Tag: UK

Tim Minchin | Three Minute Song

“Tim Minchin is an Australian musician, comedian, composer, actor, writer and director,” (artist website). “He has toured extensively in the US, UK and Australia, performing solo, with bands, and with symphony orchestras. He’s released five DVDs, the most recent recorded with the Heritage Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. He is the composer lyricist of two hit West End / Broadway musicals, Matilda and Groundhog Day, both of which won the Olivier Award for Best West End Musical and garnered nominations for Best Score and Best Musical in Broadway’s Tony Awards.

Minchin wrote, produced and starred in the Sky Atlantic / Foxtel TV series, Upright, in 2019. Other screen-acting credits include Atticus Fetch in Season 6 of Californication, a Logie Award-winning Smasher Sullivan in the ABC’s Secret River, and Friar Tuck in Lionsgate’s Robin Hood reboot. Stage highlights include Judas in the UK / Australian Arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2012, and Rosencrantz in the Sydney Theatre Company’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead the following year. He has published two books: the graphic novel, ‘Storm,’ and the illustrated childrens’ book, ‘When I Grow Up’. He is a member of the Order of Australia, a philanthropist and a mediocre juggler. ‘Simultaneously an excellent stand-up comedian, a purveyor of physical comedy, an accomplished musician and a lyricist of diabolical ingenuity. Witty, smart, and unabashedly offensive.‘ (The Age, Melbourne)”

Minchin’s “Three Minute Song” needs little description, as it tells its own story. This 2011 performance of the tune was composed specifically for the BBC program Ruth Jones’ Easter Treat. 2:28 brings a whole-step key change, shoe-horned in among a huge number of syllables per minute and plenty of fast piano riffs.

Sean Maguire | Today’s the Day

“Best known for his starring roles in several U.S. sitcoms, British actor Sean Maguire was also responsible for a … mid-’90s pop career,” (AllMusic). “Born in Ilford, London in 1976, Maguire first shot to fame in the U.K. thanks to his role as Tegs Ratcliffe in the children’s school drama Grange Hill, and then later as Aidan Brosnan in the soap opera EastEnders.

(In 1994 he) pursued a music career … he scored a respectable eight Top 40 hits from two studio albums, 1994’s self-titled debut and 1996’s Spirit, over a three-year period. However, following the disappointing chart position of his Brit-pop-influenced 1997 single ‘Today’s the Day,’ he called time on his pop ambitions to concentrate on acting. (He later) landed parts in several American comedies, including Off Center and Eve and the Class, and in 2008 he played the lead role in Meet the Spartans, the critically panned (but box-office number one) parody of the film 300.”

“Today’s the Day,” (1997) written and produced by fellow Brit Phil Thornalley, starts in E major. At 0:31, a second section of the verse shifts of to G major. The chorus, arriving at 0:47, falls back to E major. The pattern continues from there.

The Kane Gang | Motor Town

Vocalist and songwriter Martin Brammer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Brewis met at school in the northeast town of Seaham, County Durham, England,” (AllMusic). “Teaming up with Paul Woods (vocals), the trio developed a liking for 60s/70s soul, funk and R&B which led them through several bands before forming the Kane Gang in late 1982 … ‘Motortown’, which brought (the band) a Top 40 hit … In 1991, vocalist Paul Woods departed to concentrate on a solo career. Brammer and Brewis attempted to record a new album before pulling the plug on the Kane Gang. Brammer went on to enjoy success as a songwriter, composing songs for the likes of Tina Turner, Beverley Knight, the Lighthouse Family, and James Morrison.”

“Motortown” (1985) peaked at #36 (US pop), #12 (US Adult Contemporary), #87 (Australia pop) and #45 (UK pop). The tune rides on a buoyant, sunny 12/8 groove throughout. After a start in G major, the chorus shifts to Bb major at 0:49. At 1:10, an unprepared shift brings us back to the original key for the next verse. The pattern continues until 2:19, when the extended bridge shifts to G minor, followed by an instrumental break in Eb (2:36 – 2:51) and a return to the pre-chorus and then the chorus, both in the original keys.

Heatwave | Whack That Axe

“Rod Temperton,” (Heatwave’s keyboardist) “could write … Temperton might have been the brains, but the rest of the guys did a great job executing his vision,” (SomethingElseReviews). “Party bands have gotten so pre-fab these days, relying so much on sampling and studio help. Heatwave, however, was a real band. The musicians who played on stage were the same ones who played it in the studio, with a minimal amount of session players brought in for Central Heating (1977). The musicianship … makes this period music hold up so well to the present day.

