Most things considered hip actually tend to be inferior to what is considered guilty pleasures. Because of people's obsession with image and political relevance, not to mention pioneering.
Fun fact: Mah Nà Mah Nà,” composed by Piero Umiliani, debuted in the 1968 Italian film Sweden: Heaven and Hell, a documentary about sex and drugs in Sweden. You’re welcome.
We used to sing that one on my last job. Someone started often not thinking about it with “Mah Na Mah Na …” and the rest of us filled in “Do dooo do do do …”.
I saw that film in the cinema. It was a UK X-Certificate meaning you had to be 16 or over at that time. My mates and I weren't but managed to get in. Not sure how "real" it was but it certainly held our interest.
"Turned out nice for bumming again!" I keep getting this channel recommended and find it oddly hypnotic. In fact, I watch it so often I might as well subscribe.
Andy, dear Andy, this is not your 4th video with Madness. All your videos contain lovely madness. Madness makes the world go round. But not too much are we will be thrown off. En Bogud was one of my guilty pleasures. Thank you for reminding me. Free our minds, Andy.
Make no apologies when listening to Doris Day, she was such a bright shining star. Marilyn Monroe had nothing on her, absolutely nothing. She was the embodiment of 20th century American greatness. She rose above the sliminess of the film and music industries; she walked off movie sets, checkmating directors like Hitchcock who did not question the abhorrent abuse of animals used in film. She became a philanthropist for animals and HIV. At the time of her death, she insisted there be no funeral service and no tombstone or grave. An amazing human possessing immeasurable talents-we should have cloned her 1000x over.
YES, Doris Day!!! She's one of the greatest singers ever. No auto-tune or pitch control in those days! You had to record and sing it in one take. Thanks for putting her on your 'guilty pleasures' number 1 spot Andy!
Fun fact. All The Muppets episodes were filmed at Elstree studios in the UK, and the British version was slightly different to the USA version in that it included the music and songs, typically at the end of the show.
Considering Madness a guilty pleasure is like saying YES is a guilty pleasure. I’m not guilty about anything I like. Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - They recorded some of the greatest duets of the 1960s ABBA - Cheesy, but brilliant in every way. The Xanadu soundtrack - ONJ meets ELO. Petra Haden’s a capella albums. She freaking sings all the instrumental and vocal parts of Frame by Frame. The GOAT! Disco - All the hits. Can’t dance for squat.
ABBA is not a guilty pleasure or cheesy. They were once considered one in the 80s but even their critics from the punk scene later had to admit that Benny and Björn's songwriting was abslolutely brilliant. And they could do all kind of styles. Listen to Chess , that is one of the best musicals ever composed.
@@Kuesel68 There was an article in Musician magazine - later 70s or early 80s featuring a conversation between Robert Fripp and Joe Strummer. They both attested to the greatness of ABBA. Made me look beyond my preconceived notions.
Half Man Half Biscuit are fans of George Formby. They also like Nick Cave. They did a Formby/Cave tribute with the song Mr Cave's A Window Cleaner Now, which was never released on an album but is available on YT. Well worth a listen.
In no particular order: ANDY Stewart (A Scottish Soldier - Green Hills of Tyrol); ANDY Williams (Music To Watch The Girls Go By); Petula Clark (Downtown); Roger Miller (King Of The Road); and The New Vaudeville Band (Winchester Cathedral).
My taste is basically all guilty pleasures. Rockabilly Western Swing Doo wop Hot jazz Early 60s dance crazes, girl groups and ear candy such as Skeeter Davis doing ‘I Can’t Stay Mad at You’.
Speaking of the Muppets, The Rainbow Connection was the favourite tune of a friend of mine who passed away in January of this year. I can't hear that song without crying. Rest in peace, Ker-bear ❤
Are we not entertained? Yes we are! Great list Andy - especially your tip of the hat to Doris Day. 100% one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century 🤩👌
ABBA. I absolutely love them. The singing from the ladies, the songwriting of Bjorn and Benny. You can hear influences from The Beatles and The Beach Boys in their music. Also, nods to musicals and Broadway type stuff...on a few occasions they also kind of rocked:) Wonderful!
@@Asdwer1 I did hear him mention them once, but only in passing. But I do recall he didn't disparage them. Just listed them among others who had albums in the charts during a certain period. Maybe he'll one day do a deep dive into their discography. (yes I'm a lifelong ABBA fan)
To write profoundly in a second language is staggering to me, the lyrics of Waterloo when you look close are brilliance, the lyrical scan so satisfying , anyone involved with songwriting can only stand in awe
@@Asdwer1 Absolutely. Not to mention that they won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton England in 74 and were a huge act in the UK from at least 76 to 82:)
Doris should NOT be a guilty pleasure. What an amazing talent. SUPERB actor, too. Even the light comedies, she was so spot-on. As a singer, WOW! Also had a great love for animals and did so much to help them. And she was my first crush when she had her own TV show. Fell in love with her bangs. Wanted to marry her -- like a few million other men. Her son, Terry Melcher, was a great pop producer and song writer. Talented guy!
Doris Day, yes! Jamiroquai I even saw live in the 90s. Madness were one of the coolest bands in the 80s. I was introduced to Barbra Steisand with the film and especially music of Yentl. As a teen I cried listening to this beautiful voice, it was enchanting. And the Muppets... well, I WAS a fan as a kid and they introduced me to a lot of artists. Most of the jokes I only got when I was rewatching it as an adult but well, what is there more to say than Mana Mana!? Brilliant!
Yes, watching Andy videos has become a guilty pleasure for many of us I suspect. I can hear wives and partners all over the country grumbling 'Are you watching that half-wit Edwards on TH-cam again ? You're not sitting round here all day'.
19:17 for those of you outside of the UK when Andy says he met Dave Howell? the other day it is Spar not Spa. Spar is a small convenience store similar to 7/11 in US or IGA in Australia. Having said that I may be totally wrong and he may have bumped in to him at the local Spa which would be a totally different story 😂
Doris Day...ha!!! Bloody great choice. So, i'm a bit older than you Andy, and i can remember watching her movies as a little boy/young teen, and boy did i have a crush on her! Lol. I loved everything about het. She was the complete package...smart, beautiful, great voice and acting skills, and someone you could picture hanging out with having a great time. Love your show Andy!
In my early teens I remember hearing the Carpenters. As a surly heavy/prog rock fan I pretended not to like the Carpenters. I didn’t really appreciate how good Karen Carpenters voice was back then. I have a good HiFi system and I love to sit down and listen to Karen’s amazing voice. ✨✨✨✨✨
Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66. Lani Hall. What a babe. My dad had 2 albums when I was a kid. I learned a lot about the romantic myth from these albums, which actually set me up for major failures a bit later. Doh.
My number one guilty pleasure: Matt Monroe. After my parents passed away, the only CD i kept from their collection was The Brst of Matt Monroe. I think I've loved the guy since i was six or seven and my dad took me to see Born Free, whst a song and then add to that the most perfect driving song ever, On Days Like These from the Italian Job, i will always have loads of time for Matt Monroe ❤️🎵❤️
Many inspired choices. My "Manhattan Transfer" guilty pleasure is Wall Street Crash En Vogue, Madness and Muppets also tremendous choices. George Formby I can understand the appreciation (did see him referred to by several of my favourite comedians through the years), but he's the ultimate English (not British) nostalgia Both Streisand (before she got insuffarable) and Doris Day were quite walking the line for a while with playing some very independent women (What's up doc, Glass bottom boat, etc.). And of course Streisand's duet with Donna Summer is one of the disco classics and probably the best sung one.
