Well another Thursday rolls around again to yet another half empty pub. But this week there will be no rant. No complaining. No bitterness at the fact no-one gets to hear us sing....again. Why not I hear you ask. Well after watching this little beauty last night it really seemed less important that I would be singing to an empty pub. God Bless Wayne Rooney.
Well that kind of made my week so the fact I was expecting an empty pub it really didn't get me down this week as it was far to hard to come down off the high of watching this match. I just hope that the second leg result goes as well for the team. Anyway back on to the karaoke night.
As you have gathered the pub was again with it's quiet charm that would be ruined if a large number of people turned up to enjoy themselves along with us, so we carried on regardless singing to ourselves!! The genius that is Shaun has found another plaything for us to dabble with on our blog sites, a T-Shirt shop where you can design and sell your own shirts. Needless to say I have opened one as well, and over the next few weeks and months you will no doubt see some of the shirts making appearances up the hotel on Thursday nights as we both have many plan's to bring a bit of light hearted fun to the night. (Beware of any comments you make as they might end up on a shirt!). To look on the sites just clink on the links provided.
Shaun's T-Shirts Shop
Captain Jacks T-Shirt Shop
Please feel free to purchase any of the shirts on display and visit us up at the hotel wearing your high quality merchandise. I'm sure there will be a drink in it for you from us, and at the hotel prices that's probably going to cost us more than the shirt will cost you!
Anyway on to tonight's line up of tracks. This week yet again I had a request put on the blog and, as I'm not one to disappoint, I managed to slot it in. The songs this week were 1. Needles And Pins by The Searchers (LG148-05) 2. Rockaria by E.L.O. (SC8715-15) 3. Free Electric Band by Albert Hammond (SMW866-13) and 4. Let's Get Rocked by Def Leppard (SC816-02).
Needles And Pins by The Searchers
A great way to start the night off tonight. This was another duet with myself and Andy. We looked at doing another new track, and finally chose this sixties classic by The Searchers. The track is probably the bands most well known track and hit number 1 in the charts in 1964. It is another seminal sixties classic 3 minute pop song that band at this time mastered, although not as well as the Beatles did! It's an enjoyable little ditty, very catchy, with some good harmonies for myself and Andy to tinker with. do again rating 5/10
Rockaria by E.L.O.
Another classic track from one of the forgotten bands in rock history. I can't imagine there are many people that do not know or love at least one E.L.O. track in there favourite songs. In the early seventies the band was formed out of the remnants of The Move and quickly went on to release a string of well known hits throughout the seventies and eighties, becoming one of the worlds biggest selling rock band's by the mid-seventies, thanks mainly to the leadership of lead vocalist Jeff Lynne and manager Don Arden (Sharon Osbourne's father no less!). The band used classical elements in there music along with great guitars, one of the best drummers ever in Bev Bevan, and catchy lyrics. Jeff Lynne is regarded by many in the music industry as one of the best lyricists around and you can tell that in all the E.L.O. songs. Really loved this one tonight and is on my all time top ten list. do again rating 10/10
Free Electric Band by Albert Hammond
Another rock classic from the seventies that most people won't remember. This again was a duet for myself and Andy as we both heard it on his backing music a couple of weeks ago and have been itching to have a crack since then. This was a one hit wonder for Hammond in the mid-seventies, but he is probably better known as a songwriter rather than a performer in his own right. He is responsible for writing some absolute classic tracks much better known to us all than this song such as Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship, One Moment In Time by Whitney Houston ( The 1988 Seoul Olympic Theme), The Air That I Breathe by The Hollies and several hits for Tina Turner. Hammond's son, Albert Hammond Jnr is also in the family business and is better known for being in The Strokes. do again rating 4/10
Let's Get Rocked by Def Leppard
Its request time again, and with many thanks to Tina and Shaun, it's time for a bit of Brit Rock. Oh joy! This one is a proper Brit rock classic by one of the main exponents of Brit Rock, Sheffield's Def Leppard. Now as they are one of my favourite bands ever this was not a problem for me to sing this one for them. The Leps are one of the best bands to come out of Britain ever and 2007 is actually the bands 30th anniversary (see if you can match that Arctic Monkeys). This track was taken from the bands fifth album Adrenalize, which went to number one simultaneously in both the U.S. and the U.K, and the video was also nominated for best video at the 1992 MTV awards. It does have some high notes in it which can be a bit tricky but I think I did it justice tonight. do again rating 9/10
Well there you go folks. Another great bunch of songs that yet again adds to my list of song not sang before this year ( I think I'm up to about 50 now and there is many more for me to have a crack at yet Shaun lol!!!) This week definitely had a bit of a rock element to it apart from Needles and Pins, and next week will be a definite change in pace as, in my drunken state I got everyone to agree to a theme night next Thursday. Several different categories were put into a hat, including Rock, Dance, Male Solo Artists, Beatles but with luck not on mine and Shaun's side we managed to pull out Female solo Artists! No doubt the girls will love this as it is obviously more tricky for the males amongst us, and the girls have already decided to do the only female vocal song Shaun knows! This will provide us with lots of practice this week as I'm sure we will have some belter's lined up for next Thursday. Now as I promised last week I am providing some classic Simpson clips in the lead up to the new film being released so click the link to see on of the movie's trailers. Until next time me old hearties.
