On May 30th, 1968, The Beatles began work on their 30-track self-titled double album (popularly referred to as The White Album, due to its all-white sleeve design). Nineteen of the songs that ended up on the record were written while the band was on a Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. It took more than six months to record and the first track to be laid down was “Revolution.” In my opinion, this is one of the best Beatles albums.
In 1987, also on 30th May, David Bowie kicked off his Glass Spider tour. It was believed to be the largest touring set ever at the time, the stage was designed to resemble a giant spider. The tour was in support of one of his poorest albums, ‘Never Let Me Down’. 43 trucks transported the set to each of the tour’s 87 shows. I was at one of those shows, Wembley Stadium in June. I recall that Big Country was one of the support acts the day I went.
May 30th, 2009 saw Mick Jagger offer to buy an ice cream van but his offer was turned down by its owner, Guiseppe Della Camera. Guisseppe had spent ten years restoring the rusting van to perfection after he saw it on a farm being used as a chicken coop. Jagger offered to buy the van when he saw it at a show on Wandsworth Common. Guisseppe said, “Jagger told me he’d really fallen in love with my van and asked me if I would consider selling it. I was stunned when he offered me £100,000“. One reason that Guisseppe turned down such a generous offer was that he had promised his daughter he would drive her to her wedding in it. Maybe Jagger just wanted Forty Licks!
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On April 24th 1961 Bob Dylan made his first officially released recording, he earned $50 for playing harmonica on the title track of Harry Belafonte’s LP, ‘The Midnight Special’. Bob made his debut recording five months previously on a record by folk singer Carolyn Hester, but this wasn’t released until after the Harry Belafonte album.
In 1968, also on 24th April, the Beatles’ new Apple record label turned down an opportunity to sign David Bowie, who had just left Deram Records. Bowie’s manager at the time, Kenneth Pitt submitted a demo tape, only to receive a letter from the company’s A&R chief, Peter Asher, stating that “Apple Records is not interested in signing David Bowie. The reason is that we don’t feel he’s what we’re looking for at the moment.” I wonder how Bowie’s career might have gone had he signed to Apple?
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On 14th April 1994, Kurt Cobain was cremated at the Bleitz Funeral Home, in Seattle. The death certificate listed Cobain’s occupation as Poet/Musician and his type of business as Punk Rock.
On that same date in 1980 Gary Numan issued ‘The Touring Principle’, which was apparently the first long-form rock video to be made commercially available in the UK.
In 1970, also on April 14th, Creedence Clearwater Revival played their first UK shows. Nothing low key though, just two nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Back in 1967 on 14th April David Bowie released one of his best-loved (maybe not) singles, “The Laughing Gnome”!
On 14th April the Illinois Crime Commission (BOO, HISS!!!) issued a list of ‘drug-oriented records’ which included “White Rabbit'” by Jefferson Airplane, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” by Procol Harum, and The Beatles’ “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” Apparently David Bowie’s “The Laughing Gnome” was not included!
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Here is Under The Covers With Mayhem Chapter 4, this one features iconic band Sparks with their cover of the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. This was originally released as a single in 1976 and sadly failed to chart. It got another lease of life as a bonus track on the reissue of the ‘Indiscreet’ album in 1994. The lush orchestration and slowed pace make it more of a soul ballad than the Moptops original from 1964.
I have said previously that my ideal cover version has a different slant from the original rather than just a facsimile-style cover. So the generic boy bands are probably never likely to feature, but you never know, right? Feel free to recommend any songs you think should be included in Under The Covers With Mayhem. I want to stay clear of the mainstream ideally, but off-the-wall covers by major artists might work too 🙂 Oh, and there will, of course, be an Under The Covers With Mayhem Playlist soon!
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43 years ago on 4th April 1981 Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin for the UK with “Making Your Mind Up”. It was a great pop song and the skirt-pulling part of the performance was quite a sensation at the time
On 4th April 1964, the Beatles took over the US Billboard singles chart thanks to The USA hugely taking to Beatlemania. They held the top 5 places with “Please Please Me” (5), “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (4), “Roll Over Beethoven” (3), “Love Me Do” (2), and at number1 “Can’t Buy Me Love.” They also had another nine singles on the chart, bringing their total to fourteen on the Hot 100.
