over the top performances and corrupt judges. No no, not Olympic figure skating - Eurovision.But, ok, if it is important, surely the Spill is best placed to conduct an honest and fair one.
So nominate a Eurovision-style act (= cheesy) to represent your place of birth (youtube links needed) and maybe we can talk Blimpey into doing one of his sidebar polls for us toward the end of the week. Nominate as many as you like.
26 comments:
Nipping in before the more authentic scousers on The 'Spill/RR stake their claim,
The Independent Republic of Merseyside present this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpEoqPhYEfA
Swaying choir on the top step of the stage; in front of them a small orchestra adding some emotion-stirring strings; all as a backdrop to a slightly shifty-looking shortarse who can't quite sing, but is belting out quite the most ridiculously nationalistic set of lyrics you've heard in ages. Oh, and just for me, a totally non-rock&roll-looking guitar player will gurn his way through a simple solo on a massively oversized Gretsch.
We shall expect douze points from the Irish judges, but probably nul points from the miserable population just over the Manchester border.
Oh, and we don't want to go on first. We'll go on after, say, Latvia, please.
Years ago I had a friend (yes, it could happen again some day) who collected TV clips of bands from American Bandstand, Ed Sullivan Show, etc. I remember one she showed me of Blood Sweat and Tears (doing Spinning Wheel?) with gratuitous Mounties on stage, but I can't find it so far. But oh I shall keep looking.
And here, representing the West Country, are The Wurzels with "Brand New Combine Harvester":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btEpF334Rtc
Drink up ye zider, lads and lassies, for a scrumpin' we will go ...
You'll get no complaints about Pete Wylie from this section of the People's Republic of Mancunia, DsD, even with that homemade video. Gawd bless 'im, I love the soppy, sentimental old gobshite (loved your description too btw). Is he a red or a bluenose, ToffeBoy? After seeing that, it seemed a little ironic that he'd written a song called The Story Of The Blues. Sinful, even.
Was it you that nominated Shack on RR too,DsD? One of the dearest bands to my heart; saw the one-night-only reformed Pale Fountains last year in the Liverpool and the place was in bits.
So, hands across the ship canal an' that, eh, la'? (we can afford to be magnanimous after the weekend!)
Sorry DsD, but Ali's got my vote so far.
And before anyone tries to nominate something silly for Birkenhead (like that darn Smiths song that mentions it, for instance. Or that Elvis Costello's father was based here. Or any more of that frivolous music), here
http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,1134961315.aspx
is a real song about a real person who can make all Birkenheadcases proud.
More? OK
http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,1134961315.aspx
Coujtry of birth makes it a bit tricky for me, I'll give it a go tomorrow
Could it be? Do we have a ManU fan at RR/Spill?
*Ulp!* Looks like it, EJD.
Say it ain't so, Balearic ...
Wylie's a Red: he apparently led an impromptu singalonga version of H.A.B.A.L. in Istanbul that had grown men in tears (read into that what you will).
"Sinful", you say? Oh go on then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXqVpAHY33U
Yes, it was me with Shack. Shane and Toffee normally beat me to it, mind. And I'm in heaven tonight - finally got a playable version of The Magical World Of The Strands today: cheers tincanman!
I know, I'll get me coat, ejaydee. (I'm a nice one though and can remember when they were rubbish, honest!)
As for my nomination, I'll eschew the obvious Mancs (most of them are from Salford anyway) and give you Sweet Sensation: Sad Sweet Dreamer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Rrrz0ZfRc
Number One in 1976 and featuring a 16 year old Marcel King, who only made one other record, the very fine "Reach For Love", that came out on Factory in the mid 80s and was produced by Bernard Sumner. He tragically died in 1995 and I think was a sad loss and a forgotten star of the Manchester music scene.
This song would grace any stage.
We'll just have to learn to coexist, after all, I've put aside May and nilpo's strange choice of team, and still find the strength to engage in conversation with them. Most of us try not to gloat, but sometimes it's irresistible (I've forgiven gordon's when Robinho scored a competent goal against Arsenal).
Oh 'eck, I didn't mean to come across like that; I wasn't gloating and I'm not like that at all about football. Thought it was OK in the context of DsD's Pete Wylie nomination and my deep love of my favourite (smack)Heads. Just put on Something Like You from The Magical World... and, as always, had a bit of a moment. Glad you've got a decent copy of it now. Cornish Town from HMS Fable's the one that always gets me though. Blub ;-)
Leicester could hardly help not entering its very own son, Gerry Dorsey, better known to the world as Englebert (nee Humperdinck)
I would probably choose this song (Spanish Eyes) though it fills me with nostalgic memories as a childhood veteran of Working Men's clubs in the early
70's especially.
Pop and crisps ahoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4s__QO9kG0
For those of you who are curious about how Englebert came by that infamous moniker, here's an explanation I love to fragments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckGmMO0zbJo
Seriously, we love Englebert in Leicester. I too have more than just a grudging respect for the bloke, and I sincerely mean that friends I really do.
(Above nomination of Sad Sweet Dreamer also donded aloud - a much loved track here in Hungary)
I'd have to say it is between Sad Sweet Dreamer and Brand New Combine Harvester so far.
