Duets...

I was thinking of ideas to post for my next music blog entry when the thought of compiling my favourite song duets sprang into my mind. I went through my entire music list and there were countless great duets made over the years. I finally narrowed the list to my top 5 tracks. Here it goes...


1) Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson - Say, Say, Say

At the height of his music career, Michael Jackson collaborated with Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to write this excellent track in 1984. McCartney's musical ingenuity combined with a top-class act in Michael Jackson produced this classic duet. This is pop music at its absolute best...










2) George Michael & Aretha Franklin
- I Knew You Were Waiting For Me


A flawless and one of the top male voices in George Michael coupled with soul diva Aretha Franklin and the result could go no wrong. This uplifting pop tune scored number 1 in the music charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Simply magical...



3) Marc Almond & Gene Pitney
- Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart

Ex Soft Cell vocalist Marc Almond sang this beautiful ballad with American 60s singer Gene Pitney. This heart-wrenching song lifts my heart and brings it crashing down each time i hear it. It was a UK #1 song in 1989 as well as many parts of Europe. Listen to Gene Pitney's original 1967 version here. An instant classic since the day the song was born ...


4) Queen & David Bowie
- Under Pressure

Freddie Mercury's vocal prowess shone in this duet with David
Bowie in the early 80s. The catchy bass line at the introduction of
the song was famously copied and used in Vanilla Ice's rap hit "Ice
Ice Baby" in 1989. A very good track to listen to on the road...


5) Bronski Beat & Marc Almond
- I Feel Love (Johnny Come Home)

80s dance group Bronski Beat & Marc Almond came together in 1985 to produce this great sounding dance track in "I Feel Love (Johnny Come Home)". This high energy track features Jimmy Somerville's high octave vocals and that of Marc Almond's, combining to a scintillating effect. What a sound!


Coincidentally, all these tracks were made in the 1980s. I doubt it is musical bias on my part but rather, it is a testament to an era when the strongest and most adventurous music were ever made.

When two musicians come together to make a new record, each brings with him/her their own musical style and the result is often sheer magic...

Hope everyone enjoy these tunes!

The Quiet One...

The Beatles is one of the best loved and popular bands in modern music, and also one of my favourites. George Harrison was the lead guitarist alongside Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. He was regarded as the "Quiet One" in the band and living largely in the shadows of the songwriting powerhouse duo of Lennon/McCartney. However, Harrison's musical progress was evident and peaked towards the end of the band's mere eight years of wonderful music making.

On a band's retreat to India, George Harrison found interest in Hinduism and learned to play the Sitar under renowned Sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. This was to have a profound impact on his life, thinking and ultimately on his music for the rest of his life. His compositions start to find a prominent place in the Beatles releases from "Rubber Soul" onwards with "Norwegian Wood" and subsequently in "Love You To", "Taxman", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", featuring his sitar playing and thus, introducing this mystic sounding Indian musical form into maintream music. His songs start to give Lennon/McCartney a run for their music songwriting. Their last album "Abbey Road" have Harrison contributing to "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun", two of the best Beatles songs ever in their music catalogue.

After the band's breakup in 1970, Harrison pursued on a solo career and released a triple album "All Things Must Pass" to critical acclaim. His solo compositions start to see a surge of Beatles fans paying close attention to this once "Quiet Beatle." I read in a music magazine once that polled readers to vote their favourite Beatle and his music after the group's disband. When i read Harrison at the top of the list ahead of favourites John Lennon and Paul McCartney, i wasn't in the least surprise, he is indeed that good. His tuneful songs along with a masterful touch of slide guitar playing and messages of love, consciousness and peace, make them stand out from the rest of his bandmates post-beatles music. He remains my favourite Beatle always.

I like to revisit George Harrison songs and feel a sense of spirituality and peace. If there is an artiste who makes me believe in the existence of a higher power, George Harrison is the one. Largely shaped by Hinduism right till the end of his life, his constant search for God was reflected in his songs such as "Life Itself" and "My Sweet Lord", the latter being one of his best solo hits. He wrote this beautiful line of his image of God in "Life Itself" :

"They call you Christ, Vishnu, Buddha, Jehovah our lord...
They call you Govindam, Bismillah, Creator of all..."


Check out "Blown Away", "Poor Little Girl", "Love Comes To Everyone", "Crackerbox Palace" and "Cockamamie Business." He had a huge catchy hit in the 80s too with "Got My Mind Set On You"

George Harrison passed away in 2001 due to cancer. After his death, his family released this statement that says :

"He left this world as he lived in it: conscious of God, fearless of death and at peace, surrounded by family and friends."

One of his last words before his death were :

"Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait"

I really believe if there is ever a heaven or higher being, then Harrison must be happily playing his music still in the afterlife now and much loved. Although he died young at the age of 58, he lived a complete life and most of all, he left a legacy of music that will never be forgotten by his fans. He sang this true and earthly line :

"All things must pass...all things must pass away..."

I am still learning...

The Rock & Roll Duo

In my music collection (now largely my mp3 playlist), music bands will come and go and suddenly appear strongly at different periods of time when i will constantly listen to them for days, weeks or even months. I guess the type of music a person listens to sometimes depends on the state of mind and mood. American popular duo Hall & Oates is heavily featured in my playlist for this past month and counting...

Hall & Oates features Daryl Hall and John Oates who produce a string of radio-friendly, very sing-along tunes with huge choruses from the late 70s right till the mid-90s. These songs : "Out Of Touch", "Maneater", "Private Eyes", "Kiss On My List", "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" which have become radio staple tunes right till this day, possibly forever. Their brand of straight-out rock and roll songs with a great support band behind the duo produced a very polished sound with a distinct touch of soul. Music that sounds fun? This must be it...

