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Post by Rob W on Jun 5, 2016 19:43:55 GMT
Voting and comments here. In the spirit of the ludicrously generous UEFA rule that basically allows three teams per group of four to go through to the next round, I am allowing FOUR votes each.
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Post by eddiecustard on Jun 7, 2016 22:16:39 GMT
Stephen Clarke - Hodgson’s Choice
A no-holds barred attack on Hodgson and the England team - I picture this alongside a video of John Stones tripping over his bootlaces as Gareth Bale wallops in a fourth goal for Wales. The rhyme of ‘group’ and ‘brewers droop’ works really well. You’re knocking out memorable choruses at a fair pace - there’s no let up here. Good title and a nice seventh chord to finish. In fact the last few bars are especially effective, with a neat comic turn from the lead guitar.
Colin Parish – This Time We Will Win
Nice echo effect on the ukulele to kick things off. This is an antidote to Stephen’s song. It’s only one chord isn’t it? I think playing the chorus to the opposition would subdue them to the point of distraction – they wouldn’t stand a chance. Well done on maintaining such an optimistic outlook in the face of overwhelming evidence that our elimination from the competition will roughly coincide with the Brexit vote. I can’t look past the Slovakia game.
Phil Sanderson - Tor
You’ve dipped into your back pocket of genius for this one, Phil. I like the mix of German and English in the bit about the penalty shoot-out and elsewhere in the song. I think you’re a bit of a whizz with languages – you obviously have far more than a working knowledge of French, German and Icelandic. Any others?
The imposing list of German players’ names is enough to turn the toughest opposition defender to mush. The fact that some of these names rhyme makes it even more convincing. And it’s all pulled together with a cracking techno beat and various inventive flourishes such as a wah-wah guitar (?). I can picture you with the trophy in your hands, Phil – well done for coming up with such an otherworldly classic.
Tim and Glynn – You Only Win When You’re Singing
An excellent laid back swagger starts this one with some tasteful guitar work over the frantic commentary. It’s difficult to create a rousing mood when the chorus has a minor chord feel, but the upbeat lyrics help give the song some lift. I like the organ solo when the commentator re-emerges round 2.50.
Mike Gosling - Penalty Shootout
Great to have you back, Mike. Please get your squad off the treatment table and fit for the rest of the season. I like the way you’ve focused on an aspect of the game that carries such emotional heft. Your guitar sounds as great as ever, especially on the ‘gathered more in hope…’ section, which is the highlight of the song. The arpeggios are crystal clear and the synthesiser/organ works well. Nice chorus, which grew on me after a few listens.
Come on, England - Tim and Julie
Funny spoken intros and the usual wistful observations from your cast of likable walk-on characters. Unlike any football song I’ve ever heard - mainly because of the death metal chorus. The mosh pit would be in full flow with this one. Especially intriguing is the bit on 2.20 which precedes the chorus. The song sways between hope during the verses and a kind of anguish and desperation during the chorus, perhaps reflecting the frustration when England come up against somebody good, and the match is slipping away. Somehow it’s both powerful and touching. Deserving of a place in the latter half of the competition for eccentricity and ambition.
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Karl
Junior Member
Posts: 72 
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Post by Karl on Jun 11, 2016 9:20:05 GMT
Steven Clarke - Hodgson’s Choice
No surprises in the style dept but, as always, well constructed lyrically with a real “Chas ’n’ Dave” swagger and a very catchy tune.
Colin Parish - This Time We Will Win
I doubt it very much, but I hope you’re right.
The chorus is a real ear-worm, with a bit of a “Vindaloo” vibe.
This is right on the money for a footy song. One for the terraces? Maybe!
Christian Duffin - We Can Work The Magic
Accomplished and well written as always.
And even thoughI endorse the sentiments of the lyrics, it’s a bit schmaltzy for me, in a “I’d like to teach the world to sing” kind of way.
Phil Sanderson - Tor
4 songs in and only now do we get the almost obligatory (sampled?) commentary, although used in quite a minimalist way here.
Well done for showing restraint and choosing the probable winners as the subject of your song! Very funny and very well executed.
