The Legend of CD 108 – Part 1

Over at The Vinyl Villain, JC recently started a series about the legendary C86 cassette, and very entertaining I’m sure it will be. In response, I thought I’d look at a CD compilation that has proven very popular here at Top Ten Towers… SAMCD 108.

A little background for those of you who haven’t been paying attention…

Since he was very small, I have been compiling in-car CD compilations to be played whenever I’m driving my son to school / football / holidays / social engagements etc. The idea has always been to expose him to the widest range of pop music possible – not just my favourites. We started with all the big, kid-friendly singalong songs (The Monkees, Beach Boys, Sweet Caroline) but as time as has gone these CDs have become more and more diverse. As with any good compilation, I like to mix big tunes with forgotten gems, and crash through the genres like I’m in a mad HMV trolley dash. I’ve been doing this since Sam was a baby and I’m just putting the finishing touches onto SAMCD 176. When we get fed up of the latest disc, it goes in a folder with all the old ones, and as well as introducing new CDs every few weeks, we also work our way through the back catalogue in numerical order.

For months now, Sam has been very excited about hearing CD 108 again. I’ve insisted we work our way towards it – 101, 102, 103, etc – but he’s kept wanting to jump ahead. CD 108 was the best in his memory. To be honest, I think he’d built it up so much that when we did finally listen to it again, it probably wasn’t as good as he remembered… but he claims it lived up to his expectations, and who am I to call my son a liar. (But he’s 12 going on 16 now… lying to your parents is becoming a daily occurrence, I’m sure.)

To cut a long story ever-so-slightly shorter then, here’s a new series in which I work my way through the tracks on SAM CD 108 and try to work out why this particular set of tunes was so memorable. It’s just another excuse to write about songs.

Track 1: The Cure – Friday I’m In Love

Well, you’ve got to start with a belter, haven’t you? I’m frankly shocked that I managed to do 107 CDs before this one and not include Friday I’m In Love. But there’s a randomness to my selection process and it’ll often depend on what I’ve heard on the radio or seen on TV or featured on the blog as “What’s the biggest hit by this artist?” The Cure will have featured on Sam’s CDs prior to this – I have got a spreadsheet somewhere, but it’s not to hand. Still, it’s hard to believe I got this far without thinking of The Cure’s poppiest radio hit.

So far then, this CD is shaping up to be a belter.

Track 2: Brad Paisley – Last Time For Everything

And though you might not think it, this one maintains the high standard… and not just because it features David Hasslehoff in the video.

I find myself shocked again though – because a quick glance at the streaming service, expecting this to be one of the most-streamed Brad Paisley tunes, reveals that it’s actually way down the list. What’s wrong with people? I’m a huge fan of Brad’s brand of cheerful, tongue-in-cheek Stetson-and-a-smile country, and I reckon this is without doubt his finest hour. It’s a song that works like a big reassuring hug, a song that says, ‘Hey, we’re all growing older, and growing older is about saying goodbye to things we love… and the only consolation that I can offer is that we’re all in it together’. That might sound cheesy, but this sort of music is inherently cheesy… it doesn’t mean it can’t bring a tear to your eye (as this song invariably does) if you put your cynicism up on the shelf for a while.

I didn’t want Sam to grow up with a bias against country music, and songs like this have helped him appreciate it in a way most of the kids I went to school with never could. He’s even introduced me to a couple of cool country-crossover songs in recent years, like Old Town Road by Lil Nas X (with Billy Ray Cyrus!) and A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey. Job done.

Track 3: Stevie Wonder - Masterblaster (Jammin’)

Stevie in the 70s is, of course, untouchable, and his tribute to Bob Marley is another stone cold classic… but hold up, this is from 1980? When did it all start going downhill? It’s OK, I reckon you can go as far as 1982. And even after that song, you know, the “Is she in a coma?” one, there’s Part-Time Lover, which is a late era belter. After that… I dunno, you tell me? Did Stevie Wonder do anything else worth listening to after 1985? I don’t want to discriminate.

Unless you tell me otherwise, Sam’s knowledge of Stevie Wonder will finish then.

Personally, I don’t think CD108 maintains the standard set by the first three tracks… but let’s be honest, what compilation does? You always front-load the juicy stuff, just to get people to give it a shot.

