For some people, Bomb the Bass disappeared at some point in the early 90s. Those who followed a bit more closely will know he did disappear for a bit, but he was very much back in the 00s.
Around 10 years ago I remembered Bomb the Bass being quite good and bought a couple of his albums and listened to more of his music on the internet. He was very much active, having a website that was regularly updated and was on the usual social media channels. In around 2010 he did a European tour which didn't include England, I assumed he must have been more popular on the continent, but I also did read about him living in both Amsterdam and Vienna at some point so may have just not fancied coming back to England.
In 2013 it was 25 years since "Beat Dis" came out and he was releasing "Mega Dis" to mark the occasion. In June of that year he set a date to play at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen which I planned to go to having wait a few years by this point to go and see him. Then shortly before the gig he announced that due to unforeseen circumstances the gig would be cancelled, no more live dates the rest of the year but he was planning a tour for 2014.
Then after October of that year we heard absolutely nothing from him. His website stopped being updated and no longer exists. If you look at his Twitter and Facebook they were both last updated in October 2013.
Every now and then I take a look to see what has happened to him, and also see if there are any online discussions from people wondering what had happened to him. I checked again today and came across this.
So it would seem he's called it a day with music and has gone into the food business, now running a meatball takeaway in Prague. He says in the interview he doesn't want to be DJing in Ibiza and trying to be cool when he's 60. He has a good decade or so until that happens, hopefully he'll find himself missing making music and come back before then.
Tuesday 31 January 2017
Monday 30 January 2017
25 Years Since...
Now we're almost a month into 2017, I thought I'd take a look at some of the music I was enjoying at the start of 1992. It was before I devoted myself to any scene and enjoyed most music that was in the charts. Here are 5 tunes I particularly liked at the time:
Prodigy - Everybody In the Place
At the time the Prodigy's only previous effort on the charts was "Charly" which was written off as a novelty record. I don't think I'd heard anything quite like this record at the time, even 25 years later the beats on this record sound like something else. I remember having the urge to dance with my hands in the air at the time, probably an early sign of my raving years that would lie ahead of me.
Wonder Stuff - Welcome To the Cheap Seats
The Wonder Stuff were one of those bands who put out a few tunes around the turn of the decade, but they stepped up a gear in 1991 when they released "Size Of A Cow" in 1991. Then later in the year came their biggest hit, the number one "Dizzy" with Vic Reeves. Such was the success from that record along with the fact that Miles Hunt barely sang on the record, it almost banished anything they'd done before to history as far as I was concerned. However, the release of "Welcome To the Cheap Seats" reminded me of their existence as a band without Vic Reeves. This time they had guest vocalist Kirsty MacColl, but I think its fair to say that Miles Hunt was very much the main vocalist on this.
James - Born Of Frustration
Asking anyone to name a James song and the vast majority will say "Sit Down". Personally I've never been a fan of "Sit Down", but "Born Of Frustration" is a fantastic tune. I like the way the chorus is a bit of an anti climax to the "Wooooowooooowoooowooo" at the beginning. It's also a song that I misheard the lyrics to, the line "When all that counts in how to change" I heard as "When all the counties out to change".
Pasadena's - I'm Doing Fine Now
This had an instant impact on me when I saw this for the first time on the Chart Show. It just has one of those real feel good choruses. Still feeling good listening to it 25 years later.
Voice Of the Beehive - Perfect Place
I used to follow the charts really closely in 1992. I would regularly listen to the top 40 countdown and would rarely miss an episode of Top of the Pops or the Chart Show. Just as well really, else I may not have ever heard this song which only reached number 37 in the charts. Seems like not too many people remembered it either, this video has been on YouTube for almost 10 months and has had only 97 views. Make it 98, you know you want to!
Prodigy - Everybody In the Place
At the time the Prodigy's only previous effort on the charts was "Charly" which was written off as a novelty record. I don't think I'd heard anything quite like this record at the time, even 25 years later the beats on this record sound like something else. I remember having the urge to dance with my hands in the air at the time, probably an early sign of my raving years that would lie ahead of me.
Wonder Stuff - Welcome To the Cheap Seats
The Wonder Stuff were one of those bands who put out a few tunes around the turn of the decade, but they stepped up a gear in 1991 when they released "Size Of A Cow" in 1991. Then later in the year came their biggest hit, the number one "Dizzy" with Vic Reeves. Such was the success from that record along with the fact that Miles Hunt barely sang on the record, it almost banished anything they'd done before to history as far as I was concerned. However, the release of "Welcome To the Cheap Seats" reminded me of their existence as a band without Vic Reeves. This time they had guest vocalist Kirsty MacColl, but I think its fair to say that Miles Hunt was very much the main vocalist on this.
James - Born Of Frustration
Asking anyone to name a James song and the vast majority will say "Sit Down". Personally I've never been a fan of "Sit Down", but "Born Of Frustration" is a fantastic tune. I like the way the chorus is a bit of an anti climax to the "Wooooowooooowoooowooo" at the beginning. It's also a song that I misheard the lyrics to, the line "When all that counts in how to change" I heard as "When all the counties out to change".
Pasadena's - I'm Doing Fine Now
This had an instant impact on me when I saw this for the first time on the Chart Show. It just has one of those real feel good choruses. Still feeling good listening to it 25 years later.
Voice Of the Beehive - Perfect Place
I used to follow the charts really closely in 1992. I would regularly listen to the top 40 countdown and would rarely miss an episode of Top of the Pops or the Chart Show. Just as well really, else I may not have ever heard this song which only reached number 37 in the charts. Seems like not too many people remembered it either, this video has been on YouTube for almost 10 months and has had only 97 views. Make it 98, you know you want to!
Thursday 26 January 2017
Top of the Pops: 25/01/2017
Here is the Top 40 Countdown
So once again we have Ed Sheeran at number 1 and once again we have just 7 songs eligible for this show. Ed Sheeran will only be playing once this week, with his other song staying still at number 2.
Both ends of the top 40 are represented this week, with four from the top 10 and three which are number 32 and below. In addition to the three new entries there is a re entry to the top 40 from XX reaching a new peak of 34 having originally reached 38 back in November. This is the only 2016 release on this show, the rest are all new for this year. Unlike last week though, we just have one tune that is somebody featuring somebody else.
New (10) Chainsmokers - Paris
⬆ (4) Jax Jones ft Raye - You Don't Know Me
New (32) Sage the Gemini - Now And Later
⬆ (7) Starley - Call On Me
New (37) Migos - Bad And Boujee
Re (34) XX - On Hold
(1) Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
So once again we have Ed Sheeran at number 1 and once again we have just 7 songs eligible for this show. Ed Sheeran will only be playing once this week, with his other song staying still at number 2.
Both ends of the top 40 are represented this week, with four from the top 10 and three which are number 32 and below. In addition to the three new entries there is a re entry to the top 40 from XX reaching a new peak of 34 having originally reached 38 back in November. This is the only 2016 release on this show, the rest are all new for this year. Unlike last week though, we just have one tune that is somebody featuring somebody else.
New (10) Chainsmokers - Paris
⬆ (4) Jax Jones ft Raye - You Don't Know Me
New (32) Sage the Gemini - Now And Later
⬆ (7) Starley - Call On Me
New (37) Migos - Bad And Boujee
Re (34) XX - On Hold
(1) Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
Thursday 19 January 2017
Top of the Pops: 18/01/2017
After making my post last week about why Top of the Pops shouldn't come back following my analysis of what would have been on Top of the Pops the previous 6 weeks, I thought it would be interesting to continue this analysis each week until I get bored of doing it, whenever that may be.
At the same time though, what I thought I could do is create my own Top of the Pops on this blog for those of you who would like it to come back. Obviously I'm not going to invite the acts to come and play in the studio, I'm simply going to post links to the YouTube videos. There will also be no presenter doing the links between the songs, but this ensures there will be no need to censor it in 35 years time when said presenter is banned from TV.
My plan is to put post this at 19.30 every Thursday in true Top of the Pops style.
So to this week. Here is the Top 40 Countdown.
