Comments on: DAVID ESSEX - “Gonna Make You A Star”

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:20:31 +0000

I’m not gonna throw stones

Not even Bill Wyman?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist it.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:19:15 +0000

The intro might sound like a Don Everly song but try singing Gonna Make You A Star over Major Lance’s Monkey Time. It’s extreeeemely easy! But, hey, good source material; I’m not gonna throw stones, and I love both songs to death. I assumed at the time that the story in the song had to relate to Stardust (the movie) which I was too young to see.

By: Geir H

Geir H — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:12:39 +0000

I tend to like those David Essex hits from the 70s. They sound great, and there’s a Steve Harley thing to his way of singing that gives sort of a fitting “twist”, but without losing the song’s catchiness.

I mean, as an actor, David Essex isn’t a technically good singer, but his voice has character still. And, well, it works out fine. Plus there are some nice synths and.. Well. Not bad at all, although I like “Hold Me Close” better.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:53:39 +0000

I too would like to add my compliments of the season to everyone. You are a very civilized and erudite bunch and I look forward to continuing our road to Damascus in 08.

Blessings.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:47:30 +0000

Merry Christmas to all readers! (The next two entries WILL be going up before Christmas, but I’m in the middle of a house move which is why things are a bit slow currently.)

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:39:54 +0000

All the Best to everyone from a really snowy Canada. Global warming ? White Christmas ? Bah humbug !

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:45:20 +0000

Ditto. I’m rather sad that Tom didn’t get around to doing at least the next entry since I was looking forward to that; no doubt when I come back after the New Year there will have been 100 new Popular entries and I will go ARGH! in enclosed spaces for prolonged periods. Or maybe not.

Anyway, joyeux Noel and buon Natale to everyone here innit.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:23:08 +0000

Today will be the last chance I get to read “Popular” this year, and from my experience of Christmas with a one-year-old, Tom is unlikely to get time to post any more entries before then. So it looks like we’ll reach the festive season two entries short of one of my favourite Crimbo records.

12 months ago we were discussing “Get It On”, so we’ve covered nearly 3½ Popular-years in one real-time year. Still good going for your present circumstances Tom! Best seasonal wishes to Tom and everyone else who contributes to or reads this forum, and let’s have some virtual mulled wine and mince pies.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:02:52 +0000

Recommended listening: “Cassetteboy’s Quite Funny Jeremy Clarkson Bit” on the 2005 Dead Horse album by Cassetteboy.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:15:01 +0000

Erithian # 14 - I don’t agree with you that in the main the expression “not very PC” is being used ironicaly with regards 60s and 70s culture. This would indicate a sense of humour, something which most disciples of PC singularly lack. Like you, I don’t think there’s any point in opening a can of worms about this, as I fear the worms have long since escaped. The principle may well have been well intentioned but alas the respect was and is tailored only for selected groups and not everyone. Like most “blokes”, I think Clarkson is top geezer as he stands up to the people I’m referring to. In his dreams he would have machine gunned those hoodies, I’m sure.

MC - I had no idea that Anton Rogers had died. Smarmy proto-Yuppie Number Two is a great description. He can now pass on his messages to “Susan Curtis” himself…

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:25:47 +0000

Current edition of Guinness Hit Singles rather wimpily settles for “Certain.”

By: Mark G

Mark G — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:18:04 +0000

I have a copy that says “I’m In Love With The Girl On A Certain Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk”

I think the idea was to put a strike through the word “Virgin” but they didn’t do (all of) them.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:58:51 +0000

I believe the longest unbracketed title was “I’m In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk” by the Freshies. For airplay reasons they changed “The Manchester Virgin Megastore” to “A Certain Manchester Megastore” thus losing one letter. Great record too.

By: Mark G

Mark G — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:49:22 +0000

I was going to say, “Ire Feelings” was not banned at the time.

Maybe when the BBC actually worked out what it was actually about, did they (retrospectively), or at least removed it from their “oldies” programming.

By: crag

crag — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:19:00 +0000

i thought Where The Streets Have No Name (Can’t Take My Eyes Of You) / How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously (thank god for cut n paste!)didnt count since its a double A side and therefore consists of two different recordings…
Still, good call acknowledging Dave’s status as Overlord of the Romany Nation. A sign of changing attitudes - can u imagine a pop act trading sucessfully on his so-called “pikey” heritage in today’s pop(and political)climate?

By: Caledonianne

Caledonianne — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:45:16 +0000

Sigh! Magic by Pilot! Me, too, Marcello, me too - the 28th most-played track on my Ipod, entirely due to its place on my “Driving” playlist. It just always makes me feel glad to be alive (taking or leaving the West of Scotland football associations, natch!).Must see what Dale had to say about it from listen again.

