Snapshots #390: A Full Innings of Cricketing Songs

Howzat! Hope I didn't catch you out yesterday. As the new cricketing season gets underway, here are a bunch of songs about the gentleman's game...

15. Named after Big Daddy and one of the Majors.

Big Daddy's real name was Shirley Crabtree. Lee was one of the Majors. Shirley Lee was formerly the lead singer of Spearmint, but here he is with an excellent solo tune all about one of John Peel's favourite songs... which we'll come back to at the top of this countdown...

Shirley Lee - An Old Cricketer (For John Peel)

14. TV serial killer, gone in a Flash.

The TV serial killer is Dexter. Mix him up with Flash Gordon and you get...

Dexter Gordon - Sticky Wicket

13. Model airplane engine.

Model airplane engines used to generally be 10cc...

10cc - Dreadlock Holiday

(They don't like cricket... they love it!)

12. A bit tighter than Number Eight.

Tighter than an Embrace...

Squeeze - It's Not Cricket

11. Don't go around...

...go between!

The Go-Betweens - I Just Got Caught Out

10. Symbol found inside the Safari Park.

Prince became a symbol.  Safari Park.

Prince Far I - Cricket, Lovely Cricket

9. Time can't erase the memory of these magic guys.

Time can't erase the memory of these magic moments...

Moments - Dolly, My Love 

Cricket fans will know that a Dolly is an easy catch.

8. We welcome them with open arms...

Embrace - Ashes

7. Place a wager on half a stolen horse.

Sher(gar)? You bet!

Sherbet - Howzat

6. Everything lines up for them.

They're just so in synch...

*NSYNC - Bye Bye Bye

"In cricket, a bye occurs when the ball passes the batsman's wicket without touching their bat or person, and the batsmen score runs from that delivery." 

5. Querying the identity of Number One.

I suggest you approach today's Number One act and ask him, "U Roy?"

U-Roy - Hat Trick

4. The King's favourites.

Apparently, Sheila Ferguson reckons that King (formerly Prince) Charles ruined her love life. Men didn't ask her out because they knew she was the Prince's favourite.

The Three Degrees - The Runner

3. Biden... you're fired! (Twice!)

Joe... Joe... get your gun.

Jo Jo Gunne - Run Run Run

2. Gastropub lurkers have it in them.

Gastropub lurkers

Blur - End Of A Century

1. HR are ropy in this disorganized organisation. 

"HR are ropy" is an anagram...

Roy Harper - When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease

Watch out for the twelfth man at silly mid-on...

Don't worry - this old cricketer isn't leaving the crease just yet. I'll be bowling more Snapshots your way next Saturday...

Saturday Snapshots #390

In case you were wondering if this quiz is going to get any easier... well, I'd do anything for love, but I won't do that.

Here are 15 recording artists whose songs form a special link... but what is it?

15. Named after Big Daddy and one of the Majors.

14. TV serial killer, gone in a Flash.

13. Model airplane engine.

12. A bit tighter than Number Eight.

11. Don't go around...

10. Symbol found inside the Safari Park.

9. Time can't erase the memory of these magic guys.

8. We welcome them with open arms...

7. Place a wager on half a stolen horse.

6. Everything lines up for them.

5. Querying the identity of Number One.

4. The King's favourites.

3. Biden... you're fired! (Twice!)

2. Gastropub lurkers have it in them.

1. HR are ropy in this disorganized organisation. 

Answers tomorrow morning? You took the words right out of my mouth!

Bertie Fridays #8: "The Most Influential Guitarist of all Time"

There may not be many more Berties left in Bertie the dog's record collection, but I couldn't let this series close without paying tribute to the first British guitarist to have a hit record in the UK singles chart...

Bert Weedon was born in That London in 1920. He started learning the guitar at age 12 and formed his own groups (Bert Weedon and His Harlem Hotshots & the Blue Cumberland Rhythm Boys) soon after. He went on to become a session musician for a number of big British stars (Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Adam Faith et al.), and the odd American who was slumming it (Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole).

Then he wrote a million-selling book about how to play the guitar... a book which was devoured by everyone from The Beatles, The Stones and The Who to Eric Clapton, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Page, Robert Smith... even Sting. It could therefore be argued that without Bert, none of those guys would have learned to play their guitars the way they did, and the world would be a much poorer place.

He also recorded the first version of this, so Hank Marvin owed him a pint too...

 

Celebrity Jukebox #134: Val Kilmer

He was Jim Morrison* and Elvis Presley**.

He was The Iceman.

He was Batman, a good enough Batman, in a not-that-great Batman movie.

He even played the voice of KITT the car in a Knight Rider remake.

*In Oliver Stone's The Doors, Val did an excellent Jim Morrison impression, in looks, speech and song...

