Ahoy there shipmates. Do not fear anymore, I am back at Captain Jack HQ to bring you your weekly dose of fun. I’m sure you all missed me while I was out pillaging another country, and I took the Black Pearl on a little trip to Brugge in Belgium, where I managed to find that the Belgiums are almost as adept at drinking as I am, with one bar with over 400 beers to choose from! I mean imagine trying to drink your way through that menu, still I gave it a good go, although I passed out after about 199!
All that said and done it cleared my head in preparation for bringing you the best blog on the web. Last weeks Hot Chicks Gallery has given me the chance to see that there are many opportunities to give the odd weekly specials every once in a while, just you know to recharge the old batteries. So with all that free time I had, then I suppose you will be thinking that I had time to research all new items to appear on the blog, and in the coming weeks you won’t be disappointed, as yes new features will be making an appearance, and some will be taking a summer break! But don’t worry lads, the Hot Chicks will be staying put!
MISSION TO SAVE PLANET ROCK
In response to many of your kind enquiries .... yes, those few words on the Soapbox about Planet Rock DID lead to me getting involved in mounting a rescue operation to save the station. I can't tell you who I am 'in league' with, but I am part of a small group of people who have great hopes that we will succeed in taking over the station, and putting it on a firm footing, for the benefit of its growing audience.I regard Planet Rock as rather more than just a radio station - it is a symbol of free radio ... radio which is not run by large corporate organisations for the purpose of making tons of money, and has a free choice of what it plays. I'm not going to run down any particular radio station - this country has some talented and dedicated people working in music radio ...
But I do feel that, for a healthy climate for music in this country, we need to allow small independent stations to exist alongside the huge FM giants. I listen to radio in my car, one of the few times I am 'in my own space' - and, for me, who grew up with Zeppelin, the Who, Hendrix, Traffic, AC/DC, Van Halen ... THE BEATLES ..... tell me, where can you hear music from these kinds of artists these days ? You'll have a hard job finding "Kashmir" flicking through the channels in the UK. DAB Radio has had a brave start, and can provide freedom from domination by commercially minded programming, but it might, at this point, slip between the cracks. I believe this cause is worth supporting ... and will be doing my best to put my money and expertise, where my mouth is ! We hope to be able to make an announcement soon. In the meantime, of you agree with me ... Demand your Planet Rock !! Demand your DAB !!!;">
Now lets move on with this weeks blog. As always there is the usual great selection of goodies for you to choose from, with Karaoke Classics back, another Classic Track, Live Is Best, and extremely Hot Chick, Celebrity Star Wars, Ask The Captain and lots, lots more, but to start off with, here is this weeks………
I bet you missed this last week didn’t you. Now I’m sure that some of you this week will get this one straight away, and others will probably of never even heard of the song. But I can assure you it is one of the best songs by one of the best known bands in the world, and if you don’t get it from the clues, then I’m sorry but I want 100 lines on my desk Monday morning “I must pay more attention to Captain Jack and not just spend my time ogling the Hot Chicks” So lets crack on the here is the picture followed by those three cunning little clues.
1. It was released in 1967 but never charted in the UK, and only reached number 25 in the US charts.2. John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin, arranged the strings of this song during his session days.
3. It has been used in several advertising campaigns, firstly for Apple iMac, and most recently for S-no I’m not telling you it will give it away!
Got it? Sure you have. But for those slower on the uptake, probably due to excess sun hitting the old noggin, the flick through all the good stuff and get straight to the answer at the end of the blog. But for those with stamina and staying power, then read on, there's loads of good stuff still to come. Speaking of which!
It took several hours of following that particular bike to take that picture, so I hope you all appreciate the hard work I put into this every week. Time for a bit of class now, with this weeks....
Classic Track #15This weeks classic track is from a band I have been going on about for many moons now, even though they had rumours of being a Christian Rock band, it never put me off, as they are a band that use the media to help promote themselves in any way possible, and when they do rock out then they can be very loud, like all good rock bands should be.
