Ho Ho Ho we’re nearly there, you’d better not be bad, you’d better not dare! It’ s December 23rd and Day 23 of my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar. Which brings us to the letter W. This was a tough letter for me I had four songs in mind before I finally selected a song with a real message, it’s “War” by Mr Edwin Starr.
Edwin was born Charles Edwin Hatcher in Tennessee in 1942 and sadly died aged just 61 in 2003 at his home in Bramcote in Nottinghamshire. I never knew he lived in England, but apparently he moved here in 1973. Ironically his death came just a couple of weeks after the start of the war in Iraq. He started his singing career in the late 50s with a doo wop group called the Future Tones. He later signed to the Ric-Tic label where he had his first big hit with “Agent Double ‘O’ Soul’ in 1965 which reached number 21 in the US charts. He became a Motown artist in 1968 when Motown took over the Ric-Tic label.
“War” started life as a Temptations album track, but Starr’s version was his biggest hit by far when it was released in 1970 hitting the top of the US charts and going to number three in the UK. Motown and the Temptations were very reluctant to release such a controversial song by one of their most popular acts. But Norman Whitfield who wrote the song with Barrett Strong kept pushing for its release. Eventually Motown offered a compromise and said that it could be released if Whitfield recorded it with another act. He chose Edwin Starr who was seen by many as a second string Motown artist. But for many others, including me, he was seen as a fantastically powerful vocalist.
Edwin made the song his own and it became his signature song. Many other artists (including the Jam, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Bruce Springsteen) have covered it but none have reached the power and impact of Starr’s version. The Undisputed Truth supplied backing vocals on the song and once again those Motown stalwarts the Funk Brothers played the music in another excellent Whitfield production. Incidentally the Funk Brothers also played on the original version by the Temptations.
Enjoy Edwin’s version followed by a Baby Bollox remix of the Temptations original and some covers of this great song, ending with a live perfprmance featuring both Springsteen and Starr. It’s sad to think that the message still resonates today more than 40 years after it was released.
I’m sure that you’ve heard Katy Perry’s new single “The One That Got Away” which is clearly yet another slice of perfect perry pop and a great radio song. But what intrigues me about it is the line about making out in the lyrics. It reads ‘We make out in your Mustang to Radiohead’. Firstly we get Katy Perry mentioning Radiohead, which I feel makes for quite strange bedfellows. Secondly, does anyone actually make out to Radiohead? I love the band but they wouldn’t be my choice for a sultry, seductive night in with Catwoman! I would prefer a bit of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ album.
Having listened to the song again though it got me thinking about some of my favourite songs that mention bands or singers. You can enjoy five of them below. Let me know what your favourite songs that mention other artists are;
“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” – Vampire Weekend – mentions Peter Gabriel
“Destroy Rock n Roll” – Mylo – mentions a cast of thousands including Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Van Halen, Madonna, Huey Lewis and the News, The Cars, Herbie Hancock, Bonnie Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Men at Work, ZZ Top, Paul McCartney, Weird Al Yankovic, Cyndi Lauper, Pink Floyd, Pretenders, Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Elton John, Neil Young, Sheena Easton, Patty Smyth and Scandal, Fashion, Big Country, Morris Day and The Time, John Lennon, Apollonia 6, REO Speedwagon, David Gilmour, Rolling Stones, Pat Benatar, Hall and Oates, Wham!, Rebbie Jackson, Adam Ant, Bananarama, Christine McVie, Queen, John Cougar Mellencamp, U2, Fleetwood Mac, The Alan Parsons Project, Rick Springfield, Thompson Twins, Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Police, Eurythmics, Culture Club, Boy George, Band Aid, Stevie Wonder and Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
“White Man In The Hammersmith Palais” – The Clash – mentions Dillinger, Leroy Smart, Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe and the Four Tops.
“God” – John Lennon – mentions Elvis and the Beatles
“Punky Reggae Party” – Bob Marley and the Wailers – mentions the Wailers, Maytals, Damned, Jam, Dr Feelgood and the Clash
“All The Young Dudes” – Mott The Hoople – mentions T Rex and is easily my favourite song that mentions other bands or artists.
Are music related deaths like buses? There isn’t one for ages and then loads arrive at once? That’s what the last few days seem like anyway; The first one I heard about was the sad death of Andrea True who had a massive 70s disco hit in the 70s with “More More More” under the not so imaginative name Andrea True Connection. Her real name was Andrea Truden and she changed it to True when she began to appear in porn films before her singing career, including ‘Deep Throat 2’. This was apparently so that her parents wouldn’t find out that she was in the porn industry. Sadly her singing career was not a long one, however she did spend time working in a number of jobs after throat surgery cut short club singing. These jobs included being a drug and alcohol counsellor. “More More More” was prominently sampled by Len on their 1999 hit “Steal My Sunshine” and was later covered by former S Clubber Rachel Stevens in 2004.
