25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Nine

DAY NINE - A SONG THAT MAKES YOU HOPEFUL

Ever the optimist me! Life can be pretty shit, most of the time, but I listen to this, and it does make me feel that things will improve. One day they will...

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Eight

DAY EIGHT - A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOUR FIRST LOVE

When I went to Junior School, I had to get on a coach to take me there every morning and return me home every afternoon. On that coach was a little blonde haired girl called Alison Bagley. She was my first 'love' and my friends and I made up a love song to sing to her, on the way to school, which made no sense whatsoever to us, or anyone else for that matter. It just sounded funny at the time. The tune was the Herman's Hermits hit 'Sunshine Girl', the re-worked lyrics are listed below. Please don't judge me... Sorry Alison, wherever you are!



Sunshine Girl I'm looking down your bra
I see two round things
I wonder what they are.
Can you invite me
To squeeze them tightly?
"Not bloody likely!" - said Sunshine Girl!!!!

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Seven

DAY SEVEN - A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF THE PAST SUMMER

I know this song came out a few years back, but last summer there was a documentary on the BBC "How to be a Bohemian" that used this song as the Theme Tune. It stuck in my head, so I tracked it down a bought it on CD. Kept playing it throughout the summer months last year.

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Six

DAY SIX - A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF A BEST FRIEND

To those halcyon days (and nights) down the Malt & Hops, playing this on the Jukebox over and over again with Mr Creaghan & Mr Hill. It was this or 'Recipe For Love' by Harry Connick Jr.

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Five

DAY FIVE - A SONG THAT IS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD

Every morning I wake up with a different song in my head. Normally one that I heard a few days earlier, or just any random song that relates very loosely to whatever's on my mind. One that often gets stuck though is this one.

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Four

DAY FOUR - A SONG THAT CALMS YOU DOWN

There are many songs that can calm me down, but I suppose the one that does it most for me is this track that appeared at the end of side one of Vangelis' 'Heaven & Hell' album. Vocalised by Yes stalwart Jon Anderson.



And relax....

25 Songs, 25 days - Day Three

DAY THREE - A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF ONE/BOTH OF YOUR PARENTS

Both Mum and Dad had a huge influence over my musical tastes, but this one always reminds me of Dad.

 Dad passed away from a heart attack in 1990, and this song was one he used to play in the car whenever we were going to visit family, or going on holiday, or just going anywhere. Played on a 'dodgy' eight track cartridge that had definitely been illegally copied, I always expect the 'clunk' as the cartridge changes track, halfway through the song.

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day Two

DAY TWO - A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOUR MOST RECENT EX-GIRLFRIEND

As I reach 33 years of marriage in a couple of months time, I think I'll 'cop-out' of this one and instead read it as, "a song that reminds you of your most recent ex-girl that was a friend". Not that she's an 'ex', just that Facebook contact doesn't exactly count as a current 'friend' in any literal sense.



Without naming or embarrassing her, anyone who knows her will know who this is. A good friend and drinking partner for many years, life sometimes just conspires against you and forces a distance between friends that becomes difficult to overcome. Many fond memories though, and I do miss the alcohol!

 

25 Songs, 25 Days - Day One

DAY ONE - A SONG FROM MY CHILDHOOD

One of those list thingies came my way the other day, so I thought I'd share my own answers to the titles suggested above and display my complete lack of taste in music for the world to see.



Here's one of the first records I remember owning. It was passed to me on an old shellac 10", along with several others. 
Lonnie Donegan's 'Cumberland Gap' was to influence my life for many years to come, and when I actually met Mr Donegan himself, at his London flat in December 2000, it was a huge honour to be able to chat with him. He had just appeared on Van Morrison's album with Chris Barber, received a MBE, and was enjoying a ressurrection of his career, that once again put him on the road. For a man in his early seventies, it was all a bit too much for him, and after a series of heart attacks, he passed away in November 2002.
The disc itself was smashed to smithereens, among with loads of others, when my teenage self found pleasure in throwing darts at spinning 78's on a nail on my bedroom door, and watching them shatter across the floor.... I thought it was funny at the time!

 

Leader's Debate

For those that couldn’t be arsed with watching the debate on TV tonight,  here’s a simple (biased) guide to who the main parties represent…

CONSERVATIVE

If you have lots of money, and only care about yourself and how much money you have, then vote Tory. If you really believe that by making the rich richer, it will improve the lives of the poor, then this is the party for you. Most of the Tory policies sound reasonable, but their implementation is always skewed towards keeping their friends happy, and basically works along the principles that education, healthy lifestyles and materialistic belongings are only for those with the ‘right’ background. Recent ‘successes’ for the Conservatives include higher suicide rates among the poor, less people entering university from lower class backgrounds and the average wage of the country getting higher by increasing the wages of the top 1%.

