Ten Christmas originals.

This time around I thought I'd select a few originals. Mostly written by the people involved. All except one appear on Christmas albums. These should be on every radio station's Christmas rotation. They all sound like classic Christmas songs.

We'll start off with Si Cranstoun and A Christmas Twist. This guy was an internet star, probably still is. He and his brother were buskers, singing reggae and soul classics. I found this by accident, having bought an album of his and found it tucked away at the end. When I looked for it online, this energetic video popped up. Great voice, lot of energy and style.

A Christmas Twist - Si Cranstoun - YouTube

 Moving on to a well-established star and great vocalist. I have been a fan since the Maggie May era. Rod Stewart had been making easy listening albums for a few years and I have enjoyed them even though I prefer his stuff with The Faces. It was a natural transition for the Seventies rocker. It was inevitable he would make a Christmas album. A bunch of traditional and classic tracks but one outstanding original. Red-Suited Superman is a bluesy classic in its own right. It deserves several cover versions, but that may take some time.

rod stewart - red suited superman - YouTube

Garth Brooks has made three Holiday albums that I know of. Ugly Christmas Sweater is on the latest one. The album is Together, recorded with Trisha Yearwood. This is a Garth solo effort though. A fun track about an item of clothing you will never catch me wearing. Not now. Not ever. Never.

Ugly Christmas Sweater - YouTube

Of all the recent albums by favourite artists of mine, Jamie Cullum's The Pianoman at Christmas is probably my preferred one. All original tracks by the man himself. He has a warm welcoming voice, sings in a soft jazz style and invites you into a warm log cabin Christmas. The whole album is wonderful. A sound sensation. Difficult to pick a single track, they could all be standards. Turn On The Lights is a typical track, so we'll go with that one. Throw out the Buble and open the Jamie. You won't look back.

Jamie Cullum - Turn On The Lights - YouTube

I watched The Monkees on TV when they were first around. I didn't know they were a "fake" band. I just loved the crazy humour and the sound of the music. Recently, they released a Christmas record. all four members took part, utilising some old vocals of Davy Jones. a few titles written by current writers, some covers, a few classics. The one I have chosen is written by Andy Partridge of XTC. Unwrap You At Christmas is extremely catchy and a little naughty. It is an earworm and may stay with you a while.

The Monkees - Unwrap You At Christmas (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

 

I quite liked Hootie and the Blowfish but was never really what you would call a fan. However, since Darius Rucker went solo and entered the Country Music scene, I have loved his work. A smooth voice and a lot of charm. His Christmas CD is one of the best. Period. Not just in the Country market. Some standards as usual, but really well done. Also, this original piece, which just feels like a standard itself. What God Wants For Christmas crosses both the faith-based and secular versions of the holiday.

Darius Rucker - What God Wants For Christmas (Official Video) - YouTube

My wife and I recently went to see Nick Lowe in concert. A brilliant night. He may be getting on, but his voice is still as smooth as ever and the material is quality all the way though. He released this Christmas album a few years back. The title, Quality Street, refers to a range of sweets, in the UK, which are most prevalent at this time of year. Christmas At The Airport is a really pleasant toe-tapper and sets a scene which should not be merry, but I feel like I could spend Christmas there, no problem. Not that that would be my first choice, mind you.

Nick Lowe - "Christmas At The Airport" (Official Music Video) - YouTube

I was introduced to The Mavericks in a BBC Country Music show helmed by a guy called Nick Barrowclough. Got every release and saw them live once. Got all Raul Malo's stuff too. He's the singer and has a solo Christmas album which is also excellent. Their style suits this season so well. This number is a great way to start the festivities. Up-tempo, great rhythm. If it doesn't get some part of your body moving in time, then you may need to see a specialist. Christmas Time (Is Coming 'Round Again)

The Mavericks - Christmas Time (Is Coming 'Round Again) (Official Music Video) - YouTube

The artist formerly known as God; Eric Clapton seems too laid back for a holly jolly Christmas. The album has a mostly blues feeling too it. This track is originally by American soul and r/b artist Anthony Hamilton. Originally Eric was reluctant to do a Christmas record but changed his mind thankfully. Some really good tracks on the CD.  Check out the strange version of Jingle Bells for instance. Home For The Holidays is Eric at his smoothest.