Barry Llewellyn off of the iconic and influential reggae band the Heptones has died in Jamaica aged 64. The band recorded a number of songs with the infamous Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. They are probably best known for their song in praise of the larger woman; “Fattie Fattie” This is also one of my favourite reggae songs and I used to own the 7 inch vinyl version of the song many years ago.
Perhaps he wasn’t a musician or singer but I couldn’t let the great film producer Ken Russell’s passing go without a mention here. He was responsible for what in my opinion is one of the best rock related movies ever made. He created a magnificent and somewhat weird adaptation of the Who’s ‘Tommy’ for the silver screen in 1975. He also made a movie of the life of Liszt starring Roger Daltrey as Franz Liszt and titled ‘Lisztomania’ which was also released in 1975. The soundtrack was provided by Rick Wakeman. In my view these two movies were the pinnacle of Daltrey’s acting career. Russell even tried his hand at the music video format when he directed the video to Elton John’s 1985 hit “Nikita”.
Don DeVito the producer of two of my favourite Bob Dylan albums, ‘Desire’ and ‘Blood On The Tracks’ has also passed away aged 72. He finally lost a 16 year-long battle with prostate cancer. He remained at Columbia records throughout his career where he worked with such luminaries as Aerosmith, Billy Joel and the Boss himself; Mr Springsteen.
Former singer with bands such as the Joe Loss Orchestra Ross McManus has also sadly left us. He was a very good singer in his own right but many people of my generation probably know him better as the father of the former Declan McManus; Elvis Costello. He died on 24th November aged 84 less than two weeks after the death of his second wife Sara. He played trumpet on a few of his son’s recordings. He once recorded a cover of the Beatles “Long And Winding Road” in 1970 under the name Day Costello, which is where young Declan chose his new surname from. He also wrote and recorded the song that accompanied the R White’s Lemonade advertising campaign in the 70s entitled “I’m A Secret Lemonade Drinker” on which backing vocals were provided by the then teenaged Declan.
My thoughts go to the family, friends and fans of Andrea, Barry, Ken, Don and Ross. RIP all of you.
Coincidentally today also marks the 10th anniversary of the death of George Harrison aged just 58. I find it hard to believe that it was so long ago, but it was just a couple of months after my Dad in September 2001. There are a number of events in Liverpool to commemorate the anniversary. In 9 days on December 8th it will also be the 31st anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. Clearly this period of the year hasn’t been great for other rock deaths either; 24th November was the 20th anniversary of the passing of Freddie Mercury and 22nd November saw 14 years since the death of Michael Hutchence off of INXS.
OK folks I am proud to announce (cue fanfare) that this blog has now received its one millionth hit! It’s taken just under three years and frankly I am completely blown away. My expectations when I started it back in February 2009 were that it would be superb to achieve maybe 50 or 60 visits a week. However it wouldn’t have happened without all the regular commentators, subscribers, followers and those of you that chanced upon it through some random search. Let me tell you some of those were very random indeed!
Some of you I already knew before the blog began and some of you I have met (albeit in the blogosphere) along the way. If you like my blog you really should check out the links on my blog roll. There is some great stuff out there and I am honoured to be linked with some of it. I recently sent an e-mail to my regular contributors and subscribers to ask for their one favourite song for inclusion in this millionth hit celebration. So here they are, in the order I received them, with some reasons why they are favourites. Thank you and enjoy!
Jane from Berkshire is a subscriber and strangely she also went to the same school as me in Hillingdon; Bishopshalt! She says “Corny but mine is George Benson ‘Never Give Up On A Good Thing’. A couple of times over my 24 year marriage when things have been a bit tough this song has been played and the lyrics have hit home. I have LOADS of favourite songs – but this probably just tips it”
It may be corny but I like it too, my favourite track from Mr Benson is ‘Breezin’
Next up it’s Mandy from Leeds who I worked with at GNER a few years ago. I discovered that like me she is also a fan of the great Johnny Nash, but he doesn’t feature in this post. Mandy says “Great idea! I must have 100s of favourites so really difficult. There is one very special song that for me is timeless and I always feel amazing after listening to it, no matter where I am or what I’m feeling. I first heard it when I was very young as my mum had the album (she liked the picture on the front cover!). I played that album to death and was mortified when it was lost in a house move just a couple of years ago after holding onto it for over 30 years – it was like losing my photo album, heart wrenching. I have the CD and digital versions and they don’t have the same scratches or jump at the same time as the original – so there are a few words I didn’t know existed until a few years ago! From the album ‘Let’s Get It On’, my all time favourite song is ‘Come Get To This’ by Marvin Gaye”
I think that Marvin was a genius; I would never be without a copy of the wonderful ‘What’s Going On’ album.
