Made In Lancashire - Review

I've been listening to this CD repeatedly for over a week now, and I've really enjoyed it! Some of the songs that weren't instant hits have had a chance to grow on me. Much of it was new to me, so that was great! And I loved the geographic theme. The sounds of Lancashire are very different from those of Athens.

1. I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles

Great opener! This is one of my top two or three favorite Beatles songs. I had it on a mixed tape I used to listen constantly my junior year in college. Good memories. This song still rocks.

2. All Woman - Lisa Stansfield

Ooooh, sultry. I like this woman's voice, and this classic-sounding piece of r&b.

3. Enola Gay - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Quintessential 80s pop, with the synthesizer - you can actually hear the shoulder pads. More good memories from college days came along with this one. Actually I never knew the name of this song was "Enola Gay" or that it was about the plane that dropped the bomb. A much more serious theme than the music suggests.

4. Starry Eyed - Michael Holliday

This one was a nice surprise. A catchy little tune with cute backing vocals. The singer's voice is in the style of the crooners of the fifties, Bing Crosby et al., very pleasant.

5. Every Day Hurts - Sad Cafe

This is one of my top two favorites of this mix. It begins with long, melodic lines, telling a story, but then the chorus just takes off, irresistably catchy. This is also from 1980, but it doesn't feel dated to me at all. I really love it, and will definitely look for more from this group.

6. Daydream Believer - The Monkees

The Monkees was in reruns in the fifth grade and I would watch it every day when I came home from school. I had a huge crush on Davy Jones, and there is no obsession like the obsession of a ten-year-old girl for her first celebrity crush. This is a sweet, upbeat song with good harmonies. It wasn't my favorite Monkees song, but it's nice to hear it again.

7. The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen

I used to hear people complain about our college radio station: "All they ever play is Echo and the Bunnymen." Anyway, they seemed to typify college radio in those days. The lyrics are a bit mysterious and haunting, definitely the darkest song in the mix. And I like that you can hear the singer's accent when he sings. Thumbs up!

8. Can You Feel The Force - The Real Thing

This is a fun disco tune - simple and monotonous, but it's got a great beat.

9. You're A Lady - Peter Skellern.

He appeared on a previous mix, and I think he's grown on me since then. Generally, I don't like big productions of things, anything, and this song has a full orchestra and what sounds like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing backup. But it moves me.

10. Teach Your Children Well - Crosby Stills Nash & Young

This is a band I've always felt I should listen to more, but I've never really sought them out. This one is familiar, of course, from radio play, and it's a great little song. I really like layered harmonies like this. I should get an album - any suggestions?

11. Waterfall - The Stone Roses

This one is beautiful. Definitely one of my favorites.

12. Fugitive Motel - Elbow

Another hit, and one that really grew on me after repeated listening. Something melancholy, maybe hopeful or at least wishful - it definitely evokes an emotional response in me.

13. Lilac Wine - Elkie Brooks

This one is not a dance tune - it sounds like it could be from a musical, since it has a very dramatic feel. I'd never heard it before. The singer's voice has a lot of vibrato, which makes it distinct, but not completely appealing. I don't dislike the song, and it make keep growing on me. But so far, not a fave.

14. Closer Than Yesterday - Renaissance

Lovely song - particularly like the vocals on this one. So, former Yardbirds?? Would never have guessed!

15. Juliet - The Four Pennies

The only one I tend to skip. It's a slow one, and it just doesn't grab me.

16. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo

This one is an old favorite, and it's great to hear it again. Very catchy chorus, and that bass intro is the best part.

17. Bus Stop - The Hollies

Great little pop song. I've known it for years, but never had a copy.

18. Living In The Past - Jethro Tull

Hey, this is a treat. I used to listen to someone else's Jethro Tull records, but I never got around to buying my own. I like this song a lot. I love that flute. I wish I'd discovered them earlier, when I was in high school, because it might have inspired me to practice my band instrument with a little more enthusiasm.

19. No Milk Today - Herman's Hermits

AWESOME. This was love at first sight, you know, figuratively. Anthony, my five-year-old, agrees and whenever he gets in the car with me, his first words are, "Can you play number 19?" I can't get this one out of my head most of the time, but I don't mind.

20. Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis

Gorgeous! I have no idea what any of the lyrics mean, but they sound good with the music.

21. On The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine - Laurel & Hardy

Oh, wow. When I was a kid, my dad used to sing this song, but with different lyrics. I'd never heard the Laurel & Hardy version with the girl. His had a cow on a railroad track, and it ended badly. "She was a good old cow with eyes so fine, but you can't expect a cow to read a railroad sign. . . " This is a great closer - something completely different.

Thanks again!