Eric Clapton - Home For The Holidays (Lyric Video) - YouTube

Even with Garth and Darius being mentioned earlier, this is the most country of the ten tracks I have picked. Brad Paisley is a great guitarist and also loves having fun with lyrics. This is a favourite of my grandkids. It deserves an animation video, but no-one has come forward yet.  Penguin, James Penguin is a Christmas superhero. 

 Brad Paisley - Penguin, James Penguin - YouTube

There are so many good and great original Christmas songs out there, we need a radio station to just play them and no standards. I love the classic stuff, but also appreciate a new addition to the Christmas list. See what I did there. It's Christmas, the natural time of year for dad jokes. Here's the link to Clapton's take on Jingle bells. Try it. Jingle Bells - YouTube  Enjoy! Merry Christmas. 

Christmas hits are the best.

 I am a huge fan of Christmas music. This year, I started listening to it before Thanksgiving. I am not American so that holiday does not have the same effect on me. Also, 2020 has been so "busy" that we needed a little cheering up. So, we put up the tree and the decorations and started listening to Bing, Andy and all the rest of the Christmas standards. [EDIT...  I am now an American citizen, so I apologize for playing Christmas music early, which I did, and I still do.]

The last couple of years, I have talked about British Christmas music. This year I got to thinking about artists, that I don't usually listen to, but I love them at  Christmas. It seems like everyone will eventually have a Christmas or holiday album in their portfolio.

The first time I noticed this was when Johnny Mathis released his classic, When A Child Is Born in November 1976. I don't remember a lot about that time because I'd only been married a month and had other things going on. Christmas music was not in the top ten concerns right then. However, I do remember the sense of enjoyment, listening to this song, being sung by an artist, I had never rated. I never understood his appeal. I did not like his style, his voice or even the way he looked, but this became one of my favourite Christmas recordings. Even the cheesy spoken part seems to work well. Now I like quite a lot of his Christmas output. Still not sold on his standard stuff, though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF-NmJ80jEU

Chris DeBurgh was a radio favourite in the late seventies, in the UK. His Spanish Train got played a lot. Although I was into a lot of different music, his voice and style never appealed. Of course, there is the exception of the Christmas record. His lightweight voice seemed to fit the story of A Spaceman Came Travelling. That and the fact that I have a blind spot with Christmas music, made this a favourite of mine. Hence its appearance, last year, on my blog. He tipped well over into the schmaltzy stuff with Woman In Red and Bill Bailey's mickey take song, Beautiful Ladies is wonderful. Look it up, it's really funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49k1EQdoMeU

From day one, I had a blind spot where Madonna is concerned. I know she is a role model, I know she is very successful, but I just do not like the woman. Most of the time, I find her voice to be in the fingernails on a chalkboard section of sounds. Occasionally, I enjoy one of her records, such as the Pink Lemonade thing, which I find quite bearable. I really dislike that she was chosen to play the lead in the movie of Evita. It's one of my favourite musicals and so many other people were better qualified. Anyway. Moving on. She has a Betty Boop quality on her version of Santa Baby, which works quite well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wAyZZTq7E4

This is a big one. I have never been one to listen to hype in a positive way. Before I heard anything by him, I was being told by radio djs and the like, that Bruce Springsteen was the best thing since sliced bread. The Boss, in fact. When I did hear him, I was underwhelmed. His voice , for the most part, is just too gravelly for the pop songs he writes. I recognise how good he is as a songwriter. I love some of the covers of his stuff. Blinded By The Light by Manfred Mann's Earthband for one. His live version of Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town, however, works really well. Even the live spoken stuff at the beginning is not unwelcome.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76WFkKp8Tjs

