FIRST HOUR
They Don't Know (Tracey Ullman)
(1983) ... four years after her original version, Kirsty MacColl made a guest appearance singing backing vocals
Telegram Sam (T Rex)
(1972)...third of four number 1s in just over 12 months for Marc Bolan and co in the heyday of both glam rock and the maxi-single. Telegram Sam was the first release on Marc Bolan's own T Rex Wax Co label. When you flipped it over, there were two songs on the B side, Cadillac and Baby Strange. The previous year's album Electric Warrior had made a huge impact and further success was to follow with The Slider which included two chart-toppers Telegram Sam and Metal Guru, securing Bolan's place in pop history as the godfather of glam
Cecilia (Suggs featuring Louchie Lou & Michie One)
... from the first of today's featured years ~ breathing new life into a familiar Simon and Garfunkel song which surprisingly, had never charted in the UK
'60s hits by the same writer...
Graham Gouldman, prolific supplier of hit songs for other artists, eventually stepped out into the spotlight in the '70s as one of 10cc
Look Through Any Window (The Hollies)
(1965)... featuring a distinctive 12-string guitar riff, soaring harmonies and Bobby Elliott’s explosive drumming (Source: Wikipedia).
No Milk Today (Herman's Hermits)
(1966) ... one of the hallmarks of a great writer is the ability to observe and absorb the seemingly trivial, but significant details of everyday life According to Wikipedia, Graham Gouldman had seen a 'no milk today' note outside a friend's house which, as his father observed, might be for any number of reasons. In the lyrics, the household needs less milk because someone has just moved out. The note asking the milkman not to leave the usual bottle while appearing completely unremarkable to an outsider ('how could they know just what this message means'), has a much deeper significance. The writer - or whoever is singing - expresses sadness at the break-up of a relationship ('the end of all my dreams').
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What Does It Take To Win Your Love (Jr Walker and The All Stars)
(1969)... with a long lead-in before the vocal kicks in, you might be forgiven for thinking this was an early-in-the-show Lyricless bonus ahead of the main feature. For a song only just over two minutes, though, it's fair to say at least half is instrumental, mostly featuring the trademark saxophone of the man himself
Newsround Tameside: 25 years ago ~ 1996
Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis)
... Noel Gallagher's first lead vocal on an Oasis 'A' side. the band's second # 1 was always an outstanding song but has gone on to achieve iconic status as THE Manchester Anthem
Town Without Pity (Eddi Reader)
... second of two solo hits for the one time Fairground Attraction singer. Town Without Pity was an old Gene Pitney song, from the film of the same name in the early '60s
Never Never Love (Simply Red)
... third single from the album Life released towards the end of 1995
I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Etta James)
.... the power of TV advertising was proved yet again when the latest Diet Coke ad borrowed the attention-grabbing song from the American blues and soul singer's 1960 debut studio album
Real Love (The Beatles)
... ... John Lennon song written in the late '70s ~ he recorded rough demo versions, but never got round to finishing it. His widow Yoko gave the tapes to Paul, George and Ringo who got together in a studio with Jeff Lynne - and the result was a second new Beatles single, following on from their completion of another Lennon original, Free As A Bird. Fast forward to 2014 - a much slower version of Real Love, with piano and orchestra, was a hit for Tom Odell after featuring in a famous name store's Christmas TV ad
Stepping Stone (PJ and Duncan)
... long before they became the undisputed kings of Saturday night TV, Ant and Dec were a hugely successful teen pop duo with an impressive run of chart hits. For the first few they used their character names in the BBC's Byker Grove - PJ and Duncan. Mums and dads who had followed The Monkees in the '60s would take great delight in pointing out that the duo's latest song was, in fact, a Monkees B side * albeit with a longer title (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone, (* I'm A Believer their 1967 No.1 was the A side)
In Too Deep (Belinda Carlisle)
... peaking at # 6, her highest chart placing since (We Want) The Same Thing, which had reached the same position in October 1990
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SECOND HOUR
Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles)
(1979)... # 1 for the duo comprising the soon-to-be legendary music producer Trevor Horn and - bonus points if you remember - the other Buggle was keyboard player Geoff Downes, originally from Stockport. Geoff would go on to have a long association with Yes and Asia and has just completed his fourth album as Downes Braide Association with writer/singer/musician/producer Chris Braide. One of their latest songs is coming shortly...
