Our Top Ten – Coldplay

Posted on May 25, 2012 by John S

John: This is a special Top Ten, because it’s a joint effort between  my son, Kieran, and me. Kieran is 16, going on 17,  and is into a wide range of music.  Rap is his main thing, but like so many of his generation, he really likes Coldplay . To me this is very interesting, because Coldplay have been around for quite a long time, and you’d expect a previous generation to be the big fans rather than today’s.  But they continue to gain popularity.  Why? Well, it’s obvious really: they make great songs and are brilliant live. So many of their songs become anthems. The chord structures are simple and classic; the delivery is crucial.  They are masters of the pop song.

The way Kieran and I did this was to agree on a ten (which wasn’t difficult) and then rank them in order, 1 to 10.  Then we just took the two marks and divided by two.  Lowest score won.

This gave us the following list.  The great thing about Coldplay, being a modern band, is that they have a video for each of the songs on our list.  So it’s a bit of a viewing, as well as listening, feast.

We’ve both made our comments where we feel like it. There might be a few more added in time.

But here we go.  I love this list.  I couldn’t have come up with it myself. Partnership!

10. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, from Mylo Xyloto (2011)  

Kieran: From the first moment I heard this latest of Coldplay’s anthems conclude their incredible Glastonbury set of Summer 2011, I knew it was destined to be a chart-topper and the song since established itself as one of my favourite upbeat Chris Martin renditions, with engaging riffs and drum beat throughout.

9. Violet Hill, from Viva La Vida (2008)

John: This is another of Kieran’s favourites and he might add something here.  A powerful tune.

8. Trouble, from Parachutes (2000)

John:  Kieran and I agree that this is just a beautiful, wistful tune.  Classic Coldplay.

7. Don’t Panic, from Parachutes (2000)

We live in a beautiful world!

John: The opening track from Coldplay’s first album.  It sets the scene. The guitars shimmer and soar.

6. Paradise, from Mylo Xyloto (2011)

Kieran: The most well-known song from the recent work, it may be as far from obscurity as can be with Coldplay; regardless,  it is one of those songs you just can’t stop listening to! Shows that Coldplay can always come up with new, contemporary ideas and always will do. No doubt this will be looked back on as a classic.

John: I like this song more every time I listen to it.  It is a real anthem, and as a massive U2 fan, I feel like it’s Coldplay reaching the same heights. Or exceeding them.

5. The Scientist, from A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)

John: For many people, this is the ultimate Coldplay song.  The slow piano build, the anthemic chorus. It’s hard to disagree.  We both love it, even though, astonishingly, there are some songs we love even more!

4. What If, from X&Y (2005)

Kieran: I will leave my Dad to talk about this one. Another great.

John: This is my number one.  It’s partly the song, and partly context. The song is a heartfelt tribute to a loved one, a love so strong that there is the fear of what if it went wrong. Such a simple but true sentiment.  It has a lovely chord structure, which I find moving when I play it on my acoustic guitar. And then… the reason above all reasons.  On that tragic day 7/7 2005, when London was bombed, a day after we won the Olympics, I was in a state of shock, like everybody else. That night I felt impelled to write something about how I felt, how I loved London, how these terrorists would never defeat us. By coincidence, I put “X&Y” on and “What If” – and “Fix You” – with their truly affecting melodies, captured the moment.  There were tears in my eyes, tears of love and defiance, as I scribbled. ‘What If” forever defines that moment for me.

3. Fix You, from X&Y (2005)

Kieran: Another Coldplay ballad everyone can sing-a-long with. other-worldly synthetic sounds and Chris martins falsetto voice make a great opening to this song. It then, in typical Coldplay style, continues to build to an epic guitar solo and final rendition of the chorus. ‘Fix You’ never fails to get me feeling inspired.

John:  Well, “Fix You” is part of what I described under ‘What If”. Beauty and defiance.

2. In My Place, from A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)

Kieran: This is a song that means an awful lot to me and I have a certain emotional connection with it. A simple song, but the the chiming sounds of the lead guitar gets me thinking and will stay with me for a long time.

John: It starts on a high and stays there. It must be the ultimate festival song.  A complete anthem and celebration. Lighters/ iPhones out!

1. Yellow, from Parachutes (2000)

Kieran: The heartfelt lyrics of ‘Yellow’ and acoustic feel accompanied by an amazing range of vocals from Chris Martin, make this my favourite Coldplay song. For anyone who hasn’t listened, take this opportunity…

John: We totally agreed on this being number one. For me it’s the birth of Coldplay, and their epic, anthemic, but also heartfelt and even gentle sound.  Songs that combine the deeply personal and the celebratory. The guitar on this one raises the song to a higher level from the very start and stays there. I’m strumming my air guitar as I write!