"Rock 'n' Roll had become stagnant. `Achy Breaky Heart' was seven years away. Something had to fill the void and that something was barbershop." Homer J Simpson
Thursday 26th April
Thursday 19th April
Where Have We Gone Wrong!
Now I know that over the last few weeks, in fact probably from the start of this year, the Karaoke night on a Thursday at the Hotel has been well lets say for want of a better word dead. But this week it did hit an all time low. I don't think I have ever walked into the lounge and seen it completely empty before, but tonight it was about as busy as a lap dancing bar in the Vatican. Now I know that we have all tried to come up with reasons why it has gone from a busy night in the pub to what it has become now, and some of us do feel that the Thursday night Karaoke may be on its last legs, but to be perfectly honest I don't think the reason is anything other that it is an expensive pub to drink in at time's for an out of town pub.
It has been muted about the fact that myself and Shaun don't always sing the mainstream Karaoke tracks is a reason that some people have turned there back on a Thursday, but to be fair I don't think the stuff we do is any different than what is done by the usual Tuesday night crew that turn up. In my opinion, for what it's worth, there is a camp of Tuesday/Thursday regulars who turn up week in week out at the hotel, and, for whatever reason the two camps have never really got on! We are a very tight group on a Thursday who have been together for years, and we are (don't want to sound too big headed) a much better group of singers, who all take our karaoke seriously, and not as an excuse to drown people in unknown karaoke tracks and painfully sang songs by people who think they are entertaining but are really just annoying! I do think that Thursdays have gone down over the last few weeks, but Stoke is a low paid area and maybe Thursday is a little too close to the weekend for people to go out on Thursday and the more popular Friday and Saturday nights, both of which are usually packed in the Hotel. The main fault I think is not the singers or songs but the pub itself needs to try and attract people with drinks offers as the other pubs with karaoke on a Thursday night do. Just down the road a pub offers lager at £1.70 a pint as oppose to £2.50 in the Hotel, and people will drink in the cheaper pubs regardless of a karaoke night!
