Have You Heard? – (24) “Heaven” by Simply Red… and Talking Heads

Posted on October 24, 2012 by John S

I was working at home today, and while I worked I had music on as usual (at home). I’m writing a bit for my book on Simply Red, 80s/90s soulsters, at the moment, so I thought I’d re-acquaint myself with the music, on Spotify and on my iTunes. I ended up listening to seven albums! After starting with the debut, “Picture Book”, from 1985, which is a really good album, I was slowly overwhelmed by the blandness of most of the music, so that I didn’t even have the energy to switch to something else. It was, like, let’s just let this one come on , it might be a bit livelier, but if it isn’t…zzzzzzz.

I was coffee-tabled!

I exaggerate – a little.  Simply Red – led by singer Mick Hucknall – did make some classy music. The album “Stars” in 1991, was probably the peak,  and you can’t really deny its quality. It was one of the best pop-soul-dance albums of the early nineties and sold shedloads. And Mick was one of the people who invested some of his proceeds in reggae music, though the Blood and Fire label, bringing us some wonderful music from 70s Jamaica – the conscious sounds, the dub sounds, the dancehall sounds. A good man. And he had – has – a voice from Heaven…

Oh yes, Heaven. That is what this post is about.

My favourite track on ‘Picture Book”, just beating the claims of “Money’s Too Tight To Mention”, “Holding Back The Years” and “Jericho”, is “Heaven”. It’s a cover of a Talking Heads song, off the brilliant 1979 album “Fear Of Music”.

The Talking Heads original was a fragile, spacey, eerie piece, in keeping with the intense, edgy feel of the album. Singer David Byrne at his most affecting.

Heaven, heaven is a place, a place where nothing,                                                                            nothing ever happens… 

 

I loved the way that Mick Hucknall took the song, retained the essence and turned it into a real soul tune, with a bit of the blues.  With the horns lifting it higher. It could have been Otis Redding, or James Brown, or Van Morrison, the way Simply Red arranged it. A brilliant take, wonderful imagination.

Later Mick played it a bit safe and tended to rehash soul or pop classics, like ‘If You Don”t Know Me By Now” or “The Air That I Breathe”. They were fine.  But he took a punt with “Heaven” and I think it is one of his finest moments.

Which version is best? If you twisted my arm I guess I’d go for the Talking Heads – because they are just one of the best bands ever – but I love them both.

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My Top Ten – Led Zeppelin

Posted on October 21, 2012 by John S

Led Zeppelin have just released the film and DVD of their one-off reunion concerts at the O2 Arena, London in 2007. 2007? Blimey! I cannot believe that was five years ago.  I was fortunate enough to get a ticket – it was one of the great concerts. But five years? That means it’s more than five years since I started my book on my musical journey… and I’m still only half way through!

Still, I thought this would be a good time to bite the bullet and select my top ten Zep tunes. As ever, a difficult call, with so many candidates.  What do I favour? The epics? The blues? The out and out rockers? The folkies? The psychedelia? Well, I guess my selection below errs towards the rockers, because they are the essence of Led Zeppelin and because that is what attracted me in my teenage days when I first started listening to Zep. But really, I could have a top ten for each of those categories…

Because Led Zeppelin are the biggest ROCK band of all time. Everything about them is BIG. The guitars, the rhythms, the pounding drums, the voice, the hair, the hotel room outrages, the concerts….. the presence.

Robert Plant, vocals. Jimmy Page, guitar. John Paul-Jones, bass and keyboards. John Bonham, the monster, drums. Page the musical overlord, though John Paul Jones had his moments too.

In the mid seventies I was into metal until punk blasted it away for a while. With one exception – I never gave up on Led Zeppelin. They were just too good, too powerful, always the essence of rock’n’roll. And I’ve never given up on Led Zeppelin since. They remain, in my mind, the benchmark for rock music.

So here, with trepidation, is my selection. A warning: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN IS NOT IN MY TOP TEN. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I love it. It is an integral part of the rock story. But it’s just not in my top ten. Sorry!

10. Immigrant Song, from Led Zeppelin III

A raw, pounding guitar and drum and Robert Plant wailing from the start. Forever associated now with the film, “School Of Rock”. But that’s OK. It’s a great film. Click below to hear the song.

9. Custard Pie, from Physical Graffiti

I liked this one from the moment the album was released in 1975. Sharp metal riffs and an underlying funkiness make it an irresistible air guitar moment.

8. Black Dog, from Led Zeppelin IV

It’s the album with no name, but it’s the fourth, so we usually call it Led Zep 4. “Black Dog” is the clarion call, the opening track.  Robert Plant in a call and answer intro with Jimmy Page’s guitar, before we launch into the Black Dog chorus. Powered along by John Bonham’s juddering drums.  Strutting, peacock music.

7. Over The Hills and Far Away, from Houses of the Holy

What gets this one into the ten is the acoustic intro and Robert Plant’s yearning vocals,  before it launches into classic Zep rock territory, quite breezy in parts. Wouldn’t go so far as to say poppy, but closer than most.

6. Going to California, from Led Zeppelin IV

The gentle side of Led Zep. I needed something like this. Beautifully played, mystical, tender. A counterpoint to the big rockers on what is probably Zep’s most cohesive album.  And it’s the source of the melody on Pearl Jam’s “Given to Fly”, I think.

5. Nobody’s Fault But Mine, from Presence

“Presence” was the first Zep album I actually bought, in 1976. In Norwich. That’s partly why I have a soft spot for it; but I also love the primal, stripped down beats that dominate the album. This is the pure essence of rock’n’roll. “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” is a good message, and encapsulates the musical spirit of the album perfectly.

