Monica Törnell – Big Mama (1986)

Monica Kristina Ingeborg Törnell, born 3 June 1954 in Trönö Parish, Hälsingland (Gävleborg County), is a Swedish singer and songwriter.

After being discovered by Cornelis Vreeswijk in 1971, she was for two decades a prominent singer in several genres, mainly show tunes and rock. Together with Lasse Holm, she sang Sweden’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in Bergen, Norway in 1986. In 2017, she released Understanding Eye, her first album in 25 years.

She is the mother of Tobias (born 1973) and Mattias Törnell (born 1980).

Big Mama is a 1986 music album by Swedish singer Monica Törnell. The disc is dedicated to Tobias and Mattias (her children).

The recording was produced and arranged by Janne Schaffer for Earmeal Production AB and Monica Törnell for Mica Production except Ensam med dig vid ett fönsterbord produced by Thomas Folland and Monica Törnell and Vem tänder alla ljusen produced by Anders and Hans Nordmark. Engineered by Leif Allansson in Sonet Studio 3 except Vem tänder alla ljusen recorded by Anders and Hans Nordmark in J.A.M. Recording Studios, London, Ensam med dig vid ett fönsterbord recorded by Erik Olhester and Leif Allansson, Sista steget kvar recorded by Leif Allansson and Jan Ugand in Sonet Studio 1 and 3 and Atlantis. The disc number is Air Music AIRLP 1019. Also released as a music print Air Music AIR 979 (1986).

The album features British singer Steve Marriott (known from the groups Small Faces and Humble Pie) as a guest artist. Big Mama was his name for Törnell, which gave the album its name. In the same year (1986), the single Mellan roderna (Kom till mig)/Du måste så för att få skörd (AIRS 035) was released. (wikipedia)

This is an interesting pop album … Monica Törnell has a great voice, but the album – typical for the 80s – is unfortunately overproduced … that’s a particular shame with the song ‘’I Just Want to Make Love to You” (featuring Steve Marriott on vocals !).

Personnel:
Sam Bengtsson (bass)
Hector Bingert (saxophone)
Thomas Folland (guitar, slide guitar)
Henrik “Hempo” Hildén (drums)
Erik Häusler (saxophone)
Henrik Janson (guitar, background vocals)
Mats Karlsson (synthesizer)
Per Lindvall (drums)
Peter Ljung (synthesizer)
Björn J:son Lindh (flute)
Kettil Medelius (piano)
Anders Nordmark (synthesizer)
Hans Nordmark (synthesizer)
Hasse Olsson (organ)
Magnus Persson (drums,
Svante Persson (piano, synthesizer)
Janne Schaffer (guitar, guitar synthesizer)
Chris Taylor (drums)
Bror Törnell (guitar)
Monica Törnell (vocals)
Christian Veltman (bass)
Clarence Öfwerman (organ, synthesizer)
+
background vocals:
Matts Alsberg – Micke Andersson – Douglas E. Lawton – Kay Söderström
+
Steve Marriott (vocals on 03.)

Tracklist:
01. Ett liv (som du, som jag…) (Wikström) 4.18
02. Du bara leker med mig (Kellgren/Flink) 5.46
03. I Just Want to Make Love to You (dedicated to Alex Harvey) (Dixon) 4.59
04. Mellan raderna (kom till mig) (Gessle) 3.49
05. Sista steget kvar (Beyond The Rain) (Jenkins/ClarkGessle) 4.21
06. Drömmar (Wickman) 5.05
07. Andens hus (Schaffer/M.Törnell) 4.20
08. Vem tänder alla ljusen (H.Nordmark/A.Nordmark) 4.33
09. Du måste så för att få skörd (You Have To Hurt) (King/Musker/Rönnblom/M.Törnell) 4.58
10. Ensam med dig vid ett fönsterbord (de Wolfe/Hansson) 4.25

* (coming soon)
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In 1986 Steve Marriott & Packet Of Three had two gigs in Uddevalla Sweden, afterwards there was a party for Steve and the band.

At this gig and party Steve met the Swedish singer Monica Törnell,later on in Stockholm they sang a duet on her record Big Mama.

When she met Steve,she was so excited,that she hugged him and lifted him up in the air and Steve said Big Mama.

She found this very funny and named the album Big Mama. (Rebecca-Dandelion Zilliacus  )

The now deleted official website:

Dilba – Same (1996)

Dilbahar Demirbağ (born 24 November 1971), known as Dilba, is a Swedish pop singer of Kurdish background. Her first album Dilba (1996) reached commercial success.

Dilba was born in Kirvan, a village in eastern Turkey, and her family is ethnic Kurd. She immigrated to Sweden when she was only four years old, where she grew up in Karlstad and Uppsala. She has four siblings: Dilşa, Dilnarin, Dilber and Assan.

Dilba was introduced to the piano as early as when she went to kindergarten and is also self-taught in the guitar. She started her career as a DJ and she has also worked as a backup singer for the Swedish pop singers Jennifer Brown and Eric Gadd.

In 1996, Dilba released her debut album Dilba together with the single I’m Sorry. All the lyrics of the songs on this album were written by herself, just like the music. The album was a success, and she was awarded with a Grammy and the Aftonbladet prize Rockbjörnen. The album sold more than 100,000 copies in Sweden.

After a successful summer tour in 1997, it took two years until she released her second album You & I in 1999. It was rewarded with five plus by Aftonbladet and over all great reviews by the critics and sold gold over 20,000 copies in sweden.

