Boo, Rupert Murdoch, right wing rag, etc. etc.
But unlike the paper, I'm not here to tell you how to think... you can make your own mind up which band called The Times is best.
Have you got The Times for all these? Let's see...
THE TIMES #1
We start this week in Australia, with a three piece beat band on Perth label Clarion Records in 1965.
THE TIMES #2
The Warrington Times, from 1966, featuring Alan Taylor, Gordon Struthers, Kenneth Crank and Malcolm Unsworth. Proper rock star names, all of them. This was their second, and presumably last, single. Where did all the good Times go?
THE TIMES #3
Dennis Burlage and his two brothers (plus a couple of mates) came from Norfolk, Virginia in 1967 and produced this "psychedelic masterpiece" / ripped off The Byrds.
THE TIMES #4
Irish "show band" (not sure what a show band is - presumably a band that plays shows... but don't they all?) from the late 60s and early 70s.
THE TIMES #5
I first became aware of Edward Philip Albert Tome Ball when he released the solo track The Mill Hill Self Hate Club, a Brit pop favourite from the glorious year of 1996. It was only later that I realised Ed Ball had been at this pop music lark for quite a while, starting in 1977 when he was a member of Television Personalities. As the 80s arrived, he formed his own band called The Times, featuring a rotating membership of musicians from the Wham! Records label (run by Ed and his mate Dan Treacy). The Times continued to release records on and off for the next 20 years. This tribute to The Prisoner is probably their most fondly-remembered tune...
THE TIMES #6
The Times - Hip Isn't It
TIMES #7
Post-punk electronic band Venus In Furs hailed from Sussex in the early 80s. They started out as a four piece, then came back as a two piece, before eventually becoming a one man solo project. The man behind all these ventures occasionally called himself Jeremy Christ, but most of the time he went simply by the name: Times.
TIMES #8
Good times from Cleveland, Ohio in 1982.
THE TIMES #9
Knock Three Times! More power pop from 1982 - this time via Nashville.
THE TIMES #10
South African soul group, and part-time jeans models: a sign of the times from 1990.
THE TIMES #11
And finally today, this Malaysian indie rock band were practising their Times tables in the noughties.
Eleven Times to choose from... but do you agree that Even The Bad Times Are Good?
No Tymes of 'Ms Grace' fame?
ReplyDeleteBloody hell... I slipped up there, didn't I?
DeleteNo, of course you didn't, their inclusion would be cheating
DeleteWhereas Venus In Furs and Denis & The Times are fine?
DeleteThis feature was made for rule-bending, and I missed a splendid opportunity there.
DeleteTo Ernie, no of course not, and it's a sign of how much this blog has declined!
DeleteI just can't get the staff anymore.
DeleteI was all set to vote for the Tymes but you stuck to the rules, for once.
Delete#5 is obviously #1.
ReplyDelete#9 isn't bad.
I have #3 in my collection, presumably off a compilation.
#10 is very typical of what was called 'bubblegum pop' in South Africa in the early 1990s, but these lads are no Dalom Kids.
Show bands were massive in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s. They were large ensembles who would tour the towns and villages and play a bit of everything - current hits, soul, country, souped up traditional songs. The likes of Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher and Joe Dolan learned their trade in showbands.
Father Dougal fronted a very good documentary about the history of the showbands and their cultural impact if you are interested:
https://youtu.be/JnMSabLeExM?si=Am0B1sJTwF5xtnrJ
#3 and #5 pass muster
ReplyDelete#2 and #3 are listenable, unlike #5, and it's #7 in the lead (unless they get disqualified by Rol)
ReplyDeleteand if they are then it's #10
Delete