This will be the first Top 5 I've felt the need to update. It's been something of a Sonics-mania weekend for me and the fact that their debut album "Here Are The Sonics" wasn't in my top 5 albums had been nagging at me for quite a few days. Not a duff track in sight and five or six absolute classics. REM drop out from my original Top 5 Albums but the rest hold on to their places.
1. "Surfer Rosa" - Pixies
2. "Ramones" - Ramones
3. "Here Are The Sonics" - The Sonics
4. "Nevermind" - Nirvana
5. "The Undertones" - The Undertones
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Monday, 24 March 2008
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Top 5 versions of "Have Love Will Travel"
An Easter Bank Holiday special in celebration of seeing The Sonics live on Friday night. "Have Love Will Travel" is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite songs. It probably goes without saying that from my point of view The Sonics recorded the definitive and greatest version, a point emphasised by the fact that at least two other entries in my Top 5 are fairly straight copies of The Sonics interpretation. I was struggling to find five versions I really liked but for now this'll do.
1. The Sonics
2. The Black Keys
3. Thee Headcoatees
4. Richard Berry & The Pharoahs
5. Stiv Bators
.
1. The Sonics
2. The Black Keys
3. Thee Headcoatees
4. Richard Berry & The Pharoahs
5. Stiv Bators
.
Top 5 versions of "Louie Louie"
Second part of the Bank Holiday special, and this song's an institution on its own. The Sonics version is once again my favourite though I've still got a soft spot for the Kingsmen's more famous recording. Poor old Richard Berry's trailing behind his imitators again but he certainly knew how to write a good tune. Anyone who's off to see The Sonics tonight have a bloody good time - it'd be hard not too!
1. The Sonics
2. The Kingsmen
3. Motorhead
4. Paul Revere and the Raiders
5. Richard Berry & the Pharoahs
.
1. The Sonics
2. The Kingsmen
3. Motorhead
4. Paul Revere and the Raiders
5. Richard Berry & the Pharoahs
.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Top 5 songs by The Sonics
A bit earlier than normal as it's a Bank Holiday weekend and, more importantly, I'm off to see The Sonics play live at the Forum on Friday night. I was introduced to The Sonics about 5 years ago and they pretty much turned everything I thought I knew about music on it's head. Formed in the early sixties they were initially an instrumental band until Organist Gerry Roslie began to sing vocals in 1964. Roslie's raw vocals combined with the band's wild distorted music to create a proto-punk vibe. More than ten years before the Ramones or the Sex Pistols, The Sonics were the true originators of a punk rock sound. They were pretty much over by 1968, and apart from a brief reunion gig in 1972 haven't played together for over 35 years. I'm really quite excited about seeing them.
All of my choices come from their 1965 debut album "Here Are The Sonics" (which means I clearly need to re-do my top 5 albums), I did try to squeeze something in from second album "Boom" but these five were just too good to ignore.
1. Strychnine
2. Have Love Will Travel
3. Witch
4. Dirty Robber
5. Psycho
.
All of my choices come from their 1965 debut album "Here Are The Sonics" (which means I clearly need to re-do my top 5 albums), I did try to squeeze something in from second album "Boom" but these five were just too good to ignore.
1. Strychnine
2. Have Love Will Travel
3. Witch
4. Dirty Robber
5. Psycho
.
Friday, 14 March 2008
Top 5 Songs about cars and driving
Really quick entry today as it's been a long and at times arduous week.
1. "One Piece At A Time" Johnny Cash - John R plans to build a car by stealing a piece at a time from the Detroit production line and hiding them in his lunch box. One of my favourite Cash songs, it has a great comic conclusion as it takes him a while to get all the parts and he ends up with a "49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56, '57, '58, '59 automobile. It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67, '68, '69, '70 automobile".
2. "Brand New Cadillac" Vince Taylor - Cracking British rock'n'roll song which was covered by the Clash on "London Calling". Despite coming from Isleworth I believe Vince attempted to pass himself off as a US rock'n'roller. It's understandable as a song about a brand new Vauxhall Victor probably wouldn't have had the same impact.
3. "Last Kiss" Pearl Jam - It's been so long since I heard this track I'm not actually sure I'd enjoy it as much as I used to. I liked the sentiments of the lyric. "The screaming tyres, the busting glass" I think you can guess where this song is heading.
4. "No Particular Place To Go" Chuck Berry - This has turned out to be quite a rock'n'roll flavoured top five. Probably my favourite Chuck Berry song and covered by just about everyone. It's the ultimate summer driving song.
