Namesakes #200: The News

To celebrate the 200th edition of Namesakes, I've chosen one of my favourite bands. Admittedly, they have a longer name than just "The News", but after two hundred of these ridiculous posts, that should by now be known as Standard Operating Practice. Pedants have no place here, do they, George?

Here is The News...

THE NEWS #1

Our top story today - a German beat band from 1965...

The News - Baby Blue

THE NEWS #2

First making headlines in 1969, this Armenian-Lebanese band from Beirut went on to become "the #1 rock band in the Middle East" according to the Tube of You. They broke up at the end of the 70s.

The News - Teardrops

THE NEWS #3

Starting life as Dayv (sic) Butler and The Delmars in 1965, this North Carolina band changed their name to The News a year or so later, "reaching their psychedelic peak in ‘67 and '68".

Dayv Butler & The News - The Boy Who Only Smiles

THE NEWS #4

From Norwich in 1966, these guys were originally known as The Continentals. Their second single, This Is The Moment, was featured in an episode of the BBC TV show Adam Adamant. That was their moment.

The News - This Is The Moment

THE NEWS #5

Reporting from South African in 1967, featuring singer Buddy Vaughn.

The News - Wild Face

THE NEWS #6

Melbourne soul band from 1968, covering the Edwin Starr song.

The News - Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.)

THE NEWS #7

West of England psychedelia from 1970. Extra marks for using Letraset transfers on their record sleeve. Bit of class.

The News - It's A Long Time

NEWS #8

Back after the break with some New York Soul News from 1971...

News -Tend To Your Own Business

THE NEWS #9

Not the Nine O'Clock News... Psychedelic country rockers from Connecticut in 1974. Losers!

News - Loser

THE NEWS #10

The News at #10! Aussie punks who started making a racket in Melbourne in 1978...

News - Dirty Lies

THE NEWS #11

Making New Wave News in 1978, this UK band featured members of Cockney Rebel and Landscape, along with Sal Solo from Classix Nouveau. 

The News - Blue Thru 

THE NEWS #12

Over in Chelmsford around the same time, this lot were making the News until they decided to change their name to The Gents. Insert your own joke here. Discogs rather belabours this point by stating, "Identical single to The Gents (12) release with the same title, except it lacks "The Gents" sticker placed over the word "NEWS" in the band title on the labels."

The News - Get Out of My Bed

THE NEWS #13

Hip to be square just before Huey - these guys were making L7 shapes in Wyoming back in 1978.

The News - She's So Square

THE NEWS #14

I won't bore you all with my adoration of Huey and his pals... if you need more, you can read this again. I know they can rely on your votes today...

Huey Lewis & The News - Hip To Be Square

THE NEWS #15

Here's The News from Fargo - oh, you betcha! - in 1980... also known as The Newz.

The News - The Last Time

NEWS #16

Ohio power pop News from 1980...

News - Stop

THE NEWS #17

A Belgian news bulletin of the disco variety from 1980.

The News - Keep It Cool

THE NEWZ #18

The News from New Zealand were obviously going to be called The Newz. That's a little bit of genius right there. Plus they even made their own videos in 1980. Credit where it's due.

The Newz - Accident Prone

THE NEWS #19

Also in 1980 - clearly a big year for the News - here's some UK post-punk sounding not unlike the Boomtown Rats. Pay no more than 57p for this single - a bargain at twice the price!

The News - 50% Reduction 

THE NEWS #20

In 1981, The New Seekers (or some of them, at least) recorded a "glam rock*" single as The News. Couldn't find the A-side (Boomerang), but here's the B-side for Mrs. Top Ten...

The News - Louise Louise

(*Because, y'know, glam was really big in 1981.)

THE NEWS #21

Breaking News from Capetown in 1981, these guys "built a reputation for uncompromising originality... and dynamic live shows... before members moved on to international careers". Well, one of them moved to LA. Their biog states, "after three tireless years of playing, sometimes up to three different venues a week," they were too knackered to continue. I mean, bloody hell, three gigs a week? No wonder they needed an easier life.

The News - Up To No Good

 

NEWS #22

Forming in 1981, News became leading lights in the Danish "Innocent Pop" scene throughout the 80s and into the early 90s. They reformed last year. This was their debut single...

News - Trafik

THE NEWS #23

British New Wave band who got invited in for a Peel session in 1981...

The News - Audio Video

THE NEWS #24

A dispatch from Zambia in '81 or '82.

The News – Glad To Be Alive

THE NEWS #25

Can't find out anything about these guys, not even a date, but it's a slightly better song than some of today's offerings...

The News - Sick-n-Tired

THE NEWS #26

This just in - the News from Sweden in 1982.

The News ‎– Magiska Spel

NEWS #27

We interrupt this programme for a New York jazz trio led by pianist Mal Waldron in 1982...

News - It Could Happen To You

NEWZ #28

While over in Pennsylvania, in the same year...

Newz - What Makes You So Pretty

THE NEWS #29

Japanese girl-punk three-piece active from 1985, through the 90s.