And if you’d like to listen to the playlist in full, you can do so on Spotify at TFW510 – Coldplay

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Have You Heard? – ( 15) “Girl From The North Country” by Bob Dylan…and Johnny Cash

Posted on May 22, 2012 by John S

“The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” is my favourite Dylan album. And that is saying something.

I’m always staggered to think it was only his second album, coming out in 1963. It has tunes like “Blowing in the Wind”, ‘A Hard Rain’s A’ Gonna Fall” and “Don’t Think Twice,  It’s Alright”.  But what makes it great is that every other song is brilliant too.  And none more so than “Girl in the North Country”.

It’s a simple folk tune.  A lament for a lost love.  But so beautifully enmeshed in memories of the North country – Minnesota, I think, Bob Dylan’s homeland – the cold winds, the ice, the summer’s end. There’s a wonderfully poignant feel to to the lyrics.  I particularly love these lines:

See for me she wears a coat so warm,                                                                                        To keep her from the howling winds…

A simple detail, an everyday concern that speaks of a burning, lingering love.

The melody for the song is influenced by an old English folk song called “Scarborough Fair”, and of course, that song was revived by Simon and Garfunkel. An absolutely beautiful rendition of the song, which I’m happy to include here.

Scarborough Fair _ Canticle

Bob revived “Girl From The North Country” too, in 1969, when he made “Nashville Skyline”.  This was one of his country albums, made in the aftermath of his motorcycle crash and his withdrawal from the limelight.  He sang “Girl From The North Country” with Johnny Cash. It’s sung at a higher pitch than the original, and both singers are struggling to hit the notes.  That gives it, for me, a real vulnerability, that works so well for this wistful, poignant song.

01 Girl from the North Country

 I love both versions. I play it on my guitar, and struggle to hit the notes, too, if I start in G, as instructed. It’s that kind of song.  Simple, but fragile. Like the love that Dylan lost once upon a time….

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My new domain name – tfw5.com !

Posted on May 22, 2012 by John S

People who know about these things keep on telling me I should purchase my own domain name – so I have! Not really sure what difference it makes, but anyway, I’m now, as far as any readers of this blog are concerned, tfw5.com rather than sillzja.wordpress.com

It’s all still wordpress behind the scenes so I don’t think it makes any difference to anyone following my blog, but I’ll find out when I publish this!

John

Posted in Random stuff | 6 Comments

My Top Ten – Prince

Posted on May 21, 2012 by John S

Prince’s time was the eighties and early nineties, and he, more than anybody – even Michael Jackson – symbolised the coming together of musical genres. Dance, rock, sweet soul, pop, metal, funk, rap. Black and white – no boundaries. Prince had it all, nothing contrived, just pure talent and invention. Live he was a true showman, in the tradition of Little Richard, James Brown, Sly Stone, Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Michael J. Not a copyist, but a true original.  I’ve seen him a couple of times live.  The first time, at Wembley Arena in the round, in 1986, with a Red Corvette emerging from below the stage with Prince astride it, amongst other delights, goes down as my second favourite concert of all time (Bruce Springsteen, same venue 1981, gets top slot).

He’s still going, still playing brilliant shows.  He has a back catalogue to die for. And yet… he doesn’t seem to have been as influential as you might have expected. Maybe because apart from a period of true originality in the mid-eighties, he was essentially a virtuoso.  He could do anything, but too often the funk workout, the salacious lyrics, or the saccharine soul number seemed enough. He could do rap, but rappers did it better. He could rock, but rockers rocked harder, more often.  He could do edgy, but he never went far enough in that direction. He could funk with the best, but it veered into showbiz. He was almost too talented. And then there were all those disputes with the record company, the symbols, the love-hate relationship with the internet. I, for one, lost interest.

But I’ll never forget those halcyon years, when there was really no-one better. And maybe his true legacy is yet to emerge.

My Ten then, is firmly rooted in the eighties.  As ever, the ones I’ve left out could make another great list. But the discipline of ten really forces you to show your colours.  These are mine…

10. The Cross, from Sign O’ The Times (1987)

Prince’s second best guitar anthem – the best comes much later!  Slow build up, some religious imagery, but above all some guitar riffs that are pretty close to metal. Black Sabbath even comes to mind.  Black Sabbath with soul, if that is possible.