Anyway rant over. Now onto my much longer set list for this week. Tonight song's were as follows 1. Riverboat Song by Ocean Colour Scene (SMW83401) 2. Something by The Beatles (LG010-01) 3. Read My Mind by The Killers (SF252-11) 4.Never Say Goodbye by Bon Jovi (SC8716-09) and finally 5. What It Takes by Aerosmith (SC8710-03)
Riverboat Song by Ocean Colour Scene
Not usually my cup of tea this one, but as the band was playing in Hanley tonight myself and Shaun decided to do a bit of Billy Ocean Colour Scene to start the night off, and I had the honour of starting with a song I had never sang before or practiced and could only just about remember, apart from being the intro music to T.F.I. Friday years ago! It is however a cracking track very reminiscent of the music scene of the early nineties. It was a good track in its day and is definitely worth listening to again. do again rating 5/10
Something by The Beatles
This is an absolute cracker of a ballad. It is probably my favourite Beatles track of all time. It is amazingly not one of there better known tracks an even though the pub was empty I'm not sure everyone new it. It has a very moody feel to it with a dreamy guitar and a fantastic orchestral backing to it which when you listen to it in the dark makes you feel like you are floating in a dream. The track was written and sang by the late George Harrison, and is rumored to of been written about his wife. To of written such a beautiful song about someone like this, it goes back to what I have said about how songs can be used to really get you to focus on what being felt by the person who wrote the lyrics to the music. Loved to sing this one tonight and hope it was appreciated. do again rating 10/10
Read My Mind by The Killers
I have been wanting to have a go at this track for a few weeks now. I think this is the bands best track since Mr Brightside. It is a real catchy song and is one of the best tracks around at the moment. It has the usual great riffs the band put out, and the vocals are pretty easy to get to grips with. It is reputedly supposed to be the bands favourite track and you can see why. Great band and would love to go and see them live if ever the chance came about. do again rating 8/10
Never Say Goodbye by Bon Jovi
Now this one was a request by the wife for her Bon Jovi treat tonight. This track is a long forgotten track by the band off there fantastically popular Slippery When Wet album. It was at the time the fourth track released off the album but it never really hit the highs of the other tracks such as Wanted Dead Or Alive, Living On A Prayer or You Give Love A Bad Name. It is however a great song, although the high bits are a little hard to reach. Despite all this it is one of Bon Jovi's best live tracks that they perform, and goes really well in the acoustic section John and Richie do at live shows. do again rating 4/10
What It Takes by Aerosmith
Now onto the last song and an absolute belter. This track is taken from Aerosmith's hugely popular Pump album from 1989 and was released as a single in 1990. Now as I am going to see the band in June I thought it wise to educate the wife in some of the bands rock classics. This is a typical Aerosmith track , with Steven Tylers rasping vocals and Joe Perrys heart stopping guitar riffs. Aerosmith are America's No 1 rock and roll band, and a true equivalent to the U.K.s Rolling Stones, where the similarity's are endless, from big lipped lead singers to the two best lead guitarists in the world. Having seen both bands live it is hard to say who is the best as they are both so good at what they do best, which is put on a fantastic live show. do again rating 6/10
Well there it is. Another week over and done with and hopefully next Thursday will prove to be a busier one. Now as a huge Simpsons fan I am salivating with the excitement of this years Simpsons movie due out in the summer. With that in mind I will, over the next few weeks, along with the now famous Homer quotes, be bringing you some self indulgent Homer clips showing just why he is the worlds favourite idiot. Enjoy folks.
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" Homer J Simpson
Thursday 12th April
It appears that 12th April is officially the most boring day ever! After having a pretty hectic week at work I think that Thursday was the only thing to keep me going, apart from looking forward to going to the Grand National on Saturday, but this week nothing at the pub seemed to be right. After last weeks frenzied approach at the evening, this week went back to the quiet night in and with not many people, and I still only managed to get to sing three this week.
Still not to worry as life is too short to worry about things like not singing enough songs and having to drink too much beer. So as there is not much to talk about this week I will give you a run down on how the busy gig season is going as it is drawing upon us fast. As you will of read a few weeks ago, my summer schedule is now crammed with gigs and I have to admit it will be a great summer if they are all as good as I am hoping they will be, so here goes for the latest info.
- Aerosmith 24th June Hyde Park: Tickets brought a long time ago now and the line up for the gig is beginning to take place with several new bands being added to the list. Along with Chris Cornell, Jet and The Answer we now have Joe Satriani, McQueen, Rueben, Your Codename Is:Milo,Kids In Glass Houses,Brigade-Haunts and Enjoy Destroy to look forward to.
- Rolling Stones 21st August London:After giving up on ever being able to get a hotel near Slane Castle for the Ireland leg of the tour, we miraculously got wind of O2 having pre-order tickets available for the Millenium Dome gig in London. Without a doubt this arena show by the Stones will be the highlight of the year.
- Magnum 24th May Wulfrun Hall: Still not got tickets but I'm sure it won't be hard to pick them up soon (hint hint wifey!!!)
- Download Festival 9th August Donnington: Still no day tickets on sale yet, but having heard the new stuff by Linkin Park I want to see them on the Saturday gig now more and more so will keep a close eye on ticket availability.
- Journey South 6th May Chicago Rock Hanley: No need for tickets for this one although if the wife gets word they are on sale she will buy them. The X-Factor duo are on in Hanley for what I am sure will be two songs and a beer but will go along none the less.
