With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

“The Crow” – Celtic Legacy January 5, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 6:11 pm
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Irish rockers Celtic Legacy are clearly fans of the Crow, the supernatural superhero. The character was first seen in a 1989 comic book series and has appeared in films in 1994 and 2024. The first saw the sad death of actor Brandon Lee. The band are such huge fans that they have a new song out called “The Crow”. It tells the tale of the titular hero. He gets murdered with his girlfriend. A crow brings him back to life to seek vengeance. The song is dark, heavy and wonderfully constructed melodic metal. The riffs are perfectly persistent. I love the vocal from John Bonham and the guitar solo screams like the best of 80s classic rock. This is a band on top of their game. The chorus eases into you quite easily and locks itself in.

The video is slightly extended by some great Crow related narrated animation based on the original graphic novel. When the first riffs kick in the band appears against the animation background as kind of partially drawn lifelike characters. The video certainly adds to this already great song. The video was filmed, edited and directed by Dave Morrissey, one of the bands guitarists. Weirdly my wife saw the video and is now convinced that I have a doppelganger in bass player Dave Boylan! This is the first new music from the band since 2015. They are already planning two more singles for 2025. I don’t know if they will also be Crow related. But based on this song I will definitely check them out.

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“Fractures” – RORO and Snapir January 4, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 11:04 pm
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Finnish producers RORO and Snapir have joined forces to put out a collaborative album. It is called ‘Colors Left’ and will be released on 17th January. The latest single from the album is “Fractures”. It starts with some ethereal sounds. These sounds would match some of David Bowie’s best work with Brian Eno on the Berlin Trilogy. They would also fit well with the 1995 Bowie Eno collaboration on ‘1# Outside’. It has an undercurrent of a weird combination of Jean Michel Jarre and the Aphex Twin. The sound captures your attention. It drifts into your mind. It prepares to haunt you for a very long while. This is experimental elactronica at its finest. Based on this the album could be quite special!

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“First Kiss” – Marples

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 9:51 pm
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Sheffield band Marples released a new single at the tail end of last year. It is called “First Kiss” and it is rather good. It opens with almost screaming guitar from Thomas Martin. A hypnotic riff underpins it and powers the tune like a 21st century Chuck Berry. Joseph Neville’s vocal is clear and reminiscent of some fine vocalists from UK music history from Lennon to Alex Turner. The track conveys the nervousness and excitement of a first kiss. At least I think it does, mine was a hell of a long while ago!

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On This Day The Boss Shared The Bill With A Manic Depressive!


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.

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On This Day Mr. Zimmerman Whips Up A Hurricane! January 3, 2025

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 11:16 pm
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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.

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Wow That’s What I Call Mayhem – Volume 5


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!

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“Candles Burning” – LIREDEL featuring Geoff Bell and Charlie Wareham

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 1:13 pm
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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!

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On This Day Percy Met Alice In LA! January 2, 2025

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 7:34 pm
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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.

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous #8 – Beck

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 7:11 pm
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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?

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Play It Again Mayhem – “Strawberry Letter 23” – The Brothers Johnson

Filed under: Play It Again Mayhem — justwilliam1959 @ 4:32 pm
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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.

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