Snapshots #469: Songs For People Whose Name Begins With F

F---, me? As each of these people might have said, given that their names all begin with F. The people in the songs, that is, not the singers. 

Not my best introduction. Here are some tunes...

15. Gabriel, Simon, MacGregor.

Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Mary MacGregor.

Peter, Paul & Mary - Flora

14. Sounds like a big prize winning ticket.

A Golden Lottery ticket? Too good to be true...

Lotti Golden - Gonna Fay's

13. It's a bit of a squeeze for this guitarist.

He was the guitarist in Orange Juice, and the man who wrote one of their best songs...

James Kirk - Felicity

12. Initially German borders.

DE-lines.

The Delines - Left Hook Like Frazier

11. Not the kind of bloke you can rely on for a long-term commitment.

Keep away from him, ladies - he's a player.

Player - In Like Flynn

10. Divers do this.

Swim Deep - Francisco

9. Heard twice in a Flintstone cry.

Yabba dabba doo!

Abba - Fernando

8. Castle approved by the Valley Parent Teacher's Association.

Roy Castle goes to Harper Valley PTA...

Roy Harper - Francesca

7. Welsh hamster puts biscuit in his tea, adverbially.

Comedy TV Rat (and bane of my adolescence) Roland had a Welsh hamster sidekick called Errol. If he dunked with ly...

Erroll Dunkley - OK Fred

6. Aja 3rd.

Track 3 on Aja by Steely Dan... t's where they got their name.

Deacon Blue - Fergus Sings The Blues

5. Epitome, of virtue.

The Paragons - Florence

4. Hang on to this leading man.

Lead singer of the Hold Steady, though he's arguably even better as a solo act...

Craig Finn - Fletcher's

3. Percy's nun.

Percy Sledge, that is.

Sister Sledge - Hey Frankie

2. Moaning marijuanas!

The Grumbleweeds - Fiona McLaughlin

Every Friday night when I was a kid, we'd drive to my dad's work and do the cleaning. On the way back, we'd pick up fish and chips and listen to The Grumbleweeds on Radio 2.

1. This here logic game is all screwed up.

"Here logic game" was an anagram.

There's no F in Saturday Snapshots. But there will be next Saturday...

Saturday Snapshots #469

I've found my thrill, and it's serving up Snapshots on a Saturday morning... can you identify the singing people below and figure out how their songs are connected?

15. Gabriel, Simon, MacGregor.

14. Sounds like a big prize winning ticket.

13. It's a bit of a squeeze for this guitarist.

12. Initially German borders.

11. Not the kind of bloke you can rely on for a long-term commitment.

10. Divers do this.

9. Heard twice in a Flintstone cry.

8. Castle approved by the Valley Parent Teacher's Association.

7. Welsh hamster puts biscuit in his tea, adverbially.

6. Aja 3rd.

5. Epitome, of virtue.

4. Hang on to this leading man.

3. Percy's nun.

2. Moaning marijuanas!

1. This here logic game is all screwed up.

Not got them all? Ain't that a shame! Answers tomorrow morning. (You don't have to wait till Blue Monday.)

Listening Post #57: Dirty River

There's a group called The Sinclairs made up of two men competing for the best rock 'n' roll pseudonym. We're talking Rat Scabies (real name Christopher John Millar), the drummer from The Damned and Billy Shinbone (real name Jesse Budd), who has previous worked with the likes of Flipron and the Neville Staple Band.

Anyway, they have a new single out, and they'd roped the divine Emily Breeze in to do a bit of singing. Quite lovely it is too.

Celebrity Jukebox #87: Jeffrey Archer

The google link to the BBC obituary read: “Jeffey Archer: successful novelist, disgraced politician and convicted liar”… yet when I clicked on it, the headline appeared to have been edited to the somewhat less inflamatory: “Jeffrey Archer: bestselling novelist whose political career ended in scandal”. I suspect somebody at the BBC got their wrist slapped.

Two sentences from the obituary however tell us everything that’s wrong with the political system…

“His political career was paused in 2001 when he was jailed for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.”

“He was released in 2003 and returned to the House of Lords until he retired in 2024.”

Anyway, I hadn’t expected much in terms of complimentary lyrical tributes to Mr. Archer… I mean, he’s in some rather dubious company here.

Kenneth Baker is a sick man
And the Pope is a sick man
Helmut Kohl is a sick man
And Jeffrey Archer is a sick man
Edwina Currie is a sick man
And Margaret Thatcher is a sick man
And Noel Edmonds is a sick man
And George Bush is a sick man
And Ronald Reagan is a sick man
But most of all, Le Pen is a sick man

Bill Pritchard – Kenneth Baker

Poor old Noel Edmonds, eh?

Perhaps Jeffrey Archer will be better remembered for his books than his dubious political career. I don’t know – I’ve never read any of them, and I doubt I’ll be starting soon.

You asked for innocence
Instead of Christmas presents
I got you a prayer book
With a foreword by Jeffrey Archer

Christian Fitness - All Ghosts To Medicine Counter Four

What else do we have to remember the (dis)Honourable Gentleman by?

Bing Selfish - The Fall And Rise And Fall Of Jeffrey Archer

There was also a track by Goldie Lookin’ Chain which featured a graphic description of prison life, perhaps best left out of this obituary.

Still, not to worry, eh? True immortality comes for Mr. Archer thanks to The Beloved… and much better company than he found himself in with today’s opening tune.

Sir Bufton Tufton, Jean Paul Sartre
Zippy, Bungle, Jeffrey Archer
Andre Previn and the LSO
Hello, hello, hello, hello

Sir Bufton Tufton indeed.

Listening Post #56: Plastic Fox

The jury's still out on Leeds Legend Mik Artistik and his Ego Trip, though he's been recommended to me by a couple of people now and Iggy Pop appears to be a fan. I suppose there's a healthy dollop of John Cooper-Clarke in here. It's growing on me...