The track Higher is one that best brings to light that fine line between God Rock and using the media to promote yourself. When it was released it was rumoured that the song was about Christ’s ascension into heaven, and generally about the belief in the resurrection, and being taken to a better place, but in truth the song had less religious overtones and had its story in much easier to understand meanings. In fact it is about lucid, or conscious dreaming! In an interview, lead singer Scott Stapp said "You're physically asleep, but you're awake in your mind. I read a book about Hindu monks who have perfected the technique and thought it might help me squelch a recurring nightmare where I'm running down a highway, closely pursued by a man with a gun. I turn left and hides behind a pillar beneath an overpass but get shot anyway.” Stapp says that once he learned how to lucid-dream, he was able to alter the nightmare so that he turned right and escaped. After he wrote "Higher" about the experience, he never had the nightmare again.
Creed originally came together and formed a band in 1993 under the name Naked Toddler when Scott Stapp and guitarists Mark Tremonti and Brian Brasher who were college friends, got together and started collaborating and writing songs. They soon added bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. Brian Marshall came up with the band name Creed, which was taken from the name of his former band, Mattox Creed.
Once the band was complete as a five-piece in late 1993, they band was soon dominating the Tallahassee local music scene and was one of the only local bands playing all original music in a town where club owners wanted local bands to play cover songs and music that people know. The five members had already written and collaborated three of the songs that would go on to become chart topping singles on their debut album My Own Prison.They then found work at a live music bar, where they impressed promoters Jeff Hanson and Andy Levine enough to let them play at one of their bigger venues known as Floyd's Music Store on the Tennessee Street Strip.
Creed emerged from a good-sized pack of post-grunge contenders to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands in America during the late '90s. At a time when many other Seattle disciples were lapsing into inactivity or experimenting with less commercially established sounds, Creed carried the torch of straightforward, grungy hard rock without apology, and they were amply rewarded, selling millions upon millions of albums in just a few years' time. That success didn't translate into critical acclaim. Based on their frequently spiritual lyrics, some observers lumped them in with a new breed of alternative-styled Christian bands that had begun crossing over to the mainstream; however, Creed tried to distance themselves from being pigeonholed as an exclusively religious band out to convert their listeners. Neither critical derision nor a potential secular backlash could derail the band, however, and they went into the new millennium as a seemingly unstoppable commercial juggernaut.
Their first album My Own Prison hit the top of the US album charts, and they were the first US band to have four number one song from a debut album. Still the music critics failed to like the band. So, when the group unleashed their second album, Human Clay, in 1999, the industry, critics, and record collectors alike were stunned, positively stunned, when it entered the charts at number one, then stayed in the upper reaches of the charts for months on end. Nobody could figure out why this group managed to not just survive, but thrive.
At the time, not only were post-grunge bands dying, but so were such grunge heavy weights as Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Listening to Human Clay doesn't really reveal any insights, either, since it is hard rock rooted firmly in the Seattle vein, complete with really big riffs and intensely introspective lyrics. But unlike their influences, like Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden, who love to be known as miserable bands Creed is happy to be a rock band.
After months of speculation in June 2004, Creed officially announced their break-up. Over nearly a decade, the band sold over 30 million albums worldwide and became one of the biggest touring draws of the 1990s. Scott Stapp began recording his debut solo album, The Great Divide, while the other band members, including former bassist Brian Marshall formed a new band, Alter Bridge, with Myles Kennedy. Creed produced some of the best post grunge music at a time when rock was changing, and despite the links or none links to the Christian belief, the band are one of the best of the nineties.
Cinderella is now 95 years old. After a fulfilling life with the now dead prince, she happily sits upon her rocking chair, watching the world go by from her front porch, with a cat named Bob for companionship. One sunny afternoon out of nowhere, appeared the fairy godmother.
Cinderella said, "Fairy Godmother, what are you doing here after all these years"? The fairy godmother replied, "Cinderella, you have lived an exemplary life since I last saw you. Is there anything for which your heart still yearns?"
Cinderella was taken aback, overjoyed, and after some thoughtful consideration, she uttered her first wish: "The prince was wonderful but not much of an investor. I'm living hand to mouth on my disability checks, and I wish I were wealthy beyond comprehension".
Instantly her rocking chair turned into solid gold.
Cinderella said, "Ooh, thank you, Fairy Godmother".
The fairy godmother replied "it is the least that I can do. What do you want for your second wish?"
Cinderella looked down at her frail body, and said, "I wish I were young and full of the beauty and youth I once had."