Three more tracks next week.

Neverending Top Ten #7.2: The Last Day of School

Alice Cooper - School's Out

This is Sam's last day at Junior School. Over the past few weeks, since finishing his SATs, he's been taking part in sporting tournaments, excelling in the school play, and visiting the High School for a transition day. This time last year, the idea of moving up to the big school was starting to fill him with some trepidation, but recently we've seen that change... like he's ready for it now, like he's outgrown his Junior School and has begun to see it as too small for him, too young.

The White Stripes - We're Going To Be Friends

Of course, he's 11 going on 16, so it's becoming increasingly difficult to know how he really feels about anything. He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve anymore, like little kids do. He's starting to keep his thoughts and emotions inside, and you need a crowbar to get them out.

Bruce Springsteen - Growin' Up

How do I feel about all this? The predictable blend of joy and melancholy. My little boy is growing up, becoming more independent, moving on in his life... and I want to celebrate that with him. But I also want him to stay little forever. For all the obvious reasons.

Taylor Swift - Never Grow Up

I'm reminded of the poem Walking Away by Cecil Day Lewis (yes, Daniel's dad). And, as always at times like this, I'm reminded of Brad Paisley's best song...

Emergency Questions Bonus Round: How Do You Brush Your Teeth?

This isn't one of Richard Herring's questions, but it follows on from Friday's post regarding brushing hair...

How do you brush your teeth?

Or, more specifically, what do you use to brush your teeth?

Smart Alecs will already be shouting "a toothbrush, duh!" at the screen... but what I mean is: do you use an electric toothbrush or an old-fashioned manual one?

For many years now, we've all used electric toothbrushes at Top Ten Towers. And indeed, every time I visit the dentist, she encourages me to do this.

However, have you noticed...? NOBODY on TV uses electric toothbrushes.

Couples brushing their teeth together or having a conversation while one of them is brushing their teeth is a TV director's shorthand to demonstrate domesticity. It happens all the time in TV shows. Yet nobody ever uses an electric toothbrush. Now clearly, there's an obvious reason for this - the noise of the toothbrush makes it harder to have a conversation / hear the dialogue. But this is one of the TV quirks that, once you've noticed it, you see it all the time.

Most recently it came up in an episode of the new John Hamm show Your Friends & Neighbours. Here are a bunch of rich Americans with perfect teeth, living lives of obscenely excessive wealth (which is why Hamm has started stealing from them all)... yet they still use bog standard bargain shop toothbrushes. This has become a bit of an obsession of mine lately, so please let me know if you ever see anyone on TV using an electric toothbrush. 

Mama Cass - Talkin' To Your Toothbrush

Brad Paisley - Toothbrush

Harry's Gym - Toothpaste

The Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses

Blancmange - Don't Forget Your Teeth

All good tunes, but the main reason for this post was to give me a chance to play this...

Snapshots #371 - A Top Fifteen Songs About Film Stars (By Other Names)

It's a rather cumbersome title to this week's quiz... but I'm sure you all know what I mean.

Here are fifteen songs about what Ray Davies called Celluloid Heroes...

15. He allowed Zoe to get all messed up.

"He allowed Zoe" was an anagram...

Lee Hazlewood - The Performer

14. Invisible violet growing in the mountains.

If violet is invisible, it's ultraviolet. Montane means, "of or inhabiting mountainous country".

The Ultra Montanes - Aging Starlet

13. Birmingham City are a temperamental bunch.

Birmingham City are the Blues, or so I'm told.

The Moody Blues - The Actor

12. Found in Labradors and just outside Glasgow.

LaBRADors from Paisley.

Brad Paisley - Celebrity

11. Get high in a South End amusement park.

Kursaal Flyers - The Great Artiste

10. Frizzy.

Split Enz - Matinee Idyll

That's not how I'd spell "idol", but the song fits.

9. Paranoid, like a pig.

Marvin was paranoid. Like a pig could be Ham-lish.

Marvin Hamlisch - The Entertainer

8. Secret panther is well hidden.

"Secret panther" is an anagram...

The Carpenters - Superstar

7. Elaborately ornamental furnishings.

Rococo - Blue Movie Star

I included that one just for George.

Because it's prog! No other reason...

6. Carson pulled a few.

"That's a cracker," said Frank Carson. Not Johnny.

