Party Shuffle Friday

Last week I was travelling, so wasn't able to write up a PSF. This week, though, the guests are back and ready to, er, groove on down.

Why Don't We Live Together?, by Pet Shop Boys, from Please. From their first album, so called because they wanted buyers to go into record stores and be polite when they asked for it ("Pet Shop Boys, please"). Or so they say... A nice little song from their early days where the singer is trying to get the person he loves to live with him.

Touch Me Now, by Swing Out Sister, from Somewhere Deep in the Night. A later album from SOS, great to listen to. This one starts off with ominous strings and drums, urgently moving forward, like some nighttime chase scene from a Bond movie, and then Corinne comes in with that beautiful sweet voice bemoaning the loss of the one she loves. The ominous drumming goes on in the background... Great musical texture, just fabulous.

Can I Take You Home Little Girl, by The Drifters, from The Very Best of Ben E King & The Drifters. A nice little ditty from the Drifters, the lyrics of which are on the border of being somewhat creepy these days.

Hello, by The Beloved, from The Sun Rising. Mmm, The Beloved, interesting band from the 80s, with the weirdest song out: Jon Marsh essentially singing famous people's names, both real and fictional. In essence, the song is about "saints and sinners" and how it's difficult to tell the difference ("Can you spot the difference that lies between the colour blue and the colour green?"). Since the song is from twenty years ago, some of the references are difficult to remember. Who remembers Leslie Crowther, for god's sake.

Homage to the Mountain, by Yello, from Baby. Ah, Yello, the Swiss nutcases with the great music. Homage to the Mountain is a non-vocal, almost orchestral track that shuffles along and builds and builds to a brassy climax.

The World Is My Oyster, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, from Bang!...The Greatest Hits of Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The intro track from the original FGTH album, with a soaring opera singer's voice and Holly Johnson declaiming "The World is My Oyster" followed by some maniacal laughter. The track that follows is of course Welcome to the Pleasuredome, the name of the album. "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A pleasuredome erect." with the last word spoken as e-RECT. Ah, FGTH, how I miss you.

Into Temptation, by Crowded House, from Recurring Dream, Best Of Crowded House. A quiet ballad from Crowded House; the temptation of falling in love.

Take on Me, by a-ha, from Hunting High and Low. Does this track need any introduction? Brilliant song, breathtaking innovative video (that's been, it must be said, parodied often).

Odyssey Phase 2 [Oxygene 10 @440 Remix Dub], by Jarre, Jean Michel, from Odyssey Through O2. From a remix album that remixed the various Oxygene tracks, both from the original album and the supplemental one 20 years later, with some sonorous bewildering spoken segues between tracks.

How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky), by Krall, Diana, from Love Scenes. Another wonderful voice, especially when she uses it for the old standards, the jazz songs. A well-arranged version with Krall on the piano, with a trio, some great late evening listening.

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