Baccara -Yes sir, I can boogie The Trashmen -Surifn bird Paul Mcartney - No more lonely nights Adam Ant - Puss n Boots All Saints - Pure Shores Take That - Back for Good Brian and Michael- Matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs Keith West and Mark Wirst -Grocer Jack (Excerpts fom a teenage opera) Simon Dupree -Kites Berlin - Take my breath away
"No More Lonely Nights" has Eric Stewart (10cc) on guitar...in the VIDEO, that is, it's DAVID GILMOUR on the actual recording!!!One of the greatest things Eric never played!!
Yep, Doris Day. Just a stunning human being. I have some 50's vinyl. Yep, Manhattan Transfer are superb. Streisand's flagging career was saved with her Stoney End (1971) album, the title track by Laura Nyro giving Streisand a Billboard No.6 hit - all 3 singles off the album were Nyro songs. Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 - the best grooving melodic pop song of all time: Mas Que Nada. Sophisticated, great harmony and what a groove.
great picks Andy, some I didn't know, have to look them up, probably be on TH-cam - and only just realised that I have not subscribed - and I thought you were one of the first! Better late than never! Doris Day seemed wholesome but underneath I think she was a bit of a goer- know what I mean - nudge, nudge, wink, wink, to quote Python! My favourite girl singer: Ronnie of Ronnie and the Ronnettes.
For me: Wake Me Up (before you go-go) by Wham! Hated it as a kid, but now it brings a stab of nostalgia so deep I nearly cry. It takes me right back to growing up on the beaches of Cornwall in the 80s. I can actually smell the sun tan lotion and the chips soaked in salt and vinegar. I can hear the sounds of waves, seagulls and arcade machines. Blue by Eiffel65. Want it played at my funeral. For many different reasons. Spaceman by Babylon Zoo. Yes, I know it is cringy but for me it is another nostalgia thing. Takes me back to being a young adult in the 90s. Wow, those were good times... I have many more guilty pleasures, but as I get older I stop feeling the guilt and enjoy the simple pleasure of using these songs to embarrass my kids in the car with the stereo turned up and the windows down. Marvellous! 😂
I think the instrumental Muppets Show theme is by Piero Umiliani and features Alessandro Alessandroni's vocal group. I recommend anyone go down an Alessandro Alessandroni / Italian Library music rabbit-hole.... There is so much great instrumental music there.
oh my God, Doris Day I have absolutely been a fan of her since I was a kid. I love her movies. I love her singing, and I even loved her TV sitcom in the 1960s. I am a big fan of en vogue but I like many of the Neo R&B acts of the 1980s and early 90s like Johnny Gill, Jodeci LA baby face Brenda Russell Anita Baker, Jody Watley . The guilty pleasure of mine it’s listening to the Alvin and the chipmunks Christmas albums the animated cartoon characters been into that since I’m six years old. I wanted to you to the fact that Manhattan transfer- did a brilliant album in the 1990s called t’TONIN’’ -and that featured guest stars like Bette Midler and Bette Midler and the transfer recorded song song by my mentor and song collaborator- Lou Stallman’swritten great hit. ‘It’s gonna take a miracle’ which was originally done by the Royalettes- but then covered by Laura Nero, [annd later Deniece Williams]- and it’s an absolutely sensational version check out that album. I think it also has James Taylor and perhaps Ray Charles before he died , and ‘tonin’’isgreat smooth jazz by Manhattan Transfer-great show, ,,, and to you and yours, and all of Great Britain-a happy Thanksgiving from the states
One of the great things about getting older is you don't really care anymore if something is classed as a guilty pleasure. Someone mentioned the Carpenters in the comments. The purity of Karen's voice. If something like Goodbye To Love or We've Only Just Begun doesn't move you you're beyond help. Before Chanson D'amour came out Manhattan Transfer had a minor hit with their vocal version of Tuxedo Junction. My mun had a Glenn Miller album and I remember recognising the tune. I love the track Watta Man by Salt n Pepa featuring En Vogue, such a funky groove. One song I love that I suppose could be classed as a 'guilty pleasure is Just A Little Bit More by Liberty X, professional help is being sought. No wonder you like Pipkins Andy, Pig was a Brummie wasn't he. If you want a really traumatic experience check out what the original Bungle from Rainbow looked like. Absolutely terrifying, there are probably adults with thousand yard stares still in therapy after seeing it as kids. The horror, the horror.
Went to the Albert Hall back in the day, because we wanted to see Labi Siffre, and he was supporting The Carpenters. It turned out to be a great evening all round...
A lot of 'middle of the road' stuff is fantastic. The Carpenters were brilliant. Bacharach and David wrote some amazing songs. Sinatra; Tony Bennett; Dusty; Matt Monroe etc...
Dancing Queen-Sugar Sugar---Crimsom and Clover-----Soupy Sales-------Walk Away Rene-----the song Peggy-O (by anybody)---America, from west side story--------Arabella ,(the Nice)-----
Hated Dancing Queen on release and still do, no change there. Sugar Sugar I can actually still listen to if it comes on, Crimson and Clover was decent.
@@richierugs6544 That one was sooooooo terrible. Also In the Summertime, Achy Breaky Heart (athough Cyrus did have some really good songs), Beleive by Cher
@@heather6668Sugar Sugar is the biggest number one song in 1969 according to Billboard. Not Come Together, not Something, not Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In (2nd biggest number one). Sugar Sugar is the biggest number one of 1969.
I read somewhere that Manhattan Transfer jacked it in because they were serious musicians who'd become stuck in a cocktail act. A couple of other great vocal groups that come to mind were Rotary Connection (With Minnie Ripperton) and the Fifth Dimension. I've got a few Barbara Streisand albums from the early '70s before she became a superstar. Marvellous stuff. That video was a hoot Andy, funny as hell in places. Loved the George Formby tribute.
How about The Monkees??? Really: "Pleasant Valley Sunday" -written by Goffin/King ""Some Time in the Morning" " " " " "Take a Giant Step" "Star Collector" -first use of a Moog in a commercial song (Mickey bought the 2nd one!) "You Told Me" "She" "Daydream Believer" . -O.K., I'm running out, what ever...
Hate to break it to you, but Mah na mah na isn't an original composition, but a cover of an old Italian ost track by Piero Umiliani about the sex lives of Swedes (the humans, not the vegetables). Beer, Vermouth & Gin on the same record does a similar scat-thing. Those old Italian osts and library records is a very deep but rewarding, hole to fall down....
... or up. Zappa made a triple album about sex with vegetables (Joe's Garage), but I think they were American vegetables, rather than Swedes, sorry, swedes.
Great list. With you on all of them. Bill Nelson is a George Formby enthusiast and even plays ukulele on some tracks, like “Señor Mysterioso” for example.
Singers Unlimited recorded 15 albums in the 70s to early 80s, originally released on the German MPS label. They recorded 3 "A Cappella" albums (plus their Christmas album which is also all a cappella vocals) - all are absolute gems! They recorded a fantastic album with the Oscar Peterson Trio called "In Tune" in 1973. Go check it out. Two members of Singers Unlimited - genius arranger Gene Puerling and Tenor Don Shelton were members of the incredible vocal jazz quartet from the 50s, The Hi-Lo's. The Hi-Lo's were a massive influence on Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), the Manhattan Transfer and, with the Singers Unlimited, just about every jazz/contemporary vocal group from Take 6 up to Pentatonix. So cool to see that they are one of your guilty pleasures. Andy, you need to take a deep dive into vocal jazz!
