Stiff Records released an album in the UK on 22nd December 1980. It was called ‘The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan.’ The entire disc contained 40 minutes of silence. Although it does have a track list. Side 1 is The Wit Of Ronald Reagan. Side 2 is The Wisdom Of Ronald Reagan. If you did something similar for Donald Trump you would need at least a 10 LP box set.
Boy George immediately after the Disco Ball incident!
On 15th December 1999 Boy George was knocked unconscious when a 28kg mirror ball fell on his head during a pre-show rehearsal with Culture Club at the Bournemouth International Centre in Dorset, England. Did he tumble 4 ya? He was lucky to survive and later he said that “It would be ironic and glamorous to be finished of by a four foot glitter ball” A year earlier on 15th December 1998 Backstreet Boys roadie Michael Barrett, aged 22, filed a $3 million lawsuit against the group claiming damages after a 50-pound cannon fell on his head during a show.
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Surprise, surprise, health and bad taste warning, this post features Cliff Richard. On 13th December 2002 UK music channel Music Choice analysed all the UK Christmas No.1 singles from the past 30 years and identified criteria for their success. These included the use of sleigh bells, children singing, church bells, harmony and references to love. They concluded that Sir Cliff Richard’s 1988 hit “Mistletoe and Wine” was the perfect Christmas hit. Sure it has sleigh bells, children singing, church bells, harmony and references to love, but it is rather shite, isn’t it?
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On December 7th 2015, just a few weeks before his death, David Bowie made his last public appearance when he attended the opening night of the Lazarus musical production at the New York Theatre Workshop in Manhattan. Tickets to the entire run of the musical (which ran until 20th Jan 2016), sold out within hours of being made available. I was lucky enough to see the musical, starring Michael C Hall when it was performed for a few weeks in a pop up theatre in Kings Cross in London in 2016.
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Bob Marley brings together the two competing political candidates Michael Manley and Edward Seaga at the Smile Jamaica show two days after the attempt on his life. Manley won the election on 15th December 1976.
At 8:30 pm on the 3rd of December 1976 an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley when seven gunmen burst into his home at 56 Hope Road, Kingston, Jamaica injuring Marley his wife Rita and manager Don Taylor, the attack was believed to be politically motivated. Current conspiracy theories suggest that the CIA might have been involved. It took place two days before Marley was to stage a concert (Smile Jamaica) in an attempt to quell recent outbreaks of politically related violence. Politicians from across the political spectrum hoped to capitalise on Marley’s support. Thankfully he survived, but sadly cancer took him a few years later in 1981.
The whole of the Smile Jamaica show. Film quality is poor, but the sound is ok
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On 29th November 1983, some 41 years ago, ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ was launched in the UK with a mission to anthologise the biggest chart hits of the day. The first track on the first album was the Motown cover “You Can’t Hurry Love” by Phil Collins and also contained hits like “Karma Chameleon” (Culture Club), “Red Red Wine” (UB40) and “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” (Bonnie Tyler). The series took its name from a 1930s advertising poster for Danish bacon, featuring a pig saying. “Now, That’s What I Call Music” as it listened to a chicken singing. The most successful volume to date is 1999’s Now That’s What I Call Music 44, released in 1999, which sold 2.3 million copies and is the biggest-selling compilation album ever. The latest volume was released earlier this month, ‘Now 119’!!! That is an average of nearly three per year!
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On November 14th 1969, “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies was halfway through its 8 week reign at the top of the British pop chart. Not only did the song mark the first No.1 hit by an animated cartoon band, but, after holding its position for eight weeks, it became the longest-running one-hit-wonder in the UK. It was written by veteran songwriter Jeff Barry and Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Kim. The latter went on to have a huge solo hit with “Rock Me Gently” in 1974. Ron Dante sang lead vocals, he was also the voice of bubblegum pop band the Cufflinks and he went on to produce Barry Manilow’s first nine albums. “Sugar Sugar” also spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and went to No.1 in many countries, including South Africa, Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Brazil, Sweden, Singapore, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Mexico. This single was also the first one that I ever bought.
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On 12th November 1977 the Sex Pistols went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut LP ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’. The album was met with a hail of controversy upon its release. The first problem involved the allegedly ‘obscene’ name of the album, resulting in the prosecution of Chris Searle, the manager of the Nottingham Virgin record shop for having displayed it in a window. The album was banned by Boots (who sold records at the time), WH Smith, and Woolworths (which still existed at the time). Searle, the manager had been warned to cover up the word “bollocks” by the police but had gone back to displaying the records once they had left the shop. So, Searle was charged with contravening the Indecent Advertisement Act 1889 and found himself in front of three local magistrates on the 24th of November at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.
Richard Branson, owner of Virgin brought in John Mortimer QC to defend. Mortimer is now probably best known for writing the Rumpole of the Bailey books. He had also defended Oz magazine in their famous 1971 obscenity trial, which was the longest obscenity trial in British history at the time. His trump card was Professor James Kinsley, head of English at the University of Nottingham. His evidence showed that “bollocks” was in fact an Old English term for “priest” and in the context of the album meant “nonsense”. Mortimer also pointed out that both The Guardian and Evening Standard had both referred to the album’s title and neither had been charged. The trial concluded with a statement from the magistrates “Much as my colleagues and I wholeheartedly deplore the vulgar exploitation of the worst instincts of human nature for the purchases of commercial profits by both you and your company, we must reluctantly find you not guilty of each of the four charges“. God save the Bollocks!
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On November 9th, 1967 the first issue of Rolling Stone Magazine was published in San Francisco. It featured John Winston Lennon on the cover, dressed in army fatigues while acting in his recent film, ‘How I Won the War’ The first issue came with a free gift, a roach clip to hold a doobie.
November 9th, 1966 was the day that John Lennon met Yoko Ono for the first time when he visited her art exhibition ‘Unfinished Paintings and Objects’ at the Indica Gallery in London.
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On 24th October 1962, James Brown recorded his legendary ‘Live At The Apollo’ album at the hallowed Harlem venue. The Godfather of Soul’s first live release was a huge success – peaking at No.2 on the Billboard 200 after its release in May 1963 and spending 66 weeks on the chart. The album was eventually billed as by James Brown and the Famous Flames when issued on CD. In 1998, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and six years later it was selected by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2015 the album was rated the best live album ever by Rolling Stone magazine.
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