Feil means error in Norwegian. No idea what an error finger is.
THE ALARM #4
Earlier this year, we said goodbye to Mike Peters, frontman of the most famous Alarm, the Welsh band who formed in 1981. Here they are in 1983 with their biggest hit...
Contemporary Swedish band of the loud variety who describe themselves as "75% VICTIMS, 50% OUTLAST, 125% HARDCORE!" I'll let our Maths teacher handle that one.
A brief word in honour of Mike Peters from The Alarm, who lost his battle against cancer earlier this week. Peters was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 30 years ago and he's been campaigning for cancer charities ever since, to the point that he was awarded an MBE in 2019 for his work in that area.
I reckon he deserved one for his services to music too...
Some great rockers there, but my absolute favourite Alarm song is the one where the brought the Morriston Orpheus choir in for a tribute to Welsh mining communities. Released as a double A side with The Rock, it only made #31 in the UK charts.. It should have been Number One.
In 2004, long after The Alarm's heyday, Peters snuck back into the UK Top 40, disguising his band for this little gem...
At this point in the proceedings of Celebrity Jukebox, I usually check to see if anyone else has mentioned our late star in one of their songs. I didn't expect to find any name-checks for Mike Peters... but I should have known Nigel Blackwell would save the day. It's perhaps a little bit snarky (though more towards Runrig - the Peters mention is perhaps because The Alarm were known for being a reliable support act to the biggest bands of the 80s and 90s), but personally I can think of no higher tribute than a mention in a Half Man Half Biscuit songs, whatever the reason...
Runrig with special guest Mike Peters
Red and white, black and white, blue and white bandanas
The other day, a question came up in conversation with Sam about where he might live when he was grown up.
He immediately answered, "Corkhill Drive."
After my initial thought that if this particular drive was in any way related to Jimmy Corkhill, he'd be better off keeping away or he'd end up addicted to smack and getting threatened by small time gangsters all over Liverpool... I thought perhaps this was a road he'd seen while we were driving around. Sam has a pretty good memory for signs he's read when we're out and about.
Louise decided to investigate, and put Corkhill Drive into Google Maps... but the only one she could find was in the gorgeous town of Tilba Tilba, New South Wales.
These photos give you a taste of what it might be like to live on Corkhill Drive... and I think we'd all agree that Sam has chosen well.
But where the hell has he got Corkhill Drive from? Louise's brother lives in Brisbane, but that's a long way from New South Wales, and he'd never heard of Tilba Tilba either.
All I can say is, I hope Sam lets his old man come visit.
I couldn't find any songs about Corkhill Drive or Tilba Tilba, and this isn't really about the New South Wales in Australia either... but it's a cracking tune anyway.
Back to Wales today, to a valley shaped by the mining industry... and arguably destroyed by the end of that industry. Today's song deals with that in heartbreaking detail.
Famous sons & daughters of the Rhondda include H from Steps, Denise Gyngell from Tight Fit (the lady married Pete Waterman, but there's no accounting for taste) and Mike Smash of Smashie & Nicey... Paul Whitehouse.
Despite what you may be thinking, the Beach Boys never recorded a song about Rhondda... but Rhyl band The Alarm did. And it must be their very best song, surely? A powerful indictment of "the rape of the fair country", it still sends shivers down my spine as it did when I first heard it, more than 30 years ago...
Dubai Jim went down the band route and suggested The Mai 68s with Totality For Kids, which is definitely worth a click, particularly as it seems to come from an album called Some Hearts Are Paid To Die.
Martin once again offered a couple of tracks he wasn't that into... Pink Floyd - Summer '68 and Chicago - Questions 67 & 68... before settling on the obvious choice. Saves me the job of suggesting those two as they were both in my library.
Rigid Digit also offered Blink 182 - 6/8... which I might have to save for My Top Ten Time Signature Songs... if I ever do that.
All fine tunes, but most everyone agreed that there could only be one winner this week. As C put it, "all other possible suggestions have been completely obscured from view by their hair".
This is the second and probably final appearance by The Alarm in this countdown. Wonderfully awful video for your enjoyment too...
67 next week. Nothing as obvious as our last two entries... unless you know different.
Honestly - I've nothing against 76 Trombones as a piece of music (particularly as I used to play in a brass band) but the one rule I can't break for this feature is that the winning track must be in my record collection / digital library... and 76 Trombones wasn't.
Slim pickings for number 76 though... luckily, I had one definite winner in mind which we'll get to in a moment. First... your suggestions...
George tried his best, checking into all the London prisons he could think of... but old lag Martin had already done time with this bunch so he recognised their mugshots immediately.
4. Syd was pretty tough - and loaded!
Syd Barrett.
Tough = strong.
If you're loaded, you have "LOADSAMONEY!" (You had to be there. Yes, I bought that. Listen musos - William Orbit was involved in that, so it must have been cool. I was 16, OK? Give me a break.)
