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL, and "I Had A Dream", a song that would later appear on his first solo album.
A few months later, in January 1970, Mr Sebastian saw the release of his first solo single, "She's A Lady"/ "Room Nobody Lives In", on Kama Sutra Records, the company who had issued The Lovin' Spoonful's recordings. Mr Sebastian, meanwhile, had signed with Reprise Records and began recording his first album.
'John B. Sebastian' was released to critical acclaim in January 1970. That charming debut album which featured "Magical Connection", a moody, trippy paean to mutual attraction later recorded by jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo, and Sebastian's remake of "You're A Big Boy Now," the first of 14 songs originally recorded by THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL which would eventually reappear on his solo albums was produced by Paul Rothchild.
Contributing to the album were musicians David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash (who contributed harmony to "What She Thinks About"), and Mr Sebastian's longtime pianist/arranger Paul Harris.
Unfortunately, at the same time, Mr Sebastian experienced a full measure of Former Record Company Musical Espionage as the very same 'John B. Sebastian' album was "bootlegged" by the MGM Records company, Kama Sutra Records' distributor at the time, who apparently felt that Mr Sebastian was contractually obligated to continue releasing Mr Sebastian's recordings only on MGM.
It seems that Mr Mike Curb, then president of Mr Sebastian's former record company, MGM Records, made the executive decision to allow his company to bootleg the Reprise recordings of his first solo album, taking them straight from needle drops off the original vinyl LP released by Reprise. They also attempted to replicate their own 'kinda-looks-like' cover artwork using photos from an earlier John Sebastian photo shoot along with featured photographs of Mr Sebastian performing at Woodstock.
Apparently, this did not deter MGM from further fascinatingly obstructive behaviour on their part. Later that year, in October 1970, MGM released 'John Sebastian Live', an album culled from an inferior quality live recording of Mr Sebastian in concert, which had been recorded at a music festival in Woodstock, New York well after the legendary Woodstock Music And Art Fair that was held in Bethel, New York.
Within six months, Reprise Records, Mr Sebastian's legitimate record label, released a much superior Live Album, which was cheekily given the name 'Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian'. Actually, the album was a collection of performances from four of Mr Sebastian's California concerts, with backing by Mr Paul Harris.
The album artwork itself was quite a lot of fun, with liner notes on the LP jacket written in Mr Sebastian's own handwriting. "Side One" and "Side Two" were re-named "Live One" and "Live Too". Nine numbers from THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL's catalog were performed on the album, which was engineered by Fritz Richmond, of THE JIM KWESKIN JUG BAND, who was later a member of Mr Sebastian's J-Band.
The music on this album is also great fun. Mr Sebastian allows audience members to participate in the fun by shouting requests of Rock n' Roll and Doo Wop classics like "Teen Angel", "Ballad Of A Teenage Queen", "In The Still Of The Night" and "Blue Suede Shoes". At one point, Mr Sebastian even announces that his next song, "Rooty-Toot", was one that he wrote at age 14 while sitting in his family bathroom. (Now, try to imagine what most fourteen year old boys do in the bathroom when they have time on their hands and you will appreciate this story even more.) In truth, Mr Sebastian admits that the song "Rooty Toot" was actually written by his cousin, Mr John Lewis.
After a legal settlement safely pulled Mr Sebastian from the lingering clutches of MGM Records, he returned to the recording studio again to begin his second studio effort, 'The Four Of Us', a heartfelt and personal album that expressed his inner feelings about being on the road, and being away from his family.
For his next album, 1974's 'Tarzana Kid', Mr Sebastian recorded "Stories We Could Tell". The song had originally been written by Mr Sebastian for THE EVERLY BROTHERS' album of the same name. Phil Everly of THE EVERLY BROTHERS joined Mr Sebastian on his own version, singing vocal harmonies. Other Important Guests on the album included Lowell George, Emmylou Harris and THE POINTER SISTERS. 'Tarzana Kid' also featured Mr Sebastian's rendition of the Lowell George-penned LITTLE FEAT classic "Dixie Chicken" and a new Sebastian-George collaboration called "The Face Of Appalachia".
In September 1975, millions of Americans heard Mr Sebastian's voice for the first time since Woodstock. Mr Sebastian's "Welcome Back", the superbly warm and tremendously fuzzy theme song for the hit ABC network sitcom, "Welcome Back, Kotter". It would end up being his biggest hit after Reprise released it as a single in January 1976.
Mr Sebastian returned to the studio and recorded another album, which was also called 'Welcome Back', which would feature newly recorded versions of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL's "Didn't Want To Have To Do It" and "Warm Baby".