Dilba’s third album Revolution was released in March 2003, along with the single Every Little Thing, which was a success on the radio. In 2005, Dilba composed the song Miracle, which became the theme score for the Swedish television’s TV-series Kommissionen. Also, during the autumn of 2005, Dilba had regular live performances at a club in Stockholm.

Dilba participated in Melodifestivalen 2011, the Swedish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. She competed in the first semi-final on 5 February 2011 at Coop Norrbotten Arena, Luleå with the song “Try Again” (Pettersson/Sonnvik) but she did not qualify for the next round. The song however became an instant hit, went straight to iTunes number one and Digilistan’s second place. An EP of Try Again also followed.

In 1998, Dilba met pop singer Martin Svensson at a party, and they later married in the summer of 2000. A divorce was filed in 2002.

In July 2007, Dilba was detained from boarding a plane to the United States after joking that she had some planes to bomb.

Dilba also starred in Let’s Dance 2008, but was voted off the show.

Her sisters are dancer Dilnarin Demirbag and journalist Dilsa Demirbag-Sten. (wikipedia)

In 1996, Dilba released her debut album Dilba together with the single I’m Sorry. All the lyrics of the songs on this album was written by herself, as well as the compositions. The album was a success, and she was awarded with a Grammy and the Aftonbladet prize Rockbjörnen.

The album was sold by more than 100,000 copies in Sweden.After a successful summer tour in 1997. (www.aaemusic.com)

It´s music …

It´s Pop music …

It’s music from another planet …

Personnel:
Dilba (vocals, guitar on 04., piano on 09.)
Martin Jonsson (drums)
Sven Lindvall (bass)
Mattias Thorell (guitar)
Kristoffer Wallman (keyboards)
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Ilhan Ershain (saxophone on 02. + 10.)
Eric Gadd (programming on 01. – 03., 08. – 10.., guitar on 06. 07., bass on 07., keyboards on 08.)
Jonas Hellborg (bass on 11.)
Eddie Henderson (trumpet on 02.
Pål Svenre (piano on 05., 07. + 10.)
Bill Warell (vibraphone on 02., 05.)
Klas Wikberg (programming on 03., 09.)
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background vocals:
Suzanne Mosson – Biti Strauchn – Caron Wheeler – Vinx

Tracklist:
01. Keep A Promise (Heimer/Dilba) 3.43
02. Raindrops (Dilba) 4.31
03. I’ll Catch A Star (Dilba) 3.28
04. I’m Sorry (Dilba) 3.27
05. Not Directly (Dilba) 3.38
06. Peaceful Place (Dilba) 3.19
07. Could It Be (Dilba) 3.05
08. Passion (Dilba) 3.32
09. No Room For Love (Dilba) 3.59
10. Last Call (Dilba) 4.03
11. We’ll Stay (Dilba) 5.00

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Lin – Gradient (2023)

Now I want to be modern again

L I N (Linda Bender) connects synthetic sounds with organic ones. Synthesizer & drum pad meet guitar and voice, culminating in a sound, that interfaces somewhere between electro and pop. L I N is an explosive live artist, trying to give light pop music a deeper meaning, that keeps just the right distance to the abyss

5 in 1. drums, synthesizer, guitar, bass and vocals. LIN is more than a solo artist, LIN is a solo band. From footswitches, cables, loop station and her instruments, the Berliner*in has built a cockpit for her music, with which she creates an stunning sound. Genre-wise somewhere between electro and pop: spherical, multi-layered, detailed and intense.
After a debut EP in 2020 and numerous acclaimed club and festival shows, LIN will release her debut album “Gradient” on September 1, 2023 on the Berlin-based label ListenRecords (including CATT, Charlotte Brandi, A Tale Of Golden Keys).

The songs are not only energetic and danceable but also explicitly political. In her lyrics, the queer artist* stages a world in which socially made norms are broken and set anew. “We need new norms” is what LIN demands in the opener “Queer Lover” – right away with the album’s first breaths and thus sets the framework for the following 31 minutes.
The second song “Fight Girl” is without a doubt written THE song for any sporting event of the future – how fitting that the Women’s World Cup is taking place this year! With a good dose of empowerment, it is a rousing pop song inspired by LIN’s childhood soccer experiences, that didn’t always make a young girl feel like an equal.
The following “Call Me What You Want” directly continues the socio-critical thread and continues in the dance mode: It is a declaration of war against all those who restrict the realities of queer people’s lifes with their binary value system. The song changes the perspective and does not present queer people who move outside cis-heteronormative structures as the “problem”, but those who want to defend this norm at all costs: “Do you really need a border, that makes me cross a line? To put things back to order – just so YOU feel fine”.
“TPIP (the private is political)” is an almost compelling resulting statement. The song titled in such a way adds a calmer moment to the album for the first time: It comes along almost spring-like-relaxed.

On the one hand, LIN sings about the love for her partner in “TPIP” and on the other hand, she calls for political struggle against any form of fascism. The song was written during a stay on the island of Lesbos in the vicinity of the burned refugee camp Moria in February 2021.
The catchy “Chameleon” is the fifth song on the album that invites you to sing along and represents LIN’s further development since her debut EP, both musically and in terms of content – while “Colours” was still very much about the possibilities of life perspectives, LIN sounds much clearer and more aware of her own self-positioning now: “I cannot change my colors I am what I’ve become”.

