That Was The Prog That Was - 3

 

George writes:

This programme holds a lot of memories, despite the game taking place  almost 50 years ago (and despite being told by my partner on almost a  daily basis that “you can’t remember what you did yesterday”). I am sure I wore the Manchester United scarf Mum had knitted for me to Old Trafford, and I can definitely  remember the year, score, the crowd size (unlike my brother). And it’s the one and only time I heard a record played in a ground that I then went to purchase (the record, that is).

Jim Gilstrap - Rock Your Daddy

When I talked to Dave just over two weeks ago (assuming this goes out on Jan 31), I told him the crowd was 46 000 (actual 46 802), the score was 2-1, and the year 1975. ((Did I mention that Dave got every part of that wrong.) This I also  remember - when Man United first scored, everyone in the stand stood up apart from my mum “I didn’t know you were meant to stand up”, but she certainly did when the second goal went in.

We had great seats, in the upper tier of a huge stand, and either I or my Dad took three photos on my Kodak Instamatic of the game. We had great seats thanks to the generosity of a friend of my grandfather who purchased match tickets for us- I can remember my father protesting that it was too kind a gift as Mr Morris would not accept any money: the two adult tickets for the upper stand were £1 each, mine and Dave’s tickets less, maybe not half price but perhaps 70p. Combined total £3.40, which is equivalent to £26 today (that’s for your eyes Mr “fan-since-childhood tax exile” Ratcliffe). Now, look at that team, it was Docherty’s great side of the mid-1970s (only Gordon Hill was still to sign), and who knows what could have been achieved if he hadn’t been sacked a couple of years later?

Apart from a programme (that cost the equivalent of 61p today) I also purchased a booklet about the history of the club for a very affordable 25p:

The AITT of that week has one of my all-time favourite songs, a single that I bought in 1975, subsequently lost and purchased again in a charity shop in Coventry ca. 1997 for I think 45p (Mr. CC was with me at the time, maybe he can remember?).  (CC writes - I've never been to Coventry George!)

Sweet - Fox on the Run

Which of course should not be confused with this:

There’s a song by Fox of which I have no recollection, and four truly awful singles. I bought this group’s first single, but can’t remember if I bought this pop gem that was at no. 6. 

And how toptastic are those breeks? I also purchased the single that was at no. 9, and still have.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Mr CC for putting this piece up. 

CC writes:

Many thanks for this George despite the historical geographical in accuracy I highlighted above.

I have an album by Fox (see here)

Butler, Blake and Grant

 

Bernard Butler, Norman Blake and James Grant have played gigs together a few times over the years most notably at FRETS in Strathaven.

They now appear to have taken it one step further with a number of tour dates  in the next few months and the release of an album to be released on 28th March .They have released a track, which is included below, as a taster and it is indeed very tasty.

 It seems that they will take turns leading on the songs which is a bit like what Norman does with Raymond McGinley at Teenage Fanclub gigs.

I've seen Norman playing solo fairly recently as well as with the Fannies on a good few occasions and saw James play at a house concert many years ago, but I have never seen Bernard play. Finances will dictate whether I go and see them and whether I opt for the vinyl or CD version of the album.

Here they are with some songs from previous bands that they have graced:

McAlmont & Butler - Yes

Teenage Fanclub - Alchoholiday

Love and Money - Jocelyn Square

Stormy Weather

 

Storm Eowyn hit Central Scotland on Friday with winds in excess of 100mph.

We got off relatively lightly save for a fence coming down in an area in our back garden which acts like a wind tunnel.Fortunately our nephew had cut down the Eucalyptus tree last summer as it would almost certainly come down and probably causing a bit of damage.

Our plastics bin did blow over and deposited plastic bottles and containers all over the front garden.I will be retrieving them for days.  It was too light to stand up to the wind. The bottles bin had no such problem!

It got me thinking of the old Jazz standard Stormy Weather. There were three versions in the Music file on the PC although strangely none of them were by Billie Holiday. I thought three might suffice if only to save me the trouble of downloading another version.

Lest I be accused of hijacking the Single Song Sunday slot I have also included a different song with the same title by the Pixies.

Sarah Vaughan - Stormy Weather

Doc and Merle Watson - Stormy Weather

Carmel -Stormy Weather

Pixies - Stormy Weather

Saturday Shuffle 85

 

I've put some more songs on the MP3 player recently so this series will go on an on I'm afraid for those of you who have nothing better to do on a Saturday.

This week we are kicking off with The Zombies and their third contribution to the Shuffle namely I Want Her She Wants Me.

The Motorcycle Boy make their second appearance with Big Rock Candy Mountain  from their album Scarlet

Amazingly, and somewhat Criminally, today marks the first appearance of the great Lucinda Williams on the Shuffle. Let's Get the Band Back Together is taken from her most recent album 2023's Stories From a Rock'n'Roll Heart which is one of the recent additions.

More shuffling, recent or otherwise, next Saturday.

The Zombies - I Want Her She Wants Me

The Motorcycle Boy - Big Rock Candy Mountain

Lucinda Williams - Let's Get The Band Back Together

That Was The Game That Was - 2

 

George writes:

It would be highly dishonest of me to claim the credit for the idea of this series, that belongs to a man called Dave Roberts, who has written a highly entertaining and amusing book called 32 programmes. Those are the programmes he saved from a much much larger collection when he moved to a different country. I did a similar thing with my collection of programmes 12 years ago. In the book, Mr Roberts charts his life through his chosen programmes, chronologically. I, though, chose my programmes solely on what they meant to me regardless of the date; and unlike Mr Roberts I will ramble almost incoherently about anything that comes to mind whilst I contemplate the programme and of course shoehorn in some tunes. 