There are 7 songs eligible for this weeks show, so another short one. We have a new number one by Ed Sheeran and a new number two also by Ed Sheeran. I haven't read anything about the same act not being able to appear twice in the same episode, but then in those days you tended not to get two new entries from the same act in the same week. As there is no rule saying it isn't allowed, I'm allowing it. So Ed Sheeran appears twice, so if you like Ed Sheeran this will be a good episode for you, if you don't then it's guaranteed to be over a quarter crap.
Ed Sheeran is also the only one this week who's inside the top 20 and also the only one to have a song which isn't featuring somebody else.
New (23) Machine Gun Kelly ft Camila Cabello - Bad Things
New (28) Sean Paul ft Dua Lipa - No Lie
⬆ (22) Tom Zanetti ft Sadie Ama - You Want Me
New (33) Snakehips ft MO - Don't Leave
New (32) Robin Schulz & David Guetta ft Cheat Codes - Shed A Light
New (2) Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
New (1) Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
At the same time though, what I thought I could do is create my own Top of the Pops on this blog for those of you who would like it to come back. Obviously I'm not going to invite the acts to come and play in the studio, I'm simply going to post links to the YouTube videos. There will also be no presenter doing the links between the songs, but this ensures there will be no need to censor it in 35 years time when said presenter is banned from TV.
My plan is to put post this at 19.30 every Thursday in true Top of the Pops style.
So to this week. Here is the Top 40 Countdown.
There are 7 songs eligible for this weeks show, so another short one. We have a new number one by Ed Sheeran and a new number two also by Ed Sheeran. I haven't read anything about the same act not being able to appear twice in the same episode, but then in those days you tended not to get two new entries from the same act in the same week. As there is no rule saying it isn't allowed, I'm allowing it. So Ed Sheeran appears twice, so if you like Ed Sheeran this will be a good episode for you, if you don't then it's guaranteed to be over a quarter crap.
Ed Sheeran is also the only one this week who's inside the top 20 and also the only one to have a song which isn't featuring somebody else.
New (23) Machine Gun Kelly ft Camila Cabello - Bad Things
New (28) Sean Paul ft Dua Lipa - No Lie
⬆ (22) Tom Zanetti ft Sadie Ama - You Want Me
New (33) Snakehips ft MO - Don't Leave
New (32) Robin Schulz & David Guetta ft Cheat Codes - Shed A Light
New (2) Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
New (1) Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
Wednesday 18 January 2017
UK Singles Chart: The 1960s
Before looking into the chart history of the 60s in any sort of detail, my perception of the 60s was that it was a decade of 2 halves, the first half being centred around beat music and the second half being more heavy and psychedelic but also with soul and folk music coming to the forefront of things.
Whilst my perception wasn't far off the mark, it certainly wasn't a simple case of 5 years of 60s part 1 and 5 years of 60s part 2.
I've known for many years that The Beatles debuted in 1962 and it is often said just how big an influence they were in changing the world of music. It should be no surprise to see that the music world hadn't really left the 50s up till this point, but what did surprise me was what little indication we were in the 60s there was. The first number one which to me is a 60s sounding number one was "How Do You Do It" by Gerry & the Pacemakers in mid 1963, just 18 months before the halfway point of the 60s.
The only music that seemed to have any sort of longevity in the charts was soul music. We had the Supremes debut in 1964 and would have at least one hit every year for the rest of the decade without sounding drastically different by 1969.
The beat era basically lasted throughout 1963 and 1964, the only bands who continued strongly after this, such as The Beatles, had moved on from their original sound, whilst many of the other bands were having their last couple of minor hits by 1965 if they hadn't finished already.
Then there was the folk music, which took off in the charts in 1965 but seemed to fade away towards the end of the decade.
By the end of the decade, the charts had a much more pop sound to them, but clearly this wasn't reflected in the world of music. You had some hugely popular bands such as The Doors, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin who had little to no presence in the singles chart.
I think the best way to sum up the 60s charts is that it is a decade of change. After a slow start, new styles of music would come along and knock what was popular off the top, but it would never be too long until it would get knocked off itself by the next big thing.
I said in my 1969 post that it was best described as a big farewell party to the 60s and with the 70s on the way, a change seems almost inevitable.
Whilst my perception wasn't far off the mark, it certainly wasn't a simple case of 5 years of 60s part 1 and 5 years of 60s part 2.
I've known for many years that The Beatles debuted in 1962 and it is often said just how big an influence they were in changing the world of music. It should be no surprise to see that the music world hadn't really left the 50s up till this point, but what did surprise me was what little indication we were in the 60s there was. The first number one which to me is a 60s sounding number one was "How Do You Do It" by Gerry & the Pacemakers in mid 1963, just 18 months before the halfway point of the 60s.
The only music that seemed to have any sort of longevity in the charts was soul music. We had the Supremes debut in 1964 and would have at least one hit every year for the rest of the decade without sounding drastically different by 1969.
The beat era basically lasted throughout 1963 and 1964, the only bands who continued strongly after this, such as The Beatles, had moved on from their original sound, whilst many of the other bands were having their last couple of minor hits by 1965 if they hadn't finished already.
Then there was the folk music, which took off in the charts in 1965 but seemed to fade away towards the end of the decade.
By the end of the decade, the charts had a much more pop sound to them, but clearly this wasn't reflected in the world of music. You had some hugely popular bands such as The Doors, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin who had little to no presence in the singles chart.
I think the best way to sum up the 60s charts is that it is a decade of change. After a slow start, new styles of music would come along and knock what was popular off the top, but it would never be too long until it would get knocked off itself by the next big thing.
I said in my 1969 post that it was best described as a big farewell party to the 60s and with the 70s on the way, a change seems almost inevitable.
Sunday 15 January 2017
Record of the Year 1969: Gene Pitney - Maria Elena
As the years go by, its getting more and more difficult to pick a record of the year as there is much to choose from. For 1969 I have decided it should be "Maria Elena" by Gene Pitney.
I first heard Gene Pitney when he did the re-issue of "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" in 1989 with Marc Almond unaware that it was an old song at the time. Marc Almond would continue to have more hits but I heard nothing more of Gene Pitney.
A few years later I was listening to a mates Happy Hardcore mix tape on my Walkman. It was a 60s minute mix on a 90 minute tape and he told me that the remaining 30 minutes was Gene Pitney. Having not heard anything of him for a few years, I was intrigued to hear what else he had done and when I heard it I quite liked it.
When I decided to listen to music other than rave in the late 90s, Gene Pitney was one artist I started listening to when I saw a compilation CD of his with 28 tracks on it for something like £3 or £4.
I did get a lot of stick from people for listening to Gene Pitney, mainly because he was old and because of his high pitched voice. It did bother me at the time and I pretended to stop listening to him, but carried on it secret until I stopped caring and have openly admitted to listening to Gene Pitney for years.
This tune came out when Gene Pitney's popularity was in decline which probably started after he had his final top 10 hit with "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" a couple of years earlier. I would say however some of his best tunes came out during this period. As well as "Maria Elena" there was "Somewhere in the Country", "A Street Called Hope", "24 Sycamore" and "Shady Lady".
In true Gene Pitney style, this is a sad song, but its uplifting at the same time. It's about a soldier saying farewell to Maria Elena as he is going to war and may not come back.
Gene Pitney continued to tour right up until his death in 2006 when he was on tour in the UK.
UK Singles Chart: 1969
Here we are in the final year of the 60s and I think the best way to describe 1969 is a big farewell party to the 60s.
The Beatles took the crown for most number ones off Elvis by scoring number ones with "Get Back" and "The Ballad of John and Yoko" bringing their total to 17. Of all the acts who debuted in 1962, they were the only ones to have a hit every year for the rest of the 60s. However, they would have no further number ones and their final single of the year "Something/Come Together" was the first official Beatles release since their debut "Love Me Do" that failed to reach the top 2, reaching number 4. We also saw John Lennon appear in the charts away from the Beatles for the first time reaching number 2 with "Give Peace a Chance" with the Plastic Ono Band. We now know that behind the scene the Beatles were just wrapping things up before going their separate ways, but they weren't quite finished yet.
Elvis came close to at least equalling the Beatles this year by scoring two number 2 hits with "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds". He had a further two hits this year bringing his total to 69. Second placed Cliff Richard also had 4 hits this year bringing his total to 51. Lonnie Donegan remained third with 30 and then Nat 'King' Cole, Everly Brothers and Frankie Vaughan remained fourth on 29 but were now joined by Frank Sinatra who brought his total to 29 by having two hits this year.
