With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Rolling Back The Years With Mayhem – 1961 June 3, 2024

Filed under: Rolling Back The Years — justwilliam1959 @ 9:51 pm
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This is the third in what I hope will be a very long-running series, just like my long-running life, so far at least! I have decided to look at the most popular songs from every year I have existed. There will be some artistic licence on my part as I will always seek to include at least a few of my favourites from each year. The format will be a top ten for each year and will cover the music and songs I grew up with, came of age with, and achieved my greatest success alongside music that comforted me in bad times. This third top ten goes back to my 2nd birthday, 1961. I don’t remember actually hearing these songs back in 1961, but I have listened to them many times over the years. I have focused on the UK charts and this time the US bestseller does not feature in my list. It is “Tossin’ And Turnin'” by Bobby Lewis. My Mum’s favourite singer Elvis Presley is in the top ten at number 3. One of my Dad’s favourite songs “But I Do” is at number seven. It isn’t in the top ten but one of my favourite 1961 tunes is “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until You Lose It” by Ral Donner. So here is the third Rolling Back The Years With Mayhem Chart, for 1961. It has quite a few good tunes I reckon. Please get on board the Time Machine now, it will be a rough journey so bring a sick bag! If you are too scared to enter the Time Machine, click here for the playlist! The chart for 1962 will follow soon.

1 Runaway – Del Shannon
2 Walking Back To Happiness – Helen Shapiro
3 Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley
4 Hello Mary Lou – Ricky Nelson
5 Blue Moon – The Marcels
6 Poetry In Motion – Johnny Tillotson
7 But I Do – Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry
8 Will You Love Me Tomorrow? – Shirelles
9 Take Good Care Of My Baby – Bobby Vee
10 Cupid – Sam Cooke

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“Where did my baby go? Who’s gonna mend my rainbow?” – Advent day 24 December 24, 2013

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 12:03 am
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Number 24This is it folks, we’re nearly there, it’s Christmas Eve and Santa has started his delivery schedule. I hope that none of you are on his naughty list! So let’s open the penultimate cardboard flap on the With Just A Hint Of Mayhem advent calendar shall we? It’s 24th December which means you’ll get two songs with the number 24 in their title. But today will be a little different from all my other advent posts this year as both come from the same artist. Who’d have thought that one artist would have two songs with 24 in the title? Well there is such an artist and his name is Gene Pitney.

Gene+Pitney+GeneThe first song from Gene today is one that I’m sure most of you know, it’s “24 Hours From Tulsa“. The tune was a number 5 hit in the UK in 1963, It reached number 17 in the US and also made the top 5 in Australia and number 6 in Canada. In my head I always thought that this song was a UK number one. But Mr Pitney didn’t top the UK chart until his duet with Marc Almond on “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart” in 1989. That was 28 years after his first UK hit. Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote “24 Hours From Tulsa” and it has been covered by Dusty Springfield and Jay And The Americans to name but two.

pitneyThe second Gene Pitney song in today’s post is “24 Sycamore”. This was a European only release from 1973 when it reached number 34 in the UK chart. Pitney was also a successful songwriter and among the hits he wrote were; “Rubber Ball” (Bobby Vee), “He’s A Rebel” (The Crystals) and “Hello Mary Lou” (Ricky Nelson). Sadly Gene Pitney passed away in 2006 but he lives on through his music.

 

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You’re wearing out your shoes” September 6, 2012

Filed under: Observation — justwilliam1959 @ 9:59 pm
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Is this the first time I have sent any kind of begging letter on my blog? Probably not. But here it is anyway. I will be running the great North Run from Newcastle to South Shields on Sunday September 16th this year, barely a week and a half away! Why am I doing this? Firstly because my boss and good friend, Mr Nick Cooper ‘press ganged’ me and three others (Stuart O’Hara, Simon Downs and David Carline) into taking part. So the St John’s Ambulance volunteers along the route could have a busy day! Secondly we will be raising money for the Save The Children charity which I’m sure you will agree is an excellent cause!