At once, her wish became reality, and her beautiful young visage returned. Cinderella felt stirrings inside of her that had been dormant for years.
And then the fairy godmother spoke once more: "You have one more wish; what shall it be?"
Cinderella looks over to the frightened cat in the corner and says, "I wish for you to transform Bob, my old cat, into a kind and handsome young man."
Magically, Bob suddenly underwent so fundamental a change in his biological make-up that, when he stood before her, he was a man so beautiful the likes of him neither she nor the world had ever seen. The fairy godmother said, "Congratulations, Cinderella, enjoy your new life. With a blazing shock of bright blue electricity, the fairy godmother was gone as suddenly as she appeared.
For a few eerie moments, Bob and Cinderella looked into each other's eyes. Cinderella sat, breathless, gazing at the most beautiful, stunningly perfect man she had ever seen. Then Bob walked over to Cinderella, who sat transfixed in her rocking chair, and held her close in his young muscular arms. He leaned in close, blowing her golden hair with his warm breath as he whispered.........
BET YOU'RE SORRY YOU NEUTERED ME."
Avast me bilge sucking land lubbers and welcome to another meeting of one of me fearsome crew mates. Yarrrharr de harrr arrrrr! This week I am introducing to you all one of the finest and upstanding members of the pirate community. He sails on his boat The Angry Barnacle, and he goes by the name of Bloody John Vane or as you know him Gordon Ramsey. Shiver me Timbers!!
Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others like my matey here it's the food! Splice the mainbrace!! But get on his wrong side an ouch his bite is as bad as his bark. He does tend to blend into the background occasionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way! Thar She Blows. And this bugger will do that an then serve you up with a tasty salad and some fancy sauce Savvy?
Well I’m off now to poop another deck and Roger me Jolly’s but don’t fear for to long as I’ll be back with more of me crew next week. Yaaarr harrrrrrrgggggghhhhh
Its time to get back to my old friend Ronnie Wood, who last week enjoyed a rest as well, but he still managed to take time out of his busy schedule to send in this weeks picture for his Bull Plop story. This week it centers on one of his bestest mate’s in the whole world Mick Jagger, who has heaped his praise on one of the worlds fattest singers, and I’m not on about Pavarotti or that Renée and Renato pair! Not its sing a long a fat bird Adele, who recently had a hit with Breaking sorry Chasing Pavements.
It appears that Mick has given the roly poly songstress his seal of approval. He apparently warmed to her at a gale dinner held by his daughter Jade. Other dinners were apparently put off by Adele table manners, but Mick defended her by saying that he loved her couldn’t care less attitude. As you can see from Ronnie’s picture, it looks like the pair got on really well. More from the little scamp next week!
Have I got a treat for you this week guy’s. I’m pretty sure that you won’t know this weeks entry into the Hot Chick Hall of Fame, but that hasn’t stopped me from bringing you the hottest of chicks has it. This weeks newest entry is none other than…
Now that is a bit of a mouthful isn’t it, but for the more picky amongst you, she is actually married to French football star Christian Karembeu, which now makes her name a much more manageable Adriana Karembeu. She was born in Brezno, a small town of central Slovakia. Having originally studied medicine in Prague, Adriana gave up her studies to become a model, thank god for that, although having her check your pulse is something I’m sure you would all pay good money for.
She was born in a financially strapped country, and coming to a new world of fashion was a big change for her. As she says: "I've changed my life from black to white. There was nothing like fashion in Slovakia. I would like to keep working in this amazing world after the ending of my modeling career. I appreciate the proposal of the Italian movie director Carlo Vanzina for making a movie, but I think that was too involving for me, I'm too busy now. I also think that a model should not diversify too much her objectives."
With her incredible beauty and 6'0" frame, she was instantly snatched up by Next modeling agency in New York, and Elite Modeling in Milan. Though her big break came after being chosen as the new Wonder Bra girl which placed her on billboards all over the world. Now as you know I always try to bring you only the very best pictures of the Hot Chick in action, and I’m sure you would love to see one of her Wonderbra pictures wouldn’t you…
She has represented several leading fashion and other brand companies including Argentovivo, Byron Lars, Laura Biagiotti, Levante Hosiery, List, Love Sex Money, Onyx Jeans, Peroni Beer, Red Point, and Roberto Cavalli. It was her campaign for Peroni Beer that really launched her career, and helped pave the road for her current success, by highlighting her as the ultimate beer woman.And lets face it, if she offered you a beer you would drink it!
