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Monday, 15 April 2013

TUESDAY BLUES!! The Smiths - Asleep

Do you like Singer/Songwriters (or grumpy bands), or do you have a unhealthy affection to the sadness, if so you may have a case of the Tuesday Blues!

The Smiths - Asleep
My wife & I recently watched The Perks of Being A Wallflower, but before you get scared off at another coming of age film, this one is very good! It also has a wonderful soundtrack which was put together by Alexandra Patsavas, whose soundtrack/music supervision input has been on over 60 films & TV series. Apart from job envy, the use of the Smiths 'Asleep' in Wallflower encouraged me to listen again to the genius of Manchesters finest.

Asleep also reminded me of the lack of sleep that I got when I first met my wife. But before you start thinking about 50 shades of grey, I am referring to the lack of sleep due to my wifes dog. When we first met, she said she had a dog but said it didn't sleep in the bedroom. However when I first started staying at her house, the dog would cry all night outside the door. At first I thought it was trying to protect her from my advances. However, the whining was constant and intolerable. It was like having a unhappy new born baby crying for attention and after 2-3 hours of 'ignoring' the pooch, she ended up locking the dog in the car! The next evening it was the same, but this time we gave in and the dog jumped on the bed and it immediately lay in-between us. If I tried to get a little amorous the dog would growl to discourage me. After a couple of days, the missus came clean, the dog clearly stayed on the bed with her and I'd have to deal with it! Seven years later, the dog still sleeps on the bed but thankfully I've been promoted to Master of the house and so the growls are slightly less!

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sfw Pada 22:00 2 Komentar

Tuesday, 3 April 2012

WEDNESDAY CLUB - The Smiths - 'Reel Around the Fountain'

MIDWEEK CRISIS, you're reeling, come to WEDNESDAY CLUB we've got The Smiths and they have 15 minutes just for you. Wednesday Club, we've got all day!

THE SMITHS - Reel Around the Fountain (1984)

Being in Saudi Arabia you never got the news, you never had radio to hear music. Looking back I don't know how we managed to keep upto date, but we did. I got a copy of NME, it was probably a month old but I was so excited to read about the latest music. I was a fan of NME since the early sixties.

'The Smiths' that was new!

I loved the reviews, it sounded exactly what I wanted, needed. I had to hear something by them. It was in my mind constantly.

I was due to go back to the UK, my first trip back after six months (not so bad my family came over after a couple of months). Anyway, I arrived in UK early in March (1984) 0630 in the morning. I was meeting some ex work friends at 1200, so I had some time to kill. I got the tube to Picadilly Circus and headed for Pettycoat Lane. I have no idea why? I had a full English breakfast (double bacon), bought a leather jacket, it was bleeding freezing and a scarf (I still have it, it's a favourite) my brother in law pinched the jacket (it was too big anyway, fat bastard).

I also bought 'The Smiths' first album, in tape, because thats what we played in Saudi. I did not have a player with me so I was holding that cassette desperately waiting to hear it. I just had that feeling and I can't explain why!

I met the guys during their break, but all I could think about was hearing the Smiths. I was staying with a friend before visiting my family in Inverness. On the way to his place I asked him to play my 'new' cassette. Reluctantly he turned off the music he was playing (trying to impress me). I wanted 'The Smiths', I had to hear 'The Smiths'.

Why did I build it up so much? What exactly was I expecting? I had been through it all, Elvis, The Beatles, The Stones, Dylan, Bowie, Hendrix, Joy Division, The Clash. Why! why! The Smiths, what sort of name was that anyway?

29c's

I was stunned, it was better that my sub-concious actually really expected. The start, the drums, the organ, the voice, I loved it. The whole album just blew me away. I could not wait to share it with everybody, in the whole wide world. Thats music! A magic moment! To take to the grave..

I acknowledge they have done mabe many better stuff but it has a special little place in my heart.

'People see no worth in you, but I do'

'You're the Bees Knees'!

For more Wednesday Club, you don't have to 'Ask'!

sfw Pada 14:23 4 Komentar

Friday, 7 October 2011

GUEST SPOT # 18 - The Smiths - Half A Person

Guest Spot Morrissey Neal The Smiths Tune Doctor

If you have a song you'd like to tell us about, contact us to feature on our weekly Guest Spot!

The Smiths - Half A Person (1986)

Ey, Ey, calm down, calm down! This week's guest spot is from our regular guest spot contributor Neo(aka London Scouser). As with life, music has it's highs and lows. Out of some of the lows, you get the best highs. I'll let London Scouser explain...

1989 was a tough year for me, I lost my dad after a long illness on April 15 (same day as the Hillsborough tragedy) and although I tried to hide the fact, it affected me a lot. Anyway, it was in December that year that I was in Woolworths in Hounslow High St with money to burn and I picked up a CD called Louder Than Bombs. The orange cover called out to me and although I wasn't a fan of The Smiths, the fact that there 24 tracks on it I thought, "Why not? It's only a tenner."

Prior to that my only knowledge of the band was watching The Tube and seeing Morrissey prance about with a hearing aid in and a bunch of Gladioli in his back pocket. What a weirdo I thought before I turned over to 1 of the only 3 other channels !!

I got home and put the CD in..... wow, where had they been all my life?! A lot of the songs had a depressing feel to them but strangely this only made me feel happy and despite my loss I felt that the year got better as a result. Half A Person is my standout track on the album, but it was hard to choose. It starts with the lyrics "Call me morbid, call me pale", which was brilliant for me at the time, and I still love that line.

My best memory of the song is singing along to it and being corrected by my Mum when Morrissey sings “Sixteen, clumsy and shy. I went to London and I. I booked myself in at the YWCA.” She would say, "YWCA is for women, he would have to go to the YMCA." I tried to explain, but gave up and made sure I kept that line to myself in future !!