Oh my goodness. Mariah Carey. A blank-faced, souless singer, who murdered Badfinger's Without You. It was totally unnecessary to record that as Nilsson had already recorded the definitive version. She is from that generation of singers who have spawned the shouty style of vocal, so loved by The X Factor and other shows of that type. However, I have always liked her Christmas hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You. In December 2020, it finally got to number one in the British charts.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

James Last does what so many band leaders have done over the years. Take pop and rock music and add so much blandness, the original seems to melt away. He was ubiqui... ubiquet. He was everywhere for a while, but eventually found his rightful place in charity shop reject piles. However, being a fan of middle of the road Christmas music, easy listening stuff, I allow James to, occasionally, assault my ears with some festive fun.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te0ttTj9VRY

When they first burst on to the radio, they were considered a joke. The Darkness had a live following but found it difficult to get a record deal. Record companies could not take them seriously. They seemed to be a halfway decent band with a ridiculous lead vocalist. However, if you treat them as a novelty, then Christmas Time is quite a fun holiday record. Of course, the bracketed subtitle [Don't Let The Bells End] added to the novelty and ridiculousness. The video is a hoot.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrVg1toMzuo

For me Josh Groban was very good as a TV detective. Shame that show only got one season. He had to fall back on his singing career. He does alright, so I think he won't mind that I find him quite dull and not distinctive at all. There are many sub-operatic voices out there and I don't mind them at all. However his Christmas album is quite good and just shows how two-faced I can be when it comes to any Christmas music.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uh6X7WB5UE

There are Christmas songs out there that I don't like. Usually though, they are covers of pop/rock Christmas classics. Also, I have yet to find a decent straightforward version of Silent Night. The one by The Dickies is still the one I sing in my head. Anyway, I have a couple of hundred Christmas cds and many, many old vinyl singles. I'll be fine. 

10 Christmas hits from the UK. Part the second.

Two years ago I wrote a blog about 10 UK Christmas records.   https://kevinspondmusic.blogspot.com/2016/11/10-christmas-hits-from-uk-in-no.html 
At the end of it, I listed a few also-rans. I thought I would cover them in a little more detail and add a few more for a second festive ten. This time I will add the youtube links. 

Showaddywaddy were a big deal in the seventies, in the UK. They were a mainstay of Top of the Pops. Dressed in colourful teddy boy suits, they would become well known for their pop cover versions of old rock 'n' roll stuff. Their chart career started with some original lightweight "Rock 'n'n Roll" titled songs. Their third hit was Hey, Mr. Christmas. It only got to about number 13, but it would have been huge if they'd saved it for release during their run of seven top 5 singles.  However 1974 followed on the heels of Slade and Wizzard having huge success with their Christmas releases. Suddenly, Christmas releases became more commonplace. This track is a lot of fun as was most of their output.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyy0Leo3Lw4

Elton John was already a star by 1973 when he released Step Into Christmas. It was the year of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and also the year of a couple other Christmas songs, already mentioned. It got to number 10 in the UK, but nowhere in the Hot 100 and has become a standard, played year after year. I always kinda liked the 'b' side, Ho, Ho, Ho, Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas, but that is less radio friendly. Not a great deal of action in the cover version section, so this is the one that always gets played.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMHmsL2t3A

Bing Crosby is forever associated with Christmas, but not so David Bowie. Bing has a history of performing with other artists. At the time this was recorded, David Bowie had not. Most of Bing's American chart presence is based on Christmas and duets. This should not work. Two different styles from two different ages. Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth was recorded for a tv special in 1977, but did not get released officially until the 80's and has since become a perennial classic. A hit in the UK, but not even denting the Billboard 100.  Peace On Earth was, apparently, written for this, because David said he didn't like the old song. Apparently, Bing had no idea who David was, but his kids told him he should do it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADbJLo4x-tk

Steeleye Span are an electric folk band. Not robots, but a folk music band using electric instruments. With the wonderful Maddy Prior on lead vocals, they could do no wrong. Of course, they would do a Latin Christmas record. Gaudete. Why not? I always sing along even with the words I don't recognise. I had done Latin at school, so it was not completely strange to me. Even if you have no idea, it is a wonderful sound.  Maddy's soaring vocals are incredible.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDc2FD-vy8M




