Heute Abend die Mensch-Machine

As a shorter-than-usual week's "excitement" working from home draws to its close (it's a bank holiday for the 75th anniversary of VE Day tomorrow), so our thoughts should normally be drawing towards party planning, and all that!

By bizarre happenstance, the sad news of the death of the "Chief Robot", founder-member of the one of the most influential bands in pop history Kraftwerk Florian Schneider has provided us with an opportunity (of sorts) to do so - firstly with an unexpectedly camp remix of one of their classic hits Man Machine by the genius that is Matt Pop...

...and a possibly even more unexpected appearance by another of their tracks, here being whooped up by the enthusiastic dancers on what appears to be a "modern" follow-up to America's iconic Soul Train show:

Kraftwerk - Numbers (The New Dance Show, 1991)

Faboo!

RIP Florian Schneider-Esleben (7th April 1947 – 30th April 2020)

Thoughts for the Day

In our dreams

Sigh.

The weather may be sunny today, but the northerly wind really takes the edge off the temperature. Not that it matters much, as apart from fag breaks I'm mainly sat in our living-room dealing with work bullshit.

And speaking of lock-downs, the news is full of dire warnings about airlines cutting their operations and borders continuing to be closed or at least restricted for essential travel. Thus, we can only sit and dream as we once again indulge in the fabulous lives of glamorous people in exotic lands - courtesy of the faboo Soft Tempo Lounge, d'accord:

Soft Tempo Lounge - Caribbean Voyage

Double sigh...

[Music: Martin Böttcher - Wenn du da bist]

This was our future

I haven't got to the stage of using our clippers at home just yet...

For fear of sounding like Robinson Crusoe: "Week seven of working at home begins".

Never mind, as I gaze enviously out of the window at the inevitable sunshine that is currently brightening the garden, after a weekend that was almost entirely grey and cold, thank heavens there's always something crazy from 1970s Holland out there to bring a smile to one's face on a Tacky Music Monday...

...such as this magnificently - ahem - accomplished number from former Eurovision winners Teach-In!

Teach In - The Robot

Have a great week, dear reader.

I really, really wanna zigazig, ah

Pest control is always a problem at this time of year in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers.

The weather remains stubbornly grey out there, although I think the hailstorms are over for the time being - so we may spend a little time in the garden today tending to our burgeoning plant collection...

As is customary on a Sunday, we need some appropriately swinging choons to chivvy us along - and what better to start with than a long-overdue visit from the superb talents of our beloved Postmodern Jukebox?

Baby, Scary, Ginger, Sporty and Posh never sounded quite like this!

Postmodern Jukebox - Wannabe (Spice Girls Vintage "Andrews Sisters" Style Cover)

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Gets behind me and keeps giving me the shove again

[Our own "Mayday revels" last night were somewhat more "socially distanced", via Zoom]

A "new" discovery today!

Sharing the occasion (as she does) with a slew of famous names, such as Lorenz Hart, Donatella Versace, sex god David Beckham, David Suchet, Henry Hall, Bianca Jagger, Catherine the Great of Russia, Jerome K. Jerome, Alan Titchmarsh, Peggy Mount, Lesley Gore, Engelbert Humperdinck, the divine Christine Baranski [as featured here just this Thursday], Dr Benjamin Spock, Princess Charlotte and Lily Allen, the name Doris Fisher - who would have been 105 today - doesn't ring many bells...

However, this was a woman who, in an era dominated by male songwriters before the War, wrote a huge list of songs that were destined to become standards in "The Great American Songbook", including: Whispering Grass, You Always Hurt the One You Love, Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall, Invitation to the Blues, That Ole Devil Called Love, Tampico, Put the Blame on Mame and Amado Mio.

Who knew?

Anyway, I thought I'd take this opportunity (as is my wont) to celebrate the lady's talents by playing a few of my favourites:

Pink Martini (with singer Storm Large) - Amado Mio

Stan Kenton with June Christy - Tampico

Alison Moyet - That Ole Devil Called Love

Rita Hayworth - Put the Blame on Mame

Doris Fisher (2nd May 1915 – 15th January 2003)

There's nowhere else but right here, right now

Always beware cheap stitching.

It's almost the weekend, dear reader - and, despite the grim weather that has greeted the advent of the Merrie Month of May, we need to get ourselves in the mood to party! [Our gang is actually having another get-together via Zoom this evening.]

Earlier this week it was the 80th birthday of one of the undisputed masters of the "electronic sound" that defined not just the later Disco era, but well beyond.

As well as his solo hit From Here To Eternity and (of course) his utterly ground-breaking collaboration with Donna Summer (with Pete Bellotte - everything from I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby through Bad Girls and Hot Stuff to No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)), Giorgio Moroder's career as a producer and creator included such disparate hits as Son of My Father (a #1 success for Chicory Tip here in the UK in 1972), Berlin's Take My Breath Away, Together in Electric Dreams (with Phil Oakey of Human League), the soundtracks for Midnight Express, American Gigolo, Battlestar Galactica, Scarface and Flashdance, four mega hits for the Three Degrees (Givin' Up Givin' In, Woman In Love, The Runner and My Simple Heart), Blondie's Call Me, Japan's Life in Tokyo, Limahl's The NeverEnding Story, Freddie Mercury's Love Kills, Bowie's Cat People and Sparks' Beat the Clock [phew!]; and along the way (among others) he collaborated with Daft Punk, Janet Jackson, Roger Daltrey, Harold Faltemeyer, Bonnie Tyler, Sia, Coldplay and even Britney Spears... and...

...Kylie!

Giorgio Moroder feat Kylie Minogue - Right Here, Right Now

Thank Disco Giorgio It's Friday!

Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (born 26th April 1940)