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Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Sep. 21 2008, 18:15 I've mentioned this song several times on the tubular.net board, but I never had a chance to actually share it. Now I do. In 1994, Virgin Music (Italy) released a 2-CD compilation album called In the Air Tonight - I guess it was an Europe-only [if not Italy-only!] release. Three things are kind-of weird about it: 1) It doesn't include the title song, the Phil Collins hit - Virgin does own the rights to it, so why didn't they include it? 2) It was released not for the twentieth anniversary of Virgin's founding, but for the twenty-first; 3) and most relevantly, the second CD of it features a ghost track. It's a rather funny (IMHO) guitar-and-voice song, whose lyrics are a list of Virgin artists, but whose funniest part the spoken intro... I'm not going to reveal (or spoil) anything here, just listen to it and have a laugh. However, an even funnier - or weirder - aspect of it, always IMHO, is this: track 17 of the second CD is the first 4 minutes and 15 seconds of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells (1973), and right after the excerpt from TB ends (with just one second's interval) you get this - a real ghost, as it's not mentioned anywhere on the cover or in the booklet... [it's just track 18 on a CD supposed to have 17 tracks! ] So, just imagine listening to this (especially the spoken intro) after four minutes of TB's piano theme... and just laugh. Virgin Song P.S.: I have no idea about the real title of this one, or about its writer/performer (I don't even know whether it's the same person or not). If anyone has any idea about who this is, just write your thoughts in here! -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Dirk Star Group: Members Posts: 1331 Joined: Sep. 2007 Posted: Sep. 22 2008, 13:51 Ugo I`m not entirely sure but I think it might be Louden Wainwright.I`m not very familiar with his work or anything although I have heard various things here and there.But I was actualy thinking it might be him more or less from the first few bars especialy with the humour involved in it etc.And then there`s kind of a little verse in there that maybe gives it away a little bit!?As I said though I`m not 100% on that.I`m guessing the guy talking at the start is the same person although first impressions from me were that it was maybe Tiny Tim after his balls had dropped... Anyway curious little song thanks for sharing it.And I did laugh at the start I must admit.I actualy looked the album up online and the version I came across had this song replaced with a song by China Crisis..(Working With Fire Fire And Steel)So maybe it was only available in certain parts of the world like you say. Listening to the guy reel off all those Virgin artistes there made me realise just how many of those people parted company with the label acrimonously.Mike Oldfield of course. XTC who ended up going on strike for seven years just to get away from them.Smashing Pumpkins who sued them for millions..."And many more of your all time favourites" as they say on those compilation adverts.In fairness to Branson though even more crap has hit the fan since he tootled off and they moved in with EMI.It would be interesting to see who would want to contribute to another album like this in the future put it that way. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Sep. 22 2008, 14:06 Thanks for replying, glad you liked the song. I don't know who Louden Wainwright (III) is - Wikipedia told me - but maybe it's not him, as LW is American, and the guy singing this sounds very English to me... [but then what do I know about accents? ] What would be the "little verse in there that maybe gives it away a little bit" ? I couldn't find any allusion to a singer (except, of course, to Virgin ones) in the verses. About the China Crisis song, well, that's not in either of my two CDs at all. As I said above, this was released by Virgin Italy, so maybe the international branch(es) of Virgin released different versions. And however the mystery song, being a "hidden track", is listed nowhere on the CDs, let alone on the Web! About the points you raise in your last paragraph, well, this is the only compilation album ever released by Virgin in their 21 years (by then) of activity. I don't think it's likely that they will ever release another one. P.S.: "Same person", above, refers to the fact that I don't know whether the guy who sings the song also wrote it, or not. The voice who speaks is clearly the same voice who sings, I wasn't referring to that. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Bassman Group: Members Posts: 548 Joined: Feb. 2008 Posted: Sep. 22 2008, 16:06 It's a VERY cute little ditty.  It gave me a good chuckle (thank you, Ugo).  I also think it may be LWIII. Incidentally, I'm fairly sure the Holland edition of the album has the Phil Collins track.  Some territories also seem to have had the choice as to whether to issue a 1-disc set or a double. -------------- Turn up the music... Hi as Fi can go. Back to top

olracUK Group: Members Posts: 1683 Joined: June 2003 Posted: Sep. 22 2008, 16:49 "my memories growing dim, and Loudon Wainwright III anyone remember him?" - I think that's the lyrical clue to the singer. self mocking. Yep, made me smile, especially how some names are twisted to fit the rhymes - Scritti Po-Lit-Tee   -------------- The answer is 42 - but what is the question? Back to top

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