LABOUR

The Labour party once stood for ‘the working man’ and equality. Unfortunately, the re-invention of ‘New Labour’ in the 90’s brushed all this aside to concentrate on winning votes. Moving towards the centre ground of politics they now stand for nothing except being ‘against the Tories’. If you don’t like the Tories, but want to be in with a chance of backing the party that might win, then this is the party for you. Their current policies are all reasonable, but always tempered with trying to appeal to everyone. Complacency whilst in government before the Tories was their biggest downfall, and although there are a few MPs that still hold ‘socialist’ views, generally they are career politicians that believe they might have got away with it if it wasn’t for that pesky war business.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Even their leader no longer knows what the party stands for since they made an unholy alliance with the Devil in 2010 to gain a bit of power and “change politics forever” by insisting on Proportional Representation in return for having all their other policies ignored. As these type of deals often end up, the dark side convinced them that it wasn’t really PR that they wanted, but ‘a form of PR’ that wasn’t quite PR but a mix of both systems. When put to the public, no-one knew what they meant, and even strong supporters of PR voted against the change, thus leaving the party with well paid jobs, but very little influence. Their other main policy of zero tuition fees for students was completely dismissed by the Tories and instead increased them to £9K. The minimum wage was enforced at a level only slaves (and students that couldn’t afford tuition fees) would accept, and this wasn’t paid to hundreds of thousands of workers who were exempt because they were on ‘zero hours’ contracts, were under a certain age, were classified as ‘in training’ or didn’t have a father who got them the job in the first place. If you like having ideas for how to run the country, but don’t want any of them implemented, then this is the party for you.

UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY

UKIP have rode a perfect wave of popularity by convincing people that they want out of the EU, and that this will solve all of the country’s problems. They may or may not be right, but whilst all the other parties accuse them of being racist, whilst ignoring the real problems, they have every chance of growing in power. Unfortunately, most of their other policies are written on the back of a fag packet whilst in a pub with their mates. These are usually Tories who feel that the Conservatives are not right wing enough. They manage to talk to ‘the man on the street’, because this is exactly what they are…a group of ‘ordinary people’ who think that because they have an opinion, they know all there is to know and will sort this country out. This party is for you, if you think that the only problem with this country is that there are too many people in it.

GREEN

Originally, the Greens were a party for those that wanted to save the planet at any cost. Anything that was bad for the world and the environment, the Greens were against. Lately they have gained the impression that they might actually have a bit of power after the next election, and their attitudes and policies have softened slightly to become more socialist and left-wing in their attitudes. A recent poll showed that most people in the country agree with their policies IN PRINCIPLE, more than any of the other parties. However this does not mean they stand a chance, as most of their policies would help the country, and the world, but not the individual, and certainly not the selfish, money-grabbing bastards that now hold all the power in the UK. This party is for you if you believe in a future for mankind as a caring, thoughtful and progressive society that sacrifices personal wealth for the sake of humanity. Nice thought…

SNP / PLAID CYMRU / SINN FEIN / OTHERS

These parties are for you if you believe that your local politicians can run a whole country.

Why???

JULY 1983

Step back in time to a month in musical history - JULY 1983!
Hits, misses and memories from this month in history, featuring rare recordings, TV Themes and much more.

HERE

01 London Weekend Television Theme
02 Yello - I Love You
03 Irene Cara - Flashdance... What A Feeling
04 BBC Wimbledon Theme
05 Wimbledon 1983 Final - McEnroe vs Lewis
06 Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
07 Thompson Twins - Watching
08 South Bank Show
09 ELO - Rock 'n' Roll Is King
10 Rod Stewart - Baby Jane
11 Brookside
12 Elton John - I'm Still Standing
13 Echo & The Bunnymen - Never Stop
14 BBC 6 O'Clock News
15 Creatures - Right Now
16 Blakes 7 Theme
17 Eurythmics - Who's That Girl
18 Matt Fretton - It's So High
19 Blue Peter
20 Cure - The Walk
21 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
22 Parkinson Interviews David Niven
23 Young and the Restless
24 Cagney and Lacey
25 Shakin Stevens - It's Late
26 Malcolm MacLaren - Double Dutch
27 Coronation Street
28 Kim Wilde - Love Blonde
29 Monty Python - Galaxy Song
30 Panorama
31 Lotus Eaters - The First Picture of You
32 David Sylvian - Forbidden Colours
33 Nationwide
34 Rita Coolidge - All Time High
35 Robert Plant - Big Log
36 Top Of The Pops
37 George Benson - Feel Like Making Love
38 Bananarama - Cruel Summer
39 Paul Young - Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
40 Monty Python - Mr Creosote Blows
41 Newsround

Eurovision is back again!

