ABBA, remember them? I guess you do.
Jazz singer Judith Nijland has just released an album with ABBA hits revamped into some delicious Jazz tunes.
There's shoobie doo wah swingy Jazz (I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do is Fab! ), some Samba and others are more smoky cocktail bar exercises.
I am a complete ignorant when it concerns jazz terminology, so I suggest you just have a listen (see links below).
The album A Jazz Tribute To ABBA features classics like Waterloo, I Have A Dream, Thank You For The Music, etc., twelve classic ABBA songs are there. Voulez-Vous gets a makeover in French, oui, Waterloo and One Of Us feature tenor saxist Yuri Honing, fan and no stranger to the ABBA cover himself (he recorded Waterloo for his 1996 Startrax album).
ABBA's 42 year old Waterloo single, NL edition.
The Judith Nijland album is out on iTunes, don't know about all territories though.
The CD word is mentioned at the website, but I haven't seen a physical release yet.
I'll keep you posted.
Please note, this article is from 2010, I just moved it up and made some adjustments.
Scottish singer Kenneth McKellar has left us this week. The singer of the 1966 U.K. Eurovision entry A Man Without Love died after a short illness.
The 1966 British Eurovision entry was chosen in a national final where Kenneth McKellar sang all the songs, 5 in total. All songs were released on the EP Songs For Europe, pictured above. The EP spent 9 weeks on the EP charts.
McKellar performed at the Luxembourg Eurovision in full Scottish regalia, kilt and all, and ended 9th.
His most acclaimed works are the early sixties albums The Songs Of Robert Burns and Songs Of The Hebrides which have been re-issued on CD in 2004.
A lesser known collection of songs come from his two South African releases. The EP In die skadu van Ou Tafelberg (Decca 1966) and the LP Kuier By Ons (Decca 1970) contain songs sung in Afrikaans, mostly Afrikaans evergreens.
As with many releases from South Africa, these records now are impossible to find. (anyone?) Find tracklists and more about these at Vetseun. (scroll a bit for English text).
Here are two recordings via Youtube: My hut aan die vlakte se soorn Trekker Vaarwel
A Man Without Love A Man Without Love, written by Peter Callander and Cyrel Ornadel, scored a #30 hit in the U.K. charts and was only covered a few times.
The song should not be confused with the song of the same titled made famous by Engelbert Humperdinck, which is a coverversion of Quando M'innamoro (SanRemo 1968).
Coverversions of A Man Without Love
1. Dale Adams (with Chris Allen and his Orchestra)
- on VA EP (Populaire Platen Kring HPK 757)
2. Harry Secombe
- on CD Abide with me & The Very Best Of
3. Kai Hagen - Ein Mann der nicht liebt ist ein halber Mann
- in German, on 7" (Vogue DV 14504)
4. Ronnie Tober (NL 1969 singer) - Een hart is geen hart
- in Dutch on 7" also including Austria 66 (Philips JF 333 511)
5. The Film Festival Orchestra (instrumental)
- On CD Love & Romance (Galaxy records 1999)
I'm sure there could be more, if you know any, please let me know.
2010 The Oslo Eurocovers Here's some 2010 Eurocovers news.
Swedish dansband Scotts (I don't think they are Scottish though) have recorded a coverversion of the Danish 2010 entry In A Moment Like This to be included on their forthcoming album Vi Gör Det Igen (out April 21, Mariann records). The female vocalist on the track is Erika Sjöström (from dansband Drifters).
Scotts have previously recorded coverversions of Sweden 1968 and U.K. 1981. Denmark 2010 at The Oslo Collection - Scotts website
You can already have a listen at Mariann records Youtube channel.
Thanks to Marcin for the tip!
Lena Meyer-Landruts German entry Satellite was, as you will probably already know, performed twice at the National final. The runner-up singer Jennifer Braun has released her slower version of the song on a cdsingle. Germany 2010 at the Oslo Collection has more info and release details on both versions.
The Dutch entry by Sieneke has sparked some controversy but also spawned many coverversions. Now there's interest from Austria and Sweden to record the song, so Pierre Kartner can be happy, Sha La Lie.
(Netherlands 2010 at The Oslo Collection.) Other 2010 news: Sweden: Anna Bergendahl Signing Tour *** Belarus: 3+2 Website launched *** Switzerland: CDsingle out now *** Malta: Maltese version of My Dream *** Serbia: Spanish version.