Elvis and Cliff were also in first and second place for most consecutive years in the charts having had hits every year since 1956 and 1958 respectively. There were two more acts who had a hit every year in the 60s, both 1960 debutants. There was Jim Reeves who continued having hits despite the face he died in 1964. The other act was Roy Orbison. Whilst Elvis and Cliff would continue on the charts in years to come, Jim Reeves would have his final hit the following year whilst Roy Orbison wouldn't return to the charts for a further 20 years which incidentally was shortly after he died. We also had a 1961 debutant who had a hit every year for the rest of the 60s, Gene Pitney.
The Rolling Stones had their 8th and final number one this year with "Honky Tonk Women". It was also the year that band member Brian Jones died and ended their streak of hits every year since they debuted in 1963.
The Hollies were another band in transition with guitarist Graham Nash having left the band late the previous year. They were still going strongly on the charts though scoring a couple of number 3s with "Sorry Suzanne" and "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother". Meanwhile Graham Nash scored his only top 40 hit with his new band Crosby, Stills and Nash with "Marrakesh Express".
The year saw the end of the chart careers of a number of prolific 60s chart acts such as the Animals, Manfred Mann, Donovan and Small Faces, whilst Sandie Shaw would have her final hit prior to a brief chart comeback she made in 1984. We also had Dave Dee leave Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich effectively end the chart career of that band under that name.
Having broken up the previous year, we saw the end of Creams chart career this year too. Eric Clapton and Ginger Bakers new band Blind Faith failed to score any hits, but Eric Clapton would appear on the charts with Delaney, Bonnie and Friends with the hit "Coming Home".
It was revealed at the end of the year that Diana Ross was to leave the Supremes for a solo career, though they would have their final hit with Diana Ross early the following year.
Robin Gibb left the Bee Gees this year, the band would briefly continue without him as Bee Gees featuring Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb & Colin Peterson, whilst Robin Gibb would launch his solo career with the song "Saved By the Bell". As we know though, it wouldn't be long before the Gibb brothers would reunite to bring back the Bee Gees.
The year saw Creedence Clearwater Revival make their debut with "Proud Mary" followed up by the number one record "Bad Moon Rising". Its surprisingly late for a band I've always associated with the 60s make their debut, however there time in the charts was finished by 1971.
The year also saw a return to the charts for acts from Jamaica and with them came a new style of music for the charts, Reggae. First up was Desmond Dekker returning to the charts with the number one "Israelites" and following up with "It Miek". Then we had Max Romeo with "Wet Dream", Upsetters with "Return Of Django / Dollar In The Teeth", Pioneers with "Long Shot Kick De Bucket", Harry J Allstars with "Liquidator" and Jimmy Cliff with "Wonderful World Beautiful People".
We have a new country in the charts this year, Zaire with Troubadours Du Roi Baudouin charting with "Sanctus (Miss Luba)". They remain the only act from Zaire to have a UK hit at the time of writing.
So with all this music that very much represents the 60s, was there any music which implied the 70s was on its way given it was just round the corner?
Well yes, this year saw the debut of David Bowie with "Space Oddity". However, whilst this reached a respectable number 5 it would seem that the world wasn't quite ready for David Bowie yet as he wouldn't return to the charts until 1972. "Space Oddity" would get reissued in 1975 and give David Bowie his first number one.
So that is the end of the 60s. Will much 60s music survive into the 70s or will glam rock and disco kick off the 70s straight away?
The Beatles took the crown for most number ones off Elvis by scoring number ones with "Get Back" and "The Ballad of John and Yoko" bringing their total to 17. Of all the acts who debuted in 1962, they were the only ones to have a hit every year for the rest of the 60s. However, they would have no further number ones and their final single of the year "Something/Come Together" was the first official Beatles release since their debut "Love Me Do" that failed to reach the top 2, reaching number 4. We also saw John Lennon appear in the charts away from the Beatles for the first time reaching number 2 with "Give Peace a Chance" with the Plastic Ono Band. We now know that behind the scene the Beatles were just wrapping things up before going their separate ways, but they weren't quite finished yet.
Elvis came close to at least equalling the Beatles this year by scoring two number 2 hits with "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds". He had a further two hits this year bringing his total to 69. Second placed Cliff Richard also had 4 hits this year bringing his total to 51. Lonnie Donegan remained third with 30 and then Nat 'King' Cole, Everly Brothers and Frankie Vaughan remained fourth on 29 but were now joined by Frank Sinatra who brought his total to 29 by having two hits this year.
Elvis and Cliff were also in first and second place for most consecutive years in the charts having had hits every year since 1956 and 1958 respectively. There were two more acts who had a hit every year in the 60s, both 1960 debutants. There was Jim Reeves who continued having hits despite the face he died in 1964. The other act was Roy Orbison. Whilst Elvis and Cliff would continue on the charts in years to come, Jim Reeves would have his final hit the following year whilst Roy Orbison wouldn't return to the charts for a further 20 years which incidentally was shortly after he died. We also had a 1961 debutant who had a hit every year for the rest of the 60s, Gene Pitney.
The Rolling Stones had their 8th and final number one this year with "Honky Tonk Women". It was also the year that band member Brian Jones died and ended their streak of hits every year since they debuted in 1963.
The Hollies were another band in transition with guitarist Graham Nash having left the band late the previous year. They were still going strongly on the charts though scoring a couple of number 3s with "Sorry Suzanne" and "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother". Meanwhile Graham Nash scored his only top 40 hit with his new band Crosby, Stills and Nash with "Marrakesh Express".
The year saw the end of the chart careers of a number of prolific 60s chart acts such as the Animals, Manfred Mann, Donovan and Small Faces, whilst Sandie Shaw would have her final hit prior to a brief chart comeback she made in 1984. We also had Dave Dee leave Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich effectively end the chart career of that band under that name.
Having broken up the previous year, we saw the end of Creams chart career this year too. Eric Clapton and Ginger Bakers new band Blind Faith failed to score any hits, but Eric Clapton would appear on the charts with Delaney, Bonnie and Friends with the hit "Coming Home".
It was revealed at the end of the year that Diana Ross was to leave the Supremes for a solo career, though they would have their final hit with Diana Ross early the following year.
Robin Gibb left the Bee Gees this year, the band would briefly continue without him as Bee Gees featuring Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb & Colin Peterson, whilst Robin Gibb would launch his solo career with the song "Saved By the Bell". As we know though, it wouldn't be long before the Gibb brothers would reunite to bring back the Bee Gees.
The year saw Creedence Clearwater Revival make their debut with "Proud Mary" followed up by the number one record "Bad Moon Rising". Its surprisingly late for a band I've always associated with the 60s make their debut, however there time in the charts was finished by 1971.
The year also saw a return to the charts for acts from Jamaica and with them came a new style of music for the charts, Reggae. First up was Desmond Dekker returning to the charts with the number one "Israelites" and following up with "It Miek". Then we had Max Romeo with "Wet Dream", Upsetters with "Return Of Django / Dollar In The Teeth", Pioneers with "Long Shot Kick De Bucket", Harry J Allstars with "Liquidator" and Jimmy Cliff with "Wonderful World Beautiful People".
We have a new country in the charts this year, Zaire with Troubadours Du Roi Baudouin charting with "Sanctus (Miss Luba)". They remain the only act from Zaire to have a UK hit at the time of writing.
So with all this music that very much represents the 60s, was there any music which implied the 70s was on its way given it was just round the corner?
Well yes, this year saw the debut of David Bowie with "Space Oddity". However, whilst this reached a respectable number 5 it would seem that the world wasn't quite ready for David Bowie yet as he wouldn't return to the charts until 1972. "Space Oddity" would get reissued in 1975 and give David Bowie his first number one.
So that is the end of the 60s. Will much 60s music survive into the 70s or will glam rock and disco kick off the 70s straight away?
Tuesday 10 January 2017
Why Top of the Pops shouldn't come back
It's now been over a decade since Top of the Pops finished. However, it does make a come back at Christmas time which always prompts calls for the show to return permanently.