- Status Quo Trentham Gardens: Still no news on tickets
- Jools Holland Trentham Gardens: Still no news on this one either
- Bon Jovi: New album out in the near future so expecting tour news soon.
So that's it for a the gigs line up for the summer, and with a bit of luck the gig reviews should be a good read. On to the very short set list for tonight then. 1. Vertigo by U2 (EZH039-08) 2. 20th Century Boy by T-Rex (SF02401) and 3. Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton (SC888206)
This is probably one of my favorite tracks by U2 and it probably the best rock track they have done. There have been many bands that have tried to do what U2 have done, which is to bring great music to the world but constantly change their style, without losing quality. This is a great song to sing, plenty of great rock riffs and a fast paced lyric that is easy to get to grips with. Click the link to see a great live version of the track from Milan. do again rating 10/10
This is a great track and a seventies glam rock special. Again another radio inspired choice for me to sing this week as I heard it and wanted to have a crack as after Life On Mars I have a bit of a seventies vibe going on at the moment. Its got probably one of the best guitar riffs of the seventies on it, and not many people haven't heard this one before. I've seen many bands do covers of this one and one of the best is included on the link as Def Leppard did a cover on their last album which proves its a great rock track. Easy to sing and a pleasure to have a go at. do again rating 7/10
Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton
Bit of a different vibe for my last song, and definitely not as well know as my other songs tonight, despite being one of Eric Claptons biggest hits! It to me has a bit of a country feel to it and even though I hate country music, this is a great track. Now for all you budding singers out there I have included a karaoke link so you can have a go yourself, but it is probably the worst version ever! Loved singing it as Eric is a true music hero and never gets sang enough on karaoke. do again rating 4/10
So there you go then yet another week of new songs for the year. Next week I am looking to try and rock it up a bit on Thursday so if anyone has any requests get them in before I decide to have a go at my Metallica back catalogue! Now last week I got a bit of stick for exchanging my Homer quote with a Gene Hunt quote but fear not Homer is back and back to stay! Until next time everyone byee!!
"Professor : And there will be a study session after class.
Homer : Do we have to go?
Professor : No.
Homer : Then kiss my curvy butt GOOOOD-BYE!"
Thursday 5th April
Well another Thursday rolls upon us with a bang and as the first Bank Holiday weekend of the year , its an opportunity to get blind drunk on a Thursday and not have to worry about the consequences of over indulging in alcohol. That is unless you have to work on Friday and Saturday like I had to do! Not to worry though, at least I would get to do my usual 4 or 5 songs to at least keep myself entertained, that is unless everybody turns up on the night and the majority of them sing like this week!
To be fair it was quite obvious from when we arrived at the pub that this was going to be a busy night, and it was great to see the pub heaving with people as oppose to the empty seats. There was a birthday party group in who got louder as the night went on, and who sang probably the worst rendition of the Arctic Monkeys you would of ever heard.
Shaun was out with the guys and gals from his work so I had the important duty of noting down all the songs people sang for the karaoke stats page until he arrived. Now I could of used this opportunity to have doctored the stats to put the Stones at the top of the most sang artists league, but as I figured he would twig that I decided to go with the genuine list instead, and I never got to sing any Stones tonight anyway!
Shaun's crowd turned up halfway through the night and still managed to entertain us with a few songs, and as Shaun likes to embarrass his work mates with postings of them singing on You Tube, Captain Jack managed to sneak into the video with a cameo appearance to make my You Tube debut! Oh the fame how will I cope!!!!!
Apart from that not really a bad night. Lots of people means of course a better atmosphere, and that leads to more drink, which in turn led to a huge hangover at work for most of Friday! But at least I only had to cope until lunch.
