Mark Pentleton » c-maj

320/365 Songs: Another town, another train

admin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:54:16 +0000

Today’s song is actually linked to one of my earliest musical memories. I think I would have been about 4 or 5 and I remember listening to this song on my dad’s reel-to-reel tape deck, along with He is your brother on Abba’s Greatest Hits album. It was written in 1973 and was released in Japan as a single and was also recorded in German as Wer im Wartesaal der Liebe steht. I was supposed to be taking an interesting train journey today, hence the song choice, but it looks like it won’t be happening because of the weather!

318/365 Songs: Come fly with me – Frank Sinatra

admin — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 06:32:08 +0000

This song dates from 1957 and was the title song of Frank Sinatra’s album, setting the tone for an album which featured various songs describing exotic locations, including April in Paris, The Isle of Capri, Blue Hawaii and Autumn in New York. Come fly with me must be one of the only songs ever to feature the word “rarified”!

306/365 Songs: Dream a little dream of me – Mama Cass

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:40:36 +0000

Today’s song was written in 1931 by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded by Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra, but has been covered many times since by artists including Doris Day, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Dean Martin. In 1968 the song was recorded by the Mamas and the Papas. However it was widely suspected at the time that the group was set to split up, so the single was released by Mama Cass as a solo release. It was also covered by the Beautiful South in 1995, included in the album Carry On up the charts. The Beautiful South recorded a French version for the movie French Kiss.

286/365 Songs: Something inside so strong – Labi Siffre

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 23:54:51 +0000

I’m cutting it a bit neat again tonight, but I’ve been up to my eyes all day today with work. Despite that I’ve been watching the events unfold at the San José mine in Chile as the trapped miners are rescued one by one. As I write this 30 of the 33 miners have been rescued and I felt it was only appropriate to play something in honour of these brave men who have spent 69 days underground, and indeed of their brave families awaiting their return. Something inside so strong was released in 1987 and was written by Labi Siffre after watching a documentary on the apartheid regime in South Africa. I felt it would be an appropriate song to play today, and I hope you enjoy it.

279/365 Songs: Goodnight Saigon – Billy Joel

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:48:47 +0000

This song takes me back – my brother Derek and I used to sing along to this song, probably long before we understood the lyrics. It was released on Billy Joel’s 1982 album The Nylon Curtain, and is one of the most well-known songs about the Vietnam War. Not sure about the dodgy helicopter sound effects…

241/365 Songs: Super Mario Bros Theme

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:35:56 +0000

Today’s song is a very special request for our son who turns 9 today! Happy birthday, Matthew! The Super Mario Bros theme was written by Koji Kondo who has written all the music for the Mario games and also the Legend of Zelda.

238/365 Songs: The town I loved so well – Phil Coulter

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:58:05 +0000

I’ve been thinking about all things Irish the past few days because I’ve been working in Dublin since Sunday on the “Digital Boot Camp” where I’ve been training 75 teachers from all over Ireland in podcasting, film-making, photo editing, etc. I recorded today’s song at the weekend and I think at the time I read somewhere that this song was about Dublin. In fact it turns out that Phil Coulter wrote the song about his childhood in Derry. It has since been covered by the Dubliners – that’s probably where I was getting mixed up! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it…

200/365 Songs: Piano Man – Billy Joel

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:47:01 +0000

Given that this is the 200th song in my 365songs project (just 165 to go…!) I wanted to play something big today and I’ve opted for the Billy Joel classic Piano Man. I’ve always loved this song – I used to play the harmonica along to it, but I couldn’t find a harmonica when I was recording today! It dates from 1973 and was written following the failure of Billy’s first album Cold Spring Harbor when he was making his living playing in bars, helping the regulars to “forget about life for a while”. The record company executives decided the original recording was too long, so they cut two verses in half and spliced them together. Billy makes reference to this in his later song The Entertainer: “it was a beautiful song, but it ran too long: if you’re gonna have a hit, you’ve gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05″. Catriona and I went to the last Billy Joel concert in Glasgow (and two previous ones) and I’ll never forget the encore of Piano Man and the many, many times the crowd sang the chorus as Billy stood ‘conducting’, before eventually bringing his piano and the band for one last chorus.

