Top 5 Songs with Repeated Titles

This was a very busy topic so it’s taken me a couple of weeks to write it up. I’ve also added most of the suggestions from the Twitter thread to a Spotify playlist that, if all goes to plan, should be embedded below.

Top 5 Repeated song titles

1. “Down Down” Status Quo - One of my favourite bands and this was their only number one. For a long time it was never one of my favourite Quo tunes but it’s worn me down and I now see it as one of their best. It’s the distillation of everything the band had become over the first half of the seventies. Absolutely pure Quo. 

2. “Neat Neat Neat” The Damned - The band’s second single, off the back of what might well be my favourite punk single (New Rose). It’s relentlessly fast and was on their debut album, Damned Damned Damned which must earn it double points (maybe triple points) on this list. 

3. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” Nancy Sinatra - Hot on the heels of Cher’s, also excellent, 1966 original this featured on Nancy’s second album and is a brilliant version which showcases her sultry vocal. It’s that tremolo guitar sound that really makes it for me though played by, producer and member of the Wrecking Crew, Billy Strange and used to exceptional effect by Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill volume 1. 

4. “Run Run Run” The Velvet Underground - Project get to grips with The VU is still ongoing but this song was one of the very first VU tunes that I loved. Great intro with a rumbling bass line interrupted by jangling guitar, a motif that continues throughout. I love how Lou’s vocals are doubled up on the chorus too. 

5. “Hey Hey Hey Hey” The Jim Jones Review - Oh my, full on rock n roll recorded with all the needles so far in the red it sounds like your speakers have blown. I loved The JJR and this was right up with their best tunes. Of course Jim is still very much still doing this sort of thing, initially with Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind and more recently The Jim Jones All Stars.  

I also updated my Top 5 Versions of Louie Louie partly to give Richard Berry his due and partly because I’ve now heard the Toots & the Maytals version. 

1. Louie Louie - The Sonics

2. Louie Louie - Richard Berry & The Pharaohs

3. Louie Louie - Toots & The Maytals

4. Louie Louie - The Kingsmen

5. Louie Louie - Motörhead 

Here’s the Twitter thread 

Friday Top 5: Repeated song titles

1. Down Down - Status Quo
2. Neat Neat Neat - The Damned
3. Bang Bang - Nancy Sinatra
4. Run Run Run - The Velvet Underground
5. Hey Hey Hey Hey - The Jim Jones Review #chopsfives #topfive reply or QT to share yours pic.twitter.com/0ERcRwGHfW

— Chöpstick (@Chops_Top_Fives) October 22, 2021

Top 5 Flags of the World

I’ve not got round to writing up last week’s top five which was a bit of an epic on Twitter and has resulted in a massive playlist so I picked a simpler topic this week and am sticking this one up first. 

I love flags, I don’t love what they sometimes lead to (wars, xenophobia & that sort of thing) but, much like Sheldon Cooper, I do love a flag. 

1. North Macedonia 🇲🇰 

One of the newest countries of the world and my current favourite flag. The colours are great & the flaming sun design really eye catching. 

2. Croatia 🇭🇷 

Staying in the Balkans and a country I’ve actually been to. I’ve loved this flag since the 98 World Cup & the checkerboard kit the men’s national team wore which was echoing the flag. Those little additional shields are cool too (I think they represent historic regions that make up Croatia). 

3. South Africa 🇿🇦 

Another new flag, introduced in 1994 to coincide with Nelson Mandela being inaugurated as South Africa's first democratically elected president it’s a brilliant design aligned with great colour choices. 

4. South Korea 🇰🇷 

Lots of symbolism in this one. The Taegukgi in the middle represents the great polarity & duality, four trigrams represent four classical elements which can be translated in a number of ways & the white background is a traditional Korean colour for peace & purity. 

5. Bhutan 🇧🇹 

It’s got a cool dragon on it for a start, one that, even though they haven’t bothered to colour it in, could give the Welsh dragon a run for its money. It’s also another reddy orange flag which a favourite colour combination for me. 

Tweet embedded below if you want to go check out more top 5 flag suggestions. 

Friday Top 5: Flags of the World

1. North Macedonia 🇲🇰
2. Croatia 🇭🇷
3. South Africa 🇿🇦
4. South Korea 🇰🇷
5. Bhutan 🇧🇹 #chopsfives #topfive reply or QT to share yours pic.twitter.com/7YCpXbc9m2

— Chöpstick (@Chops_Top_Fives) October 29, 2021

Top Five Songs by Brothers

The natural partner to last week’s top five and a chance for me to play around with embedding the Twitter thread.

This topic was a bit of an epic as it turns out 90% of all bands have brothers in them … or at least that’s the way it seemed. 

Top 5 Songs by Brothers

1. “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us” Sparks - Probably their biggest hit but still my favourite Mael brothers tune. They’ve been around since the mid-seventies yet it’s their most recent albums that have caught my attention & if all goes to plan I should finally catch them live in London next year. 

2. “ABC” Jackson 5 - Perfect pop. 