Forgot to mention "Fat Freddys Drop" from New Zealand, brought to my attention by my son who recorded their "Blackbird" album launch gig in London a few years ago. I love a long well crafted jam, and they do it so well
Mah-Nà-Mah-Nà borrows a snippet of the opening theme from Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén's 1903 work "Midsummer Vigil" (Swedish Rhapsody No 1). It also quotes a snippet of the main theme of the SVEZIA, INFERNO E PARADISO soundtrack itself, the vocal version of which is called "You Tried To Warn Me", sung by Lydia MacDonald. This was the B-side of the original Mah-Nà Mah-Nà single release. Piero Umiliani also did several other wonderful soundtracks, such as CINQUE BAMBOLE PER LA LUNA D'AGOSTO, LA RAGAZZA DALLA PELLE DI LUNA, IL CORPO, LA MORTE BUSSA DUE VOLTE and LA LEGGE DEI GANGSTERS, which includes the well known guitar piece "Crepuscolo sul mare". He was also the first Italian to bring jazz to film, in his collaboration with Chet Baker, which included the mysterious, melancholy cool jazz of the soundtrack SMOG (1962).
I really enjoyed that Andy and I think it could run and run with My Top Ten Guilty Pleasures II, III, IV etc. I'm sure you love Glenn Miller, The Bonzos, The Stranglers, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Pogues maybe even Kenny Ball - his Midnight in Moscow was a great tune. George Formby was the highest paid entertainer of his day. I'm sure you're a fan of Norman Wisdom too who was a friend of Rick Wakeman would you you believe. Norman's song "Don't laugh at me cause I'm a fool" is quite a tear jerker too as well as Kermit's nephew who was called Robin from memory. I'll finish with this little story. There used to be a famous music store on Oxford Rd in Manchester called Reno's and it was owned by a very persuasive man called Jim Reno who back in 1974 sold me a Tama dreadnought guitar. One famous person spotted in Reno's was the great Viv Stanshall who was wearing a long coat with flashing lapels. Pure class.
Martin Taylor has a good anecdote about Stéphane Grappelli being kicked out of Harrods after trying to buy some bed sheets. Like many French people speaking English he neglected his plurals, hence the mortified staff when Stefan announced "I want to buy some sheet! I WANT TO BUY SOME SHEET!"
Ha ha just woken up here in Japan and enjoyed the video. Never thought I would spend the morning googling George Formby and Muppets songs! Pure joy over a cup of coffee. 😂
Great video again , love your stream of consciousness. I agree with your choice of Doris Day and Calamity Jane. I still watch an episode of her on Johnny Carson just to thrill this old man.😂
The first songs that I learnt was George Formby. The banjolele that I now own I bought from the guy that had sold George Harrison one of George's banjoleles. There were pictures of them both through his house 😊. His father died of consumption and used to wear two suits whilst performing so that only the 1st one got soaked and so the audience could not tell.
I LOVE that you appreciate En Vogue. I am a fan of theirs AND Madness, AND Parliament, and so many things. Like the other commenter in here, I listen to everything that my ears like, no matter the genre. From Beethoven to the Germs to the Beatles to Alexander O'Neal to the Police, to Helga Schneider and Munchener Freiheit and Hans Zimmer.
Mike here, In the late 70's early 80's I worked in a couple of pretty well known recording studios in Hollywood as a door person; janitor and gofer. The first being Hollywood Sound Recorders and the other one Ocean Way Recorders where at one of the two (it was a long time ago but I think it was the first) "Manhattan Transfer" were booked for a week or so probably to overdub vocals but what I do remember for sure is that all four of them were the biggest chain smokers I've ever seen to that point in my life ( I hadn't been to China yet). Remember I had to clean up and no matter how hard I tried, they out smoked me. Ashtrays would be flowing over in no time and there would be butts all over the floor. I could hardly wait for them to leave back to New York. I really to this day can't figure how they can sing so like they do after seeing that.
Grew up listening to 80's metal, hard rock and prog, but I do love a well crafted pop tune. And the stuff I write myself tends to be a combination of all these genres... (though not necessariliy all that well crafted, haha, but I try). Yeah, some of the stuff I like could be considered cheesy, or even yacht rock at times, but I do recognise when there's talent, great musicianship and good arrangements involved. Even the worst 80's production can't ruin that for me.
I agree with you about Madness, I saw them live back in the very early 1980's (around the same time I first saw King Crimson in the early 1980s) and Madnessy were brilliant! Saw them again in the 1980's at Glastonbury Fest and again they put on a great energetic show. One of my older sisters used to play/got me listening to, Manhattan Transfer and the likes of Osibisa, to Rose Royce, Motown & Funk etc. My older brother was into Rock n' Roll, from Elvis & Little Richard to The Rolling Stones, The Faces, The Doors... PS, btw KC were incredible, and I'm still a big fan to this day ;-)
I love the Muppets- esp the house band - hey look, this cat can read the dots! :) My unabashed guilty pleasure is Kylie Minogue, particularly Les Folies Aphrodite, the live show in London. Spectacular and over the top, wall to wall sugary pop but she's gorgeous and just nails the show from start to finish. At least with Alison Krauss I can say "Hey, she's a real musician" :)
Nice collection. When my son was just old enough we would watch Sesame Street together. I felt it was cute and entertaining but the musical guests were incredible.
I can't double down enough on how great those 2 Muppet albums are. Cottleston Pie.. Tenderly..sound thats made by worms.. great covers like NY state of mind, and Mr. Bassman.. damn! Its also first place I heard... Might not go super platinum in hits, but I'd go nuts for a ranking all the songs/tracks from The Muppet Show / The Muppet Show 2. And now that I'm trying to turn this into a request line, would like to hear you do a mouth music version of Mahan Manah (featuring David Gilmour guitar solos). Could be the most epic thing ever. Too band Jamiroquai wasn't in right era to appear on the muppet show.
Broken Peach - a Spanish (mostly) covers band who put out some fantastic music videos. Their entire repertoire is great but their Halloween specials are something really special.
When I was 5 (a long time ago), my favourite song was "The Deadwood Stage" by Doris Day. Still love it to this day and never tire of watching the video, My other favourite tune at that age was "The flight of the bumble bee" by , as my granny called him, Rip Your Corsets Off.
Really interesting. You mentioned albums you inherited off your Dad. Well, try Live At Annies Room by Alan Haven and Tempus Fugit by Bud Powell, which I kept from my Dad's collection. Fantastic! Sorry but I never got Jamiraquai.. All the best!
Andy. I am enjoying this list. As you enjoy vocal groups take a listen to The Bobs. Great Accapella group with quirky humorous originals and covers of songs no one should Accapella (Helter Skelter, Whole Lotta Love and.much more.)
Rupert The Bear - Jacky (Jackie Lee) Blue Ridge Mountains Of Virginia - Laurel and Hardy Walk Tall - Val Doonican Barry Gray - Anything John Barry - Anything Johnny and The Hurricanes (everything) Joe Meek - Everything Singing The Blues - Guy Mitchell Marie Marie - Shakin' Stevens Theme to Return Of The Saint - John Scott
Good call re: En Vogue. They had some mega singles in the 1990s. My guilty pleasures are: many tunes by the Carpenters (RIP Karen), SOS and Chiquitita by Abba, Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band and Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon. I also quite like the Vengabus by The Vengaboys. 😃 Fond memories of dancing to that in a nightclub with a sticky floor back in 1999.
