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