With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

“Yet there’s still this appeal that we’ve kept through our lives” June 24, 2012

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 3:19 pm
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Many of you will already know that the NME celebrates its 60th birthday this year. It was first published in March of 1952, it was later that year that it also published the first ever UK singles chart based on sales. That was in November 1952 and featured Al Martino‘s “Here In My Heart” at number one.

As part of their birthday celebrations the NME has published a list of the top 100 songs since the paper has been around. I’m sure that there will be plenty of debate about what is in and what isn’t in the list. I was particularly surprised that there are no songs from the 50’s included. How about Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” that was pretty damned ground breaking. Incidentally the spread of songs from the other periods are;

60s = 22

70s = 16

80s = 19

90s = 19

00s/ 10s = 24

Why not cast your vote in my favourite decade poll below 🙂

My favourite song of all time; Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” reaches number 86 and Mr Bowie has “Space Oddity” at number 39 and another song in the top 5 (more of that one later). The Beatles have three entries in the top 100. Thankfully Westlife, Cheryl Cole and their ilk are nowhere to be seen in this list.

So without further ado and in traditional reverse order here is the top 5;

5 “Blue Monday” – New Order

4 “Good Vibrations” – Beach Boys

3 “”Heroes”” – David Bowie

2 “Common People” – Pulp

1 “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Joy Division

If you’re interested click here to find the top 50 (I haven’t been able to find a site that shows the whole 100)

 

“You see you’re my heart, you’re soul you’re my stone inspiration” December 10, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 7:10 am
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It’s December 10th and that Saint Nick dude is getting closer and appropriately enough todays song on the ABC of Motown Advent Calendar is about being close. It is one of my favourite songs from the Commodores and it’s called “Just To Be Close To You”. I only saw the Commodores live on one occasion and that was back in November 1973 at my first ever gig where they were supporting the Jackson 5.

When released in 1976 the song reached number 7 in the US Billboard chart but was a number 1 in the US R & B Chart. Sadly it could only limp to number 62 in the UK chart. Like many of the bands hits it was written by Lionel Richie. The band was originally called the Mystics and decided that they needed a new name. William King a founder member who is still with the band decided to open the dictionary at a random page and point a finger at a random word on that page. Obviously that word was commodore. King is quoted as saying ‘We lucked out, we almost became the commodes’

Whilst the band left Motown in 1986 Lionel Richie stayed and went on to even greater success, although personally I have always preferred the more rough and funky sound of the earlier Commodores material. The band is still around and continue to play live.

 

“Red light, green light, speeding through the dark night” December 7, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 10:35 pm
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We’re up to the letter G in my ABC of Motown Christmas Advent Calendar, which means that today is December 7th. Todays song is from the, in my opinion, very much underrated Richard Dean Taylor. He is better known. He is a Canadian and was born in Toronto in 1939, which makes him 72, just like yesterday’s featured artist Jimmy Ruffin.

Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, R. Dean Taylor, Don Gooch

Taylor signed with Motown in 1964 as a songwriter. His first single was scheduled to be”My Ladybug (Stay Away From That Beatle)” which was deemed unworthy of release. His biggest success as a writer or cowriter at the label was with songs such as “I’ll Turn To Stone” by the Four Tops and “I’m Livin’ In Shame” from Diana Ross and the Supremes. One of his biggest hits was actually one that he didn’t have a hand in writing. It was “There’s A Ghost In My House” which was written by the classic Tamla Motown writing team of Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier aka Holland Dozier Holland.

Strangely enough todays song in the advent calendar is “Gotta See Jane” which Taylor wrote with Brian Holland. It reached number 17 in the UK charts in 1968. It has been covered by both the Fall and Golden Earring (enjoy those versions below). The song was released on Motown’s Rare Earth subsidiary in the USA.

 

“Yellow diamonds in the light and we’re standing side by side” October 11, 2011

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 9:22 pm
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Rihanna now employs Catwoman as her stylist

Rihanna has just gone to the summit of the UK singles chart once again with her 6th number one in 5 years, a record for a female solo artist. The song is “We Found Love” and it features Calvin Harris. It is even more of an achievement given that it was only released on Wednesday whereas most singles are released on a Monday. I can’t help thinking that there is a bizarre double entendre style headline in that story somewhere as well. Something like ‘RIHANNA DOES SIX NUMBER ONES IN SIX YEARS, BUT NO NUMBER TWOS!’
the accompanying story would ask how she has managed to stay so slim given the lack of number twos! If you are reading this outside the UK the number ones and number twos reference may not translate well, even elsewhere in the English-speaking world. If you’re confused and need an explanation let me know. OK let me leave the potty humour for now.