Glad to hear your comments on Doris Day! PS and cool re.: Manhattan Transfer. They had many good albums, doing of course the great songs (as Doris did)
Hi Andy. I am well aware that your "Five Songs That I Want At My Funeral ... and why" video is far in the future, but please remember to include "Half Way Down The Stairs" (inspired by the A.A. Milne poem btw I'm sure you're aware of that) by Robin from The Muppets. If I can make the event, and of course if I don't die first, I think that tune might just get me through. I'm sure it'll be a good turn out.
Music from Sesame Street in the 70s also great... '12' by the Pointer Sisters I used to think was FZ. Lower Case N. The Opposite Song. Wonderful. It was trippy to the point of being scary in parts too.
I have that Muppet album on vinyl. I'm glad someone else appreciates this album. It's clever and in a class of it's own. "Now this is where the song changes key, it's what we call, a modulation" - Rowlf explaining what he is doing while playing the piano during his rendition of, 'Cottlestone Pie' (by Winnie the Pooh) Absolute Genius!. "Tenderly" by Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, fabulous. And who could forget "Lady of Spain" by Marvin Suggs and his Muppaphone. Gonzo "Eating a tyre to the Flight of the Bumblebee" , another work of genius! So many great tracks on that album.
Todd Rundgren once dreamed he was producing Manhattan Transfer. And the song he heard in his dream was one of the best and most complex pop songs he ever came up with. It's called Waiting Game. Appears on his very good album Nearly Human. And it's a pleasure to listen to although not one bit guilty. He said later he was very proud to have been able to capture something like 75% of the song he had heard in his dream. I'm listening a lot these days to a french pop artist of my youth called William Sheller. Classicly trained guy. Master of pop hooks and arrangements. I don't know what british people would think about songs like "j'me gênerai pas pour dire que je t'aime encore", "Les filles de l'Aurore" or "Le carnet à spirale" but what I can say is I love maybe 20 of his songs as much as I love anything, and I do mean anything, by the Beatles or Queen. th-cam.com/video/oTVjKIFxUoA/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/fhJYuH8Dz0c/w-d-xo.html Rebel Yell by Billy Idol is very good.
I got my first record player for my 13th Birthday(well over 60yrs ago, gulp!) which gave me freedom from my Dads taste of stuff from musical theatre etc. I spent my Birthday money on 2 compilation albums, a Golden Guinea record entitled "Rythmn N Blues", featuring a list of names I hadn't heard of, but exotic sound names like Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and so on. Also an LP entitled "The Blues of T-Bone Walker". My motivation in buying them was the word "Blues" in the titles.... I'd heard a song on BBC Radio, The Light Programme one Sunday morning after church by someone called "Big Bill Broonsy", requested by a soldier based in Berlin. It started my lifelong joy is seeking out new musics. I saw The Zombies play live in my home town in the 60's, on the strength of hearing their version of Gershwins "Summertime"(Colin Blunstones sublime voice, and Rod Argents keyboard playing). It was Rod, Steve Winwood, and Georgie Fame who inspired me to take up piano and organ. To cut a long story short, I've gone deep into electronic and sampled music over the years, inspired in more recent years by Radiohead(who are not afraid to try something different), The Orb, and Four Tet. Do I feel guilty? Nope!
You've read my mind, once again. Madness - yes!! The piano and bass lines - far too skilled for their own good. Chas n Dave - first time I understood what "warmth from tape recordings" meant, was after listening to two of their albums on vinyl at my dad's. Brilliant musicians! Love all their stuff.. Muppets! Yes, I watched the Buddy Rich episode just 2 days ago. Pebble Mill at One. Remember that? They had Manhattan Transfer on ALL the time... Stewart Zender (spelling?) bass player for JK. Nuff said....
Always liked his early singles before Virtual Insanity. Back then the video was wow .but yeah, he and his band were talented. Like the tune that he did for Godzilla, better than the P Diddy / Jimmy Page duo
I'm mostly intonhard and heavy music but En Vogue is a geoup I admired. They could easily blow out of the water any entertainer/pop star currently in the charts; amazing vocal harmonies and presence.
It's funny, in my (dim and distant) memory George Formby's song "Leaning on a Lampost" includes an E and Am chord - but I just listened to it, and you're right - he just plays G and D.
I'd have to include The Carpenters. I wouldn't have in the 70's because they were completely uncool. In addition, don't know if they're a guilty pleasure because of their greatness, but I just absolutely love listening to The Platters.
No such thing as guilty pleasures in music... I listen to anything my ears like and never apologize for it.
Most things considered hip actually tend to be inferior to what is considered guilty pleasures. Because of people's obsession with image and political relevance, not to mention pioneering.
Duke Ellington once said "If it SOUNDS good-it IS good!"
Fun fact: Mah Nà Mah Nà,” composed by Piero Umiliani, debuted in the 1968 Italian film Sweden: Heaven and Hell, a documentary about sex and drugs in Sweden. You’re welcome.
We used to sing that one on my last job. Someone started often not thinking about it with “Mah Na Mah Na …” and the rest of us filled in “Do dooo do do do …”.
I saw that film in the cinema. It was a UK X-Certificate meaning you had to be 16 or over at that time. My mates and I weren't but managed to get in. Not sure how "real" it was but it certainly held our interest.
Animal, what a drummer!😊
I believe he was based on Keith Moon
@@markperry9427 Yup, he was!! People used to tell me I looked like Animal when I played!
The baddest of them all :)
British jazz drummer Ronnie Verrell did Animal's drumming.
@@fredo1070 that is true. One of my uncles played trumpet in a big band with Ronnie Verrells in the late 40's
"Turned out nice for bumming again!" I keep getting this channel recommended and find it oddly hypnotic. In fact, I watch it so often I might as well subscribe.
So rare I come across anyone who knows Pipkins and yes Hartley Hare was the most moth-eaten puppet in the history of television
my name's pig and I eat cake...
The most therapeutic, confessional TH-cam retro hug ever. ❤️
Andy, dear Andy, this is not your 4th video with Madness. All your videos contain lovely madness. Madness makes the world go round. But not too much are we will be thrown off. En Bogud was one of my guilty pleasures. Thank you for reminding me. Free our minds, Andy.
Nobody makes the world go round, because it doesn't.
Make no apologies when listening to Doris Day, she was such a bright shining star. Marilyn Monroe had nothing on her, absolutely nothing. She was the embodiment of 20th century American greatness. She rose above the sliminess of the film and music industries; she walked off movie sets, checkmating directors like Hitchcock who did not question the abhorrent abuse of animals used in film. She became a philanthropist for animals and HIV. At the time of her death, she insisted there be no funeral service and no tombstone or grave. An amazing human possessing immeasurable talents-we should have cloned her 1000x over.
YES, Doris Day!!! She's one of the greatest singers ever. No auto-tune or pitch control in those days! You had to record and sing it in one take. Thanks for putting her on your 'guilty pleasures' number 1 spot Andy!
Fun fact. All The Muppets episodes were filmed at Elstree studios in the UK, and the British version was slightly different to the USA version in that it included the music and songs, typically at the end of the show.
Considering Madness a guilty pleasure is like saying YES is a guilty pleasure.
I’m not guilty about anything I like.
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - They recorded some of the greatest duets of the 1960s
ABBA - Cheesy, but brilliant in every way.
The Xanadu soundtrack - ONJ meets ELO.
Petra Haden’s a capella albums. She freaking sings all the instrumental and vocal parts of Frame by Frame. The GOAT!
