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50 tracks from 1974 have been recommended.
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Dodo  performed by David Bowie  1974
Recommended by robert[o] [profile]

A fascinating out-take from the "Diamond Dogs" sessions, �Dodo� can be seen as the starting point of Lady Stardust�s shift from glitter space-boy to paranoid, plastic soul stylist. Like almost everything on D. Dogs, the lyrics are inspired by Orwell�s �1984�, but the music seems to be profoundly damaged by sleek, eerie production style of Willie Mitchell.
Thus the song plays like Al Green in Hell, w/a great groove and deeply creepy feel. The Thin White Duke starts here.

from Diamond Dogs (out-take) (RCA)
available on CD - Diamond Dogs (30th Anniversary edition) (EMI)


Life on Mars  performed by Barbara Streisand  1974
Recommended by robert[o] [profile]

This is so wrong; it ends up being right somehow. On paper, this cover is a car wreck. Barbara takes on Bowie�s brilliant, epic ballad of camp surrealism � his homage to big, theatrical female belters like Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and�Streisand, herself � and the song escapes her utterly. Her delivery sound like she learned the lyrics phonetically. (She might as well be singing in Cantonese.) And Jon Peters� production/Tom Scott�s arrangements bring to mind the cool, �L.A.-sound� of Joni Mitchell�s �Court and Spark� LP � minus all the clever bits Joni brought to the table. Yet it spite of all of these faults � this version works. The song is just too good, and Babs� charisma is just too powerful. It�s a [Space] oddity you�ve got to hear to believe.

from Butterfly (Columbia)


We Could Be Flying  performed by The Singers Unlimited w/ Art Van Damme  1974
Recommended by Festy [profile]

This was the first version of this song that I'd heard, but have since discovered that it has been recorded many times. The song is written by Michel Colombier & Paul Williams and this version is somewhat haunting, whilst, at the same time, it's also spacey and heavenly. The lush vocals give the song its "other worldly" sound.


available on CD - Afternoon Tea Music - Clear Herb Tea (Universal Music)




  22 Apr 05 ·Mr Steal: I only ever heard this once - been looking for it ever since. It's truly lovely. I should say that Scott Walker does a really nice version of the song on his much-maligned (but actually pretty OK - albeit covers only) LP Any Day Now.
Bitter-Sweet  performed by Roxy Music  1974
Recommended by delicado [profile]

For someone like me, the strangest thing about getting really into Roxy Music is the overt rockiness of a lot of their material. Even on this track, which is one more of their slower, more mournful numbers, there are a lot of very heavy rocky moments. They work pretty well though, and I'm certainly not complaining.

The atmospheric opening is breathtaking, and Bryan Ferry's vocal as he sings 'I've opened up my heart' is incredibly beautiful. The words and music seem to meld together in a very pretty way, but then before long the track mutates into a stomping, carnival like passage that clearly influenced Nick Cave to a considerable extent. Throughout the song there's this interchange between delicate, melodic verses and the rowdy, discordant section. Like another favorite Roxy track, 'Just like you', this song finishes with a clever chord change.

I'm sure many people would find 'Bitter-Sweet' much too dramatic and serious - perhaps some days I would too - but it does have an incredible elegance and style that makes me keep on listening.

from Country Life (Virgin ROXYCDX4), available on CD



The Detectives  performed by Alan Tew  1974
Recommended by nighteye [profile]

Another "detective themed" song that sounds like the backside of the theme from 'The Streets of San Fransisco'. Heavy basses, powerful percussion, trumpets and a cool melody to top it off. Run before they catch you!


available on CD - The Sound Gallery (Scamp)




  24 May 05 ·n-jeff: This is a variation of one of the tracks off the "Hanged man" Soundtrack. There is also a third version I believe on a library record soemwhere. Anyway, its well worth tracking the Hanged Man down, its been re-issued by DC recordings and on bootleg (vinyl and cd). The original on contour can be expensive. I think moviegrooves have the re-issues.
  01 Jun 05 ·nighteye: You're right n-jeff there are a variation of it on the 'Hanged Man' soundtrack avaiable at Moviegroovies.co.uk. I also recognize the track 'Smokey Joe the Dreamer', not sure from where - but it might have been on one of the 'Dusty Fingers' compilations?
  10 Jun 05 ·n-jeff: Tew was one of many UK composers who also did shedloads of Library music, so it could have been anywhere, TV, Film, another LP.
For lots of information on the UK Lounge/ Library/ Collecting thing have a look around www.vinylvulture.co.uk.

  27 Aug 05 ·nighteye: There are a shitload of variations and other builds on the same theme on a De Wolfe compilation called "Alan Tew - Drama Suite Part 1". I think that's the library record you are thinking of n-jeff.
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