Jukebox Junior
April 15, 2011 The Daily Planet Leave a comment 2009don't stop believin'farrah fawcettgleeglee castjourneymusicmusic diary projectsoft cellthe jamtop of the popswh smithxtc
Glee Cast, 'Don't Stop Believin"
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing callow record buyers that those Top of The Pops compilations were the real deal. I was duped once – but only once – when I sifted the sales racks in WHSmith and found an LP of glittering pop hits by (and the memory might be fuzzy here) the likes of "The Jam", "Soft Cell" and "XTC", for just two quid! A bargain even before you factor in the laughing lady with the Farrah Fawcett hairdo, pulling a t-shirt down over a bare bottom half. I already had a sharp ear back then and it took me one intro to realise there was something fishy about this album. A bit of further investigation, and I never played it again.
I'm sure a relisten now would reveal ample competence on the part of the session players, but no bite, no star quality. Like I say, you fall for it once.
Or we all fall for it all over again. At least Glee's brazen about it, but still their covers – despite extraordinary production values and belting performances – lack the edge of the originals; after all, they're not trying to reinvent the wheel. The thing about 'Don't Stop Believin" though, is, for once, it sounds like a different song from Journey's teasing anthem. The a cappella 'pianos', the girl/boy exchange, even the relative brevity make a successful pure pop transformation.
Why talk about it now? Junior requested it: "This is my favourite." "I like it too," piped three-year-old sister, and they do both have an alarming handle on the lyrics. And a routine. Sometimes I question the wisdom of working full-time and leaving my daughters at the mercy of a mum who's determined to indoctrinate them in all manner of apple pie pop culture. Then I realise it's ace.
But again, why talk about it now? The Music Diary Project revealed that I don't share music enough. A good 90% of my listening is through earphones on a commute, and while that's great for wallowing in my favourites and discovering new stuff without distracting input, half the fun of music is communal experience – talking about it, listening together, arguing, preaching and, yeah, dancing like loons. That's why I started Jukebox Junior. I need to find more time.
https://jukeboxjunior.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/glee-cast-dont-stop-believin.mp3
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