Disco - All the hits. Can’t dance for squat.
ABBA isn't cheesy at all, it's timeless music. People see the 4 of them and allow that to influence what they hear. It's absurd.
Ya, ABBA ain’t cheesy. Even many of the hard rockers secretly love them .
ABBA is not a guilty pleasure or cheesy. They were once considered one in the 80s but even their critics from the punk scene later had to admit that Benny and Björn's songwriting was abslolutely brilliant. And they could do all kind of styles. Listen to Chess , that is one of the best musicals ever composed.
@@Kuesel68 There was an article in Musician magazine - later 70s or early 80s featuring a conversation between Robert Fripp and Joe Strummer. They both attested to the greatness of ABBA. Made me look beyond my preconceived notions.
Kudos for the Muppet mention, Rainbow Connection always hits the spot
Half Man Half Biscuit are fans of George Formby. They also like Nick Cave. They did a Formby/Cave tribute with the song Mr Cave's A Window Cleaner Now, which was never released on an album but is available on YT. Well worth a listen.
Genius from the Wirral delta. 'See That My Bike is Kept Clean' and other priceless classics.
In no particular order:
ANDY Stewart (A Scottish Soldier - Green Hills of Tyrol);
ANDY Williams (Music To Watch The Girls Go By);
Petula Clark (Downtown);
Roger Miller (King Of The Road); and
The New Vaudeville Band (Winchester Cathedral).
My favourite Manhattan Transfer character was the old bloke with the hat and scarf.
My taste is basically all guilty pleasures.
Rockabilly
Western Swing
Doo wop
Hot jazz
Early 60s dance crazes, girl groups and ear candy such as Skeeter Davis doing ‘I Can’t Stay Mad at You’.
Oscar Levant once said that he knew Doris Day before she was a virgin.
Calamity singing 'Whipcrack Away' in leather chaps and a coonskin hat had a powerful effect on this nine year old.
Huh? I don't geddit.
@@chernobylcoleslaw6698 He was suggesting that Doris Day's image as the good, clean, wholesome 'girl next door' was fake.
@@trevorhoward2254 ahh. Thanks
Speaking of the Muppets, The Rainbow Connection was the favourite tune of a friend of mine who passed away in January of this year. I can't hear that song without crying. Rest in peace, Ker-bear ❤
Are we not entertained? Yes we are! Great list Andy - especially your tip of the hat to Doris Day. 100% one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century 🤩👌
ABBA. I absolutely love them. The singing from the ladies, the songwriting of Bjorn and Benny. You can hear influences from The Beatles and The Beach Boys in their music. Also, nods to musicals and Broadway type stuff...on a few occasions they also kind of rocked:) Wonderful!
It's weird he never mentions them... Pretty much best pop group ever.
@@Asdwer1 I did hear him mention them once, but only in passing. But I do recall he didn't disparage them. Just listed them among others who had albums in the charts during a certain period. Maybe he'll one day do a deep dive into their discography. (yes I'm a lifelong ABBA fan)
Benny is absolutely brilliant.
To write profoundly in a second language is staggering to me, the lyrics of Waterloo when you look close are brilliance, the lyrical scan so satisfying , anyone involved with songwriting can only stand in awe
@@Asdwer1 Absolutely. Not to mention that they won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton England in 74 and were a huge act in the UK from at least 76 to 82:)
Doris should NOT be a guilty pleasure. What an amazing talent. SUPERB actor, too. Even the light comedies, she was so spot-on. As a singer, WOW! Also had a great love for animals and did so much to help them. And she was my first crush when she had her own TV show. Fell in love with her bangs. Wanted to marry her -- like a few million other men. Her son, Terry Melcher, was a great pop producer and song writer. Talented guy!
Superb, as always!!
Doris Day, yes! Jamiroquai I even saw live in the 90s. Madness were one of the coolest bands in the 80s. I was introduced to Barbra Steisand with the film and especially music of Yentl. As a teen I cried listening to this beautiful voice, it was enchanting. And the Muppets... well, I WAS a fan as a kid and they introduced me to a lot of artists. Most of the jokes I only got when I was rewatching it as an adult but well, what is there more to say than Mana Mana!? Brilliant!
Andy Edwards...
boom tish - andy style
Yes, watching Andy videos has become a guilty pleasure for many of us I suspect. I can hear wives and partners all over the country grumbling 'Are you watching that half-wit Edwards on TH-cam again ? You're not sitting round here all day'.
Yeah, but I created a guitar solo to Andy's Drums and that is not cheating...
I am a prog rock-jazz fusion nerd guitar teacher and i I love Madness! Greetings from Frankfurt Germany. 🤪
Thanks Andy
19:17 for those of you outside of the UK when Andy says he met Dave Howell? the other day it is Spar not Spa. Spar is a small convenience store similar to 7/11 in US or IGA in Australia. Having said that I may be totally wrong and he may have bumped in to him at the local Spa which would be a totally different story 😂
Doris Day...ha!!! Bloody great choice. So, i'm a bit older than you Andy, and i can remember watching her movies as a little boy/young teen, and boy did i have a crush on her! Lol. I loved everything about het. She was the complete package...smart, beautiful, great voice and acting skills, and someone you could picture hanging out with having a great time. Love your show Andy!
When it's about female voices, my sweetspots are Dionne Warwick, Karen Carpenter and Jessye Norman, to name a few....
In my early teens I remember hearing the Carpenters. As a surly heavy/prog rock fan I pretended not to like the Carpenters.
I didn’t really appreciate how good Karen Carpenters voice was back then.
I have a good HiFi system and I love to sit down and listen to Karen’s amazing voice. ✨✨✨✨✨
@@Ess_Bee56Superb production, too.
Whitney Houston, and yes Karen Carpenter
Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66. Lani Hall. What a babe.
My dad had 2 albums when I was a kid. I learned a lot about the romantic myth from these albums, which actually set me up for major failures a bit later. Doh.
Cinnamon and Clove still sends me gooey
My number one guilty pleasure: Matt Monroe. After my parents passed away, the only CD i kept from their collection was The Brst of Matt Monroe.
I think I've loved the guy since i was six or seven and my dad took me to see Born Free, whst a song and then add to that the most perfect driving song ever, On Days Like These from the Italian Job, i will always have loads of time for Matt Monroe ❤️🎵❤️
Many inspired choices.
My "Manhattan Transfer" guilty pleasure is Wall Street Crash
En Vogue, Madness and Muppets also tremendous choices.
George Formby I can understand the appreciation (did see him referred to by several of my favourite comedians through the years), but he's the ultimate English (not British) nostalgia
Both Streisand (before she got insuffarable) and Doris Day were quite walking the line for a while with playing some very independent women (What's up doc, Glass bottom boat, etc.). And of course Streisand's duet with Donna Summer is one of the disco classics and probably the best sung one.
Baccara -Yes sir, I can boogie
The Trashmen -Surifn bird
Paul Mcartney - No more lonely nights
Adam Ant - Puss n Boots
All Saints - Pure Shores
Take That - Back for Good
Brian and Michael- Matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
Keith West and Mark Wirst -Grocer Jack (Excerpts fom a teenage opera)
Simon Dupree -Kites
Berlin - Take my breath away
Great list. What they have in common, is whether they are gauche, cringey or cheesy, they are all quality songs. Well written and performed
"No More Lonely Nights" has Eric Stewart (10cc) on guitar...in the VIDEO, that is, it's DAVID GILMOUR on the actual recording!!!One of the greatest things Eric never played!!