5. "Don't Drive My Car" Status Quo - Rick Parfitt's paean to beautiful girls and his (then massive) car collection it's the anti-song to "Baby You Can Drive My Car" by the Beatles.
1. "One Piece At A Time" Johnny Cash - John R plans to build a car by stealing a piece at a time from the Detroit production line and hiding them in his lunch box. One of my favourite Cash songs, it has a great comic conclusion as it takes him a while to get all the parts and he ends up with a "49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56, '57, '58, '59 automobile. It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67, '68, '69, '70 automobile".
2. "Brand New Cadillac" Vince Taylor - Cracking British rock'n'roll song which was covered by the Clash on "London Calling". Despite coming from Isleworth I believe Vince attempted to pass himself off as a US rock'n'roller. It's understandable as a song about a brand new Vauxhall Victor probably wouldn't have had the same impact.
3. "Last Kiss" Pearl Jam - It's been so long since I heard this track I'm not actually sure I'd enjoy it as much as I used to. I liked the sentiments of the lyric. "The screaming tyres, the busting glass" I think you can guess where this song is heading.
4. "No Particular Place To Go" Chuck Berry - This has turned out to be quite a rock'n'roll flavoured top five. Probably my favourite Chuck Berry song and covered by just about everyone. It's the ultimate summer driving song.
5. "Don't Drive My Car" Status Quo - Rick Parfitt's paean to beautiful girls and his (then massive) car collection it's the anti-song to "Baby You Can Drive My Car" by the Beatles.
Friday, 7 March 2008
Top 5 Facial Hair Styles
Being someone who might be kindly described as follicly challenge I tend to make the most of the areas of my face where I can grow hair. As a teenage METAL! fan I attempted to grow my hair long, but never really succeeded. As the years wore on, and the realisation hit that I wasn't just receding a bit at the front but starting to look a bit bald all over, my hair cuts became shorter and shorter. I now enjoy the benefits of home hair clipping (more money to spend down the pub and less difficult conversations with your barber about what you've got planned for the weekend and where you're planning to go on holiday) which leaves me plenty of options for facial hair experimentation. In trying to compile this list I was struggling to find out the proper names of certain styles this website is excellent and the source I tended to favour though wikipedia has this list which is also useful and has a rather amusing diagram of styles from the 1900's.
1. Sideburns - Well trimmed but as elongated as I can manage. Keeping them long is not the easiest task as I usually shave without my glasses on and during the early hours of the morning I'm more than capable of chopping off a little more than I intended on one side. This tends to lead to my sidey's being considerably shorter on Friday than they were on Monday. Ideally I like to fashion a stylishly dashing point (reminiscent of Alexander del Piero, I like to think) but this rarely lasts beyond a Tuesday for the same myopic reason.
2. Circle Beard (Goatee and moustache) - Basically I got a bit fed up shaving and grew a beard. That either itched like bugger or looked a bit Shaggy-like around the cheeks. The circle beard has the benefit of quick and easy shaving without the annoying Shaggy comparisons.
3. Handlebar/Chopper Moustache - Extra kudos for its name. Quite like the idea of trying this but haven't yet had the balls. Also requires a bit more growth around the lip which means I need a particularly slovenly couple of weeks before attempting it.
4. Mutton chops - Classic big sidey's. Had a few attempts at this but never really managed the volume necessary for the full effect.
5. Petite Goatee (Goatee with no 'tache) - Definitely a bit arty-farty. Not sure how good a look a beard is without a 'tache above it and it also means having to shave the upper lip bit.
1. Sideburns - Well trimmed but as elongated as I can manage. Keeping them long is not the easiest task as I usually shave without my glasses on and during the early hours of the morning I'm more than capable of chopping off a little more than I intended on one side. This tends to lead to my sidey's being considerably shorter on Friday than they were on Monday. Ideally I like to fashion a stylishly dashing point (reminiscent of Alexander del Piero, I like to think) but this rarely lasts beyond a Tuesday for the same myopic reason.
2. Circle Beard (Goatee and moustache) - Basically I got a bit fed up shaving and grew a beard. That either itched like bugger or looked a bit Shaggy-like around the cheeks. The circle beard has the benefit of quick and easy shaving without the annoying Shaggy comparisons.
3. Handlebar/Chopper Moustache - Extra kudos for its name. Quite like the idea of trying this but haven't yet had the balls. Also requires a bit more growth around the lip which means I need a particularly slovenly couple of weeks before attempting it.
4. Mutton chops - Classic big sidey's. Had a few attempts at this but never really managed the volume necessary for the full effect.
