Awful songs that somehow made it.

EricTheWeary

Philly_Q said:

AlexC said:

Far too many people on this Forum know far too much about Alvin Stardust... weirdos!
(Wasn't he married to Liza Goddard?)

He was indeed.  And he also used to co-present The Rock Gospel Show on BBC1.  It wasn't very Rock.

I watched the documentary about his Million Pound Guitar a few years ago, quite interesting. Which sold in 2019 for £32,500 so the estimate was a bit high but interesting ( cheap acoustic that he used to take around with him and was signed by many rock stars of the day including The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent).   

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:

@Neill mentioned Sweet - Those guys could actually play - many of their B -sides were good songs - I was brought up on Slade, Mud, Sweet and T-Rex so part of my 'youth' 

And by jingo, they're still going.  Although not, perhaps, with the same hair they had 45 years ago.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/sweet-to-release-set-me-free-single-from-isolation-boulevard-album/

Neill

guitars4you said:

I recall in 1978 playing in a 4 piece function band - I was 18 - We'd earn £50 each per gig - equates to about £250 each person per gig at today's rate - 3 gigs at the weekend - So £750 per week based on todays inflation calculator  - Numbers included Amarillo, Rockin' all over the World, so plenty of 'dross' but the crowd would dance, sing and enjoy - Yes we had a matching shirt/trousers etc 

I bet with the amount of tribute bands around today, that such bands could do a decent 'cabaret' style act, with a better form of credibility - Put a Spotify style playlist together, some lights + a decent PA and you can provide a 'party/wedding' the whole evenings entertainment if required - Such provide what they want and not what you want

@Neill mentioned Sweet - Those guys could actually play - many of their B -sides were good songs - I was brought up on Slade, Mud, Sweet and T-Rex so part of my 'youth' 

I think The Sweet were actually the first live band I saw, well over 50 years ago I suspect, it is a hazy memory.  But yes they could play, Mike Tucker (sadly died many years ago) was an exceptional drummer and Andy Scott, who I think is the only surviving member of the original band, is a really good guitarist.  Yes, Sweet B sides were juke box favourites back in the 70's.

Mud were also very good musicians, disguised by their hammy performances on TOTP plus the fact that being part of the Chinn/Chapman stable in the 70's was the quickest way for a band to lose any credibility.

Slade I also saw in the 70's, ridiculously loud, but Don Powell was one of the most impressive rock drummers I've ever seen.  As for Noddy's voice... I remember Phil Lynott saying Noddy was far and away the best singer in the world of rock at the time.

  

Teetonetal

The one and only - chesney hawkes

ICBM

Neill said:

As for Noddy's voice... I remember Phil Lynott saying Noddy was far and away the best singer in the world of rock at the time.

Couldn't have been... he was contemporary with Freddie Mercury.

Noddy was undoubtedly louder though.

historyisjunk

Anything by the Bay City R*llers.

That Maroon5 song which might be called "this love"

The Deacon Blue song where they go wooo ooo ooo

The R Kelly kitchen song

Chasing Cars

I realise most of these are probably not what was intended in the thread. I just hate them & feel damaged by having to hear them on repeat on radios at work.

Others have done a very good job of covering the dumpster floor scrappings of the 1970's, did anyone mention Seasons in the Sun?

THe absolute daddy turd though is Teddy Bear by Red Sovine, I've mentioned it before. If you've never heard it do not Google it, especially after a meal.

koneguitarist

Red Sovine is brilliant would even bring Pritti Patel to tears

Slash'N'burn

ICBM said:

Reminded by the other thread...

Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Bloody love that song!

good bass line and chord progression.... better than 99% of today’s stuff anyway!

Slash'N'burn

Mr Boombastic by Shaggy.

Philly_Q

Slash'N'burn said:

Mr Boombastic by Shaggy.

Oh well, now you've reminded me, let's throw in Mr Lover Man by Shabba Ranks.

Both make me feel physically sick.

guitars4you

Neill said:

guitars4you said:

I recall in 1978 playing in a 4 piece function band - I was 18 - We'd earn £50 each per gig - equates to about £250 each person per gig at today's rate - 3 gigs at the weekend - So £750 per week based on todays inflation calculator  - Numbers included Amarillo, Rockin' all over the World, so plenty of 'dross' but the crowd would dance, sing and enjoy - Yes we had a matching shirt/trousers etc 

I bet with the amount of tribute bands around today, that such bands could do a decent 'cabaret' style act, with a better form of credibility - Put a Spotify style playlist together, some lights + a decent PA and you can provide a 'party/wedding' the whole evenings entertainment if required - Such provide what they want and not what you want

@Neill mentioned Sweet - Those guys could actually play - many of their B -sides were good songs - I was brought up on Slade, Mud, Sweet and T-Rex so part of my 'youth' 

I think The Sweet were actually the first live band I saw, well over 50 years ago I suspect, it is a hazy memory.  But yes they could play, Mike Tucker (sadly died many years ago) was an exceptional drummer and Andy Scott, who I think is the only surviving member of the original band, is a really good guitarist.  Yes, Sweet B sides were juke box favourites back in the 70's.