Anyway on to tonight's songs. Tonight very short set was as follows, 1. Day Tripper by The Beatles (SFMW85004) 2. Baby Fratelli by The Fratellis (SF253-02) and last but not least 3. Life On Mars by David Bowie (LEG00104)
Day Tripper by The Beatles
First song of the night, and this one is one of mine and Andy's favorites to duet together. We have done this one hundreds of times and we spent ages trying to find the perfect karaoke version. Sometimes its easier to just give up on it but I think that the Sunfly version does have a slightly more rock feel to it than the others so it gets my vote. Now apart from always getting the giggles when we accidentally change the lyrics from "Shes A Big Teaser" to "Shes a ..." work it out for yourself!, this is a damn fine song an great to start a karaoke night off with. A little treat for the rockers amongst you. Click on the title to see an extremely rare version of the song by Whitesnake! do again rating : 5/10
Baby Fratelli by The Fratellis
Now in no way have I sang this tonight to:A. get the Fratellis to the top of the most sang artist league B. Because it sends the wife potty or C. as a kind of gay tribute to Shaun. I sang this purely tonight as this song bloody well rocks. This is my favorite track off the fantastic Costello Music album by the Fratellis. It has that ability to get you to want to stand up and jump around and go potty. It has all the element of a seventies glam rock special and does sound a bit T-Rex, but that is a huge compliment to the lads who wrote the track. Its another song that has a catchy chorus which appears to get everyone singing along and its one of the few songs that if people don't know it they tend to stop chatting and listen to it as if they have to find out who it is by. Loved to sing this one and judging by the response it got on the night, it seemed to go down well in the pub as well. do again rating : 10/10
Life On Mars by David Bowie
Now this song was sang for a very good reason tonight, well two actually. Firstly, it was a request from Tina and Hayley after I sang Bowie the other week, and secondly, as a bit of a tribute to the conclusion of the brilliant BBC drama series Life On Mars starring John Simm and Philip Glenister as Sam Tyler and the fabulous Gene Hunt. The song is also one of my favourites as well and has that fantastic seventies Bowie feel to it. Its been really good over the last couple of weeks to do the requests, but when you get requested to sing a great song like this one then its even more of a thrill. As a treat for all the Life On Mars fans I've added a link for you to see the moment Sam found himself trapped in the seventies, all to the fantastic Life On Mars track by Bowie. do again rating : 9/10
Well there you go gang, and as an extra treat above is the Camberwick Green sequence from the show which sadly will of finished by the time next Thursday comes around, and we will all have our own theories on what happened to Sam. At least we will have next years new series Ashes To Ashes to look forward to, where Gene Hunt plies more of his smooth cop ways this time in the 80's in London bashing those southern softies (apologies to my south of Watford readers :-)lol!!) This week I am going to do my best to learn some more new stuff as I do have lots of songs I have been meaning to sing, and with the Easter break upon us I hope to have got my head around some new tracks by next Thursday. As always Its quote time to end with and what better way to end today's blog than this. See you all soon.
[Ordering the hunt for a murderer]
Gene Hunt:This is my city. And it will be a safe place for my wife and my mum to walk around in. Is that understood?
Detectives: Yes, guv.
Gene Hunt (Sternly): Right. Find out who the dead woman was, find out who killed her. Do it now.
[He checks his watch]
Gene Hunt: Hold up, hold up. Do it tomorrow morning, first thing. (Brightly) Beer o'clock, gentlemen
Memorabilia 1st April 2007
Every year at the N.E.C. in Birmingham an event is on that is a dream for people up and down the country, as its a chance to wander around one of the huge event halls dressed up like a fat Darth Vader without being heckled in the streets and called a weirdo. That's right its the memorabilia show! Of course its not all about dressing up and looking daft, it's much more than that. The show covers all genre's of collectible items from T.V, film, music, sports and model making, from groundbreaking shows such as Lost to the classics like Star Wars.
Pictured here is the very car used in the filming of the Back To The Future films that rocketed Micheal J Fox into stardom in the eighties. The DeLorean was the most integral part of the film as it was the time travel machine used by Doc Brown and Marty McFly to travel to the fifties, into the future, and finally to the old west. This was the first thing that hits you as soon as you walked through the doors of the show, and for around £10.00 you could have your photo taken actually sitting in the car, a small price to pay to be pictured in a bit of film history. 
Next up is this bit of memorabilia from that classic Aardman film Chicken Run. As you can see this is one of the models used in production of the film. Made from resin with modeller's clay on the surface this key piece is in wonderful condition. This amazing prop can be seen as Rocky and Ginger try to escape from the dreaded perils of the pie machine. In one scene, Rocky is inside the oven and with the doors slowly closing he falls into pie after pie in a pathetic bid to escape. This is one of those pies complete with "Rocky outline" in the crust. It is, as you would expect, a very rare piece of film history and would set you back around £350.00 but to a serious collector this is a small price to pay for a bit of film history. 
