Sometimes a song’s so good that it doesn’t matter who covers it.
I’m not sure which is my favourite take on It Hurts So Good, though the one I first heard was Susan Cadogan’s sweet reggae take, produced by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. (more…)

My memory of this song relates almost entirely to the impossibly high vocal in the bridge. So much so that I failed to appreciate there’s much more to it than mere vocal gymnastics. (more…)

This was the 14th single by The Sweet – or ‘Sweet’ as they had just become – and the first to be written by the band themselves. (more…)

I’d forgotten about Kenny. I kinda wish I hadn’t remembered, though the story behind them is worth telling – especially the fact that Cheggers was nearly their singer. And that Kellogg’s took offence (and legal action) at their signature style of wearing tops with a big ‘K’ for Kenny on the front. (more…)

I’d liked Cockney Rebel from the start but with this song Steve Harley achieved pop perfection. He really could have called it a day after this. (more…)

Ahh, the days when you could go on Top of the Pops wearing a sweater knitted by your nan with the name of your band on your tummy… (more…)

This is one of the strangest songs of the Seventies. Or any other era. Even stranger than that most mysterious of debut singles, Rock On. (more…)

The celestial harmonies that open this song make it an essential addition to any playlist of Philly soul. (more…)

If you asked me what category to file this song under, I’m not sure I would know where to pigeonhole it. That’s probably what made it such a huge hit, topping charts all over the world and turning Billy Swan into a one-hit wonder in early 1975. (more…)

This one’s been around the block a bit. Never Can Say Goodbye was written for The Supremes and first recorded by The Jackson 5 and Isaac Hayes. (more…)