Despite an initial confusion with the footballer (!?!) Earl Barrett, George nabbed this one.
3. German stone guy makes a Take That song even worse.
Stein is German for stone.
Take That did Bad For Good (possibly Gary Barlow's finest hour, though I prefer Robbie Williams' solo version: you have to stick with it past the first 50 seconds. I saw him do that live. Twice. One time, he rode a toilet round the stage while doing it. Don't tell me Robbie Williams isn't great. I won't believe you.)
In my humble opionion, Jim Steinman is one of the greatest songwriters ever to have set foot on this planet.
OK, I realise this is a stretch, but I love the song and that's all it takes to get out my shoehorn.
Warning: do not google search what this song is about. It's by Peter Gabriel... just accept the story behind it will be more mental than anything you can imagine.
Can't believe I've published over 150 posts on this blog and this is the first time I've been able to include any Bruce Hornsby. Gorgeous stuff.
Running down by the lake shore,
She did love the sound of a summer storm,
Played on the lake like a Mandolin,
Now it's washing her away... once again....
1. Beta Band - Dry The Rain
"I will now sell five copies of The Three E.P.s by The Beta Band", says John Cusack in the film version of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity (which, you will not be surprised to discover, is one of my favourite movies). However, the pedant in me always wants to complain that the version he plays in the shop isn't the one on The Three E.P.s... it's been specially edited for the movie.
OK, here's the deal - none of these songs were featured in the movie in question and no theme tunes are allowed. They all just share their name with an action movie... or occasionally were written about one, after the fact.
Probably the least appropriate song on this list, about as far from the Antonio Banderas ass-kicker in spirit as you can get. Still, if you dig the Eagles (unlike The Dude) it's a great song.
A tribute to the greatest action movie ever... yippe-ki-yay!
Remember when we first met John McClane? Argyle picked him up from the plane, And took him down to Nakatomi Tower... To meet with Holly.
He came to get her back and to be her man, But Hans and his buddies fucked up the plan, And that's about when everything went sour At the Christmas party.
And the terrorists were over-zealous, But it was sweet when they killed Ellis! And, with a little help from Allen, John McClane kicked ass!
This version has a verse for each of the first four Die Hard movies... I'm waiting patiently for the one with a new fifth verse.
1. Fight Like Apes - (Waking Up With) Robocop
Fight Like Apes are the best "new" band I've discovered in the last 12 months. "New" to me, at least, though they're already two albums in. They're one of those rare bands with crazy song titles... where the songs actually live up to (and in most cases are better than) the titles. Pay attention, Sufjan Stevens!
This one, from their most recent album, 'The Body of Christ & The Legs of Tina Turner' is a great male-female argument song.
I remember when you criticised me About picking The Face over Mr. T But I remember when you took off All of your clothes... If waking up beside me Feels so bleeding bad Then waking up with Robocop Is a lesson to be had
My favourite writer has inspired, and been inspired by, all kinds of interesting songs... here's a few that share a title with the greatest hits of Stephen King's back catalogue.
By the way, I already did a Top 10 Misery Songs back on the old blog. Search that one out for Kathy Bates and her sledgehammer.
Stephen King stole the title of The Shining from Lennon's Instant Karma ("We all shine on...") James stole the title from King, as did Badly Drawn Boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
The first King novel I read, back when I was only 14, and the one that got me hooked. This track was written for the less-than-great movie adaptation by a past-their-prime Ramones. Still. You take what you can get.
Despite his love of music, this is one of the few King novels to steal its title wholesale from a rock 'n' roll song. But if you're gonna steal, you might as well steal from Saint Bob. Everyone else does.
The first, but I'm sorry to say, probably not the last time Sir Cliff will find his way onto this blog. I have a shameless soft spot for his mid-70s output... though I'm sure he'd be horrified at the suggestion that his song might have any connection to King's pig-blood drenched heroine.
Backstage at the V96 Festival, a mate of mine pulled Keith from The Prodigy round on a child's ride-on tractor.
Firestarter isn't one of King's best novels, but the movie adaptation was better than some. Good cast, at least, including Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Martin Sheen, George C. Scott and Heather Locklear (who was contractually obliged to appear because it was 1984).
The movie of the same name was adapted from King's novella 'The Body', so he didn't steal the title of Ben E. King's classic soul heartwrencher himself. But it was a perfect fit.
1. The Alarm - The Stand
Directly inspired by King's magnum opus.
Oh I have been out searching With the black book in my hand And I've looked between the lines that lie on the pages that I tread I met the walking dude, religious, in his worn down cowboy boots And he walked liked no man on earth I swear he had no name I swear he had no name
Got a favourite song with the same title as a Stephen King book? Celine Dion's Tommyknockers, perhaps? Share it with the class...
