Eurocovers Summer Break part 1.

It's summer, post Moscow Eurovision and I'm too lazy / tired / occupied→ to make interesting posts for Eurocovers. The perfect time to offload a few Eurocovers without any particular stories, far fetched links, shocking tragedies or other interesting trivia. Maybe there'll even be a part 2 later.

Love Is Blue - Ann Margret
You know about the original (This Eurocovers post). This one is supposed to be by Ann Margret, but I haven't found any info on her actually recording it, so it could easily be someone else. It's fabulous though, and she did things with Elvis. And you can find out where 2 unlimited got their No Limit riff.
Any release info welcome.

One Good Reason - Sandra Van Reys
Acclaimed Dutch country singer covers the Dutch 1999 entry One Good Reason by Marlayne (9th in the Jerusalem contest). It's from the same year and quite good actually.

Quien Maneja Mi Barca - Hidrogenesse
The ultimate nil-pointer was Quien Maneja Mi Barca by Remedios Amaya in 1983 (Spain).
An unlikely pairing of Flamenco vocals with electronic music. It all looked a bit odd, scary woman, blue kaftan, bare feet, but the LP Luna Nueva, with more songs in the same style is a must have classic and a great LP to score on your Spanish flea market holiday trip (if you haven't got it already)
Hidrogenesse made an even electrononicker version for a coverversions project. Find out about that yourself.

Nog een kind - Mieke
Probably one of Malta's cheesiest, the 1992 entry Little Child by Mary Spiteri (3rd place). Not my cuppa cheddar, but many people like it. Mieke is a Dutch / Belgian artist with a great voice, who enjoyed popularity as a child singer. Her "A child without a mother is like a vase without flowers" song is still a seminal tear jerker in Dutch culture (in Dutch it almost rhymes). And she worked with father Abraham too.

Jag Eun Pyeong Hwa - Lee Ye Rin
이예린 -작은평화 Bouncy gabba house pop from South Korea, on helium and/or pills. It's Ein Bisschen Frieden (Nicole's German 1982 winner) but you hardly notice that.

Oh and this: You got to get the Boaz Mauda CD as it has a great coverversion in Hebrew of Olta Boka's Albanian 2008 entry Zemrën E Lamë Peng.

Rocky Roberts - Yes Yes My Love

Reply Songs are (obviously) songs that reply to a big hit and it was Michael Jackson untimely departure that got me thinking. Bear with me, I'll explain.
Back in the days I loved Off The Wall and Billie Jean just as much as anyone else, and I still do. Just like any other popmusic fan I have been swept along in the Michael Jackson craze and I am fascinated by the charts being stuffed with Michael Jackson hits. All the sad events transported me back in time and had me reliving the 80's, which were pretty fantastic times for me.

Of course there's no Eurocover by Michael Jackson and it's not really possible to celebrate the King Of Pop within the confines of Eurocovers.

Reply Songs
In those Thriller days I used to DJ and a favorite cliché of mine was mixing Billie Jean with the reply song Superstar by Lydia Murdock (I'm Billie Jean And I'm Mad As Hell).
The question arose, has there ever been a reply song for a Eurovision song? (Any excuse for a Eurocovers post with a Michael Jackson tie).

I actually found one, and even though it's a song heavily featured in some recent Eurocovers posts it's here again. Researching it of course lead to finding more about the singer etcetera, Eurocovers style. And incidentally there turned out to be more Michael Jackson links than I expected.