With “Ablution” LIN opens the picture level of “Gradient” – a song like a film, it could hardly be more impressive. No wonder that there is also an impressive video here, for which no more and no less than the fight against and the smashing and overcoming of the patriarchy was choreographically staged.
The following “Bold” nestles up to this pictorial force. In calm waters, LIN shows her flair for great melodies and the goosebump moments that come along.
Supposedly the following “Atlas” takes up this thread, but then blends into a dreamy summer evening song and exudes the appropriate floral scent. The flora image in the song addresses the personal responsibility of people for mother earth in the wake of climate change.
Towards the end of the album, LIN makes the connection to her outstanding live show. Every moment of the build-up song “Seven Sisters” feeds the image of the it ending in great ecstasy on stage and in the audience. Like the momentum of a spherical wave, with energy spreading in concentrical circles, LIN fuels her audience. Just a solo band.

Not my kind of music … but this album still has many magical moments.
And … she is strictly against racism … Compliments !

Personnel:
Lin Lin (all instruments, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. 01. Queer Lover (Lin/Adam) 2.35
02. Fight Girl (Lin) 3.02
03. Call Me What You Want (Lin) 2.44
04. TPIP (The Private I Political) (Lin) 2.54
05. Chameleon (Lin/Jahn) 3.22
06. Ablution (Lin) 4.21
07. Bold (Lin) 3.31
08. Atlas (Lin/Jahn) 3.29
09. Seven Sisters (Lin) 5.13

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The official website:

 

Molly Nilsson – Imaginations (2017)

Molly Lilly Maria Nilsson (born 14 December 1984) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and musician. She is the owner of an independent record label, Dark Skies Association, founded in 2009. As of 2004, Nilsson resides in Berlin.

Nilsson is from Stockholm; she was born in Gröndal and grew up in Södermalm, in a non-musical family. Both of her parents were communists. She has described her father, a graphic designer, as her “biggest fan”.

In school, Nilsson had some piano lessons and a punk rock band with friends, where they “played a little bit”, but mostly “just hung out”. Growing up, she listened to a lot of 1970s punk from the United Kingdom. As a teenager, she sometimes worked as a DJ.

She began her creative pursuits in comics and writing. Soon she began experimenting with a friend’s keyboard and transitioned from visual media into songwriting.

Nilsson moved to Berlin to pursue music. She worked in the cloakroom of Berlin nightclub Berghain, while saving money to write songs on weekdays.[6] She released her first album in 2008 titled These Things Take Time, which she released on CD-R with just 500 copies. In 2009, she released another self-produced album, Europa. Nilsson gained more visibility in 2011 when her song “Hey Moon” from These Things Take Time, was covered by John Maus for his album We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves. After releasing another album, Zenith, in 2015, Nilsson began a world tour.

Nilsson produces and performs her music on her own, though she co-releases much of her music on Dark Skies Association and Glasgow’s Night School Records. Nilsson’s style features minimalist arrangements of synthesizers and drum beats and is often categorized as dark pop or lo-fi synth-pop. She cites solitude as a necessary and important part of her creative process. During live performances, Nilsson often sings over a CD of her own work.

One of Nilsson’s heroes is Polish socialist Rosa Luxemburg, the subject of Nilsson’s song “Obnoxiously Talented”. In an interview with Tribune magazine, she said: “[A]part from her work and legacy, I’ve really developed a relationship with Rosa Luxemburg on a human level. It’s great to find people in history who can give you an example of what’s possible, or how you can live your life, or what you should strive for.” Nilsson’s album Extreme (2022), was released on the date of Luxemburg’s death, 15 January.

Imaginations has been noted to be critical of neoliberalism, capitalism and the political landscape of 2017. For example, the song “Money Never Dreams” has been referred to as an “anti-greed anthem”. Nonetheless, the album has been described as having an optimistic outlook. Nilsson acknowledged that the album’s “tone seems more political”, but that it is also “very personal” at the same time.

Imaginations was released on vinyl, CD, cassette tape, and as a digital download on 26 May 2017. The album was originally set to be released in January 2017, but it was delayed. (wikipedia)

With her 2015 album Zenith, Molly Nilsson began the process of opening up her homemade synth pop style to make it sound bigger and more expansive, like she was singing for the world, not just herself and a small batch of devotees. Unlike many who take a similar step, she managed to keep the things (smart melodies, her world view, and voice) that made her good intact instead of losing them in the rush to expand. Imaginations is the second step in the process and it’s just as steady as the first one. The music is basically Zenith in slightly nicer clothing, with brighter synths, more deluxe-sounding drum machines, and an overall vibe that’s just a bit more wide screen.

The lyrics have a more worldly feel and seem to take into account the things she saw and experienced on a very long tour that took her all over the globe. She sings of love and adventure in ever more confident tones, her deep voice becoming more expressive with each record. The melodies, too, are very evocative and rich, with lush instrumentation that nods to the traditions of synth pop without being bound by a need to stick to them. Some may miss the lo-fi, kind of cheesy sound of her first recordings, but fans of lush and emotionally rich synth pop will find Imaginations very pleasing. Nilsson has found the sweet spot between intensely personal music and universally understood pop; hopefully, she will stay there and keep making albums this good for a while. (by Tim Sendra)

In other words: I´m very impessed  !