The downfall of the show was largely blamed on 24 hour music channels taking away the demand for the show. Whilst this was a factor, I would argue that a 30 minute programme summing up what is currently in the charts was better if you didn't have time to sit through music channels for hours on end. It was also before YouTube had really taken off for music so that can't be blamed. For me personally, I only watched it very occasionally towards the end because when they moved it to Sunday I'd forget it was on more often than not. Had it not moved I do think it could have lasted a bit longer, even with the rise of YouTube because you need to know what to look for there. Ok you could just get a list of the top 40 and play each video, but that's a lot more effort than sitting back and watching TV for 30 minutes.
So why don't I think it should come back?
Basically because one thing that has changed a lot since, something Top of the Pops centred around, the UK Singles Chart. There simply isn't enough material in the charts anymore to warrant a weekly show about it, evident by the fact that Bryan Adams record was almost broken for weeks at number one, yet barely anyone I knew seemed to know the record in question.
To give an idea of what it would be like, I took a look at what could have been on Top of the Pops based on the top 40 in the first week of December and what could appear the following weeks up to this week.
I used the old Top of the Pops criteria for a record to be eligible to appear on the show which is:
Week 1
So for the first week of December, bearing in mind there would have been nothing on the previous weeks show, there are the following 13 records eligible:
Week 2
This is where it starts to fall down. There aren't any climbers which weren't on the previous weeks show and there are only 8 records eligible for this week:
Week 3
Now songs from week 1 become eligible again if they climb up the chart, here's what is eligible:
Week 4
No new entries this week, but we do have some re-entries and climbers. Here's the eligible list:
Week 5
Again, no new entries this week, but we do have some more re-entries and climbers. Here's the eligible list:
Week 6
No more Christmas songs and we finally have actual new entries. Here's the eligible list:
So to sum up, for 3 of the 6 weeks we don't have enough records to fill the show, 1 week we only just have enough. For the week where we could pick 9 from 11, 8 of them were old Christmas songs, 1 was an old non Christmas song and another was being played for the fourth show in a row because of it being number 1. The first week had enough to pick from mainly because it was the first week, however if there was a show the previous week then we would potentially have to have the same artist perform multiple tracks to fill the numbers.
Then there is the issue of acts actually appearing in the studio. Many of the newer acts are from different countries so would be more difficult actually getting them in the studio. Getting the older acts would also prove difficult, some of the bands have long split up and some of the artists are no longer with us. All this means is that most of the performances will be music videos, which you can watch on YouTube. I know I said that wouldn't have been a reason for the show ending had it carried on, but that was based on there being a much larger quantity of music to sift through then, its much more manageable now.
Ok you could still have a 30 minute music show that doesn't strictly follow those rules, or even strictly follow the charts, but then it wouldn't exactly be Top of the Pops.
Some may like the look of the line ups each week and still want it to come back, and that's fair enough, but to me this illustrates why I don't think bringing back Top of the Pops would work.
The downfall of the show was largely blamed on 24 hour music channels taking away the demand for the show. Whilst this was a factor, I would argue that a 30 minute programme summing up what is currently in the charts was better if you didn't have time to sit through music channels for hours on end. It was also before YouTube had really taken off for music so that can't be blamed. For me personally, I only watched it very occasionally towards the end because when they moved it to Sunday I'd forget it was on more often than not. Had it not moved I do think it could have lasted a bit longer, even with the rise of YouTube because you need to know what to look for there. Ok you could just get a list of the top 40 and play each video, but that's a lot more effort than sitting back and watching TV for 30 minutes.
So why don't I think it should come back?
Basically because one thing that has changed a lot since, something Top of the Pops centred around, the UK Singles Chart. There simply isn't enough material in the charts anymore to warrant a weekly show about it, evident by the fact that Bryan Adams record was almost broken for weeks at number one, yet barely anyone I knew seemed to know the record in question.
To give an idea of what it would be like, I took a look at what could have been on Top of the Pops based on the top 40 in the first week of December and what could appear the following weeks up to this week.
I used the old Top of the Pops criteria for a record to be eligible to appear on the show which is:
- The number one record will be played each week
- The highest new entry will be played each week
- No record apart from the number one record will appear on consecutive weeks
- The highest climber that wasn't on last weeks show will be played
- No record going down the charts will be played
- If a record has gone down in the charts, it must have gone back up higher to its previous peak position to be eligible
Week 1
So for the first week of December, bearing in mind there would have been nothing on the previous weeks show, there are the following 13 records eligible:
- Clean Bandit - Rockabye
- Neiked - Sexual
- Weeknd ft Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming
- Rag 'n' Bone Man - Human
- Nevada/Mark Morrison/Fetty Wap - The Mack
- Jonas Blue ft Raye - By Your Side
- Weeknd - Party Monster
- Zanetti ft Sadie Ama - You Want Me
- Weeknd - Rockin
- Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You
- Weeknd ft Kendrick Lamar - Sidewalks
- John Legend - Love Me Now
- Weeknd - Reminder
Week 2
This is where it starts to fall down. There aren't any climbers which weren't on the previous weeks show and there are only 8 records eligible for this week:
- Clean Bandit - Rockabye
- Pogues ft Kirsty Maccoll - Fairytale of New York
- Wham - Last Christmas
- Zara Larrson - I Would Like
- Shakin Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
- Charli XCX ft Lil Yachty - After the Afterparty
- Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
- Michael Buble - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like
Week 3
Now songs from week 1 become eligible again if they climb up the chart, here's what is eligible:
- Clean Bandit - Rockabye
- Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki - Just Hold On
- Matt Terry - When Christmas Comes Around
- Rag 'n' Bone Man - Human
- Zayn/Taylor Swift - I Don't Wanna Live Forever
- Little Mix - Touch
- J Cole - Deja Vu
- Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas
- Lady Gaga - Million Reasons
Week 4
No new entries this week, but we do have some re-entries and climbers. Here's the eligible list:
- Clean Bandit - Rockabye
- Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You
- Zara Larrson - I Would Like
- Pogues ft Kirsty Maccoll - Fairytale of New York
- Wham - Last Christmas
- Shakin Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
- Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
- Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over
- Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas
- Michael Buble - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like
- Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody
Week 5
Again, no new entries this week, but we do have some more re-entries and climbers. Here's the eligible list:
- Clean Bandit - Rockabye
- Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
- Andy Williams - It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- Michael Buble - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like
- Brenda Lee - Rockin Around the Christmas Tree
- Elton John - Step Into Christmas
- Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
Week 6
No more Christmas songs and we finally have actual new entries. Here's the eligible list:
- Clean Bandit - Rockabye
- JP Cooper - September Song
- John Legend - Love Me Now
- Robbie Williams - Love My Life
- Starley - Call On Me
- Charli XCX ft Lil Yachty - After the Afterparty
- Jax Jones ft Raye - You Don't Know Me
- Adele - Water Under the Bridge
So to sum up, for 3 of the 6 weeks we don't have enough records to fill the show, 1 week we only just have enough. For the week where we could pick 9 from 11, 8 of them were old Christmas songs, 1 was an old non Christmas song and another was being played for the fourth show in a row because of it being number 1. The first week had enough to pick from mainly because it was the first week, however if there was a show the previous week then we would potentially have to have the same artist perform multiple tracks to fill the numbers.
Then there is the issue of acts actually appearing in the studio. Many of the newer acts are from different countries so would be more difficult actually getting them in the studio. Getting the older acts would also prove difficult, some of the bands have long split up and some of the artists are no longer with us. All this means is that most of the performances will be music videos, which you can watch on YouTube. I know I said that wouldn't have been a reason for the show ending had it carried on, but that was based on there being a much larger quantity of music to sift through then, its much more manageable now.
Ok you could still have a 30 minute music show that doesn't strictly follow those rules, or even strictly follow the charts, but then it wouldn't exactly be Top of the Pops.
Some may like the look of the line ups each week and still want it to come back, and that's fair enough, but to me this illustrates why I don't think bringing back Top of the Pops would work.
Sunday 8 January 2017
Record of the Year 1968: Honeybus - I Can't Let Maggie Go
I first heard this record back in my student days when I was working part time at a supermarket. This was on the tape being played in the shop, so for a period of time I would hear this every shift I worked and multiple times on the longer shifts.
