2018 Contenders: Mary Goes To War

Mary Gauthier's new record Rifles & Rosary Beads may sound a little bit worthy on paper, but in practise it's a hugely engaging and emotive experience.

Mary has collaborated with American soldiers, veterans and their families to write a collection of songs based on their firsthand experiences. So we get honest, detailed and moving portrayals of life on the front lines and back home. Stand out tracks include Brothers, written from the perspective of a female soldier...

Wiped my face, changed my soaking bra
Told my body not to feel at all
Tried to be like you, What must I do
To prove that I'm a brother too?

Bullet Holes In The Sky from the perspective of a tired old veteran...

It's the 11th of November down in Nashville Tennessee
Free breakfast at the Waffle House if I show 'em my I.D
A parade up on the riverfront, you can hear the trumpets play
Hands on hearts, the colour guard kicks it off on Veterans Day

And they thank me for my service and wave their little flags
They genuflect on Sundays and yes, they'd send us back
But I believe in God and country and in the angels up on high
And in heaven shining down on us through bullet holes in the sky

And most moving of all, The War After The War, telling the little-heard story of a veteran's wife...

I get no basic training, I get no purple heart
I'm supposed to carry on, I can't fall apart
People look at you and thank you for the sacrifice you made
They look at me and smile and say I'm lucky you're okay

Invisible, the war after the war

Musically, the album reminds me of Springsteen's Nebraska in places; elsewhere it's more traditional Americana. It's a rich and rewarding listen throughout.

Hot 100 #68

"American noise-punk duo" '68 welcome us to the number 68 on our countdown... and they sound like this.

Most people identified this week's obvious winner, but we had a few other interesting suggestions too...

The Swede suggested Roland Kirk & Jack McDuff - Doin' the Sixty-Eight, which is the kind of jazz I can just about handle, so yes, pretty cool.

Lynchie & Rigid Digit both offered up Seasick Steve - Barracuda 68, which sounds like ZZ Top in the very best way possible.

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.

Lyrical offerings included the following...

The Sweet - The Six-Teens...

But sixty-eight was sixty-eight,

no matter what they say...

Apparently John Medd has that on a T-shirt!

Fair play - I've never heard that before, guys, but I loved it.

Other lyrical 68s culled from my own collection included...

Joni Mitchell - The Last Time I Saw Richard... "was Detroit in '68"

Bruce Springsteen - Highway Patrolman... "Frankie came home in '68 and me I took this job"

Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno... "Back in '68 in a sweaty club..."

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.

DIY Songs #1: Handyman Blues

I'm not a fan of DIY. When you're a home-owner though - unless you're super-wealthy - it's a necessity. When we got together, Louise thought I'd be a natural handyman. I come from a family of builders, plumbers, joiners and fitters. My dad's first job was building coffins for the local undertakers. He was a joiner for many years before becoming a car auctioneer (not to mention being a farmer on the side), then when he retired from the auctions, he went back into joinering part-time. My parents house has always had a lot of fine woodwork and my dad could turn his hand to most jobs around the house.

But Louise was wrong to put her faith in me having picked up any genetic skills for DIY. I've learned a few basics over the 7 years we've lived together, and my dad's taught me a few things, but I'll never be a natural. (Oh, and if she also thought "at least he'll have someone in the family who can do it", she's been doubly disappointed... getting family to help is even harder than getting me to do it!)

The point of all this... I was doing some DIY over the weekend, and I realised that the only thing that makes it bearable for me is that I get to listen to lots of music while I'm doing it. So I decided to create a (hopefully very) occasional series dedicated to the music I listen to while I'm DIY-ing. Every time I do a job, I'll write a post after to tell you what I did and what it bearable.

We'll get to the job I did this weekend - and what I listened to while doing it - in post #2. First though, I had to give this one a spin. Number #1 in My Top Ten DIY Songs from way back in June 2013. Once again, Billy hits the nail on the head. Metaphorically, if not literally...

I'm never gonna be the handyman around the house my father was

So don't be asking me to hang a curtain rail for you, because

Screwdriver business just gets me confused

It takes me half an hour to change a fuse

And when I flicked the switch the lights all blew

I'm not your handyman

Don't be expecting me to put up shelves or build a garden shed

But I can write a song that tells the world how much I love you instead

I'm not any good at pottery so let's lose the 't' and just shift back the 'e'

And I'll find a way to make my poetry build a roof over our heads

I know it looks like I'm just reading the paper

But these ideas I'll turn to gold dust later

Cause I'm a writer not a decorator

I'm not your handyman

Saturday Snapshots #48 - The Answers

Don't Ask Me Why Saturday Snapshots has become the most clicked-on post on this blog. Probably because there's much less of me wittering on than on all the other posts and far more top tunes.

