Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?

Subject: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Brian May
Date: 26 May 12 - 06:21 PM

Both my wife and I thought it was a joke when someone said 'they' had voted Englebert Humperdink to be the UK's Eurovision Song Contest entrant.

He's 60 years past his sell-by date. WTF?

Humiliation complete - he got the mark he deserved, shame the panel who chose him weren't up there too.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 26 May 12 - 06:27 PM

Y'know, I think a Eurovision contest involving the best trad. based music from each country would be far more interesting and worthwhile than the Euroblandbeatathon you usually get these days. I'd even go back to the bad old days of genuine barmy weirdness than the electropap all these countries put forward in an attempt to be 'modern'.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Acorn4
Date: 26 May 12 - 06:30 PM

Don't think age was relevant - what about the Russian grannies?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 May 12 - 07:58 PM

Never mind. Let's indulge in a little schadenfreude. Norway came bottom in the footie as well as in the Eurovision. Be Norwegian tonight and feel well thrashed. Heheh.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 26 May 12 - 08:22 PM

Review- was his somg any good?

Being prejudiced, I didn't listen. Eurrovision somgs in my experience all deserve to come last.

But qoalitie's all that mmatters.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 May 12 - 08:44 PM

I've never liked it since My Little Horse didn't win.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 May 12 - 08:57 PM

The classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBRQA0_E3CA&feature=related

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,stan
Date: 26 May 12 - 09:09 PM

I like the idea that we should do a Folkie Eurovision. To represent England, anything by Kate Rusby or Seth Lakeman or who would you choose?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Bert
Date: 26 May 12 - 09:18 PM

Stan, we used to have regular Mudcat song challenges complete with awards, and they were worldwide, not just Europe.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST
Date: 26 May 12 - 09:27 PM

So who won tonight?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 27 May 12 - 01:11 AM

The usual parade of soundalike clones, with one exception: lyrics which made no real sort of sense and were in any case completely incomprehensible until you turned the subtitles back on, when you found just the predictable drivel expected; all to tunes with no real distinction except of tempo ~~ slow & miz or fast and manic. The Swedish winner no better or worse than any which fitted this description ~~ i.e. all but one.

That one, the exception, was the merry little song & dance by the Russian Grannies. When they switched to English, one could hear exactly what the words were, even if only a repeated phrase; cheerfully sung to a simple catchy folky little tune with a merry little [sort-of] dance, in an approximation to national costume to distinguish it as the nationality it was. The only number in any way different from the ruck, put over by that charming group of old-dears who actually looked and sounded as if they were enjoying what they were doing. They showed a lot of courage putting in an entry like that. It certainly went down well with the audience, and came high up ~~ 2nd indeed IIRC.

Pity it didn't win,

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 May 12 - 02:58 AM

I'd choose Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby, The Watersons etc. singing Boom Bang a Bang in 15/16 time in chromatic scales.

But I still wouldn't watch it.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:03 AM

BTW ~ nul points for the officious wittering G. Norton, who couldn't even stop adoring the sound of his own stupid voice when we were trying to hear something important the continuity people were saying, or restrain himself from sharing his crass and unwanted opinions on the performers' appearance and diction when we were trying to listen to their songs. I thought no-one could have been more of a turn-off on the occasion than the unlamented Wogan; but the drivelling Norton managed it.

~M~

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:06 AM

I'm amazed that a man of culture like yourself MGM watches Eurovision.

Eurovision was dreadful when there were only about six countries in Europe. Now that theres ninety two - it really is triple shite with a chocolate flake stuck in the top.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Continuity Jones
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:17 AM

MGM - when we were trying to hear something important the continuity people were saying

Something important? At Eurovision? Are you sure?

I enjoyed the whole spectacle. It's Eurovision. You know what it's going to be like. Don't watch it if you can't appreciate it in some way or another. I think it's hilarious, the songs are nearly all awful. It's interesting hearing the slight distinctions in the cheesy keyboard sounds, the duff English phrases ("She was mine when she saw my trumpet..."?), the dance routines, some of them being pure TRADITIONAL FOLK, dating back as far as 1964 and their first performance by whoever Legs & Co were back then.

It's a tremendous programme, people treating music in a way I can only find most bewildering.

Glad it's only once a year though.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:21 AM

I forgot it was on last night

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:36 AM

I believe George Osborne chose Englebert to ensure we didn't have the expense of hosting the competition!

