Best Tune Ever

[Martin_Edney]

Everything bar Erdelezi and Da Da Da has been english language so far............

Alright Chris, I'll change mine to "Stop Arretez" by Aurlus Mabele.

[NormanD]

No reasons, no thinking, just straight off the top off your head. Favorite recording of all time.

As long as it's not in English, then?
And it's the right version, rather than your preferred choice?

Norman

[Dominic]

Sarah by Tabu Ley Rochereau & Mbilia Bel.

For a lot of the same reasons as my original choice of Hand in Glove - a tune that introduced me to a great artist (or two); both have wonderful guitar and more than a touch of melencholia.

[Charlie]

Sarah by Tabu Ley Rochereau & Mbilia Bel.

Eswi Ya Wapi (not sure of the spelling) by Mbilia Bel, with Rochereau's band featuring Dino Vangu on blissful rhythm guitar (as I learned many years later, when he played in the same style on a Sam Mangwana album of his songs).

I first heard this on the car radio when John Peel played it, and in the time-honoured tradition, when I got to my destination (sometimes known as home), I sat in the car and waited till it finished, in order to find out what it was. Nine minutes is a long time when you want to go inside and have a pee, but that's the price you have to pay sometimes.

I wrote to John to say how much I liked it and next thing I knew, he went out a bought a copy specially for me. Kind of guy he was.

I played it a few times on the radio, one of those rare long tracks that earns every second, rolling in again and again like a succession of waves onto the shore.

Still don't have it on CD, although Dominic once offered to let me have a spare shop copy for free without the CD booklet. No, Dominic, I want the whole package, and I'll pay for it too....

[taiyo no otosan]

Of the top of my head, I'd go for Lamma Bada myself. Nicely mournful.
Probably, in the spirit of not really thinking too deeply (incidentally, one of my most finely honed skills), I'd suggest the Radio Tarifa version, but there are a whole bunch of others.

[Dominic]

Playback video of Sarah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjN_9vUAAFU
and a couple of versions of Eswi Yo Wapi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uzmvgnH_Dk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6cK4k6gKg

[Dominic]

Stern's are putting together a Mbilia Bel compilation entitled Bel Canto: The Best of the Genidia Years. It will be in the same format as the recent Tabu Ley Rochereau double and Eswi Yo Wapi is included, naturally. (Sarah isn't, but will probably be on a later Stern's release.)

May we quote your wonderful story in our press release?

If you can't wait (4-6 weeks??) for this compilation, Eswi Yo Wapi & Faux Pas are available on one CD; in stock now: http://www.sternsmusic.com/disk_info.php?id=SYL200

[Charlie]

May we quote your wonderful story in our press release?

If you can't wait (4-6 weeks??) for this compilation, Eswi Yo Wapi & Faux Pas are available on one CD; in stock now:

Yes you can quote it, Dominic, and I'll wait for the bumper bundle, thanks

[Dominic]

Thanks, Charlie.
I've just been playing Eswi Yo Wapi in the shop and it still sounds stunning. Tony McLoughlin came in while it was playing and immediately mentioned John Peel. It's a small world...

[tulsehill charlie]

Calypso and Soca undoubtedly have the best songs (debate on the road) so
"Nobody go run me" by Lord Short Shirt
"I don't mind" by Winston Soso
"Gi mi de ting" by Lord Kitchener

[taiyo no otosan]

Dominic pointed out:

It's a small world...

and, as if to prove it, I had 60+ Japanese Elementary School kids belt out that very song to me today. (The Disney one, not Eswi Yo Wapi.) Don't think I'll be putting it forward as the greatest tune ever - certainly not the way they did it.

Mind you, the school brass band does a great 'Hard Day's Night'.

[Dayna]

Time In A Bottle. Maybe it could be a great tune.

[Hugh Weldon]

Certainly fits the bill in terms of melody Dayna, though I suspect a bit of borrowing from Chimchiminee from Mary Poppins, both the opening verse and the 3/4 time sig.

Overheard something on somebody's radio today which also made me think 'what a great melody that is.' It was an instrumental version of 'Smile' (...though your heart is breaking, Smile even though it's aching).
Written by Charlie Chaplin of all people, wasn't it?

[will vine]

top of my head.......
Before I Grow Too Old - (Tommy McClain or Bobby Charles)

[Charlie]

Eswi Ya Wapi by Mbilia Bel, with Rochereau's band featuring Dino Vangu on blissful rhythm guitar ..... Still don't have it on CD

And now I have it in today's post from Sterns, part of a multi-CD package of Mbilia's finest moments called Bel Canto, complete with attractive booklet. How can downloads compete with this kind of thing? They can't.