The Judge
RAVES!
Date: 12/09/11
The Times - "Lundi Bleu (Version Français de Blue Monday)" (1992)
It's nearly seven years since the passing of the great John Peel, yet still I find cause to remember all the fantastic stuff I would never have heard but for him. This is a case in point.
He played this on his show when it came out in 1992, and I was immediately blown away by it. It's by The Times, which was one of the pseudonyms used by musician and songwriter Ed Ball (ex-Television Personalities, ex-Teenage Filmstars).
Here, Ed takes one of the most clichéd tracks of the 1980s and transforms it into a slow, guitar-laden number with lyrics in French (which could serve as Britain's belated revenge for Charles Aznavour). The guitars on this sound like Mike Oldfield in full wig-out mode, and the whole thing is a continuing joy to listen to. I'm glad someone has now posted it to YouTube, although I've had the vinyl single for some years (bought it from Grey And Pink Records in Brook Street, Chester, if I recall correctly):
