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...
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.
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.)
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.
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...
I'm on a diet at the moment, so putting this edition of Snapshot together was an exercise in self-flagellation. For the rest of you - feel free to indulge your sweet teeth below..
15. Non-White Raconteur.
The Raconteurs were a band featuring Jack White and...
Mal Ryder (aka Paul Bradley Couling from Wales) didn't make much of a mark on the UK music scene in the 70s... but he was very big in Italy. I include him here today because I do like a good Roly Poly.
Below are 15 stars of popular music from days gone by.
You may wonder why the number of pictures has grown, or why it varies from week to week. It's simply because when I settle on a theme, I find there are too many songs that I don't want to leave out. Plus, one player's "Who the hell is that?" is another player's "Blimey - I remember them... didn't expect Rol to include them here!" Such is the diversity of musical knowledge of the wonderful people who visit this page on a Saturday morning.
Anyway, here are some pop stars. Who are they and what connects their songs?
15. Non-White Raconteur.
14. One bed flat for family of ten.
13. Too busy singing.
12. He was always wrong in French.
11. Stork joins hawk to create a weird hybrid.
10. The UK's chartered professional body for mathematicians puts on a bit of weight in their luxury abode.
9. C disappears fast.
8. Zeus gave nan a mixed message.
7. Hedgehog children.
6. Goat, flippin'... the end of Christine.
5. Small horses, still kids, you've never seen them before... but they're joining up together!
4. Lights on a flying machine.
3. Fake lists contain everything you need to know.
2. I have a legal document stating that I can write this clue.
1. Proof Stu was a very confused man.
You have Tilda clock strikes tomorrow morning, when all the answers will be revealed...