9. Alphabet Street, from Lovesexy (1988)

A great pop tune and a easy funk beat give this a real feelgood aura.  And then there’s the wild rap outburst by The Cat, one of Prince’s hot sidekicks. Enough said!

(Can’t find a decent clip on YouTube, but check the Spotify playlist)

8. Gett Off, from Diamonds and Pearls (1991)

There are loads of versions of this song.  They are all brilliant dance mixes. It’s a combination of dance, rap, jazz and funk.  It has a deep groove. The lyrics are classic Prince “sexy” but more humorous than usual. Total dance. The mix below is actually the one I like best, and have on 12 inch vinyl. So thanks to the person who has just put it on YouTube! Quite long but worth the listen.

7. Let’s Go Crazy, from Purple Rain (1984)  

Starts with the “Dearly beloved…” weird ceremony and then rocks and dances from start to finish, with some wonderful guitar wig outs, especially at the end. Prince’s most joyous record. The clip is from the “Purple Rain” movie. You lose a bit of the opening weirdness. Check the playlist.

6. Kiss, from Parade (1986)

One of Prince’s most memorable hits, and covered, amongst others, by Tom Jones. A sharp, funky tune with Prince exhibiting his best falsetto. Very danceable indeed.

5. When Doves Cry, from Purple Rain (1984)

A great melody, poignant lyrics, powered along by an insistent electro beat and some funky keyboards.  Sparse but powerful and some of Prince’s best singing. It’s hard to define, but this is one of those songs that no-one else could have made.  One of the songs that really made us notice Prince.

4. Little Red Corvette, from 1999 (1982, but songs re-released in ’83)

A yearning rock’n’roll tune with an incredibly catchy chorus. This is where soul and rock met in perfect harmony.

3. 1999, from 1999 (1982)

Apocalyptic funk.  Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1999…  

2. Sign O’ the Times, from Sign O’ the Times (1987)

The sparsest, harshest of beats underpins the most socially conscious lyric that Prince ever sang.  Heavy duty drug warnings. Dark, affecting, and brilliantly funky.  It makes you wonder what Prince might have been capable of if he had really put his mind to it. In the meantime, let’s just be grateful for this magnificent piece of music.

1. Purple Rain, from Purple Rain (1984)

I agonised over whether this or Sign O’ the Times should be No1, but in the end the utter majesty of the guitar on this song gave it the nod.  It’s Prince as Hendrix, with a bit more of a pop melody. When he played this at Wembley in 1986, with a transparent, swan-shaped guitar, I found myself in one of those rock moments when you feel like you’re in a bubble where the music is as good as it can ever be. Perfection. So, No 1 it must be.

Here’s the Spotify playlist of my top ten:  TFW510 – Prince

Near misses

As ever, so many. I think “Parade” is one of his finest albums and could have heralded an adventurous shift in sound.  Songs like “Life Could be Nice”, “I Wonder U” and “Girls and Boys” stand out.  “Sign O’ The Times” has “If I was Your Girlfriend” and “U Got The Look”. “Purple Rain” is brilliant from start to finish, and it hurt to leave out songs like “Take Me With U” and “I Would Die For U”. “1999” has “DMSR”, another great funk song. Then there is “Around The World In A Day”, the follow up to “Purple Rain”, with “Raspberry Beret” and “Pop Life” amongst others. And there are songs like “Cream” and “Lemon Crush” from “Batman”, “Sexy MF” and “The Morning Papers” from the Symbol album and “Jam Of The Year” from “Emancipation”.  The latter is a 3CD album.  I never gave it enough time when it came out, but when tracks crop up on shuffle, or when just listening to Prince for this exercise, I think there is more to these later albums than I gave credit for at the time.  Some real treasures lurk. And we have to recognise Prince’s only No1 single in the UK, “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World”.

Prolific!

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Sportsthoughts (25) – We are Premier League, I said we are Premier League!

Posted on May 20, 2012 by John S

So West Ham blew it in the regular season, coming third in the Championship – drawing too many home matches at the business end of the season and being caught out by the remarkable winning surge of Reading in the New Year. Towards the end of the season though, the form was good: a 6-0 thrashing of Brighton the highlight. I watched them cruise to a 4-0 victory at Barnsley on Good Friday (bizarrely it was live on BBC 1) and it felt like the team were just too good for this division.