The next bit of film classic we stumbled upon was an actual replica of the terminator robot used in the Terminator 2 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was the second film in the Terminator series and saw Arnie's role go from killer bad guy, as in the first film, to protector and hero. It was also a film in which director James Cameron used some of the best and most original C.G.I. ever used in film history to date. The film grossed millions earning $204.8 million in the States alone, and making Arnie the undisputed king of the box office in 1991. The film went on to win four Oscar's, and has also spawned countless other spin offs such as video games and comics.
Next up is another favourite of mine. This is one of the full body casts of the terrifying aliens from the Alien film series. This actual model was one that was used during the filming of the second, and most famous of the series, the 1986 Aliens. It again starred Sigourney Weaver as the heroine Ellen Ripley. She has to battle the aliens this time on a deserted terraforming colony where the crew of the first film first encountered the alien. She then has to battle the company man Burke, who has been ordered to capture an Alien and take it back to earth. She intervenes and on the way finds a child, Newt, who escaped the Alien attack on the colony. This suit was available to buy at a staggering £3000.00 and you couldn't even use it for fancy dress as it was tiny!
Back to the more easily recognisable stuff now. Picture is one of the props used in a T.V. show we all know Doctor Who. This was one of the props used in the seventies version of the show where most of the props were made from sticky back plastic and bits of plywood, but still had kids cowering from behind settee's up and down the country as the Daleks attempted to figure out how to climb the stairs! This one came complete with a fake Doctor and a cast of unknown's including Trinity from The Matrix!
Now the show is not just about films and T.V., its also a chance to meet and collect the autographs of sports stars. Pictured here is the well know Ian Wright. For around £20.00 you can buy a print of the man himself and queue up to get him to sign it for you and maybe even to get your picture taken with the man himself. Ian Wright had a fantastic playing career playing for Crystal Palace, where he got to and scored in the famous F.A. Cup final of 1990, but more famously he played for Arsenal from 1991-1998 where he won two F.A. Cups, one League Cup, one Cup Winners Cup and one League title in 1998. He also won 33 caps for England and scored 9 goals. He is now better known for his T.V. and radio work. 
Next on the list of all time greats to meet was the world famous Jake LaMotta, better known as The Raging Bull. He was born in 1921 and had 106 professional fights with a record of Won 83 Drew 4 Lost 19. LaMotta won the world title in 1949 beating Frenchman Marcel Cerdan in a brutal encounter. He eventually lost the title to Sugar Ray Robinson on 14th February 1951 , in a fight which was to become known as boxing's Valentines Day Massacre. In 1980, he was the subject of the film entitled Raging Bull, which starred Robert De Niro as LaMotta. It was filmed in black and white and showed the true reality of what a tough life LaMotta had, and is now acclaimed as one of the best boxing films ever.
remaining three James Bond collector plates, depicting the films of Sean Connery one of which is extremely rare and difficult to find in mint condition. Also I picked up a Limited Edition Pewter Homer Simpson figure which is almost impossible to buy and was recently seen being sold on E-Bay for well over £100.00. I paid the whopping sum of £10.00 and I'm sure the seller had no idea of it's value. All in all it's a great day out for all the family, although if you do take the wife with you and you bump into Tony Adams like I did, you can expect this look when you shout out at him "Eh Up Tone!" The Boys Are Back In Town
As many of you will know I am a great lover of rock music, and one of my favourite bands is not one of the big well know bands that everyone has heard of, but a band with a much bigger heart than most of the current rock bands knocking about today. They are of course Gun's & Oatcakes. The band is in no way a Gun's & Roses tribute act, as the name would suggest, in fact they are more of a Thin Lizzy tribute act in all fairness as Steve Johnson, the wily old lead vocalist and lead guitarist, was once a great friend of the sadly past away lead singer of Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott.
The band has been going now for what seems an eternity. I can remember first going to see them back in around 1988 at the Wheatsheaf in Stoke and thinking they were the best thing since sliced bread! I soon became a bit of a groupie, following the band all around the city at all manner of venues such as The Highwayman near Cheadle, The Oxford Arms at May Bank, The Talbot in Stoke and at their regular performances at Yates Wine Lodge in Hanley. I also caught the band at The Limelight Club in Crewe where they played a regular gig, and at Burslems fantastically named pub The Sagger Maker's Bottom Knocker (Saggers for short). The band also used to play at many of the city's working men's clubs such as Norton, Smallthorne, Pits Hill, Longton and of course Fegg Hayes.