3. “Waving Flags” Sea Power - I’m a big Sea Power fan & they’ve got lots of songs I could have picked but this is a bit of a pro-immigration / pro-humanity over politics anthem and it makes my heart soar. A contender for best opening line too. 

4. “Baby Come Back” The Equals - Definitely considered going with Police On My Back but this just edged it. I knew Eddy Grant via his solo stuff long before I discovered his original band with brothers Derv & Lincoln Gordon. 

5. “Crazy Horses” The Osmonds - Discovered this song after seeing John Otway perform it live in the back room of a pub in Surbiton. Absolutely love the original & felt it was especially appropriate after our recent fuel shortages. 

Here’s the original Twitter thread where you should be able to find loads of alternative suggestions. 

Friday Top 5: Songs by Brothers

1. This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us - Sparks
2. ABC - Jackson 5
3. Waving Flags - British Sea Power
4. Baby Come Back - The Equals
5. Crazy Horses - The Osmonds #chopsfives #topfive reply or QT to share yours pic.twitter.com/KGT7ePXerQ

— Chöpstick (@Chops_Top_Fives) October 15, 2021

Top Five Songs by Sisters

Right then, another go at keeping this blog alive. I’m going to return the focus to Friday Top Fives as I’m planning to keep running those on Twitter. Maybe not every week but I’ll try and do them fortnightly. 

Last Friday I ran a Songs by Sisters topic that was deliberately vague in what that might mean as you can tell by my selections. If I’m honest this was a quick throwaway idea and as soon as I started seeing others suggestions I realised I’d missed some great options. 

Still love the five I went with though which are as follows. 

Top 5 Songs by Sisters

1. “This Train” Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Sister Rosetta was such an important pioneer for the birth of rock n roll. Ridiculous that all these years further on black, female & queer artists still face such a backlash to be heard. 

2. “Emmylou” First Aid Kit - Actual sisters on this one. Klara & Johanna Söderberg have created some gorgeous indie tunes that benefit hugely from their vocal harmonies. This song, from their debut album, is still my favourite. 

3. “Complication” Ye Nuns - All female Monks tribute band who all go by a name prefixed by Sister. They’ve all played in some well known bands before and have even received the seal of approval from an original band member. 

4. “Lost in Music” Sister Sledge - Had a bit of a battle choosing between this or something by The Pointer Sisters but I think Lost in Music is a real landmark song. Bonus points for being covered by The Fall. 

5. “We’re Not Going To Take It” Twisted Sister - This one partially made the cut because I liked how it illustrated an alternative view of the topic but after playing it a couple of times I really didn’t want to leave it off. Probably should have picked something by The Breeders in hindsight. 

Chop’s Fives: Daytime TV

I needed a topic that was a little easier to manage this week and for some reason Daytime TV has been in my thoughts a lot more over the last few months. Can’t think why. 

1. Bargain Hunt - Hands down my favourite daytime programme. It’s become part of our lockdown routine as we aim to have lunch when it’s on and have now set up a series link so it doesn’t matter if we’re late eating. The temptation is to try and have a go but I think we’ve seen enough episodes now to know we’d make a massive loss. 

2. Win, Lose or Draw - Initially hosted by Danny Baker (who I have something of a love/hate relationship with) this was effectively Pictionary for telly and featured mixed teams of celebrities alongside members of the public. Danny was at his witty best so it was disappointing when Shane Ritchie took over and the show list some of its irreverence. Shane only lasted one series before being replaced by Bob Mills who became my favourite host. 

3. Countdown - I’ve been watching this on and off since Channel 4 launched in 1982. I’m still embarrassingly awful at the word games (always figured I might improve with a pen & paper to hand but almost 40 years have gone and I’ve not made the effort) but I am slightly more successful with the numbers. 

4. The Mallorca Files - This is a more recent discovery. It’s a little like Death in Paradise so feels like an evening programme with a slightly reduced budget. I love a murder mystery and this ticks all my boxes. It benefits from a sunny island setting, which was just what we needed in the depths of a lockdown winter, and has two very watchable leads. 

5. A Country Practice - Long running Australian medical drama that initially seemed dreadful but won me over in an era when television options weren’t as plentiful as they are now. It had quite a large cast, who often dropped in an out but helped create a broad dramatic dynamic. 

Chop’s Fives: Songs that make you cry

I find many songs make me teary eyed, some because of the memories associated with the first or main time I heard them, some just because they’re great. I love nothing more than singing along with a favourite song at the top of my voice (and slightly out of tune), it’s the best form of therapy. 

1. Five Years by Liz Green - A Bowie cover (obvs) that Liz did for a Marc Riley session on 6music. The original definitely gets me but Liz’s version was astonishingly raw. There’s a moment where her voice cracks and it sounds like she might not finish the song. Unfortunately this has never been released but Marc does play it occasionally and it hits me every single time. 

2. Wires by Athlete - They were not a band that I associated with outstanding song writing but this song has a pretty consistent affect on my tear ducts. Written about the singer’s first child being on a incubator when first born it transports me back to the birth of my children and the emotions of those first few days.  

