By cave 
What an immense coincidence! Exactly 50 years ago, The Rolling Stones struck mercilessly with the album Black and Blue. And now, just at this moment, they’ve announced their new, 25th album, set for release in early July! Foreign Tongues will hopefully contain as much brilliance as Black & Blue did back then! Pulling off such a feat every two years on average for half a century — I honestly see no competition on that front! Fool to Cry (#1) is the first single from one of the most cohesive albums the fiery tongues ever produced! It instantly hit home in my head and ears, because 50 years later the song still effortlessly sweeps me away!
The rest of the top 10 mostly features more initiated artists strolling down the catwalk, such as Roxy Music (#2), Patti Smith (#4), Lou Reed (#5), David Bowie (#6), Van der Graaf Generator (#7), Kevin Ayers (#8) and The Kinks (#9). One-hit wonder Starland Vocal Band closes the top-10 list with Afternoon Delight (#10). I’ve had a kind of love-hate relationship with that song (and the band) my entire life! At times uncontrollable cheesiness takes over, while at other moments its infectious cheerfulness wins me over completely! Perhaps it’s for the best that, at least in our part of the world, the light-footed counterparts remained a one-megahit phenomenon!
As for the rest of the top 40, apart from She’s No Angel (#12) by Heavy Metal Kids and Waiting (#16) by Doctors of Madness, things remain rather calm regarding the new punk and indie winds that will burst loose within a few months!
The Low Countries also score rather poorly. For our region, only Johan Verminnen appears with an ode to Brussel (#14). The Dutch still have Armand who, undisturbed and somewhat out of rhythm, keeps protesting the roof off the place with his Zoethoudertjes EP (#19)! And let’s not forget Terug Naar De Kust (#21) by Maggie MacNeal! Though I fear this song may well prove to be her only contribution to these charts.
Bob Marley and the Wailers (#22) and The Heptones (#32) keep the Jamaican rastaman vibrations alive! Hanging around near the bottom, meanwhile, is a youthful pre-Ultravox Midge Ure, caught somewhere between the old guard and the approaching storm. For now, he still ends up with a neither-fish-nor-fowl tune like Requiem (#38) together with his band Slik! But rest assured… they’re coming… slowly but surely… they’re coming…..
(Jan VH)
Playlist
1 – The Rolling Stones – Fool to Cry
2 – Roxy Music – Just Another High
3 – Ramones – Beat on the Brat
4 – Patti Smith – Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer (De)
5 – Lou Reed – Crazy Feeling
6 – David Bowie – TVC 15
7 – Van der Graaf Generator – Pilgrims
8 – Kevin Ayers – The Owl
9 – The Kinks – The Last Assembly
10 – Starland Vocal Band – Afternoon Delight
11 – Bob Dylan – Oh, Sister
12 – Heavy Metal Kids – She’s No Angel
13 – Neil Young – Stupid Girl
14 – Johan Verminnen – Brussel
15 – Steve Miller Band – Take the Money and Run
16 – Doctors of Madness – Waiting
17 – Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years
18 – Chris Spedding – Bedsit Girl
19 – Armand – Zoethoudertjes EP
20 – Todd Rundgren – Rain
21 – Maggie MacNeal – Terug Naar De Kust
22 – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Positive Vibration
23 – Elmer Goodbody Jr. – Do Ya’
24 – Judas Priest – Dreamer Deceiver
25 – Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back in Town
26 – The Dodgers – Don’t Let Me Be Wrong
27 – Graham Parker & The Rumour – White Honey
28 – Anthony Moore – Catch a Falling Star
29 – Nils Lofgren – Cry Tough
30 – Fox – S-S-S-Single Bed
31 – Greg Kihn – Any Other Woman
32 – The Heptones – Cool Rasta
33 – Ian Hunter – All American Alien Boy
34 – Jess Roden Band – Blowin’
35 – The Hollies – Star
36 – Bethnal – Yes I Would
37 – Paul McCartney and Wings – Silly Love Songs
38 – Slik – Requiem
39 – Cliff Richard – Devil Woman
40 – Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music