Simon from Bramham is next (is this beginning to sound like a local radio request show or what?) He lives almost on top of the site of the Leeds Festival and here is what he says about his choice. “My favourite song ever is ‘In Between Days’ by The Cure. A great twanging guitar and bass line with crashing drums make it the ultimate Indie foot-tapper. Always makes me smile when I hear it even though the lyrics are rather disturbing by themselves! It has a great video too especially with the ‘Frightmare’ make-up. It reminds me of being a teenager”.
I am not a big fan of the Cure but I do love the more poppy stuff like ‘Love Cats’ and ‘Friday I’m In Love’
Now it’s time for someone from my town, York. It’s Tom who I met when I did some volunteer work at York Hospital Radio. I was lucky enough to sit in on a few of Tom’s excellent Wednesday night shows. Tom was also the brains behind this blog’s Lily Allen naked experiment, so I’d like to thank him once more for that. If you’d like to know more about the experiment just let me know. Anyway here is what Tom has to say about his choice of favourite song of all time. “Congratulations on reaching this milestone, I read all the blogs and enjoy them all. I also learn an awful lot and find myself waiting for the next one to come through!! As far as my favourite song goes, it is such a hard question to answer, but it has to come from one band really; the Beatles, but this doesn’t make it any easier. If I had to say one that stands out from the rest it would have to be ‘All You Need is Love”, the title alone says so much. I think the lyrics are simple but powerful, it’s easy for everyone to enjoy and relate to. The message that it encapsulates defines the Beatles themselves and for that reason it is my favourite Beatles song. I would like to add that my brother had it as his first dance song at his wedding, the little git! He has totally nicked my idea. But at the wedding, seeing everyone enjoying the song and joining in, it reaffirmed the power of the song. People of all ages, backgrounds and musical tastes were singing along and enjoying it. I also now have new memories of this song as my little brothers first dance as a married man and it adds another level of enjoyment to it. To summarise, I can put this song on, at anytime in any mood and I always end up getting lost in it and feeling totally at ease with everything after the 3:48 piece of genius. What more could I ask for from a song? I hope that this is useful Bill and don’t forget: All You Need is Love!”
I totally agree that this song is absolutely superb. If it wasn’t for the fact that the brass refrain at the start was effectively the French National anthem it would have been a contender for my first wedding dance at my recent marriage to the beautiful Catwoman a.k.a. Catherine. Incidentally my favourite Beatles song is ‘Don’t Let Me Down’.
Next in line is Ben who has a band called Reason Breeds Monsters. We used to work together in a garden as Flowerpot Men with Little Weed, actually I just made that up as I am Bill and he is Ben. Although I’m sure I may have been in a garden with a little weed sometime. Anyway enough crap from me, here is what Ben has to say about his choice. “Hi Bill! Congratulations on your million! Thanks for the invite to comment. My answer, based on which song I have listened to most times in my life, is Bert Jansch‘s ‘Blackwaterside’ which was also covered by Led Zeppelin as ‘Blackmountain Side’. On the tree of folk music, it’s a flower on the highest branch. No one’s played guitar with such soul and inventiveness since, and every acoustic guitar player has been at a loss as to what to do. That’s why I’ve listened to it so many times – trying to work it out.
I like the Led Zep version but now Ben’s delightful prose has also turned me on to the Bert Jansch version too.
Andy from Leeds has this to say about his favourite song; “Favourite song: Ahead by a Century by The Tragically Hip. Why? Not sure really – it just ‘hits the spot’ every time I hear it and has reduced me to tears a couple of times watching them live and singing it out very loudly, surrounded in the main by a large group of Canadians. Great band – Canada’s most beloved – and still going strong
after 20 years plus together. ABAC is a beautifully simple song (like all the best ones are) with a typically vague Gord Downie lyric which could be interpreted in almost any way you deem applicable. ‘And that’s when a hornet stung me and I had a feverish dream – with revenge and doubt. Tonight we smoke them out. You are Ahead by a Century – and disappointing you’s getting me down’
Great video too!”
It’s not a song I am familiar with, but I have heard some stuff from the ‘Hip. I do like it though, it may well make an appearance on my iPod very soon.
One of the regular readers is Nicole from Australia who is currently based in Pakistan. She really struggled to select her favourite song of all time, but she got there in the end. Here is what she had to say about it “Hope I am not too late?