The playoffs are horrible though.  A whole season’s effort expended coming third and you can be knocked out by the team coming sixth. 11 points behind, as Cardiff were. The nerves were jangling as that first leg in Cardiff kicked off. But the late season form held true. An easy 2-0 victory in Cardiff, followed up by a 3-0 walk in the park at the Boleyn. Meanwhile Blackpool ousted Birmingham in the other semi, which was a relief, as we struggle against the Brummies for some reason.

So it was Blackpool at Wembley!

I was hoping to go with my son, as I knew someone with Club Wembley tickets. But it turned out that they weren’t valid for the playoffs, so we settled down for an eight hour Sky Sports marathon: the Hammers v Tangerines, followed by the Heineken Cup rugby final – Leinster v Ulster – and then Bayern Munich v Chelsea in the Champions League final. All great games, with Chelsea’s penalty shoot out the headline grabber today. But the only one that was truly dear to my heart was the one involving the happy Hammers.

It was a scruffy, tense game. So much at stake. They call it the £45m, or £90m or £50m game, depending on whom you read. It’s the amount of money missed out on if you don’t get promoted. A season of not being in the Premier League. That might be what the accountants care about: what the fans care about is playing Arsenal and Man Utd, rather than Barnsley and Cardiff – with no offence to those clubs, it’s just for illustration. And while it is fun winning loads of games rather than worrying about relegation, there’s no substitute for being part of the elite.

Blackpool started brightly and had a couple of chances before West Ham started to exert control. It was no great surprise when West Ham took the lead late on in the first half – lovely through ball by Matt Taylor and superb control and power from Carlton Cole. His touch seems to be getting better and better. Vaz Te had chances to make it 2-0, but 1-0 felt OK at half time.

But what did Big Sam put in the tea at half time? They were all over the place and Blackpool had figured that balls put in behind the centre backs could cause havoc. It was all Blackpool. They deservedly equalised and continued to play the better football. I was beginning to reconcile myself to another season in the Championship – it wouldn’t be that bad, surely we’d stroll away with it this time…. as long as we kept our best players.  Ah. Robert Green, the keeper, would surely move on. James Tomkins, dashing centre back, would be tempted by at least a QPR or Villa, if not Arsenal or Spurs. Mark Noble, all action midfielder, would decide it was time to get into the Premier League before any chance of making the England squad faded. Carlton Cole would finally go to Stoke, to join their collection of battering ram centre forwards. And Big Sam? Well there has never been a love affair, so the fans would be clamouring for his dismissal.

Oh God, it would be a disaster! What would happen to the Olympic Stadium plans? How dodgy would the club’s finances be when the parachute payments dried up?

1-1 it stayed. Extra time loomed. Kevin Nolan hit the bar with a lovely volley. Blackpool spurned a couple of sitters.  Extra time, and then, and then… penalties! Oh no! An unbearable prospect…

Three minutes to go. Kevin Nolan went wide, put in a low cross. Carlton Cole controlled it, wriggled past a couple of Blackpool defenders.  The ball fell to Ricardo Vaz Te, who’d been having a bit of an off day – by his high standards. He slammed the ball high – it was going over… no it was going in! The roof of the net. 2-1!

The clock ticked down. It had been the cleanest of games, no injuries, barely a booking.  Surely there could only be a minute or maybe two added on. But no, Fergie time prevailed – another four minutes! Why?

Time moved slowly, but Blackpool looked a bit drained. The boys were in control, the ball mostly at the right end of the pitch. Finally, after almost FIVE minutes, Howard Webb blew his whistle. Maybe he’d confused Blackpool with Man U. But it didn’t matter any more. We’d done it. Back in the Premier League!

Yeah, well, of course I knew we’d always do it…. Didn’t I ?

Give it up to Big Sam!

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Sportsthoughts (24) – Scenes from Quins vs Northampton playoff semi final

Posted on May 17, 2012 by John S

Last Saturday was the semi final play off for Quins against Northampton. Destination Twickenham, 26 May, Premiership playoff final. A season of games ultimately counting for nothing.  Quins came top of the league, but if they don’t win the playoffs, no-one (except us Quins fans) will remember.

The semi was a nervous affair.  Lots of kicking and running into hard defences.  Not so much chucking the ball wide. For most of the game it was an exchange of penalties, although Quins had the most possession. Then, with 15 minutes to go, Northampton broke free and scored a try. Converted.  They went ahead, 23-15. It started to feel like the season was over. But we got a penalty back, 23-18, and there was hope. The crowd really got going: it was the most intense atmosphere all season.  With about four minutes to go Quins massed on the Northampton line and scored a push over try.  Joe Marler the man. It went to the video ref and the tension mounted. The TV milked it.  Agony. Then it came up on the screen: TRY! Everyone went ape! Nev converted. 25-23. The Quins forwards stuck the ball up their jumpers and played out the last three minutes. We were through.

