Top 5 Songs with Moon in the title - In tribute to Neil Armstrong

Neil Alden Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, passed away last Saturday and I really could not let his death go without marking the occasion. I was 1 year and 2 weeks old when Apollo 11 landed and Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Micheal Collins made history. I don't remember a thing about it but I know it made a huge impression on me as I grew up.

A huge hat tip to JHO at Station to Station who produced a top ten which you can check out here. Apologies for shamelessly stealing your idea!

1. Nick Drake "Pink Moon" - It took me a while to really "get" Nick Drake but once I did I feel in love with his music. The Pink Moon album is probably my favourite and this is a wonderful tune.



2. Television "Marquee Moon" - Television perhaps didn't achieve as much as they could have done but this is the high point of their career. The best track from their brilliant debut LP.



3. Neko Case "I Wish I Was The Moon Tonight" - Neko Case has a truly stunning voice that could make any song sound great. This is a delicate and beautiful tune from the album "Blacklisted".



4. Creedence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" - Regular readers will know I've been trying to progress my (very basic) guitar skills by learning how to play this very song. I've not got very far since I last reported but that hasn't diminished my appreciation of this southern rocker.



5. Genesis "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" - Opening track from "Selling England By The Pound" when Genesis where still good and Peter Gabriel was still on vocals. It's 8 minutes long and still only the 4th longest song on the album.



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Top 5 Men on the Moon

Last Monday (20th July) marked the 40th anniversary of the first men to walk on the moon. I was 1 at the time so don't have any genuine memories of the event but growing up in the "space age" had a major influence on my life. Not least in kick starting an early phase of my minor compulsive disorder for collecting stuff. I spent ages trying to complete the PG Tips "Race Into Space" card set and that led on to further obsessions with "Prehistoric Animals" and "The History Of Aviation". Space is still cool and forty years on only 12 men have ever set foot on the moon.

1. Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 (and first man on the moon)



2. Alan Shepard Apollo 14 (and the oldest man to walk the moon - Shepard was also the second man in space, 23 days after Yuri Gagarin)



3. Buzz Aldrin Apollo 11 (second man on the moon who, when called "a coward, a liar, and a thief", punched Bart Sibrel [the moon landing hoax proponent] in the face - Buzz was 72 at the time)



4. John Young Apollo 16 (and Apollo 10 which orbited the moon but was not scheduled to land - So near and yet so far)



5. Charlie Duke Apollo 16 (and Capcom for Apollo 11)