For Adriana height has never been an issue. Believe it or not, Adriana was documented in The Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest supermodel legs: they are an incredible 50 inches long. That's a lot of surface area to kiss, massage and enjoy in several ways, well at least if you a has been French footballer with a dodgy wig. Now you don’t think I’d let this moment pass without a peek at those record breaking legs do you.
She is very accomplished as a model, having graced the covers of numerous fashion magazines, including just about every men's magazine around. She is now a favorite among fashion designers as well, especially Vivianne Westwood. Her face is recognizable (not to mention other parts of her anatomy), but mostly to Europeans. In North America, she has yet to enter the public's imagination, but to be fair the yanks have always been slow on th uptake! Lets take another peek at what they are missing out on.
Adriana is now happily living in Madrid, with her ex soccer player husband Christian Karembeu. The marriage was a major event in Spain in December of 1998, since Adriana is one of the best known models in Europe, and her husband was the star of one of the country's leading soccer teams. She describes herself as a normal home comfort loving girl who likes nothing more than to keep the house tidy and enjoy a nice soak in the bath, such as in this next picture.
Like all models do in their time, she was offered shed loads of cash to pose nude for all manner of lads mags, but she held firm her belief of no nudity, that is until Playboy offered twice as much as anyone else to get naked for them! Now as I said before I do like to bring you the best of the available pictures of my Hot Chicks, and after several hour on the Playboy website, I think this one is about the most tastefull!
So that’s just about it for the lovely Adriana then, I think that covers just about everything. Legs, modelling career, married to another half wit footballer, the Wonderbra stuff, her in the bath, legs again, now is there anything I have missed. Ah of course yes she is also a modle for Victoria’s Secret underware, so lets end this week with a look at Adriana in some of her undies! Another Hot Chick to enjoy next week.
Yes its time now to delve into the world of celebrity want to be’s again, with another edition of Celebrity Star Wars. This week it’s the turn of Wayne’s World star Garth, who looks very striking as his hero Anakin Skywalker. As Garth famously once said, that Princess Leia is a babe. She makes me feel all funny, like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. Wait until he finds out his character turns into Garth Vader (deliberate spelling mistake there folks!) and that Leia is actually his daughter. I imagine he would probably then say something more like I'm having a good time... Not, rather than his usual catchphrase Schwing! Still if he did get the part I’m sure one thing he would do would be to get his best mate Wayne in the film, so they could both say to George Lucas We're not worthy We're not worthy We're not worthy!!!!!
Phew its been a very hot week this week, and what better way to cool off that a drink at my very own bar, so lets all nip off for a quick one at…….
Sex Kitten
2 shots of Aftershock Red
1 shot of Alize Red Passion
2 Teaspoons of Marachino Liqueur
1 cinnamon stick
1 maraschino cherry
1 dash of cinnamon
Mix the Aftershock (red)and the Maraschino liqueur together. Add the Red Passion to the drink and stir in the ground cinnamon. Add a stick of cinnamon and top with a Maraschino cherry. Guaranteed to make you a Sex Kitten overnight!
Right I missed out on this one last week. Sex Kitten eh purr purr purr! Now lets get a load of this one round the old choppers then. Jeez its got a kick like a Japanese Game Show Contestant that little bugger has. Letsch shee iff the bar type pershon can mixcsh aniver one.
Sho let me tell yosuh aboutuut me holibobs then. Whishtle I wos awaysh I vishedted several drinking estiiibloshmonts a do you know something matey me old cock schparrow peeks, could I find a dechent kebab schopp no I biddy couldn’t. Nosh a one I caon tellch yoyu. An thosh birds in de barsh were al speakin funny me old china. To be hhoneshcht, I ad to jush point a wot I wash dwoinki to getch the fick fuggers to underschtand me a timesch. Jush woot ish the world cominck to I hask you!
