Pop melodies so beautiful they almost hurt to listen to.

[Rick Robson]

I'm sure you know a lot more about those artists than I do. My knowledge of them is limited to what was current at the time I was in Brazil, i.e. 1979-1980. I bought the Boca Livre self-titled album, and two Beto Guedes albums: Sol de Primavera, and Amor de Indio. The latter contains Luz e Misterio, probably my favourite song out of the whole bunch.

Didn't Jon Anderson collaborate with boca Livre at one stage?

Good call that one, I like it too albeit Feira Moderna is my favourite.

It's the other way around , Boca Livre re-recorded the song "Dança do Ouro" for Jon Anderson's album "Deseo" (1994), interesting to hear Anderson singing along with them, his strong accent didn't compromise his participation and his sharper voice timbre fit accordingly to the overall singing. That song has the typical Boca Livre's pastoral atmosphere which seems to have attracted his interest, imo.

[Luckie]

Yes it's got the word "titties" in the lyrics, but that's just a happy bonus.

[interbellum]

Yes it's got the word "titties" in the lyrics, but that's just a happy bonus.

From "Seventh Tree", one of their introvert albums. Wonderful stuff. The video was part of the deluxe edition of the album.

[Dave the Brave]

I have not read this whole thread so don't know if its been mentioned or not.

Blue Oyster Cult "Then Came The Last Days Of May" always makes me choke up a bit.

The melody plus the story go so well together.

DtB

[bill g]

Heard this today from The Sundays, and almost cried. The chorus starting around 1:00, with that melody, voice and blending guitars is just beyond beautiful. Always was my favorite song of theirs.

[mozo-pg]

Heard this today from The Sundays, and almost cried. The chorus starting around 1:00, with that melody, voice and blending guitars is just beyond beautiful. Always was my favorite song of theirs.

Agreed, very nice.

[Luckie]

XTC Wrapped In Grey. Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney get a nostalgia rush listening to this.

It isn't just the melodies, it's the words too:
Your heart is the big box of paints... How coloured the flowers all smelled as they huddled there in petalled prayer, they told me this as I knelt there... Awaken you dreamers... Don't let the loveless ones sell you a world wrapped in grey.

[Mythos]

sorry this is such a long list
this is 60's and 70' s and I deliberately avoided The Beatles
The Carpenters - Sing
The Carpenters - There's a Kind of Hush
The Carpenters Yesterday Once More

With all due respect and call me old fashioned, or even too serious BUT I see no place for the Carpenters to EVER be mentioned on a PROG SITE...! I think I just got some stomach bile in my mouth...

[JJ88]

You might need a sick bucket then because I have everything they did.

Nice to see prog snobbery is alive and kicking!

[mozo-pg]

I see no problem mentioning the Carpenter. Most prog fans have a wide tent.

[bob_32_116]

I liked the Carpenters quite a lot in the beginning, but after a while I found all their singles started to sound much the same as one another to my ears. Also Karen's absolutely pitch-perfect vocal delivery, "like a nightingale" as one DJ put it, started to grate a little - I would have liked a bit more range of pace and range of emotion, even if it meant the occasional slightly wrong note.

I realised this when I heard their version of the song "Superstar", a song that, up till then I had only known via (Australian singer) Colleen Hewitt's version. I could not believe how soulless the Carpenters' version sounded by comparosin with Hewitt, who really put all her energy into it.

Oddly, one of my favourite Carpenters recordings is their version of Lennon/McCartney's "Ticket To Ride". It's always interesting when someone covers a song and completely re-imagines it