Personnel:
Katja Navarra (saxophone)
Molly Nilsson (all other instruments)
Sean Savage (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Tender Surrender 3.57
02. Let’s Talk About Privileges 4.03
03. Mona Lisa’s Smile 3.10
04. Memory Foam 3.45
05. American Express 4.34
06. Money Never Dreams 3.07
07. Not Today, Satan 4.24
08. Think Pink 3.14
09. Modern World 2.44
10. Inner Cities 3.59
11. Theory Of Life 3.40
12. After Life 3.32

All songs written by Molly Nilsson

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Molly Nilsson on facebook:

Jane Birkin – Di Doo Dah (1973)

Jane Mallory Birkin OBE (14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress and singer. She had a decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She also had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema.

A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, appearing in minor roles in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blowup (1966), and Kaleidoscope (1966). In 1968, she met Serge Gainsbourg while co-starring with him in Slogan, which marked the beginning of a years-long working and personal relationship. The duo released their debut album Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg (1969), and Birkin also appeared in the Je t’aime moi non plus (1976) under Gainsbourg’s direction. Though she mostly worked in France where she had become a major star, Birkin occasionally appeared in English-language films such as the Agatha Christie adaptations Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982), as well as James Ivory’s A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998).

After separating from Gainsbourg in 1980, Birkin continued to work as both an actress and a singer, appearing in various independent films and recording numerous solo albums. In 2016, she starred in the Academy Award-nominated short film La femme et le TGV, which she said would be her final film role.

Birkin lived mainly in France from the late 1960s onwards, and would acquire French citizenship. She was the mother of photographer Kate Barry, with her first husband John Barry; actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, with Serge Gainsbourg; and musician Lou Doillon, with Jacques Doillon. In addition to her acting and musical credits, she lent her name to the Hermès Birkin handbag

On 16 July 2023, Birkin was found dead at home in Paris. She was 76. No cause of death was disclosed. The premiere of the documentary Jane by Charlotte, about Birkin’s relationship with her daughter Charlotte, on 8 July 2021, was one of her last public appearances. Her funeral took place at the Church of Saint-Roch in the 1st arrondissement of Paris on the morning of July 24. After the funeral, her remains were cremated at the crematorium of Père Lachaise Cemetery and then, her ashes were interred at Montparnasse Cemetery, in the grave of her daughter, Kate Barry, and in the same cemetery where Gainsbourg was buried.

Many fans gathered to watch the ceremony on a large screen outside of the church. France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron and Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, Catherine Deneuve and her daughter Chiara Mastroianni; Vanessa Paradis; Maïwenn; Sandrine Kiberlain; Carole Bouquet; Charlotte Rampling and Anthony Vaccarello were among the attendees (wikipedia).

Di doo dah is the debut solo album by Jane Birkin, released in 1973 on Fontana Records. Subsequent reissues in 2001 and 2010 (on Light In The Attic Records) included two bonus tracks from the 1972 7″ single “La Décadanse” by Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. (wikipedia)

And here´s her fiorst solo-album:

On her debut solo album, English-born actress cum chanteuse Jane Birkin asserted her role as a scandalous androgyne courtesy of the songs of Serge Gainsbourg and arranger Jean-Claude Vannier (who co-wrote some numbers with Gainsbourg). Birkin allowed her image to be molded by the willfully scandalous Gainsbourg, who understood her persona entirely and helped to create an image of her as woman in a young boy’s body — one that Birkin claims she held all along but only Gainsbourg understood. That woman played roles both innocent and decadent; she was celebrated in film, but in the U.S., her thin voice resembled a choirboy’s and underscored her physical presence. Birkin first appeared on a remake (yet an originally released version) of Gainsbourg’s “Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus” the breathy, mewling, steamy song that brought all of French philosopher Georges Bataille’s notions of an impossible yet inescapable erotic love to the fore. She shared billing with Gainsbourg on that album and others.

This set, reissued almost 40 years after its initial release, and for the first time in North America by Light in the Attic, is wonderfully remastered, contains an interview with the singer in the liner essay by Andy Beta, full lyric translations, and a pair of bonus tracks from two years earlier, “Le Languages du Chant” and “Le Decadanse,” a duet with Gainsbourg (with an organ arrangement borrowed from Bach). Birkin’s a one-trick pony as a vocalist, but extremely effective. Whether she’s the helpless, innocent Catholic schoolgirl of the title track who is ultra body conscious but nonetheless voices erotic longing, the faux innocent yet seductive and stranded hitchhiker on “Help Camionnerur,” or the more overt sexually aggressive libertine in “Mon Amour Baiser,” her words and expressions, no matter how innocently they appear, are smoldering. Part of the appeal — at least — is the musical palette created by the wizard Vannier. His use of a full string orchestra, acoustic and electric guitars, a trademark, ever-present thumping electric bassline, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and acoustic pianos, Farfisa, Vox, Hammond, church organs, and a steady processional with a playfully unobtrusive drum kit, weds the music of cinema to modernist rock, country, and blues-rock sensibilities (check album closer, “C’Est La Vie Qui Veut Ça” ). This set is revelatory, an offbeat sensual pop masterpiece that holds up spectacularly nearly half-a-century later. (by Thom Jurek)

Personnel:
Jane Birkin (vocals)
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Orchestre Jean-Claude Vannier
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Serge Gainsbourg (vocals on 13.)

