With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

On This Day Gareth Is Unchained, the Mack Does No Service And The King Enlists! March 24, 2024

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On 24th March 2002 Gareth Gates became the second youngest male solo artist to have UK number-one single. with his debut release ‘Unchained Melody’. He was just 17 years and 255 days old and had recently finished second to Will Young on TV’s Pop Idol. This was the fourth time that the song had been at No.1 in the UK. Al Hibbler and Jimmy Young both reached the top with it in 1955 and a rerelease of the iconic Righteous Brothers version hit the top in 1990 after featuring in the mega-successful film ‘Ghost’. For all you fact fans out there, Little Jimmy Osmond is the youngest artist to have a UK number one he was only 9 years and 8 months old when he hit the summit in 1972 with “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.” The world would be better off without both of these singles in my opinion.

24th March 1998 saw UK singer Mark Morrison, who reached number one in the UK charts with “Return Of The Mack” in 1996 was jailed for a year after trying to con his way out of doing community service. He sent his minder Gabriel Mafereka who wore sunglasses and hid his hair under a hat so he looked like the star. Mr. Morrison, you really were a dick, weren’t you?

At 6:35 a.m. on 24th March 1958, Elvis Presley reported to the Memphis draft board. From there Elvis and twelve other recruits were taken by bus to Kennedy Veterans Memorial Hospital where the singer was assigned army serial number 53310761. Is that when he caught those G.I. Blues?

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On This Day Dandy Played His Last Show, The Coney Island Baby Was Banned And The Dame And Lennon Got Married, But Not To Each Other! March 20, 2024

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On March 20th, 1977, the iconic T.Rex played their final gig at The Locarno in Portsmouth, UK. This was the last show on the Dandy In The Underworld tour, which featured support act The Damned. In September of 1977, Marc Bolan died in a car crash. On the same date in 1977 Lou Reed was banned from appearing at The London Palladium in England because of his punk image. He had planned to play several shows at the Palladium to promote his album ‘Rock and Roll Heart’.

Meanwhile, some rather interesting nuptials took place on March 20th. On that date in 1970, David Bowie married his first wife Mary Angela Barnett a.k.a. Angie. They later divorced in 1980. On the same date in the previous year, 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

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On This Day Joe And The Gang Had A Riot And The Braintree Boys Started A Fire With Flint! March 18, 2024

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Two of my favourite songs were released on March 18th, 19 years apart. The Clash issued “White Riot” on 18th March 1977 as their first single for CBS. Then 19 years later, in 1996, the Prodigy released the now iconic “Firestarter”. Seriously where has the time gone as those singles turn 47 and 28 years old respectively!

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On This Day ABBA called And Britain Took The Country Back! March 14, 2024

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On March 14th, 1973, ABBA released the single “Ring Ring,” their first Swedish No.1 hit and debut release in the UK. The release was originally credited to Björn and Benny, Agnetha, and Anni-Frid, and was selected as Sweden’s 1973 Eurovision Song Contest entry, where it finished third. Just a year later, using the acronym ABBA as a name, the group won the same competition with their huge hit song “Waterloo.”

The 14th of March 1964 was the first time in the history of the UK charts that all Top Ten singles in the UK charts were by British acts. Number 1 was ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’ by Cilla Black, 2 – ‘Bits and Pieces’ by The Dave Clark Five, 3 – ‘Little Children’ by Billy J Kramer, 4 – ‘Diane’ by The Bachelors, 5 – ‘Not Fade Away’ by The Rolling Stones, 6 – ‘Just One Look’ by The Hollies, 7 – ‘Needles and Pins’ by The Searchers, 8 – ‘I Think Of You’ by The Merseybeats, 9 – ‘Boys Cry’ by Eden Kane, and 10 – ‘Let Me Go Lover’ by Kathy Kirby. But to be fair, they weren’t all great songs, were they?

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On This Day Johhny Cashed His Roubles, The Page Boy Played With The Dame And The King Had A Hayride! March 5, 2024

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 4:33 pm
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On 5th March 1953 Air Force Staff Sergeant Johnny Cash (yes, the man in black himself) intercepted a coded message from Russia. The message confirmed that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was dead. Cash enlisted in 1950 after he turned 18 and was assigned to the 12th Radio Squadron Mobile of the US Air Force Security Service at Landsberg, West Germany, where he proved his skill as a Morse Code operator.

5th March 1965 saw an 18-year-old David Bowie feature on the second Manish Boys single, “I Pity The Fool”. It was produced by Shel Talmy, (who also produced The Who and The Kinks). Jimmy Page was Talmy’s regular session musician and played the guitar solo on the track.

In 1955 on 5th March Elvis Presley made his US TV debut by appearing on the weekend show ‘Louisiana Hayride’ on KWKH TV, broadcast from Shreveport Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. There are many different claims for his first hayride appearance, 5th March is the one I have found mentioned most times.

