With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

“Billy liked to peel the labels from his bottle of Bud” February 11, 2009

Filed under: Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 7:18 am
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Keeping with the “On This Day” format for another day (that day being February 11th) let’s start with some birthdays shall we? Alrighty then! Somewhere in todays post there is a kind of musical “Where’s Wally/ Waldo?” competition, in this case it’s “Where’s Ian (Dury)?” can you find him or are you a Blockhead?

Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett would have been 69 (or 71 according to some sources) today had he not died aged 67 (or indeed 69 according to some sources too!) in 2007. He bought us the wonderful “Monster Mash” which is still the staple of many Halloween parties. He gave some great vocal impressions of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in that song. He also rerecorded it as “Climate Mash” in October 2005 in protest at the lack of action against Global warming. That alone makes him a great guy in my books! Anyway here are Pans People dancing to the song in 1973. Are those costumes rubbish or what? Oh and I almost forgot, there is indeed an official Monster Mash site too, check it out!

Now that's just how I normally dance!

Now that's just how I normally dance!

Today is also the 46th birthday (although Wikipedia suggests 47) of Sheryl Crow, my fave song of hers is “All I Wanna Do” what’s yours? Sheryl used to be one of Michael Jacksons backing singers on the “Bad” tour and covered the Siedah Garret parts on “I Just Cant’ Stop Loving You” every gig. You can see the duet from a 1987 show in Munich if you click the song title. Sheryl has some serious big 80s hair, but of that I guess I’m just jealous! Check the pic below is this what Springsteen is singing about on his new album in “Queen Of The Supermarket”?

Try this tonguetwister "Sheryl shops for cheap Cheerios"

Try this tonguetwister "Sheryl shops for cheap Cheerios"

Finally on the birthdays front today is also the 32nd birthday of Mike Shinoda rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, rapper with Linkin Park. He does Graphic Design too, he’s a right clever bastard ain’t he? Here are the band in their collaboration with Jay Z (or as my friend Karen McP refers to him, Jay Zed) on “Numb” Here is Mike as a Plushie. Isn’t there some kind of weird sexual fetish relating to Plushies?

Mike Shinoda Plushie toy

Mike Shinoda Plushie toy

On February 11th 1973 a local charity in Auckland New Zealand raised £500 by auctioning the bedding used by the Rolling Stones when they stayed in the city for a gig. I can’t imagine it was particularly clean, there must have been enough bodily fluids to clone the whole band. Hmmmmmm……… maybe that’s why Keef is still rockin’! Here are the Stones with the excellent (in my opinion) country pastiche “Far Away Eyes” from the “Some Girls” album. Strangely this is one of my fave Stones song. Check out this great painting of the Stones by the sdaly departed Dutch Artist Guy Paellart.

guypaellartstones1

On this day in 1987 the Smiths were sitting pretty at the top of the UK Indie charts with the classic (but then most Smiths songs are) “Shoplifters Of The World Unite” Click on the song title to see them doing the song live on the UK music programme “The Tube” in 1986. I’ve heard Morrissey’s new album and it sounds pretty damned good, I think it’s out next month. Johnny Marr is currently recording with the Cribs too I believe. Here is the classic picture of the band outside the Salford Lads Club in Salford (Obviously!) near Manchester in the UK.

The Smiths outside the Salford Lads Club

The Smiths outside the Salford Lads Club

On February the 11th 1986 Boy George made his cringeworthy appearance in an episode of the “A Team“. Click on the show’s name to watch a clip from an embarrassing TV moments show where you can also get a feel for just how bad it actually was. Here is a strange picture of the Boy! I hope he doesn’t make up like that in prison, hell have to spend hours in the showers…….. hmmmmmm 😉

He really should change his stylist!

He really should change his stylist!

And finally on this day in 2003 the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) announced the biggest single year drop in sales since the advent of CDs. They blamed it on piracy, illegal duplication, and the distribution of CDs by international criminals. So obviously nothing to do with them selling overpriced crap (like Robbie Williams) then!

Captain Pugwash looking for some overpriced CDs to steal

Captain Pugwash looking for some overpriced CDs to steal

Obviously it would be rude to raise the urban myths about Captain Pugwash and mention Seaman Stains and Roger The Cabin Boy. Although let’s face it the would fit nicely into the pieces about the Rolling Stones and Boy George respectively. Oh well never mind, I won’t raise it and bring todays post to a close. Bye for now dear reader 🙂

 

“Ilya Kuryakin ate Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch” February 10, 2009

Filed under: Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 10:29 am
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Today would have been the 80th birthday of Jerry Goldsmith who created the music for some classic TV series (Star Trek, Planet Of The Apes, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, Dr Kildare and the Waltons “G’night Jerry Boy!”). He died on July 21st 2004 from cancer aged 75. His film scores were nominated 18 times for Oscars, but he only won one, for “The Omen” So I will use this to show the long gone opening sequence to “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” Enjoy!

