Day 05 – A song from your teens/childhood

30 Day Song Challenge
Day 05 - A song from your teens/childhood

A song from my childhood should probably be Puppet On A String from Sandie Shaw. As a child I claimed I was in love with her. (As were, somewhat bizarrely, The Smiths!)

By my early teens though, I had been introduced to Rock music. It was at the time of the rise in home taping (which was going to kill music) and I used the family's music centre (anyone else remember those?) to tape stuff off the radio. In particular, I would come in from the BB on a Friday night and listen to the Friday Rock Show with Tommy Vance on Radio 1 until I had to go to bed - at which point, I'd put in a C120 and record the rest of the show.

One Friday, I came home to hear him playing all (or at least I think it was all) the tracks off a new double album from Pink Floyd. In between the tracks he was talking to someone from the band (Roger Waters I assume) about how the album had been put together. (Update:It was Roger Waters and I found a transcript.) I'd missed a few tracks but the cassette went in and I got most of the show taped. Goodness knows where that tape is now, or if it would still be playable but at the time it was hugely exciting. Not only could I listen to an amazing new album but I got a real insight into how it was created. For example, I remember my surprise as Roger described some of the last minute changes to the running order that they made. The order the tracks appear seem so right it was odd to think it had not always been that way.

Here then is Pink Floyd's hit single from The Wall and a song that takes me right back to my teenage years.


We don't need no education.

Day 04 – A song by the first band/artist you saw live

30 Day Song Challenge
Day 04 - A song by the first band/artist you saw live

I have already written about my first ever concert: Concert Memories #01: Hawkwind, so let's cut to the chase and showcase the track that is still one of my favourite Hawkwind tracks:


I am a clone, I am not alone... Ah, they don't make them like that any more!

Day 03 – Your favourite album track

30 Day Song Challenge
Day 03 - Your favourite album track

Hmmm! Tricky! Current favourite from an album I'm listening to a lot just now or all time stood the test of time favourite? I guess it has to be all time favourite... The other tricky bit is that favourite album track potentially overlaps with other song challenges, e.g. day 08 - The song you play the most on your mp3/itunes/whatever, day 19 – A song you never get sick of hearing, or day 30 – Your favourite song of all time. I want to try and feature 30 different songs, so I'm going to avoid candidates for days 8, 19 and 30.

I have decided therefore to go for an AC/DC track but even then I'm struggling to choose between the live version of Whole Lotta Rosie and Back In Black. Almost against my better judgement I'm going for this one:


In general, I think I would say that I preferred Bon Scott's vocals and since If You Want Blood was recorded at the Glasgow Apollo, it is possible that I was in the audience shouting "Angus!" at the appropriate points in the introduction. In the end though, it was the opening riff of Back In Black that swung it. As soon as it starts, the volume goes up and the air guitar is brought into action. Brilliant! I especially like the way the riff stutters into action and then seems to rewind:

dan, da-da-dan, da-da-dan, g'digga dig-ing
dan, da-da-dan, da-da-dan, g'dun g'dun g'dun g'dun

Day 02 – Your favourite single

30 Day Song Challenge
Day 02 – Your favourite single

The first single I bought with my own money was My Coo Ca Choo by Alvin Stardust but not by any stretch of the imagination could this be described as a favourite!

My favourite single (i.e. proper vinyl disk that I still have stored in a box somewhere) is I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) by Genesis:


The more astute among you will realise that the Genesis single was released before the Alvin Stardust one, so I have to confess that I acquired a second hand copy of I Know What I Like in the late Seventies when I discovered the joys of Prog Rock!

(Despite the stumble with Alvin Stardust, have I recovered a bit from yesterday's Wombles confession?)

Free Music Friday #94: Just for fun

For April Fools Day, it seemed appropriate to choose a humorous track for download. And a great source of comedy tracks is the Mitch Benn Music Podcast. (Note: Mitch does warn that the podcast "Features sweary lyrics".)

