1. Ash are desperate for a bit of radio airplay to remind folk that they're still out there, 30+ years on. (Ash formed in 1992, when Tim Wheeler was just 15.)
2. The members of Ash are now turning 50 and have stopped giving two hoots what anyone thinks of them, they just want to have some fun.
It doesn't really matter. This is great.
But then, so was the original. This isn't a comparison post. It is possible to have two great versions of a song in existence with the universe exploding...
I took Sam Trick or Treating last Thursday. It's not something I derive a whole lot of enjoyment from - "we never had all this malarkey when I was a kid", etc. etc. This time was a little different though, partly because (for once) it wasn't raining, but mostly because of the performance of the above couple, who went above and beyond in their dedication to All Hallow's Eve.
The man was dressed in a labcoat, smeared with blood, crouched over a mocked up corpse that was laid out on his drive, "eating its entrails". When unwary Trick or Treaters approached the house for sweets, he staggered out into the street moaning like an extra from The Walking Dead. Some kids screamed and ran away from him, but he kept up the act until his wife (dressed in a "Zombie Killer" T-shirt) shouted at him to "get back over and clean up your mess". To which he complied. They were both firmly in character and I've seen a lot of zombie movies with far worse acting.
Made my Halloween, so it did.
I did a Top Ten Zombie Songs way back in 2012. But here are a few more, not included on that list.
Certain stars just appear effortlessly cool. Harry Belafonte was one of them. Actor, singer and close friend and confidant of Martin Luther King, Harry was a legend.
Let's see how he's remembered in the jukebox, starting with Tony Bennett, making up his own lyrics to a classic...
And if I never had a cent
I'd be rich as Harry Belafonte
With Barry Goldwater at my feet
On the sunny side of the street
Goldwater was a conservative Republican whom, I imagine, Harry had little time for.
Quite a lot of rappers name-drop Harry, understandably given his prominent civil rights activism over the years. Here's Black Thought from The Roots with Danger Mouse...
Ayo, don't even worry 'bout it, my legendary stylin'
Meanwhile, Aussie rockers The Church place Harry in very fine company...
Brian Wilson and William Tell We welcome you Harry Belafonte and Alexander Bell We welcome you Archangel Gabriel and Richard Hell We welcome And Tom Miller
Today belong to Joe Strummer though, who mentions Harry in not one, but two, of his tunes. Let's face it, if Joe Strummer namedrops you twice, you must be a legend.
Somebody's got to draw a line somewhere, And it might as well be Harry Belafonte
Ten songs to send you completely bananas on a Sunday morning... I left out The Banana Boat Song only because it seemed too obvious, and Harry featured here just a couple of weeks back.
10. The right bloke finds a special place in Samantha and Amanda's heart.
Yesterday, I gave you a picture of Bernard Cribbins who sang Hole In The Ground. I figured that would be too easy as one of the songs, even though it is the greatest song ever recorded with a hole in it.
2. The trouble with nice source and strange Fitzgerald.
The Trouble With Harry. "Nice Source" is a literal translation of Bella Fonte. Strange Fitzgerald = Odd Etta. Except... as Ernie points out, that clue didn't work because I had somehow confused Ella Fitzgerald with Etta James. D'oh. Apologies, all.
C said that Howard Jones looks better now... I actually think he sounds better now. I was never that fussed at the time, but now I find these decent enough pop songs.
5. Coo-lumbo, Sherlock Homing and Agent Coop-er remove a lady's rear.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of the Pigeon Detectives, but sometimes the clue is too good to avoid...
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