Saturday, June 11, 2022

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 64 - Woxy (Keeping Up With The Commodore)

It seems rather appropriate that the 64th tune in my list of favourite songs is this remixed track based on the one used by Commodore Business Machines to promote their range of personal computers in the 1980s, especially my favourite Commodore 64.

It's a catchy little number which I really like.  I think if I had this and the theme tune to Star Trek play at my funeral, that would pretty much sum my life up...  A massive Commodore 64 loving Trekkie! 

Are you keeping up with the Commodore, cos the Commodore is keeping up with you!



Wednesday, June 08, 2022

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 63 - Duran Duran (A View To A Kill)

Out of all of the Jame Bond movies, I can always remember the huge promotion for Roger Moore's final bond movie in 1985.  Breakfast cereal, crisps, sweets...  It was everywhere.  In particular, I remember saving up coupons from Smiths Crisps so that I could send them off for a massive poster featuring Bond chasing May Day up the Eifel Tower!

It's not my favourite Bond movie, but it does feature the best (in my opinion) theme tune out of all the films.  Duran Duran's A View To A Kill was released on the 6th May 1985 and become one of the band's biggest hits.  It reached number 2 in the UK charts, only being beaten from the top spot by Paul Hardcastle's 19.

Enjoy.

The poster that would eventually end up on my bedroom wall...


Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 62 - Yazoo (Only You)

Only You was the debut single from Yazoo, formed of ex Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke (who would later form Erasure), and fellow Basildonian Alison Moyet (who coincidently went to the same school as me).  It was the first single from their Upstairs at Eric's album and it reached an impressive number 2 in the UK charts on 16th May 1982.  

I love this song, and happily admit to singing it when it comes on. It's also such an easy song to play on the keyboard too, with Alison Moyet once stating  "You don't need to be a great instrumentalist to play it. It's a universal, everyman song".

Enjoy.



Saturday, May 28, 2022

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 61 - Go West (Don't Look Down)

This song takes me back to Christmas 1985.  I'm guessing it's because it was in the charts at the time, having been released on the 11th November of that year where it remained in the UK charts for 10 weeks, peaking at number 13.

I remember having this on a compilation tape I had made from recording the radio.  I played this quite a lot back in the day.  A great song, from a great decade.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 60 - Depeche Mode (Just Can't Get Enough)

Following the tragic death of Andy Fletcher, keyboardist and founding member of Depeche Mode yesterday, I would like to feature their hit song "Just Can't Get Enough" as today's favourite song.
It was released in September 1981 and featured on their debut album Speak & Spell.  It was also the final single to be written by Vince Clarke, who left the group a couple of months later and would later go on to form Yazoo, The Assembly, and of course Erasure.

"Just Can't Get Enough" reached number 8 in the UK Charts.

An absolute classic, and without a doubt one of my all time favourite tracks.  RIP 'Fletch'


Thursday, May 26, 2022

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 59 - Richard Allen Harvey (Triumph)

Now here's an obscure one I really like listening to.  In the late 1980s, every Saturday and Sunday morning I would wake up early to watch The Fun Factory on Sky Channel.  It was a kids' show which featured cartoons for a few hours, hosted by presenter Andy Sheldon,  Snoot the seal and Crocker the crocodile.  The show would be the first program of the day, and Sky would play a short introduction to the channel beforehand detailing how to contact them, and some other technical details (Sky Channel comes to you from Satellite Television in London, transmitting on the ECS-F1 satellite transponder 6X at a frequency of 11.650ghz).  The introduction featured this song which I loved listening to, and for nearly 25 years I tried to find it but with no luck. 

That was until a few years ago.  It took me a while to finally track down the song, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, here it is, and I'm adding it to my list of favourite songs because a) it reminds me of my childhood, and b) it's such a great tune!  

This is Sky - Europes Number 1