The vocals, led by brothers Keith and the late Johnnie Wilder, were well above the pack, too. Keith’s harder-edged vocal was perfectly complimented by Johnnie’s velvet-smooth croon. In the studio, they often added layers upon layers of choral vocals that rivaled in richness to contemporaries Earth Wind and Fire.” The band formed in the UK but had a mixed roster of two Brits, two Americans, a Swiss citizen, a Czechoslovak national, and a Jamaican!

Built in C major overall, “Whack That Axe” (written by Temperton and sharing an album with one of the band’s three biggest hits, “Grooveline”) gently flips over to the relative A minor for the brief bridge (2:08 – 2:26).

Squeeze | Black Coffee in Bed

“Few bands who came of age in the late ’70s and early ’80s released music that has stood the test of time like the British outfit Squeeze was able to do,” (American Songwriter). “That’s because the band’s success had nothing to do with hopping on any musical trends. Instead, it was all about songwriting, which never goes out of style. With songs like ‘Black Coffee in Bed,’ they ensured their music would enjoy a lengthy shelf life. Squeeze’s founding duo of Tilbrook and Difford remain in the band today, about 50 years after they first met and began writing songs together. That process has also become a major part of the band’s lore. Basically, Difford writes the lyrics and hands them off to Tilbrook who then puts those words to a tune. Other than Elton John and Bernie Taupin, it’s hard to find any other rock songwriting partnerships of that type that have enjoyed as much success.

… ‘Black Coffee in Bed’ (1982) came to life when Difford noticed that a page on one of his writing notebooks had the outline of his coffee cup on it. That set him off on a twisting tale of a guy moving from one relationship to the next. Difford told American Songwriter he made sure to hold onto the notebook: ‘Yeah, I still have the notepad in my office. That’s how the opening lines always happen,’ he said. ‘In fact, I’ve been working on something today that came from a picture that I saw. That’s how a lot of songs start. You have to see something or visualize an image, and pick up a pen and off you go.'”

After two verses and choruses in D major, the tune shifts up to Eb major for a guitar-centric interlude 2:58. But at 3:07, we’ve already started a transition back to the original key, made completely clear by 3:16.

Jethro Tull | Teacher

“English progressive rock giants Jethro Tull are a unique phenomenon in popular music history,” (AllMusic). “Led by enigmatic frontman Ian Anderson — a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and rock’s premier flutist … their mix of heavy rock, flute-led folk melodies, blues licks, surreal, impossibly dense lyrics, and overall profundity defies easy analysis, yet in their 1970s heyday, they garnered a massive level of commercial success, notching a string of gold and platinum records and securing their place within the classic rock canon with releases like Aqualung (1971), Thick as a Brick (1972), and A Passion Play (1973). Even as critics cooled on them, Tull remained popular through later phases with their folk-rock records of the late ’70s, the electronic experimentation of the early ’80s, and eventually a Grammy Award-winning return to hard rock with 1987’s Crest of a Knave.

Benefit (1970) was the album on which the Jethro Tull sound solidified around folk music, abandoning blues entirely. Beginning with the opening number, “With You There to Help Me,” (Ian) Anderson adopts his now-familiar, slightly mournful folksinger/sage persona, with a rather sardonic outlook on life and the world…”

The mid-tempo track “Teacher” is built in A major overall, but the chorus features a D major/minor mix and then an instrumental section in B minor (first heard at 0:48 and 1:02). The pattern continues with verse 2.

Talk Talk | Living in Another World

“Led by the hugely talented Mark Hollis, the London-based four-piece transitioned from bright, hard-edged pop to mesmeric, meditative post-rock over the course of nine years and five albums … The Colour of Spring, released in 1986, was a major breakthrough, commercially and artistically,” (The Guardian). “Gone were the synths and the icy bombast. In their place came big, woody textures, an organic sensibility more obviously suited to Hollis’s evocations of shifting seasons and inner change. The pounding, krautrock-on-the-farm groove of ‘Life Is What You Make It’ delivered the big hit, but nothing signalled the transition quite as magnificently as ‘Living in Another World,’ the album’s second single.

A surging, seven-minute tour de force, propelled by Steve Winwood’s organ (there’s a definite whiff of Traffic in the album’s headily pastoral aroma), Morris Pert’s percussion and Mark Feltham’s harmonica, the song is a mile high and rising by the time the key change kickstarts the chorus. Hollis is in characteristically wracked form, singing so hard he seems fit to burst as he digs around his romantic and cosmic alienation: ‘Better parted … speech gets harder/ There’s no sense in writing.’ He might be hankering after wide, open, quiet spaces, but the music thrums with verve and vibrancy.”

