Snapshots #391: Bad, Wicked & Evil Songs...

For some reason, these words kept coming into my head this week: Evil, Bad, Wicked, Sinful, Wrong, Corrupt, Fiendish, Dark, Despicable, Terrible, Horrible, Awful, No, Good, Repulsive. I've no idea why. But I figured I'd find some appropriate tunes to go along with them...

15. Jagged rocks.

Reef: "a ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea."

Reef - Repulsive

14. CMKT4.

Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, aka...

Frank Black - Horrible Day

13. When a pidgin grows up, it'll make a lovely bunch...

Languages that starts as pidgin develop into creole. Add a lovely bunch of coconuts...

Kid Creole & The Coconuts - I'm Corrupt

12. They're so out of control, they could break both your arms.

Wild Swans - Dark Times

11. A dedicated trumpet player meets the builder of Brookside close.

Roy Castle knew a thing or two about playing his trumpet with dedication. The creator of Brookside was Phil Redmond.

Roy Redmond - Ain't That Terrible

10. Often encountered during a cholera epidemic.

Often encountered during a cHOLEra epidemic.

Hole - Awful

9. Call the orthodhauntist.

Spooky Tooth - Evil Woman

Yes, I know that the Orange Dictator isn't a woman. But I wanted to get Spooky Tooth in here somehow!

8. I let Weepy scramble my brain.

"I let Weepy" was an anagram...

Pete Wylie - Sinful

7. Your closest advisers. 

Inner Circle - Bad Boys

6. You could have chosen conkers, chestnuts or pine cones... what made you choose acorns? 

Why oak?

Wye Oak - Despicable Animal

5. Turner's furniture shop.

They took their name from the slogan on the store above, in Hull.

Everything But The Girl - Wrong

4. Money talks... on this safari.

Money talks, but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk, according to Neil in Forever In Blue Jeans. Add a bit of a Swinging Safari...

Swinging Blue Jeans - You're No Good

3. Curse Flanders!

Damn Ned!

The Damned - Grimly Fiendish

2. Never meant to make your daughter cry...

That's a lyric from Ms. Jackson by Outkast.

Janet Jackson - Nasty

1. Martin, you Yellow git! You're fired!

I sack Chris (Martin)... or to put it another way... Chris: I sack!

Chris Isaak - Wicked Game

Some less evil Snapshots next weekend...

Saturday Snapshots #391

The good news is, there will be no further tariffs imposed on Snapshots guesses this weekend - so feel free to identify the artists below and work out what might connect their songs, safe in the knowledge you'll only be paying a 10% guess fee. Unless you're in China...

15. Jagged rocks.

14. CMKT4.

13. When a pidgin grows up, it'll make a lovely bunch...

12. They're so out of control, they could break both your arms.

11. A dedicated trumpet player meets the builder of Brookside close.

10. Often encountered during a cholera epidemic.

9. Call the orthodhauntist.

8. I let Weepy scramble my brain.

7. Your closest advisers. 

6. You could have chosen conkers, chestnuts or pine cones... what made you choose acorns? 

5. Turner's furniture shop.

4. Money talks... on this safari.

3. Curse Flanders!

2. Never meant to make your daughter cry...

1. Martin, you Yellow git! You're fired!*

Be cool - the answers will be here tomorrow morning. Tariff free!

(*This clue is not a reference to our wonderful blogging pal, Martin. It's another one.)

The My Top Ten Mailbag #3: Bowled Over

It ain't Over till it's Over, as that famous cricketer Lennie Kravitz once remarked.

Jim from Dubai writes...

Hello Rol,

I hope all is well.

Was reading your great article on songs about Cricket. I thought I would share with you a song I only came across recently which is about Cricket. It is from the early 90s, I had never heard of it before but it has instantly become one of the best songs I have heard recently.

I don't know much about them but I do know I love the song. A bit of easy listening Indie pop with a bit of Bossa Nova thrown in, great singer and some famous cricketer names thrown in, what more do you need?

I give you The Cavaliers - The Beautiful Game.

Thank you, Jim. Further research reveals this is actually from 1986. It appears to be the only release by The Cavaliers (and that name will definitely be investigated further on a future edition of Namesakes), although the also released music under the names Cagliostra and Perspico Acumine (Holdings).

Lovely stuff...

Listening Post #28: An Early Contender

Of course, it's way too early to start talking Album of the Year predictions, and considering how well his solo LPs have done in my countdown over the past decade or so, this is probably an obvious call... but... damn if that new Craig Finn album isn't excellent work.

The news that Craig had drafted in Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs for production duties didn't exactly light a fire under me, since I'm generally underwhelmed by TWOD's output. But when I think about it, I do often like the sound that band makes... it's just the songs themselves don't seem to say very much. Craig Finn, on the other hand, is a master of making every word count, so his superb storytelling lyrics set to the 70s/80s Laurel Canyon sound Granduciel specialises in is the perfect combination. 

Talking up his latest record, Finn name-drops Randy Newman, Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon (also John Prine, who doesn't musically with the others, but lyrically... yeah), so I'm in hog heaven here.

Attention, anyone thinking of releasing any new music that might be of interest to me for the rest of this year: the bar's been set pretty high now, guys. Go big or go home.

Luke and Leanna 

Don't have any children 

They said they didn't want them 

But lately she's thinking 

What's the point of this whole thing? 

Go to work for the weekend 

Wake up early on Monday 

Start it over again 

And again 

And again 

The My Top Ten Mailbag #2: Another Innings

Regarding our recent focus on Cricketing songs, The Blogfather himself, JC, writes...

Hi Rol,

You might already know this, but just in case.

Cricket Wife by Pet Shop Boys - a hard to find track, only released via the hardback book Annually 2011.

I'll throw in the re-recorded West End Girls as a bonus. 

Enjoy!!!!

The Pet Shop Boys - Cricket Wife

The Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (New Lockdown Version)

Excellent stuff - thank you, JC. I see these also appeared as the concluding chapter of your long-running examination of all the Pet Shop Boys singles... I must have missed that post. That's an LBW for me.

Meanwhile, Our Man In Portugal writes...

I suppose this one was too obvious?

King Short Shirt - Vivian Richards

Only to those in the know, George.

Is that the end of our cricketing tunes? Let's ask Roy...