Music Monday: Patti Boyd

To continue the George Harrison and Eric Clapton theme from last week, this is the beautiful lady who won the hearts of not only Beatle George Harrison but Eric Clapton as well and had four fabulous songs written for her. Apparently both John Lennon and Mick Jagger also fancied a bit too. You can see why, she's a bit of a stunner.

George wrote "I Need You" and "Something" and Eric wrote "Layla" and "Wonderful Tonight". I'm sure you've heard of them!

The whole relationship surrounding these two, George and Eric, is pretty complicated and would make for one huge fabulous late 60's early 70's period drama (why no-one has bothered making something like this for TV I'll never know - I mean, just imagine the soundtrack!).

Now, legend has it, during one atmospheric evening at George's house and to quote Patti from her book:

"George handed him a guitar and an amp - as an 18th century gentleman might have handed his rival a sword - and for two hours, without a word, they duelled.

"At the end, nothing was said but the general feeling was that Eric had won. He hadn't allowed himself to get riled or go in for instrumental gymnastics as George had. Even when he was drunk, his guitar-playing was unbeatable."

How good?! I love reading about stuff like that.

Don't Stop Me Now

Back in 2002/03 time I rediscovered a collection of old cassette tapes hidden away in my house. In amongst the old "Now that's what I call music" double sets and few singles (including the great "Swamp Thing" by The Grid), was Queen's Greatest Hits.

It's an absolutely biblically epic album with such belters as Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites the Dust, Killer Queen, Fat Bottomed Girls, Bicycle Race, You're My Best Friend and of course Don't Stop Me Now. If anything it is perhaps the greatest of greatest hits.

"Oooh" says I, but not in a Mercury esque manner. It might have been. Ok it was.

"I think I might have to give this a bit of a hammering."

It got a quick listen that very night. I was quickly hooked and then, by chance, I was in my mate Keith's Mam's car (A silver J reg escort - it's vivid my memory you know) and we made it all the way through Bicycle Race and You're My Best Friend and then, in a pivotal moment, the Queen track, Don't Stop Me Now blasted out of the Escort's speakers.

I don't know what it was that happened that night. Perhaps the speed we were travelling, the turned up stereo system of Keith's Mam's Ford Escort or simply the elated mood we were in. We'd both just gained our first proper jobs around this time, both of us had gotten seriously into nights out and life was on the up. Don't Stop Me Now obviously rang true with us at the time. For the next few months it became "the" song (amongst a few others I might add).

Now, around this time, Keith and I were regular, almost weekly, visitors to Redcar where we would tour the few bars, get absolutely smashed on Vodka and Red Bull which had just been introduced to the scene and then request songs from who I swear was the absolute double of Ned Flanders. Ned used to DJ in the now closed The Royal pub. The finest, funnest, most ridiculous pub Redcar has ever seen. During this time, I started asking for Queen's Don't Stop Me Now, because we loved it and it always tore the house down. Turns out other people loved it. It was a beautiful happy period of my life.

And then it spread like some disease from bar to bar. It became an essential part of the cheesy DJ's set. I asked for it in Walkabout. I asked for it in Chicago Rock. I asked for it in Aruba. It was played. How we danced. How the others danced. How we threw our hands across an imaginary sky during the line, "like a rocket ship racing through the sky"...

But.

You see.

The thing is, I cannot stand the song now.

Every week, in several of the bars we now go in it's almost guaranteed to be played.

Guaranteed.

"Tonight, I am gonna have myself a real good time..."

Well I am sorry Freddie, Bri and the other two, whatever your names are, but maybe I am not this week. Maybe I am a bit miffed that you get played all the time now during my hazy period on a night out. "Tonig...

No Frederick. Just. No.

And do you know what? It's my fault he gets played every week.

I asked for it every week.

Without fail.

Yes, me.

It was fresh and new and retro back in the early 2000's! It hadn't been played for 25 years! But oh no, I just took it too far. It's now become an essential part of your modern night out now. It's a Walkabout classic. A Chicago Rock floor filler. A downstairs in Aruba nightmare.

I am almost certain, 99% certain infact that I never heard Queen's Don't Stop Me Now in a pub or club before until I asked for it that fateful night in Redcar. A good 3 or 4 years worth of going out from 1999 or so.

So, for this, I apologise.

The next time you hear this Queen "classic" belt out of the speakers in your local cheesy disco please, spare a little thought for me.

Music Monday

Here's one of my favourite tracks off one of my favourite albums. This is Savoy Truffle from The Beatles White Album. It's George Harrison's tribute to Eric Clapton's fondness for a particular box of Mackintosh's chocolates and a spot of toothache.

The Upbeat Glass Smash

The Upbeat Glass Smash is a musical project I've worked on for many years now and I decided to put together my favourite tracks and present them to you here...

The Best of The Upbeat Glass Smash

Music Monday

To steal an idea from my brother Pete's blog and to link in to Twitter's Music Monday, Monday's are going to have a musical theme on this here blog. Be it just a song / video, a classic live performance, an anecdotal story of rock excess or an interesting "didn't know that!"

For example, La Roux is June Ackland off The Bill's daughter. I didn't know that!

Anyway, let's kick off with a great tune from who else but my all time favourites, The Who. This is Who Are You.



The song was written by Pete Townshend after a night on the lash depressed and feeling like he had sold out. He ended up bumping into some of the Sex Pistols, who had made a comment about the Who in a TV interview, at the Speakeasy in London. Townshend, blind drunk, got in their faces screaming, "Who are ya?!"