The News - もっと自由に'89

NEWZ #30

Also in 1985, Garon M. Smith was calling himself Newz in Detroit - and listening to a shedload of Prince records too, by the sound of it.

Newz - The Sexiest Thing

THE NEWZ #31

Newzflash from Belgium in 1993 featuring singer Patty Burns, who would go on to take over the headline slot. Curious how they can spell News correctly in the song title, just not in the band name.

The Newz - Evening News

NEWS #32

Japanese boyband who started out with nine members in 2003, but whittled themselves down to a three-piece by 2020. I'm sure the six who left aren't bitter.

News - Teppen

NEWS #33

Polish electro-pop from 2014 onwards. Not sure what former teachers will make of the shenanigans in this video...

News - Będzie Pompa 

THE NEWS #34

And finally, as I allowed that guy at #14, I guess I better make room for this guy too... before the lawyers get to him.

Huey Newton & The News - Oct. 10th 2018

Well, it was certainly a busy news day, wasn't it? Which News made headlines for you?

The Curious Case of CD32: Part #5

A quick dash through the four final songs on this CD... it's Halt Term, so my blog-hours are limited.

Track 17: Joshua Kadison - Jessie

I like a good heartfelt piano ballad. And beyond the obvious candidates (Billy, Elton), there are a lot of one hit wonder types who do this sort of thing very well too. Randy Edelman. Bruce Hornsby. Marc Cohn. And here's another one - from 1993, when I was 21 and really shouldn't have been listening to this sort of thing. Except that I was a hopeless romantic even then, so while all the cool kids were getting into grunge, I was getting down to Joshua Kadison. (Grunge came later.)

From a phone booth in Vegas, Jessie calls at five am
To tell me how she's tired of all of them
She says, "Baby, I've been thinking 'bout a trailer by the sea
We could go to Mexico... you, the cat, and me
We'll drink tequila and look for seashells
Now, doesn't that sound sweet?"
Oh, Jessie, you always do this every time I get back on my feet

Looking at the video, which I don't think I've ever seen before, Kadison wouldn't have looked out of place in the grunge scene, with his long unkempt hair and sleeveless vests. Fair play to him then for going out and recording this kind of epic singer-songwritery slush when all the cool kids were doing the whole quite-loud thing with their angst.

Apparently he wasn't quite a One Hit Wonder in the States, and his second hit, Beautiful In My Eyes, became a big wedding favourite. The video of that has him riding down the highway like Bon Jovi... but he still sounds like a 90s Dan Fogelberg tribute act. Jessie is a far better tune.

Track 18: The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight

You don't get much more old skool than this. Of course, I wasn't in to rap music in 1979. Apart from Debbie Harry, who was? But I came to appreciate this later, like most people, and probably prefer it to most of the rap that followed. It's got a sense of humour, which a lot of rap seems to lack these days (or if it is funny, it's nasty-funny), and while the rhymes start out pretty basic, if you take a listen to the longer version, there are all kinds of hidden treats, including this gem of a story from Wonder Mike...

Ever went over a friend's house to eat and the food just ain't no good?
I mean the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed, and the chicken tastes like wood
So you try to play it off like you think you can, by sayin' that you're full
And then your friend says, "Momma, he just being polite, he ain't finished, uh-uh, that's bull!"
And so your heart starts pumpin', and you think of a lie, and you say that you already ate
And your friend says, "Man, there's plenty of food!" so you pile some more on your plate
And while the stinky foods steamin' your mind starts to dreamin' of the moment that it's time to leave
And then you look at your plate and your chicken's slowly rottin' into something that looks like cheese

Oh, so you say, "That's it, I got to leave this place! I don't care what these people think
I'm just sittin' here makin' myself nauseous with this ugly food that stinks!"
And so you bust out the door while it's still closed, still sick from the food you ate
And then you run to the store for quick relief from a bottle of Kaopectate
And then you call your friend two weeks later to see how he has been
And he says, "I understand about the food, baby bubbah, but we're still friends"

Many years later, I'm sure Flight of The Conchords paid tribute to that here...

Flight of the Conchords - Hurt Feelings

I didn't put the long version on CD32, but I reckon Sam might be ready for it now.

Track 19: Huey Lewis & The News - The Heart of Rock n Roll

I've probably said enough about these guys recently. Besides, Huey says it best...

When they play their music, ooh that modern music
They like it with a lot of style
But it's still that same old back beat rhythm
That really, really drives 'em wild

They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I've seen I believe 'em
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating

Track 20: The Beatles - I Should Have Known Better

I'll be honest - I've no idea why I ended this CD with such an obscure Beatles track. The early CDs were pretty Beatles heavy, because they're often good basic catchy melodies that little kids dig... no wonder they were so successful. Keep It Simple, Stupid. But there were plenty of more obvious tracks I still hadn't featured by the time I hit CD32... maybe this was the exact right length for the space I had left on the CD? It wouldn't be the first time that criteria has led to a final song selection...

OK, that's it for CD32. We'll start another one next week. Bet you can hardly wait!

Guest Post Tuesday on Wednesday

I wasn't here yesterday.