They did a brilliant cover of The Righteous Brother's 60s hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" in the early 80s.

Hall and Oates also churned out great ballads, such as
"Everytime You Go Away" which was covered by British singer Paul Young in 1985. For a long time, i have always thought the latter was the original composer of this emotive ballad. Check out Paul Young's version here. Two stand-out tracks "So Close" and "Don't Hold Back Your Love" from the 90s album "Change Of Seasons" are very nice sentimental tracks too.

The 1980s were a memorable period for me growing up as an adolescent. These music form an important part of my growing up years. They were a a constant companion throughout the happy, sad, angry times and whatever emotions or situations you go through, they were there like a friend that never leaves you. They still do and always will...

"Out Of Touch" from 1984 is the perfect 80s tune for me. This energetic song have me singing along to it from start to finish, line to line, everytime...

Music also has an uncanny ability to describe the times you go through. Each time Daryl Hall sang the chorus line of "Out Of Touch" into my ears and deep into my conscience, i always thought of a certain someone who seems unreachable with no chance of contact at this moment of time. Also, I have been running out of time daily shuttling from place to place this year in the course of my work.

"You're out of touch, i'm out of time..." - how apt that sounds...

The Complete Band...

Fleetwood Mac started out as a blues rock band in the 60s. The band went through several incarnations but the line-up consisting of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood from the mid 70s onwards, made them one of the most successful adult-contemporary band and surely some of the best pop-rock tunes ever made.

What amazes me about this band is the proficient level of musicianship exhibited, with every member contributing to their original songs and vocal duties shared by three members - Lindsey Buckingham and the two female members, with Stevie Nick's distinct nasal vocals. Most of their songs build around Lindsey Buckingham's sublime guitar play. His ability to infuse the right touch of guitar work, sometimes light, at times heavy but all sound supremely awesome and very original. He is and remains one of the best guitarist i have ever heard.

My first contact with this group was through their 1987 album "Tango In The Night". This was one of their most successful album, second only to their 1977 classic "Rumors." Almost every track is a classic here, producing the singles "Seven Wonders", "Little Lies", "Big Love" and "Everywhere".

One of the best love songs by the band is "Sara". This song holds a lot of memories for me...check out this great live version here. Stevie Nicks' soaring vocals are at its most yearning in "Gypsy". Christine McVie, the band's keyboardist sang to this sentimental song "As Long as You Follow", one of my all-time favourite Fleetwood Mac song. Adult relationships is the recurrent theme that runs through most of this band's music.

Check out these stunning album tracks here too from "Tango In The Night" - "Family Man" and "You & I".

This instrumental piece from the original 60s line-up fronted by Peter Green is called "Albatross". Take a listen and it just drifts me away to a forgotten place and forget everything momentarily. Simply beautiful...










Fleetwood Mac circa 1970

Dark room, alone, tune in...float away

Pink Floyd is a prominent English band formed in the 1970s who made great progressive rock music like no other bands. i found this band during my university days when i bought a bootleg compilation of their greatest hits. The songs grew and grew on me and soon blew me away. Their music can be best described as hypnotic and dense. you have to listen to this band yourself to experience it...

The main players to shape the definitive Pink Floyd sound were bassist Roger Waters and virtuoso guitarist David Gilmour. Water's stark and dark lyrics exploring all facets of human emotions and conditions, coupled with David Gilmour's musical genius and brilliant guitar playing produced such classic songs as "Comfortably Numb", "Another Brick In The Wall", "Wish You Were Here" and countless good songs in their catalogue. Even mere album tracks sounded as good as singles. Their songs also has this ability to segue seamlessly into each other, such that i first made my own "Pink Floyd compilation" mixing all my favourites tracks into a single continuous piece of music, and it sounded marvellous.

The band produced one of the most successful rock albums called "The Dark Side Of The Moon" in 1973, a continuous montage of songs exploring such eternal themes as birth, growing up, money and death. "The Wall" album produced in 1979 was a mini rock opera with the theme of isolation and while facing life's traumas, each has inevidently become "another brick in the wall" in a person's life. "Another Brick In The Wall" produced the popular starting refrain - "We Don't Need No Education" - with the rest of the song lambasting the unkind and chiding classroom teacher to show no "dark sarcasm in the classroom" and to "leave the kids alone." It is one of their most recognizable hits.

In spite of so many good songs, my most favourite track is from this quite unknown album track called "High Hopes" taken from "The Division Bell" album in 1994. The opening clanging of bells follows into a lyrical journey telling listeners of how "the grass was greener and the light was brighter" in the past. How often have we felt that in our lives to a time when we were much happier before the complications of adulthood sets in? Ironically, this tune has a reverse effect on me. i listen to this track each time when i feel weary or down and it just fills my inner self with hope. This song builds up to a final outro with David Gilmour's wailing guitar solo, simply one of the best i heard. Check out the mysterious and bizarre MTV here. i really love it.

Listen to "Coming Back To Life" - a very optimistic and encouraging tune while "The Final Cut" is just a very sad (but beautiful) song, culminating in near suicide from the lyricist point of view. These lyrics to me are one of the truest and best written ever :

" if i show you my dark side
will you still hold me tonight?
and if i open my heart to you
and show you my weak side
what would you do?
would you sell your story to rolling stone
would you take the children away
and leave me alone
and smile in reassurance
as you whisper down the phone
would you send me packing
or would you take me home"

To top it up, Pink Floyd songs do somewhat bears a resemblance to Alan Parsons Project. But if the latter did have me dreaming of the sky, stars and the sun, Pink Floyd always sends me beyond the stratosphere to the far reaches of the universe.