All the latest release news on the 2010 contest can be read at The Oslo Collection Blog. Please tell your friends.
I guess I thought he'd stick around forever. If there's no heaven he's probably on his way to Mars.
And Yes, he did a Eurovision tune, the most memorable moment in the 1986 movie Absolute Beginners.
R.I.P..
Norway's Eurovision treasure Nora Brocksted has died. She was the singer of the first two Norwegian entries:Voi Voi (1960) and Sommar I Palma (1961).
Next to her Eurovision songs, which she recorded in several languages, Nora Brockstedt also recorded Norwegian and Swedish version of other Eurovision songs.
You can find out about those in the 2010 Eurocovers post The Olso Weeks Part 1.
Also find some more Nora Brocksted related posts here.
Nicki French, much loved British Eurovision chanteuse, releases a new remix EP including new mixes of her 2000 entry Don't Play That Song Again and a few Eurovision covers.
Don't Play That Song Again ended 16th in the 45th Eurovision Song Contest (in Stockholm). Hold Me Now is the winner of the Brussels contest of 1987. It was Johnny Logans 2nd victory for Ireland. One Step Further, originally by Bardo, ended 7th in Harrogate (1982)
And then there's Ding A Dong, the winner of 40 years ago. The Dutch entry by Teach In won the contest in Stockholm en became a European hit.
Update 2019: Nicki French released another Eurovision EP, more info here.
Nicki French shot to fame with her dance coverversion of Bonnie TylersTotal Eclipse Of The Heart.
It was already the third time Nicki released the song but the 1995 version became a worldwide hit.
It was a No. 5 in the U.K. and a No. 2 in the USA. It went to No. 1 in Canada, Japan and Brasil.
Eurovision EP Tracks:
1. Don't
Play That Song Again 2015 (Andy Haldane Remix)
2. Hold Me
Now (Andy Haldane Remix)
3. One Step
Further (Matt Pop Mix)
4. Ding A
Dong (John Springate Mix)
5. Don't
Play That Song Again 2015 (Matt Pop's Golden Anniversary 12inch)
6. Hold Me
Now (Matt Pop Mix)
7. Don't
Play That Song Again 2015 (Andy's Karaoke Mix)
8. Hold Me
Now (Andy's Karaoke Mix)
A CD single is released on May 15, still available at the Energise Records shop.
The digital release is out May 23. (but discontined now)
Earlier this year the album One Step Further was released including Matt Pop remix versions of the four Eurovision songs mentioned above.
Another recent release is the album Nicki French: The Singles 1997-2015. Energise Records also offer a 4-disc (though CD-r) release with the albums One Step Further, The Singles 1997-2015, a Megamix CD and a 4th album Total Eclipse Of The Heart including two previously unreleased demo's.
In 2014 Lisa Angell recorded a version of the French 1977 winner L'oiseau Et L'enfant (Marie Myriam) with Portuguese singer Tony Carreira. This version in Portuguese and French can be found on Carreira's album Nos Fiançailles, France / Portugal which was a No. 4 in the French album charts.
Other Eurovision singers to duet with Carreira on this album are Natasha St. Pier, Serge Lama, Gérad Lenorman and Anggun
Eurovision entry N'oubliez Pas will be included in Lisa Angells forthcoming album Lisa Angell which will be out on May 11.
On the new album, her 4th, Lisa worked with Robert Goldman, Patrick Fiori (Eurovision 1993), Jacques Veneruso and Serge Lama (Eurovision 1971)
A living legend, Simone De Oliveira, returns to the Festival RTP da Canção, the Portuguese national selection for Eurovision. À Espera das Canções is the song she will try to return to the contest with, 45 years after her last visit to the Eurovision stage.
As far as
festivals go, Simone de Oliveira is royalty.
The Portuguese final of 2015 is on March 7. Update: So Simone didn't make it to Vienna, which is a shame of course. But here at Eurocovers we're happy she's still out there and we hope to see her again in some Festival or another.
Promo EP 1969
Simone De Oliveira made
her first appearances at the Festival da Canção Portuguesa* in the late 50’s
and early sixties, winning a few of them along the way.
