Friday 14 December 2007

Top 5 Christmas Songs

'Tis the season to be jolly (or just very very drunk) and in keeping with that here's my Top 5 Christmas Songs. This will be my last Top 5 of the year, I'll be back in the New Year with my Top 5 albums of 2007.

1. Low "Just Like Christmas" - From their simply wonderful "Christmas E.P." this just evokes that long forgotten feeling of what Christmas was all about when you were little. For a band who specialise in quiet, sparse music this is an incredibly upbeat and joyful tune.

2. The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl "Fairytale of New York" - Another tune evocative of cold and snowy Christmas nights, drinking your way round the back streets of New York City ... or Shepperton. The contrast between MacGowan and MacColl's voices is fabulous and some cracking lyrics from Shane at his best.

3. Half-Man Half-Biscuit "All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit" - As perfect a recreation of my childhood as I am ever likely to see in song. Possibly not strictly a genuine Christmas song failing, as it does, to mention Christmas anywhere other than in its title. Transformer problems with my Scalextric and amassing the biggest collection of Subbutteo teams occupied much of my pre-teen thoughts. The Dukla Prague away kit is also one of the greatest football shirts in history, read more about the song and the kit HERE if you're interested.

4. Slade "Merry Christmas Everybody" - A song as universal as Happy Birthday but one that seems to retain it's charm. It's not Kerr-ris-mas until you've heard this song for the first time.

5. The Pretenders "2000 Miles" - From the "Learning to Crawl" album that seemed rubbish when I first heard it but somehow found it's way into my heart. For some reason the lyrics "2000 Miles, Is very far through the snow" always give me a little chuckle.

An honourable mention for Jethro Tull who have been serial Crimbo song writers. "Ring Out Solstice Bells" is their most well known, but I enjoy Ian Anderson's cynical lyrics for "A Christmas Song" and the subsequent, and appropriately named "Another Christmas Song".

Friday 7 December 2007

Top 5 Heroes super powers

In celebration of the final episodes of Heroes series one being aired this week (my favourite current TV show despite it owing a huge debt to the film "Unbreakable") here are my five favourite super powers. I decided to eliminate Peter Petrelli's ability to absorb other powers, as I figured it was a) cheating and b) a bit useless if there's no one else around with super powers.

1. Able to manipulate the Time-Space continuum (Hiro Nakamura) - This would be great. Able to travel back in time to see any event in history, and forwards to see what might be. This one could spawn a whole new Top 5 of places I would like to go.

2. Flight (Nathan Petrelli) - Who wouldn't want to be able to fly. No more waiting for a bus in the rain, no more struggling through rush hour traffic, and if you fancied a quick trip to the other side of the world, no waiting around in a crowded airport. Ace.

3. Telekinesis (Sylar) - OK so Sylar's a baddy but anyone who saw him flip that truck over in the last episode would know how cool this power would be. My tea making ability could move to a new level.

4. Able to Regenerate (Claire Bennet) - Pretty handy this one. No much fear of anything, just watch the back of your head and you'll be fine.

5. Super human strength (Niki Sanders) - This might have been higher had it not seemingly also meant you had a psychotic alter ego. That said Jessica is hot and if I was going to die at the hands of a lunatic super powered killer I'd choose her everytime.