JOHN SEBASTIAN 'Faithful Virtue: The Reprise Recordings' collects into one niftily-designed place all five of his Reprise albums. The 1970 'John B. Sebastian' debut, 1971's 'Cheapo Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live' and 'The Four Of Us' (with the side-long epic "The Four Of Us" suite), 'Tarzana Kid' from 1974 and his final Reprise album, 1976's 'Welcome Back'. In addition, The Archivists have included both sides of his NON-LP 1972 'Give Us A Break' single and, we are equally pleased to say, for the first time anywhere his complete five-song performance from the original 1969 Woodstock Music And Art Fair in Bethel, NY.
A quote from the liner notes of 'THE BIG BALL', one of the fabled 2-LP promotional albums released by Warner Bros/Reprise in 1970, puts Mr Sebastian's recordings in a proper context:
"Name a folk or rock and roll idiom in which John has not written an incredible song, and we'll ship you a storeroom full of albums. Name us a more versatile songwriter-singer on the current American scene, and we'll provide you with a chauffeur for six months. Name a young ex-Village-folkie who comes as close to capturing the sheer joy of being alive in his songs, and we'll paint voluptuous nudes all over your van.
If you think we're enthusiastic, you're right."
31
THE BALLAD OF LUCY JORDAN
(Silverstein)
DENNIS LOCORRIERE
Released - 2000 Released on Album "Out of the Dark"
The mornin' sun touched lightly on the eyes of Lucy Jordan
In her white suburban bedroom, in her white suburban town
As she lay there 'neath the covers, dreaming of a thousand lovers
'Til the world turned to orange and the room went spinnin' round
At the age of 37, she realised she'd never ride
Through Paris in a sports car, with the warm wind in her hair
And she let the phone keep ringin' as she sat there softly singin'
Pretty nursery rhymes she'd memorised in her daddy's easy chair
Her husband, he was off to work, and the kids were off to school
And there were oh so many ways for her to spend her day
She could clean the house for hours, or rearrange the flowers
Or run naked down the shady street screaming all the way
At the age of 37, she realised she'd never ride
Through Paris in a sports car, with the warm wind in her hair
And she let the phone keep ringin' as she sat there softly singin'
Pretty nursery rhymes she'd memorised in her daddy's easy chair
The evening sun touched gently on the eyes of Lucy Jordan
On the rooftop where she'd climbed when all the laughter grew too loud
And she bowed and curtseyed to the man, who reached and offered her his hand
And led her down to the long white car that waited past the crowd
At the age of 37, she knew she'd found forever
As they rode along through Paris with the warm wind in her hair
With the wind in her hair.
Which ever spelling is accepted as the correct one (“Jordon” on the 1974 single and 1975 album or “Jordan” on the 2000 solo album “Out of the Dark”), there is little doubt that Shel Silverstein’s exceptional song is a giant in Dr Hook’s history.
After initial success early in the decade, the group was not faring at all well as far as sales were concerned when the single “Ballad of Lucy Jordon” was released in 1974. It was the title of a compilation album which was their swan-song on CBS, before their switch to Capitol with “Bankrupt” and then later in 1975, smash hit album “A Little Bit More” (Noel Edmonds’ Morning Show on BBC Radio 1 extensively plugged this LP - thanks Noel, Hook fans will always be grateful to you!).
Dr Hook’s “Lucy Jordon” - also released by Marianne Faithfull - wasn’t a commercial success either, but Dennis, Ray & Co. were touring the U.K. extensively, and that’s where the story really blossoms!
It was “Lucy Jordon” that was the song I played and played at the Boys Club, night after night, in 1974/5, after watching, with some of the club members, the group appear on “Old Grey Whistle Test” (read more about this on the Dennis Locorriere section of this website). A number of members, including brothers Brian & Colin Chidgey, Management Committee Member and local community policeman, Dave Lodge, and I were converted to big fans of Dr Hook, so we just had to see them live - on stage.
Promoting “Bankrupt”, the group appeared at the Colston Hall in Bristol in early 1975, and we were there, encouraged by Dennis to use the cover of the album as headwear!!! This scruffy lot up on stage entertained us royally. We were totally won over, and this loyal affinity grew and grew at the Boys Club over the years.
Club helper and stalwart, Toni Milton was also another convert, as we toured the country from Birmingham to Cardiff to Bristol to Bournemouth over the years to share our love of the music of Shel Silverstein.
So that’s the story of why “Ballad of Lucy Jordan” - the 2000 version re-recorded by Dennis as a tribute to the life of Shel - is in my Top 50. Yes, it was the song that became synonymous with the beginning of the musical journey I’ve taken with Dennis Locorriere - 30 long, enjoyable years, and the end of the road is not yet anywhere in sight. Thank goodness.