The reason why is that I couldn’t decide. I was thinking about London Still by the Waifs (Aussie band singing about being an expat in London – enough said). Then I was thinking about Everybody got their something by Nikka Costa (upbeat motivating song). Then I was thinking 21 things I want in a lover by Alanis Morissette (it has a permanent position at the start of my running mix). Then I was thinking Lighthouseman by the Waifs (Because it gets me through tough times). Then I was thinking Going Somewhere by Colin Hay (because it’s just a great song). Then I was thinking Celestine by Kirsty MacColl (A song that most women should be able to relate too……… well I certainly do :-))
But then I thought – my favourite song is actually Cowboy Take me Away by the Dixie Chicks and I don’t even know why. I just like the sentiment of a simple life I think? Closely followed by Steve McQueen by Sheryl Crow just because it’s fun!”
I like some Dixie Chicks stuff and frankly anyone who can piss off George W Bush in the way those girls did is brilliant in my book.
Catwoman took advantage of the fact that we are married and live together, obviously, and dictated this while I typed! Here is what she has to say. “My song has a bit of a holiday vibe that would go well with cocktails and dancing. I am also a girl who loves her shoes and I have massive amounts of empathy for the character in the song – after all shoes are a girls best friend and they are mostly cheaper than diamonds. My favourite song in case you haven’t guessed is “In These Shoes” by Kirsty MacColl. Coming a close second is “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave which was our first dance at our wedding in September”
Obviously I reckon this is a good choice and a shoe related song from my beautiful wife is highly appropriate.
Now we hear from my good friend Nick from Marlow, who is also my Reading Festival buddy. Here is what he has to say about his choice “I’ve been racking my brains for the best, hadn’t forgotten. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfR_HWMzgyc this is the best online version of my choice! The song that lingers the longest is Kashmir Led Zep, I remember it so clearly the day i bought physical graffiti just as it came out, i also remember it as awesome from Knebworth 1979. For me it just is Jimmy Page and Robert plant at the top of the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhrghRDkRTc. The song has great rhythm, menacing almost, great vocals, great pace slow and fast, its simple but it deep, orchestral but also there for a rap . The drumming, the screeching, theirs almost a brass feel to it at points, then the mystic east, what can i say, the presence you get when you really listen to it is amazing, can’t think of another song that really draws me in so much. Probably sticks with me coz Knebworth made such an impression on me as a young student http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV7i7eaQtmU.
Without it being a song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6oykAkUwCo this at 3 minutes in was just awesome. Self indulgent by todays standards but then we didn’t have them in those days. Id also say it’s probably Kashmir because Physical Graffiti is so awesome, not just as an album but as a double album and I’m never disappointed when i return to it. I LOVE THE COVER, THE FOLD OUT ENVELOPE, EVEN THE LABEL ON THE VINYL, STANDARD LED ZEP. I’m sure there are other songs that I hear on the radio from rock stars and pop stars that I think wow that’s great, I just can’t pick one, not Dylan, Not Bowie, Not Young, Not Radiohead (although Creep will always be up there), not even the likes of Queen or AC-DC or Blink or Foo’s Not Hendrix (oh boy how can i say that with “voodoo chile”) not Lennon, not beatles, not Jackson, not the clash or Johnny Cash, im just having to say all this to convince myself…….. not UB40, not the Kinks, not the Smiths, not Doctor Feelgood……
Bill your question is almost like torture, its been too difficult! If it wasnt Kashmir it would probably be “Immigrant song” or “dazed and confused” thinking about it. Kashmir is all about Page with a big dose of Plant and its never been the lyrics, I thought, but then an opening line of: “ Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream” Followed by: “I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealed” And finishes: “Let me take you there. Let me take you there”
Next up it’s Mr Barton…. Simon to his friends. Here’s what he had to say. “Favourite song? Veeeeeeeery difficult to choose from almost a lifetime of listening to music. When I was a kid my fave was always Bohemian Rhapsody… until I discovered Punk and it became Anarchy In The UK. ( Slight contrast, I know. ) I’ve had many and varied “favourite songs” ever since, from The Band to The Jesus & Mary Chain, from Smokey Robinson to Metallica etc. etc. Although ( at this moment in time ) I’ll probably have to go with Springsteen’s Thunder Road, the ultimate evocation of his nostalgic, cars ‘n’ girls ethos: “It’s a town full of losers / I’m pulling out of here to win…” Still sends shivers down the spine. And then there’s Clarence’s sax solo… Perfection!
( Then again, I could choose Jungleland… or Born To Run… or… )
Anyway, if you’re interested I blog under the name of cerebus660 @http://glasswalking-stick.blogspot.com/ where you’ll find lots of random nonsense about music, films, comics, cats… you know, all the important things in life 😉
I’d be happy if you dropped by some time…” Simon I certainly will 🙂 I also love Thunder Road too
Tom said “Congrats on the impending milestone. I shall be joining you – if my calculations are correct – sometime in April 2026.