Jerry conducting

Jerry conducting

It is Roberta Flack’s 72nd birthday. She was born in 1937 in Black Mountain in the US, we just don’t have place names like that in the UK do we? What do we get? Slough, Grimsby and ………. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. How about “is This The Way To Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”anyone?
Thanks to it’s use in the Clint Eastwood movie “Play Misty For Me” Flack’s version of the Ewan MacColl’s song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” became a massive hit in 1972 and remained at the top of the US charts for 6 weeks. It was the longest run at the top of the US charts for a female singer since 1956 (That was “The Wayward Wind” by Gogi Grant). It went on to sell more than 2 million copies. Incidentally fact fans Ewan MacColl is the late great Kirsty MacColl’s Dad. Roberta was also credited as producer of her second album “Feel Like Makin’ Love” (don’t we all?) she used a great pseudonym, Rubina Flake. Roberta with the late great Donny Hathaway

On this day in 1972 David Bowie appeared at the Tolworth Toby Jug (It doesn’t really have the same ring as Carnegie Hall New York does it?) in London on the opening date of the Ziggy Stardust tour. Actually might have been the first official date but I seem to recall that he and the Spiders played a tour warm up gig at Friars in Aylesbury. Incidentally he played Carnegie Hall later that year, it was his first ever New York gig and it was a sell out.
I really wanted to see Mr Bowie on that tour when it came back to the UK in 1973. It would have been my first ever gig too. In fact the gig I might have gone to was to be the final Ziggy show “This is not only the last show of this tour, it’s also the last show we’ll ever do” was what he said that night. Anyway I wasn’t allowed to see Bowie as my Dad said he’s too bloody weird. In the end I did see my first gig later in 1973 it was the Jackson 5. Shortly before my Dad died in 2001 we had a rather amusing conversation about this in the sense of who turned out to be the most weird in the end? Clearly Jacko hands down (but down what exactly?) in my opinion. In the meantime check out The Dame himself singing the Jaques Brel song “My Death” at that last ever Ziggy gig.

Weird? Well maybe my Dad had a point in those days LOL

Weird? Well maybe my Dad had a point in those days LOL

On this day in 1977 The Clash began recording their first album at the CBS studios in London. It took just three weekends to record the 14 tracks, it was released in April that year. It’s probably still my favourite album from the punk period alongside “Never Mind The Bollocks” from the Sex Pistols. Following the albums release they embarked on the short lived “White Riot” tour, which started on 1st May and ended on 29th May. The support bands were the Jam and the Buzzcocks

Good cover, but I prefer the "London Calling" cover personally

Good cover, but I prefer the "London Calling" cover personally

And finally on this day in 1942 Glenn Miller became the first person to be awarded a Gold Disc for 1.2 million sales of “Chattanooga Choo Choo”. It was the number one song in the USA 7th December 1941 the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. The song has often been the subject of what now seems a very old and tired and widely varied joke (like most of mine I hear you cry!), which makes a play on the lyrics, “Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?” Rather than those words, the man walking with Roy Rogers says, “Pardon me Roy, is that the cat who chewed your new shoes?”

Glenn Miller conducts at an open air concert

 

Happy Birthday Mr Marley – Skank In Peace! February 9, 2009

Filed under: Observation,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 8:24 am
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OK in fact I’m late with this one, the late and exceptionally great Robert Nesta Marley would have been 64 on 6th February. Although his passport actually stated April 6th. His father was an English army Captain, Norval Sinclair Marley originally from Liverpool in the UK. So not only are the Beatles roots in Liverpool, so are Bob Marley’s!

The Wailers on Whistle Test

The Wailers on Whistle Test

Sadly he succumbed to cancer on May 11th 1981 aged just 36. The disease began after he injured a toe playing football (soccer to those of you across the big pond) allegedly following a tackle from Journalist/ Broadcaster Danny Baker. His Rastafarian beliefs meant he refused to have the toe amputated, this might have saved him.