Rocky Roberts (1941 - 2005)
An interesting CV for Rocky Roberts. Born in Miami, spent some time in the U.S. navy, was a welter weight championship boxer and got his first musical cudo's with the Airedales, recording in the U.S. and in France. In the second half of the sixties he moved to Italy where he recorded most of his songs (as a solo artist) and he was a guest in every other popular TV music show. His American accent didn't stop him from having a great hit with Stassero Mi Butto (amazing YouTube link restored), watch the footwork MJ fans) and he was well known for his energetic Italian language coverversions of Motown and Atlantic soul hits, live and on record. Reach Out I'll Be There (Four Tops, also recorded by the Jackson 5), Chain Of Fools (Aretha Franklin) and Same Old Song (Four tops)

Yes Yes Dear Dear, Perhaps Next Year, Or maybe even never…

It's with the Airedales that Rocky Roberts recorded a reply song (in English) to Gigliola Cinquetti's Non Ho L'eta (Per Amarti).
Yes Yes My Love from the French 10"inch LP Rocks Et Slows - T.Bird from 1964 (BARCLAY 92.107)

The original track by Gigliola Cinquetti is about being too young to love and Rocky Roberts, always a gentleman, is prepared to wait. I don't know if they ever got together…

Here's some lyrics excerpts from both songs:
Non ho l'eta (from Italian)
"I don't have the age to love
I don't have the age to go out with you
I wouldn't know what to say as you know so much more than me
If you want to wait for me one day all my love will be for you".

Yes Yes My Love (original is in English)
"Yes Yes My Love, I know you're too young.
I'll wait for you
These tender years, I'll think of you
when the waiting is through, no more can I do
I'll watch the moon and the stars when I think of you
I'll wait with all my heart to be standing by you".

The track and album are from Rocky Roberts time in France where he mostly recorded French and American classics in English.
This Is My Prayer, the 'original' English version of Non Ho L 'Eta didn't have the being too young theme, which was just as well, as Vera Lynn from the previous Eurocovers post was well into her 40's when she recorded her version.

Volare
Yes Yes My Love is not the only Eurocover by Rocky Roberts. In 1970 he recorded Volare as an amazing soul ballad. Accept my apologies for overlooking that one in last years Anno Domenico posts, it's a Eurocover that is not to be missed.
Volare was a b-side to I Won't Think Hard Of You, released in the U.S. on the Chess label (Chess 2096). It can also be found on the compilation CD I Grande Successi Originali.

In 1969 Roberts entered the San Remo contest with La Belle Donne and in 1970 with Accidenti (together with Il Super-gruppo).
Rocky Roberts died in 2005, but his son Randy Roberts continues the family tradition, and hey presto, his MySpace features some nice acoustic Michael Jackson coverversions.


Rocky Roberts MySpace tribute.

One final link for the anoraks: The Airedales continued in the late 60's and 70's with band member (bassist) Wess Johnson as the new lead singer who took over from Roberts in 1967. And Wess is of course known from the 1975 Eurovision entry Era by Wess and Dori Ghezzi, which ended third for Italy and was a reasonable European hit. Contrary to popular myth only Dori is a Ghezzi.

E Depois Do Adeus - José Calvário (1951 - 2009)

This week Portugal and the Eurovision nation have to say a sad adeus to José Calvário.
The Portuguese composer and orchestra leader died at the age of 58.

Calvário and his Orchestra worked with many popular Portuguese artists and he produced several hitsongs and albums. He also composed and recorded scores for Portuguese cinema.
I won't be trying to present a full life story on José Calvário here, I don't know enough for that. It's just a small tribute to a milestone in Portuguese music and an opportunity to get re-acquainted with E Depois Do Adeus.

In Eurovision world he is most known as the composer of the portuguese entries of 1972, 1974 and 1988. He also conducted the orchestra for the Portuguese Eurovision entries in 1974, 1977, 1985 and 1988 and recorded and produced the entries records on several occasions.

The 1972 entry A Festa Da Vida is a well known song, the 1988 composition Voltarei came into trouble for sounding a bit too much like Save Your Kisses For Me, but the most famous of Calvário's Eurovision compositions is E Depois Do Adeus (After the goodbye).

The Revolution
E Depois Do Adeus, (lyrics José Niza) performed by Paulo De Carvalho in Eurovision gained legendary status by the role it played in the Carnation Revolution in april 1974 in Portugal.
However the role of E Depois is somewhat overplayed or at least misinterpreted at some sources. It did not start the revolution, and certainly not on Eurovision night and the song has no revolutionary lyrics, but an airing of E Depois on radio on April 24 was a starting signal for revolutionary activities.
Needless to say, E Depois Do Adeus gained immortal status in Portuguese music and has been covered by several artists, many in recent years. You'll find a few below.