Tracklist:
01. A1 Di Doo Dah (Gainsbourg) 3.34
02. Help Camionneur ! (Gainsbourg) 2.49
03. Encore Lui (Gainsbourg/Vannier) 2.26
04. Puisque Je Te Le Dis (Gainsbourg) 2.36
05. Les Capotes Anglaises (Gainsbourg) 2.14
06. Leur Plaisir Sans Moi (Gainsbourg/Vannier) 1.44
07. Mon Amour Baiser (Gainsbourg) 2.33
08. Banana Boat (Gainsbourg) 2.19
09. Kawasaki (Gainsbourg) 2.35
10. La Cible Qui Bouge (Gainsbourg/Vannier) 3.11
11. La Baigneuse De Brighton (Gainsbourg) 2.16
12. C’Est La Vie Qui Veut Ça (Gainsbourg/Vannier) 2.18
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13. La décadanse (Gainsbourg) (Single A-side, 1971) 5.15
14. Les langues de chat (Gainsbourg/Vannier) (Single B-side, 1971) 2.18

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More from Jane Birkin in this blog:

Barbra Streisand – My Name Is Barbra, Two… (1965)

Barbara Joan “Barbra” Streisand (/ˈstraɪsænd/ STRY-sand; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, film and television producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment and is among the few performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).

Streisand began her career by performing in nightclubs and Broadway theaters in the early 1960s. Following her guest appearances on various television shows, she signed to Columbia Records—insisting that she retain full artistic control and accepting lower pay in exchange, an arrangement that continued throughout her career—and released her debut, The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Throughout her recording career, Streisand has topped the US Billboard 200 chart with 11 albums—a record for a woman until 2023[2]—including People (1964), The Way We Were (1974), Guilty (1980), and The Broadway Album (1985). She also achieved five number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100—”The Way We Were”, “Evergreen”, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”, and “Woman in Love”.

Following her established recording success in the 1960s, Streisand ventured into film by the end of that decade. She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl (1968), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Additional fame followed with films, including the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), the screwball comedy What’s Up, Doc? (1972), and the romantic drama The Way We Were (1973). Streisand won a second Academy Award for writing the love theme from A Star Is Born (1976), the first woman to be honored as a composer.[6] With the release of Yentl (1983), Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The film won an Oscar for Best Original Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical. Streisand also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, becoming the first (and for 37 years, the only) woman to win that award. Streisand later produced and directed The Prince of Tides (1991) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

With sales exceeding 150 million records worldwide, Streisand is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the second-highest certified female artist in the United States, with 68.5 million certified album units. Billboard ranked Streisand as the greatest solo artist on the Billboard 200 chart and the top Adult Contemporary female artist of all time. Her accolades include two Academy Awards; 10 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend Award; five Emmy Awards; four Peabody Awards; the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and nine Golden Globes. (wikipedia)

My Name Is Barbra, Two… is the second of two studio album tie-ins by Barbra Streisand for her debut television special of the same name, which first aired April 28, 1965. The second album was released in October 1965 to coincide with the rebroadcast of the special on CBS.

The Medley (Track 11) is the only music from the television program, while the remaining tracks were newly recorded for the album.

Barbra Streisand in her dressing room, October 1965:

Executives at Columbia planned a major advertising and promotion campaign, including full-page advertising in TV Guide and Esquire magazines, saturation radio spot in 30 major markets, retailers supplied with 38-inch die-cuts, streamers and pre-pack counter browsers and 800 transportation display locations with four-sheet posters to draw attention to both the new album and the rebroadcast of the highly acclaimed TV special.

The album was certified Platinum and peaked at #2 on the US charts and #6 in the UK charts. (wikipedia)

My Name Is Barbra, Two… is not exactly a sequel to My Name Is Barbra, though it contains a medley of songs about poverty that was performed as one of the three sections of the TV special. For the most part, this is just the next Barbra Streisand album, containing the usual mixture of recent songs (“He Touched Me,” “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “No More Songs for Me”) and lesser-known songs by classic pop writers (Rodgers & Hart’s “Quiet Night” and “Where’s That Rainbow?”), filled out by full-length versions of songs from the medley (“Second Hand Rose,” a song associated with Fanny Brice that became Streisand’s second Top 40 hit, and “I Got Plenty O’ Nothin'” from Porgy and Bess). The medley lacks the TV show’s visual complement of Streisand cavorting in a department store, but the arrangement and her performance still camp up songs like “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” a dubious choice of interpretation. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Barbara Streisand (vocals)
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unknown orchestras

Tracklist:
01.He Touched Me (Levin/Schafer) 3.09
02. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Love theme from The Sandpiper) (Mandel/Webster) 2.47
03. Quiet Night (Hart/Rodgers) 2.25
04. I Got Plenty Of Nothin’ (G.Gershwin/I.Gershwin/Heyward) 3.07
05. How Much Of The Dream Comes True (Barry/Peacock) 3.05
06. Second Hand Rose (Clarke/Hanley) 2.09
07. The Kind Of Man A Woman Needs (Leonard/Martin) 3.53
08. All That I Want (Forest/Wolfe) 3.49
09. Where’s That Rainbow (Hart/Rodgers) 3.38
10. No More Songs For Me (Maltby/Shire) 2.53
11. Medley 5.45
11.1. Second Hand Rose (Clarke/Hanley)
11.2. Give Me the Simple Life (Bloom)
11.3. I Got Plenty Of Nothin’ (G.Gershwin/I.Gershwin/Heyward)
11.4. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? (Gorney/Harburg)
11.5. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out (Cox)
11.6. Second Hand Rose (Clarke/Hanley)
11.7. The Best Things In Life Are Free (Henderson/Brown/DeSylva))

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More from Barbara Streisand in this blog:

The official website:

The Nits – In The Dutch Mountains (1987)

Nits (known until 1989 as The Nits) are a Dutch pop group founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede (the group’s lead singer and lyricist), Rob Kloet, drummer, and Robert Jan Stips (Supersister, Gruppo Sportivo, Golden Earring), keyboards.

Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was “Nescio” (1983), a tribute to the Dutch author Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh. The major hit that brought the band to the attention of an international audience was “In the Dutch Mountains” (1987). Other well-known Nits songs include “J.O.S. Days”, “Adieu, Sweet Bahnhof” and “Sketches of Spain”. Top 10 albums include Omsk (1983), In the Dutch Mountains (1987), Urk (1989), Doing the Dishes (2008) and Hotel Europa (2015). (wikipedia)

There seems to be little doubt that were they not so geographically challenged, the Nits would be one of the most widely respected bands in the world today — at least on par with whip-smart types like XTC and Prefab Sprout. Certainly, few can match their sheer creative stamina: how many other bands can claim to be still reinventing themselves after 40 years and more than 20 albums? But the Nits come from Holland. Furthermore, the occasional tour of the U.S. and Canada aside, they quickly made it clear that their only concession to the big outside world, where real rock stars wear shades indoors, would be to sing in English. That aside, anyone wanting them to tailor their unique brand of art pop to the demands of a broader audience could go hang. In particular, the Nits specialize in making their latest album sound as little like the last as possible — a marketing man’s nightmare. This has simultaneously guaranteed them a modest degree of success across continental Europe, where fans appreciate their fierce integrity and commitment to playing intimate venues, and denied a lot of people in Britain and America some wonderfully inventive — and very accessible — music. (by Chris Evans)

In the Dutch Mountains is an album by The Nits. It was released in October 1987 by Columbia Records.

After the release of their meticulously assembled and produced previous album, Henk (1986), which ended up sounding somewhat lifeless, the band decided to go back to basics and record this, their next album, live to two-track in their own rehearsal space to, in their own words, “reproduce the special atmosphere of a Nits concert”. As a result, the songs sound far more sparkling without becoming rough or rushed.

Lyrically, singer Hofstede delves into his childhood memories, conjuring up a vision of childhood life in the Netherlands in the 1950s and 1960s. The album cover reflects this, featuring actual historical Children’s Benefit stamps. Even though they resemble young versions of all four band members, they are in fact real Dutch stamps from 1951.

In the Dutch Mountains was the Nits’ most successful album to date and the first to gain a UK release. Its lead single and title track was a reasonable hit across the European continent, and is considered their signature song. In the Netherlands, two more singles were pulled off the album, “J.O.S. Days” and “The Panorama Man”. (wikipedia)

After the synthesized hijinks and tomfoolery that blighted much of Henk, the Nits — once again a four-piece with the addition of bassist Joke Geraets — opted for a return to simplicity with In the Dutch Mountains. The result was an album that probably did more to seduce listeners far beyond their homeland than any other, not least because it was the first to secure a release in the U.S. and the U.K. Yet although it was recorded live in the studio direct to two-track tape, this is no mere exercise in bash-it-out, one-take boogie. It’s a warmly atmospheric set that contains some of the Nits’ most fully realized work to date. Many of the songs are inspired by childhood memories, including the title track with its reference to the young Henk Hofstede’s assumption that there must be mountains beyond the borders of his home town of Amsterdam.

A massive hit across continental Europe, “In the Dutch Mountains” still generates a storm of applause at Nits concerts. Another live mainstay is “J.O.S. Days,” an atypically rustic song about Hofstede’s failure to make his local football team, featuring sampled acoustic guitar and (real) harmonica. This contrasts sharply with the dreamy “Two Skaters,” at around seven minutes one of the longest songs in the Nits’ repertoire and as close as they’ve ever gotten to an exercise in pure atmospherics.

Other highlights include “The Swimmer” (yet another in a long line of film references), with frenzied accelerating piano assaults framing a delicate melody; the faintly berserk “An Eating House”; and the gorgeous lullaby “Good Night,” with Hofstede’s tender vocals cushioned by a remarkably convincing brass band sample. On the vinyl edition, this made for a wonderful coda to the album, but for the CD release three bonus tracks — none of them quite in keeping with the rest — were tacked onto the end. Nevertheless, In the Dutch Mountains marked the beginning of a richly creative five-year period that the Nits have yet to top. (by Christopher Evans)

Personnel:
Joke Geraets (bass)
Henk Hofstede (vocals, guitar)
Rob Kloet (drums)
Robert Jan Stips (keyboards, background vocals)
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Jaap van Beusekom (steel guitar)
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background vocals:
Jolanda de Wit – Saskia van Essen – Lieve Geuens

Tracklist:
01. In The Dutch Mountains 3.25
02. J.O.S. Days 3.09
03. Two Skaters 6.41
04. Pelican And Penguin 3.56
05. In A Play (Das Mädchen im Pelz) 3.31
06. Oom-Pah-Pah 1.16
07. The Panorama Man 3.27
08. Mountain Jan 4.35
09. One Eye Open 3.14
10. An Eating House 4.54
11. The Swimmer 4.33
12. Goodnight 2.35
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13. Strangers Of The Night 4.28
14. The Magic Of Lassie 1.38
15. Moon And Stars 4.31

All tracks written by Henk Hofstede, Robert Jan Stips & Rob Kloet

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The official website:

Dusty Springfield – I Only Want To Be With You + 3 (1964)

Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dramatic ballads, with French chanson, country, and jazz in her repertoire. During her 1960s peak, she ranked among the most successful British female performers on both sides of the Atlantic. Her image – marked by a peroxide blonde bouffant/beehive hairstyle, heavy makeup (thick black eyeliner and eye shadow) and evening gowns, as well as stylised, gestural performances – made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.