This week there was a photo-finish between Lynchie & Rigid Digit, both on 3 points, both typing the words "Joe Walsh" at 8:58 on the dot, but RD took the crown by a nose. Nailbiting stuff, though Charity Chic had to drop by and identify the song in question later.

Anyway, here are this week's answers... Would I Lie To You?


10. Motown records go twang, dude.

Motown was Detroit.

Records spin on a turntable.

Rubber bands go twang.

Dudes are men.

The Detroit Spinners - Rubberband Man

9. Listening to Louise's old band in the early hours of 11.12.06.

Louise was in Eternal.

The early hours would be 3am.

11/12/06 are the numbers corresponding to letters K/L/F in the alphabet.

Took a while to get the song, but C identified it first.

KLF - 3am Eternal


8. What The Beatles did after She Loves You to show off their genetic male dominance.

After She Loves You, The Beatles sang Yeah Yeah Yeah.

Y is the male chromosome.

Dominance is control.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Y Control

7. As easy as Burt Bacharach.

As easy as ABC.

Burt Bacharach wrote (a different song called) The Look of Love.

Top Ten cheesy 80s videos of all time? Go!

ABC - The Look of Love

6. Butch Cassidy feels more than a few raindrops on his head... probably the result of changing wind patterns.

Butch Cassidy was Paul Newman.

More than a few raindrops would be a Thunderclap.

Changing wind patterns would be Something In The Air.

(I'm glad you guys worked that one out because it's a couple of weeks since I wrote that clue and I couldn't remember who it was!)

Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air

5. One particular smooch on a religious street of blues.

Religion is faith.

Hill Street Blues.

Well done, Chris.

I wish Americans would learn to pronounce "centrifugal" properly.

Faith Hill - This Kiss 

4. Not a bad innings for a Jamaican cricketer who likes his coffee.

"Not a bad innings" is what people say when someone's had a good life.

Courtney Walsh was a Jamaican cricketer.

Coffee is "a cup of Joe". (Though I appreciated Lynchie's attempt at getting to Rocky Mountain Way via Blue Mountain Coffee.)

Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good

3. Blimey, Gordon! Reykjavik is a now a matriarchy.

"Gordon Bennet!" is an expression which means, "Blimey!"

Reykjavik is in Iceland.

A matriarchy... that's your mum, that is.

Hometown heroes for Rigid Digit! Lost Britpop classic...

Bennet - Mum Has Gone To Iceland

2. Jesus and Harrison Ford try for a close encounter.

Jesus and Harrison Ford were both carpenters.

A close encounter may be the result of trying to get in touch with beings from outer space.

The Carpenters - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft

(How long till I can use Klaatu here now?)

1. I know this place like half a big cat (or car).

Half a jaguar is a jag.

I know this place like the back of my hand.

Amazed it took till 9:45 to get this one. I was about to comment on that yesterday morning when CC saved me the trouble...



There Must Be An Angel Playing With My Heart, because Saturday Snapshots will be back next week.

Saturday Snapshots #48

Baby Don't Cry - Saturday Snapshots is back to give your weekend a Kick. It's hardly a New Sensation, because we've been doing this for 48 weeks... but you should at least know what to do by now.

Identify ten artists and ten top songs from the clues below, please. Hopefully they won't Mystify you too much...


10. Motown records go twang, dude.

9. Listening to Louise's old band in the early hours of 11.12.06.

8. What The Beatles did after She Loves You to show off their genetic male dominance.

7. As easy as Burt Bacharach.

6. Butch Cassidy feels more than a few raindrops on his head... probably the result of changing wind patterns.

5. One particular smooch on a religious street of blues.

4. Not a bad innings for a Jamaican cricketer who likes his coffee.

3. Blimey, Gordon! Reykjavik is a now a matriarchy.

2. Jesus and Harrison Ford try for a close encounter.

1. I know this place like half a big cat (or car).



I Need You Tonight to have solved them all, but if that's Not Enough Time then I won't post the answers till tomorrow morning...