4. Dazed and Confused, from Led Zeppelin I

In which we go back to the beginning, when Zep were very much in the same league as other blues rockers, evolving into metal, like Cream. And the Yardbirds influence, via Jimmy Page, was still there.  “Dazed and Confused” is an immense, heavy blues that becomes out- of-the-ordinary in the middle part, when the guitar tricks begin.  Live, this became Jimmy Page’s set piece, with violin bows and all.  I’ve stuck to the studio version here, but there are some extraordinary live versions lasting over twenty minutes.

3. No Quarter, from Houses of the Holy

This is one of the songs that I’ve got into more and more over the years. Again, there have been some wonderful live versions. There’s a mystical, mysterious air about it. A mood piece. Completely engrossing. When Plant and Page got together for an “Unledded” reunion show in 1994, with a middle eastern feel to it, “No Quarter” was the centrepiece.

This is the original.

And here’s the “Unledded” version, which really brings out the intensity in the song.

2. When the Levee Breaks, from Led Zeppelin IV

An awesome, piledriving, juddering  blues, that conjures up the image of a doomed New Orleans, but in a hugely uplifting way, as the harmonica rings out, and Robert Plant gives out his best warble.

All last night, sat on the levee, and moaned!

There is a huge power behind this song, and John Bonham’s drums are the source. Goin’ down, goin’ down now…

1. In My Time Of Dying, from Physical Graffiti 

A few years ago this one may not have been my number one.  But increasingly I’ve just come to recognise that it captures everything I love about Led Zeppelin.  It has the essence of the blues, along with coruscating slide guitar, brutal drums, a groaning and wailing vocal. It’s grappling with the human spirit. There’s something monstrously large about it. No-one else has ever made music this powerful. The true meaning of awesome.

Near Misses

“Communications Breakdown” off Led Zep I. Just about everything off Led Zep II, which is an immense heavy blues album. I tried to get “Whole Lotta Love” into the ten, but what could I have dropped/ “What Is And What Should Never Be”, “The Lemon Song” and “Heartbreaker” were also serious contenders. “Celebration Day” and “Out On The Tiles” from Led Zep III are brilliant rockers. “Since I’ve been Loving You” is probably the best of Zep’s extended blues tracks and the acoustic side is full of weird and wonderful treats. Led Zep IV also has “Rock’n’Roll”, which was in my Air Guitar Top Ten, and the epic “Battle of Evermore”, which must have inspired Queen.  And of course there’s THAT song. I usually say Physical Graffiti is my favourite Zep album, and everything on it is good, really. Standouts include the mighty “Kashmir”, the driving “The Rover”, the wildly funky “Trampled Underfoot” and psychedelic masterpiece, “In The Light”. Presence is the most primal of Zep’s albums, with Bonham’s drums, the guitar and bass in total unison. I love “Candy Store Rock”, which sounds like Elvis discovering metal (this was really close to the ten), “For Your Love”, and the epic of epics, “Achilles’ Last Stand”.

Then there are all the live albums.  I’m not going to go through them all, except to say again, that’s where you discover the true magnificence of “Dazed and Confused”. There is a wonderful double CD of BBC live recordings, called “BBC Sessions”,which include songs that take you right back to the band’s roots.  I’m thinking especially of Robert Plant’s crazed take on Eddie Cochran’s  “Something Else” and the pure slide guitar blues of “Travellin’ Riverside Blues”.

And, and, because I know it transcends everything, here is THAT song, the one that is most identified with Led Zeppelin, like it or not. Just in case you were missing it.

Stairway…

(And thanks to WordPress blogger Dying Note for pointing out to me that you can embed songs from iTunes in this way. Hope it’s better for the reader/listener).

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Sportsthoughts (50) – Harlequins 40 Biarritz 13 in the Heineken Cup

Posted on October 14, 2012 by John S

The Heineken Cup is back! A sure sign that autumn is upon us.  A chance to relish those clashes with the French and Irish, to measure how far the Quins have come. Champions of England… now can they win the ultimate prize? Which probably means, can they beat Leinster?

The Quins had a fairly forgiving draw in the group stage this time. The main threat Biarritz, from the French Basque country.  Otherwise Connacht from Ireland and Zebre from Italy – Parma, I think. There’s a tempting away trip there! Connacht can’t be dismissed, even though they are the weakest of the Irish teams. They did, after all, scupper Quins’ progress last season, beating them in the final game in a stormy Galway.  But I’ll tempt fate and say Quins are a stronger, hardened team now.  A team that knows it can win the big prizes.

So, the first match was the home game against Biarritz this Saturday. The big challenge straight away, though Biarritz were missing a number of key players, like Yachvili and Harinordoquy. Quins coming off a two match losing run – Saracens and Exeter.  Grounds for concern. The atmosphere was good. 6pm start for the TV. Floodlights on, stadium nearly full. Surprisingly few Biarritz supporters, compared with, say, when we’ve drawn Toulouse or Stade Francais. But hopes high, even if those two losses had sown a few seeds of doubt.

Quins came roaring out of the blocks and got an early try, with a clever pass by Chris Robshaw, to Danny Care, who darted through a rather sleepy Biarritz defence. Nev converted. Looking good.

But Biarritz started to claw their way back into it.  Their forwards looked strong, although Quins were matching them. They aren’t a classic French running team, Biarritz.  Their tactics were pretty ugly. Big kicks, sucking the opposition into a forward battle. And pretty dirty. Their Aussie centre, Dane Haylet-Petty, was sin-binned for taking out Tom Williams while he was still in the air, catching one of those big kicks. But there was a lot of rough stuff going on. At the heart of it was second row, Dubarry, a man with a beard that made him look like he should be playing guitar in ZZ Top!  And of course our very own Joe Marler was getting involved in the shenanigans, though fortunately yellows were avoided.