Born in West Hampstead in London into a family that enjoyed music, Springfield learned to sing at home. In 1958, she joined her first professional group, The Lana Sisters. Two years later, with her brother Tom Springfield and Tim Feild, Springfield formed the folk-pop vocal trio The Springfields. Two of their five 1961–63 Top 40 UK hits – “Island of Dreams” and “Say I Won’t Be There” – reached no. 5 in the charts, both in the spring of 1963. In 1962 they also hit big in the United States with their cover of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”.

Dusty Springfield’s solo career began in late 1963 with the upbeat pop record “I Only Want to Be with You” — a UK no. 4 hit, and the first of her six transatlantic Top 40 hits in the 1960s, along with “Stay Awhile” (1964), “All I See Is You” (1966), “I’ll Try Anything” (1967) and the two releases now considered her signature songs: “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (1966 UK no. 1/US no. 4) and “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968/69 UK no. 9/US no. 10). The latter features on the 1968 pop and soul album Dusty in Memphis, one of Springfield’s defining works. In March 2020, the US Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.

Between 1964 and 1969, Springfield hit big in her native Britain with several singles which in America either failed to chart or were not released, among them “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” (the biggest of her many Bacharach/David covers), “In the Middle of Nowhere”, “Some of Your Lovin'”, “Goin’ Back” and “I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten”. Conversely, she charted in the US (but not in the UK) with hits including “Wishin’ and Hopin'”, “The Look of Love” and “The Windmills of Your Mind”.

From 1971 to 1986, Springfield failed to register a hit from five album releases (aside from a minor 1979 UK chart appearance), but her 1987 collaboration with UK synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”, took her back to the top of the charts, reaching no. 2 on both the UK singles chart and Billboard’s Hot 100. The collaboration also yielded two 1989 UK Top 20 hits: “Nothing Has Been Proved” and “In Private”. In 1990, Springfield charted with “Reputation” – the last of 25 Top 40 UK hits in which she features.

A fixture on British television, Springfield presented many episodes of the hip 1963–66 British TV music series Ready Steady Go! and, between 1966 and 69, hosted her own series on the BBC and ITV. In 1966, Springfield topped the popularity polls, including Melody Maker’s Best International Vocalist,[4] and was the first UK singer to top the New Musical Express readers’ poll for Female Singer. She is a member of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. International polls have lauded Springfield as one of the finest female popular singers of all time.

In January 1994, while recording her final album, A Very Fine Love, in Nashville, Tennessee, Springfield began feeling ill. When she returned to England a few months later, her physicians diagnosed her with breast cancer. She received months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and the cancer was found to be in remission. In 1995, in apparent good health, Springfield set about promoting the album, which was released that year.By mid-1996, the cancer had returned, and despite vigorous treatments, she died in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on 2 March 1999, a month before her 60th birthday.

Springfield’s funeral service was attended by hundreds of fans and people from the music business, including Elvis Costello, Lulu and Pet Shop Boys. It took place at the Anglican St Mary the Virgin church in Henley-on-Thames. A marker dedicated to her memory was placed in the church graveyard. In accordance with Springfield’s wishes, she was cremated and some of her ashes were buried at Henley, while the rest were scattered by her brother, Tom Springfield, at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. (wikipedia)

And here´s a nice EP from 1964 …

Typical Dusty Springfield songs …with this omnipresent optimism … even with songs like “Every Day I Have To Cry ”  … and of course: she had a great voice!

She was accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Ivor Raymonde:

Ivor Raymonde (born Ivor Pomerance; 22 October 1926 – 4 June 1990) was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.

Personnel:
Dusty Springfield (vocals)
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unknown orchestra conducted by Ivor Raymonde

Tracklist:
01. I Only Want To Be With You (Hawker/Raymonde) 2.38
02. He’s Got Something (Samwell/Lynch) 2.38
03. Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa (Bacharach/David) 3.07
04. Every Day I Have To Cry (Alexander) 2.30
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05. Tanto So Che Poi Mi Passa (Italian version of Every Day I Have To Cry) (Alexander/Mogol) 2.35

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More from Dusty Springfield in this blog:
A fan website:

Montserrat Caballé – Friends For Life (1997)

María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), known simply as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos of the 20th century, she won a variety of musical awards thoroughout her six-decade career, including three Grammy Awards.

She performed a wide variety of roles, but is best known as an exponent of the works of Verdi and of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. She was noticed internationally when she stepped in for a performance of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in 1965, and then appeared at leading opera houses. Her voice was described as pure but powerful, with superb control of vocal shadings and exquisite pianissimo.

Caballé is also known for her 1987 duet with Freddie Mercury, “Barcelona”, recorded at the request of the International Olympic Committee for the 1992 Olympic Games. The two felt mutual admiration for each other and developed a close friendship.

On 20 October 2012, during her tour in Russia, Caballé suffered a stroke in Yekaterinburg and was quickly transferred to the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona.

