Snapshots #231: A Top Ten Easy Songs

Yesterday's quiz was far too easy.

But I'd have got away with it, if it wasn't for you pesky kids...

10. A giro pal got confused in the early 70s.

"A giro pal" was an anagram for this Canadian rocker from the 70s...

Pagliaro - Lovin' You Ain't Easy 

9. Stupid stuff.

Senseless Things - Easy To Smile

8. Like Captain Kirk, or Jeff's Dad.

Captain Kirk sailed the stars. Jeff Buckley's dad recorded the song these guys were named after.

Starsailor - Silence Is Easy

7. The pipes are calling for just schoolboy(s).

Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling... for Just William.

Danny Williams - Dancin' Easy

(That's Martini!)

6. Here, he has no name.

Where The Streets Have No Name? (No, I'm not linking to that.)

The Streets - It Was Supposed To Be So Easy

5. RR: organist, on a beach. 

"RR: organist" was an anagram... of the guy pictured, on a beach. Normally he'd play the drums.

Ringo Starr - It Don't Come Easy

4. Plays middleman for John, Eddy and Amy... with Sally. 

John Grant, Eddy Grant and Amy Grant meet Sally MacLennane, with help from a Go-Between.

Grant McLennan - Easy Come, Easy Go

3. Found in dirt and talons, lord and titans, Ronald and tits.

Three anagrams for...

Linda Ronstadt - It's So Easy

2. Part Blues Run The Game, part Funkin' For Jamaica.

Blues Run The Game was written, and originally recorded by, Jackson Frank.

Tom Browne was Funkin' For Jamaica.

Jackson Browne - Take It Easy

(Because The Eagles cover version would have been TOO easy!)

1. I favoured Spectrums.

I had a Spectrum 48K. Rather than one of these...

Take it easy for the rest of Sunday morning. You deserve it.

More Snapshots next week...

Hot 100 #70

This week's image is taken from "New York's leading 70s DANCE/DISCO/FUNK group performing to packed dance floors every week". Only a wedding band then, but from watching their corporate video, they seem pretty slick... and very appropriate for this week's edition of the Hot 100 Countdown as virtually all the songs I had - or that you suggested - were about 70s. In fact, the only ones that didn't were these from Jim in Dubai...

Simple Minds - 70 Cities As Love Brings The Fall

Yeah... nice try, Jim, but you've still not convinced me on Simple Minds.

A much more likely choice was this...

City Boy - 5705

...which is a great tune... but one I'll have to save for when I do the Hot 10,000 Countdown, I'm afraid.

The only other song I could think of that wasn't related to a year (or years) was this...

Brand New - Seventy Times Seven

...but despite being pretty good, it was disqualified on two fronts: firstly, it's really a song about 490; secondly, the lead singer disgraced himself recently. You can read about that elsewhere if you want to, but I have a friend whose favourite band was Brand New... and when all that came out, he took his albums down the charity shop.

The rest of this week's entries fall into two camps then - songs about the year 1970... and songs about the 70s decade. Let's start with the year... and get our token Mott The Hoople mention out of the way first thing...

In Seventy we all agreed
A King's Road flat was the place to be
'Cause Chelsea girls are the best in the world for company

Only one more week of that to go.

Rigid Digit also offered the obvious choice...

Iggy & The Stooges - 1970

...and I Feel Alright with that suggestion.

Others I had in mind...

Robin Hitchcock - 1970 In Aspic (if The Swede wasn't working so hard at the moment, I'm sure he'd have suggested this.)

Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash - 1970 Monte Carlo

Ringo Starr - Early 1970... which, if you've never heard it, is definitely worth a listen as it tells you just how Ringo felt about the Beatles breaking up... and it's really quite touching.

Onto the 70s decade then...

Martin set the ball rolling with this... which was quickly seconded by Lynchie…

Mike Watt - Against The 70s

Never heard that before - and hence it's not in my record collection (yet) and can't win... but I like the sound of it.

The kids of today should defend themselves against the 70’s

It’s not reality, just someone else’s sentimentality
It won’t work for you

Baby boomers, selling you rumors of their history
Forcing youth away from the truth of what’s real today

Maybe so, Mike, but from where I sit, the 70s look like a pretty peachy place to be right now.

Other notable 70s tunes...

Something Happens - A 70s Wedding

Aberfeldy - 1970s

Cheap Trick - In The Street (That 70s Song)

Luke Haines - NY In The 70s (more from him later in the week)

Hall & Oates - 70s Scenario (from War Babies, the most mental Hall & Oates album, the one that Todd Rundgren produced)

This week's winner though was identified by Rigid Digit. One of my favourites from Mr. Harcourt... which I appreciate as a child of the 70s myself... although I'm a little older than Ed.

I was born the year punk broke
Days before the king was dead
It was the year of the snake
I was a red-faced child
Who stumbled where he tread
Was kept in orderly file
My parents name me Ed
I tried my hardest to smile

Can't we just skip 69 and go straight on to 68? No? Oh well, I guess I'll see you next week then for the inevitable... your suggestions are welcome regardless.