One of the TV highlights for me over the festive period was Jools Hoolands' Hootenanny - I think it's the first time that I've watched it. Of course, the R&B Orchestra were fantastic and he was joined by a host of talent. (You can still catch it on the BBC's iPlayer for a few days.)
Some of my favourites included Kelly Jones doing Handbags and Gladrags, Annie Lennox - Why, Sam Sparro - Black and Gold (I'd never heard of him before) and the Tings Tings (my current gym music). I was also stunned by Lily Allen's rendition of The Lady is a Tramp - she was fantastic!
As Motown is about to celebrate 50 years, Martha and the Vandellas were on. To be honest, the years haven't been altoghether kind and Martha's voice isn't what it used to be. But hearing them again motivated me to go and buy a celebration of Motown - 61 tracks for £6.49 from Amazon's new download service - a real bargain. As soon as I started listening to it, I was smiling and wanting to dance. The songs are so familiar - but I'm not sure how! My parents wouldn't have listened to this type of music, and in my teenage years I would have treated it with contempt - so how did it permeate my consciousness? I've got no idea - I'm just glad that they did! Here's Martha and the Vandellas when they were in their prime!
Some of my favourites included Kelly Jones doing Handbags and Gladrags, Annie Lennox - Why, Sam Sparro - Black and Gold (I'd never heard of him before) and the Tings Tings (my current gym music). I was also stunned by Lily Allen's rendition of The Lady is a Tramp - she was fantastic!
As Motown is about to celebrate 50 years, Martha and the Vandellas were on. To be honest, the years haven't been altoghether kind and Martha's voice isn't what it used to be. But hearing them again motivated me to go and buy a celebration of Motown - 61 tracks for £6.49 from Amazon's new download service - a real bargain. As soon as I started listening to it, I was smiling and wanting to dance. The songs are so familiar - but I'm not sure how! My parents wouldn't have listened to this type of music, and in my teenage years I would have treated it with contempt - so how did it permeate my consciousness? I've got no idea - I'm just glad that they did! Here's Martha and the Vandellas when they were in their prime!
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3 comments:
I thought that "the Lady is a tramp" would be embarassingly beyond Lily Allen, but it turns out that behind her usual "Chas-'n'-Dave for a new generation" routine, there's a great voice waiting to get out!
Loved the post - and the Motown link. Have you ever seen the documentary on 'The Funk Brothers' - the 'engine' behind the Motown sound?
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/film.htm
or from amazon here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standing-Shadows-Motown-DVD-Hunter/dp/B0000V6S6E/ref=pd_bxgy_m_h__text_b
it's superb!
ps - just downloaded the recommendation...
sweet!
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