The Song For Today - Jimmie Oliver (the lemonade war series txt) 📗

'seventies.
{Also on this date, in 1996 the Taliban seize control of Kabul in Afghanistan}

SEPTEMBER 28TH
Stand By Me by Ben E. King (1961)
available on the album Ben E. King's Greatest Hits
Peculiarly, 'Stand By Me' beat off the challenge of Percy Sledge's 'When A Man Loves A Woman' to climb to the top of the UK singles summit in 1987, as British record buyers suddenly went very retro. 'Stand By Me' not only benefits from a marvellous vocal performance, but opens up with a memorable bass intro. John Lennon (among others) was sufficiently keen on this record that he opted to include a cover of it on his album of new renditions of previous classics, entitled 'Rock 'N' Roll'. Lennon has a good stab at re-interpreting King's song, but the original remains best. Ben E. King, one of Atlantic Records' finest soul singers, was born this day in 1938 in North Carolina as Benjamin Nelson. He was co-composer with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller of this museum piece from the early 'sixties.
{Also on this day, Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days in office in 1978}

SEPTEMBER 29TH
Don't Fight It, Feel It by Primal Scream (1991)
from the album Screamadelica
Glaswegian Alan McGee, the supremo of Creation Records, was born on this day in 1960. McGee was associated with such 'nineties giants as Oasis and Primal Scream. The latter were responsible for possibly the best album of the decade, when they released 'Screamadelica' in 1991. This hour-long box of delights was really a commercial for hallucinogenic substances. Nevertheless, 'Screamadelica' appealed because of its fusion of rock and acid house music. It was effectively the great psychedelic offering that the Beatles, the Floyd, and the Stones never quite managed to deliver. Among its many highlights were such pieces as the gospel-tinged 'Come Together', the inspirational 'Movin' On Up', the bluesy 'Damaged', and the trippy 'Inner Flight'. Arguably the fairest of them all was the dance-oriented 'Don't Fight It, Feel It'. After this landmark recording, Primal Scream had the world at their feet, only for the creative rug to be pulled from under their feet by another of Creation Records' creations, the mighty Oasis.
{Also on this date, in 1979 Pope John Paul II visits the Republic of Ireland}

SEPTEMBER 30TH
Metal Guru by T Rex (1972)
from the album The Slider
Today is the anniversary of the birth of the Prince of glam rock, Marc Bolan, in 1947 in Hackney. Bolan, like his friend David Bowie, had a talent for re-inventing himself, as this chameleon progressed (or deteriorated) from mod via hippie to glam rock star and punk forefather. In 1971 and 1972, Bolan was at his commercial peak, when T Rex occupied the coveted Number One position in the UK no fewer than four times. 'Get It On' and 'Hot Love' may be hugely popular, but I prefer T Rex's fourth and final chart-topper, 'Metal Guru'. This smash hit smashes onto the eardrums from the first second, and it swerves any notion of a gentle build-up. The song is to be played loud, and it is of a sufficiently brief duration to enable the listener to jump around, without fear of exhaustion. It is clearly one of the best glam rock anthems and a deserved No.1 for Marc and his gang.
{Also on this day, James Dean dies in a car crash in 1955, aged 24}

OCTOBER 1ST
Shaking The Tree by Peter Gabriel (1989)
from the album Shaking The Tree
If there was ever a prize for the greatest-ever 'best of' compilation, Peter Gabriel's 'Shaking The Tree' album from 1990 would be a deserving winner. Boasting the likes of 'Games Without Frontiers', 'San Jacinto', and the stunning 'Zaar' instrumental, the record is an awesome chronicle of Gabriel's output. The title track itself is worthy of extra mention. Along with Kate Bush's 'Room For The Life' and the Eurythmics' 'Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves', this is one of the great, monumental women's liberation tunes. Recognising the special role that women have in all our lives, here is a call to arms, encouraging them to continue 'shaking the tree'. This epic composition features Youssou N'Dour assisting with vocals. Today represents the anniversary of his birth in Dakar, Senegal in 1959. 'Shaking The Tree' had been previously recorded on Youssou N'Dour's 1989 long player, entitled 'The Lion'.
{Also on this date, Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in Manila in 1975}

OCTOBER 2ND
Vincent by Don McLean (1971)
from the album American Pie
On this day in 1945, American singer Don McLean was born in New York. His two biggest hits from the early 'seventies were both related to departed icons. 'American Pie' referred to the loss of 'fifties rock 'n' roller Buddy Holly on "the day the music died". However, I prefer McLean's tribute to the tragic Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh. 'Vincent' is one of the best British Number Ones of 1972. It is a truly beautiful recording, and it ends with the poignant lines: "But I could have told you Vincent/ This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."
{Also on this day, in 1985 Rock Hudson dies of an AIDS-related illness, aged 59}