No More Lonely Nights is a great song
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound morphed into Gentle Giant. Kites is a great song.
@@roydemarais Why do people often spell David Gilmour's name incorrectly?.
Awesome list and with Doris Day at number one! Great choice! What an artist!
Yep, Doris Day. Just a stunning human being. I have some 50's vinyl. Yep, Manhattan Transfer are superb. Streisand's flagging career was saved with her Stoney End (1971) album, the title track by Laura Nyro giving Streisand a Billboard No.6 hit - all 3 singles off the album were Nyro songs. Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 - the best grooving melodic pop song of all time: Mas Que Nada. Sophisticated, great harmony and what a groove.
Laura Nyro's own album "Eli & the 13th Confession" is one of my 15 alltime favorite albums.
@h.m.7218 Yep. It's my favourite. Cheers.
still think the middle 8 in House of Fun is absolute genius.
great picks Andy, some I didn't know, have to look them up, probably be on TH-cam - and only just realised that I have not subscribed - and I thought you were one of the first! Better late than never! Doris Day seemed wholesome but underneath I think she was a bit of a goer- know what I mean - nudge, nudge, wink, wink, to quote Python! My favourite girl singer: Ronnie of Ronnie and the Ronnettes.
For me:
Wake Me Up (before you go-go) by Wham!
Hated it as a kid, but now it brings a stab of nostalgia so deep I nearly cry. It takes me right back to growing up on the beaches of Cornwall in the 80s. I can actually smell the sun tan lotion and the chips soaked in salt and vinegar. I can hear the sounds of waves, seagulls and arcade machines.
Blue by Eiffel65.
Want it played at my funeral. For many different reasons.
Spaceman by Babylon Zoo.
Yes, I know it is cringy but for me it is another nostalgia thing. Takes me back to being a young adult in the 90s. Wow, those were good times...
I have many more guilty pleasures, but as I get older I stop feeling the guilt and enjoy the simple pleasure of using these songs to embarrass my kids in the car with the stereo turned up and the windows down.
Marvellous! 😂
I think the instrumental Muppets Show theme is by Piero Umiliani and features Alessandro Alessandroni's vocal group. I recommend anyone go down an Alessandro Alessandroni / Italian Library music rabbit-hole.... There is so much great instrumental music there.
Turned out nice again. Where's me washboard?
Nah Ma Nah was a worldwide hit before it was on the Muppets. I remember it as a little kid in Australia several million years ago.
oh my God, Doris Day I have absolutely been a fan of her since I was a kid. I love her movies. I love her singing, and I even loved her TV sitcom in the 1960s. I am a big fan of en vogue but I like many of the Neo R&B acts of the 1980s and early 90s like Johnny Gill, Jodeci LA baby face Brenda Russell Anita Baker, Jody Watley . The guilty pleasure of mine it’s listening to the Alvin and the chipmunks Christmas albums the animated cartoon characters been into that since I’m six years old. I wanted to you to the fact that Manhattan transfer- did a brilliant album in the 1990s called t’TONIN’’ -and that featured guest stars like Bette Midler and Bette Midler and the transfer recorded song song by my mentor and song collaborator- Lou Stallman’swritten great hit. ‘It’s gonna take a miracle’ which was originally done by the Royalettes- but then covered by Laura Nero, [annd later Deniece Williams]- and it’s an absolutely sensational version check out that album. I think it also has James Taylor and perhaps Ray Charles before he died , and ‘tonin’’isgreat smooth jazz by Manhattan Transfer-great show, ,,, and to you and yours, and all of Great Britain-a happy Thanksgiving from the states
One of the great things about getting older is you don't really care anymore if something is classed as a guilty pleasure. Someone mentioned the Carpenters in the comments. The purity of Karen's voice. If something like Goodbye To Love or We've Only Just Begun doesn't move you you're beyond help. Before Chanson D'amour came out Manhattan Transfer had a minor hit with their vocal version of Tuxedo Junction. My mun had a Glenn Miller album and I remember recognising the tune. I love the track Watta Man by Salt n Pepa featuring En Vogue, such a funky groove. One song I love that I suppose could be classed as a 'guilty pleasure is Just A Little Bit More by Liberty X, professional help is being sought. No wonder you like Pipkins Andy, Pig was a Brummie wasn't he. If you want a really traumatic experience check out what the original Bungle from Rainbow looked like. Absolutely terrifying, there are probably adults with thousand yard stares still in therapy after seeing it as kids. The horror, the horror.
Went to the Albert Hall back in the day, because we wanted to see Labi Siffre, and he was supporting The Carpenters. It turned out to be a great evening all round...
A lot of 'middle of the road' stuff is fantastic. The Carpenters were brilliant. Bacharach and David wrote some amazing songs. Sinatra; Tony Bennett; Dusty; Matt Monroe etc...
Speaking of the Carpenters, I'm not a big fan of Mr Guter, but Karen's drumming on that song is amazing. It makes up for the awkwardness of the lyrics
This was lovely
Dancing Queen-Sugar Sugar---Crimsom and Clover-----Soupy Sales-------Walk Away Rene-----the song Peggy-O (by anybody)---America, from west side story--------Arabella ,(the Nice)-----
Hated Dancing Queen on release and still do, no change there. Sugar Sugar I can actually still listen to if it comes on, Crimson and Clover was decent.
@@heather6668 yummu yummy yummy--lol
@@richierugs6544 That one was sooooooo terrible. Also In the Summertime, Achy Breaky Heart (athough Cyrus did have some really good songs), Beleive by Cher
@@heather6668Sugar Sugar is the biggest number one song in 1969 according to Billboard. Not Come Together, not Something, not Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In (2nd biggest number one). Sugar Sugar is the biggest number one of 1969.
I read somewhere that Manhattan Transfer jacked it in because they were serious musicians who'd become stuck in a cocktail act. A couple of other great vocal groups that come to mind were Rotary Connection (With Minnie Ripperton) and the Fifth Dimension. I've got a few Barbara Streisand albums from the early '70s before she became a superstar. Marvellous stuff. That video was a hoot Andy, funny as hell in places. Loved the George Formby tribute.
How about The Monkees??? Really:
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" -written by Goffin/King
""Some Time in the Morning" " " " "
"Take a Giant Step"
"Star Collector" -first use of a Moog in a commercial song (Mickey bought the 2nd one!)
"You Told Me"
"She"
"Daydream Believer"
.
-O.K., I'm running out, what ever...
Hate to break it to you, but Mah na mah na isn't an original composition, but a cover of an old Italian ost track by Piero Umiliani about the sex lives of Swedes (the humans, not the vegetables). Beer, Vermouth & Gin on the same record does a similar scat-thing. Those old Italian osts and library records is a very deep but rewarding, hole to fall down....
... or up. Zappa made a triple album about sex with vegetables (Joe's Garage), but I think they were American vegetables, rather than Swedes, sorry, swedes.
Great list. With you on all of them. Bill Nelson is a George Formby enthusiast and even plays ukulele on some tracks, like “Señor Mysterioso” for example.
Singers Unlimited recorded 15 albums in the 70s to early 80s, originally released on the German MPS label. They recorded 3 "A Cappella" albums (plus their Christmas album which is also all a cappella vocals) - all are absolute gems! They recorded a fantastic album with the Oscar Peterson Trio called "In Tune" in 1973. Go check it out. Two members of Singers Unlimited - genius arranger Gene Puerling and Tenor Don Shelton were members of the incredible vocal jazz quartet from the 50s, The Hi-Lo's. The Hi-Lo's were a massive influence on Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), the Manhattan Transfer and, with the Singers Unlimited, just about every jazz/contemporary vocal group from Take 6 up to Pentatonix. So cool to see that they are one of your guilty pleasures. Andy, you need to take a deep dive into vocal jazz!
