My 80s Playlist: talkSPORT's Alan Brazil's 'good memory' for music and 'sessions'

Virgin Radio

25 Jun 2024, 11:20

Alan Brazil looked back over some of his favourite footballing memories, that all seem to have a surprisingly strong connection to his love for music, which occasionally crosses over with the Eighties.

Get ready to dance the night away with Alan Bernard Brazil, the Scottish footballer who kicked off a legendary career on the pitch before switching to the airwaves!

A forward with flair, Brazil hit all the right notes at Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United, and even had a hit single with Scotland on the international stage.

Unfortunately, a recurring back injury played the final chord on his playing days, but Brazil didn’t miss a beat.

He smoothly transitioned into media presentation, first tuning in on television before finding his groove on the radio.

For years now, he's been the star of the show on Talksport, spinning football stories and keeping fans dancing in their seats.

Recently he sat down with Steve Denyer on Virgin Radio 80s Plus for My 80s Playlist, and gave a rundown of all of his favourite songs from the decade (and maybe his 'memory' meant that some of those choices didn't quite meet the criteria of 80s, but that's ok).

Watch The Full Interview Below:

Tavares - More Than a Woman

Tavares have a string of their own seminal R&B hits, which were eventually covered by the likes of Take That and Annie Lennox, they probably become most cemented in the minds of everyone when they covered The Bee Gees' More Than a Woman for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which won them their only Grammy.

Having made it up the ranks through at Ipswich Town to the first team, Alan was briefly shipped off for three months to Detroit, America for the summer of 1978 on loan.

Whilst out there, Alan took to the nightlife, at the encouragement of his fellow teammates, and experienced the infamous night life of the 1970's, despite being a world class athlete.

Let's just say for a then 19 year old from Glasgow, America was a bit of a culture shock.

Despite losing one of their first games while Alan was there, they group all still liked to celebrate: "The guys were going straight out after the game for a few drinks, and we went to this nightclub. It was called The Three Faces. Never forget it. And I walked in with the team, and it was the scene from Saturday Night Fever, when Travolta and his buddies walk onto the dance floor, and they're all on the dance floor, and they're all partying, giving them high five. Well, everyone knew the Detroit Express team, and I walked in, and I'm thinking, this is a film. This is Saturday Night Fever. What is my life? Unbelievable."

Odyssey - Native New Yorker

Originally recorded by Frankie Valli, Odyssey had success with this next track on both sides of the pond, topping out at no.5 on the UK chart in 1977.

Although he visited New York a number of times whilst playing in America, Alan never truly got to see the classic image of the city in the seventies.

However, he did fully embrace the equally impressive at the time Detroit music scene.

Alan told Steve: "I didn't have a chance, because we flew into New Jersey JFK, and I was whizzed through the city to the giant stadium. Then before I knew it, the game was over.

"But the music scene was magnificent. Out in Detroit where Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, were a local bands and I remember going out after the game. We went to the Hilton hotel, downtown Detroit. Just about to leave, the band were rubbish. 'Come on, we'll go somewhere else." Then all these youngsters come in, and the band sort of got kicked off, and these other guys pulled out guitars and instruments started playing, and they were brilliant.

"I thought, 'Hold on a minute. We're going nowhere here.'I was there until four in the morning, and it was the Doobie Brothers and Jackson Browne. They had just finished the North American tour, and this was their jam session. Yeah, what a night that was! Don't remember getting home."

Scotland World Cup Squad 1982 - We Have a Dream

We Have A Dream was a special single released as the official song of the Scotland national football team for their 1982 World Cup Campaign, and was written by BA Robinson, but the squad gets all the credit!

When first released, it reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart.

As a result that meant that the whole team would have to appear on legendary chart show, Top of the Pops.

Now, this was a different time for sports stars, who were not held to the same meticulous health standards of today, and this led to just a little bit of carnage when the team finally got to filming.

Joined by the star of the Scottish indie film Gregory's Girl, a young Gordon Sinclair, Alan explained: "That year, Scotland going the World Cup, England going the World Cup, Spurs in the final. What a time. So we went down the Top of the Pops, and there was three football teams there, England, Scotland and Spurs. And I'll never forget it. We were first on but we went there in the morning. And of course, we done it live that night, but they recorded it, but we sang it live that night. And we had a few rehearsals. Of course, the bar was on! The bar was on, you know, it was like red rag to a bull. It was like, 'Hello!' And we had all these hours to kill, yeah? So some of the guys on that show was Junior. Bananarama, they were on it.

"We were just drunk. We were just on it. You know, 'We're here. We're going to World Cup!' We were celebrating. And there's some great characters in that Scotland team. They weren't all drunk, but some of us had had a few beers, but what a laugh."

Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking

Of course, the Scottish rockers are synonymous with the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club's iconic closing scene with Don't You (Forget About Me), they weren't just a one hit wonder.

Certainly someone who wouldn't forget that is Alan, who went to school with members from the seminal group, as well as some other Scottish music legends.

Alan recalled: "School days. Holyrood, Govern Hill near Hampden Park. Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, the original founders of Simple Minds, both in my class, not just year or school, both in my class. Also, it's amazing! A year below was Texas. Jerry McElhone was in my class, who managed the band, and his younger brother plays in the band still.

"And then Travis, Fran Healy was Holyrood as well. And there was another, Martin Hanlon was a drummer. It's just, it's amazing. I think you'll find Simple Minds in the early days. Was Johnny and the Self Abusers, right? So, but I said to the boys, since they've been in the studio (talkSPORT), I said, 'I don't remember any music teacher at school?' and they went 'You were too busy playing football!' There you go."

Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning

Aussie rockers released their chart-topping single Beds Are Burning in 1987, and it became one of their most popular tracks ever, with fellow eighties' alumni Belinda Carlise also confessing a soft spot for song.

It landed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and for Alan Brazil, it helped him discover a whole new country, with an unlikely Scottish connection, of course. 

Alan said: "I've been all over. I've been to The Ashes and The Olympics, Sydney Olympics, you know, just marvellous. Sydney was great when I was over there! You know, we're talking about bands like Ice House, uh, Midnight Oil.

"I just loved their music and Jimmy Barnes from a band called Cold Chisel. He was a Glasgow boy, so... I didn't meet the guys, but they would play, they wouldn't play massive arenas like we do here. They play, you know, bits and pieces."

New Order - World in Motion...

World in Motion... by New Order, featuring the England national football team (credited as ENGLANDneworder), is the band's only number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart. Produced for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, it includes a memorable rap by footballer John Barnes and vocals from several English team members and comedian Keith Allen, who co-wrote the lyrics.

Bernard Sumner described it as "the last straw for Joy Division fans," due to its upbeat sound contrasting with Joy Division's darker image. Initially titled "E for England," the Football Association changed the name to avoid connotations with the drug ecstasy.

For Alan though, it's definitely the best football song to have been made (other than his own contribution of course): "I thought it was the best one. Vindaloo. I know the England fans loved it, but I think, I think that was, that was totally different.

"But he (John Barnes) was a great footballer.That goal in Brazil was sensational. [So] for him to suddenly come on with New Order and perform like that. My thought was, 'takes some b****.'"

Roxy Music - Oh Yeah

Although they were Art Rock pioneers and oddities in the Seventies, who could still top the charts by the way, by the Eighties, Roxy Music fully embraced and bettered the sounds of the time.

Having had most of their original members depart and return over the years, Bryan Ferry slowly gained a more control as a songwriter over the group, and moved the sound to a more soft and subtle blend of textures.

Alan noted that Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry in particular, were huge in Glasgow while he was there: "They were brilliant. Brian ferry, so Roxy Music was big, big in Glasgow in the 70s, late 70s, Brian ferry was massive.

"I remember, Oh Yeah. And the band playing on the radio. We used to play that every away game, Ipswich on the coach, full blast, as we were 10 minutes away from their way ground.

"I don't know why that was a song we played, and everyone was singing it, and we used to bounce off that bus and, 'Come on, boys! Let's get into them.' Imagine Roxy Music and what we used to have on the bus.

One day we're at New Market races, it was pouring a rain. We were in a nice lounge having a bit of lunch, and I went down to put a bet on. I looked at this guy getting soaked. 'That's Brian Ferry.' 'He can't be,' someone up and said. 'Excuse me, Mr Ferry' I went. 'Yes?' I said, 'Look, I'm Alan Brazil.' I says, 'You can't, you can't stand there. You'll get soaked. He said, 'I'd love to join you.' And we walked up, and I took him into the restaurant.

"And [Paul] Mariner was a massive Ferry fan, and he's reading, it was the Sporting Life. I says, 'Manners. I've got Brian Ferry here,' they went, 'Yeah? B*******!' And he fell off his chair. He put his phone down, fell and they hugged each other. What a day we had with Brian."

Queen - Killer Queen

Killer Queen was Queen's breakthrough hit, soaring to number two in the UK and reaching number twelve in the US.

Freddie Mercury revealed that he penned the lyrics before composing the melody and music, which was a departure from his usual process.

Reflecting on the song, Mercury said: "People are used to hard rock, energy music from Queen, yet with this single you almost expect Noël Coward to sing it. It's one of those bowler hat, black suspender belt numbers – not that Coward would wear that. … It's about a high class call girl. I'm trying to say that classy people can be w***** as well."

And when talking about the track, Alan had another stunning story: "My first ever concert, in Glasgow City Centre. Matt the Hoople, Ian Hunter, and being a bit green, I went there early. Couldn't wait. People said, 'You're off your head. There'd be no one there. Be empty. You could go just 20 minutes before the band. Come on!'

"I got there early. Place was three quarters full. Anyway, I listened a bit of the music. Wow. It's pure rock. It was brilliant. And eventually, Mott the Hoople, come on. But you you know the band was [who was supporting]? It was Queen, backing Mott the Hoople. They were warming up!

"So then I'm in Spain. Kempinski Hotel, came out on the balcony in the morning. Guy next to me, I looked up, [it was] Brian May. I said, 'You're never going to believe this. I watched you in Glasgow when you were backing Mott the Hoople, hh said, 'I remember it well.'"

Prince - Purple Rain

Purple Rain was ranked number 18 on Rolling Stone's 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Although a well known signature track of his, from the film and album of the same name, arguably it truly reached its zenith when Prince finished with it at the Superbowl halftime show in 2007.

The event became especially notable when actual rain fell during the performance while the stage and stadium were lit up with purple lights.

The Super Bowl XLI halftime show featuring Prince has topped lists of the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time.

Alan said: "I watched him at the O2 and it was my late brother-in-law who made me go, and I didn't know too much about Prince, to be honest. He can play every instrument. Purple Rain. He brought the house down. He was absolutely magnificent. And when, when people like that die, you think, 'what?'"

You can listen to Alan Brazil on talkSPORT's breakfast show from 6am on Wednesdays.

You can listen to Virgin Radio 80 Plus HERE. You can also listen on DAB+ in London and Central Scotland and on smart speakers across the UK, as well as via the Virgin Radio UK app.