Tim Almond

Dire Straits never did it for me. Not very exciting. I like Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack to Local Hero, though.

But Pootergeek has a good post about music and how people get bound up in "what’s cool" and following the herd. Q magazine had a whole issue about "guilty pleasures" which included "Don’t Stop Movin’" by S Club 7. Why guilty? Because it’s a manufactured band who don’t produced hand-stitched organic music? Forget it, and get your dancing shoes on instead. It’s a great track.

So, I decided to look through my shelves at what I have that’s uncool, or more correctly, what is considered to be uncool. Abba? Acceptably camp. Duran Duran? Maybe a few years ago, but critically re-assessed now. Rolf Harris? Ironic.

Nestled between Joy Division and Kraftwerk, I found my answer - the Greatest Hits of Billy Joel. I think he’s been unfairly criticised because of a thousand duff lounge bands in tuxedos doing overbaked versions of Just the Way You Are. But find a copy, and just listen. There’s some finely crafted songs in there like Movin’ Out, She’s Always a Woman and Piano Man, plus a whole lot more.

Anyone else have some confessions?

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Tags: Music //