Tim & Glyn - You Only Win When You’re Singing
Quite a lot more commentary sampling here - perhaps a bit too much in the instrumental section which could have been half the length.
Whilst not the expected feel for a football song, I do find it has a nice summer vibe.
I would have liked to hear this as more of a duet with Tim picking up lead vocals for verse 2.
I especially like the chorus out of the instrumental when the instruments drop out before the big end, which could have been even bigger.
Mike Gosling - Penalty Shootout
A nice angle to approach the subject and a good song, even if it has a bit of a melancholic feel for a football song.
I had no input in to this and would have suggested to Mike a couple of stops before delivering the last line of chorus and a variation of the chorus lyrics for the 2nd line.
Tim & Julie Warner - Come On, England
Samples galore, mental guitar riff, grand piano, funny and well observed lyrics and a singalong chorus
What’s not to like, even if it is a bit chaotic at times!
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Post by timwarner on Jun 14, 2016 18:38:31 GMT
I’m not a football fan. The last time I enjoyed watching was when my son was playing for the u16 side, ten years ago. They cared and obviously enjoyed it and, having watched ‘important’ matches on the television for years, it was refreshing.
We’ve been given 4 votes and I can’t vote for myself (nor would I want to) so I just have to find the two I like least. Weird!
Hodgson’s Choice - Stephen Clarke
I like the cynicism on display here.
As far as the song is concerned, the crafted lyrics, catchy chorus, I especially like the defending bit, are all very competently put together. I really like the slightly under-played style you have, there’s nothing overtly flashy. It’s just a clever song, intelligently delivered.
This Time We Will Win - Colin Parish
Hopelessly, optimistic title and sentiment displayed throughout over, what I think is, a single chord. There’s something like the ‘bagpipe’ sound that Big Country used to get (which I like vary much but it sounds like a Scottish supporters song).
This one may be singable on a football terrace which, I suppose, is the point.
We Can Work the Magic - Christian Duffin
A lovely sentiment and it’s a very nice contrast to other songs. As you said, you’ve gone off task here but, it leaves the other songs sound a bit trivial.
Although it’s stripped of many of the usual trimmings, is there some kind of chorus on the vocals? I think to make the vocal sound more natural may have made the whole thing sound more, er, natural, personal perhaps?
Having said all that, it’s a lovely song.
Tor - Phil Sanderson
Who said it had to be anything sensible? This is brilliant, bonkers-pop. The electronic sounds are spot on and the guitars in the background never get in the way. Knowing you have a soft spot for all things prog. I don’t know how you come up with something so euro pop. I have no idea what you’re singing about and it really doesn’t matter. I didn’t hear any reference to the famous German player Kuntz, which I was looking forward to (although my pronunciation may falsely increase it’s comedic effect).
You Only Win When You’re Singing - Tim and Glyn
Lots of commentary clips. If they were taken away, I’m not sure we’d know it was a football song. Not that it matters because it’s a good song. There’s some smart use of the commentary in the break, which may be a happy coincidence but, I don’t think so.
Penalty Shootout - Penalty Shootout
None of the rest of us seem to record anything as well as you record everything. It’s great to hear and a lesson for us all.
This is another song that I’m not really sure sounds like a football song. The ‘penalty shootout’ line feels like it may have been grafted onto an existing song to fit the criteria. That lyric just stands out to me and, when that happens, it’s usually a bad thing.
Everything else works very well.
Come On, England - me
I did my best for the boss, on the day, and came up short. It’s a game of two halves and I like the middle half best.
As I listen back to it now, it sound like it was made for a video, rather than being a song for it’s own sake.
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Post by eddiecustard on Jun 14, 2016 20:51:31 GMT
Tim - I haven't actually gone off task: Rob said in his instructions that we could write either a national anthem for England or a song for the England team for tbe Euros. I wouldn't want to lose Karl's vote as a result of this misunderstanding.
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Post by timwarner on Jun 15, 2016 6:45:50 GMT
I stand corrected, I should really read the question (always a problem for me). As far as losing Karl's vote, he's already said your song is a bit like 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' which was one of the most successful ad campaigns eve. I'd call that high praise.