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Here Comes That Feeling (Brenda Lee)
(1962) ... three years after her UK chart debut, Little Miss Dynamite was still clocking up hit after hit
Until You Come Back To Me (Aretha Franklin)
... teaser track for our second featured year ~ The Queen of Soul with a song which Stevie Wonder had written with Morris Broadnax and Clarence Paul in the late '60s. Stevie's own version finally saw the light of day three years after Aretha's on his anthology album Looking Back
Absolutely Lyricless ~ the instrumental break
... titles dominated by the letter T ~ a Mexican mode of transport and a clock watching observation
Tijuana Taxi (Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass)
(1966) ... hot on the heels of the massively successful Spanish Flea
Time Is Tight (Booker T & The MGs)
(1969) ... keyboard player Booker T Jones and his fellow soul/R&B/funksters were the house band of the Stax record label ~ Time Is Tight, from their film soundtrack album UpTight, reached # 4 on the UK singles chart. For avid chart watchers, it became even more famous in the mid '70s as the music 'bed' played each week by Radio 1's Johnnie Walker when he announced the new Top 30 on his lunchtime show
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Today (Downes Braide Association)
(2021)... continuing the thread of thought following on from the Buggles song at the start of this hour, a song for our times ** from Halcyon Hymns, the latest album by Geoff Downes and Chris Braide, who has produced and/or written songs for the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Marc Almond and Beyoncé. ** Geoff describes Today as DBA's "21st Century take on the romance of spending a perfect day with someone you love. Here's to more perfect days - today, together and beyond.”
Listen To Your Radio (The Donkeys)
(1981)... lively power pop with a very catchy chorus ~ add to that the fact that it's a song with 'radio' in the title which gave it a head start, with plenty of airplay from the likes of Mike Read, who was then presenting the breakfast show on BBC Radio 1. With so much in its favour, it deserved to take off and become a decent sized hit, but sadly The Donkeys from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, disappeared back into obscurity after this, their fifth unsuccessful single
Newsround Tameside: 47 years ago ~ 1974
Year of Decision (The Three Degrees)
... title track of the first studio album they recorded for the Philadelphia International label, produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Their next single, also on the album was the # 1 When Will I See You Again
Rebel Rebel (David Bowie)
... kicks in with that fabulous guitar riff and still sounds as fresh today as it did all those years ago. Bowie was about to leave behind the glam rock of Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, as the Diamond Dogs album would soon reveal. Meanwhile, Rebel Rebel was destined for the dizzy heights of the Top 5 as his latest single
After The Gold Rush (Prelude)
... 2 minutes 34 seconds of pure a-capella harmony ~ the Neil Young song was the title track of an album he released in 1970. Around the same time, Prelude first got together in Gateshead and began to build a following on the English folk circuit. After The Gold Rush was the trio's only Top 30 hit (highest position # 21). In '82 they recorded a new version which reached # 28
Everyday (Slade)
... unleashing a slow-building, piano-led ballad as a single was a major shift from Slade's barnstorming singles of the previous three years. The gamble paid off ~ Everyday made the Top 3 and with such a heartfelt, soaring chorus was guaranteed to get everyone singing along at concerts
Star (Stealers Wheel)
... deserved to be at least as successful as the previous year's Stuck In The Middle With You, (UK # 8, 1973), but sadly # 25 was as good as it got
You're Sixteen (Ringo Starr)
... reviving an early '60s hit for Johnny Burnette, featuring a guest appearance by Paul McCartney playing the kazoo ~ Ringo with a little help from (one of) his friends...
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SHOW THEME:
Rhapsody In Blue (Rick Wakeman)
written by George Gershwin, arranged by Tony Visconti
from the album Rhapsodies (A&M Records, 1979
Please bear in mind: it's a live show and so, occasionally I might need to change the running order, leave a song out, or play an unplanned extra song which will not be shown in this weekly music blog.
-MW