So, any ideas for the next 165 songs? Is there a song I’ve not played yet which you like? Or an artist which I’ve not really covered? By now I’m sure that you know my style, so let me know if there’s something you think would fit!

190/365 Songs: Somewhere out there – An American Tail

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:57:28 +0000

This song was written by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil for the 1986 animated film An American Tail. The song deals with the bond between two siblings and their desire to see each other again after being separated. The Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram version of the song went to #2 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987.

188/365 Songs: Don’t let the sun go down on me – Elton John

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:46:24 +0000

This song first appeared on Elton John’s 1974 album Caribou, but it perhaps wasn’t until 1991 that this song really found worldwide success. Elton John had performed it as a duet with George Michael at Live Aid in 1985, but the live recording from a concert at Wembley in March 1991 became a massive hit in the UK and in the US reaching #1 in the UK singles charts and on the Billboard Hot 100.

183/365 Songs: I could write a book – Rogers and Hart

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:29:55 +0000

And we’re over the hill! Today is the start of the second half of the year and my 365 songs project, so I’m on the way down! I chose today’s song from the 1940 musical Pal Joey by Rogers and Hart where it was performed by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. I first heard this song performed by Harry Connick Jr in the soundtrack of the film When Harry Met Sally, but it was performed in earlier recordings by Miles Davis, Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald among others.

182/365 Songs: Lost – Michael Bublé

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:22:31 +0000

Today’s song has to be something Canadian and I didn’t think O Canada (or indeed Dans mon pays il y a beaucoup de gens – a wee historical reference for Frank and Johanna there!) quite fits the bill, so I went for a Michael Bublé song for Canada Day. The last time I played this was at Celeste and David’s very late one evening…

Today’s song is the first of month seven on 365songs, and tomorrow we move past the half-way point! Thanks to everyone for continuing to listen to my daily tunes – keep your requests coming!

169/365 Songs: Climb Ev’ry Mountain – The Sound of Music

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:09:41 +0000

All this week my friend and former colleague Joan Herald has been starring as Mother Abbess in Mearns Castle’s production of The Sound of Music. I would love to have seen the production but my trip to Denmark this week has made that impossible. I’m sure that Joan did an amazing job, and indeed that the students also performed brilliantly in the production. Climb Ev’ry Mountain is the big number from the end of the first act of the musical, and it’s reprised in the second act. Joan, I hope you enjoy my version!

168/365 Songs: Wonderful Copenhagen – Danny Kaye

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:05:10 +0000

I’ve spent the last five days in Denmark working at the annual Apple Teacher Institute in Svendborg in the south of the island of Fyn. I thought therefore that I should really play something with a Danish theme, although this song isn’t really the most authentic option! It comes from the 1952 musical film about the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen (which, as I’ve found out this week is pronounced in Danish more like “ho say annesen”!) with Danny Kaye in the title role.

160/365 Songs: And so it goes – Billy Joel

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:53:44 +0000

In my opinion this song is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It dates from 1983, although it wasn’t released until six years later on Billy Joel’s Stormfront album. It’s said to tell the tale of the relationship between Billy Joel and the model Elle Macpherson, a relationship which the musician knew would never last. I think the aspect of the song I like the most is “what happens in the middle”: not the melody line or the bass, but the harmonies and “inner voices” which make an exceptionally simple-sounding song actually quite complex. I hope you enjoy it. If you want to hear the man himself perform it, have a look at this live performance on YouTube.

158/365 Songs: Maria – West Side Story

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:23:14 +0000

This song from the Bernstein/Sondheim musical West Side Story, was first published in 1956. It marks the moment when the character Tony discovers the name of the girl with whom he has just fallen in love. Just to make sure he doesn’t forget it, he repeats the name 29 times in the song!

156/365 Songs: Cassandra – Abba

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:08:18 +0000

Today’s song is one of the many underrated Abba songs, Cassandra. It was the b-side to the 1982 single The Day Before You Came, and I think the story related in this song was a precursor of the Björn and Benny’s future musical theatre work (Chess and Kristina från Duvemåla). While the lyrics seem to transpose the song into a contemporary context, it is generally accepted that the song refers to Cassandra in Greek mythology. Cassandra was a cursed prophet who predicted the fall of Troy in vain, because no-one believed her. My performance of the song probably makes it a bit more theatrical than the original, but I hope you like it nonetheless!

