Bruce Springsteen started a three-night run on 4th January 1974. It was held at Joes’ Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The support band was by Peter Johnson and The Manic Depressives (a local blues influenced band). On the ticket it stated: Due to the energy crisis, most of our outside lights will be shut off. Only one light will remain on. Later that same year Springsteen played another gig in the city and that was attended by journalist Jon Landau. He famously declared Springsteen the “rock and roll future” in his review for the Real Paper.
On 3rd January 1976, Bob Dylan’s song, “Hurricane”, peaked at Number 33 on the Billboard singles chart. This helped to cause enough publicity to eventually get former boxer Reuben ‘Hurricane’ Carter released from jail. The song promoted Carter’s innocence and remains possibly one of Dylan’s angriest songs. A movie about Carter’s life, starring Denzel Washington, was released in 2000.
I send my continued humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series. Their compilations began in 1983. I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March 2024. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 followed in August and September. So you must be ready for volume 5, right? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the last 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With nearly 70 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!
This is a gorgeous simple song that hits all the right buttons. It has a soothing piano riff and some great vamp style backing vocals. But the cream on top is the performance of LIREDEL, what a fabulous voice. It has some sultry jazz tones and huge emotion with a hint of Amy Winehouse. The message in the song is about loved ones who are no longer with us. It serves as a reminder to keep their spirit alive by lighting a candle for them. Liredel said this about it “The track is about keeping a metaphorical candle lit for those that are no longer here …..it’s a beautiful song about keeping the memory flame alive for all time. Remembering the good times with loved ones and keeping a piece of them alive with you through your memories.” Incidentally, the featured Geoff Bell is the classy British actor. He has appeared in loads of films including ‘Mike Bassett: England Manager’. I have listened to more of LIREDEL’s songs and it is clear that she is a supremely talented artist!
On 2nd January 1969 Led Zeppelin played the first of four nights at the Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles. This was during the bands first North American tour. Support was provided by the Alice Cooper band. According to Alice the bands flipped a coin to decide who went on first as neither was very well known.
Before he became a slacker superstar and well known musical polymath and icon Beck (a.k.a Beck David Hansen) was apparently a YMCA ID photographer. What kind of job is that? Did he leave it because he was a Loser baby?
Here comes the 32nd track in the Play It Again Mayhem series. This time it is the turn of the Brothers Johnson with “Strawberry Letter 23”. This is among my favourite songs of all time. The song was written, composed and recorded by Shuggie Otis for his 1971 album ‘Freedom Flight’. The Brothers Johnson version was produced by Quincy Jones and released in 1977. Why is it called “Strawberry Letter 23”? Well the lyric tells the tale of two lovers exchanging strawberry scented letters. The singer is replying to letter 22. The Brothers Johnson version reached number 5 in the US charts and topped the US R & B chart. Sadly it only got to number 35 in the UK.
The Shuggie Otis original was sampled on Outkast’s 2001 hit “Ms. Jackson”. Of the 32 songs in the Play It Again Mayhem series this one makes it 20 from the 70s. Check out the playlist below and let me know what your favourites are. I started this series in honour of Johnnie Walker’s Sounds Of The 70s radio show feature ‘Johnnie’s Jukebox’. His passing saddened me, and many others, he was a giant of a broadcaster.
If you like your rock hard and classic then the new single from Aeon Empire is right up your street. “All Your Dreams” was written by Paul Gerard Reed. It overflows with riffs. These riffs remind me of the likes of Deep Purple and Nazareth. The song races along at 100 miles per hour. It crashes into your skull early on. It refuses to back out. Jota Fortinho’s vocals epitomise how a great rock vocalist should sound. The underlying blues element adds to the appeal of this great tune.
Ronnie König , the band’s founder and bass player said this about the track. “This song showcases what our band is all about. Aeon Empire is about delivering rock anthems full of catchy riffs and melodies. We’ve poured our hearts into this album and we can’t wait for the world to hear it.” The video, directed by lead singer Jota Fortinho, is a great showcase for the band too.
On 1st January 1959 Johnny Cash played his first free concert for the inmates of San Quentin Prison, California. Nineteen-year-old Merle Haggard was among the audience members. He was serving a 15-year sentence for grand theft auto and armed robbery, but served only three years. Another very important man was born on that very day. Can you guess who? It was me 🙂
Here is the Mayhem chart for December 2024. Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits. These are gathered over the last month by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes have fallen by four points to 92% more obscure than the rest of the UK! It must be all the Christmas standards I have listened to last month. Incidentally no Christmas songs are included in the chart. But the most popular Chrimbo tune was Mr. Strange with “Santa Clause Hates The Poor”. The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, last month’s top three “Legacy” artists were David Bowie, Cat Stevens and Wham! Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for November: Liz Davinci, Sleuth Gang and Carol Hodge. Carol also appears in the artist chart and the song chart. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists, including three that were in the top ten last month. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds went up from number 2 to number 1. Herorangecoat is staying at number 7. Delilah Bon is staying at number 9. Delilah has been in the artist charts now for 13 months! Two artists appear in both lists for December: Delilah Bon and Carol Hodge. The number one song comes from HANDSHAKE IN SPACE. So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five!
Mayhem Artist Chart December 2024
1 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 2 Carol Hodge 3 Cassyette 4 Taylor Swift 5 Lana Del Ray 6 Du Blonde 7 HerOrangeCoat 8 Mannequin Pussy 9 Delilah Bon 10 Bobbie Dazzle
Mayhem Song Chart December 2024
1 Let’s Control It – HANDSHAKE IN SPACE 2 Not The President – Delilah Bon 3 Shake The Slack – Avalanche Party 4 Hunt You Down – ALT BLK ERA 5 Manoeuvres – Carol Hodge
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 