MUSIC MONDAY IV

Another 90s hit. This was a song that stood out for me. Very groovy, very funky and some sweet dance moves enhanced by seriously cool fashion. And here's a trivia nugget to add even more hip to the group - the singer's real middle name is Magenta. Nice!

A great tune from my uni days. A friend in my student halls kept playing it and I found it to be extremely catchy. So...Stop now, and tell Kes what's that sound!

Bill McClintock is the Master of Mash-Up. He takes two great songs and creates something that is more than the sum of its parts. Here Edwin Starr meets Slayer and we get a song that brings the outrage crashing in. Sublime! Be sure to check out his Walk Like An Angel of Death. The Bangles have never rocked so hard! All together now... Slayyyerrrrr!

Being a fan of The Wicker Man (the original!) and having grown up with Trumpton & Chigley, this was immediately endearing to me. And the song is a damn good one! Whoever thought of using Trumpton-style animation was a genius. It's so off-kilter, just as The Wicker Man. Which reminds me, I need to include a song from that soundtrack in Music Monday soon.

I watched "David Crosby - Remember My Name" last week on Netflix. Highly recommended. This song is an incredibly powerful piece of music, in my opinion. I prefer the original, with its full complement of instruments and voices, but this version is also special. The lyrics are a lot clearer for one. I wonder if it's even possible to write music like this anymore and have it widely played.

This musician is wonderful. Buryat-Mongol music, with some incredible throat singing. Such beautiful nature in the video too. 

Without doubt, the 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar is my favourite version of this musical. And this song is just superb! First we have to appreciate that these folks were pulling off those amazing dance moves in sweltering heat. And the interaction between Jesus and Simon impresses me every time. Check Ted Neeley's reaction when Simon sings the line, "Keep them yelling their devotion, but add a touch of hate at Rome." Such a wonderful cast, with Yvonne Elliman, Carl Anderson & Barry Dennen joining Ted Neeley & Larry Marshall.

This is Erika Nakagawa, an extraordinarily talented musician & singer. And she has the longest hair imaginable! This song is one of my favourites. Hope you'll enjoy it too!

What a version! Visuals are a bit jumpy but the sound is decent and the performance majestic. "Ahh-ahh, ahhhh!"

I want to put this up in memory of a very close friend who recently passed away. He rocked this in a school festival. So many good memories and this is one.

A great example of what excellent music + awesome visuals can produce. Sean Gothman, of The Dandy Warhols I believe, puts one of their tracks to this classic 80s animation. It works, it just does.

This is a great cover, making fantastic use of a variety of instruments. I love the cool style as well, shades and all in black. Smooth!

Inspired by a friend passing on a cinema souvenir brochure, I revisited this score. This particular piece is so utterly heroic and full of wonder. Love the piccolos (flutes?) that sing after the pulsating brass delivers around the 30 second mark.

A friend from NZ introduced me to these awesome lads. And I'd been thinking they were a Kiwi band until the other day! Not the best version for sound quality but nice to see them up on stage giving it their all.

One of the many wonderful indie artists you can find on YouTube. Gingertail does a mean Wellerman shanty here, and be sure to check out her Mandalorian cover. Oh, and Edge of Night! She uses a whole host of instruments in creative ways, and has some rather groovy tattoos.

This is one talented and charismatic lady. This piece is the theme song to Dragonball, I believe. She also does a mean "Back in Black" cover. One thing I love about her videos is the simple set-up leading to a great sound. I'm sure people will either love or be distracted by the percussionist with his big hair and frantic head-bobbing!

Not much to say here, except that this is a sublime song. My whole family are Fleetwood Mac fans. We used to listen to a cassette recording of Rumours pretty much every car journey we took (along with Boney M's Night Flight to Venus). Wish my Dad, brother and I could listen to Songbird with Mum again.

I am about to utter words of heresy! This version of John Barleycorn is better than Steeleye Span's. There, I said it. May Maddy have mercy on my soul... When I first heard the Span version, I was a young lad and didn't really focus on the lyrics. I just picked up on the violent parts. I honestly thought it was some ditty about a guy who gets beaten to a pulp, has his limbs severed and head crushed, but then (through pagan powers of resurrection, perhaps) rises from his bloody grave. Then my Dad told it was a song about beer. "Oh... I see."

Never fails to put me in a wistful mood, this one. I helped out at a summer play-scheme for kids in Galway one summer, and this tune makes me want to go back.