Tape 1

So here are the rules if you wish to join in:

·         You can use any Vinyl, cassette, CD, minidisk or any other format of music

·         You have to list every song!  No matter how embarrassed you are about it, every song must be listed

·         Try and put song title and artist down, if this is not possible please put a line or two of the song on so people can find it themselves if they wish.

·         As much as you can write any feelings, thoughts or memories that this song brings to your for front.  If nothing comes, just list the song

·         Try and do this as often as you can, personally I hope to do a tape a day, this means that it should take me a year.  It all depends on what time I have.  I may have to multiple posts some days to make it fit.  As I know I am going away for a long weekend soon and will have no internet access.

So I am now listening to the first tape I ever made.  This was around 1987 when I received my first stereo (or as we fondly called them Gettoblasters).  I was so happy when I got it.  It had two cassette players and a radio with of course built in speakers.  CDs where unheard off at this point.

Side A
So the first song we come across is Adams Groove by MC Hammer.  This was the title song for the film Adams Family.  He was an interesting person, with the baggy pants and ‘You can’t touch this’.  My question is: Does anyone remember the cartoon? I used to watch it on a Saturday morning (possibly a Sunday morning) along with Little Shop of Horrors, Bill & Ted and I’m sure there are other early morning cartoons that went with that.

Never Stop Me by Sonia.  I obviously liked this song, although for the life of me I don’t know why.  Shows how my tastes have changed over the years.  Sonia was a ginger singer from Liverpool or was it Manchester.  I don’t remember now and I don’t care enough to look it up.  Years later Sonia would go on to do a song for the Eurovision contest called ‘Better the devil’.  She didn’t win.  For those of you who don’t know Eurovision Song Contest please go look it up now.

Harlem Desire by London Boys.  This is an amazing song, in fact I do believe I write about this song in one of my first ever entries on this blog.  I still love this song.

I have a snippet of Abide With Me by Vic Reeves, all of about five seconds.

We then move on to a world record. Everything I do, I do it for you by Bryan Adams.  Everyone remembers this song.  It was around for forever and a day.  When this song first came out I was constantly taping it off the radio.  As the weeks and months went on I started to develop a real distaste for this song, which lead me to taping over the song on a lot of my tapes.  This is one surviving copy, although I suspect that I was taping over something else but I am not sure what song.  Turns out is was Abide With Me by Vic Reeves.  Years later I actually get my hands on the album this comes from.

Can’t stop this thing we’ve started by Bryan Adams.  And here starts a fascination with Bryan Adams’ music.  What more can I say about that.

Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Taylor.  I now own two possibly three versions of this song by various different people.  I still love this song, but when I listen to this song I always imagine the scene from Short Circuit 2 when Johnny 5 is going after the bad guy, Oscar.  I love the short circuit films.

The next song is a song I used to have copies of on a lot of my tapes but then got bored of listening to it, started cringing when I heard it so I taped over it.  Now I wish I hadn’t because I can’t even find an MP3 version of this song and I would really like a copy.  The Motown Song by Rod Stewart. I don’t really like Rod Stewart but I do like this song, there is just something about it that grabs me.  This is definitely one of my ‘I can’t believe I have a copy of and used to like’ songs.

Happy Together by Jason Donovan.  I don’t care what anyone says I still love Jason Donovan.  I have copies of most of his albums, but would love to get my hands on Mp3s of all his albums and singles.  The first Vinyl I ever bought was 10 good reasons by Jason Donovan, and I still have it to this days.  I have seen Jason at the Theatre on two occasions, on many years ago.  Once as Frank‘n’Furter, in The Rock Horror Show and as Mitzy in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Missing Your Love by Jason Donovan.  I need Mp3s of his songs!

I have the introduction to a song which I have obviously taped over.  No idea what it is though but I do like the intro.  Shame I can’t put the intro into google and find out what song it is.  I suppose I could record the intro onto my comp and up load it onto my blog…. I’ll see what sort of time I have.*

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel.  Billy Joel is a talented artist.  I have his best of album which I bought whilst living in community.

