So I am going to play every 45 in my collection.......(Part 3!!)

John Denver-Sunshine on My Shoulders/Around and Around
A #1 hit in 1974. This song kind of sums up how I felt getting all of the patio furniture out of the shed today....warm weather at last! I rarely reach for the John Denver 45's but the sound sure is sweet and well produced. I can see why some people really dig him.

 

John Denver-Annie's Song/Cool 'An Green 'An Shady
Now this is the one John Denver song that I really like and probably his only song I play more than once a year or so. A number one hit in both the USA and the UK. Written for Denver's wife, this to me is the kind of ode that every guy tries to write for his girl. Beautiful melody and some exquisite acoustic guitar perfectly accented by gorgeous strings. His vocal ain't half bad either! This one should have kept him out of the doghouse for a good, long while.

 

I think I've got an instrumental version of Soul Shake that's pretty awesome. Seems like it's by Cal Tjader or someone like that.

 

I bet! The music on that track is really great!!!

 

I think the New Seekers had the hit with this in Australia.

 

I believe you are correct! Don't think I have ever heard their version though although it seems to fit their sound well.

 

Two great songs from John Denver (along with "Take Me Home, Country Roads").

 

Those two are really enjoyable! Now heading into some lesser known (for me) JD territory!

 

John Denver-Back Home Again/It's Up to You
A #5 hit in the USA in the fall of '74. Is this the song that prompted Charlie Rich to light an award envelope on fire at the CMA awards? I remember there was some kind of Denver backlash around this time. Funny to me that Charlie Rich of all people would take offense sine he certainly crossed over to the pop market quite successfully with songs that had a purposeful pop sensibility to them. This tune is pleasant enough but it never really kicks in.....it needs a good chorus.

 

John Denver-Sweet Surrender/Summer
This "live" version hit number 13 in 1975. The Seekers (as Mylene pointed out above) covered several Denver tunes including this one! I'm no Denver expert but Wikipedia claims this single version (with no applause over the intro) has yet to see a CD release. As for the song, it has a sweeping chorus guided by a soaring string arrangement and banjo accompaniment. The theme is an oft expressed one by Denver in letting nature and spirit be your guide to finding the things in life that will make you happy.

 

John Denver-I'm Sorry/Calypso
A huge double sided hit for Denver in 1975. The A-Side hit #1 although I am much more familiar with "Calypso". "I'm Sorry" charted at #1 and it is a pretty straight forward romantic apology. Funny how to Denver it seems "cold in the city like it always does". This sounds to me of a Dan Fogelberg type of song. I see why this was popular....sung nicely and with a heart tugging arrangement to go with the "I miss you and blame myself" theme. This song is tailor made for a Casey Kasem long distance dedication!!!!!!
"Calypso" is dedicated to Jacques Cousteau and his ship, The Calypso. This B-Side hit #2 and is the song I remember most of the two featured here. I have always liked this one....who can't get that high pitched yodeling section out of their head once hearing it? Me, that's who! This single is good stuff and may see more plays than it has in recent years now that I have heard it again.

 

John Denver-Looking For Space/Windsong
Peaking at Pop #29, the theme is a repetitive one for Denver...the search for who you are...especially in a spiritual sense. Thought I was crazy but the 'net backed me up....I identified this song from the show Magnum PI (which my Dad and I LOVED back in the day) and sure enough it was featured in the planned series finale in 1987! Odd choice if you ask me....Anybody else get caught up in the thought of buying those DVD sets of shows you liked 30-40 years ago? Something tells me after a few episodes I would abandon ship....a little nostalgia goes a long way!

 

How do you store your singles? I apologise if you covered this before... but it's quite a trek back

 

John Denver-How Can I Leave You Again/To the Wild Country
Only hitting a modest $44 pop in the USA in 1977, is is a pretty generic ballad IMHO. "I'm Sorry" from a previous post blows it away.

 

I bought these units from Furnikit (Consumers in some areas but they are a big chain store) about 6 years ago. They are meant to hold DVD's and CD's but the shelves are adjustable, so I distanced them to hold 45's. Out of the extra shelves leftover in the box, i cut them down to lengths that make up the dividers you see in each row....thus cutting the shelves in half if you will and providing great support to shelves so that they do not buckle. (The shelves are meant to run the length of the unit with no support in the middle but 45's are a bit heavier than DVD's.) There are 4 of these units in all (cut into 10 sections each with the dividers) and they work extremely well and were very cheap ($30 each if I recall). As for the singles themselves, all Picture sleeves and housed in their own plastic sleeve with the 45 in a paper sleeve tucked inside the plastic sleeve to prevent ring-wear. Plus they just look better that way too! For reference sake as to where we are in this thread, we have almost completed 9 of the 10 sections in the first unit meaning we have 31 more sections to go!

