Category: 1975-1979

“Dancing the Night Away” (1977) – The Motors * Written by Andy McMaster and Gordon Hann * 45: “Dancing the Night Away” (edit) / “Whiskey and Wine” * LP: 1 * Producer: Robert John Lange

The Motors, on “Dancing the Night Away” (produced by “Mutt” Lange), sound like a rock band for the ages. The album version of the track plays twice as long as the edited 45 version, but both have their merits. The album track lets us bliss out on Bram Tchaikovsky and Nick Garvey’s guitars during the extended intro, while the single version trims it off and saves it for us to experience only as a yearning bridge. (The “Dancing the Night Away” 45 also stands out for being a double-sided 1977 killer, with “Whiskey and Wine” on side B.) The song’s lower register guitar octaves in the verses sound like vintage Cheap Trick, whose debut album appeared the same year and who would later cover this song badly. Although the Motors had some future UK hits, they’d never rise to the level of musical authority they demonstrated right out of the gate.

“Alla fiera dell’est” (1976) – Angelo Branduardi * Written by Angelo Branduardi * LP: Alla fiera dell’est * Arrangements and direction by Maurizio Fabrizio * Label: Polydor

Song created by the Italian troubadour Branduardi with circular, repetitive lyrics reminiscent of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” or “This Is the House that Jack Built.” With images, musical motifs, and instrumentation that tapped in to historical traditions from Israel to the UK, the song became a familiar nursery rhyme in short order, and Branduardi would perform it as a leaping pied piper. It tells the tale of a fairground purchase of a mouse, which sets off a chain events that ultimately requires intervention from the Almighty. An English version of the song, with lyrics translated by Pete Sinfield as “Highdown Fair,” came out in 1978.