Through to the final!

It will be against Leicester, who beat Saracens in the other semi. It will be a tough, tough, game, but Quins can do it.

Anyway, a few rather ropey photos, from the iPhone, on the day.

The Quins boys striding out.

Joe Marler, man-monster, at the ready.

Nev kicking an early penalty.

 

Grappling for the high ball.

Scrum down!

Celebration!

Harley Bear, always there.

George Robson and Nick Easter – forward heroes.

Chris Robshaw, captain and all round hero; Nick Evans, fly half, controller, best in the league.

George Lowe, Matt Hopper, Sam Smith – all future England players.  In the orange vest Mark Lambert, front rower and resident Quins intellectual on Twitter.

Fingers crossed for the 26th!

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Have You Heard? – (14) “Marquee Moon” by Television

Posted on May 17, 2012 by John S

“Marquee Moon” is one of the great New York New Wave albums of the late seventies.  No, it’s more than that. It is, for me, one of the great albums of all time. It may even be in my top ten.  Certainly my 20.

I was reminded of it recently when I made a comment on a blog I follow called Culture vs Nutella, by Lulu Rou, who is French and writes in both French and English. She wrote something about the Strokes, another great band.  I said something about them being influenced by Television, and someone else contradicted this, saying the Strokes had denied that they’d ever listened to Television before they made their debut album, “Is This It”. That’s true enough, I now realise – somehow I’d missed this at the time, but it’s there on Wikipedia. So, you have to believe them, but…

All I can say is listen to the two albums.  Both exceptional.  Different tempos , but to my ears, rooted in the same philosophy of sound and feel.  Both so distinctively New York albums, though 24 years apart. Can I explain what I mean by that?  Not really. They just are. And of course the Velvet Underground are at the root of both.

I’m writing a book about my musical journey, and below I’ve extracted the piece I wrote on Television. Part of a chapter on New Wave music, US and UK.  Hope you like it. With a couple of Youtube videos slotted in.

There was some of the Velvet’s epic quality in a band that jumped out of the New York new wave in 1977 with an album that was truly different, truly original.  It was one of those albums that sounded like nothing that came before and hasn’t been matched, even by the band themselves, since.  Plenty of bands have been influenced by it – notably the Strokes in the US and early Razorlight here in the UK – but no-one has ever come up with quite the same sound as “Marquee Moon” by Television. The band were part of the New York punk scene, supported the Ramones at CBGBs, featured Richard Hell for a while, etc, etc.  So where did this music come from?  It wasn’t punk: no two minute three chord bashes here.  It was a set of fragile, intense songs, anchored by the title track, a ten minute epic of swirling, filigree guitars and anguished vocals, driven along by a metronomic, jerky bass line.  The metaphors that come to mind are all about delicacy but also sharpness: shards of glass, diamond edges… cold and pristine… but on the edge of breakdown.

The singer, writer and lead guitarist was Tom Verlaine. Good name – that French touch seemed right for the music. I don’t know how he was feeling when he made this album, but it could have been intensely happy or intensely sad.  Or both.  But intense, sensitive, raw – it wasn’t just the day job.  That guitar sound had to come deeply from within.  The only sound which I think is comparable, and might have been an inspiration, is the epic soloing of Neil Young on songs like “Cortez the Killer” and “Like a Hurricane”. They have a richer, deeper guitar, but have the same visceral quality, and the same layering of sound, like a  meandering river in search of its destination.

Each song on “Marquee Moon” felt like a lament, or an argument, or just bewilderment.  Fragments of icy guitar intertwined with anxious vocals, leading nowhere in particular. Songs without resolution, hanging on a nervous ledge.  Songs on the edge.  “Torn Curtain”, “Venus”, and my favourite, after the title track, “Elevation”:

“I sleep light on these shores tonight, I sleep light on these shores.                              Elevation, don’t go to my head….”

“Marquee Moon” was ecstatically received in the NME.  The great Nick Kent wrote the canonising review.  Television were the new heroes… until the next album.  “Adventure” was given the classic build-‘em-up-knock-em-down treatment.  Julie Burchill was brought in to bring it down, to destroy the myth.  Television were no longer the untouchable heroes.  And the truth is, that second album wasn’t great and the band didn’t do much after that.  Tom Verlaine released some decent solo albums where the guitar runs occasionally reached the heights of “Marquee Moon”;  but it looks like genius touched Tom Verlaine for just a short while.  Enough to make one of the great albums, an album like no other, a diamond amongst pearls.  But just the one.