I always enjoy Mitch's contribution to the Now Show, and if you enjoy comedy music with a bit of parody and pastiche thrown in for good measure, I can highly recommend his album: Crimes Against Music. In his (almost) weekly podcast, he does feature his own work, but the focus is on stuff from other people. The great thing is, the podcast page links to all the featured artists, so often you will be able to download, or at least listen to streamed music, from the people you have enjoyed.

The artists I have chosen to link to is Neil Innes. Most of the people in the podcast are relative unknowns but I have enjoyed Neil's work for years. I first encountered him when I was a just a boy because the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band featured on a children's TV programme called Do Not Adjust Your Set. I had never seen anything like them before but I definitely responded to their anarchic brand of inspired lunacy. (Just realised, I must have been about six when this was on TV but I have vivid memories of the Bonzo's performances!)

But back to Neil because his website is brilliant. It is stuffed to the gunwales with examples of his work from pre-Bonzos to present day. There are lyrics, videos, pictures, guitar tabs and (most importantly for this post) downloads of his songs.

I'm linking here to the section where you can download two different versions of what was probably the Bonzo's biggest hit: I'm The Urban Spaceman (which was produced by Paul McCartney under the pseudonym Apollo C. Vermouth). The first version is preformed in a Dixieland Jazz style and is really interesting but the second download is a live version which is much closer to the recorded version. Helpfully, Neil has also provided a guitar tab for this song and even though I'll get a row from my guitar tutor for neglecting my scales, I spent a good chunk of today's practice playing along with Neil and the boys.

There is loads more to download and discover but unfortunately my favourite Innes song isn't available for download, so here's the video instead:

What Innes download would you recommend?

Day 01 – A song from the first album you ever brought

30 Day Song Challenge
Day 01 – A song from the first album you ever brought

My daughter started this back in February and thought it might be interesting to try it but the nerd in me decided to wait for a 30 day long month just to keep things tidy. I am not the most consistent of posters, so thirty days in a row will be a real challenge! Note I decided to go for the same alternative challenge that Daughter Number 1 did.)

Here goes then with Day 1 - A song from the first album you ever brought

I suspect the first album I was given was a Top Of The Pops compilation of covers but as far as I remember, the first one I bought with my own money was Remember You're A Womble by the Wombles! (Oh the shame!)

Here then is something off that classic from the Seventies:



Hopefully this will become less embarrassing as the days go on!

Free Music Friday #93: Pearl Jam... probably

I found this live Pearl Jam track through a Google search. The link took me straight to the download page but when I had a look about, I couldn't find a way into it from the Pearl Jam website.

Pearl Jam - 5.10.10 - Buffalo
a photo by Pearl Jam Official on Flickr.

The track is called Amongst The Waves and it is a belter. Go to the widget page, enter an email to join the mailing list and they'll send you a link to get the download. It is a live trtack and the band is sounding great. I especiall like the sound of Mr Vedder's voice. There's a Hammond organ providing a solid base and some understated, but nonetheless impressive, guitar solos that drive it along. And have I mentioned how good Eddie Vedder's voice sounds?

My problem is, I don't know why this widget doesn't appear to feature on their website, so I do not know how much longer it will be available. Is it left over from a previous promotion or is it a new freebie that has yet to feature?

To be on the safe side therefore, I thought I'd give you another free download just in case the Pearl Jam one disappears. So here is a live track from the Black Keys: I Got Mine. The Black Keys have featured in a Free Download Friday before (Free Music Friday #59: The Black Keys) where my description of them was "Two blokes with a guitar and a drum kit. An astonishing racket! ". Well that description fits this track - with knobs on! I think this is the first live track of theirs I've heard and it's clear that the audio assault I've enjoyed on their albums is not the result of studio overdubs and the reaction of the audience (which can be heard through pretty much the whole of the track) suggests that this is a band (well duo...) that can put on a show. Well worth hearing live I suspect.

While you are downloading The Black Keys, have a look round the Glide Magazine site where there are twenty-five pages of downloads available! If you can't find something you like there, you are clearly not trying! Let me know what your favourites are.