Produced by Jef Lynne

 

Roy Orbison always used to wear sunglasses indoors...as so does Boner out of U2. Here's their best moment to date.

 

Even Better Than The Real Thing? Well, that's some faint praise but they did deliver this gem.

 

 

In 1986 I got backstage at the Radio One Roadshow in Bournemouth (I was on Mike Read's Pop Quiz) and The Real Thing were signing autographs by me while I was in the trailer waiting to go on stage. Mike checked his hair in the mirror before he popped out ready to take the piss out of my jumper (quite justifiably). To most of us though, we all will just want to say, Relax, Mike!

 

 

Frankie Goes To Hollywood were only the second act in chart history to go to number one with their first three singles. The first were another Merseyside act, Gerry and the Pacemakers. As the renewed Hillsborough inquest opened today I have to go with one of those number ones (also performed by FGTH on their debut album) You'll Never Walk Alone.

 

 

Keeping the Merseyside theme going with James, and "Come Home". Always a great one to hear them do live.

 

Well, James are from Manchester really...but a band from Liverpool who jumped on the 'Madchester' baggy bandwagon back in 1990 are The Farm, so here's their only tune that's really worth remembering

 

Time to leave north west England and head to continental Europe. From a Groovy Train we go the the Trans-Europe Express and a bit of Kraftwerk.

 

Well, James are from Manchester really

 

D'oh. Now I feel like an idiot.

 

"Radioactivity" by Kraftwerk was covered by Quentin "Norman" Cook for a compilation album under his Fatboy Slim moniker. However, prior to that he played bass for The Housemartins. Here's their biggest original hit, Happy Hour -

 

I can't resist this one. Norman Cook (then called Quentin) went to Reigate Grammar School along with my brother. The current head teacher of that school is Shaun Fenton, son of Shane Fenton (originally Bernard Jewry), aka Alvin Stardust. So let's go back to my early teenage months.

 

keeping up with the family connection, Alvin comes from mansfield (woodhouse) my home town. The only big band I knew played Mansfield were the Pretenders at the leisure centre in 1981 (I was there, as previously mentioned) so here's their early single with that melody to die for, the gorgeous Chrissie Hynde and

 

Kid!

 

Chrissie Hynde appeared on Friends playing a character involved in sub-plot with Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) which culminated with them singing at the end of the episode, similar to Chris Isaak's appearance on the show. Here he is with "Wicked Game"

 

 

 

'Wicked Game' featured in the film 'Wild at Heart' by David Lynch which featured Harry Dean Stanton in the cast. 'Harry Dean Stanton' is the name of a song by Pop Will Eat Itself as is the classic 'Def Con One'.

 

If you Eat yourself, your one of these :lol:

 

I hear Pop and I think Bubblegum Pop, well who wouldn't!? The greatest bubblegum pop record of all-time just happens to be the very first single I ever bought with my own money and I was desperate to get hold of it, being as I was obsessed with it. Sept 1969, Changi Village Evening Market, two Singapore dollars, job done!

 

However, being beaten to it with I Eat Cannibals...well they eat people, and I daresay before chomping they chose to Stir It Up And Serve It, which just happens to be a 1970 single by Tommy Roe. It's a challenge, but I got there...

 

Tommy Roe, Dizzy, as sampled heavily by Bassomatic (Fascinating rhythm) and taken back to number one by VIc Reeves & The Wonderstuff. Still the best version, though....

 

This one fits into the two aforementioned records well

 

Edited April 2, 201411 yr by fiesta

Dead Or Alive has the somewhat contraversial lead Pete Burns, a more famous Mr. Burns is Charles Montgomery Burns from The Simpsons, who also entered the musical realm with a UK number one in the shape of "Do The Bartman", which isn't where I'm going :) The song itself however was written by Michael Jackson and here is my favourite Jacko song.

 

 

Jacko of course outbid my main man, Macca, for the Beatles back catalogue. On the plus side, it ended their friendship and we never had to suffer another "Girl Is Mine", the very weak point of that album, Thriller I think it was called...

 

Back in the day the USA often tended to go for great album tracks as singles, such as this 1971 US number one for Paul & his much-missed missus Linda

 

Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

 

Uncle Albert was a character in Only Fools And Horses, introduced when the bloke who played Granddad died. Panic not, I'm not going for Clive Dunn's Granddad. One of the stars of OFAH was Nicholas Lyndhurst who got his big acting break in Butterflies. The theme tune to that programme was a song by Dolly Parton.

 

If you look at Dolly Parton from a certain angle and then look at Right Said Fred from above there is very little difference.