The Muppet Show introduced me to Alice Cooper
And Elton John.
The bloke on the Muppets was the best jazz drummer in London. I’m an Aussie pro musician and that guy was mustard!
Great list Andy, can I add to this 'Tijuana Christmas' by Tijuana Brass, and 'Nancy & Lee' by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - both superb albums.
Forgot to mention "Fat Freddys Drop" from New Zealand, brought to my attention by my son who recorded their "Blackbird" album launch gig in London a few years ago. I love a long well crafted jam, and they do it so well
Darn you Andy. Now I have to admit I like Barbara Streisand too. Her song "Evergreen" is sublime also.
It doesn't get more guilty than Annette Funicello's Hawaiiannette album for me. Rock on, Andy.
Oh just remembered Showaddywaddy - brilliant live
Mah-Nà-Mah-Nà borrows a snippet of the opening theme from Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén's 1903 work "Midsummer Vigil" (Swedish Rhapsody No 1). It also quotes a snippet of the main theme of the SVEZIA, INFERNO E PARADISO soundtrack itself, the vocal version of which is called "You Tried To Warn Me", sung by Lydia MacDonald. This was the B-side of the original Mah-Nà Mah-Nà single release. Piero Umiliani also did several other wonderful soundtracks, such as CINQUE BAMBOLE PER LA LUNA D'AGOSTO, LA RAGAZZA DALLA PELLE DI LUNA, IL CORPO, LA MORTE BUSSA DUE VOLTE and LA LEGGE DEI GANGSTERS, which includes the well known guitar piece "Crepuscolo sul mare". He was also the first Italian to bring jazz to film, in his collaboration with Chet Baker, which included the mysterious, melancholy cool jazz of the soundtrack SMOG (1962).
I really enjoyed that Andy and I think it could run and run with My Top Ten Guilty Pleasures II, III, IV etc. I'm sure you love Glenn Miller, The Bonzos, The Stranglers, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Pogues maybe even Kenny Ball - his Midnight in Moscow was a great tune. George Formby was the highest paid entertainer of his day. I'm sure you're a fan of Norman Wisdom too who was a friend of Rick Wakeman would you you believe. Norman's song "Don't laugh at me cause I'm a fool" is quite a tear jerker too as well as Kermit's nephew who was called Robin from memory.
I'll finish with this little story. There used to be a famous music store on Oxford Rd in Manchester called Reno's and it was owned by a very persuasive man called Jim Reno who back in 1974 sold me a Tama dreadnought guitar. One famous person spotted in Reno's was the great Viv Stanshall who was wearing a long coat with flashing lapels. Pure class.
Martin Taylor has a good anecdote about Stéphane Grappelli being kicked out of Harrods after trying to buy some bed sheets. Like many French people speaking English he neglected his plurals, hence the mortified staff when Stefan announced "I want to buy some sheet! I WANT TO BUY SOME SHEET!"
Ha ha just woken up here in Japan and enjoyed the video. Never thought I would spend the morning googling George Formby and Muppets songs! Pure joy over a cup of coffee. 😂
Great video again , love your stream of consciousness. I agree with your choice of Doris Day and Calamity Jane. I still watch an episode of her on Johnny Carson just to thrill this old man.😂
The first songs that I learnt was George Formby. The banjolele that I now own I bought from the guy that had sold George Harrison one of George's banjoleles. There were pictures of them both through his house 😊.
His father died of consumption and used to wear two suits whilst performing so that only the 1st one got soaked and so the audience could not tell.
I LOVE that you appreciate En Vogue. I am a fan of theirs AND Madness, AND Parliament, and so many things. Like the other commenter in here, I listen to everything that my ears like, no matter the genre. From Beethoven to the Germs to the Beatles to Alexander O'Neal to the Police, to Helga Schneider and Munchener Freiheit and Hans Zimmer.
Duran Duran. The high school me would’ve been embarrassed by this.
Quite right too! I'm embarrassed to even say the name 😉
Mike here, In the late 70's early 80's I worked in a couple of pretty well known recording studios in Hollywood as a door person; janitor and gofer. The first being Hollywood Sound Recorders and the other one Ocean Way Recorders where at one of the two (it was a long time ago but I think it was the first) "Manhattan Transfer" were booked for a week or so probably to overdub vocals but what I do remember for sure is that all four of them were the biggest chain smokers I've ever seen to that point in my life ( I hadn't been to China yet). Remember I had to clean up and no matter how hard I tried, they out smoked me. Ashtrays would be flowing over in no time and there would be butts all over the floor. I could hardly wait for them to leave back to New York. I really to this day can't figure how they can sing so like they do after seeing that.
Speaking of stairs I used to love when Dean Martin climbed the stairs crooning a latest hit then came down a fireman's pole on The Dean Martin Show.
Grew up listening to 80's metal, hard rock and prog, but I do love a well crafted pop tune. And the stuff I write myself tends to be a combination of all these genres... (though not necessariliy all that well crafted, haha, but I try).
Yeah, some of the stuff I like could be considered cheesy, or even yacht rock at times, but I do recognise when there's talent, great musicianship and good arrangements involved. Even the worst 80's production can't ruin that for me.
Hartley Hare looked more like something from Jan Svankmejer than the Muppets
Fukcing hell, I haven't heard of Jan Svankmejer in donkey's years
Wow, I didn’t know Doris Day did stuff like the jazz album with André Previn.
Loving this.
I agree with you about Madness, I saw them live back in the very early 1980's (around the same time I first saw King Crimson in the early 1980s) and Madnessy were brilliant! Saw them again in the 1980's at Glastonbury Fest and again they put on a great energetic show.
One of my older sisters used to play/got me listening to, Manhattan Transfer and the likes of Osibisa, to Rose Royce, Motown & Funk etc.
My older brother was into Rock n' Roll, from Elvis & Little Richard to The Rolling Stones, The Faces, The Doors...
PS, btw KC were incredible, and I'm still a big fan to this day ;-)
I love the Muppets- esp the house band - hey look, this cat can read the dots! :) My unabashed guilty pleasure is Kylie Minogue, particularly Les Folies Aphrodite, the live show in London. Spectacular and over the top, wall to wall sugary pop but she's gorgeous and just nails the show from start to finish. At least with Alison Krauss I can say "Hey, she's a real musician" :)
The trick is to not feel guilty about anything you like.
If you like Kiss you definitely should feel guilty.
@@poliziagrammaticale9430 I love that first Kiss album and will play it forever. They’ve devolved beyond self parody.
Nice collection. When my son was just old enough we would watch Sesame Street together. I felt it was cute and entertaining but the musical guests were incredible.
Thank you for the singers unlimited tip. I love their beatles interpretations
I can't double down enough on how great those 2 Muppet albums are. Cottleston Pie.. Tenderly..sound thats made by worms.. great covers like NY state of mind, and Mr. Bassman.. damn! Its also first place I heard... Might not go super platinum in hits, but I'd go nuts for a ranking all the songs/tracks from The Muppet Show / The Muppet Show 2. And now that I'm trying to turn this into a request line, would like to hear you do a mouth music version of Mahan Manah (featuring David Gilmour guitar solos). Could be the most epic thing ever. Too band Jamiroquai wasn't in right era to appear on the muppet show.