José Calvário Eurocovers
As an orchestra leader Calvário recorded two albums of interest to Eurocovers fans. Especially interesting is the 1973 LP Eurovisão - 10 Canções which features 10 orchestral covers (with some chorus) of 10 songs from the 1973 contest (Orfeu STAT 015)*
Another album is recorded by Calvário with the London Philharmonic in 1993: Saudades vol. III. This includes 7 Portuguese entries from 1965 to 1982, some in medleys, others in full.
The album is currently available at CD-Go
A vocal version of E Depois Do Adeus was recorded by Calvário and his orchestra (vocals but no lyrics) but I have no release details on that.

UPDATE: The Orchestral version with chorus vocals can be found on the Mozambique EP of the original entry by Paolo. This EP (Orfeu KSAT 507, pictured left) has the Portuguese, English and said Orchestral version. (Thanks Rick!!!)

* I don´t have the LP or know the exact tracklist, but it includes the 1973 entries of entries of Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Sweden, and UK (♫ below)

The version by Sebastião Manuel (from Brasil) from the VA LP O Meu Rico Portugues, the recording is from 1975 and was used in a Brasilian TV series in the 70's. The track by Paula Oliveira & Bernardo Moreira is from 2005 album Lisboa Que Adormece and the Radio Clube Nora version is from 2006 (quite great album Ver Sons)

E Depois Do Adeus was also covered by vocal groups Divinus, Grupo Verde Vinho & Vozes Da Radio, by a trio of Eurovision collegues Carlos Mendes, Fernando Tordo with original singer Paulo De Carvalho and by David Ripado of Operacão Triunfo.
I'm still looking for the version by Ester De Abreu (1977 LP Amar Amar).
Of A Festa Da Vida (1972) I only know of an instrumental by Shegundo Galarza.
Of 1988's Voltarei I don't have any cover info.

Breaking News - David Hasselhoff records Miss Kiss Kiss Bang

Knight Rider and Bay Watch Beach Bum David Hasselhoff has recorded Miss Kiss Kiss Bang together with South African megastar Pamela...  Patricia Lewis.

It's all pictured a bit tragic and sensionalist in the South African press as they claim it's the last song national treasure Patricia Lewis will ever sing. She's diagnosed with tumors on her vocal chords and will have surgeory. And "it's possible she can never sing after the operation".
Let's all just hope all goes well so we can enjoy some more of Patricia's fabulous schlager-pop albums.

They recorded two songs together and one of them is Miss Kiss Kiss Bang (sung in Afrikaans), this years German Eurovision entry by Alex Swings Oscar Sings

LISTEN HERE
NEWS UPDATE HERE

David Hasselhoff is in South Africa to play around with some white sharks with big teeth to lively up his U.S. reality TV show that is currently being filmed. He re-scheduled his SA trip because of his close friend Patricia Lewis' impending operation.

Last friday they performed their new songs together at a special performance outside the Montecasino recording studio's near Johannesburg.

Patricia Lewis covered many Eurovision songs. On her last album Net Soos In Drome she recorded Swedish 2008 song Hero and two Melodifestivalen songs. (soundclips)
Also check Patricia Lewis at Eurocovers for older material.
For Hasselhoff it's his first Eurocover.
update: Miss Kiss Kiss Bang and As I Am the other songs Lewis recorded with Hasselhoff will be released on a repackaged issue of the Net Soos In Drome CD.

Original performers of Miss Kiss Kiss Bang, Alex Swings Oscar Sings, have already had their moment of worldwide superfamedom in the Oprah show - The Worlds Got Talent.

sources: News24.com, The Hoff News and thanks to Roy.
You can shop for most Patricia Lewis albums at Kalahari.