Now my little break was as much to recuperate after reading so many of the heart warming letters I have been getting from some of you in my mail sack. And while I was away a veritable feast of letters arrived on my doorstep, leading Royal Mail to set up my own personal postman to deliver the post by the wagonload. Some of the most needy of you have been whittled down by my dedicated team of staff, leaving the most needy for me to help here at the Captain’s Advice Desk, such as this letter here from Rodney in Clapton. He writes:
My girlfriend recently broke up with me after a years of being together. We were apart from each other for 6 months but kept in contact everyday and when we met after that were all over each other. She came over to stay but with my work commitments she had to stay with her sister and I stayed with my parents. But even though we were apart I tired to see here every weekend. Once I went over on a weekday to surprise her, it was Valentines day, and I wrote her a poem and brought her flowers, but found that she was out with someone else, and I suspect I was another man. I tried to call her but she did not pick her calls up and I ended up leaving her over 300 voicemails.
One day I decided to follow her to see what the problem was. She met with someone I suspected at the time it was another man. They went to the cinema, and as I have now lost my job I had to wait outside for them in the pouring rain for over two hours, which I found very suspicious. They went back to what I suspect was his house, the lights went on in the upstairs, and I saw what I suspect was the pair of them in a strange position, but as I was up a tree at the time I am not quite sure. As the light went off I rang the doorbell and ran off, as I’m sure that would of stopped them in their tracks.
I have tried to see her, by camping outside her house, but the council have insisted I move on as my toilet habits leave a lot to be desired, and cooking pigeons is apparently not legal, unless you own a curry house. I think she is confused and maybe scared of me, I don't know why? Can you give some sound advice Captain Jack.
Captain Jack Replies:
Are you lot taking the p#%s again. I told you no losers. Right lets have a crack then, Mate, you’re a stalker! This girl obviously thinks you’re a weirdo. I mean look at your photo. The caveman look went out years ago. She might be scared of you, because you look like a monster, so why not wear a costume, or just put a bag over your head!.
Get the message, she's NOT interested. If she broke up with you, then she’s probably banging guys in clubs and forgetting all about you. My answer - Forget and move on - or - jump of a cliff. I don’t really care either way, but the latter would be more amusing. Back off psycho and leave the nice lady alone or I’ll come round to your tent and stick you with me cutlass. By the way, have you tried my new monkey pate? goes down well at parties. I hope this helps, and don’t forget to keep reading.
Well after all that helpfulness its time to move swiftly on to this weeks music section. We have for you a feast of musical excellence this week for you to enjoy. Another three Karaoke Classics to enjoy, a bit of fun in the Alternative Musical History, but lets get started with this weeks classic live track from one of the best live bands to come out of the UK, with this weeks………
Def Leppard ~ Pour Some Sugar On Me
Denver 1988
Moving swiftly on to this weeks Karaoke Classics. Another rather good night again, and our title of resident quiz champions is coming under no threat so far, despite one of the team shouting out the answer to one of the questions for all the pub to hear, we still won by a mile! So the Captain Jack Quiz team continues to defend its title with very little resistance. I just wonder how many weeks will go by before we are either banned from taking part, or end up as the only team taking part, still the £10 drinks voucher does go down very well, and for the fourth time since the quiz night started in conjunction with the Karaoke, it took us around 10 seconds to spend the bugger!
As for the singing, well I managed another three classics this week. They were 1. Feel Like Makin’ Love by Bad Company 2. The Riddle by Nik Kershaw and 3. Where The Streets Have No Name by U2
Feel Like Makin’ Love by Bad Company
Highest UK Chart Position: Number 20 October 1975
A proper rock classic to start off with this week. The track was by British super group Bad Company, and was the second track off the bands second album Straight Shooter. The band consisted of Paul Rodgers on vocals, bass player Boz Burrell, who had been in King Crimson, lead guitarist Mick Ralphs, formally of Mott The Hoople, and drummer Simon Kirte, who had been in Free with Paul Rodgers. The band were managed by Peter Grant, who had guided Led Zeppelin to huge success.
Singer Rodgers was so enamoured of the film Bad Company, that he chose to name his band after it. The film was also reportedly the inspiration for the band's eponymous album and breakthrough single. Bad Company is one of a handful of bands that literally define Rock and Roll. For 21 years, Bad Company has epitomized a style that values song form and the band concept over the particular of individual solo careers. In the process, Bad Co built itself into one of rock’s most durable and popular touring acts, providing the standard by which such disparate groups as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bon Jovi and the Black Crowes have publicly measured themselves.