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On This Day Bowie Was Electric And Crazy Paul Thanked The Wonder Boy! February 28, 2024

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On 28th February 1970 David Bowie played at the Basildon Arts Lab experimental music club at the Basildon Arts Centre in Essex. His band was spankingly new, so new that they did not have a name. They were billed as David Bowie’s New Electric Band. Sharing the bill with the Dame and his band were High Tide, Overson and Iron Butterfly. The Bowie band eventually became the rather shortlived The Hype featuring Bowie, Mick Ronson, Tony Visconti and John Cambridge. They had been known as Harry The Butcher for one gig.

28th February 1976 Paul Simon’s ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ was named Album Of The Year at the 18th annual Grammy Awards. In his acceptance speech, Simon told the audience “I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year.” That was becaues Wonder had won the award two years in a row with ‘Innervisions’ (1974) and ‘Fulfillingness’ First Finale’ (1975). Stevie Wonder triumphed again the following year (1977) when ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’ won the best album Grammy. Paul Simon had previously won the same award in 1971 with the Simon and Garfunkel classic ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’

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On This Day Malcy Swindled SPOTS While The Page Boy Went Solo And Sandra Was Born To Beat Europe Barefoot! February 26, 2024

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Jimmy Page released his first solo single, “She Just Satisfies,” on February 26th 1965 in the UK. He played everything but drums on it and sang lead vocal, Page also produced the tune. This was just before he joined the Yardbirds

On 26th February 1979 in the midst of the long running court case between the Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm McLaren, (a.k.a Talcy Malcy) it was revealed that only £30,000 was left of the £800,000 the band had earned. That was the real great rock ‘n’ roll swindle.

Sandie Shaw, iconic British songstress who had more than fifteen UK top 40 singles was born on February 26th 1947. Those included three number ones; “(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me”(1964), “Long Live Love” (1965) and Eurovision Song Contest winner “Puppet On A String” (1967). She was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest. Happy Birthday Sandie!

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On This Day Jermaine Changed 2 U While U2 Played Pubs! February 23, 2024

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On this day (23rd February) in 2013 Jermaine Jackson officially changed his last name to Jacksun. Really? Let’s get serious about this Jermaine! He previously and unofficially took the name Mohammad Abdul Aziz upon his 1989 conversion to Islam, (which I do understand by the way) and said he was making the new change for “artistic reasons.”

On 23rd February 1980 U2 appeared at The Moonlight Club, at The Railway Hotel in London, where tickets cost just £2. The band played in many pubs, clubs, and toilet venues in 1980 in and around London including The Half Moon, Herne Hill (allegedly to just 12 people), The Marquee, Hope & Anchor, 101 Club, The Rock Garden, Electric Ballroom and Dingwalls. I was at two of those shows; Dingwalls and the Hope & Anchor.

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On This Day Pussy Riot Made A Stand! February 21, 2024

Filed under: Observation,On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 11:07 pm
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On February 21st, 2012, the Russian band Pussy Riot put on and videoed a performance on the soleas (an extension of the sanctuary platform in an Eastern Orthodox temple or church building) of the Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour in Moscow. The video of the performance was called “Punk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!”. Sadly vile dictator Putin is still in place. The band said their protest was directed at the Orthodox Church leader’s support for Putin during his election campaign. After a very brief performance, the almost deserted cathedral was raided and members of Pussy Riot were arrested. A few weeks later three of the band were charged with hooliganism. They remained in custody until their trial in July. They were convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” (seriously? WTAF!), and each was sentenced to two years imprisonment. One of the band was given a suspended sentence and the other two remained in jail until December 2013. Their imprisonment drew support from many human rights organisations including Amnesty International. Members of the band are still bravely and defiantly active, showing support for the cause of the assassinated political prisoner Alexei Navalny earlier this week.

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On This Day In 1996, Mr. Jones Played Outside in France…. Or Did He? February 18, 2024

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On February 18th, 1996 David Bowie played the Parc Expo Rennes Aéroport, Bruz, France as part of the ‘Earthling’ tour. The setlist was predominantly from the aforementioned album. It included the songs; The Motel, Look Back in Anger, The Hearts Filthy Lesson, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)’ I Have Not Been to Oxford Town, Outside, Andy Warhol, The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty), The Man Who Sold the World, Strangers When We Meet, Diamond Dogs, Hallo Spaceboy, Breaking Glass, We Prick You, Nite Flights (The Walker Brothers cover), Teenage Wildlife, Under Pressure (Queen collaboration) and Moonage Daydream. Eleven of the 18 tracks were earlier Bowie classics. I was lucky enough to see the Dame perform a similar set at the Wembley Arena in November 1995.

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