Other
festivals she attended are Festival da Canção da Figueira da Foz. (winning
in 1962), Festival Internacional da Canção do Rio de Janeiro,
Festival da Nova Canção de Lisboa (winner in 1979) and the 1980 OTI festival (Songcontest of Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries)
* Not to be
confused with the Eurovision selection Festival RTP da Canção.
Simone De Oliveira entered Eurovision twice. In 1965 with Sol De Inverno and in 1969 with Desfolhada Portuguesa. She only finished 13th and 15th but both songs now rank top five of Great Portuguese Classics that happened to be Eurovision entries. I think Desfolhada Portuguesa only has to leave the 1974 entry E Depois Do Adeus (Paulo De Carvalho) before it in the Portuguese evergeen immortality stakes. Both of Simones songs have been recorded by many artists and are still covered and performed today.
Simone also recorded a few interesting Eurocovers. There's Volare and Puppet On A String (but who hasn't covered these?) but also the 1968 entries of Germany and Monaco. Eurocovers loves lists, so below you can find the discography of Simone's own entries and her Eurocovers. Finally there's a list of Festival RTP da Canção entries.
Simones Eurovision songs and versions
Portugal 1965 -
Sol De Inverno (13th place)
- Sol De Inverno (Portuguese) - on
EP (Continental Rec. P-QB
192)
- Sol De
Invierno (Spanish) on EP Nàpoles 1965 (with three other ESC entries) (ES: Belter
51.520)
Note: Spanish EP Sol De Invierno has the Portuguese version (Belter 51.509, Spain) Thanks for the correction Jean François! - Sol De Inverno (in Medley Português) on LP Algumas Canções
Do Meu Caminho (Live) (Ariola 1106844, 1992)
- Sol De Inverno
(live acoustic 2004) on CD
Intimidades (Vidisco, also on DVD)
Note:
French EP Soleil d'Hiver (Decca PEP 1088) is sung in Portuguese, French version
unconfirmed.
Portugal
1969 - Desfolhada Portuguesa (15th place)
- Desfolhada Portguesa (Portuguese) on EP (Decca PEP 1276)
- Deshojada
(Spanish) on 7” inch single (Decca MO
648, Spain)
- Terre
guitarre (French) on 7” (Decca PN 110,
France, also has Spanish version)
- Promo EP
(Decca VC4) has Portuguese, Spanish, French & Instrumental by Thilo’s
Combo. The Instrumental is actually track 1 on side A.
-
Desfolhada (live 1992) on LP Algumas
Canções Do Meu Caminho (Live)
- Desfolhada
(live acoustic 2004) on CD Intimidades (Vidisco, also on DVD)
- Desfolhada Portuguesa (2018) - Namorados Da Cidade ft. Simone De Oliveira on CD Namorades Da Cidade. All info on this 2018 release is here at Eurocovers.
Simone De
Oliveira Eurocovers
Italy 1958 -
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) - Domenico Modugno
- Nos Teus
Olhos Vejo O Céu - EP (Alvorada mep 60136,
1959)
Spain 1966 - Yo
Soy Aquel - Raphael
- Tu És Aquele
- EP Música No Coração
(Decca PEP 1131) see video above
U.K. 1967 -
Puppet On A String - Sandie Shaw
-
Marionette - EP (Decca PEP 1204)
Germany
1968 - Ein Hoch Der Liebe - Wenche Myhre
- Viva O Amor
- EP (Decca PEP 1250)
Monaco 1968 - A
Chacun Son Chanson - Line et Willy
- Para cada um sua canção - EP (Decca PEP 1250)
The 1968 songs can be found on the same EP
Germany 1967 - Anoushka
- Simone and Marco Paulo
- Duet on EP Tu Só Tu (Decca Pep 1211)
I’m not sure about this one, track could be by Marco Paulo only. If you know more, e-mail me or leave a comment, thanks. Update: It is indeed a song by Marco Paulo solo. Many thanks for the info Klaus! The EP features one duet, two tracks by Simone and one by Marco Paulo.
Acapella coverversion of last years Estonian Eurovision entry by Tanja, recorded for this years National final show.
Tanja's original Eurovision performance may have been a bit of a hit 'n' miss (and missed out on the final), but the original studio track remains my favorite song of the 2014 contest. All details and trivia on Amazing and its releases and versions can be found here at the Copenhagen Collection.