Cracker - Movie Star

5. Once had to deal with a sneezing baby, a broken toaster and a burnt soufflé, all in the same day.

Those are the lyrics of Coming Around Again. This is a lesser known offering...

Carly Simon - Actress

4. How much do you want for this commotion?

Name your Price for Lloyd (Cole).

Lloyd Price - Personality

3. Michael and Marti's rat meets #4's Stagger. 

Michael and Marti both sang about Ben, the rat. Lloyd Price sang about Stagger Lee.

Ben Lee - Household Name

2. LGBTQ party doesn't get a passing grade.

The LGBTQ party, so I'm reliably informed, would be a Kiki. D is not a pass.

Kiki Dee - Star

1. Pursue Dean Martin to find the answer.

Pursue Dean Martin...

Suede - Filmstar

You're nominated for another starring role next Saturday...

Self-Help For Cynics #30: Anti-Social Media

Back to our old friend Tiberius. 

Alabama 3 - Facebook.con

Tiberius isn't on Snappychat or Instagrass or any of the newer-fangled social networking sites. He checks in with the Book of Faces once or twice a day, mostly to keep up with old friends, drop the occasional witticism and play along with the daily quizzes one or two of his more eccentric peers post. And he quit Tweeter (which he'd rarely used anyway) when Elon Musk turned it into a dystopian autocracy named after an LA band featuring Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom and D. J. Bonebrake. 

X - Burning House Of Love

In terms of the pressures of social media then, Tiberius is living quite a mentally-healthy life. Unlike the average teenager...

My Chemical Romance - Teenagers

A survey published earlier this year suggests that almost half of British teenagers are addicted to social media. Here's a selection of comments from the mouths of actual teenage young people in The Times of London last month...

“If I went an hour without my phone, I would be really stressed.”

“I was talking to people online when I was ten.”

“I would much rather have been born in the Eighties. I would have been working a lot harder.”

“You get a buzz if someone likes your comment. So a phone does give you quite a lot of validation, which is unhealthy in large doses – but it does feel good.”

That last one brings us back to Tiberius. Because, as previously mentioned, Tiberius does write a blog. Something which he claims he only does as a way of relaxing and focusing his mind on his two main interests - music and writing. Tiberius frequently states that he does this purely for himself, that it doesn't matter if other people read his witterings or leave an agreeable comment, and yet... and yet...

Remember our discussion about the benefits and pitfalls of writing?

Remember our brief look at that wonderful feel-good brain chemical dopamine?

Alex Cameron - Internet

According to Dr. Anna Lembke of Stanford University’s dual diagnosis addiction clinic, we are all dopamine addicts when it comes to social media (and that must include blogging). According to the Grauniad...

She calls the smartphone the “modern-day hypodermic needle”: we turn to it for quick hits, seeking attention, validation and distraction with each swipe, like and tweet.

Stefan Dennis - Don't It Make You Feel Good?

(I couldn't resist slipping that one in. I know: I'm beyond hope.)

Social media, and the internet at large, is directly responsible for the rise in unhappiness in the developed world over the past 30 years. Could the microcosm of the blogosphere be just as responsible for this as TikTok, Tinder and Pornhub? Surely it's not as bad as those appalling supervillains? Well, if it's encouraging our dopamine addiction... maybe.

Lora Logic - On The Internet

Dopamine causes addiction because of how the brain works in response to it. After any pleasurable experience (which causes a dopamine release), the brain responds with a process called homeostasis. Which basically uses the lyrics of Pete Seeger's Turn! Turn! Turn! (or the Book of Ecclesiastes, if you want to get Biblical) as a template for self-regulation.

A time to build up, a time to break down

A time to dance, a time to mourn

A time to cast away stones

A time to gather stones together

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)

Or you might say it's following Newton's Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In other words, for every up... there must follow a down. Or a downer, to be more precise.

When we binge on pleasurable things, homeostasis means “our brain compensates by bringing us lower and lower and lower,” says Lembke. Each time the thing becomes less enjoyable, but we eventually become dependent on those stimuli to keep functioning. We spiral into a joy-seeking abyss. 

