A Guilty Pleasures Playlist

Introduction

I am listening to the album "Collaborations Don't Work" by FFS. You see FFS and think, or well I do, "For F*cks Sake" but this is a Franz Ferdinand / Sparks collaboration and very good it is too while I think being steered by the Mael Brothers with the excellent angular sound of Franz Ferdinand I do love it.

I got this as part of a Rough Trade subscription that my friends got me when I left EE and each month they sent an album with an "extra".

The extra was a one-track mix of tracks chosen by the bands, and the opening song made me think of the term "Guilty Pleasure", which is usually applied to songs that are generally seen as cheesy or fluff. The mix CD is called "Collaborations Do Work" and is full of great songs.

My belief is that if music gives you pleasure then it is good, so lets get going and pleasure ourselves, and I don't feel guilty about this.

Man 2 Man Meet Man Parrish - "Male Stripper" (1987)

This is the song that kicked off this playlist and I love it. They were an American Hi-NRG band from New York City, that formed in the early 1980s. They were best known for their hit singles this one, "Energy Is Eurobeat" and "I Need a Man".

Village People - "Sleazy"

"Male Stripper" reminded me of my favourite Village People song. I always liked the Village People, great fun, entertaining, gay icons, and this still sounds as good today.

Dollar - "Hand Held In Black And White"

David Van Day and Canadian-born Thereza Bazar were Dollar. They were successful in the late 1970s and 1980s, achieving ten UK top-40 singles, "Love's Gotta Hold on Me" (1979), "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" (1979), "Mirror Mirror" (1981), "Give Me Back My Heart" (1982) and "O L'amour" (1987).

For some reason, I thought they were a Bucks Fizz spin-off, so the fact that I liked their music during Punk and Goth did not sit well with many of my friends. I also included the extended version. Thes song was a Trevor Horn production so very eighties, but I like it.

Gina G - (Ooh Aah) Just A Little Bit

Gina G is an Australian singer who represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996, with the song "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit", which reached No. 1 0n the UK Singles Chart.

The song also reached the US Top 20 in 1997 and earned her a 1998 Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording.

It came eighth in Eurovision and is appropriate for today as the Ukraine Eurovision is happening in Liverpool tonight.

Hanson - "MMMBop"

Yeah, they were the "Children of the Corn" but this is incredibly catchy and I do not feel a single ounce of guilt for sharing this with you. They are still excellent even though they have grown up.

The Osmonds - "Crazy Horses"

Can this be considered a guilty pleasure? Yes, it's the Mormon rivals to the Jackson Five and is very close to heavy metal with that scream synth intro and heavy riff.

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band debuted at the Donington Rock Festival and opened their set in front of a crowd of metal heads with this song. That impressed me.

Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Piña Colada Song)

I will close with this. I really think the lyrics are atrocious but I love the music so if it comes on the radio I never skip it, I am happy to leave it on.

I really hope that I have not scared you too much with these revelations.

Discussion of this Playlist with Steffen 39 minutes in here