I really don't care how for from the subject anyone gets, for me, the question is always: do I like the song?
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Post by stephen on Jun 15, 2016 14:39:55 GMT
I agree - very difficult to vote. Maybe we should call it a score draw and have a penalty shoot out?
Hodgson's Choice - Me
Well it's all coming true so far, unfortunately.
But what's this about me doing nothing flashy? With my production values, that twin guitar/bass solo was like anyone else doing a 20-minute orchestral segment, with cowbells.
This Time We Will Win - Colin P
If only hypnotism worked on footballers. I like the way you've gone for a real football chant - that chorus could really be picked up by the terraces. I'm not a great fan of the single-chord song, but you've got the verse and chorus different enough, and your ukelele working hard enough, that it doesn't matter. I really enjoyed the distorted yuke and the "I'm telling you" harmonies near the end. And the chorus really sticks in your brain, which is what a football chant has to do.
We Can Work the Magic- Christian C
You could sell this to any political party for its campaign video. I like the way you get straight to the point - 20 seconds and we've already been hit by the hook. The single voice works very well. I don't know how you recorded it, but it sounds almost double-tracked. As usual, in the space of a very short song, you've done some piano chord jiggles that suddenly give us something new to listen to - when you sing "a family, a family", "we can make our voices heard", and "stay strong". Very rich musically, and the "we can work the magic here" is a memorable hook.
Tor - Phil S
Aha, I thought, at last a song about rocky hills. But no, it's Eine Kleine Sportsmusik. Very efficient it is, too. Really authentic europop, a sort of German Pet Shop Boys (Haustierladenjungen?). It comes across as jokey but there is some serious musical thought at work here - great intro with the 80s synthy bits, those mocking "Tor" voices in the chorus, and the distorted guitar that washes over everything from about 1m30 on. I can understand the words, unfortunately, so it sends shivers down the spine to think how obvious it is that Germany is going to beat us. Don't mention the Tor.
You Only Win when You're Singing - Tim & Glyn
Great sample at the beginning, very tantric, a sort of delayed football orgasm. I like the lazy feel of the verse, with the bass cruising along behind the vocals. It slides neatly into the chorus, and the massed vocals and riffing guitar work very well. That keyboard solo behind the mid section when the commentators are going mad was really nice - I'd have liked to hear it pulled it forward more in the mix. What's that the commentator says right at the end? "Arsehole?" There is some good comedy going on this month.
Penalty Shootout - Mike G
Ah yes, I'd forgotten that great guitar sound you get - those arpeggios sound so clear and yet they sit neatly in the mix with everything else going on around them. Very tidy drumming, great harmonies, and some unusual chord changes that take the song in some interesting directions, while sticking to very listenable melodies. A welcome return to the team. Is the penalty shootout about football, though, or a metaphor for something else? But then football itself is a metaphor for everything else, I suppose.
Come on England - Tim & Julie
I love the way it starts off soft and resigned, then kicks in with the heavy metal guitar and drumming for the hook. Great guitar riff to go with the "come on England" chant. After that, the distorted bass keeps the heavy mood going. Very effective to go a bit jazzy and misty-eyed when talking about the beautiful game, then straight back into the heavy metal for the ending. Loved the punchline, which was excellently delivered.
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Post by philsanderson on Jun 19, 2016 16:27:29 GMT
Stephen Clarke - Hodgson’s Choice
Vocalist Stephen Clarke - sporting a French football shirt - I had wondered whether you might have considered a football song from a Gallic point of view, tant pis! Very good lyrics again. Your rhymes and ideas are always good, and I often think to myself ‘I could have come up with that’, but of course I didn’t or couldn’t have. Like especially the closing section of song. You have penned a great new catchy, if rather long name for this genre: ‘Chas ‘n’ Dave Status Quo Skiffle Singalong Mode.’