Choosing one favorite song is quite a task. However, this morning, Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill popped up and I realized that I could never completely commit to one song has the be-all end-all for me, there is something about Solsbury Hill that gooses my spirit no matter how many times I hear it.
I know some of the song’s lore and the context in which it was released, but none of that intrudes upon on it for me. It’s always a singular listening experience that adapts to what I need at the moment, though the song always returns me to a place of calm and gratitude while offering hope through its resolute tone.
Congrats again. Look forward to reading your stuff for through the next million hits”
Incidentally I once posted about my top 100 favourite songs for my 100th post. If I were to ignore Bowie my top song from that post remains my all time number one. It’s “No Woman No Cry” by the wonderfully talented Bob Marley.
Almost finally here is a list of all those wonderful songs. Once again a big thank you to all of you who contributed and all of you whoe read my blog. I would never have got this far without you all!
Never Give Up On A Good Thing – George Benson
Come Get To This – Marvin Gaye
In Between Days – The Cure
All You Need Is Love – Beatles
Blackwaterside – Bert Jansch
Ahead By A Century – The Tragically Hip
Cowboy Take Me Away – Dixie Chicks
In These Shoes – Kirsty MacColl
Kashmir – Led Zeppelin
Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
No Woman No Cry – Bob Marley & the Wailers
I couldn’t think of which song to use as the theme for this post, so I settled on the Barenaked Ladies and a clip from someone who shares the same hairstyle as me; Dr Evil. Enjoy! (Well at least they both mention one million!)
I may have missed quite a few music related deaths recently, well certainly in regarding to posting on this blog anyway. One of the biggest of those was the late, great Clarence Clemons long time sax player and personality in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. He also played a few tracks with Lady Gaga recently. So whilst much has been said about the passing of such a great man I will not add much to that right now. However if you click here you will be taken to the excellent Barely Awake In Frog Pajamas blog which contains, for me, the best write-up of Clarence Clemons I have read since his sad passing.
But there was another non music related death last week which I would like to say something about; Brian Haws passed away from cancer aged 62, he spent most of the last 10 years protesting outside the Houses Of Parliament in Westminster. His protest began in June 2001 as a voice against the sanctions imposed on Iraq and gained popularity (although not among some politicians) in a post 9/11 world where Blair cosied up to Bush and took us into a pointless war. I am not religious in any way, shape or form so I wouldn’t agree with Brian Haws Christian beliefs, however I have immense respect, admiration and support for what he did. The law makers of Westminster did their best to move him from his prime Westminster position and failed abysmally. Essentially Haws won his legal argument to remain when his lawyer pointed out that the new law, which was essentially designed to move Brian on, had a clause in it that said such protests were only permitted if the police were informed before the protest started and agreed to let it happen. As Brian started his protest before the law came into being he was exempt. Which begs the question exactly how bright are our politicians and their lawyers? It’s nice to know that the little man still has an opportunity to stick one to ‘the man’
As a footnote I once met Brian Haws, albeit very briefly. I had been to a business meeting in Westminster and as I was walking to the underground station and I was just across the road from Brian’s spot. I had heard that a number of supporters stopped by for a chat and gave him sandwiches and such. I decided that I couldn’t let the opportunity pass so I decided to cross the road and speak to him. It was very brief but I expressed my support for his stance and wished him well. I also gave him a Mars Bar which was all I had on me food wise. I think that was in 2004. Brian Haws RIP I hope that there are many more individuals in the world with that kind of courage of conviction.
As usual I would like to bring this back to music as after all it is a music blog. So enjoy the following songs in the spirit of Brian Haws protest;
It’s now December 15th and just 10 days until the big fat bloke in red breaks into your house and leaves you presents! It’s also day 15 of my UK Christmas Number Ones Advent Calendar and I have a true delight behind the door for you today. It was number one at Christmas 1970 and stayed at the top for 6 weeks. people of the blog universe I give you Dave Edmunds with his version of “I Hear You Knocking” I was such a teenybopper in those days (well actually I was not quite 12 years old) I bought that single with my milkround tips.
It looks like Dave celebrates Christmas the same way that I do!
The song was written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King and first published as far back as 1955. The first hit version was by Smiley Lewis and he reached number two in the US R & B charts. In fact Welshman Edmunds name checks Smiley Lewis and also Chuck Berry in his version of the song. Many people have covered this timeless classic including; Bryan Adams, Canned Heat, Bruce Springsteen, Fats Domino and Connie Francis. Edmunds version also hit the top 5 in the US, Canada and Australia.