I became a Bob Marley fan quite early I suppose, probably around 1972 when Johnny Nash released his excellent “I Can See Clearly Now” album. What’s Johhny Nash got to do with it I hear you say? Well Mr Nash, as far as I am aware had the first UK and US hit with a Marley song, “Stir It Up”. This song dear friends was the first Bob Marley song I ever heard when it hit the UK charts in 1972 when I had just become a fully fledged teenage delinquent. On the “I Can See Clearly Now” album Johnny also covered three more Marley songs “Guava Jelly”, “Comma Comma” and “You Poured Sugar On Me”. You can see Bob singing “Stir It Up” here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6U-TGahwvs

The anorak in me meant that I always read the names of the composer and tried to find out more about them, so I started searching for the then elusive Marley When I eventually found out who he was I was really impressed I borrowed the “Catch A Fire” album from one of my school friends older brothers. Of course I made the obligatory (in those days anyway) cassette tape of the album and played it so much it wore out.
Dreadlocks in full flight
Eventually I bought my first Bob album in 1975, that was “Live At The Lyceum” and to this day that remains one of my favourite Marley albums. It contains, for me, the definitive version of the classic song “No Woman No Cry” definitely one of my all time favourites. It only managed number 22 in the UK charts though. This is one of the songs I want played at my funeral, maybe that will be an upcoming blog theme, songs for funerals. What do you think?

There is a great story behind the song too. When Marley was a struggling musician he was often helped out by a man called Vincent Ford who ran a soup kitchen in Kingston Jamaica. In return for all that assistance Bob gave Vincent Ford the writing credits for “No Woman No Cry”. Now that is generosity! Another thing that often gets misconstrued about the song is the meaning of title. It is written and sung as it would be spoken in Jamaican patois. It doesn’t mean he won’t cry because he doesn’t have a woman, Marley is asking his woman not to cry.

Check it out yourself and let me know what you think http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u2GpQzEu3Y

Bob Marley was often described as the first Third World Superstar and he certainly lived up to that with his support of change in Africa and indeed the politics of his home, Jamaica. In fact he was seen as such a strong and influential figure that an attempt was made on his life on December 3rd 1976. Shortly afterwards he went into self-imposed exile from Jamaica for around 16 months. On his return in April 1978 he and the Wailers headlined the “One Love Peace Concert” in Kingston where he famously united the then Prime Minister Michael Manley and his political opponent Edward Seaga. He probably would have had a lot to say about the current horrible state of affairs in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. probably more so than many of today’s spineless political leaders. In fact Marley played live with the Wailers at the Zimbabwe Independence celebrations in April 1980

Marley unites Michael Manley and Edward Seaga at the One Love Peace Concert

Marley unites Michael Manley and Edward Seaga at the One Love Peace Concert

Marley was father to 13 children some of whom have followed him into the music business. Stephen, Damian and Ziggy with a good degree of success.

Another Marley favourite for me is “Punky Reggae Party” which first appeared as the B Side to the “Jammin” single in the UK in February 1978. He tried to sum up how close punk and reggae had become in the UK during 1976/77. A great party tune and as a bonus he name checks a number of bands in the lyrics; the Wailers (obviously), the Maytals, Dr. Feelgood, the Damned, the Jam and the Clash (now they were truly a great band!). The song was co written with another reggae great, Lee “Scratch” Perry. Who also produced the Clash single “Complete Control”

I don’t have many regrets in my life, but one is that I didn’t take an opportunity to see Marley live in 1978. I was on a lads holiday in Spain in 1978 (you know the type – birds, booze, sun and sand) and Marley and the Wailers were playing in Barcelona which was just 30 minutes from our resort. There were tickets available but the holiday rep convinced us that we would get a serious beating from the mostly Spanish crowd, stupidly we took his advice and didn’t go

If you don’t have any Bob Marley in your collection I have one thing to say to you! Why? Go out and rectify things tomorrow, the best place to start would be to buy the Legend compilation. If you don’t have sufficient funds just sell all your Robbie Williams CD’s on E Bay, that should raise at least 5% of the cost if you’re lucky 🙂 You will come to know that I am not a fan of Robbies in anyway shape or form! You should check out the official Bob Marley page on MySpace too, you can hear four classic songs including his original version of “Stir It Up” which not only is a great song but also rather rude in a double entendre kind of way. “push the wood to light the fire” indeed 🙂 www.myspace.com/bobmarley

So to finish my first post here are a couple of great quotes from Mr Marley;

“Me only have one ambition, y’know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together – black, white, Chinese, everyone – that’s all” – I think we can all agree with that!

“Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction” – personally I’ve always preferred alcohol to weed, but to each their own!

“My music will go on forever. Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever” – he was right about that!

And finally a word from Bart Marley 🙂
bartmarley