Blog Tip: Merci Cherie - Mrs Caroline Robinson

So Oranje won't see Austria. I know Guus Hiddink is on a crash course to world domination but I had hoped he was saving it for South Africa's world cup in 2010. But he just had to destroy the Dutch team, brutally chopped off the hand that fed him etcetera. Anyway, good luck to the sweet boys of Russia, hope you'll win the whole blody thing now.

Blog Tip - Merci Cherie
Euro2008 co-host Austria opted out of Eurovision for 2008, but 30 years ago they had Mrs. Caroline Robinson by Springtime. A Eurovision entry so corny you'd almost think it was British. So now go to the Merci Cherie blog where a great Italian coverversion of the song is featured. It's by Corrado (who he?) and it's in this Merci Cherie Post.


Some More News Bits

Patricia Lewis, Queen of South African Eurovision premiered some songs of her forthcoming CD in a live show. The songs included Hero (Sweden 2008), Empty Room (Swedens # 2 in the national selection of 2008) both in English. But the prize song has to be Ek Sal Altyd Vir Jou Lewe, which is an Afrikaans version of Live Forever, Magnificent Magnus Carlssons 2007 Swedish preselection song that didn't make it to Eurovision but was one of the biggest Melodifestivalen hits of the year.
Special thanks to Roy, More Patricia Lewis in this Eurocovers post.

For Real, the cool ska punk Eurovision entry by Athena (for Turkey, 4th in 2004) has received the dubious honour of being covered by Jochem van Gelder, Dutch kiddy TV host. His version is called Kamelentrein (Camel train). As kids are considered stupid but rich by the music industry it's lame and nothing is left of the greatness of the original.

You can see the Video at Jochem's website. The original is at this YouTube.

I got the news from: http://songfestival.web-log.nl

Rendez-Vous in Belgium
Belgium's premier alternative radio station Studio Brussel (StuBru) celebrates their 25th anniversary with a coverversions CD. The best and others from Belgiums alternative music scene each cover a song for each year that StuBru has been on air. The Album is titled Rendez-Vous, which is the song by Pas De Deux that almost divided Belgium after is was chosen as the Eurovision entry for München (1983). The new wave band presented a minimal song with just one line of silly lyrics and an even more silly dance routine and the country was in a state of shock.

The song is still one of the best Belgium ever sent (IMHO) and you can see the original Youtube here, booing included.

The StuBru CD features the Eurovision classic in a new version by the equally great Vive La Fête. Full tracklist of the StuBru CD is here.
(sources: http://www.eurosong.be/, VRT StuBru)

Totally Off-Topic Blog Tips
I'm having great fun with a Czech coverversion of The Best Disco In Town (Ritchie Family hit from the late 70's) Žiješ v éře diskoték by Bezinky & Pražské smyčce. It's featured at the one and only Funky Czech-In.
And Global Vintage has two coverversions of Venus, the Shocking blue hit. One's in Turkish and the other one is in Greek. The latter is by Pascalis & the Olympians of Mathema Solfege fame.
(see this Eurocovers post for more about Mathema Solfege by Pascalis and his mates)

JIMMY MAKULIS - 1935-2007 - ΤΖΙΜΗΣ ΜΑΚΟΥΛΗΣ

Greek born Eurovision singer Jimmy Makulis has died.
He was the first Greek singer on the Eurovision stage when in 1961 he entered for Austria in 1961 with the song Sehnsucht (Desire). That song is one of the rare missing songs in anyone's Eurovision record collection, as it's one of the unfound records of which no release is confirmed.

Even though Makulis enjoyed popularity in Greece his biggest successes were in Germany in the late 50's and early 60's. In 1966 he tried to break America which resulted in working with Duke Ellington and appearing on the Ed Sullivan show and playing Las Vegas. It resulted in one minor US radio hit Happy Heart (written by James Last). In the 90's Makulis toured Germany again and appeared in many TV shows.

Jimmy Makulis recorded two Eurocovers, both released in 1971.
Love is blue (L'amour est bleu, in English) can be found on the 1971 LP With Love (Hippo Records).
He also recorded a Greek version of Severine's 1971 winner for Monaco, Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue : Μια καρδιά χτυπά (Mia kardia ktipa). I don't have any details on the original release but the song was issued on CD Τα Ερωτικά του '60 & '70 in 1996 and το ελληνικο τραγουδι in 2006.