Biarritz scored a penalty to make it 7-3 and then a moment which changed the game. Nick Evans made a break, was taken down, and didn’t get up. Looked like an ankle injury. The medic strapped it, but it was clear that he was gone. He stayed on for a couple of minutes, but it was futile.  On came young Ben Botica, son of the great New Zealand rugby league player, Frano Botica, who had a few seasons at Wigan. Ben started with Quins this season, though a knowledgeable fan in the row in front of us said that we’d already agreed to sign him and he spent last season with a French lower league team. What was interesting was that he had moved ahead of Rory Clegg as the deputy fly half. We were about to see why…

Quins did wobble with the loss of Nev. Botica took the score to 10-3 with a penalty, but in the last fifteen minutes or so of the half, Biarritz started to look strong. They scored a pushover try which was converted and then took the lead with a penalty. Botica converted another penalty for Quins, leaving the score at 13-13 at half time.  There was a sense that we were a bit lucky still to be at evens. The forward battle had swung in their favour and that is where games are won and lost.

Something amazing happened at half time though! Either Conor O’Shea gave the team talk of his life, or the management spotted some Biarritz weaknesses to exploit, or the Quins forwards just tweaked some technical aspects of their game. Maybe all three. Whatever, Quins came out in the second half and just blew Biarritz away! 27 points to nil in the second half.

It was the Quins forwards who set out the stall.  Suddenly they were pushing the Biarritz scrum back at every opportunity. Early on there was a “rolling maul” – something which gets the crowd going more than just about anything – which rolled on to near the Biarritz try line. A few more manoeuvres and hooker Rob Buchanan was over for the try. Botica converted (again). And then, a moment when he declared, anything Nick Evans can do I can do better. From very close to the half way line – beyond Nev’s normal range – he smashed a kick over. I think this was the moment when the crowd went: we have a new star. We are going to win this game. I think the team felt that too. Ben Botica is the real deal. His kicking is immense.  He absolutely whacks the ball, whether a penalty, conversion or kick to touch. He has a short back lift but really powerful follow through. He wellies it.  A contrast to Nev, who strokes the ball, caresses it over the posts. And again, his preparations for a kick are short and to the point.  None of the arm alignment favoured by Nev and the great Jonny Wilkinson. Just a drop of the shoulders, a deep breath no doubt, and a few short steps before… boom!

I know it’s only one match, but I reckon every Quins fan at the Stoop was thinking the same: we have seen the future, post Nev.  And it looks good!

From that moment Quins were rampant. Danny Care was at his buzzing, searing best – as he was in the first half too.

Nick Easter was doing all his crafty stuff, and no-one quibbled with his man of the match award (though I might have given it to Danny). Ben Botica dazzled with his running and handling as well as his kicking. Mike Brown gained the yards as ever. Matt Hopper showed flashes of his speed.  Jordan Turner-Hall just powered through, taking the hits for the team, as he always does. The forwards collectively were on a high and totally dominated the opposition. Two more tries came – Jordan Turner-Hall and late on, substitute wing, Seb Stegmann, to get the bonus point.

That second half was the best Quins have played this season, and against serious opposition.

A really encouraging display from the boys. A performance that demonstrated that they have all the skills. When it needed ugly forward power in response to the French challenge, they delivered. When it needed penetration and fast handling from the backs, they delivered. When they needed to recover from the loss of Nick Evans they – Ben Botica – did it.

That is going to be the most exciting thing to take away from this game. We have a new fly half who is going to be the business!

Sometimes you just know…

 

 

(All photos taken from Google Images)

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Radiohead at the O2 Arena, London, 9 October 2012

Posted on October 10, 2012 by John S

On 9 October  I went with my friend Jon to see Radiohead at the O2 Arena – the Dome – in the Docklands.

The best band in the world today? After last night’s concert, I would say so.

What makes them so good? I’d say it was that combination of great songs from the past combined with a relentless desire for innovation, which has taken them into deep electronic territory, hugely different from the big rockers of breakthrough album, “The Bends”, but as identifiably Radiohead as those early classics.  When you go to see Radiohead, you know you are going to hear a lot of new stuff, you know there will be moments of wilful obscurity.  But you also know you will hear some astonishing music, beautiful music, astonishingly presented. And last night was exactly like that.

For those of you who are Radiohead fans, here is the setlist, courtesy of the brilliant website, setlist.fm. It was on the site by the time I got back home at 12.30am. Of course I knew the songs, apart from a couple from a recent single, but for some reason I still find myself unable at times to put the names to the tune, even tunes I really like! It might be because the titles rarely jump out at you in a chorus or opening statement. Or maybe it’s just something that my brain doesn’t do too well.

So here is the list.

The main set

Lotus Flower

Airbag

Bloom

The Daily Mail

Myxamotosis

Bodysnatchers

The Gloaming

Separator

Videotape

Nude

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

Reckoner

There There

The National Anthem

Feral

Paranoid Android

Encore 1

Give Up The Ghost

I Might Be Wrong

Planet Telex

Morning Mr Magpie

Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Encore 2

Staircase

Everything In Its Right Place (True Love Waits intro)

Encore 3

Idioteque

Just tapping out this list makes me feel, wow! Such rich variety. Such awesome power. Such intricate beauty.

The emphasis was, not surprisingly, on recent albums, especially as “King of Limbs” hadn’t had a proper airing live. It’s an album which got criticised, on release, for being rather slight, though I found it entrancing, especially the two wonderfully mournful tracks, “Codex” and “Give Up The Ghost”. Live, it was harder-edged, those industrial beats and bubbling rhythms pounding out of the speakers. First song, “Lotus Flower”, set the tone. In the same spirit, “Hail To The Thief”, probably the least applauded Radiohead album, got a decent hearing, with three tracks, spearheaded by the burbling rock of “Myxamotosis”.

But still central to the show, with five picks (compared to “King of Limbs’” six) was “In Rainbows”. And why not? I think it is Radiohead’s finest. When I last saw Radiohead, in Hackney’s Victoria Park, in June 2008, it was the latest album.  Some of the songs may still have been a little unfamiliar to the audience, but they were greeted with huge enthusiasm. That is the distinctive nature of a Radiohead crowd – the new is as good as the old. Change is part of the template.

