The Legend of CD108: Part 4

More tracks from Sam's inexplicably favourite in-car CD...

Track 11: Pat Benatar – Heartbreaker

Not one of Pat Benatar’s UK hits, I first heard this on the soundtrack to the movie Nobody in which Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk realises his action hero side as a mild-mannered office schlub who used to be a John Wick style badass in a previous life. You can guess the rest.

Anyway, soundtracks can often breathe new life into old songs, and this was certainly the case here. It’s not a Benatar original – all her biggest hits were written by other people – and the song was originally recorded back in 1978 by West Midlands rock chick Jenny Darren. She appears slightly miffed that Benatar was the one who used it as a springboard to fame and fortune.

Track 12: Squeeze - Pullin' Mussels From A Shell

I remember when I was compiling this CD for Sam, I had a slight reservation over whether to include this track. I guess by this point I’d already used all the obvious Squeeze singles (Cool For Cats, Up The Junction, Labelled With Love, Hourglass) and this seemed the next obvious one on the list, even though it never actually cracked the UK Top 40. BUT… is it a suitable for little kids? The singalong title / chorus is a huge, mucky innuendo, isn’t it? Oh yes, it is. Although I guess the only way you’re going to know that is if someone tells you. If you’re reading this and you never knew that “Pullin' Mussels From A Shell” was Chris Difford’s clumsy/genius* (*delete as appropriate) metaphor for “the use of fingers to stimulate the female sexual organs”… then I’m really sorry if that’s ruined the song for you. Despite this, and the song’s lack of chart success (Were the two linked? Was radio hesitant because of the innuendo?), iffypedia claims Pullin’ Mussels is one of the band’s catchiest and most popular tunes. And who can argue with that? It’s a high point on this compilation.

Track 13: Liam Frost - The City Is At A Standstill

While I have listened to more songs by Jake Bugg in the hope of finding something as strong as Lightning Bolt, I can honestly say I’ve never made a similar effort with Liam Frost… and maybe I ought to. As of this writing, this is the only song I know from this Manchester lad, but it’s a belter.

I know this world is vicious darling lets make tracks now
Black out all the city lights and drink till we both grown numb
And lay down to sleep I feel like I ran all day

Liam doesn’t appear to have released anything new since 2019, so I wonder if he’s packed it all in and found a day job? Shame if he has, and I blame myself for not paying more attention. That's right: his entire career was dependent on whether I bought a couple of his records.

Snapshots #433: Songs About Girls Names Beginning With M

 

Ladies beginning with M was this week’s link? May you all have got it right…

 

15. What a honky prima she was!

“Honky prima” was an anagram.

Mary Hopkin - Martha

14. In Spain, I have it.

Their name means “I have it” in Spanish.

Yo La Tengo - Madeline

13. You cannot be serious!

The Notsensibles - I’m in Love With Margaret Thatcher

12. Bloody…! Howard and Tom!

Bloody Norah! Howard & Tom Jones.

Norah Jones - Miriam

11. What Spike stole from Kenny, Candy and Clarence.

Spike Milligan was a goon. Kenny G, Candy Dulfer and Clarence Clemons all played sax.

The Goon Sax – Maggie

10. Sounds like an evil despot and a moody conman.

Donald & Fagin (played by Ron Moody).

Donald Fagen - Maxine

9. Where Cats initially choose to sit.

C(ats) sit on the Mat.

CMAT – Such A Miranda

8. I am yr barn owl, somehow.

“I am yr barn owl” was an anagram.

Barry Manilow – Mandy

7. Posh fast food rulers!

Kings Of Leon - Molly's Chambers

6. Patrick, in the shower.

Dallas fans will get the clue.

Duffy – Mercy

5. Found in earthenware and blunderbusses.

Found in eARThenware and bLUNDerbusses.

Art Lund – And Mimi

4. Where to buy your Wood and your Port, man.

From the Natalie Merchant, of course.

Natalie Merchant - Maggie And Milly And Molly And May

I should have just run that one photo this week, the song pretty much covers the link for us.

3. We are Fantastic, and we’re from America.

The Fantastic 4, from the US.

The 4 of Us – Mary

2. My indignation is completely justified – they’re not related!

Righteous indignation because they’re not actually brothers.

Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody

1. Idol Ben was an idle nob.

Two anagrams for the price of one.

Blondie - Maria

Mmmmmore Snapshots next Saturday.

Saturday Snapshots #433

 

Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home…

Time to get Into The Groove again… who are the people below and how are their songs connected?

 

15. What a honky prima she was!

14. In Spain, I have it.

13. You cannot be serious!

12. Bloody…! Howard and Tom!

11. What Spike stole from Kenny, Candy and Clarence.

10. Sounds like an evil despot and a moody conman.

9. Where Cats initially choose to sit.

8. I am yr barn owl, somehow.

7. Posh fast food rulers!

6. Patrick, in the shower.

5. Found in earthenware and blunderbusses.

4. Where to buy your Wood and your Port, man.

3. We are Fantastic, and we’re from America.

2. My indignation is completely justified – they’re not related!

1. Idol Ben was an idle nob.

If you got them all… Take A Bow. If not, the answers will be here tomorrow morning.

Celebrity Jukebox #69: Sal Buscema

I’ve been reading comics for almost fifty years now, and many of the writers and artists who were around when my obsession began are no longer with us. In the past few years, we’ve lost Stan Lee, John Romita, Jim Shooter, Neal Adams, Keith Giffen and many more.

Sal Buscema, who died earlier this week, just two days shy of his 90th birthday, is one of the last of the original Marvel artists to pass. By that, I guess I mean the artists who started out in the 60s. We lost his older brother, John, almost a quarter of a decade ago. Maybe Sal was always seen as working in his big brother’s shadow, but I preferred Sal's loser, more dynamic style. He drew some of the first comics I ever read, and he drew some of my all time favourite stories, particularly his lengthy team-up with writer J.M. DeMatteis on Spectacular Spider-Man in the 90s, a high water-mark for both storytellers.

  

Sal was a storyteller first and foremost. Unlike many of the flashier artists who came later, you could read and follow the action Sal drew without even needing word balloons or narration. His work had a sense of drama and pace that many more stylised artists never achieve. He worked as a penciller and inker at Marvel comics for almost fifty years, with only a brief spell at DC. In that time he must have drawn every big Marvel character – Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, the Avengers… in my head, I can picture issues of all their books, drawn by Sal.

And he was the first one to draw the Hulk’s love of beans.

Goodnight Sal. Thanks for so many great memories.

The Wedding Present – Spider-Man On Hollywood

Bill Callahan – The Ballad of the Hulk

Em Beihold – Spider-Man

Cover Me Thursday #20: The Man Comes Around

I stumbled across the cover version below recently. It was released late last year - I'm guessing it was an outtake from the More sessions and in days gone by would probably have been a B-side. Not that such things still exist.

I'm sure Jarvis would be the first to tell you that his version can't really compete with the original, one of the last songs Johnny Cash wrote before his death in 2003. Johnny's version is suitably apocalyptic, but Pulp make it their own, particularly towards the end when it starts to sound like a twisted cousin of Running The World.

Both versions take on a new resonance during these, the last days of the American empire...