Snapshots #351: A Top Ten Hat Songs

Hats off to you if you identified all this week's artists... and worked out which hats they were wearing...

10. Corporal Hum is an enigma.

Corporal Hum is an anagram.

Procol Harum - Homburg

9. Discovered inside Electric Ladyland. 

Electric Ladyland. 

Bob Dylan - Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat

8. Take the skinheads for a nice mulligatawny.

Take the skinheads bowling... for soup!

Bowling For Soup - Trucker Hat

7. Merciless villain becomes an American citizen. 

Ming was Merciless, until he went to the US.

Charles Mingus - Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat

6. Pick up, before you get to Pace.

A pick up is a van. Hale 'n' Pace.

Van Halen - Panama

5. Sounds like you split up with a South African runner.

If Zola (Budd) became your ex, you would be...

Zolar X - I Pulled My Helmet Off

4. Don't get tangled up in a sticky romance.

"Sticky romance" was an anagram...

Arctic Monkeys - Balaclava

3. Kamadeva and Rati.

Kamadeva and Rati were the Hindu deities in charge of romance. 

Hindu Love Gods - Raspberry Beret

(That's Warren Zevon & REM... minus Michael... if you're wondering.)

2. Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon found the answer within.

Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon is the artist also known as ShABBA Ranks.

Abba - Put On Your White Sombrero

1. Even my vision is impaired... I'm losing my hair.

And those are lyrics from Just Like Fred Astaire by James.

The top hat had to be a Top Hat...

Fred Astaire - Top Hat, White Tie & Tails

A few more hats to try on before we go...

Billy Bragg & Wilco - Stetson Kennedy

James Moody - Trilby

Oysterband - The Sailor's Bonnet

And, of course,...

Steely Dan - The Fez

Throw your hats in the ring again next Saturday morning...

Cover Me Monday #8: Raspberry Beret

I spent quite a bit of time recently putting together a Warren Zevon ICA which will run over at The Vinyl Villain sometime soon. I explained why I felt the need to do this in the intro to that post, so I won't say anymore for the time being, although one song I mention but don't include is this, the best cover of a Prince single ever recorded. Notice how carefully chosen those words are. I didn't say "best cover of a Prince song" since I'm sure we can all name a song or two that Prince handed over to someone else to do a better job of... but covers of his hits are harder to love, mainly because tracks like Little Red Corvette, U Got The Look and Gett Off are so uniquely Prince, nobody else can touch them.

Here's the original of what is arguably his greatest pure pop song. (There's an extended intro on the video which doesn't add much, to be honest.)

Prince - Raspberry Beret

It's a brave band that tries to cover that, so points for bravery must go to R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck, leaving their usual frontman by the pool and roping in Warren Zevon to deliver a unique interpretation.

"You can't improve on perfection", as Charity Chic remarked, showing his admiration for the movie Chicken Run last week. True enough. But you can have a damn fine stab at it...

September #10 - Hindu Love Gods

September marks a new beginning for this blog...

As mentioned before, I was getting frustrated with not being able to write about what I'm listening to right now unless I could find a way to shoehorn it into a Top 10. Many great songs which I wanted to share with the world just fell by the wayside because I couldn't find an interesting theme or 9 other linked songs (or else I found way too many!). I've tried doing a "What I'm Listening To Right Now" Top Ten every now and then but they tend to go on for weeks, and who's got the time?

So every month, as well as my regular themed Top Tens, I thought I'd count down my favourite songs (new and old) of the moment. Just stuff that's rattling round in my ears that you (or someone) might dig. These will fit around the normal Top Tens, one song at a time. 

So let's start with an oldie... well, it's an oldie where I come from...


10: Hindu Love Gods - Raspberry Beret

Of course, you can't beat Prince at his own game, so these guys make the beret their own. Essentially an R.E.M. side-project (Michael Stipe was an occasional member, the other three were always present) fronted by Warren Zevon*, Hindu Love Gods released one single in 1986 and one album in 1990 (at which point they also released the above track which became a minor radio hit).

Sadly I don't own the album (it's always out of my price range... but then, my price range these days usually stretches up to £1.50 in the charity shop) or the earlier single, but I do own this track on Zevon's Best Of album. It's a fantastic rocked-up version of one of Prince's poppiest hits and Zevon's voice has raely sounded better.


(*And occasionally Bryan Cook from the bands Oh-OK and Time Toy... Me neither.)

My Top Ten Berry Songs

Fruity berries... because it's harvest time. The internet informs me that strawberries aren't actually berries... but bananas are. I don't believe everything I read on the internet, but for the sake of argument - to make this list, all songs must have the word "berry" in the TITLE. That's the rules for today.

Special mentions go to Strawberry Switchblade, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Strawberry Whiplash, Strawberry Story, The Cranberries, and, of course, Chuck. But not Nick. Never Nick. (That said, isn't it about time some tosspot from the X-Factor did a really bad cover of Every Loser Wins, just to get us all nostalgic for the original?)

10. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

I think I'm almost through my Hating The Beatles phase. I'm starting to appreciate them again.

That said, depending on your age and whether or not you're still sorted for Es and Wizz, you may prefer the Candy Flip version.

Me, I'd rather have the Hayseed Dixie version. That's some damned fast finger-pickin'!

9. Everclear - Strawberry

The one you've probably never heard of, and reckon shouldn't even be here. Luckily, it's my blog - and I like Everclear!

8. Ron Sexsmith - Strawberry Blonde

Had a hard day at work? Turn the lights down, put this on and...chill.

7. Super Furry Animals - Cloudberries

A song about hummingbirds. I think.

6. The Dentists - Strawberries Are Growing In My Garden (And It's Wintertime)

Tonight I'm going to party like it's 1985.

5. Ocean Colour Scene - Huckleberry Grove

One of their best songs, and it was only ever a b-side. 

4. The Move - Blackberry Way

The dark night of the summer of love.

3.  Prefab Sprout - Blueberry Pies

We're getting a lot of Prefab Sprout on this blog. There's a very good reason for that: Paddy McAloon is FANTASTIC.

Plus, blueberries are my favourite fruit.Which brings us to...

2. Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill

Where else can you find your thrill?

1. Prince - Raspberry Beret

Untouchable... but don't blame me if the video below doesn't work by the time you hit play. His highness does hate youtube. UPDATE... oops, spoke too soon - he's removed it. Good old Prince. Here's the Hindu Love Gods version instead...


 



Gilbert O'Sullivan's greatest hits album is called 'The Berry Vest of Gilbert O'Sullivan'. (I really need to find a way to shoehorn some Gilbert O'Sullivan into one of these Top Tens.) So, with that in mind, which is your Berry Vest Serry Bong?