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My Top Ten – David Bowie

Posted on May 10, 2012 by John S

I’m setting myself a near-impossible task with these top tens!

David Bowie is one of the great originals. From “Hunky Dory” in 1971 to “Let’s Dance” in 1983 he released a string of albums which are unsurpassed in their combination of invention, variety and sheer pop power. Always one step ahead of the game. Challenging, fascinating, , innovative, funky, foreboding, electro, brilliant rock’n’roll. He has done some good things since 1983, like the “Black Tie, White Noise” album, but it is those twelve years  from 1971 to 83 that were exceptional. All my choices come from that period – when Bowie could genuinely lay claim to being  the greatest pop artist of all time.

I’ve set myself one rule: only two tracks from any one album.  Makes the selection reasonably varied, but in some ways even harder!. But here goes, anyway.

10. Queen Bitch, from Hunky Dory (1971)

There are so many tracks I could have chosen from “Hunky Dory”, Bowie’s first great album. “Life on Mars” would be a big one, for many, and I really like “Andy Warhol’. But “Queen Bitch’ has a wonderful, dirty rock’n’roll riff, and some some of Bowie’s seediest singing.

9. Let’s Dance, from Let’s Dance (1983)

Bowie’s always moved with the times. This was his shiny disco hit, as pop, soul and dance really started to come together in the eighties, Michael Jackson to the fore. His last truly great record?

8. Rebel, Rebel, from Diamond Dogs (1974)

“Diamond Dogs” is an extraordinary album, one of Bowie’s best. It works as a piece, a disturbing piece. “Rebel, Rebel” juts out, stand-alone, his Rolling Stones tribute, his teenage angst song.  Got your mother in a whirl, not sure if you’re a boy or a girl… In ’74 this was revolutionary.

7. Hang On To Yourself, from The rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)

This selection process is brutal. This is my only track from Ziggy. How can that be? “Hang On To Yourself” is another of those rasping rock’n’roll songs with a twist, which Bowie was so brilliant at in the first half of the seventies. It’s as simple as that.  It rocks!

6. Golden Years, from Station To Station (1976) 

Bowie made some brilliant funk tunes, including “Fame” and  “Fashion”, but this is the standout, for me.  It’s funky, slinky, and unmistakeably Bowiesque.

5. Sound and Vision, from Low (1977)

“Low” was a total groundbreaker, as Bowie retreated to Berlin, drew the curtains, called up Iggy Pop and embraced Germanic electro. “Sound And Vision” is a story of depression, but extraordinarily uplifting at the same time. Because of its vision and sound.

4. Panic In Detroit, from Aladdin Sane (1973)

This is a track that has grown and grown on me over the years.  Powered by another great rock’n’roll riff, it is an extraordinary tale of urban paranoia. Shaky…

3. Jean Genie, from Aladdin Sane (1973)

Bowie’s greatest pop tune?  Enormous piledriver riff.  That edginess that pervades all of “Aladdin Sane”. Competed at the time with the Sweet’s “Blockbuster” which had a remarkably similar riff. I had this on my 50th birthday party playlist.  Everyone – all ages – rocked to it! Primal…

2. Heroes, from Heroes (1977)

The Berlin Wall song.  So poignant, such an anthem.  Presaging the fall of the wall. Tragic and uplifting. Ordinary people fighting the Machine. Bowie’s electro perfection and an inspiration to so much pop music thereafter, not least the New Romantics.

1. Station To Station, from Station to Station (1976)

Bowie as the Thin White Duke wasn’t exactly a role model.  Coked out, Nazi salutes at Victoria Station. But the music was on another planet.  Station to Station is an epic, building slowly from the sound of the incoming train, the stabbing piano, the return of the Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lover’s eyes, the frantic, pounding finale.  It’s too late!.. Mysterious and magnificent, I still find this song the most powerful in the Bowie canon. And that is saying something…

You can listen to the top ten on Spotify at TFW510-Bowie

As ever, so many near misses. They include: “John,  I’m Only Dancing”, ” The Man Who Sold The World”, “Andy Warhol”, “Ziggy Stardust”, “Starman”, “Rock’n’Roll Suicide”, ‘Aladdin Sane”, “Cracked Actor”, “Sweet Thing/ Candidate”,  “The Chant of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family”, “Young Americans”, Fame”, “Right”, “Stay”, “TVC 15”, “Breaking Glass”, “Always Crashing In The Same Car”, V2 Schneider”, “Ashes To Ashes”,  “China Girl”…. and beyond.