Every year I say I won't watch it again, and every year I get sucked in again. I've already watched the two semi-finals, and am already picking my favourites for tomorrow nights battle.
I know UK won't win, and I know I'll be frustrated by the block voting that has nothing to do with the music. I also know that, now that the 'powers that be' take it seriously, the best Eurovision songs will have been knocked out in the semi-finals. But it is still very addictive viewing.

Thanks to the 'European Cleansing' here's 5 things you won't see in the programme tomorrow...

FIVE THINGS YOU WON'T SEE ON EUROVISION TOMORROW NIGHT...
1. Jack Sparrow and a woman whose eyes tell you that she does not take rejection well.
http://youtu.be/Cb46Mhy_mCI

2. Auntie Gladys interrupting her son's BF Gypsy wedding song.
http://youtu.be/Vi1VYsOUCsY

3. The girl who sung the Facebook Song last year, having her clothes ripped off to reveal...
http://youtu.be/YirZIBi2vnY

4. The band's grandad, who really doesn't know where he is, forced to join the group just so they can claim the world's oldest entrant.
http://youtu.be/nH34iARVI-s

5. The Jedward Tribute band.
http://youtu.be/xze_ilAXwWE

And here are my favourites for the evening, in order of appearance...

1 France

4 Finland

6 Belgium

8 Belarus

9 Malta

14 Romania

RIP 2012

2012 RIP Mix by Sfcpres on Mixcloud

Like every year, 2012 was a year in which we lost some great talents, and some of my personal favourites were among them..
In January, we lost the great Johnny Otis. It's a name that isn't so well known in the UK, having only had a single Top Ten hit in 1957 with Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me (which was covered by Lena Zavaroni in 1974). But the song was important to me, as it appeared on one of my first albums;- Alan Freeman's History Of Pop. Three days later, on the 20th January it was announced that Etta James had also passed away. The news reports naturally concentrated on her huge contribution to music in the States, and her biggest hit there, At Last, entered the UK charts as a tribute. However, very little was made of her biggest UK hit, I Just Want To Make Love To You, which reached the Top 5 in 1996 on the back of a very popular cola ad.
In February, the tragic news of the death of Whitney Houston hit the media, and like most, I think it was news that we'd been half expecting knowing her lifestyle choices. The talent that had been shown in her early releases had gradually been sucked away by a series of unfortunate events. The end of the month saw the departure of the British voice of the Monkees, Davy Jones. Many hours of my childhood had been spent watching this anarchic show, and it was with sadness that I noted the small amount of coverage his passing received.
March saw the passing of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, who, along with his partner Lester Flatt, had a string of hits that included Foggy Mountain Breakdown, and the themes to the Beverley Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction TV programmes. A month later, it was a British guitar legend that was taken from us. Bert Weedon was cited as an influence to Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Hank Marvin and many other guitarists who had seen his skills on TV on many programmes, both solo and as backing artist to the many American superstars who visited these shores.
In May, it was Disco that was to lose two of its biggest stars. First, Donna Summer, passed away, and it was 'hard' not to think of the many sexual experiences that she provided to young teenage boys in an age when sex was a natural, subtle selling point and not quite so orchestrated and commercial as it appears today.
Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, also joined his brother Maurice who had died in 2003, leaving only Barry to carry on the Bee Gees name.
Very little was said on the passing of Brian Hibbard in June. He was lead vocalist with the accapella group, The Flying Pickets, who hit the height of their fame with a Christmas cover of Yazoo's Only You. The Pickets were an incredibly talented vocal group, who managed to invigorate any song that they turned their minds to, and Welsh-born Brian, also become a notable character actor, appearing in episodes of Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Eastenders.
Another wonderful Welsh character actor from another era, also passed away in June, Victor Spinetti was a friend of the Beatles, and appeared in several of their films, but he became better known for his multiple TV appearances and for his role as "The Mad Jaffa Cake Eater" in countless TV commercials for the product in the 70s.
One of the greatest comedians of all time (in my opinion) passed away in July. Eric Sykes was a star of Film, TV and Radio; He had written and performed, as a comic actor, both on his own and with fellow comic legend Spike Milligan. Name any great comic that came from that era, and chances are they owed a debt to the comic writing skills of this great man. Frankie Howerd, Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise, and many others, benefitted from his humour and timing skills. He was known for his thick rimmed glasses, which ironically concealed the fact that he was partially deaf, and had been fitted with a hearing aid.
