Snapshots #450: Invisible Songs

Introducing C's guest post yesterday, we had David MacCallum, a one-time Invisible Man. Today, C sent me a lovely photo of Pauline Murray, without her Invisible Girls. And here they are reunited...

Pauline Murray & The Invisible Girls - Dream Sequence

Here are some more songs you probably won't be able to see. Hopefully you can hear them all fine.

15. Atmospheric noblemen make a spelling mistake.

Dukes of (a misspelt) stratosphere.

The Dukes of Stratosphear - Vanishing Girl

14.  Wireless CEO.

Head of radio…

Radiohead - How To Disappear Completely

13. Fruity Hindu deity.

Rama is a Hindu deity.

Bananarama - Outta Sight

12. They left a mark.

Scars - Vanishing

11.  Confused guests win riots.

Anagram!

Swing Out Sister - I Can Hear You But I Can’t See You

10. Leggy syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome, a neurological condition.

Restless - Vanish Without A Trace

9. Sci fi villain loses final letters.

Durand Durand is a character from the film ‘Barbarella’

Duran Duran - Invisible

8. Indiana, Extra Small

IN being the state code for Indiana and XS Extra Small.

INXS - Disappear

7. Nightclub make-up.

Heaven was a London nightclub, ‘17’ a cosmetic brand.

Heaven 17 - Unseen

6. Ian or Tony might catch the ball.

Ian Curtis / Tony Curtis may field.

Curtis Mayfield - To Be Invisible

5. You just won’t get this clue.

The Misunderstood - I Unseen

4. Dusky sorrow.

The Twilight Sad - That Summer, At Home, I Had Become The Invisible Boy

3.  Get in a muddle, lick my tube.

Anagram!

Tim Buckley - I Can’t See You

2. I demand that you hit Mr Dawson!

Beat Les!

The Beatles - You Won’t See Me

1. Massive Attack song blows up.

‘Teardrop’ explodes…

Teardrop Explodes: You Disappear From View

Many thanks to C for an excellent edition of Snapshots.

Sadly, you'll be back to dealing with my nonsense again next Saturday...

Coffee Break #2: Cheers!

Welcome back to my coffee shop. Grab a table, what can I get you...?

Oh, hang on, I think John asked for a song about drinking coffee in bed. I'm sure he must mean this one...

Savage Garden - Two Beds And A Coffee Machine

But just to broaden John's horizons a little, I thought I'd offer this one instead...

Squeeze appear to have stumbled into a Robert Palmer video there. Isn't it glorious? I'm also impressed that the subtitles tell me that "jazzy music plays" before the singing starts. I'm sure that'll make Messrs Tifford and Dilbrook's day. 

And if that wasn't enough for you, here's a couple of alternative takes on that song...

Daryl Hall and Glenn Tilbrook - Black Coffee In Bed

Chris Difford - Black Coffee In Bed

 

And: a dilemma for Martin, given his aversion to the cup of joy and his fondness for a certain Bangly lady...

Susanna Hoffs - Black Coffee In Bed

Would you kick her out of bed for that, Martin? Or try to persuade her to switch to an alternative beverage...?

Frank Turner - A Decent Cup Of Tea

I'll leave you to ponder on that one. Meanwhile... What are we going to chat about today? 

How about cheering?

Barrett Strong - Stand Up And Cheer For The Preacher

Why do I have such a problem with cheering?

One of the reasons I can't watch shows like Strictly or the X-Factor or any kind of talent-based performance TV is that I can't bear all the cheering. It sets my nerves on edge even when I hear it from the other room (which is where I'm usually consigned to when Louise and/or Sam is watching such fluffle). Particularly when I hear a cheering audience on a TV show, it all sounds so false. I picture some guy stood at the side of the stage holding up a "Cheer Now!" sign because the cheering never sounds sincere or spontaneous... it sounds like a performance in its own right.

Bananarama - Cheers Then

It's the same thing at gigs. I've got no problem with applause - I'll stand up and clap with the best of them. But I never feel the urge to cheer... and I'd certainly never entertain the bastard son of the cheer: the whoop. But this does make me wonder... am I not enjoying the gig as much as the people who have to vocalise it in such fashion? Are their uncontrollable outbursts a sign that they're engaging with this experience on a much deeper level than I am? Is there something wrong with me?

Orange Juice - Three Cheers For Our Side

And don't even start me on wolf whistles...!

Jack Butler - An Old Wolf Whistle

We'll close with an appropriate tune from Titus Andronicus, which I'd like to point out, despite its title, is NOT a cover version of this...

Gary Portnoy - Theme From Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name)

...although that is up there as one of my all-time favourite theme tunes, from one of my all-time favourite TV shows. It makes me feel warm inside whenever I hear it. But this, while also being very good, has nothing to do with that...

Snapshots #210: A Top Ten Courtroom Songs

Who's afraid of Saturday Snapshots? Not you guys, jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof, solving even the trickiest clues.

Here's a round-up of this week's answers...

10. Scouse pounds.

Mersey... beats!

The Merseybeats - I Stand Accused

(Yes, I was more familiar with the Elvis Costello version, but he features here often enough.)

9. Fruity Hindu god.

Rama is a Hindu god. (An avatar of Vishnu, to be precise.)

Bananarama - Love In The First Degree

8. They sang songs for the lost and the lonely.

Pearl's a singer. She sings songs for the lost and the lonely.

