On August 28th, 1968, Tammy Wynette recorded “Stand By Your Man” at Epic Studios. It took just 15 minutes to finish and became Wynette’s signature song. It was co-written with producer Billy Sherrill and was the title track of Tammy’s 1969 album. It has been a staple of films for many years featuring in ‘and would be featured over the decades in films like ‘Five Easy Pieces’, ‘Four Weddings And A Funeral’, ‘The Crying Game’, and ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ to name just a few. Interestingly I think Tammy was on her fourth husband when she wrote the song.
On 28th August 1972, the artist formerly known as Vincent Furnier, Alice Cooper was Number One on the UK singles chart with “School’s Out”. He has said he was inspired to write the song when answering the question, “What’s the greatest three minutes of your life?”. His answer was “There’s two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, the next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school.“
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NOANNE has launched a spellbinding rocker of a single. It is called “Everything I Hate About You” It has a mesmerising guitar riff that seems to conceal an inner darkness. It has emotion and passion, and the sound haunts you long after the song is over. The song is about a woman who has taken drastic measures against a deceitful lover. The lyrics are full of anger, bitter resentment and strangely love too. NOANNE is from Prague and this is what she had to say about the song. “I wanted to create a track that not only captured the visceral energy of rock ‘n’ roll but also conveyed a deep, emotional narrative and reflect the intense feelings I was experiencing at the time of writing the single—anger, frustration, and a touch of ironic humor. The result is a track that is raw and dynamic, yet filled with lyrical depth. It’s a sonic journey that mirrors the tumultuous relationship described in the song, taking listeners from the peak of rage to the depths of introspection. This blend of high-energy rock with thoughtful storytelling is something I hope resonates deeply with my audience.” The video is a magnificent slice of film noir that fits the tune perfectly. NOANNE takes some of her inspiration from Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. There is nothing not to love about “Everything I Hate About You”!
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Hello, again it’s me, Buffy Frobisher Smythe Esquire – Butcher Of Rock Deities. Finally, I have been freed from my dungeon, by Billy Mayhem, to butcher and burn another of rock music’s sacred cows after my fearful barbecuing of the Beatles just over a year ago. Mayhem only released me after I agreed to this new assignment, he wants me to butcher and burn a rather poor Beatles tribute act from Burnage. I mean come on, Oasis are hardly sacred cows, are they? More like sacred cow pats! They produced skimmed milk music when everyone else put out full-cream Jersey milk music. So many fans of these so-called “Brit Pop heavyweights” (don’t make me laugh) say that their first two albums, ‘Definitely Maybe’ and ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ are great. But are they really? I suppose that compared to the substandard shite they followed they are probably the greatest two Oasis albums, but the competition wasn’t very strong.
If they hadn’t had regular rucks at gigs and on ferries, the Gallagher brothers would probably only be featured in those “Where are they now” magazine articles these days. But they are not, their fans ever them as deities. Oi, you with the bucket hat, God doesn’t exist, and if she did, she wouldn’t be Oasis! Noel’s best songs were all rip-offs from the Beatles, and let’s face it that scouse beat band was shite too. Even the name Oasis is so fucking dull, imagine being named after a leisure centre in Swindon. Between 1994 and 2008 Oasis had seven UK number-one albums and 19 UK top 5 singles (including 8 fucking number ones, most of which sounded like huge piles of number 2s), bloody hell bought some crap in that period didn’t they?
There must be good odds of this happening next year!
Then there was Knebworth in 1996, who did they pay to pull that one off? That must be the first time a poor tribute act has ever headlined that iconic venue, not the last though, Liam Gallagher did it in 2022 with his tribute of a tribute act. They broke up in 2016 and we all gave a huge cheer, ok so maybe not the die-hard fans, but everyone else did, right? Now they have announced a reunion with the comment “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.” Guns, stars? Seriously give your head a swivel boys. But the good news is that it won’t be on television! Other than Noel and Liam will any other original members of Oasis actually be in the reunited band? I doubt it. Did they do this because they have unfinished musical business? Of course not, they are obviously doing it for the money. Tickets will no doubt cost enough to require a mortgage and all to watch some old bloke in a duffel coat stood at the front of the stage with his hands behind his back. Someone recently posted on Twitter, (we are never calling X you absolute fucking Moron Musk!), about fans of bands with no sense of humour. The top five were 1) Stone Roses, 2) New Order, 3) Oasis, 4) The Smiths and 5) Joy Division. Personally, I think Oasis fans should be number one on the list. Go on Oasis fans, prove to me that you do have a sense of humour! 😉
The Brits have always been a bit shit haven’t they?
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Once again with apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series of compilations that began in 1983, I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March, so it must be time overdue for volume 2, right? This includes the second 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in a maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With 70 minutes of music, click here and lose yourself in the music!
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This is the 22nd entry in the Mayhem Virgins series where we showcase artists that have never featured in these pages before. This time it is the turn of ace scouse band Modern Marriage. I found them randomly when I spotted a plea on Facebook to listen to their new single “Grim Up North”. It was very polite and said “We spent a good bit of time in the studio getting these tunes just right for your ears, so, we really do appreciate you taking time out to listen, or giving your mates a shout and telling them to have a listen. The better our singles perform, then the more gigs and the more decent, meaningful shows we get offered, etc, etc.” Anyway, I listened to it and it is bloody good. A really catchy, bouncy hook-driven indie banger. The band formed in 2021 and played a gig at the iconic Cavern in Liverpool later. They have gigged a lot across the northwest since then and every review or comment that you read online says that their shows are more of a party than a gig. On that evidence, I really need to see them live now.