This video was filmed at Shepperton Studios especially for the "The Kids Are Alright" documentary not long before Keith Moon's death in 1978. Moon was in a pretty bad way having recently come back from his Los Angeles home after some unbelievable drug and alcohol abuse. It seemed this day he was just in mischievous, show off moods. Apparently, once the filming was over, he played a drum solo that John Entwistle described as "...just fucking phenomenal!". Judging by his playing here, I can't imagine it was anything but.

Soundalike

I heard an absolutely cracking tune on the radio the other night on my way to five a side. It was by Tthe Noisettes and it's called, Never Forget You.

It's fantastic.

I love it but there's a part of it that I was sure I had heard before.

It's this "Alway's remember me!" bit.



What was it? I Youtubed the video and ploughed through all the comments. Nothing. The closest was some guy saying ti sounded like something he'd heard in the 60s.

I listened and listened and then tried singing different stuff over the top of it.

"If you're without him."

"When it's without you."

"When you're without him."

"When you're without her."

"When you're without love!"

Ahh, something clicked that that last line was off a song I like. I Googled the lyrics but didn't have much look until I finally got there...



Am I right? Or is it just me hearing this?

Noel Gallagher Leaves Oasis

Well, it finally came to this. Noel Gallagher walking out on Oasis after one row too many with brother Liam.

Well I'm glad to say I did get to see them last year at one of the opening shows of this tour, in Sheffield. It was a great gig, though the seats we were in were rather shit, to be fair but still that communal sing-along is one great feeling and experience.

People might slag them off and say they should have packed in after What's the Story. To me that is people following the 'cool' opinion. And, I disagree with it. For me, all of their albums have been fantastic.

I know, they didn't 'crack the USA' and they're bickering/arrogance filled the papers but so what? They were a truly great, massive, iconic band who produced some of the finest songs ever made. They sold millions of records, set records and defined an era.

Oasis have also provided me many happy memories, lots of singalongs in particular one that stands out is singing Don't Look Back in Anger at Pete's stag do; five or six of us arm in arm in a crowded nightclub in Nottingham.

So, for all the joy they've brought me and no doubt will in hopefully future solo projects or a Noel-less Oasis (who can picture that? Not me.) I say thank you for the good times...

My All Time Favourite Song - Part 3

A quick follow up.

I've been having a really good think about this and listening to some serious amounts of music. Where to start?!

There are just so many! From Abba's SOS to the Walker Brother's The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore and everything in between.

There's a very small selection on this Spotify playlist...

spotify:user:kingchief1000:playlist:3LuXGMLrqQbCaRlPU3tiP3

...which will no doubt grow and grow.

My All Time Favourite Song - Part 2

Well it turns out that I misinterpeted Keith's favourite song of all time. Although Rocking All Over The World was given a mention, it was actually this...

My All Time Favourite Song - Part 1

This debate got going last night back at my friends Robbie's house and when I was asked what my all time favourite song was, it stumped me.

What is my all time favourite song? I literally don't have one!! I like so many songs but I don't have one that stands out above all the others. Or do I?

What better excuse then to do some blogging and analyse my favourite songs.

Robbie's answer was, quite unbelievably, this...



And Keith's was, yes, you've guessed it, Status Quo...



...neither of which I am particularly fond of.

I couldn't have even told you who sang the Vandross song above until last night and the Quo song is well, just what it is, an overly simple party song that, whilst it gets me out of my seat, it doesn't say or mean anything to me emotionally. Whereas to Keith, he associates it with a particularly happy time - Boro lifting the Carling Cup all those years ago.

More on this very soon.

Woodstock Anniversary

It's the 40th Anniversary of this monumental, historical event and what better excuse than to air a little of my favourite band on my blog.



Here's a clip of Pete Townshend, spiked with acid (as they all were), smashing a guitar around political activist Abbie Hoffman. Hoffman interrupted them at the conclusion of Pinball Wizard, mid-way through their Rock Opera, Tommy. Earlier in the show Townshend had already booted a cameraman for getting too close to Roger Daltrey.

Easily the most exciting, dangerous and talented live band there's ever been.

Woodstock: The Director's Cut airs tonight on BBC 4 at 9pm.

Les Paul RIP

Lovely.

i-Pod and i-Phone

Well I was in for some conflict today. I wasn't too bothered today about the lass who's on work experience wearing her ipod all day. After all she was doing a load of filing for me and doing a fairly good job. I couldn't hear it, she didn't hum along either so there was no need to bother her you might think. Oh no, a few complaints came my way after she'd left and I wondered what everyone thought? Should I knack her?

But it also got me thinking quite a bit about the iPhone 3gs I've ordered. I am seriously reconsidering it now as, when the chuff am I going to use it?

I have a fully functioning PC at home (well sometimes), I use Spotify for music and well anything else that it does doesn't seem to be that practical or useful...or is it? Would I use these 'apps' a lot? Or 3 months into my 2 year contract would I just be saying, "Big fucking wow!" to the app that lets me drink an imaginary pint of Carling.

I hate Carling.

Pete's Birthday

Had a cracking time at Pete's birthday last night including an impromptu dance along to Rolf Harris's superb Court of King Caractacus. Much like this...



Great fun and Happy Birthday again to Pete, it was a quality night out.