Wednesday, 14 December 2022

Celebrity Jukebox #60: David Bailey

Still stuck in the decade before I was born, when everybody swung one way or another, we come to photographer David Bailey, who, as we discovered on Monday, made his career from taking nice pictures of “the most beautiful girl in the world”. Therefore David pops up in a few songs we’ve already listened to recently, including Seth Swirsky’s Watercolour Day and France Gall’s Made In France.

However, I did find three other songs that mention Mr. Bailey, and at least two of them are worth a listen.

Before we get onto those, let’s take a moment to remember another David Bailey, an American singer songwriter of the Christian variety, who sadly died of cancer back in 2010.

David M. Bailey - Brand New Day

And now, the main event. Let’s start with Wivenhoe’s finest, Martin Newell, and his prolific lo fi weirdoes The Cleaners From Venus. This is their Swinging 60s tribute song named after David McCallum’s Man From Uncle character, and featuring references to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Harold Wilson, David Hemmings and David Bailey, among others.

Cleaners From Venus – Ilya Kuryakin Looked At Me

I did already add that to the Rita Tushingham jukebox, but it’s worth another spin. Some question over whether the same applies to Macca’s brothers band and their past-its-sell-by-date brand of cheeky scampery, but as we’re here… we can a least listen to the theme tune to another former jukebox star’s big 60s sitcom…

The Scaffold – Liver Birds

There’s sexy girls in Copenhagen
Nagasaki, Rome and Paris
None compare with Liverpool’s
Ask David Bailey or Richard Harris

Just don’t bother asking Brian Wilson.

Still in Liverpool, but with far more class, here’s Michael Head, my sole reason for committing this post to the blogosphere…

When you wake up in the morning
And I’m still scratching my head and yawning
Just leave your hair for now
Fantasise, don’t realise
That the telephone is in your eyes
Could be the wrong number somehow
And David Bailey’s a million miles from you now



7 comments:

  1. I lived round the corner from Martin Newell in Wivenhoe for a while in the early 1980s, used to pop round his house every now and then to pick up his latest homemade cassette. He was usually feeding his geese when I got there (not a euphemism).

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    1. Only one of you is mentioned in Wiki as a notable resident

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    2. Feeding the geese? Are you sure you're not confusing him with George?

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    3. Well they've never been seen together to my knowledge, so maybe...

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    4. Ernie and Rol, I say this to everyone who mentions Martin Newell and the Cleaners From Venus, but have you read 'Lost In Music' by Giles Smith, nice mention of him/them in there (and just a great book anyway).

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    5. I have, as you say its a good read

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    6. I have too, though a long time ago. Have to see if it's still on the shelf or if Louise has sent it to the charity shop...

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