154/365 Songs: Around the World – Nat King Cole

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:30:17 +0000

I’ve played this song hundreds, if not thousands of times, but it wasn’t until this morning when I was doing my ‘research’ to write today’s blurb that I found out that the song was actually originally written as the theme tune for the 1956 film Around the World in Eighty Days! The vocal version wasn’t used in the film, but has since been recorded by many artists.

150/365 Songs: Come What May – Moulin Rouge

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:16:41 +0000

Today I’m playing the love duet from the film Moulin Rouge. It’s dedicated to my cousin Anita and her new husband Jimmy who got married yesterday in the beautiful surroundings of Ardkinglas in Argyll. We had a lovely day at the wedding and wish every happiness to Anita and Jimmy – and I hope you like this song!

Eurovision udpate: I hope my performance of the Belarussian song on Friday didn’t bring bad luck to the performers – it came second last! Although that wasn’t as bad as the pitiful UK entry. I’m glad Germany won and hope that next year I’ll make it to the contest in person!

148/365 Songs: Butterflies – Eurovision 2010

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:24:16 +0000

Tomorrow evening in the Telnor arena in Oslo, this song will be performed by the Belorussian group 3+2, accompanied by Swedish composer and performer Robert Wells of Rhapsody in Rock fame on the piano. I’m not sure how it will go down – it’s a nice ballad, with the added cheese factor of butterfly wings sprouting from the female singers’ dresses at the modulation, but I’m not sure if it’s winning material. Personally I think Germany will do very well. Anyway, of all of this year’s Eurovision songs, this is the one my younger son Ewan wanted me to play! Here’s the Belarussian performance at the first semifinal (with not entirely in-tune vocals!)

116/365 Songs: Che gelida manina – La Bohème

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:22:00 +0000

So far on 365songs I’ve steered clear of classical pieces, mostly because I tend to improvise when I play and there is not as much opportunity to do that when playing a classical piece. It’s too long since I’ve played most of the classical pieces I used to play and I don’t think I’d do them justice now. However, I discovered a piano version of Che Gelida Manina (Your tiny hand is frozen) from Puccini’s opera La Bohème in my mum and dad’s music collection a couple of weeks ago and I’ve recorded a performance of it. Let me know if you like it and I’ll do some more classical themes, either my own versions or the ‘authentic’ version of some classics!

115/365 Songs: I’ve loved these days – Billy Joel

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:50:15 +0000

We’re returning to Billy Joel for today’s song. I’ve loved these days was written in 1976 and first appeared on the Turnstiles album. In 1976 Billy Joel returned to New York after living in California. It is said that the lyrics of I’ve loved these days refer to the decadence of his time spent living in Hollywood.

113/365 Songs: Sunny side of the street

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:16:39 +0000

After several days of extremely cold weather it seems that this morning is much milder and the sun was shining as I walked down the street in my home town on the way to meeting my parents for a coffee. I thought I’d play this classic jazz standard from 1930 as today’s piece. I hope you enjoy it!

97/365 Songs: A Wink and a Smile – Harry Connick Jr

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:32:03 +0000

Yesterday’s mention of the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack reminded me of this brilliant song from the movie, performed by Harry Connick Jr. I’m afraid I don’t do HCJ’s piano-playing justice! The song missed out on an Academy Award in 1994 when Streets of Philadelphia picked up the award for Best Original Song.

96/365 Songs: In the wee small hours of the morning – Frank Sinatra

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:21:38 +0000

… and it almost is the wee small hours of the morning by the time I’ve got round to publishing this today! This song dates from 1955 and was first recorded by Frank Sinatra, but has since been covered by various artists including Jamie Cullum, Nanci Griffith and Barbara Streisand. I think the version I like best is actually Carly Simon’s recording which was also used on the soundtrack for the film Sleepless in Seattle.