Colin Parish – This Time We Will Win
Of course we’ll win - glad to read that someone else has faith in our boys! Mind you, I am writing this review after the Wales game where we thrashed (?) the opponents 2-1, and not after conceding a stupid goal to draw against the mighty ( ha ha ) Russians. The lack of variety of chords doesn’t matter one iota - you could miss that fact on listening and with a chorus line to get yourself ‘hooked’on. ..... a great strike! .......Goaaaaal! Great Ukulele sound, too - like the contrast between it and the fuzzy guitars.
Christian Duffin – We can work the magic
Surreal thought ... Trying to imagine Farage and Cameron having a sing off ‘X factor final’ moment as they both have to deliver the vocals to your song and sound sincere.
Very positive sentiment and usual high standard piano work. ( The maracas come through rather loud on my headphones ) Whatever you did to the vocal worked for me, it does sound ‘processed’, but in an interesting way. You could try to approach Mark Hughes et al to see if Stoke take on song!
Tim and Glynn – You Only Win When You’re Singing
****hole! What a fine commentary clip! It’s a very cheerful sounding song, and whilst sometimes in minor key retains a very positive vibe. Great instrumentation choices and playing - there’s a lot of lovely space between the sounds. Really like Tim’s vocal contribution again, and the layers of vocals in the chorus need repeated listens to fully appreciate – fabelhaft! ( working on the actual notes you use as harmonies ) Not necessarily a footie song or anthem, but I could see this working really well as part of a soundtrack in a film about a football club, supporters etc
Mike Gosling - Penalty Shootout
Great to have you and your sound back. Others have commented and will talk about fab sound and stereo separation- you leave us all on the subs bench or merely cleaning boots in this area. Sentiment probably spot on if England do get to that dreaded stage of a match in the last 16 etc given our pitiful track record. Like the ‘Gathered more in hope, expectation is another man’s game’ lines in particular.
Come on, England - Tim and Julie
Inspirationally bonkers, or bonkersly inspirational? It’s downright daft and left of the centre circle. There’s nothing not to like, including the Oscar winning playscript. Do you have any ‘hilarious’ outtakes from the various cast members? Guitar sounding great ( nb does my ‘wah’ guitar count as over processing?) It’s a mixed message about footie in the lyrics, which sort of sums up how our home nations seem to perform time and time again - mixed level of performances to initially excite us, then dash any hope we might have had, as the players seem to be more looking forward to their summer break rather than focusing on actually playing as well as they did during the season for their clubs.
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Post by colinallcars on Jun 24, 2016 22:58:03 GMT
Hi guys
Sorry I've not had time to comment on the songs. Been very busy and now not in the mood post-Brexit. Will try to do better next month. I have voted though...
Cheers, Colin
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Post by mikegosling on Jun 25, 2016 19:06:56 GMT
Like Colin I'm afraid I'm struggling to get the reviews done before the cut-off tomorrow. I have just voted and hope to do the reviews tomorrow afternoon. Also similarly gutted with the other vote but watching Wales win has taken my mind off political matters for a few hours!
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tandg
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by tandg on Jun 26, 2016 7:38:20 GMT
Hi all
Another struggler. I've voted but will upload comments later. Will rehearse all the songs in time for Monday's England game. It would be good if Tim could pop over with his guitar and amp turned up to 11 to accompany us.
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Post by mikegosling on Jun 27, 2016 8:47:31 GMT
Well done Phil - looks like you might have chosen the winning team to write a song for!
Ever hopeful that England can negotiate Iceland and France to play you in the semis.
Enjoy the footie!
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Post by timwarner on Jun 27, 2016 9:34:06 GMT
I demand a recount! Only joking, clearly the best song. Well done Phil. Superb.
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Post by eddiecustard on Jun 27, 2016 10:54:13 GMT
Gut gespielt, Junge.
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Post by colinallcars on Jun 27, 2016 17:14:44 GMT
Inevitable, of course, that the German's would win. excellent work. I'm expecting a Scandiwegian murder mystery from Phil next month....
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Post by stephen on Jun 28, 2016 8:48:35 GMT
Well done Phil. I'm just glad you won without the need for penalties.
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Karl
Junior Member
Posts: 72
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Post by Karl on Jun 28, 2016 15:21:06 GMT
Durchgebraten Phil!
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