A tune too far #13

Though I had decided to be slightly less dogmatic since my return about my relationship with the Austrian broadcasting media, I do feel it necessary to inform you that I have just had to turn the radio off as they were trying to make me listen to Mariah Carey butcher the tragic classic that is Without You.

To be honest, I never really like this song in the first place, but Ms Carey's vocal gymnastics are always a good enough excuse for imposed silence in my opinion!

Repetitive strain

I remember, years ago, when doing some work for the Tyne and Wear Museum Services that the technicians would listen to GNR and would often comment as the same song came on time after time after time, that GNR must actually stand for "Got No Records"*!

This "limited playlist" approach to brainwashing appears to have been adopted by all the radio stations here. "We play what you want" is the slogan of one of the stations. Well, if you would like to introduce me to this "you" who you are dedicating your airtime to, I might like to give them a record token for their birthday to broaden their musical spectrum a tad, in whatever direction, I don't really mind.

I seem to have ceased to battle with Austrian airwaves. No longer do I stop mid-keystroke to spit and rail at the radio and the (on the whole) dreadful pap/dad-rock/power-ballads/novelty-songs it subjects me to. I calmly rise from my seat and turn it off, and make another cup of chamomile tea.

It has been pointed out to me that my "songs that saved your life" and "tune too far" posts have reflected a particularly narrow musical time frame. While I accept that this is partly true, the tunes that have initiated this new (and some may think harsh) response to personal entertainment have almost exclusively been "new songs".

So far songs that have made me turn off the radio have included:

• James Blunt - Same Mistake
• Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
• Joan Osborne - What if God was one of us
  

Sometimes the noise of the roadworks is preferable to such bland yelping.

*GNR stands for Great North Radio

A tune too far #12

Eurythmics were quickly followed this morning by this though.

Take My Breath Away ~ Berlin

Both extremes so close together is always a bit disconcerting. Take your breath away? I wish someone would!

A tune too far #11

Oh dear, and you had been doing so well until this little gem:

Matthew Wilder ~ Break my stride

Cover featuring a bit of seductive '80s shop mannequin based surrealism, cloaked the monster within. I always thought he deserved to have bones broken for inflicting this on the world.

Who bought it? come on... own up!

Fear of flooding

I've been a bit busy this weekend and rather than have separate entries for the good and the bad aural assaults of the ambient media, I felt i needed to clear a bit of a backlog, and with no justification as to my taste either, so there!)

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Tune too far #6
Toto ~ Africa

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Tune too far #7
Frankie goes to Hollywood ~ The Power of Love

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Tune too far #8
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson ~ Say Say Say

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Tune too far #9
Opus ~ Live is life

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Tune too far #10
Survivor ~ Burning Heart

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song that saved your life #5
Lou Reed ~ Take a Walk on the Wild Side

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song that saved your life #6
The Maisonettes ~ Heartache Avenue

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song that saved your life #7
Cyndi Lauper ~ Time after Time

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song that saved your life #8
Anita Ward ~ Ring My Bell (for Liz)

A tune too far #5

I thought I was hardening myself to the onslaught of Radio Wien, but then they come along with this gem:

PhD ~ I Won't Let You Down

A tune too far #4

After having to turn the radio off completely yesterday to maintain some semblance of sanity; I have been assaulted this morning by this little classic:

Seven Tears ~ The Goombay Dance Band


I feel almost delirious!

A tune too far #3

Today's delight is The Smurfs ~ Plödel Blödel Gödel or something like that!


It is a cunning little abomination which has now wriggled it's way down my ears and into my head and will have me humming it all blödy day! It was apparently number 1 for 4 weeks in the Österreichischer Hit Parade in 1981!

What makes this dreadful song even worse is that it is effectively the Birdy Song, with words.

A tune too far #2

This one couldn't go without dishonourable mention:

Camouflage ~ Stan Ridgeway (heard in the Thalier bookshop on Mariahilferstrasse).

all together now

"Whoa Camouflage, things are never quite the way they seem...
Whoa Camouflage, this was an awfully big marine!"

The first couple of times I heard this I thought it was called Camel Plod.

A tune too far

Yesterday I was brought to a complete standstill on the way back to my desk as I heard the delights of One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head on the radio

So few songs possess this paralysing power that I felt it worth documenting.