Spring has hit London. In spite of this fact, these are the songs of the day:

Dusty Springfield – I think it’s gonna rain today

The Peddlers – Under London lights (from their ‘Suite London’ LP with the London Festival Orchestra

Bob Lind – Remember the rain (depressing, folky, and strangely addicitive)

Monica Zetterlund – Sommarregn (Lovely early 70s version of ‘The gentle rain’ in Swedish)

Johnny Mathis – Midnight cowboy (The only vocal version of this that I know of. As incredible as I had anticipated!)

Lee Hazlewood – No regrets (wonderful version dominated by a great folk guitar sound)

Yma Sumac – Magenta mountain (godlike (and Air-like) genius from Miracles; a Les baxter composition)

Les Baxter – Yellow Sun (super-distilled early 70s exotic library music sound, also from African Blue)

Nara Leao – Marcha da quarta feira das cinzas (thank you, Diego!)

Margo Guryan – Love songs (hearing this takes me back to the extent to which I flipped out when I first heard the album)

Gloria Lynne – Bali Ha’i (a lovely version by an under-rated singer)

Bell Sisters – Bermuda (genius by 16 year-olds in the 50s)

Erlon Chaves – Deixa isso prá lá (bizarre live version of this classic Brazilian song)

As Meninas – Chovendo na roseira (nice (modern?) version of Jobim’s ‘Children’s Games’)

Blossom Dearie – Dindi (thank you, eftimihn! ; from her 1967 fontana album)

Marty Wilson – Enlloro (thank you, Milwaukee John! great distilled exotic sound; moody, with bongoes)

Warren Barker – Lotus land (more tasty exotic instrumental music with wordless vocals)

Gene Rains – Strange cargo (yet more, with a bizarre 50s 12-bar blues hybrid thrown in)

The Blue Shadows – Taboo (the same, but from Japan; thank you, Sem Sinatra)

The Beach Boys – The warmth of the sun (still one of my favorite recordings by them)

Astrud Gilberto – Come softly to me/Hushabye (Astrud sings Fleetwoods and Beach Boys? I’m not going to tell you it works completely, but it’s pretty amazing to me)

Claudine Longet – Cry me a river (another singer singing someone else’s song, this time with a strange pretend honky tonk sound)

The Sandpipers – To put up with you (thank you, eftimihn! A Roger Nichols composition that has to be heard to be believed)

Cal Tjader – A message to Michael (I had forgotten quite how brilliant his Sounds out Burt Bacharach LP is)

Yayahoni – Be my baby (strangely compelling; available from http://www.hermandune.com/)

Kayoko Ishu – Live For Life (obscure Japanese scat version of the Francis Lai theme)

Sheila – Bang Bang (nice dramatic cover in French)

Scott Walker – On your own again (genius)

Nick DeCaro – Caroline, No (über melancholic version of the Beach Boys track, a musical taste recommendation)

Jackie Mittoo – Darker shade of black (this is actually a bouncing reggae style version of ‘Norweigan Wood’)