Tonight Matthew, Nick and myself will be the Everly Brothers!
During the 60s Dave Edmunds was a member of the wonderfully named Human Beans. The nucleus of that group went on to form Love Sculpture who had a massive hit in 1968 with “Sabre Dance” based on a classical composition by Aram Khachaturian. The single was championed by none other than the greatest DJ that ever lived, Mr John Peel.
A recent survey undertaken by PRS for Music sought to discover the songs that make us men cry. A total of 1,700 men were polled and the results make somewhat interesting reading I think. The top ten is shown below, with a few comments from me. Click here to read a report on the results in the UK free newspaper, the Metro.
1. Everybody Hurts – REM – A great REM song taken from the classic ‘Automatic For The People‘ album. It was written by drummer Bill Berry, although he didn’t play drums on the track, that was done by a drum machine. He also said that the song was aimed at teenagers. In 2006 the song was voted 4th in a poll by Channel 5 to discover ‘Britain Favourite Break Up Songs’ 2. Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton – A very sad song in many ways. Clapton wrote it with Will Jennings after the death of his four-year old son Conor in 1991. The boy fell from the window of a friend’s apartment in New York 3. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen – Now this one is a classic and has been covered by many artists. X Factor winner Alexandra Burke reached number one in the UK with, at best a very mediocre working of the song and at its worst would easily make music purists cry. In my opinion the best version is easily that of the late, great Jeff Buckley and that version can indeed bring tears to my eyes 4. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor– She will always have my respect for tearing up a photo of the pope on US TV, I bet that made a few people cry with rage though. It reached number one in the UK in 1990. The song is actually a cover version of a song written by his royal purpleness, Prince. It was recorded and released by the Family in 1985, this was simply a vehicle to enable Prince to release more of his material. 5. With or Without You – U2 – This was the first single from ‘The Joshua Tree’ in 1987 and became their first US number one song.
6. The Drugs Don’t Work – The Verve – This was the band’s most successful UK single and reached number one in 1997, having been released the day after Princess Diana died. It was written by lead singer Richard Ashcroft about his own drug habit and also about the death of his father. 7. Candle In The Wind – Elton John – I really do prefer the original version of this song, it was about Marilyn Monroe and was taken from the album ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road‘ However, sadly, in my opinion, the version that most people remember is the rewritten version for Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, although in its defence it did raise millions for charity. Incidentally I reckon that must be the first time Princess Diana has been mentioned more than once in any of my posts. 8. Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen – Bruce wrote this for the first mainstream movie to tackle HIV/ AIDS, ‘Philadelphia’ from 1993. The song won the best original song Oscar. It reached number one in many countries, although not in the US or UK. It has also been known to occasionally open my tear ducts too. 9. Unchained Melody – Todd Duncan – whilst the article lists the Todd Duncan version, which was taken from the 1955 prison film; ‘Unchained’ it is probably the Righteous Brothers version that most people know. That version was recorded in the sixties but became a massive hit again when it was used in the 1990 film ‘Ghost’. It has been recorded by more than 500 artists including, Jimmy Young, Elvis Presley, the Supremes, U2, the Smashing Pumpkins and there was also an excruciatingly bad version by Pop Idol muppet Gareth Gates. 10. Angels – Robbie Williams – As regular readers of this blog know, I am definitely not a Robbie fan and I particularly dislike this song. I really don’t get it, I mean “I’m loving angels instead”? Instead of what exactly?
There are a few songs that can make me blub, many by Johnny Nash, Bob Marley and Jeff Buckley. But perhaps the one that does it the most is “Sailing” by Rod Stewart. It was always my Dad’s favourite song and we played it as his funeral back in 2001. What songs make you cry?
Finally let me finish with a classic video for one of my favourite songs about crying. It’s “Cry” by Godley and Creme
Day 2 is here and my feet are blistered from wearing new and very heavy (steel toe capped) wellies, I wore them again today, but the forecast looks good for better shoes on day 3. The first band we saw was Soul Circus on the BBC Introducing stage. They were on when we arrived so we didn’t see their whole set, but they were very good, the vocalist in particular was excellent. We stayed at the Introducing stage for the next band, they were Penguin from Wakefield. I think it’s fair to say that they rock!
After that we paid our first visit of the weekend to the Alternative stage aka the Comedy tent, we were hoping to see Kevin Bridges but his flight back from Edinburgh (he had been there for the festival) was late. He was replaced by an American comedian and I use that word reluctantly, he calls himself Neil Hamburger but his real name is Greg Turkington. He got off on the wrong foot and went further down that same road throughout his act. Firstly he told all the folks that were there expecting Kevin Bridges that they could “fuck off” and then called those of us who remained “pieces of human shit”. The audience was to barrack him for his whole act with chants of “off, off, off” and “you’re shit and you know you are”. There was a fair array of missiles sent stage wards too. The only way he could have redeemed himself would have been if his jokes were funny, they weren’t! The funniest thing he said was “I guess I’ll do my encore now” as the compere opened the backstage curtains. But for us it was entertaining for us anyway!