I didn't actually know what the song was, I had assumed it was called "She Flies Like A Bird" but there was no such song in my British Hit Singles book. Thankfully I found out what it was via searching the internet a few years later.
Given how often I would hear it back then, it shows how good the record is given I now listen to it by choice without being haunted by those memories.
It was the only single for Honeybus. Just a few months after this was released, the songwriter Pete Dello left the group and they split up the following year before their album came out.
The drummer Pete Kircher remained in the spotlight, going on to become the drummer for Status Quo before retiring in the 80s.
UK Singles Chart: 1968
Now we enter the penultimate year of the 60s, we have now seen most of the music styles the 60s are remembered for having some sort of presence on the charts. What strikes me about 1968 though is that although it still had that mixture of styles from the 60s like soul, folk and blues, it also seemed a year of transition as many of the acts that dominated the 60s charts were reaching the end but the 70s acts were not here yet, leaving a gap for a number of new and very short lived acts have their time in the charts.
One act that was very much still going strong though was the Beatles. Two singles on the charts this year with "Lady Madonna" and "Hey Jude" which both reached number one, meaning that they now equalled Elvis with 15 number ones. The Rolling Stones were also still going strong clocking up their 7th number one with "Jumpin Jack Flash" which was their only hit this year and consolidated their 4th place on the list. Third placed Cliff Richard also added another number one to his list with "Congratulations" bringing his total to 9.
Elvis Presley added 3 more to his total number of hits bringing him to 65 and maintaining his record of a hit every year since 1956. Second placed Cliff Richard added 4 bringing his total to 47. Lonnie Donegan remained third with 30, Nat 'King' Cole remained in fourth place with 29, but he was now joined by the Everly Brothers who added "It's My Time" to their total which was their final hit, and Frankie Vaughan who added "Nethertheless" to his total which would also be his final hit. It would however take Nat 'King' Cole another 23 years until he would add to his total, by which point several other acts would have overtaken him. Frank Sinatra remained in seventh place on 27 as he didn't have any hits this year.
The year saw the return of a 1952 chart debutant to give him his only number one single. This was Louis Armstrong who reached the top with "What A Wonderful World". The return would however be brief as it would be another 26 years until we see him in the charts again.
Besides the 50s acts already mentioned, the only other act from the 50s to have a chart hit this year was 1957 debutant Andy Williams with his cover of the Frankie Valli song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". There were three 1960 debutants who hits this year, Jim Reeves with "Pretty Brown Eyes", Roy Orbison with "Walk On" and Ray Charles with his cover of "Eleonor Rigby". It would be 22 years until we see Ray Charles return, whilst Jim Reeves and Roy Orbsison along with Elvis and Cliff would be the only acts to have had a hit every year in the 60s so far. There was also only one 1961 debutant in the charts this year which was Gene Pitney. His chart career in his native America was now over, but over here he had hits with "Somewhere In The Country" and "Yours Until Tomorrow".
One music type we saw the official beginning of this year was Bubblegum Pop. Although it could be argued that several older songs could be place under that banner, the song that is credited to mark the beginnings of this genre is "Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers which charted this year. We also saw "Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)" by Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, "Simon Says" by 1910 Fruitgum Company and "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by Ohio Express. Also on the novelty tip, the Christmas number one of the year was "Lily the Pink" by comedy group The Scaffold.
Probably the most significant debutant from a chart perspective this year was Status Quo who debuted with "Pictures of Matchstick Men". Back then Status Quo were not playing the 3 chord music they are well known for now, it was actually quite psychedelic sounding and I remember being surprised it was Status Quo when I first heard it. They followed this up with "Ice in the Sun" later on in the year.
Fleetwood Mac made their debut this year with "Black Magic Woman" and followed up by "Need Your Love So Bad". These were low down in the charts reaching 37 and 31. At the end of the year they released the single "Albatross" which would find itself in the top 10 by the end of the year. Like with Status Quo, Fleetwood Mac had a much different sound to what they would become known for later on in life after Peter Green left the band.
One indication of the 70s being here already is the debut of T-Rex. Known as Tyrannosaurus Rex at the time, they had two hits this year with "Debora" and "One Inch Rock". On listening to them though you will find the 70s are not here yet as they were playing folk music back then as opposed to the glam rock they would be known for in the 70s.
Although they had already been going for several years now, this year saw the debut of Motown act the Isley Brothers with "This Old Heart of Mine". Also from Motown we had R Dean Taylor have his debut hit with "Gotta See Jane" and Shorty Long have his only hit with "Here Comes the Judge". We also see Tammi Terrell join Marvin Gaye on "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need To Get By".
From the more psychedelic side of soul music we see the debut of Sly & the Family Stone who debut with "Dance to the Music" and follow up with "M'Lady".
Another debutant this year was The Band who debuted with "The Weight" and would only have one further hit on the charts a couple of years later.
We see the song "Light My Fire" in the charts for the first time, but not by the Doors but a cover by Peurto Rican singer Jose Feliciano. We do however see the debut of the Doors with "Hello I Love You". They would not return to the charts until after Jim Morrisons death in 1971 and they would not chart with "Light My Fire" until 1991 which would give them their only top 10 hit some 20 years after Jim Morrison died.
For the first time this decade, The Shadows didn't have any hits. We did however see the debut of another instrumental group this year with Booker T and the MGs debuting in December with "Soul Limbo", perhaps best known as the cricket music on the BBC.
Although we had no acts from Jamaica in the charts this year, we had a British group keeping Ska music going with Locomotive charting with "Rudi's In Love". We also see what had been credited as the first international Rocksteady hit "Hold Me Tight" by American singer Johnny Nash enter the charts.
There is a common misconception that the only musical act to come out of New Zealand is Crowded House. However long before this we had a New Zealand singer called John Rowles who had his two chart hits this year with "If I Only Had Time" and "Hush Not A Word To Mary".
So with only one year of the 60s to go, what else do the 60s charts have to offer us? We'll find out when I do 1969 in the not too distant future.
One act that was very much still going strong though was the Beatles. Two singles on the charts this year with "Lady Madonna" and "Hey Jude" which both reached number one, meaning that they now equalled Elvis with 15 number ones. The Rolling Stones were also still going strong clocking up their 7th number one with "Jumpin Jack Flash" which was their only hit this year and consolidated their 4th place on the list. Third placed Cliff Richard also added another number one to his list with "Congratulations" bringing his total to 9.
Elvis Presley added 3 more to his total number of hits bringing him to 65 and maintaining his record of a hit every year since 1956. Second placed Cliff Richard added 4 bringing his total to 47. Lonnie Donegan remained third with 30, Nat 'King' Cole remained in fourth place with 29, but he was now joined by the Everly Brothers who added "It's My Time" to their total which was their final hit, and Frankie Vaughan who added "Nethertheless" to his total which would also be his final hit. It would however take Nat 'King' Cole another 23 years until he would add to his total, by which point several other acts would have overtaken him. Frank Sinatra remained in seventh place on 27 as he didn't have any hits this year.
The year saw the return of a 1952 chart debutant to give him his only number one single. This was Louis Armstrong who reached the top with "What A Wonderful World". The return would however be brief as it would be another 26 years until we see him in the charts again.
Besides the 50s acts already mentioned, the only other act from the 50s to have a chart hit this year was 1957 debutant Andy Williams with his cover of the Frankie Valli song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". There were three 1960 debutants who hits this year, Jim Reeves with "Pretty Brown Eyes", Roy Orbison with "Walk On" and Ray Charles with his cover of "Eleonor Rigby". It would be 22 years until we see Ray Charles return, whilst Jim Reeves and Roy Orbsison along with Elvis and Cliff would be the only acts to have had a hit every year in the 60s so far. There was also only one 1961 debutant in the charts this year which was Gene Pitney. His chart career in his native America was now over, but over here he had hits with "Somewhere In The Country" and "Yours Until Tomorrow".
One music type we saw the official beginning of this year was Bubblegum Pop. Although it could be argued that several older songs could be place under that banner, the song that is credited to mark the beginnings of this genre is "Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers which charted this year. We also saw "Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)" by Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, "Simon Says" by 1910 Fruitgum Company and "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by Ohio Express. Also on the novelty tip, the Christmas number one of the year was "Lily the Pink" by comedy group The Scaffold.