In September 2018, she was admitted to the same hospital for a gallbladder problem.[49][64] She died there on 6 October 2018 at the age of 85. The cause of death was not given.[65][66] Felipe VI of Spain described Caballé as “the best of the best”, and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez called her the great ambassador of Spain. Caballé was buried in the Cementiri de Sant Andreu in Barcelona. (wikipedia)

Back in 1987, perhaps the greatest soprano of our time, Montserrat Caballé, released a similar album (“Barcelona”) with the unforgotten Freddie Mercury.
10 years later, in memory of the late Freddie Mercury and that album, the opera diva once again entered a recording studio in the company of numerous pop and rock greats and created another wonderful duet album that is sure to delight classical and pop music fans alike.

The interplay between the voices is simply indescribably good, has great “goose bumps” potential and may even awaken interest in the classical opera roles of the great Montserrat Caballé. (by JW)

I didn’t expect much from this album … but I was very surprised at how atmospheric and tasteful it turned out!

Personnel:
(see booklet):

Tracklist:
01. w/Bruce Dickinson: Bohemian Rhapsody (Mercury) 5.50
02. w/Vangelis: March With Me (Vangelis/Caballé) 3.49
03. w/Johnny Logan: Visions Of Glory (Budden/Logan/Fritz/Hydefeld) 3.50
04. w/Marco Masini: Ci Vorebbe Il Mare (Bigazzi/Albini/Masini) 4.38
05. w/Johnny Hallyday: Chanter Pour Ceux Qui Sont Loin De Chez Eux (Berger) 4.26
06. w/Gotthard: One Life, One Soul (Leoni/Lee/v.Rohr) 3.58
07. w/Gino Vannelli: A Rose In December (Hamilton/Vannelli) 4.26
08. w/Khadja Nin: Sailing (Sutherland/Gayn) 4.39
09. w/MiCarlos Cano: Mi Amiga Rigoberta (Cano) 4.24
10. w/Helmut Lotti: Had To Be (Rice/Farrar) 4.09
11. w/Lisa Nilsson: Friends Again (Acocco) 4.19
12. w/René Froger: Out Of The Blue (van Tijn/Fluitsma) 3.55
13. w/Die Prinzen: Love Is The Key (Krumbiegel/Kunzel/Lenk/Greenslade) 4.40
14. w/Vangelis: Like A Dream (Vangelis/Caballé) 3.23
15. w/Gino Vannelli: Put The Weight On My Shoulders (Vannelli) 4.49
16. w/Freddie Mercury: Barcelona (Mercury/Moran) 4.27

This recording is dedicated to Freddie Mercury
without whom the album would not have happened.

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Various Artists – Hits Of The 70’s – Volume 4 (1992)

Not only for the music of the Sixties were there many low budget samplers, the same is true for the musicians of the Seventies.

And here is such an example. A 4 CD box called “Hits Of The 70´s”.

And it is another example of how music history is robbed, because here too we do not hear the original recordings, but cheap copies, recorded by some unknown studio musicians.

I didn’t know most of the songs. That has to do with the fact that the songs here mostly come from the Bubblegum, Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Ballad, Disco, Soul genre.
And this was and is not the music that appeals to me.

But this kind of music marketing is also part of music history, a sad part.
And that’s why this music also has a place – now and then – in this blog.

That’s all I can think of to say about this entry.

Tracklist:
01. The Glitter Band: People Like You, People Like Me (Springate/Shepard) 3.10
02. Maria Muldaur: Midnight At The Oasis (Nichtern) 3.34
03. Mungo Jerry: Lady Rose (Dorset) 3.08
04. The New Seekers: Pinball Wizard (Townshend) 3.03
05. Wanda Jackson: Raining In My Heart (Bryant) 2.52
06. The Rubettes: Sugar Baby Love (Bickerton/Waddington) 3.26
07. Edison Lighthouse: Love Grows (Mason/MacAuley) 2.31
08. The Equals: Black Skinned, Blue Eyed Boys (Grant) 2.38
09. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes: Bad Luck (McFadden/Whitehead/Carsterphen) 3.22
10. Jay & The Americans: This Magic Moment (Pomus/Shuman) 2.39
11. Foundations: Build Me Up Buttercup (d´Abo/MacAuley) 2.55
12. Trini Lopez: Leaving On A Jet Plane (Denver) 3.10
13. Dobie Grey: Driftaway (Williams) 3.47
14. Redbone: Witch Queen Of New Orleans (Vegas) 3.13
15. Sweet: Ballroom Blitz (Chinn/Chapman) 3.23
16. Sam & Dave: Love The One You’re With (Stills) 2.56
17. Polly Brown: Up In A Puff Of Smoke (Swern/Shury) 3.12
18. Mungo Jerry: Open Up (Dorset) 3.09
19. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes: Wake Up Everybody (McFadden/Whitehead/Carsterphen) 3.36
20. Lynn Anderson: I Never Promised Your A Rose Garden (South) 2.55
21. The New Seekers: Beg Steal Or Borrow (Hall/Cole/Wolfe) 2.46
22. Alan O’Day: Undercover Angel (O´Day) 3.26
23. Paper Lace: Fox On The Run (Connolly/Priest/Scott/Tucker) 3.29
24. The Supremes: Stoned Love (Samoth/Wilson) 4.19
25. Trini Lopez: Caragon (Lopez) 2.19

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More from this fucking edition: