Sweet Music To My Ears - #5 and #4

#5 Under The Moon Of Love – Showaddywaddy

Original Release Year – 1976 (me not quite 1)

How the hell a band like Showaddywaddy ended up on my radar, lord only knows. Needless to say I don’t remember the original release, but I can tell you is that it was the first gig I ever saw: Showaddywaddy at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton. I’ll hazard a guess that I was about 5 or 6 at the time and all I can remember is having my hands over my ears a lot, and not liking the stroboscope one bit. Aside from the multi-coloured suits and the big shades, I was drawn to the fact that there were two drummers, one of whom is called Romeo (father of an Olympic high jumper by the way)

But this wasn’t a fad, I still have a greatest hits CD in my collection, and I still enjoy the occasional boogie along. God it’s sad, but it’s such a good tune, it’d be a shame to allow it to disappear. It’s OK to like a song with a saxophone solo – isn’t it?

#4 – Radiation Vibe – Fountains Of Wayne

Original Release Year – 1996 (me aged 20)

Now if you're still with me, despite the hip-hop, the prog rock and, ahem, the teddy boys, we begin to hit the dizzy heights.

Depending on the kind of music you like, Fountains Of Wayne are either in the epicentre, or off the radar. They epitomise the way that great American writers take Great British influences, and they are probably best known for the single “Stacy’s Mom”. But my association with them goes back to the beginning. I was at university when I first heard “Radiation Vibe”. I’m pretty sure it would have been courtesy of Steve Lamacq or whoever was running the Evening Session in those days, and I was just hooked on the perfection of the song, the great lyrics, “I went to Pittsburgh, and joined a pro team, talk about a bad dream, I broke a knee”.

By good fortune, they were playing The Varsity in Wolverhampton (capacity 200), and I’ve never been to a more up close and personal gig in my life. I left there that night, completely hooked, and went to my local independent music store the next day to seek out the eponymous album. By more good fortune, they had just one copy, and the lady was most distressed that she would have to hand it over to a member of the public. It’s been a favourite ever since.