All I can say is listen to all the albums!

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Sportsthoughts (23) – #COYQ, #COYI !

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John S

You ain’t seen nothing like the mighty Quins!

Quins beat Sale away on Saturday to secure top place in the Rugby Premiership.  A fantastic achievement with a still very young team. Throughout the season they have played fast, exciting rugby, always looking to run it, getting in the face of the opposition. It has been a privilege to be a season ticket holder at the Stoop. There have been so many brilliant individual performances, but above all it is the team spirit that has shone through.  The backs-to-the-wall defending against Saracens at Wembley is maybe the most memorable example of how the team have played for each other.

Nonetheless, I’d name full back, Mike Brown, as my player of the year.  Always making the hard yards, ferocious and unflinching in the tackle, always on hand to support the attacking move, quick to the breakdown.  Fearless and never less than 100% commitment.

On the left in this photo. Matt Hopper, one of the great young players in there with him.

It’s the season too, when the mighty Chris Robshaw has got the recognition he deserves. He inexplicably didn’t make the England squad for the World Cup; but, under the new management, was made the captain of the new England team for the Six Nations.  He led by example and England were reborn, coming second, within a whisker of beating the champions, Wales. Sometimes you don’t hear his name much in the commentary, because he is always there, in the dark recesses of the rucks and mauls, fighting for that ball, doing the stuff that eventually creates the space and possession for the backs to flourish.  I don’t understand half of what goes on, having been a fancy-dan back myself when I played at school, but I admire whatever that stuff is!

So, it’s Northampton in the play off semi at the Stoop.  Won’t be easy. The Northampton scrum rolled ours over in the game at Franklin’s Gardens. Not many have done that to the Quins forwards this season – Toulon were the other team that did a demolition job. And of course they have some scorching backs, not least the England pair, Ben Foden and Chris Aston.  So it will be a tight game, but I’m reasonably optimistic about the outcome.  A final against Leicester or Saracens, if we make it through, will be another challenge altogether. But the team have shown so many times this season that they can rise to the occasion. Fingers crossed they will do it again;  but whatever happens, we must not forget that Quins won the league!

Come On You Quins!

#COYI on Twitter…

Big Sam’s Happy Hammers cruise to Wem-ber-ley!

It was so frustrating to see West Ham miss out on automatic promotion from the Championship, back to the Premier League. Most people would agree we had the strongest squad.  But the team underachieved in February/March, drawing loads of games at home.  The fans got edgy and so did the team. Southampton had a wobble too, but came out of it sooner and deserved to have one of the two top slots.  The joker in the pack was Reading, who embarked on an amazing run of victories – I think it was something like 51 points out of 57. And they beat the Hammers at Upton Park, 4-2, during that run. You cannot knock that.

So into the playoff purgatory. Except, it turned out to be a bit of a doddle in the semis, against Cardiff.  West Ham were on a run of good form, which had started with a 6-0 thrashing of Brighton. As a West Ham fan, it is impossible to feel truly confident about the prospects for the team, after 40 odd years of dashed expectations, but objectively we were in good shape to take on Cardiff.  And so it showed.  2-0 in the away leg, 3-0 today, at home. The big match experience of Nolan, Green, Noble, Taylor, Cole; the promise of Tomkins, Lansbury, Reid, came together and it was a bit of a stroll.

Photo: Noble – Cole – Nolan.  Backbone.

The final at Wembley will be different. Birmingham or Blackpool. We seem to have a bit of a problem with the Brummies, so I hope Blackpool will retain their first leg lead, but I do not underestimate them, either. West Ham did beat them 4-0 twice in the regular season, but they have an attacking elan, as Ian Holloway’s teams always do. Whoever the opponent is, 19 May will be a tense and nervous time!

Come On You Irons!

#COYI on Twitter…

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Sportsthoughts (22) – Another visit to the London Olympic Park, for Water Polo and Wheelchair Tennis

Posted on May 5, 2012 by John S

The “London Prepares” series of events continues and this afternoon we took the Central Line to Stratford to see some water polo and wheelchair tennis. When we got there at about 1.30, it was raining and the tennis was off, so we went straight to the water polo, starting 2pm. This was the first time I’d been to the site in daylight so I thought I’d take a few pictures on the way to the water polo arena.  iPhone quality. Double click for full pics.

