After our last song, Voodoo Ray, it had to be another 1989 dance classic written alongside Gerald's former Manchester bandmates, Graham Massey and Martin Price, featuring that distinctive bird call sample. The bird in question is the common loon, with its beautiful, haunting, warbly call, and a sample from that favourite of old electronic equipment, the E-MU Emulator II, an early sampling keyboard from the mid-1980s that had a huge influence on pop and dance music. The band itself was named after the timeless Roland TR-808 drum machine, and 808 State, with their pleasing typography, were central the the development of this influential dance music eponymous the Manchester sound of the late 1980s. Massey's saxophone playing also added an eerie beauty to the track, a true signature tune for the era. There are multiple versions and remixes, but here's the original extended one, released on Trevor Horn's ZTT label, and below, let's enjoy more of the common loon.
Want to suggest songs for Song of the Day or to say anything about it? Does this song make you think of something else? Then feel free to comment below, on the contact page, or on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube. Please subscribe, follow and share.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...