Over to the Main Stage next for the fabulous Gaslight Anthem from New Jersey and they were an amazing live band. I know they are close to Bruce Springsteen and I reckon they could turn on a lot of the younger generation to Bruce. I would definitely pay to see these boys. A trek back to the Introducing Stage was next on the agenda for the mystery special guest slot. It was Everything Everything with a couple of acoustic songs and an interview for Radio 1’s Live Lounge. They finished with a Shakira cover and given what was going on in the crowd I’m amazed that they didn’t get a fit of the giggles. There was a guy on someone’s shoulders in the crowd and he was wearing a leather fetish mask in the shape of a dog’s head. If that wasn’t funny enough he then produced a large black strap on dildo which he fellated, much to our own and the rest of the audience’s amusement. If you re that person then get in touch, I’d be happy to give you a mention on the blog!
The Festival Republic stage was our next destination for I Blame Coco. It would be fair to say that Coco does pop and does it very well. (Feel free to insert your own Coco Pops joke here). We returned to the Comedy Tent after that in order to redress the Neil Hamburger experience. JJ Whitehead, a Canadian, was the performer and he is a very good comedian. Much of his act is really well thought out observational comedy and he works the audience really well. I loved the story about pretending to be retarded at Disney in Florida. The next band we saw, albeit briefly was Chapel Club. I liked the sound of them and will be checking them out on line, some good tunes. Then it was My Forever at the Introducing stage (we really have been there a lot!) This was jangly indie pop with an edge and done really well.
I don’t how I have managed to miss Frank Turner on all my many visits to this festival, but I didn’t miss him this time. He was abso-fucking-lutely brilliant. He has passion, power, excitement and an audience that love him. I also see him as a Billy Bragg for this generation and I will definitely be buying some of his material when I get home. I hope he’s back next year too. We stayed for the first part of Serge Tankian’s (off of System Of A Down) set. He had and orchestral ensemble and introduced the rest of his band as ‘The Flying ****s Of Chaos’ (word starred out for the more easily offended of you dear readers, well actually I’d prefer that my Mum didn’t see that I had used ‘that C word’, those of you who are not easily offended can click on the stars to see the missing word on Wikipedia). He was good but not as good as when I saw him before a couple of years back. We joined Nick’s son Jake, who was with his girlfriend Suzie in the Festival Republic tent to see Villagers. The lead singer Conor came out on his own for the first song, cue my joke about it being a small village which did amuse one Villagers fan standing next to me. This is a very good band and I would say genre defying too. I reckon that if the original Wicker Man movie had a house band this would be them. I can almost picture Britt Ekland’s body double dancing to them!
So now for the Libertines, their entrance was preceded by Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again”. This was all very sentimentally Albion, but guys cut the schmaltz, you did this for the money! I have seen them here twice before and as always they were very good, but for me they will never be a truly great band. I may take some stick for that comment, but folks it is just my opinion ok? The crowd loved them though and it seemed that over exuberance in the crowd caused a short break in their set in which Pete and Carl were escorted from the stage. Arcade Fire were today’s headliners and any reservations I had about them filling that were quickly blown away. They were bloody amazing and even managed a little dig at the previous night’s headliner’s Guns N Roses by saying how punctual they were. The vibrancy, energy and power they display is phenomenal. The stage set including the film projection was at times weird and disturbing, but added to an overall brilliant experience. Obviously as they have performed with David Bowie before I was hoping for an appearance by the great man, but despite seeing some helicopter traffic during their set it never happened. I guess I should have crossed my toes as well as the fingers!
So in summary, Day 2 was another excellent Reading day. We’re knackered but still looking forward with excitement to Day 3!
A few trinkets of music news for you today. Firstly Wyclef Jean off of the Fugees seems likely to run for the presidency of Haiti in November. He has until 7th August to register. Although he now lives in Brooklyn he has always been fiercely proud of his Haitian roots. He was very prominent in supporting his fellow countrymen following the devastating earthquake in January. Personally I hope that he runs and wins the election, I suspect that he will be a breath of fresh air to politics. Read the story on the BBC by clicking here
The dress code in the Haitian Parliament was clearly far more relaxed than in Britain
It got me thinking about who we’d like to see enter politics from the music world. Clearly Bono would like to be considered, but whilst I am a U2 fan, Bono can be bloody annoying at times. I can think of a number of dead stars who might have made an interesting career in politics; John Lennon, Bob Marley and obviously Screaming Lord Sutch, who did partake very regularly in UK elections. He was also the longest-serving party leader in British politics I believe. He created and led the Monster Raving Looney Party for many years. Alice Cooper famously stood against Nixon as an independent candidate in the 1972 US elections. I think of living stars Paul Weller, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Jackson Browne would be good. What do you think?