Estonia don't disappoint in 2015 either. Check out all about the totally wonderful Goodbye To Yesterday by Stig Rästa and Elina Born here at the Vienna Collection.
American singer Lesley Gore has passed away. She's probably most known for her hits It's My Party and You Don't Own Me but she also recorded an English version of the 1968 Eurovision winner La La La by Massiel.
Lesley Gore had 19 US top 100 hits and will have her place in music history forever, at least for those two songs.
In 2009 the singer was featured in a Eurocovers post, which you can read again below.
1968: La La La And I'll Cry If I Want To
La La La, the Spanish Eurovision winner by Massiel from 1968 is a well covered song.
Last year or so 'news' came out that it had won because the Generalo, Franco, bribed some juries because he wanted Spain to win.
All Allegedly of course, and I have a hard time believing the story. Cliff Richard didn't win, get over it.
La La La was a song of controversy all along. First the original singer Joan Manuel Serrat was sent packing because he insisted on singing the song in Catalan, later Massiel was critisized over her way too short dress which disgraced the Spanish people in Europe. Today the song is still ridiculed for the amount of La's that are in it, but somewhere deep inside there's a message, of freedom even...
Eurovision singer Massiel recorded the song in Spanish, French, German and English. Original singer Serrat recorded Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese. Serrat's Catalan version was recorded for a radio show many years later, but it has never been released on record.
La La La is written by Ramón Arcusa and Manuel De La Calva, also known as Dúo Dinámico. Coverversions were recorded in at least 20 languages and the list includes version by Eurovision stars Gitte, Kirsti Sparboe with Arne Bendiksen and Oddvar, Edina Pop and Heidi Brühl.
With over 140 coverversions the song sits neatly inside the top 20 of most covered Eurovision songs. Youtube Eurovision Version.
It's My Party
Lesley Gore shot to fame with her first single It's My Party. A classic and a #1 hit in the US and a top 10 hit in many European countries. She followed it up with three more top 10 hits of which the feminist You Don't Own Me is probably the best known. Lesley Gore also recorded You Don't Own Me in French, German and Italian and Eurocovers loves that. You Don't Own Me features heavily in the Bette Midler / Diane Keaton / Goldie Hawn movie The First Wives Club.
The song was the last Lesley Gore single to reach the US top 10 but she continued to score 16 more top 100 hits.
In 1968 she recorded the Eurovision winner as He Gives Me Love (La La La) and after two singles that failed to chart in the Billboard top 100, He Gives Me Love went to #91. It was her last top 100 hit. (Mercury 78219)
Lesley Gore continued recording in the 70's but after her 1982 cover album The Canvas Can Do Miracles it took over 20 years for her to get back in the studio.
In 2005 she recorded the album Ever Since which includes a stunning new version of You Don't Own Me and several new songs from Lesley Gore's own pen. Ever Since is available at Amazon and iTunes Several Lesley Gore compilations are also available including a splendid 5CD boxIt's My Party! (Bear family) with all her 60's recordings, including several foreign language versions of her early hits.
Il Volo have won the 2015 edition of the Sanremo contest with the song Grande Amore. The trio have stated they will be the Italian representatives in Vienna, but it is not confirmed Grande Amore will be the Eurovision song. (well, now it is..ed.)
A 7 track CD Sanremo Grande Amore will is released on februari 17. It includes the winning Sanremo song and also coverversions of two ancient Italian Eurovision songs. See full tracklist below.
Young operatic trio Il Volo are Piero Barone (Tenor), Ignazio Boschetto (Tenor) and Gianluca Ginoble (Baritone).
They met in 2009 when they were individual participants at Ti Lascio Una Canzone, a singing competition on RAI TV.
Il Volo have released four official albums and several digital singles.
Their 2010 (2011 in most countries) debut album Il Volo (produced by Tony Renis) was a worldwide success. It was a #1 album in Austria and #2 in New Zealand. It reached the album top 10 in Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Plus a #18 in Australia and 43 in the U.K..
The trio also recorded the album in Spanish, which scored well the charts in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico.
The albums Il Volo, We Are Love and live album Il Volo... Takes Flight: Live from the Detroit Opera House, are re-issued on februari 24 in a boxset titled the Platinum collection.
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