Today, it’s Plough Lane, and Wimbledon FC. (That’s the club who were bought and relocated to Milton Keynes.) But On April 8, 1978, we went to see 4th Division Wimbledon play the once mighty and then fallen, or should that be plummeted, Huddersfield Town. The “we” is the four us, my Mum, Dad and wee brother. As for why, well given the time of year we must have been on our Easter holiday, staying with my grandparents (my Dad’s parents) who lived in the Borough of Merton and thus quite close to the ground - it was 4 miles from their house - and I suspect my brother and I had ants-in-our-pants, and Dad thought we should go to a game. But not to Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, or even Crystal Palace. But Wimbledon. Which sounds very churlish of me.  I wonder if he was thinking there might be a hooligan problem at the larger grounds, but I also think the likely larger output of crude chants and foul language was not a consideration as a couple of years earlier me, Mum and Dad stood in the “Provie” Road end of Dens Park watching Dundee v.. Ayr United.

I have absolutely no memory of this game at all, unlike the games Mr Roberts talks about, he seems to have perfect recall. Looking at the team sheets I recognise no player despite Wimbledon having Dave Bassett on their books (and he played in 35 league games that season) and Dickie Guy (who I had heard of). The score, I have discovered, was 2-0 to Wimbledon. But I have kept the programme, because, well, if you buy one you just cannot throw it away…………..that is until you are told to by your partner, with the proviso that you can keep a few. Maybe it’s a simple reminder of a day out for the four of us. I have asked my brother about this game, but he was nae to use to man nor beast. Although he did tell me that we (the four of us) also went to the speedway in Wimbledon and also to the dogs there.  

As for the day itself, the website “onthisday” has absolutely NOTHING for April 8 1978 (although why it has omitted “The Forsyths went to see Wimbledon v. Huddersfield Town” I haven’t a scooby). 

As for the AITT, I instantly recognise all 10 songs, although I can quite gladly go through the rest of my days without hearing again five of them. Not this, though, it’s aged quite well - almost:

Someone who calls them self Missy Elliott has absolutely murdered that song, as has Alannah Myles. It’s criminal.

But here on 18 seconds you have one of the most sublime moments in music:

Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand The Rain

Here’s one of those 5 songs I referred to above, introduced by Kid Jensen, at no. 9 on April 8, and one place behind G****is:

We never did shake them up by winning the world cup, but it totally shook me up and I lost all interest in the national team after that.

The Top Ten Albums are barely worth a mention. Bar one, 

Oh, and unlike Mr Roberts, I have fewer than 32 programmes. Hopefully I can be inspired by the next one.

Thanks for reading (and listening), and thanks to Mr CC for hosting.

CC writes:

Thanks George

Sadly the great Denis Law passed away shortly after being referenced in George's last post. I hope no-one referenced in this post suffers the same fate!

And on behalf of a Nation a very sarcastic thanks for bringing up Argentina 78!

A Complete Unknown

 

We went to see A Complete Unknown at the Pictures the other night.

As most of you will be aware it is a biopic of the early work of Bob Dylan up until the recording and release of Highway 61 Revisited.

I'll try not to give out any spoilers but anyone with any knowledge of his Folk years shouldn't find any major surprises.

Biopics can be a bit mixed but this is certainly one of the better ones. Timothée  Chalamet is terrific as his Bobness but I do worry about the state of his lungs given the amount of cigarettes he smokes during the film.

All the people you would expect make an appearance and the music is pretty good. Dylan aficionados won't find too many surprises with the film staying pretty close to actual events.

I enjoyed it immensely. Mrs CC, who is not particularly a fan, enjoyed it as well. You should go and see it if you get the chance,

It is also a good excuse for me to feature some of his early stuff.

Bob Dylan -The Times They Are A- Changin'

Bob Dylan - With God On Our Side

Bob Dylan - Only a Pawn in Their Game

Blog Countries 108 -Palestine

 

A potentially controversial one today. 

Is Palestine a country? It depends on who you ask I suppose. If you type that question into the Google search engine this is the top response:

• Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in the southern Levant region of West Asia recognized by 146 out of 193 UN member states.
• Together with the fact that it has appeared in my Blog stats of visiting Countries that is good enough for me.

I am reluctant to get too political as I'm sure most folk have there own views. I  will only say that it is a bit disappointing that it has taken an American Presidential election to trigger strenuous negotiations for a ceasefire. While the discussions go on the body count keeps rising.

It should come as no surprise that the current situation has resulted in what we would describe as protest songs.

Humood Alkhuder is actually a Kuwaiti singer and songwriter who sings contemporary soul and Islamic music. However I feel that his song Falasteen Biladi - Palestine is my Land is an appropriate number to feature today.

Dana Sala is a Jordanian singer, songwriter and producer of Palestinian descent which reflects the voluntary and more often than not non voluntary dispersion of the Palestinian people. Here she sings a dance tune Ya Tal3een.

Kamilya Jubran is a Palestinian singer, songwriter and musician from a musical family who plays the oud and the qanum. From 1982-2002, she was the lead singer of Sabreen , an Arabic  musical group based in occupied East Jerusalem. Since 2002, she has toured solo and collaborated with a range of European musicians. Her contribution is a song called Ghareebah

Finally we have Rim Banna who was (she died in 2018 from breast cancer aged 51) a Palestinian singer and composer who was most known for her modern interpretations of traditional Palestinian songs and poetry. Here she sings a song which translates as The Taste of Love

Next we are off to a relatively new Country , something hopefully that one day Palestine will become

Humood Alkhuder - Falasteen Biladi

Dana Salah - Yatal3een

Kamilya Jubran - Ghareebah

Rim Banna - The Taste of Love