Showing posts with label Monsoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monsoon. Show all posts

Monday 29 February 2016

Ever so lonely - Monsoon

Monsoon's 1982 single Ever so lonely is wellknown, as it got a Europe-wide release after relative success in the UK. The single displayed here is a rare gem, however. It is an independent release from 1981 and features four tracks. The A-side features 'Ever so lonely' and 'Sunset over the Ganges' as one continuous track (where on the 1982 single they are split into two separate tracks).

This version of 'Ever so lonely' also features slightly different lyrics and less instrumentation. Released on the Indipop label, this single may have been one of the reasons for a major label to sign the group. It was quite a shock to find this single - which I'd never seen before.

My collection: 7" single no. 5831
Found: Dig Vinyl, Liverpool, February 19, 2016
Cost: £1
Tracks: 'Ever so lonely', 'Sunset over the Ganges' / 'The mirror of your mind', 'Shout (Till you're heard)'

Listen to the A-side

Thursday 27 August 2009

Ever so lonely - Monsoon

To be honest, I'd completely forgotten that I owned this 12" single of 'Ever so lonely'. The single has been on this blog in an earlier entry. So when I was going through my 12 inch singles, I was pleasantly surprised.

This extended version of 'Ever so lonely' is made in the best of the Eighties traditions: it's just longer, it features a few extra instrumental and vocal passages, and no irritating beats and out of key synth loops. How refreshing!

My collection: 12" single no. 338
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 1998
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Ever so lonely (extended version)' / 'Sunset over the Ganges'

Sunday 21 June 2009

Shakti (The meaning of within) - Monsoon

Shakti, from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as 'The Great Divine Mother' in Hinduism. On the earthly plane, Shakti most actively manifests through female embodiment and fertility.

So this, apparently, is what this song is about. The band Monsoon was never short of Indian influences in their music. The song itself is a good uptempo track, which unfortunately did not meet with much commercial success.

My collection: 7" single no. 3786
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Shakti (The meaning of within)' / 'And I you'

Saturday 20 June 2009

Tomorrow never knows - Monsoon

While Monsoon is best known for their hit 'Ever so lonely', the band continued to record tracks for a couple of years. The single 'Tomorrow never knows' was taken from their only album, 'Third eye'. It was a cover of the Beatles track from their 1966 album 'Revolver'.

John Lennon wrote the song in January 1966, closely adapted from the book The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner, which in turn was adapted from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. McCartney stated that he and Lennon once visited a newly opened Indica bookshop and Lennon found a copy of The Psychedelic Experience, which quoted the lines: "When in doubt, relax, turn off your mind, float downstream". Lennon bought the book, went home, took LSD, and followed the instructions exactly as stated in the book.

My collection: 7" single no. 3785
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Tomorrow never knows' / 'Indian princess'

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Ever so lonely - Monsoon

Monsoon formed in 1981 and consisted of singer Sheila Chandra, producer Steve Coe and bass guitarist Martin Smith. They released one album, 'Third eye' in 1983. This album featured a cover of Lennon & McCartney's 'Tomorrow never knows' and their only hit, 'Ever so lonely'.

The song was a track inspired by the sounds of India, like most of the album. The single peaked at number 12 in the UK singles chart. A remix of the track appeared in 1995, but this version did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 901
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 23, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Ever so lonely' / 'Sunset over the Ganges'

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