The 16th July saw the loss of two giants at either end of the musical spectrum. Jon Lord, keyboardist with the mighty Deep Purple died following a bout with cancer, whilst the Queen Of Country Music, Kitty Wells died of a stroke at the age of 92. It was Kitty's first hit, ...Honky Tonk Angels that not only earned her the title of first woman to top the US Country charts, but it also earned the respect of Status Quo who used the song as the basis for their hit Wild Side Of Life.
July also saw the demise of veteran crooner Tony Martin, who had been lucky enough to be married to two screen goddesses, Alice Faye and Cyd Charisse, within his 98 years in this world.
August saw the loss of falsetto voiced singer Jimmy Jones, and also the composer and performer of one of the finest instrumentals, The Entertainer by Marvin Hamlisch. Also known as the theme tune to the hit movie The Sting, Hamlisch was well known for his music for films and shows, having also composed for The Way We Were, The Spy Who Loved Me, A Chorus Line, Ordinary People and Woody Allen's Bananas. The true entertainer Mr Max Bygraves also died this month. I had the pleasure of meeting Max in the 90s and found him to be a genuinely sincere and decent gentleman, of the 'old school' generation.
Legendary Darts commentator Syd Waddell, left the oche on August, as did the pub quiz's favourite one hit wonder, Scott McKenzie.
September brought the passing of two great songwriters, the force of nature that was Hal David, best known for his work with Burt Bacharach, and the not so well known Joe South, who is mainly remembered for the hit The Games People Play, but wrote many other songs for many other artists, by acts as diverse as Gene Vincent, The Osmonds, Kula Shaker and Deep Purple.
Newspaper personality Derek Jameson also 'snuffed it' in September, as did easy listening superstar Andy Williams. Andy's theme tune was Moon River, but ironically it was never released as a single. It did however became a number one UK hit for South African born Danny Williams (no relation).
Big Jim Sullivan appeared on no less than 55 UK Number One hit singles and over a thousand chart hits. He was constantly appearing on 70s TV shows, but older readers might remember him best as the presenter of the 'Teach Yourself Guitar' segment on the Bay City Rollers TV Show Shang A Lang. He also scored an episode of Gerry Anderson's Space 1999.
Not known for her musical talents, the world said 'adieu' to actress Sylvia Kristel, star of many of the Emmanuel series of films, and it was another beautiful woman (that shall remain nameless) who introduced me to the delights of jazz vocalist Terry Callier, who although remained virtually unknown in the UK, was a true legend, leaving behind an amazing body of work.
November had several fine actors leaving the stage for the last time, as Dad's Army's Clive Dunn (Corporal Jones), Coronation Street's Bill Tarmey (Jack Duckworth) and Dallas's Larry Hagman (J R Ewing) passed away in quick succession. Clive and Bill had both been known for their vocal talents off screen, but it was Larry's on-stage vocals that were played on news reports as his embarrassing fluffing of lines on the Royal Variety Performance in 1980 was endlessly repeated. To me however, Larry will be forever known and appreciated as Captain Tony Nelson, the man who turned down the amorous advances of Barbra Eden in I Dream Of Jeannie.
Folk musician Ian Campbell died from cancer at the end of November, and contemporary classical composer, Jonathan Harvey, finally left this world for the next after a long battle against motor-neuron disease. Jonathan was the best selling artist on my record label Sargasso, and the few opportunities I had to meet him were always a pleasure and an education. His philosophies on life and religion were always of great interest and this gentle and kind manner was a fine example of what all humans should strive towards.
Jazz supremo Dave Brubeck also failed to make it to 2013, and Boxing Day brought me news of two great influences in my life. Fontella Bass had recorded the best soul recording of all time with Rescue Me, a song that never failed to get my foot tapping and my heart pounding whenever I heard it. But it was the demise of Gerry Anderson that really bought my year to an apt closure. Creator of Thunderbirds, Stingray, Fireball XL5, Space 1999, UFO, Joe 90 and Terrahawks, this man had straddled my formative TV viewing years like a colossus, and it was his shows that fostered my love of Sci Fi that remains today.
 

Play this when I die!

 

Play This When I Die by Sfcpres on Mixcloud

My 50th birthday, the constant trips to the doctors, the constant pain, and the everyday irritations of this world we live in, have made me consider the end of life lately.
Not that I want it to happen, or even have any real fear of it happening soon, just what happens when it does?
The last thing I'd want is to have some religious nut, spouting away about what a wonderful life I'd led, and how everybody loved me, when in fact, I've been a miserable bastard for most of it, and haven't done much with it at all! A couple of good kids, a decent marriage, and a few compilations left behind on non-biodegradable CDs is all I have to show for 50 years on this planet, so when I go, I'd like to at least have a send of that I can be proud of.
So here it is.
There's some tracks here that mean a lot to me for one reason and another, and those that do know me will know their meaning. So hopefully this will remain out there in cyberspace for a bit longer than I'll be around for, so if there's anyone left behind when I do go - play this!