Unfortunately, due to the fact Steve could never seem to keep a band line-up for long enough to make a serious run of things as in the past, as they never seemed to have the same drive to perform as Steve has got, he finally decided to give up the ghost and call it a day last year at a benefit gig for local cancer charity's including the Donna Louise Trust on the 16th June 2006. The gig was a huge success, and raised loads of money for the charities concerned, but obviously had a huge tinge of sadness surrounding it as the Oatcakes were to be no more.........
That is until I got wind of a reunion gig in prospect for the band. I eagerly checked out the Gun's & Oatcakes web page and found it to be true! The band were reforming for a few more gig's after a huge response for them to get back together from the public. The gig was scheduled for 31st March 2007 at Fegg Hayes Working Men's Club and I was going to make sure I was there to see the boys rock out again on stage. Now I admit this venue is not exactly the home of rock music, in fact quite the opposite, with three hour games of bingo more likely to be played here than good rock music, but a Guns & Oatcakes reunion does exactly what it says on the tin and I was sure they would rock the joint. Every time you go to see the guys it is more like a huge family gathering, as over the years Steve has made many friends who always seem to turn up for the gigs every time you go to see them. I kind of knew what to expect on the night and the set list was full of the old regular tunes that Steve plays so well. I took with me the wife as usual and G & O newbies Shaun and Lisa. The set list was as follows:- Thunderstruck by AC/DC
- Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love by Van Halen
- Love Ain't No Stranger by Whitesnake
- Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own by U2
- Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
- Strangers In The Night by Saxon
- Don't Believe A Word by Thin Lizzy
- Black Rose by Thin Lizzy
- WORLDS LONGEST BINGO BREAK
- Beautiful Day by U2
- Sweet Child Of Mine by Gun's And Rose's
- Times Like These by The Foo Fighters
- Hysteria by Def Leppard
- Vertigo by U2
- Boys Of Summer/20th Century Boy/My Heart Will Go On by Don Henley/T-Rex/Celine Dion
- In These Arms by Bon Jovi
- First Encore
- One Night Love Affair by Bryan Adams
- Enter Sandman by Metallica
- Second Encore
- Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy
- It was a rousing end to the set as the boys rounded the night off with the classic Thin Lizzy track, and I'm sure Shaun was impressed by the guitar performance from Steve. It was obvious that the boys had not played together much recently, and the night was tinged with sadness as a close friend of Steve had passed away earlier in the day and it was obvious he was clearly very upset by this. But the consummate professional in him showed through as he carried the band through the set with ease. The new line up includes Steve on Vocals and Lead Guitar, Jack Rowe on Rhythm Guitar and Vocals, Karl Arran Johnson on Bass Guitar and Vocals (Steve's son) and Chris Hayes on Drums.
I was chuffed to see Steve again on the scene and it was quite apparent that the band was a bit put out at the bingo break which put them off their stride a bit. This is supposed to be just a few gigs put together due to public response, but having known Steve for as long as I have, I'm surprised it's taken him this long to get back on stage again and I'm sure the boys will be back in town again soon rocking as they do with the usual suspects watching them, and hopefully a few new ones too.
Thursday 29th March
Lets Get This Party Started......
No lets just go to the Hotel and sing ourselves stupid again!. Hello all to the weekly dose of karaoke fun. Its that time again when all things karaoke come to a head and I spend all day thinking of what to sing, with a hope of the radio at work giving some inspiration or maybe the release of a new disc to have a go at. It was to prove to be the first week I got to do requests that were put up on the blog this week as well so thanks for that and special mentions will be on the way later.
It appears to have gone back to the non-singers coming into the pub of a Thursday and letting us do all the work. Never mind though, as this is great for an egomaniac like myself to improve myself to a standard of perfection. It just goes to show that even though week after week in the past we took the karaoke for granted a little but now it appears if it wasn't for us no-one would get up to entertain the rest of the pub.