The Pearls - Guilty

7. A Jock's newborn.

Anagram!

Jackson Browne - Lawyers In Love

6. London, Paris, Washington D.C.

Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court

5. Cowboy kid and Ethan's brother.

Billy the Kid and Joel Coen of the Coen Brothers makes former boxer...

Billy Joel - An Innocent Man

4. Measuring oxymoron.

Shorty Long - Here Comes The Judge

3. Cooke meets Godfather.

Sam Cooke meets James Brown... by way of Marvin Gaye.

Sam Brown - Can I Get A Witness?

2. Red furry dice me!

Anagram!

Freddie Mercury - In My Defence

1. Top of the charts, in (cod) German.

Zee v...one!

Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns & Money

More Snapshots, Taylor-made for you, next Saturday.

Snapshots Spillover: More Actor Songs

Following on from this weekend's Snapshots, featuring songs named after famous actors, I had something of an overspill... so here are some of the runners up.

April March - Stay Away From Robert Mitchum

Keep your grubby hands off Mitchum
He's rugged and he's handsome
And spurns the likes to you
Touch him and you'll be through

Julian Cope - Robert Mitchum

The part in Ryan's daughter
Where you lose your wife
I've never seen a more dignified man
In my life

Robyn Hitchcock - Gene Hackman

Different to the Hoodoo Gurus song featured yesterday, but equally enjoyable...

He's got an evil grin

He's got curly hair

And every time he smiles

It means trouble somewhere

So don't talk to me about Gene Hackman

Neon Neon - Michael Douglas

'Cause you'll see my reflection (reflection, reflection)

In Michael Douglas's mirrored sunglasses

You'll see my perfection (perfection, perfection)

In Michael Douglas's mirrored sunglasses

The Rakes - When Tom Cruise Cries

TV's on, Tom Cruise crying on his father's bed,

Reminds me what that French guy said,

From news to movies all the crap with it,

Headlines keep you excited,

Like when Tom Cruise cries,

It's all lies

Bananarama - Robert DeNiro's Waiting

I would have included this on Saturday, but I felt it was a little too obvious, even for me.

The Thrills - Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?

Postal Service - Clark Gable

I kissed you in a style Clark Gable would have admired

I thought it classic

Deacon Blue - He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now

He may have been a nationalist, a physicist or a pacifist

But he's just taking pictures and he'll do it anyhow

Well, I have seen that movie of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde

And I know he looks like Spencer Tracy now

Bree Sharp - David Duchovny

Watching the sky for a sign
The FBI is on my mind
I'm waiting for the day
When my lucky stars align
In the form of...
David Duchovny floating above me
In the alien light of the spaceship of love

Deep Purple - Vincent Price

I want seven screaming virgins on a sacrificial altar
Hell and God, screeching doors, zombies, aaaaah!
It feels so good to be afraid
Vincent Price is back again

Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead

Bela Lugosi's dead

The bats have left the bell tower

The victims have been bled

Red velvet lines the black box

Elton John - Roy Rogers

Oh, the great sequin cowboy who sings of the plains

Of roundups and rustlers and home on the range

Turn on the TV, shut out the lights

Roy Rogers is riding tonight

And my personal favourite...

I want to be your hero,

Kurt Russell, Eastwood and me

There's no doubt plenty more where they came from, but that's enough actors for today. Drop me a comment if I've missed one of your favourites and I might do a follow up post... but remember, we're leaving the ladies for another day.

Saturday Snapshots #116 - The Answers

What is Saturday Snapshots?

Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met...

Fortunately, they need be strangers no longer, because here are this week's answers...


10. Get Snake or MacReady to scan the fetus.

You scan the fetus with an ultrasound.

MacReady and Snake Pliskin were characters played by Kurt Russell.

Apologies for the obscure b-side side, but... what a tune!

Ultrasound - Kurt Russell

9. Contemporary Leg Joint Company.

Knee-Co?

Contemporary = these days.

Nico - These Days

(I think she was going out with Jackson Browne at the time she decided to record his tune.)

8. ...a foundling offers self-help?

"The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" is the full title of Henry Fielding's novel Tom Jones.

Self help? Help yourself!

Tom Jones - Help Yourself

7. Sweet lady's latest issue.

New Edition - Candy Girl

6. Not Gwen Stefani. You hit that on the head!

That ain't (the lead singer of) No Doubt. You hit the NAIL on the head.

Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt

(She's lying.)

5. Cher greets ten p, catches a Clodoald double-decker.

"Cher greets ten p" is an anagram.

Google "Clodoald" and you'll learn he was also known as Saint Cloud.

Gretchen Peters - On A Bus To St. Cloud

4. Get to the other side of CX Avenue without Cecil or Linda.

CX Avenue would be 110th Street in Roman numerals.

Cecil & Linda were Womack & Womack. But it's not them...

Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street

3. Elvis: born in the 70s.

Elvis was the king rocker.

If you were born in the 70s, you were Generation X.

Generation X - King Rocker

2. Reins? Smoke rings.

Reins are bands on horses.

Cigarettes are smokes; rings are wedding bands.

Band of Horses - Cigarettes, Wedding Bands

1. There's a ding dong when skins split... but Travis is outside to take you home.

Banana skins. Banana split. Rama lama ding dong.

Travis Bickle was a Taxi Driver played by...



They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

But if they change their mind, Saturday Snapshots will be back next week...