3. Hurt by Johnny Cash - The song on it’s own, a cover of a Nine Inch Nails original, is powerful enough but the video undoubtedly pushed the emotional impact up a few notches. Johnny was 71 and in poor health, his wife June died shortly after the song came out and Johnny was gone by the end of the year. The love they had for each other is evident and this feels like a powerful final statement (notwithstanding further recordings that followed). 

4. You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory by Johnny Thunders - This one hits me on many levels. Just a wonderful song with a brilliant lyric. 

5. We’ve Only Just Begun by Carpenters - This one is all about memories of my Mum & Dad but particularly my Dad. We’d often go on car trips, usually for Dad to do chores or visit pals but mainly to get us both out the house for a bit & I vividly remember listening to The Carpenters in the car and being incredibly sad to find out about her death. 

I’ve had a huge response on Twitter, not least thanks to Pete Paphides getting involved, so the embedded playlist will expand as I work my way through the many suggested songs. 

 

Chop’s Fives: Songs of Protest & Revolution

Over on Twitter, where these recent fives originated, the song theme topics have been really popular and I’ve tried to add all the suggestions to Spotify playlists. I’ll try and embed the link below. 

I ended up combining songs about Protest & Revolution as I had favourites that straddled both topics and thought it made the topic a little more open to interpretation. 

1. Oh Bondage! Up Yours by X-Ray Spex

2. Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine 

3. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott Heron

4. Fight The Power by Public Enemy 

5. A Change Is Gonna Come by Aretha Franklin

Chop’s Fives: Films of the 00s

My favourite films of whatever you call the decade from 2000 to 2009. 

1. City of God (Meirelles/Lund) - A compelling exploration of drug crime in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Many of the cast were residents of flavelas and that, along with the wonderful cinematography, created a very real feeling of tension throughout the story. 

2. Hidden / Caché (Haneke) - The first Michael Haneke film I saw and a film that really struck a chord with me and invigorated my desire to see more art house movies. I love the subtlety of it, you’re never quite sure what’s going on and Haneke doesn’t spell much out. 

3. No Country For Old Men (Coens) - A slightly darker feel for a Coens film but a fabulous retelling of the Cormac McCarthy novel. Tommy Lee Jones & Javier Bardem are both outstanding despite rarely being on screen together. Classy cinematography & some scenes that still stick in my memory many years later. 

4. Shaun of the Dead (E Wright) - Bought this cheap on DVD from a pal who worked for the film company with no idea what to expect. It’s become one of the films I’ve watched most often and honestly gets better every time I see it (which is about once a month on itv2). 

5. This Is England (Meadows) - Such a great cast & probably Shane Meadows best film. He has a naturalistic way of directing that allows the actors to really own & develop their characters. 

Chop’s Fives: Matchbox cars

I’ve been wanting to do this top 5 for ages. My favourite matchbox cars as a kid. Probably my favourite toy growing up. My best mate would come round every Friday and we’d spend hours racing cars down plastic track. 

1. Volks Dragon (1971) - My oldest and fastest car. Used to have a daisy sticker on the bonnet. Never let me down in a head to head race.

2. Dodge Challenger (1975) - No. 1 in the matchbox catalogue for years. Loved the US muscle car styling of this one & it was pretty reliable in races too

3. Ford Escort RS2000 (1978) - A more contemporary car that was less good “on the track” but looked classy in back garden rallying through the flower beds. 

4. Porsche 911 Turbo (1978) - I was a bit older when I bought this from the post office shop but despite initially seeming a little dull it became one of my favourites. Opening doors too.

5. Lamborghini Countach (1973) - This was my nemesis for many years. My best mate’s favourite car and one I didn’t own. I eventually caved in and bought one of my own.

Chop’s Fives: Favourite NFL Quarterbacks

 After a few weeks of trying to keep a lockdown diary of sorts I ran out of steam. That was partly me failing to find the time to write stuff that probably wasn’t of much interest to anyone but future me but also the feeling of unrelenting sameness that came with trying to survive a pandemic. Things haven’t entirely improved but the faint glow of light is glimmering in the distance.

Meanwhile, I’ve continued with my bullshit on Twitter (where it’s quick to write stuff and you feel less obliged to make it lengthy) so I’ve something of a backlog of Top 5s I could share on here plus a whole other project I’ll explain in a separate post. 

If you’re still occasionally reading this blog then thanks for the patronage & apologies for the haphazard nature of updates. Let’s see how long I keep things going this time. 

I’m a long time NFL fan, having first seen the Super Bowl via Grandstand who showed the highlights of Super Bowl XVI in 1982. Almost forty years later I’m still staying up into the small hours to watch the season finale (even though I really don’t like the now undisputed greatest QB of all time). 

All that is a long lead up to my Top 5 favourite Quaterbacks. 