If memory serves we may be discussing the boys anon, when I look forward to your take on the album whence springs their bestselling effort.

By: CarsmileSteve

CarsmileSteve — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:15:07 +0000

i thought the longest title was: Where The Streets Have No Name (Can’t Take My Eyes Of You) / How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?

also no one has said “King of the Gypsies” yet, so i willl.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:37:06 +0000

No, Street Life was around from 1973 onwards and I have the back issues to prove it. Cue David Jacobs to say: “Idris Walters - where is he now?”

By: mike

mike — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:30:31 +0000

“Ire Feelings” certainly wasn’t banned from daytime Radio One; I was laid up sick for a few days at the time, with the radio switched on all day, and it’s one of the records I most vividly remember hearing, many times over (along with Disco Tex’s “Get Dancin”, as it happens). A major OMGWTF moment (as was Disco Tex for that matter), but I think there had just been a lengthy feature on dub music in the short-lived, long forgotten and bloody excellent Street Life magazine, which did at least provide some measure of context. (Or did Street Life not appear until 1975? Hmm, perhaps it didn’t….)

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:26:09 +0000

What YEARS OF GOLD has to say about Mr Edwards:

“What a ridiculous looking man with a ridiculous song. It peaked at number nine and for me was one of the worst hits of the year.”

You couldn’t make it up.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:59:54 +0000

The verdict at my school on “Ire Feelings” was unanimous and pretty unprintable. Mainly because, looking back, it was an entirely different idiom to anything any of us had ever heard before and none of us had any idea what the hell was going on. Greater knowledge of the genre in intervening years would, I guess, help me to understand it if not actually like it. I couldn’t tell you what Mick Hucknall thought of it though.

With you on most of the rest, though, and “Dance, Sing or Anything” is an awesome singalong. I believe if you include the bit in brackets on the label it becomes the longest hit title in chart history – unless you’re pedantic and list all the songs in “Stars on 45”.

By: Billy Smart

Billy Smart — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:56:08 +0000

Indeed, it was a particularly fab POTP. I could tell that I was enjoying myself because I made myself hoarse singing along… just as well that I was on my own yesterday. Great to finally get to hear Rupie Edwards, too.

The thing that struck me about ‘Gonna’ is just how rueful it is, albeit in an open-hearted and wise - rather than bitter - sort of way. If you listen to it in this way, all of the moments where it seems to take its foot off the gas when you’d expect it to go anthemic (as noted by Dr. Casino in post 11) start to make a lot more sense.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:25:49 +0000

I must say that yesterday’s POTP - or at least the half of it which dealt with the chart of 7 Dec ‘74 - was a joy to listen to. So many superb records (for once Dale & Phil got it right) from the Faces’ awesome swansong (that fantastic “Keep on lovin’ me baby” turnaround at the end of “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing etc.” - Rod for about the last time sounding as though he’s enjoying making a record) through to - unbelievably - “Ire Feelings (Skanga)” (”Banned from most radio stations at the time for unusual reasons,” quipped a diplomatic Dale) and then “Hey There Lonely Girl” (gorgeous, exquisite), Hello’s proto-punk stampede through “Tell Him,” Pilot’s “Magic” of which I don’t expect ever to tire (that askew underlying string arrangement makes the record) and onwards past David, down at number two, to its glorious successor at number one (”It had number one written all over it, didn’t it?” asked Dale rhetorically) about which Tom will hopefully be writing sooner rather than later…even the Bachman, the Turner and as it were the Overdrive made me smile…oh, and Disco Tex and his Sex-o-Lettes which made me get up from sorting out my library of cassettes and bop around our front room with unabashed abandon (”My chiffon is WET!” Genius)…

By: mike

mike — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:56:16 +0000

I find it hard to be objective about this one, as my reactions are so drenched in nostalgia that I cannot imagine how it would sound to anyone approaching it for the first time. However… it’s wonky and warm-hearted, simultaneously hip and unhip, delivered with wide-eyed innocence and a knowing twinkle, and full of cute little moments that hook you in: the, yes, “parping” synth riff, the whistling, the crisp delivery of “rock media”, the matey “I don’t think so” from offstage (which works similarly to The Puppy Songs’s “we’d be so happy together, yodely-odely-odely-OH”). There’s also a climactic, end-of-the-set feel to it, which makes it sit easily as the last song on the chart countdown, or at the end of TOTP. A warm, fuzzy and unashamedly subjective 9 from me, then.

By: End Garrett

End Garrett — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:18:51 +0000

*flounces off, bemusedly* ;-)