Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Death Is Not The End

Being the hip and groovy dude that I am, I like to glance at the UK's Top 40 Albums chart every Monday. Sadly it's been a very long time since I knew most of the acts in the album charts and nowadays, I'm not even sure if I'm reading the name of the artist or the song ! Long gone may be the days when a beat combo name started with 'The' but even back then we had our share of freaky names.

Remember Pinkerton's Assorted Colours ? Or Engelbert Humperdinck, T.Rex, Lord Rockingham's XI, Showaddywaddy, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Hedgehoppers Anonymous and Mariah Carey ? Oh yes 'we' had the weird ones too.

Now we have artists with special characters in their names. Ke$ha and 3OH!3 so it's nice to see the tradition is in good hands.

Anyway I looked today and thought I'd somehow gone into a wormhole and was back in my yute. There was old red eyes, Dean Martin, resurrected after all this time, thus proving that a lifetime of boozing really can have a pickling effect on your body even after you've left it.

A little further down the chart comes my personal favourite crooner, Matt Munro. Yep, dead too.

Further down still, Gracie Fields. Dead 31 years for goodness sake and that alone must set some sort of record....for a record !

Then there are artists who, while still alive, have been dead to the charts for several years. Artists like Boyzone and Simply Red. Boyzone actually entered at No.1 and proved again that the death of a band member doesn't necessarily mean the death of his career.

So what's going on ? Why are all these oldies and not so goldies in the current Top 40 ?

Well, Sunday was Mother's Day ! Nuff said.

Is it too early to pre order Wham's Last Christmas ?
at

5 comments:

  1. Daphne16 March, 2010 07:24

    A band's name should start with "The", as you point out, and be written on the drum. I think The Boyzone and The Simply Red should take note.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Richard Speight16 March, 2010 08:54

    It's because of downloads as well. Plus I think they only have to sell about 12 copies to get into the charts these days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Debby16 March, 2010 11:40

    I like Showaddywaddy...I have them on my exercise playlist. Maybe I should start moving the bod again to hear them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. rhymeswithplague16 March, 2010 14:05

    I agree with Daphne. The Beatles. The Doors. The Rolling Stones. The Eagles. I rest my case.

    My band would be named The Agony and the Ecstasy, or The Way Of All Flesh, or The Paths of Glory, or The James Joyce Connection, or The Grand Poobah's Last Hurrah.

    It's probably a good thing I never have a band.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Milo16 March, 2010 16:41

    I don't listen to much contemporary music. Am stuck in the 80s and 90s mostly.

    ReplyDelete

Due to spammers, comment verification is set to 'ON' so if you aren't already signed up with a Google account, just pick the Name/URL or Anonymous option below.