“Bodysnatchers” provided its trenchant rhythms just after “Myxamotosis”, the hardest rocking section of the show. Then from “Videotape” through to “Reckoner” there were four in a row from “In Rainbows”. Not that I was doing the nerdy thing at the time and counting them: I was just too engrossed in the music. It actually felt like five, because “Separator”could easily be an “In Rainbows” song. Of course “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” was a highlight – it’s my favourite Radiohead song. (See my Radiohead Top Ten, which also has a few of the other songs mentioned here, like those “King of Limbs” mournful favourites). But the one that stood out most was “Nude”, in all its hymnal beauty.  I was struck during that song how good Thom Yorke’s voice is, as he soared into his falsetto. Has it got better over the years? I think so. There’s a wonderful vulnerability about his delivery in the – what shall I call them? – ballads, laments, slow ones…  “Nude”, the beautiful “Give Up The Ghost”, with the trembling backing vocals from the band, and of course “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, which ended the first encore in a blaze of anthemic glory.

What other high points? So many, in fact it was more a high plateau. The Table Mountain of music! Well, I rejoiced when the pulsating bass line of “The National Anthem” kicked in, and of course when those first chords of “Paranoid Android” wafted through the light-spangled  air.  And during Johnny Greenwood’s guitar frenzy in that song. “Planet Telex”, opening track of “The Bends”, was magnificent too.

And enhancing the aural experience was an amazing video and light show.  It featured a series of panels that were suspended from the roof and moved to different spots throughout the show.  It was as if they were floating in space. Sometimes they showed video of the band, sometimes they fell in with the light show.  That was composed of a series of columns of light that seemed able to show just about any colour, or image at will, and a backdrop that again pulsed with colour and entrancing, abstract images. This is another thing about a Radiohead concert.  Everything about it stimulates, provokes. Dazzles. These guys really care.

Then, right at the end, we had three songs, which just summed up the Radiohead way. One song, “Staircase”, was the B Side of the recent single “The Daily Mail”. In an encore! Then we had a total reworking of “Kid A” opener, “Everything In Its Right Place”. It started off with Thom on piano, singing a song called “True Love Waits” (which I’m not sure I know) before what I can only describe as an industrial techno version of “Everything”. With Johnny Greenwood going crazy with his box of musical tricks.  Eat your heart out Brian Eno!

And in the same vein, the last song, also from “Kid A”, the album when Radiohead made their break from the stadium rock idiom, once and for all.  And perplexed and delighted people in equal measure. “Idioteque”. Again with the beats per minute cranked up, the bass beats pounding and Thom dancing like a Dervish. A really exhilarating end to a spellbinding concert.

(The irony of course, being that Radiohead are a stadium band. But on their own terms.  They play festival dance tent music in stadiums and on main stages. With a couple of anthems thrown in. And we love it!)

Most concerts you go to, there’ll be moments of downtime, time to take the loo break;  there’ll be new tunes you’d rather not hear as they are holding up the favourites.  None of that applied to Radiohead last night, even though there was plenty of “difficult” stuff.  It was just a totally engrossing experience.  Not all punch-the-air. A lot was about giving yourself to the music and the show, taking in all the fascinating musical and visual moments in front of you.

I was truly moved by the experience.  Privileged to have been there.

No doubt in my mind after that – best band in the world.

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Sportsthoughts (49) – Where’s the Arc?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by John S

The first Sunday of October is always the time for the top flat race in the European calendar, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, nestling in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne. A mile and a half (or 2400 metres), and a testing one, because the ground at Longchamp is often soft. Nonetheless, it tends to bring the champions from all over Europe, and increasingly the world, to contest the prize. It is a race for all the years, from three onwards, and typically matches the Derby winners from France and Britain with battle-hardened four and five year olds from all over the place.

I have a soft spot for the race, having lived in Paris and enjoyed the sophistication of Longchamp on non-Arc days, when the crowds are small despite the low entry prices. On Arc day, it fills up with champagne swilling Brits and Irish, giving it a wonderful clash of racing cultures.  Despite the clash, the vibe is good. In fact it’s great!

My soft spot is also because the Arc meeting of 1990 was a big part of my stag weekend in Paris. I lived in Paris at the time, and all my good mates from England came over, joined up with a few from Paris, and had a fine time. (My wife took the opposite trip and had her hen night in London). The Arc was one of the highlights; the race was won by Saumarez. I’m not sure any of us won any money. The previous year was similarly unsuccessful. On the bus down to Longchamp from Etoile there was a German extolling the virtues of an obscure runner, Carroll House. We politely ignored him. What would a German know about top quality flat racing?…

The dream sequence for a British horse as a three year old is to win the 2000 Guineas in May at Newmarket, over a mile, step up to a mile and a half to win the Derby at Epsom in June, step down to a mile and a quarter to win the Eclipse at Sandown, also in June (thus showing real speed and taking on the older horses for the first time) then the King George VI at Ascot in July. Then prepare for the Arc…

Not sure when a horse last did all of these, if one ever did, but Sea The Stars was a real hero in 2009, taking the Guineas, Derby, Eclipse, Irish champion and the Arc. In fact I think it was the first horse ever to win the Guineas, Derby and Arc. The brilliant Nashwan almost managed in 1989. Guineas, Derby, Eclipse, King George. Lost in an Arc trial, the Prix Niel, and was withdrawn from the Arc.  Protecting the stud value – always an issue in flat racing.  I saw Nashwan win that Derby. It was when it was still on a Wednesday, rather than Saturday as it is now. We’d take the day off work, have a fried breakfast in Smithfield, home of London’s meat market, washed down with Guinness and champagne, and then make our way down to Waterloo, as the city workers were arriving for the day’s slog. That always felt good!

On the day Nashwan won the Derby, my mate Smithy picked up £500, choosing first and second in what they called a dual forecast.  Pick the winner and then put small bets on it with all the other horses. To come in the first two. Something like a £15 bet.  A horse called Terimon came in second at 200-1 ! I think Smithy bought a round.