5. Petite Goatee (Goatee with no 'tache) - Definitely a bit arty-farty. Not sure how good a look a beard is without a 'tache above it and it also means having to shave the upper lip bit.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Top 5 Ben 10 Aliens
In response to the demands from my family, and hot on the heels of yesterday's Top 5 Current Kids TV, these are my Top 5 Aliens that Ben 10 can transform into. See - I told you Ben 10 was cool!
1. Diamond Head
2. XLR8
3. Grey Matter
4. Upgrade
5. Heatblast
1. Diamond Head
2. XLR8
3. Grey Matter
4. Upgrade
5. Heatblast
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Top 5 Current Kids Television
Last year I did my Top 5 TV shows I liked as a kid so to prove I'm not entirely wallowing in nostalgia, and that there are still good shows being made, I thought I'd do my current kids television favourites. My sons pretty much control what's on the telly in the daylight hours (how does that work I'm sure I only ever got to watch what my Dad wanted on when I was little!) but this just gives me a good excuse to watch cartoons.
1. Ben 10 (Cartoon Network) - Current house favourite which I often find I'm watching when I probably should be getting on with something else. Ben Tennyson is a boy who discovers a watch like device called the Omintrix. This attaches itself permanently to his wrist and gives him the ability to transform into a variety of alien life forms. Each alien has it's own set of super powers that allow Ben to do battle with a variety of baddies. Typical super powered hero adventure cartoon maybe, but well devised all the same. It's also got a pretty cool theme tune courtesy of ex-Jellyfish drummer and vocalist Andy Sturmer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_10
2. Bamzooki (BBC CBBC) - Teams of kids build a selection of computer generated creatures (Zooks) which then compete in a variety of events against each other. You can download the application and try and build your own at home. It's easy to use and pretty good fun, though experience has shown it's pretty difficult to get something just able to walk roughly in the direction you want it to go, let alone something capable of winning a race. Somehow the kids on the show often come up with really competitive designs, but it's just as much fun seeing those that fall at (or more likely don't even reach) the first hurdle. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bamzooki/
3. Raven (BBC CBBC) - An adventure game show that sets the children involved (warriors) a set of physical and mental challenges over three week long competitions. Warriors are elimated until there are only two left at the end of the week. These two go through to a forth and final week to compete against the winners of the other two heats. It's a bit like the Krypton factor for kids set in a mystical Celtic past. The Way Of The Warrior is the final challenge used on each day to give the warrior in last place a slim chance of avoiding elimination. It's deliberately hard but adds a level of expectation that someone might just make it through in one piece and live to fight another day. In seven series of the show only four warriors have successfully completed the challenge. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/raven/
4. Young Dracula (BBC CBBC) - Young Vladimir Dracula, son and heir to the 600 year old vampire Count Dracula, attempts to life a normal life and avoid his inevitable fate. Lots of vampire related humour particularly involving Vlad's elder sister, who is much more keen to follow the vampire path yet regularly overlooked by their father, and Vlad's best friend Robin who, although a normal human, is also a vampire-geek and thus much more interested in all the stuff Vlad is expected to do. School time has the added complication of Vlad's woodwork teacher, Mr Eric Van Helsing, who is an incompetent vampire slayer. Really well written show with some great humour throughout.
5. Charlie & Lola (BBC Cbeebies) - A pretty straight adaptation of the Lauren Child picture books. The stories are acutely observed glimpses of children and how they talk and think. Charlie is seven, his sister Lola is 4 and the interplay between them is spot on. This animated cartoon successfully combines the collage style illustration of the books with the voices of children to perfectly capture the humour of the original books. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/charlieandlola/
1. Ben 10 (Cartoon Network) - Current house favourite which I often find I'm watching when I probably should be getting on with something else. Ben Tennyson is a boy who discovers a watch like device called the Omintrix. This attaches itself permanently to his wrist and gives him the ability to transform into a variety of alien life forms. Each alien has it's own set of super powers that allow Ben to do battle with a variety of baddies. Typical super powered hero adventure cartoon maybe, but well devised all the same. It's also got a pretty cool theme tune courtesy of ex-Jellyfish drummer and vocalist Andy Sturmer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_10
2. Bamzooki (BBC CBBC) - Teams of kids build a selection of computer generated creatures (Zooks) which then compete in a variety of events against each other. You can download the application and try and build your own at home. It's easy to use and pretty good fun, though experience has shown it's pretty difficult to get something just able to walk roughly in the direction you want it to go, let alone something capable of winning a race. Somehow the kids on the show often come up with really competitive designs, but it's just as much fun seeing those that fall at (or more likely don't even reach) the first hurdle. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bamzooki/
3. Raven (BBC CBBC) - An adventure game show that sets the children involved (warriors) a set of physical and mental challenges over three week long competitions. Warriors are elimated until there are only two left at the end of the week. These two go through to a forth and final week to compete against the winners of the other two heats. It's a bit like the Krypton factor for kids set in a mystical Celtic past. The Way Of The Warrior is the final challenge used on each day to give the warrior in last place a slim chance of avoiding elimination. It's deliberately hard but adds a level of expectation that someone might just make it through in one piece and live to fight another day. In seven series of the show only four warriors have successfully completed the challenge. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/raven/
4. Young Dracula (BBC CBBC) - Young Vladimir Dracula, son and heir to the 600 year old vampire Count Dracula, attempts to life a normal life and avoid his inevitable fate. Lots of vampire related humour particularly involving Vlad's elder sister, who is much more keen to follow the vampire path yet regularly overlooked by their father, and Vlad's best friend Robin who, although a normal human, is also a vampire-geek and thus much more interested in all the stuff Vlad is expected to do. School time has the added complication of Vlad's woodwork teacher, Mr Eric Van Helsing, who is an incompetent vampire slayer. Really well written show with some great humour throughout.
