The criteria for getting included in this series of posts is "I really like this song."
Some days there may be a theme and others, I might throw random acts at the wall and see what sticks.
Today we have three acts from the UK in live performances.
So put on your headphones....And let's give a listen.
And we start off with one of my favorite bands ever, ELO, the Electric Light Orchestra.
I was a big fan of ELO's music back when I was a much younger Dave-El and my appreciation of the musical skills of Jeff Lynne has only grown as I've gotten older.
This is a really kick ass epic live performance of ELO's Mr. Blue Sky.
Man, the sheer infectious energy of this performance is to me irresistible. That big triumphant build up at the very end with the strings, the driving percussion and the rising voices of the choir, it just gives me chills. I can listen to this every day.
Up next, another charity performance from the UK, the Buggles with Video Killed the Radio Star.
This video is from a performance on November 11, 2004 at Wembley Arena as part of The Prince's Trust charity concert.
The Buggles formed in London in 1977 with singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoffrey Downes. Their debut 1979 single "Video Killed the Radio Star" topped the UK Singles Chart and reached number one in 15 other countries. And in August 1982, the music video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" became the first ever shown on MTV in the United States.
Rounding out today's post is another British performer, Hugh Laurie.
Laurie rose to fame in the UK with the comedy series A Bit of Laurie and Fry and then in the USA as the curmudgeonly medical genius Dr. Gregory House in the longrunning drama House.
So what's he doing here at a piano performing an old New Orleans jazz standard St. James Infirmary Blues?
Whoops! This video can't be played from the inbed. But clicking on the image will take you to You Tube to see this video. It is worth the effort because this is a really cool number.
In addition to acting, Hugh Laurie released the blues albums Let Them Talk (2011) and Didn't It Rain (2013), both to favorable reviews. So he apparently has that going for him.
As for "St. James Infirmary Blues", it is an American jazz song first made famous by Louis Armstrong in 1928. That recording credits Don Redman as the composer with later releases crediting the composers as Joe Primrose, a pseudonym of Irving Mills. It is a song of uncertain origin.
I hope you've enjoyed these three songs. A perky pop tune with strings and a choir, a new wave synth pop song and an American jazz song. Does that provide any indication of the inner workings of my mind?
If it does, let me know because I'll be damned if I have a clue.
More songs coming next Saturday.
Until next time, remember to be good to one another.
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