Another great horse was Lammtarra. In 1995, it won the Derby in its first race as a three year old.  Then the King George, and finally the Arc. Brilliant, but gone in a flash. Retired to stud. That’s been the problem with the flat, compared with National Hunt, the fences, the winter game, where the horses stay on for years and the public really grow to love the stars – Desert Orchid, One Man, Best Mate, Denman, Kauto Star, to name a few.

Anyway, this year Camelot, trained by Aidan O’Brien in Ireland, took the Guineas, the Derby and the King George, before going for an even more heroic objective, the St Leger, at a mile and three-quarters. Not achieved since Nijinsky in 1970. The Triple Crown. (Nijinsky was then headed off in the Arc by a horse called Sassafrass). It was a brave move, because at stud these days they seem to favour a horse that has mile and a quarter speed, as well as mile and a half stamina. No distance runners required.

Camelot

And in most seasons Camelot would have been hailed as a total superstar. But this season – and last – it has been all about the wonder horse, Frankel. Won everything at a mile in its third year.  Carried on doing so as a four year old and stepped up to a mile and a quarter – still unbeaten. People speculated that it might just be put into the Arc, but the owners presumably thought that would be a risk too far. Instead it will win the Champion Stakes at Ascot later this month and retire to stud unbeaten. Generally regarded as the best horse ever. But what if he’d been put into the Arc and won… ? We can but dream.

It didn’t work out for Camelot in the Leger. Maybe a mile and three quarters was too far. A horse called Encke won the race, piloted by one of the future star jockeys, Mikael Barzelona. Speculation then began about whether Camelot would be fit for the Arc. But surely he had to run. Put the Leger and its excessive distance (for a top quality horse) behind him. To the credit of the trainer and owners they decided to go for it. And at the last it was announced that the great man, Frankie Dettori, would be in the saddle. Hope!

The main rival in the betting was a Japanese horse with a French name, Orfevre. The 2011 winner, Danedream, who had won the 2012 King George, was quarantined in Germany because of a disease that had broken out at its stables.  Gutting! But as ever, most of the best horses were assembled and ready to battle it out. The ground was “holding”. Which I think means pretty soft.

So, before I went out for a cycle, I checked which channel the race was going to be on, so I could record it, in case I was late back.  BBC? No. Channel 4? No. Eurosport? No. I had a look on-line. Maybe Pari-Mutuel, the French bookies. No. Didn’t bother looking at any of the digital TV racing channels as I don’t subscribe. (Later I discovered it was on The Racing Channel, which went free to air for this race – never mind).

It seemed like it would have to be a trip to the betting shop. Fortunately there is one just round the corner from where we live, so after a cycle and shower, I popped down to Betfred, before the weekly excursion to Waitrose.  (Living close to the edge!).

The betting shop is a faintly depressing experience.  A few blokes ensconced for the day. A few passers-by like me.  A couple of people behind the counter looking pretty bored. The TV screens showing a succession of minor horse and greyhound races. There’s a little bit of chat, but it’s mostly people in their cocoons, with a couple of quid on No4 at the next dog race.

And then it’s the Arc, the top race in Europe! I felt it was incumbent on me to have a bet, just being there.  Not too much. £5 to win on Camelot at 9-4. £2 each way on Sea Moon, trained by the maestro, Sir Michael Stoute, at 9-1. Each way meaning £2 on a win and £2 on a place (first to third) at a fifth of the odds.

Got that?

It comes on to the screen just before the horses are ready to go. There is a commentary. The camera work isn’t great – it doesn’t look like a feed from TV coverage. The race proceeds, the pace relatively slow, a horse called Robin Hood making the pace.  Camelot looks well placed on the rails, sixth or seventh. At around three furlongs to go, the race cranks into gear. At just after two, Orfevre accelerates incredibly. Camelot is nowhere. The race is won. But what’s this? Another horse is tracking Ofevere, reining it in.  Orfevre seems to be slowing. It’s going to the wire! But the horses are disappearing off the left hand side of the screen! It is either dodgy camera work or rubbish screens, but I find myself straining to look inside a dimension of the screen that doesn’t exist. Like ducking when you go under a bridge in your car.  We have to judge the winner by the position of the horses’ arses rather than their heads! It looks like the pursuing horse has just got up there and won. Who is it?

It’s Solemia, a filly that has never won a Group One race (the best ones). The odds are 41-1. Ridden by one of the great French jockeys, Olivier Peslier, though. Maybe not such a surprise then. It’s a French race, after all.

Just like Carroll House, all those years ago. A sense of bewilderment, disappointment. Apart from the few punters who bet on it at those odds!

There’s no analysis of the race on the bookie’s screens. About a minute after the end of the greatest race of the season, the commentator announces, “More important, the hare is off at Oxford!”

I accept that that comment may have been tongue in cheek.  But what a descent. From the Arc to the dodgy dogs in a split second.  Anything you can bet on. Pull in a few more shekels from the gullible punters. Come on No 4!

I check Twitter for some reaction. Lots of abuse as usual. Suggestions that the best horse didn’t win (the best horse being Orfevre, it seems). Of course the best horse won.  It always does.  On the day.

Camelot was a disappointing 7th. Frankie said the season had taken its toll. And I don’t think I ever heard Sea Moon mentioned! (A familiar feeling with the horses who carry my hopes). But the good news is that Camelot is going to stay in training as a four year old. That will presumably mean that it is aimed at the King George and the Arc, with not too many knackering diversions.  It could yet consolidate its reputation and become one of the true greats.

Let’s hope so. We love our equine heroes.