OK, clearly I was here, because I ran a Namesakes which aggravated George even more than usual because the best band weren't an exact, precise, 100% namesake. Bloody Maths teachers and their pedantry.

But as well as being here, I was also guesting over at the esteemed No Badger Required blog, talking about a band I like that nobody else really likes.

I definitely won the prize for most out-of-place blogpost this month.

Still, if you want to read why I love the guys at the top of the page as much as I do... go read the post. 

Snapshots #366: A Top Ten Songs About The Working Week

It can be hard, getting through the working week.

Here are ten songs to ease the pain...

10. Not the home of dance culture since 1991.

Before the Ministry of Sound started laying down banging club anfems, these guys made a preferable noise (to my aging ears, anyway)...

Ministry Of Sound - White Collar Worker

He's got such a lot to do
But it's such a bore

9. A net for catching sleepy letters.

Fischer Z - The Worker

Always kiss the wife goodbye
Often wonder why
At seven in the morning?
Think it's time for a change
Wouldn't that be strange
What a waste of time

8. 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock... they can choose when they go on. 

6 o'clock News, 9 o'clock News, 10 o'clock News... with Huey as the headline.

Huey Lewis & The News - Workin' For A Living

Somedays won't end ever
And somedays pass on be I'll be working here forever,
At least until I die, dammed if you do, dammed if you don't
I'm supposed to get a raise week, you know damn well I won't.

7. Artists ride free around here.

"Artists ride" was an anagram...

Dire Straits - Money For Nothing

We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color TVs

6. Strike a pose...

The Vogues - Five O'Clock World

Up every morning just to keep a job 
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob 
Sounds of the city pounding in my brain 
While another day goes down the drain

Of course, the Julian Cope version is better, but that's not their fault. 

5. Did you hear a loud bang!? Leslie Nielsen must be shooting his Naked Gun inside. 

Bang Leslie... 

The Bangles - Manic Monday

Have to catch an early train, got to be to work by nine
And if I had an aeroplane, I still couldn't make it on time
'Cause it takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear
Blame it on the train, but the boss is already there

4. A slippery line of seats.

Skid Row - Slave To The Grind

You got me forced to crack my lids in two
I'm still stuck inside this rubber room
I gotta punch the clock that leads the blind
I'm just another gear in the assembly line

3. A beautiful French hive.

In French, their name means beautiful hive. (According to Google Translate, anyway. Ernie may tell us different.)

Belleruche - Clockwatching

Your dues have long been paid
Too many times, too many times, too many times

2. A keen shilling.

Bob's eager!

Bob Seger - Feel Like A Number

I work my back till it's racked with pain
The boss can't even recall my name
I show up late and I'm docked
It never fails

1. This lady never seems to last as long as she used to. 

Summer's over far too soon these days.

Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money

And in case you were thinking, "Why didn't he include...?", I'll have a few more of these for you tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Snapshots will be back next Saturday.

Saturday Snapshots #348: A Top Ten Oxymoron Songs

When I was a kid, I thought that an oxymoron was an idiot with spots. Then I went to an English lesson and learned that an oxymoron is actually "a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction". Like Biggie Smalls, above... or Fatboy Slim, who introduced yesterday's post.

Here are ten songs that feature oxymorons in their titles...

10. What do you get if you cross a Folksinger and Man U?

"Folksinger and Man U" is an anagram...

Simon & Grafunkel - The Sound of Silence

9. Otis, Bobby, Jennifer.

Otis Rush, Bobby Rush, Jennifer Rush...

Rush - Cold Fire

8. Jerry Lee meets another Piano man.

Jerry Lee Lewis meets Huey Piano Smith...

Huey Lewis & The News - Hip To Be Square

Or I would have let you have...

Huey Lewis & The News Some Of My Lies Are True 

7. Woody is a Plonker.

Woody Allen meets Rodney from Only Fools & Horses...

Rodney Allen - Happy Sad

6. 25th Century debtors. 

Buck Rogers went to the 25th Century, and came back Owen a lot of money...

Buck Owens - Act Naturally

5. Man, that's a jazzy label. 

Verve is one of the top labels for jazz records. Nice.

The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

Incredibly, this is the first time the Verve have appeared on Saturday Snapshots. I probably thought Richard Ashcroft was just too easy to recognise.

4. What makes your writing distinct?

The Stylistics - Break Up To Make Up

3. Captive journalist.

Terry Anderson was an American journalist held hostage in Lebanon for 6 years. 

This isn't that Terry Anderson. Instead, it's the one who originally wrote Battleship Chains, among other fine tunes like this one...

Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass-Kickin Team - Found Missing

2. I can almost remember their funny faces...

That's the opening line from Jet, obviously.

Joan Jett - I Hate Myself For Loving You

1. Theft of a Pet Shop Boy.

Who nicked Chris Lowe?

Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind

A few others that I couldn't squeeze in...

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

(That video never grows old.)

Hall & Oates - So Close (Yet So Far Away)

They Might Be Giants - Everything Right Is Wrong Again

Three Dog Night - Easy to Be Hard

Guns n Roses - Civil War

Parting is such sweet sorrow, but Snapshots returns next Saturday...