Mike Oldfield, he of Tubular Bells fame, did a lot of stuff apart from his original master work. In Dulci Jubilo; there's that language again, is a joyous instrumental version of this well-known song. The video I have chosen, features Pan's People from Top of the Pops in one of their better routines. Very nice. My copy is on a white vinyl 12" single.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8xds3oFwfM










David Essex worked hard to not be a pop idol along the lines of David Cassidy or Donny Osmond, releasing several unusual style records. It only partly worked, because he did become a heartthrob and had a huge female following. Winter's Tale is another example of him trying to avoid the pop star cliche. A gentle ballad, it suited his distinctive voice, very well. Mike Batt and Tim Rice wrote this as requested by David.    
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjVy3iAq-5E

Thin Lizzy, great rock band. Christmas single? Perhaps not. Sex Pistols. Iconic punk band. Christmas single? Definitely not. However, a combination of the two gave a spirited rendition of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells, calling the single A Merry Jingle, posing as the Greedies. A one-off combination. Great fun. I imagine alcohol and other stuff may have been involved. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN2bcS9shuY














Mud were a pop band with a great track record of hit singles [no puns were intended during the making of this blog] . They released a Christmas single as a Presley pastiche. A bit of a laugh. The video from Top of the Pops, with Les Gray using a ventriloquist's puppet, turned out to be a master stroke. People loved the song as a joke and also as a seriously sad Christmas tune. The dummy does the spoken bit far better than any human could have. This has a bit cut off due to the presence of a DJ who is persona non grata [there's that Latin education again]   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a61sUu5rcu8

Dora Bryan was a comedy actress, well known and loved in the UK. Cashing in on the success of The Beatles, she recorded All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle. One of my earliest favorite novelty songs. Still get a good deal of fun out of this. My family probably bought this before buying a Beatles track! 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWC3hvGtBBc









Chris DeBurgh gets a lot of stick for his music. Especially the post Woman In Red stuff. He used to be a credible folky performer but got very sloppy and sentimental in later years. Moving on. A Spaceman Came Travelling is indicative of his less tacky early product. A long saga of the story of Christmas. No jingle bells or huge production, just a simple tale, but highly evocative of Christmas for a lot of Brits. Someone put images to it, not an official video.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmZg7tvGN9o










There are some more. Greg Lake had a minor hit in the USA, so that might not count for this theme. There is a record, not played in some time, by a "glittery" pop star who we don't speak of, anymore. I will have to have some more thoughts and see what else I can find. We may go for weird Christmas songs next time, although there have been some weird ones already. 
Also, last year I wrote about 3 new Christmas albums. I have played them again this year and they are still really good and will become part of my Christmas music routine. 
https://kevinspondmusic.blogspot.com/2018/11/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like-christmas.html

Sci Fi radio show

Science fiction and music are my two favourite entertainments, but, apart from soundtracks they don't cross over as much as I'd like.

However, here's a single from one of my favourite sci-fi characters. Marvin is a manically depressed robot from Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I have two of his singles, this is the best one. This is not in the show, on radio or tv or film or audiobook but is a great part of the history of the story.  He managed to record this despite the pain in all the diodes down his left side.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTXOW_jJdKE

Around 1978/1979, I was helping a friend of mine, called Paul. He was a dj in his spare time and had a friday night gig at The Top Of The World nightclub in Stafford, England. His latest boyfriend had left, so he asked me to help out. It was a lot of fun. One week they did a Star Wars theme and this amazing album by Meco featured heavily. The technical guy at the club even built a remote control, life-size R2-D2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRWYYt47RI

For many years the only sci-fi single people could name was a daft novelty song in early sixties pop style. Sheb Wooley was a very ordinary looking guy and nothing like I expected when I eventually saw a video of him performing this. I was thinking about Monster Mash for this, but that's more of a horror standard than sci-fi.. It looks like A Purple People Eater To Me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz7Why57qVc

