My shortlist of songs for the 'Weather' CD was only 17 tracks long - I just thought, as usual, I'd say what they were and a little bit about them:
The Coming Rain - The Drink - I just like the guitar backing in this - and the steady, constant driving beat. Nice vocals - a bit of a psychedelic feel to it too I suppose.
Don't Let It Rain On Your Parade - The Icicle Works - one of 3 IW tracks up for consideration - this track didn't appear on any of their main albums, but is a fine example of the upbeat guitar pop they used to produce - I wonder if Ian Broudie had a hand in this as it's also very Lightning Seeds-esque (I've just had a quick look and he was the producer!)
English Summer Rain - Placebo - Well, who would have known that so many people knew of this track - I knew that Pete Hodgson was a fan of Placebo, but two others also wanted to submit it - it did well too.
Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage - I hadn't appreciated that this had been on the 'Hydr8ed' CD and so would have ruled it out because of that, but I also thought it was perhaps a little too well known (great song though).
Rain - The Cult - I'm not sure how many people would remember this - maybe around 50%? It was one of the first songs I played in a covers band (probably aged 16).
Another Sunny Day - Belle & Sebastian - typical of the happier upbeat stuff they do. I could well have put this track on if Belle & Sebastian hadn't made a previous appearance, and would have been a little trepidatious about including a track with a fairly blatant 'f**k all' in the lyrics (thinking of families in cars).
We Share The Same Sun - Stereophonics - good song from a good album, but I wasn't happy that 'sun' constituted weather and thought other tracks were maybe better.
The Next Storm - Frank Turner - I wonder if maybe this would have proven to be a more popular track than the one I went for. Great song - very catchy - instantly likeable, but not a great deal of substance beyond that. Does there need to be?
Cloud 9 - Toploader - This was also a very close contender for being my final selection. I love it. I love the way it builds - the simple piano notes in the verse, then the belting chorus - good singing - good guitars - nice keyboards - happy (despite the minor key).
Hurricane - Panic! At The Disco. Well, what's not to like about this song too? It scored a couple of 12s from people (as it should, to my mind) but also failed to score anything from several people. I do genuinely wonder why someone wouldn't listen to this and love it. It serves to illustrate very clearly that I have no idea about what is generally popular with people and what isn't.
Think of the Sunshine - Hurricane #1 - 'Sunshine' in the title, and a weather-related band name. How fitting this would have been. John Lamb introduced it in a playlist on www.whatswrongwiththemainstream.blogspot.co.uk this last summer - probably a bit too jolly - reminds me a little of Oasis.
Birdland - Weather Report - I have always liked this instrumental and to my head I can imagine it being the background music to a Charlie Brown cartoon. I don't think it would have won a popular vote though.
Like Weather - The Icicle Works - well, the instrumental bit from this made it on to the CD as Mystery Bonus Track #2 and that's the bit that I really liked anyway - the song before it is OK, but nothing staggering.
Out Of Season - The Icicle Works - a really lovely evocative song with some great lines in it - written from the point of view of a young lad falling for a girl in his village (out of season). I ruled it out because I didn't really think that 'season' qualified as weather either.
Remember - Sunset Sons - Another track which I think is fantastic and that everyone would love upon hearing, which, to my mind, would be more or less guaranteed top spot, and so therefore would probably be doomed to low-mid table mediocrity. In the end, I didn't put it on because I couldn't bring myself to claim that 'Sunset' was weather either. I may try to get it on a CD in the future and can do so safe in the knowledge that none of the guessers will read this anyway.
I Can See Clearly Now - Hothouse Flowers - great song - I wish someone else had put it on actually.
Rain (feat Kate Tempest) - Rag'n'Bone Man - bang up to date, and had 'Rain' and 'Tempest' in it - it's not really my cup of tea though.
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