Snapshots #431: Songs About The Person In Charge

Here’s the man in charge… erm…

The man with the answers… erm…

Still, preferable to his inevitable replacement. Is that really the best we can say about him?

Here are some songs about the person at the top…

15. Born in 1986?

UB40 - King

14. Don’t worry, they’re harmanless.

Dave Harman, aka Dave Dee, had left at this point.

Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch – Mr. President

13. Princess Grace only wants to help you… NOT ME!

Princess Grace Kelly only wants to help you, Roland.

Kelly Rowland - Commander

12. See you, Underground Lou.

See you, Jimmy… and Lou Reed.

Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man

11. The Ashes.

After The Fire - Der Kommissar

10. Her omelettes are really well scrambled.

“Her omelettes” was an anagram.

The Tremeloes - (Call Me) Number One

9. A pretty regular bunch.

Regular as clockwork.

The Clockworks - Can I Speak To A Manager?

8. Billion year old carbon.

“We are stardust…”

Joni Mitchell – Edith & The Kingpin

7. Scholarly hippy.

Professor Longhair - Big Chief

6. X2.

Double - The Captain Of Her Heart

5. Torturous firework.

Catherine Wheel - Here Comes the Fat Controller

4. 3.14, at the beginning of the afternoon.

3.14, as any Maths teacher will tell you, is π represented as three digits. The beginning of the afternoon is af. So Pi+af=

Edith Piaf - Milord

3. Older now, and with fewer brothers in rhythm. 

There’s only two of them left to pass the dutchie these days…

Musical Youth - Generals

2. Good for halting rashes, if properly blended.

“Halting rashes” was an anagram of…

The Shangri-Las - Leader Of The Pack

I love that video. The Leader of the Pack looks like a middle-aged bus-driver.

1. What Not To Wear.

Depeche Mode, as I’m sure you all know, means Fashion News or Fashion Despatch. Hence…

Depeche Mode – Master & Servant

I’ll be back in charge of this twaddle next Saturday morning.

Namesakes #9: Catherine Wheel

Last week, you had the choice between three different Honeys, although one of them did use a Z (much to George's horror). The votes were rather more evenly spread than in recent editions, but the Australian Honeys just took it. Will they do so again next week, having changed their name to Catherine Wheel?

As is often the case with this feature, I started out with a vague awareness of only two bands that have used the name Catherine Wheel… and ended up with four.

CATHERINE WHEEL #1

It’s hard to tell, but I’m guessing this band lot have got to the name Catherine Wheel first… but only just. The internet tells me they formed in 1989, out of the ashes of our winning Honeys from last week: Andrea Croft, Brett ‘Bert’ Thompson and Grant Shanahan. They burned brightly for a brief time, releasing a grand total of 10 songs before spluttering out in 1991.

CATHERINE WHEEL #2

Alternatively, this group of from Florida might well have been the first musical Catherine Wheel (the internet only tells me they were “part of the underground Tampa Bay music scene in the late 80s / early 90s). They lasted an even shorter amount of time than CW#1, releasing only 6 songs before changing their name to Edison Shine.

CATHERINE WHEEL #3

Definitely the most well-known of the Catherine Wheels, although hardly household names, this group of indie rockers from Norfolk started out as shoegazers in 1990, but got gradually heavier as the decade progressed, achieving far more success in the US, where they were regulars in the Alt Rock charts, than in the UK where they only troubled the Top 40 once (with the track below). Lead singer Rob Dickinson (the cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce) now restores Porsches for a living.

CATHERINE WHEEL #4

The Encyclopaedia Metallum informs me that this Texas Black Metal band arrived on the scene in 2020, led by Goatman (real name unknown), who is also involved in bands called Boiled In Bleach, Gothenbvrg and Grotesque Corpse Stabbing. You don’t have to listen to this one if you don’t want (especially as I could only find the full album on youtube)... but they’re still better than Oasis.

Which Catherine Wheel gets you in a spin? Vote now in the comments...