Back in 1970, also on 4th April, British Pub Rock stalwarts Brinsley Schwarz were earmarked for Stateside success, to achieve that their PR company flew 133 UK journalists to New York to see the band support Van Morrison at the Fillmore East, at the cost of £120,000. The event turned into a disaster. The group planned to leave a few days before the show to rehearse but were denied visas on a technicality, not drug convictions as some online stories suggest. They were finally given visas on the morning of the show and arrived just hours before the concert. The plane carrying the journalists was delayed after a mechanical fault, delaying the flight and when the journalists arrived In New York 18 hours later, they were all hung over. I can only assume that the PR company also paid the journalists’ bar tab. Brinsley Schwarz, according to most sources gave an underwhelming live performance, resulting in several poor reviews. Nick Lowe was perhaps the most successful member after the band’s eventual demise.
I had forgotten just how wonderful this song is 🙂
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The original post had the album cover, but it was against Facebook’s community standards, so I have updated it!
When I started this blog nearly fifteen years ago the early posts were largely music trivia, often “on this day” related. Then I went on to focus more on reviews. So as a treat and inspired by receiving Justin Lewis‘ excellent almanac ‘Don’t Stop The Music – A Year Of Pop History One Day At A Time‘ as a Christmas present from my fabulous wife Catwoman (a.k.a. Catherine) I plan to add in quite a few on this day style posts in 2024. The first few will be from that book, but not all will. I will kick off with a bonus of three, one for 1st January, one for 2nd January, and another for today (3rd January). All three are Beatles-related, just “Because…” The first of these facts is that acclaimed music producer and the man often referred to as the fifth Beatle, George Martin was born on 3rd January 1926.
On 2nd January 1968, The entire shipment of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s album ‘Two Virgins’ was seized by authorities in New Jersey due to the controversial full-frontal nude photograph of the pair on the cover. The album was eventually wrapped in plain brown paper in record stores. The album is a venture into the avant-garde side of music by Lennon, which is interesting because he once declared that the phrase avant-garde was “French for shit”
On 1st January 1961 the Fabs recorded some songs as a demo for Decca Records and were turned down in favour of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Five of those songs were eventually released officially on ‘Anthology Volume 1’ in 1995. The songs included there were “Searchin'”, “Three Cool Cats”, “The Sheik Of Araby”, “Like Dreamers Do” and “Hello Little Girl”.
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Hands up anyone who thinks that the Beatles are shite? I am kicking off this series with a piece on a crappy little beat combo from Liverpool. They are the first of rock music’s untouchable deities to be laid out on Buffy’s Butcher’s block will be the Beatles. So, let me kick off first with that shitty bad pun of a name, the Beatles? Seriously? It might have been funny for five minutes in 1962, but now it is just mega dull. But I suppose that is a reflection on the band too, maybe they did briefly show talent in the early days. Their backing on Tony Sheridan’s version of “My Bonnie” was almost as good as anything that Right Said Fred has released. As for the music, well it was mostly covers in the early days. The first two albums were 43% cover versions and 57% rip-offs from people like Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly. How did they have the arrogance and audacity to turn down that classic pop song “How Do You Do It?” A song that went on to be a huge smash for a more talented Liverpool band, Gerry and the Pacemakers. In fact, the first three singles by Gerry and the Pacemakers all went to number one in the UK. The Beatles failed to do that with “Love Me Do” limping to a lowly number 17 and “Please, Please Me” stuttering out at number 2. Their early albums were recorded incredibly quickly and that shows in how interminably bland the music is. In a similar way, their later albums took months to record and that shows too, mostly in the overproduced, overrated drivel they put out. All they have left us is a series of mediocre pop songs and plenty of album filler. If I must provide reluctant praise, it would be to long-suffering producer George Martin. He knew that he couldn’t polish a Beatles-shaped turd, but he was able to roll that turd in glitter occasionally.
Even Ringo, the second-choice drummer, (let’s face it Pete Best was far better), didn’t play on the “Love Me Do” single. John Lennon is alleged to have said that Ringo “wasn’t the best drummer in the world, in fact he wasn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles”. Apparently, Lennon didn’t actually say that, according to a number of sources, but the statement stands true, doesn’t it? The Beatles a.k.a the Floptops were just in the right place at the right time, any beat band of the early sixties could have been picked up and groomed for success like they were. The Merseys or Gerry and the Pacemakers would have been moderately better, although still somewhat shit. The overuse of “yeah, yeah, yeah” in their lyrics made it abundantly clear that they couldn’t write a decent tune to save their lives. They were basically a manufactured boy band put together by Brian Epstein. He got rid of the original drummer and made them change their appearance, dressing them in pretty little suits and promoting the Beatles’ haircut. In that sense, they were the Westlife of their day, nothing more. Like the boys from Sligo they sold millions of records based on their pretty boy looks, well excluding Ringo, he was hardly pretty was he? To be fair to Lennon in particular, he was right when he said that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. Extensive research (on Google) suggests that JC was no more than 5 feet 5 inches tall (other heights are available) while the shortest Beatle was Ringo at five feet 8 inches.