Carter USM - The Final Comedown

And when it comes to the internet, there's nothing to stop us feeding our addiction. If we're hooked on booze or drugs, eventually we'll run out of the substance in question, or run out of the funds needed to procure them. If you're addicted to social media because of the tiny dopamine spikes that come from a like or a thumbs up or a smiley... or a blogging comment... then short of them turning off your electric (and the batteries on all your mobile devices dying simultaneously), there's nothing to stop you gorging yourself to the point of gluttony. 

Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough

Which makes Tiberius question... how much blogging is too much blogging? Is up to (and sometimes over) a thousand words a day just too much? In devoting so much time to the dopamine-inducing thrill of blogging, is he denying himself the comedown? What is that doing to his brain?

More on this next time...

Neverending Top Ten #4.4: Don't Cry, Dad

For some reason, all Sam's away games seem to be played on mountain tops. It's bloody freezing on the sidelines. Even when I'm wearing two coats. Just call me Daddy Two Coats. Or... maybe Dad Two Coats.

You see, I've noticed that whenever Sam is around his footballing mates, I cease being Daddy - the name he's called me for the past 8 years, the badge I wear with pride. Now I'm merely the somehow less intimate, already growing distant every day "Dad". Back in the car, or at home, I'll revert to being Daddy... but out there on the pitch. I'm just Dad.

Rites of passage don't just affect the young. As Brad Paisley says, There's A Last Time For Everything... I wonder how long it'll be before I cease to be Daddy forever?

 

Some consider Don't Cry Daddy to be Elvis at his most mawkish. Not me. I reckon he takes Mac Davis's song and injects genuine tragedy via a tender and sincere performance. Further evidence that Elvis was the Prince of Pathos, as well as the King of Rock n Roll. 

Excuse me. Something in my eye...

Mid-Life Crisis Songs #39: I'm As Old As...

Watching the last episode of The Affair last week, I was once again confronted by my own mortality.

The Affair isn't the kind of show I'd normally be drawn to, but I initially started watching it because it featured Dominic West (fresh from The Wire) and Ruth Wilson (the best thing in Luthor... until they brought her back for that very silly episode which ruined her character in the most recent, shark-jumping, series). Although both actors were excellent in the show, the best performance (and best character) came from Maura Tierney (aka Nurse Abbey in E.R.) as West's estranged wife. The show was extremely well-written (for the most part - occasionally it became a bit silly, but all the best shows do that at times), balancing drama and humour really well and creating some really complex, three-dimensional characters along the way. The hook was to tell the same story from different character's perspectives and this allowed viewers to both sympathise and vilify the same people within the same episode. It often made me think about how others see us, how our actions are viewed or misconstrued by others, and how truth is extremely subjective.

The last episode was very satisfying to me. I was rather worried throughout the final season that the writers were about to throw Dominic West's character under a bus and make him out to have been a bad guy all along, but instead they chose to redeem him rather spectacularly, and the final scenes which showed him as an old man in the 2050s, dancing along to his memories of his daughter's wedding alone on a clifftop, were poignant and uplifting. (Mike Scott must have made a tidy sum from the final season of The Affair as The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys has been featured repeatedly.)

Anyway, to the point of this post. Prior to his clifftop dance, we saw West's character sitting at his wife's graveside, reading to her. On the gravestone it's revealed that Helen (Tierney's character) was born in 1972, the same year I crawled out onto this earth. And this was rather shocking to me. Because the characters in The Affair all seemed to much... if not older, then certainly more mature and worldly -wise than I myself feel. In my head, I'm not 47, I'm just not that grown up. I was rather relieved then when I googled Tierney to discover she is actually 7 years older than me in real life, while West is 3 years older. (Ruth Wilson is ten years younger, but I can accept that.)

All this got me looking further into famous people who are the same age as me. I made a list and asked myself for each of them: do I really think I'm as old as they are? Are they older than me in my head... or younger? It's an interesting game to play.

My "I'm as old as..." Top Ten

1. Ben Affleck

I've known that Affleck and me are the same age for years now, so I guess I've come to terms with it. From Good Will Hunting onwards, we've kind of grown older together. He looks roughly the same age as me now too (a similar number of grey hairs, anyway)... though I think I've (thankfully) had a bit less drama in my life over the past few years.

2. Billie Joe Armstrong

I guess I can handle being the same age as Mr. Green Day too, having grown up with his band. I think I dress my age better than he does, though Louise may disagree.