Priscilla Smith #1
Priscilla Smith is currently #1 on the Kingfisher FM Afrikaans top 10 with Klein Bietjie Liefde. It's an Afrikaans version of the Finnish 2000 entry A Little Bit (Nina Astrom).
The track is taken from the CD Net 'n Bietjie Liefde which also includes a cover version of the Hungarian 2008 entry.There's an excerpt of Klein Bietjie Liefde at reverbnation.
I hope to get some more details later.

Norway's Own Social Club - ¡Ay Caramba!

Noruega, Land Of Latin Rhythms.
Maybe this years Eurovision winner Fairytale by Alexander Rybak doesn't set your salsa* limbs in motion straight away and neither does any of the other Norwegian entries, but Hovedøen Social Club do a good job in bringing some latin flavours to the Norwegian classics.


Their latest (2nd) album ¡Ay Caramba! is a collection of songs in Norwegian in various Latin American music styles. And there's three Eurocovers, so I'm happy.

Voi Voi, Norway's first entry from 1960 (Nora Brockstedt) get a sizzling salsa makeover.
Romeo, Ketil Stokkans 1986 entry is a slice of merengue you can't sit still to and Lykken Er (1971, Hanne Krogh) is an off-beat bossa samba jazz exercise that goes a bit out of control halfway (in an artistic way of course).

You can listen to all tracks of the album (and the previous one) in the musicplayer at http://www.hovedoen.no/. The album is for sale at CD-ON and other Nordic sources and also digital at http://www.musikkonline.no/. (C&C records CCD039).

The Hovedøen website is in Norwegian and English



* And if not salsa, I think there's a good ole country version hidden in Fairytale somewhere too, get to work Country coverbands.

CD tip South Africa: Dewald Louw - Nooit Meer Sonder Jou

Here's another new South African release with a Eurocover. You don't find many Dutch entries covered in Afrikaans (except 1981 & loads of 1984) so it's a very nice surprise to hear Nooit Meer Sonder Jou, the Dutch 2007 entry On Top Of The World.

The original was the second entry for Edsilia Rombley, whose Hemel & Aarde from 1998 still is the best result for the Netherland in more than 30 years. On Top Of The World (in Dutch it was Nooit Meer Zonder Jou) didn't do as well, the song didn't make it to the final in Helsinki.

The singer is Dewald Louw, he's a South African Idols winner and has just released his 2nd album Ek En Jy (Me And You) on Sony/Vat 5 musiek.

Dewald's 12 track album is a recommended well produced pop-rock record. It has Edsilia's song, an Arvingarna cover (Liefkry = Leva Lycklig) and a cover of Mika's Grace Kelly (in English) and also a number of original songs like the quite great first radiosingle Lekker Kry.

The CD is available at several South African webshops including Kalahari who ship internationally
I'm pleased that the album and/or seperate tracks are available as downloads through many sources (MTV, Mediagigant nl, Virgin fr and many more) and you can listen to the full tracks at MusicMe.

Dewald blog (In Afrikaans) - Edsilia at BeaRecords

CD tip: From Brasil To Greece - BossaVision

Bossavision is a collection of Eurocovers in Bossanova-lite style by Brasilian singers. It's a Greek project (hence the large number of Greek entries) coordinated by Easy Coutiel & Nektarios Tyrakis.
It has all your favorite winners Ding-A-Dong, Waterloo, L'oiseau et l'enfant and Diva and unevitably Volare, the oldest entry in the collection. It's great to see modern Eurovision back in Brasil (they sort of lost interest after the 70's), although I haven't found any Brasilian website mentioning this collection.

Barbara Mendes for example has released several CDs in Greece including a live collection recorded in Greece in 2001.

The laid back bossa collection is a bit monotonous at times, but it's the perfect soundtrack for a romantic night on the beach or dinner party with the neighbours. The CD is released in Greece on Mercury/Universal and is available through some Greek webshops like Yupi, Greekbooks, GreekMusicShop.

