I had a different post to run today, but as I came to post it, I saw the news about Kris Kristofferson taking his Last Ride.
Time was, I'd have tried to cobble together a decent eulogy, but the words aren't coming too easy these days, so here are some of his finest moments...
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
And there's nothin' short a' dyin'
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleepin' city sidewalk
And Sunday mornin' comin' down
I was a sailor
I was born upon the tide
And with the sea I did abide
I sailed a schooner around the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
It's Prince, of course, because he knew a thing or two about changing his name.
Here then are Ten Songs Featuring Towns Or Cities That Changed Their Names. Yep, another snappily titled Top Ten. Sadly I had to leave out the town of Fugging in Austria, which up until 2021 was known by a slightly different name...
One of the reasons they changed the name was that people kept nicking the sign.
10. Switched off the TV.
He abandoned his Television after only two albums (not counting the 1992 "let's-get-the-band- back-together-for-dollars comeback record").
Looks like it's going to be rather a Messi Saturday. Perhaps you can help by tidying up the clues below and working out the link between this week's songs...
10. Switched off the TV.
9. Tangled up cello? Solve its mystery!
8. Ron Moody, Martin Jarvis, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Ben Whishaw.
7. Swears he never had any matches.
6. Found in red and yellow swill. I am simply not going looking for it!
The new John Grant album is everything you could want from a John Grant album, if you're a John Grant fan. I don't think it'll win him any new converts, but I reckon he's at the point in his career where he's happy with the fanbase he's got.
One track in particular stops me in my tracks whenever it comes on... and it had me crying on the motorway this morning. As with much of John's writing, it's extremely personal and suggests that the relationship with his late father was a complex one. But I couldn't help but be affected by this verse...
And that's the staircase where I sat back in the 70s
Listening to the radio, the first big hit from C&T
I'd still be sitting there if anything were up to me
I can hear you telling me that nothing on this Earth is free
And now I see the work bench that you made with your two hands
And I'd give anything to see you standing where you used to stand
To feel your hand upon my shoulder, that meant comfort then
To see you turn around and smile and say, "Hey, Quatro, how you been?"
Extra marks for anyone who can identify C&T. Knowing John Grant like I do, I have a pretty good idea...
I was listening to the radio the other night when I heard mention of a Jesse Malin tribute album, featuring this cover by Bruce Springsteen…
Hang on a minute – why is there a Jesse Malin tribute album? I guess I’d missed the news. In May 2023, Malin suffered an extremely rare spinal stroke which left him paralysed from the waist down. Ever since then, he’s dedicated himself to recovery, including a number of operations, long days of physical therapy and rehabilitation, even trips to South America to try alternate routes to rehabilitation. All this has cost a heck of a lot of money, hence the need set up a Sweet Relief fund-raiser, and this tribute album featuring a load of top names covering Jesse’s songs, among them Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Billie Joe Armstrong, The Hold Steady, Frank Turner, Susanna Hoffs and, of course, Bruce.
The good news is that Jesse is starting to get some strength back in his legs and he’ll be performing his first live shows since the stroke in December, with help from many of the artists featured on the album. Wishing him well for continued recovery.
Here’s the man himself singing one of his best songs…
I'm not sure The Firm is a great name for your band. Still, I guess it's better than The Limp. And plenty of bands appear to have chosen it. Here are this week's contenders...
THE FIRM #1
We'll start today in 1980 with an obscure British punk band. This was the second b-side to their single Angry Young Men. I can't find any other tracks from them on the web, so count yourself lucky I found this one.
80s rock "supergroup" made up of Paul Rodgers, Jimmy Page, the drummer from Manfred Mann's Earth Band and fretless bass player Tony Franklin. They made two albums in '85 and '86, then called it a day. Hopefully they made enough money to buy Paul Rodgers some new buttons for his shirt...
Boldly going forward, 'cos they can't find reverse. Grahame Lister, John O'Connor and Tony Thorpe were The Firm between 1982 and 1988, releasing the chart-topping (I bought it, for which I can only apologise) Star Trekkin' in '87. I'll spare you that. Instead, here's their far less ear-grating tribute to George Cole from a few years earlier...
90s rap "supergroup" led by Dr. Dre (he's not a real doctor), featuring Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Cormega. In 1997, they released an album of mafioso-themed rap which wasn't particularly well received, so they all went back to their day jobs.
I'm trying to remember the good things about our holiday in Wales, not the rainy days and the speeding ticket. (Apparently they're currently in the process of reviewing the 20 mph limit, and may reverse it in places. Too late for me, and I was extra miffed to learn that if I'd be going one mph less than the 26 mph I was clocked at, I wouldn't have had a letter.)
Wild Spelks aren't from Wales, they're from Newcastle, where everyone can drive as fast as they like. Sometimes even 32 mph.
Songwriter Jonathon Sabiston named the band after a Geordie word for splinter, like the stabbing sensations you feel when you're panicked or overwhelmed. Apparently he struggles with his mental health, which endears him - and his band - to me even more. This is a very catchy tune if you give it a couple of listens...
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