95/365 Songs: Maria Elena

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:16:07 +0000

Today’s song is a bit of a rarity. I don’t think it’s particularly well-known in the UK or the US – although I may be wrong! It was written by Lorenzo Barcelata in 1932 and was dedicated to the wife of the Mexican President Emilio Portes Gil. It has been used in a few films, and has been recorded a number of times in Spanish and English, and in instrumental versions. This was one of the many songs my grandmother enjoyed listening to, so this is dedicated to her!

84/365 Songs: Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:22:51 +0000

Today’s song is Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael. I’ve always enjoyed playing this song, and it seems I’m not alone! The random facts about today’s song include the fact that this is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century with 1,800 recordings – make that 1,801! It was also voted Song of the Century in 2000 by Swedish music fans, beating Mack the Knife to first place.

66/365 Songs: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered – Rodgers and Hart

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:54:57 +0000

Here’s a nice easy song for a Sunday morning (not that one… I’ll need to remember to include Easy on a Sunday morning at some point!). Bewtiched, bothered and bewildered is from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey. It was always a favourite when I used to play on Sunday afternoons down in the Marine Highland in Troon (now the Barceló Troon Marine Hotel). I think it’s another favourite of my mum’s, but I’m not sure. Maybe she’ll finally post a comment to let me know…

58/365 Songs: Moon River

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:35:20 +0000

Today’s song is the Henry Mancini song Moon River from 1961, originally written for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I hope you enjoy my performance!

365 Songs: My love, my life – Abba

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:42:15 +0000

This is one of those album songs which never quite got the publicity it deserved, at least at the time of its release. Taken from the 1976 album Arrival, it is thought to be the best example of Agnetha’s voice, according to Björn at least! Agnetha released a compilation of her Swedish and English hits in 1996 and appropriately named it My love, my life. More recently, at last year’s BBC ABBA concert in Hyde Park, Jamie Cullum performed this song in quite a different style. Hope you like my version! Please feel free to comment if you enjoyed it – or indeed if you didn’t!

365 Songs – I Wonder (Departure) – Abba

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:22:28 +0000

It had to be Abba today… this evening Frida and Björn will be opening AbbaWorld in London’s Earls Court. There’s been talk of an Abba Museum opening up in Stockholm for years, but the decision was taken to make the museum a touring exhibit and from today Abba fans can visit this “stunning, sequin-spangled” exhibition in London, and perform with 3D holographic images of Abba, remix their songs and see “never-before-displayed memorabilia from the personal collections of the world’s most cherished pop icons”… Book your ticket now

The song I Wonder was first released as the b-side to The Name of the Game in 1977 and was part of the ‘mini-musical’, The Girl with the Golden Hair, appearing on The Album.

365 Songs – Imagine – John Lennon

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:35:04 +0000

Today’s song is the John Lennon classic Imagine. First released in 1971 on the album of the same name, it soon found its way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs Which Shaped Rock and Roll. My version is fairly true to the original, although I couldn’t resist a modulation into D flat… If you’ve been enjoying my music, please don’t forget to consider donating to my Haiti appeal.

365 Songs – Tell me on a Sunday

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:33:25 +0000

Today’s song is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black and was from the musical of the same name, first performed at the Sydmonton Festival in 1979 by Marti Webb. The one-act musical was included as the first part of the show Song and Dance in London’s West End in 1982.

365 Songs – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:05:09 +0000

Today’s song is the Duke Ellington classic Don’t Get Around Much Anymore. The last time I played this song was around 1am in the bar at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow following the first day of the Scottish Learning Festival and I was joined by Derek Robertson from LTS who sang the song to the delight of those still in the bar. See the video here. I thought that since BETT starts today I should include this song in my 365 list, so this song is dedicated to everyone who is at BETT over the next few days. Come along to stand K16 and say hello if you’re there!

365 Songs: New York State of Mind – Billy Joel

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:45:43 +0000

In this morning’s Herald “Review of the Decade”, I was reading about 9/11 and I was thinking back to one of my lasting memories from the time after the horrific events. Billy Joel performed the brilliant New York State of Mind at the benefit Concert for New York City and along with the other brilliant performances from the concert it represented so much.

The song was written in 1976 and first appeared on theTurnstiles album. Here’s my performance of New York State of Mind. It doesn’t quite have the emotion of the NYC concert, but I hope you like it nonetheless!