Since its inception in 1974, Bad Co has carried the banner for hard rock in its most intense, forceful identity. Anchored by two of the finest players of their generation, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, the band built its reputation on the strength of an approach to song writing that stressed the unity of the sound ahead of visual or instrumental flashiness. This simple, straightforward approach is the distillation of Rock and Roll's most potent qualities. Such formal clarity has allowed the group to weather the disruptive forces of constantly-changing pop fads, the visual distractions of the video age and the inevitable personnel changes that occur in the lifetime of any band that has made it as far as Bad Company.
Bad Company ruled the airwaves and the concert stages as the 70s wore on, becoming one of the most sought-after live acts in the business. By their second US Tour in 1975, they were selling out all performances. The second album Straight Shooter remained in the Top Five for over a month and produced Feel Like Makin‘ Love. In 1976, the third album Run With The Pack was certified Gold only two weeks after the release and remained on the charts for nine months. Ralphs' Live For The Music from that album became a statement of purpose for the band.
Despite the huge success, the band suffered problems, and their tours became plagued with violence, fuelled by drink and drugs, in the crowd as well as on stage. But the final straw came when Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died, and when managed Peter Grant lost interest with the band, the original line up disbanded. They still tour today, with a different line up of course, and vocalist Paul Rodgers is now of course touring with the remaining members of Queen.
The Riddle by Nik Kershaw
Highest UK Chart Position: Number 3 December 1984
Ah Nik Kershaw, what a weird little song you came up with here. This song doesn't appear to make much sense when the lyrics are studied closely, so many theories have popped up regarding the meaning, many of them concerning drugs. Nik Kershaw had written the music but had no idea what the song was going to be about, so to practice the tune he added random lyrics to be used until he made the song properly, but he ran out of time and had to use the lyrics on the album. He named the song The Riddle because that's essentially what it is.
The music video to "The Riddle" depicts Kershaw walking through a house shaped like a question mark, making his way through certain obstacles and looking through drawers while singing. At the beginning of the music video Nik is seen trying to get through a door with a screwdriver, it ends with the camera moving up away from Nik to reveal that the question mark is lying in the street, at which point a man in a green costume seen earlier in the video comes and picks it up. The green man is the Riddler, a villain from the Batman comics. Kershaw claimed the video was inspired by his love for post-modern artistic expressionism.
During the mid-'80s, Nik Kershaw managed to score a handful of pop hits and, in doing so, establish himself as a profitable commercial songwriter. Kershaw began his musical career by learning to play guitar when he was a teenager. In 1974, he joined his first band, Half Pint Hogg, which played nothing but Deep Purple covers. However, his musical ideas were not limited to heavy metal; after he left school, he joined a jazz-funk band called Fusion. Fusion released one album, ‘Til I Hear From You, in the late '70s. Once the group broke up, Kershaw signed to MCA Records with the help of Nine Below Zero's manager, Micky Modern. Kershaw released his first solo single, I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, in 1983, which peaked at number 47 on the UK charts. His next single, Wouldn't It Be Good, hit number five in the UK and charted at number 46 in the US. Its success led to stardom in Britain for Kershaw. I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me was re-released in summer of 1984 and charted at number two, leading to a series of hit singles. Released in 1986, his third album, Radio Musicola, wasn't as successful as his previous albums. Kershaw subsequently retreated from performing and recording regularly. Although he released The Works in 1990, Kershaw's main musical contribution since the late '80s is as a songwriter. He's written several songs for other artists, including Chesney Hawke's hit single The One and Only. After years of writing for others, Kershaw returned with his own 15 Minutes for Pyramid Records last year.