Some people say that a measure of success is all their number one records, 17 UK number one singles, and 11 UK number one albums (plus another 4 if you count compilations and archive issues) for example. But Westlife have had 14 UK number one singles and 9 UK number one albums, 11 if you count compilations. So, on that basis, I should add that I believe Westlife are absolute and utter shite, the Beatles are a few number ones better than Westlife. But simply put both acts are steaming piles of number twos! George Harrison convincing the boys to let him use a sitar on some songs probably explains why he was not given the opportunity to write more Beatles songs. The sitar in rock music? What a waste of overindulged, egotistical effort. Then there is the infamous “concept” album, ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, if I linked the last three bowel evacuations I did it would be more of a concept and frankly would probably sound better. As for ‘Abbey Road’, well firstly what a lazy fucking title that is, and secondly it was filled with half-finished sketches of songs and a huge plagiarism of Chuck Berry by John Lennon in “Come Together”. And what about the so-called “White Album”? A double album with 30 tracks, ridiculously overlong, and where the hell was the quality control on track selection. “Glass Onion”, “Piggies” and “Don’t Pass Me By” should have been expunged from tape never to be heard again. The sonic dirge/ soundscape that is “Revolution 9” is easily the best track the Beatles ever recorded, largely because it doesn’t feature any of them and is just a bunch of insane randomly recorded sounds and words.
If you must listen to the Beatles, why not go with a facsimile from the 90s, at least you would be listening to something slightly more modern, albeit an even more shitty band than the Beatles, ladies, and gentlemen I give you Oasis. Let me finish by saying that if you have bothered to read this far you either agree with me or your head is about to explode with steam-fuelled anger and you are already typing me a message from “Angry of the Shires” telling me I am wrong. Well, you’re too late, all that remains of the Beatles is their blood on my butcher’s block. But they have provided several tough and bordering on rancid steaks and cutlets for local butcher’s shops! I have many more rock deities on my list, and I would love to hear who you would like me to take apart next! In the meantime please remember that “all you need is love” Buffy Frobisher Smythe Esquire xxx
The Mayhem Artist Top 20 artist chart for June 2022 is here. Many of you know that I am a keen user of a site called Obscurify. It claims to tell you how obscure your listening on Spotify is. Compared to the rest of the UK I achieved a level of 97% more obscure than other users in the UK this month, one point up from last month’s 96%. Regular readers will know that it also lists my most obscure artists, which currently are;
Promethium (The British metal titans are back on the list!)
Johnny Nash (Seriously, why is the greatest singer that ever lived listed as obscure?)
Apollo Junction (An absolutely brilliant band from Leeds, very nice lads too)
Vaquelin (One of York’s finest young bands. You will be hearing more about them on this site soon)
Millie Manders and the Shut Up (Fabulous ska-punk outfit, but they are so much more than that. Millie has huge talent and a fantastic band) – Check out the “Not OK” video below
As for the June Top 20, only Dame David remains from the last chart, but this time he climbs from number six back up to the top of the pile. This was probably driven by me being at the David Bowie World Fan Convention in Liverpool a few weeks ago. That wonderful visit also accounts for French artist -M- (at number 10) who the supremely wonderful human being that is Gail Ann Dorsey is working with, the marvellous Donny McCaslin sitting at number six and the late, great Mick Ronson at eleven. There is a good amount of soul this month, including Aretha Franklin, Millie Jackson, and Mel & Tim. Reggae is represented by Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Upsetters, and the Dynamites. Given his history, Johnny Nash could be represented in the soul or reggae camp. There are plenty of classic rock artists including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, T Rex, and the Who. More recent classic acts are well represented by the Wonder Stuff and Suede. Kate Bush is in at number sixteen and I haven’t even seen Stranger Things 4 yet! Half Man Half Biscuit are in there because I went to see them with my mate John at leeds Uni Stylus. Cigarettes After Sex are at number seven. I planned to see them while I was on a business trip to Bologna, but things conspired against me so, sadly I missed them. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chart. Oh and keep your eyes open for the fourth Mayhem Monthly Song Chart, just like an old-school top 20 singles chart! That one includes songs by a few of the artists featured in the June Artist Chart.