So onto the begging part now. we have a target of £1,500 to raise and so far we are at £969 or 64% of target. So any donation that you can make, whatever size, would be very much appreciated. As is usual for these things we do have a ‘Just Giving’ page to make it easier to support us. Click here to get access to it.

Of course this is a music blog so I can’t end with no music can I? So here are thirteen (one for each mile of the run) running related songs for you to listen to while you donate!

1 “Running Away” – Sly and the Family Stone

2 “Run Runaway” – Slade

3 “Keep On Runnin'” – Spencer Davis Group

4 “Run For Home” – Lindisfarne

5 “Runaway” – Del Shannon

6 “Run Run Run” – Jo Jo Gunne

7 “I’m Gonna Run Away From You” – Tami Lynn

8 “Running Away” – Roy Ayers

9 “Running Up That Hill” – Kate Bush

10 “Run To The Hills” – Iron Maiden

11 “If You See My Rooster (Please Run Him Home)” – Memphis Minnie and Black Bob

12 “Run To Him” – Bobby Vee

13 “Band On The Run” – Paul McCartney and Wings

 

“You bounce my heart around” September 5, 2012

Filed under: Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 8:12 pm
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Way back through the mists of time to the year I was born, that’s 1959, Bobby Vee and his band hired a piano player. That pianist called himself Elston Gunn, presumably to make him seem like a western hero. Anyway it turns out that he didn’t have much in the way of piano skills; he could only play in one key and he didn’t own a piano. So things were never really going to work out.

However it turns out that Elston’s real name was Robert Zimmerman. He may not have been a good pianist but clearly Mr Zimmerman was an ace singer songwriter as he shortly changed his name again. This time to Bob Dylan!

 

“Now I know that you don’t care, about somebody else’s nightmare” June 21, 2010

Filed under: Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 10:32 pm
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The new England badge, three lie ins presumably!

Here is my second England update of the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Sorry it took so long to get around to it, but I’m still getting over Fridays game!

Who would have thought it possible that England’s performance against Algeria would have been worse than the last game against the USA? Not many of us, but not only was it worse, it was for me the most abject performance of an England team in the 40 odd years I have been watching them.

The finger of blame largely from the players has variously been pointed at the new ball, the loneliness and isolation of the team’s compound and now the manager. Strange isn’t it, that the players haven’t blamed themselves. Guys on Friday night you were truly pathetic. No passion, no fight and frankly no balls! I actually felt sorry for Algeria who probably deserved more than a draw.

But luckily for England it was a draw, which means that their journey into the next round is still within their control. They only need to beat Slovenia now. How easy does that sound? Well a couple of weeks back it seemed easy although now I’m not sure at all. This bunch of preening, arrogant, prima donna millionaires just need to perform. If they come home after this game it will be the first time since 1958 that England have failed to get past the group stage. On top of that they would deservedly become tabloid laughing stocks! Still in that event at least we won’t have to endure the stress of a penalty shoot out!

I reckon an inflatable team would perform better than the current mob. At least they'd be 'pumped up' for the game!

I do still hope that we get through, but bloody hell have this lot made it difficult! Still at least we’re not France, who are likely to be out of the competition soon. Their players also went on strike yesterday and refused to train following the sending home of Nicolas Anelka.

But as I’ve said before this is a music blog, so here are a few appropriate songs;

“Pearls Cafe” – Specials. I chose this one simply for the hook line; “It’s all a load of bollocks” just like the England team in their last two games

“Rubber Ball” – Bobby Vee. This one is here to give a shout to the official world cup football the Jo’bilani which is getting way too much blame

“So Lonely” – Police. Why is this here? well the England players are lonely and bored in their five-star training and accommodation complex. Go and get a real job you tossers!

Let me finish with a little clip of Wayne Rooney criticising England supporters for booing and jeering the team. He did later apologise, but frankly it’s not good enough, think of what those fans have spent to get there! They deserve more!