1. Joe Montana - Joe Montana was the winning QB in that very first game I watched. He lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 20-0 lead half time over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals got back into things in the second half but Joe Cool stayed true to his nickname and helped ensure the Niners held on to win 26-21. Montana remained a top performer for many years as I watched more NFL and whilst I didn’t end up a 49er fan I always admired his ability & poise. 

2. Aaron Rodgers - I’ve recently converted to being a Green Bay Packers fan and A-Rod was part of the attraction. A remarkably talented QB who rarely turns the ball over. The fact he hasn’t won more Super Bowl rings (1 win, 1 loss so far) shows just how difficult it is to achieve. The Packers came mighty close to getting back to the big game this season and in doing so Rodgers claimed a 3rd NFL MVP of his career.

3. Russell Wilson - In my wilderness years (the period when I stopped following my first team and watched less of the sport as it went exclusively to Sky) Wilson was one of the bright sparks. A mobile quarterback who did as much with his feet as he did with his arm. Wilson is a little like Rodgers, hugely talented, genuinely nice guy and a little unlucky not to have won more. 

4. Joe Theismann - Joe was THE man who won me over to NFL and made me a Washington fan. Channel 4 began showing highlights during the strike shortened 1983 season. Theismann & that Washington team seemed to overcome all the odds to make it to the Super Bowl that year and I was hooked. Joe had bags of personality too, maybe not as talented as Montana but really gutsy.

5. Peyton Manning - The first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. Hugely talented and with a howitzer of an arm. 

Feel free to add your fives in the comments. 

Top 5 Songs of 2016

I ran through my top 25 songs of the year in my Musical Advent posts. These are my top 5 songs but you can see the videos and the rest of the list here > http://chopstop5.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Musical%20Advent%202016.

1. Angel Olsen "Shut Up Kiss Me"

2. Meilyr Jones "Featured Artist"

3. Slow Club "In Waves"

4. Fat White Family "Breaking Into Aldi"

5. The Goon Sax "Up To Anything"

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Top 5 Gigs of 2016

2016 was shit for many reasons but it was absolutely brilliant for live music. After a few years of failing to cut down I let the shackles off and, to be honest, got a little bit carried away. I managed 40 gigs in all making 2016 my most giggy year since 1991.

1. Thee Oh Sees at The Coronet (Friday 2nd September) - I very nearly didn't go to this after a busy week and a lot of travelling. Thank heavens I did. Thee Oh Sees were magnificent and the night was made all the better by two great support acts in The Blind Shake & Magnetix. Despite my comments about gig number 3 THIS was technically the most jumpy up and down though I avoided the chaos and watched from a "safe space". Full gig report

2. Meilyr Jones at Village Underground (Thursday 6th October) - I saw Meilyr five times this year and he was never less than excellent. This gig, the last of the bunch, was the best night by fractions. Full gig report

3. Japandroids at Birthdays (Thursday 20th October) - The most jumpy up & down gig of the year. After being on holiday when tickets went on sale I snagged a ticket the day before and got in early to make sure I was right down the front. It was another wild night, undoubtedly the most sweaty I got all year. Great support from Slowcoaches too. Full gig report

4. Low at Union Chapel (Tuesday 6th December) - I saw Low twice this year. This show was a little special with Low playing a set of their Christmas tunes and a more regular set in one of my favourite venues in London.

5. The Masonics, Ye Nuns & The Baron Four at The Lexington (Wednesday 21st December) - Garage Punk triple bill in aid of War Child. A boozy pre-Crimbo night made exceptional by the brilliant Ye Nuns set.

Top TV Shows I watched in 2016

Largely due to my obsession with keeping my TiVo below 30% I watched quite a bit of telly this year. In between the bland & average there was some brilliant original television.

1. Deutschland 83 (Series 1) - Jonas Nay was simply fabulous as a naive Stasi double agent. This had thrills aplenty, a great cast and exhuberantly colourful cinematography.

2. Fleabag (Series 1) - Brilliant if very black comedy. Great writing & performance from Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

3. The Night Manager (Series 1) - A heart stopping John Le Carre thriller with the odd bit of silliness. Hugh Laurie excels as the fantastically nasty villain.

4. Trapped (Series 1) - My Nordic obsession continues, this time it's in Iceland.

5. Raised by Wolves (Series 1 & 2) - Alright babs? Very surprised Channel 4 didn't renew this. Caitlin Moran's attempt to use kickstarter to fund a third series failed but perhaps there's still life in series yet.

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Top 5 Albums of 2016

Going to do a speedy run through my top fives of the year. Starting with my favourite albums of the year, no long wordy explanations this year just a straight list. I found lots of great new music but found it really tough to put them in order (with the exception of my number one) so I've listed my top 30 so if I want to change my mind at some point in the future I'll remember what the other options were.

