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Friday 20 September 2024

I Like Birds 11 - The Swan

 

Bettye and Billy

Don't let this picture fool you. Swans can be fairly brutal creatures and can easily break your arm. Apparently though it is a myth that the British monarch owns all the swans in Britain and is the only person allowed to eat them.

Here is the more technical stuff

Swans are birds of the genus Cygnus within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks (who everybody can eat). Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the  subfamily Anserinae  where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six living and many extinct species of swan (the ones who have been eaten)

To the music and this week we are including both songs and acts so don't say I'm not good to you. Let's start the songs with Ride a White Swan by T-Rex followed by Swan Song by Be- Bop Deluxe. Slightly more up to date we have Swan by Matthew Sweet and Swan Swan H by R.E.M from Life's Great Pageant

There are a number of Swan acts and I have rightly or wrongly omitted The Swans and The Wild Swans. I have however found room for Bettye Swann, Billy Swan and The Swan Silvertones


T-Rex - Ride a White Swan (Peel Session)

Be-Bop Deluxe - Swan Song

Matthew Sweet - Swan

R.E.M. - Swan Swan H

Bettye Swann - Tell It Like It Is

Billy Swan - I Can Help

The Swan Silvertones - If You Think Your God is Dead,Try Mine

6 comments:

  1. You have a better Billy Swan track on the Viva Americana compilatiom

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  2. Artists as well as song titles? This makes me look very foolish for telling Rol off for breaching what I thought were your hard and fast rules. It can only lead to anarchy.

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  3. When you’re down beside the lake you’re bound to hear somebody say:
    “Careful now, that swan can break your arm”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWxUVGbArc8

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  4. We saw a black swan in Tomar today

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  5. I was going to bring up HMHB so well done Rol for getting in there first. Can I mention Siouxsie and Into A Swan which had a belting remix by one Andrew Weatherall

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