3. Eminem

In my head, Eminem will always be a snotty 20-something. Having said that, he's looking a bit like grizzled truck-driver in the photo above, so I guess he's growing old as disgracefully as you'd expect.

4. Dwayne Johnson

We should all look as good as The Rock does at 47. I dunno though, he always seems kind of ageless to me. It'll be interesting to see him in another 10 years.

5. Cameron Diaz

I first saw Cameron Diaz on screen in The Mask, which she filmed back in the early 90s when she was 21. Back then, she seemed a lot older than me... because at 21, I still felt like I was 16. Sad to hear she's retired from acting: it's a shame that Hollywood isn't always as kind to actresses once they hit their late 40s as it is to their male equivalents.

6. Toni Collette

Contrary to that, we have Toni Collette, an actress who seems to get more interesting and challenging roles the older she gets. I think I'd have fancied Toni Collette if we'd been in the same class at high school... though she would obviously have been far too cool to give me the time of day.

7. Idris Elba

Speaking of cool, here's another 1972 birth who just seems to get cooler with each passing year. So he must be older than me. (Actually he's 6 months younger.)

8. Liam Gallagher

Liam reminds me of some of the knobheads I went to school with. So yes, sadly, I can see that we'd be in the same year together.

9. Gwyneth Paltrow

Regrettably Gwyneth also reminds me of some of the "I'm so much better than you mere mortals" egomaniac dullards I went to school with, especially in the Sixth Form.

10. Brad Paisley

On the other hand, one of the reasons I like Brad Paisley so much is that I know exactly which era he grew up in. As perfectly demonstrated in my favourite Brad Paisley song, Last Time For Everything.

I'm quite surprised by this Top Ten. When I came up with the idea, I was certain that I would have felt younger that the stars who shared my birth year. Looking back at it now - though they're all obviously far more successful and (ahem, Liam) talented than I'll ever be - I can pretty much accept every one of them as a contemporary.

Here's one more person who was born in 1972... and even wrote a song about it: Travis Morrison.



Feel free to steal this idea for your own blog... or leave a comment to let me know who else is as old as you. Hopefully it won't be too depressing for you.

Saturday Snapshots #92 - The Answers

It's A Beautiful Day. You're at Home. You're Feeling Good. There's a picture of Michael Bublé on your computer screen and you're trying to pretend you're so cool that you don't even know who he is. Stop trying so hard to be cool and embrace the Bublé. You know you want to.

It was a full-on battle between Charity Chic, Lynchie and Walter first thing yesterday morning. Lynchie looked set to take the trophy with 3 points to CC's 2 and a half... until a last second equalizer from CC clinched the draw. Thanks, as always, for playing.


10. Mucking about leads to romance for sprite-like creature and chess piece.

A sprite-like creature would be elvin. (Elfin or elvish?)

Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around And Fell In Love

9. Outdoor Master of Ceremonies: what a weirdo!

OMC - How Bizarre

8. Repetitive soup and shrieking sycamore wish the day away.

The lady is a Campbell.

The gent is a former Screaming Tree.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Saturday's Gone

7. Outlaw sweethearts find stardom with pudding & pie.

Georgie Peorgie, pudding & pie, kissed the girls and made them cry.

Stardom is fame.

Outlaw sweethearts were...

Georgie Fame - The Ballad of  Bonnie & Clyde

6. Pre-arrival dessert.

Blancmange - The Day Before You Came

Here's a question for you.

Why does it take him and hour and a quarter to get to work, but three hours to get home?

(How long does he spend in the Chinese takeaway?)

5. Hot rumours block authority.

Hot gossip, obviously.

Gossip - Standing In The Way of Control

4. Chess champion leaves Gordon a note.

Grandmaster Flash (Gordon's Alive!) leaves a message.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message

It's like a jungle sometimes

It makes me wonder

How I keep from going under

3. Fashionable local authority watches Germany unite.

Well done to C for spotting a not-immediately-recognisable Mr. Weller on the left.

The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down 

2. Southern climbers defy death with sad Spanish bum singer.

Jackie was a singer with a Spanish bum.

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue

1. Prince's house is the Pitts. All things must end.

Prince lived at Paisley Park, but not with Brad Pitt.