1. Meilyr Jones "2013"

2. Leonard Cohen "You Want it Darker"

3. The Blind Shake "Celebrate Your Worth"

4. Charles Bradley "Changes"

5. Julia Jacklin "Don't Let The Kids Win"

6. Eleanor Friedberger "New View"
7. Mogwai "Atomic"
8. Angel Olsen "My Woman"
9. David Bowie "Blackstar"
10. Conor Oberst "Ruminations"
11. Tindersticks "The Waiting Room"
12. Field Music "Commontime"
13. The Wave Pictures "Bamboo Dinner In The Rain"
14. Slowcoaches "Nothing Gives"
15. Kiran Leonard "Grapefruit"
16. Laura J Martin "On The Never Never"
17. Emma Pollock "In Search of Harperfield"
18. Pixies "Head Carrier"
19. PJ Harvey "Hope Six Demolition Project"
20. Thee Oh Sees "A Weird Exits"
21. Cowtown "Paranormal Romance"
22. North Sea Radio Orchestra "Dronne"
23. Savages "Adore Life"
24. She Makes War "Direction of Travel"
25. Wild Billy Childish & CTMF "SQ1"
26. Palehound "Dry Food"
27. Giant Burger "Giant Burger Forever"
28. Ultimate Painting "Dusk"
29. Weaves "Weaves"
30. Conrad Keeley "Original Machines"

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Guest Top 5 - Top Five Secular/Atheist Anthems by The Autumn Stones

It's been almost two years since I last had a guest top five to publish so here's a very welcome contribution from Canadian dreampop band The Autumn Stones. Written & selected by guitarist & songwriter Ciaran Megahey who provides us his favourite secular anthems in no particular order. Once you've read this you should go and check out The Autumn Stones music either via the band's website or via ubiquitous streaming platform Spotify.

Photo: Alison Waddell ©2015

The 6ths - "The Dead Only Quickly"
According to the songwriter's liner notes to his masterwork, 69 Love Songs, Stephin Merritt is a "rabid atheist". He is also my favourite songwriter and although he rarely tackles religion in his work, when he does he does so with wit and style. In verse two of "The Dead Only Quickly," he seems to be offering some degree of sympathy with the faithful: "It would be swell / To see some folk burn in hell..." But then comes the rejoinder: "But when they go / It's just as pleasant to know / That the dead only quickly decay..." leaving the listener wondering whether there isn't a trace of feline irony lurking in the shadows. The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon provides the masterfully understated vocal turn on this recording.



The Clash - "Rock The Casbah"
In the documentary film The Future is Unwritten, Joe Strummer describes "Rock The Casbah" as being about the inhumanity of religious fundamentalism. Not the kind of subject matter one expects to find topping the charts in 1982, but there you have it. I remember loving this song as a kid and love it slightly more now that I know what it's about.



Guided By Voices - "I Am a Scientist"
Another one of my all-time favourite tunesmiths: Robert Pollard. It's hard to imagine a finer moment in his extremely lengthy catalogue. "I Am a Scientist" comes across lyrically like his artist statement and perhaps the song that best defines him. Though making no mention of religion or faith whatsoever, it nonetheless seems to be about self discovery and finding meaning through art and being open-minded. "I know what's right / But I'm losing sight of the clues...to just unlock my mind / Yeah, to just unlock my mind..." A decidedly humble, secular and inspiring view in my book, making this song an appropriate fit on this list. I dare you to try to stop the hairs on the back of your neck from rising whilst listening.



Belinda Carlisle - "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
This is another one that I remember from childhood as one of those songs that just makes your heart soar. It still does and as I read the lyrics to "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," I realized that this is pretty damn close lyrically to what I was trying to get at with one of my band's songs, "End Of Faith." Quoth Belinda, "In this world we're just beginning / To understand the miracle of living..." Dammit, she beat me to it. Heaven is a place on earth. And it is in the form of this song.



Kate Bush - "A Deal with God (Running Up that Hill)"
Yes, you read correctly: "A Deal with God" is the original, proper title of this Kate Bush classic. I am doing my part to help reclaim it! It was changed to "Running Up that Hill" at the behest of her fearful record company. Boooo! The public was very much ready for this — as its status as a classic attests. Hopefully, a lesson has been learned. The song isn't about religion; Kate Bush says it is about the misunderstandings that arise between men and women because of their differences. Still, the $uits feared that the lyrics would be interpreted as sacrilegious. They kind of are, actually — and that's why this song made it on this list (in addition to the fact that it is awesome).




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Top 5 Instrumentals - Chop's Picks

Hot on the heels of last week's collaborative results these are my five favourite songs without singing. This turned out to be much harder than I expected. The collaborative vote is brilliant for flagging up tunes I've forgotten but in this instance highlighted just how many essential instrumentals exist. For every entry in my final top five there's another song I agonised about leaving out.

5. "Moya" Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Fifth place was a shoot out between two of my favourite bands, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai. Canadian post-rock collective versus Glaswegian post-rock punks. Both bands specialise in instrumental music which only made it harder for me to pick a stand out tune. Moya has long been my favourite GYBE track though and I really couldn't leave it out. Thanks to Wikipedia I've just found out it's a reworking of Polish composer Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony, which means I probably ought to track that down too.