Red Dwarf is the second greatest sci-fi comedy of all time. The Cat is a great comic creation. This is the song he dreamt of doing in one of the early episodes. They released Tongue Tied as a single, but it didn't sound as good as the TV version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jnTzBeQJag

Some of the greatest TV sci-fi of the 60's came from the mind of Gerry Anderson with a bunch of puppet shows. They were unmissable for a kid growing up at that time. Even though I was very young,  the end theme to Stingray always sounded quite cheesy and could have been a spoof. I'm sure it wasn't, but it is an ear worm of a tune. Marina was a mute young woman who lived in the sea, the slave of Titan, the leader of the Aquaphibians, and was "liked" by the main character, Troy Tempest.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD96RQ1-wnY

Moving on from the early 60's pop sound, we come to David Bowie and his early fixation on space stuff. Space Oddity and Life On Mars could fit in here, but I think I'll choose Starman. This particular performance on Top of the Pops is cited by many people as the reason they got into music. Just the look and the attitude and, oh yeah, the great music.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYtRp9UNx8Y

More in the easy listening bracket, were the Carpenters and their odd dalliance with sci-fi, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft. Karen Carpenter had a beautiful voice which lent itself to the, mostly, romantic songs they did. However, this was a little different.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teBV0EoJJY8

Classical music has always been used in sci-fi movies and shows, but there is one body of work that is synonymous with the genre. Strauss could not have foreseen his dance music would be used for outer space projects. Also Spracht Zarathustra is often played to set a mood for a sci-fi item in many shows nowadays. I wonder how many people are aware of its 2001 A Space Odyssey beginnings. I saw that film on a school trip and it had a huge influence on my love of sci-fi and expanded my love of music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QFj59PON4

Combining sci-fi with fantasy and adding novelty and just plain weirdness, Leonard Nimoy singing about a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins must come near the top of the list. The video is so strange and quirky. Also seeing "Spock" smile is an unsettling experience for anybody. The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. Definitely in the so bad it's good category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC35cQKHwzg

Crazy, camp, loud and colourful, Queen were a great band and Freddie Mercury was a wonderful performer. The showiness of the Flash Gordon movie was the ideal setting for one of their most immediate hits. "Gordon's alive!" The bits of  film dialog used on the single, became catchphrases.  Don't forget, we only have 14 hours left to save the Earth. Shouldn't that be save Earth, not the Earth?      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfmrHTdXgK4

Roy wood is one of my top 5 favourite artists, his work withn ELO, The Move and Wizzard is some of the best pop/rock music ever. However his solo work goes places that his bands never did. Could a computer fall in love with its owner? Nowadays that is less strange an idea than before. Miss Clark must have really been something for the computer to fall so hard.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTxp7cqrQjA

One of the greatest sci-fi characters ever must be Max Headroom. Starting off in a British TV play about a dystopian future, moving on to an American TV series, a chat show, a music video show and a little success in the pop charts with The Art Of Noise. Paranoimia.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6epzmRZk6UU











I know there are more sci-fi related tracks out there. Many more. It is a big universe, vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big. Wait a minute. I've read that somewhere before. There will be a sequel, but no prequels. 

The TV influence.

When I was a kid, we had a black and white TV and two TV stations. BBC and ITV. That changed in the seventies, of course. However, from the beginning, music played a part in my tele watching. From very early on, I was a fan of Gerry Anderson's puppet shows. Fireball XL5 was my favourite and I can still sing that closing theme tune. Written by the genius Barry Gray and sung by children's TV presenter, Don Spencer. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8C8pyuOO5U

Top of the Pops was the show to watch if you liked pop music. It ruled the charts. An early appearance would rocket your record way up the charts. Usually, of course, you had to be somewhere in the charts to start with, just to be considered. That was the point of the show. It reflected the charts, but also influenced the sales of records. It is difficult to remember my earliest memory of the show. Most memories are from the 70's. However an earlier one that sticks out, is Little Children by Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas. Funnily enough, it was their first hit, not written by Lennon/McCartney.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GxEcYI09eI