1 David Bowie 2 The Wonder Stuff 3 Johnny Nash 4 Aretha Franklin 5 Millie Jackson 6 Donny McCaslin 7 Cigarettes After Sex 8 Suede 9 Half Man Half Biscuit 10 -M- 11 Mick Ronson 12 Bob Marley and the Wailers 13 The Upsetters 14 The Dynamites 15 Mel and Tim 16 Kate Bush 17 Beatles 18 T Rex 19 The Who 20 Rolling Stones
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Regular readers among will know that this years 12 Days of Christmas will showcase a collection of songs that communicate hope. This kicked off yesterday with the Bill Withers classic, “Lean On Me”. So many of us have been through the darkest of times this past couple of years and if any of this music can bring you even a sliver of light and hope, then music is doing its job. Today I have chosen the George Harrison penned Beatles classic “Here Comes The Sun” from ‘Abbey Road’. Stay strong people and if you are feeling particularly low talk to someone. I am happy to be here for you if you need me!
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Back in January I discovered a site called Obscurify. It claims to tell you how obscure your listening on Spotify is. Compared to the rest of the UK I am supposedly 91% more obscure than other users, I’ll take that! It also lists my most obscure artists, which are currently
It really shows me that I do have eclectic taste. But the thing I love most about it is that roughly every month it tells you who your top artists are for that period based on your Spotify listening habits. So I simply had to start publishing a monthly With Just A Hint Of Mayhem Top 20. I’ll kick off with June. Scroll down to the bottom and you will see all the rest of this years charts! No surprise that David Bowie has been top three times but five other artists have held the top spot too; The Avalanches, Millie Manders and the ShutUp, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Saint Agnes and this month it is the supremely talented Delilah Bon!
Mayhem’s Top 20 Artists on Spotify (June 15th 2021)
1 Delilah Bon 2 Penfriend 3 David Bowie 4 Beatles 5 Simon & Garfunkel 6 Norah Jones 7 Beck 8 Carole King 9 Wolf Alice 10 Twenty One Pilots 11 Kate Bush 12 Babii 13 Liz Phair 14 Avalanche Party 15 Sam Cooke 16 James Brown 17 The Howl and the Hum 18 Biig Piig 19 Children Of Zeus 20 Lachlan
03 January 2021
27 January 2021
18 February 2021
12 March 2021
04 April 2021
26 April 2021
20 May 2021
1
Avalanches
Millie Manders & The Shut Up
David Bowie
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Saint Agnes
David Bowie
David Bowie
2
Carpenters
Beatles
Radiohead
Pentastone
Estere
Elton John
Apollo Junction
3
London Symphony Orchestra
Yusuf/ Cat Stevens
Mink Deville
Pale Waves
Beatles
Beatles
Amy Winehouse
4
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Pink Floyd
Call Me Malcolm
Architects
Carole King
Billy Joel
Rumer
5
Jones Girls
Eagles
Temptations
Paul Weller
Sheryl Crow
Carole King
Rag N Bone Man
6
Taylor Swift
Evie Sands
Denise Sherwood
David Bowie
Normandie
Snuts
Elivis Presley
7
Jean Carn
Rumer
Celeste
Dusty Springfield
Bobby Womack
MeatLoaf
Stevie Wonder
8
Steely Dan
Jackson Browne
Marvin Gaye
Kate Bush
Captain Ska
Bull
Betty Wright
9
Norman Connors
David Bowie
Weezer
Biffy Clyro
Frank Zappa
Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Kristina Train
10
George Michael
Bobbie Gentry
Amy Winehouse
Bunny Wailer
Arctic Monkeys
Showaddywaddy
Billy Joel
11
Sing Sing Rabbit
Harry Styles
Pale Waves
U-Roy
Millie Jackson
Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Paul Weller
12
David Bowie
Joni Mitchell
Isley Brothers
Katy J Pearson
Joni Mitchell
Linda Ronstadt
Four Tops
13
Paul McCartney
Dusty Springfield
Stevie Wonder
Avalanches
Bob Dylan
ShaNaNa
Sam Cooke
14
Wham
KLF
Diana Ross & The Supremes
Bring Me The Horizon
Tender Central
Beach Boys
Enter Shikari
15
New Order
Arctic Monkeys
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
Sweet
Nick Cave
Dolly Parton
MeatLoaf
16
Elton John
Jim Croce
Denise Johnson
T Rex
Gary Numan
Elvis Presley
Carly Simon
17
Elvis Presley
Eminem
Estere
Stackridge
Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Supremes
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
18
Bing Crosby
Paul Simon
GAYLIPS
Nick Cave
Bohannnon
Queen
Lift
19
Stevie Wonder
Jazmine Sullivan
Sweet
Not Now Norman
Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Holy Fuck
20
Uriah Heep
Wings
T Rex
Thin Lizzy
American West Orchestra
T Rex
Johnny Nash
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 