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

best efforts from the early phase of their career. One such 'desperado' was born on this day in 1947 when Joseph Fidler Walsh emerged in Kansas. The album from which this track originated was also called 'Desperado' and it proved to be an accurate signpost of the high standards that the American combo attained. Walsh later joined the group in 1976, taking his place in an outfit that were lauded as the premier act that surfaced from North America in the 1970s. Their 'Greatest Hits' compilation has been one of the biggest-selling records in American history, boosted by the presence of Henley and Frey's sad but powerful 'Desperado'.
{Also on this date, a fire rages for fifteen hours at Windsor Castle in 1992}

NOVEMBER 21ST
Country House by Blur (1995)
from the album The Great Escape
Today marks the anniversary of the birth in 1968 in Bournemouth of Mr. Steven Alexander James, better known subsequently as Alex James, the bass guitarist for Blur. Blur fought it out tooth and nail both in the newspapers and in the charts with their apparent northern nemesis, Oasis. One particular success for the mockney cockneys was their typically catchy chart-topper, 'Country House'. This satirical put-down of the nouveau riche, possibly a dig at fellow celebrities or even themselves, contains amusing lyrics and ought to rate highly on any list of the best British-made singles of the 'nineties.
{Also on this day, 21 people die from 2 IRA pub bombs in Birmingham in 1974}

NOVEMBER 22ND
And She Was by Talking Heads (1985)
from the album Little Creatures
Tina Weymouth, the 'blonde bombshell' of the Talking Heads was born this day back in 1950 in California. Weymouth and her band associate (and husband) Chris Frantz took time out of Talking Heads to cultivate the Tom Tom Club, resulting in the memorable 'Wordy Rappinghood' and the admirable 'Genius Of Love'. However, Weymouth's finest musical legacy heralds from her service to Talking Heads. One particular gem is 'And She Was'. It is a fairly uncomplicated and monotonous tune, but this catchy song still merits repeated listening.
{Also on this date, in 1963 President Kennedy is shot dead in Dallas, aged 46}

NOVEMBER 23RD
Valleri by The Monkees (1968)
from the album The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees
'Valleri' was another Top Three Billboard smash hit for the new American sensations, the Monkees. Critics may scoff at the group's lack of musical talent or creativity, but they did issue several noteworthy pop songs. One of these was 'Valleri', which was co-written by the songwriter Tommy Boyce (with the assistance of Bobby Hart). Boyce was responsible (or 'guilty') of composing a number of the American fab four's repertoire. He later passed away on this day in 1994 at the age of fifty-five. 'Valleri' is arguably the pick from his Monkees catalogue. It is one of the best singles that hailed from North America in the 1960s.
{Also on this day, Doctor Who is first broadcast in 1963 on the BBC}

NOVEMBER 24TH
Waterfall by The Stone Roses (1989)
available on the album The Very Best Of The Stone Roses
John Squire, described by the writer John Robb as the world's first non-macho guitar hero, was born on this date in 1962 in Altrincham. Squire's group, the Stone Roses, made a huge impact upon popular music, even though they recorded only a couple of studio albums. One supreme delight from the band's best long player was the five-minute thrill that was 'Waterfall'. This love song showcases Squires' mastery of the six-stringed instrument, with the one and a half minute outro an absolute joy to the ears, as the guitarist and the drummer Reni elevate a fine recording into the stratosphere of true greatness.
{Also on this date, in 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald is shot dead by Jack Ruby}

NOVEMBER 25TH
Xanadu by Olivia Newton-John And The Electric Light Orchestra (1980)
from the album Xanadu
Two years after taking the UK singles chart by storm with her Grease collaborations with John Travolta, Australia's Olivia Newton-John was back at the top of the British hit parade with her best-ever 45, 'Xanadu'. The summit-climber was also the only Number One achieved by the Electric Light Orchestra. Their drummer, Bev Bevan (previously a member of the Move), was born this day in 1946 in Birmingham. He and his group ought to be credited with creating arguably the best chart-topper of the 'eighties, with this special effort that was blessed by the vocals of Olivia Newton-John. Few subsequent Number Ones can compare with this outstanding pop song.
{Also on this day, Band Aid record 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' in 1984}