I genuinely (and un-ironically) love the ESC. It's a microcosm of the EU and has changed over the years as Europe has changed politically and culturally. I read a book by an American bloke recently called "The United States Of Europe" all about the fact that Europe that now poses a threat to America being the only superpower and of the various things that the US can learn from Europe. There was a lengthy discussion of how important the ESC is to "us" Brits and then he went on to relate inaccurate Bucks Fizz anecdotes! At least do your research properly, mate! Ask anyone in the pub and they'll be able to tell you! It did get my goat.
Anyway, i'm going to totally cheat and nominate a cheesy Japanese act. Just in case your kanji is a bit rusty, he's called Hikawa Kiyoshi and he's surely born to do Eurovision (if Japan were anywhere near Europe that is)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DuYcl_tQs&feature=related
Oh no, you didn't come across like that at all, BaBe, actually the point I was trying to make didn't come across properly. Forget i said anything.
Now I need to find acts based in Pasadena.
Well obviously there's only one band from Morden (Good Shoes)and they're not particularly cheesey but since I was born just up the road in Merton Park there is really only one group and only one song song I can nominate. Whether you regard this as a piece of cheese or not is entirely a matter for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1GKAYl1bHc
(I could pretend I'm from Wombledon, I suppose)
"only one song song"???
I think I just regressed to the age of three.
@ severin
Yes but it was such a good choice my widdle fluffy bunny wunny
@BBeat - shame. It all started so well, too. Me and gordonimmel would be the card-holding Blues around here. But I'm sure we can learn to get along. Heaven knows, I've managed it enough in the past Some of my best friends are Reds etc etc...
Anyway, I don't think I can top your Manc nomination, and definitely can't think of much for Huddersfield, so I'll cheat a bit and offer you Limerick's own Brad Pitt Light Orchestra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLwFaorLIGc
I think that might just be pan-European.
P.S. I loved the French woman and the Moldova song on Saturday. That Norwegian thing was sub Jens Lekman rubbish with a good fiddle riff, no?
My London nomination would have to be Chas & Dave, the very best rock'n'roll credentials yet a strong cheese factor. I think "Rabbit" might have the best Eurovision appeal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOSseI1hao8&feature=related
I too love Eurovision - but I love the German Bundesvision Song Contest even more. I think this started at least in part as a reaction against the fact that they clearly didn't stand a chance in the main competition, and partly as a celebration of the music of the different regions. Each Land puts forward its own local artist (I assume chosen by a vote at regional level), and the diversity of styles is astonishing, including good old-fashioned heavy rock (the Saarland, usually), electro-goth (Berlin) and almost anything else you could think of. Haven't seen it often enough to discern whether there are consistent voting patterns (other than the fact that Hamburg and Bremen clearly can't stand each other), but it was striking that, even though you can vote for your own song, at least a couple of regions actually give top marks to another region's song.
As a Sri Lankan Londoner, I'm tempted to say M.I.A. but I wouldn't really say she'd count as cheesy. So I'm going to go with my old standby of The Foundations, a very 60s Notting Hill incarnation - as was I - complete with another Lankan Tony Gomez on keyboards, anticipating my hair c.1983 but with the threads to match. Actually, I'm not sure the band were founded (!) in Notting Hill but they had that air about them.
The song wouldn't be the Eurovisiony Butterfly anthem but I'm Still Waiting On The Shores Of Nowhere because it sounds a bit like they're singing "I'm still waiting on the shores of Norway" as a shameless attempt to curry favour with next year's home crowd.
Actually, now that I think about it I am torn between Eng, as nominated above and Leicester's other great anthem, 'Bias Binding' by the very wonderful Yeah Yeah Noh
http://www.last.fm/music/Yeah+Yeah+Noh/_/Bias+Binding
(ToffeeBoy, please note: I think you will like this track if you dont already know it)
Anyone care to suggest which one of these is more suitable to represent the post-industrial ex-market town of Leicester? Would appreciate your thoughts
And Captain Sensible's Croydon is the perfect anthem for the hometown of my school years.
There's only one act that can represent the city of my birth - and only one song that will do it justice. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the winner of the RR song contest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NzPmtQTuVI
Enjoy - let's see all those Hibs scarves held high, now - altogether: "While I'm worth, my place on this earth ..."
I also admit to loving the real eurovision and agree that the French entry this year was pure class.
Now get ye all to the cinema and see "Sounds Like Teen Spirit" the documentary about Junior Eurovision. A comp which the UK won't dignify by entering.
It is a thing of wonder. A bloody marvellous film on a subject you would have thought fit only for ridicule and calumny.
Feel like the last contestant who comes on to make the numbers up just as we know Norway are 400 points ahead with one juror left to cast their vote...here we go anyway:
1. Donny has produced some good footballers (Keegan,er, Keegan...)but bands / singers bit scarce. However, John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, was born in Kirk Sandall (near the "Boating Lake"), so I give you South Yorkshire "East Side West Side" -undoubtedly about the gap between Armthorpe and Sprotborough.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lesM2edtO0c
2. From my adopted City of Bochum, Germany comes Herbert Groenemeyer , the city's fave son who penned the anthem "Bochum" , which is sung before every home match at the Ruhrstadion (I'll post a clip from the match v Bayern i went to in March if you're lucky...)- it's a beaut!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOqVLirG32U
Enjoy the cheesy sound and film...
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