RtS

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: treewind
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:57 AM

Cheaper if we had Eurovision and let someone else have the Olympics.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: WindhoverWeaver
Date: 27 May 12 - 04:01 AM

Coming last (or almost last) in the Eurodrivel Song Contest--doesn't that basically mean we had one of the best songs?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 May 12 - 04:07 AM

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: treewind - PM
Date: 27 May 12 - 03:57 AM

Cheaper if we had Eurovision and let someone else have the Olympics."
I find the above   comment leaves me nearly gob smacked, the purpose of both these indulgences in tom foolery is to boost the capitalist economies.
To talk about cheapness is missing the point, the point is about spending money on razzamatazz to employ people and get them to spend and circulate money.
the only sense that cheapness comes into the equation of Eurovision Song, is in the cheap quality of the performers

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 27 May 12 - 04:13 AM

Continuity J ~~ Good question. I only meant 'important' within the context of the programme itself; as to whom we were about to listen to, or what was about to happen: topics in which could not but take some interest if one was bothering to watch at all. So that one did not thank the unutterable egocentric pettifogging Norton for obstructing even that minimal level of involvement.

~M~

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 27 May 12 - 04:13 AM

You've got to like a man who own houses in Beverley Hills and Market Harborough.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 27 May 12 - 04:45 AM

Back in the 'good old days' (in the UK), music publishers chose a song they thought stood a chance of winning & submitted it to an anonymous panel. The panel duly deliberated (in private) & in the fulness of time, the UK entry would be announced. The late Ian Hughes & I wrote a song for Southern Music which was subjected to this process. It failed to impress & all that remains is a piano & voice demo on a cassette which I can no longer play. On reflection, the failure of our song at the initial selection stage, was probably the best thing that could have happened. Ian & I were spared the subsequent embarrassment & humiliation experienced by UK Artists & Writers, year after year. I, for one, would be more than happy to see the UK never take part in this overly costly, musical farce ever again. And in conclusion, what's happened to the live orchestra that used to accompany all the entrants? Each country provided it's own conductor, but everyone shared the orchestra. The Eurovision Song Contest is well past it's sell-by date & does very little in the constructive promotion of Popular Music.
                                                            Nigel Paterson.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 27 May 12 - 05:41 AM

Three cheers for Englebert Humperdinck, getting in there and losing it for Brittain, greater love hath no man, than singing total shite to make sure we don't get it next year.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: autoharpbob
Date: 27 May 12 - 05:58 AM

Nobody has talked about the song itself - which actually was quite interesting musically, not a three chord job at all, with a classical if sparse accompaniment. Not sure about the words. But if you were going to choose that song as our entry, the Hump was a good choice to sing it. The song lost because it was old fashioned, a bad choice for this century, and because everyone hates the UK - and possibly because Englebert had some tuning problems as well. It was certainly a more memorable song than the winner, but nowadays the Song Contest is not about the song but about politics and the appeal of the singer.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Gibsonboy
Date: 27 May 12 - 06:11 AM

Personally I fed up with the UK being humiliated every year. It would make little difference who we put up there, its their chance to bash the British. It is a truely dreadfull event, its not even properly live anymore. That was its only saving grace, to see how the artists coped with being exposed to a completely live situation, most faltered. I say pull out and leave them to it.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: ChrisJBrady
Date: 27 May 12 - 06:32 AM

And they demolished and cleared away people's houses to build the damn concert hall venue; to say nothing of the fact that the country is a failed state with the democratic rights of the Chinese during the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution. I'm glad I missed the whole affair.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 27 May 12 - 07:04 AM

Emma just said, as we replayed the UK song on Youtube, "A proper song; a proper singer." Fine diction: you could hear every word he sang ~~ of how many of the others could you say that? He may be a bit old, but his vocal control is good: managed the modulation for the final chorus, and the climactic octave-up note on that final "set you FREE" perfectly. A trace of mid-Atlantic in some passages, but not nearly as obtrusively so as so many. Good, appropriate and unobtrusive, acoustic accompaniment

Might not have been the best song ~~not as good as the Babushkaya: but way better than the vast ruck of them; sure as hell not the second worst.

Probably is time for us to pull out: "Infamy, infamy..."!

~M~

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: greg stephens
Date: 27 May 12 - 07:05 AM

I thought Serbia was great. And the Cyprus girls are welcome to come and sing at my local anytime. Well, maybe not sing, but to jump about a bit

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 27 May 12 - 07:23 AM

Put Kate Rusby up ????? I still do not understand the admiration for a singer who to me sounds like an asthmatic 12 year old ....is it me?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Brian May
Date: 27 May 12 - 07:31 AM

Errr . . . just to make things clear, I DIDN'T watch it, I saw the last four countries vote and saw Sweden win by a country mile.

The boss and I watched the re-sing of the Swedish entry (street cred gone - I actually liked it), then wrote this and went to bed.

Eurovision anything usually makes me reach for the remote.