Congrats to Chris for getting "the hard one". (Although Mr. Paisley is a favourite of mine.) I'll have a dig around for some Toby Keith in future week, just for Lynchie. Who says I don't do requests?

This video must be watched right until the end... for the full Hoff.

Saturday Snapshots will be back next week. Michael Bublé may not be.

My Top Ten Mona Lisa Songs

Just managing to keep the lights on at My Top Ten at the moment. Here are ten songs about the most famous / miserable painting in the world...

10. Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile

A song about feeling bad and having a good moan to get it out of your system.

A song about blogging, then?

9. Al Stewart - Mona Lisa Talking

Much underrated, Al Stewart...

These Renaissance girls know what they're saying
There are whispers at night in the halls of paintings
You think you're the first one to come untethered
But we've been watching you forever

8. Panic! At The Disco - The Ballad of Mona Lisa

A former student used to tell me (every lesson) that I looked like the lead singer of P!ATD, to the point that he started calling me Brendon. I don't see it myself, but I've been called far worse things.

7. Grant Lee Phillips - Mona Lisa

This is really quite lovely, especially the "burgundy smile you wore yesterday".

6. Strangelove - Mona Lisa

Patrick Duff wants to kiss a girl with a disappearing smile.

5. Television Personalities - Sad Mona Lisa

She likes to go shopping on Saturdays

Especially to Kensington Market

For acid house records her mother hates

And posters of Morten Harket

Extra points for rhyming Kensington Market with Morton Harket, obviously.

4. Brad Paisley - The Mona Lisa

I feel, like the frame
That gets to hold the Mona Lisa
And I don't care
If that's all I'll ever be

Brad Paisley makes this love-song writing malarky look easy.

3. Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa

What a voice. She'd have to smile at Nat! Similar smiles for Willie Nelson, Marvin Gaye... and Deano.

2. Jens Lekman - A Man Walks Into A Bar

Jens practices his chat up lines...

How many lovers does it take
To put a light bulb into a socket?
Why did Mona Lisa smile?
I have the answer written down in my pocket.

But it's not as creepy as that might sound...

I know why Mona Lisa smiled
Da Vinci must have been a really funny guy
And laughter is the only way into my heart

1. Elton John - Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters

For all his latter-day sins, early Elton takes some beating...



I could probably have stretched to another ten. The Manics would have got in here had they not thrown acid all over the painting. Which one leaves an enigmatic smile on your face?

Hot 100 #62

An unsigned band from Edinburgh give us our opening image this week. Check them out on Soundcloud.

But what about songs with 62 in them? Let's jump straight into your suggestions...

C started us off with a song we already had 4 weeks back...

Route 66 - whose ever version you like best!

"get your kicks on Route 66 and I'll meet you on Route 62"

...but sadly no double-week-winners on this series.

Next up was The Swede...

The Tragically Hip's 'Fifty Mission Cap' contains the line 

"The last goal he ever scored won the Leafs, the cup, 

They didn't win another till 1962, 

The year he was discovered..."

It's a marvellous song telling a fascinating story.

Can't really argue with that.

Next up was Martin, who offered this gem...

You Keep It All In by The Beautiful South

"Just like that murder in '73 

Just like that robbery in '62 

With all there things that have happened to me 

I kept it all in"

Certainly wins video of the week... and any other week would probably clinch the title.

But Martin wasn't done there...

Or Loudon Wainwright III with the brilliant Talking New Bob Dylan, which includes:

"Well, it musta been about '62

I heard you on record, you were brand new"

(Really, I love this song.)

And how could he not? As Loudon admits, Bob was "hipper than Mitch Miller... and Johnny Mathis put together!"

Then Lynchie popped up with a heartbreaking slice of classic country...

Sixty-Two’s Most Promising Fool by Marty Robbins

And Alyson kept it country, knowing my love for Brad Paisley...

Brad Paisley - JFK 1962

Except that's not really a song, just a snip of JFK's famous moon speech set to music... a lengthy intro to this song, which is rather timely since the new Neil Armstrong movie starring Ryan Gosling appears to have left the American flag back home, much to the chagrin of a certain Mr. Trump. Still, I never really took Brad's song as jingoistic, far more hopeful... plus I'm a sucker for songs featuring 5 year olds talking to their dads. 