Tracklist:
1. Barbara Mendes (pic) - My Number One (Greece 2005)
2. Carol (Assad) & Zeca Rodrigues - Every Way That I Can (Turkey 2003)
3. Marcela Mangabeira - Ding A Dong (Netherlands 1975)
4. Saloa Farah - Die For You (Greece 2001)
5. Eliza Lacerda - Waterloo (Sweden 1974)
6. Barbara Mendes - Secret Combination (Greece 2008)
7. Rachelle Spring - Diva (Israel 1998)
8. Marcela Mangabeira - Shake It (Greece 2004)
9. Flavio Mendes - Save Your Kisses For Me (U.K. 1976)
10. Marion - Tell Me (I Anixi, Greece 1991)
11. Daniela Procopio - Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) (Italy 1958)
12. Rachelle Spring - Solfege Lesson (Mathema Solfege, Greece 1977)
13. Marion - L' Oiseau Et L'Enfant (France 1977)
14. Guilherme Ge - Tornero (Romania 2006)
15. Marion - Apres Toi (Luxembourg 1972)
16. Carol (Assad) & Zeca Rodrigues (pic) - Where Are You Now (U.K. 1998)

Check out Planetworks and here is a Youtube promo

Brasil is the non Eurovision country with the most Eurocovers to its name.
From the first contest in 1956 (with at least 7 versions by Brasilian artists)* to well into the 70's Eurovision songs have been covered by artists from Brasil.
About every Italian entry, most of the songs from the U.K. and many of the winners and hits from other countries.

If you use this search link you'll get all the Eurocovers posts that have (or mention) Eurovision coverversions from Brasil.

Also check out the Janelão Eurovision blog for a Brasilian look on Eurovision.

* Winner Refrain was covered in Brasil by at least three artists: Carlos Augusto, Aracy (Araci) Costa and Arthur Murat.
Italian entry Amami Se Vuoi was covered by Zézé Gonzaga, Wilma Bentivegna, Vicente Celestino and pianist Britinho. Most have been released on good old 78rpm records.

Monaco 1965 - Ann Lee + Spain 1989 - Amante Del Amor

While glorious Eurovision 2009 winner Alexander Rybak is busy conquering the world it's time for Eurocovers to travel back to the olden days. Here's a Dutch coverversion of Monaco's 1965 entry Va Dire A L'Amour, originally by Marjorie Noël.
I don't know anything about Ann Lee, except that she's not the Europop singer that gave the world the 1998 hit 2 Times. So this is a short post. --- 

MySpace YourSpace OuttaSpace
I've been browsing MySpace so you don't have to.

Amante Del Amor - Nacida Para Amar
The title Amante Del Amor may not ring a bell straight away, even with Eurovision diehards, but it's a Eurocover.
The lyrics to the 1989 Spanish entry Nacida Para Amar by the Lovely Nina (6th place) were rewritten by the original writer Juan Carlos Calderón for the South American market. The new lyrics were also created to suit a male singer better and the most famous singer who had a go at the new version was , Mexican megastar Luis Miguel (YouTube).

Luis Miguel recorded it for his 20 Años CD from 1999. A few more covers were recorded and my favorite version is by Wichy Camacho. This Puerto Rican salsa singer has a great voice and his Amante Del Amor from 1996 is a slice of romantic Salsa that will sex up any party. (CD Amante Del Amor, WEA 1996)

I found two nice Amantes on MySpace. The first one is by Alex Llanos from Chile, who's version has only been listened to 46 times.
The second one with double the amount of listenings is Christian Sulas from Argentina. Go on, pay these guys a visit.



I'm looking for a version from Venezuela by Maricruz Quintero. (From the album Niebla and Lluvia, 1993). Thanks in advance!

Vaida Genyte ir Renata Razanauskiene - Meiles balsas

Lithuanian live version of La Voix, Swedens 2009 entry for Moscow

Portugal 2009 Streets Of Love - Todas as ruas do amor

This is a coverversion of this years Portuguese entry originally by Flor De Lis. It may be amateur, but you can't tell. Very well done.