4. "The Great Skua" British Sea Power - Originally a track from BSP's 2008 Mercury Music Prize nominated album Do You Like Rock Music?, it was then reworked as part of the band's soundtrack for the re-release of 1934 fictional documentary film Man of Aran. It's a soaring tune that works brilliantly with the black & white visuals and is simply magnificent live.



3. "Green Onions" Booker T & The MGs - This comfortably claimed the number one spot in the joint poll and rightly so. I got to know Booker T & the MGs via the Blues Brothers film and have loved them ever since. During the 60s & 70s they were the Stax Records house band and backed artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave & Carla Thomas on a string of hit records. At some point during the late eighties or early nineties I saw them play live, at the Town & Country Club, under the Blues Brothers Band banner. Incredibly Booker T & Steve Cropper are still active.



2. "Theme from Midnight Cowboy" John Barry - As a child of the seventies who grew up in thrall to James Bond films, I was bound to include something by John Barry in this list. As with most of these artists it was hard to pick a favourite but this theme for John Schlesinger's 1969 drama is immaculate. I'm particularly fond of Toots Thielemans' haunting harmonica though, apparently, John Barry did not feel the same way.



1. "Rumble" Link Wray - 1958 this was first released. Take a listen to that guitar sound. It's so big & powerful no wonder it was banned. Link Wray has been credited with pioneering the sound that would later form the foundation of heavy rock and it's easy to hear why.



I could comfortably have included two other Link Wray tunes in this top five, Ace of Spades came close, but I particularly enjoy Jack The Ripper so here's a bit of added Link for good luck.




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Collaborative Top 5 Instrumentals - RESULTS

An epic vote with loads of contributions for which I can only say thank you. I wasn't expecting there to be a clear top 5 as it seemed that every top 5 included a completely different set of songs. This wasn't the end of the world though as I knew I'd still have a brilliant playlist of excellent Instrumentals.

The Shadows, Brian Eno, David Bowie & Mogwai all scored four entries each but failed to make the top 5 with an indivdual song, while the list spans music as diverse as 808 State, Bert Jansch, Rush and Duran Duran. I also have to mention the best named tune by Thee Cee Cees who provide the topically titled Iain Duncan Smiths Weeping Hemorrhoids. There's a link to a Spotify playlist lower down with more than 230 tunes on it. It's a fine soundtrack and I'd have been happy if that was the only outcome of this vote.

As it turned out, there were tunes that enough people voted for to provide a worthy top five. The top three were comfortably clear of the rest, whilst below 12th place there was very little to split the songs apart.

5. Ride "Grasshopper" - Originally the b-side for single Leave Them All Behind then the title track of a Japanese EP. This is an 11 minute tour de force.

4. Durutti Column "Sketch for Summer" - The most popular of three contenders from Vini Reilly's Manchester based band. This is the lead track for The Return of the Durutti Column, the band's debut studio album released in January 1990. I have to admit to little knowledge about this band but this has enticed me to investigate further.

3. Link Wray "Rumble" - Link Wray's notorious debut single, banned in 1958 for fear it might incite a riot. Link had two other entries in the list (Jack The Ripper & Ace of Spades) and they're just as good. Anyone who can get an instrumental tracked banned has to worth a listen.

2. New Order "Elegia" - Originally released on the band's third album, Low-Life, this was written in memory of former band mate Ian Curtis. The seventeen and a half minute full length version eventually came to light on a retrospective compilation.

1. Booker T and the MG's "Green Onions" - Debut single from the Stax house band, number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962 (despite having originally been put on the b-side of Behave Yourself).

Here's the Top 12;
1 Booker T and the MG's "Green Onions"
2 New Order "Elegia"
3 Link Wray "Rumble"
4 Durutti Column "Sketch for Summer"
5 Ride "Grasshopper"
6 Dick Dale "Miserlou"
7 Brian Eno "An Ending (Ascent)"
8 Rush "La Villa Strangiato"
9 British Sea Power "The Great Skua"
10 The Smiths "Oscillate Wildly"
11 Edgar Winter Group "Frankenstein"
12 The Tornadoes "Telstar"

Here's a Spotify playlist with most of the contenders;



