Five Plus 1! Another batch of six inspiring tracks that appeal to me.

Another six songs that are appealing to me at the moment. Some of the past and some more recent. Hope you like them. Do comment if you get a chance.


1.

A wonderful rendition of Disney Girls by Bruce Johnston from the British TV show Old Grey Whistle Test. With a slightly sleepy 'Whispering' Bob Harris in the background.


2.

Very rare clip of lead vocals my Tom Jones with the wonderful C, S, N & Y and the great song 'Long Time Gone' circa 1969


3.
Yes a girl with a lampshade on her head but a song worthy of much praise. Duran Duran came back with some serious new songs. This is one of them.


4.

Don't hate me folks but I do like this along with cricket legend Geoff Boycott. It's a good song and it's a moving video -  good message especially in this crazy world where kids half the time have no idea what is going on! And it has had 257 Million views. Oh the royalties......
5.

The legendary Nat King Cole. Had to add some Christmas cheer.


Plus 1! (6)

Royalty!!

Five Plus 1! Six tracks that have me on the edge of my seat. Or rather helping me chill out. (wk#13)

Six more tracks this week that have a certain Bohemian element about them. Hope you enjoy a blast from the past. Thanks to brother Ian for spinning some seriously brilliant music way back then and right now!


1

Totally far out. Great era in music. This typified the time.



2

Beautiful. The Byrds and the film. What an era. What songwriting. What voices. What else?


3

A wonderful album and an amazing artist. Thanks to my brother Ian for his wonderful music education. This was played on rotation during my youth!


4

Sometimes music is painfully beautiful. Music creates an emotion that gets locked in time. The musicianship of these guys was second to none.


5

How good is this? Amazing string arrangement.



Plus 1!

Probably one of the greatest voices! Effortless but with such pure emotion.

Five Plus 1! 6 tracks for the weekend! A weekly blog of tracks that I am currently vibing to. (wk#12)

Time for another six tracks. Really feel like some Madonna this week. Is it possible to have Madonna and Delius in the same playlist?



1

Always led from the front and this sees her return to her fun and sexy side. Tongue firmly in cheek but having great fun at the same time. Cool track


2

Way back with this one. Great cross over track. Great to be re-introduced to real percussion. Even if the drums are not!


3

One of the great composers. Delius and the truly divine 'On Hearing The First Cuckoo in Spring'


4

Can you imagine this was just a B-side?


5

Had to do it! Used to have this on an 8 track cartridge!


Plus 1!

Stunning track from guitar legend Robin Trower. Blues meister . I have this track as a kid. Still does it for me.

Five Plus 1! Six tracks that have made an impression on me. Each and every Friday (ish) (wk#11)

I am always getting excited by new music. Some of which is not new but I am just discovering it. Sometimes via one of my music students, music colleagues, or friends, family... even foes. They all count. Music is often life changing. It can really affect you in an amazing way. I am blessed to have music as a hobby and a job. What joy. Here are a few tracks that I'd like to share this week. Any suggestions or recommendations do let me know. Love and peace.

1 Glorious. Hungry Ghosts from Australia I believe. Love the unison (at times) violin and accordion.

2 I really can not listen to enough of The Pierces. Saw them at Bush Hall in London back in the summer. This is from one of their earlier albums. Darker and more poignant but also love their new music. Massive talent.

3 Since I was a nipper I've loved Kate Bush. Haven't got my head around the new album yet but this one really moved me. Stunning song. Stunning voice. Epic in a fragile and innocent way.

4 Strange one this. Sometimes the secret of a good song is to make it sound like loads of other tracks without anyone being able to name them. I think this is one of them. Quite trippy video as well!

5 Loved this guys music and of course his beard for many years. Wonderful.

Plus 1! Ok, Ok, Ok don't judge me. This is superb. Don't care what you say. She is still the pop princess.

Five Plus 1! Six tracks that I want to share with you! Each and every week! (wk#10)

Another six tracks folks that I have loved or do love or still echo in my mind years later.

