I already had it in my head to write a piece about Shocking Blue for the blog today.

Then, on the "6 Of The Best" segment of Lauren Laverne's show on BBC Radio 6 Music. She played "Aşk Çiçeği" (Love Flower) by the 70s Anatolian rock band Mavi Işıklar.

Aşk Çiçeği by Mavi Işıklar

For the uninitiated (me), "Love Flower" is a fantastic, Turkish cover of none other than Shocking Blue's late-60s classic, "Send Me a Postcard".

Shocking Blue were formed in the Netherlands in 1967. They were fronted by Mariska Veres, whose vocals defined their sound.

They are best known for their 1969 global smash hit "Venus" (yes, the very same one that Bananarama famously covered in the 80s).

Venus by Shocking Blue

And if course "Love Buzz" was famously covered by Nirvana as their debut single in 1988.

Love Buzz by Shocking Blue

But my pick from their catalog is "Send Me a Postcard."

Send Me A Postcard by Shocking Blue

"Send Me a Postcard" was released in late 1968, but I didn't actually come across it until many decades later. I was sitting in a pub when it suddenly came on over the speakers.

There is something deeply fascinating about that moment. Think about the creative spark of art: a band goes into a studio half a century ago, writes a driving, psychedelic pop-rock riff, and puts it out into the world. Fast forward nearly 50 years, and that exact same recording is played to a room full of strangers in a pub. The majority of that room is perfectly happy to hear it, or at the very least, they don't object to it.

That right there is the magic of communal listening. It's the enduring, time-traveling power of a brilliant song.

This kind of shared musical experience feels particularly interesting to me now, because so many establishments simply don't focus on music anymore. I think this is largely down to how our listening habits have changed. We live in an era of individually tailored streaming feeds and hyper-personalized playlists. We are siloed in our own sonic bubbles.

Which brings me right back to why I am such a massive fan of BBC 6 Music, and why there is such a big crossover for music lovers there.

When you listen to a show like Lauren Laverne's, you are participating in a massive, nationwide communal listening session. There is a real, tangible sense of human curation. It makes me believe I'm not just passively absorbing a series of vague algorithmic associations dictated by a computer, but rather sharing a curated musical journey with thousands of others. It’s just like a great pub jukebox, but on a grander scale.

But yes, Shocking Blue. Top band.