Hello world!

You may call music your first love, like John Miles did mid of the 1970s or you may see music as a princess like Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout did in 2009.

Whatever music is for you … it is a good reason to have a blog for

March 2010 … half a year later …
Sometimes it is good to be enthusiastic, but sometimes you should also realise that the days has just 24 hours and there are other blogs and web sites to „fill“ … so most probably music is not my first love

But it can be a princess sometimes … for sure.

So what to do with a blog that is empty? … just fill it.

Since I do not have enough time to write long articles I decided to put in some YouTube-Videos of songs I really like …

Tim Simenon, the producer

In the last post on Bomb the Bass’ song „Winter in July“ I stumbled upon Tim Simenon and checking the English version of Wikipedia about I found various songs I have liked for years, not knowing that there was Simenon behind as well. Not as the performing artist, but as the producer.

So far, I did not really think about the importance and the influence of the person producing a song, but Simenon’s work proved it. I just make a list with songs that somehow inspired me … I think it is a similar attitude or impact of the sound that got to me and to many other listeners I guess.

So here we go … a short list of songs I like and – as I now know – have been produced by Tim Simenon …

Neneh Cherry – „Manchild“ (1988/89)

Seal – „Krazy“ (1991)
The „Krazy“ remix by Tim Simenon and Trevor Horn on the CD single of „Crazy“

Björk – „Play Dead“ (remix, 1993)
(I could’nt find the Simenon version on YouTube,
but this live version sounds quite close to it … and live is even better, I guess )

Sinead O’Connor – „You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart“ (1994)

Gavin Friday & Bono – „In the Name of the Father“ (1994)
(I have no idea, whether there is an official video,
but since it was not a single there wouldn’t be one, I guess)

Gavin Friday – „You, me and World War III“ (1995)

Depeche Mode – „Barrel of a Gun“ & „It’s No Good“ (1996)
(there are almost no official videos anymore on YouTube, so I just found some parts of the songs and a video-with-live-version that is quite good, too … and here we go, the official version with the Simenon mix of „It’s No Good“ is still on YouTube)

July in April ? … Bomb the Bass’ „Winter in July“

Some songs are coming back every year … might be due to its title like „Last Christmas“ or any song about summer or any other season.

And some songs come just when they wanna come to me, like „Winter in July“ by Bomb the Bass. One may remember „Beat Dis“ and some other very influential songs of BTB mastermind Tim Simenon or his work for Depeche Mode’s album „Ultra“ (1996), but for me „Winter in July“ is one of the most outstanding, quite next to „The Air that you Breathe“; might be influenced by the amazing voice of Loretta Heywood … who by the way also wrote the lyrics of the song. The music was written by Tim Simenon and Guy Sigsworth who later on formed the pop duo Frou Frou with Imogen Heap.
Besides, both songs – „Winter in July“ & „The Air that you Breathe“ – can be found on the album „Unknown Territory“ (1991).

An acoustic version of „Winter in July“ is also featured on Heywoods solo album „The Boy across the Road“.

Most videos are not available anymore on YouTube, so there will be some live versions and self-made videos. But interestingly – by checking YouTube – I just realised that „Winter in July“ was also sung by Sarah Brightman.

Bomb The Bass feat. Loretta Heywood
… live at „Top of the Pops“ in 1991

Acoustic Version of Loretta Heywood
… see also MySpace site of Loretta Heywood

Sarah Brightman’s version
… featured on the US version of her album „La Luna“ (2000)

Bomb The Bass … „The Air that You Breathe“

And last but not least … Depeche Mode’s „Only when I lose Myself“,
the single mix was produced by Tim Simenon

Just Be Good To Me …

„Black“ and „white“ Music are simply the best when mixed together … in the end we all come from the same Great Soul

Here is one of my favourite Soul titles … the S.O.S. Band and „Just Be Good To Me“, a song from 1983.

Maybe some people remember the 1990′s cover version of Norman Cook‘s (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) project „Beats International“ … „Dub Be Good To Me“

Al Bano and Romina Power, Roland Kaiser, Riccardo Fogli

I assume it was one of my first favourite songs I heard on the radio. When I was 7 years old the Italian couple, Al Bano and Romina Power (daughter of US actor Tyrone Power), sang „Felicita“ (happiness, felicity). Italian music was not only quite popular in Italy but also in both parts of Germany, and also countries East of Germany.

I can’t remember if it might have been the appearance of Mrs. Power that might have made me inspired by this song … but definitely it is a good one and even today I like to listen to it.

Another hit I liked to hear was „Liberta“ (1987), maybe influenced by the fact being behind a wall („The Iron Curtain“), somehow.

Maybe some years earlier, I liked to listen to Roland Kaiser‘s „Santa Maria“. I may have not understood the Italian lyrics of Al Bano & Romina Power, but Kaiser’s lyrics about a girl that becomes a woman (at least I understood something like that) were quite interesting to me, aged 6 or 7.

Unfortunately Sony Music Entertainment has blocked any video of „Santa Maria“ on YouTube Germany … but outside of Germany this one shall be possible to watch.

And even 30 years later, in 2009, Roland Kaiser is obviously still a big magnet … as you can see in this video of a concert in the city I live in, Dresden.

Another Italian singer, Riccardo Fogli, got out of my mind for quite some years but when I heard this song in 2010 again I remembered it immediately … „Storie di tutti i giorni“.

And just some minutes ago I found a version of 2008, with members of the Italian group Pupo and Al Bano … and sure, Riccardo Fogli.