Snapshots #366: A Top Ten Songs About The Working Week

It can be hard, getting through the working week.

Here are ten songs to ease the pain...

10. Not the home of dance culture since 1991.

Before the Ministry of Sound started laying down banging club anfems, these guys made a preferable noise (to my aging ears, anyway)...

Ministry Of Sound - White Collar Worker

He's got such a lot to do
But it's such a bore

9. A net for catching sleepy letters.

Fischer Z - The Worker

Always kiss the wife goodbye
Often wonder why
At seven in the morning?
Think it's time for a change
Wouldn't that be strange
What a waste of time

8. 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock... they can choose when they go on. 

6 o'clock News, 9 o'clock News, 10 o'clock News... with Huey as the headline.

Huey Lewis & The News - Workin' For A Living

Somedays won't end ever
And somedays pass on be I'll be working here forever,
At least until I die, dammed if you do, dammed if you don't
I'm supposed to get a raise week, you know damn well I won't.

7. Artists ride free around here.

"Artists ride" was an anagram...

Dire Straits - Money For Nothing

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color TVs

6. Strike a pose...

The Vogues - Five O'Clock World

Up every morning just to keep a job 
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob 
Sounds of the city pounding in my brain 
While another day goes down the drain

Of course, the Julian Cope version is better, but that's not their fault. 

5. Did you hear a loud bang!? Leslie Nielsen must be shooting his Naked Gun inside. 

Bang Leslie... 

The Bangles - Manic Monday

Have to catch an early train, got to be to work by nine
And if I had an aeroplane, I still couldn't make it on time
'Cause it takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear
Blame it on the train, but the boss is already there

4. A slippery line of seats.

Skid Row - Slave To The Grind

You got me forced to crack my lids in two
I'm still stuck inside this rubber room
I gotta punch the clock that leads the blind
I'm just another gear in the assembly line

3. A beautiful French hive.

In French, their name means beautiful hive. (According to Google Translate, anyway. Ernie may tell us different.)

Belleruche - Clockwatching

Your dues have long been paid
Too many times, too many times, too many times

2. A keen shilling.

Bob's eager!

Bob Seger - Feel Like A Number

I work my back till it's racked with pain
The boss can't even recall my name
I show up late and I'm docked
It never fails

1. This lady never seems to last as long as she used to. 

Summer's over far too soon these days.

Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money

And in case you were thinking, "Why didn't he include...?", I'll have a few more of these for you tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Snapshots will be back next Saturday.

Namesakes #58: Skid Row

The term "Skid Row" has come to mean any area in a big city where people whose lives are "on the skids" go to live, though more specifically it refers to an area of downtown LA with a large homeless population. It's also a name that's been adopted by a number of musical acts over the years, including...

SKID ROW #1

The first band to feature Phil Lynott and Gary Moore together, before they moved on to Thin Lizzy, though the frontman was Brendan 'Brush' Shiels, who would go on to greater success in Ireland as a radio and TV personality, and with his own solo career.

Here's a song they wrote in 1969 all about their enjoyment of Saturday Snapshots...

SKID ROW #2

Some sources will tell you that Skid Row was the original name for Nirvana, though on further investigation I discovered Kurt Cobain had previously been in a band which delighted in the name Fecal Matter, and that he and bassist Krist Novoselic were then in a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band called The Sellouts. Before settling on Nirvana, they were also known as Pen Cap Chew, Bliss and Ted Ed Fred... but here they are in their Skid Row days in early 1987...

SKID ROW #3

New Jersey hair metal gods who formed in 1986 but didn't release any records until '89. Founding member Dave Sabo was briefly a member of his mate Jon Bon Jovi's band, until he was replaced by Ritchie Sambora and went off on his own. Iffypedia tells me this Skid Row had to pay Gary Moore $35,000 in order to use the name... although Brush Shiels tells a different story. They're still in the go today, although lead singer Sebastian Bach (not that one) was given his marching orders in '96.

God willing it never happens, but if you ever found yourself on Skid Row... which would be your choice?

Hot 100 #18

Only one song by one band named after the number 18 in my record collection... but it's not a bad one at all.

The Eighteenth Day of May - Casey Jones

Welcome back to the Hot 100 as we come of age - backwards - with only 17 more weeks to go before I get to have a lie down. As has become customary in recent weeks, there's a ton of songs to get through... so let's get cracking.

Let's start with Martin...

18... I imagine there must be a bucketful. Can't think of too many off the top of my head though, so will just have to go with:

The Stray Cats - 18 Miles to Memphis 

Art Brut - 18,000 Lira  

So no, I don't expect to be winning again next week...

I dunno - that second one was in serious contention.

Next up is Lynchie...

Kathy Mattea has a decent country song called: "Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses"...

Kathy Mattea - Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses

Like that.

Speaking of 18 wheels, Rigid Digit offered this beauty...

Alabama - Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)

RD also threw these into the ring...

Everyone needs a bit of hair metal once in a while:

Skid Row - 18 And Life

That's like a Silvikrin commercial.

How about electronica?

Moby -18

A bit of headbanging stuff?

Megadeth - Hangar 18

Pardon?

Over to Jim in Dubai next...

This week I am leading with: 

The Associates - 18 Carat Love Affair 

Brian seconded that. And then added a couple more of his own...