1 Fragile and breathless. Underwater, other world beauty. Thanks again to Jamie for introducing me to this!

2 Everything has already been said about this track and of course Nick Drake. So far ahead of it's time we still haven't caught up. Stunning strings to boot.

3 Them were the days.

4 Still sounds wonderful. Pretty much everything that Prince has ever done sounds wonderful!

5 Completely beautiful. Song and artiste.

Plus 1! Another blast from the 80's. This lesser known but amazing outfit created some of the coolest, lush and quirky pop songs of the period.

Five Plus 1! More tracks that I am grooving to (wk#9).

A real mix of music again this week. More songs and artists that I sincerely love and some tipped my way by some of the young music students I have. Thanks guys!

1. Truly breathtaking as far as I am concerned. Thanks to Jamie yet again for a top tip!

2. The superb Brooklyn based Body Language! Thanks Jackson for the heads up!

3. How great and how timeless is this?

4. Sanam Marvi is too good. A formidable singer and talent. What a performance.

5. Sometimes music is so good that you just don't want to share it. Some weird sense of selfishness can easily overcome you. Well I won't let that happen. this is prefect in all senses.

Plus 1. From before Prince and after - right up to their film music these gals are inspirational. Funky!

Five Plus 1! Each and Every Friday. Another host of tracks that I seem to like. (wk#8)

A real mix of music again this week. From Emilee Boyce who hails from my hometown to the wonderful Natasha Atlas.

1. New Romney lass from my hometown. Good song. Promising artist.

2. The Black Atlantic - Fragile Meadow. Just like this for some reason. I guess there is a fragile meadow around every country lane.

3. Saw The Pines in Camden last year. Was a joy. Nice guys had a drink after the show with them. They were heading to Scotland after the London show. It was cold, cold, cold.

4. Natasha Khan - Great songstress and wonderful version of the beautiful Daniel.

5. Stunning song and film. One of the first Indian films that I watched and really remained with me. Great score as well. This song is sung by Asha Bhosle featuring the beautiful Rekha. The colour and depth of the cinematography is superb.

Plus 1. Music doesn't get much better than this. Stunning track from Natasha Atlas' recent album on Six Degrees Records.

Five Plus 1! - 6 Tracks that I'm playing right now. (wk#7)

More tracks that I am finding inspiring, exciting or just downright mindlblowing. What says you?

1
Hailing from the North East of England these guys are pure cinematic pop infused glory.

2
Yes it is a cover and the video is inspired by the looks of the original but hey this is a great cover. Love it all over. Shows what even a greater song it is. And the singer Birdy is 15. yikes.

3
First saw Joanna Newsom in 2004 when I interviewed her. Beautifully fragile yet imposing armed with just a harp. Just a harp?

4
So beautiful this track hurts me. Bjork is a legend.

5
Dreamy vibes from Helsinki based Husky Rescue.

Plus 1! More Scandanavia! Painfully beautiful track. Ft the vocals of Karin Dreijer Andersson. Glorious.

Five Plus 1! - 6 Tracks that I am diggin' right now! (wk#6)

Another bunch of tracks that I have loved for years or that are intriguing me at the moment.
1
There are songwriters and then there is Brian Wilson and family. A completely stunning song and great rendition. Thanks to my dear brother for playing the Beach Boys morning, noon and night when I was growing up as a kid. I never got bored!

2
Just love this and really like the vid.

3
Really reminds me of China Crisis. That's fine they were/are fabulous.

4
Just stunning all round. Great gals, cars, the desert and great music. Saw them at Bush Hall a few months back. Great live. Love 'em. One more for the road here

5
Not really my scene but I really like this track. Heard it at the gym! Great melody and I like the lyric " Do we chase the rabbit into wonderland?"

Plus 1!
A real gem. Loved these guys growing up in the late 70's. Mind blowing.