Have fun

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: BrendanB
Date: 27 May 12 - 07:40 AM

Raggytash, yeah, it is you.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 27 May 12 - 08:07 AM

Kate Rusby is OK, I suppose ~~ nice voice, diction OK; but why will her producers always stick that entirely inappropriate 'echo-chamber' FK on her records? Makes her sound like a bit of second-rate 40s pop.

And what the hell are we writing about Kate Rusby for?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Stan
Date: 27 May 12 - 08:43 AM

I find the original posting amusing but am left wondering if anyone really thinks that any other UK singer would have fared better in this context.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 27 May 12 - 08:58 AM

If they was still alive I'd nominate Kevin Coyne or Frank Sidebottom to represent UK at Eurovision...

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 May 12 - 09:56 AM

Despite living in Market Harborough and splendid diction - he couldn't really have done a lot worse. I suppose he might have fell in the paddock, or been excluded om grounds of having talent, something like that....

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 May 12 - 10:36 AM

At least 'Hump' could work without amplification. That's more than you can say for Ms Rusby, and many other of today's performers.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 27 May 12 - 10:57 AM

'Hump' could work without amplification. That's more than you can say for Ms Rusby

I'm sorry? I've seen Kate perform unamplified on numerous occasions, and doing it well.

You're talking crap, John.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 27 May 12 - 11:20 AM

Now for a serious nomination for next years UK entry -

Bellowhead would be an excellent choice performing their spin on a good strong catchy mainstream pop song...

In fact if I didn't know better, it'd not be too unreasonable to suspect that this years entry from Turkey
is Bellowhead orchestrating a sly elaborate spoof of the entire annual Euro song fiasco..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7PneOwzMz4M

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 May 12 - 11:36 AM

We'll agree to disagree then Ed. Not that I'd be rude enough to call your valued opinion crap, of course ;)

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,davemc
Date: 27 May 12 - 11:40 AM

The BBC needs to stop wasting our money on this drivel. We get automatic access to the final because we pay more than most other countries to support this bollocks. Time to stop. There's a recession on; and even if there wasn't the BBC should be supporting excellence not commercial downmarket crud.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 27 May 12 - 12:30 PM

John, no offence intended. Apologies if it came off that way.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 May 12 - 12:31 PM

As for the song itself ...
It has been played on Radio 2 numerous times in the last few weeks, As I only knew it was coming when it was announced in advance. Otherwise, for the whole of the into I was expecting a repeat of "Mother of Mine". Generic intro's anyone?

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Musket
Date: 27 May 12 - 12:44 PM

Norway didn't come last.

Human rights did.





THAT close to satire eh?

(I have been to Azerbaijan and it makes our politicians look as if they don't fiddle their expenses. Mind you, to be in with a shout, you have to be related to the President. Full marks to all for giving the disgusting tyrant the veneer of international respectability.)

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 27 May 12 - 01:06 PM

I just listened to the Humperdink video. He did a really good job but I could have done without the excessive orchestration.

Raggy, shall we start a new thread about those irritating little boys and girls with the asthmatic voices who seem to be dominating scene today?

The Bonomo video had one moment of real truth, repeated severeal times. That was the rising water in the temple. Perhaps they are being flooded out and it's the end of the contest.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 May 12 - 01:24 PM

A lot of hype on BBC about this "event." It hasn't aired in Canada as far as I know, but I am afraid it will come, to join the other "contest" programs on the networks.

Drivel, unfortunately noisy, pap for the booboisee.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Dave Illingworth
Date: 27 May 12 - 02:06 PM

I am not really an Engelbert fan (nor a Eurovision fan over the last few decades) but I agree with those who did defend him. He sang a song with a melody (not many of those on Eurovision) and his voice has developed a nice "edge" in his later years.
But a singer without inane dance routines and silly gimmicks stands no chance.
I would choose Frank Turner or John Shuttleworth as our next entrant.
The best Eurovision song ever was (in my opinion) the French entry (1966) by Dan Ar Braz and L'Heritage de Celtes "Diwanit Bugale".
Sung in Breton - the line-up also included Karen Matheson and Elaine Morgan. I actually bought the single. Not a classic, and needless to say it did not win - but what a breath of fresh air.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 27 May 12 - 02:21 PM

Maybe he should rename himself Hansel..?! Anyway, at least we got snippets/postcards of folk, in between all the AmericaVision of pop and rock.

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 27 May 12 - 02:26 PM

Just watched The Shadows' "Let me be the one" from the 1975 Eurovision - absolutely superb, and came 2nd!

The Shadows - Let me be the one

Subject: RE: Review: Who the **** chose Englebert Humperdink?
From: GUEST,Dave Illingworth
Date: 27 May 12 - 02:32 PM

Sorry - the Dan Ar Braz song was in 1996 (not 1966).