If only the farmer could have given her a little more time with his sheep then Rihanna could have finished knitting her sweater 😉

The news of her sixth number one must have cheered Rihanna up no end after she was told to put more clothes on by an Irish Farmer at a recent video shoot on a farm in Northern Ireland. The farmer, Alan Graham was quoted as saying that he did not “believe young ladies should have to take their clothes off to entertain”. Well maybe that’s true but personally I would have been entertained if a scantily clad Rihanna was cavorting around my farm! How about you?

 

“And I Think Of All The Things, What You’re Doing, And In My Head I Paint A Picture” July 31, 2011

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 8:33 pm
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It was probably quite predictable really, but just like Elvis, John Lennon, Nirvana and Michael Jackson among others, Amy Winehouse’s albums and singles have sold phenomenally well since her sad death last weekend. ‘Back To Black‘ is this weeks UK number one album. It has also climbed to number 8 in the US Billboard album charts.Her first album ‘Frank’ is at number 5 in the UK. In fact with Adele at number 2 and 4 and Beyonce at number 3, the whole top 5 albums in the UK is ruled by women!

Amy also has 5 songs in the UK top 40 singles chart;

“Back To Black” – Number 8

“Tears Dry On Their Own” – Number 27

“Rehab” – Number 29

“Love Is A Losing Game” – Number 33

“You Know I’m No Good” –  Number 37

Sadly it wasn’t enough to keep JLS from the top of the singles chart, but not every cloud has a silver lining. In the meantime let’s enjoy a couple of Amy’s recordings that didn’t make the top 40 this week, including a brilliant festival appearance with the Specials;

 

“I was walking through the park looking for strangers” February 23, 2011

Filed under: News,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 9:53 pm
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There was an excellent science story in the news this week, not only that but it gives me an opportunity to bring you a couple of my favourite songs! It’s about a dinosaur, the story not the songs! The remains of the beast, in fossil form obviously, were found in a quarry in Utah. It’s been name Brontomerus from the Greek words Bronto which means thunder and Merus which means thighs. Yes this animal will now forever be known as Thunder Thighs. It has been blessed with that name because it would appear that it probably had the most powerful legs in the whole dinosaur community.

Just a brief note to any chubby chasers who have arrived here whilst searching for the object of their carnal desire, you’re in the wrong place fellas! You need to go elsewhere to sate your appetites! You can read about it on the BBC by clicking here. So how does this allow me to bring you one of my favourite songs? well back in the 70s there was a trio of female singers who all possessed quite a few curves and they too were known as Thunderthighs. Their parents named them Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou and Casey Synge.

You may not realise it but they appeared on some classic songs in the 70s. noticeably two of my favourite songs; “Roll Away The Stone” from Mott The Hoople and also “Walk On The Wild Side” by Lou Reed. They provide the “sha la la la push push” refrain for the Hoople and the “do do do, do do, do do do” vocal for Mr Reed. The spoken bridge on “Roll Away The Stone” however was not provided by one of th Thunderthighs girls, but by Lynsey De Paul. She also wrote Thunderthighs first single in their own right “Central Park Arrest” which reached number 30 in the UK charts in 1974. Of course being a big fan of David Robert Jones I should add of course that the Lou Reed song was produced by none other than Bowie and Ronson!

So without further ado go ahead and immerse yourself in some prime tasty 70s cuts!

Incidentally if you are a chubby chaser who has stayed the course and reached the end of this post just click here and you will be rewarded. However I would strongly advise non chubby chasers to steer well clear of this link!

 

“Good weed, white wine, I come alive in the night time” January 9, 2011

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 11:36 pm
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Rihanna rocks a kind of ASBO Bling look

It would appear that UK chart history was made today by Rihanna. She became the first female artist to have a number one single five years in a row. She has almost matched the feat of Elvis Presley who managed a number one in each year from 1957 to 1963, some six years in total. Starting with “All Shook Up” and ending with “Devil In Disguise“. Inevitably the current record is held by the Beatles who had a number one in each year from 1963 to 1969, a 7 year run. Staring with “From Me To You” and ending with “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” I reckon Rihanna has a good chance of overturning both of those records. read about it on the NME site by clicking here.