(**In Tony Scott's film of Quentin Tarantino's True Romance.)

Val Kilmer had a huge screen presence when I was growing up. His star has dwindled and he's been fighting throat cancer in recent years (reluctant to engage with medical procedures due to his religious beliefs), but his death, at only 65, still comes as a shock.

On hearing of his passing, I immediately remembered Father John Misty name-dropping him in this story of faded Hollywood glamour from his 2022 LP Chloë and the Next 20th Century.

Val Kilmer had a wall length
Mirror just over there
Well, I'm sure he's someone else now
But he was Batman when he lived here

Next up: Lee Majors. Not that one! This Lee Majors was a rapper in Da Bush Babees, but he also teamed up with Green for this little ditty from Scritti...

I swear I bring the Heat to tracks like Val Kilmer

Scritti Politti - Tinseltown To The Boogiedown

Hundreds of rappers namedrop Val in their lyrics, probably because of his tough guy / take no shit image, but rap will never be my specialist subject, so I'll close today with our old friends Bowling For Soup... even if they do think Val "sucked as Batman". You can't please all the people all the time.

Listening Post #27: Jump In The Line

There's two ways we can look at this one...

1. Ash are desperate for a bit of radio airplay to remind folk that they're still out there, 30+ years on. (Ash formed in 1992, when Tim Wheeler was just 15.)

2. The members of Ash are now turning 50 and have stopped giving two hoots what anyone thinks of them, they just want to have some fun.

It doesn't really matter. This is great.

But then, so was the original. This isn't a comparison post. It is possible to have two great versions of a song in existence with the universe exploding...

Namesakes #131: Fools

What a load of Fools there are in this world! Especially in the world of music.

On April Fool's Day then, we celebrate bands who are Fools.

Be warned: a couple of these might break some rules, because today is the first of April. But you know what rules are for? Fools!

THE FOOLS #1

We start with a Swedish rock n roll band from 1965 who appear to have specialised mostly in covers, like this one, originally done by Bobby Darin.

The Fools - Bull Moose

THE (APRIL) FOOLS #2

Our first offering to upset the sticklers... but I was hardly going to leave them out today. Sunshine pop from 1968, produced by Wayne Carson, who also wrote The Letter for the Box Tops and co-wrote Always On My Mind.

The April Fools - Things Go Better With You

FOOLS #3

Netherlands-based Fools, part of the Dutch "Palingsound" (Eel Pop) movement in the late 60s / early 70s. 

Fools - Going Back In Time

THE FOOLS #4

Ipswich-based band who got together in 1976. Ipswich, Massachusetts, that is. Had a long and distinguished (?) career stretching as far as 2017 (and beyond?) with dubiously-titled songs such as She Looks Alright In The Dark and Life Sucks, Then You Die.

George is going to hate me for this, but I laughed out loud when I listened to their biggest "hit". (I hope Talking Heads were adequately compensated.)

The Fools - Psycho Chicken

(APRIL AND) THE FOOLS #5

Another one to irk the purists... 

April (aka singer Barb Dwyer) & The Fools came from Brighton in 1980. This track crops up on quite a few early 80s post-punk compilations, but it's all I can find by them.

April & The Fools - You Do

THE FOOLS #6

Japanese Fools, formed in 1980, and still kicking around in the last few years.

The Fools - Mr. Freedom

FOOLS #7

French hair-metal Fools from 1991...

Fools - Vicious Life

THE FOOLS #8

Grungey Fools from Newcastle... Newcastle, Australia, that is. On the go since the late 90s, but this was released in 2015.

The Fools - Jesus Drives A Sandman

THE FOOLS #9

Lo-fi indie Fools from 2015...

The Fools - Bing Bong

(APRIL) FOOLS #10

More French Fools from 2014, appropriate for today. They're very proud of the fact that they have two bassists, a drummer... and no guitarist.

April Fools - Everybody Talks

THE (APRIL) FOOLS #11

Even more rule-breaking Fools from seven years ago...

The April Fools - Calling The Kettle Black

THE FOOLS #12

Bluesy Southern Rock Fools from 2018...

The Fools - Lay It Down, Lady

FOOLS #13

Polish Fools, also from 2018. They claim this one shows their "disco funky side". 

Fools - Haircut

FOOLS #14

Sweaty Texan Fools from 2019...

Fools - Metamorphoses

FOOLS #15

More Aussie Fools, who recorded this during lockdown...

FOOLS - Best Part

FOOLS #16

And finally, say hello to LA resident and multi-instrumentalist Chris Bear, playing gigs in Cambridge in June, if you're around. Here he is with a Bacharach & David composition that's perfect for today...

Fools - April Fools

Fools rush in... but which ones do you wish would rush straight back out again? And which tunes make you want to play The Fools?