NOVEMBER 26TH
Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
from the album Fleetwood Mac
By the mid-1970s the former British blues band Fleetwood Mac had metamorphosed into an Anglo-American outfit. Their first album was a huge success in North America, boosted by the presence of the Stevie Nicks' composition, the charming 'Rhiannon'. Here, the contributions of the new couple are very much to the fore. Nicks provides an enchanting lead vocal while Lindsey Buckingham's guitar sound enabled the Mac to be a radio-friendly rock group. If 'Rhiannon' was a just cause for encouragement, more treasures were in store for the future. The group's bassist, John McVie, was born this day in 1945 in Ealing, west London. The Mac in the group's title comes from his surname.
{Also on this date, in 1983 the Brinks Mat robbery occurs at Heathrow Airport}

NOVEMBER 27TH
Belfast Child by Simple Minds (1989)
from the album Street Fighting Years
Charlie Burchill, the guitarist from Glasgow's Simple Minds, emerged onto planet earth on this date in 1958, on the 16th birthday of Jimi Hendrix. Burchill and his group proved that their minds were not too simple as they proceeded to record the British chart-topper 'Belfast Child'. The track is a lengthy one and its non-commercial subject matter scarcely suggested a smash hit, which only renders the band's Number 1 all the more surprising. It was a welcome distraction in a charts landscape saturated by Stock/Aitken/Waterman products.
{Also on this day, John Major replaces Mrs Thatcher as the UK Prime Minister in 1990}

NOVEMBER 28TH
Whatever Gets You Thru The Night by John Lennon (1974)
available on the album Shaved Fish
John Lennon demonstrated that he was more than merely a rock 'n' roll artist who dabbled in love and peace anthems by branching out into dance music with the highly infectious 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night'. On this historic day in 1974, the ex-Beatle legend joined his new buddy Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden, New York, to perform a rendition of this single. John had previously conceded to Elton that if by some miracle this new release would reach the summit of the Billboard chart, then he would do it live in concert. Remarkably, the issued song did promptly land on the peak of the American singles list, and Lennon was then true to his word. The two Johns (Elton and Lennon) delighted the assembled concert-goers with 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', 'I Saw Her Standing There', and this US Number One. It would be the last time that one of the icons of popular music would sing live. As for this smash hit from the 'Walls And Bridges' album, I regard it as one of the ultimate disco classics, albeit from an unlikely source.
{Also on this date, in 1994 voters in Norway reject European Union membership}

NOVEMBER 29TH
While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles (1968)
from the album The Beatles
The quiet Beatle with an under-estimated sense of humour, George Harrison, died on this date in 2001 in Los Angeles, at the age of 58. It is ironic that whilst George and one or two of the others were becoming disillusioned with their stay on planet Beatles, they still contrived to unearth their greatest recordings. As the 'sixties drew to a close, Harrison's songwriting came of age with several wonders of the pop world, such as 'Savoy Truffle' and 'Here Comes The Sun'. Prominent amongst the feast that is George's legacy is the track from the 'White Album' called 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. This delicious guitar-based tune stands favourably when compared with all the other material from arguably the Beatles' best long player. Eric Clapton, George's new friend, also weighed in with his not inconsiderable guitar assistance.
{Also on this day, the racing driver Graham Hill died in 1975, aged forty-six}

NOVEMBER 30TH
Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple (1972)
from the album Machine Head
Today marks the anniversary of the birth in Brecon in Wales of Roger Glover, four days after John McVie. Glover's group Deep Purple are amongst the very best purveyors of the heavy metal sound. This pioneering outfit created their own place in music history with arguably the greatest rock song of them all: 'Smoke On The Water'. This extraordinary number recounts the tale of a fire at the casino in Montreux where the group and Frank Zappa were performing "on the Lake Geneva shoreline". The song also possesses one of the best guitar intros and later follows up with perhaps the finest instrumental break in popular music. Not just one of the most remarkable tunes of the 1970s, I have no hesitation in including it among my all-time Top Twenty.
{Also on this date, in 1982 Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' album is released}

DECEMBER 1ST
Riders On The Storm by The Doors (1971)
from the album L.A. Woman
'L.A. Woman' was