1

The Somnambulist

XTC

2

So Long Ago, So Clear

Vangelis & Jon Anderson

3

Clair de Lune (Debussy)

Earl Wild

4

Rejoice In The Sun

Joan Baez

5

Solitude (Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

Meryl Streep

6

In My Life

Beatles

7

I Only Want To Be With You

Shelby Lynne

8

My Funny Valentine

Elvis Costello

9

Stars

Janis Ian

10

Aria From La Wally (Catalani)

Wilhelmenia Fernandez

11

I See a Darkness

Johnny Cash

12

Heaven Can Wait

Meat Loaf

13

Feeling good

Nina Simone

14

Q5 Piano Tune

Spike Milligan

 

The President's 50th Birthday 4

Here's the fourth and final part of my "50 At 50" podcast mix that can be found at

 

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Pandora's Box

I've loved OMD since they first appeared on a compilation album on the Some Bizarre label with 'Electricity'. In the 90s, I had a small obsession with 20s obscure silent film actress, Louise Brooks, and then in 1991 OMD came out with a song about her and one of her best films 'Pandora's Box'. Ms Brooks had a fascinating life, and was incredibly attractive in her younger years. Her life story makes an incredible read and I can highly recommend viewing this film and any of her other celluloid appearances.

The The - This Is The Day

Matt Johnson is a fantastic song writer and is incredibly underrated. The album 'Soul Mining' which was released in 1983 is a perfect pop album, and everybody should have a copy. And that's all I have to say on the matter!

Ron Grainer - Dr Who

I can't remember a time when I didn't watch Doctor Who. My favourite doctor was Patrick Troughton whose humour was the basis for the way Who has developed over the years. This theme tune was the original created by Delia Derbyshire specifically for the programme. For my birthday today I was given a box set of all eleven doctors in 5inch high, plastic form and it now stands pride of place with my other model figures, books, toys, magazines, DVDs, videos, CDs and half-sized cardboard TARDIS that are stored in the garage. Now, why do people call me 'Sad'???

Lonnie Donegan - Cumberland Gap

One of the first singles I had as a child was this track by Lonnie Donnegan. On very heavy 78rpm shellac, it was played endlessly on my old Dansette player. In 2002, I had the pleasure of meeting my hero at his hotel in London. I arrived as two hacks were finishing their interview with him for 'Q' magazine. As he left the room for a break, I was appalled to hear these two twenty-somethings mocking him, and showing complete disrespect for someone, who had been a huge influence in popular music in this country. Previously, he had recorded an album with Van Morrison, and was obviously in the process of rebuilding his career. I was there to discuss licensing some recordings that he had that had never been released and he was eager to have put out. Unfortunately, Lonnie went on tour before the deal was completed and died of a heart attack before I could meet with him again. The Q interview became gushing tribute, as opposed to the 'slagging off' that I suspect he was to have received.

Modern Lovers - Egyptian Reggae

Simply put, this is my favourite track of all time! It doesn't matter how many times I hear it, it still sounds wonderfully fresh on every playing. The image of Legs And Co dancing to the track on Top Of The Pops in their skimpy outfits, also has a positive effect.

Wombles - The Jungle is Jumping

In the 70s I bought myself a boxed set of the Wombles. I was 14, and far too old for this kind of thing, but Mike Batt's infectious tunes were incredibly endearing, and I loved those furry little creatures. This track had wonderful infectious rhythms, and despite Mike Batt's protests, was one of the songs I insisted on including on a double CD I was working on. The Wombles had all but been forgotten in the 90s when I put this together, and I thought it would be great that Mike wanted to be included in the creating of the set. That was until he started insisting that all some of the tracks were the orchestral versions used in the films, rather than the original album versions! Admittedly they sounded better, but I was after nostalgia, not musical perfection. It was a few months after this that Sony released their own Wombles CD. Co-incidence? ...Maybe?

Quantum Jump - The Lone Ranger

"Taumata-whaka-tangi-hanga-kuayuwo tamate-aturi-pukaku-piki-maunga horonuku-pokaiawhen-uaka-tana-tahu mataku-atanganu-akawa-miki-tora" is the longest word in the world, and is the name of a hill in New Zealand in the native Maori language. I learnt to say this by playing the track over and over in small sections until I now know it off by heart. My son and daughter can also recite it - saddo's in training - I'm sooo proud!

Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine - Can't Stay Away From You

A beautiful song, beautifully sung.

Vangelis - So Long Ago, So Clear

And this could be the most beautiful song ever recorded! Tagged on the end of the incredible album by Vangelis 'Heaven And Hell', it is sung by YES lead singer Jon Anderson, with whom he was to have several hits in partnership as Jon And Vangelis. I want this played at my funeral to take me in whatever direction I will be going!

Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas

Women I have drooled over, part 69! Nastassja Kinski is one of the most attractive women to appear on film, and her appearance in this classic 'road' movie proves it. Appearing to the haunting guitar of Ry Cooder, the scant amount of screen time given to her in this movie was enough to make me seek out all her previous film roles and ensure I saw as many of her future appearances as possible. Now, also 50, she still looks incredible, but her film appearances are still as difficult to find as her appearance in her first role "The Wrong Move". Although her brief spell in Hollywood made life easier, her films have never been hugely successful in the UK. She will be forever known in our household, by the name given to her by my mockingly jealous spouse as "the one with the facial hair"! I never saw this myself, although in Cat People, her full frontal nudity did display some degree of hirsuteness.

Tomita - Golliwog's Cakewalk

The track that first gave me an interest in classical music, I was amazed to learn that the electronic album that gave birth to this track was completely composed by a classical composer, Claude Debussy. To this day, my favourite classical composer.

Goons - The Ying Tong Song

And finally, to the men who have given me more laughter in my life than any others. Here's to the Goons, especially Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, genii both! Not their funniest moment perhaps, but if anybody wants more, I have copies of all their available shows.

The President's 50th Birthday 3

Here's the third part of my "50 At 50" podcast mix that can be found at

 

Marilyn Monroe - River Of No Return

Vastly underrated as a singer, Marilyn Monroe had a unique gentleness to her voice that was often overlooked compared to the magnetism of her on-screen presence. I first came across this track (no pun intended) on an import album when I was working at HMV. The sleeve had a picture if Marilyn in the nude from her early modelling days, and was completely unrepresentative of the recordings on the LP, but that's how they sold records then! This track was lifted from the film of the same name that I now have in my complete collection of MM DVDs.

Ned Miller - From A Jack To A King

I had always quite liked this track, and was quite amazed to find it on the jukebox in the pub that I held my stag party in. At lunchtime, when I began drinking I thought it would be hilarious to play it continually, over and over again. By the time we moved onto the next pub, around 7 o'clock, you can imagine how fed up everyone else was with it? When my dear father picked me up from the gutter of a nearby petrol station in the early hours of the morning, I was still slurring my way through my own, tuneless, rendition of the track..."from loneliness to a wedding ring..."!!!

Matt Monro - My Kind Of Girl

The first single, I ever remember owning, for some reason I adored this track. Matt Monro had such an easy voice, and this track is so damned catchy. Many years later, it formed part of a 3CD set of matt Monro material that I created for Reader's Digest, a set that got many plaudits from fans and other customers.

Frank Ifield - Lovesick Blues

Another one of my earliest 7inch singles, this was on an EP along with the classic "She Taught Me To Yodel". They just don't write songs like this anymore!

Sandy Nelson - Let There Be Drums

I previously informed you of my early days as a drummer, and this is the track that inspired me. Sandy Nelson was such a great drummer in the 50s and 60s and I often performed my own version of this great track (although not to such a high standard!). Later I was also to be impressed by the likes of Keith Moon, Cozy Powell and many others, but for me, Sandy Nelson will always be the best.

Marcels - Blue Moon

For many years I believed that this was the number one single on the day I was born. I used to love singing along with the track, being particular proud of being able to keep up with the opening "ba ba ba ba" bit! Then a few years ago, I realised that the charts were listed as "week ending", so that the actual song that was number one the day I was born was 'On The Rebound' by Floyd Cramer. What a shock and disappointment! Not a bad track, but nowhere near as good as the Marcel's hit!

Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John

Another misapprehension that I had, was believing for many years that I had been named after this heroic tale of a mine worker giving his life to save his fellow workers. It was only when I discovered that the track didn't actually chart until five months after I was born, that I questioned my mother on this belief. "Oh no!", she said "you were named after your grandfather because you looked so little and scrawny when you were born!". Well that put me in my place!

Ricky Nelson - Hello Mary Lou

Another huge influence on early musical taste, and for many years it was my favourite track of all time. It's still up there, but I don't think it can hold onto the top place anymore. Ricky Nelson was an American 50s TV star who made it big when he moved into music. Later shortening his name to Rick Nelson, he became a huge artist in American Country music which, of course, killed off any chance he had of any further UK hits.