Here's the full list in (more or less) alphabetical order;
808 State - Pacific State
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos VI
Adebisi Shank - Sensation
Aimee Mann - Nothing is good enough
Air - Ce Matin La
Air - La Femme D'Argent
Alasdair Roberts - Kilmahog Saturday Afternoon
Allman Bros - In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Andrew Poppy - The Object is a Hungry Wolf
Aphex Twin - Ageispolis
Aswad - Warrior Charge
B. Bumple & The Stingers - Nut Rocker
Beach Boys - Let's Go Away For A While
Beastie Boys - Namaste
Beastie Boys - Sabrosa
Bentley Rhythm Ace - Bentleys Gonna Sort You Out
Bernard Herrmann - Taxidriver (Main Theme)
Bert Jansch - Angie
Beta Band - Rhododendron
Billy Joel - Root Beer Rag
Blondie - Europa
Bluetones, The - Blood Bubble
Blur - Intermission
Boards of Canada - Reach For The Dead
Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
Bob Mould - Sunspots
Bombskare - Fistful Of Dynamite
Booker T and the MG's - Green Onions
Booker T and the MG's - Time Is Tight
Boots Randolph - Yakety Sax
Brand X - Deadly Nightshade
Brian Eno - An Ending (Ascent)
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Brian Eno - Deep Blue Day
Brian Eno - Discreet Music
British Sea Power - Man of Aran
British Sea Power - The Great Skua
Brubeck - Take 5
Buzzcocks - Late for the train
Byrds - Stranger in a Strange Land
Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar
Camel - Lunar Sea
Captain Beefheart - Suction Prints
Chakachas - Jungle Fever
Champs, The - Tequila
Chantays, The - Pipeline
Charlatans - Theme from Wish
Chris Thile - The Beekeper
Clark - Banjo
Colourbox - The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme
Corduroy - Harry Palmer
David Bowie - A New Career In A New Town
David Bowie - Speed of Life
David Bowie - Neukoln
David Bowie - Warszawa
Death in Vegas - Dirge
Deep Purple - Wring That Neck
Depeche Mode - Nothing to Fear
Depeche Mode - Pimpf
Derek & Ray - Interplay
Dick Dale - Miserlou
Dirty Three - I Remember A Time When Once You Used To Love Me
Doves - Firesuite
Duane Eddy - Peter Gunn Theme
Duane Eddy - Shazam
Dubliners - Col Fraser & O'Rourke's Reel
Duran Duran - Tel Aviv
Duran Duran - Tiger Tiger
Durutti Column - All That Love & Maths Can Do
Durutti Column - Conduct
Durutti Column - Sketch for Summer
Eat Lights Become Lights - La Kraut III
Eddie Angel - Thunder
Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein
Eels - Theme from Blinking Lights
EL&P - Fanfare for Command Man
Elton John - Funeral For A Friend
Ennio Morricone - Deborah's Theme ['Il Vizio di Uccidere']
Ennio Morricone - The Ecstasy of Gold
Explosions in the Sky - Your hand in mine
Faith No More - Woodpecker from Mars
Fantastic Something - 1000 Guitars of St. Dominiques
Felt - Buried wild blind
Felt - Textile Ranch
Field Mice - Tilting at windmills
Fleetwood Mac - Albatross
Fleetwood Mac - Underway
Focus - Hocus Pocus
Focus - Sylvia
Frank Zappa - Peaches en Regalia
Frazier Chorus - Spoonhead
Freddie King - Hideaway
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Galaxie 500 - Instrumental
Genesis - Los Endos
Genesis - The Brazilian
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Gathering Storm
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Moya
Goldfrapp - Oompa Radar
Gorky's Zygotic Mynky - Christmas Eve
Hank C Burnette - Spinning Rock Boogie
Hans Zimmer - You're so cool
Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F
Harry J & The Allstars - Liquidator
Hendrix - Star Spangled Banner
Herb Alpert - Lollipops & Roses
Inspiral Carpets - Memories Of You
Jackdaw With Crowbar - Scrape
Jakatta - American Dream
Jan Hammer - Miami Vice theme
Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene
Jean-Michel Jarre - Fourth Rendez-vous
Jeff Wayne - The Eve of War
John Barry - Midnight Cowboy
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Hideaway
John Williams - Jurassic Park
John Williams - Star Wars Cantina
John Williams (Guitarist) - Cavatina (Theme from Deerhunter)
Johnny Harris - Paint it Black
Karma To Burn - 20
Karma To Burn - 34
Keith Jarrett & Jan Garbarek - Luminessence
King Curtis - Harlem Nocturne
Labradford - S
Led Zepplin - Moby Dick
Lilys - Everything Wrong is Imaginary
Link Wray - Ace of Spades
Link Wray - Jack the Ripper
Link Wray - Rumble
Lou Reed - Dorita
Louis Clark & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Hooked on Classics
Man or Astroman? - Evil Plans of Planet Spectra
Man Or Astroman? - Eric Estrotica
Manual - Keeps Coming Back
Meat Puppets - Maiden's Milk
Metallica - Orion
Miles Davis - Spanish Key
Mmoss - War Sux
Mogwai - Christmas Steps
Mogwai - Hungry Face
Mogwai - Mogwai fear Satan
Mogwai - Summer
Monochrome Set - Andiamo
Monty Norman - James Bond Theme (John Barry arrangement)
Mr Bloe - Groovin With Mr Bloe
Neu! - Hallogallo
Neutral Milk Hotel - Untitled (1998)
New Order - Elegia
Nice - Theme from Nice
Nik Colk Void - Gold 'E
Nils Frahm - Says
Oasis - The Swamp Song
Orbital - Remind
OXES - Kaz Hayashi '01
Paco de Lucia - Entre dos Aguas
Pell Mell - Blacktop
Penguin Café Orchestra - Prelude & yodel
Penguin Café Orchestra - Silver Star Of Bologna
Percy Faith - Theme From a Summer Place
Pernice Bros - Discover a Lovelier You
Phil Upchurch - You can't sit down
Pink Floyd - Any Colour You Like
Pink Floyd - Pow R Toc H
Pixies - Cecilia Ann
Plank! - King Rat I, II, III
Prong - Intermenstrual DSB
Punch Brothers - Kid A
PWEI - Pwei vs Dirty Harry
Rain Tree Crow - Big Wheels In Shanty Town
Rainbow - Weiss Heim
Real Estate - April's Song
REM - New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
Ride - Grasshopper
Righteous Brothers Band - Rat Race
Rob D - Clubbed To Death
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Hanuman
Roni Size - Bite The Bullet
Rush - La Villa Strangiato
Rush - The Main Monkey Business
Rush - YYZ
Ry Cooder - Dark End of the Street
Ry Cooder - Maria Elena
Santo & Johnny - Sleepwalk
Shadows, The - Apache
Shadows, The - Scotch on the Socks
Shadows, The - Stars Fell on Stockton
Shadows, The - Foot Tapper
Silver Jews - The Right To Remain Silent
Simon Park - Eye Level
Simple Minds - Theme For Great Cities
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Quarterdrawing Of The Dog
Slowdive - Avalyn 2
Small Faces - Almost Grown
Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness
Smiths, The - Oscillate Wildly
Smiths, The - The Draize Train
Sonic Stealth Orchestra - A Design for Life
Steeleye Span - Robbery With Violins
Stephen Jones - Black Ice Cream
Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint I-III
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Riviera Paradise
Stiff Little Fingers - go for it
Sub Sub (Doves) - Space Face
Surfaris - Waikiki Run
Surfaris - Wipe Out
Swanks - Ghost Train
Teenage Fanclub - Is This Music ?
The Beatles - 12 Bar Original
The Beatles - Flying
The Beta Band - Monolith
The Breeders - Flipside
The Busters - Bust Out
The Charlatans - Area 51
The Divine Comedy - Europe By Train
The Fall - Mansion
The Flower Kings - The Man Who Walked With Kings
The Go! Team - Everyone's a VIP to Someone
The Go! Team - Feelgood By Numbers
The Grifters - Fixed In The Sky
The Imprints - Free Ourselves
Smiths, The - Money Changes Everything.
The Wake - Brit Mix
Thee Cee Cees - Iain Duncan Smiths Weeping Hemorrhoids
Thee Milkshakes - Red Monkey
Tindersticks - Piano Music
Tired Arms - Ursa Minor
Tommy McCook - Starry Night
Tornadoes, The - Telstar
Van Halen - Eruption
Vangelis - Rachel's Song
Ventures - Little Green Bag
Ventures - Walk Don't Run
Willie Nelson - Bandera
Yann Tiersen - Comptine d'Un Autre Été: L'Après Midi
Young Marble Giants - Clicktalk
Zombi - DE3



