Ian Ruxton's Favourite Music Page:
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since May 20, 2018.
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Introductory Remarks
I have always loved singing. I was in the Cheltenham College Chapel choir
(junior and senior schools). The chapel had a fine organ too, and I have
always been able to learn a decent tune quite quickly. I think I just am
blessed with quite a good ear, which I also put to good use in language learning. (If you can hear notes or words clearly, it is much easier to reproduce them!)
Anyway, here are some of my favourite songs and pieces of music. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!
Ian Ruxton
P.S. The school's rugby team (red and black) isn't bad either! ;-)
Choral/Soloists
Al Bowlly - Learn to croon, you'll eliminate each rival soon...
Scottish Soldier, The Battle's O'er,
Donald where's yer troosers (funny!) etc,
Annie Lennox from Aberdeen, Scotland - she has a fantastic voice. Into the West I take to be a song of comfort to the dying. Whatever, it's a lovely song and very powerful. Annie Lennox has an official channel on YouTube.
Aretha Franklin (RIP) - Respect (mix)
Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes (mix) from Watership Down
Bryn Terfel - great singer from Wales
The Choir of King's College Cambridge is best known for the Christmas carols at the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve; but they also sing many other songs, e.g. the lovely Abide with me which is sung at the FA Cup Final, and was also sung at my maternal grandmother's funeral. RIP.
King's College Choir Hymns (Mix)
Speaking of Hymns, I think my all-time favourite is "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind", sung to the tune Repton - but there are many other great ones in the hymnal!
Cilla Black - from Liverpool
Don Maclean - American Pie! yummy ;-)
Harry Secombe (1921-2001) had a fine Welsh voice which I grew up with,
Kenneth McKellar - from Scotland
Kiri Te Kanawa - from New Zealand
Nat King Cole was a merry old soul...
Paddy Reilly - Fields of Athenry
This is a very beautiful, powerful and emotive song which the Irish supporters sing at international rugby games to urge their team to a greater performance. (Keith Wood tells the story of a half-time talk where nobody said anything and the whole team simply sang this song!! I daresay they won that game... ;-)
Meanwhile the Welsh supporters sing their anthem Land of My Fathers and the hymn Cwm Rhondda to similar effect. Especially when they are leading and want more tries! "Bread of Heaven, Feed me till I want no more!"
The lovely Katherine Jenkins sings the lovely Calon Lan (A Pure Heart) with lyrics in Welsh and English. Just lovely altogether! ;-)
A Nation Sings - Gymanfa Ganu - 1963
Petula Clark sang in French as well as English.
Sandy Denny (1947-1978) left us too soon. She was a brilliant singer-songwriter, within and without Fairport Convention (see below).
The King's Singers - brilliant a capella teamwork!
Humour
Monty Python - and the Holy Grail: French taunting (mix)
Peter Cook - brilliant, naughty, hilarious ....
Pop/Rock/Folk Music which I like - Variety is the Spice of Life!
10CC - I'm Not in Love ; The Story of 10CC
Alphaville - Big in Japan (mix)
The Animals - good Geordie boys! ;-)
Bad Company - Can't get enough of your love etc.
The Beatles - the who? No, the Beatles!! with that good Caius man David Frost. Ringo Starr says he left Liverpool but never let the place down. Fair comment! I hope I haven't either (having lived there or thereabouts twice in my life so far). Nor did George Harrison, Paul McCartney or John Lennon. They were Four Lads who Shook the World!
The Bee Gees (Brothers Gibb)... remembering is reliving! :-)
The Corries - Flower of Scotland (mix)
Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet etc.
Donovan - Colours, Universal Soldier etc.
Dougie Maclean's Caledonia is a love song addressed to the country/nation of Scotland (known as Caledonia to the Romans), written - it seems to me - from the perspective of an exile like me. In fact I have never lived in Scotland, but it is certainly my spiritual home, or 'furusato' in Japanese. ;-)
Parcel o' Rogues sung by Alastair MacDonald is explained here.
Valley of Strathmore performed by Silly Wizard.
Duckworth Lewis Method - funny cricket songs!
Eagles: Hotel California; Take it Easy etc.
Fairport Convention - classic folk rock
Free - All Right Now! And it usually is. ;-)
Genesis: Nursery Crime (whole album); Trespass (whole album); Turn It On Again (the hits)
Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street with its glorious sax riff was very popular in the year when I graduated (1978).
Jethro Tull: Locomotive Breath
Kate Bush - another of my favourites from my undergraduate days!
The Kinks are/were a brilliant London-based (Muswell Hill) band led by singer-songwriter Ray Davies: Waterloo Sunset; Death of a Clown; Deadend Street; Autumn Almanac ; Victoria etc.
Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven (with Portuguese subtitles!) ; Whole Lotta Love etc.
Lindisfarne - sometimes called Newcastle's answer to the Beatles
The Monkees - from my childhood
Motown - 100 greatest hits
Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells - from my high school days
Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi - Tonbo. Where are you flying to, Dragonfly of Happiness? From my first year in Japan, 1988. And of course the goosepimple-inciting Kanpai. And the lovely Subaru (Pleiades) by Shinji Tanimura. My special song for karaoke (so-called ju-hachi ban 十八番) is Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki (The Strait of Tsugaru: Winter Scenery) originally sung by Ishikawa Sayuri. I guess I long for the snows of the North country and Tsugaru shamisen music - especially in a hot Kyushu summer! But I also love Okinawan music. ;-)
Zaitsu Kazuo: Saboten no Hana (Cactus flower) (mix)
Peter Gabriel: Solisbury Hill
Phil Collins: In the Air Tonight and other videos
Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was a companion of my schooldays. But Comfortably Numb is quite new to me! How on earth did I miss it? I always liked Meddle. And Shine on You Crazy Diamond is great too...
Procol Harum: A Whiter Shade of Pale
The Seekers - 1960s folk
Small Faces - wouldn't it be nice, to get on with me neighbours? ;-)
Status Quo - Whatever you want...
Uriah Heep: The Wizard; Lady in Black; July Morning;
Look at Yourself ; Tears in My Eyes etc.
The Who - Baba O'Reilly; Won't Get Fooled Again; Tommy;
Quadrophenia (documentary)