It is clear from their wonderfully created song titles that they possess that classic, down-to-earth, self-deprecating scouse humour in abundance. Particularly the B-Side of “Grim Up North” “(I Wanna Eat Your Stewed) Prunes (Baby)” and “Gerry And His Pacemaker”. But it is not just the titles. These are great tunes, “(I Wanna Eat Your Stewed) Prunes (Baby)” is a kind of blues punk workout that is hard to compare with anyone! Meanwhile “Gerry And His Pacemaker” reminds me of the humourous side of Brit Pop, a cross between the Inspiral Carpets and the Fall, some Half Man Half Biscuit with a bit of C86 thrown in for good measure. That song was their first single released in June of last year. The fun never stops though, “Terry’s Last Fag” had me dancing around the room almost immediately, it is a cracking party tune. That song was their first single released in June of last year.
“Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money!” is a driving punky pop song that makes Abba’s “Money Money Money” seem a bit crap. Not many bands have a song title that features their own name, I can think of maybe Mott The Hoople, Bad Company, Madness and, Black Sabbath. But Modern Marriage can be added to that list with, you guessed it “Modern Marriage” a hard-rocking riffy and sometimes jangly guitar fest. The band goes all Latin and wonderfully weird on the rather excellent “Lewey’s Got A Two Piece” which made me think of another Liverpool band, the magnificent Deaf School at their peak. “Riddled With Coke” is perhaps their heaviest song to date. By listening to them incessantly today I can see why their gigs might equate to parties, I have a huge smile after an hour of Modern Marriage! They are currently unsigned, but any label worth anything ought to get in there now!
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This is the 26th song in the Play It Again Mayhem series. Check out the previous entries along with this new one in the Play It Again Mayhem Spotify Playlist click here to take a listen! This is another ’70s song, of which there have been 18 so far. This time it is the turn of “Dream Kid” by The Sutherland Brothers and Quiver, released in 1973. The Sutherland Brothers were actual brothers Iain and Gavin and initially, they were a folk-type duo. To expand and beef up their sound in early 1973, the Sutherland Brothers began to work with a Scottish rock band called Quiver. Quiver was originally formed by guitarist Tim Renwick and bassist John ‘Honk’ Lodge (these two were previously with Junior’s Eyes and David Bowie), later the Quiver lineup was Tim Renwick, guitarist and singer Cal Batchelor, bassist Bruce Thomas, and drummer Willie Wilson. Ever since I first heard this track on the radio in 1973 I loved it, and I still do. It was a minor success, only reaching number 57 in the UK charts. Their biggest hit came three years later with “Arms Of Mary” which made the top five in the UK. What do you think of the track?
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Every new Avalanche Party single makes me more excited for their sophomore album due later this year. “Nureyev Said It Best” is a huge tune. It has dance, it has rock, it has psych, it has funk and so much more. It kicks off with mountainous drumming from Kane which seems to be influenced by native American and African Burundi drums. This band sounds like no other right now, Jordan’s vocal take here is perhaps his best yet. Jared’s guitar work feels like it has travelled here from the 1970s and he has then turned it into a 21st Century master class in axe-manship. The whole track is cinematic in scope and it rocks like an absolute bastard. Get into this track now, that’s an order!
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I have described music autobiographies as brutally honest before, but I don’t think I have ever read one this fierce in its candour. At times it feels like Hanna is exposing all her open life wounds. She talks of abuse, rape, misogyny, confidence, and how Riotgrrrl came to be. She is very clear that Riotgrrrl was not perfect but it did open doors for many women and girls to think differently about life and playing music. The abuse she suffered including rape might have finished many people but she came out the other side much stronger. Obviously, she speaks a lot about her career in music with Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and the Julie Ruin. I have subsequently rediscovered much of that since reading the book and it has aged well. Kathleen Hanna is a hugely talented musician and the book shows her to be a wonderful human being who, unlike many of us, is aware of her flaws and turns them into strengths. Even the little anecdotes and trivia are interesting, particularly her not left for Kurt Cobain which said that “Kurt smells like teen spirit”. Whatever happened to that phrase? If you read no other autobiographies please read this one.
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In the first post in Mayhem’s Parental Advisory Playlist (The Tipper Gore Mix), I said that it is sometimes hard to shake off a great earworm of a song even if that song drops regular F-bombs and other profanities. In this case a C bomb. The new addition to Mayhem’s Parental Advisory Playlist (The Tipper Gore Mix) features Jarvis Cocker with “Running The World”. But we know there is an extra word in front of ‘running’ right? This was released back in 2006 and back in the days when Reading/Leeds was still a tad edgy and not ridiculously corporate, it was played regularly between main stage sets the whole weekend. It also featured a wonderfully polite introduction from Jarvis himself! If you don’t like profanites you will hate it, but I love it, and for many the sentiment still holds true. Without a doubt my favourite lyric from this song is “That the cream cannot help but always rise up to the top. Well I say, Shit floats”. Let me know if any profanity-drenched songs like this get you singing along, although maybe not in the vicinity of your Nan! Click here to check it out!
All hail French TV, the BBC would never have let this go on air!
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It’s that time again, it is all go for the Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands 2024. Who will follow the Palava (2022) and Haertstrings (2023) into the Fulford Arms history books? I am honoured and incredibly happy to be invited to join the judging panel once again. I will be at all 6 heats, all 3 semi-finals and the final! I hope to see you there. May the best band win, let battle commence!
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