(Actually, what I find most interesting about listening to that JFK speech is how much he sounds like the great Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off. Without the swearing. Just me?)

Rigid Digit, meanwhile, came to kick out the jams...

The MC5 - Rocket Reducer No 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)

What a racket. (In a good way.)

But this week's winner was...

...well, I know what you're all thinking.

You're all thinking this week's winner will be this, as originally suggested by The Swede and then seconded by Martin and Brian...

Sir leads the troops
Jealous of youth
Same old suit since nineteen sixty two

And certainly, it is one of my favourites from the early days of The Smiths. However, I'm going to throw a curveball this week and go with Jim from Dubai's suggestion... some classic 90s powerpop all the way from Sweden. A big favourite of mine back in the day...
 

Next week... 61. Any ideas?

My Top 17 Albums of 2017 #11

Celebrity chums add depth* and chuckles** to a play-it-safe set. Still country's most incisive raconteur.

*John Fogerty, duetting on the title track: a worthy update of Creedence's Fortunate Son.

**Mick Jagger, given the chance the play the louche lizard again on Drive Of Shame.

See also this: the year's best song about growing old. Still makes me laugh and cry.

And as for the internet...

Your grandmother's in an open casket
You're in a suit and shades
You take your iPhone out and snap it: #sadday
You oughta be ashamed

Posing in the bathroom mirror, in a skimpy little two piece
In the background there's a toddler, cryin' on the toilet seat...

 

You oughta be ashamed, of your selfie
Now why you gotta go and tweet it?
When you really oughta just delete it
Now we all want to unsee it but we can't
You oughta be ashamed (but you're not)

Next: This is what happens, Larry...

May #2: Laughing & Crying With Brad

First off, I know: that is one freakin' awful album cover. I mean, you already decided not to bother with this post, right? And if that wasn't enough... this is Brad Paisley. The current king of Nashville. Glossy, corporate country music with not a drop of authentic Americana in sight. I should stop right here...

But...

But...

I love Brad Paisley. He's not only my favourite contemporary country star, he's also become one of my favourite recording artists of the 21st Century. He seems like a genuine bloke, not a spangly Stetson poster boy; a singer who's got where he is by playing all the obvious country cards... then opening up a second pack and dealing out songs about subjects country music rarely covers. The internet. The environment. Workplace sexism. Near death experiences. Bad people winning lotteries. Searching each other for ticks as a prelude to getting it on...

Brad regularly manages to make me laugh... and cry. Big, genuine, monster pipette tears. Yeah, I know, I cry a lot these days. At the stupidest things. I keep meaning to do a Top Ten Songs That Make Me Bawl Every Time I Hear Them... but I'm worried it would be too traumatic to listen to them all back-to-back.

Anyway, here's a song that has managed to evoke both those reactions... which you've got to admit is pretty rare. But it's probably just me...

2. Brad Paisley - Last Time For Everything

The tears came first. I was driving to work when I first listened to this song. And here was Brad - who's exactly the same age as me, minus six months - listing all the great experiences in his life that he'll never have again. That's what this song is about, beginning with the big teenage experiences that you quickly grow out of... or no longer need to worry about...

Using a fake ID at a college bar
Getting caught with a girl in the backseat of a car
Running out on the field for the senior game wearing number 17
There's a last time for everything

Yes, they're very American experiences. But I grew up in the 80s, my teenage years were filtered through over-exposure to American TV shows and teen movies. I can relate. Things get more universally emotive in verse three when Brad evokes memories of your grandparents and first pet you'll never see again. But it's the last verse when he really kicked me in the gut...

Kissing goodbye on her porch and driving away
Introducing her as your fiancee
Getting woke up at 5 am to see if Santa came
There's a last time for everything

Throughout the song he namedrops a couple of artists no longer with us - Glen Frey and Little Jimmy Dickens - remembering the last time he saw them perform live. We're reminded that any time could be our last time, for anything. Something I guess we've all thought about this week. So the song's final line... well, I won't spoil it, but by then I was blubbing. (And remember: this guy is called Brad Paisley...)

OK, so here's the song. I'm sure you won't end up a quivering mess like I did, but give it a try...