Probably the most significant debutant from a chart perspective this year was Status Quo who debuted with "Pictures of Matchstick Men". Back then Status Quo were not playing the 3 chord music they are well known for now, it was actually quite psychedelic sounding and I remember being surprised it was Status Quo when I first heard it. They followed this up with "Ice in the Sun" later on in the year.
Fleetwood Mac made their debut this year with "Black Magic Woman" and followed up by "Need Your Love So Bad". These were low down in the charts reaching 37 and 31. At the end of the year they released the single "Albatross" which would find itself in the top 10 by the end of the year. Like with Status Quo, Fleetwood Mac had a much different sound to what they would become known for later on in life after Peter Green left the band.
One indication of the 70s being here already is the debut of T-Rex. Known as Tyrannosaurus Rex at the time, they had two hits this year with "Debora" and "One Inch Rock". On listening to them though you will find the 70s are not here yet as they were playing folk music back then as opposed to the glam rock they would be known for in the 70s.
Although they had already been going for several years now, this year saw the debut of Motown act the Isley Brothers with "This Old Heart of Mine". Also from Motown we had R Dean Taylor have his debut hit with "Gotta See Jane" and Shorty Long have his only hit with "Here Comes the Judge". We also see Tammi Terrell join Marvin Gaye on "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need To Get By".
From the more psychedelic side of soul music we see the debut of Sly & the Family Stone who debut with "Dance to the Music" and follow up with "M'Lady".
Another debutant this year was The Band who debuted with "The Weight" and would only have one further hit on the charts a couple of years later.
We see the song "Light My Fire" in the charts for the first time, but not by the Doors but a cover by Peurto Rican singer Jose Feliciano. We do however see the debut of the Doors with "Hello I Love You". They would not return to the charts until after Jim Morrisons death in 1971 and they would not chart with "Light My Fire" until 1991 which would give them their only top 10 hit some 20 years after Jim Morrison died.
For the first time this decade, The Shadows didn't have any hits. We did however see the debut of another instrumental group this year with Booker T and the MGs debuting in December with "Soul Limbo", perhaps best known as the cricket music on the BBC.
Although we had no acts from Jamaica in the charts this year, we had a British group keeping Ska music going with Locomotive charting with "Rudi's In Love". We also see what had been credited as the first international Rocksteady hit "Hold Me Tight" by American singer Johnny Nash enter the charts.
There is a common misconception that the only musical act to come out of New Zealand is Crowded House. However long before this we had a New Zealand singer called John Rowles who had his two chart hits this year with "If I Only Had Time" and "Hush Not A Word To Mary".
So with only one year of the 60s to go, what else do the 60s charts have to offer us? We'll find out when I do 1969 in the not too distant future.
Wednesday 4 January 2017
Nothing Lasts Forever - The Honeyz
The general point made about most acts featured in this series so far is their career at the top was brief because they did generic rubbish to sell to the kids and then the kids grew up and moved on. Todays subject though were genuinely a good group and certainly left the spotlight prematurely in my opinion.
Like many, I first came across The Honeyz in 1998 towards the end of the summer when they debuted with their first single "Finally Found". With girl power still very much a thing at the time and the anti man attitude that came with it, it was good to hear a record from a female group which was more positive. At the time I found it a very soothing record and particularly liked it where Celena sang "its always been you" in the chorus.
They returned at the end of the year with their follow up single "End of the Line" which I also quite liked. It seemed like they were here to stay for a while. Then in March 1999 came the news that Honeyz member Heavenli had left the group prior to the release of their third single "Love of a Lifetime". In came Mariama from Solid HarmoniE who had their brief chart career the previous year. Again I thought this was quite a good song, but it didn't have the same impact as the previous two singles and I still hadn't felt the need to go out and buy their music yet.
In October of that year came their first single recorded with Mariama, "Never Let You Down". Again, I quite liked it but still thought the first two singles were the best ones. Then in March 2000 came single number 5 "Won't Take It Lying Down" which I first heard when they performed it on Top of the Pops. This was definitely my least favourite of the singles so far, but still not a bad song.
Following this I didn't hear anything of The Honeyz for a while and gradually started to forget about them having never bought any of their music.
Then in February 2001 I bought a compilation with "Finally Found" on it and it reminded me how much I liked it and their other hits. Then shortly after I went to a second hand record shop and found 2 albums of theirs and bought both of them. After leaving the shop I noticed that both albums were the same, one was the original "Wonder No 8" album and the other was the repackaged album with the two extra tracks recorded when Mariama joined.
Looking on the internet I found they only had the one album so far, but they had released a single called "Not Even Gonna Trip" in October 2000 which only reached number 24 and completely passed me by. I also discovered that Mariama had now departed and Heavenli had re-joined the group.
A few months later after regularly listening to their album and really getting into their music, I was flicking through the music channels and saw they were back with a song called "I Don't Know". There was also a feature on "The Box" where they were talking about their new video. I thought it was a great song and when it got released in August I was straight down the record shop to buy it. Unfortunately not too many other people did as it only reached number 27. I also read rumors on the internet they were on the verge of getting dropped by their label which seemed typical as I'd only really just started listening to them.
In September they played a gig at Newcastle University students union and I was living in Newcastle at the time. However, it was fresher's week and you needed to be a fresher at Newcastle University to go to it, which I wasn't so I missed out.
Shortly after though I came across the promo for their next single "Talk to the Hand" at a record shop in Newcastle which I bought. I also heard on the internet about their new album Harmony so thought they would at least release that before they got dropped. Sadly they didn't, there was no new single or album released. No official confirmation was given, but it was quite obvious they had been dropped.
Fortunately I did manage to acquire a copy of the unreleased "Harmony" album, firstly via somebody on a Honeyz forum copying it onto tape for me but then I managed to buy the CD on eBay sometime later. I also managed to buy the promo video for "Talk to the Hand" which is now the only VHS I still own. I can honestly say that "Harmony" is a fantastic album and its a shame it never got released.
There were many rumors going round on the internet as to whether The Honeyz would continue or not, many were false. Then in 2002 I read they were finished but were still contractually obliged to do a few more gigs, one of which was at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. For a group that had been dropped by their label and even their biggest fans were unsure what had happened to them it sounded a bit unrealistic for them to be playing at a football stadium. However, as I lived up the road in Newcastle I went down to the ticket office at the Stadium of Light to find out if it was true. Turned out it was true, but they weren't doing a gig as such, just performing a couple of songs before the football match started, needless to say I didn't bother going.
After a few attempted comebacks with varying line ups over the years, they appeared on The Big Reunion along with several other bands that had chart success a number of years ago. We never really got the true story of what had happened to them though as much of it was made up for good telly. The line up consisted of Celena, Mariama and Heavenli. Presumably because of this, the absent Naima was very much made the villain of the piece, that she was only in the group for her looks and couldn't sing and she was the one who created bad vibes in the group. Whether all that is true or not, one thing I will say is that on the unreleased "Harmony" album there is a track called "Love Is Strange" where Naima sings lead vocals and it sounds like she can very much sing on that. Furthermore, on the "Love of a Lifetime" single there is a version of "Finally Found" that only contains the backing vocals, and the harmonising you hear in that which is presumably Naima and Heavenli does not sound like that of someone who can't sing.
I didn't go to see them in concert though as they would tour with the rest of the groups on The Big Reunion so only do 2 or 3 songs, plus the rest of the groups from the show are quite frankly crap.
When I've brought up The Honeyz in conversations over the years, several people have dismissed them as pop music for young girls, but it really wasn't like that at all. Many of the people I spoke to on the forums at the time were grown men.
Also, I do remember a time when I was driving along listening to the "Wonder No 8" album back in 2001 and I was singing along to pretty much the whole album. I had 3 mates in the car, all grown men and when "End of the Line" came on they were all singing along too. Ok, admittedly it is perhaps a bit odd having four men in a car singing a love ballad, but the point is we all thought it was good music.
Despite "Finally Found" and "End of the Line" being the songs that appealed to me initially, after buying the album I found myself preferring "Love of a Lifetime" and "Never Let You Down". At the time, when me a flatmate were chatting whilst the album was on it became an unwritten rule that when it was the breakdown in "Never Let You Down" we would shut up and just listen to the harmonising.