Broken Peach - a Spanish (mostly) covers band who put out some fantastic music videos. Their entire repertoire is great but their Halloween specials are something really special.
When I was 5 (a long time ago), my favourite song was "The Deadwood Stage" by Doris Day. Still love it to this day and never tire of watching the video, My other favourite tune at that age was "The flight of the bumble bee" by , as my granny called him, Rip Your Corsets Off.
Really interesting. You mentioned albums you inherited off your Dad. Well, try Live At Annies Room by Alan Haven and Tempus Fugit by Bud Powell, which I kept from my Dad's collection. Fantastic! Sorry but I never got Jamiraquai.. All the best!
Andy. I am enjoying this list. As you enjoy vocal groups take a listen to The Bobs. Great Accapella group with quirky humorous originals and covers of songs no one should Accapella (Helter Skelter, Whole Lotta Love and.much more.)
Rupert The Bear - Jacky (Jackie Lee)
Blue Ridge Mountains Of Virginia - Laurel and Hardy
Walk Tall - Val Doonican
Barry Gray - Anything
John Barry - Anything
Johnny and The Hurricanes (everything)
Joe Meek - Everything
Singing The Blues - Guy Mitchell
Marie Marie - Shakin' Stevens
Theme to Return Of The Saint - John Scott
I've seen you quite animated before but this here...tops. Good on you, never has a list had the Muppets, Madness and Doris.
Good call re: En Vogue. They had some mega singles in the 1990s.
My guilty pleasures are: many tunes by the Carpenters (RIP Karen), SOS and Chiquitita by Abba, Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band and Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon.
I also quite like the Vengabus by The Vengaboys. 😃 Fond memories of dancing to that in a nightclub with a sticky floor back in 1999.
Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band is one of my top 10 best ever singles.
SOS by Abba is the only palindrome hit single by a palindromic band.
Glad to hear your comments on Doris Day! PS and cool re.: Manhattan Transfer. They had many good albums, doing of course the great songs (as Doris did)
Hi Andy. I am well aware that your "Five Songs That I Want At My Funeral ... and why" video is far in the future, but please remember to include "Half Way Down The Stairs" (inspired by the A.A. Milne poem btw I'm sure you're aware of that) by Robin from The Muppets. If I can make the event, and of course if I don't die first, I think that tune might just get me through. I'm sure it'll be a good turn out.
Music from Sesame Street in the 70s also great... '12' by the Pointer Sisters I used to think was FZ. Lower Case N. The Opposite Song. Wonderful. It was trippy to the point of being scary in parts too.
I have that Muppet album on vinyl. I'm glad someone else appreciates this album. It's clever and in a class of it's own.
"Now this is where the song changes key, it's what we call, a modulation" - Rowlf explaining what he is doing while playing the piano during his rendition of, 'Cottlestone Pie' (by Winnie the Pooh) Absolute Genius!.
"Tenderly" by Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, fabulous. And who could forget "Lady of Spain" by Marvin Suggs and his Muppaphone. Gonzo "Eating a tyre to the Flight of the Bumblebee" , another work of genius! So many great tracks on that album.
Todd Rundgren once dreamed he was producing Manhattan Transfer. And the song he heard in his dream was one of the best and most complex pop songs he ever came up with. It's called Waiting Game. Appears on his very good album Nearly Human. And it's a pleasure to listen to although not one bit guilty. He said later he was very proud to have been able to capture something like 75% of the song he had heard in his dream.
I'm listening a lot these days to a french pop artist of my youth called William Sheller. Classicly trained guy. Master of pop hooks and arrangements. I don't know what british people would think about songs like "j'me gênerai pas pour dire que je t'aime encore", "Les filles de l'Aurore" or "Le carnet à spirale" but what I can say is I love maybe 20 of his songs as much as I love anything, and I do mean anything, by the Beatles or Queen.
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Rebel Yell by Billy Idol is very good.
I got my first record player for my 13th Birthday(well over 60yrs ago, gulp!) which gave me freedom from my Dads taste of stuff from musical theatre etc. I spent my Birthday money on 2 compilation albums, a Golden Guinea record entitled "Rythmn N Blues", featuring a list of names I hadn't heard of, but exotic sound names like Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and so on. Also an LP entitled "The Blues of T-Bone Walker". My motivation in buying them was the word "Blues" in the titles.... I'd heard a song on BBC Radio, The Light Programme one Sunday morning after church by someone called "Big Bill Broonsy", requested by a soldier based in Berlin. It started my lifelong joy is seeking out new musics. I saw The Zombies play live in my home town in the 60's, on the strength of hearing their version of Gershwins "Summertime"(Colin Blunstones sublime voice, and Rod Argents keyboard playing). It was Rod, Steve Winwood, and Georgie Fame who inspired me to take up piano and organ. To cut a long story short, I've gone deep into electronic and sampled music over the years, inspired in more recent years by Radiohead(who are not afraid to try something different), The Orb, and Four Tet. Do I feel guilty? Nope!
You've read my mind, once again.
Madness - yes!! The piano and bass lines - far too skilled for their own good.
Chas n Dave - first time I understood what "warmth from tape recordings" meant, was after listening to two of their albums on vinyl at my dad's. Brilliant musicians! Love all their stuff..
Muppets! Yes, I watched the Buddy Rich episode just 2 days ago.
Pebble Mill at One. Remember that? They had Manhattan Transfer on ALL the time...
Stewart Zender (spelling?) bass player for JK. Nuff said....
Great music-hall walk there, dudemeister...
☝️😎
P. S. Jamiroquai ROOL!!
Jamiroquai isn't a guilty pleasure, they're f ing brilliant. I've seen them 4 times.
Brilliant live ....Cosmic Girl 12" version is still awesome .👍
Always liked his early singles before Virtual Insanity. Back then the video was wow .but yeah, he and his band were talented. Like the tune that he did for Godzilla, better than the P Diddy / Jimmy Page duo
Absolutely - seen them a few times, and they are awesome live! Hope they are working on new material....
@@NealMurfitt I just can’t do it with Jamiroquai. It’s dumb, but I can’t get past the hat.
I have 4 Jamiroquai albums always liked them 😊 nothing to be guilty about 😊
Muppet Show not only had great music, but one of the greatest TV Shows of all time! Great movies too!
Afternoon Delight by the Starlight Vocal Band.
I'm mostly intonhard and heavy music but En Vogue is a geoup I admired. They could easily blow out of the water any entertainer/pop star currently in the charts; amazing vocal harmonies and presence.
Another thing we differ on is I'm not too keen on funny in music. I do enjoy a bit of humour, like in Leonard Cohen, but not straight up joke music.
It's funny, in my (dim and distant) memory George Formby's song "Leaning on a Lampost" includes an E and Am chord - but I just listened to it, and you're right - he just plays G and D.
Calamity Jane is one of my all time favourite films. My secret guilty pleasure I’m ashamed to admit is Boney M. 😂
Barbara Strisand had a phenomenal voice. I went to see the movie at the theater back in the day. I was 19 years old.
Saw that film in cinema too - think I was 14 or 15 - looooooooooooooooooong time ago. Loved it and have it in my DVD collection
Oh yes for the Manhattan Transfer. After Janis Siegel's lead on Ray's Rock House, she should be an Honorary Raelette.
I'd have to include The Carpenters. I wouldn't have in the 70's because they were completely uncool. In addition, don't know if they're a guilty pleasure because of their greatness, but I just absolutely love listening to The Platters.
The perfect voice of Karen Carpenter ❤