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Have You Heard? – (23) “Black Steel” by Tricky… and Public Enemy

Posted on October 6, 2012 by John S

I got a letter from the government the other day…

I first heard this song on the 1995 release, “Maxinquaye” by a singer called Tricky. Or thought I had…

Tricky was born Adrian Thaws in Bristol. He had quite a troubled life, but found a calling in music and rapped on Massive Attack’s seminal trip hop album “Blue Lines”. “Maxinquaye” was his first solo album, in 1995.  It was a fascinating mix of hip hop, dance, edgy rock and electronica.

For me the stand out track was “Black Steel”. It started with a slurred vocal from Tricky’s then girlfriend, Martina Topley-Bird, bemoaning the said letter from the government and denouncing them as suckers. I didn’t really listen beyond that, because the music was the thing.  From a jagged hip hop verse, it launched into a glorious metal riff, which let out all the anger of the song. It was one of the great build ups and an astonishing piece of metal. I loved the combination.

And then in later years it dawned on me. It was a cover – a very different take – of a Public Enemy song from their greatest album – maybe the greatest rap album of all time – “It takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back”. The song was “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”. It was all about about going to prison if you didn’t want to fight in a war. That letter wasn’t just an overdue tax bill…

Funny how, when I first heard Tricky and Martina I didn’t link it to the original – on an album I loved.  Just wasn’t paying attention. And they were very different.  Public Enemy didn’t go metal, not on this one.

Public Enemy did go metal at times though. “She Watch Channel Zero” off ‘Nation of Millions” was the classic example. I think the riff is taken from Slayer’s awesome “Angel Of Death”.

Three amazing tunes. Never mind that I didn’t immediately figure that Tricky’s “Black Steel” was a version of Public Enemy’s.  It allowed me to appreciate Tricky in his own right. And his version totally rocked!

It occurred to me that suckers have authority…

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We Are Augustines at Shepherds Bush O2 Empire

Posted on October 2, 2012 by John S

Any of you who read my blogs about the Latitude music festival will know that I thought We Are Augustines provided the best rock’n’roll experience of the festival. Check the review here. I’d not heard of them before that. I loved the energy, the passion, the beats and choruses, the communion with the crowd, and the hints of Springsteen.

I bought their debut album, “Rise Ye Sunken Ships” when I got home from Latitude. It didn’t immediately grab me.  I’d wondered how the blurb in the Latitude handbook could liken them to Arcade Fire, when I was hearing a mix of Springsteen and punk. The album showed why. I listen to so much music now while doing something else – usually writing – that the sound has to be amazing to pull me in deep. And We Are Augustines’ album didn’t do that straight away. I liked it, but I gave it a couple of listens and moved on.

I knew they would be worth seeing live, though,  and the Latitude handbook told me they’d be playing Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 1 October. I bought five tickets and rounded up a few friends to come along. I hyped the Springsteen angle rather, knowing that I was heading for a fall on that one. But I was confident they would like the band.

So last night I was there, waiting for confirmation that the Latitude concert wasn’t just festival euphoria. Forty minutes in the I-Arena tent in front of two or three hundred people had to translate to the Empire. It’s a good venue.  No more than a couple of thousand people. Big enough for a serious roar, but still intimate.

And there was a serious roar. By the time the band came on the place was packed. The band came straight in with the punching beats of “Philadelphia (City of Brotherly Love)”. It rocks, it slows down and gives the crowd a chance to join in with the yeahs, it’s a real anthem. It was the one at Latitude that made me feel like this was like watching Bruce in 75. Raw and rocking.

I hope I’ve got the song right. Because I hadn’t done my homework, I was still hearing the riffs and chants from Latitude, without pinning them to song titles. I’m pretty sure this one’s right, but most of the rest of the show was a blur of pounding drums, rocking guitars, soaring choruses, and poignant interludes, without being sure which song I was listening to.

I was really struck by the empathy that the band, and especially the singer Billy McCarthy had with the crowd.  Majority in their twenties I’d say.  Student and post-student.  They knew all those choruses, or those moments when Billy just cries out a line. Songs that, on the album, were on the hazy, Arcade Fire side of things, became anthems. It added to the Bruce-ness of events.

And just reading a little today about the traumas that Billy has had in his family over the years, I thought, how fantastic that he has found a way to express his feelings through such positive music and how, again, he is drawing on a darkness that Bruce also experienced, in different ways.

I’m not saying here that We Are Augustines are ripping off Bruce Springsteen. No way. What I’m saying is that they are drawing on life’s experiences and finding redemption in rock’n’roll in the same way. And they are from New York, Bruce and the E Street band were down the road in New Jersey. There’s an affinity.

The encores last night really summed up the whole experience.  First Billy sang an acoustic version of “Philadelphia” which brought out the essence of the song.  I think this was the highlight of the show for me. Just so powerful. And then one of the rocking tunes to send us home happy – I need a set list! That looked to be it, but then Billy came back for another acoustic anthem, which ended up with the Augustines together with the two support bands and road crew all singing the hey-ays! it was a wonderful moment.  Bands, crowd, everyone united in celebration. The simple power of music.

Of course today I’ve been listening a few times to the album and it is revealing its depths. Songs like “Book of James”, “Augustine” (which has a refrain which strangely, sounds to me like Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like A Wolf”) and ‘”Suarez”. Songs I remember from Latitude, as well as last night, once I concentrate! Great songs.

We Are Augustines aren’t yet massive – they should be, but who knows – but for me they exude a love of rock’n’roll and its redemptive power that will never fail to inspire. Not for everyone, but if you like Bruce Springsteen, or just enjoy the energy of rock’n’roll, then I would say give them a listen and try to catch them live.

Here’s a montage of the band, backed by “Philadelphia”

And a bit of the acoustic version from Shepherd’s Bush, freshly posted on YouTube

Well, the dogs on main street howl, ’cause they understand…!

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Sportsthoughts (48) – Europe wins the Ryder Cup!

Posted on October 1, 2012 by John S

Well, what about that?….

Photo from Google Images/ www1.skysports.com

(Apologies to American readers for the eurocentricity of this review, but you know how it is).