First up, Anish Kapoor’s “Orbit”. A remarkable construction, but what on earth is it meant to be? Maybe it’s left to us to decide.  I keep thinking of a coffee pot! Or is it an upright wasp?

Foreboding against the gloomy skies…

Detail.

Wouldn’t it be great if the grey spiral was a helter skelter? I think it’s the steps.  Can’t wait to climb them!

The main stadium is pretty much completed.  Looking good. Not exactly the Beijing Bird Nest, but it will do the trick, and I look forward to watching my football team, West Ham, playing there one day.

I wrote about the Aquatic Centre before in my Sportsthoughts 13 post (see right toolbar), so just a single photo reprise.

I like these lights that look like mini wind turbines.  Maybe they are mini wind turbines.  We were speculating that they might generate enough power to light themselves.  Green.

The water polo centre is a temporary structure.  Seems a bit of a shame…

Inside it looks great.  Here’s the pool before the action started.

I’ve never watched water polo before, but my son plays it for his school and I know what the physical demands are like.  Ever tried to raise yourself out of the water, arms raised high? I just sink. I need my arms to float! At this international level a game lasts 32 minutes: four 8 minute quarters.  Players come on and off, and frequently get sin-binned for 20 seconds, but still, this is tough.

And the skill level is high. Catching that ball one handed in the water all the time.  Throwing a hard, accurate pass. Leaping out of the water to aim a shot at goal. Phew!

We watched the last round of the women’s four team group competition: Great Britain, USA, Australia, Hungary.  First game was Australia vs Hungary. Both teams had previously beaten GB but lost to the USA.  They were fighting for the right to play the US again in the final.  The Aussies won 17-12 and looked fast and slick.  I loved the way they surged forward if they regained the ball near their own goal, the Hungarians desperately trying to get back with them.  Worked the other way round too, but there was something dolphin-like about the Aussies.  This photo sort of captures it, but you need to be there really, seeing the back wash of the water as 10-12 people go for it.

Another fun bit is the beginning of each quarter.  The ball is placed in the middle. The teams are all on their goal line. Whistle blows and all six outfield players rush, in arrow formation, to get to the ball first. I think the Hungarians (right, white caps) might have stolen this one.

And then it was time for GB vs USA. On the form of the previous games, it looked like our girls were in for a drubbing. But they got a big, big cheer. And on the first start, they got there first! Right, white caps again.

The US immediately showed their power and quickly drew into a 4-0 lead.  It looked ominous for Team GB.  They got a goal back, let another in and then started to take the Americans on… and clawed it back to 4-5 at half time. There were a couple of guys in the crowd really leading the the GB chants.  The place was rocking.  The sound resonates in these swimming venues.  The team must have been inspired by the support. They kept going in the second half. The US had more chances, but it stayed close.  With two and half minutes left, GB were 6-5 down and had a shot which hit the post! Could have been 6-6. The US then went down the other end and made it 7-5.  Game over, or was it?  GB came back again and got a sixth, but time ran out. 7-6 to the USA.  I suspect the US probably always had another gear if necessary, but my guess, as a non-expert in the game, is that this will be hugely encouraging for the British team. And the crowd, all of us, loved it. Really exciting stuff.

Photo of GB on the attack.  Sorry to American readers for my bias here! USA were worthy winners.

So, the water polo over, and the weather improved, we thought we’d seek out the tennis. Not many of the guides in the park seemed to know much about where it was located and the one thing the park doesn’t yet have is good maps and signage. But we got there in the end.  On the way, we took in two of the most interesting structures on the site, the basketball arena (left) and the velodrome (right). The latter may be the jewel in the crown. Both on design and as the venue where we may have our greatest success.

And some good views of the main stadium.

There’s a multicoloured cork/rubber carpet as you can see.  We were wondering what that might be for.  Maybe for some children’s activities, cushioning the inevitable falls?

In close up. Could be in the Tate Modern!

The wheel chair tennis was amazing.  The mobility of the players, in specially designed chairs, extraordinary.  And their tennis shots were top notch too. Some superb rallies. It was 5.30 and freezing cold, so there weren’t a lot of viewers. But I reckon it could be a big hit in the Paralympics.  The match we watched a part of was between McCarroll and Reid, both British,  and Ammerlan (Dutch) and Simpson (British). What was also striking was how good humoured it was. Doubles always lends itself to that spirit.

On the way back we came close to the basketball arena.  Another temporary structure, I believe.  Even more of a shame than the water polo, if this one is taken down. Close up it is a work of art!

It’s all in the detail.

And roll on August 2012!

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