 

John Denver-Autograph/The Mountain Song
Amazingly enough. this is the only picture sleeve produced out of Denver's 3 charted pop hits in the USA! A bit shocking really! A catchy melody ushers Denver into the 80's....Surprised this only reached #52 but this sound certainly wasn't en vogue at the turn of the decade.

 

John Denver & Placido Domingo-Perhaps Love/Annie's Song
Featured on Domingo's LP at the time, (like the version of Annie's song on the B-Side), this was written for Denver's wife although at this point their relationship was nearing its end. This duet is a great listen and well done. The score is great and the lyrics are very poignant. Interesting listening to these very different voices combine to great effect.
"Annie's Song" sees the Three Tenors' member sing it with full gusto. A great song is a great song....adding one of the finest voices in the world to it surely cannot be a bad thing! I still prefer the Denver sung version....the lyric comes across more heartfelt and every man if you will. Still, this is a nice rendition (especially the finale) and features Denver on acoustic guitar. The string ensemble highlights just what a great melody this song possesses.

 

Deodato-Theme From Star Trek/I Shot the Sheriff
The Brazillian composer's disco-fied take on the Star Trek Theme! This didn't chart in the USA but it is a fun listen! It sounds great! The rhythm section is funk-tastic. THE era to be in if you were a bass player....

 

A quick note about our next artist...Depeche Mode! Love them for the most part! Usually I break out the 12" singles when I go to listen to a particular single of theirs (much like Duran Duran coming up later in this thread) but the 45's are great sounding as well. Due to me collecting more the 12" singles versus the 45's, there are gaps in the sequence....feel free to post your images or thoughts on singles that get skipped probably because I only own the 12". Now on the the (mostly) great music!

 

Depeche Mode-New Life/Shout! (Non-LP) UK ISSUE
The second Depeche single. Awesome sleeve artwork....part of what makes collecting these so fun! Like all of the early Depeche single, the synths sound very dated and basic but the melodies are hard to ignore. Vince Clarke's melodies always sounded more upbeat than those to come after his departure. The 45 sounds pristine. The remix version is a great listen as well.
"Shout!" is a bit more subdued. Cool vibe to it but I prefer the Rio Mix on the 12" single and also featured on the excellent Singles box sets which are well worth picking up if you are a fan!

 

Wow! That's a ingenious design there! Also a hell of a lot of 45s... I think once I've finished University I may work on achieving something along these lines - far easier to navigate than portable DJ boxes (Though great for on the move storage)

 

Depeche Mode-The Meaning of Love/Oberkorn (It's a small town) UK ISSUE
As the image on the sleeve suggests, the narrator is unsure about the meaning of love. We've got birds frolicking together, a dog with his bone, and a girl writhing up against a tree while the narrator looks wistfully at her, uncertain of what to do. (With his left hand placed strategically out of frame!) Does this sleeve reference a conflict about sexual preferences? Perhaps. This song also includes a shout out to the lord high above to help find the answer.....not the first time nor the last time in a Depeche Mode track that God is called upon to help provide an answer or some semblance of clarification. Excellent use of background "oohing" vocals here.
"Oberkorn" is an instrumental that has atmosphere aplenty. A nice dichotomy to the A-Side.

 

Thanks! I kind of lucked into it! I give my wife the credit for turning the extra shelves into middle supports....brilliant idea! 45 storage had always been an issue....most bookshelves are too large and the 45's get lost in them. The fact that I could adjust these to fit the 45's made them perfect and it gives them a bit of a library-streamlined look. In a perfect world I would prefer to flip through them front to back like LP racks at a record store so you could see the front of each but that would take up so much space....and then where would all of the Lp's and CD's etc... go? Good luck with your quest! Like I said, these were very affordable and with a little tweaking (we are not experts on carpentry unfortunately!), the perfect solution. Glad to see interest on the oft-overlooked "single"!

 

Depeche Mode-Leave in Silence/Excerpt from: My Secret Garden (Non LP) UK ISSUE
Love the chant like beginning. (Yet another religious touch) A song about ending a romantic relationship but as so often happens, not for the first time with a particular person. Martin's lyrics even pinpoint the struggle on the line "This'll be the last time" while the background vocal echoes (I think I said that last time). Probably my favorite track of theirs up until this point in their career.
"Excerpt from: My Secret Garden" is another instrumental B-Side (something Depeche lean to for years to come). This one is upbeat and could have been the soundtrack to a scene in an 80's flick for sure! Note: These tracks work so much better when listened to as "B-Sides" instead of as a collection of bonus tracks. They work very well paired with listening to the A-Side in a single sitting.

 

Brunswick? I thought he was an Atlantic/ATCO artist. I have "Can I Change My Mind" on one of those "Super Hits" comps:
"SD-8224 - The Super Hits, Volume 4 - Various Artists [1969] (7-69, #164) /Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis (S)" (from BSNPUBS.COM Atlantic Album Discography, part 5)