Since the whole big reunion thing faded away, Heavenli has left the group again and they have carried on as a duo. They have played a number of gigs since then, but none in London to my knowledge, but if they do play in London some point in the future I may pop along.
So to conclude, The Honeyz glory days in the charts lasted just over 18 months, but their glory days on my CD player lasted much longer.
Like many, I first came across The Honeyz in 1998 towards the end of the summer when they debuted with their first single "Finally Found". With girl power still very much a thing at the time and the anti man attitude that came with it, it was good to hear a record from a female group which was more positive. At the time I found it a very soothing record and particularly liked it where Celena sang "its always been you" in the chorus.
They returned at the end of the year with their follow up single "End of the Line" which I also quite liked. It seemed like they were here to stay for a while. Then in March 1999 came the news that Honeyz member Heavenli had left the group prior to the release of their third single "Love of a Lifetime". In came Mariama from Solid HarmoniE who had their brief chart career the previous year. Again I thought this was quite a good song, but it didn't have the same impact as the previous two singles and I still hadn't felt the need to go out and buy their music yet.
In October of that year came their first single recorded with Mariama, "Never Let You Down". Again, I quite liked it but still thought the first two singles were the best ones. Then in March 2000 came single number 5 "Won't Take It Lying Down" which I first heard when they performed it on Top of the Pops. This was definitely my least favourite of the singles so far, but still not a bad song.
Following this I didn't hear anything of The Honeyz for a while and gradually started to forget about them having never bought any of their music.
Then in February 2001 I bought a compilation with "Finally Found" on it and it reminded me how much I liked it and their other hits. Then shortly after I went to a second hand record shop and found 2 albums of theirs and bought both of them. After leaving the shop I noticed that both albums were the same, one was the original "Wonder No 8" album and the other was the repackaged album with the two extra tracks recorded when Mariama joined.
Looking on the internet I found they only had the one album so far, but they had released a single called "Not Even Gonna Trip" in October 2000 which only reached number 24 and completely passed me by. I also discovered that Mariama had now departed and Heavenli had re-joined the group.
A few months later after regularly listening to their album and really getting into their music, I was flicking through the music channels and saw they were back with a song called "I Don't Know". There was also a feature on "The Box" where they were talking about their new video. I thought it was a great song and when it got released in August I was straight down the record shop to buy it. Unfortunately not too many other people did as it only reached number 27. I also read rumors on the internet they were on the verge of getting dropped by their label which seemed typical as I'd only really just started listening to them.
In September they played a gig at Newcastle University students union and I was living in Newcastle at the time. However, it was fresher's week and you needed to be a fresher at Newcastle University to go to it, which I wasn't so I missed out.
Shortly after though I came across the promo for their next single "Talk to the Hand" at a record shop in Newcastle which I bought. I also heard on the internet about their new album Harmony so thought they would at least release that before they got dropped. Sadly they didn't, there was no new single or album released. No official confirmation was given, but it was quite obvious they had been dropped.
Fortunately I did manage to acquire a copy of the unreleased "Harmony" album, firstly via somebody on a Honeyz forum copying it onto tape for me but then I managed to buy the CD on eBay sometime later. I also managed to buy the promo video for "Talk to the Hand" which is now the only VHS I still own. I can honestly say that "Harmony" is a fantastic album and its a shame it never got released.
There were many rumors going round on the internet as to whether The Honeyz would continue or not, many were false. Then in 2002 I read they were finished but were still contractually obliged to do a few more gigs, one of which was at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. For a group that had been dropped by their label and even their biggest fans were unsure what had happened to them it sounded a bit unrealistic for them to be playing at a football stadium. However, as I lived up the road in Newcastle I went down to the ticket office at the Stadium of Light to find out if it was true. Turned out it was true, but they weren't doing a gig as such, just performing a couple of songs before the football match started, needless to say I didn't bother going.
After a few attempted comebacks with varying line ups over the years, they appeared on The Big Reunion along with several other bands that had chart success a number of years ago. We never really got the true story of what had happened to them though as much of it was made up for good telly. The line up consisted of Celena, Mariama and Heavenli. Presumably because of this, the absent Naima was very much made the villain of the piece, that she was only in the group for her looks and couldn't sing and she was the one who created bad vibes in the group. Whether all that is true or not, one thing I will say is that on the unreleased "Harmony" album there is a track called "Love Is Strange" where Naima sings lead vocals and it sounds like she can very much sing on that. Furthermore, on the "Love of a Lifetime" single there is a version of "Finally Found" that only contains the backing vocals, and the harmonising you hear in that which is presumably Naima and Heavenli does not sound like that of someone who can't sing.
I didn't go to see them in concert though as they would tour with the rest of the groups on The Big Reunion so only do 2 or 3 songs, plus the rest of the groups from the show are quite frankly crap.
When I've brought up The Honeyz in conversations over the years, several people have dismissed them as pop music for young girls, but it really wasn't like that at all. Many of the people I spoke to on the forums at the time were grown men.
Also, I do remember a time when I was driving along listening to the "Wonder No 8" album back in 2001 and I was singing along to pretty much the whole album. I had 3 mates in the car, all grown men and when "End of the Line" came on they were all singing along too. Ok, admittedly it is perhaps a bit odd having four men in a car singing a love ballad, but the point is we all thought it was good music.
Despite "Finally Found" and "End of the Line" being the songs that appealed to me initially, after buying the album I found myself preferring "Love of a Lifetime" and "Never Let You Down". At the time, when me a flatmate were chatting whilst the album was on it became an unwritten rule that when it was the breakdown in "Never Let You Down" we would shut up and just listen to the harmonising.
Since the whole big reunion thing faded away, Heavenli has left the group again and they have carried on as a duo. They have played a number of gigs since then, but none in London to my knowledge, but if they do play in London some point in the future I may pop along.
So to conclude, The Honeyz glory days in the charts lasted just over 18 months, but their glory days on my CD player lasted much longer.
Sunday 1 January 2017
Record of the Year 1967: Keith West - Excerpt From A Teenage Opera
As the years go by, there are more and more worthy candidates for the record of the year. For 1967 though there was only ever going to be one winner.
Also commonly known as "Grocer Jack", this was intended to be the first record from "A Teenage Opera" which was never completed. Don't let the opera part fool you though, this is very much a pop record.
It's a story of a grocer named Jack who one day didn't turn up to do his round and that makes his customers very angry. The reason for his absence though is because he has died. This has become apparent by the final verse which appears to be at Jacks funeral and the customers wish they had given Jack more respect when he was alive.
Coming from a small community like this was set in, I can relate in a way from my time as a paper boy when I would get up early in the morning and go out and get soaked in the pouring rain, but just get people complaining that their newspaper is slightly damp. One of many reasons why I escaped to the big smoke.
On first hearing this song, I didn't fully listen to the lyrics and got the impression from the final chorus that Jack had just got fed up and did a runner.
As for Keith West himself, he did have a less successful follow up single called "Sam", also from "A Teenage Opera". Also a good song, but not quite as good as this one. He still makes music today which is primarily used in the advertising industry.
UK Singles Chart: 1967
In terms of music, when it comes to the year 1967 one thing springs to mind, the Summer of Love. There was plenty of music in the charts that suggested psychedelia had truly arrived, but there was plenty of other music too.
Continuing the trend from the last couple of years, the first number one of the year came from a chart debutant, The Monkees with "I'm A Believer". This was very much the year for The Monkees chart wise, having a further five top 40 hits with "Last Train To Clarksville", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "Alternate Title", "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Daydream Believer". They would have a couple of minor hits in early 68 and that would spell the end of their brief chart career. Surprisingly "(Theme From) The Monkees" was never a single in the UK.
The second number one came from a very experienced chart act, 1954 debutant Petula Clark with the Charlie Chaplin penned "This Is My Song". Another version of this song by 1955 debutant Harry Secombe also charted reaching number two, which would be the last time we would see Harry Secombe in the charts. Another 50s act bidding farewell to the charts this year was 1959 debutant Clinton Ford who's final hit was "Run To the Door".