Five Plus 1 - 6 tracks that I love (wk#5) This week I look at music from the movies

This week I thought I would reflect on some of the special film scores that have been made over the years. To choose just 6 is pretty much impossible so I'll do this once a month. The six I have chosen have all affected me and in fact infected me in a positive way as a composer myself. Very grateful for the amazing directors around the globe who give composers like myself the opportunity to score great films with great soundtracks. It's just the beginning for me but am blessed to have already scored 5 features to date with more lined up for 2012.
Anyway I digress. Here are six of my faves.

1

Some people love this, some people hate it. I guess that's life. Here Hans Zimmer uses a few notes to create a superb score. This video features the live performance of the track Time from Inception at the premiere in the US.

2

Ennio Morricone's stunning score of the beautiful and exquisite film Cinema Paradiso. Not much to be said. It's all in the music and the film.

3

Louis Bacalov's score to the incredible Il Postino is sublime. For me anyway. A truly heart warming yet tragic film.

4

La lengua de las mariposas (Butterfly Tongues) I loved this film and it's poignant relationship between an inspiring school teacher and a young boy. Superb music by Alejandro Amenabar.

5

Maybe I am a bit slow on the uptake on this guy but Osvaldo Golijov is my new fave. Stunning score for a stunning film by the maestro Francis Ford Copolla

6

Another favourite is the Brazilian composer Antonio Pinto. He has scored some wonderful films including Behind the Sun, Motor Cycle Diaries and Central Station. This I believe but was scored for the film Collateral which I haven't seen but this piece is indicative of his dense string, melodic and emotional style.

7

Hold on! Hold on! Yes 1 more does not add up to 6! Well I can't help myself. Instead of holding this back for next months here's one for luck. The insanely superb Clint Mansell (along with Mogwai for this track!) and Darren Aronofsky team up again in this tripped out beauty The Fountain. Thanks to Sajiv in Bombay for the tip.

Five Plus 1 - 6 tracks that I love. Each and every Friday (Wk#4)

A random but loved selection of six tracks each and every Friday. Some have been posted by friends on facebook, music students, some I have loved for years, some are new and some are very old. All seem great (to me). Thoughts?

Oh and this week I have made a note of who has shared this with me or where the inspiration to post has come from.
I really wanted to keep it all Female artists this week but I had to slip in some Stones albeit performing 'Angie'. Oh and Brazilian Girls does have the wonderful Sabina Sciubba as lead vocalist.

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First heard this track as a kid. I had a CBS compilation which had this track on it. Strange how all these years later it still sounds damn good. What a talent she was.
2


Thanks to Jamie (one of my guitar students) for sharing this (and many other great tracks) with me. Fabulous track. Fabulous voice!
3

What can said about Nico? Crazy. Crazy Cool. I bought this album as a kid on an exchange trip to Germany. Stunning album. Stunning track.
4


Again a distant but strong memory as kid learning guitar, playing and hearing this stunning and delicate Stones song.
5


Thanks to playwright and radio presenter Craig Avery for this one. The very talented Christina Coronel.
Plus 1


Wonderful band - Great songs - Very eccentric. And a video with more Fez wearers than you can shake a fez at. Including a Monkey in a Fez! I remember spending a crazy time back stage in a box room at the Cobden Club with these guys. Madness!!

Five Plus 1 - 6 tracks that I love. Each and every Friday (wk#3)

Hope you enjoy this latest bunch of tracks. Some from my childhood/youth, some shown to me by friends and also facebook buddies. Do comment if you feel inspired!


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Five Plus 1 - 6 tracks that I love. Each and every Friday (wk#2)

Sometimes songs have mad memories, sad memories and sometimes they are tracks that just won't get out of your head. These are few tracks that have good memories and those that are just hanging out in my head at the moment.


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Plus 1

Five Plus 1 - 6 tracks that I love. Each and every Friday

Five Plus 1 - 6 tracks that I love. Each and every Friday

A random but loved selection of six tracks each and every Friday. Some have been posted by friends on facebook, some I have loved for years, some are new and some are very old. All seem great (to me) thoughts?

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P l u s 1