In other news Lady GaGa has been nominated for a record 13 MTV Video Music Awards, next in line Eminem has just 8 nominations. GaGa is never short of a good quote and she didn’t let us down here either, having said that she was pleased that her number of nominations was an unlucky 13 she went on to say “God put me on Earth for three reasons – to make loud music, gay videos and make a damn ruckus!” I love that one! Read the story here on the BBC site, the awards themselves take place on 12th September in LA.
Sometimes GaGa just couldn’t be bothered with all the fancy dresses or maybe she was covering the Cranberries song “Linger(ie)”
In a separate story Lady GaGa has admitted to Vanity Fair magazine that she is an occasional user of cocaine. She also pointed out that she did not want her fans to take the drug. Maybe I’m a bit simple here, but if you don’t want the more gullible of your fans to do the drugs you do, then maybe not telling them might help! The BBC has the lowdown on that story, click here
Lady GaGa was so rich she could now afford to employ her own commode-bearer
I was reading the news earlier today and I discovered a fantastic longstanding tradition that I had never previously heard of and yet it appears to have started more than 30 years ago. It is the annual Amtrak Mooning in Laguna Niguel in Orange County California. It took place this weekend and started as some kind of bet in a bar. A drinker in the Mugs Away Bar which is opposite the Amtrak rail line offered to buy a drink for anyone who would go out and moon at the next train. One drinker took the challenge and it has grown since then to a point where thousands of people take part every year. Many people even travel on the Amtrak on that day especially to see it.
Don't look now but there's a crack on the track!
Here is a video of the Amtrak Moon event from 2005
I think this whole idea is bloody hilarious and maybe we should kick something off like it in the UK, maybe on the platform at Baker Street Station or a bridge over the main east coast rail line in York. Who would be up for that?We already have the Annual Naked Bike Ride in York in June, maybe we can combine it with a rail mooning event.
What I don't get is why there are so many clothes on a naked bike ride
Strangely I was considering a train related post having visited the National Railway Museum in York yesterday with some friends and their two children. So when I saw the Amtrak mooning story on the Beeb I thought I’d combine the two. So here are a few songs relating to trains or mooning. If anyone knows of a song that actually combines trains and mooning then please let me know.
The Train Songshttps://justwilliam1959.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1701&action=edit&message=10
“Runaway Train” – Roseanne Cash. She is the eldest daughter of the late, great Johnny Cash. Her first, self titled album, was recorded largely in Germany. It was released in 1978 although not in the USA
“Downtown Train” – Rod Stewart. Rod has recently turned down the opportunity to tour again with the remaining members of the Faces and his place is taken by Mick Hucknall of Simply Red. Now I just don’t get that, do you? Glen Matlock off of the Sex Pistols replaces the late, great Ronnie Lane.When speaking of his divorces Rod was allegedly quoted as saying “Instead of getting married again, I’m going to find a woman I don’t like and just give her a house.”
“Long Train Runnin‘” – Doobie Brothers. The fledgling Doobie Brothers were called Pud until a friend noted their fondness for smoking doobies (marijuana cigarettes to those of you who were bypassed by drug culture). So not real brothers at all!
“Chattanooga Choo Choo” – Glenn Miller Orchestra. Mr Miller was born just two months before my wonderful Nan, Rosie Lavinia Schofield in March 1904. She died aged 93 back in 1998. Glen Miller was recorded as missing presumed dead on 15th December 1944 after his plane ditched into the English Channel
The Moon Songs
“Blue Moon” – Marcels. The group who formed in 1959, were named by Fred Johnson’s (who sang bass)Priscilla, after a popular hair style of the day (the Marcell wave)
“Under The Moon Of Love” – Curtis Lee. Curtis had a US hit with this song and “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” in 1961, both were produced by Phil Spector and both were covered in the 70s by UK band Showaddywaddy who had a UK number one with “Under The Moon Of Love” in 1976
“The Whole Of The Moon” – Waterboys. This song was a minor UK hit in 1985, its progress was hampered by singer Mike Scott’s refusal to appear on the BBC’s Top Of The Pops where he would have had to lip sync the song.
“Man On The Moon” – REM, The song is about US comic performer Andy Kaufman. This video is a live performance at a Rock The Vote show and has Michael Stipe duetting with Bruce Springsteen
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 