Rihanna hoovers up yet more chart records

Rihanna’s UK number one singles since 2007 have been;

2007 “Umbrella”

2008 “Take A Bow”

2009 “Run This Town”

2010 “Only Girl (In The World)”

2011 “What’s My Name” featuring Drake

Rihanna was born nearly 20 years after the last of the Beatles run and she is still only 22. She will be 23 in February. She originates from Barbados and plays a big part in the support of the marketing of her homeland. She is now an honorary cultural ambassador. She is also a great philanthropist, setting up her Believe Foundation in 2006. It is a charity which supports terminally ill children.

Is it Grace Jones? Is it Max Wall? No it's Rihanna!

 

“Got to be a joker he just do what he please” December 27, 2010

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 12:12 am
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Well I trust that you all had a good Christmas and that your turkey is all used up. Myself and Catwoman certainly ate too much as usual! Anyway I’m back with a couple of snippets of news for you.

Even Simon Cowell can't stand to listen to most contestants

Firstly I am saddened to report that the X Factor was the most watched show of 2010 on UK TV. Some 17.7 million viewers watched Matt Cardle crowned champion on the final show of the series whilst England versus Germany in the World Cup could only muster 17.4 million. But it would be fair to say that the England team showed as much talent as some of the no talent losers that populate the first few weeks of the X Factor. Eastenders and Coronation Street were 3rd and 4th. You can read the story here on the BBC. Matt Cardle has also managed to stay for a second week at the top of the UK charts. The top ten also features Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, Take That and Katy Perry who have all had major guest slots on the show. Olly Murs, X Factor Finalists and JLS, all former contestants are in the top 40. In addition part-time X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger has a top 40 place and there are two for X Factor judge and the Nations Sweetheart Cheryl Cole. So many places taken up by X Factor related stuff, how bad is that?

So onto some better news, the zebra crossing outside the Abbey Road studios which was featured on the cover of the Beatles Abbey Road album has been given listed status. This must be the most famous crossing in the world. How many of you have been there and had your picture taken on it? Send them to me and I’d be happy to post them on the blog! The BBC reports the story here. To celebrate listen to the Fab Four below with “Come Together” from that very album. Below that you can also see two other famous crossings, the Simpsons and the Red Hot Chili Peppers

 

“It’s hard to believe that there’s nobody out there, it’s hard to believe that I’m all alone” November 1, 2010

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 8:07 pm
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Hardly Wodka from Varrington is it?

This post will be made up of just a random selection of stuff, starting with P Diddy aka Puff Daddy aka Sean Puffy Combs aka Sean Combs etc. etc. Anyway Mr Diddyman has been the face of Ciroc vodka for some time and as an advertising campaign that has been rather successful. Pre Diddy sales were 60,000 cases per year and Post Diddy sales are 400,000 cases per year. Now that is a result! (Thank you to those nice people over at Popbitch for that information.

Some wonderful X Factor news to report. Joe McElderry‘s new single entered the UK chart at number 6 and then dropped to 20 a couple of weeks back! RESULT!

Now for some rather more amusing X Factor news. Did you watch Diana Vickers perform her new single on the show recently? Did you have any idea what she was singing about? No nor did I. But worry no more for help is at hand, click here to see it translated and watch carefully for the blatant steal from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers “Under The Bridge“.

Then there is some really weird news from the world of X Factor. Jedward have spent £3,000 on a bed sheet that was signed by Michael Jackson and MaCaulay Culkin. Whatever you might have thought of Jacko, that certainly seems a strange thing to do. Sleep innocently with a young ‘friend’ and then sign the sheet with them. But for me paying £3,000 for the sheet is even stranger! Read the story in the Guardian here.

Jedward audition for a part in a remake of the Deadly Bees

Meanwhile a final X Factor related story, Elton John has given his opinion of the show. He describes it as ‘boring, arse-paralysingly brain-crippling’ I have to say that I do agree with him, I just wish it wasn’t so bloody addictive! Read his comments in the Guardian by clicking here.

Here’s a great clip from a 1966 movie ‘The Deadly Bees‘ featuring the Birds proto R & B/ Mod band featuring Mr Ronnie Wood off of the Faces and the Rolling Stones. There has to be a joke about the Birds and the Bees here doesn’t there?

Did you ever wonder what kind of backstage riders your favourite bands have? Well check out a Blink 182 rider here at the Smoking Gun website. I guess there are not many bands who want X Rated lesbian porn and boxer shorts are there?

Finally check out this song from an artist that is very new to me, Lauren Pritchard. It’s called “Not The Drinking”