Curated Music

Anyone that knows me would never describe me as a sports fan. All the same I’m not unfamiliar with the various sports tv show themes that have persisted through the decades. Ski Sunday (‘Pop Looks Bach’ by Sam Fonteyn), Grandstand (by Keith Mansfield) and the Snooker (‘Dragracer’ by The Doug Wood Band) all have a special place in my childhood nostalgia archive. Along with them also sits this week’s earworm inspiration.

‘Soul Limbo’ by Booker T and the M.G.s is more commonly known in the U.K. as the theme music to the cricket. It cropped up on my discover playlist over the weekend – presumably through my preference for related bands than anything actually test match related.

Now I only knew of Booker T and the M.G.s for ‘Green Onions’ but…(Trivia alert!) doing a bit of reading and it turns out they were the house band for the soul record label Stax playing on hundreds of recordings behind stars such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Bill Wither and Wilson Pickett.

As well as the eponymous Booker T other stars of the band were Steve Cropper and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn latterly known more as two of the backline in the ‘Blues Brothers’

As I listened to it in the kitchen for the first time in ages it set off the mutating earworm on a merry journey to an 80’s pop classic. As the chords cycled round the piano plays a rhythm which was distinctly reminiscent of guitar riff in the middle ‘Walking on Sunshine’ by Katrina and the Waves

Now, by all accounts, this little ditty which I would attest is heavily influenced by said Mr T and his M.G.s, has been a consistent moneymaker down the years (estimated one million dollars a year in publishing royalties according to the Financial Times)

Katrina – give these guys some credit, anything else just isn’t Cricket 🙂

Throwing back tomorrow, as it’s Thursday

Donovan.

Bonus treat: Here’s a live version of Soul Limbo (minus the aforementioned piano which appears on the record) featuring Booker T himself, although alas no Blues Brothers…..

This weeks Midweek Mutating Earworm has a 26 year history 

Late last year I came across a cracking track in my Spotify daily mix, ‘Fear and Delight’ by an electro swing outfit The Correspondents. By all accounts it was used as the theme music for BBC3 comedy ‘Crims’ (something way too hip/youf for me to be aware of). Chief among the appeals were the clever lyrical intricacies and allegories (a common thread amongst my favourites). Having saved the track and set ‘follow artist’ the appeal continued when I heard further tracks ‘Washington Square’ and ‘What Happened to Soho?’ a few weeks later. Then I spotted the band were on the line-up for Shindig Festival and it pretty much sealed the deal on the decision to purchase tickets. Late on the Saturday evening of the festival, buzzing after outstanding sets from Smoove & Turrell and Stereo MCs, I wandered into the circus tent that had hosted all kinds of entertainment over the preceding 24 hours to catch a glimpse of The Correspondents in the flesh.

Not really having done any research into the people behind the music, I was surprised to see a sleight man in black jumpsuit supported by a second who was standing behind some decks. The music began and within a few bars it was as if something had possessed the singer; Wildly jumping around stage with acrobatic flexibility like a puppet being manipulated by a demon on speed. Not what I had anticipated at all, nevertheless I was mightily impressed both with the bodily contortions and the vocal control given the aforementioned physical exertions.

As is often the case live gigs lead to exploring the back catalogues of newly discovered artists. And that, was how I came across this week’s earworm.

The 2017 album ‘Foolishman’ has ‘Tonight’ as track it’s first track. Reminiscent of 80’s pop, listening to it sent me in to an earworm frenzy as it desperately tried to burrow around my cortex searching for its long lost connection. Specifically from the end of the first chorus at around 1:00 starting with the lyrics ‘I can’t stop looking at my phone, I can’t stop thinking about home…’

After a bit of delving back into the annals of pop hits that were long forgotten, it finally it found its way to the source. Some London lads who made a name for themselves with baggy trousers (no, not Madness), silly hats and pop-py raps.

Scooch on over to 1:45 ‘We are the seed of the new breed, we will succeed our time has come’

There’s your answer. Correspondents lead singer, Eton-educated artist, Ian Bruce (Ianbruce.net) can’t have been more than a toddler when East 17’s ‘Alright’ hit the U.K. charts, but maybe the music inspired him as much as their crazy dance moves…?

More earworm insanity next week pop pickers.

Donovan

I’ve been a Crowded House fan for a long time and more recently an even bigger Neil Finn fan. This won’t be news to anyone who either a) knows me or b) has been curious enough to glance across the other sections of my site.

I have my good friend, Oliver to thank for that, he discovered them during his ‘must listen to everything remotely related to Roxy Music’ phase (which has frankly never ended). The link was that Crowded House’s precursor, Split Enz supported Roxy on tour in their native New Zealand in 1976. Roxy guitarist Phil Manzenara was apparently so impressed he later went on to produce one of their albums with Neil Finn making a guest appearance on his 1978 album K-skope.

‘But Donovan, your title mentions the Beatles , not Roxy Music’ – let me get there (after all a little back story never hurt anyone, just ask Phineas and Ferb fans).

So anyway, last year I had the wonderful pleasure of being able to watch some of Neil Finn’s live streaming as he went through the process of rehearsing and recording his latest Album ‘Out of Silence’.

Having seen him twice in concert this was an absolute delight and and a real insight behind the scenes of the musical facades that he carefully crafts.

One of my favourite tracks from the album, ‘Second Nature’, had a section in it that seems incredibly familiar. It was only 2 bars or so repeated a few times during the song; under the lyrics “he’s on a Vespa” and more prominently without lyrics at 3:00 and 3:10. 

In usual mutating earworm fashion I just couldn’t shake it.

It’s not the first time I had heard Beatlesque overtones in Neil Finn’s songs. The one that sprang to mind most easily was ‘Not the Girl You Think You Are’ which appeared as one of the 3 bonus tracks written for the 1996 Crowded House Greatest Hits ‘Recurring Dream’. Of course in doing some fact-checking it turns out that in that instance Neil was actually trying to write a song that sound like the Beatles (call yourself a fan, Donovan!).
The Beatles’ influence on Neil’s songwriting has frequently been a topic for discussion on Crowded House Fan forums across the years too.

Fortunately after a frustrating hour or so my brain finally caught up and found the musical link; it was the middle section from ‘When I’m Sixty Four’ over the lyrics ‘you’ll be older too’ at 00:44s.

So that’s the Midweek Mutating Earworm completed. Do you feel suitably enlightened? entertained? Comments, as always welcome below 🙂

More musical links of varying tenuousity same time next week and Throwback Thursday tomorrow.

Donovan