Wednesday, January 12, 2005

"Do You Think She Could Do Us Some Doh Wah Wahs?"*

A few months back when I was blogging more regularly, I was really taken by the idea of audio blogging. Of course I was, it appealed that part of me - all of me, according to some people - that can't help but foist my taste in music/books/films/particularly flavoured crisps/politics** on people. Many a half-remebered conversation was along the lines of:
"You don't like Microdisney? Well, you obviously haven't listened to them properly. You must hear this track of theirs. It was only ever available on the cassingle of 'Singer's Hampstead Home'."
"Piss off, Darren."
"OK - I'll burn you a CD so you can listen to it later on. No problem, I understand."
So there was me drawing up the first batch of songs that I would unleash on an unspecting population. First up, the brilliant but criminally neglected, 'God Give Me Strength', written by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, sung by Kristen Vigard and which featured in Alison Anders film 'Grace of My Heart'; followed by Flowers track 'After Dark', released on Fast Product's second Earcom's compilation and so on and so on. You get the drift.
Only one problem, I'm a techno-numpty. What I know about computers is only a par with what I know about most things so instead I have had to become an enthusiastic listener of audio blogs.
My favourite audioblog Bubblegum Machine has just celebrated a birthday of sorts. One hundred weeks young this week, it has brought us two download songs every week where, as the words of the Bubblegum Machine's Manifesto itself explains, the only criteria for what songs it includes are that: "If it's ever been on K-Tel or Ronco, it's in. If it features hand claps, cow bells, syrupy orchestration, walls of sound, wrecking crews, sha-la-las, lyrics about hugging, squeezing and rocking all night long, toothy teen idols or candy-based metaphors for carnal acts, it's in."
Of course, over 100 weeks, that can add up to a hell of a lot of sacharrine, but I will just list below a few of the songs that I really love from the Bubblegum Machine, and I'll let you discover your own favourites by yourself.
*Of course the quote comes from Tutti Frutti.*** Need you ask?
** Delete as appropriate
*** Hat tip to radio active for the Tutti Frutti pic.****
**** Christ sake, a footnote for a footnote. Wait up, this in itself is a footnote of that footnote for a footnote. I think I will stop now; I need to go lie down.

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