Mud were also very good musicians, disguised by their hammy performances on TOTP plus the fact that being part of the Chinn/Chapman stable in the 70's was the quickest way for a band to lose any credibility.

Slade I also saw in the 70's, ridiculously loud, but Don Powell was one of the most impressive rock drummers I've ever seen.  As for Noddy's voice... I remember Phil Lynott saying Noddy was far and away the best singer in the world of rock at the time.

  

The reason I wanted to play guitar, as a 14 year old kid, back in 1974, was because of Slade, T-Rex, Sweet and Mud after seeing TOTP - At the time I did not know about Kossoff, Hendrix, Green etc - You find out later about everything else - You need an initial trigger point and those bands were mine - I have seen Slade live but not the others

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:  

The reason I wanted to play guitar, as a 14 year old kid, back in 1974, was because of Slade, T-Rex, Sweet and Mud after seeing TOTP - At the time I did not know about Kossoff, Hendrix, Green etc - You find out later about everything else - You need an initial trigger point and those bands were mine - I have seen Slade live but not the others

I was about 10 then, and those were the first "pop groups" I remember liking, especially Slade, but not so much that I actually bought - or asked for - any of the singles.  That didn't happen until 2 or 3 years later.

The record which made me interested in guitar - in the sense that it was the first time I truly realised it was a guitar making that sound - was Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, although I never went on to become a Dire Straits fan as such.

ICBM

Slash'N'burn said:

ICBM said:

Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Bloody love that song!

good bass line and chord progression....

But irritatingly shit lyrics and massively annoying overbearing smugness.

Nitefly

ICBM said:

Slash'N'burn said:

ICBM said:

Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Bloody love that song!

good bass line and chord progression....

But irritatingly shit lyrics and massively annoying overbearing smugness.

Well, you can't have everything...
  

guitars4you

Does My Ding a Ling by Chuck Berry deserve to be in the awful song list

I dare say 2/3 songs by Boney M can qualify - Certainly Horay Horay its a Holiday

koneguitarist

Surprised the whole U2 back catalogue has not been mentioned yet. 

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:

Does My Ding a Ling by Chuck Berry deserve to be in the awful song list

I dare say 2/3 songs by Boney M can qualify - Certainly Horay Horay its a Holiday

I quite like Boney M, I must confess - Ma Baker was one of the first singles I ever bought.

But you're dead right, Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday is bloody awful, it was at the time and it is now.

EricTheWeary

I read some daft thing on social media about how your musical tastes were defined by the number one single when you were 14...heads to Google...Boney M and Mary's Boy Child...bugger...

Philly_Q said:

Slash'N'burn said:

Mr Boombastic by Shaggy.

Oh well, now you've reminded me, let's throw in Mr Lover Man by Shabba Ranks.

Both make me feel physically sick.

I listen to quite a lot of dancehall so Shaggy and Shabba absolutely fine by me. It's pretty soft stuff by the standards of the genre although I'm guessing that their failure to deal with Jamaican politics isn't your issue with them. I occasionally think I'll start a Dancehall Discussion on here but then I imagine the response will be tumbleweed and/or people who think they are funny going 'dancehall, yeh my parents used to love Joe Loss and his orchestra.' 

Philly_Q

EricTheWeary said:

I read some daft thing on social media about how your musical tastes were defined by the number one single when you were 14...heads to Google...Boney M and Mary's Boy Child...bugger...

Philly_Q said:

Slash'N'burn said:

Mr Boombastic by Shaggy.

Oh well, now you've reminded me, let's throw in Mr Lover Man by Shabba Ranks.

Both make me feel physically sick.

I listen to quite a lot of dancehall so Shaggy and Shabba absolutely fine by me. It's pretty soft stuff by the standards of the genre although I'm guessing that their failure to deal with Jamaican politics isn't your issue with them. I occasionally think I'll start a Dancehall Discussion on here but then I imagine the response will be tumbleweed and/or people who think they are funny going 'dancehall, yeh my parents used to love Joe Loss and his orchestra.' 

No, it's largely the "look-how-studly-I-am" lyrics (which I appreciate may be tongue in cheek), but also it's the whole sound and style of the music, I know you like that stuff but it just doesn't do anything for me.

As for No. 1 when I was 14....

You're the One that I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.***

No, I don't think that's defined my musical tastes.  I did go to see Grease at the cinema that summer, but I didn't buy the soundtrack album (did we have the single?  Maybe).  However, I did buy the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album the year before.

(*** Just looking at the rest of the Top 30 that week (almost all of which I remember clearly), it included Never Say Die - Black Sabbath, Rosalie - Thin Lizzy, (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult, Because the Night - Patti Smith Group and lots of other good stuff.  So maybe the No. 1 didn't define my musical tastes, but the music of the time was certainly beginning to.  I still like all that chart music from 1978 and it's way better than now.)

LastMantra

...Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza Hut!

Football songs been mentioned but what about gazza's fog on the Tyne? 
Or the original for that matter.