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Top 5 Film Sequels - Chop's Picks

After last weeks' Collaborative Top 5 result here are my picks for the best film sequels of all time.

5. Mad Max II (1981) [d: George Miller] - I remember getting this from the video shop in Thames Ditton village. I think I might have even bought their copy a few years later when they were closing down. It's been a long time since I saw it but my memory suggests it might have been better than the original. It certainly benefited from a bigger budget and director George Miller took full advantage of that. If you're after a post apocalyptic landscape you'll not find many places more suitable than the Australian outback and the desert backdrops play as big a part in the success of this film as Mel Gibson and a bunch of leather clad mohawked bikers.

4. Kill Bill volume 2 (2004) [d: Quentin Tarantino] - Genuine sequel of the second half of a film released in two parts? I've gone with the former as I'm a huge Tarantino fan, though I've always wanted to see a proper full length version of Kill Bill.

3. French Connection II (1975) [d: John Frankenheimer] - The fictional sequel to the original 1971 film that was an adaption of a true story. Gene Hackman is superb as narcotics officer Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. Sent to Marseilles to continue the chase for the drug gang leader he finds himself a fish out of water, though things go really awry when he is held captive by the gang and injected with Heroin.

2. The Godfather: Part II (1974) [d: Francis Ford Coppola] - My memory often lets me down regarding films and I realised discussing the overall vote last week that I can't entirely remember which bits happen in Part I and which in Part II. That aside I remember the whole epic story being a remarkable piece of cinema. Al Pacino is outstanding as Michael Corleone but it's the ensemble cast and intertwining stories that make the whole saga so believable.

1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [d: Irvin Kershner] - I've written about Star Wars before I'm sure. It was the biggest film of my childhood. I had Star Wars posters, Star Wars comics, Star Wars figures, Star Wars bubblegum cards and, my crowing glory, a Star Wars duvet & pillow set. I made my own light sabre out of cardboard, though it proved horribly ineffective in a fight with a plastic sword and had to be retired from active service. Anyway, by 1980 I had developed something of an obsession with the original film so you can imagine my excitement about a second film. Empire did not disappoint. A bit like Mad Max 2 it built on the original story but added a bigger budget that meant it looked more polished.

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