Bubblegum Splash - 18:10 to Yeovil Junction 

You do know my affection for anything on the Subway Organization label.

Yes, indeed, and while we're doing time of day songs...

Bloc Party - Waiting For The 7:18

Brian's other suggestion was one from my own shortlist...

Grandaddy - A.M. 180

Jason Lytle's first great song but nowhere near his last.

Love that how that cheesy intro cuts into the guitars.

Back to Jim, who also offered...

The Cygnet Ring - 18 Daze

I do like that.

18 Wheeler - Stay

Look - Jim found another 18 band!

Assuming... 

Momus - London 1888 

...doesn't qualify but certainly worth a mention.

Funnily enough, I did say 19th Century songs would be allowed Jim, because I had a few of my own...

Frank Black - 1826

The Pine Hill Haints - Spirit of 1812

Sparks - It Ain't 1918

The Handsome Family - Emily Shore - 1819 - 1839

Television - 1880 Or So

That is where The National got their entire at from!

Nick Nicely - Hill Fields (1892)

And that's where Damon Albarn got his from.

One more date - a day rather than a year though.

The Deep Dark Woods - 18th of December

Great video.

Alyson made it through my defences to drop these two...

Bobby Darin - Eighteen Yellow Roses 

Bryan Adams - 18 Til I Die

OK, before we get to this week's head to head, here's a few more from my hard-drive of horror...

5 Seconds Of Summer - 18

Nils Lofgren - 60 Is The New 18

Think that probably featured in week 60. Here's another one from Nils, from back when he was closer to 18...

Grin - 18-faced Lover

Client - Diary of an 18 Year Old Boy

Reverend & The Makers - 18-30

Theaudience - Now That You Are 18

Roy Orbison - Almost Eighteen

Consider that an uncomfortable taster of the next couple of weeks.

And finally, a top track from last year's long-awaited reunion album...

The Hold Steady - Star 18

All of which leaves us with two choices for this week.

In the red corner, here's Charity Chic...

I'm eighteen with a bullet

Got my finger on the trigger, 

I'm gonna pull it

And Lynchie...

Fascinating facts about Pete Wingfield (I bought "18 With A Bullet" in 1975 - fantastically fun lyrics):

He produced Searching for the Young Soul Rebels the first album by Dexys Midnight Runners - and also produced The Proclaimers "Sunshine on Leith".

He's played keyboards for Van Morrison, The Everly Brothers, The Housemartins and many more.

Sadly however, he did play piano for The Alan Parsons Project, but nobody's perfect.


In the blue corner, here's... erm... Lynchie...

...and then there's the great Alice Cooper song: "I'm Eighteen".

And C...

I definitely second FBCB's suggestion of Alice Cooper's 'I'm Eighteen'.
A few years ago Mr SDS did his best Alice Cooper impression at a fancy dress party (it was so hot his eyeliner ran and the great thing was that it didn't matter...) Somewhere out there now there's a priceless photo of Alice, Slash and Ozzy together in a scout hut in Essex.



And this week's winner...?

Well, it's obvious really, isn't it?

Well done, Lynchie.

Next week - 17. Off the top of my head, there can be only one winner. You may seek to persuade me otherwise...

Saturday Snapshots #73 - The Answers

In This World, there are few certainties. Sometimes people go to Extreme Ways to solve Saturday Snapshots. Other times, you Lift Me Up with your answers. No wonder this is a quiz that will Run On (for a long time).

I think Lynchie did just enough to take the prize this week, but there were good efforts from everyone else, particularly George, who confessed to helping Bill Wyman break into the charts. You're an accessory, George, you're going down for that.

You want answers, Honey? Go!


10. Put your lips together like you wanna Move On Up... but these will stop you in your tracks.

Curtis Mayfield sang Move On Up.

You put your lips together and blow, said Lauren Bacall.

Brakes will stop you in your tracks. Hopefully.

Kurtis Blow - The Breaks

9. Bees bring me out in a rash... like Public Enemy Number One.

Bees live in hives.

Hives are also a nasty rash.

Public Enemy No.1 would be the Main Offender.

The Hives - Main Offender

8. I am a musicien de célébrités... not a Geordie L'addition.

Wey aye, man - l'addition is the bill, like.

Bill Wyman - (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star

Video of the week. Hell, video of the year. You will have nightmares.

7. Summer holiday at sea? Enjoy your trip...

A July cruise, perhaps?

Julee Cruise - Falling

6. Sweet home kids can't see Christ's explosive punch.

The Blind Boys of Alabama - (Jesus Hit Like The) Atom Bomb

5. Teenage revolt in the slums.

Skid Row - Youth Gone Wild

(I knew Rigid Digit would guess this one.)

4. A fantastic custom... aka Martini Tat.

Aka Martini Tat is an anagram.

Tanita Tikaram - A Good Tradition

3. A canary, like the Two Tommies.

A canary works in a coal mine.

Tommy Lee.

Tommy Dorsey.

Lee Dorsey - Working In The Coal Mine

2. Underwater breathing apparatus will burn out your retinas.

Aqualung - Brighter Than The Sun

1. MDMA overdose? Call for the army geologist.

MDMA is another name for Ecstasy.

XTC - Sgt. Rock Is Going To Help Me



Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad on a Sunday morning? Is it the knowledge that we'll have to wait another week for more Saturday Snapshots? That's Natural Blues, right there...