Of course, the big TV show, for pop fans, came from America when they decided they needed their own Beatles. The Monkees was a huge show in the UK. Great songs, daft characters, lots of fun. And, for a pre-teen, it was very funny. They had several hits, but why bother with them? They had their own theme tune for goodness sake! And it was a corker! Here they come, walking down the street.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKs43dHBSWA





Of course, we had our own version. Ahem. Not really, of course. Pinky and Perky had a music show, where puppets sang the latest pop hits. Lot of weird characters with odd eyes that seemed to have a life of their own. Not many clips available, but this one isn't bad.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VFiX-w1LBc







The biggest TV influence on my music tastes was The Old Grey Whistle Test. A once-a-week, late-night show. They would have interviews and music videos. Live bands in a bare studio and album tracks played over odd-looking silent movies. The styles were all over the place. It's where I fell in love with Emmylou. It was also my introduction to Bob Marley. I always loved reggae, but that guy was something else. This wasn't just lightweight pop music, this was the real thing with real musicians and a charismatic lead singer. Concrete Jungle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIoBi1U-ASo

There were other music tv shows. One of which was a classical music quiz, where a team of  celebrity "experts" answered a bunch of questions. One round included the team having to identify a piece of music that the host played on a dummy piano. It was amazing how many times they got it. I loved the show, but was useless at it. I very rarely got anything right. I did once recognise a piece from Bach's Magnificat, my favourite classical piece ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo1x-62WmrI







Folk featured a lot. There were two programmes I remember. One featured an all male folk group
called The Spinners [not the Detroit ones]. I used to watch and enjoy it, but the tall guy would really annoy me by getting the audience to sing along by saying the words quickly at the start of each line. That really bugged me and still does. Fortunately I had Steeleye Span, an electric folk band, with the wonderful Maddy Prior on vocals. Their show was a must see for me. Can't find any individual tracks of the show, but this will suffice. Thomas The Rhymer is still one of my favourites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyQy-ixV36A

Country music is now a big part of my listening experience. Part of the reason is a canadian singer called George Hamilton IV. He had a show on the BBC for a while. A gentle voice, very relaxed.
Early Morning Rain is a Gordon Lightfoot song, but I had George's version before I heard the original. The first version is usually the one you stick to, original or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU-Ks-ES5bA











I had never heard of John Denver until his TV show came on. He was like nothing I'd ever seen. A huge smile that seemed to come through in his beautiful clear voice. He always seemed to be having a lot of fun on that show. Just laughing and having a blast. It was very infectious. But oh that voice! Sunshine On My Shoulders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5aQ2dLzzXs

In the early sixties a very strange show appeared and became quite popular and influential. Juke Box Jury had David Jacobs, the host, play records on a juke box, while a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges sat and listened, then voted it a hit or a miss. In the absence of video, you would watch the reactions of a very calm audience and a very stiff jury. The one with David McCallum is especially weird. It did have a kickass theme tune by the John Barry Seven, titled Hit or Miss. Yes, that John Barry. He of  the James Bond theme tunes fame.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whk-v90b3Rg

Another great source of music, was The Muppet Show. Not only the muppets themselves, but also
some of the wonderful music stars they had on. People like Elton John, Rita Moreno, John Denver. However, the one song that sits at the top of my favourite Muppet tunes, is Rainbow Connection as sung by Kermit.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaxoaKwx8tU

A huge once-a-year music show, The Eurovision Song Contest came to be loved and ridiculed at the same time. The ridicule came a little later, as the show opened up and let judges, and then voters, see the acts as they were performing. In the early days, there was just a panel of judges in each country, who listened and voted, without seeing the acts and sometimes without prior knowledge of the song. My first memory of seeing the contest was in 1967 when Sandie Shaw won with an atypical, for her, song, called Puppet on a String.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xnzPnyyWbY





Next time, science fiction and music.