Doing It For YOU

This is probably going above and beyond the call of duty. Be interesting to see what comes out of it though.

to jump ahead a couple of years to another long running no 1 of similar style and genre….

….I wouldn’t do THAT….

#7 re the greatness, I will hopefully learn something when you tell me what I’m missing Steve.

This is like the inverse version of when the Guardian journo (I *think*) listened to the whole of Throbbing Gristle’s 24 hour-long, TG24 compilation. To be honest, I don’t which would be worse, and I’m a fan of Throbbing Gristle.

Looking forward to this very much – should be a bit different.

My belief is that, in any context, really, but most especially in the context of Popular, it’s a very hard song to review. This is because, whatever you think of it, whatever angle you take, whatever your feelings are about epic-soft-rock-ballads-with-a-vague-medieval-vibe, you are up against the singular fact of 16 weeks, and with every note of the song, a backing vocal inside your head provokes you, cajoles you, whispers, screams ’16 weeks! 16 weeks!’

You aren’t reviewing a song. You’re reviewing a monolith.

for authenticity this listening really ought to be done while lying on a shoddy futon in a student house.

Your masochistic tendancies know no bounds Tom. Even I couldn’t listen to my most FAVORITE song that number of times in a row! The points awarded for it would inevitably go downwards rather rapidly.

By the way:

I know a song that would get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves!
I know a song that would get on your nerves, get get get on your nerves!

Which is surely predated by the Wodehouse story in which a variety show is comprised entirely of people singing “Sonny Boy”…

You poor bugger.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO POPULAR FANS…

I’m sure many of you would have picked up on this but a simply SENSATIONAL night awaits us this coming Friday on BBC4:

8.30 TOTP 1964-1975: Documentary outlining the history of the show between these pioneering dates.

10.00 TOTP – The Story of 1976: Documentary reflecting musical changes in the British music scene during this year.

10.50 TOTP 1976: Tony Blackburn introduces an episode from this date in 1976. (This, it appears, starts a series of weekly repeats)

11.20 TOTP – The True Story: Memories of the show.

12.20am When The Stranglers Met Roland Rat.

I would just remind you all that there might be one or two little wind-ups in the offing here, bearing in mind the date. Never forget Tom’s cute little stroke over Rick Astley last year. But get the beer and Chablis chilled and have a good one.

Slightly off-topic, I guess, but thinking about the art of criticism and its challenges reminded me to share this revelatory piece of writing:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-pollack/10-bands-that-shook-the-w_1_b_819903.html

which has now been brought bang up to date:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-pollack/10-bands-shaping-the-post_b_838771.html?ir=Entertainment

Pop quiz: who has he missed?

(Important footnote for the commercially minded: Mr Pollack would probably not have been paid for his contributions.)

UK Gold showed whole episodes of old TOTPs when it started didn’t it – we didn’t have cable or Sky at the time but a friend who did kindly recorded some for us. Made for more interesting viewing than TOTP2 I thought, although that was must-watch TV as well.

Both lists are holes, although I suppose they may appeal to solvent white men in their forties.

Heh, I see those lists got a bollocking from commenters at the Huff Post too. The first list uses the phrase ‘The amazing Bono’ without a trace of irony. You can’t make stuff like that up. And Linkin Park shaking/shaping the world. That’s comedy gold.

#32 I am pleased you liked it as much as I did.

I see the first piece cites as an authority “Time Magazine’s Jay Cocks”…

Maybe the whole thing is a wind-up?

My two cents on TOTP night and I hope the old bonce is better, Tom.

Just to echo Erithian on Julie Driscoll. It amazes me that after a record like that and with a look like that Julie did not become an icon. Extraordinary that she missed the boat.

Also as Erithian says, an absolutley maddening comment from TOTP director, an old fool called Stan Appen, claiming that the Pistols did not sell enough records to qualify for the show. Ludicrous old git!

Loved Peter Sarstedt strumming away and being roundly applauded at the end by the dancing youngsters. That record was most harshly treated on this forum and I never understood it. For me it will always be top dollar.

“Crazy Horses” is as good as pop/rock gets. Truly a big sound which just missed gaining consideration here.

Lil’ George Macrae. An eternal floor-filler. Seventies gold!

Suzy Q. Felicity Kendal with a bass.

“Rock and Roll Doctor” by Little Feat on OGWT. Oh, yes!!

Pans People (my fave was Ruth). Swede = Teenaged boy. You can guess the rest.

Blackburn at least honest in not changing his stance on punk. Obv I think he’s wrong but fair play to him.

A strong hint that Diddy David enjoyed the company of the young girlies who were routinely pictured flopping all over him. Dutty but lukky wee devil!!!

AND FINALLY… What a belting track “Whole Lotta Love” by CCS was.

TV gold indeed.

Julie Driscoll was an icon for about 6 months on the strength of one hit and a radical ‘do, and I’m not sure how follow-up Road To Cairo flopped – you see copies often enough. Punctum, I think there was roughly a 2 year period after This Wheel’s On Fire where Jools was still on the pop treadmill (albeit shielded by Brian Auger’s group), looking for a hit, before she jumped ship.

She’s still an icon to mod girls, judging from the number of attempted lookalikes. Her Wiki “discography” ignores I Know You Love Me Not , a belter from 1967 with full orch, electronic squiggles and a uniquely lopsided chorus; can’t think of another record quite like it.

CCS = BETTER THAN LED ZEP.

#42: The lines are blurred. The 1969 album was where she met her future husband, who had been hired as arranger, and she was still doing albums of songs as late as 1975 – Sunset Glow, an absolute classic and a direct response to her friend’s Rock Bottom.

As regards CCS, thank the Lord I’m not “everyone else”.

Alexis Korner is not to be confused with Alexis Kanner, of course.

Down, Marcello!!!

37/40, …Noosha Fox, the Clare Grogan of her day, and among the rest of that edition, Fox did sound very early 80s

…did TOTP really not have a title sequence at that point? I always thought CCS’s Whole lotta love was used over an opening sequence, as well as the chart rundown, but I must be misremembering

…why so many Beatles singles in 76? Not an anniversary of anything in particular.

“Crazy Horses” I always thought Supergrass circa 95 should have covered that as the follow up to Alright. It would have been a surefire Number 1. Not ‘arf.

Thanks Marcello