Come Outside by Bruno and Liz and Sam and Frank.  This song was done for Children Need.  It’s not bad.  Bruno Brookes, Liz Kershaw, Samantha Fox, Frank Bruno

Don’t Ask Me by Public Image Ltd. This song is the strangest song I have ever heard especially the ending, but I can’t help but love this song.  If you ever get the chance you should listen to this song.  You have to listen to it to get it.  One of the best endings ever.

Man not a boy by Chesney Hawkes.  I loved Chesney Hawkes when I was younger, again I have his album somewhere on one of my later tapes.  A copy of a copy of a copy.  He was on of the first pin ups I had on my bedroom wall.  I used to know this guy who looked like him.  He was 16 and I was 9.  He was lovely!  No idea what this guys name is these days.  I don’t think I cared back I just cared that he looked like Chesney.  For those who don’t know Chesney he did the song ‘I am the one and only’.

Side B
I love to hate you by Erasure.  I think this was the first ever Erasure song I ever heard.  This started my love of Erasure and in fact I do own a number of their albums including their early best off album.  I know they pop there head up every now and then, but they are certainly not in our face as they used to be.  Which is a shame we could do with more groups like Erasure in our midst.  Some good clean fun.

I Think I Love You. This is a song I love the lyrics of.  The way the singer sings it is nice, but I do have other copies of this song.  The partridge family and Me First and The Gimme Gimmes.  I often thought of this song, when I was thinking of S. Sometimes it would go through my head when I was with him.

Live Your Life Be Free by Belinda Carlisle. This is a wonderful song from a singer who has an amazing voice.  I don’t think I have ever heard a song of hers that I disliked.  She is one of those 80s singers who always appears if you go clubbing on an 80s theme or with a cheese theme.

So Here It Is Merry Christmas by Slade.  So Christmas is a coming.  It’s amazing to think now that songs like this just annoy me but back in the 80s I couldn’t get enough of them.

A clip from a song ‘Love will see you through’ which are the only lyrics I can here.  Possibly Kim Appleby’s Mama

Baby It’s You by Hawk and Wonder. I have no idea if this is the real song title is or the singer or why I taped it.

Better The Devil by Kylie Minogue.  I have to admit that I loved Kylie’s early stuff but the new her stuff the less I like it.  It just get ridiculous and most of it’s not really singing it’s all synthesises and stuff.  Most people think that this song is the same song that Sonia did for the Eurovision Song contest but it’s not.

Martika’s Kitchen by Martika. Still love this song. ‘The table is set, the oven is hot, baby when we get started we’ll never want to stop’.  Who can’t love a line like that!

Diamonds and pearls by Prince. It’s not a great song which is why I have maybe 30 seconds of it.

Don’t talk just kiss by Right Said Fred. There is something wonderful about this song.  Most people know them for the song ‘I’m too sexy’.  Again I have their album somewhere, an actually copy which I bought for 50p from a charity shop.  Radio reception is bad and the song if fuzzy in places.  It then clears up so I obviously moved to dial or the arial.

Peace by Sabrina Johnston.

I Am The One And Only by Chesney Hawkes.  When I first got this album I was living in community and had to go shopping so I put this album on.  When I got back this song was blaring out of the car and the cook at the time thought it was so funny.  Shook my hand and told me I was great.  It was a good day.

Twist and Shout by Deacon Blue. Awesome song.  Don’t know what else I can say about this song.

Black and White by Michael Jackson.  Used to like this song so I would assume it will turn up time and time again.  These days I’m not a MJ fan.  Thriller was a good album, and The Jackson 5 where good.  Other than that I couldn’t care about MJ’s music.

Love’s Unkind by Sophie Lawrence. Must have been and 80s thing, because I have to day I’m not a huge fan of this song these days.

Just Another Dream by Cathy Dennis

*After listening to the intro for a while and listening to what the DJ was saying I worked out that it was Cold Cold Heart by Midge Ure, who used to be a member of Ultravox.  He's a good singer, but what I love if that as he sings there is a northen/scotish twang to his voice.  Brilliant!

tags: music  memories