Monday 18 March 2024

JUDY TEEN by COCKNEY REBEL

The passing of Steve Harley, lead singer of Cockney Rebel was announced yesterday. He was 73 and had been suffering with cancer. Today's TOTD is in tribute to him.



Sunday 17 March 2024

MERCY MERCY ME / I WANT YOU by ROBERT PALMER

 Was originally a Marvin Gaye classic from the What's Going On album. In December 1990, Robert Palmer combined the song in a medley with Gaye's 1976 hit "I Want You". Palmer's single reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 

I am always of the opinion that covering songs by the likes of people like Marvin (and for that matter The Beatles), is a pointless episode as the original could never be improved upon. That is except for this cover which is absolutely sublime (and maybe Barry White's version of “Just the Way You Are”). 


The song itself was written by Gaye as a requiem to Earth being in total disarray and on the verge of environmental destruction. Covered by numerous people over the years including Michael McDonald whose version is totally acceptable, but nothing comes close to Robert Palmer's attempt.




Yorkshire man Palmer, known for his sartorial elegance and his biggest hit Addicted to Love, had a powerful soulful voice and won many Grammy and MTV awards. He died of a heart attack in 2003, in his early 50s.


Saturday 16 March 2024

Friday 15 March 2024

INTRODUCING TOBACCO TO CIVILISATION by BOB NEWHART.

As a refreshing change to TOTD, I thought instead of a musical selection today we would have a comedy track instead.

Bob Newhart is one of the cleverest, and I should say funniest US comedians there has ever been. Known for his stand-up deadpan style, he went on to star in two top US sitcoms in the 70s and 80s. This is one of his classic sketches which never fails to bring me to hysterics.



From 1972 to 1978, Newhart starred in the hit US sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show". He played the character Bob Hartley, Ph.D., a Chicago psychologist who is surrounded by eccentric patients, work colleagues, friends, and family members. Hartley was effectively the "straight man" to the wacky characters all around him.


From 1982 to 1990, Newhart starred in a second hit sitcom, called simply "Newhart". He played the character Dick Loudon, a Vermon-based innkeeper who finds himself surrounded by strange employees, neighbours, and competitors. The show had an infamous ending where the entire series is "revealed" to be a dream of Bob Hartley, Newhart's character from his first sitcom.


Bob is still going strong at 94 years old and let's hope he manages a few more yet.


Thursday 14 March 2024

ON MY OWN by PATTI LABELLE AND MICHAEL MCDONALD

Released in early 1986, On My Own was written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick.

Patti LaBelle and former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald's version was a massive hit reaching no.2 in the UK and going 1 better in the US. They recorded their parts of the song separately on either side of America and never actually met each other until after the song was released.



Wednesday 13 March 2024

UNION MAN by THE CATE BROTHERS

We end the Twins series with me having to declare a vested interest and total bias in this choice having been a massive Cate Brothers fan since I first heard this track being played on the radio in the early 1970s. 


Twins Ernie and Earl Cate from Arkansas perform what could be classed as country soul music. Both brothers are singers, with Earl playing guitar and Ernie playing keyboards. The group began recording in 1970, releasing their final album in 2006.




The duo's only Top 40 single, "Union Man" spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 24 in May 1976. I personally consider this to be one of the best tracks musically of all time and often listen to it.



On subsequent tracks over the years they occasionally make reference to their relationship as identical twins (eg - “Stranger at the Door”) and now, into their 70s, they continue to perform.





Tuesday 12 March 2024

STANDING IN THE ROAD by BLACKFOOT SUE

Blackfoot Sue was a British pop / rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1970 by twin brothers Tom and David Farmer along with Eddie Golga.


“Standing in the Road” was released in 1972 reaching no.4, spending 10 weeks in the chart. However they were written off as a teen sensation and labelled as pretty much one-hit wonders (they did have another release that flew up to the heady heights of no.36, but totally forgotten by me at least).



Interestingly they recorded on the Jam record label which resembled a record splodged with a dollop of strawberry jam in the middle of it, along with a somewhat naff written logo - classy it certainly wasn’t.