Then... prepare yourself for the actual video. Which turned the song on its head for me and actually had me grinning, even laughing by the end. Again, I'm the same age as Brad, so the cultural references he chooses to pepper the visuals with are right up my street. Knight Rider. Ghostbusters. Back To The Future. Raleigh Choppers and Sony Walkmans. Even a bit of Huey Lewis & The News. (Plus, as you may have already noticed, the song is built round a guitar riff which melds Run To You with Every Breath You Take.) But this time the kicker comes with the video's wonderfully timed celebrity cameo - a fluke, as it turns out, since the celeb in question apparently just turned up when he heard Paisley was filming because he's a big fan. It'll only make you really smile if you're the same age as me and Brad... but I watched the video four times in a row the day I discovered it. (If you dig it, make you sure watch right to the very end.)



Nostalgia's weird. It can make you laugh and cry in the same song. Enjoy it while you can.

This could be the last time... I don't know.

My Top Ten Maths Songs (Volume 1: Basic Math/s)

The two essential subjects for all students at the college where I work are English and Maths. As an English teacher, I'm supposed to embed a little mathematics into all my lessons, so I thought I'd try embedding some into this blog. I'll work my way through the various branches of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) over the next few weeks (though perhaps not all at once), but I thought I'd start with basic maths... or math, depending on which side of the Atlantic you do your sums on.

Special mentions to Maths & Physics Club, Mutemath, and all those weird Math Rock bands I find so very hard to get into.


10. Jimmy Buffett - Math Suks

Now, that's not a very good attitude to start off with, is it, Jimmy? Go to the bottom of the class!

(By the way, your spelling's not all that great, either.)

9. Half Man Half Biscuit - Mathematically Safe

Just about the closest Nigel Blackwell ever got to writing a straight-up love song.

8. The White Stripes - Black Math

Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh ah...

7. Brad Paisley - You Do the Math

Ah, I just love that happy guitar sound and those cheery (swap they r for an s if you're so minded) lyrics. Long may Brad strut his country stuff.

6. Los Campesinos! - Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)

Starts out sounding like Belle & Sebastian, then goes cheerfully mental, like all the best Los Campesinos! records. When Americans miss the s off the end of Maths, Aleksandra, Oliver, Tom, Harriet, Gareth, Neil and Ellen Campesinos! start overusing exclamation marks.

5. Jim's Big Ego - Math Prof. Rock Star

Carmine Infantino was a legendary comic book artist, most famous for an extended run on DC's The Flash back in the 70s and 80s. His nephew, Jim Infantino is the man behind the hugely entertaining alt-rock band Jim's Big Ego, perhaps most famous for their song The Ballad of Barry Allen, about Uncle Carmine's most famous superhero. This is another great song from them, reminiscent of the Fountains of Wayne with added REM guitar.

When he was young he never thought that he would be a
Math Prof Rock Star

And after hours outside of his office, there's a line waiting
Full of girls lining up to ask about their quadratic equations
She leans over the desk and twirls a pencil in her hair
Complains that the grade he gave her was way unfair
And all the professors they laugh about it and wish him well
But the guys in the class are just jealous as hell

Find out more about "the Greatest Band In The History of Recorded Music" here.

4. dEUS - Little Arithmetics

Quick geography test: how many bands can you name from Belgium?

Tougher than you think, and I could only think of one better than dEUS. Any guesses?*

3. Margaret Glaspy - Emotions & Math

Title track from the excellent 2016 debut record by this refreshing Californian singer-songwriter which I took a punt on via eMusic after hearing Cerys play it on 6Music. So far, the gamble is paying off... though the rest of the album isn't as radio-friendly as this one...

Counting all the days 'til you're back
Shivering in an ice cold bath
Of emotions and math
I've gotta get outta this tree
Off of this limb
I'm a woman acting like a kid
A skinny mess
That's breathless from telling you
All the things that I'm gonna do

Phew. I reckon I need an ice cold bath after that one...

2. Idlewild - Close The Door

Always good to hear some classic Idlewild again, and here they are at their best...it's time for the maths test!

1. Cherry Ghost - Mathematics

I saw Cherry Ghost play live around the time this track was big. This was by far their best track, reminding me of the New York romanticism of Dion... which was odd, because Simon Aldred's a gruff Manc. He's made some great music since, but Mathematics is still his finest moment.





*My answer was Soulwax.


But which one wins your maths test?