5. Charlie & Lola (BBC Cbeebies) - A pretty straight adaptation of the Lauren Child picture books. The stories are acutely observed glimpses of children and how they talk and think. Charlie is seven, his sister Lola is 4 and the interplay between them is spot on. This animated cartoon successfully combines the collage style illustration of the books with the voices of children to perfectly capture the humour of the original books. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/charlieandlola/
Friday, 22 February 2008
Top 5 ... and the ...'s
Needed something quick and easy as yet again, despite planning on getting something written well in advance of Friday I find myself late on Thursday night with nothing prepared (a trend that probably explains quite a bit about my general direction and path through life so far). My top 5 "something and the something" bands.
1. Booker T and the M.G.'s
2. Iggy and the Stooges
3. Link Wray and the Raymen
4. Sly and the Family Stone
5. ? and the Mysterians
1. Booker T and the M.G.'s
2. Iggy and the Stooges
3. Link Wray and the Raymen
4. Sly and the Family Stone
5. ? and the Mysterians
Friday, 15 February 2008
Top 5 Fat blokes in Rock
This was inspired by my trip to see Les Savy Fav at the Astoria last Sunday. I should know by now that Sunday gigs are never a good idea. It's a quiet day with the family, a chance to catch up on jobs, go for a walk or to the park, maybe just chill out ahead of the week ahead. Les Savy Fav are, I suppose, a cult band. They've been around for something like 13 years without ever breaking big or selling out. This was a rare trip over to the UK on the back of an album that many (myself included) believe to be their career best. I wanted to go but I was struggling to make myself leave the comfort of home. I wrote a top 5 a couple of weeks back on gigs I'd wished I'd seen that reminded me you don't always get another opportunity. You never know what's around the corner and if I didn't make the effort I may never have the chance to see them live again. I forced myself out of the house, a little later than originally planned, and made it up to town with about 20 minutes to spare before they hit the stage. Grabbed a can of Red Stripe (£3.50 - bargain!) and found my way down to a good spot near the front but outside the mosh pit (Sunday's are for taking in the whole show in laid back "too cool for school" style. Mosh pits are for the livelier days of the week). They were fantastic, playing a great set of old and new songs alongside blistering covers of the Pixies "Debaser" and Archers of Loaf's "Wrong". Vocalist and front man Tim Harrington, spent as much time in (or on) the audience as he did on stage, changed his outfit more often than Madonna and proved himself to be a role model for fat bald blokes with beards everywhere. I made the right choice. I'm glad I made the effort and I'm very glad I've now seen Les Savy Fav. The next time they come over I'll be going again ... unless it's on a Sunday.
In honour of Mr Harrington then, my top 5 fat blokes in rock;
1. Frank Black (Pixies and solo)
2. Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav)
3. Chris Goss (Masters of Reality)
4. B.B. King
5. Van & Gary Lee Conner (Screaming Trees)
It's a very 90's rock-centric list (B.B. apart). I suspect I've forgotten some decent contenders and I reckon if I tried a bit harder I could put together a fat blokes super group.
In honour of Mr Harrington then, my top 5 fat blokes in rock;
1. Frank Black (Pixies and solo)
2. Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav)
3. Chris Goss (Masters of Reality)
4. B.B. King
5. Van & Gary Lee Conner (Screaming Trees)
It's a very 90's rock-centric list (B.B. apart). I suspect I've forgotten some decent contenders and I reckon if I tried a bit harder I could put together a fat blokes super group.
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