Snapshots #437: Songs About Garden Birds

Holy Garden Birds, Batman! Why wasn't Rockin' Robin included?

Too easy, chum. Nothing by the Housemartins either... although I guess we came close with the opening track.

15. Not another ugly northerner?

Former writing partner of Paul Heaton in The Beautiful South...

David Rotheray - The Sparrow, The Thrush and the Nightingale

Almost included this one, but went with #11 instead...

The Beautiful South - Blackbird On The Wire

14. Wales, Persia, Darkness.

Prince of Wales, Prince of Persia, Prince of Darkness.

Prince - When Doves Cry

If the link ended up being guessed really easily yesterday, then I blame that one.

13. Lawless woman, and succulent too.

Lucy Lawless gets Juicy...

Juicy Lucy - Cuckoo

12. Still occasionally producing fresh porn.

Still a member of the New Pornographers, as well as doing her solo work...

Neko Case - Magpie To The Morning

11. Ethel Bates lacked co-ordination.

"Ethel Bates" was an anagram.

The Beatles – Blackbird

10. Till we meet again, Nina.

Au Revoir Simone - Lark

Twin Peaks fans might have recognised that one.

9. Have you tried saltwater as a mixer?

Saltwater is a gift of an anagram...

Al Stewart - Jackdaw

8. When Lawrence met Lon…

Lawrence Olivier meets Lon Chaney... almost.

Olivia Chaney - Waxwing

7. Warner…

Bros - Cat Among The Pigeons

The Soundgarden T-shirt was a tad misleading.

6. A bit like Hooperman – I’m joking!

Hooperman was a TV show starring Jon Ritter. This guy is Joshing.

Josh Ritter - Hello Starling (Snow Is Gone)

5. Michael Head, on the streets of Liverpool?

Michael Head is the man behind the band Shack. He's from Liverpool, where there is Panic on the streets...

Panic Shack - Tit School

I'm assured that this is a song about Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits. Going to school. Nothing else.

4. On our January School Trip, we went inside the Albert Hall.

On our January School Trip, we went inside the Albert Hall.

Bert Jansch - Finches

3. Robber Baron.

Big Thief - Sparrow

Just be glad I spared you this...

The Ramblers - Sparrow

2. Steal a Neanderthal and leave him among the black sheep.

Nick a Caveman and put him with the Bad Seeds.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Crow Jane

1. What did you find in your pyjamas?

There's JAM in your pyJAMas!

The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)

Wren Will I See You Again?

Next Saturday morning, hopefully...

Bertie Fridays #3: Scotland's Answer To Bob Dylan?

Herbert Jansch was Glaswegian by birth, Edinburgher / Edinbronian*  by "origin", according to iffypedia.

(The internet can't agree on the correct term, although I did see “C*nts fae Edinburgh” suggested by one, presumed, Glaswegian contributor.)

"Origin", I'm guessing, means than Bert Jansch was bitten by a radioactive acoustic guitar in the Scottish capital, giving him amazing plucking skills and leading him to be cited as an influence to everyone from Jimmy Page to Mike Oldfield, Paul Simon to Nick Drake, Donovan to Johnny Marr. At times, they called him "a British Bob Dylan", though it was a comparison Jansch didn't really care for himself.

Bert Jansch - Strolling Down The Highway

As well as being a leading light in the British folk revival of the 60s, Jansch went on to form "one of the most influential groups of the late 20th century"... No, not Showaddywaddy.

Pentangle - Light Flight

In his later years, Jansch would work with many of the artists he'd inspired in his younger days, including opening for Neil Young on the old grumpy git's 2010 US tour.  Young once said, "as much of a great guitar player as Jimi was, Bert Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar... and my favourite." And if you can get a kind word from Neil Young, you must be doing something right.

Next week... what the world needs now.