What a story!

Going into the singles on day three of the Ryder Cup, the US were leading 10-6. Totally on top. Oozing confidence. Those chants of USA, USA! ringing round the course. Surely they would reaffirm their dominance and extend their lead on day three, the singles.  The Europeans, in recent times seen as strongest in the team format, with the US coming on strong in the individual battles, looked done for. There was just a sliver of hope towards the end of day two, as first Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia , then Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy won their fourball contests against Woods/Stricker and Dufner/Zac Johnson respectively.  Poulter had become the heart and soul of the European team, pumped up to the max as he birdied the last five holes, to take Europe into the lead for the first time in the match on the 17th hole. An amazing feat.

Photo from Google Images/dailytelegraph.co.uk

After a deflating Sunday afternoon at the Stoop, watching Harlequins lose for the first time this season, against a grimly efficient – and deadly dull – Saracens team, I settled onto the sofa at about 5pm, ready for a marathon session. To assuage my conscience, I assembled an IKEA stool for one of my daughters , finishing it only after having to take most of it apart two-thirds through, as I’d put two wooden supports the wrong way round on the first attempt. Lesson: multi-tasking not advised when assembling IKEA furniture!

From the off, something felt good about the Europeans. Luke Donald was at his metronomic best. Such an easy, economic style. He was moving swiftly ahead of one of the American heroes, Bubba Watson. Ian Poulter was in a ding dong battle with Keegan Bradley, another of the US stars of the first two days. Rory McIlroy was  looking good too, notwithstanding the fact that he almost missed the start, and needed a police escort to get to Medinah, 11 minutes before tee off time. Some dubious excuse about thinking the tee off time of 12.25 Eastern  time was actually central time. He’d have been slaughtered by the press if he’d lost his match. Instead it has become one of the happy highlights of the final day. Fourth off was a real quality encounter: the mighty Phil Mickelson against Justin Rose.  Justin kicked off well, then Phil was looking strong, but Justin was hanging on in there.

Luke Donald Luke Donald of Europe plays a bunker shot on the fifth hole during the Singles Matches for The 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club on September 30, 2012 in Medinah, Illinois.

Photo from Google Images/Zimbio.com

At five Scottish veteran Paul Lawrie started surprisingly well against Brad Snedeker.  He hit one amazing chip out of the rough into the hole to go 1 up at hole 4. At hole 9, he got an eagle to go 3 up. Wow, this was beginning to look exciting.  Still most likely a US win, because there was a big block in the middle where the Americans looked to be on top, but at least the Europeans would be able to say they’d given it a good shot.

And so the action, and the scores, ebbed and flowed. There were few matches where one player was dominant. Donald, Lawrie, Westwood, but no-one else. Of course there were some amazing shots, some outrageously good putts. A special kind of tension, different to the normal strokeplay golf, where it’s every man for himself.  The responsibility to the team, and the partisan crowd, give it an atmosphere like no other golf tournament. Raucous and raw. The nerves must really jangle and you could see that in some of the wayward shots.  So many going into the bunkers, a few dropping into the water – there is lots of water at Medinah. But the recoveries, and some of the putting…. awesome!

As the event reached a climax, something strange was happening. There was a lot of blue on the scorecard. Blue being Europeans in the lead.  Still that block of red in the middle, but thinning out, often back to the white A/S – all square. Right at the back of the proceedings, Tiger Woods was NOT crushing Francesco Molinara, as might have been expected. The lead was mostly with Molinari.  It seemed odd, Tiger being last out.  Captains usually do have someone good on the last play, just in case it goes down to the wire, but it didn’t feel right for Tiger not to be in the thick of those early battles. Throughout the contest, Tiger seemed to be a bit of an afterthought. A few great moments, but overall a little subdued, and even left out of the foursomes on the second day. Unprecedented. The new heroes were Bubba, and Keegan and Webb.

And then the matches began to be won and lost.  Luke Donald, four up for ages, withstood a late charge by Bubba Watson, and won the match on the 17th, 2 &1. Paul Lawrie, fifth out, was second in, a crushing 5&3 winner. Ian Poulter went on another of his hot streaks late on, and came out on top, 2 up. Rory McIlroy completed the job against Simpson, 2&1. And in maybe the most exciting match of all, the pivotal game, Justin Rose birdied the last two holes –  the 17th an immense putt, applauded by the ever-gracious Mickelson – and snuck past the great American, 1 up at the last. This was the moment when you really began to believe. The first five out – all blue… could it happen?

It still felt like the Americans would sneak it – the two Johnsons, Zac and Dustin, beat McDowell ( a disappointing Ryder Cup for him) and Colsaerts (who didn’t have too much in his trousers after all) to restore some balance.  But Sergio Garcia grabbed a late victory over Jim Furyk, and Lee Westwood, almost in the shadows, had a solid 3&2 victory over Matt Kuchar. Dufner got one back for the Americans against Hanson.  But slowly, imperceptibly, Europe started to look on for more than dignified defeat. It came down to the last two pairs, down to the wire… where Tiger was poised to do the job.

11th match, 18th hole, Martin Kaymer, the German with a five foot putt to halve the hole and win the match against Steve Stricker. Out of form this weekend… but he’s German, they are good at penalties, this is like penalties. He strokes the ball, it rolls slowly towards the hole.  It’s in the hole!  

(Hey, see how long I resisted that phrase).

Photo from Google Images/thetimes.co.uk

Kaymer the hero, the Ryder Cup retained. Woods and Molinari all square with one to go.  If Woods won it would be 14-14.

And so it came down to the last hole in the last match.  Woods with a fairly short putt to win the match and tie the Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods. End of story. The ball drifted wide. He missed! Molinara with a four footer to halve the match, to win the whole thing for Europe… tension mounting. And then, Tiger gave him a gimme! Sportsmanlike isn’t the word. Admirable, but in the circumstances, reckless.  Molinari could easily have missed that one. Granted the US couldn’t win, but they could have drawn.  Heads held that bit higher. All square after a mighty battle.  But no, Tiger conceded. Withdrew from the fray.  Dejected. Would the super-competitive Tiger of old have contemplated such an action? An admirable act of respect for the European team. In keeping with the traditions that golf likes to pride itself on.  But man, this was the Ryder Cup!