The widescreen feel of the track isn’t surprising, given the heft of the band’s best-known hit, 1984’s “It’s My Life.” Starting in A minor, the tonality shifts upwards to B minor for the pre-chorus (0:56) before unwinding the cathartic chorus, shifting upwards by an unsettling tritone to F minor (1:14 – 1:48); the cycle then begins again. Many thanks to MotD regular Rob P. for yet another great find!

Seal | Dreaming in Metaphors

“The 1990s were a great decade for music,” (Sputnik). “While the output wasn’t always consistent, it was undeniable that there was quality abound. Such is the case for Seal, an oddity himself in that his nationality is officially British, while his mother was Nigerian and his father Brazilian (and he himself was born in Nigeria). As such, Seal, having had this interesting background, would go on to sell several million records during the 1990s; this (eponymous 1994) record being his most remembered one.

… Unlike such pop artists as Michael Jackson and Prince, Seal is hardly the upbeat or danceable type … Instead, he goes for a softer, melodic style, emphasizing a smooth groove, which serves his lyrics well. While his vocal rage is limited, it fits the music perfectly as well, which makes each listen a rather hypnotic experience. His music is not meant for parties at the disco, but for reflective listening. Nevertheless, his songs stick once you get a taste for them. Indeed, it’s fair to say that Seal is the best at what he does, and this album proves it very well. This isn’t music for pop haters, or for lovers of exclusively upbeat music. This is an album for personal reflection. If you dig some refreshing pop, with deep lyrics, and ballads that don’t feel sappy, this album is for you.”

A perfect example of one of Seal’s “sticky” songs might be “Dreaming in Metaphors.” Driven by a fast-flowing yet peaceful 7/8 meter, the track’s harmonic rhythm is generally pretty slow, centering the unusual meter, layered percussion, and vocal throughout. The intro and verse alternate intriguingly between F# minor and F lydian. At 0:56, the pre-chorus focuses only on F lydian. At 1:14, A major is prominently added into the mix, but the pull of F lydian remains.

Average White Band | Why

“Cut the Cake (1975) was a difficult album to make for the Average White Band. They were still mourning the loss of drummer Robbie McIntosh, who had died of a heroin overdose the previous year,” (Popdose). “It got to the point that producer Arif Mardin considered pulling the plug on the whole thing. Fortunately everyone soldiered on, and the result was an album that topped the R&B chart, and made it to #4 on the pop chart. AWB has made many more albums over the years, but they never again attained that lofty height.”

“Steve Ferrone, a black drummer from London, England, was hired as a replacement — ironically, he became the first black member of a Scottish soul/funk band that had a very African-American sound and a largely African-American following,” (AllMusic). “Despite the fact that AWB’s members still had McIntosh’s death on their minds when they were writing and recording Cut the Cake, this isn’t a depressing or consistently melancholy album; far from it … If anything, they honor McIntosh’s memory by showing their resilience and delivering one of their finest, most engaging albums.”

After both starting in E minor, the track’s first and second verses glide through quite a patch of key-of-the-moment color before arriving at the chorus, where the tonality shifts to E major (1:45). At 2:07, the verse continues after a jump to G major. 2:28 brings an interlude in E minor which then pivots into another chorus at 2:51, starting this time in F major but ending in Ab major at 3:12 as the tune fades.

Keely Smith | I Want to Hold Your Hand

Singer Keely Smith was an active recording artist during the 1950s and 60s, though she recorded occasionally in later years. Her stage partner in the 1950s was her perhaps more famous then-husband, bandleader Louis Prima. Together, they recorded a hit version of “That Old Black Magic,”  which earned them an award at the very first Grammy Awards in 1959

After her divorce from Prima, Keely Smith established a solo career, garnering a contract with Sinatra’s Reprise Records. In 1965, she released Keely Smith Sings the John Lennon-Paul McCartney Songbook on Reprise. Most of the songs had been recorded by The Beatles, though McCartney’s “A World Without Love” had been made famous by Peter and Gordon. The big band and string arrangements on the album were decidedly not rock, offering new interpretations of the songs.

The verses in Smith’s cover of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” are in waltz time, while the bridge reverts to the more familiar 4/4. There are some cringeworthy moments when she bends notes to the point of breaking on the tune’s highest melodic point and then rhymes “girl” with “hand.” But she manages to turn in one of the most distinctive Beatles covers ever! There’s a half-step upward modulation at 2:09.