OCTOBER 3RD
Big Love by Fleetwood Mac (1987)
from the album Tango In The Night
Lindsey Buckingham, born on this date back in 1949, has to be one of the most under-rated guitarists in the history of popular music. He is among other things responsible for the formidable guitar and bass duel with John McVie on 'The Chain', from the 'Rumours' album, a glorious piece that re-surfaced on the BBC One Formula 1 motor racing theme tune. Buckingham also contributed lead vocals on such hits as 'Don't Stop' and a decade later 'Big Love', from the 'Tango In The Night' LP. 'Big Love' (written by Buckingham) was something of a swansong for Lindsey, before he bowed out of the quintet for a decade. Along with 'Little Lies', it was one of the prime cuts from 'Tango In The Night'.
{Also on this date, East and West Germany are re-unified in 1990}

OCTOBER 4TH
Left To My Own Devices by The Pet Shop Boys (1988)
from the album Introspective
Today is the anniversary of the birth in 1959 of Chris Lowe, the musical half of the Pet Shop Boys. This superb duo enjoyed a succession of smash hits in the 1980s, and for me the pick of a very good bunch is the single, 'Left To My Own Devices'. It is typical of the atmospheric pop sound that Lowe and Tennant did better than anyone else, even surpassing 'Love Comes Quickly', 'Suburbia', and 'Domino Dancing'. The Pet Shop Boys typified all that was good about British popular music in the latter half of the decade. Their commercial success was merited.
{Also on this day, in 1970 Janis Joplin dies of a drugs overdose, at the age of 27}

OCTOBER 5TH
Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats (1978)
from the album A Tonic For The Troops
Several years before his conscience was pricked by news footage of famine-stricken Ethiopians, Bob Geldof was making a name for himself as the frontman of the Boomtown Rats. Bob and his rodents earned the accolade of achieving the first chart-topper in Britain by a 'new wave' act, when the group released 'Rat Trap'. This fabulous composition features memorable cameos from the bass, piano, and a marvellous saxophone contribution. Many people rate 'I Don't Like Mondays' as the highlight of the band's career, but for me, 'Rat Trap' is arguably one of the ten best UK Number Ones of the 1970s. Lead vocalist Bob Geldof was born this day in 1951 in the port of Dun Laoghaire, near Dublin.
{Also on this date, two pubs in Guildford are bombed by the IRA in 1974}

OCTOBER 6TH
Sail On by The Commodores (1979)
from the album Midnight Magic
American group The Commodores provided a welcome presence in the pop charts in the late 'seventies with such fine hits as 'Easy' and the song for today, 'Sail On'. Today is the date of birth in 1949 in Florida of the outfit's lead guitarist, Thomas McClary. One of their number, Lionel Richie (the composer of 'Sail On') would go on to eclipse the band's achievements with his subsequent solo journey, with the help of his 'Endless Love' collaboration with Diana Ross, the excellent dance song 'All Night Long', and the British Number One smash, 'Hello'.
{Also on this day, President Sadat of Egypt is assassinated in 1981, aged 62}

OCTOBER 7TH
Creep by Radiohead (1992)
from the album Pablo Honey
The 1993 album 'Pablo Honey' yielded one of the greatest recordings of the 1990s in the shape of the self-loathing of 'Creep'. In spite of the apparent negativity of this song's subject matter, it seemed to strike a chord with the 'yoof' generation. Radiohead's singer Thom Yorke was born on this day, back in the autumn of the turbulent year of 1968. Yorke would later bemoan the fact that the hit single 'Creep' would be a track that his band was constantly reminded of, at the expense of their other repertoire. Nevertheless, the projects 'OK Computer' and 'The Bends' received much critical acclaim too, in addition to their majestic millstone, Creep'.
{Also on this date, in 1952 the music show American Bandstand is first televised}

OCTOBER 8TH
When Will I See You Again by The Three Degrees (1974)
available on the album Best Of The Three Degrees: When Will I See You Again
Today's birthday feature is Sheila Ferguson, born in 1947. Sheila would be one-thirds responsible for one of the best pop songs of the 'seventies with the wonder that was 'When Will I See You Again', performed by the Three Degrees. These female ambassadors of the sound of Philadelphia were