Well, the Beatles also recorded at least one song in German, but I don't think the German version was a hit in the English speaking world. And the Beatles were definitely NOT a one-hit wonder!Originally Posted by Rarebird
Well, the Beatles also recorded at least one song in German, but I don't think the German version was a hit in the English speaking world. And the Beatles were definitely NOT a one-hit wonder!
Los Bravos, but of course, that one was in English anyway. I've not heard anything else of theirs but I used to hear that song quite a bit when I listened to 60s oldies shows, it crossed over in the UK as well.
The Easybeats' 'Friday On My Mind' springs to mind- basically the only substantial success they had in the US and UK, right? But a successful group in their homeland.
I meant Los Bravos. Really, I thought they were Americans or British.
I knew it was a classical piece but wouldn't know the difference between Bach, Beethoven.
That's a bit different. In Michelle there are a few words in French and in Ma belle ami, there are also a few words in French, the title and 2 other lines are sung in French.
http://www.songteksten.nl/songtekste...belle-amie.htm
The group had a club in Scheveningen (The Hague) with the same name.
According to the man who wrote the song, they wanted it to have some French atmosphere.
Los Bravos did have a couple of other minor hits here: "I Don't Care", "Going Nowhere", "Bring a little Lovin'". They were all quite decent songs, but "Black Is Black" remains their chief legacy. That long intro was somewhat ahead of its time.
The Easybeats had a long string of hit singles preceding "Friday On My Mind", but that was the first song of theirs that I liked. They had a few more later hits, but never charted all that high after that song, although I think their later songs were much better than the earlier ones. Vanda and Young's contribution to the Australian music scene did not end with the demise of The Easybeats; non-Australians might be surprised to discover how many songs "That was written by Vanda and Young?" applies to: most of John Paul Young's hits, including "Love Is In the Air", and of course all the songs released under their alias of Flash and the Pan, including "Walking In the Rain", which was successfully covered by Grace Jones.
Last edited by bob_32_116; 11-22-2015 at 04:05 PM.
They are in my book. Eleanor Rigby on the A side, I've Just Seen a Face on the B side. Every thing else they've recorded - to my cloth ears. at least, is bog-standard at best.
My problem more than theirs, I realize.
Well, there was also “Pillow Talk” by Sylvia and of course “Love to Love You Baby” by the late, great Donna Summer. There was also some male-sung R&B song from the mid-70s that was punctuated by female orgasmic moans and caused a bit of a stir; radio stations banning it from airplay, etc. I thought it was “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” but I seem to be mis-remembering.It's a jazzy instrumental with a Spanish speaking woman having an orgasm. I remember it was a big hit. It wasn't censored back then. You'd think the suits would've known better but they must've figured no one would get it....
Incidentally, Sylvia was a 1½-hit wonder, having previously been half of Mickey & Sylvia, of “Love Is Strange” fame.
I understand some members of Los Bravos went on to be in a prog band, but I forget which one. Triana, maybe?
Flash & the Pan essentially was Vanda & Young. They had a UK hit with “Down Among the Dead Men” as well, and an almost-hit in the USA with “Hey St. Peter.”The Easybeats had a long string of hit singles preceding "Friday On My Mind", but that was the first song of theirs that I liked. They had a few more later hits, but never charted all that high after that song, although I think their later songs were much better than the earlier ones. Vanda and Young's contribution to the Australian music scene did not end with the demise of The Easybeats; non-Australians might be surprised to discover how many songs "That was written by Vanda and Young?" applies to: most of John Paul Young's hits, including "Love Is In the Air", and of course all the songs released under their alias of Flash and the Pan, including "Walking In the Rain", which was successfully covered by Grace Jones.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
But they are along the lines of what I am talking about. "Shooting Shark" and "Burnin' for You" were top 100 songsWell for the purposes of this thread they are. And lets be honest what else does Joe Bloggs remember other than Fear the Reaper? Also, in my musical world Burning For You is an album by The Strawbs.
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"Alienated-so alien I go!"
Don't forget that Vanda & Young produced Young's younger brothers' band. What were they called again?!
(as a side note: I remember reading an interview with Mal where he said that Vanda gave him his trademark Gretsch. Apparently, Vanda used it in the early days of the Easybeats, but when he finally got himself a Gibson, he gave the Gretsch to Mal)
I keep forgetting that Serge had a singing career back before he said "I want to fuck you" to Whitney Houston on live television.
In the U.S. they basically only had two albums that did much of anything. The album "Beds Are Burning" was on and the followup "Blue Sky Mining". They fell off the radar just as quickly as they fell on. Personally I loved them, and even got to see them live once, but they came and went in the U.S. fairly quickly.
My father owned this album. Probably a gateway to progressive rock for me.
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