Hurricane Smith - Don't Let It Die

Memories of my Father's eight-track player spring to mind whenever I hear Hurricane Smith. A triple-hit-wonder, when I was ten, his recordings have been incredibly difficult to find over the years. Such an amazing voice though!

Neil Sedaka - Standing On The Inside

Please read my earlier blog on Stealer's Wheel's 'Stuck In The Middle' to understand why this track holds a place in my heart.

Elvis Costello - My Funny Valentine

When I first heard this recording, I couldn't believe how beautiful the song was. I also couldn't believe how old it was, or how many recordings had been made of it. It became my favourite song, when I realised that whoever performed it, it still remained great. Over the years I have collected any version of the song I could find, although there are many jazz versions, I also have punk, classical and disco versions. Costello's take is still my favourite.

Elvis Presley - My Boy

This is a great song, and I defy anybody not to be moved by the heart-wrenching tale of a father, staying with his wife for the sake of his son. (Nothing personal you understand). A few years back I was lucky enough to meet Bill Martin, who wrote this track, and many other hits for artists like Sandie Shaw (Puppet On A String), Cliff Richard (Congratulations), Slik (Forever And Ever) and the Bay City Rollers (Shang-A-Lang) as well as many others. He was a great guy and had many tales of the people he had met, and the places he had been. Not only that, but he paid for lunch too!

Doris Day - Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)

One of my earliest memories is that of sitting on my grandmother's knee as a child, while she sang this quaint old song, made famous by Doris Day. Slightly adapting the lyrics to "..just a little boy", this song was permanently etched into my consciousness.

The President's 50th Birthday 2

Here's the second part of my "50 At 50" podcast mix that can be found at <  

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Fanfare For The Common Man 

Based on the classical piece by Copland, this ELP hit really 'rocked it up'. In late 1977, my anal tendencies were beginning to manifest themselves, and it was with great pleasure each week that I managed to convince my mates to join me in creating our very own Top 20 singles each fortnight, thus resulting in an amalgamation of our favourite tracks. To further express our geek-like qualities we then began recording the list on our tinny cassette recorders in the style of the BBC radio Top 20 chart show that was presented by Tom Brown at 6pm every Sunday evening. Like Mr Brown we also had background music playing whilst we announced proudly (basically, to ourselves) each weeks chart. This was the music we used. Every fortnight for over a year, we would go through this ritual, even when my friends started to lose interest, I still kept this process going, even developing the thing into a fanzine that was then sold to anyone we could persuade to buy. 'Razor's Edge' was cutting edge music press at the time (not!) - unsold copies are still available.  

Rolling Stones - 2000 Light Years From Home 

It took me a long time to get 'into' the Stones. Having had more of a Beatles vibe going on at home, Jagger and his clan didn't actually break my subconscious until the late 70s. Gradually, I familiarised myself with their back catalogue until one day I heard this gem! I realised that I had heard it many years ago in my next door neighbours house and had loved it without realising what it was (or indeed how 'trippy' it was!). From that point on it became my favourite Stones track, and I still find the intricacies of the instrumentation a delight to hear.  

Devo - Jocko Homo  

These days, 'Jocko Homo' just sounds a bit quirky. But in 1978 this was unlike anything I'd ever heard. Moreover, Devo were a band unlike any I'd ever seen! A nightmarish vision of what the future had in store, Devo were just the kind of band that I knew my parents would hate, and would offend anyone over the age of 30! (The B-side was 'Mongoloid'). Even the 7" vinyl was different, coming as it did in a fold-out wraparound sleeve pronouncing 'Devo-lution now for the future!'. And when the album appeared in coloured vinyl with their stocking covered heads manically glaring from the cover, I really believed that they could take over the world. A few years later, lead singer Mark Mothersborough was writing background tunes and themes for children's TV favourites 'Rugrats'. it could have been worse... Johnny Rotten might have started advertising butter??...er  

XTC - Helicopter 

OK - XTC are on this list as well, but this was from their third album, and by this time I was so into their music, they could have released the sound of a brick, and I would have found it brilliant! As it was, 'Drums & Wires' must be one of the most perfect albums ever (in my view). Each track a complete masterpiece covering so many different styles. Seeing them live, for what was to be the last time, my overriding memory was this track being played frantically, whilst my pals and I tried to perform the exhausting dance that we had developed at several drunken house parties. Basically 'pogoing' whilst flailing our arms in the air in a circular motion, I'm convinced that with a little more updraft, we would have ascended to the rooftop of the Hammersmith!  

Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me  

One of the few albums that actually sounds better live, is the amazing 'At The Budokan' LP from American Rockers, Cheap Trick. As the first album I'd heard by the band, I hadn't realised that most of these tracks had already appeared in studio versions, but even when I heard these, they weren't a patch on live takes, a fact that was proved to me when I eventually got to see them for myself at the now defunct and sadly missed Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London. It was that show that helped put this track into the UK charts, and although they never reached greater fame in the UK, I still think they were one of the best rock bands of the period.  

Motorhead - Motorhead 

It might be because it was my first ever concert, but the Motorhead gig at the Hammersmith Odeon was the most memorable I ever attended. From the sight of the opening act (Johnny Moped) being booed and canned off of the stage, to the extreme volume of Lemmy and the gang as they belted out all the tracks that had become so familiar to me in the preceding months. Sights of hard-core fans removing their heads from the speakers after their recent bout of head-banging with their ears dripping with blood, were forever ingrained on my visual cortex, and the smell of stale drugs and alcohol that hit like a wall on exit. Most memorable of all was the trip home afterwards, as I hung around a telephone box whilst the female members of the 'Hell's Angel' gang that I went with, phoned their parents, a police van slowly pulled up beside us and a stern looking copper leaned out of the sliding door to utter the immortal words "you scum of the earth!". Although offended at the time, in hindsight, he probably wasn't far off the truth.  

Undertones - Get Over You 

 In the mid seventies, all my school mates seemed to be learning instruments and joining bands. I was no different, and my 'weapon of choice' was to be the drums. After pestering my Dad for ages, he eventually gave in and brought me my first kit. Hours and hours I practiced, whilst my parents, amazingly, tolerated the unholy din emanating from my room. When this track was released in 1979 as a follow up track to the better known 'Teenage Kicks', it became my favourite drum-along song. My poor poor parents... 

 Suzi Quatro - Can The Can 

My first schoolboy crush was Suzi Quatro. Even at that young age I was perverted enough to enjoy women in tight leather! Aggressive and slightly built, she had an amazing voice that still sounds great when she performs the right songs. By the time she appeared on Happy Days on British TV, she had started to mellow out, musically, and I had started move on, but even today, I still think she looks great for her age, and thankfully she steers clear of the leather outfits!  

Blondie - Rip her to shreds 

For most of my life, I have always had the knack of buying the first releases of many acts that became more famous on later releases. I knew absolutely nothing about Blondie when I bought this, their first single, in a plain sleeve from my local HMV. I loved it and eagerly waited the next release. Then 'Denis' hit the charts and I saw Debbie Harry on Top Of The Pops. Watching it with my mates, our jaws dropped open as one. 'Do you believe she's in her Thirties' we said incredulously as we all instantly developed a 'thing' for older women!! We absolutely drooled over the first three albums, but then something happened musically, and Debbie and the gang turned Disco! It was too much to cope with, and consequently we lost interest in our idol. Eighteen years later, she relaunched her career with 'Maria', but this time round she looked more like Mrs Doubtfire than Mrs Robinson. The music was back to basics though, but unfortunately lacked the 'punch' of her 'relative' youth.

Adam and The Ants - Lady 

Another band I liked before most, was Mr Ant and his pals. I had bought a single called 'Young Parisians' which sounded like a gimmicky novelty sing to me, but on the b-side was this gem of a power-pop track - quite kinky as well! It's still incredibly difficult to find even today, with most available versions being recorded live. Another memory I have of Adam and the Ants is of being at a works Christmas party, dancing away to 'Ant Music', all very drunk, and getting slightly carried away. The moment came when the line "so unplug the jukebox and do us all a favour" blasted out, at which point, my colleague and friend (who shall remain nameless, but anyone who knows her will know who she is), tripped over the mains cable, yanking the cable from the mains socket and bringing silence to the room. I've not been able to hear the song again since, without expecting it to stop at that point. 

 April Wine - I Like To Rock 

Just a great rock track that sums up everything I like about rock music. the track just failed to reach the Top 40 in 1980, but nonetheless remained their biggest UK hit.  

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell 

In 1978, this track was played on the Old Grey Whistle Test, and when the album was released, I immediately bought a copy. I have never seen a performer like Meat Loaf, and was blown away by the power of his voice. I played the album on continuous loop for 48 hours and then at least once a day for the next few weeks. Two weeks after I bought the album, it entered the UK charts and stayed there for over nine years, never reaching higher than number 9. The 7 inch single version of the title track, is a complete bastardisation of the original album version, but lasts for at least 4 minutes less, making it much more suitable for radio airplay. Every track on the LP is a gem, and a more perfect rock album I can't imagine.