(Is This The Way To) The World Cup: Tony Christie

Released 29th May on Gut Records.

Musical Style: An update of the Easy Listening "classic" (Is This The Way To) Amarillo with a new title and freshly penned lyrics but otherwise untouched.

Over The Moon: After selling albums into the millions in the 70s, Tony Christie’s career hit a bit of a lull, reviving briefly in 1999 due to his vocals on the All Seeing I’s Walk like a Panther, and finally being resurrected by Peter Kay’s comedy series Phoenix Nights. Few could have predicted the success of the re-release of Christie’s classic hit (Is This The Way To) Amarillo last year, in aid of Comic Relief. The single, featuring Peter Kay, stayed at the top of the chart for 7 weeks and Christie became a household name once again. Now the song, originally written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, has been given a re-write to become an England Anthem. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time and, in truth, it probably was. The song is almost painfully uplifting and infectious so even if you really want to hate it, it’s difficult to do so, and despite the tenuously adapted lyrics the chorus somehow bewitches you into singing along at the top of your voice. This time around it might not match last year’s marathon chart success, but it’s already being championed by Radio 1’s Chris Moyles, so there’s no getting away from it; you’ll be hearing an awful lot of this version.

Sick As A Parrot: This has to be the cheesiest England Anthem out at the moment. The lyrics are truly dreadful and there’s the nagging feeling that the brains behind this re-write are getting away with murder. If this was the last song you ever wanted to hear again after its almost constant airplay last year, then it might be a good time to book a cruise down the Amazon.

Terrace Appeal: 6/10