Photo from Google Images/13wmaz.com

And so the celebrations began. Poulter to the fore – Europe’s man of the tournament. The captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, highly emotional, remembering his old friend, the great Seve Ballesteros, who died this year. The most exciting golfer I ever watched, a man who could conjure the wildest of escapes from the craziest of positions, and the man who revived the Ryder Cup, made it a contest again.

They were all saying it.

Seve, this one is for you…

Photo from Google Images/aussiegolfer.net

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Sportsthoughts (47) – Ryder Cup Day One

Posted on September 29, 2012 by John S

Just spent the last three hours vegging on the sofa watching the USA whup Europe in the fourballs. Only real resistance was from Belgian Nicholas Colsaerts of Belgium, who hits the ball further than anyone else and putted magnificently.  His partner, Lee Westwood, the great Lee Westwood, just kept him company. Together they won the only point for Europe in the afternoon. The US took three and are 5-3 up after day one.  Could have been worse.

Great quote from Colsaerts afterwards: “You’ve got to go with what’s in your pants”. I think this may have been Belgian-English in the spur of the moment! I think he meant you’ve got to give it all you’ve got… or maybe you’ve got to have balls. I think he may find that one sticks to him!

From what I saw, Europe will have a job coming back. Phil Mickelson hit some superb shots and his partner Keegan Bradley (shouldn’t that be Bradley Keegan?) was awesome. Mickelson said awesome three times in a short post-match interview.  So I guess it was. Tiger Woods looked serious in the last few holes and almost clawed the game back from Colsaerts and Westwood.  Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson (what’s with these names?) trashed Lawrie and Hanson of Europe. The Americans just looked much better.  But why did captain Olazabal leave out Ian Poulter and Luke Donald in the afternoon? Seemed odd, but I guess you have to give everyone in the team a game if you want them firing in the singles on Sunday.

Golf’s not really my game.  Mainly because I am rubbish at it. Occasionally I can hit a great shot and it all seems so easy.  Occasionally a twenty foot putt will glide into the hole. But mostly it’s scuffing along the fairway and grotesquely misjudging the greens for another three or four putt nightmare. And I only play two or three times a year, two of which are with an annual reunion with friends in the chill of November. See my grim recall from last year here.

So watching the best players does fill me with awe.  The US Masters and the British Open have always been on the BBC, so we live and breathe those for a total of eight days in the year. Otherwise, golf doesn’t really register in a big way until the Ryder Cup comes around every two years.  That has got bigger and bigger over the years, as the teams are now so evenly matched. And it’s fascinating watching sportsmen who are usually the ultimate in self obsession transform (or not) into team players. The pressure is immense, even more so than usual, because if you are playing badly you are letting down more than yourself. The shift in mindset, at this elite level, must be hard for some. (Tiger Woods seeming to be one).

The answer is obviously a few beers and a bit of bonding beforehand. Judging by the bellies, one or two of the Brits are quite good at that. Don’t know about the rest.

So the next two days will be fun, as long as the US don’t stretch their lead too far in the next sessions of foursomes and fourballs. We need it to come down to the wire in the singles. That’s what makes the brand ultimately.

Come on you Euros!

(Not often we say that)

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Sportsthoughts (46) – Defending a Fish Supper

Posted on September 26, 2012 by John S

So “Big Sam” Allardyce was angry as his – my – team, West Ham, crashed out of the Capital One League Cup, losing 4-1 at home to Wigan. Wigan! You bet he was angry – with the team of course. The weakened team – 9 changes from the last Premier League game. Team selection by… Sam Allardyce. Rubbish defending… they can’t come knocking on my door complaining about not playing now…etc, etc.

And…

We couldn’t defend a fish supper tonight.

Quoi?

Now I know what he really means.  The defence was so poor it couldn’t have defended a really easy thing to defend… like a fish supper. Never mind a goal attempt by the fearsome Wigan reserves (yes, they put out a second team too). But the choice of metaphor was intriguing.

That got me thinking, how easy would it be to defend a fish supper? Under what circumstances would you find yourself in the position of defending a fish supper? Here are the circumstances I can think of:

1. Fending off an attempt by someone outside the chippie to steal your fish and chips. Hard or easy depends on how big and threatening they are. Quite likely to be HARD, especially after the pubs close.

2. Defending said purchase to a strict vegan environmentalist, who would oppose eating a fish supper both on principle and on the empirical grounds that cod stocks in the North Sea are rapidly dwindling. HARD.

3. Justifying the meal to the healthy eaters who would cite the batter on the fish and the existence of chips as a cause of obesity, heart disease, and so on.  HARD.

4. Explaining to your kids that McDonalds was shut so you couldn’t get burgers and chips, but fish is much healthier anyway. Quite HARD.

5.  Justifying eating out at a really posh and expensive fish restuarant – in the evening – when you could have just gone for a curry. Depends whether you can afford it. NEUTRAL.

Have you got any other examples?  Do leave them in comments!

But my conclusion is that defending a fish supper can be hard. Probably harder than keeping out the Wigan reserve attack.  So Sam’s got his metaphors in a twist.  Or maybe a pickle.

What’s worse is that he was lambasting some of the young lads who could be West Ham’s future if he gives them the chance in the long term. Jordan Spence,  James Tomkins, Dan Potts – all playing in the Hammers’ defence last night. Doing their best. Is he saying don’t knock on my door to them?

I hope not.

Meanwhile, given this fishy theme, let us remember the finest of maritime metaphors uttered by a football man.  Of course it is Eric Cantona.

When seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea…

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