Its been a very busy week this week, what with acquiring the new PS3 and also two other items that blogs will appear on very soon. Firstly, the reforming of one of my good friends bands Guns And Oatcakes. After almost a year the guys have got back together initially to do a few special dates in response to the public begging them to gig again but methinks this will turn out as a full time effort again from the lads. Secondly, myself and Hayley went to the Memorabilia show at the N.E.C. in Birmingham. Its a show dedicated to film and T.V. and allows you to purchase no end of goodies at reasonable prices. My god I sound like a salesman for the thing now! It is a great day out though and I'll fill you in more later in the week.
Tonight's songs include another four new songs for the year although I have sung a couple before, albeit a long time ago. They also include two request from people although they both beat me in the pub for doing an Andy Pipkin impression while they were singing (You know who you are :-)!!!!!!!!!!)
The songs this week were as follows 1. Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones (SC896412) 2. Modern Love by David Bowie (SC228807) 3. Mr Blue Sky by E.L.O. (SF07901) and finally 4. Bed Of Roses by Bon Jovi (DK07601)
Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones
Now I have said before that the Stones have had some great rock riffs in the past, but this one is probably one of the most well known. If you don't believe me just click on the title to watch a great live performance to judge for yourself. It is one of the bands truly great songs, and I have heard many people do covers of this song, but none as good as Mick Jagger's vocals. It starts with a great guitar intro and moves into the vocals with ease. My favorite part of the song is the Yeah Yeah Yeah Woo... part at the end, which in the live shows is a crowd participation part which usually sends them potty! Easy to sing and a firm favorite of mine. do again rating: 10/10
Modern Love by David BowieAnother one from my collection of 80's classics. A great song to sing this one. To be honest I had never of thought of doing this one before and I'm not sure where the inspiration to sing it came from but really enjoyed having a bash at a bit of Bowie for a change, and this one may inspire me to do a few more of his classics. This also has great sing-a-long-ability to it and has a great fast paced beat which is definitely toe-tapping! do again rating: 8/10
The first of my requests tonight (thank you Tina) . An absolute classic song by Birmingham band E.L.O. This band is much forgotten by a lot of people, and don't always get the credit they deserve for some truly fantastic tracks it the past. This is one of their most famous tracks from the late 70's and has that retro feel about it. It also, as do most E.L.O. tracks, got that operatic quality that the band brought into their music which made listening to their music more of an experience than the other stuff around at the time. The band has plenty of other stuff out on karaoke and being a fan, I expect to do some more of their stuff soon. If you click on the song title you will see how a more well known, up to date band used the music to their own ends with great results. do again rating: 5/10
So finally this year the nagging and constant moaning from the wife has paid off and I get round to singing a Bon Jovi track. As a rock fan the band took my interest firstly due to the Slippery When Wet album in the mid-eighties. I can remember sitting in my bedroom playing air guitar and singing along to the album constantly. The album was full of tracks known by pretty much everyone today, and as a band they are one of the biggest bands in the world today due to that album. This track is from the bands fifth album, the hugely popular Keep The Faith LP, released in 1992, and went on to be a huge hit all over the world. It is a typical rock ballad, which has a great guitar performance by Richie Sambora and a great vocal from JB himself. In my link I have included a version of the song from the now famous "Evening with Bon Jovi" set recorded by MTV in 1992. This prove to be an pivotal moment in the band's history and is regarded by many as their best ever live performance. I'm sure that Hayley wasn't to disappointed in my attempt at the song and with any luck she will get to hear me sing it again. do again rating: 8/10
So there you go then. Another good batch of songs tonight. I hope that you will pop on a few more request for me, it was good not having to think too much this week on what to sing. I also wish to add that I have now given up on trying to beat the Fratelli conspiracy into getting the most sung artist chart title. In fact I am going to help them win it, as this coming Thursday I hope to have a crack at Baby Fratelli, which has just come out on karaoke, and is probably my favourite track off the album, that is if I can beat Shaun into putting the request in. For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, if you click on the song title in my review of each track, you get linked to the You Tube website and get to listen to the track. Shaun has also got this on his list of tracks sang on the night so for all you fans of old videos and classic clips get clicking on the links and enjoy. So onto my Homer quote for this week. I have tried to link a quote to how I feel the week has progressed and this week I have come up with this little gem. See you all soon.
"As I got up in front of them, I felt an intoxication that had nothing to do with alcohol. It was the intoxication of being a public spectacle." Homer J Simpson