The third number on came from a debutant, Engelbert Humperdinck with "Release Me". Such was the impact of this song, it would only leave the top 40 for 5 weeks collectively the rest of the year and would still be in the top 40 at the start of 1968. It also ended the run of the Beatles getting to number one with every official release since "Please Please Me" in 1963 with "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Fovever" stalling at number 2.
This wasn't the only Beatles song which failed to reach number one this year, also stalling at number two was "Magical Mystery Tour (EP)" which was held off the top spot by none other than the Beatles with "Hello Goodbye". Also reaching number one this year for the Beatles was "All You Need Is Love". By the end of the year, the number ones count for the Beatles was 13, just 2 behind Elvis's 15.
Elvis managed to add two songs to his total number of hits this year bringing his total to 62. Cliff Richard remained in second place adding four more hits bringing his total to 43. There were no further hits for Lonnie Donegan or Nat 'King' Cole but they remained in 3rd and 4th with 30 and 29 hits. They Everly Brothers had no hits this year and were now tied in fifth place with Frankie Vaughan who returned to the charts this year with "There Must Be A Way" and "So Tired", bringing his total to 28. Then leapfrogging his way into seventh place with 27 was Frank Sinatra adding two more to his total including a number one "Something Stupid" with his daughter Nancy.
We had four more debutants from Motown this year. First up was Marvin Gaye in January with "It Takes Two" alongside Kim Weston. Then in June we have Gladys Knight & the Pips debuting with "Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me" which was actually their only top 40 hit of the 60s. Also in June we had the Marvelettes debuting with "When You're Young And In Love" which would be their only top 40 hit. Then in December we had Smokey Robinson & the Miracles debut with "I Second That Emotion". Along with the Supremes, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Four Tops, Temptations and Stevie Wonder all having hits this year, the presence of Motown was very much there in the charts.
From the world of soul music we also saw the debut of Aretha Franklin with "Respect". We also saw Sam & Dave debut with "Soothe Me". From the UK we had the Foundations reach number one with their debut "Baby Now That I've Found You".
Jimi Hendrix made his debut at the start of the year with "Hey Joe" reaching number 3. This was also his most active year in the charts having a further three hits with "Purple Haze", "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Burning Of the Midnight Lamp". He would never have more than one hit in a year after this.
After leaving the Yardbirds we see the start of the Jeff Beck Group which made their debut with "Hi-Ho Silver Lining" and followed up with "Tallyman". Their chart career would be very brief having just two further singles, one in 68 and another in 73.
Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group this year and formed Traffic and they would have 3 of their 4 top 40 hits this year with "Paper Sun", "Hole In My Shoe" and "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".
Although known to be an album band, Pink Floyd began their chart career this year with a couple of singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". It would however be another 12 years until we would see Pink Floyd back in the charts again.
Another band making their chart debut this year is the Bee Gees, whose three hits of the year had a bit of a geographical theme in the title. First up was "New York Mining Disaster 1941", then came the number one record "Massachusetts" and then came "World".
With the Summer of Love being centred around San Francisco, we have three record this year with the city mentioned in the title. They were "Let's Go To San Francisco" by the Flowepot Men, "San Franciscan Nights" by Eric Burdon & the Animals and the number one single "San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)" by Scott Mckenzie.
We see Ska music in the charts for the first time this year. First up was Prince Buster in February with "Al Capone". Next came the Skatalites in April with "Guns of Navarone". Then in July came Desmond Dekker with "007" and in September we had The Ethiopians with "Train to Skaville".
We saw the first act from Israel this year in the charts, this was Topol with "If I Were A Rich Man".
So plenty going on in the charts this year, a variety of genres and although the psychedelic music is what is remembered, it is no more dominant in the charts than other styles of music, particularly as the biggest selling record of the year is "Release Me" which sounded dated even for 1967.
Continuing the trend from the last couple of years, the first number one of the year came from a chart debutant, The Monkees with "I'm A Believer". This was very much the year for The Monkees chart wise, having a further five top 40 hits with "Last Train To Clarksville", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "Alternate Title", "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Daydream Believer". They would have a couple of minor hits in early 68 and that would spell the end of their brief chart career. Surprisingly "(Theme From) The Monkees" was never a single in the UK.
The second number one came from a very experienced chart act, 1954 debutant Petula Clark with the Charlie Chaplin penned "This Is My Song". Another version of this song by 1955 debutant Harry Secombe also charted reaching number two, which would be the last time we would see Harry Secombe in the charts. Another 50s act bidding farewell to the charts this year was 1959 debutant Clinton Ford who's final hit was "Run To the Door".
The third number on came from a debutant, Engelbert Humperdinck with "Release Me". Such was the impact of this song, it would only leave the top 40 for 5 weeks collectively the rest of the year and would still be in the top 40 at the start of 1968. It also ended the run of the Beatles getting to number one with every official release since "Please Please Me" in 1963 with "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Fovever" stalling at number 2.
This wasn't the only Beatles song which failed to reach number one this year, also stalling at number two was "Magical Mystery Tour (EP)" which was held off the top spot by none other than the Beatles with "Hello Goodbye". Also reaching number one this year for the Beatles was "All You Need Is Love". By the end of the year, the number ones count for the Beatles was 13, just 2 behind Elvis's 15.
Elvis managed to add two songs to his total number of hits this year bringing his total to 62. Cliff Richard remained in second place adding four more hits bringing his total to 43. There were no further hits for Lonnie Donegan or Nat 'King' Cole but they remained in 3rd and 4th with 30 and 29 hits. They Everly Brothers had no hits this year and were now tied in fifth place with Frankie Vaughan who returned to the charts this year with "There Must Be A Way" and "So Tired", bringing his total to 28. Then leapfrogging his way into seventh place with 27 was Frank Sinatra adding two more to his total including a number one "Something Stupid" with his daughter Nancy.
We had four more debutants from Motown this year. First up was Marvin Gaye in January with "It Takes Two" alongside Kim Weston. Then in June we have Gladys Knight & the Pips debuting with "Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me" which was actually their only top 40 hit of the 60s. Also in June we had the Marvelettes debuting with "When You're Young And In Love" which would be their only top 40 hit. Then in December we had Smokey Robinson & the Miracles debut with "I Second That Emotion". Along with the Supremes, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Four Tops, Temptations and Stevie Wonder all having hits this year, the presence of Motown was very much there in the charts.
From the world of soul music we also saw the debut of Aretha Franklin with "Respect". We also saw Sam & Dave debut with "Soothe Me". From the UK we had the Foundations reach number one with their debut "Baby Now That I've Found You".
Jimi Hendrix made his debut at the start of the year with "Hey Joe" reaching number 3. This was also his most active year in the charts having a further three hits with "Purple Haze", "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Burning Of the Midnight Lamp". He would never have more than one hit in a year after this.
After leaving the Yardbirds we see the start of the Jeff Beck Group which made their debut with "Hi-Ho Silver Lining" and followed up with "Tallyman". Their chart career would be very brief having just two further singles, one in 68 and another in 73.
Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group this year and formed Traffic and they would have 3 of their 4 top 40 hits this year with "Paper Sun", "Hole In My Shoe" and "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".
Although known to be an album band, Pink Floyd began their chart career this year with a couple of singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". It would however be another 12 years until we would see Pink Floyd back in the charts again.
Another band making their chart debut this year is the Bee Gees, whose three hits of the year had a bit of a geographical theme in the title. First up was "New York Mining Disaster 1941", then came the number one record "Massachusetts" and then came "World".
With the Summer of Love being centred around San Francisco, we have three record this year with the city mentioned in the title. They were "Let's Go To San Francisco" by the Flowepot Men, "San Franciscan Nights" by Eric Burdon & the Animals and the number one single "San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)" by Scott Mckenzie.
We see Ska music in the charts for the first time this year. First up was Prince Buster in February with "Al Capone". Next came the Skatalites in April with "Guns of Navarone". Then in July came Desmond Dekker with "007" and in September we had The Ethiopians with "Train to Skaville".
We saw the first act from Israel this year in the charts, this was Topol with "If I Were A Rich Man".
So plenty going on in the charts this year, a variety of genres and although the psychedelic music is what is remembered, it is no more dominant in the charts than other styles of music, particularly as the biggest selling record of the year is "Release Me" which sounded dated even for 1967.
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