Where The Streets Have No Name by U2
Highest UK Chart Position: Number 4 September 1987
The mighty U2 to end with tonight. This one is one of their best in my opinion, but critically it wasn’t as liked as their other hits at the time. It failed to equal the dominance of its two chart-topping predecessors, With or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, from U2's 1987 blockbuster The Joshua Tree. However, its insistent, propulsive rhythmic drive and anthemic chorus eventually earned the song its status as part of the uppermost echelon of the band's repertoire, and an enduring fan favourite. With the slow build of its arrangement toward a climactic peak, Where the Streets Have No Name was a perfect album-opener, fading in first with atmospheric synths that gave no indication of the song's tempo. The Edge then entered with an up-tempo, chiming guitar, run through a delay effect in which each note rang out twice to make it sound even busier. While bassist Adam Clayton maintained a steadily driving pulse, Larry Mullens drums kept time in 16th notes for much of the song, and the percussive guitar effects picked up the slack when he dropped into a looser, less demanding pattern. This perpetual forward momentum lent greater force to the song's lyrics, which pleaded for a utopian sort of freedom vaguely linked with natural imagery and an escape from urbanization. Bono's delivery was passionate and grandiose, his commitment to the material unshakable.
Producer Brian Eno estimated that the recording of this song absorbed over 40% of the time spent on The Joshua Tree. Eno became so frustrated trying to mix the track that he almost destroyed the tape and started over. According to the co-producer Daniel Lanois, the assistants never followed Eno's frustrated instructions to wipe the tape. This is the first track on The Joshua Tree, which became the fastest selling album in both the US and UK.
The video showed U2 putting on an impromptu concert on the roof of The Million Dollar Hotel in Los Angeles. Some onlookers were delighted, while others were upset because they were stopping traffic. It won the Grammy for Best Performance Music Video in 1989.When asked about the similarity between U2's rooftop video and The Beatles rooftop concert, Bono said, "We've ripped off The Beatles many times before."
In 1985, Bono visited Ethiopia after performing at Live Aid. Many people assumed this song was about that trip, since the streets there really don't have names, just numbers. The song is actually about Ireland. In Ireland, and Northern Ireland, the many cities were at the time divided into rich/poor, Catholic/Protestant, etc. By knowing which street a person lives on you can tell their religion, wealth and beliefs - it's where the streets have no name. Bono said in an interview in Propaganda Magazine “ Where the Streets Have No Name is more like the U2 of old than any of the other songs on the LP, because it's a sketch - I was just trying to sketch a location, maybe a spiritual location, maybe a romantic location. I was trying to sketch a feeling. I often feel very claustrophobic in a city, a feeling of wanting to break out of that city and a feeling of wanting to go somewhere where the values of the city and the values of our society don't hold you down. An interesting story that someone told me once is that in Belfast, by what street someone lives on you can tell not only their religion but tell how much money they're making - literally by which side of the road they live on, because the further up the hill the more expensive the houses become. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name.”
Last up in the music section this week is the Alternative Music History. One of the most scary men in rock is Alice Cooper. I mean not only has he got a girls name, but he just looks like the kind of bloke who would frighten you just because he could. Lets face it he just looks like a nutter. But what if he had taken a different path, and maybe say taken up a bit of the old knees up Cockney style, as a Pearly King. He would have been a lot less scary singing such Cockney Classics as Me nobbies are acting up again, Someone's half-inched me pint, I 'ad one over the eight last night and got completely Olivered and the classic This cough is killing me pants and vest.
Lets nip over to Hollywood now for the latest blockbuster to never be seen, although this next one may well end up being made in this weeks...
Now you would usually be getting the It's A Funny Old Game story this week, but I couldn't resist a slight change this week. So instead of a funny old game, this week is a celebration of the beautiful game itself. Sunday afternoon at around 3.20 this happened....
Then at around 4.30 this happened.....
Which led to this happening at around 5.00
Which meant that just after 5.00 this happened...
Which was followed by this......
Which led to having this happen........
And then of course it was inevitable that led to this happening.....
But what did it all mean, well for those who haven't worked it out yet, and this has been one of my more obvious articles, it meant this......
Well that is just about it for this week. For those who have snuck down to read the answer to the Every Picture quiz this week, you missed a lot of good stuf so go back and read it all, as for the rest of you here is the answer if you haven't guessed it already. It was of course.......
I'm sure you all got it straight away you intelligent lot you. Well as Bugs Bunny say's, Thats All Folks. But don't worry, next week isn't to far around the corner, and I'll be back to entertain you all again sooner than you think. Until next time. Ta Ra.
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