Covers

This week I've been delving into the world of cover songs. When one musician covers another musicians work, generally the results fall into 3 categories:

a.) They are riding off the back of someone else's success and either fail to honour the original or just manage to make it similar enough that its not offensive to the creator. A bit harsh I guess, I don't mean to belittle cover bands, I've seen some great ones and a live performance of your favourite tune is always welcome if done well. But in a sweeping generalisation (we like those here.. :-)) you are left wishing they sounded more like the original.Read more


London

This week's theme is ‘London’. I felt pretty smug when I'd put these 4 songs together. It seemed to me like a perfect little slice of London spanning nearly 4 decades. I then realised quickly that the slice is from a London cake that was baked in my own oven of experience and decorated with the icing sugar of my circumstance, so is probably completely different to yours. However, I hope you will enjoy these 4 tunes in their sequence.Read more


Men who sing good

I set myself an unnecessary challenge this week. 4 tunes by great male vocalists. What sets some voices out from the crowd? Power, range, tone? is it feasible to say one voice is 'better' than another? Well.. yes clearly I can name a vast number of people with a better singing voice than mine.. But with this qualitative analysis of vocal talent the bigger question is raised again. Is quality a direct reflection of personal taste? I try to avoid using the labels 'good' or 'bad' when I talk about music. Repeat the mantra after me: 'If I do not like something, it does not mean it is bad' There are many reasons that people don't connect with specific musical styles. I am not fond of Country and Western music. I let it be known.Read more


1990

Well this week is a bit of a nostalgia trip - which really doesn't distinguish it too much from all the other weeks I suppose. However, the theme is 1990. The year I became a teenager. A momentous avalanche of change and complicated thoughts about stuff I didn't really understand.Read more


Japan

This week I have been on a mission to dig into Japan and bring you 4 tunes from Japanese artists. So much of Japanese culture is inaccessible to the non Japanese-speaking world. There are many things that Japan has brought to the rest of the world, from its food to literature and art but still there are many examples in the arts where the language barrier is too hard to climb. This is a shame of course as Japan has much to offer in is musical repertoire. What tends to be exposed on a global stage is the kitsch, the bizarre or the unfathomable. Read more


The Beach

This week the theme is all about the beach. Or in some cases more tenuously linked to the beach. My reason for this is that at the weekend I was in Thailand for a bachelors party and placing to one side the large sack full of clichés which may or may not have been linked to the events that may or may not have taken place, we found ourselves on the final afternoon by a rather select stretch of coastline so some of these tunes came to mind.Read more


Timeless

Ok so this week I wanted to recognise two things.

1.) We are all getting older

2.) It doesn't matter, because some musicians have written songs that are timeless and therefore multiple generations can sit down and listen and enjoy them together without contempt or embarrassment.

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The Beginning

This is the first IVTunes post and there for the hook - the taster - the one to bring you back for more.. Not strictly true as I'm actually posting this in retrospect having started this effort on spotify and then realised that there was a word limit on the playlist description list. I also realised that many of my friends don't subscribe to Spotify which is ok - we are all allowed to be individual within the boundaries of 4 globally available music streaming services. The only major hat tip here is to Ian who asked me to burn him a CD.

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