Excerpt From a Teenage Opera

My radio listening is all messed up this week as the radio programmes are all on at the wrong times, thanks to the UK putting the clocks back last weekend and the USA not changing until this weekend.

So, as Steve Wright in the Afternoon didn't start until 10am this morning, I thought I'd listen to the oldies part of yesterdays show that I missed while I was at work. It turned out to be quite an interesting half hour.

Three of the songs in the middle of the oldies were little gems, all depicting sad and lonely lives, and curiously all mention milk in their lyrics!

The first one I've always loved from the early days of hearing it requested on Ed "Stewpot" Stewarts Junior Choice. "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera" by Keith West is the official title, but I always thought it was the "Grow Sir Jack" song! Great lyrics about an old shopkeeper / milkman taken for granted, moaned about for not showing up for work one day, and then missed by all guilty townsfolk who wished they'd been nicer to him when they find out he's died. They don't write them like that any more. How many songs can claim a harpsichord solo in the middle? Pure class!

The video itself is very "of it's time". I turned 5 in 1967 and remember wearing the little dresses, cardies knitted by auntie, long white socks, t-bar leather shoes and the bow in the hair. As for the little boy in the collar, tie and blazer, awwww!!!

Next up were The Jam's "Town Called Malice", depressing lyrics set to a great motownesque dance beat and"The Days of Pearly Spencer" by David McWilliams, depressing lyrics set to a string backing track and sung down a payphone.

Enjoy!

Louie Louie - Julie London

I've always thought that Janice Long is a gem hidden away in the schedules. Alex Lester and Desmond Carrington too for that matter. If there is anywhere you are going to hear a synhotr, it's on their shows. As she's on so late I don't often get the chance to listen. Last night I managed to hear a section of the show and I wasn't disappointed when a Julie London track came on air. I have to admit that apart from "Cry Me A River" my only other knowledge of her is that it amused me that my paternal Grandmother had a record by Julie London on London records in her collection. Professionally speaking I don't usually recommend Wikipedia , but sometimes you just have to. So, without further a-do, enjoy this track, a one-time subject of an FBI investigation (but by the Kingsmen on that occasion):



So, next time I'm at a Record Fair, I'll be looking for the album it's from, where I'll also get a copy of this interesting cover Yummy, Yummy, Yummy . I can just picture Ms London in her '60s negligee waggling her alluring "come to bed" index finger.

Then to top that, a tune I most certainly have not heard since the 80's. The Blue Nile - Tinseltown in the Rain. It never charted in the UK as far as I know, but for me it evokes standing under an umbrella in the darkened but spangly wintery, rainy streets of London's West End on a Monday night, waiting for the rest of the "Cleveland Square Cinema Club" to turn up for the weekly cheap night out trip to the Pictures. We were all working in various Government Departments nearby but someone was always late or worse still was late, had no money and was subbed by the rest of us for the remainder of the week. Til pay day on Thursday at least. So, for all of you, wherever you are here it is. Enjoy. It will be a while before it comes around on the airwaves again:





There was a downside to all this. I only managed to last for three more tracks before giving in to sleep after The Stranglers - 96 Tears . So, I decided to look at the tracklisting during my lunch break today. I should have hung on for one more track - and anyone who knows me will know the pain I felt when I read the next track. Orange Juice - Rip It Up. Bum!!! Next time though.....

Double Deutsch

Indulging myself last night with a little Janice Long "listen again" before Tom came home, I heard a couple of little gems I hadn't heard in ages.

First up was "Atmospherics: Listen to the Radio" by Tom Robinson from the Hope and Glory album. Takes me back to 1984, back when the walkman and the cassette ruled, Tom Robinson was still gay and I commuted to work at Heathrow with all the weirdos on the night bus. This is my favourite track from the album and is always a treat to hear on the radio as my cassette tape got mangled up many moons ago and this is one of those songs that still isn't on itunes, well not in the USA at any rate. So thanks Janice for playing it.

My second treat was "Drowning in Berlin" by The Mobiles. Can't remember the last time I heard that. Video from Top of the Pops is quite amusing. Vocal style pinched from Toyah, expresssive hands from Kate Bush and clothes from Moss Bros. Loved the hat and gloves so very of their time and I still have mine! Enjoy!

The "Double Deutsch" connection? Pretty tenuous I know, but both are British artists singing songs which mention german cities.

Great oldies on Steve Wright on R2 today

I wouldn't say that these are real synhotr's, but whoever picked the tracks today was truly inspired.

Started off with Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey in the Jar". Classic song. Dunno how long Phil Lynott has been dead, but for some reason his death and a shuttle disaster are filed away together in my brain!!

Then it was "November Rain", or at least bits of it. OK I wasn't expecting them to play all 10 minutes or so, but someone did an appalling hatchet and splice job on it during the instrumental bits. You could really hear the joins. The video is a must. Very OTT, ridiculous wedding dress, grotesque pinkie ring, Slash posturing outside the tardisesque church with his guitar, the hideous bowtie at the funeral and eventually the rain in the graveyard. Almost bad enough to be good.

"Hounds of Love", "Spirit of Radio", "Love Will Tear Us Apart" after and then the classic Smiths track "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now". The line "Why do I smile at people who I'd much rather kick in the eye" is just spot on and pure Morrissey.

Spoilt for Choice today!

Just been listening again to Janice Long's Sunday night into Monday morning and thought I'd hit gold when I heard the Robert Wyatt version of "Shipbuilding" just after pause for thought. Still a great song, still as relevant as ever today. Love the line "Diving for dear life when we should be diving for pearls".

Then almost at the end of the programme Janice topped it by playing "Chenko" by Red Box. Great song that I'd forgotten all about. Very gothic, very russian, very choral. Brilliant!

Hurry Home - Wavelength

It must be my week for this already. After being happy to listen to a rare outing of New Radicals - "You Always Get What You Give" Radio Two then went on to serve up this as Ken Bruces' Love Song for the day:




I swear I don't recall it at all (I had more important things to remember in the Spring of '82 - like making sure I got in to College) but I am puzzling as to why I know more than half of the lyrics!

For Free - Joni Mitchell

Sunday is generally my shopping day and as I'm not a big fan of Elaine Page I have a range of CDs I slip on during the car journey instead (Mylo's "Destroy Rock n Roll" today). However, as I pulled away from Homebase this afternoon I didn't bother with it because the end of this tune was playing:



I've only ever heard it on my cassette player. Very pleasantly surprised to hear Johnnie Walker play it as part of his Joni Mitchell Focus.

Songs You never Hear On The Radio (SYNHOTR)......but heard today!!!!

Ever heard a song on the radio that you haven't heard in donkeys years, and thought wow, I'd forgotten that one?

Or how about hearing a song you never knew you'd forgotten because you never even remembered knowing it, and yet somehow you know all the words... creepy.

This blog is dedicated to all those songs that pop up now and then and prompt us to email our friends and say "OMG!!!! You'll never guess what I heard on Pick of the Pops / Sounds of the Seventies / Today ...."

I'm off to turn on the radio now and wait.....